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  • ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    ‘I am not just hopeful, I am certain’: Kakar on elections

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has confirmed that general elections will be held in the next three to four months, adding that polls are “certain”.

    To a question about his plan of action if the caretaker Prime Minister gets an extension, he told a local TV station that he could see the country going to polls in the next three to four months, The News reported on Wednesday.

    “I think within a few months… a few months can be translated into three, three-and-half or four…that needs to be seen…this will conclude and we will go to the electoral process,” he commented.

    On asking the same question on elections, he replied, “I am not just hopeful; rather, I am certain”.

    He stated that because of the short time, the caretaker government is giving priority to policy matters to make the journey of the future government smoother.

  • This BTS member and his dad silently donated to poor families across South Korea

    This BTS member and his dad silently donated to poor families across South Korea

    Not just a hero on the stage but a hero behind the scenes as well

    BTS’s band member Jimin and his father Park Hyun-soo have been playing an important role in providing groceries for low-income families across South Korea. Since September 2020, Hyun-soo has been using the name ‘Ramyeon Fairy’ to deliver donations in Busan, where he provided at least 100 tuna gift sets and 5,250 boxes of ramyeon to struggling families. He has made a total of eight contributions to households across Nam-gu, which can be valued up to 75.95 million Korean won.

    On August 5, Hyun-Soo visited the Nam-gu district office to donate five million Korean won under his son Jimin’s name and also personally delivered boxes of ramen to the office. An official source shared with the Korean media organisation SBS:

    “[Jimin’s father] asked us to use the items to ensure that no one in need goes hungry. He personally loaded the boxes of instant noodles onto the truck and left them at the district office.”⁠

    Jimin himself is also a charitable icon. In 2021, he donated a 100 million won to polio patients, and then another 100 million won to UNICEF Korea to aid children and families struggling from the earthquakes of Syria and Turkey. Among other donations, the ‘Like Crazy’ star pledged 1200 new desks and chairs to the Busan High School of Arts and then gave away 100 million won to the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education.

    Kindness must be a common quality among the Korean pop band because it’s not just Jimin, but also other members like Namjoon, who aren’t afraid to give back to the community with what they earned. In 2019, on September 12, when the icon turned 25 years old, he donated 100 million Korean won to The Seoul Samsung School, a specialised institute for deaf children, for music education. In June 2020, the group won praise when they donated $1 million to the human rights organisation ‘Black Lives Matter’.

  • Rising debt levels: Pakistan’s national debt surpasses Rs61 trillion

    Rising debt levels: Pakistan’s national debt surpasses Rs61 trillion

    The federal government has witnessed a substantial increase in its total debt, which has surged to nearly Rs62 trillion. This significant escalation is primarily attributed to the government’s strategic borrowing from both domestic and foreign sources, a measure aimed at covering the fiscal deficit.

    According to The News, data from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reveals that as of July 2023, the total debt of the government stands at Rs61.75 trillion. This figure reflects a substantial year-on-year increase of 22.11 per cent, compared to Rs50.57 trillion recorded in July 2022. Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the government’s debt exhibited a 1.49 per cent increase from Rs60.84 trillion in June 2023.

    The surge in the debt burden can be predominantly attributed to the government’s reliance on domestic and foreign borrowing mechanisms to address fiscal deficits.

    Breaking down the composition of the debt, data from the central bank highlights that a significant portion of Rs39.02 trillion is domestically sourced, representing a notable year-on-year growth of 24.08 per cent. This domestic debt comprises Rs29.59 trillion in long-term debt and Rs9.29 trillion in short-term debt. The remaining Rs22.73 trillion is external in nature.

    By the close of July 2023, the government’s long-term debt had escalated by 24.44 per cent year-on-year to Rs29.59 trillion when compared to the figure of Rs23.78 trillion recorded in the same period a year earlier. In parallel, short-term debt exhibited a substantial year-on-year increase of 27.14 per cent as opposed to Rs7.31 trillion in July 2022.

  • Better than the Oscars: here are 55 celebrities who attended Beyonce’s birthday show

    Better than the Oscars: here are 55 celebrities who attended Beyonce’s birthday show

    When the Queen summons her subjects, they appear at once!

    Beyonce’s successful Renaissance Tour recently performed at Los Angeles’ SoFi stadium on the same day the singer turned 42. Previously, the singer requested her followers who attended the show to mark the occasion by wearing silver, the color of the astrological sign Virgo. It wasn’t only the hardcore Bee hive fanbase, but celebrities from all over Hollywood, who attended the birthday show. From Diane Ross to Katy Perry, here are all the A-list celebrities who attended the birthday concert.

    Legendary singer Diane Ross serenaded the ‘Halo’ singer on stage by singing Happy birthday for her

    ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ stars Kim, along with her daughter North, Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner all styled to the theme and attended the concert.

    ‘Abbott Elementary’ creator Quinta Brunson along with ‘The Bear’ star Ayo Edebiri shared snaps of their car ride to the concert.

    ‘Part of me’ singer Katy Perry had downed a silver gown along with a pink lip and shared videos of Beyonce performing with her daughter Blue Ivy on stage.

    Kerry Washington and the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle snapped a picture together as they are seen at the front row of Beyonce’s show.

    Lupita Nyong’o was pictured along with her sister Fiona as she attended Beyonce’s birthday show along with ‘Queer Eye’ star Kamaro Brown.

  • Flight takes U-turn after passenger gets severe diarrhoea

    Flight takes U-turn after passenger gets severe diarrhoea

    A Delta Air Lines airplane was flying from Atlanta to Barcelona when two hours into the journey, they were forced to turn around because of a “biohazard issue” after one of the passengers developed severe diarrhoea.

    In an audio posted on X (formerly Twitter), allegedly from air traffic control, the pilot can be heard telling that a passenger had diarrhoea “all the way through the airplane, so they want us to come back to Atlanta,”

    As per the BBC, the plane was cleaned and flew to Barcelona the next day.

    Delta confirmed in a statement to Insider website that the plane had to take a u-turn to Atlanta due to a “medical issue” on board and because the plane had to get cleaned:

    “Delta Flight 194 from Atlanta to Barcelona returned to Atlanta following an onboard medical issue.

    “Our teams worked as quickly and safely as possible to thoroughly clean the airplane and get our customers to their final destination. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the delay and inconvenience to their travel plans.”

  • Second consecutive decline: Gold price drops by more than Rs6,000 per tola

    Second consecutive decline: Gold price drops by more than Rs6,000 per tola

    The price of gold in Pakistan fell for the second consecutive day on Tuesday, as the rupee depreciated against the US dollar. The price of 24 karat gold decreased by Rs6,300 per tola (11.66 grammes) and Rs5,402 per 10 grammes, to settle at Rs232,800 and Rs199,588, respectively.

    The decline in gold prices was in line with the fall in the international market, where the price of gold fell by $9 to settle at $1,931 per ounce. The gold rate has been volatile in Pakistan recently due to political and economic uncertainty, and high inflation.

    The price of silver also fell by Rs100 per tola and Rs85.74 per 10 grammes, to settle at Rs2,800 and Rs2400.5, respectively.

    The depreciation of the rupee against the dollar is the main reason for the decline in gold prices in Pakistan. When the rupee weakens, gold becomes more expensive for buyers in Pakistan, who have to pay more rupees to buy the same amount of gold.

    The political and economic uncertainty in Pakistan is also a factor that is contributing to the volatility of gold prices. Investors are unsure about the future of the country, and they are looking to gold as a safe haven investment. This demand for gold is pushing up prices.

    The high inflation in Pakistan is also making gold more expensive. When inflation rises, the value of the rupee decreases, which makes gold more expensive for buyers in Pakistan.

    Overall, the gold rate in Pakistan is expected to remain volatile in the near future due to the factors mentioned above.

  • Fact check: Is the viral Virat Kohli fan Pakistani?

    Fact check: Is the viral Virat Kohli fan Pakistani?

    After the highly anticipated cricket match between India and Pakistan on Saturday in Sri Lanka, a video went viral where a girl, allegedly a Pakistani, was seen saying that she was a huge fan of batting maestro Virat Kohli. When the video went viral, several Pakistani social media users slammed the as fake, saying that the girl’s accent was not typical of the country.

    The woman in question is indeed from Pakistan, and is fluent in Saraiki, the language of South Punjab. A user shared multiple videos where she could be speaking in both Saraiki and Urdu both.

    Her official Tiktok account is Khaani, where she can be seen showing her Pakistani passport and has the same yellow nail polish as well as the flags of both India and Pakistan painted on her cheeks as in the viral video.

    @lovekhaani ✈️ Babar Aur Kohli #srilanka #khaani ♬ original sound – Khaani

    @lovekhaani #khaani ♬ original sound – Khaani

  • Does AP Dhillon’s ‘With You’ sound similar to Pakistan’s ‘Tum Mil Gaye’?

    Does AP Dhillon’s ‘With You’ sound similar to Pakistan’s ‘Tum Mil Gaye’?

    Is there a slight chance that AP Dhillon’s hit song ‘With You’ is a copy of the same beat that the Vital Signs 90s hit ‘Tum Mil Gaye’ used?

    Commentator Ahmer Naqvi raised the question when he pointed out that the first few beats of both songs sound intriguingly similar.

    We are placing both songs here and allowing the audience to make their own judgement.

    Other X users chimed in to say that they could notice the similarities.

    https://twitter.com/umerbinajmal/status/1699010359674224950?s=20

    But it seems like AP Dhillon has seemingly debunked these rumors, with a pinned comment by the producer Rebbel below the ‘Without You’ music video which reads:

    “This beat is not copied or stolen. It’s produced by me and AP Dhillon rightfully purchased this beat off me and now owns the exclusive rights. I’m grateful to have been part of this record.”

  • Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner are dating, spotted together on Beyonce’s Renaissance tour

    Timothee Chalamet, Kylie Jenner are dating, spotted together on Beyonce’s Renaissance tour

    Hollywood actor Timothee Chalamet seems to have confirmed his relationship with beauty tycoon Kylie Jenner, after the two were spotted cozying together at Beyonce’s Renaissance tour in LA, Pop Base has reported.

    The internet was honestly divided because yeah this is the two most random people in Hollywood who suddenly announced they were a couple.

    Rumors about the two began when in January, videos showed Kylie and Timothee laughing together at the Jean Paul Gaultier fashion show during Paris Couture Week. In April, reports seemingly confirmed Kylie and Timothee were dating after an insider told Entertainment Today that the couple were keeping things casual and were waiting to see how it goes.

    “They are keeping things casual at this point. It’s not serious, but Kylie is enjoying hanging out with Timothée and seeing where it goes. It’s been really fun for her because it feels a lot different than her past relationships. It’s new and exciting for Kylie and she’s having a lot of fun.”

    Then by August, sources told Us Weekly that the couple were making sure their romance remains low-key, but weren’t spending a lot of time together to ensure their relationship remains secretive.

    “Kylie and Timothée haven’t been spending that much time together recently because they both have very busy schedules. But they’re still communicating on a pretty regular basis and have remained friends despite the fact that they don’t hang out that often.”

  • Social media users share wholesome stories about happy brides after Sarah Majeed shares BTS of ‘Fairytale’

    Social media users share wholesome stories about happy brides after Sarah Majeed shares BTS of ‘Fairytale’

    In celebration of the upcoming episode of ‘Fairy Tale’ where Umeed and Farjaad will finally get married, drama writer Sarah Majeed asked her followers to share stories of how they became happy and excited brides, just like Umeed. Because obviously, happy brides are the prettiest brides and women should be allowed to celebrate their big day the way they want without worrying about being called ‘besharam’ or ‘khandaan ko bandaam kar rahi hai’.

    Social media users rose to the challenge and shared some adorable instances of the times they shattered patriarchal expectations to happily celebrate their wedding days rather than looking like they were attending a funeral.

    A user shared how she clapped back at a relative who told her not to sit close to her husband. At her fricking wedding day!!!

    “Someone sent my cousin on the stage to tell me not to sit so close to my husband (literally right after the nikkah) and laugh with him because “loug kya sochenge?” so I did the exact opposite, pulled him closer, and smiled widely for the pictures while laughing and talking.”

    Another shared how despite being scolded for giggling, the bride continued to laugh and enjoy her wedding day.

    “I was a super chirpy bride, like Umeed. Got told off by an aunty to stop giggling so much but luckily my Farjaad was just as happy & giddy. We were two kids & it was our Fairytale. The constant smiling with heavy jewelry did end up giving me a headache but I never stopped lol.”

    “I was smiling so widely at my engagement that the next day my jaw hurt.” Yahan humein bohat zor se humari ingleness dard kar rahi hai

    We have to add another wholesome happy bride story by actress Nadia Jamil. Responding to a fan’s tweet about her character being similar to Umeed, Jamil said that she had also happily danced at her wedding with her dad the same way Umeed and her father did.

    Remember gals, the goal is to be just like Umeed and be a happy, chirpy bride on your wedding day! It’s your special moment so never let any one try to be a Debby downer and destroy it.