Tag: Top News

  • ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    ‘Can’t explain that moment’: Babar opens up about T20 win against India

    Pakistan’s all-format cricket team captain Babar Azam has opened up about how he felt beating arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2021.

    Azam hailed his side’s record win against India in the event. Pakistan successfully played to a 10-wicket win, ending their World Cup drought against the Men in Blue.

    Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi was the star of the show, taking three for 31 from his four overs. Despite a 57 from former Indian T20 captain Virat Kohli, the Indians were not able to notch up an intimidating total on the scoreboard.

    Chasing 152 for victory, skipper Babar (68) and his partner Mohammad Rizwan (79) steered the national team home with 13 deliveries to spare.

    “I can’t explain that moment. We were not thinking about the past record, trying to stay in the present. The way we started and finished had a different feel and buzz to it.. and the response from fans was amazing too. We hadn’t registered a win (against India) in the World Cups and Allah helped us change that. It was a team effort. We had belief. There was no overconfidence,” said Babar in a PCB Podcast episode on YouTube.

    The Men in Green reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup after topping Group B. However, their impressive journey came to an end with a defeat to eventual champions Australia in the semis. Babar described it as a heartbreaking moment for Pakistan.

    “We had put in the effort… we had dominated the World Cup. But unfortunately, we couldn’t win that match. We made mistakes as a team but we need to learn from it and deliver a better performance next time,” said Babar, who finishes with the year with 939 runs from 29 T20 Internationals.

    “Doesn’t matter how you start when you finish well. We finished the year on an outstanding note. We played some positive cricket throughout the year and tried to leave an impact. We’ve had different Man of the Match contenders for every match. Unfortunately, we bowed out of T20 World Cup but we did learn from that defeat. We have had discussions on the mistakes and will try to improve day by day.”

    “Talking about performances, Rizwan and Shaheen were brilliant. Hasan too. Youngsters like Abdullah, Wasim and Dhani have been impressive too. It’s a plus point for us and hopefully, we carry on the momentum. We had assigned roles to players and that led to better performances. I had the belief that we had match-winners in our team and the boys proved that. Thanks to the fans too and we hope to get a similar kind of support next year,” said the 27-year-old batter.

    Babar stands on top of the table of both white-ball formats. While Rizwan stands on third position in the ICC T20I Batting Rankings for the first time in his career.

    Check out here:

  • Gohar Rasheed pens a note for ‘abusive’, ‘spineless’ men, cites a scene from ‘Laapata’

    Gohar Rasheed pens a note for ‘abusive’, ‘spineless’ men, cites a scene from ‘Laapata’

    Actor Gohar Rasheed has penned a long note for abusive men who think “physically abusing women is fine.”

    Sharing a clip from his drama serial Laapata, the Digest Writer star turned to social media and wrote: “I hate the display of physical abuse on television. This is why I have always refrained from doing it in at least my own characters. It’s unfortunate but it has been done so frequently on our television that it’s almost become a subconscious reality for us.”

    The Mann Mayal actor further added: “Apparently, physically abusing women is “fine” and any misogynistic, spineless man can get away with it, just like Daniyal thought in yesterday’s episode of Laapata. It may sound strange but The Thappad scene was the only reason as to why I took up the character of Daniyal.”

    “To prove that oppression is a choice. If any insecure man with his fragile ego tries his so called muscles on you, make the choice that Falak did, without any fear! One tight slap back from a brave woman to such weak man in our society would be a giant leap for women kind”, he concluded.

    “Girls like Falak rock. Men like Daniyal shock,” concluded Rasheed.

    In the video, husband (Danyal) slaps wife (Falak) and she slaps him back with a warning to break his hands if he’ll think of doing that again.

    Featuring a far-famed cast of Ayeza Khan, Sarah , Ali Rehman Khan and Gohar , Laapata airs on Hum TV. The drama is written and directed by Khizer Idrees.

  • ‘Parey Hut Love’ is all about aesthetics

    ‘Parey Hut Love’ is all about aesthetics

    Of all the films releasing this Eid, Parey Hut Love was probably the most hyped. Everything about the film – cast, set, costumes, locations – was larger than life and the cast of the film promoted it to death. So much so that even if you weren’t interested in the film, you’d still want to see what it is all about.

    Naturally, that raises expectations and that’s when things begin to go down. I entered the cinema excited and left the cinema deflated because the film did not match up to my expectations and what I had been promised.

    To begin with, there was no story and half an hour into the film, I had figured out the plot. Parey Hut Love is the story of Sheheryar (Munawar), a commitment-phobic struggling actor who meets Saniya (Maya Ali) at a family wedding. The two spend time together and fall in love. Saniya, who lives in Turkey heads back with the promise that the two will keep in touch. However, Sheheryar’s phone is stolen and Saniya thinks that he has ditched her and is heartbroken. The rest of the film follows the duo as they find their way back to each other despite almost getting hitched to other people.

    The entire film was just lots of beautiful wedding scenes put together with many of the scenes inspired by Bollywood movies. You will find references from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Hum Tum and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and even from the Hollywood film Dear Rosie. I personally felt the plot was heavily borrowed from Dear Rosie and Hum Tum.

    There was no flow of scenes and some of them, like Mahira’s entry, were so abrupt that it took you a while to put things together and figure out what was going on. It’s like the makers forgot that they had a story to tell.

    Parey Hut Love belonged to Sheheryar and Sheheryar only. His character was the only one which was given attention and developed properly while the rest of the movie was rushed. Sheheryar and Saniya’s love story was poorly written. Maya barely had any dialogues and she was a little more than a showpiece.

    Zara Noor Abbas and Ahmed Ali Butt were wasted in the film and their roles terribly written. Zara is a talented actor and her comic timing is brilliant which is why I honestly felt upset with the way she was presented. I wish she had more screentime and her character had been more developed because she lit up the screen every time she came on. Also, why wasn’t her styling given the same amount of importance as Maya? While Maya breezed through the film in one gorgeous outfit after another, Zara’s outfits and looks were lazily done. The makeup was also a letdown – the lip colours too light and the eyes heavily done. Maya is a stunning actor and she stole the screen in Teefa in Trouble. In Parey Hut Love not so much.

    Zara looks out of place in this coral pink outfit

    On the flip, the cinematography, especially the ariel shots, locations, costumes, sets were amazing because of which the film was aesthetically very pleasing. The songs were also beautiful. Kudos to Azaan Sami Khan for delivering one stellar track after another and to Nigah Jee for the brilliant choreography. Morey Saiyaan, Ik Pal and Haye Dil Bechara were a treat to watch and frankly the biggest takeaway from the film.

    Read more – ‘Parey Hut Love’s Haye Dil Bechara inspired or copied?

    Munawar has grown as an actor and honed his talent. He has also worked on his physique and all his hard work showed in the film. Maya could have done much better. Ahmed, Zara and Hina Dilapazeer gave some of the best moments from the film with their impeccable comedy.

    The surface of Parey Hut Love was polished till it sparkled while little to no attention was paid to the core – the inside of the film was hollow.

    Read more – Sushant Singh Rajput’s ‘Dil Bechara’ leaves you wanting more

    Watch our video review:

    Note – This article was updated on August 1, 2020. With no new movies hitting cinemas this year due to the COVID-19 lockdown, TV channels are airing their previous releases. Parey Hut Love was 2019’s highest-grossing film.

  • VIDEO: Khawaja Asif, Fawad Chaudhry trade barbs in National Assembly

    VIDEO: Khawaja Asif, Fawad Chaudhry trade barbs in National Assembly

    The National Assembly (NA) on Monday approved the federal budget for the fiscal year 2020-21. The session, however, was yet again marred by an altercation, this time between Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif and Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry.

    “Sir, bass vee kar deo [sir, please stop]” Fawad was heard as saying as Asif addressed the Lower House of the parliament.

    To this, Asif replied, “Tuvaaday mutalak mai aisiyaan aisiyaan gallaan karaanga, Khuda di qasam tavanu jagaah nayi labnni ais hall ich [I will say such things about you that you will not find a place in this hall].”

    Asif went on to say that for the past few days, Fawad had been “involved in some activities”, to which the federal minister said the PML-N leader would not “find any space in Sialkot — Asif’s hometown — either” and asked him to apologise for his remarks.

    NA Speaker Asad Qaiser kept on asking both the lawmakers to stop.

    “No cross talk please… sit down please. Please, Fawad Sahib. Take a seat. Khawaja Sahib, continue please.”

    “No, how can you let this happen? How can one person say anything and not apologise? How dare he? He must apologise!” Fawad said.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Speaking to The Current, Fawad said he was discussing something with Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

    “Khawaja Asif got upset because we were not paying attention to his speech. Then he made up some lies about me, for which I asked him to apologise.”

  • President Alvi endorses video removed by YouTube for spreading coronavirus misinformation

    President Alvi endorses video removed by YouTube for spreading coronavirus misinformation

    President Arif Alvi retweeted a tweet by his son, Awab Alvi, on April 26, and said: “Lockdown or No Lockdown? Coronavirus is new so there is a major difference of opinion in the world & in Pakistan on how to handle it. As data comes in, opinions change. So please keep an open mind. This is long but a must-watch for all our opinion-makers including politicians.”

    The tweet was a video by doctors who were arguing that people should develop resistance to COVID-19.

    In a Twitter thread, President Alvi’s son Dr Awab Alvi goes on to say: “Historically of the human race and medical outbreak We’ve always “quarantined the sick” NEVER have we “quarantined the healthy” In the panic of the unknown we are reacting (may have been right earlier) but now we know this better and we need the population to develop resistance. [sic]”

    But if you click on the YouTube video shared by Dr Awab Alvi, it says the video has been removed. Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfLVxx_lBLU&feature=youtu.be

    The video has been taken down by YouTube for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines. YouTube has recently been taking down videos spreading misinformation about the novel coronavirus.

    Twitter recently also updated its guidelines on misinformation regarding COVID-19. Last month, Twitter and Facebook removed posts shared by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for including coronavirus misinformation that violates the social media companies’ rules against posting harmful content.

    Facebook said it took down a video that had been shared on both Facebook and Instagram, in which Bolsonaro said the anti-malaria prescription drug hydroxychloroquine was an effective treatment for COVID-19.

    Twitter earlier had removed two videos that also showed Bolsonaro praising hydroxychloroquine and encouraging the end of social distancing. It is rare for Facebook to take down a post from a head of state, but the coronavirus pandemic has led tech companies to move aggressively to filter out unfounded medical advice, hoaxes and other false information that they say could risk public health.

    Facebook has a policy against sharing posts that could cause users physical harm, a spokesperson said.  “We remove content on Facebook and Instagram that violates our Community Standards, which do not allow misinformation that could lead to physical harm,” the company said in a statement. Twitter, too, has a policy that requires people to remove tweets that recommend cures or advice that goes against the recommendations of public health authorities.

    As coronavirus cases continue to increase in Pakistan and across the globe, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently warned that COVID-19 cases in Pakistan can rise to 200,000 by July.

  • PTI govt moves FIA against Khalid Butt for mocking Imran Khan

    PTI govt moves FIA against Khalid Butt for mocking Imran Khan

    According to journalist Anas Mallick, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is moving FIA against Khalid Butt, Faysal Chaudary and Mustafa Chaudhry for their political satire mocking Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    Mallick claims that the PTI government is seeking to register an FIR against the satire team.

    Khalid Butt and his team host a satirical show on Neo News. In January, they poked fun at PM Khan’s statement that nurses at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, who looked after him after he fell from the stage back in 2013, looked like hoors (companions from paradise) following painkillers.

    PM Khan is not the only one Khalid Butt and his team have mocked. They made fun of Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif after the PML-N voted in favour of the extension of the army chief. Meray Paas Tum Ho fame Danish and his subsequent death in the finale was also recreated by them.

    After Anas Mallick’s tweet, Khalid Butt tweeted: ‘Bring it on’ while journalist Kamran Yousaf sarcastically said that yes Khalid Butt & co should “immediately be arrested” since they are responsible for all the problems and all the U-turns taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan. “They must be booked under Article 6.”

  • UN Secretary-General appreciates Pakistan’s peace efforts

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur and the Kartarpur Corridor on Tuesday during his four-day visit to Pakistan. Minister of Religious Affairs Pir Noorul Haq Qadri accompanied the him on the Kartarpur visit.

    Mr. Guterres took to twitter to appreciate Pakistan’s efforts for peace and inter-faith harmony.

    UN Secretary-General António Guterres at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur

    “This is the best symbol that we can give for a world in peace and for a world in which there is mutual respect and there is the acceptance of what is different. Recognising diversity is a blessing, is a richness…not a threat. When we see in so many parts of the world fighting in the name of religion, it is necessary to say that religions unite us for peace and the best symbol is this [Kartarpur] shrine,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

    Earlier, the UN Secretary-General visited Lahore and administered polio drops to children in a local school.

  • Punjab govt gives an ultimatum to Nawaz Sharif

    Punjab govt gives an ultimatum to Nawaz Sharif

    The Punjab government on Thursday gave former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif an ultimatum to submit his medical records within three days. If Sharif doesn’t submit his records, the relevant authority would then decide if his application for an extension to stay abroad for medical treatment should be accepted or not.

    Punjab Home Department sent a letter to Sharif, dated January 28, which said: “It is, therefore, required from your side to provide requisite reports within next three days, failing thereby, the competent authority will decide the matter of your application as per the available facts brought on record.”

    On January 15, Sharif’s legal team had submitted four different reports prepared by Dr David Lawrence before the High Court. According to those reports, Nawaz Sharif’s condition has not stabilised yet. He requires surgery, which cannot be conducted until his health improves.

    The PML-N supremo is suffering from hypertension, sugar and kidney ailments. Doctors are taking steps to maintain his blood platelets count, according to the medical reports submitted earlier this month.

  • Pakistan’s FBR using ‘pirated’ US software

    The US has accused Pakistan’s Federal of Board of Revenue (FBR) of using ‘pirated’ version of its software. According to Business Recorder, the US has urged Pakistan to refrain from engaging in such practices. Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells raised this piracy issue during her recent visit to Pakistan.

    According to sources, Wells maintained that FBR was using the pirated version of VMware illegally. Ms Wells urged Pakistan to buy the software instead of illegally using it. FBR denied these allegations and officials said this is simply not true. Shabbar Zaidi is currently serving as Chairman FBR.

    VMware, Inc. is a publicly traded software company listed on the NYSE under stock ticker VMW. Dell Technologies is a majority shareholder. VMware provides cloud computing and virtualisation software and services. VMware’s desktop software runs on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, while its enterprise software hypervisor is for servers.

  • Fathers to get paid paternity leave

    Fathers to get paid paternity leave

    The Senate on Monday passed ‘The Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2018’ that was moved on private members’ day by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Quratulain Marri.

    According to the details, while the bill was passed by the Upper House with a majority, the treasury benches opposed it. The bill will now go to the National Assembly for a vote.

    The said bill increases paid maternity leave of working mothers both in public and private sectors, and for the first time in the country, also grants paid paternity leave to fathers.

    The bill says that employees of every establishment should be provided six months paid maternity and three months paternity leave as and when applied by employees, separately from their leave account, commencing from the date as applied by the applicant in the application and supported by a medical certificate.

    It adds that the employees shall also be provided with an additional three months optional unpaid maternity and one-month paternity leave, separately from their leave account, if required by the employee.

    The Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government opposed the bill saying that such long maternity leave was not allowed anywhere in the world. Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar said mothers can get 90-day maternity leave under the already-existing law.