Appearing as a guest on the latest season of the Netflix series My Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, acclaimed American stand-up comedian Dave Chappelle opened up about his spiritual journey.
“I wanted to have a meaningful life, a spiritual life, not just what my hands can hold,” he said. “I felt like I’ve always had this notion that life should mean something.”
Chappelle, 47, revealed that his conversion came about through his visits to his local pizza shop as 17-year-old growing up in Washington, DC. He recalled that it was the positive vibes of the Muslim staff that caught his attention.
“The pizza shop was across from my house and it was, like, all these Muslim dudes that worked in there,” he said. “I used to go in there and crack jokes. And I am also a naturally curious guy and I would ask [the owner] questions about his religion and the guy was so passionate about it. It was very compelling. I liked the perspective of it.”
Chappelle also expressed his weariness surrounding the public discourse about Islam.
“It’s been presented in the public space in such a narrow and dismissive view,” he said. “It’s a beautiful religion. And the ideas in that religion are reflected in all the major Abrahamic faiths. You’ll see these ideas in both Christianity and Judaism, you know. It is the idea that this place does mean something, you know?”
In the interview, the actor also shared one of his favourite stories from Islamic history – the one which centered on the origins of Zamzam water.
“The thing that comforts me about it is the idea that all of this is from a singular source and the source is ultimately kind. And even though we may not understand the intentions of this source, we’re all connected and bounded by it”, he said.
Soon after Federal Minister for Education, Shafqat Mehmood announced that educational institutes across the country will be closed from November 26 to January 1 in a bid to control the COVID-19 spread, Pakistani social media was filled with memes as students rejoiced over the decision.
You can apply online for renewal of your machine readable passport if it has been expired.
What documents are required?
The following documents are required while applying for renewal of Machine Readable Passport through online passport service provided that your current passport is expiring within a period of seven months :
Color scanned copies of valid CNIC or NICOP or Smart CNIC or NICOP both sides
Color scanned copies of existing Passport (First two pages and one random page asked by system).
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport
For minors (less than 18)
The following documents are pre-requisite for issuance of passport to minors below 18 years:
Color scanned copies of valid NICOP or Smart card (both sides) or Computerized B- Form or Family Registration Certificate
Color scanned copies of mother and father valid National ID Cards (both sides)
Guardianship certificate/ court decision in case of separation.
Color scanned copy of minor’s attestation form ( available in the download tab).
Color scanned copy of Death Certificate if mother or father has passed away.
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport
Government employees
f the applicant is an employee of the Government of Pakistan, the following documents will be required:-
Color scanned copies of valid CNIC or NICOP or Smart CNIC or NICOP both sides
Applicant must provide No-Objection Certificate (NOC) in case he/ she is working as Government Officer/ Official, Armed forces Officers/ or employee of employee of Semi Government/ Autonomous Bodies/ Corporation. The NOC with be subject to confirmation/ verification by the department concerned.
Color scanned copies of existing Passport (First two pages and one random page asked by system).
Color scanned copy of Valid Visa/ Aqama/ Residence Permit/ Asylum card/ Other Nationality Passport.
Note:
Online portal is only for renewal of Machine Readable Passport. Following categories of passports cannot be applied through online portal.
New:
Issuance of Machine Readable Passport first time.
Modification:
In case applicants wants any changes in existing Machine Readable Passport i.e. name, father name, husband name, date of birth, caste, profession, dual nationality, marital status, religion and official to ordinary.
Reprint Exhaust:
In case applicant wants a new passport as all pages of previous passport utilized due to several visas/ frequent travelling.
Loss of Passport:-
In case applicant’s existing passport has been lost (misplaced and not in his possession) and they want a new passport.
In the above cases, the passport applicants are requested to approach nearest Pakistan Embassy/ High Commission/ Consulate General where MRP facility is available
How to upload documents?
You can upload supporting documents from the ‘Document’ tab in your e-Services Portal application session.
Before you start attaching files to your application, please remember:
There is a limit to the type and size of file that you can attach.
If you attach low quality scanned documents, it might slow down the processing of your application.
Type of files
We are able to accept the following types of files:
.JPEG
.JPG
.PNG
Size of files
We are able to accept the following sizes of file types:
Supporting document: 1MB
Fingerprint Form: 3MB
Photograph: 5MB
Naming tips
When naming your files to be attached to an online application only use numbers 0–9 and letters A–Z (upper and lower case), dashes ‘–’ and underscores ‘_’.
You must avoid using spaces ‘ ‘, periods ‘.’, ampersand ‘&’, hash ‘#’, star ‘*’, exclamation marks ‘!’, quotations ” “” and any other character that is not a letter, a number, a dash or an underscore.
How much will it cost?
How long will the Online Application Process take?
The Pakistan cricket team departed for their month-long tour of New Zealand in the wee hours of Monday. Upon arrival, the team will enter a two-week quarantine period in Lincoln in line with the New Zealand government’s COVID-19 protocols.
The 54-member squad includes 34 players and 20 officials.
Pakistan is scheduled to play three T20Is and two Tests during the tour. The T20 matches will be played on December 18, 20 and 22 whereas the two Test matches are scheduled to be played on December 26 and January 3.
According to details, the squad will be in isolation for the first three days after arriving in NZ. After the first phase of COVID-19 testing, the players will be divided into groups and all activities, including training, will continue in those respective groups.
During quarantine, there will be three rounds of COVID-19 tests and after 14 days, the squad will be allowed to move around freely.
Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tour to New Zealand after showing symptoms of COVID-19 before the squad’s departure. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a press release, confirmed that Fakhar has fever and is yet to recover in time for the Pakistan squad’s departure for the tour.
The board said the decision to withdraw Fakhar from the tour was made keeping the health of the rest of the squad members as a top priority.
“Fakhar has been isolated in the team hotel in Lahore as soon as his condition was detected and the PCB’s medical panel is now monitoring him,” stated PCB.
Earlier on November 11, Head Coach Misbah-ul-Haq had announced the 35-player squad for Pakistan’s tour to New Zealand.
Israeli media reported Monday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to Saudi Arabia for a clandestine meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which would mark the first known encounter between senior Israeli and Saudi officials.
Hebrew-language media cited an unnamed Israeli official as saying that Netanyahu and Yossi Cohen, head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, flew to the Saudi city of Neom on Sunday, where they met with the crown prince. The prince was there for talks with visiting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
A Gulfstream IV private jet took off just after 1740 GMT from Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, according to data from website FlightRadar24.com. The flight traveled south along the eastern edge of the Sinai Peninsula before turning toward Neom and landing just after 1830 GMT, according to the data. The flight took off from Neom around 2150 GMT and followed the same route back to Tel Aviv.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Pompeo traveled with an American press pool on his trip throughout the Mideast, but left them at the Neom airport when he went into his visit with the crown prince.
Meanwhile, the Saudi foreign minister has denied reports of a meeting between MBS and Netanyahu, as per Reuters.
While Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates have reached deals under the Trump administration to normalise ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia so far has remained out of reach.
King Salman long has supported the Palestinians in their effort to secure an independent state. However, analysts and insiders suggest his 35-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, likely is more open to the idea of normalising relations without major progress in the moribund peace process.
The kingdom approved the use of Saudi airspace for Israeli flights to the UAE, a decision announced the day after Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, met with Prince Mohammed in Riyadh. Bahrain normalizing ties also suggest at least a Saudi acquiescence to the idea, as the island kingdom relies on Riyadh.
Israel has long had clandestine ties to Gulf Arab states that have strengthened in recent years as they have confronted a shared threat in Iran.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has been in London for over a year due to health concerns, will not able to accompany his deceased mother to Pakistan owing to poor health and other reasons.
Shamim Begum, the Sharif family matriarch, breathed her last in London on Sunday due to a chest infection at the age of 89. The death prompted PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz to abandon a joint opposition rally in Peshawar and return to Lahore.
Maryam, who complained about the government’s apathetic attitude in a tweet, also shared that she would ask her father Nawaz Sharif not to come back to Pakistan.
کسی حکومتی شخص میں اتنی انسانیت نہیں تھی کہ مجھ تک دادی کی وفات کی اطلاع پہنچا دیتے۔ میں نے میاں صاحب کو درخواست کی ہے کہ بالکل واپس نا آئیں۔ یہ ظالم اور انتقام میں اندھےلوگ ہیں جن سے کسی بھی قسم کی انسانیت کی توقع نہیں۔
“I have requested Mian sahab not to come back [to Pakistan] at all. These are tyrants, these are the people hellbent on exacting revenge, and no humanity is expected from them,” Maryam Nawaz wrote on Twitter.
Furthermore, a report published in The News also claimed that the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will not be coming back with the dead body on the advice of his doctors. “Nawaz Sharif has been advised by doctors not to travel because of his ailing health,” the report quoted PML-N leader Ishaq Dar as saying.
It may be noted here that the PML-N supreme leader was taken to a hospital last week after his condition deteriorated due to kidney pain.
According to the report, the body will be brought back to Pakistan sometime later this week after the issuance of the death certificate.
Meanwhile, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif along with his son Hamza Shehbaz has also applied for parole to attend the funeral of his mother. Subsequently, the Punjab government granted permission to attend the last rites of Shamim Begum. The father-son duo is in jail on suspicion of corruption.
An Indian state on Sunday asked police to investigate Netflix series A Suitable Boy after a member of the country’s ruling party objected to scenes in the series, in which a Hindu girl kisses a Muslim boy against the backdrop of a Hindu temple.
The series, based on an English novel by one of India’s leading writers Vikram Seth, follows a young girl’s quest for a husband in the backdrop of newly independent India (1951). It is directed by celebrated Indian filmmaker Mira Nair.
“It has extremely objectionable scenes that have hurt the feelings of a particular religion,” Narottam Mishra, the interior minister of the central state of Madhya Pradesh, said on Twitter.
“I’ve directed police officers to get this controversial content tested” to determine “what legal action can be taken against the producer-director of the film for hurting religious sentiments”.
He later said: “For objectionable scenes in the web series A Suitable Boy, an FIR has been lodged against Monika Shergill (Vice President Content, Netflix India) and Ambika Khurana (Director, Public Policy at Netflix) associated with the management under Section 295 A (willfully hurting religious sentiments) in the Civil Lines Police Station of Reeva.”
वेब सीरीज ‘A Suitable boy’ में आपत्तिजनक दृश्यों के लिए #OTTPlatform#Netflix के प्रबंधन से जुड़ीं मोनिका शेरगिल और अंबिका खुराना के खिलाफ रीवा के सिविल लाइंस थाने में धारा 295 ए (धार्मिक भावनाओं को जानबूझ कर ठेस पहुंचाने) के तहत एफआईआर दर्ज की गई है। pic.twitter.com/84A4ZlLz6Y
Gaurav Tiwari, a leader of the youth wing of India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also governs Madhya Pradesh, has filed a separate complaint against Netflix and warned of street protests by Hindus if the series is not taken off the platform. He also accused the show and streaming platform of promoting ‘love jihad’ – a term radical Hindu groups use to accuse Muslim men of converting Hindu women by marriage.
A Netflix India spokesman declined comment on the police complaint.
It is pertinent to mention here that the six-part series was officially commissioned by BBC Studios and produced on a budget of £16 million making it one of the most expensive BBC series ever made. Netflix is the exclusive distributor of the series for all global territories, except continental North America and China. It released on the streaming platform on October 23, 2020.
Social media commentators say the scope for creative freedom is narrowing in India, especially when it involves any depiction of Hindu-Muslim relations.
Many Indians took to Twitter demanding a boycott of Netflix, which sees India as one of its most promising growth markets, but where its shows have faced legal challenges.
Last month, a unit of India’s Tata conglomerate withdrew a jewellery advertisement featuring a Hindu-Muslim family celebrating a baby shower, following threats to one of its stores and wide criticism on social media.
Earlier this month, the Indian government announced rules to regulate content on video streaming platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Walt Disney’s Hotstar.
Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood announced on Monday that all schools across the country will close down from November 26 to January 10, 2021, to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
“All ministers have mutually decided that to keep all educational institutions, including schools, colleges, universities, and tuition centres closed. However, online classes will continue from November 26 to December 24 after which winter break will start. Schools will reopen on January 11, 2021,” he said.
“When we say all educational institutions will close on Nov 26 and students will home learn, we mean ALL institutions without exception,” clarified the minister later.
When we say all educational institutions will close on Nov 26 and students will home learn, we mean ALL institutions without exception
As per reports, the decision was taken during the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers Conference (IPEMC) to discuss school closures, headed by Mahmood.
He said that all examinations will be postponed, except for a few professional exams which will take place.
The minister added that a “review session” will be organised during the first week of January to analyse the country’s virus outbreak and that a decision will be taken accordingly.
As the country witnessed a surge in coronavirus cases, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) had suggested early and extended vacations.
In recent weeks, the country’s COVID-19 cases and deaths have seen a sharp increase. The country has reported 376,929 coronavirus cases and 7,696 deaths so far.
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the careless actions of the opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), can result in a second lockdown for the country, and would adversely affect people’s livelihoods.
“Opposition is callously destroying people’s lives & livelihoods in their desperation to get an NRO. Let me make it clear: they can hold a million jalsas but will not get any NRO,” he tweeted.
Opposition is callously destroying people"s lives & livelihoods in their desperation to get an NRO. Let me make it clear: they can hold a million jalsas but will not get any NRO.
While the premier has been against going into lockdown, he felt that the actions of the PDM and their refusal to stop their rallies would result in faster spread of the novel coronavirus, and this in turn would leave the country with no choice but to go into lockdown.
“If [coronavirus] cases continue to rise at the rate we are seeing, we will be compelled to go into complete lockdown and the PDM will be responsible for [the] consequences,” he said further.
I do not want to take measures like a lockdown that will start hurting our economy which at the moment is showing signs of a robust recovery. Unfortunately, the Opposition's only goal is NRO at whatever cost to the lives of people & the country's economy.
PM Imran said that another lockdown would be terrible to the economy, which declared was “showing signs of a robust recovery”. However, he added that should the PDM continue with its actions, the government would have no choice but to impose another lockdown.
At the moment, there are a number of smart micro-lockdowns taking place across the country, where those streets with more than eight cases reported are shut down. Similarly, wedding halls, large public gatherings, and indoor events have been banned as per the official orders of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).
On Friday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government had refused to grant permission for a public meeting planned by the PDM due to the rising number of coronavirus cases in the country.
In response to the notification, the PDM had refused to back down and claimed that this is a ploy by the ruling party to prevent the rallies from taking place.
Ikhtiar Wali, the spokesperson of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) KP chapter, had insisted that the coalition would go ahead with the rally.
Speaking to media persons on Friday, the spokesperson had said that the premier had held a rally in Swat a week ago and that the KP chief minister had held a large public gathering two days ago.
“Who did they ask for permission? And who granted them permission? So if there is no rule for the ruling party, then why is [there one] for us?” he had asked.
Separately, referring to the government as ‘Covid-18’, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had rejected the government’s demands to postpone jalsas and public gatherings as coronavirus cases rise across the country.
“While a mask gives you protection from COVID-19, ‘Vote ko izzat do’ narrative & struggle will protect you from ‘Covid-18’ & all such future attempts, Insha’Allah. Protect yourself, protect your vote,” she tweeted.
Police arrested a woman in Sukkur on Saturday for allegedly setting her house on fire after her father refused to pay for her TikTok video.
As per reports, Marvi Khilji was arrested after her father, Abdul Aziz, registered a complaint at a police station that she had set fire to their house when refused to finance a modelling video for her TikTok account.
Abdul Aziz who is a retired employee of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), with Rs25,000 as pension claimed in his complaint that she had demanded for Rs200,000. When he refused, she got angry and set fire to the house that destroyed a fridge and a washing machine.
Upon the father’s complaint, police arrested Khilji and the court then sent her to Sukkur jail for 14 days.
