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Author: News Desk

  • Hyundai’s electric vehicle wins ‘World Car of the Year’ award

    Hyundai’s electric vehicle wins ‘World Car of the Year’ award

    The winners of the World Car Awards for 2022 were recently announced at an event held during this year’s auto show.

    Pure-electric vehicles won the majority of the coveted prizes, indicating how the world’s automotive marketplace is changing from combustion to electrification and demonstrating how emission-free autos are equal to or better than their gasoline or diesel equivalents.

    The Hyundai Ioniq 5, an all-electric SUV from the Korean automaker, won the top accolade, ‘World Car of the Year’. The futuristic Ioniq 5 received two more honours, including World Electric Vehicle of the Year and World Car Design of the Year.

    Launched in 2004, the annual ‘World Car Awards’, is now in its 18th year. As per Cision Insights’ 2021, it is the world’s number one award event in terms of media reach and analysis of twenty-five main worldwide markets for the ninth year in a row.

    The jury for this year’s awards comprises 103 expert automotive journalists from across the world who are tasked with evaluating, comparing, and selecting the finest car in each class.

    iF Design Award 2022

    Hyundai’s designs also won nine awards at the prestigious International Forum (iF) Design Award 2022.

    Since 1954, the iF Design Award has recognised outstanding designs of the year. Along with the ‘Red Dot Award’ from Germany and the Worldwide Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from the United States, it is one of three international design honours.

    Hyundai Motor has won the iF Design Award for the eighth year in a row, honouring the automaker in a variety of categories, including Product, Professional Concept, Interior Architecture, and Communication.

    Read more: Honda to discontinue Insight next year, confirms production of Civic and CR-V hybrid

    The multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) from Hyundai Motor, STORIA, which was recently launched in Pakistan, underlines Hyundai’s global product design prowess. It has the outside of a futuristic spacecraft and the cabin of a roomy and pleasant vehicle for the driver and occupants. Lesser beltlines and panoramic side windows are influenced by traditional Korean ‘Hanok’ architecture.

  • Fahad, Danish or Sheheryar: Who’s headlining the most popular game show in Ramazan?

    Fahad, Danish or Sheheryar: Who’s headlining the most popular game show in Ramazan?

    Game shows in the holy month of Ramazan are a major form of entertainment for television audiences in which people are entertained by interactive games with enormous prizes.

    Three private channels are telecasting game shows such as ARY ‘s Jeeto Pakistan League hosted by actor Fahad Mustafa, Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga Ramazan League on BOL Entertainment headlined by Danish Taimoor and Khel Kay Jeet With Sheheryar Munawar, on Express Entertainment.

    According to the YouTube viewership, Jeeto Pakistan is the number one game show this year.

    Viewership Analysis (April 15)

    Jeeto Pakistan League Ramazan Special

    This game show was launched in the year of 2014. We have analysed an episode of ARY’s game show from Friday episode which has got around 434,513 views with 8,000 likes till April 22. This game show is based on the seven teams from different cities and each has a celebrity captain. In each team, the audience plays the game under the captain’s leadership. The winner’s team gets grand prizes. This year, the program has added one more team, Gujranwala Bulls. The concept of teams is similar to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Some team captains are led by cricket players such as Shoaib Malik and Sarfaraz Ahmed.

    Game Show Aisay Chalay Ga Ramazan League

    This game show was launched in December 2018 and was hosted by actor Nabeel Zafar. Now it is being hosted by actor Danish Taimoor. The Friday episode of this game show has gotten around 66,000 views with approximately 2300 likes till April 22. In this game, all teams consist of young social media influencers mainly from the TikTok platform. Besides social media teams, audiences also get involved in several games such as the tug of war segment.

    Khel Kay Jeet with Sheheryar Munawar

    This show is currently lagging in the number game. According to its Friday episode, it has gained only a few thousand views on YouTube. This show is launched this year.

    Until now, it has around 29,00 views on the first part of the program. Other parts of the episode have only a few thousand views on YouTube.

  • Pakistan’s forex reserves inch up to $17.05 billion

    Pakistan’s forex reserves inch up to $17.05 billion

    The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign reserves saw inflows of $36 million in the week ending April 16, 2022, representing a 0.3 per cent increase week over week.

    According to the SBP weekly update posted on Thursday, the country’s total liquid foreign exchange reserves increased by $16.9 million (+0.1 per cent) to $17.045 billion on April 16, 2022, up from $17.028 billion the previous week. SBP reserves rose by $36.1 million to $10.88 billion (+0.3 per cent), up from $10.85 billion the week before.

    Likewise, commercial banks’ net foreign reserves stood at $6.1 billion, down $19.3 million (-0.3 per cent) on a weekly basis.

    Read more: Pakistani rupee plunges by Rs1.05 against the US dollar

    In the interbank market on Thursday, however, the Pakistani Rupee (PKR) resumed its downward trend versus the US Dollar (USD). It fell by Rs1.04 to the dollar, Rs1.15 to the Australian Dollar (AUD), Rs2.04 to the Canadian Dollar (CAD), Rs2.42 to the Pound Sterling (GBP), and Rs2.96 to the Euro (EUR).

  • PM Shehbaz plans grand jirga over NWA situation

    PM Shehbaz plans grand jirga over NWA situation

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he will soon convene a grand jirga of North Waziristan tribal elders in Islamabad to find a way out of the prevailing situation in the tribal region.

    “Restoration of lasting peace in North Waziristan tribal district is the top most priority of my government.”

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was speaking during a daylong visit to Miramshah, the headquarters of North Waziristan on Thursday. The prime minister addressed a gathering the elders of Uthmanzai tribe. Earlier, senior civil and military officials and elders of the area received the prime minister.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Defence Minister Khwaja Asif, Minister for Religious Affairs Mufti Abdul Shakoor, PM’s adviser Amir Muqam and MNA Mohsin Dawar accompanied the PM. According to officials, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed briefed the prime minister on the prevailing law and order situation in the area.

    Addressing the jirga, PM Sharif said the people of North Waziristan had suffered miseries and rendered matchless sacrifices for the motherland, adding that the government would not ignore their sacrifices.

    On the demand of Mohsin Dawar, the prime minister announced the establishment of a university, a medical college, a mobile hospital and Danish school in North Waziristan. The prime minister said he would soon announce more development schemes for the district.

    He expressed gratitude to the tribal elders for their support in the war against terrorism for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan and assured them that the government would do all to bring comfort in local populace and ensure socio-economic development as dividends of the fight against terrorism.

    On arrival in Miramshah, PM Sharif was received by Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The prime minister laid floral wreath at the Shuhada monument and offered fateha for valiant sons of the soil who rendered supreme sacrifices while defending the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Pakistan.

  • ‘Disturbing’: The negativity is destroying Sahiba and family’s mental health, son Zain opens up

    ‘Disturbing’: The negativity is destroying Sahiba and family’s mental health, son Zain opens up

    Actress Sahiba Afzal’s youngest son Zain Khan has shared his response to the on-going controversy in an Instagram story. The aspiring musician has shared that the negativity is affecting his mother and the entire family’s mental health.

    While he understands that the usage of words could have been better but the way his mother’s remarks are being portrayed are ‘disturbing’ for them.

    Actress Saboor Aly liked his stance on a portal’s feed.

    Get all the exclusive scoops in the show Maslay Aur Masala:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFNj1w3fcII

    Celebrity couple of Afzal Khan aka Rambo and his wife Sahiba Afzal appeared on Nida Yasir’s sehri show with their sons Ahsan and Zain.

    Yesterday Sahiba has come under the scrutiny of netizens for stating misogynist comments on the show regarding not wanting daughters. The Kaanpien Tang Rahi Hain star said that she never wanted to have a daughter, she is thankful that she doesn’t have one and instead only has two sons.

    Rambo was quick to intervene her stance and said that when he sees his contemporaries like Shaan Shahid and Saud Yousuf sharing a beautful bond with their daughters, he feels like he wants to experience that bond too and hence always wanted a daughter.

    Sahiba then added that she doesn’t want a daughter because women have no autonomy on their choices in this world and that their remains a fear about their luck.

    Sahiba Rambo sons

    Recently Sahiba’s friend and actor Moammar Rana’s wife Mehnaaz has took to her Instagram handle to share her stance on the on-going controversy of actress Sahiba.

    Mehnaaz stated that daughters are a blessing and not burden after a clip of her husband’s co-star has gone viral.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAZabelu5Jw&t=6s

  • Had an excellent relationship with Nawaz Sharif: Former Afghan President hopes for good ties with Pakistan

    Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai has expressed his hope for a cordial relationship with Pakistan under the administration of the newly-elected Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    In an interview with BBC, Karzai said, “I can tell you that when I was in the last year of my office, I had an excellent relationship with Mian Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, who I found to be very willing to engage fruitfully with Afghanistan. I hope that Shehbaz Sharif [Nawaz’s brother] would follow the same path.”

    “Afghan people would respond to them very very positively. We do wish a good relationship with Pakistan.”

    Responding to the airstrikes [allegedly made by Pakistan] in bordering Khost province, the former president condemned the airstrikes and termed it clear violations of Afghan sovereignty.

    He called the recent attacks on Afghan education institutions as an “attack against Afghanistan’s efforts for educating its young, its peace and movement towards stability and progress.” Hamid Karzai emphasised the need for allowing girls above sixth grade to return to school.

    Hamid Karzai has served as the President of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. He still lives in the country under the the rule of Taliban who gained power in August 2021.

  • ‘Local mosques refused to announce that she was missing because of sectarian issues’: The Minor’s mother makes revelations

    ‘Local mosques refused to announce that she was missing because of sectarian issues’: The Minor’s mother makes revelations

    The case of the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl from Karachi’s Al-Falah area is yet to be solved, as police continue to search for her.

    The police also raided a house in Sanghar, but could not find the missing girl. The owners of the cell phones from which the calls for ransom were made had been taken into custody by the police.

    On April 16, 14-year-old The Minor had gone missing from the Golden Town area of ​​Al Falah. Police registered a case and launched an investigation. In this regard, SSP Anti-Violent Crime Cell Zubair Sheikh said that the police were working diligently on the matter.

    Police raids are continuing in Karachi and other cities of inner Sindh. Police first raided a house in Sanghar on Wednesday, but found nothing. Thereafter, another house was raided. The Minor could not be found during the raid, but during the action, police found another girl who is from Karachi.

    In response to a question, the SSP said that the numbers which called to demand ransom were provided by The Minor’s father to the police. They were traced by law enforcers and the suspects were also taken into custody.

    Now the girl’s mother has revealed on Waseem Badami’s show that the local mosques refused to announce her daughter being missing due to sectarian issues.

    Her father has also said that if his daughter is not recovered then he and his family will attempt suicide in front of the Governor House.

    “My daughter wasn’t even going to school for the past one and a half years,” her father told the publication.

    The girl has been missing for nearly a week, but there has been no clue about her whereabouts since she had stepped out of her home to dispose of garbage.

    The father said that they lived on the first floor, explaining that his daughter had gone down to the ground floor to dump garbage, but she never returned.

    After the case was highlighted on social media, Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon visited the girl’s home to assure her family of complete cooperation on part of the law enforcement agency.

    “We’re doing our best,” the police chief told journalists after visiting the family. “Three special police teams have been formed to find the girl. Soon the girl will be with her family. We have no objection if someone from the family wishes to join the investigation team.”

    A team of the Anti-Violent Crime Cell (AVCC) also met the girl’s father. AVCC chief Zubair Nazir Shaikh said they have formed three teams, and they are working on getting CCTV camera footage to trace the girl’s whereabouts.

    “We’re taking all measures to find the girl and are in touch with her family to gather all information regarding her disappearance,” he said. “A case has already been registered at the Al-Falah police station.”

    A police official said that an investigation into the incident had been launched, with the footage from the CCTV cameras installed in the area being examined to trace the whereabouts of the girl.

  • Google to ban call recording apps in the next update

    Google to ban call recording apps in the next update

    From May 11, a new policy of the Google Play Store will prohibit third-party call recording applications from being downloaded.

    Modifications to the Google Play Policy mean that developers’ access to the Accessibility API will be restricted even more. This has been used as a workaround for remote call audio recording, however starting May 11, Google will no longer allow apps on the Play Store to use the Accessibility Service.

    In addition, Google clarified potential misunderstandings about the change in policy through a recent developer webcast.

    Numerous apps allow recording audio from a call without the other party knowing. As a result, this policy change only affects third-party apps on the Play Store. On some devices, several default dialer apps, such as Google Phone, Mi Dialer, and others, have a native call recording feature built-in. The update would not affect the default dialer apps on devices like Pixel and Xiaomi handsets.

    “Remote in this sense refers to call audio recording where the person on the other end is unaware that the recording is taking place,” said Moun Choi, Google content operations lead, during the special developer webinar.

    “Accessibility capability is not necessary to get access to the incoming audio stream if the app is the phone’s default dialer and also pre-loaded”. As a result, there would be no infringement. Because this is a clarification of an existing policy, the new language will take effect on May 11th for all apps”.

    Read more: Netflix loses 200,000 subscribers in Q1 2022, projects deeper losses in Q2

    In other words, you won’t lose functionality if you can record calls using your pre-installed dialer programme. Call recording may not be possible in the future if you use an app downloaded from the Google Play Store.

  • Former envoy to US Asad Majeed to brief National Security Council on ‘letter-gate’

    Former envoy to US Asad Majeed to brief National Security Council on ‘letter-gate’

    Former Pakistani ambassador to the United States Dr Asad Majeed Khan will brief the National Security Committee (NSC) members during a meeting on Friday about the diplomatic cable he gave to the PTI government last month, according to sources.

    According to sources, the Pakistani diplomat has arrived in Islamabad and will join the National Security Council meeting convened by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the PM Office to review the situation in the aftermath of “letter-gate” and other regional issues.

    According to sources, the meeting will be held today at the Prime Minister’s Office at 2:00pm. The members of the meeting will discuss the security situation in the country.

    Top civil and military leadership including federal ministers, services chiefs will attend the meeting

  • Global oil prices rise amid supply concerns

    Global oil prices rise amid supply concerns

    Oil prices increased on April 20, swamped by fears about tightening supply as the European Union (EU) considers a possible ban on Russian oil imports, which would further impede global oil commerce.

    After reaching a high of $109.80, Brent oil futures finished up $1.53 to close at $108.33 a barrel. After earlier reaching a high of $105.42, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures ended up $1.60, or 1.6 per cent, at $103.79.

    Consumers also reacted to continued disruptions in Libya, where blockades at major fields and export terminals have resulted in a loss of about 550,000 barrels per day of oil supply.

    Brent has climbed about 8 per cent in the last seven days of trading, but the advance has been calm and steady, unlike the frenzy that surrounded Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February and again in mid-March.

    Last week, US crude exports increased to more than 4 million barrels per day, slightly countering Russian crude losses caused by US and European bans.

    Read more: Pakistani rupee plunges by Rs1.05 against the US dollar

    The oil market is still constrained, with the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its affiliates, led by Russia, striving to achieve output commitments and US crude inventories plunging dramatically in the week ending April 15.