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  • ‘We’re not a racist family’: Prince William rejects Meghan’s claims of racism

    ‘We’re not a racist family’: Prince William rejects Meghan’s claims of racism

    Prince William has defended the British royal family after his younger brother Harry and wife Meghan accused them of racism in a bombshell interview watched by millions across the world.

    “We’re very much not a racist family,” William told reporters during a visit to a multi-racial school in a deprived area of East London, becoming the first royal to directly address the explosive interview.

    The Duke of Cambridge, son of heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, added that he had yet to speak to Harry in California since the interview first aired in the United States on Sunday.

    “No, I haven’t spoken to him yet, but I will do,” he said, as his wife Kate Middleton walked by his side.

    Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism and mistreatment have rocked the royal family, and though Buckingham Palace tried to diffuse the situation saying that they will address the couple’s grievances privately, it has failed to quell the controversy.

    Meghan, who is biracial, said in the interview she was so isolated and miserable as a working member of the royal family that she had suicidal thoughts. She also said Harry told her there were “concerns and conversations” by a royal family member about the color of her baby’s skin when she was pregnant with their son, Archie.

    Meghan and Harry’s comments have touched off conversations around the world about racism, mental health and even the relationship between Britain and its former colonies.

    Meanwhile, Charles has yet to comment on the controversy but was filmed on Tuesday touring a Nigerian Christian church in London whose pastors are promoting a drive to vaccinate more black people against the coronavirus.

  • Bilal Ashraf praises Syra Yousuf, calls her a ‘true rockstar’

    Bilal Ashraf praises Syra Yousuf, calls her a ‘true rockstar’

    Ever since Syra Yousuf posted a selfie of herself and Bilal Ashraf, social media users cannot stop shipping the two and asking them to get married to each other.

    Read more – Syra Yousuf, Sheheryar Munawar turn up the heat with their latest photoshoot

    “Kind people are the best kind of people,” wrote Yousuf in the caption.

    Responding to Syra’s post, Ashraf said: “Syra, you are and a source of inspiration for so many and a true rockstar.”

    Meanwhile, colleagues and other celebrities including Mahira Khan, Saboor Aly and Bilal’s Rangreza co-star Ghana Ali showered the two with love.

    Earlier, Bilal had also shared a black and white picture of the two with the caption: “Dataaaaaaaa.”

    Syra later revealed that Dataaa was their “standard greeting”.

  • ‘It is better to play cricket with your mouth shut’: Hina Butt berates Hafeez for pro PM tweet

    ‘It is better to play cricket with your mouth shut’: Hina Butt berates Hafeez for pro PM tweet

    Hina Butt has lashed out at Muhammad Hafeez for congratulating Prime Minister Imran Khan and calling his Vote of Confidence a “Masterstroke”.

    Responding to Hafeez’s tweet the Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Hina Butt said: “Pakistan was ridiculed in the world for not following corona SOPs and now you are supporting a vote thief.”

    “It is better to play cricket with your mouth shut and do not comment on politics,” she added.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday won the crucial confidence vote in the National Assembly, hanging on to power after his finance adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh lost the high-stakes Senate seat election earlier in the week. After PM’s victory, many celebrities took to their social media to congratulate him. Other celebrities who congratulated Khan included Waqar Younis, Gohar Rasheed, Haroon Shahid, Fahad Mirza, Shaan and Feroze Khan.

  • ‘Masterstroke’: Celebrities, cricketers jubilant over PM Imran’s Vote of Confidence

    ‘Masterstroke’: Celebrities, cricketers jubilant over PM Imran’s Vote of Confidence

    Fans and supporters of Prime Minister Imran Khan are celebrating his vote of confidence in the National Assembly of Pakistan with many expressing their delight over the development on social media. Several celebrities and cricketers including Farhan Saeed, Imran Abbas, Hadiqa Kiani, Waqar Younis and Mohammad Hafeez have also expressed their happiness and have thrown their weight behind him.

    “It wasn’t the first time, it won’t be the last. It’s such a difficult road, it’s such a difficult task,” said Farhan Saeed. “But if there’s anyone, who can do this, it’s you PM. We will do whatever it takes to give our future generations the Pakistan we all dreamt of.”

    Mohammad Hafeez termed the win a “Masterstroke,” while Waqar Younis said: “The tiger roars again. Congratulations skipper.”

    Earlier, the former cricketer and bowling coach of the Pakistan Cricket Team said that he loves PM Khan because of his “principles, honesty, and never give up attitude.”

    Sharing PM Khan’s picture on Twitter, YouTuber Shahveer Jafry wrote: “Checkmate.”

    Gohar Rasheed, Haroon Shahid, Fahad Mirza, Shaan, Anoushey Ashraf, Feroze Khan, Areeba Habib, and Omair Rana also expressed their excitement over PM Khan’s win.

    Similarly, actor Javeria Abbasi said: “I am Javeria Abbasi and my vote of confidence goes to one and only my skipper. I am confident that Imran Khan will never break the trust of Pakistanis, he will never cease to struggle for the betterment of Pakistan.”

    https://twitter.com/JaveriaAbasiPTI/status/1368058570256887808?s=20

    Hadiqa Kiani also celebrated Khan’s victory by sharing a picture of him. Earlier, in an exclusive interview with The Current, Kiani had said: “Pakistan is on the path to stability. I have all my hopes,” adding “A lot of people have lost hope but I still am hopeful.”

    After Pakistan Democratic Movement’s candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani emerged victorious against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the Senate Elections, PM Khan in an address to the nation announced that he is going to seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly. The premier said the vote of confidence will be held through the show of hand and that he will have no objection if any member of his party does not trust him, adding that his party would sit on opposition benches if they lose this time.

    Following his decision to seek a vote of confidence, celebrities including Shaan Shahid, Rohail Hyatt, Imran Abbas and Omair Rana had extended their support for the prime minister.

  • ‘You played with the reputation of the country’: Shoaib Akhtar slams PCB after PSL 6 postponement

    Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for indefinitely postponing the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) after an outbreak of COVID-19 was reported in the bio-secure bubble.

    “It is time for blame-game,” said Akhtar is a video posted to his YouTube channel. “You have to admit that this is the responsibility of the medical panel. The bio-secure bubble should have been properly maintained. There should be strict inquiry against the medical panel…it should not be spared.”

    Speaking further, the former bowler said: “The medical panel should be punished and I request the higher authorities [for this] because they played with the lives of the people. All the blame has been put on Wasim Khan and he has been asked to face everything. But who brought Wasim Khan? Ehsan Mani.”

    “Where is Mani Sahab?,” questioned Akhtar. “Is it the responsibility of Wasim Khan to answer here? Ehsan Mani should give an answer.”

    Read more – Shoaib Akhtar receives flak from celebrities for his comments on ‘Groove Mera’

    Akhtar also asked Prime Minister and former captain of the national team Imran Khan to look into the matter and punish those responsible for the mess.

    “Aren’t you [PCB] that smart to book an entire hotel. People are getting married there, getting haircuts. Daren Sammy getting out. I fail to understand, why would you [Javed Afridi] breach the bio-secure bubble. I am asking the same question from Wahab Riaz,” said the speedster.

    “You [PCB] played with the lives of the people and at the same time, you played with the reputation of the country… Where is the Chairman of PCB, he has to be answerable. I request the higher authorities and the honourable courts to take a very good look into this matter… Where is Mani? Come to the front and answer.

    “This is an insult to Pakistan and Pakistan cricket,” concluded Akhtar.

    PCB on Thursday postponed PSL6, which started last month after seven people tested positive. Later, in a press conference, PCB chief executive Wasim Khan admitted to breaches of COVID-19 protocols in the bio-secure bubble.

    Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi extended his support towards the PSL management, saying “I fully back the PSL and IA it will come back stronger than ever.”

  • Islamabad United’s Hassan Ali, Hussain Tallat reportedly infected with COVID-19

    Social media is abuzz with reports that Hassan Ali and Hussain Tallat have tested positive for coronavirus.

    Senior sports journalist, Shoaib Jutt revealed the news on Twitter, saying that two more cases of COVID-19 were detected earlier today in Islamabad United.

    In another tweet, the journalist shared pictures of Hassan and Hussain, saying: “May Allah grant you speedy and complete recovery.”

    The journalist further shared that four players of the final XI of Islamabad United fell victim to coronavirus because of which the match scheduled to take place today was cancelled. Other franchises feared that more cases would come to light with the passage of the day so the league should be postponed immediately.

    Earlier on Thursday, seven players and one support staff official had tested positive for the virus which led to question marks over PCB’s bio-secure bubble arrangements and reservations from foreign players. Quetta Gladiators’ Tom Banton and Islamabad United’s Fawad Ahmed and Lewis Gregory were among the players who tested positive which resulted in the postponement of the league.

    Meanwhile, the League or the franchise has not yet commented on Ali and Talat’s positive results.

    Islamabad United was scheduled to play against Lahore Qalandars in the fifteenth match of the Pakistan Super League 2021.

  • COVID outbreak forces PCB to postpone PSL6

    COVID outbreak forces PCB to postpone PSL6

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has postponed the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) due to rising COVID-19 cases among players and officials involved in the tournament.

    As many as seven players and one support staff official have tested positive for the virus which led to question marks over PCB’s bio-secure bubble arrangements and reservations from foreign players. Quetta Gladiators’ Tom Banton and Islamabad United’s Fawad Ahmed and Lewis Gregory were among the players who tested positive.

    Following the increase in cases, international players were also given the option to leave for their home countries with Karachi Kings’ Dan Christian expected to be the first to leave today.

    PCB also issued a press release on social media which reads: “Following a meeting with the team owners and considering the health and wellbeing of all participants is paramount, the Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to postpone the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 with immediate effect. The decision was made after seven cases were reported in the competition, which had started on February 20.”

    “The PCB, as an immediate step, will focus on the safe and secure passage of all participants, and arrange repeat PCR tests, vaccines and isolation facilities to the six participating sides,” it added.

    PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Director – Commercial Babar Hamid will hold a media conference at the National Stadium in Karachi at 3pm today to provide further updates.

    Meanwhile, Hassan Ali, Shadab Khan, Ravi Bopara and Mohammad Hafeez expressed their disappointment over the latest developments.

    While, Faheem Ashraf took to Twitter and wrote: “O Muslims, despair is disbelief. Indeed, in every deed of Allah, there is good.”

    Later, in the press conference, Wasim said: “To make any bio-secure bubble successful, it needs partnership and sacrifice from everyone,” he said. “It is not about the blame game right now. There are a lot of emotions at the moment. Franchises have invested a lot of money and I know that there will be reactions from different sectors.

    “But as I said before, to make any bio-secure bubble, everyone needs to be on the same page, that’s how we managed to conduct a successful domestic season. I understand why they [franchise owners] are saying things like these but it is not about the blame game, its about Pakistan cricket and it’s welfare. It is not the time to fight right now. It is time to accept collective responsibility.”

    Wasim further said that his own proposal was to postpone the event for five days, continue testing but the franchises rejected the idea.

    “My own proposal was to postpone the tournament for five days and see where it goes,” he said. “But the franchises made it clear that the players are anxious and not in the mental state to continue with the tournament.”

    Wasim also reiterated that the SOP’s were shared with the franchises before the competition but no bio-secure bubble can be successful without self-policing.

    “The protocols were shared with the franchises on February 18,” he said. “We are not sure where or how the players contracted coronavirus. You cannot make any bio-secure bubble successful without self-policing.”

  • ‘We cannot make saas-bahu dramas only,’ Yumna Zaidi tells PEMRA

    ‘We cannot make saas-bahu dramas only,’ Yumna Zaidi tells PEMRA

    Yumna Zaidi has hit back at the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) for their notice on Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi (DNUTN), saying “we cannot make saas-bahu dramas only.”

    Speaking to BBC Urdu, Yumna said that she doesn’t understand why PEMRA would take notice on her ongoing drama’s content.

    “I was very disappointed [with PEMRA’s notice],” said Yumna. “I don’t understand what they want to promote [or show on television].”

    “If we don’t talk about problems faced by people in government schools, gali mohallas or in the villages, then we’re only going to listen to bad news. If we force society to think about [such issues] through such content, then at least let it through instead of holding it back.”

    “We cannot make saas-bahu dramas only,” lamented the actor further. “We make romantic dramas also. Different genres are given space [on television]. So this [DNUTN] should also be given a small space.”

    Directing her comments towards PEMRA, Zaidi said: “I just want to ask PEMRA: ‘How can you do this?’”

    The actor further said: “Other projects of mine have also previously received notices from PEMRA [Pyaar Ke Sadkay] but this one hurt more. It should not have happened. I was not happy with that.”

    “Matlab kyun?,” she questioned, referring to the drama as a “very special project”.

    Featuring Yasra Rizvi, Wahaj Ali, Nadia Afgan, Naumaan Ijaz, Omair Rana and Samiya Mumtaz besides Zaidi in the lead, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi is a harrowing tale of child abuse and human trafficking in Pakistan. The drama has been written by Amna Mufti and directed by Kashif Nisar and is a Kashf Foundation Presentation.

    According to a press release issued earlier, Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi will “bring some of the most heinous and deeply sensitive issues to light – while showing how humanity can still prevail in even the most insurmountable of situations.

    The press release further said: “With three parallel stories on prostitution, human trafficking, and child abuse, the drama exposes the lowest ebb of our society.”

    Read more – Omair Rana responds to PEMRA’s notice on ‘Dil Na Umeed Toh Nahi’

    Meanwhile, while talking about her character in the drama, Yumna said that she plays a prostitute and while shooting for the party scenes, she was very grateful that this wasn’t her “real life”.

    “The feeling was so haunting. And I felt so sorry for those women who are entrapped in such lives,” said the actor. “But I am happy that I am portraying the character of such a woman, who fights the system and breaks free.”

  • Opp’s Gilani met PTI’s Tareen ahead of Senate elections, but both deny it

    Opp’s Gilani met PTI’s Tareen ahead of Senate elections, but both deny it

    As the country witnesses what are being termed by pundits as the “most controversial” Senate polls in its 74-year history, it has emerged that joint opposition’s candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani met with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen days before the critical electoral process marred by horse-trading allegations.

    Sources claim that Gilani, who is the Upper House candidate of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from Islamabad besides being a critical election for the opposition to give the ruling PTI a tough time, met Tareen at the wedding of another ruling party lawmaker’s son.

    Interestingly, both the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) stalwart and Tareen, who reports claim is at odds with Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s government since after the sugar crisis scandal, have over the days leading to the Senate elections denied having met each other.

    “I have always strived for the PTI with my heart and soul and my support is always for the party,” Tareen was quoted as saying when he denied the meeting of which The Current also has photographic evidence.

    The former premier, on the other hand, had also refuted speculation that he met Tareen. “I have neither met Jahangir Tareen neither established contact with him,” he had told media persons on the same day as the PTI leader.

    “The two spent quite a lot of time at the wedding of veteran politician and PTI MNA Riaz Fatyana’s son on February 11. They exchanged pleasantries and were seen dining together on top of spending almost all their time at the event with each other,” sources told The Current.

    Sources, however, could not confirm the topics of discussion between the two leaders from rival parties and if then-forthcoming Senate polls or Gilani’s election, in particular, were among the things discussed between Gilani and Tareen.

    While Tareen and Gilani could not be reached out for a comment, another attendee of the said event, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former National Assembly speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has confirmed the encounter.

    Speaking to The Current, Sadiq said that Fatyana has good relations in each and every party and he had known the now PTI and former PML-N leader since the year 2000.

    “We have been colleagues since 2002. At his son’s wedding, I was the only MNA from PML-N. Gilani Sahib was the only one from PPP during the one hour I was there. If others came later, I have no idea. But there was no discussion on the issue of Senate at all.”

    While Sadiq did confirm Tareen’s presence and exchange of pleasantries between the politicians, he said that he did not notice any interaction between Gilani and Tareen for as long as he himself was there.

    A contest for the crucial Islamabad seat in the Senate is currently underway between Gilani and Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. The vote count is scheduled to begin at 5 pm.

  • ‘I really like my skin’: Syra Yousuf hits back at trolls

    ‘I really like my skin’: Syra Yousuf hits back at trolls

    Syra Yousuf has responded and hit back at those who posted negative comments about her skin after her sister Palwasha Yousuf, a stylist, posted an unfiltered picture of the actor on social media. While many, especially women, lauded Syra for embracing her skin and putting down unrealistic beauty standards, others mocked her skin for being textured and not smooth.

    Responding to the backlash on social media over her skin, Syra posted a natural selfie of herself, writing: “I really like my skin.” She also used the hashtag “No Filter” to further get her point across.

    In a similar incident, Dubai-based beauty influencer Huda Kattan also opened up and discussed how edits make a person appear perfect, setting unrealistic beauty standards for the rest.

    Meanwhile, earlier in 2019, Hania Aamir in a social media post had opened up about her struggle with acne and talked about unrealistic beauty standards.