Green TV’s new serial ‘Breaking News’ is a rather fresh concept among the current lot of dramas currently running on television. True to the Green track record, the serial promises an out-of-the-box story. Two episodes have been released till the time this review is being written.
The story revolves around Mishaal and Hussain, a pair in love (but not madly so), equally focused on their respective careers. The boy brought up in an urban and slightly privileged background, shows restraint in his countenance. Mishal, on the other hand, is a small-town girl, ambitious and a lot more expressive. She lives in a rented place where her landlady’s teenage son has an eye for her but she is traditional enough to not share it with Hussain even though he asks the reason for her discomfort multiple times.
Mishal is played by Amar Khan and Hussain is played by ‘Fairytale’ star Hamza Sohail. They both look the part and the styling is on point for the strata they represent.
There is a parallel story of Naveed Khan played by Ali Safina, the corrupt television anchor born to a journalist father who died a terrible death after reporting against a local politician. As a kid, he was beaten for the same crime his father committed. He is a masochist- inflicting pain on himself- and conducts a completely staged show against ethical norms, only to get the ratings. He is also lenient towards his content director Hussain’s idealism which in most instances is in clash with his desire to get views and ratings.
Like other Kashif Nisar’s ventures, the drama is real and relatable but less bleak. That may prove to be wrong in the future as the teaser for the coming episode promises things turning topsy-turvy for the lead characters. The negative side of media and the risk journalists put themselves through has been shown in multiple projects including the recent ‘Ishq e Laa’, but a dedicated project to the modus operandi of media, the rat race of ratings and the rhetoric of “screen ki sage par jab sach lutta hai wo bikta hai”.
Airing twice a week, the show is a window into the optics of news medium, the 24/7 media feed culture, and the dirty politics of breaking news keeping morality at bay. The tug-of-war that goes between anchors in this industry will provide insight into how they contribute to the industry with this crisply written script.
Pakistani model Hasnain Lehri made a stunning debut in the second season of the popular Netflix series ‘Dubai Bling’, when he stunned his paramour, Lebanese reality TV star Loujain ‘LJ’ Adada, with an elaborate proposal in front of friends during the season finale.
The Netflix reality TV series, which premiered in 2022, delves into the lives of affluent and glamorous Arab women in Dubai as they navigate the complexities of high society, fashion, and relationships. Each episode, lasting approximately 45 minutes, showcases extravagant parties, designer clothes and opulent lifestyles.
In episode seven of Dubai Bling season two, Lehri’s grand proposal to Adada marked the conclusion of the season. The gripping moment left the audience eagerly anticipating Adada’s response, as the episode concluded without revealing her answer.
Last year, Lehri acknowledged his real-life relationship with Adada, making their on-screen chemistry sweeter.
Taking to Instagram, he shared a stunning intimate photo of himself and Adada in each other’s embrace. He also captioned the photo with a heartfelt message for his lady love.
“I thought fairy tales would never come true until I met my princess,” the caption read, followed by their initials “H” and “L” written with an infinity symbol. Adada also replied to the Instagram post in the comments.
Reciprocating the sentiments, she said, “My heart, H! Fairytales do come true.”
In 2012, Adada tied the knot with Walid Juffali, a late Saudi Arabian business magnate and billionaire.
She was reportedly 25-years-old and he was 60 at the time. Juffali passed away in 2016 after a long battle with cancer. The supermodel currently has two daughters.
When she was just 14, Adada started her modelling career, immediately landing photoshoots and establishing an impressive portfolio in preparation for a career in the runway business.
At 21, she was given the opportunity to present the music program Energy Spin Magazine on MTV Lebanon. However, after her marriage, the star took a long hiatus from media until her big comeback with Netflix’s hit reality TV show, Dubai Bling.
Lehri, on the other hand, confirmed dating fellow model Sabeeka Imam in 2018. However, the duo parted ways after a year.
Imam shared the news of their breakup in a post, writing, “And so this journey officially comes to an end. It has been a long time since we both realised that our paths are destined to be separate. After multiple attempts and much consideration, we have called it quits.”
Lehri is the first supermodel in Pakistan to bag five Lux Style Awards including picking up the coveted trophy four years in a row. In 2017, Lehri was also mentioned in the Top 100 Sexiest Asian Men list by Eastern Eye.
It looks like Nida Yasir and Yasir Nawaz are not into beach holidays. The famous couple have made a rather different choice when it comes to vacation destination.
The duo just had a winter vacation in Finland complete with snowfall and freezing temperatures. Even though it is very cold during the snowy Christmas season, they look like they had a lot of fun. Nida looked stylish in her trendy outfit. They shared some awesome pictures from their chilly vacation. Check it out:
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) director-general Faiz Hameed and others on former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s petition challenging his removal.
The notices were also issued to former IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif, and retired brigadier Irfan Ramay.
Former IHC Chief Justice Anwar Khan KasiFormer Registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad ArifRetired Brigadier Irfan Ramay
A five-member bench led by CJP Qazi Faez Isa, comprising Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, conducted proceedings on the plea.
Today’s hearing was broadcast live on the apex court’s website as well as on its YouTube channel.
Siddiqui nominated seven individuals in his amended plea, however, the court remarked that three others — former chief of army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and two retired brigadiers- Faisal Marwat and Tahir Wafai — had no direct connection with the case.
A day earlier, the top court ordered Siddiqui to nominate former spy chief Hameed, former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, and others in the plea against his dismissal.
Following the order, the former judge requested to make Bajwa and Hameed parties in the case related to his suspension along with IHC chief justice Anwar Khan Kasi, former registrar of the Supreme Court Arbab Muhammad Arif, retired brigadier Irfan Ramay, retired brigadier Faisal Marwat and retired brigadier Tahir Wafai.
The case was fixed for hearing earlier this month after the judge filed a miscellaneous application with the Supreme Court to conduct an early hearing of his plea against the decision by the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on his dismissal.
Lawyer Hamid Khan represented the former IHC judge in the case.
The Case
President Arif Alvi on October 11, 2018, removed Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui as judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on the recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council (SCJ).
The president took the decision under Article 209(5)on the SJC recommendation under Article 209(6) read with Article 48(1) of the Constitution, a notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice stated.
The council unanimously opined that while delivering the speech before the District Bar Association in Rawalpindi on July 21, Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, an IHC judge, displayed conduct unbecoming of a high court judge.
Judges on the panel included: Then Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, Justice Gulzar Ahmad, Lahore High Court’s Chief Justice Yawar Ali, and Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh.
Justice Khosa said that the judge in question chose to address a meeting of the district bar association, Rawalpindi on July 21 at a time when many inquiries were pending against him before the SJC under Article 209.
In his speech, Siddiqui accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of manipulating judicial proceedings, especially in the Panamagate case.
The ex-judge had submitted a plea against the Supreme Judicial Council’s (SJC) decision to dismiss him after a complaint was filed against him for inflammatory speeches.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has confessed that it was a misstep to secure a stay order from the Lahore High Court (LHC) against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on appointing District Returning Officers (DROs) and Returning Officers (ROs) from the bureaucracy for upcoming general elections.
PTI senator Barrister Syed Ali Zafar said while speaking on Geo News’ ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ that PTI can approach LHC to request the removal of the stay order against the appointment of DROs and ROs for the forthcoming election set to take place on February 8, next year.
“The PTI may withdraw the stay order to speed up the case hearing on merits to decide the fate of the appointment of DROs and ROs,” he remarked.
The senator also said that the impression and criticism that PTI’s petition is delaying polls seems correct.
However, the PTI leader also stated that the party’s stance on filing the petition against the appointment of officers from bureaucracy is right.
“Even though we want elections to be held by judicial officers and the ECP probably wants them to be conducted by bureaucracy, whatever the results are, we should accept them as it is the mandate of the masses,” he said.
Israel pressed its offensive in the Gaza Strip on Friday after telling a key supporter, the United States of America that the war to crush Hamas will last “more than several months”.
On Thursday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met in Tel Aviv with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
During their meeting, Mr. Gallant warned that Israel’s fight with Hamas “will require a period of time — it will last more than several months, but we will win and we will destroy them”.
Speaking in Washington, U.S. President Joe Biden urged Israel to take more care to protect civilians in Gaza.
“I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,” said Mr. Biden, whose government has provided Israel with billions of dollars in military aid.
White House spokesman John Kirby, meanwhile, said Washington was “not dictating terms” to Israel and that the timeline given by Gallant was “consistent” with what Israeli officials had previously said.
Mr Netanyahu on Thursday vowed to carry on “until victory”, and Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said the war would continue “with or without international support”.
Mr Sullivan on Friday will head to the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Palestinian Authority leaders, a US official said on condition of anonymity.
The West Bank, which is ruled by the Palestinian Authority (PA), has seen a surge in violence since October 7.
There, the Palestinian health ministry said 11 people had been killed since the Israeli military launched a raid in the city of Jenin and its refugee camp earlier this week.
The war in Gaza has led to increased popular support for Hamas in the West Bank, further weakening the internationally recognized PA.
Model and actress Saheefa Jabbar Khattak has shared details of her ongoing struggle with poor mental health. In a heartfelt video, she talked about vulnerability, battles with depression, and how unkind the world can be. Saheefa stressed the importance of kindness and understanding.
She bravely shared a distressing moment when she told a friend that she felt suicidal after taking 13 pills. Thankfully, her friend intervened and prevented a potential tragedy.
During the emotional video, Saheefa tearfully recounted her feelings of despair, stating, “It is scary and painful. I thought when Khizer would come here, I would feel better, but nothing happened.”
Saheefa highlighted the challenges of sharing personal experiences on a public platform. She emphasized the importance of breaking the silence on mental health issues in a world that can be disturbing and traumatizing.
Fans and well-wishers flooded social media with messages of support for Saheefa, urging her to stay strong. Many expressed love and unwavering support, emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding when it comes to mental health issues.
The father of a British-Pakistani 10-year-old girl whose death sparked an international manhunt pleaded not guilty to her murder in a UK court on Thursday, together with two other family members.
Sara Sharif’s body was discovered at her home in Woking, southern England, on August 10.
A post-mortem examination found she had sustained “multiple and extensive injuries” over a long period.
Her father 41-year-old Urfan Sharif, her step-mother Beinash Batool, 29, and his brother Faisal Malik, 28, deny killing the girl.
They entered their pleas via video link to London’s Old Bailey court.
Sara’s body was found after an emergency call alerting officers was made from Pakistan by a man identifying himself as the father, according to detectives.
The house was otherwise empty, and the manhunt continued with Interpol and Britain’s foreign ministry coordinating with authorities in Pakistan.
The day before Sara’s body was found the three defendants had left the UK for Pakistan with Sharif’s five other children.
They were arrested in September after disembarking from a flight from Dubai.
The trial is expected to start in September 2024, and to last six weeks.
Australia’s government has recently announced a ’10-year migration strategy’, as the country plans to reduce the number of foreigners coming in over the next two years in a bid to improve Australia’s “challenged” immigration system.
It should be noted that according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the number of foreign immigrants who came to the country during the last year has been 500,000, while before the restrictions of COVID-19 were implemented, this number used to be around 250,000 annually. The government wants to halve the number now.
The announcement was made on Monday and it is likely to affect foreign students living in Australia on temporary visas the most.
Speaking to the BBC, Sydney-based Dr. Ayesha Jahangir, a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Media Transitions at the University of Technology, covered the ongoing debate on the policy and the general climate around Australia’s migration strategy. She asserted that it has been some time since the policy was announced so “there is a lot of uncertainty and people are confused.” She said that the main questions around the debate are, “They don’t understand how this policy can affect them. Will immigrants whose visas are still being processed be affected? What are the details of the ’10-year migration strategy’?
According to official data, there are about six and a half million foreign students currently living in Australia and most of them are staying here after obtaining a second visa after the first temporary visa (student visa) expires.
Under the new plan, visa rules for international students and low-skilled workers will be tightened even though there is still a shortage of skilled workers in the country and difficulties in bringing them into the country persist.
Issuance of “Skills in Demand” visa
It is for this reason that the ‘Skills in Demand’ visa will be issued in place of the earlier ‘Temporary Skills Shortage’ visa. There will be three different routes for this four-year visa.
One route would be for people with ‘specialist skills’ and would seek to attract the most talented people from technology and energy sectors to Australia.
Another way would be in terms of ‘core skills’, where the list of areas would be changed according to the demand of the Australian market. In this way, the manpower shortage will be met.
A third way is in terms of ‘essential skills’ i.e. sectors such as healthcare where there is a shortage of workers. Details regarding this are still under consideration as per the policy.
Conditions for International Students
These new rules set stricter standards for international students in English language tests, mainly IELTS.
Earlier IELTS band required for a graduate visa was 6, now it has been increased to 6.5. While the IELTS requirement for a student visa has been increased from 5.5 to 6.
Additional questions will be asked of second-time visa applicants. During this time they have to prove how further studies will help them to improve their career or their education.
Visa procedures have also been improved for immigrants with ‘special’ or ‘essential’ skills to give them a better chance of securing permanent residence.
The new policy aims to stop the exploitation of those already living, working, and studying in the country.
Mention of “bogus” colleges
The Australian government has used the term ‘backdoor’ repeatedly in the 99-page strategy, implying various ‘bogus’ colleges that bring students to Australia but then return their degrees. These ‘fake’ colleges have been talked about before, from Australian local newspapers to the government level, but this time the government is signaling a concerted crackdown.
Dr. Ayesha has also warned about them in her talk to BBC: “What happens is that these colleges or institutions help bring students to Australia, but they don’t find a place in the workforce here because the competition here is not just between the people of a town or a city, but between people from all over the world.” Ayesha further added, “These migrants usually do not fit into the system but become a burden, and the term ‘permanently transient’ is used for them.”
Stats reveal that there is a huge number of them living in Australia and are trapped because they never got admitted to the university and are making a living by working in menial jobs.
Rising cost of living in Australia and financial crisis for incoming students
The cost of living in Australia has increased and rental housing has become difficult to find. Students have to live far from their place of work or study.
Talking to BBC, a Pakistani student said that in this policy, students will now only be able to work 20 hours per week instead of 40. This is the discount that was given to them during COVID-19. He pointed out that rents have gone up in Australia. Now the problem that more students will face will be a financial crisis, they will face problems in paying their fees.
“Earlier, we used to make at least 1500 dollars by doing any work for 40 hours a week, of which we used to save up to 1000 dollars and save 4000 dollars a month and thus pay the fees,” he added.
An increase in rent and a reduction in work hours will affect the students badly.
Rising hostility toward migrants
“When governments talk about people entering the country through backdoors and taking advantage of loopholes in the system, society can see it differently,” Dr Ayesha stated.
In the past during the years 2008 and 2009, Indian students in Australia protested crimes committed against them in the country, leading to a diplomatic gulf between Australia and India.
Dr Ayesha says that the government should go and explain to Australians that this crackdown is not being done because it is the fault of the foreign students, but because even local small businesses are taking advantage of these loopholes in the policy.
Ducky Bhai, the popular YouTuber with six million subscribers, recently fulfilled a promise by shaving his head and face after reaching the follower milestone. However, one of his fans, Sakina, took a rather extreme step to express her devotion.
She uploaded a video on her YouTube channel, showing her trying to cut her hair with kitchen scissors and eventually shaving her head completely with the assistance of a family member.
The situation didn’t stop there. Sakina’s mother scolded and even physically hit her for shaving her hair.
The girl, with once beautiful hair, went bald just to grab her favourite YouTuber’s attention. While there are many ways to show love for celebrities, shaving the head seems to be an extreme one.
