Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Karma is a queen: Swifties rejoice after Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato part ways with Scooter Braun

    Karma is a queen: Swifties rejoice after Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato part ways with Scooter Braun

    Look what you made her do

    If anything has been proved by history time and time again: Taylor Swift gets the last word, always.

    In 2019, the singer made international headlines when she publicly called out the owner of her former record label Big Machine Records, Scott Borchetta, for selling the masters of her first six albums to Scooter Braun. In a long Tumbler post, the singer detailed how she had pleaded for a chance to own her original work, but it was sold to a man who she described as an “incessant, manipulative bully”. Her musical legacy was about to “lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.”

    “Like when Kim Kardashian orchestrated an illegally recorded snippet of a phone call to be leaked and then Scooter got his two clients together to bully me online about it. (See photo) Or when his client, Kanye West, organized a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked. Now Scooter has stripped me of my life’s work, that I wasn’t given an opportunity to buy. Essentially, my musical legacy is about to lie in the hands of someone who tried to dismantle it.”

    The disagreements surrounding the masters between Taylor and her former record label and Scooter led on for a while, and the ‘Vigilante S***” singer was banned from playing her old music at the 2019 American Music Awards, and then from her Netflix documentary ‘Miss Americana’ (2019).

    Afterwards, in October 2020 Swift publicly expressed her distaste at Scooter selling her masters once more to Shamrock Holdings for $405 million without her approval. She later announced that she would be rerecording all six albums in order to gain complete ownership over them, and has so far released three of the six albums including Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) to release in October.

    It seemed like Tay-voodo began getting after Scooter Braun right away because since 2021, he was hit with a $200 million lawsuit in June by Peter Comisar, the vice chairman of investment banking at Guggenheim Securities, accused the businessman of fraud and breach of contract. Afterwards, his divorce to wife of seven years, Yael Cohen, who also publicly supported Scooter during his feud with Taylor, and called the singer a bully. Some Swifties even theorised that the track ‘Mad Woman’ from Taylor’s album ‘Folklore’ indirectly addressed Scooter’s cheating on his wife.

    Now, speculations are rife that some of music executive’s biggest clients like Justin Bieber, had parted ways with him, although it was shut down by sources speaking to Page Six.

    However, on Tuesday BBC has reported that pop singers Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato have parted ways with Braun and are both seeking new managers, firmly shutting any one down who thinks the woman who wrote ‘Karma’ was even joking about it.

    Since this news hit social media, Swifties lauded the popstar for publicly revealing the truth about Scooter and his corrupt nature before anyone else had, remaining steadfast in her truth despite the bullying she had to endure.

  • Pakistani rupee declines to new historic low of Rs299 per US dollar

    Pakistani rupee declines to new historic low of Rs299 per US dollar

    The Pakistani rupee continued its downward trend on Tuesday, closing at an all-time low of Rs299.0070 against the US dollar. This represents a decline of 0.63 per cent or Rs1.873.

    On Monday, the rupee continued to struggle against the US dollar, closing at Rs297.13. This drop in value is due to several reasons. One is the country’s current account deficit, which has widened because it’s now easier to open letters of credit. This change has affected the availability of foreign exchange, putting pressure on the rupee’s value in the local market.

    Another factor is the lack of foreign exchange coming into the country. This shortage has also contributed to the rupee’s decline.

    Experts say that the increase in import payments is tied to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demand to remove import restrictions. This has led to a higher demand for the US dollar.

    Political uncertainty is also playing a role in the rupee’s decline. There are concerns that the general elections might be delayed. This delay could also mean a hold-up in fulfilling promises made to the IMF and other international lenders. With a caretaker government in place, questions arise about who will invest in and lend money to the country.

    To add to these challenges, there’s a need to bridge the gap between the rates in the inter-bank and open markets, which has been getting wider lately.

  • FIA arrests harasser, Iqra University denies any connection

    FIA arrests harasser, Iqra University denies any connection

    Iqra University Islamabad has denied association with its former director Rizwan Barri. 

    The Current has received an official email from Iqra University in which they denied any connection with Barri. 

    The university has claimed that Barri procured his appointment at Iqra University on 11 October, 2022 through “fraud and misrepresentation” based on fake educational documents and degrees. Five months later, on March 10, 2023, he was terminated from the university. They claim that the on-going case pertains to conduct committed in his personal capacity and has nothing to do with Iqra Univeristy.

    On August 20, however, 24 News, Jang News, and PNN reported the case and referred to Rizwan Barri as the director of Iqra University. It was reported that he was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on charges of harassing female students.

    As per FIA sources, Barri had made an email address as well as social media accounts in the name of a girl. By pretending to be a girl on social media, he sent objectionable content to several people.

    The case was registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) Act and further investigations were underway.

    Source: PNN

    According to PNN news, Director Rizwan Bari had harassed more than 70 female students and resultantly, some girls left their degree midway due to the constant blackmail. Despite these cases, Barri continued to work there.

    When asked about Barri’s exact job description during his appointment at Iqra University, the university refused to provide the information.

  • Here’s why cricketer Imam ul Haq’s parents don’t go to his matches

    Here’s why cricketer Imam ul Haq’s parents don’t go to his matches

    Pakistani cricketer Imam-ul-Haq recently went on Daniyal Sheikh’s podcast where he made a heart breaking confession about his family. He said that consistent taunts by spectators during matches has prevented his family members from watching him play live at stadiums.

    The cricket star made his ODI debut in 2017 in Abu Dhabi in a match against Sri Lanka. At the time, his uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq, a former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, was the team’s chief selector. Imam’s selection sparked controversy, leading to fans of the sport taunting the player with the term ‘parchi’.

    Reflecting on the bullying comments during the podcast, Imam said during the early years of his career, people used to approach him at restaurants to taunt him with ‘parchi’

    “During 2017-2020 when I used to go to dinner with my family, people would approach me and call me ‘parchi’ to my face,” he said.

    Imam went on to explain that because of these taunts, to this day, his parents have never watched him play in cricket stadiums:

    “They really want to come and watch me play, but I’m just scared- this is the first time I’m talking about this. But when I’m standing on the boundary, I don’t want my mother to listen to the taunt ‘parchi’ in the stadium. If I was batting and I was out, it wouldn’t matter if I had played better before or not, while going back I would hear taunts of ‘parchi’.”

    Since the clip was shared by cricketandstuff on X, formerly Twitter, social media users have expressed their dismay at how the cricketer has suffered relentless bullying yet manages to remain dedicated to the game.

    Ali Tareen wrote:

    “Heartbreaking to hear such an accomplished player never being able to invite his parents to see him live. Just so he can protect them from hearing their son being abused.”

  • Govt collects Rs75 billion from consumers in one month through petroleum levy

    The Pakistani government collected a significant sum of Rs75 billion in revenue from the petroleum levy (PL) in July 2023. This levy is a crucial income source because it’s not part of the divisible pool. The increase in the petrol levy to Rs55 per litre has driven this boost in revenue.

    If this pattern continues for the remaining 11 months of the fiscal year, the government could surpass its ambitious budget target for the petroleum levy. The target of Rs869 billion might be exceeded by a notable Rs31 billion.

    In July, the first month of the fiscal year, petroleum consumption decreased by 6 per cent compared to the same month in the previous fiscal year. However, when we look at the month-to-month basis, petroleum product consumption remained constant in July 2023 compared to the previous month.

    An anonymous source from the Petroleum Division, speaking to Brecorder, expressed the government’s concern about the potential decline in consumption. Such a decline could jeopardise meeting the budget goals. However, the government has a plan in place. If needed, the petroleum levy could be increased to Rs60 per litre, which is the maximum limit according to an agreement with the IMF under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA) and the Finance Act 2023–24.

    Predictions for the current month point to a collection of Rs70 billion from the petroleum levy due to recent price increases of Rs17.50 per litre for petrol and Rs20 per litre for high-speed diesel (HSD).

    The government has committed, under the ongoing IMF SBA, to gradually raising the levy rate to an average of Rs55 per litre over the fiscal year. This strategic move is estimated to bring in an additional Rs79 billion. Currently, the government enforces a petroleum levy of Rs55 per litre on petrol and Rs50 per litre on HSD.

    Keep in mind that any rise in the petroleum levy on fuel products could lead to inflation, increasing transportation costs for goods and people as well as input expenses for various sectors.

    Oil industry experts speculate that gasoline prices might increase further by the end of the month. This projected increase is mainly due to the ongoing depreciation of the Pakistani rupee against the US dollar, which is likely to reduce gasoline consumption.

    In the last fiscal year, the government collected Rs580 billion from the petroleum levy, falling short of the Rs855 billion target by Rs275 billion.

    During the first quarter of the fiscal year 2022–23 (July–September 2022), the collection of the petroleum levy was Rs47.476 billion. This lower amount was due to the lower levy rates of Rs10 on petrol and Rs5 on HSD. Subsequently, collections increased significantly to Rs177.805 billion in the first two quarters (July–December) and further to Rs362.480 billion in the first three quarters (July–March 2023) of the previous fiscal year.

    It’s noteworthy that total consumption of petroleum products dropped by 27 per cent year-on-year in the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2023. Consumption decreased from 22.6 million metric tonnes in the fiscal year 2021–22 to 16.61 million metric tonnes in 2022–23 (July–June).

  • ‘Pray for forgiveness’: The Nun is taking Warner Bros to court

    ‘Pray for forgiveness’: The Nun is taking Warner Bros to court

    Looks like The Nun doesn’t just haunt abandoned abbeys, she can also become a nightmare for film producers when they neglect to give her fair financial compensation.

    Bonnie Aarons, the actress who played the creepy demonic sister from the horror franchise ‘The Nun’, is taking Warner Bros to court for not providing her with the fair share of earnings from the film’s merchandise.

    According to the lawsuit filed on August 15 in Los Angeles, the contract signed between Aarons and Warner Bros stated she would receive $71,000 from the the film ‘The Nun’ which released in 2018, along with box office bonuses, but the studio missed out on a key part stated in the actor’s contract:  the right to receive “gross receipts from merchandise” featuring her likeness as the demon nun. 

    Aarons had featured in the film ‘The Conjuring’ where she played the demon Valak, then went on to reprise her role in the film ‘The Nun’ which became a box office hit, grossing around $365 million worldwide. A sequel, ‘The Nun 2’, is releasing across theatres in a few weeks.

    The suit has argued that Warner Bros exploited Aarons by refusing to give her the complete amount they had made from the merchandise of ‘The Nun’:

    “Instead of accounting and paying in a transparent fashion, Warner Bros. obscures and hides the true amount of Ms. Aarons’ rightful share of merchandising revenues, all while continuing to exploit her,” the suit reads.

    It noted that Aarons had not relied on prosthetics to don the role of the terrifying creature, but it was the actor’s particular features that boosted merchandise. A significant portion of the merchandise alludes to Valak, as she’s the most popular character from The Conjuring cinematic universe.

    The shocking revelations of actors exploited by studios has arrived in the light of the SAG-AFTRA strikes currently happening across Hollywood, as actors and writers have together protested against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers regarding contracts and low residuals offered despite how popular franchises had gotten. Actor Mara Wilson, who had been the lead of the popular movie ‘Matilda’ and then ‘Mrs Doubtfire’, took to Twitter to reveal she was never able to make enough to qualify for SAG-AFTRA healthcare.

    “I haven’t acted much as an adult, but I WAS on a recurring character on one of the most critically acclaimed animated shows of all time, as well playing an actual Disney villain. But thanks to streaming, I have never once made enough to qualify for SAG-AFTRA healthcare.”

    Actress Mandy Moore, who starred in the critically acclaimed series ‘This Is Us’ shocked social media users when she revealed her residuals amounted up to 81 cents only.

  • ‘World stop’: Fawad, Mahira’s photoshoot for Fawad’s wife’s brand mesmerises Twitter

    Aur kitni baar Mahira aur Fawad humara dil jeetain gay? The duo, who can make a simple seven second video exude more chemistry than all the high budget Bollywood love stories put together, has once more joined hands to win hearts again. Their recent photoshoot for the brand Sadaf Fawad Khan has won X (formerly Twitter) over.

    A few days ago, Mahira shared a seven-second video of her walking towards Fawad. The clip spread like wildfire across social media. Clearly the two know how much power they hold over the generation that loved Khirad and Ashar.

    The duo look exquisite posing for the campaign ‘Phir Milenge’, with Mahira wearing a red blouse and matching lengha adorned with silver patterns, pairing it with silver jewelry. Her hair is pulled back in a bun. Fawad wears a grey kurta with matching pajamas.

    Since the photoshoot was released on social media, Twitter users are going wild. Fawad and Mahira continue to hold a place in our hearts and will do so for a long time ahead.

    They’ll forever be THAT couple.

  • X fixes ‘glitch’ causing disappearance of pre-2014 images and media

    X fixes ‘glitch’ causing disappearance of pre-2014 images and media

    The social media giant X, previously known as Twitter, has acknowledged a significant glitch that led to the disappearance of images and other media links dating back to before 2014. The company has confirmed that the bug has been rectified, and the issue is expected to be completely resolved in the upcoming days.

    In a recent communication, X Support stated, “During the weekend, we encountered a bug that prevented the display of images from the period preceding 2014. It’s important to note that no images or data were permanently lost due to this issue. We have successfully addressed the bug, and its full resolution is anticipated shortly.”

    While no official confirmation has been provided, there is speculation that the bug could be attributed to the transition of domains from Twitter.com to X.com.

    The glitch on the X platform also had an impact on one of the most iconic tweets shared on the platform by Ellen DeGeneres, the host of the 2014 Oscars. This particular tweet, captured after the Oscars, featured a star-studded selfie including personalities like Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Brad Pitt, and Meryl Streep, among others. The comedian accompanied the 2014 Oscars selfie with the caption, “If only Bradley’s arm was longer. Best photo ever.”

    Interestingly, amid the ‘bug’ issue, one of the few posts that remained unaffected was the well-known tweet by Barack Obama following his victory in the 2012 election. The post featured an image of Obama and his wife Michelle, accompanied by the caption, “Four more years.”

    Initial reports suggest that the glitch appears to be linked to tweets posted after December 2014. This timing coincides with changes made by the social media platform in 2016, when it introduced ‘enhanced URL enrichment’ to enable previews for linked websites and native attachments, a feature that extended beyond the platform’s original 140-character limit.

  • ‘Shaadi kay din hi, I knew something was wrong’: Firdous Ashiq Awan addresses Sania-Shoaib Malik divorce rumors

    Cricketer Shoaib Malik and his wife, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza, have been one of the most popular public couples since they tied the knot in 2013. However, in recent months, rumours of the couple contemplating divorce have picked up pace. Previously, the rumor mill went into hyperdrive when Shoaib Malik removed Sania Mirza’s name from his Instagram bio, and now politician Firdous Ashiq Awan has added fuel to the fire.

    In a recent appearance on the show ‘Hasna Mana Hai’, the former Information Minister, who had attended the couple’s lavish wedding in Hyderabad, said that at the reception she got a gut feeling that the marriage won’t work out.

    Awan said that on the day she, along with the family, arrived in Hyderabad to meet Sania’s family, she had whispered in Shoaib’s ear “Puttar, bara bura phas gaya hai. [Son, you are badly stuck ]”

    Awan said her intuition was based on the situation she saw. Although the two had a love marriage, and had tried to make their marriage work by deciding to live in Dubai rather than Pakistan or India. But Awan said what she witnessed during the wedding made her realise the marriage won’t work.

    “Jab tak mohabbat ka bhoot sawar hai,” the politician joked. “Ye chalay ga.”

    The couple have not made any public announcements about separation or divorce, and are currently hosting ‘The Mirza Malik show’ on Express Entertainment.

  • Caretaker govt decides to transfer ownership of electricity distribution companies to provinces

    Caretaker govt decides to transfer ownership of electricity distribution companies to provinces

    The caretaker government has issued an order for the transfer of ownership of electricity distribution companies to the provinces.

    To accomplish this, the caretaker prime minister has granted approval to submit the summary to the federal cabinet. A decision has been reached to overhaul the existing system concerning the sale, distribution, and pricing of electricity under the caretaker federal government’s jurisdiction.

    As a result of this federal government directive, the practise of implementing a uniform electricity tariff across the nation will be discontinued. Instead, the responsibility for determining electricity rates and providing subsidies will be entrusted to the respective provinces.

    In line with these developments, the Hyderabad and Sukkur Electric Supply Company will come under the ownership of Sindh, while the ownership of the Quetta Electric Company will be transferred to Balochistan, according to HUM News.

    Likewise, the Lahore Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Multan Electric Supply companies will be transferred to the ownership of Punjab. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company will be jointly owned by Punjab and the Federation, while the Peshawar and Tribal Area Electric Supply Company will be under the ownership of KP.

    As per official documents, a comprehensive policy framework has been formulated for the transfer of distribution company ownership to the provinces. This move is motivated by challenges such as electricity theft and revenue losses, which have placed a strain on the national treasury.