Tag: trending

  • Biden offers support to Uighur Muslim minority this Ramzan

    Biden offers support to Uighur Muslim minority this Ramzan

    With the start of Ramzan, United States (US) President Joe Biden has expressed solidarity with the Uighur minority in China, which his country says is being subjected to genocide by the Chinese communist authorities.

    “Together with our partners, the United States stands in solidarity with Muslims who continue to face oppression, including Uighurs in the People’s Republic of China, Rohingya in Burma, and other Muslim communities facing persecution around the world,” Biden said in a statement on Thursday. He did not mention the Muslim community in India.

    “During this sacred time of reflection, the United States also reaffirms our support to Muslim communities suffering hardships and devastation,” Biden said, referring to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, and flood victims in Pakistan.

    According to rights groups, Uighurs are subjected to mass imprisonment in forced labour camps and banned from expressing their cultural norms. Beijing has denied all allegations, stating the ethnic minority is not being repressed and that any security measures in the region are a response to terrorism threats.

  • Rahul Gandhi sentenced to two years in jail for speaking against Modi

    Rahul Gandhi sentenced to two years in jail for speaking against Modi

    Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been found guilty of defaming Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi by a court in western India and sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday.

    He was given bail and the sentence was suspended for 30 days.

    The criminal defamation case was filed against Gandhi by a leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after a speech during the 2019 general election in which he referred to the surname Modi and asked how all thieves had the surname.

    However, he said that he had made the comment to highlight corruption and not against any community.

    Modi’s government has been widely accused of using the defamation law to target and silence critics. Gandhi faces at least two other defamation cases elsewhere in the country.

    It is pertinent to mention that despite wide-spread accusations of promoting hatred against Muslims, with increasing attacks against the community, Modi is the most popular politician in India by a substantial margin.

    It is expected that in 2024, Gandhi will stand against Modi for prime ministership.

  • Sofia Coppola’s daughter crowned ‘Nepo baby of the year’ after TikTok goes viral

    Director Sofia Coppola and her husband singer Thomas Mars are known for being a power couple in Hollywood. The notoriously private pair have two daughters. Coppola, who is the daughter of ‘The Godfather’ director, Francis Ford Coppola, revealed in an interview that she wants her daughters to live a normal childhood without the pressures of fame.

    Yesterday, Coppola’s daughter, Romy Mars, took social media by storm with a 50 second TikTok video where she revealed that her parents had grounded her after she tried to board a helicopter from New York to Maryland in order to visit her camp friend. She also further revealed her babysitter’s boyfriend in the video who was helping her make a pasta, and called them her “replacement parents”, because Coppola and Mars were never around.

    Although the video has since been deleted, Twitter users are crowning Mars as “nepo baby of the year” and saying that the video was proof that the powerful storytelling capabilities of Coppola and her father are reflected through her.

  • PM, president awaken spirit of service as nation celebrates Pakistan Day

    Amidst political turmoil, the 83rd Pakistan Day is being celebrated on Thursday.

    Pakistan Day is the celebration of the passing of the Lahore Resolution on March 23, 1940, when the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate nation for the Muslims of the British Indian Empire.

    According to Radio Pakistan, the day started off with a 31-gun salute in the federal capital and a 21-gun salute in provincial capitals.

    A change of guards ceremony was also held at the mausoleums of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal in Karachi and Lahore, respectively.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif gave a message to the country, urging the nation to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the country’s founding fathers but stressed not to lose sight of the challenges staring the country in the face.

    “The challenges are topped by a combination of economic instability and the inability to settle the rules of the game. An environment of political chaos explains why we have failed to develop our economy on a sustainable basis,” said the PM.

    The premier said that for Pakistan to “achieve great heights”, the countrymen will “have to forge unity in our ranks, equip ourselves with national purpose and vow to wage a struggle in line with the legacy of our forefathers”.

    “Today the nation pays homage to Pakistan’s founding fathers for their political wisdom, sagacity & determination to wage a relentless struggle for a separate homeland,” the premier tweeted.

    In his message to the nation, President Dr Arif Alvi recalled that the country established state institutions, made its defence impregnable, achieved nuclear deterrence, curbed terrorism, overcame the Covid-19 pandemic, and displayed the spirit of sacrifice and cooperation in the face of natural calamities.

    However, he said, we still have a long way to go to ensure the rule of law, strengthen democracy, reduce inequalities in our society, empower women, provide the rights of persons with disabilities, eradicate terrorism and extremism, ensure the political and economic stability of the country, and protect the human rights of our citizens.

    Today, we pay tribute to the founding fathers of our nation whose struggles and sacrifices led to the creation of Pakistan, he said.

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also conveyed his wishes to the citizens on the occasion.

    In a tweet posted on Thursday, he wished for the country to “grow, prosper and thrive in peace and harmony consistent with the vision of our founding fathers”.

  • Twitter users, activists condemn Mahira Khan, Anwar Maqsood’s sexist remarks about Maryam Nawaz, Marriyum Aurangzeb

    Social media was enraged yesterday at the comments made by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator Afnan Ullah Khan who remarked that Mahira Khan had mental health problems and Anwar Maqsood was a drunkard, in a tweet which celebrities and feminist activists slammed as sexist.

    What had prompted this reaction? It was a conversation at a session titled ‘An Evening With Mahira Khan’ held at the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi. In a clip that went viral, Mahira Khan was seen commenting about two females fighting and poisoning each other. To which Maqsood responded by saying that these two women were PML-N leaders Marriyum Aurangzeb and Maryam Nawaz.

    “I am restricted from talking about politics, I can’t say anything about anyone. Hopefully the situation will get better soon. What you said about poisoning, abusing each other so I gave an example, it is also happening in real life. Also both are actors, not character actors.”

    Can we condemn the disparaging comment made by the PML-N senator, whose party is currently under the leadership of a woman, and is also the one ruling the country? Absolutely, because how a politician comments about their critics reveals how thin-skinned and shallow-minded they are, especially when the critic is a woman.

    But to completely sideline the fact that Khan, who has been outspoken about gender inequality and the need to improve the way media represents women on screens, especially sitting next to a renowned leftist screen writer, could resort to making sexist jokes about female politicians whose views she doesn’t agree with? Twitter users could not over look this fact, and criticised Khan’s sexist behavior for directly targeting female politicians of the opposite party as a way to score points.

    Feminist activist Leena Ghani mentioned that it was male politicians who are consistently over-emotional, and behave in a horrible manner, but it’s astounding why Khan chose to overlook them and target Aurangzeb and Nawaz

    The Twitter page of Aurat March condemned Khan’s and Maqsood’s comments as ‘cringe’

    Twitter users like journalist Gharidah Farooqi criticised these comments as ‘shameful’:

    Zebunnisa Burki criticised both Khan and Maqsood for making such disgusting comments

    Another user wrote that it wasn’t proper for a woman to mock another woman politician in this manner

  • ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    ‘Check on your loved ones’: Celebrities are praying for followers after magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolts Pakistan

    On Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.5 earthquake jolted Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

    The powerful jolts killed nine while 44 were injured, according to Al-Jazeera.

    Celebrities across Pakistan urged their followers to take necessary precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.

    During an earthquake, please remember to wear proper shoes and exit your home to prevent any injuries from the jolts, and stay on open ground until the situation is safe.

    Actor Saba Qamar sent her prayers and wished for everyone to stay safe:

    Cricket captain Babar Azam urged his followers to take care of their loved ones

    Pakistan cricket player Shaheen Afridi prayed that everyone remained safe during the earthquake

    Actor Mahira Khan wrote on her Instagram stories that she was praying for everyone’s safety.

  • ‘We need more men like him’: Writer behind ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ revealed why she wrote Saad as a non-toxic character

    Saad from the drama ‘Mujhe Pyar Hua Tha’ has won the nation’s heart for breaking stereotypes that are associated with the toxic male lead in Pakistani dramas, and being an attentive husband and care giver to the female lead, Maheer (played by Hania Amir).
    Twitter users have praised Wahaj Ali for brilliantly portraying the sensitive and caring Saad, and how at every step he has remained a character who was fearlessly devoted to his wife, and was a dedicated son to his parents.

    The writer behind the iconic drama, Sidra Sahar Imran, gave an interview to Fuchsia magazine where she opened up about the character of Saad, and why she felt that it was important to address the toxic double standards in our society that shame men for showing emotions or for being ‘kind-hearted’:

    “I had observed that often romance novels will depict the girl as the sati savitri who will sacrifice all that she has, but I used to think that men also exist in our society why can’t we depict them the same way?”

    Looking at the feedback Saad’s character was receiving, Imran said that most people were shocked.

    “I can see that mostly people are shocked that a man like Saad is acting this way. Because we are so used to men not being able to tolerate a lot of abuse. Our society cannot understand the fact that men should be sensitive and soft-spoken, since we are used to the standards telling them to be tough and loud. In our male-dominant society, we encourage men that to be a real man, they need to be aggressive and out-spoken to prove their worth. But there are a lot of men like Saad out there and I wanted to write a character like him.”

    Imran also revealed that there was a way she could have catered to these expectations after Maheer and Saad’s marriage, and demonstrate his anger and possessiveness but she refused:

    “I didn’t want my character to act in this manner, after coming a long way. He will not cater to such toxic standards about what a real man is.”

  • What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    What was happening when the earthquake came in Pakistan?

    A powerful 6.8 magnitude earthquake jolted parts of Pakistan on Tuesday night.

    The epicentre of the earthquake was Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region, while its depth was 180 kilometres, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    According to reports, tremors were felt in Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, DI Khan, Swabi, Bahawalpur, Quetta, Parachinar, Skardu and other cities of the country. 

    The tremors continued for 30 seconds, and people came out of their homes in panic.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif ordered the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and other institutions to be ready to deal with any emergency.

    Below are scenes as to what was happening in different parts of the country when the earthquake came in Pakistan.

  • A couple got married during Taylor Swift’s concert

    Taylor Swift being the icon and queen she is, has curated a safe space in her concerts for everyone to dance and cry to her music, and now it is even permissible to get married during her shows.

    A clip of one of her concerts held in Glendale on March 18 went viral on social media. A couple were seen getting married during the ‘Seven’ spoken version.

    Speaking to Rolling Stone, the bride René Hurtado revealed the reason why she and her husband, Max Bochman, had chosen to get married during Swift’s concert:

    “It was really thrilling and exciting. I’m so glad that we did it. It was really special, and the timing during the concert was so beautiful.”

    On the reason why they chose to recite their wedding vows during “Seven”, Hurtado revealed that it was quite a significant song for them:

    “We pretty much had the best seat in the house, she added. “It was a really wonderful experience. Our section was so supportive and sweet to us when they saw what we were doing.”

    Since the past two days, Taylor’s concerts have featured all kinds of spectacular moments which only prove that she is breaking global records of the most highly rated tour anyone has ever witnessed.

    At the first concert, which was held in Glendale on 17th March, during the performance of Love Story, a couple went viral for getting engaged during the iconic bridge of the song.

    Another moment showed a guest service employee dancing to ‘Blank Space’ along with the rest of the audience.

    Us international Swifties can just sob into our pillows while watching livestreams, witnessing a powerful singer inspire other people to live their best moments in these wholesome ways.

  • Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Khan agrees to sit with rivals for ‘greater national consensus’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has agreed to sit with rival political parties for “greater national consensus” on elections.

    To try and defuse political tensions in the country, a delegation of civil society members called on the former prime minister on Tuesday evening. Calling themselves “mediators”, the group convinced Khan to agree to talks.

    Speaking about the matter, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said, “The civil society has spoken to Imran Khan and he has agreed to be part of the multi-party conference (MPC) to develop a consensus on the elections date and the process that leads to polls.”

    Speaking with Dawn, an individual who was part of the meeting said, “The civil society initiative and its acceptance by Imran Khan has come after some of the [party] leaders realised that the current confrontational strategy had the former ruling party in a bind.”

     “We are ready to talk to everyone for elections. We are peaceful people, with only one demand: hold elections,” said Pervaiz Khattak, former defence minister.

    The Pakistan Bar Council has agreed to host the MPC if “major political parties respond to this call”.