Tag: Top News

  • Here’s how you can apply for the Three Step E-visa policy for Turkey

    Here’s how you can apply for the Three Step E-visa policy for Turkey

    Turkey has launched an e-visa service, allowing tourists and business travelers to obtain their visas without visiting Turkish embassies.

    The service is available for ordinary passport holders with valid Schengen, USA, UK, Ireland visas, or residence permits.

    Three-step process

    To apply for a visit visa to Turkey, Pakistani applicants can follow a straightforward three-step process:

    Step-I: Apply

    Visit the official website at https://www.evisa.gov.tr/en/ to initiate the application.

    Step II- Pay fee

    After entering the required information, applicants can make the necessary payments using a credit or debit card (Mastercard, Visa, or UnionPay).

    Step III-Download

    Upon successful completion of the application, the applicant will receive a link to download their e-Visa. This link will also be emailed to them for convenience.

    It is advised to keep a copy of the e-Visa, either in electronic format (on a tablet, smartphone, etc.) or as a hard copy in case of any system issues at the entry points.

    Visit visa fee

    Applicants can obtain their Turkey visit visas electronically after making the required payments.

    The visit visa fee for Pakistani nationals is set at $60. This affordable fee opens the doors to explore Turkey.

    Other financial requirements

    In addition to the visa fee, applicants must fulfill specific financial requirements, including providing proof of a return ticket and hotel reservation.
    Official guidelines stipulate that a tourist should have a minimum of $50 for each day of their stay in Turkey.

    Therefore, a Pakistani tourist planning to spend 30 days in Turkey must demonstrate a bank statement with a balance of at least $1,500 to meet this requirement.

  • Iqra Aziz opens up about Saboor Aly’s wedding dress controversy

    Iqra Aziz opens up about Saboor Aly’s wedding dress controversy

    Iqra Aziz recently explained why she ended up using a wedding dress similar to her co-star Saboor Ali’s in the drama ‘Manat Murad.’

    Iqra Aziz appeared as a guest on a talk show where she spoke about the controversy surrounding the copy of Saboor Ali’s wedding dress. “Actually, we wanted a traditional dress to shoot the wedding scene in the drama as it was the director’s demand but we couldn’t find any traditional dress despite trying hard. So the director showed me the picture of the couple after a little research. On doing this I found out that this is a pair designed by Faiza Saqlain.”

    The actress said that they approached Faiza Saqlain. “We couldn’t change the dress completely, so I kept the dupatta and gharara same and requested her to change the shirt of the dress.”
    “With this dress, we also kept the jewelery simple and traditional,” she added.
    Iqra Aziz said, “I designed my entire bridal look for the play myself. I won’t say I copied it but my look was really inspired by Saboor Ali’s wedding look because she wore it at her wedding. She looked very beautiful and I wanted to look as beautiful as her in the drama.

    “But my dramatic bridal look was inspired by Saboor Ali’s wedding look and the outfit I wore was not technically Saboor Ali’s but I got it from a designer, I didn’t know that. It would have become a big problem otherwise I would have asked Saboor Ali before shooting because I am one of those people who care about others’ happiness.”

  • Israeli soldiers killed by their own bombs

    Israeli soldiers killed by their own bombs

    In a huge setback to Israel, 24 of its soldiers were killed in the biggest single-day losses since the start of its ground war in Gaza.

    The soldiers were killed on Monday, with the army saying 21 of them were reserve soldiers who got killed when rocket-propelled grenade fire hit a tank and two buildings they were trying to blow up.

    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said an investigation was launched into the “disaster” and that Israel “must learn the necessary lessons”. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the “Deaths of 24 of our fighters, our best sons…is a heavy blow”.

    On the ground, fighting raged in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in southern Gaza, which the army said it had “encircled”.

    Witnesses said powerful explosions rocked Khan Yunis, as well as Deir al-Balah in north Gaza and Rafah in the south.

    Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Nasser Hospital and El Amal City Hospital in Khan Younis, among the few partially functioning hospitals in the territory, were under “extreme danger” from Israeli bombardment.

    “The buildings of the Nasser Medical Complex are exposed to shrapnel, endangering the lives of patients, staff and displaced people,” the ministry said on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.

    “The Israeli occupation places Nasser Medical Complex and El Amal Hospital in Khan Younis in extreme danger,” it said, calling for “urgent intervention” to safeguard both facilities.

    Moreover, Al-Jazeera just released a video compilation of Israeli soldiers filming themselves enjoying and being insensitive to the Palestinian properties.

  • Netflix to stream WWE from 2025

    Netflix to stream WWE from 2025

    Netflix on Tuesday sealed a long-term broadcast deal with the WWE professional wrestling juggernaut, as the streaming giant pushes further into sporting events.

    Beginning in the United States in 2025, Netflix will become the exclusive new home of “Raw,” the WWE’s flagship program that has been broadcasting on television since 1993.

    The agreement will also see WWE shows and live events streamed across the globe as their rights become available.

    With an initial 10-year term for $5 billion, the deal has an option for Netflix to extend for an additional 10 years or opt-out after the initial five years.

    “This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, president of TKO, the parent company of the WWE.

    “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years,” he added.

    The three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and John Cena, among other stars.

    It is currently the most-watched show on the NBCUniversal-owned USA network in the United States.

    The WWE is a ratings blockbuster that owes much of its success to entrepreneur and promoter Vince McMahon.

    After buying what was then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from his father in 1982, he turned the second-rate league into an entertainment giant.

    Transformed into World Wrestling Entertainment in 2002, the league passed the billion-dollar mark in annual sales last year.

    The deal marks another move by streaming giants to build their portfolio of live sporting events.

    Netflix won the rights last month to a tennis duel between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz and previously streamed a golf tournament featuring Formula One drivers and pros.

    Amazon announced last week that it would invest $115 million in Diamond Sports Group, the leading network of local sports channels in the United States, gaining regional rights for sports ranging from hockey to basketball.

    It had previously acquired certain rights to the English Premier League, the French Ligue 1, the French Open tennis tournament and the NFL American football league.

    Apple TV, for its part, owns global rights for US Major League Soccer.

  • 12-year-old beats Einstein and Stephen Hawking in IQ test

    12-year-old beats Einstein and Stephen Hawking in IQ test

    A 12-year-old British student has surpassed famous scientists Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking in intelligence, scoring more than the two in an IQ test.

    Devon schoolboy Rory Bidwell achieved the maximum score of 162 on the Cattell III-B test – despite not having prepared for it.

    Both Einstein and Stephen Hawking are said to have scores around 160.

    Rory found the test “pretty easy,” his dad said, and had no problem finishing it in the time limit.

    Abby Bidwell, the British student’s mother, said her son was very calm during the test and even took a leisurely stroll to the toilet during one section.

    His father, James Bidwell, told Sky News the family’s first reaction to the score was “That’s a big number – what does that actually mean?”.

    A bit of Googling revealed Einstein and Stephen Hawking are both said to have had IQs of around 160. That was when it started to sink in that it was “really quite impressive,” Mr Bidwell said.

    “We’ve always known he’s an incredibly bright lad. This just puts it in context.”

  • Motaz is now in Qatar but others are still in Gaza. Here is who you should follow for updates on the genocide

    Motaz is now in Qatar but others are still in Gaza. Here is who you should follow for updates on the genocide

    Motaz Azaiza, the photojournalist called “The Eye of Gaza”, has evacuated the besieged strip after showing the world the reality of living in Palestine. He has landed in Qatar and has kickstarted the mission of taking the cause of advocating for the plight of Palestineans forward by participating in talk shows for Al-Jazeera. His absence on ground is missed.

    There are plenty of journalists on ground who are risking their lives to show the world the war crimes being committed by Israeli forces and the genocide of poor Gazans.

    Bisan is the leading journalist after Motaz. She is working with leading news portals and has shown daily life in Gaza since October 7. In her own words, she has been displaced more than thrice in the course of the last 100 days but is determined to keep documenting the genocide that is taking place in Gaza.

    Hind Khoudary, a reporter who has worked closely with Motaz and is still in Gaza, is taking refuge in Motaz’s home reporting the havoc inflicted upon Gaza by Israel.

    Hamdan Dahdouh is also one such journalist who is directly reporting from the ground showing through his camera lens what the seige has done.

    Roba Khaled is a TRT Arabi journalist and has been reporting from the ground while being a mother to an ailing daughter.

    Motasem Mortaja is a journalist working for different platforms and his Instagram account is a video library of the more than 100 days of war in Gaza.

    Saleh Aljafarawi is a young content creator and influencer from Gaza who is showing the world the horrors of war.

    Ali Jadallah is an award-winning photojournalist capturing raw emotions from the strip.

    Wael abo Omar is another journalist now sick with a cold, but not letting the mission of informing the world slip until he is alive.

    Belal Khaled has been reporting from day one and documenting the genocide up close.

  • Actress Saeeda Imtiaz says wives change quickly, like prime ministers

    Actress Saeeda Imtiaz says wives change quickly, like prime ministers

    Saeeda Imtiaz is not happy about men in Pakistan getting married multiple times.

    The actress wrote about marriage on her Instagram account, saying, “After seeing the situation in Pakistan, I don’t think I would like to marry a Pakistani boy.”

    She said, “There are no weddings here, I will find a man from another country.” Pointing out that prime ministers here changes after “every 2 years”, she said, “So after a few years the wives also change.”

    While Saeeda Imtiaz didn’t mention Shoaib Malik and Sana Javed directly, some people think her comments were in response to the news of the cricketer’s divorce from Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and subsequent marriage.
    Shoaib Malik’s marriage to Sana Javed surprised many on social media, and it has been a hot topic in both Pakistan and India since the past three days. People, including celebrities, have been sharing their reactions to this unexpected news on social media.

  • Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ February 8 polls

    Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ February 8 polls

    The caretaker federal cabinet on Tuesday approved a summary requesting the deployment of the Pakistan Army and civil armed forces troops to help civil institutions in ensuring the conduct of free, fair, and peaceful general elections scheduled for February 8.

    The development occurred during a huddle between the caretaker cabinet and caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar.

    According to the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, “The troops will perform duties in sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as a rapid response force.”

    The federal cabinet unanimously approved the deployment of Pakistan Army and civil armed forces personnel at sensitive polling stations across the country for the upcoming general elections, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Interior.
    The Pakistan Army also promised to provide essential assistance for the upcoming general election set to take place on February 8 next month.

    Soldiers, along with Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel, will perform election duties.

  • Saif Ali Khan admitted to hospital for surgery

    Saif Ali Khan admitted to hospital for surgery

    Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has been admitted at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai for surgery.
    It has been reported in Indian media that he has a fractured knee and shoulder, but the details of how that happened are not known yet. There has been no official statement from Saif’s team about the incident.

    Saif’s wife, actress Kareena Kapoor Khan, is with him at the hospital. They reached the medical facility at around 8 a.m. on Monday, January 22. Despite trying to get a response from Saif’s team, there has been no official comment about the situation.

    Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor are parents to Two children, Taimur and Jehangir Ali Khan. Saif was previously married to actress Amrita Singh, with whom he has a daughter, actress Sara Ali Khan, and a son, Ibrahim Ali Khan.

  • ‘Pakistan’s economy performed best under Nawaz Sharif’: Bloomberg

    ‘Pakistan’s economy performed best under Nawaz Sharif’: Bloomberg

    An analysis by Bloomberg Economics reveals that Pakistan’s economy witnessed its best performance in the past three decades under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif, who served as Prime Minister thrice.

    The report compares economic indicators during Sharif’s tenure with those of his rivals, including Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), using a misery index that combines inflation and unemployment rates.

    According to Bloomberg Economics, the analysis utilized an average of the misery index values over the years when each major political party ruled Pakistan since 1990.

    The results indicate that Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) outperformed both PTI and PPP in managing economic challenges.

    With general elections scheduled for February 8, Bloomberg suggests that Nawaz Sharif seems poised to return to power for the fourth time, especially as Imran Khan faces legal issues and incarceration.

    Despite Khan’s popularity, with a 57% approval rating according to a recent Gallup poll, Sharif has experienced a surge in popularity from 36% to 52% in the past six months.

    The past three decades saw the PML-N rule Pakistan four times under Sharif and his younger brother Shehbaz Sharif. The PPP under the Bhutto dynasty has held power three times, while Khan was in office for a four-year term ending in April 2022 when he was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-trust vote.

    “Bloomberg Economics used an average of the index values over the respective years when each of the major political parties ruled the country since 1990. A higher value indicates more economic hardship for citizens,” the publication said, explaining its conclusions.

    Bloomberg Economics Misery Index Results for Pakistan showed the Pakistan Muslim League scored 14.5 percent, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 16.1 percent, and the Pakistan Peoples Party 17.2 percent.

    Pakistan is currently grappling with economic challenges, including seeking a financial bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Inflation is close to 30 percent in Pakistan, the currency was Asia’s worst performer last year and foreign exchange reserves have slumped.

    The incoming government, as per IMF conditions, will need to implement potentially unpopular policies such as withdrawing subsidies and raising taxes. The IMF forecasts a 2% growth in Pakistan’s economy for the current fiscal year after experiencing a contraction in the previous year.

    Despite the positive economic indicators during Sharif’s governance, the report underscores the formidable tasks awaiting the new government in addressing the country’s economic hardships.