Veteran singer Huma Khawaja began her career with the all-female band Symphony. She was the band’s lead singer. The vocalist became well-known because of her musical rendition of a song by the late singer Nazia Hassan.
Fans adored her rendition of the popular song Dil Ki Lagi. After singing countless number-one hits, Huma Khwaja ended her singing career. A few years back she shifted to Dubai, where she worked for a global airline.
In an interview with Naumaan Ijaz for G Sarkar, Huma confessed why she hasn’t gotten married, “It’s not like that I didn’t ever think of marriage, I thought about getting married but when you are outside Pakistan and you have a very jet-setting lifestyle, also you are living a fast life where you are only coming to home to eat, to sleep or to do laundry, you don’t much think about a companion.”
She concluded by saying, “Sometimes, you halfheartedly think about getting married, and you also regret not getting married at the right age. Also, in all this scenario, you become a horribly independent person.”
According to a Taliban official, at least 78 individuals have died in Afghanistan’s frigid temperatures during the past nine days.
According to Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, over 77,000 animals have also perished in recent days after temperatures fell to record lows.
The frigid weather has turned into the country’s coldest winter in 15 years, with temperatures dipping as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit), Reuters has reported.
“The weather will get colder in the next few days, therefore it is necessary to consider humanitarian aid for affected people,” said Abdullah Ahmadi, the head of the operations centre for emergency conditions at the Ministry of Disaster Management has said.
Health professionals noted a substantial rise in the number of small children with severe pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses even in the early days of winter. Rising poverty that prevents people from adequately heating their homes is partly to blame for the illnesses.
After Churails and Ms. Marvel, Nimra Bucha is not done proving she is one powerhouse of an actor. The stage and television veteran will essay the role of an evil mother-in-law in the upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’. Directed and written by Nida Manzoor, the creator of ‘We Are Lady Parts’, the film revolves around teenager Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) a dreamer who wants to become a stunt woman. When her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) decides to get engaged to a man whom Ria finds suspicious, she decides to expose the evil mother in law (Nimra Bucha) with the help of her friends.
466 people die daily in Pakistan due to tobacco use related diseases, Dr Ziauddin Islam, a former technical leader of the Health Ministry’s Tobacco Control Cell, has disclosed during a discussion hosted by SPARC, Ikram Junaidi has reported for Dawn.
He also said that the number of smokers in Pakistan has reached 31 million people. Dr. Ziauddin also revealed that every day, 1,200 Pakistani kids between the ages of six and fifteen begin smoking.
The Tobacco Health Levy Bill, which has been on hold since 2019, needs to be approved right away in order to stop the loss of life and healthcare resources, he added. “Evidence suggests that higher cigarette taxes deter smoking initiation, reduce cigarette consumption, and even lead smokers to quit. Last year, Pakistan raised tobacco taxes for the first time since 2019 however we are still far off from the 30pc increase suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO),” said Country head of Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids (CTFK) Malik Imran Ahmed.
Pak Suzuki Motor Company (PSMC) stated on Thursday that it had halted taking reservations for motorbikes until further notice due to issues with manufacturing and procurement following the consecutive closures of its automobile assembling factories caused by an ongoing inventory crisis.
“Under the present economic circumstances, import-based supply chain constraints and uncertain production possibilities, we are unable to serve new customers,” the company said in a letter to dealers.
The suspension of reservations would start today.
“We will, therefore, stop bookings of our motorcycle products from January 20, 2023, for the time being. However, bookings will resume as the situation becomes favourable to serve fresh customers.”
With the rupee falling and inflation at decades-high levels, Pakistan’s economy has collapsed along with a simmering political crisis, but disastrous floods and a worldwide energy crisis have added to the strain.
Almost all industries, including the automotive sector, have been slowed down by a lack of imported components and materials, and an alarmingly large number of businesses have been forced to cease operations.
As Pakistan struggles with a dire foreign exchange crisis, thousands of containers filled with basic food supplies, raw materials, and medical equipment have been held up at the Karachi port.
According to Express Tribune, banks are refusing to issue fresh letters of credit for importers due to a shortage of needed dollars, which is hurting an economy already under pressure from high inflation and weak growth.
The National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) has announced a new initiative to facilitate travellers by issuing daily journey planners that would help drivers navigate the highway more efficiently.
The spokesperson of NHMP said that the project of journey planners has been initiated at the direction of Inspector General NHMP, Khalid Mahmood.
He stated that in addition to any planned construction or maintenance that may affect travel times, the planners would also take into account information such as traffic updates, road closures, weather updates, and accident reports.
By informing drivers of any potential risks or delays, the Motorway Police hope that this new service will assist in shortening travel times and increasing safety on the highways, the official said, adding that the planners would be accessible online through the website and social media channels. The trip planner has received a great deal of appreciation, and the NHMP is dedicated to giving its consumers helpful information. It also continues to receive excellent feedback.
Travelers reported that the trip planners have shortened their travel distances and increased road safety. Adnan Jameel, a motorist on the M-1 motorway, told APP that the planner had made it easier for him to organise his trip and prevent any unwelcome shocks along the route.
Researchers have identified the four abilities that are most in demand in evolving workplaces by analysing hundreds of millions of recent job listings in the US. The report How Skills are Disrupting Work was developed in collaboration with the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF), education publisher Wiley, and the Burning Glass Institute.
One of these skill sets was included as a necessity in one out of every eight job listings, according to the researchers. The report states that, “AI/ML, Cloud Computing, Product Management, and Social Media together exemplify skills disruption and serve as a laboratory for understanding the broader trend. The five-year growth rate for these four skill sets was 122% in 2021, compared with a 10% growth rate for the average skill over the same period.”
Veteran actor Bushra Ansari in a press release called out people who are running her ‘fake’ Twitter accounts for personal gains.
These accounts were initiating political conversations against Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf Imran Khan. Bushra reached out to Cyber Crime Cell in Karachi.
As per the complaint, there are more than ten fake accounts under her name on Twitter. These accounts have engaged in malicious political campaigns. In a video alongside Press Release, Bushra expressed disappointment and promises to take strict legal action against these profiles.
She mentioned she has been working in the industry for last forty years and there is nothing more disappointing than bringing icons down for publicity. She also mentioned that she keeps her political opinions to herself and the only purpose she wants to serve is entertainment for her nation.
Last year, actors Saba Qamar Zaman, Sana Javed and Hadiqa Kiani were also victims of impersonation on the micro-blogging site.
On the work front, Ansari can be seen in the popular Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi starrer, Tere Bin.
More than 4 years after his last release Zero (2018), Shah Rukh Khan is making a comeback to the big screen with Pathaan and the hype around the spy thriller is at an all-time high.
Recently, it was announced that the advance booking of the film will open in India on January 20 but a couple of days before that, a few cinema chains including IMAX shows opened ticket bookings for the audience. And the response was unprecedented.
A lot of people on social media are sharing screenshots & clips of ticket booking site Book My Show where most of the shows of Pathaan are either on a filling fast mode, about to get sold out or simply sold out.
A report on Box Office India revealed that one of the best & the biggest multiplexes of Hyderabad, Prasads Multiplex saw a whopping 1800 tickets being sold in just 2 hours of bookings going live.
Several reports further state that the Siddharth Anand directorial has already collected over Rs 2 crore in advances for day one.
The film is now easily on course to be the biggest post-pandemic when it comes to advance booking beating last year’s Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva.
That’s not all, going by the massive response to the advance booking, a report in Bollywood Hungama predicts an opening day in the range of Rs 40 crore plus in India.
The film is releasing on Wednesday, which is a normal working day and to collect in the range of Rs 40 crore on a non-holiday is pretty huge.
Earlier, the advance booking in several international territories opened to massive response and the film is set to create new records in several countries.
Predicting the biz on the extended opening weekend, trade analyst Girish Johar told ETimes that Pathaan is expected to earn Rs 300 crore global gross in the first 5 days of its release.
Also starring Deepika Padukone & John Abraham, Pathaan is slated for January 25, 2023, release.
Earlier this month, Hindu seer Mahant Paramhans Acharya threatened to burn Khan alive for supposedly ‘insulting’ saffron colour in his upcoming film Pathaan.
The threat has come about after extremists raged against a song in the film in which the female lead, Deepika Padukone, can be seen wearing a saffron bikini. The title of the song, Besharam Rang roughly translates to ‘Shameless Color’. Hindus revere the colour, with many priests choosing to wear saffron robes.
Acharya said that the song insulted the saffron color. “People of our Sanatan Dharma are protesting continuously regarding this matter. Today we have burnt the poster of Shah Rukh Khan. If I get to meet the film Jihadi Shah Rukh Khan, I will burn him alive,” he said.
Mumbai Police reported receiving a complaint to fill an FIR against the movie’s director, producer, and actors for the song Besharam Rang. The complaint was regarding the saffron bikini Deepika had worn, saying that the color had been used to hurt the religious sentiments of Hindu people.
A mureed (follower) has murdered a Pir (spiritual healer) in Faisalabad after the amulet he was given failed in reconciliation with his wife.
Muhammad Hassan had been given an amulet by Pir Sajjad to help reconcile his relationship with his estranged wife. However, the amulet failed to do what had been promised to Hassan, leading to his marriage ending in a divorce.
The angry mureed then murdered the Pir.
Police have arrested Muhammad Hasan and said that he kidnapped Pir Sajid 10 days ago. After killing the Pir, Hasan threw his body into a nearby canal.
Muhammad Hasan told the police that he donated a lot of money to the Pir for the patch-up with his wife but all the donations and amulet did not work and instead he got divorced.
Sajid’s brother Sabir informed the police when his follower’s in-laws took his wife’s belongings from his house. “He came to our place and took Sajid with him,” the brother reportedly said.
Local police are conducting raids to find the people who helped Hasan in the killing.
