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  • IN PICTURES: Sania Mirza’s sister Anam ties the knot

    IN PICTURES: Sania Mirza’s sister Anam ties the knot

    Tennis champion Sania Mirza’s sister Anam Mirza tied the knot with former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin’s son Asaduddin in Hyderabad.

    Anam took to social media to make the announcement. The two looked resplendent in their wedding finery on their big day.

    Meanwhile, Sania Mirza looked lovely in a teal outfit. Husband Shoaib Malik was missing from the wedding celebrations – the former captain of the Pakistan Cricket Team is currently in Dhaka for the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

    Following the nikkah, the couple also hosted a reception the next day.

    Prior to the nikkah there was a sangeet.

    Anam with baby Izhaan Mirza Malik

    Anam and Asad began dating earlier this year after Anam’s divorce in 2018.

  • Saudi royals unhappy with Imran; PM to visit Kingdom, clarify his position

    Saudi royals unhappy with Imran; PM to visit Kingdom, clarify his position

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan will visit Saudi Arabia on Saturday after recent signals from Riyadh indicate that the kingdom’s leaders were not happy with Imran’s decision to attend Kuala Lumpur summit scheduled to be held in Malaysia later this month, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, PM Imran will reportedly reassure Saudi leadership that ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia remain firm despite Islamabad’s engagement with other Muslim countries.

    The reports further reveal that Saudis are seeing the summit an an attempt by Malaysia to present an alternative to the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as the progressively dysfunctional OIC works under the de-facto leadership of the Saudis.

    Other leaders which are participating in the summit include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Iranian President Hasan Rouhani among others.

    Pakistan has expressed its keenness to attend the summit as the Foreign Office (FO) in its recent statement has said, “The KL summit would provide Pakistan with an opportunity to exchange views and find solutions to challenges facing the Muslim world, particularly the governance, development, terrorism and Islamophobia”.

    “The summit will also provide us an opportunity to foster cooperation in diverse areas with the participating countries”, the statement added.

    Meanwhile, FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal while responding to questions about PM Imran’s sudden visit to Saudi Arabia has said, “High-level political exchanges between the two countries are the hallmark of this brotherly bilateral relationship. You have witnessed the high frequency of leadership level exchanges, especially since last August”.

    Dr Faisal further said, “The PM has undertaken at least three visits to KSA since May this year. Any further information about any future visit will be shared accordingly.”

  • Zardari will sign plea bargain deal by March: Sheikh Rasheed

    Zardari will sign plea bargain deal by March: Sheikh Rasheed

    Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed has claimed that former president Asif Ali Zardari will sing a plea bargain deal in corruption cases “by the end of March”, Pakistan Today reported.

    According to the details, the minister during a media talk at the Bahria University in Islamabad has said, “If Bilawal doesn’t accept a plea bargain deal, his political career will be finished.”

    Shiekh Rasheed said that Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) government has been taking steps to address the issue of inflation, adding that only Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan can take people out of their problems.

    The minister also urged youth to play their role in the progress of the country and asserted that a strong economy was important to formulate independent policies and ensure a strong defence.

    Rasheed also regretted the attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore by a disgruntled mob of lawyers.

  • Islamabad High Court gets its first female judge

    Islamabad High Court gets its first female judge

    The Islamabad High Court on Friday got its first female judge.

    According to reports, Justice Lubna Saleem Pervaiz was administered the oath by Chief Justice Athar Minallah at the high court.

    Two other judges, Fiaz Anjum Jadran and Ghulam Azam Qambrani, were also sworn in.

    Meanwhile, Justices Aamer Farooq, Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb attended the ceremony.

    Earlier in December, Chief Justice Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa had revealed that the judiciary is working towards inducting female judges in the Supreme Court.

    Addressing the concluding session of Women Judges Conference in Lahore, Justice Khosa had said that more than 300 female judges are working in the district courts of Pakistan and that they were doing a brilliant job.

    “Our women judges have proven their abilities through their verdicts and by the way they have handled complex cases,” Justice Khosa had said, adding, “We have as many as 300 women judges in district courts and we hope to soon have at least one or two in the Supreme Court. I had the opportunity to propose two names and they are being actively considered.”

  • ‘India is the rape capital of the world’ Rahul Gandhi

    ‘India is the rape capital of the world’ Rahul Gandhi

    “India has turned into the rape capital of the world. The international community looks down upon us. Modi sarkar (Modi government) falsely claims that they are protecting women of India day and night.” said Rahul Gandhi in many of his speeches in 2019. 

    Today, Smriti Irani, BJP’s politician, and former TV star outrageously demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi in the parliament of India.

    She said, “For the first time in India, the member of the Gandhi family is saying, the women of India should be raped. He made fun out of this heinous crime.”

    Rahul Gandhi denied and accused smirtin Irani of twisting the facts smirti Irani of twisting the facts.

    Furthermore, while answering the accusation, he tweeted a video clip of Modi and captioned it, “Modi should apologize for burning the north, for destroying India’s economy, and for the speech which I am attaching.”

    It
    is true that Indian is one of the most unsafe countries in the world for women,
    however, such insensitive comments should be avoided in public spheres. 

  • Snowy vacays: Celebrities party it up in Europe

    Snowy vacays: Celebrities party it up in Europe

    From Maya Ali to Humayun Saeed to Zara Noor Abbas – Pakistani celebrities are partying it up in Oslo, Amsterdam and London giving us major FOMO. Thankfully the mercury has dropped drastically in Pakistan as well, so we don’t feel too left out.

    In case you missed it, a number of celebrities including Humayun Saeed, Maya Ali, Adnan Siddiqui, Ahmed Ali Butt, Hira Mani, Aima Baig and Asad Siddiqui went to Oslo, Norway for the IPPA Awards. After Oslo, half the party moved to London, while others went to Amsterdam.

    See all the pictures:

    Starting with some group pictures. How many stars can you count?

    The one with Danish

    And then one with Shehvar. Guess he’s the ladies man off-screen too

    Girl gang

    Bromance

    Time for some solo shots (and winter fashion inspo)

    Ayesha Omar
    Hira Mani
    Maya Ali
    Moomal Sheikh
    Shahroze Sabzawari
    Hania Aamir
    Yasir Hussain

    Sadaf Kanwal is a diva in the truest sense

    Neelum Munir

    How sweet is this picture of Neelum and her mum?

    Hira and Mani serve us some couple goals

    The gang then headed to London while Yasir and Asad went to Amsterdam

    Cricket commentator Zainab Abbas was also spotted in London

    Meanwhile, Mehwish Hayat is vacationing with her family in Turkey.

  • VIDEO: Cops detain protester raising slogans against Sheikh Rasheed in Sargodha

    At least one person was detained on Friday after he egged Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed’s passenger car upon the latter’s arrival at Sargodha Railway Station via train.

    The furious person not only egged the minister’s bogie, but also raised slogans against Rasheed “for his derogatory statements against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari”.

    A video of the incident, which went viral on social media, showed cops gagging the protester chanting “Sheikh Rasheed Murdabad” as they escorted him off the platform.

    Rasheed had arrived in Sargodha to inspect the railway tracks and was to address a press conference at the station, which was called off amid all the ruckus.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The minister reportedly only spoke to a few mediapersons inside his cabin and later left the station without stepping out of the train.

  • ‘Nawaz is really sick,’ confirms Pakistan High Commission in UK

    ‘Nawaz is really sick,’ confirms Pakistan High Commission in UK

    A cardiothoracic surgeon at London’s University College Hospital, Dr David Lawrence, has confirmed that ailing former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, who is currently undergoing medical treatment in the United Kingdom (UK), is really sick and his health can deteriorate further.

    As per the details, Advocate Amjad Pervez, who is representing the former premier in the Al-Azizia and Chaudhary Sugar Mills references, on Friday submitted Nawaz’s medical reports to the Lahore High Court (LHC).

    According to the medical report, the ex-PM is seriously ill and suffering from various health problems, including the coronary artery disease. It added that Nawaz’s platelets were also not stable even now and a platelet count of at least 50,000 to 100,000 was required for proper treatment and recovery.

    The report by Dr Lawrence, which has also been verified by Pakistan High Commission in UK, further said that the health of the ex-premier had improved after bypass surgery; however, they were far from diagnosis and so further medical tests had to be done.

    While his deteriorating health can also lead to a stroke, Nawaz might be suffering from a serious disease such as an uncontrolled division of abnormal cells in some part of the body, it added.

    Last month, the LHC, in its order regarding permission to Nawaz to go to London for treatment, had ordered the ailing former premier to continue submission of his health report to the court.

    He had earlier been granted bail in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases against him and allowed to fly to London on medical grounds for eight-weeks.

    The premier can stay out of the country for as long as his treatment continues.

  • Mahira Khan is Pakistan’s sexiest woman, fifth year in a row

    Mahira Khan is Pakistan’s sexiest woman, fifth year in a row

    Comes as no surprise to be honest, but Mahira Khan has been crowned Pakistan’s sexiest woman, fifth year in a row. Meanwhile, Mehwish Hayat is the second sexiest Pakistani woman of 2019.

    According to British publication, Eastern Eye, Mahira has been voted the fourth sexiest woman in Asia in 2019 and the third sexiest woman of the decade. The magazine compiles the list based on votes from fans around the world.

    Speaking about the honour, Mahira said, “I am so grateful to all my fans who continue to vote for me every year. This one is for a decade of love, ups and downs, support and magic. I have never considered myself sexy, but I believe when you do you – that’s sexy. And I hope I can continue to do just that.”

    Mehwish Hayat also featured on the list among the top 10 at number nine.

    Meanwhile, Alia Bhatt won the title of the Sexiest Asian Woman of 2019, while Deepika Padukone came second. TV star Hina Khan ranked third on the list followed by Surbhi Chandna (5), Katrina Kaif (6), Shivangi Joshi (7), Nia Sharma (8), Mehwish Hayat (9) and Priyanka Chopra (10).

    The magazine also released the list of Sexiest Women of the Decade. Deepika topped the list, while Priyanka was number two and Mahira number three.

    Last week, the magazine had released its list of Sexiest Asian Men. Bilal Ashraf had been voted Sexiest Pakistani Man.

  • Switzerland decides to grant Pakistan access to bank data

    The Federal Assembly of Switzerland has approved granting Pakistan the access to its financial data, starting from 2021, The News has reported.

    As per the details, the Swiss parliament has approved a new batch of 18 countries for automatic exchange of financial information (AEOI), which would allow Pakistani authorities to learn how much money Pakistanis have in Switzerland.

    This means that Switzerland will provide details of bank accounts held by their citizens (or those with a fiscal residence in Switzerland). Meanwhile, in return, Switzerland will receive information on banking details of accounts held by Swiss citizens/residents in these partner countries.

    The 18 countries include Albania, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Dominica, Ghana, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Macau, Maldives, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Samoa, Saint Martin,Trinidad and Tobago and Vanuatu.

    Turkey was also up for consideration, but the Senate decided it was not yet ready for automatic exchange. The country’s recent incursion into Syria created doubts on its ability to guarantee data protection.

    Currently Switzerland receives financial data from 75 countries and shares data with 63 countries. This is because they did not either meet data security and confidentiality requirements (Belize, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Montserrat, Romania, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Cyprus) or chose not to receive Swiss data (Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands).

    Recently the Swiss authorities revealed that they had provided details of around 3.1 million bank accounts held by foreigners (or those with a fiscal residence abroad) to their countries of origin or residence. In return, it received information on banking details of around 2.4 million accounts held by Swiss citizens/residents in 75 partner countries.