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  • Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    Ali Haider Zaidi accepts that PTI government relied too much on Gen Faiz

    In a talk show on ARY News, Kashif Abbasi asked senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Haider Zaidi about the biggest mistake of the PTI government in his personal opinion. Zaidi remarked that their handling of political matters was weak.

    When the anchor asked the PTI leader whether there was too much reliance on General Faiz and establishment on convincing other MNAs on passing any bills in the parliament, Zaidi replied, “Imran Khan has accepted this himself, Khan said that we [Khan and establishment] were on very good terms and they used to help us during passing of budgets.”

    He remarked that in hindsight that was the biggest mistake PTI government made during their tenure but at the time it was difficult to comprehend due to the fog of war.

    He also emphasized that in every democratic society, decision-making should be completely political.

    Ali Zaidi said that he’s not coming back to politics until he “clears a lot of things with Imran Khan”. And then he asked the anchor, “Have I ever said anything against Imran Khan? Have I ever tweeted against PTI? Did I say anything against PTI since I’ve been in your program?”

    He blamed the party’s Core Committee for letting his family be vilified online due to their deliberate lies. “My daughter comes home from school and asks what they are saying about us,” he recounted.

    He emphasized that the committee members deliberately lie to get to upper ranks and expose internal party differences in public. He said that he would need to talk these things over with Imran Khan and let him know what these people did to us.

  • Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain redefine marriage age limits

    Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain redefine marriage age limits

    Bushra Ansari, one of the most famous actors, writers, and singers in the industry, and Iqbal Hussain, a long-time actor turned successful Pakistani director, caught people’s attention in 2019 when rumors of their marriage spread in the media industry. Though they neither confirmed nor denied the news, they were frequently seen together at various events, including Nida Yasir’s brother’s wedding.

    Recently, Bushra Ansari posted a vlog on her YouTube channel discussing her second marriage to Iqbal Hussain. In the vlog, she introduced her husband to her YouTube followers, who had expressed concerns about her being lonely. Bushra Ansari and Iqbal Hussain also talked about a stigma in Eastern society where marrying an older woman is seen as wrong.

    Bushra Ansari said “Iqbal Hussain proposed to me while we were shooting for Seeta Bhagri. He said, ‘Since we both live alone, we should get married.’ Marrying him was a tough decision for me. Even though I had been divorced, I never announced it. It took me a year and a half to decide to marry someone younger than me. He had been divorced long before me.”

    Iqbal Hussain said, “Bushra Ansari’s family and friends helped me make this decision. They convinced her because Bushra wasn’t agreeing to it. Sumbul Apa, Neelum Aapa, Asma Abbas’s husband, all supported us greatly. Bushra Ansari also mentioned that Rubina Ashraf, Behroze Sabzwari, Badar Khalil, Sultana Siddiqui, and all her friends supported our decision. We also told our kids, who are abroad, about our decision to move forward in life, and they are happy about it.”

    Iqbal Hussain stated, “If two people have the option and there are no family clashes, they should choose marriage without making it a big deal. Additionally, society should normalize marrying an older lady.”

    Here’s the detailed interview:

  • Journalist investigating corruption killed in Colombia

    Journalist investigating corruption killed in Colombia

    Bogotá, Colombia – A Colombian journalist investigating corruption was killed over the weekend in a city near the border with Venezuela, officials said Monday.

    The reporter, 54-year-old Jaime Vasquez, was shot in Cucuta in front of about a dozen witnesses, according to security videos released by local media.

    Prosecutors say the gunman fled on a motorbike.

    President Gustavo Petro said on X he had ordered an investigation into the murder of Vasquez, who had published allegations of irregular contracts and abuses of power in the city administration and received threats as a result of his work, according to a friend.

    Colombia’s FLIP press freedom foundation condemned the killing and called for a “rapid and exhaustive” probe.

    Since 2006, 167 journalists have been killed in Colombia, according to FLIP. Last year, 163 reporters received threats.

    Another eight people were killed in and around Cucuta on the same weekend, police said, in a region where paramilitary fighters, guerrillas and local criminal gangs are known to operate.

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    © Agence France-Presse

  • Pakistan in position to complete Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, says Khawaja Asif

    Pakistan in position to complete Pak-Iran gas pipeline project, says Khawaja Asif

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that “Pakistan is in a position to complete the [gas] pipeline project with Iran and makes decision regarding it.” However, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi’s visit to Pakistan is expected this month.

    “We are constructing a gas pipeline on our side from Gwadar to the Iranian border,” Asif said while speaking on Geo News’ Capital Talk programme.

    Earlier this month, The News said that Pakistan started building an 80km part of the Pakistan-Iran gas pipeline. They’re working from Gwadar to a spot where they can link it to the Iranian section of the project.

  • Waste not want not: Peruvian drive to feed more with less

    Waste not want not: Peruvian drive to feed more with less

    Peruvian cook Isabel Santos prepares a salad with carrot peels and pea shells at a community kitchen in Lima; a disciple of a sustainable cuisine movement seeking to tackle hunger and food waste at the same time.

    With five other women, she works at making 150 tasty, vitamin-packed servings that include “the peels of potatoes, peas, carrots, leeks and ginger that we used to throw away,” the 76-year-old told AFP.

    Santos is a follower of the “Optimum Kitchen” concept of renowned Peruvian chef Palmiro Ocampo, who promotes the concept of nose-to-tail cooking — part of a more planet-friendly food drive increasingly finding a following world-wide.

    “There is no such thing as waste,” Ocampo, 40, told AFP on a recent visit to Santos’s Maria Parado de Bellido kitchen in a poor district of southern Lima.

    “An ingredient has to be used in its entirety,” he said, in a world where a third of food is wasted while 800 million people go hungry.

    Palmiro and his wife Anyell San Miguel train cooks from Peruvian soup and community kitchens and share recipes through their project Ccori, which means gold in the Indigenous Quechua language and was created 11 years ago to promote “culinary recycling.”

    As a result “more than a ton of ingredients that would normally end up in the garbage have been… turned into delicious food,” said the chef.

    Not only tasty but healthy too: “many of these (formerly discarded) food parts have more nutrients” — vital to combat anemia, which affects more than two in five children in Peru.

  • Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    Sanaullah says party cannot keep promises to people because ‘they didn’t give us majority’

    In a talk show on Public News, anchorperson Iqrah Haris asked former Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah given the promises the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) made during its election campaigns, would it be ready to suffer the consequences if the government is unable to deliver.

    Rana Sanaullah remarked that the N-League would not be responsible for any promises made to the public simply because it is a coalition government.

    “We are not making any promises now, the promises we made were dependent on us getting a simple majority and PML-N making its own government under the leadership of Mian Nawaz Sharif.”

    The PML-N’s senior leader asserted that had the government been granted a majority, it would have borne the responsibility of steering the country out of this economic turmoil.

  • Samsung returns to top of the smartphone market: industry tracker

    Samsung returns to top of the smartphone market: industry tracker

    San Francisco (AFP) – Samsung regained its position as the top smartphone seller, wresting back the lead from Apple as Chinese rivals close the gap on both market leaders, industry tracker International Data Corporation (IDC) reported Monday.

    South Korea-based Samsung overtook Apple as worldwide smartphone shipments grew nearly 8 percent in the first quarter of this year to 289.4 million, IDC said, citing its preliminary data.

    It was the third consecutive quarter of growth in the global smartphone market, signalling that a recovery from a slump in the sector is underway, according to IDC.

    IDC Worldwide Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers team vice president Ryan Reith expected top smartphone companies to gain share and small brands to struggle for position as recovery progresses.

    Samsung shipped 60.1 million smartphones in the first quarter of this year, claiming nearly 21 percent of the market, according to IDC figures.

    Apple shipped 50.1 million iPhones, garnering just over 17 percent of the market in the same period, IDC reported.

    Apple smartphone shipments were down 9.6 percent in a quarter-over-quarter comparison, while Samsung shipments slipped less than one percent, according to the market tracker.

    Meanwhile, China-based Xiaomi saw shipments grow about 33 percent to 40.8 million and Transsion about 85 percent to 28.5 million, taking third and fourth positions in the overall smartphone market, IDC reported.

    “While Apple managed to capture the top spot at the end of 2023, Samsung successfully reasserted itself as the leading smartphone provider in the first quarter,” Reith said.

    IDC expects Samsung and Apple to maintain their hold on the high end of the smartphone market while Chinese competitors seek to expand sales, according to Reith.

    Nabila Popal, research director with IDC’s Worldwide Tracker team, said: “There is a shift in power among the Top 5 companies, which will likely continue as market players adjust their strategies in a post-recovery world.

    “Xiaomi is coming back strong from the large declines experienced over the past two years and Transsion is becoming a stable presence in the Top 5 with aggressive growth in international markets.”

  • Former England spinner Derek Underwood passes away

    Former England spinner Derek Underwood passes away

    England spin legend Derek Underwood has passed away at the age of 78 on Monday, his county Kent announced.

    Derek took the most Test wickets for the English cricket team and made it to the ICC Hall of Fame.

    In a long international career spanning from 1966 to 1982, Derek represented England in 86 Tests and 26 ODIs. He took 297 wickets in his illustrious Test career and 2465 wickets in 676 first-class matches.

    Underwood was inducted into the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame in 2009.

  • Maryam Nawaz reduces roti price, Nanbai association rejects notification

    Maryam Nawaz reduces roti price, Nanbai association rejects notification

    Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz has announced a reduction in the prices of simple roti.

    As per her announcement, the price is reduced to Rs 16 for roti weighing 100 gram while that of Naan is Rs 20 which has to weigh 120 gram.

    The prices will be implemented across the province from today, reported Jang.

    Maryam Nawaz instructed authorities that all the districts and relevant departments of Punjab have to ensure the strict implementation of the decision.

    President Nanbai Association Shafiq Qureshi said that they are ready to reduce the price of bread if the Punjab government gives a subsidy. However, associations across the province rejected the decision of the Punjab government.

    Talking about the decision to reduce the price of roti, Shafiq Qureshi said that the price of a bag of fine flour is 12 thousand 200 rupees while the price of ordinary flour is 11 thousand 600 rupees per bag, pointing out that fhe government is not giving any subsidy on gas and electricity. Nanbais use LPG gas which makes it impossible to reduce the price of bread.

  • Nazish Jahangir on Durefishan Saleem’s success: All luck or talent?

    Nazish Jahangir on Durefishan Saleem’s success: All luck or talent?

    Nazish Jahangir, a Pakistani television and film actor, made her debut in 2017 in a television project. She quickly gained fame and admiration from fans for her exceptional acting skills and flawless beauty. Jahangir has starred in numerous popular dramas such as Kamzarf, Saraab, Berukhi, Ghammandi, Dil Tanha Tanha, Kaheen Deep Jalay, and Fanaa. Recently, she appeared in the Ramazan special drama serial Ishqaway alongside Aagha Ali, receiving praise from fans for their performance.
    Recently, Nazish Jahangir made an appearance on Hum News’ Eid special transmission. During the show, she openly discussed well-known Pakistani actresses such as Ayeza Khan, Durefishan Saleem, and Sarah Khan. She responded to a question about trading attributes or items with these actresses.

    “I would love to exchange my house with Ayesha Khan’s beautiful house. I would like to take Maya Ali’s clothes. I love Mahira Khan’s aesthetic sense. I would really want to have all the expensive gifts that Falak has gifted to Sarah Khan. Talking about Meera, Nazish said, “I would not take anything from Meera. However, I would love to give her anything she would want from me”.
    She also responded to a question about which actress gets work and is successful due to luck. In her response, she said, “Durefishan is very lucky, all her dramas become super hits.”