Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again reshuffled the federal cabinet, appointing Shaukat Tareen as new finance minister.
Tareen has replaced federal minister Hammad Azhar, who was appointed as the country’s finance minister a few weeks ago when the premier replaced him with Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh.
Other changes include Khusro Bakhtiar as the minister for industries and production, Shibli Faraz as the minister for science and technology, replacing Fawad Chaudhry, who has been appointed as the minister for information and broadcasting, replacing Faraz.
Omar Ayub has been appointed as the minister for economic affairs, replacing Khusro Bakhtiar.
Last month, Faraz had shared the premier’s intentions on reshuffling the cabinet, saying that he was bringing in a new team.
Prior to that, the government had asked Hafeez Shaikh to step down and appointed Azhar in his place.
Faraz said decisions were made keeping in view the realities of the country and that the PTI regime wished to give relief to the poor.
“When a new individual comes along, they come up with new ideas,” he had said.
Reports had earlier quoted sources as saying that PM Imran was considering bringing about important changes to the cabinet on a “big scale”, adding that ministers who did not perform up to the expectations will be removed from their portfolios.
Armeena Khan on Friday shared a behind-the-scenes video (BTS) from the sets of Mohabbatain Chahatain to highlight mental health issues. Khan’s character in the drama Tara commits suicide in the last episode using a mirror.
“I film an incredibly difficult scene, where my character commits suicide,” said Armeena in the video. “There are several points I wish to make very very quickly.”
“Number one, you are not alone if you are suffering. I don’t want you to suffer, I need you to seek professional help,” says Armeena. “Secondly, women should not pit against each other. You support each other, what’s yours is yours, what’s mine is mine, we should not go after each other’s destinies. We should support each other.”
“Thirdly, suicide is never the answer. I understand we all have demons, but unfortunately my character fails to overcome hers. But this is not the way,” she continued.
Urging those facing issues to seek professional help, Armeena said: “Please stay safe and do not take any of this seriously, because ultimately it is just a TV drama.”
Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and former New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez called off their engagement because “we are better as friends.” The former couple announced their breakup on Thursday just months after denying their four-year relationship was on the rocks.
“We have realised we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so,” Lopez, 51, also known by her nickname J.Lo, and Rodriguez, 45, known as A-Rod, said in a joint statement.
“We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects,” said Lopez and Rodriguez.
One of the biggest celebrity couples in the United States for the past four years and sometimes known in the media as J-Rod, Lopez and Rodriguez said they would largely remain mum about the split out of respect for their children from previous relationships.
“We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support,” Lopez and Rodriguez said.
In March, they denied reports they had split, saying they were “working through some things.” At the time, several reports citing unidentified sources close to the couple had claimed that the pair had called off their engagement.
Rodriguez and the Love Don’t Cost a Thing singer, who sang at US President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January, began dating in early 2017 and announced their engagement in March 2019.
Late last year, Lopez said the couple had postponed their wedding twice because of the pandemic.
Lopez began her career as a dancer and a singer and produced and starred in the 2019 movie Hustlers. She has appeared in other movies and on television, including The Boy Next Door, which has been trending in the Top Ten on Netflix Pakistan.
Senior members of the royal family will not wear military uniform at Prince Philip’s funeral, in a break with tradition designed to avoid embarrassing Prince Harry, British media has reported.
The Duke of Sussex, who lost his military titles after stepping down as a senior working royal, faced being the only senior male royal not in uniform, despite having served two tours in Afghanistan. According to protocol, he is required to wear civilian dress, although he would be allowed to wear his medals.
On the other hand, the Duke of York Prince Andrew, who stepped back from public duties following the controversy over his friendship with the disgraced financial and sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein, was due to be promoted to the rank of admiral in 2020 to mark his 60th birthday, but this did not go ahead following the fallout from his disastrous Newsnight appearance.
The dilemma that exists is the fact that both the royals are the only ones to have seen active service – Harry in Afghanistan and Andrew in the 1982 Falkland Islands conflict.
As a result, the 94-year-old queen decided all royals should wear mourning suits to avoid any embarrassment. It was “the most eloquent solution to the problem”, said a source while talking on the matter.
At a ceremonial royal funeral like Prince Philip’s, it has been traditional for uniforms to be worn. They were worn at the last ceremonial royal funeral, that of the Queen Mother. However, a no-uniform rule was adopted for the private family funeral of Princess Margaret, when mourning dress was worn, and for the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was by then no longer an official member of the royal family.
The decision is a break with tradition for ceremonial royal funerals and will contrast with the strong military presence that will be on show to honour the duke, who served with distinction in the second world war.
Meanwhile, Prince Philip’s funeral is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 17. Preparations for the funeral are underway and a specially built Land Rover will carry his coffin from Windsor to St George’s Chapel. The car had been designed by the Duke himself, reportedly 18 years ago.
Prince Philip “had a hand” in the design of this Land Rover Defender. At 2:41pm on Saturday, the Bearer Party will carry the coffin and place it on the back of vehicle. pic.twitter.com/2N98dcUN3X
The funeral ceremony will just have 30 guests in attendance, in line with government regulations. Heir to the throne Charles, his wife Camilla, and the monarch’s three other children and eight grandchildren, as well as all their spouses, will be among those present.
Other guests include the children of the queen’s late sister Princess Margaret, and three of Philip’s German relatives — Bernhard, the hereditary prince of Baden; Donatus, prince and landgrave of Hesse; and Prince Philipp of Hohenlohe-Langenburg. Countess Mountbatten, Penelope “Penny” Knatchbull, who was Philip’s carriage driving partner and one of his closest friends, is also invited.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson opted against attending to free up a space.
Attendees including the Queen will be required to wear face masks, sit apart and observe COVID-19 social distancing rules.
Queen Elizabeth will be accompanied to the venue in the state Bentley by a lady-in-waiting, before sitting alone in the chapel.
Furthermore, William and Harry will not walk side by side in the procession, Buckingham Palace has revealed, giving traction to reports of rifts between the two. According to details, Princess Anne’s son, Peter Philips, is positioned between them and William will move ahead of his younger brother as the royal mourners enter in pairs.
As young boys in 1997, the pair provided the most poignant image of their mother Princess Diana’s funeral as they walked, heads bowed, behind her coffin. Prince Philip had accompanied them, alongside their father Prince Charles and uncle Charles Spencer.
The funeral will be Harry and William’s first public meeting since Harry’s shock move to the United States last year and Oprah’s bombshell interview. The brothers have reportedly fallen out over Harry’s departure.
Weddings are a lavish affair in the subcontinent with most families leaving no stone unturned for the perfect wedding. These grand weddings not only leave pockets empty but are also very damaging to Mother Earth given how much waste they produce.
Bollywood star Dia Mirza, who is known to be one of the most committed champions of sustainability, decided to go against the norm when she tied the knot earlier this year, using her fame and influence to bring about a positive change. The model, actor and producer, whose environment-friendly efforts have also been recognised by the United Nations, opted for a sustainable wedding not only with her bridal look (an heirloom-worthy Benarasi sari) but also with the design and decor of the venue.
Talking to Brut India, Mirza shared how she planned her zero-waste wedding and gave tips on how you can plan yours too.
Handmade Gifts
“People love to give gifts to announce their weddings and stuff so even with that, we made sure we had handcrafted woven baskets, made by artisans and we sent everybody a plant,” shared Dia.
Local Decor
“All our decor, which was primarily the use of wasted twigs and woods and locally-grown flowers,” said Dia. “I think when we think of big events for weddings, we tend to use exotic flowers from all over the world, there’s obviously the carbon footprint of transport, etc.”
Sharing how to make the decor sustainable, Mirza said: “Making it sustainable, would entail going local and it also makes it just easily accessible, earthy and beautiful. And we wanted a very earthy wedding. All the decor elements were natural and locally available. A lot of them were recyclable and were obviously on hire so they would get recycled again.
No Food Waste
“We chose to keep the ceremony and the wedding extremely intimate and private,” said Dia. “That ensured that we had good control on numbers. We knew exactly who ate what. We ensured we knew exactly how many vegetarians and non-vegetarians were attending the wedding. We made sure we did food plating accordingly. And of course, we ensured that there was absolutely no food waste.”
Sustainable Fashion
“We tend to make garments that we can only wear once and never wear again and it’s most unfortunate,” lamented Dia.
She shared: “The last time around, I auctioned my clothes and this time around, I made sure I got a garment that I could reuse, wear again and again, and actually pass on, as a very wearable and beautiful item of clothing.”
“So I choose a sari. Even my husband chose an outfit that he could continue wearing through life and wouldn’t have to just wear it on that one day and hang it up in the cupboard and never touch it again,” shared the actor.
No Plastic
“There were no plastic straws, there was no plastic cutlery, there was no plastic bottles, or water on those horrible, dreadful little bottles that people serve water in,” said Dia. “We, in fact, bore an additional cost on water, because we chose glass bottles which are more expensive than plastic bottles but we said we’d rather do that and reduce cost on something else and create all that plastic waste which was so unnecessary.”
“So, we’re very proud at the end of that day and that evening because we succeeded in creating a completely sustainable event,” she added.
Dia chose to get married in her home garden, which is close to her heart. It’s also the home of her favourite mango tree, which became the highlight of the evening.
Using elements of the venue as part of the decor is a great eco-friendly decor idea.
Dia tied the knot with Mumbai-based businessman Vaibhav Rekhi in an intimate ceremony on February 15. The couple is also expecting their first child together.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has launched the Rehmatul-Lil Alameen scholarship program for underprivileged students, Radio Pakistan has reported.
As per details, a budget of 27.93 billion rupees has been approved for this national-level program which will be used over the next five years. The program will be implemented in 129 public sector universities across the country.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony in Islamabad, PM Imran said the scholarship will be available to all Pakistanis including non-Muslims, adding that the federal government will annually provide Rs 5.5 billion for 70,000 scholarships.
PM Khan said that under the scholarship program a total of 350,000 scholarships will be provided in five years at a cost of Rs 28 billion.
He further said that the provincial governments of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will also separately provide scholarship to the students.
The premier asserted that the government is especially focusing on the education sector with the aim that “our youth learn from the Sunnah of Hazrat Muhammad Sallallaho Alaihe Wa Salam Khatim-un-Nabiyeen“.
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) April 15, 2021
Meanwhile, speaking on the occasion, Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood said the Rehmatul-Lil Alameen Scholarship is a nationwide program and will be implemented in 129 universities across the country. He said fifty percent scholarships will be given to women whilst two percent to specially-abled persons.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also announced the news on social media, encouraging those eligible to apply for it.
The provinces are also separately pursuing the Rehmatul-Lil Alameen Scholarship program. In Punjab, one billion rupees has been approved for this scholarship program annually, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has allocated Rs 427 million for it.
A feast of batting is what we watched today with Pakistan taking a 2-1 lead in the series. All credit for this goes to the opening duo: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Babar Azam becomes only the third Pakistan batsman to slam a T20I hundred
Pakistan had never chased down a 200-plus target before this was only their second opportunity to do so and they’ve done it with two whole overs to spare. Babar has played an absolute blinder to lead the way, and Rizwan was the perfect foil, on a day when South African bowlers struggled for control in brilliant batting conditions. Babar and Rizwan put on 197, the fourth-highest T20I partnership overall, and the highest ever in a chase.
South Africa scored 203 runs with the loss of only 5 wickets. Earlier, the pair of Janneman Malan and Aiden Markram, with the latter’s 31-ball 63 being his third successive T20I half-century. Markram bossed the show, with South Africa speeding along to 140 inside 13 overs.
It is pertinent to mention here that Azam got to his first T20I hundred off just 49 balls, two days after he took 50 balls to score as many runs, smashing 15 boundaries and four sixes along the way.
For his extraordinary 122 off 59, Babar Azam has been named Player of the Match
Talking to Ramiz Raja in the presentation ceremony, Babar said: “I had been waiting for this for a long time, I had planned for a long time, and today Allah has given me a chance to finish it. I stick to my strengths and play according to them, and the team’s requirements.”
The batsman further shared: “Rizwan bhai also played outstanding innings. He was fasting (for Ramzan), and yet he batted and kept wickets, and was outstanding. We get a lot of confidence and belief looking at him.”
“I also achieved a dream in one-day cricket today (No 1 ranking). I struggled hard, there was a lot of hard work that went into it. I keep trying to learn and add new things to my game, and I will keep trying to do the same,” said Babar, adding: “I think for our first six overs, we have to give credit to Malan and Markram for playing outstanding innings, until the 10-over mark, but the way we came back in the last five overs allowed us to restrict them to around 200.”
Sarah Khan has been hospitalised due to ill health. Confirming the news, Khan’s manager told The Current that the actor has contracted typhoid due to which she had to be admitted to the hospital.
Sarah’s husband, Falak Shabbir was the first to share the news of his wife’s ill-health, posting a picture of Sarah actor lying on a hospital bed.
“She is unwell,” Falak said in the caption.
Several of Sarah’s colleagues including Imran Ashraf and Resham expressed their concern and wished her good health.
Muneeb Butt celebrated his birthday with close friends and family in an exciting birthday bash. Muneeb’s wife Aiman Khan, Minal Khan and her beau Mohsin Ikram Haider, Kinza Hashmi and Saboor Aly were among those present at the event.
Babar Azam has dethroned the Captain of the Indian Cricket Team Virat Kohli to become the number one batsman in One-Day Internationals, becoming the fourth batsman from Pakistan to attain the number one position in the latest ICC rankings list update, released on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old player of the match scored 94 off 82 balls in the last match of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League series against South Africa in Centurion which helped him gain 13 rating points to reach 865 points and he now leads the Indian captain by eight points.
Babar, a star of the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cups in 2010 and 2012 has been playing ODIs since 2015 and had started the series against South Africa at 837 rating points but moved up to 858 (ahead of Kohli) after his score of 103 in the first match. He dropped to 852 by the time of the last weekly rankings update with a score of 32 in the second ODI.
By ending Kohli’s 1,258 day-supremacy, Babar has emulated compatriots Zaheer Abbas (1983-84), Javed Miandad (1988-89), and Mohammad Yousuf (2003) as the number one ODI batsman. In Tests, Babar has attained a best of the fifth position and is currently ranked sixth while in T20Is he is third but has been number one in the past.
Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman is another Pakistan batsman to move up the ODI batting charts, gaining five slots to reach a career-best seventh position after his knock of 101. Shaheen Afridi (up four places to a career-best 11th place) and left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (up 29 places to 96th) have progressed thanks to their three-wicket hauls in the match.
Babar had earlier overtaken Rohit Sharma to get to the second spot.
Reacting to the news, Azam, in a statement, said: “I feel privileged and honoured to have joined the company of stalwarts like Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad and Mohammad Yousuf, who will always be the shining stars of Pakistan cricket.”
“This is another milestone in my career, which will now require even more hard work and absolute consistency with the bat in order for me to hold on to the ranking for an extended period of time, like Sir Vivian Richards from January 1984 to October 1988 and Virat Kohli for 1,258 days,” he continued.
The captain further said: “I have also previously topped the T20I rankings, but the ultimate ambition and goal is to lead the Test rankings, which are the real testament and reward to a batsman’s calibre, reputation and skills. I understand to achieve this objective, I will not only have to perform consistently but more importantly, against the top sides.”
“I am looking forward to this challenge and remain confident I will be able to accomplish this target with the support of my teammates and coaching staff. But at this stage, I will savour the moment as it has come almost 18 months after I was first appointed the white-ball captain and that too at the back of my performances which helped Pakistan become the first Asian side to win two ODI series in South Africa,” added Azam.
