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Author: News Desk

  • Twitter back online following major outage that logged out thousands of users

    Twitter back online following major outage that logged out thousands of users

    According to tracking sites Downdetector and Netblocks, thousands of Twitter users reported an outage on Wednesday, but the problem seemed to be resolved with lost tweets reappearing.

    At the peak of the downtime, around 0035 GMT, DownDetector said that over 10,000 users had reported issues with the site, which is now controlled by the controversial billionaire Elon Musk.

    AFP journalists in the United States and Asia were among those impacted.

    However, less than an hour later, the number of reported problems had reduced to slightly more than 3,700.

    “Twitter is experiencing international outages affecting the mobile app and features including notifications; incident not related to country-level internet disruptions or filtering,” Netblocks said in a tweet.

    Under Musk’s leadership, Twitter has been troubled by chaos, with major job cuts, the restoration of banned accounts, and the banning of journalists critical of the South African-born entrepreneur.

    In response to a user’s tweet questioning if Twitter was “broken,” Musk answered, “Works for me.”

  • ‘Establishment neither approached PML-N nor PTI for technocratic setup’: Rana Sanaullah

    ‘Establishment neither approached PML-N nor PTI for technocratic setup’: Rana Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the that establishment neither approached the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) nor the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in connection with a rumored technocratic setup that might be installed to govern the country.

    “Imran Khan makes up fresh stories every other day, however, no message regarding the technocratic setup was conveyed,” he stated.

    He said that the institution has pledged to the nation that it will remain apolitical. “From now on, whatever happens will be in line with the Constitution,” Sanaullah categorically said.

    Speaking to senior journalists in Lahore, Imran had stressed, “I don’t see elections happening now. There is hearsay about a technocratic government being brought forward,” he had told the media personnel in an informal talk.

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had addressed the rumors, calling any such plan a “joke”. The former minister had said, “It is a joke to form a technocratic government for two and a half years after wrapping up this government and sending it home. Experimenting and playing jokes with Pakistan should come to an end now.”

    “You will bring ‘imported technocrats’ from the United States if the Shehbaz Sharif-led government is not functioning,” he added. “The solution to the country’s problems is holding elections.”

  • Sukoon: Bollywood celebs smitten by another Pakistani song

    Sukoon: Bollywood celebs smitten by another Pakistani song

    After making her debut with the chart-topping global hit Pasoori, Shae Gill dropped a musical collaboration with songwriter-singer duo Hassan and Roshaan from Lahore. 

    Titled Sukoon, it has become a hit amongst music fans transnationally. While some netizens had issues with the subtle hints of queerness in the video, the majority of users wrote about how peaceful and melancholic vibes the song gives. A few users even compared Gill’s voice to the legendary Nazia Hassan after listening to the song.

    Shae Gill's voice reminds fans of Nazia Hassan

    Even the male vocals by Hassan and Roshaan have garnered immense praise. The duo expressed their gratitude after the song was used by two Bollywood actors, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rohit Saraf in their respective Instagram posts.

    The talented duo stated on their joint Instagram handle, “What is happening? We seriously didn’t expect all this love and support.”

    Sukoon’s audio was originally out in October, but the music video was released in December. Hassan and Roshan took to Instagram to share the clip and wrote, “When the director heard the song, he said the song gave him a sense of peace coupled with melancholy. Like a goldfish in a fishbowl, zindagi haseen bhi hay, tanha bhi hay [life is also beautiful, life is also lonely). A goldfish in a bowl, perhaps the prettiest, loneliest thing one could visualize.”

  • ‘Galat record kia gaya’: Haris Rauf clarifies a certain act of his during wedding photoshoot with Muzna Malik

    ‘Galat record kia gaya’: Haris Rauf clarifies a certain act of his during wedding photoshoot with Muzna Malik

    Star athlete Haris Rauf gave a tongue-in-cheek reply to a female fan’s question about his ‘apology gesture’ during the wedding shoot with his wife Muzna Masood Malik.

    While shooting for his post-Nikkah photoshoot, Rauf felt tired of constant posing and funnily apologised to his ladylove for asking her to stop.

    On being asked about the same, Haris stated that he didn’t apologise because he made any mistake, rather he was recorded the wrong way.

    On Monday, Rauf clarified just a few days after his wedding that his wife is not on any social media platform. He also advised fans to steer clear of “scams”.

    “Hello everyone, I just want to make it clear that my wife, Muzna Masood Malik, is not on any social media platforms,” the pacer wrote on Twitter.

    She does not have an official account. Please be cautious of any scams,” Rauf added as he thanked people for their prayers and good wishes for his wedding.

    The pacer tied the knot with his class fellow Muzna Masood Malik on Saturday in a close gathering in Islamabad.

    The pictures and videos of the bride and groom were circulating on social media and fans went gaga over the couple.

    Muzna Masood Malik Biography, Age, Family, Husband, Parents, Siblings

    The ceremony was attended by fellow pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi, former captain Shahid Afridi, Lahore Qalandar’s Sameen Rana, Atif Rana and Aqib Javed.

    According to reports, rukhsati will take place later next year.

  • PM Shehbaz directs to reduce electricity use in government offices by 30%

    PM Shehbaz directs to reduce electricity use in government offices by 30%

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has formed a committee that will work on reducing electricity consumption in government offices by 30 per cent.

    The Prime Minister gave the directives while chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet where a “Proposed Energy Saving Plan” presented by the Power Division was also under discussion. The meeting was briefed on consultations held with stakeholders about energy saving.

    Shehbaz Sharif said that the consultation process with all the stakeholders including the provincial governments should be completed soon.

    Conversion of federal government buildings to solar energy

    Last week, the Premier directed relevant authorities to convert federal government buildings to solar energy at the earliest.

    He issued special instructions for formulating a comprehensive strategy to effectively resolve the issues faced in the early completion of the solar energy projects.

    The PM said the use of solar energy in electricity production could effectively resolve many fiscal issues including the energy crisis in the country and rising prices of electricity.

  • Nida Yasir gives unexpected marks to Sarah, Maya, Ayeza and Minal for their acting skills

    Actor and morning show host Nida Yasir recently appeared on The Talk Talk Show where she marked the leading ladies of Pakistan out of ten for their acting skills.

    The host Hassan Chaudhry first asked her about Sarah Khan, and Nida gave her 7.5 marks for her acting chops. She then marked 8.5 to Ayeza Khan, 9.5 to Maya Ali, 7.5 to Minal Khan, and 7.5 to Mawra Hocane.

    The Nadaaniyaan diva stated that there is a scope for improvement in their performances.

    Nida also addressed other controversies surrounding her. She has long been under scrutiny for the type of guests she invites on her morning show, Good Morning Pakistan. From the likes of Dananeer Mobeen, Ayesha Mano to Ahmed Shah, Nida has invited them all to her popular show.

    However, throughout the years, many spectators have also criticised the TV host for not highlighting people with more academic achievements, and only catering to people who go viral online for ‘foolish theatrics’. Taking her chance, the famous host has finally set the record straight and reminded her audience about the many times she has provided limelight to such guests on her show.

    “I want to respond to this criticism by recalling the time I invited Ayesha, the girl who became viral on TikTok for her dance to my show. Many people started asking me why I didn’t invite a specific guest who has won academic awards. The truth is, you cannot even fathom how many shows I conduct that feature academic champs, but they never get high ratings,” said the Hum Tum actor.

    She then went on to highlight how Mobeen and Zara Naeem were invited on the same day together. “Once I even invited 7-8 people on one show, and they all possessed so many talented skills, but the episode went unnoticed. I also invited Zara and Dananeer together, still, people only remember the latter one better. How does the audience not recall Zara? This is not my fault, but actually of the people who want to see these guests on my show.”

    Yasir elaborated her stance by speaking about the repetitive narratives used in dramas. She noted, “If our Pakistani dramas are still stuck on producing family politics storylines, it’s because of the demand too. The channels will obviously try to create more dramas that give them more profitable responses.”

    Tired of the ongoing fuss, the Nadaaniyaan actor then put forth an interesting question for her critics. She asked, “When I do invite educated people to my show, why aren’t people watching them?”

    She also further explained how fans request her to feature guests on her show. “I also would like to add that people even tag me in photos now to show who they want to see on my show. When I woke up one morning, I saw a picture online of the ‘Lahore Da Pawa – Akhtar Lawa’ man doctored beside me, and that’s how I learned about the viral meme circulating on the internet. I also once got a call from a man who married a woman much younger than his age asking me to invite him as a guest because he’s gone viral. Like, should I just invite you because of your marriage?”

    Yasir then concluded the conversation by highlighting how viewers don’t give her the complete credit she truly deserves. “People just watch the viral clips of my show and assume that’s the only type of guests I invite, but that’s really not the case. I run a morning show that takes place every day, so I keep a proper balance of my guest list,” expressed the Yeh Zindagi Hai actor. 

  • Pak vs NZ: PCB announces free tickets for second test

    Pak vs NZ: PCB announces free tickets for second test

    The executive committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to waive off entry fee for the second Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand, set to begin on January 2, 2023. A PCB official confirmed the news to GEO News.


    “Free entry for Karachiites in all stands during the second Test, except two VIP ticketed stands. Entry will be on a first come first serve basis,” the official said.


    The cricket board has gotten in touch with educational institutions, orphanages, and nursing homes to invite them to watch the second test.
    The ongoing Test between Pakistan and New Zealand has attracted a limited number of spectators to the stadium.

  • ‘Dhokha’: Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son says Elahi betrayed family by joining hands with IK

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s son Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has said that his father’s cousin— Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi—betrayed the family by backing out of an agreement made with the current ruling coalition at the last minute.

    In an interview with ARY News, Chaudhry Shafay recalled the entire incident, recalling that Elahi asked Chaudhry Shujaat to convince Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to give Elahi the Chief Minister’s seat. However, at the last minute, he switched over to Imran Khan.

    When asked what reason did Elahi give for backing out of the deal, Shafay said that he said former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa asked him to join hands with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, Shafay Hussain said Elahi should have told the party chief about the telephone call from Bajwa.

    According to Shafay, former president Asif Ali Zardari said he convinced PDM leadership including Nawaz Sharif to grant Elahi the top seat after clearing many obstacles.

    Shafay also addressed Moonis Elahi’s “sofware update” statement about Chaudhry Shujaat, terming it ‘inappropriate’. “One should not say something of this sort about the one who taught you politics,” he opined.

    Shafay accused Moonis of playing his own politic. Political families work together and Moonis doesn’t want that, Shafay said about his cousin.

    He also hinted at expelling some Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs) from the party.

  • SBP to lift import restrictions next week

    SBP to lift import restrictions next week

    The government has lifted import restrictions on commodities intended for vehicle manufacturing, mobile production, solar power equipment, and nuclear reactors for power generation projects commencing in 2023, despite Pakistan’s limited foreign exchange reserves.

    Simultaneously, authorised dealers (ADs – largely commercial banks) have been encouraged to prioritise the import of food and energy products. They should consider enabling the import of non-essential and luxury products after first providing for the necessities.

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reminded ADs on Tuesday that for the past eight months, they had been required to obtain prior permission from the Foreign Exchange Operations Department, SBP-BSC, before initiating any import transaction involving HS Code Chapters 84, 85, and certain items of Chapter 87.

    “It has now been decided to withdraw instructions (of prior permission) with effect from January 2, 2023. Consequently, requests for import transactions already submitted to SBP-BSC pertaining to referred HS codes stand returned to the ADs for appropriate disposal at their end,” the SBP said in the circular.

    Arif Habib Limited (AHL) Head of Research Tahir Abbas said that the import system may “continue to work in its present form. The removal of restrictions will not re-open imports in a full-fledged manner.”

    He stated that due to the country’s short foreign exchange reserves, the government has encouraged banks to first allow the import of necessary items before catering to others.

    The SBP advised ADs (commercial banks) to “prioritise and facilitate the import of essential sectors such as food (wheat and edible oil) and pharmaceuticals (raw material, life-saving or essential medicines, and surgical instruments, including stents).”

    According to Express Tribune, the second priority of ADs is to focus on energy imports “like oil, gas, and coal” (for power projects based on the merit order of the Ministry of Energy).

    Imports for export-oriented businesses should be prioritised as well. They should facilitate “imports, especially of raw materials, input goods, and spare parts, by the export-oriented industries,” stated the SBP. Imports of agri-inputs should be the fourth priority of ADs, as explained by SBP: “import of items required as inputs for agriculture (seed, fertilizers, and pesticides).”

  • ‘Benazir ke sandwich khanay unkay college jata tha’: Imran Khan

    ‘Benazir ke sandwich khanay unkay college jata tha’: Imran Khan

    A clip from a two month old interview of Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has gone viral on social media. In the interview, Imran Khan narrates his memories with former Prime Minister Shaheed Mohtarma Benzair Bhutto when they were both studying in London.

    Journalist Haroon Rasheed interviewed Imran Khan in October and asked him about the food in Oxford. In response, Khan said, “I remember that I was hungry all the time in England’s winters. We used to have three meals in Pakistan, breakfast, lunch, evening tea and dinner. Then my mother used to give me milk.”

    Khan said that when he went to England, he would get hungry again as soon as he ate in the dining room. “This hunger would take over the time,” he recalled.

    Imran Khan then said that Benazir Bhutto, who was also studying in another college in Oxford at the time, would hold an open house on Sunday. “She was contesting union elections. I was friends with Benazir. An Indian friend, Vikram Mehta, used to be with me. We both used to go to Benazir’s college because we would be hungry,” added Khan.

    “Benazir was living in great splendor and used to make sandwiches herself, which we would go and eat,” he told Haroon Rasheed.