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  • ‘Happy Trolling’: Faryal Mehmood claps back at trolls

    Faryal Mehmood’s latest photoshoot has created quite a stir on social media with netizens criticising the actor for her choice of outfits.

    However, Faryal did not let the trolls win and clapped back by posting another photo from the same photoshoot, writing: “This is for the social media trolls. Hoping this platform provides you with that moment of importance you needed to assure your self-righteousness.”

    “Happy Trolling!,” she added.

    Meanwhile, Faryal also limited the comments on her latest posts.

    Earlier this week, Ayesha Omar hit back at a social media user who called her out for her choice of outfit.

  • Shaniera Akram pens a love letter for Karachi

    Shaniera Akram’s love for Karachi is no secret.

    In a recent post, Akram once again expressed her love for the city praising the resilience and diversity of Karachi, comparing it to an eagle that looks into the eye without a fright and remains devoted to where it belongs.

    Posing in front of a wall painting of wings, Akram said: “Karachi is a personification of these damaged wings in which we believe and have the faith that it can fly high and conquer all its fears.”

    “The city of lights, the city of diversity and the city of hearts held so tightly by its people, more than a city it’s home to all who pass through or plant their feet,” she added.

    Read more – Shaniera Akram hits back at troll who says Pakistan is not for ‘whites’

    “That is why we will never turn our back or give up on our beautiful city and it’s future,” concluded Shaniera. “We are the change and we are it’s a support system. Together we can heal, build, and grow.”

    “Karachi is We, Karachi is Us and Karachi is love!”

    Shaniera is actively involved in working for Karachi and campaigns for beach cleaning and other social issues along with husband Wasim Akram.

  • Stocks hold gains to cross 45,000 points threshold for first time since May 2018

    The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) gained over 500 points on Wednesday to cross the 45,000-point threshold for the first time since May 2018.

    Global equity markets also showed a positive trend. Profit reported that the buying activity was observed across the board. According to the newspaper, “Exploration & production and oil & gas marketing sectors rebounded strongly, whereas cement and fertilizer sectors continued with previous day’s positive momentum.”

    “International crude oil prices jumped significantly on the conclusion of agreement among OPEC+ countries, which became the basis for an uptick in E&P stocks. Cement sector leaped on the expectation of an increase in cement price in the northern region, while banking sector contributed positively in anticipation of annual results.”

    Express Tribune reported that the trading volumes lifted to 664.5million shares due to strong investors’ interest. The market outlook also remained positive due to the government’s decision to settling circular debt with the independent power producers (IPPs), though partially.

    Moreover, the petroleum product sales that rose in double digits also helped the bullish trend. “Oil sales were up 16% to 1.59 million tons in December 2020 compared to 1.37 million tons in the same month of 2019,” the report said.

    It further stated that the State Bank of Pakistan’s report on the Pakistani economy also played a role in rallying the stock market. According to the central bank, the economic activity in the country has been largely restored to pre-coronavirus levels in the first quarter of the current financial year.

  • TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok has announced a competition for its users in Pakistan for the first time. Contestants can participate in the competition ‘1 Million Audition’  by sending creative videos.

    The #1MAuditionPK campaign started on January 6 and will continue till January 22. The campaign invites all TikTokers to showcase their creative streak, across various talent categories.

    TikTokers in Pakistan will have to use the #1MAudition hashtag for the campaign. They can also add the category in which they would like to compete such as #1MAComedy, #1MATalent, #1MASing&Dance.

    There will be nine winners in each category. Winners will be selected based on video quality and engagement on the video. The final winners will be announced on January 22.

    TikTok will gift a voucher worth US$1000 to one winner in each category. The runner up in each category will get an $800 voucher and while the second runnerup will receive $500. 

    This campaign was launched in 2018 in many other countries by TikTok.

    As per a press release, the move is aimed to encourage and promote creative expression in Pakistan.

  • Anushka Sharma slams photographer for invading her privacy

    Anushka Sharma slams photographer for invading her privacy

    Anushka Sharma has had enough of the paparazzi.

    The Bollywood actor recently slammed a photographer and publication for capturing and posting her and husband Virat Kohli’s private moment.

    Taking to Instagram, the mom-to-be posted the picture taken by the photographer and wrote, “Despite requesting the said photographer and publication, they still continue to invade our privacy.”

    “Guys! Stop this right now,” added a furious Anushka.

    Ever since Virat and Anushka announced their pregnancy in August, pictures of the couple and their baby bump have gone viral on social media. However, this time the actor decided to take a stand.

    Earlier, in an interview to a fashion magazine, Anushka had said that she wants to raise her child away from media attention as she does not want to “raise brats”.

    Anushka and Virat are expecting their first child this month. Their announcement tweet was the most-liked tweet of 2020.

    Read more – Anushka Sharma glows as she poses with her baby bump

    Meanwhile, later when a fan lashed out at celebrity photographer Viral Bhayani for sharing pictures of the couple on a lunch date, Bhayani said Anushka “was concerned that her private home pictures were leaked and that is what irked her”.

    He added that he is constantly in touch with her management to “check if there is any concern as distress is caused to them”.

  • Bilawal, Maryam to visit families of slain Hazara miners

    Bilawal, Maryam to visit families of slain Hazara miners

    The opposition leadership, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, will visit the families of the Hazara coal miners who were killed in a sectarian attack in Mach, Balochistan, last week.

    The families of the slain miners are protesting for the past five days against the killings on Quetta’s Western Bypass. They have refused to bury their dead till the in person security assurances from the prime minister. But the PM has refused to visit, saying he will come to condole with them very soon.

    In a statement, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N spokesperson, confirmed the visit of Maryam to Quetta on Thursday. She said the PML-N VP will visit the victim families to express condolence on behalf of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.  She will be accompanied by PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Khurram Dastgir, Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, the statement said.

    On the other hand, Bilawal will visit the Hazara mourners along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and members of the Sindh Cabinet. The PPP chief will offer condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the attacked claimed by the Islamic State.

    On Wednesday, the PM had asked Hazaras to bury their loved ones, saying the state was taking measures to put a stop to such attacks against the minority Shia community. He had also blamed a neighbouring country for the attack.

  • India to hold ‘cow exam’ next month

    India to hold ‘cow exam’ next month

    India will hold a mass nationwide online “cow science” exam next month, in the latest push by the Hindu nationalist government to promote and protect the sacred animal, officials said Wednesday.

    The hour-long test on February 25, open to children and adults as well as foreigners, comprises 100 multiple-choice questions in Hindi, English, and 12 regional languages.

    The aim is to assess the public’s knowledge and “sensitise and educate” them, according to the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) cow protection agency created by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.

    “Certificates will be given to all. Successful meritorious candidates will be given prizes and certificates,” the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said.

    “The cow is full of science and economics. People are not aware of the true economic and scientific value of the animal,” said RKA chief Vallabhbhai Kathiria.

    Accompanying study material released by the RKA includes information on different breeds of cows as well as the theory that slaughtering animals causes earthquakes.

    Many from India’s overwhelming Hindu majority consider cows sacred but under Modi’s rule, the animal has increasingly become a political and sectarian flashpoint.

    His government has made cows a top priority and invested millions of dollars in programmes to protect the animal and research the uses for bovine dung and urine.

    Cow slaughter and eating beef has become illegal in many parts of the culturally diverse and officially secular country, while sentences elsewhere have increased. There have been a string of attacks by vigilante Hindu groups on Muslims and low-caste Hindus who have traditionally eaten beef and disposed of cow carcasses.

    On Tuesday, the southern state of Karnataka amended its cow protection law to give police increased powers to search and arrest anyone without a warrant suspected of cow slaughter.

    The state government, controlled by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), enhanced jail terms to seven years and fines to one million rupees ($13,700) for offenders.

  • ‘US would invade US’: Jokes break internet after Capitol Hill breach

    ‘US would invade US’: Jokes break internet after Capitol Hill breach

    The breach of the US Capitol by the supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump to stop the final electoral count resulted in the death of four people and scores of arrests last night. The situation turned so bad that it prompted a curfew in Washington DC.

    The lawmakers were counting votes to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden when the chaos ensued as a direct result of a speech made by Trump. It took hours to get the far-right Trump supporters out of the Capitol.

    The visuals coming out of the US capital sent waves throughout the world and images of the protesters taking over the house floor and flooded social media. And Twitter didn’t miss the chance to roast the US over its interventionist policies and a history of hijacking third-world elections. But not all memes were political, like this one.

    https://twitter.com/GhassenSwayah/status/1347008230225039360

    What would the US do if this was a third world country?

    Venezuela has a score to settle.

    “Always in favour of law and democracy,” a Turkish lawmaker mocks the US over its habit of meddling in other countries’ affairs.

    Chickens coming home to roost?

    Is he Trump’s ‘Proud Boy’ or what?

  • Delivery boy robs people by hiding gun in food delivery bag

    The police arrested a delivery boy for robbing people using a weapon hidden inside his delivery bag.

    As per details, the suspect from Karachi’s Ferozabad area bore the uniform and a box of online food delivery service in which he put his weapon.

    The delivery boy, Abdul Rauf told the police he had only recently joined the online food delivery service and admitted he was tempted to rob people as he had no money.

    “I bought this gun back in 2011”, Rauf admitted to police.

    Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) East Sajid Sadozai told media the suspect knocked at house doors pretending to be a food delivery person and then robbed them with his partners.

    The police are still searching for his alleged aides involved in criminal activities.

    Rauf has confessed to at least 21 robberies, SSP Sadozai said.

  • Ertuğrul’s Abdul Rehman Alp invites Feroze Khan to visit Turkey

    Looks like Feroze Khan is becoming a favourite among Turkish actors. After Diriliş: Ertuğrul‘s Ozman Sirgood, who plays Ibn Arabi in the series, requested Feroze not to quit acting, Celal AL (Abdul Rehman Alp) has praised Khan and invited him to visit Turkey.

    Commenting on Khan’s Instagram post, in which he shared the poster of his upcoming drama serial Khuda Aur Mohabbat, the Turkish actor said: “MashAllah mere bhai. Bohat khoob”.

    He then went on to invite Feroze to Turkey, saying: “Istanbul kab arhay? Kardes [friends] intzaar mein hain.”

    Replying to Celal’s comment, Khan complemented him for picking up Urdu quickly and promised to visit soon.

    Celal also shared the teaser of Khan’s upcoming drama on his Instagram story, with the caption: “Turk Pak Brotherhood.”

    Meanwhile, Khuda aur Mohabbat 3, in which also features Iqra Aziz, is all set to go on-air soon.