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  • ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    ECP rejects PTI petition seeking stop on Gilani notification

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has rejected a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking to stop the notification of newly-elected Senator Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    According to reports, the election watchdog sought amendments to the petition.

    Last Wednesday, Gilani, who was fielded as a joint candidate of the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on a technocrat seat from Islamabad, defeated Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in Senate elections in a major setback to the government. He received 169 votes to the latter’s 164.

    On Saturday, three PTI leaders — Farrukh Habib, Maleeka Bokhari, and Kanwal Shauzab — approached the election commission to halt the issuance of the victory notification for Gilani until a probe into a contentious video, showing the former prime minister’s son Ali Haider Gilani explaining to MPs how to waste their votes, is completed.

    In another petition filed on Monday, the trio sought an early hearing of the case which was earlier scheduled for March 11 — a day before the election for the office of Senate chairman.

    “The matter is extremely important as a senator elected with corrupt practices is now aspiring to become the chairman of Senate,” the petition said.

    “It is a matter of utmost importance, which will have far-reaching consequences.”

    “The election of Yousuf Raza Gilani has been a rare incident in the national political history,” the request further said.

    “Hopefully, the election commission will hear the matter urgently, as it heard the issue related to [the] by-election in NA-75, Daska.”

    “The issuance of the notification should be stopped till the action on the video scandal is completed,” the petition said.

    The video, which had emerged hours before legislators across the country were set to go to Senate elections, showed Ali Gilani explaining to MPs how to cancel their votes. In a press conference, Ali Gilani accepted that he was in the leaked video, but denied he was engaging in a deal to buy votes for his father.

    A separate video clip showed Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah assuring four MPs of getting paid “over and above” the agreed amount and also resolve all issues from the provincial government.

    The person, who was seen finalising the deal, told Shah that all the four were “sold” and, in return, Shah also assured the legislators that all the tasks of his “brothers” were now his own responsibility.

  • VIDEO: Daren Sammy plays tape ball on the streets of Lahore

    VIDEO: Daren Sammy plays tape ball on the streets of Lahore

    Peshawar Zalmi Head Coach Daren Sammy was spotted playing cricket with locals on the roads of Lahore.

    After the abrupt end of the PSL 2021 due to an outbreak of COVID-19, Sammy is also an honorary citizen of Pakistan, opted to stay back in the country and experience it as a tourist. And one of those experiences include playing street cricket.

    In a video posted on Peshawar Zalmi’s official account, the former West Indies player can be seen playing tape-ball cricket.

    “Peshawar Zalmi Head Coach Daren Sammy stops on his way to play cricket with young cricketers in Lahore,” read the caption.

    https://twitter.com/PeshawarZalmi/status/1368943213961240579?s=20

    As soon as the former West Indies captain came out of his car, he was given a rousing welcome by the locals.

    The Zalmi head coach could be seen enjoying the few balls he played and even called for a free hit when he got a ball above the waist.

    Peshawar Zalmi owner Javed Afridi also thanked him for his contribution to portray Pakistan as a welcoming and peaceful country.

    “Thank you brother. Pakistan is indebted for your contribution,” wrote Afridi.

    Sharing pictures, Sammy said: “Played some street tape ball cricket earlier in Lahore. Where’s next?”

    Earlier, Afridi hosted a dinner in honour of Sammy and South African cricket great Hashim Amla. Captain of Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal were also present at the feast.

  • Imran Abbas visits the set of ‘Kuruluş: Osman’ in Turkey

    After Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Abbas is the latest Pakistani to visit the set of superhit Turkish drama Diriliş: Ertuğrul and Kuruluş: Osman in Turkey.

    Taking to Instagram, the Khuda Aur Mohabbat star shared posted the photos with Turkish star Celal AL, who portrays the role of Abdur Rehman in Diriliş: Ertuğrul, and producer of Kuruluş: Osman.

    Celal also presented him with a flag of the Kayi tribe. Thanking them, Abbas wrote: “Thank you, Celal Al and Ozcan Ayma, for presenting me this handmade flag and showing me around the sets of Ertugrul Ghazi and Kuruluş: Osman.”

    Last week, Imran posted a video of himself and Celal jamming to the late Junaid Jamshed’s popular song Dil Dil Pakistan.

    Celal also hosted Pakistani actors Reema Khan, Sadia Khan, Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed in Turkey last month.

    Earlier, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry visited Turkey on a trip with his family. He also visited the sets of Kuruluş: Osman where he interacted with the actors of the Turkish historical series.

  • Prince Harry, Meghan Markle had a secret wedding before the official one

    Prince Harry, Meghan Markle had a secret wedding before the official one

    Meghan Markle has revealed that she and Prince Harry had a secret wedding before their official ceremony at St. George’s Chapel on Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018.

    “You know, three days before our wedding, we got married – no-one knows that,” Meghan told Oprah in a bombshell interview that has created waves across the world and raised some serious concerns on the way the Firm works.

    “[It was] just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury,” she added.

    Talking about the official wedding ceremony Meghan said: “I’ve thought about this a lot because it was like having an out of body experience I was very present for.”

    “That’s the only way I can describe it because the night before I slept through the night entirely, which in and of itself is a bit of a miracle. And then woke up and started listening to that song Going to the Chapel. And just tried to make it fun and light and remind ourselves that this was our day — but I think we were both really aware, even in advance of that just, this wasn’t our day. This was the day that was planned for the world,” said Meghan.

    Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan talked extensively about their relationship with the Palace, including conversations around Archie’s skin colour and revealed how damaging it was for them. Harry claimed that he had discussed his family’s decision to step away from royal duties with the Queen and did not “blindside” her as various reports had suggested.

    “I’ve never blindsided my grandmother, I have too much respect for her,” said Harry. When asked where that story came from, Harry said: “I’d hazard a guess that it probably could have come from within the institution.”

    “I had three conversations with my grandmother and two conversations with my father before he stopped taking my calls. And then he said, can you put this all in writing?”

    “By that point I took matters into my own hands, it was like, I needed to do this for my family,” said Harry. “This is not a surprise to anybody. It’s really sad that it’s got to this point, but I’ve got to do something for my own mental health, my wife’s and for Archie’s as well.”

    Prince Harry said that he felt let down by his father Prince Charles and that his late mother Diana would have been angry and upset at the way the British royal family had treated his wife Meghan.

    “My family literally cut me off financially,” Harry said. “But I’ve got what my mum left me and without that we would not have been able to do this.”

    While talking about his relationship with elder brother Prince William, Harry said: “Much will continue to be said about that … as I said before, you know, I love William to bits, he’s my brother, we’ve been through hell together and we have a shared experience. But we’re on different paths.”

    “The relationship is space at the moment, and you know time heals all things, hopefully.”

    Later, responding to another question on whether he would have stepped away from the royal family if it had not been for Meghan, Harry said: “The answer to your question is no … I wouldn’t have been able to, because I myself was trapped.”

    “I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped. Like the rest of my family are, my father and my brother, they are trapped. They don’t get to leave and I have huge compassion for that,” said Harry further. “It’s a very trapping environment that a lot of them are stuck in. I didn’t have anyone to turn to.”

    He continued: “For the family they very much have this mentality of ‘This is just how it is, this is how it’s meant to be, you can’t change it, we’ve all been through it.”

    “What was different for me was the race element, because now it wasn’t just about her. It was about what she represented.”

  • Malala turns producer, announces multi-year deal with Apple TV

    Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai is expanding her partnership with Apple Inc to produce dramas, children’s series, animation and documentaries that will air on the tech giant’s streaming service, Reuters has reported.

    As per Apple’s website Malala, 23, and her new production company Extracurricular have joined Apple TV+’s growing roster of content creators including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Will Smith, Octavia Spencer and Jennifer Aniston.

    “I hope that through this partnership, I will be able to bring new voices to this platform, to this stage,” Malala told Reuters in an interview. “I hope that through me, more young people and girls will watch these shows, get inspired.”

    Malala also made an official announcement about the new partnership on her social media accounts.

    “I believe in the power of stories to bring families together, forge friendships, build movements and inspire children to dream,” wrote Malala, while sharing the news.

    She continued: “I’m thrilled to partner with Apple Tv to help bring new stories to life – and to support women, young people, writers and artists in reflecting the world as they see it.”

    “Today I’m announcing a multi-year programming partnership with Apple TV+  that will span dramas, comedies, documentaries, animation and children’s series,” added the young activist.

    Earlier, Malala shared a list of TV shows and movies she recently watched and enjoyed.

  • Bride dies due to cardiac arrest after excessive crying

    Bride dies due to cardiac arrest after excessive crying

    Celebrations turned into mourning in Odisha, India after a newlywed bride died of a heart attack during her ‘bidaai‘ while leaving for her in-laws’ house.

    As per details, the cardiac arrest was caused due to excessive crying and emotional stress at the moment.

    The bride, identified as Gupteswari Sahoo aka Rosy, got married to Bisikesan on Friday in a village. As her parents were preparing to send her off to her in-laws after all  the wedding rites, Rosy kept on crying, fainted, and collapsed on the ground. Family members and friends present at the moment tried to regain her consciousness by massaging her hands and spraying water on her face.

    Read more – Locals rush to dig gold after discovering mountain ‘filled with gold’

    When she failed to gain conscious, Rosy was instantly taken to the nearest health centre where doctors declared her brought dead. Her body was handed over to her family after postmortem.

    A resident of Julunda village said Rosy was already depressed as she had lost her father a few months ago. It was her maternal uncle’s family and some social workers who had organised the wedding.

  • Don’t fall for KFC ‘free chicken bucket’ scam

    Don’t fall for KFC ‘free chicken bucket’ scam

    A scam related to Women’s Day with a chance to win a free chicken bucket from (Kentucky Fried Chicken) KFC is circulating over social media. 

    This KFC scam is not new either, as it was initially busted in 2019 by KFC Malaysia itself. 

    Somehow these messages have reached Pakistan, and people are forwarding the message to each other on WhatsApp. 

    Not only will it waste your time by resharing or forwarding it to your friends multiple times before you can unlikely win anything, but it also contains malware. So don’t just fall for anything like that and do not continue resharing.

    Here is how a user gets a message and follows the steps to fall for the trap. 

    Once you click on the link, it will take you to a webpage with a couple of gift boxes that you are to open. You might fail with the first two boxes, but the third one is sure to open with the gift. 

    At that stage, you would likely share it until the progress bar turns full green, and then you will be able to continue to the next webpage.  

    The last step will lead you to click the link, where you will end up on a dead-end with nothing but hidden malware. 

    You may not even know what you have got on your mobile phone if you have no protection software installed. Only anti-malware software could detect it, like the one below detected as a script: “SNH-gen [Trj].”

    It is better to stay away from free goodies until you know the source of the sender. Right now, It is good to share this article with your friends before they get trapped.

  • Moonis Elahi denies PPP asking for Q’s support in Senate

    Moonis Elahi denies PPP asking for Q’s support in Senate

    Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari went to see Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Sunday.

    Reports suggested that apart from inquiring after his health, Bhutto-Zardari asked the Chaudhrys for their support in the upcoming elections for chairman Senate.

    However, PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi has denied these reports in a tweet.

    Geo News anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal tweeted to Moonis Elahi that this news was confirmed by Tariq Bashir Cheema in his show Naya Pakistan and a press release was also issued by the PML-Q saying that Chaudhry Shujaat said we have committed our allies for senate chairman vote.

    Speaking exclusively to The Current, Moonis Elahi said: “Yes, we are committed to our allies, but Bilawal did not ask for our vote nor did he come there seeking it. If he was seeking it, I am sure he would have brought the candidate along.”

  • Shahid Afridi’s Son-In-Law?

    Shahid Afridi’s Son-In-Law?









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*






    Hey, *|MERGE1|*. It’s March 8th. 
     
    It will be a bright sunny day in all the major cities of Pakistan, with a cool breeze in Lahore and Karachi. 

    Today is Women’s Day. Men, celebrate the women around you and Women, don’t apologise for believing in yourself and don’t forget to break the chains. 

    Smash the patriarchy and have a wonderful day!

     

    Laila-The Current 

    Morning Meme

    Two govt MNAs were locked up in a container ahead of PM’s vote of confidence, claims Maryam Nawaz
     

    Maryam Nawaz, while addressing a press conference yesterday, accused the government of locking two members of the national assembly ahead of PM’s vote of confidence. She also accused the government of using the help of secret agencies to win the vote of confidence.

    Women’s Day

    Editorial- Women of the world, unite!Today is International Women’s Day. In Pakistan, many events are organised to mark Women’s Day. Aurat March, which has been held since 2018, will hold rallies in several cities, including Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi.

    This year, Aurat March Lahore’s theme is women’s health and the issues faced by women and gender minorities. They are demanding that the health budget be increased to 5 per cent of the GDP.

    Aurat March organisers have highlighted how violence has always existed for women and gender minorities in Pakistan since before COVID-19 but the lockdowns and social isolation resulting from the pandemic have further exacerbated physical, emotional and sexual violence against them across the country.

    For an inclusive, tolerant and progressive Pakistan, women have to be treated as equal human beings. Women of the world, unite, for you have nothing to lose but your chains.

    To read the complete editorial, click on the link below.

    Read On

    The Current asked a few students what they think about Aurat March and here is what they said.
     

    Watch

     Shahid Afridi, Shaheen Afridi confirm wedding proposal, exchange love on Twitter

    Rumours of engagement between Shahid Afridi’s daughter and Shaheen Shah Afridi emerged yesterday when a sports journalist Ihtisham ul Haq shared the news, ‘with permission from both families’.

    Addressing the rumors Shahid Afridi wrote, “Shaheen’s family approached my family for my daughter. Both families are in touch, matches are made
    in heaven, if Allah wills this match will be made too.”

    Read On

    Meet the women of The Current

    Marium, the founder of The Current, is superb in every way and helped us to be the best version of ourselves and also she is the voice behind our Sunday interviews. 
     

    Mehmal, our co-founder, an old-school journalist and extremely loving to all of us. You will also find her on TV most days, voicing her opinions unapologetically.

    Saman, our Entertainment and Lifestyle Desk editor who is a sweetheart to all and master of all things. She is exceptionally brilliant and the light of our office.

    Urooj is our amazing Lifestyle Desk sub-editor and our favourite social experiment host. She writes the best stories and is an extremely talented reporter.

    Ayesha, me and Sajjal have one thing in common, we all are new to the team. Ayesha co-hosts our drama review segment and if she is not reviewing dramas, she keeps clicking candid pictures of everyone in the office and you know me — I love writing this newsletter for you every day. What else do I love? Chai and News. Sajjal is the youngest member of our team; her energy is unmatchable and comes up with the most creative ideas. 

    On This Day: 8 March

    International Women’s Day
     

    Today we celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality. 

    Current Baba’s prediction

     Aaj aap ko finally apne pending tasks pure karne ki motivation mil jae gi. 

    HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE. 
     
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  • Locals rush to dig gold after discovering mountain ‘filled with gold’

    Locals rush to dig gold after discovering mountain ‘filled with gold’

    Villagers ran to dig gold from a mountain ‘filled with gold’ discovered in Congo’s South Kivu province, forcing authorities to ban mining in the area.  

    According to reports, the discovery of gold-rich ore in Luhihi brought masses of diggers to the site.

    A video of the event went viral on social media.

    “A video from the Republic of the Congo documents the biggest surprise for some villagers in this country, as an entire mountain filled with gold was discovered,” read the caption. “They dug the soil inside the gold deposits and take them to their homes in order to wash the dirt and extract the gold.”

    The video shows locals using shovels and other tools to dig the ground to extract the gold from the soil. Some were even seen using their bare hands.

    Another video shared on social media showed locals washing the dirt off the precious metal and collecting them in metal containers.

    What would you do if you found a mountain of gold? Let us know in the comments below.