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  • ’Aqal hai tumhaaray mein,’ CM Punjab Pervaiz Elahi to Shahbaz Gill

    ’Aqal hai tumhaaray mein,’ CM Punjab Pervaiz Elahi to Shahbaz Gill

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi commented on the recent arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s chief of staff Shahbaz Gill in a sedition case.

    Talking on Geo News’ programme ‘Geo Pakistan’, Elahi said, “I have given a statement against him [Shahbaz],” adding that these are honourable institutions.

    “The Pakistan army protects the border of our country, Aqal hai tumhaaray mein (Are you in your senses?).”

    When asked if PTI should distance itself from Shahbaz Gill’s statement, Elahi said, “Definitely yes.”

    He further said Khan himself says that “a person who speaks against the army is not a Pakistani”.

    PTI leaders reactions

    Commenting on Gill’s arrest, Imran Khan termed it an ‘abduction’. He said, “Shahbaz Gill was arrested without any arrest warrant. His driver was tortured and his vehicle was damaged. He should have been given a chance to defend himself.”

    About the rumours about his arrest, Khan said that his arrest is a small thing, he can “sacrifice” his life for haqeeqi azadi.

    “If someone breaks the law, then there must be an action. Has any show-cause notice been issued to ARY News or given any reason for its suspension? The channel’s transmission was suspended without giving any chance to give a clarification. This is not acceptable in a democratic society. Democracy does not allow someone to take a decision solely and close the channel.”

    While Speaking on ARY News, PTI leader Asad Umar said Gill’s words have been misinterpreted.

    He further claimed that personally, he has “never heard Gill giving anti-army statements”.

    Meanwhile, PTI leader Murad Saeed lashed out at the government after the arrest of his fellow party member. He claimed that this is all the government’s propaganda against PTI as they themselves talk against the army and then link it to PTI.

    He further said that the government registers fake FIRs.

    The PTI leader said that “handlers and facilitators” can’t compete with the public as they come out on roads whenever Khan asked them to.

    “Imran Khan is our redline, don’t cross it, or else you will suffer the consequences.”

    ‘Script was prepared under the supervision of Imran Khan’: Rana Sanuallah

    Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, August 9, Interior Minister Rana Snaullah said, “The comments were according to the script prepared under the supervision of PTI Chairman Imran Khan which was carried forward by Fawad Chaudhry and Shahbaz Gill.”

    Sanaullah went on to say that “hateful and seditious” remarks made by Gill were in line with the conspiracy in which a private news channel was also involved.

    “Inquiry will be held regarding who are the people behind Gill and the private channel as no further investigation is needed on Gill’s statement,” he added.

    The interior minister further alleged that the incident proves that the PTI was responsible for running a negative social media campaign on the tragic incident of an army helicopter crash in Balochistan.

  • Babar Azam retains top position in ICC T20I rankings

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) released the T20I rankings on Wednesday. Pakistan’s all-format captain, Babar Azam, has retained his top spot in the rankings. He is at the top of the rankings with 818 points.

    Babar last played T20I in April but his consistent runs in the T20I format have helped him stay ahead of other players.

    India’s Suryakumar Yadav is on the second spot with 805 points. Last week, he stood at 816 points, just two points away from Babar. Another Pakistani player, Mohammed Rizwan, is in the top 10 ranking with 794 points and is on the third spot.

    Babar continues to be the only batter in the world ranked in the top five in all three formats of the game. Babar is ranked first in T20I and ODIs, and third in Tests.

  • ARY News taken off air, CEO, journalists booked, head of news arrested

    ARY News taken off air, CEO, journalists booked, head of news arrested

    Karachi police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against ARY Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Salman Iqbal in connection with the controversial remarks made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill during a news transmission.

    The police have also arrested Ammad Yousuf, the head of news and Senior Executive Vice President of ARY News.

    The FIR said that a clip of a news bulletin, aired on August 8 by ARY News, had gone viral on social media, in which Gill had made “hateful remarks” against the Pakistan Army. Producer Adeel Raja, Yousaf, and anchorpersons Arshad Sharif and Khawar Ghumman have also been nominated in the case registered on August 8.

    Meanwhile, ARY News reported that Yousaf was arrested in Karachi late on Tuesday night (August 9). Yousaf was arrested without a warrant from his residence located in Karachi’s DHA.

    “Police officers along with plain-clothed persons forcibly entered the house of Ammad Yousaf. The raiding team diverted the CCTV cameras of Yousaf’s house, and jumped into the house from the top of the main entrance,” reported ARY News.

    Arshad Sharif flies to Dubai

    After Yousaf got arrested, anchorperson Arshad Sharif left the country after his name was nominated in the FIR.

    ARY News distances itself from Shahbaz Gill’s statement about army

    ARY News and Salman Iqbal distanced themselves from Gill’s statement.

    In a statement read out by ARY’s senior anchorperson Kashif Abbasi on his show, ‘Off the Record’, said that Salman Iqbal and the management condemns Shahbaz Gill’s statement.

    Pemra issues show-cause notice to ARY News for airing ‘hateful, seditious’ content against govt

    The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) on Monday issued a show-cause notice to ARY News for airing what it called “false, hateful and seditious” content based on “absolute disinformation with a clear and present threat to national security by instigating rebellion within the armed forces”.

    Prior to the issuance of the notice, ARY News went off air in many parts of the country on Monday (August 8).

  • Man uses Tinder to find sisters to ‘hangout during Raksha Bandhan’

    Man uses Tinder to find sisters to ‘hangout during Raksha Bandhan’

    A Mumbai man updated his Tinder bio two weeks ago to add, “Looking for a sister to hang out during Rakshabandhan.”

    This sounds odd as one of the most widely used dating apps, Tinder, is exclusively used to find partners rather than sisters.

    The man wrote on Reddit that he used the app to find sisters because he didn’t have any. He wrote about how Raksha Bandhan, a holy festival for the Hindu community, made him feel lonely because he didn’t have anyone to tie him a Rakhi.

    He has been using Tinder for the past two years to find “a sister to hang out with during Raksha Bandhan,” and this year he was successful in finding two girls. The three of them are now getting ready to celebrate the day together.

    He wrote, “I have felt the FOMO for most of my life during Raksha Bandhan as I do not have any sister. No one to tie me Rakhi and me gifting them stuff. Anyways, since last 2 years I have been putting the bio as follows during 2 weeks before Raksha Bandhan: Looking for a sister to hangout during Raksha Bandhan. Thanks to Tinder, now I have like two sisters both of whom I met on Tinder. This year all 3 of us are planning to get together and celebrate Raksha Bandhan and exchange gifts and stuff. I’m so excited.”

    With more than 120 comments as of now, the Reddit post has 97 per cent upvotes.

    Another Reddit user expressed her willingness to tie him a Rakhi and take on the role of her Reddit sister because her brother is away and Raksha Bandhan makes her feel lonely.

  • Miss Universe will allow married women, mothers to compete

    Miss Universe will allow married women, mothers to compete

    The Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) recently announced that it has decided to allow married women, women who are pregnant or those who have children to compete in the global beauty pageant.

    The Miss Universe pageant has updated its 70-year-old eligibility rule. Currently, the rule states that only single women aged 18 and 28, who have never been married or had children are allowed to apply.

    The new rules will take effect for the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in 2023.

    “We all believe that women should have agency over their lives and that a human’s personal decisions should not be a barrier to their success,” said an internal memo from within the Miss Universe organisation, which is available with The National.

    Andrea Meza, who represented Mexico in the pageant and was crowned Miss Universe 2020, shared a message for those criticising this new rule. 

    “A few people are against these changes because they always wanted to see a single beautiful woman who is available for a relationship,” she said. “They always wanted to see a woman that from the outside looks so perfect that she’s almost unreachable. The former is sexist and the latter is unrealistic.”

    “Just like in any other industry, women are capable of having demanding leadership positions without or with a family, it is no different in this case,” she said. 

  • Leaks reveal iPhone 14 could be the best model ever

    Leaks reveal iPhone 14 could be the best model ever

    While a number of smartphone manufacturers are cutting back on their flagship shipments, Apple is quite confident about its upcoming range of the iPhone 14.

    The Cupertino-based business has reportedly informed its vendors that the iPhone 14 series will sell more units than it had planned, increasing the total number of units it will make from 90 million to 95 million.

    The iPhone 14 may be the best iPhone ever made for a number of reasons, as the higher-end iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max models are rumored to come with some significant changes, including improved camera capabilities with a new 48MP lens, a new pill-shaped and hole-punch notch replacement, and a faster A16 chip.

    According to a recent article from the Taiwan Economics Times, Apple anticipates that the iPhone 14 series would perform better than expected in terms of sales.

    As a result, it has instructed its suppliers to create and ship 5 per cent more iPhones than originally anticipated, or 95 million units instead of the first expected 90 million.

    The highest-end iPhone 14 Pro Max will have the greatest stock, according to the report, which cites sources. This shouldn’t be shocking considering how popular the iPhone 13 Pro Max was as well.

    As a result of the current political confrontations between China and Taiwan, earlier reports from July hinted that the projected September release of the iPhone 14 series might be delayed.

  • Muslim killings in US: Police arrest Muslim immigrant

    Police in New Mexico, United States (US), have arrested a Muslim Afghan immigrant named Muhammad Syed, 51, in connection with the deaths of Muslim men in Albuquerque city. The police have charged Syed with two murders.

    A total of four murders took place. All victims were of Afghan or Pakistani descent. One was killed in November, and the other three in the last two weeks.

    It was speculated that Shia and Sunni tensions may have led to Syed’s actions. However, the police said that while they are aware of the sectarian narrative, the motive is still being “explored” by investigators. 

    Albuquerque police deputy commander Kyle Hartsock stated: “We have heard those things, but we’re not sure if that’s the only motivation”, reports CNN.

    In a statement, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) said, “As their detectives prepared to search Syed’s home in Southeast Albuquerque on Monday, he drove from the residence in the Volkswagen Jetta that detectives believe was used in at least one of the murders.”

    “Detectives discovered evidence that showed the suspect knew the victims to some extent and an interpersonal conflict may have led to the shootings,” the police statement added.

    The APD said Syed was being charged with two of the homicides, the July 26 murder of Aftab Hussein and the August 1 murder of Muhammad Afzaal Hussain.

    “Detectives connected those homicides using bullet casings found at the scenes. The gun used in these shootings was discovered during the overnight search of [Syed’s] home,” the police said.

    The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement about the arrest in which the organisation “strongly condemned the anti-Shia hatred that may have motivated the killings”.

    ‘Strongly stand with Muslim community’: US President Biden condemns killing of Muslim men in New Mexico

    Earlier, US President Joe Biden condemned the killing of four Muslims — two of them Pakistanis, in Albuquerque, a city in the southern state of New Mexico. The local authorities are describing the killings as targeted attacks.

    “I am angered and saddened by the horrific killings of four Muslim men in Albuquerque. While we await a full investigation, my prayers are with the victims’ families, and my administration stands strongly with the Muslim community,” tweeted US President Biden.

    “These hateful attacks have no place in America,” he added.

    Four Muslim men killed in New Mexico

    The latest victim was gunned down on Friday night. The police said he was in his mid-20s, Muslim, and a native from South Asia.

    The local Islamic leaders said that the horrific incident occurred shortly after he had attended funeral services for two others slain during the past couple of weeks.

    Before this killing, two of the previous victims were Muslim and Pakistani men. A 27-year-old’s body was found on August 1 and a 41-year-old’s body was discovered on July 26.

    According to Tahir Gauba, spokesperson for the Islamic Centre of New Mexico, the three latest victims belonged to the same mosque.

    Detectives are now investigating whether these murders are connected to the death of a Muslim man from Afghanistan who was killed on November 7, 2021.

    Mayor Tim Keller said state authorities were working to provide an “extra police presence at mosques during times of prayer”.

  • Pakistan see a slight increase in Covid-19 cases

    Pakistan see a slight increase in Covid-19 cases

    According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the Covid-19 positivity rate in Pakistan has reached 2.64 per cent.

    In addition, 352 cases of Covid-19 were reported in Pakistan on August 10. However, no deaths were reported in the last 24 hours. A total of 13,325 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours.

    According to the NIH data, 153 Covid-19 patients are in critical care.

    In March this year, the government announced the closure of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The body was set up in March 2020 to deal with Covid-19.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in June urged Pakistanis to follow Covid-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

  • Deepika Padukone bravely opens up about suicidal tendencies and depression

    Deepika Padukone bravely opens up about suicidal tendencies and depression

    Deepika Padukone began her journey with Om Shanti Om in Bollywood and there was no going back. She was the lucky one as her big Bollywood debut was with Shah Rukh Khan. Ever since, the actress has been a part of some remarkable projects like Piku and Bajirao Mastani amongst others.

    During a recent interview, Deepika revealed that she was suffering from depression some years ago and was suicidal at times. However, the signs and symptoms were recognised at the right time and she fought back bravely.

    Opening up about when she was suffering from depression, Deepika said, “I give all the credit to my mother for recognising the signs and symptoms because it just happened out of the blue.” 

    Deepika Padukone recalls her dark phase of depression, says 'I was suicidal at times' | People News | Zee News

    She went on to add, “I was on a career-high, and everything was going well, so there was no reason or no apparent reason why I should’ve felt the way I was feeling.”

    “But, I would break down for no reason. There were days when I just didn’t want to wake up, I would sleep because sleep for me was an escape, I was suicidal at times,” she said.

    During the interview, the ‘Cocktail’ actress said that she used to behave normally in front of her parents. As her parents, who live in Bengaluru, visited her most often. 

    Further, she said, “Even now when they visit me, I always put on a brave front that everything’s okay. You always want to show your parents that you are fine.”

    Earlier this year, Padukone was asked by Filmfare magazine about the worst advice she’s ever received. Reacting to the same, the Gehraiyaan diva said, “I was told to get breast implants. I was all of 18 and I often wonder how I had the wisdom to not take it seriously.”

    When asked about the best advice, the Cocktail star answered, “Shah Rukh (Khan) gives good advice and I got a lot from him. One of the most valuable pieces of advice I got from him was to always work with people you know you are going to have a good time with, because while you are making a movie you are also living life, making memories, and creating experiences.”

    Discussing the aforementioned experiences, Deepika added, “Some [experiences were] public, some not so public. But in hindsight, I am grateful for those experiences. You don’t always walk into them knowingly. But eventually, you realise that all of life’s experiences teach you something. They give you clarity. They tell you a lot about who you are and give you perspective about the people around you.”

    Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone to head to Mallorca for a song shoot | Filmfare.com

    Meanwhile, Deepika will be next seen in Siddharth Anand’s directorial Pathan. She reunites with Shah Rukh Khan in it. She’ll be also seen in Anand’s Fighter, marking her first collaboration with Hrithik Roshan.

  • Video: Bride beats groom for refusing to eat from her hand

    Video: Bride beats groom for refusing to eat from her hand

    A recent Indian wedding left everyone in attendance in sheer shock, when the bride and the groom started fighting while sitting together at the mandap (a pillared hall or pavilion for Hindu rituals) during the ritual of feeding each other.

    The video went viral on social media moments after being shared.

    The video shows the bride moving her hand towards the groom to feed him. However, he stops her. This angers the bride and the couple ends up pushing and pulling each other.

    The people around the couple tried to stop them from fighting. The groom throughout was smiling but did not eat from the bride’s hand.