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  • Zaka Ashraf ineligible to contest PCB election

    Zaka Ashraf ineligible to contest PCB election

    Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Zaka Ashraf is not eligible to contest the Board’s election due to not having a BA (Bachelor of Arts) degree, Urdupoint has reported.

    A BA degree has been made mandatory for PCB chairmanship, but sources say that Zaka Ashraf is not participating in the election as he does not have one. The caretaker federal government has recently approved a three-month extension in Ashraf’s tenure.

    Former Attorney General Shah Khawar was appointed Chief Election Commissioner of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and he is responsible for conducting the Pakistan Cricket Board elections before February 4, 2024.

    Urdupoint reported that Shah Khawar will be the chairman of the PCB and will be responsible for elections of the various regions. Shah Khawar is also the special prosecutor in the cipher case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • Ask-i-Memnu fans are in for a treat with Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Beren Saat’s spicy chemistry in ‘Last Call For Istanbul’

    Ask-i-Memnu fans are in for a treat with Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ, Beren Saat’s spicy chemistry in ‘Last Call For Istanbul’

    If you were alive during the 2000’s, chances are you probably fell down the rabbit hole that was ‘Ishq-e-Mamnoon’ or the Turkish drama ‘Ask-i-Memnu’. Particularly, the most spiciest (and bonkers) part of the drama was the forbidden romance between step mother Bihter (played by Beren Saat) and adopted son Behlul (played by Kıvanç Tatlıtuğ), and the way it captured the hearts of Pakistanis was mesmerising. But fans who are still not over the amazing chemistry between the duo will definitely enjoy the Netflix film ‘Last Call For Istanbul’, which stars both actors.

    It looks like Pakistani fans are still not over how Kivanc and Beren prove they still have the game even after starring in a film after 15 long years. The two meet at New York airport after Serin (played by Beren) finds out her luggage was accidentally taken by someone, and Mehmat (played by Kivanc) helps her re-locate it. Both affirm their commitment to their partners, although Serin complains she feels her marriage is no longer satisfying her, and try to keep their feelings repressed when they have to lodge together in a hotel for the night.

    It has already been two days since the film was released on Netflix and already it’s getting rave reviews for the insane chemistry between the lead actors, as well as how the themes of marriage and independence are explored. Twitter users are already over the moon watching their favourite ship heal the wound left by Ask-i-Memnu’s tragic ending. Yup I’m still not over it as well.

    Yup we’re claiming these two to be our OTP for life.

  • Here are the winners from the Filmfare OTT awards 2023

    Here are the winners from the Filmfare OTT awards 2023

    The annual Filmfare OTT awards were held on Sunday to celebrate India’s storytelling and art in the streaming space. Several big names were among the attendees including Alia Bhatt, Rajkummar Rao, Kajol and Manoj Bajpayee, who were the big winners of the night.

    Alia Bhatt was the belle of the ball, looking breathtaking in a silky black gown, walking away with the biggest award of the night ‘Best Actor in Web Original Film’. In her speech, the actress thanked Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan and Darling’s director Jasmeet K Reen on the stage. Netflix shows Scoop and Kohraa bagged some of the biggest awards.

    Here is a list of the winners of the celebrated event.

    Best Series – Scoop

    Best Director Series – Vikramaditya Motwane (Jubilee)

    Best Actor, Series (Male): Drama – Suvinder Vicky (Kohrra)

    Best Actor, Series (Female), Critics: Drama – Karishma Tanna (Scoop) and Sonakshi Sinha (Dahaad)

    Best Supporting Actor, Series (Male): Drama – Barun Sobti (Kohrra)

    Best Supporting Actor, Series (Female): Drama – Tillotama Shome (Delhi Crime Season 2)

    Best Actor, Critics’ (Male): Film – Rajkummar Rao (Monica O My Darling)

    Best Actor, Web Original Film (Female) – Alia Bhatt (Darlings)

    Best Actor, Critics’ (Female): Film – Sharmila Tagore (Gulmohar) and Sanya Malhotra (Kathal)

    Best Supporting Actor, Web Original Film (Female) – Amruta Subhash (Lust Stories 2) and Shefali Shah (Darlings)

  • Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students studying in US shot for wearing keffiyah

    Three Palestinian students were shot for wearing their country’s traditional keffiyeh scarves in Vermont, USA.

    The three boys – identified as Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdel Hamid and Tahseen Ahmed – were in Burlington for Thanksgiving holidays when they were targeted and injured, leaving one critically wounded.

    The victims, aged 20, were students of Harvard University, Brown University and Trinity University.

    According to the police, they were walking while visiting the home of one of the victim’s relatives when they were confronted by a white man with a gun.

    “Without speaking, he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and is believed to have fled,” Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement.

    “The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,” he added. “But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.”

    According to a statement released by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, the victims were Palestinian American college students and that there is “reason to believe this shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.”

    It further revealed that a man shouted at and harassed the three young men, who were chatting in Arabic, and then shot them.

    The FBI Albany, New York, posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) stating that they are
    “actively” investigating the case with the Burlington Police Department, ATF and other federal, state and local agencies.

  • Faheem Ashraf’s valima attended by sportsmen, politicians

    Faheem Ashraf’s valima attended by sportsmen, politicians

    The valima ceremony of Pakistani all-rounder Faheem Ashraf was held with great pomp in his native village Phool Nagar with many important people from local political, social, and sports circles in attendance, including current and former players.

    Former Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal, former Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, and many local political and social personalities participated in the celebration of the national all-rounder, while former national cricket team captains Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Azhar Ali, Abdul Rahman, along with Fahim Ashraf’s friends and relatives also participated in the ceremony.

    Faheem Ashraf has married the daughter of Rana Shabbir of Narowal. His in-laws also gifted him a car.

    The nikah ceremony was held in Narowal on November 25, Saturday.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: MDCAT retest paper goes viral

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: MDCAT retest paper goes viral

    The second retake of the MDCAT exam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has gone viral despite secrecy measures, raising concerns among students. The test was conducted on Sunday across the province in 11 examination centres. More than 40,000 students appeared in the exam.

    The test was conducted by Khyber Medical University (KMU) after the Bluetooth Scandal in the previous attempt conducted by the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA). Neither the students nor the security and administrative staff was allowed to take phones inside the examination centres. Section 144 was imposed with signal jammers installed around the examination centres along with the deployment of 2000 security personnel in the province. Despite all of this, the paper went viral.

    A Twitter user also appreciated the security.

    However, Vice Chancellor KMU Doctor Zia ul Haq told Geo that the paper leaked post-exam, not during the exam. He stressed that the document is public property after the exam. A picture captured with the backdrop of a bedsheet also hints towards the conduction of the exam being transparent.

  • Azam Khan fined for putting Palestinian flag on bat

    Azam Khan fined for putting Palestinian flag on bat

    Fiery batsmam Azam Khan has been fined 50 per cent of his match fee in the National T20 tournament, being played in Karachi, for putting a sticker of the Palestinian flag on his bat, Faizan Lakhani has reported for Geo.

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources have said that Azam Khan was fined for using an unapproved logo or political messaging, namely the flag, thus breaching the clothing and equipment regulation that International Cricket Council (ICC) and PCB follow.

    Azam, playing for Karachi Whites against Lahore Blues, had put up 35 on the scoreboard when he was summoned by Mohammad Javed, the match referee. Azam was warned before the match not to display the sticker but he replied that sticker was present on all his bats.

    Under the PCB’s Code of Conduct, players cannot place unapproved stickers on kits or equipment, and players cannot display religious or political message stickers during matches.

    Azam Khan has played with the flag of Palestine on the bat in two matches before this one.

  • ‘Insensitive’: Waqar Zaka slams Nida Yasir’s claim he tried to sabotage her show

    ‘Insensitive’: Waqar Zaka slams Nida Yasir’s claim he tried to sabotage her show

    Television presenter and cryptocurrency expert Waqar Zaka fired back at actress and morning show host Nida Yasir over her claims that he tried to sabotage her show. In a video statement posted on his social media accounts, Waqar revealed he had complained about Nida’s conduct of hosting morning shows when she invited the parents of a deceased girl who was raped and then murdered. The show was subjected to intense controversy as Nida made the parents cry by asking them invasive and hurtful questions, which caused outrage.

    Waqar said that Nida claimed the parents had themselves requested to be invited on the show in order to gain media support to grant their daughter justice. However, he refuted these claims by sharing the video of an activist interviewing the parents, who revealed they were invited by Nida, rather than the other way round.

    Waqar debunked another claim made by Nida on her show, where she claimed the family had filed an FIR after their appearance. But as Waqar shared in the clip, the activist spoke with the victim’s parents who revealed they had filed it before making their appearance on the morning show.

    Waqar shared that these revelations had created an outrage on social media, which is when in 2020 he had encouraged his followers to file a report with PEMRA, and to message Salman Iqbal, the CEO of ARY, to remove Nida as a host.

    “It is insensitive how Nida exploited a case like this for the sake of getting ratings, and lied so much that she couldn’t even apologise after getting caught later,” said Waqar. “And also remember: a host is always aware of what goes on during the show. If the host approves something, then it appears on the show.”

    Waqar further added it’s time all the elderly hosts sitting on their morning shows should now consider letting go, and giving other young people a chance. He added Nida should host a contest to see who could replace her, and revealed he had complained to Salman Iqbal that other women should be given a platform because Nida was no ‘Oprah’ and nor did she hold any philosophy in her life.

    On Saturday, Nida made headlines when as a guest on Geo’s ‘Hasna Mana Hai’, she revealed Waqar Zaka had tried to sabotage her morning show as well as her career. She added the two were on good terms during the time he worked with the channel, but his demeanour changed when he left.

    “When Waqar left ARY, he started sending emails to the channel’s management, urging them to remove me from my morning show,” she confessed.

  • Former Attorney General Shah Khawar appointed Chief Election Commissioner of PCB

    Former Attorney General Shah Khawar appointed Chief Election Commissioner of PCB

    Former Attorney General and Supreme Court lawyer Shah Khawar Advocate has been appointed as the Chief Election Commissioner of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    According to the announcement issued by the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, Shah Khawar has been appointed Chief Election Commissioner of PCB for 3 months on a monthly salary of 10 lakh rupees.

    According to the announcement, Shah Khawar has been entrusted with the responsibility of conducting the PCB elections before 4th February 2024.

    It should be noted that the affairs of the Pakistan Cricket Board are currently being looked after by the Chairman of the Interim Management Committee, Zaka Ashraf, whose term was extended by caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar this month.

  • Anti-smog crackdown intensifies: Rs129 million fines issued to violators

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has been apprised through a comprehensive report detailing the robust measures taken by the Punjab government to address the smog issue. The report highlights the imposition of fines totalling Rs129 million on violators as a strong deterrent against activities contributing to air pollution.

    The report outlines that 6,700 units were sealed for violating smog-related restrictions. Over a three-month period, authorities inspected approximately 60,000 small and large units, resulting in the closure of more than 6,700 units due to violations.

    During this crackdown, 540 cases were registered against those contributing to smog, leading to the arrest of 118 individuals.

    The report highlights the sealing of 735 smoke-emitting factories in the Lahore division and the closure of 187 brick kilns during the smog control initiative.

    Fines amounting to Rs8.6 million were imposed for burning crop residue, and 216 cases were registered against those setting fire to crop stubble.

    Despite these efforts, the air quality index (AQI) of Lahore, initially recorded at a hazardous level of 371 in the morning, later dropped to around 211 in the afternoon. This shift caused Lahore to fall to the third position on the list of the world’s most polluted cities, a noteworthy change from its consistent first and second positions in recent months due to high levels of air pollution.

    Specifically, Polo Ground Cantt and Phase 8 DHA were identified as the most polluted areas within the city, with AQIs of 291 and 259, respectively.