Tag: Top News

  • Peshawri chappal gets wings

    Peshawri chappal gets wings

    A Pakistani-American designer Saks Afridi collaborated with the shoe brand Markhor to create the Hawa Sandal which is an upgraded version of the traditional Peshawari Chappal.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Ry1QQl4GH/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

    The footwear is part of Saks Afridi’s space mosque collection that has a sci-fi Sufism theme. The designer has elaborated the concept behind the chappal in this Instagram post:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2T88sFFrip/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=dlfix

    He also shared shots of people wearing the Hawa Sandal and levitating.

    Previously, French fashion designer Christian Louboutin and British fashion designer Paul Smith have attempted (and failed) with their versions of the Peshawari chappal which is native to Pakistan’s northwestern regions.

    What do you think of this version of the Peshawari chappal?

  • PM Imran’s Kashmir campaign reaches Times Square

    PM Imran’s Kashmir campaign reaches Times Square

    With the situation in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) worsening as the valley remains under lockdown for 53 days, the ordeal of Kashmiris has been highlighted at Times Square in New York City.

    All eyes are on New York where dozens of global leaders have gathered for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    With Pakistan, especially Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, continuing to voice concerns over Indian occupying forces’ brutalities against innocent Kashmiris and Narendra Modi-led government’s move to rob the held valley of its autonomy, a movement to express solidarity with Kashmiris has taken the world by storm.

    “With the extraordinary efforts of PM Imran Khan, Kashmir issue has now become a Global concern. The voice of people of IOJ&K is once again being heard in the highest diplomatic forums. ‘Stand With Kashmir’ has been highlighted in Times Square New York, today [sic],” government of Pakistan tweeted Thursday.

    Earlier, protests marred Modi and United States (US) President Donald Trump’s rally in Houston, Texas, where members of Pakistani and Indian minority communities gathered to raise their voice for the Kashmir cause.

    The “anti-Modi demonstration” outside the “Howdy, Modi” event venue, called attention to the “racist Modi regime” and its ongoing human rights violations in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

  • You can’t please everyone: Emraan Hashmi responds to DG ISPR’s tweet on ‘Bard of Blood’

    Shah Rukh Khan and Emraan Hashmi’s Netflix project Bard of Blood received immense criticism when its trailer released late last month. Most Pakistanis, including Director General ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor slammed Bollywood for its anti-Pakistan storyline. (In case you missed that controversy, you can follow this link for a quick update.)

    The eight-episode series, which revolves around the story of an ex-RAW agent in Balochistan, will premiere on Netflix this Friday. Based on Bilal Siddiqi’s novel of the same name, Bard of Blood has been produced by SRK and starres Emraan in the lead.

    Emraan has been promoting and discussing the projects on various platforms. In a recent interview, when asked about his reaction to DG ISPR’s comments on the series, Emraan responded, “This way, you don’t end up making any film because whenever you have content that has even remotely anything associated with anything political related to these two countries [India and Pakistan], emotions do run high. And you have to bear the brunt in this. Social media is full of this.”

    He continued, “I think that one tweet [Gen Asif Ghafoor’s] led to other people spewing hate. But to put things to rest, there is no propaganda here.”

    “This is based on a book that is written by a then 20-year-old kid back in 2014,” Emraan added. “The political climate at that point of time was very different.”

    Emraan finished off saying, “There is no agenda to it. Our show is based on that book and that’s that. You can’t please everyone. You make a show of this nature, which has some kind of political relevance, and it going to snowball and you will have people talking. Everyone has an opinion these days.”

    Meanwhile, in another interview, Emraan said that he doesn’t let such issues bother him and said that he is “excited” for the series “since the promo got a lot of traction.”

    “I want everyone to see it and I’m sure everyone will love it,” he said.

    Speaking to Gulf News, Hashmi said that inordinate care has been taken not to hurt any particular country’s sentiment.

    “Remember, it’s primarily for entertainment … It’s a pure work of fiction and all the character and are mission are fictional,” he stated.

    Meanwhile, the series has opened to positive responses from critics.

  • Irregularities worth Rs118 million detected in Lahore metro bus project

    Irregularities worth Rs118 million detected in Lahore metro bus project

    The Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has detected irregularities worth around Rs120 million in the decoration of the Lahore metro bus’s track, Dunya News has reported.

    According to reports, the Parks & Horticulture Authority (PHA) and contractors allegedly colluded, resulting in losses worth millions of rupees to the national exchequer.

    Discovering irregularities of Rs118.49 million in the report, the top auditor stated that there was no plantation on the track and funds simply “vanished”.

    The AGP has issued orders for departmental proceedings against the PHA officials concerned and said that the administrative control of the officers was also found to be extremely poor.

    The Lahore metro bus project was completed in 11 months by former Punjab chief minister (CM) Shehbaz Sharif and began its services on February 11, 2013. The total expenditure of the project stood at Rs29.896 billion.

  • PM Imran second most searched leader at UN General Assembly

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has become the second most searched personality among the leaders currently in the United States (US) for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    According to Google Trends, PM Imran has secured the second slot in the list of most searched UNGA leaders on Google, while Indian PM Narendra Modi stands fifth and United States (US) President Donald Trump has topped the list.

    Among other most searched UNGA leaders are British PM Boris Johnson at the third place and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on the fourth. The Brazilian president had recently made headlines after severe criticism over his lack of efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.

  • Modi expresses grief over Pakistan earthquake

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to property after an earthquake in Pakistan killed at least 40 and left more than 500 people injured.

    The Twitter handle “PMO India” wrote, “PM has expressed grief on the loss of lives and damage to property due to an earthquake in parts of India and Pakistan”.

    “PM expresses condolences to the families of the deceased and prays for the speedy recovery of those injured”, said the Tweet.

    A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted several parts of Pakistan on Tuesday, particularly areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.

  • ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    A sixth grade boy was killed outside his school in Islamabad after a security guard accidentally shot him.

    The incident took place on Wednesday outside a private school in Nilore, Islamabad.

    The guard was cleaning his gun and accidentally fired it. He has been taken into custody and it is unclear why he was cleaning his gun during school time.

    According to reports, there was an eyewitness who said that after the boy was shot, he cried in pain for 10-15 minutes. The school did not provide a vehicle to take the child to the hospital and closed its gates instead.

    The boy was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

    Police are investigating the incident and the parents are protesting against the school.

  • Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    A student of Lahore University of Management Sciences’ (LUMS), Faaiz Arbab has developed a voice-controlled electric wheelchair that can be operated through a smartphone application.

    Faaiz is a graduate of electrical engineering program from LUMS and invented the voice-operated smart wheelchair, named ‘GOBEE’, in collaboration with the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore and AYEco.

    It operates with the help of a smartphone application which has a ‘Call N Go’ feature in it. The wheelchair responds to the voice commands of the user, being able to turn left or right and move forward or backward. It can also be summoned from a distance of 15 kilometers.

    Faaiz aims to assist people with disabilities through the use of technology. The smart wheelchair offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a remote control which goes over the range of a 100 feet.

    GOBEE is water repellent, anti-rusting, and has alloy rim wheels combined with an anti-sweat technology sofa seat.

    National Design Awards (NDA) Pakistan also awarded Arbab with the best Consumer Product Design Award (2018) for his Voice Operated Smart Wheel Chair.

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Asad Umar shared lauded the Arbab’s efforts on Twitter and shared a video of the wheelchair.

    “This is just the kind of work that needs to be projected,” Asad wrote.

  • FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to bring beauty parlours, bakeries, grocery stores, and all other retail outlets under an Invoice Monitoring System to check their tax and to ensure that no sales tax theft is taking place at these stores.

    As per reports, the FBR is going to launch its pilot project in Islamabad from next month. Under the plan, the Invoice Monitoring System will be installed at all commercial beauty parlours, bakeries, and grocery stores in the capital to record their actual sales. The project would gradually be extended across the country after its trial launch.

    The system works in a manner that whenever concerned outlets issue a copy of the invoice to a customer, an electronic copy will reach the linked FBR office. This will help the bureau keep a track of the actual sales and the amount of sales tax charged on each bill.

    The FBR officials expressed satisfaction over the system and hoped that it will help increase the revenue collection.

    Most parlours and grocery stores already charge tax so it is unlikely that the prices will be increased. However, this system will ensure that the tax you’ve paid reaches the relevant authorities and is not stolen along the way.

  • Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    It’s going to be a month to Hamza Ali Abbasi and Naimal Khawar’s wedding and from then till now, we’ve seen the two indulge in excessive PDA on social media and otherwise. Given how low-key their shaadi and their “platonic” relationship prior to their Nikkah was, it is somehow odd to see them behave this way, especially Hamza, who has always maintained a certain image.

    While I’m all for letting people live the way they want, their public displays of affection seem to give the impression that they are trying to milk the attention they are getting as much as they can. Which raises the question: How much is too much?

    Let’s start with this picture of the two of them from this week. Naimal shares a picture of the two of them out on a dinner date.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xHlEiD4Li/

    Hamza shares the picture on his story with the caption, “You Naimal, you are Allah’s gift and blessing for me.”

    A few days before that a picture of them cosying up in the hills was widely shared on social media.

    Pretty much every picture of Naimal and Hamza goes viral.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bDNLVDZgh/

    We did not want to post a biased opinion so we decided to ask our followers what they had to say on this. Here are the results:

    It’s a close call.