An old video of controversial writer Khalil-Ur-Rehman has gone viral on social media after he was abducted and held for ransom by a woman.
In the video, he talks about equality, challenging women to abduct a man and assault him.
Qamar said, “I’ve never heard of a case where five girls together kidnapped a man. So, if you want to achieve equality, then do it and show us.” The host asked, “Alright, how about you kidnap someone?” Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar responded, “Kidnap me, then I’ll find out if you’re really achieving equality.”
Qamar has lodged an FIR stating that a woman named Amna contacted him, inviting him to her home late in the night to “discuss a drama project.” When he arrived, armed men assaulted him and held him for ransom.
Social media is abuzz with reactions to the news, and many could not resist taking a dig at Qamar’s earlier statement. Here are some of the funniest reactions:
More than 500 people, including some opposition leaders, have been arrested over days of clashes in the Bangladesh capital Dhaka sparked by protests against job quotas, police said Monday.
“At least 532 people have been arrested over the violence,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP.
“They include some BNP leaders,” he added, referring to the opposition Bangladesh National Party.
The detainees included the BNP’s third-most senior leader Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and its spokesman Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, he said.
A former national football captain turned senior BNP figure, Aminul Huq, was also held, he added.
Mia Golam Parwar, the general secretary of the country’s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, was also arrested, Hossain said.
He said at least three policemen had been killed during the unrest in the capital and about 1,000 injured, at least 60 of them critically.
BNP spokesman A.K.M Wahiduzzaman told AFP that nationwide, “several hundred BNP leaders and activists were arrested in the past few days”.
The meteorological department has predicted rain in different cities today.
Rain may occur in some parts of Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Gujarat, Faisalabad, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa today, as per the weather department.
Battered with heat, Karachi is expected to receive rain this evening. Drizzling is expected in other areas of Sindh, such as Umarkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas, Mithi, Sanghar, Thatta, Badin, and Sjawal are also likely.
The Meteorological Department reported that the highest rainfall was recorded yesterday (Sunday)at Old Airport, around 20 mm, while 11 mm was recorded at Sarjani Town and 9.4 mm at Jinnah Terminal. Ten mm of rain was recorded on University Road, 7 mm on Shaara Faisal, 6.5 mm on Hassan Square, 2.5 mm on PAF Base Masrur, and 0.8 mm on North Karachi.
Rain is also likely to descend in Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir today.
The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has predicted the fourth spell of monsoon to start in Punjab from today, while south Punjab is likely to experience cloudy skies from tomorrow.
Pakistan Tekken star Arslan Ash has won the Tekken 8 EVO 2024 title for the fifth time defeating compatriot Atif Butt in the grand finals in Las Vegas, USA.
Arslan won by 3-1 in the winner’s final after which Atif faced off against Japanese opponent Nobi in the loser’s final and defeated him by 3-0 to reach the grand finals.
Atif won the first game. After a tough fight, Arslan tied the score. The chance for a reset seemed to be slipping away. In Game 4, Atif switched to FENG (Game Character) and tied the score at 2-2.
In the final round, it seemed like Atif would win, but at the last second, Arslan landed a perfect hit, winning his fifth Evo Championship title.
Kareena Kapoor Khan recently shared insights into her marriage with fellow actor Saif Ali Khan in an interview with The Week. With a touch of humor, she mentioned that Saif sometimes takes her “for granted.”
Kareena talked about balancing her professional and personal life, highlighting the importance of family time. “It’s very tough being married to an actor,” she admitted. “Sometimes, he’s sleeping when I’ve left for work. Even though we live in the same house, we’re trying to make time for the kids. Two actors in the same house can be challenging.”
Despite the challenges, Kareena believes her marriage has positively changed her. “I’ve changed for the better,” she said, noting that Saif helps keep her grounded when she’s feeling overwhelmed. “He grounds me when I’m going a little crazy.”
The couple often seeks advice from each other, though Kareena joked about the effectiveness of her advice. “I always ask him for advice, and he does ask me too. I don’t know if he takes my advice. I am critical of his films. He hasn’t seen Crew yet because he’s been busy shooting. But I have to watch all his films. So, in that sense, yes, he’s taken me for granted this time.”
Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out of the US presidential election and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s new nominee, in a move that upends the 2024 race for the White House.
The 81-year-old Biden stepped aside after weeks of pressure from Democrats following a disastrous debate performance, throwing the election battle against Republican Donald Trump into unprecedented turmoil.
“While it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a letter on X while recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware.
Biden said he would “speak to the nation later this week in more detail about my decision”. He later added that he was backing Harris, who is the first female, Black and South Asian vice president in US history, and will now be aiming to become its first female commander-in-chief.
“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year,” Biden said on X. “Democrats – it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this.” Biden is the first president in US history to pull out so late in an election race, and the first to bow out because of concerns over his mental acuity and health.
Biden spent more than three weeks resisting calls to step down following the shock of the June 27 debate, at one point insisting that only the “Lord Almighty” could convince him to back out.
In a bid to show he was up to the job, he gave a number of interviews and what was billed as a “big boy” press conference in which he took numerous questions, but made further gaffes including calling Harris “Vice President Trump”. A tide of voices within his own party calling on him to go, starting with donor and actor George Clooney and ending with former president Barack Obama, sealed his fate.
Chaotic period for US
The end finally came shortly after Biden had been diagnosed with Covid, forcing him off the campaign trail and into isolation in Rehoboth Beach.
Biden’s decision to pull out also caps a tense and chaotic period in the US election, with Trump having survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally on July 13.
Biden joins a small club of US presidents who have decided to throw in the towel after just one term, with the last being Lyndon Johnson in 1968 — a year also marked by political turmoil and violence.
Johnson’s replacement as nominee, then-vice president Hubert Humphrey, went on to lose heavily to Richard Nixon. But Democrats are counting on Harris to fare better, and hoping that she can prevent convicted felon Trump from making a sensational comeback to the Oval Office.
In recent weeks, the Biden campaign has reportedly been quietly carrying out a head-to-head survey of voters measuring how she matched up against Trump.
While Harris struggled to make an impact in her first years in the White House, she has emerged in the last year as a strong performer on the campaign trail on key messages such as abortion rights. She has also made much of her life story as the first woman in US history to hold the vice presidency, as well as the first person of Black and South Asian origin.
Barring opposition from her party, Harris is now set to be nominated at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 19 in what promises to be a dramatic moment — and a heartrending one for Biden.
Biden took office in January 2021 pledging to heal the “soul of America” after four turbulent years under Trump and the shock of the January 6, 2021 Capitol assault by his supporters.
Overcoming a reputation for verbal flubs, Obama’s former vice president pushed through a massive Covid recovery plan and a green industry scheme.
US allies welcomed his pledge that “America is back” following Trump’s trampling on international alliances, and his strong support for Ukraine as it battled Russia’s 2022 invasion. But he faced criticism over the catastrophic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and inflation that meant overstretched Americans ignored otherwise positive economic numbers.
Behind it all were the ongoing concerns about his age with a series of senior moments, including tripping up the stairs to Air Force One and falling off his bike, contributing to the doddery image played up by Republicans.
Controversial writer Khalil UR Rehman Qamar was abducted and robbed in Lahore, as confirmed by the police.
The incident happened when a woman named Amna contacted Qamar, inviting him to her home to discuss a drama project. When he arrived, armed men kidnapped him and carried out the robbery.
The First Information Report (FIR) states that the suspects assaulted Qamar and moved him to various locations. The scriptwriter alleged that the kidnappers threatened to kill him and demanded money from his relatives. The FIR also states that the suspects took Rs. 250,000 from Qamar’s ATM card and took his watch, cell phone, and cash.
Qamar is widely criticised for his misogynistic statements while remaining unapologetic and unwavering in his opinions in the face of controversy.
Qamar is safe now and has reported the incident to the police. The police have started investigating. the case.
Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed’s Barzakh, produced for India’s Zee Zindagi, debuted on July 19 online.
The show has garnered rave reviews from Indian media, with reviews praising the performances, cinematography and story.
The Quint’s Pratikshiya Mishra called the series “profound and arresting.” Praising the performances, the review concludes, “Barzakh isn’t a perfect show by any means but it’s a show that stays with you long after you stop watching. It’s a show that forces you to think and it’s one you will need to sit with for a while.”
Shubra Gupta terms the series “powerful” on The Indian Express. Praising nearly all the main actors, she writes: “Fawad Khan, whose heart-throb quotient hasn’t dropped an inch for his fans in India, is every bit as dishy as he has been; Sanam Saeed is as gorgeous.Fawad M Khan’s older sibling Saifu is terrific, too, as is the handsome Italian chef played by Franco Giusti, who adds succulence in his dishes and his demeanour. Salman Shahid’s patriarch towers over all else: even his unravelling has power.”
Over on India Today, Bhavna Agarwal says the story might not be everyone’s cup of tea. For those that do like it, she praises Asim Abbasi’s helming of the project. “There’s more to every character than what meets the eye. This is probably what makes ‘Barzakh’ such an enjoyable watch,” she contends.
The Hindu’s Shilajit Mishra has penned a mixed review, praising some aspects as bewitching and others as overblown,: “Abbasi is on song when exploring his favoured themes of guilt and generational trauma. The heavier stuff — allegories about female oppression, religious fanaticism and the erasure of ethnic communities — mostly land with a thud.”
We can’t wait for the next episode drop to see where the story goes next.
