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  • ‘Leave her alone’: fans defend Sehar Khan after trolls mock her once more over viral clip

    ‘Leave her alone’: fans defend Sehar Khan after trolls mock her once more over viral clip

    Maybe its time we stopped over piling on actresses for mistakes they admit to?

    ‘Fairy Tale’ actress Sehar Khan came under fire a few days ago when a clip went viral from her interview with Something Haute. The actress was seen speaking about wanting to play roles similar to Priyanka Chopra’s “psychopath” role in Bollywood film ‘Barfi’. Her comments were slammed by social media users who pointed out that Priyanka’s character Jhilmil is autistic. However, the actress was quick to apologise in a detailed Twitter thread, admitting that she should have expressed herself better.

    “In a recent interview I meant to say I want to do a role of a differently abled person but due to slip of tongue, I mistakenly said something else. I should have gathered my thoughts before answering the question to express myself better.”

    “Mental disabilities and special needs are a very important matter,” continued Sehar. “And I have immense respect for people who are dealing with them; hence I apologize if I unintentionally hurt anyone.”

    But soon after this 2 Instagram influencers Aadi Adeal Amjad and Naveed Raza mocked the newcomer actress by recreating the viral clip, and fans slammed them for bullying Sehar after she had apologised.

    Many pointed out that the 23-year-old actress, who has stepped into limelight because of ‘Fairy Tale’, shouldn’t be trolled over her English skills.

    Others said that this sort of behavior reeks of the sexist trolling many female celebrities face when they reach the peak of their careers. An X user shared a clip from Mashion’s Actors Roundtable where Mahira Khan talked about female actors being brought down by audiences over small things, leading to them doubting themselves and their success.

    In the gist of all of this, we’d like trolls to remember that before rushing to pile on an actress, remember that Sehar Khan is still a newcomer, and someone who has already expressed regret at the ableist comment. Also, direct your energy towards dramas that are promoting domestic abuse and child marriages to actually bring about some change within the industry.

  • Do aliens exist? NASA answers in its new report

    Do aliens exist? NASA answers in its new report

    NASA has investigated hundreds of UFO sightings, concluding that there is no evidence of aliens being behind the mysterious occurrences, however, it has said that the possibility cannot be completely discarded.

    While there is no irrefutable evidence, NASA will, nonetheless, investigate UAPs (Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena) with improved technology and artificial intelligence.

    According to the report, “there is no reason to conclude” that extra-terrestrial activity is at the back of UAP sightings, “However… those objects must have travelled through our solar system to get here,” the report added, and that there is no denying the possibility of “potential unknown alien technology operating in Earth’s atmosphere.”

    The latest report, 36 pages long, explores technical and scientific observations.

    Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, stated that due to dearth of high quality data “UAP are one of our planet’s greatest mysteries”.

    Which is why, even though a number of UAP have been sighted, the data is not enough to make “definitive scientific conclusions about the nature and origin of UAP”, added Fox.

    NASA has appointed a new UAP research director to “establish a robust database for the evaluation of future data”.

    BBC spoke with the space agency’s panel about the photos of aliens presented before the Mexican Senate this week by Jaime Maussan.

    Maussan claimed that the remains were more than 1,000 years old, Maussan said they belonged to “non-human beings that are not part of our terrestrial evolution”.

    However, as per experts, the legitimacy of the evidence is perceived with skepticism.

    After all, previous claims by Maussan about mummies found in Nazca, Peru, in 2017, turned out to be false.

    Nasa scientist Dr David Spergel told the BBC: “Make samples available to the world scientific community and we’ll see what’s there.”

  • Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother charged with her murder

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother charged with her murder

    The UK police have charged 10-year-old Sara Sharif’s father Irfan Sharif, stepmother Beinash Batool and uncle Faisal with murder.

    The trio were arrested on their return from Pakistan yesterday and have been charged with the murder of Sara Sharif.

    According to authorities, the three were arrested at Gatwick Airport.

    Two days back, all three of them flew back to the UK as law enforcing agencies in Pakistan kept pursuing them.
    Raja Haq Nawaz, a lawyer for Urfan Sharif’s father Muhammad Sharif, told DAWN that the suspects were not arrested and that their flight left from Sialkot, Punjab.

    Previously, Jhelum police shifted Urfan Sharif’s five children to the Child Protection Bureau after a local court granted permission to the police to do so. The children were to be in the Bureau’s custody till the parents were found and arrested.

    While they were in Pakistan, the couple also released a video in which Batool touched upon media reporting of Sara’s death, claiming that they both will cooperate with UK authorities, and that they were on the run in Pakistan because the family feared that the Pakistan police will torture and kill them.

    The Case

    On August 10, 10-year-old Sara Sharif was found dead in her home in Woking, England, when her father, Urfan Sharif, called 999 from Pakistan.

    Nadeem Riaz, shop owner and a travelling agent, has known Sharif for 11 years.

    During an interview with The Times, he recalled that on August 8, he booked a one-way tickets to Pakistan on urgent basis, claiming that his cousin died.

    On August 9, Sharif, his wife Beinash Batool, their five children and Sharif’s brother Faisal Malik left for Islamabad from the UK on a British Airways flight.

    The next day, Urfan Sharif called 999 after which the police found Sara’s body at home. Surrey Police then began an investigation along with international partners. The same day, after arriving at Islamabad, the family travelled to Jhelum. The police kept on tracking them as they left for Domeli late on August 12, and then left Domeli the very next day. This was the last location tracked.

    On August 15, Pakistan police received a request from International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) via FIA to hunt them down.

  • Who is the first Pakistani to travel into space?

    Virgin Galactic will be flying into space on October 5, carrying three space tourists, including one Pakistani.

    Virgin Galactic is a spaceflight company that launched its first commercial space tourism flight on June 29, 2023.

    On Thursday, the company announced the launch of Galactic 04, its fourth commercial spaceflight and ninth space mission overall.

    It will host three space tourists from the US, the UK, and Pakistan. It will be the first time that a Pakistani will fly to space.

    The names of the crewmembers are yet to be released but as per our research, Namira Salim from Pakistan will be onboard.

    Salim is a Pakistani polar adventurer and artist based in Monaco and Dubai.

    Galactic 04 will take off from Spaceport America in New Mexico, carrying the passengers to suborbital space and back. In simpler words, suborbital flight is a short journey into space where a spaceship goes up but does not stay in space. It leaves the earth’s atmosphere for a brief time and comes back right after. It is a quick trip to experience weightlessness and witness space. Unlike an orbital spaceflight, it does not circle the earth.

    Space.com explains that the space tourists will be carried by Virgin’s VSS Unity space plane taken into the sky by a carrier craft named VMS Eve. Eve will drop Unity at an altitude of about 50,000 feet (15,000 meters); the space plane will then fire up its rocket motor to get to suborbital space.

    “VSS Unity passengers get to experience a few minutes of weightlessness and see Earth against the blackness of space. A ticket to ride the space plane currently costs $450,000”.

    So far, the company has launched Galactic 01, Galactic 02 and Galactic 03 on June 29, August 10 and September 8, respectively; keeping up with its goal of launching at least one commercial space flight a month.

  • PM Kakar urges rapid privatisation of PIA as flight suspensions loom

    PM Kakar urges rapid privatisation of PIA as flight suspensions loom

    Interim Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has issued a directive to accelerate the privatisation process of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which has been facing substantial financial losses. This move comes in response to reports suggesting that PIA’s flight operations could be halted by September 15 unless emergency funding is secured. 

    In a recent interview with Geo News, a senior PIA director revealed that the airline had reduced its operational fleet from 23 to just 16 aircraft, resulting in numerous flight cancellations. Additionally, major aircraft manufacturers, Boeing and Airbus, had suspended the supply of spare parts to PIA due to outstanding payments, causing daily losses amounting to millions of rupees.  

    The dire situation was further exacerbated when a PIA plane was detained at Dammam airport and four others were held at Dubai airport due to unpaid fuel bills. 

    The official cautioned that unless emergency funds amounting to Rs23 billion were secured, flight operations might come to a standstill by September 15. In response to these pressing concerns, Prime Minister Kakar chaired a meeting regarding PIA-related matters and assigned the caretaker Minister for Privatisation, Fawad Hasan Fawad, to oversee the privatisation process with the utmost urgency.  

    The prime minister stressed the need for a swift privatisation process to ensure reliable services for users and to bring PIA’s standards in line with global aviation standards. 

    Furthermore, the prime minister urged all relevant stakeholders to collaborate in finding immediate solutions to the challenges associated with privatization. The meeting also included a briefing on the progress of the privatisation process at PIA. 

    Read more: Islamabad Police launches campaign to catch students bunking school and college 

    According to Geo, PIA has been grappling with severe financial difficulties, including the grounding of five out of its 13 leased aircraft, with the possibility of grounding four more due to ongoing financial constraints. The airline had previously requested an emergency bailout of Rs22.9 billion, which was rejected by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC).  

    Additionally, requests for deferring payments of Rs1.3 billion per month to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Rs0.7 billion per month to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) were also denied by the ECC.  

    Moreover, PIA had warned of potential disruptions in the supply of spare parts by Boeing and Airbus by mid-September. In a further blow, the FBR froze 13 of PIA’s bank accounts due to unpaid dues totaling Rs8 billion in Federal Excise Duty (FED). 

  • Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by two wickets to reach finals

    Asia Cup 2023: Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by two wickets to reach finals

    Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on Thursday by two wickets after a thrilling match of the Super 4 stage of Asia Cup 2023. In the first inning, Pakistan set a total of 252 runs in 42 overs, losing seven wickets in a lackluster performance. Muhammad Rizwan was the top scorer with 86 runs, while Abdullah Shafiq scored 52 runs and Iftikhar Ahmed scored 47 runs.

    Matheesha Pathirana was a key performer from the bowling side, taking three wickets.
    In the second inning, Sri Lanka started aggressively, putting up 11 runs in the first over. The island nation then lost two wickets on 82 runs but after that, Samarwickrama and Kusal Mendis scored a 102-run partnership that helped Sri Lanka successfully chase the total.

    With Sri Lanka needing 12 runs in the last two overs, Shaheen Afridi bowled a stunning over with only 3 runs given. Zaman Khan came to bowl the last over and bowled his 4 balls on good length. Sri Lanka needed six runs on two balls as Aslanka hit a boundary in the slip. Zaman Khan bowled his last ball and Aslanka pushed it to the leg side scored two runs and led the team to victory.

    Sri Lanka will play the final with India in Colombo.

    Live Update:

    SRILANKA179/3 (30 Overs)

    Much needed wicket for Pakistan, Sadeera Samarawickrama caught on fourth ball of 30th over by Iftikhar Ahmed. Sadeera Scored 48 runs.

    SRILANKA81/2 (13.4 Overs)

    Pakistan takes his second wicket as Shadab khan grabs a good catch on his ball. Pathum Nishanka score 29 runs.

    SRILANKA 28/1 (4 Overs)

    First wicket down! What a through by Shadab Khan. Kusal parera run out on 17 runs.

    PAKISTAN 252/6 (42 Overs)

    Asia Cup 2023: Pak vs Sri Lanka

    Rizwan’s batting takes Pakistan to 252/7 in 42 overs

    Pakistan set a total of 252 runs by losing 7 wickets in 42 overs. Muhammad Rizwan was top scorer with 86 runs on 73 balls. Matheesha Pathirana was key performer from bowling side by taking 3 wickets.

    Shadab Khan caught on the second ball of 42nd over by Paramod Madhushan. He scored 3 runs.

    PAKISTAN 242/6 (41 Overs)

    Iftikhar Ahmed caught on fourth ball of 41st over by Matheesha Pathirana. Iftikhar scored 47 runs.

    PAKISTAN 184/5 (35 Overs)

    PAKISTAN 138/5 (30 Overs)

    The match is start with 42 overs per-side.

    Rain in Colombo

    Pakistan-Sri Lanka match was delayed for a bit due to rain in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

    Pakistan is at 130/5 after 27.4 overs.

    PAKISTAN 130/5(27.4 Overs)

    Muhammad Nawaz bowled out on the fourth ball of 28th over by Theekshana. He scored 12 runs on 12 balls.

    PAKISTAN 109/4(25 Overs)

    Muhammad Haris catch out on the last ball of 24th over by Mathesha Pathirana. He scored 3 runs on 9 balls.

    PAKISTAN 100/3 (22 Overs)

    Abdullah Shafiq catch out on the fourth ball 22nd over by Mathesha Pathirana. He scored 52 runs on 69 balls.

    PAKISTAN 88/2(20 Overs)

    PAKISTAN 73/2 (16 Overs)

    Babar azam stumped out on the last ball of 16th over by Dunith Vellalage. Babar scored 29 runs on 35 balls.

    PAKISTAN 72/1 (15 Overs)

    PAKISTAN 40/1 (10 Overs)

    PAKISTAN 27/1 (7.0 Overs)

    Pakistan lost his first wicket as Fakhar zaman bowled out on the second ball of fourth over by Paramod Madhushan. He scored 4 runs on 11 balls.

    Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first.

    The rain has stopped completely and most of the covers are off. The toss will take place at 5:00 PM. This will be a 45 over game each side.

    Toss delayed due to rain.

    Pakistan and Sri Lanka are playing Knock-out match. The winning team will qualify for the final where they will compete against India.

  • Islamabad Police launches campaign to catch students bunking school and college

    Islamabad Police launches campaign to catch students bunking school and college

    Skipping school and college has become more challenging for students in Islamabad, thanks to the Safe City Command and Control Centre’s newly launched ‘School Chalo’ campaign.

    This initiative aims to locate and address students who are found outside of their educational institutions and roaming the streets or markets.

    Safe City cameras recently monitored over twenty students who were absent from school and college, located in entertainment venues, markets, and suburbs. 

    These students were subsequently escorted to police stations and reunited with their parents. Awais Ahmad, Capital Police Officer (CPO) Headquarters, highlighted the importance of students as the nation’s future and assured that Islamabad Capital Police would spare no effort to ensure their bright future.

    The proactive approach taken by Islamabad police in locating truant students and redirecting their focus towards education is commendable.

    This campaign serves as a protective measure for the youth, encouraging them to prioritise their studies and promising a brighter future instead of deceiving their parents.

  • Woman swallows Airpods after mistaking them for this item

    Woman swallows Airpods after mistaking them for this item

    Tanna Barker, a resident of the US, accidentally swallowed one of her Apple Airpods after mistaking it for a vitamin tablet.

    According to Android Authority, she narrated the hilarious story in a TikTok video that went viral.

    She explains in the clip that the incident happened while she was out for a walk with her friend with whom she was having a conversation, and so, she took one of the airpods out of her ear to hear her friend more clearly.

    In between the walk and the talks, a distracted Barker decided to take her vitamins and put one of the airpods in her mouth, realising later that the vitamins were still in her hand.

    “Halfway through my walk, I decided to take my vitamins, so I put my vitamins in, took a drink, and I was like, man, those are stuck,” Barker told.

    “So I guzzled my water, kept on going, said bye to Kathleen, and went to go get my AirPods. And my pills were in my hand. I swallowed my AirPod,” she added.

    She contacted doctors and friends for advice right after. Everyone had one thing to say: let it pass naturally.

    According to Gulf news, a similar incident happened back in 2021 when another American woman gulped down an AirPod assuming it was a vitamin tablet.

    She even tested it after recording a voice note and capturing sounds that her stomach was making.

    A British celebrity, Kirstie Allsopp, also swallowed her AirPod with her vitamins, but she vomited it out instead.

  • How much did Nawaz Sharif tip for his favourite kheer?

    How much did Nawaz Sharif tip for his favourite kheer?

    Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave a GBP 50 tip to a guy for delivering his favourite kheer.

    The unnamed delivery guy said in a video that Nawaz Sharif likes to eat their kheer, a dessert made from rice and milk, which he orders regularly. The delivery man said that the former Premier, who often orders the dessert, gave the man GBP 50 as tip about three weeks ago.

    @murtazaviews

    Nawaz Sharif #fyp #foryoupage #nawazsharif #maryamnawaz #londontiktok #pakistantiktok #pmln #imrankhan

    ♬ original sound – Murtaza Ali Shah

  • Economic crisis: 95 per cent of Pakistanis fear unemployment

    Economic crisis: 95 per cent of Pakistanis fear unemployment

    In Pakistan, 95 per cent of Pakistanis are worried about the possibility of unemployment, while only 5% are confident of job security.

    Apsus Pakistan’s new survey, based on public opinion, says that there has been a clear increase in the rate of Pakistanis claiming to be unemployed in the last one year.

    According to the survey, 95 per cent of Pakistanis are afraid of unemployment due to the country’s economic conditions, while only 5 percent are confident of job security.

    In the survey, 63 per cent said that they, or someone they know, lost their job; and 99 per cent claimed that it was difficult to buy daily necessities, while 99 per cent were not confident about buying a house or a car.

    About 96 per cent of Pakistanis expressed their inability to save and invest to meet their financial needs in the future.