Tag: trending

  • Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Cardi B announces she’s dropping support for Biden for funding wars in Ukraine, Israel

    Grammy winning rapper Cardi B has announced that she is no longer endorsing Democrat President Joe Biden for the 2024 elections, citing him funding wars in Ukraine and Palestine, leading to cuts in local budgets. Speaking on a live stream with her 169 million followers, the ‘Bodak Yellow’ rapper criticised the President for initiating budget cuts in library spending and sanitation, while sending massive aid packages to Ukraine and Israel.

    “I don’t give a f*** the résumé they send,” Cardi responded. “I’m not endorsing no presidents no more.”

    “Joe Biden is talking about, ‘Yeah, we can fund two wars.’ Motherfucker’s talking about, ‘We don’t got it, but we got it, we’re the greatest nation.’ No the fuck we’re not. We’re going through some shit right now. We are really, really, really f****d right now.”

    Cardi criticised the budget cut she said will worsen the sanitation in New York City “In New York, there is a $120m budget cut that’s going to affect schools, public libraries and the police department. And a $5m budget cut in sanitation … We are gonna be drowning in … rats.”

    Cardi had previously endorsed Joe Biden in the 2020 elections as a strong candidate against Republican president Donald Trump.

    Previously, the ‘WAP’ rapper went viral for shutting down an Israeli supporter who claimed Cardi was pro-Israel because she followed her TikTok account. To which the rapper responded ‘I DON’T LIKE YOU’ and unfollowed her.

    Cardi B’s criticism follows a fall in Biden’s support among American voters, with the latest poll by NBC showing the Democrat’s public approval has sank to 40 per cent now. Among the voters aged between 18-34, 70 per cent said they did not approve of Biden’s handling of the genocide of Gaza.

  • ‘Imran Khan ruined my 28-year-long marriage with Bushra’; Khawar Maneka

    ‘Imran Khan ruined my 28-year-long marriage with Bushra’; Khawar Maneka

    Khawar Maneka, the former husband of Bushra Bibi, the current wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has disclosed private details of the circumstances that led to his divorce.

    During an interview with Geo News’ ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath,’ Khawar Maneka claimed that Imran Khan used to visit his house without his consent, adding that he was not happy with the frequent meetings between Khan and his ex-wife.

    He narrated an incident where he asked his servant to escort Imran Khan out of his house when the former Prime Minister visited his home.

    He also revealed that Bushra and Imran used to talk over the phone for hours. Farah Gogi, Bibi’s close friend and the central character in an alleged corruption probe, provided them with “private cell phones” on Imran’s behest.

    Maneka further revealed that during PTI’s sit-ins in Islamabad, Bushra’s sister, Maryam Watto, arranged a meeting between his wife and Imran.

    He stated that his marriage with Bushra lasted for 28 years, and they had a happy life until Imran Khan, driven by spiritual pursuits, allegedly ruined their household.

    Maneka claimed that his mother warned him not to let Imran Khan into their house, as she considered him to be a bad person.

    However, secret phone conversations between Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi began, and they continued to communicate extensively.

    Maneka disclosed that he had his own house in Bani Gala, but Bushra Bibi used to visit Imran Khan’s house without informing him.

    According to him, six months before their divorce, Bushra Bibi left him and went to live at her own home.

    He visited her in Pakpattan and asked her to come with him but she responded in the negative.

    He claimed that one day, Farah sent him a message on the phone, asking him to divorce Bushra Bibi. Maneka said that he went to his wife, asking her if she wanted to end the marriage. When she remained silent, he sent divorce papers on November 14, 2017.

    Bushra married Imran within 1.5 months of divorce and a controversy arose regarding her Iddat period.

    Later, Farah Gogi and Zulfi Bukhari called him and requested to change the date of the divorce.

    He also claimed that Gogi and Bukhari told him to stay silent citing Imran Khan’s upcoming premiership. He perceived this as a moderate threat but later realised that they might cause harm to his children.

    Maneka emphasised that he had no knowledge of Bushra Bibi’s marriage to Imran Khan and was unaware of the development until Geo News and Dunya News broke the story, casting doubt on the authenticity of their marriage.

    He further claimed that he never used any influence, alleging that Farah Gogi and her husband Ahsan Jameel Gujjar became self-procaimed parents of his children and used all their powers to favour them.

    Interestingly, whenever Maneka was questioned with counter facts by Shahzeb, he would fumble, while appearing distressed.

    Gondal Case

    Shahzeb Khanzada then moved on to allegations of misuse of the first lady’s position by Maneka, citing the Gondal case.

    In 2018, Pakpattan’s former district police officer (DPO) Rizwan Umar Gondal’s men stopped Maneka’s car as he was travelling towards Pir Ghani on the night of August 23.

    Controversy sparked when Punjab’s former Chief Minister Usman Buzdar allegedly transferred Gondal on the complaint of Khawar Maneka.

    Police officials claimed that Maneka refused to stop at the policemen’s request and misbehaved with them.

    Subsequently, Maneka demanded that the DPO of the area should visit his dera to personally apologise to him.

    When Gondal’s transfer orders started making the rounds, it was widely speculated in news and social media that the police officer was transferred because of the August 23 episode.

    DPO Gondal revealed details of his meeting with the Punjab CM on August 24. He said Ahsan Jameel was sitting along with the CM when he was summoned to Lahore. Gondal said he then thought Jameel to be a senior official.

    Gondal said he told the Punjab CM that after police officials’ altercation with the Manekas at Pakpattan, Manika’s son Ibrahim was invited to the DPO house to redress his grievances but he refused to come.

    However, Gondal claimed, it was Jameel who addressed him in ‘an overbearing manner’ but he did not go to Maneka’s residence to offer apologies despite repeated instructions.

    “Don’t take this issue lightly. This time we may exercise restraint but the next time things shall go out of control and you all will suffer,” Gondal quoted Jameel as saying.

    When asked about this case by Shahzeb, Maneka categorically refused any use of influence or any sort of connection with Jameel.

    When asked about allegations of corruption, making money, increased assets beyond means, and a significant shift in lifestyle, Maneka claimed that everything is out in the open and he is willing to cooperate with any sort of investigation. He also credited his parents for his lifestyle.

    ‘Imran Khan denies’

    Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan’s lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat stated that Imran Khan has refuted claims made by Khawar Maneka about Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi.

    Marwat asserted that there is no legal validity of a person who gives contradictory statements and Maneka’s claims are baseless. “Khawar Maneka was also an abducted person. He was arrested under corruption charges but is being used in the iddat case for mala fide statements,” he said.

    He emphasised that Maneka’s and Khan’s opponents’ acts are inhumane, generating controversies around Khan’s kids, his marriages, his wives, and his family, and Khan’s opponents use any opportunity to malign him.

    “We could’ve said a lot of things around Junaid Safdar’s issue for political point-scoring but we believe that doing this when someone’s home is being broken is disgusting,” he said.

    He also said that anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada, who conducted Khawar Maneka’s interview, should’ve thought about his reputation before doing such an interview.

    Nawaz Sharif Reacts

    Former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, has reacted to Khawar Maneka’s recent interview where he detailed the circumstances that led to his divorce.

    Maneka’s recent interview where he detailed the circumstances that led to his divorce.

    Nawaz Sharif briefly addressed media at Islamabad High Court, where he was asked about Khawar Maneka’s revelations. When questioned if he had watched the interview, Sharif responded in the affirmative.

    The reporter then inquired about Rana Sanaullah’s remarks ‘Dur Fittay Mu’ following the interview, asking if they were accurate. In response, the former Prime Minister stated that after the statements (by Maneka), Riasat e Madina shouldn’t have been mentioned (by Imran).

    Upon further questioning about whether the real face has now been revealed and Imran’s secrets have been disclosed, Nawaz Sharif replied that he had already spoken on the matter, and subsequent to those statements, the emphasis should have been on not mentioning Riasat e Madina.

  • World Children’s Day celebrated as ‘graveyard of children’, Gaza, remains under siege

    World Children’s Day celebrated as ‘graveyard of children’, Gaza, remains under siege

    World Children’s Day is annually celebrated on November 20. The theme for this year is ‘For every child, every right’. The blatant irony is that the day is being celebrated as the children of Gaza do not even have the fundamental right to life. They are being orphaned, injured, losing limbs, burned by white phosphorus, or worse, killed. With the war entering the seventh week, almost 5000 children are dead. 1800 children are missing under the rubble, presumably dead, while 9000 are severely injured with life-changing consequences.

    One out of every 200 children in Gaza has been killed by Israeli strikes since October 7. This is like one child is killed every 10 minutes in the besieged Gaza strip.

    A report published by Save the Children published when the toll was around 4630, said that the number of deaths “surpasses the annual number of children killed across all the world’s conflict zones since 2019.” The report clearly mentioned that “no child in Gaza is safe at the moment”.

    The children who have survived will bear trauma for the rest of their lives but their imminent problems are hunger, fear, lack of shelter, hygiene.

    The New York Times, called out multiple times by critics of the war, today published its headline, ‘Graveyard of Children’. In the course of the last six weeks, the world saw a girl pushing her way out of the rubble, another bawling her eyes out searching for her mother insisting she had recognized her among the dead from her hair, a boy who lost his parents in the first bombing and his legs to the second in the hospital, children’s corpses burned and decimated, and as many as 30 crying infants who are out of incubators, walking the thin line of life and death.
    Dr Abu-Sittah told The NY Times “More and more, it seems like a war against children.”

  • In the face of indescribable cruelty, Palestinians continue displaying love for animals

    In the face of indescribable cruelty, Palestinians continue displaying love for animals

    Despite hardship and violence, Palestinians keep proving their hearts are as big as the sea. As videos go viral of displaced civilians forced to leave behind their homes and belongings during the Israeli airstrikes, one thing remains consistent: the Palestinians will never leave behind their pets.

    Several videos show Palestinians living in refugee camps and surviving with meagre rations, but still doing everything to provide for the cats and dogs being left behind. An animal rescuer by the name of Salula Animal Rescue has been going viral on Twitter, with the platform applauding him for providing shelter and food to the cats whose owners did not survive or who got lost.

    In several videos, he can be seen housing injured animals found under the rubble of bombed homes.

    In many other videos, Gazan children can be seen cuddling their cats as they take them along to escape the bombing by Israeli airstrikes.

    A man from Gaza went viral when he was seen taking his cat along with him to escape Northern Gaza.

    At a time when many experts have compared what is happening in Gaza to hell, Palestinians keep on proving they have bravery and resilience in spades.

  • PML-N rejects reports that it will change 18th Amendment

    PML-N rejects reports that it will change 18th Amendment

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) rejected a report that the party will bring changes to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, if it came back to power.

    PML-N’s manifesto committee chief, Senator Irfan Siddiqui, a close aide of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, and the party’s Information Secretary, Marriyum Aurangzeb, both have rejected the report.

    Senator Siddiqui also said that “We have not received any such recommendations.” He further stated that party leadership didn’t ever discuss the matter in internal meetings.

    “We reject the false report related to changes in the 18th Amendment,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb.

    According to a report published in DAWN today, the PML-N’s manifesto committee received several proposals, including the swing in the 18th Amendment to change the distribution structure of budget among provinces.

    “There’s a very strong feeling, rather conviction, among the party’s top leadership that the current arrangements of financial resources distribution among the provinces [under the 18th Amendment to the Constitution] has created unsustainable financial problems,” PML-N source had told the publication on the condition of anonymity.

    “So far, it’s believed that the party would not go for an outright reversal of the 18th Amendment, but it would address its key features and reshape the distribution mechanism of financial resources among the provinces. You would hopefully see it as part of the PML-N manifesto,” the source had explained.

    Two party leaders, who had spoken to the publication anonymously, had also confirmed the development.

    Earlier in the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said in April 2020 that the “18th Amendment should be revisited to run the country’s affairs effectively.”

  • Viral video about Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is actually from four kilometres away

    Viral video about Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is actually from four kilometres away

     A video going viral on the other side of the border shows a group dancing at what seems to be an event. The video was spread in India with claims that liquor and meat were served at the event in the Gurdwara Sahib. It is to be noted that meat and alcohol are strictly prohibited in Sikhism and their use is considered against the Sikh protocol. Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib is the second most holiest place for Sikhs around the world for it is believed that Guru Nanak breathed his last here.

    General Secretary, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, Jagdip Singh Kahlon called it “unacceptable”. A number of publications also posted the video quoting statements from BJP leaders like Manjinder Singh Sirsa condemning the incident.

    Reputable Journalist Shiraz Hassan debunked the news as “totally false news”. He goes on to elaborate, “The event venue was at least 4KM away from Srri Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara – the whole area is known as Kartapur and the event was organized in Doda village!”

  • ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is the hilarious Arabic Netflix comedy that is the talk of the town

    ‘Crashing Eid’ is currently dominating Netflix Pakistan and seriously, this is the comedy series we have all been waiting for. Created by Saudi filmmaker Nora Aboushousha, the family drama tackles Saudi norms with comedy and ends with the enduring message that love conquers all.

    The drama follows the hilarious and fiercely independent Razzan, a single mother who lives in Britain with her daughter Lamar. She proposes to her British-Pakistani boyfriend Sameer, under the assumption her family back home in Saudi Arabia would approve of their marriage. However, sheer hilarity breaks out when her parents refuse to recognise their engagement, and the couple tackle racial divisions, prejudice and cultural norms to get married.

    Since this series hit Netflix, it is already getting rave reviews from Pakistani users, who praised the series for not holding back on tackling the racism Pakistanis face in Arabic countries.

    “The comedy series “Crashing Eid” is a good window into Arabs’ racist tendencies, bigotry, and toxic masculinity. As someone who visited a Gulf country earlier in the year, this comedy series portrays only but the tip of the iceberg,” one user wrote.

    Speaking to Arab News, Aboushousha spoke about how she came up with the concept of the series.

    “We started off with a concept of someone who is different from their family, and that grew into this story of a single mother who returns from abroad. We started wondering, what will inspire the clash with the rest of the family? And immediately we realized, ‘oh, she should come back ready to be married to someone from outside the culture!’ Everything fell into place from there.”

  • Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    Supreme Court will hear petition against deportation of Afghan refugees

    In a significant development on Monday, the Supreme Court decided to entertain a petition challenging the government’s move to force out Afghan refugees from the country. The decision comes after the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office initially raised objections to the petition’s maintainability, putting a temporary halt on its progress.

    Despite the decision to entertain the petition, a specific date for the hearing is yet to be announced. According to sources, Justice Yahya Afridi of the Supreme Court heard the appeal against the objections in his chamber on Monday, as confirmed by a counsel for the petitioners.

    Mohsin Dawar took to X (former Twitter) and said, “We appeared before Justice Yahya Afridi for the Chamber Appeal against the Registrar’s objection on our petition against the mass deportation of Afghan Refugees. Our appeal has been accepted and the petition will be heard by the Supreme Court.”

    The petition, returned by the Supreme Court Registrar’s Office on November 8, faced objections related to its maintainability. One notable objection was the absence of a specific question of public importance regarding the enforcement of fundamental rights as guaranteed under the Constitution, warranting the invocation of Article 184(3).

    In response to the objections, the petitioners contended that their case raised critical issues pertaining to fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution. The appeal, filed by Umer Ijaz Gillani on behalf of human rights activists and politicians, argued that the issues presented in the petition are essential for safeguarding the rights guaranteed in the Constitution.

    “The issues raised in the petition are critical for securing the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution,” stated the appeal. It emphasized the need to prevent constitutional promises from becoming mere rhetoric, asserting, “The promises contained in the Constitution must never be allowed to become mere verbiage, the harbingers of false hope.”

    The petitioners include prominent figures such as Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Human rights activist Amina Masood Janjua, National Democratic Movement Chairman Mohsin Dawar, lawyer Jibran Nasir, Rohail Kasi, Syed Muaz Shah, Pastor Ghazala Parveen, lawyer Iman Zainab Mazari, Ahmad Shabbar, Advocate Imran Shafiq, Luke Victor, and Sijal Shafiq.

    The petitioners stated in their press release on Sunday, “After 18 days of eager wait and continuous legal struggle, the Supreme Court has finally fixed our Case against the Caretaker Government’s Mass Deportation drive for a preliminary hearing. The hearing will be conducted by a 1-member bench comprising Mr. Justice Yahya Afridi inside his Chamber. It is scheduled for 1:00 pm on Monday, 20th November, 2023.

    Needless to say that under Article 184(3), the principal responsibility for taking charge of the situation and preventing systemic violation of fundamental rights vests in the Court itself. The petitioners’ role is that of informants who apprise the Court about what is happening and prick its judicial conscience.

    What has been happening to scores of people since October 3, when this draconian Deportation Drive was launched by a government lacking all mandate, is clear to all and sundry. However, in order to assist the Court in discharge of its sacred duty, the counsel for the Petitioners will appear before the bench.”

    The government of Pakistan decided to deport all the illegal aliens from the country early in October.

    A vast majority of them are Afghans who were given a deadline of November 1 to leave the country voluntarily or else there would be a crackdown.

    The government has identified phases in which these Afghan immigrants will be repatriated under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    There is a large number of 1.7 million Afgan refugees which the government aims to repatriate in the first phase of the plan. More than 200,000 of them have been repatriated until now.

    Aurat March protests

    Aurat March Lahore reiterated its demand that the Government of Pakistan immediately halt deportations of Afghan refugees, during a protest on Saturday.

    The protestors further stated that the hastily imposed 1 November expulsion deadline is an authoritarian decision that exceeds the caretaker government’s limited constitutional mandate. It effectively overturned decades of refugee policy overnight without accountability or transparency.

    Furthermore, the ill-thought-out decision has resulted in the denial of Afghan refugees’ rights to liberty,due process, and, in many cases, citizenship.

    On 29 October 2023, Aurat March chapters from across the country marked their protest and addressed an open letter urging the caretaker Prime Minister, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, to reverse his decision.

    However, this caretaker government has failed to yield to these demands and has since doubled down on its decision by announcing that the second phase of deportations will be of “documented” refugees.

    Aurat March stated, “We refuse this insidious distinction between “documented” and “undocumented” refugees; all refugees have the non-derogable right to non-refoulement and deserve support, not persecution.”

  • ‘Gunjal’; What is it about and when is it releasing? We have the details

    ‘Gunjal’; What is it about and when is it releasing? We have the details

    Upcoming thriller ‘Gunjal’ is the talk of the town, a film that promises to revive the industry with an insight into the crisis of child abuse in Pakistan. The film boasts of a star-studded cast with the likes of Ahmed Ali Akbar, Resham, Ahmed Ali Butt, Samiya Mumtaz and Amna Ilyas. The team behind ‘Gunjal’ was present at the prelaunch event held at University of Management and Technology (UMT) where we got some interesting details about the film, including the wholesome reason why Resham wanted to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.

    When is ‘Gunjal’ releasing?

    Gunjal will release in theatres across Pakistan on 8th December.

    What roles will Ahmed Ali Akbar and Resham be playing?

    Ahmed Ali Akbar will be playing the role of journalist Shahbaz Bhatti, who investigates the murder of prolific child activist Iqbal Masih. Speaking at the event, Ahmed opened up about his reason for choosing the role.

    “Gunjal is inspired by the life of a prolific child activist and is an insight into the trials and tribulations of Iqbal Masih and what he went through, and the conditions he was working in under and the events that took place. It’s also about the life of a regular person who overtime, through the eyes of Iqbal Masih, starts to see things that are very common around us, yet we don’t notice them.”

    “It’s about the rights of children… and is inspired by Iqbal Masih’s legacy,” stressed Ahmed. “It’s very relevant, on what Iqbal wanted to accomplish, it was relevant then and is still now. It’s happening in front of us. So I feel it is our duty but it takes time to act upon it.”

    Resham said her role in ‘Gunjal’ was quite different from her previous films. She plays Sarwat, the founder of a newspaper ‘Nai Subh’. Resham explained that her character tries to ensure her journalistic stories are focused on truth and justice.

    The sweet reason behind why Resham wanted to work on Gunjal: Ahmed Ali Akbar

    Resham also shared the sweet reason that propelled her to take part in the film, revealing it was her desire to work with Ahmed Ali Akbar.

    “I had watched all of ‘Parizaad’ from that point on I really wanted to work with him. While Ahmed’s drama was airing I didn’t watch it because I was suffering from depression and had lost a lot friends. Then I decided to watch all the episodes on Youtube. After finishing it, I made a prayer to Allah while watching alone, that I hoped to work with this man some day. Two-and-a-half months later the film’s director Shoaib sahab reached out and asked if I would act in his film. I asked who would be the hero, and he said ‘Ahmed Ali Akbar’. I said ‘The Parizaad one!’ and was overjoyed!”

    Resham shared she had watched the last episode of Parizaad with Ahmed, which she said she was extremely lucky for. “Despite the fact that I’m his senior, but I’m still a huge fan of his.”

  • ‘You can be Indian and also support the country of your birth’; Glenn Maxwell’s wife responds to haters

    ‘You can be Indian and also support the country of your birth’; Glenn Maxwell’s wife responds to haters

    Glenn Maxwell guided Australia into the World Cup semi-final with a stunning double century against Afghanistan, even if the physical effects were “horrific”.

    Australia were all but beaten at 91-7, chasing 292 for victory in Mumbai on November 7.

    But Maxwell snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a remarkable 201 not out, only the third double-hundred in World Cup history.

    Who is Glenn Maxwell’s wife?

    Vini Raman was born in Australia on March 3, 1993.

    Vini’s parents migrated from India to Melbourne. She traces her roots back to South India.

    Vini pursued graduated in medical science and is a pharmacist by profession.

    Glenn Maxwell and Vini Raman’s love story began when they first met at a Melbourne Stars event in 2013. Their paths crossed in the world of cricket, sparking the beginning of a special connection.

    Speculation about their relationship started when Vini posted a picture with Glenn Maxwell in August 2017. The photo, though captionless, hinted at a close connection, and fans began to take notice.

    Vini married Glenn Maxwell as per Christian rituals on March 18, 2022, in Australia before tying the knot again in a traditional Tamil wedding on March 27 in Chennai.

    Vini and Maxwell welcomed a baby boy on September 15, naming him Logan Maverick Maxwell.

    What are Indian fans doing to Raman?

    The Australian team won a record-extending sixth cricket World Cup title in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

    Indian cricket fans are targeting Raman for supporting Australia and celebrating their win.

    She posted a public service announcement on her Instagram account, “Can’t believe this needs to be said BUT you can be Indian and also support the country of your birth where you have been raised and more importantly the team your husband + father of your child plays in #nobrainer take a chill pill and direct that outrage towards more important world issues.”

    Here are some of the hate comments The Current’s team found on her profile.