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Author: News Desk

  • Exclusive: Apple user or Samsung loyalist? What phone does PM Shehbaz use?

    Exclusive: Apple user or Samsung loyalist? What phone does PM Shehbaz use?

    Android or iOS—which one is better? We have heard this never-ending debate many times. Now, the debate has turned towards the power corridors of Islamabad. The question being asked on social media is, what phone does our Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif use?

    Earlier in the day, PM’s Focal Person on Digital Media, Muhammad Abubakar Umer, shared a video of the Premier who was sitting with United Nations (UN) Chief Antonio Guterres. They both visited the flood-affected areas of Sindh.

    In the video, PM Shehbaz pulled out his phone which appears to be an iPhone 7.

    Abubakar has also mentioned the model of the phone in the caption. He said, “PM Shehbaz doesn’t normally carry/use his mobile phone in public. This is probably the first time he pulled out his phone during a meeting—to show a flood-related video to UN Secretary-General— and guess what? It’s not iPhone 14, not even X or 9. It looks more like iPhone 7.”

    Upon asking the reason behind PM not upgrading his phone, Abubakar told The Current, “He [PM Shehbaz] uses the phone only for necessary functions and not for entertainment or luxury. He would use the phone as long it serves the basic purpose of call or text and sometimes video message or call.”

    The focal person also revealed that when he met PM Shehbaz back in 2011 he [PM] was carrying a phone that “looked like Nokia 3310”. He said that it was a very “basic” phone.

    “PM has all the resources to afford a new phone but he is doing great even without keeping up with the latest phone models”, he added.

  • NADRA introduces a new digital payment system to replace ATMs

    NADRA introduces a new digital payment system to replace ATMs

    The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has introduced an innovative system that will serve as an alternative to automated teller machines (ATMs) and let citizens pay utility bills and identity documents.

    This development comes as a result of NADRA’s partnership with 1Link, Pakistan’s largest and fully licensed payment gateway system. The two authorities have formed a strategic alliance to evolve and administer an e-payment system that will build on NADRA’s already existing e-Sahulat franchise.

    According to DAWN, the collaboration will make it possible for the more than 17,000 e-Sahulat centers to conduct financial transfers, cash-in and cash-out transactions, as well as P2G, G2P, and P2P payments.

    NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik and 1Link CEO Najeeb Agrawal inked the agreement on Monday at the organization’s headquarters. In response to this development, Malik stated that NADRA has been trying to enhance e-governance by empowering organisations from the public and commercial sectors through its digital services.

    He asserted that one of Pakistan’s most cutting-edge digital services for financial payments is NADRA’s e-Sahulat facility.

    Through this cooperation, the more than 17,000 e-Sahulat locations operated by NADRA will be able to quadruple the capacity of more than 16,500 1Link ATMs nationwide. As was already mentioned, this will make it simple for consumers to deposit and withdraw money.

    In the future, the digital platform will also be accessible in rural Pakistan, enabling students there to continue their studies while earning money to cover their tuition.

  • Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Punjab CM Pervaiz Elahi increases financial assistance for flood victims to Rs10 lac

    Chief Minister (CM) Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, has increased financial assistance for families of deceased victims from Rs. 0.8 million to 1 million (Rs 8lac to Rs10 lac).

    CM Elahi had a meeting with Provincial Minister Muhammad Muneeb Sultan Cheema in which they discussed the current political situation of the country and relief activities for flood affectees.

    Elahi was of the view that Pakistan has been greatly affected by climate change, with massive destruction caused by unusual rains and floods. For this purpose, the government has to take extraordinary measures, reports Geo Urdu.

    Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan (DG Khan) said that Rs75,000 will be given for the loss of large animals due to floods.

    The aid for those who lost their cemented houses has been increased from Rs. 100,000 to Rs. 400,000. Similarly, the aid for those who lost their mud houses has been increased to Rs. 200,000 from Rs. 40,000.

    On Friday, Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari presented a cheque of Rs15 million to PM Shehbaz as a contribution from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards the PM’s Flood Relief Fund.

    Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif announced that PM Flood Relief Fund will be audited by the Accountant General Pakistan Revenues (AGPR) and a private audit firm to ensure transparency.

    Devastating floods in Pakistan have wreaked havoc across the country, leaving a path of destruction and loss in their wake. More than 1,400 people have lost their lives, one-third of whom are children.

    Record monsoon rains and melting glaciers triggered the disaster. The United Nations (UN) and Pakistan have linked the extreme weather to climate change; some 600,000 people have fled their homes.

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  • iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB available for pre-orders for nearly Rs7 lac

    iPhone 14 Pro Max 1TB available for pre-orders for nearly Rs7 lac

    All of the iPhone 14 models are up for pre-order at Telemart, and the prices are the highest we’ve ever heard for a phone.

    The 1TB iPhone 14 Pro Max, which retails for a stunning Rs689,999, is currently the most expensive mobile offered in Pakistan. For that amount, you could purchase several brand-new motorcycles or even a pre-owned Suzuki Mehran.

    The price of the entry-level iPhone 14 with 128GB of storage (the lowest model) is astronomical at Rs419,999.

    These phones won’t be delivered to you until at least October because, as was already indicated, they are only available for pre-order at this time.

    The spike in import duties, which also affected laptops, graphics cards, and other electronics in addition to cellphones, is to blame for the price increase. As a result, the starting price for the iPhone 14 Plus is Rs459,999, the starting price for the iPhone 14 Pro is Rs489,999, and the price for the Pro Max model is Rs529,999.

    The price of the ‘cheapest’ iPhone 14 (base model) costs even more than the initial price of Rs370,000 for the iPhone 13 Pro Max.

  • Disney officially announces ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, prequel of ‘The Lion King’

    Disney officially announces ‘Mufasa: The Lion King’, prequel of ‘The Lion King’

    Filmmaker Barry Jenkins has officially announce Mufasa: The Lion King, a new prequel to the 2019 film Lion King.

    The Lion King (2019) | Disney Movies

    Originally announced in 2020 as a sequel to the 2019 film, Mufasa tells the origin story of the iconic Disney father, exploring his childhood growing up with his brother Scar. The film will feature the voice of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. as younger versions of the characters, filling in for James Earl Jones as Mufasa in both the 1994 original and the 2019 CGI remake, and Jeremy Irons and Chiwetel Ejiofor as the villainous Scar.

    In addition to announcing the title, exclusive preview footage of the film was shown to the audience of the D23 expo. The footage began with Rafiki (John Kani) telling the story of Mufasa to young cubs, revealing that the lion was actually an orphaned cub who had to navigate the world alone until he rose to become the king of Pride Rock. As such, the film goes beyond the iconic Pride Lands to show him as a cub in a desert, where he is swept away by a flood and becomes an orphan.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYEhJTOwrA&t=50s

    “In this place a lion was born without a drop of nobility in his blood,” Rafiki narrates. “The lion who would change our lives forever.”

    Although brief, the footage also included narration from Billy Eichner’s Timon, in a meta joke tag for the footage: “Wait wait wait, am I not in this story? I don’t feel seen.”

    “The Lion King” is one of the most beloved Disney properties of all time, with the original remaining a critically acclaimed classic and grossing over $960 million worldwide. The 2019 remake, which replaced the 2D artstyle of the original with realistic CGI animal renderings, received mixed reviews from critics but was even more successful, grossing over $1 billion at the global box office.

    Mufasa will be Jenkins third feature film, after directing the Oscar-winning Moonlight and If Beale Street Could Talk . The release date for the film has not yet been announced.

  • King Charles officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch

    King Charles officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch

    King Charles was officially proclaimed as Britain’s new monarch on Saturday at a ceremony in St. James’s Palace. The former Prince of Wales ‘Has become lawfully and rightfully Lord of Britain and Commonwealth’ on September 10.

    Charles, 73, succeeded his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, immediately after her death on Thursday but an Accession Council met on Saturday to proclaim his succession, with his son and heir William, wife Camilla, and Britain’s new prime minister, Liz Truss, among those to sign the proclamation.

    Making his personal declaration, Charles said: “My Lords, Ladies, and Gentlemen. It is my most sorrowful duty to announce to you the death of my beloved Mother, The Queen,” said Charles.

    “I know how deeply you, the entire Nation – and I think I may say the whole world – sympathise with me in the irreparable loss we have all suffered.”

    “In carrying out the heavy task that has been laid upon me, and to which I now dedicate what remains to me of my life, I pray for the guidance and help of Almighty God.”

    “In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set in upholding constitutional government and to seek the peace, harmony, and prosperity of the peoples of these Islands and of the Commonwealth Realms and Territories throughout the world.”

    “In this purpose, I know that I shall be upheld by the affection and loyalty of the peoples whose Sovereign I have been called upon to be and that in the discharge of these duties I will be guided by the counsel of their elected parliaments.”

    In his address, he bestowed upon Prince William and Kate Middleton the titles of the Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales.

    Charles is now the King and head of state of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea.

  • ‘Never wanted a son after four daughters’: Shagufta Ejaz gets candid about personal life

    ‘Never wanted a son after four daughters’: Shagufta Ejaz gets candid about personal life

    Veteran actor Shagufta Ejaz recently appeared on Taaron Se Karien Baatien, where she candidly talked about her personal life. The Mushkil star stated on the show that she never desired to have a son after being blessed by four daughters.

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is shaguftaejaz-1-scaled-1.jpg

    Two of her daughters are married and the senior actress often shares heartwarming pictures with her son-in-laws as well.

    Shagufta Ejaz With Her Daughters And Sons In Law – Health Fashion

    The birth of a daughter is constantly stigmatized in our society, and producing a son is typically seen as crucial for a lady to escape social insults. Shagufta expressed her deep gratitude to Allah for her blessings. She never even prayed for a male despite the fact that her daughters are capable and excellent.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYEhJTOwrA&t=50s

    While talking to the host the actress said that her daughters are capable and competitive. They’re well educated and so compassionate that she never felt the need to have a son.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrKRhU1061Q&t=71s

    Negating the stigma and breaking the son stereotype, Shagufta Ejaz is proud to be a mother of four daughters and has no regrets about not having a son. She even has a great chemistry with her two son in laws.

  • Khan pleads innocence: ‘Threats to female judge don’t fall under terrorism’

    Khan pleads innocence: ‘Threats to female judge don’t fall under terrorism’

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Friday that the threats he issued to a female judge in a rally do not fall under “terrorism” and the case should be dismissed as he is “innocent”.

    “I am the chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf, I have been the prime minister of Pakistan. This government tortured [my aide] Shahbaz Gill due to political opposition. The report filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) proved that Gill had been tortured,” Khan told the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), calling for the dismissal of his case in the written reply submitted.

    Khan was asked to appear before the JIT at the Margalla Police Station on Friday but he did not show up.

    Last week, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad extended the interim bail of the PTI chairman till September 12 in the terrorism case related to his controversial remarks about the female sessions court judge Zeba Chaudhry and the capital city police.

    The court directed the ex-prime minister to submit Rs100,000 as surety against the bail.

    A case was registered against the former prime minister under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening the additional sessions judge and senior police officers of the Islamabad Police during a public rally.

  • Naseem Shah breaks silence on romantic reel with Urvashi Rautela

    Naseem Shah breaks silence on romantic reel with Urvashi Rautela

    Pakistani cricketer Naseem Shah has broken his silence on the transnational attention for his performance during the Asia Cup 2022 series.

    Naseem has reacted to the attention that he is garnering from Bollywood divas, “People keep sending me videos, but I have no idea about all this and I don’t know who Urvashi is. Whoever comes to the ground to watch me play, thanks to them. It’s good for me if people like me and come to the stadium to see me play, as I haven’t come from other worlds. Thank God people like me.”

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N24CpIYCtus

    In the video she posted on her Instagram story, Rautela could be seen grinning and blushing. Coincidentally, Naseem was captured smiling during the same Pakistan vs. India game; as a result, a fan combined the moments in an edited video clip.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOYEhJTOwrA&t=50s

    Many people praised the star pacer including Indian actress Urvashi Rautela. Urvashi shocked fans by sharing a romantic fan edit featuring her and Naseem with Atif Aslam’s song in the background.

    Later another Indian celebrity Surbhi Jyoti praised Naseem.

    Taking to Twitter, Jyoti said while referring to the cricketer, “Pakistan has definitely got a gem.” 

    Pakistani Cinema on Twitter:
  • ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    ‘Matter of justice’: UN chief appeals to the world to support Pakistan

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday, September 10, urged the international community to support disaster-hit Pakistan as the country needed massive financial help to overcome post-flood crises.

    “It is not a matter of generosity, but a matter of justice,” he said reiterating the United Nation’s commitment, strong support, and solidarity with the flood-affected populace of Pakistan.

    Guterres said that huge damages and losses were caused to human lives and properties. The Secretary General further said that the UN absolutely supported Pakistan and requested richer nations to generously help the country so that it could face the future challenges of climatic changes and save its people.

    He stressed that the international community must realize the serious impacts of greenhouse emissions as nature was striking back in the form of natural calamities.

    He continued that greenhouse gases had accelerated climatic changes and that nations with larger greenhouse emission footprints must understand these issues. Citing scientific estimates, the UN secretary-general emphasized that now was the right time to reduce greenhouse emissions.

    He said it was also a fact that they were living in a climatic changing era and have to make efforts to rebuild communities and to enable countries to resist and face future disasters that could be wrought by the natural calamities.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, provincial ministers, and the relevant authorities were present on the occasion.

    Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah gave a detailed briefing on the damages and loss of lives in the province.

    He said during the current monsoon season, different districts of the province had received unusual rainfall never witnessed in the past.

    He said that 30 districts of the province were affected, displacing about 12 million, adding that a total of 578 people lost their lives. A total of 3 million houses were destroyed and crops grown on an area of about 3.3 million acres were damaged while 500,000 livestock had been swept away.

    Earlier, the prime minister along with the UN secretary general and the federal ministers took an aerial review of the flood-affected areas of the Sindh province.