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  • Biden puts sanctions on Russia but has no intention of fighting its long rival

    Biden puts sanctions on Russia but has no intention of fighting its long rival

    United States (US) President Joe Biden has announced that they are imposing the first tranche of sanctions against Russia for launching an invasion of Ukraine and warned that more would come if there are further incursions.

    In a video, Biden said, “We are implementing full blocking sanctions on two large Russian financial institutions and comprehensive sanctions on Russia’s sovereign debt. We have cut off Russia’s government from Western financing.” He added that the US will also impose sanctions on Russia’s elites and their family members.

    Speaking at the White House, the US President lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin. “Who in the Lord’s name does Putin think gives him the right to declare new so-called countries [Donetsk and Luhansk] that belonged to his neighbour [Ukraine].”

    Biden said that the US would continue to provide “defensive assistance” to Ukraine but has no intention of fighting Russia. He said that the authorised additional movements of US forces are already stationed in Europe to strengthen Baltic allies Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

    He further revealed that the decision has been taken by the US and its allies. “I have told Putin to his face more than a month ago that we (US and allies) would act together if Russia invaded Ukraine,” he stated.

    According to Russian news agencies, Putin did not watch Biden’s speech and Russia will first look at what the US has outlined before responding, reports Reuters. Previously, Putin said, “They are trying to blackmail us again. They are threatening us again with sanctions” adding that the US just needs “an excuse to impose sanctions”.

    The development came a day after Putin recognised pro-Moscow separatist regions Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities and allowed Russian troops to enter this region.

    Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly called up the country’s reservists and warned that Ukraine could face a battle.

    Ukraine is deeply divided, with a large Russian-speaking minority. Since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, separatist rebels of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics have been accused of being proxies for Russian interests.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is going to Russia today (Wednesday) on a two-day visit.

  • Aryan Khan to debut as screenwriter reportedly for Amazon Prime

    Aryan Khan to debut as screenwriter reportedly for Amazon Prime

    Bollywood superstar, Shahrukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is reportedly planning to make his debut as a screenwriter for the streaming site, Amazon Prime and Red Chillies Entertainment.

    According to Pinkvilla, Aryan has been working on various ideas which might be turned into a web series or feature film.

    Closed sources revealed, “Of all the ideas in development, the two in the forefront is a web series for Amazon Prime and a feature film to be bankrolled by Red Chillies Entertainment. The Amazon Prime series is said to be about the life of a die-hard fan with some elements of thrill, however, the details of feature films are not known yet. If everything proceeds at the right pace, there’s a strong possibility of the show being greenlit by the platform this year itself.”

     Currently, scripts are in the initial stages of development. He is also collaborating with writer Bilal Siddiqi for the same production house. Once the script meets all the requirements of Amazon Prime, the streaming service will likely premiere the project.

    Last year, Aryan Khan graduated from the University of Southern California (USC). He was awarded a degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts, Cinematic Arts, Film and Television production.

    Recently, Suhana Khan, daughter of Shahrukh Khan is also making her acting debut in Zoya Akhtar’s directorial film for the streaming site, Netflix. The story is based on Archie Comics.

  • ‘It shouldn’t have happened on TV,’ Afridi reacts to Haris Rauf slapping Kamran Ghulam

    ‘It shouldn’t have happened on TV,’ Afridi reacts to Haris Rauf slapping Kamran Ghulam

    Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi has addressed a recent incident that happened in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) match between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi on Monday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

    PSL franchise Lahore Qalandars’ pacer Haris Rauf slapped his teammate Kamran Ghulam, who dropped a catch on his bowl to Zalmi batter Hazratullah Zazai.

    The veteran cricketer said that whenever he met Haris, he (Rauf) was the best. “Haris is a simple man and his bowling shows how aggressive he is,” Afridi said.

    He said: “Haris has not done a good thing and it should not have happened on TV. PSL is being watched all over the world.”

    The former captain further asserted that if certain things happen, then lessons should be learned from them and caution should be exercised in the future in “grooming academies”.

    He added that Haris will have to be very careful in the future as “his behaviour will not be tolerated in the future while the team management should have taken action on this move but it is wrong for the management to defend him.”

    In the same over, Fawad Ahmed caught Haris’ ball and Ghulam went towards Rauf for a hi-five and that was when Rauf slapped him in frustration. He, however, hugged him later.

    It was reported that Haris was given a warning by an on-field umpire and was not given any penalty for his behaviour during a match.

  • National Assembly ‘not available’ for no-trust move against PM Khan

    The National Assembly (NA) Hall and its lobbies are currently being renovated for the March 23 meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

    The Opposition may not be able to move the no-trust motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan due to the ongoing renovation.

    It is being said that the renovation will take another month to complete.

    Senior journalist Nasim Zehra tweeted about the renovation and added, “So no NA session. Some plan.”

    NA Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the National Assembly Hall is being prepared for the upcoming meeting of the OIC, which is going to be held on March 23, reports The News. 

    When asked what would happen if the Opposition parties move the no-trust motion in the next coming days, he said that he would ask his secretariat to consider where the session could be held in case of the non-availability of the National Assembly hall and its lobbies, reported the news outlet.

  • ‘PM Khan is a predator of free speech’: Pakistanis denounce PECA Ordinance

    ‘PM Khan is a predator of free speech’: Pakistanis denounce PECA Ordinance

    Since the promulgation of the Ordinance amending the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the law has been receiving a lot of criticism from the Opposition, civil society, journalists and even government allies.

    In a joint statement, the Opposition termed PECA “fascist and dictatorship”. The statement was released after a meeting between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership, reports Geo News.

    Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter and said, “So-called ‘defamation’ amendment to PECA, promulgated by presidential ordinance, shows the real fascist face of the ruling clique.”

    PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto- Zardari said that freedom of expression and press is being muzzled under the guise of preventing false news. “Khan Sahib himself is the biggest leader of fake news mafia in Pakistan,” said Bilawal.

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz was of the view that PECA is going to be used against the government.

    While condemning the Ordinance, PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman said that such laws are unacceptable.

    Lawyer Reema Omer tweeted, “With PECA Ordinance, PM Imran Khan has proven yet again that he is a predator of free speech.”

    However, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from making arrests under Section 20 of PECA despite its promulgation by President Arif Alvi on Sunday, reports Dawn.

    Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Amin Ul Haque has written to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, urging him to either withdraw or review the Ordinance.

  • Court fines tailor for bad stitching, late delivery in Lahore

    Court fines tailor for bad stitching, late delivery in Lahore

    A consumer court in Lahore has fined a tailor for stitching badly made clothes and delivering them late, Ary News has reported.

    According to details, Muhammad Shahbaz Chishti gave two suits to tailor Muhammad Hafeez on April 1, 2021. In his appeal, Chishti said that the tailor promised to provide the clothes on April 8, but instead delivered them on April 25. “I was to wear these suits at the wedding ceremony of my best friend, but late delivery and faulty service compelled me from doing so,” said Chisti in his complaint.

    He demanded Rs2,000,000 as compensation for the damages but the court has ordered the tailor to pay Rs51,500 as fine.

    Earlier this month, a Lahore consumer court judge, Waseem Afzal Mian, imposed a fine of Rs60,000 on a salon for not completing the makeup of a bride.

  • VIDEO: Police officers in trouble for celebrating birthday in station, station house officer, lady sub-inspector suspended

    VIDEO: Police officers in trouble for celebrating birthday in station, station house officer, lady sub-inspector suspended

    The station house officer (SHO) and a lady sub-inspector belonging to the Faisal Town police station in Lahore were suspended for throwing a birthday party inside the police station and covering the CCTV camera to hide it.

    SHO Faisal Town Yasir Bashir and female Sub-Inspector Mehwish were suspended by Lahore DIG operations. The camera was purportedly covered for a cake-cutting celebration at the workplace and was blocked on the orders of now suspended SHO Yasir Bashir. In the video a man can be seen covering the CCTV camera with a cloth.

    The SHOs’ offices across the city have been outfitted with CCTV cameras that are monitored by the DIG Operations Office.

  • Multan Sultans’ key batter Tim David tests positive for Covid-19

    Multan Sultans’ key batter Tim David tests positive for Covid-19

    Multan Sultans’ key player Tim David has tested positive for Covid-19, reported Geo News.

    This can be a major blow to the Sultans who are leading the points table with 18 points in the seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Tim has been a key player in the team as the Australian sensational six-hitting machine is leading the chart for most sixes in PSL 2022 so far. He has hit 20 sixes for Sultans.

    The 25-year-old had also smacked second joint-fastest 50 of PSL. He scored 50 in the 13th match of the tournament against Peshawar Zalmi.

    The report said that the player’s test returned positive during routine PCR testing. The team management, however, has neither confirmed nor denied the news.

    It is pertinent to mention here that it was reported that Peshawar Zalmi players Ben Cutting, Usman Qadir, and Sohail Khan had also tested positive for the virus on Tuesday.

    Multan is set to play Qualifier 1 with Lahore Qalandars today (Wednesday) at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. Whoever wins the match today will directly qualify for the Final, scheduled to be played on February 27 at the same venue.

  • VIDEO: PTI leader’s son thrashes NADRA officer, police register case

    VIDEO: PTI leader’s son thrashes NADRA officer, police register case

    Police have filed a case against PTI leader’s Ghulam Abbas’ son, Ahsan Abbas, and his accomplices for thrashing a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in-charge officer in Sialkot, reports Dawn News.

    Abid Abdul Rehman was in-charge of the NADRA office at Chawinda in Pasrur tehsil, Sialkot who complained against Abbas at Phalora police station.

    According to Rehman, Ahsan Abbas first called him to the NADRA office and asked to assist him in making voting ID cards on February 18. However, Rehman refused to give him protocol.

    He said that all citizens who visit the NADRA office are equal over which Abbas became violent. He started misbehaving and threatening him as well.

    The NADRA officer said, “After some time, Abbas, his right-hand man Shaukat Mitla and five other people entered the Nadra office and he grabbed me by the collar and slapped and abused me.”

    He also added that senior officers tried to rescue him but they were also beaten.

    A case has been registered against Ahsan Abbas and his accomplices under the Telegraph Act 25-D / 506 and section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

    Sialkot police conducted raids to arrest the assailants. Police Officer, Muhammad Hassan Iqbal assured that the investigation would be conducted on merit.

    Ghulam Abbas was a former provincial minister and a ticket holder from  NA-74, Sialkot.

  • ‘Get rid of Khan’: Shehbaz meets Zardari to discuss kicking out PM

    ‘Get rid of Khan’: Shehbaz meets Zardari to discuss kicking out PM

    The Opposition has united to oust Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s government.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday (February 22).

    The meeting was held at Bilawal House, Lahore. In a joint declaration after the meeting, it was announced that all-out efforts would be made to rid the country of the present government.

    The Opposition expressed concern over unrest and lawlessness in the country, as the ruling party failed to meet the basic needs of the people.

    The PML-N delegation that visited the Bilawal House included Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Rana Sanaullah.

    PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Parliamentary leader Maulana Asad Mehmood, former prime minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, former governor Punjab Makhdum Ahmed Mehmood, Rukhsana Bangash, former Chief Minister KP Akram Khan Durrani were also present at the meeting.