The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has booked a complete hotel for the remaining matches of Pakistan Super League (PSL 6). The 300-room hotel will accommodate all six teams, officials and commentators.
According to details, all rooms, halls, conference rooms and restaurants will be fully managed by the PCB. Hotels, transport, ground staff and broadcasters will remain inside the bubble under COVID-19 protocols.
PCB has also settled a deal with a British company to maintain the bio-secure bubble for PSL. The Board has prepared the agreement documents and has sent them to a UK-Based company named Restrata.
After seeing the company’s performance in the PSL, talks will be held with the company for the country’s next cricket season.
The bio-bubble protocols of the competition will be decided by Restrata. It will be their responsibility to fully implement the protocols, monitor and manage the bio-secure and have a response and reaction to positive tests.
The board will formally announce the company’s deployment after they sign the agreement.
It must be noted here that PSL 6 was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the bio-secure bubble. As many as six cricketers and a staff member had tested COVID-19 positive.
PCB announced last week that the remaining matches of the competition will be held from June 1-20 at the National Stadium in Karachi. All participants will be required to observe a seven-day quarantine period, which will commence from May 22 in one hotel. Following three days of training sessions, HBL PSL 6 matches will resume on June 1 with the final scheduled for June 20.
Syra Yousuf recently celebrated her 33rd birthday (Say Whaaaa) with close friends and family in an intimate party.
The actor shared pictures and videos of her birthday celebrations on social media and does not took a day over 20 in them.
“Much too excited?”, she captioned the picture of her cutting the cake.
Syra also shared pictures with her sister Palwasha Yousuf and friends.
After a long hiatus from the screen, Syra has multiple projects lined up including several advertisements and a film with former husband Shahroz Sabzwari.
Senior journalist and former chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Absar Alam has been shot in Islamabad, according to a tweet by journalist Gharidah Farooqi.
سابق چئیرمین پیمرا اور سینئر صحافی ابصار عالم پر قاتلانہ حملہ۔ ابصار عالم پر گولی انکے گھر کے باہر چلائی گئی جسوقت وہ گھر کے باہر واک کر رہے تھے۔ گولی ابصار عالم کے پیٹ میں لگی۔ اسوقت انکی حالت stable تو ہے مگر ہسپتال میں آپریٹ ہو رہا ہے۔ دعاؤں کی درخواست۔
Absar recorded a video on his way to the hospital after being shot. He says he was shot in the stomach and is heading to the hospital and he will not lose hope.
Reports state he was walking in the F-11 park near his home. Doctors are operating on him and his condition is said to be stable.
PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz tweeted about the incident.
Silencing the voice of dissent is a cancer that has plagued this country for many years. Absar Alam Sahab is the latest victim of this cruel & barbaric crime. May Allah SWT heal his wounds and the wounds of this country. Ameen.
PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif also condemned the attack on Absar Alam.
The assassination attempt on Absar Alam, a leading voice for civil supremacy, raises a lot of questions. It is an attempt to silence a brave fighter by those who want to silence the voices of freedom and democracy. May Allah protect Absar Alam. Amen
After the successful negotiations between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on Tuesday morning after sehri, rumours of TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi’s release from Kot Lakhpat Jail started doing the rounds on the media as well as social media. Public relations officer of the Punjab prisons department, Attiq Ahmed, confirmed Rizvi’s release to Dawn. Some other media outlets reported the same.
Punjab’s provincial Minister for Prisons Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan, however, denied these reports. In a statement released to the media, Chohan said that this is not true. He said that Rizvi’s release can only be done after proper procedures are followed.
Banned TLP sources also denied Rizvi’s release. They say that documentation is being processed in this regard.
Saad Rizvi was arrested on April 12 after he planned protests following the April 20 deadline. His arrest was a pre-emptive measure in order to maintain law and order. Protests erupted across the country after Rizvi’s arrest. TLP has demanded that Rizvi be released.
The National Assembly was set to debate the resolution on TLP demand regarding the expulsion of the French Ambassador today and Speaker Asad Qaiser was presiding on the session. After PTI’s Ali Muhammad Khan spoke, former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi rose and exchanged heated words with the Speaker over not being given a turn to speak before someone else. Asad Qaiser said, “You always behave like this,” to Khaqan Abbasi to which Abbasi responded, “I will take off my shoe and throw it at you.” Qaiser told him to remain in his limits and told him to fix his language.
Watch the video here:
Exchange of words between Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser شاہد خاقان عباسی اور اسپیکر اسمبلی میں تلخ جملو کا تبادلہhttps://t.co/do9HYOFhfT#ARYNews#NationalAssembly
The resolution came after a series of meetings with the TLP and the government. The banned TLP had held the country hostage with violent protests that led to the killing of four police officers and left 800 police officers injured.
Komal Rizvi recently opened up about her divorce and abusive marriage of four years.
Detailing her harrowing experience on Nida Yasir’sRamzan Special show along with Shoaib Malik, Rizvi said that she got divorced in 2019. Sharing details of her marriage, Rizvi said that after her marriage when she was in Oman with her husband she had to go to the bed hungry several times due to her husband’s mistreatment.
The singer further said that she was imprisoned for four years during which she used to earn money by giving tuitions. Later, she also took a course and started supplying food to different stores in Oman.
“When my husband tortured and injured me, my parents became suspicious and started asking me to come back,” said Rizvi. “Then one day my father came and brought me back to Pakistan.”
Komal also said that when her father came to take her with him she was terrified that her husband would kill her.
“I was psychologically upset,” expressed Komal. “I spoke to my aunt [Khala], who is a psychiatrist and asked her that I can’t believe that having such a high IQ how did I become like this? She told me that it’s not about IQ and said that intelligent women tend to stay longer in abusive marriages because they try to rationalize the acts of their abuser.”
Stressing on the importance of educating girls and making them financially independent, Komal said that it is important for women to have a skill set.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has said that the government will present a resolution in the National Assembly (NA) for the expulsion of the French envoy. This comes in the wake of the successful negotiations between the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and the government earlier today.
The next NA session was scheduled for Thursday (April 22) but it was changed. NA session was called today at 3pm to facilitate the resolution.
قومی اسمبلی کے اجلاس کا شیڈول تبدیل،
قومی اسمبلی کا مورخہ 22 اپریل 2021 بروز جمعرات کو دن 2 بجے ہونے والے اجلاس کا شیڈول تبدیل۔
قومی اسمبلی کا اجلاس جمعرات کو دن 2 بجے منعقد ہونے کے بجائے آج مورخہ 20 اپریل بروز منگل سہ پہر 3 بجے پارلیمنٹ ہاؤس میں منعقد ہوگا۔#NASessionpic.twitter.com/TSvQRpWNuH
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted that the agreement with the banned TLP was not brought to the NA. Government took action against it on the streets and then banned TLP. Bilawal said that the prime minister did not take the NA into confidence at any stage so if the government did not take parliament into confidence, it is the prime minister’s mess. “Clean up or go home,” tweeted Bilawal.
Agreement wasnt brought to NA, Govt took action on streets, then banned, people killed, over 500 policemen injured, closed internet, PM didn’t make statement in NA, didnt take NA into confidence at any stage. Now PTI wants to hide behind NA. It’s your mess PM, clean up or go home
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its member parties, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz are attending the NA session. Sources say they will also support the resolution.
Three demands in the resolution ask for a debate on the expulsion of the French ambassador. It also asks that the European Union (EU), especially France, should be told about the sensitivity of this issue. Discussions should be held with all Muslim countries so as to raise it on international forums. The resolution also says that foreign relations will only be decided by the state and not an individual, group or party through any illegal pressure tactics.
The resolution presented before the NA today has been approved for debate. PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi asks for one hour to go over the motion with his party.
Pakistani artists from the entertainment industry on Monday came together to start a campaign on social media. The hashtag #GiveRoyaltiesToArtists was posted all over Instagram and Twitter as actors, musicians, models and others stood together to demand royalties for artists.
Following the feedback which some artists got on their posts, along with some hate comments, Ayesha Omar and Faysal Quraishi took to their respective Instagram accounts to give a crash course of what royalties are and what is it that artists are really asking for.
Omar wrote: “I did some research…. was very helpful. All over the world, artists get residuals and royalties. It is their due right. That’s how they survive.”
“P.s. A couple of decades ago, royalties were given to Pakistani artists by PTV. Then it all changed. This movement has been started to secure the future of actors/artists/performers in their times of need. More like a pension of sorts, for their hard work and contributions and for all that comes with being in the entertainment industry,” she added.
“Lots of people don’t understand the meaning of royalties and are not even bothering to check what this term means, before writing insensitive, mean and derogatory comments,” said Ayesha. “Some do know but are still being demeaning and downright horrible. Some don’t understand why this campaign has started. Others are genuinely curious and want to find out more. Some agree wholeheartedly. Some are offering excellent explanations. Some think artists are asking to be ‘treated’ like ‘Royalty’ and mocking us. So, let’s talk about royalties.”
Omar went on to address the difference between royalties and residuals, as some tend to confuse the two terms. Sharing definitions of each term, Omar shared a screenshot highlighting the difference between the two. “Royalties are payments made to you by a one to one contract between you and the licensor or publisher” while “Residuals are payments made to you because of a UNION collective bargaining contract Union representing Actors, Writer or Directors and Producers and Studios covering reuse (reruns) and new use” read the slide. According to the same, “residuals tend to scale down over time while royalties always remain the same percentage.”
While Omar also shared some comments which were made under her post regarding royalties for artists.
Faysal Quraishi chose to address the matter through a video.
Speaking directly to his followers, Quraishi explained how the whole movement began as a result of Naila Jaffery’s plea for royalties. Referring to artists around the world, Quraishi mentioned how writers get royalties for each book sold and the same applies to actors and painters for their services. However, more than actors, it is the producer who usually suffers more. After paying off the team and investing in a project, producers in Pakistan tend to face delays in their payments. Quraishi mentioned how independent producers like him even tend to give up on the profession due to these problems.
Coming to ‘royalties’ and what they mean, the actor provided quite a simple definition. Quraishi explained how royalties are much like pension which is received by an individual after they have retired and have reached the end of their career. The same way, artists are also entitled to receive a certain amount even after they have stopped providing their serviced.
Quraishi also explained how the campaign is not just for actors, but everyone involved in creating projects for the entertainment industry. Elaborating on the number of people employed for a single production, Quraishi emphasised on how royalties are meant to benefit everyone, and not just actors and are essential in keeping the cycle going.
Earlier, Ruswai actor Osama Tahir had also explained what royalties are and why Pakistani artists are demanding them.
A man stole a car after asking for a test drive and then demanded money from the owner to reveal the location of the vehicle.
As per reports, 27-year-old Jake Bateson from United Kingdom placed an online advertisement to sell his KIA Rio. He gave the keys to his car to a man who wanted the car for a test drive on April 12.
The thief did not come back with Bateson’s car and asked for £500 (Rs 106,899) to reveal the location of the car.
According to reports, the same thief had stolen Jake’s friend’s car from Kings Heath a few weeks ago. Both Jake and his friend reported the thefts to the West Midlands Police.
“I feel quite shocked and shaken. We were taken advantage of. You do it all in good faith and don’t want to be cynical about people spinning you a web of lies,” Jake told a local newspaper.
“Perhaps I should have asked to see his driving license at the start – but that just feels like an unnatural thing to do,” he added.
The actor shared a video of himself getting his first dose at the Arts Council in Karachi and urged everyone to get their shot too in order to beat COVID-19.
“Finally got the jab,” said Adnan. “It’s a huge relief. Honestly, I was a bit jittery in the beginning. Because of the needle, of course! No matter how young or old are you, this is one thing that petrifies you every time.”
Sharing that he too like others was initially skeptical of the vaccine, Siddiqui said: “Yes, I also read those sporadic reports of after effects of the vaccine, which have made people wary. I had my share of doubts too.”
The actor said that he decided to get the vaccine after consulting his friend, who is a doctor.
“By Allah’s grace, I am feeling perfectly fine,” said Adnan urging everyone to get their shot.
“The onus to combat the pandemic is on us. Those who are sceptical of whether to go ahead with the vaccine or not, as someone who’s got inoculated recently, my vote is with the vaccination,” asserted Siddiqui. He also advised everyone to “consult your personal doctor, specially those who are on medication or are immuno compromised” before getting the jab.
While Adnan did not specify which vaccine he got, the hashtags he used indicate that he got China’s Sinopharm which is being administered through the government’s vaccination drive.
Meanwhile, the vaccination drive in Pakistan is in full swing. Vaccinations of people 60 and above commenced on March 10, while those above 50 will start receiving their vaccine this week from April 21. The government has also planned to open registrations for COVID-19 vaccination for citizens of all age groups after Eid, which is around mid-May. According to details, Pakistan will be able to vaccinate more than 125,000 people per day after Eid.
If you are eligible and have not yet registered for the vaccine send your CNIC number to 1166 to get registered asap.
