Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • You wouldn’t believe what profession Inspector Vivek of ‘CID’ ended up in

    You wouldn’t believe what profession Inspector Vivek of ‘CID’ ended up in

    If you were among the millions of South Asians who adored watching the investigative series ‘CID’, then some of you might remember Inspector Vivek. The murder investigation team was a fan favourite, launching countless memes memes like Daya breaking down every door, ACP Pradyuman’s hilarious hand gestures.

    Now, Twitter users have discovered that the actor, Viivek Mashru, who played Inspector Vivek on the show, has now changed professions by getting a PhD and working as a design professor for the University of Benglaru.

    The tweet that broke the news went on to receive atleast 5.2 million views and even got acknowledgment from Mashru himself, who thanked fans for their love and generosity.

  • Kajol says she can’t act sexy or sharmeeli

    Kajol says she can’t act sexy or sharmeeli

    Bollywood actress Kajol just announced her comeback on Netflix’s ‘Lust Stories 2’ which is directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma, and opened up about how there are two things completely impossible for her to portray: being sexy or shy.

    “There are two things, the word sexy and the word ‘sharam’, I can’t relate with these emotions. When somebody tells me I have to bat my eyelids and act coy, I can’t comprehend it. I don’t understand the emotion, but if you give me a set of features to move in a particular way, I get that.”

    The daughter of the actress Tanuja and director Shomu Mukherjee recalled shooting the song “Hothon Pe Bas Tera Naam Hai” for the film ‘Ye Dillagi’ with Saif Ali Khan, and how the late choreographer threatened to hit her because she and Khan couldn’t stop giggling during a sensous scene.

    “Everyone’s idea of lust is different. It’s a subjective emotion, more than an objectively explained one,” she said. Asked if she has ever been able to portray this emotion on screen, Kajol said, “I’ve never been able to. Most of the time I depend on my directors. You have to see how much Saroj ji wanted to slap us… On ‘Hothon Pe Bas…’ Saroj ji wanted to hit us. Saif and I couldn’t stop laughing. She’d say, ‘You aren’t taking this seriously, you’re ill-mannered kids’.”

  • ‘Epic’: Twitter lauds acapella group for singing song written by Muslim for Modi’s arrival at White House

    ‘Epic’: Twitter lauds acapella group for singing song written by Muslim for Modi’s arrival at White House

    Two days ago, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the US White House, a video went viral of the all-Indian acapella group Penn Masala sang ‘Jashn-e-Bahara’ in celebration of his arrival. Many Twitter users interpreted this as a clever diss to the controversial politician over his Islamophobic government, and also as a direct response to Biden who revealed that he will not talk to the Indian Prime Minister about human right violations during his visit.

    ‘Jashn-e-Bahara’ is an Urdu song written by the Muslim artists A.R Rehman and Javed Akhtar, and was sung by Javed Ali. The song was featured in the film ‘Jodhaa Akbar’, a movie about the marriage between the Mughal Emperor Akbar and his Hindu wife Jodha.

    Twitter users lauded this discreet but clever way to troll a secular and facist politcian, who has been criticised by American politicians like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who announced that they were boycotting Modi’s address to Congress, citing the politician’s abysmal human right’s record, as well as his erosion of religious freedom in India.

    Some also felt that the song was an indirect target towards the Indian government’s move to remove chapters from school textbooks on Mughal rulers.

    https://twitter.com/onlynina/status/1671905008017629185?s=20
    https://twitter.com/pramitheus/status/1671894369060933632?s=20

    One user wrote: “The irony of an urdu song from a film glorifying mughal emperor Akbar.”

  • Government ministers openly refusing to obey Supreme Court: Imran Khan

    Government ministers openly refusing to obey Supreme Court: Imran Khan

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has said in a tweet that government ministers are openly refusing to follow the orders of the Supreme Court, calling it the law of the jungle.

    “If anyone had any doubts about the law of the jungle prevailing in Pakistan where might is right, all those doubts should be removed after the recent statements of the government ministers openly refusing to obey the SC verdict if its against military courts. It also reflects the PDM’s desperation to avoid elections and hide behind the establishment,” the former Prime Minister wrote in a tweet posted on Saturday afternoon.

    After May 9 riots, it has been decided that those involved in the attacks on military installations will be tried in military courts.
    https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1672543581008019458?s=20
    The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP), Mansoor Usman Awan, has told the Supreme Court (SC) on Friday that 102 people are currently in the army’s custody for trials.

  • Meta to restrict news content for Canadian users following passage of online news bill

    Meta to restrict news content for Canadian users following passage of online news bill

    Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has announced that it will impose limitations on the availability of news content for Canadian users on its platforms following the passage of a contentious online news bill by the Canadian parliament.

    The legislation, known as the Online News Act, obliges major platforms like Meta and Google to compensate news publishers for the content posted on their sites. Both Meta and Google have already been conducting trials restricting news access for certain Canadian users.

    This move follows a similar action taken by Facebook in Australia last year when users were blocked from sharing or viewing news in response to comparable legislation.

    The Online News Act, which recently received clearance from the senate, establishes regulations that mandate platforms such as Meta and Google to engage in commercial negotiations and remunerate news organisations for their published content.

    Meta has criticised the law, labeling it as “fundamentally flawed legislation that disregards the operational realities of our platforms.” Prior to the bill’s implementation, Meta announced that news availability on Facebook and Instagram would be terminated for all Canadian users.

    A spokesperson from Meta informed Reuters that “a legislative framework that compels us to pay for links or content that we do not post, and which are not the reason the vast majority of people use our platforms, is neither sustainable nor workable.” The company emphasised that these changes in news accessibility would not affect other services provided to Canadian users.

    Google, in its response, deemed the bill “unworkable” in its current form and expressed its intention to collaborate with the government to find a viable resolution.

    The federal government asserts that the online news bill is necessary “to enhance fairness in the Canadian digital news market” and to enable struggling news organisations to receive “fair compensation” for their news and links shared on these platforms.

    An analysis conducted by an independent parliamentary budget watchdog estimated that digital platforms could contribute approximately C$329 million ($250 million; £196 million) annually to news businesses.

    Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez previously conveyed his dissatisfaction with the testing conducted by the tech platforms, considering them “unacceptable” and a “threat.” In Australia, Facebook ultimately reinstated news content for its users after engaging in discussions with the government, leading to certain amendments.

    Minister Rodriguez’s office confirmed that he recently met with representatives from both Google and Facebook, with further discussions planned.

    However, the government remains committed to implementing the bill. In a statement, Minister Rodriguez posed the question, “If the government can’t stand up for Canadians against tech giants, who will?”

    Media industry groups have lauded the passage of the bill as a positive step towards achieving market fairness.

    Paul Deegan, President and CEO of News Media Canada, a media industry group, highlighted the significance of genuine journalism, produced by professional journalists, as an essential component of democracy that incurs substantial costs.

    The Online News Act is expected to come into effect in Canada within six months.

  • YouTube is introducing a new AI-powered tool to translate videos in different languages

    YouTube is introducing a new AI-powered tool to translate videos in different languages

    YouTube is introducing a new AI-powered feature to facilitate video dubbing in different languages. During the VidCon event, the company announced its collaboration with Aloud, an AI dubbing service developed by Google’s Area 120 incubator.

    Aloud’s website explains the process: First, the tool transcribes the video, providing a transcription that can be reviewed and edited. Then, it proceeds to translate and generate the dubbed audio. A demonstration video showcasing the details is available.

    According to YouTube’s Amjad Hanif, the tool is currently being tested with numerous creators, and Aloud already supports a select number of languages, including English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Additional languages will be added in the future, as confirmed by spokesperson Jessica Gibby.

    Despite the current limitations in language availability, Aloud holds promise for content creators who seek to incorporate multi-language dubs in their videos. To experience the results firsthand, you can listen to the Spanish dub track in a video from the Amoeba Sisters channel by accessing the gear icon and selecting “Audio track.”

    YouTube has plans to enhance the translated audio tracks further. By 2024, they aim to make them sound more natural, capturing the creator’s voice, emotions, and lip sync, as mentioned by Hanif. Gibby also confirmed that these features are on YouTube’s roadmap for the future.

  • May 9 riots: National Commission for Human Rights releases fact-sheet on the condition of prisoners

    May 9 riots: National Commission for Human Rights releases fact-sheet on the condition of prisoners

    National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has complied a fact sheet on the allegations of torture and sexual abuse of prisoners who were arrested in connection with May 9 riots. The report has been compiled in collaboration with Justice Project Pakistan and Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

    The fact-sheet read that one third of male prisoners complained about the use of force during arrest. The brief report further added that most prisoners were not told about the grounds of the arrest.

    However, contrary to the allegations made by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, no female prisoner complained about torture or sexual abuse.

    As per the report, most jails were overcrowded, housing prisoners beyond their official capacity, while most prisoners were unaware of their rights.

  • Faisalabad man murders female colleague in London

    Faisalabad man murders female colleague in London

    Muhammad Arslan has been jailed in the U.K for suffocating one of his female colleagues with a face mask and then hiding her body in a suitcase, Geo News reports.

    Arslan, 27, claimed to have forced a face mask into the mouth of 21-year-old Hina Bashir in order to “quieten” her after he confronted her over alleged nude photographs that had been sent out. The prosecution rejected his explanation as “elaborate and concocted”, asserting he had killed Hina out of anger and jealousy.

    Both Arslan and Hina had grown up together in the same village in Faisalabad. Arslan would try to approach Hina romantically, but she rejected his advances. Within months of her moving to the UK in November 2021, Arslan followed her.

    On the eve of July 11 last year, Hina and two of her friends visited Arslan’s shared flat in Ilford, east London, in order to collect some belongings she had left there while she was moving. Hina went up alone, and that was the last time her friends saw her alive, Geo reports.

    Arslan admitted manslaughter on the first day of his trial but denied murder and concealing Hina’s body. However, a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty on all charges.

    Judge Richard Marks KC sentenced him to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder and five years running concurrently for his heinous crime.

    The judge told Arslan: “I am satisfied…that your unrequited feelings for Hina boiled over and resulted in you taking hold of a facemask and forcing it into the back of her mouth which led to her collapse and ultimately to her death from asphyxiation.”

    He added that Arslan’s prime motivation was to save himself after killing Hina, hence the “campaign of lies” to conceal his crime, before disposing of her body in a “shocking and callous manner”. Arslan had hid her body in a suitcase overnight, before traveling to an industrial estate to hide the suitcase in undergrowth on the side of a lane, evidence reveals.

    The Judge declared it was apparent that Arslan had been “obsessed” with Hina, feelings clearly not reciprocated. He went on to say that he was extremely skeptical of the claim that he had been sent naked photos of Hina prior to the attack, as “no such photos were ever recovered”.

    In an interview with Geo, the victim’s father, Bashir Khan, stated, “even animals would treat my daughter better.”

  • Nawaz Sharif and family to celebrate Eid in Dubai

    Nawaz Sharif and family to celebrate Eid in Dubai

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice-president Maryam Nawaz has left for Dubai as the Sharif family plans to celebrate Eid-Ul-Azha in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) together.

    According to media reports, Nawaz Sharif has already reached Dubai.

    “Vice President and Chief Organizer of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Maryam Nawaz Sharif has left for Dubai on a private visit. Party leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has already reached Dubai. Other family members are also with him,” Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb tweeted.


    Reportedly, Maryam Nawaz will go to London after her visit to Dubai, however, Maryam Aurangzeb didn’t give further information about their huddle in Dubai.

  • Pakistan lifts import restrictions to satisfy IMF demand

    Pakistan lifts import restrictions to satisfy IMF demand

    In a recent development, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has taken the decision to lift all import restrictions as part of fulfilling a condition set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The central bank issued a circular to officially end these restrictions, thereby satisfying another requirement put forth by the IMF.

    To facilitate the release of over 6,000 containers, the federal government has granted permission to banks for remittance provision. The circular issued by the SBP states that remittances will be provided for all imports following the implementation of this latest order. The central bank has instructed authorised dealers to process remittances based on the recommendations of stakeholders.

    It came to light yesterday that Pakistan and the IMF are facing challenges in reviving a loan program, leading to disagreements between the Ministry of Finance and the IMF. Sources revealed that the plan to bridge the external financing gap relied on funds received from a donor conference held in Geneva.

    The primary objective of the conference was to garner support and contributions for Pakistan’s financial requirements. As part of this plan, the IMF was tasked with securing $500 million by June through the Geneva Donor Conference. However, efforts to obtain funds for the Ministry of Planning and Treasury have encountered obstacles. Delays in finalising contracts and agreements under the Donor Conference have further impeded the financing process.

    Sources within the Ministry of Finance report that the amount received through the Geneva Donor Conference currently stands at $150 million, falling short of the expected sum. This has raised concerns from the IMF, which has expressed dissatisfaction with the level of financial support obtained through the conference.

    According to ARY News, the funds acquired from the Donor Conference will be allocated to crucial recovery and rehabilitation projects in regions affected by floods. The aim is to address the needs of these communities and provide support for their restoration efforts.