Ever since Diriliş: Ertuğrul started airing in Pakistan, the nation has been obsessed with the drama series and its cast. Not only the elders but kids are also following the series and it looks like Ertuğrul has now become their superhero.
Popular talk show host and actor Sanam Jung recently hit back at a troll, who commented that Sanam’s mother did not raise her well as she does not know how to cook. Sanam had recently shared a new video of herself with her Mom in the kitchen.
In response, to the social media user’s comment, Sanam remarked that not knowing how to cook doesn’t mean the end of the world and that there are bigger things in life for girls to learn. Sanam also requested the user to stop with “unnecessary criticism”.
Pakistani celebrities, especially female actors, have long been the target of social media trolls. From their dressing to the way they talk, they have been at the receiving end of endless criticism.
Sri Lanka “sold” the 2011 World Cup final to India, the country’s former sports minister said on Thursday, reviving one of cricket’s most explosive match-fixing controversies.
Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was sports minister at the time, is the second senior figure to allege the final was fixed, after 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.
“I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup finals,” Aluthgamage told Sirasa TV. “Even when I was sports minister I believed this.”
Aluthgamage, sports minister from 2010 to 2015 and now state minister for renewable energy and power, said he “did not want to disclose” the plot at the time.
“In 2011, we were to win, but we sold the match. I feel I can talk about it now. I am not connecting players, but some sections were involved,” he said.
Sri Lanka lost the match at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium by six wickets. Indian players have strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Ranatunga, who was at the stadium as a commentator, has previously called for an investigation into the defeat.
“When we lost, I was distressed and I had a doubt,” he said in July 2017. “We must investigate what happened to Sri Lanka at the 2011 World Cup final.”
“I cannot reveal everything now, but one day I will. There must be an inquiry,” added Ranatunga, who said players could not hide the “dirt”.
Sri Lanka batted first and scored 274-6 off 50 overs. They appeared in a commanding position when Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar was out for 18.
But India turned the game dramatically, thanks partly to poor fielding and bowling by Sri Lanka, who were led by Kumar Sangakkara.
Sri Lankan cricket has regularly been involved in corruption controversies, including claims of match-fixing ahead of a 2018 Test against England.
Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan cricket board said the International Cricket Council (ICC) was investigating three unnamed former players over alleged corruption.
Sri Lanka introduced tough penalties for match-fixing and tightened sports betting restrictions in November in a bid to stamp out graft.
Another former sports minister, Harin Fernando, has said Sri Lankan cricket was riddled with graft “from top to bottom”, and that the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world’s most corrupt nations.
Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige was suspended in 2018 for corruption relating to a limited-overs league.
He was the third Sri Lankan charged under the ICC anti-corruption code, following former captain and ex-chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, and former paceman Nuwan Zoysa.
Jayasuriya was found guilty of failing to cooperate with a match-fixing probe and banned for two years. Zoysa was suspended for match-fixing.
Google’s maiden “What is Pakistan searching for?” report has revealed what Pakistanis are looking for online.
According to the report, Pakistanis are looking for ways to connect with new communities, searching for high-quality products and how they can improve their lives and environment.
The data can be very useful for seasoned marketeers who’re trying to build businesses, or entrepreneurs looking for ways to engage with potential consumers.
In the past three years, Pakistan’s digital population has surged by 68 per cent, with over 78 million (seven crores and eight lakhs) users. Understanding the needs and expectations of this growing number of digital consumers is important for brands to remain agile and relevant, especially during these unprecedented times.
“Pakistanis and their smartphones are inseparable — always on the lookout for the best experiences and deals within their vicinity and at the same time seeking authoritative information during these trying times,” said Google Asia Pacific Industry Head for South Asia Faraz Azhar.
Google has highlighted five key areas that are shaping how Pakistani’s carry out an online search.
1.Increasingly sophisticated consumers
Consumers expect search engines to understand the intent behind what they need and deliver the best. They want high-quality products that are available with a convenient digital experience.
Four of five Pakistani consumers research products online before a purchase, and they switch between online search and video. They also want quick access to products and services.
As per the report, 138 per cent growth in “near me” searches and 1.5 per cent increase in “same-day delivery” queries was reported between the year 2018 to 2019. “Fast delivery” searches increased by a whopping 1300% and online grocery delivery searches increased by 300% since the coronavirus pandemic began.
2.Towards sustainability and conscious consumption
A combination of the state of the world and an overall rise in awareness has seen the rise of environmentally-conscious consumers. Over the past year, these searches have risen sharply across Pakistan: “climate change” by 1.5x, “electric cars” by 1.5x and “reusable” by 1.3x.
Users were also curious about the visible impact on air quality and pollution levels, with searches such as “clear skies” increasing by 300 per cent, “clean air” by 225 per cent and “clear water” by 217 per cent.
3. Digital video continues to boom
Video streaming and sharing platforms where Pakistanis get their fix of information, entertainment, news and sports. The primary drivers are a combination of affordable data combined with the proliferation of devices and new platforms.
Every seven in 10 Pakistanis use YouTube every month, with searches related to “with me” increasing by 150 per cent, “Teeli” by 108 per cent and “village food secrets” by 168%.
4. Healthy lifestyle choice
While Pakistan has a rich and diverse culinary tradition, there has been a rise in searches for alternate diets and meal plans predicated around well-being.
Searches for “daily exercise” are up by 1.6x. Searches for “vegetarian cuisine”, “healthy supplements” and “intermittent fasting” have risen by 1.5x. Meanwhile, searches for “superfood” are up by a whopping 767 per cent and “high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout” by 600 per cent.
5. COVID-19 implications
With COVID-19 restricting the movement of people outdoors, Pakistanis have started looking for ways to start (or continue) their usual physical routines indoors with “HIIT workout” YouTube search growing by 600 per cent, “gym at home” by 125 per cent and “home workouts” by 80 per cent. With more people confined indoors, interest in mental health and well-being has also become an important factor for Pakistanis, with a surge in searches for “meditation” (+56%) in March this year.
The information was gathered from a web conference organization by Syntax Communications with Google Asia Pacific team.
At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in an armed clash with China in Galwan Valley of Ladakh earlier this week.
While the number of Chinese casualties is still unclear, anchors of an Indian news channel have claimed that 30 were killed, reading out their names from a fake Whatsapp forward message.
While the message was falsely credited to Chinese daily tabloid newspaper Global Times, there’s no evidence to support its validity.
However, later in its bulletin, the news channel probably noticed the faux pas and mentioned that the information could be a “fake forward”.
Following this, several Indian news outlets fact-checked this and found that no such information had been shared by Global Times. A search on the organisation’s website also led to no results while the news organisation has not shared any such information on its Twitter account as well.
Meanwhile, Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of Global Times, tweeted that the Chinese government had not released the official number of casualties.
Chinese side didn’t release number of PLA casualties in clash with Indian soldiers. My understanding is the Chinese side doesn’t want people of the two countries to compare the casualties number so to avoid stoking public mood. This is goodwill from Beijing.
“My understanding is the Chinese side doesn’t want people of the two countries to compare the casualties number so [as] to avoid stoking public mood. This is goodwill from Beijing,” Xijin wrote.
Chhalawa and Karachi Se Lahore director Wajahat Rauf has revealed that he had COVID-19 for 31 days.
In an Instagram post, Rauf said “Corona fell in love with me for 31 days and just wouldn’t let go. It was probably the longest one-sided affair I’ve had in my life. But she didn’t love me all the way hence I had mild symptoms only.”
The director said that he isolated himself for the whole time and “didn’t tell anyone as haven’t met anyone in 45 days and didn’t want the attention for the wrong reasons. But I’m cool with seeking attention now.”
Rauf also thanked those who helped him in this testing time, namely his wife Shazia Wajahat and their sons.
“A big thank you to Shazia Wajahat for taking such good care of me, my sons for keeping me entertained from a distance and immediate family for their prayers.”
Summing up his experience, Rauf said: “The only real advice I can give you is, don’t panic! I know it sounds a lot worse when the PM says it.”
Rauf had been shooting his upcoming film Parde Main Rehnay Do with Ali Rehman Khan and Hania Aamir when the coronavirus situation in Pakistan took a turn for the worse and a lockdown was imposed in the country. Consequently, the shooting of the film was postponed.
Pakistan is understating its rate of infections and the death toll from the coronavirus, the head of a government task force has said as the country becomes a hotspot for the pandemic in South Asia, Bloomberg reported.
“The actual numbers will be two to three times more than what the government is reporting,” Dr Attaur Rahman, chairman of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s task force on science and technology, said and added that a large number of cases weren’t being reported because of low testing and as reasons other than respiratory failure weren’t being counted in deaths.
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Pakistan’s coronavirus cases have increased manifold since the government eased a lockdown in the second week of May after a partial shutdown of about two months. PM Imran has said he is allowing some businesses to open as he fears people will die of poverty and hunger instead of the virus. Alarmed by the rising number of cases, the authorities have again started shutting down residential localities in 20 key cities including the federal capital and Lahore.
Pakistan is the second most infected nation in Asia after India with over 150,000 cases and about 3,000 deaths. The fatality rate of 2% is less than half of the 5% global average.
Random testing in Pakistan’s second-largest city, Lahore, by the health department of Punjab in May showed that at least 6 per cent of all tests came back positive for COVID-19 while in some areas the percentage was as high as 14 per cent, Voice of America reported.
Based on the city’s population and the sampling data, the health department working group, comprised of epidemiologists, public health specialists, applied economists, statisticians and public policy specialists, calculated the number of cases in Lahore to be 670,800 on May 15.
The rate at which the infection was spreading alarmed those involved.
“Our calculations said the numbers were doubling every two weeks,” said Dr Waheeduzzaman Tariq, a senior virologist who was part of the group and sits on multiple government committees dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
According to those numbers, on June 15, the figure should be approximately 2.7 million infected people in Lahore alone.
Kelly Passek, who works as a librarian at a school in Virginia, America, made sure that kids still have books to keep them engaged during the pandemic.
“As a school librarian, it is extremely important to me to have connections with my students. So that I can make sure that they have got access to the resources that they need and the resources that will allow them to be successful – not just academically, but also in life,” said Passek according to MSN.
Due to the remote learning during coronavirus crisis, it became difficult for Passek to be in connection with her students. Then she came up with the idea of a drone to use it for book delivery. She took inspiration from her family as they often use a drone service from Google’s parent company Alphabet, to get essentials delivered to their doorstep.
So, Passek asked for permission from the superintendent, Mark Miear, to deliver books using drone service.
To get a book delivered, students need to request books online which is fulfilled by Passek who then packs the books up in special delivery boxes and delivers them using drone service Wing.
The drone service started last week on a limited trial basis, but now students in Montgomery County can choose from the library’s more than 150,000 books.
Palestinian activists are mourning the loss of legendary fighter pilot Saiful Azam, who was awarded Sitara-i-Jura’at for his heroics in the 1965 war against India, and breathed his last in Bangladesh capital Dhaka earlier this week.
The 80-year-old retired group captain died at his residence, local newspaper Jugantor said. He had been suffering from various old-age complications for a long time.
Bangladeshi army’s mouthpiece Inter Service Public Relation Directorate also confirmed the death to Anadolu Agency over the phone.
“We came to know about his death but we have not published it on our official web page as he is a retired official,” ISPR Director Lt. Col. Abdullah Ibn Zaid said.
Pakistan Air Force Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan expressed heartfelt grief on the demise of the great war veteran, according to a press release by PAF’s media wing. The air chief paid rich tribute to Azam, saying that the former fighter pilot will always be remembered for his professionalism and his part in the 1965 Indo-Pak and 1967 Arab-Israel wars.
A unique figure in the history of Bangladesh, Azam fought in wars as a fighter pilot in three different countries — Jordan, Iraq and Pakistan.
During the 1967 Six-Day War, he was the only pilot to have downed four Israeli aircraft.
On June 5, 1967, four Israeli jets were descending on Jordan’s Mafraq airbase to smash the country’s tiny air force, shortly after the entire Egyptian air force had been destroyed.
Jordanian air force commanders deployed Azam to thwart the attack, shooting down two aircraft. He was shifted to Iraq two days later to defend air bases, where he shot down two more Israeli planes.
Mourning him on Facebook, Palestinian historian Osama al-Ashqar hailed Azam as a great airman.
“Our brothers in Bangladesh and Pakistan were our partners in resistance and defending the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” he added.
Palestinian professor Naji Shoukri posted on his Twitter prayers mourning Azam.
“Saiful Azam loved Palestine and fought for the sake of Jerusalem,” said Shoukri, saluting him and wishing him God’s grace.
Renowned Palestinian journalist Tamer al-Mishal lauded Azam called him “the Eagle of the Air”.
In recognition of Azam’s contributions, he was conferred with military awards by Jordan and Iraq. The United States (US) also gave him the Living Eagles title in 2001 for his outstanding skills.
After the cessation of Bangladesh from Pakistan in 1971, the veteran pilot joined the Bangladesh Air Force to serve his homeland. In 1980, he retired and joined the civil service and later took up a political career.
Lawmakers of the Sindh Assembly belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have urged Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to strengthen relations between the Centre and the provincial government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) so that they are able to resolve public issues in their respective constituencies more efficiently.
The premier met the MPAs at the Governor House during his two-day visit to the province.
The delegation praised the premier’s suggestions in the new finance bill and decisions that were taken by the government to curb the spread of coronavirus. They also commended the PM on reaching out to the poor segment of the society through the Ehsaas Programme.
“Public service is the first mission of the PTI government,” PM Imran said, urging the PTI lawmakers to be more proactive in resolving public issues.
Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Minister for Maritime Affairs Syed Ali Zaidi and Special Assistant Dr Sania Nishtar were also present in the meeting.
Among the MPAs were Omar Amari, Dr Syed Imran Ali Shah, Arsalan Taj Hussain, Bilal Ahmed, Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Haleem Adil Sheikh, Jamaluddin Siddiqui and others.
The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) delegation was also present during the meeting.
According to reports, the delegation demanded Sindh’s share in the NFC award and discussed the privatisation of steel mills and eradication of locusts from agricultural fields in the province.
The GDA delegation included Sardar Abdul Hakim, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, Arif Mustafa Khan Jatoi and Irfanullah Marwat.
