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  • First ‘space hotel’ expected to open in 2027

    Space construction company Orbital Assembly has announced the construction of a ‘space hotel’. The announcement was made in an event ‘First Assembly’ which streamed live on the company’s YouTube channel.

    Image by orbital assembly coorporation

    Speaking to a news publication, Chief Executive Officer of Orbital Assembly John Blincow said that the coronavirus pandemic may ultimately delay the construction start date from its initial 2025 projection. However, he believes it could take just a year or two to assemble Voyager Station, the commercial space station that will house the hotel.

    “It’s going to happen fast when it starts,” Blincow said. “And we believe it’s going to happen a lot, too, even before we finish the first one. We have buyers for other stations because they’re very, very lucrative.”

    He further added, “You’re going to have the top chefs making really, really good food. And when you pay $5 million to go someplace, it’s not going to be burgers and fries.”

    Voyager Station, it is planned to operate with artificial gravity. Orbital Assembly’s goal is “to build a ring-shaped Voyager Space Station (VSS) with a diameter of 650 ft (200 m) and capable of creating moon-levels of artificial gravity.”

    As per details, construction of this space structure will begin in 2025 and it will have the capacity to accommodate 400 people. The Voguer Space station is expected to be operational by 2027.

  • WWF releases rare video of snow leopard hunting ibex

    WWF releases rare video of snow leopard hunting ibex

    Viewer discretion is advised.

    The World Wildlife Fund-Pakistan (WWF-P) released rare footage of a snow leopard hunting a Himalayan ibex in Khunjerab National Park, located at a distance of approximately 15 kilometres from the Pakistan-China border.

    The footage was released on March 3 to mark the annual World Wildlife Day. According to details, the video is aimed to raise awareness about wildlife protection and threats to their survival.

    The gripping video shows a snow leopard silently chasing a herd of Himalayan ibex on steep cliffs. After successfully hunting an ibex, the snow leopard can be seen feasting on it. Two other cats joined the leopard later.

    The video was recorded by wildlife photographer Muhammad Osama.

    According to Osama, he followed the herd of the ibex in severe cold, with the temperature as low as – 18 degrees Celsius, looking for fresh snow leopard pugmarks.

    “Capturing this hunt was once in a lifetime experience as it involved hours of tireless tracking, climbing mountains and withstanding freezing cold temperatures,” he said.

    VIDEO: Himalayan lynx attacks Markhor in Chitral

    WWF-P director general Hammad Naqi Khan also expressed hope that the video would help in raising awareness about wildlife in Pakistan and the need to guard it.

    He said wildlife in Pakistan and in the rest of the world faced increasing threats due to deforestation and human encroachment, which led to habitat degradation, while new threats such as unsustainable infrastructure and climate change were also emerging.

    As a result, the survival of wildlife, such as snow leopards, Indus River dolphins, common leopards, pangolins, brown bear and white-backed vultures, hangs in the balance, he added.

    Khan requested the government to ensure that existing protected areas in the country were restored so that wildlife could flourish in healthy landscapes.

  • Humaima Malick prays for the strength to ‘carry hijab’

    Humaima Malick prays for the strength to ‘carry hijab’

    Humaima Malick has shared that she wishes she could ‘carry [the] hijab’ all her life.

    Sharing a picture of herself with Noor Bukhari, Malick praised the former actor for her guidance and penned down words of appreciation for her.

    “There are very few people in life who expect nothing from you but your own good,” Humaima captioned the picture. “Noor you are so noorani meri pyaari Noori. May Allah bless you always and forever.”

    She then thanked Noor for the scarf, saying a little prayer of motivation for herself and asking fans to do the same.

    “Thank you for this beautiful gift, I loved wearing this scarf. May Allah add me in His loved ones and give me [the] strength to carry hijab all my life,” said Malick.

    Earlier, Malick’s brother Feroze Khan also quit the entertainment industry to pursue his religious calling.

    Later, the actor said that he will not be quitting after his “Sheikh” Sultan Muhammad Ali ordered him not to quit.

    “He believes the industry is a source of spreading the message from one place to another,” said Feroze. “He also told me that I needed to be at this place. I have to do something out of this, I have to make something out of this. So I’m reading into a lot of scripts, looking into a lot of scripts — I may act, I may produce, but I’m here.”

  • Fans heartbroken after PSL 6 gets postponed

    Fans heartbroken after PSL 6 gets postponed

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has postponed the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to a surge in COVID-19 cases among players and officials participating in the tournament.

    As per reports, seven players and one support staff official have tested positive for the virus. Quetta Gladiators’ Tom Banton and Islamabad United’s Fawad Ahmed and Lewis Gregory were among the players who tested positive.

    Soon after the news broke, PSL fans took to social media to express their heartbreak over the decision.

    https://twitter.com/imPakistaniLAD/status/1367383159978008576?s=20

    https://twitter.com/syeda_rukhi/status/1367388008933167106?s=20

    Some took it as an opportunity to make memes that could lighten up the mood of PSL fans.

    https://twitter.com/KinzaAjmal/status/1367394007337365509?s=20

  • Imad Wasim blessed with baby girl

    Imad Wasim blessed with baby girl

    Captain of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings Imad Wasim has been blessed with a baby girl.

    Announcing the news on social media, Imad said: “Alhumdu’lillah by the grace of Allah SWT we have been blessed with a beautiful bundle of joy.”

    “Welcome to the world baby Syeda Inaya Imad,” he added. However, the cricketer did not share any pictures of his little one.

    Soon after, congratulatory messages poured in from friends and colleagues including Sarfaraz Ahmed, Bilal Asif, Hassan Ali, Haris Rauf and Junaid Khan.

    Imad got married to London-based Saniya Ashfaq in August 2019. The couple’s Nikkah ceremony took place at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad.

  • Will Hafeez Shaikh continue as finance minister?

    Will Hafeez Shaikh continue as finance minister?

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government will soon be required to pick a new finance minister as Abdul Hafeez Shaikh’s tenure of six months is going to expire in June 2021 following his loss in the Senate election.

    Hafeez Shaikh, who took oath as Minister for Finance on December 11, 2020, was contesting for the Senate seat from Islamabad from the platform of the PTI and it was requisite for him to win the polls to continue the same portfolio since he was an unelected individual to head the ministry. However, under the Constitution, it would not be possible to serve as finance minister as he has been defeated by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, the joint candidate of the PDM, in yesterday’s Senate race.

    According to reports, PTI lawmakers and allied parties’ lawmakers were not happy with the PM’s decision to award a ticket to his aide on finance as many saw Sheikh as a “parashooter” in the PTI ranks.

    It remains to be seen who will be the next finance minister.

  • Netflix India announces star-studded lineup for 2021

    Netflix India has announced that it would release 41 shows and films in India this year, calling the move its “next big leap” in the world’s second-most populous nation India, where video streaming services have become more popular.

    According to details, Netflix’s new roster includes 41 titles featuring Bollywood actors, stand-up comedy shows and original series. Most shows will be in the Hindi language.

    The upcoming content will feature top Bollywood actors including Madhuri Dixit, Kartik Aryan, Sonakshi Sinha, Karan Johar, Manoj Bajpayee, R. Madhavan, and Raveena Tandon.

    “We are taking our next big leap in India,” said Netflix while announcing the news, adding that the upcoming lineup “features more variety and diversity than we have seen before”.

    India, whose Bollywood film industry makes more productions each year than Hollywood, remains a challenging market for the streaming services.

    Amazon’s Prime Video has become embroiled in legal cases and police complaints over a political drama Tandav deemed offensive to Hindu religious sentiments. The streaming platform apologised to viewers over some scenes.

    Earlier this year, Netflix announced that it will release more than 70 movies this year across comedy, drama, family and other genres, a lineup that underscores the streaming service’s growing prominence in the film business. It added that it plans to release a new movie every week for the entire year of 2021.

  • PM Imran Khan to address nation tonight

    PM Imran Khan to address nation tonight

     Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the nation tonight at 06:45 pm. The development comes a day after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost his Senate seat in Islamabad.

    Reports suggest that the government has requisitioned a session of the National Assembly on Saturday so that the PM can seek a vote of confidence from the lawmakers. Yesterday, after former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani defeated finance minister Hafeez Sheikh in the Senate election, the government held a power-packed press conference where it was announced by Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced that PM Khan will seek a vote of confidence from parliament.

    Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari reminded PM Khan of his promise to dissolve the assembly if he lost the Islamabad Senate seat.

    Meanwhile, Information Minister Shibli Faraz tweeted that Prime Minister Khan has announced the name of Sadiq Sanjrani for Senate Chairmanship. Sources say that Yousaf Raza Gillani will be PDM’s candidate for Chairman Senate though his name has not yet been confirmed by PDM.

  • Meghan Markle alleges Palace ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her, Harry

    Meghan Markle alleges Palace ‘perpetuating falsehoods’ about her, Harry

    Meghan Markle has suggested that Buckingham Palace was “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and her husband Prince Harry, in a clip from an upcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey released by CBS late Wednesday.

    When asked by Winfrey how she felt about the Palace hearing her speak out, Markle replied: “I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there’s an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.”

    “And, if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I … there is a lot that has been lost already,” she says in another scene.

    The clip was released after Buckingham Palace said it would investigate newspaper reports that Markle faces a bullying complaint from her time living in Kensington Palace — although the interview was recorded before the allegations were made public.

    “We are clearly very concerned about allegations in The Times following claims made by former staff of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Our HR team will look into the circumstances,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

    “Members of staff involved at the time, including those who have left the Household, will be invited to participate to see if lessons can be learned,” said the palace. “The Royal Household…does not and will not tolerate bullying or harassment in the workplace.”

    Markle had earlier denied the report with her spokesman saying “The duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself.

    Meghan and Harry’s “explosive tell-all” interview with Oprah is due to air on Sunday. They are expected to lift the lid on life inside the royal family following their fairytale wedding and the reasons for their split.

    It comes as Harry’s grandfather, the queen’s husband Prince Philip, has been in the hospital for several weeks under treatment for an undisclosed infection, sparking fears for his health. The 99-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was transferred to a specialist cardiac unit on Monday for tests on a pre-existing heart condition.

  • IN PICTURES: Saboor Aly’s intimate birthday bash

    Saboor Aly celebrated her birthday Wednesday night with close friends Aiman Khan, Minal Khan, Tara Mahmood, Raza Talish and Muneeb Butt. ‘Pawri Girl‘ Dananeerr Mobeen was also part of the celebrations.

    Saboor stunned in a velvet navy blue dress on her birthday.

    Check out the pictures below:

    Saboor Aly thanked everyone on her Instagram account for ‘making her feel special’.

    “Thank you all for the for the wonderful birthday wishes,” wrote Saboor.

    She further added: “I had a great day, and hearing from all of you was one of the best parts of it!”

    “I’m nothing without my Family, Friends and Fans, I love you all,” She concluded.