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Author: News Desk

  • GUYS, FREE GIVEAWAY! Fill it out NOW!

    GUYS, FREE GIVEAWAY! Fill it out NOW!

    So, as we announced earlier, the Google News Innovation Fund is funding The Current to start Pakistan’s first membership program. What does that mean? That means that while everything we do for you will always be free, IF you want something more from us, we can now make that happen! This is so exciting guys! But obviously we need to know from you…what do you want? Fill out this survey and we will start working on what to do for you. And to make it more fun, we are sending GIVEAWAYS to FIVE PEOPLE who fully complete the survey! Thank you so much for supporting us! Means a lot! And we can’t wait to do more!

    Check out this link to fill the survey

  • Coronavirus: Twitter allows staff to work from home ‘forever’

    Coronavirus: Twitter allows staff to work from home ‘forever’

    Twitter has told staff that they can work from home “forever” if they wish as the company assesses its future after the coronavirus pandemic.

    The decision came as the social media giant said its work-from-home measures during the lockdown had been a success. But it also said it would allow workers to return to the office if they want to when it reopens.

    Earlier this month, Google and Facebook said their staff can work from home until the end of the year.

    Twitter said: “The past few months have proven we can make that work. So if our employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue to do so forever, we will make that happen.”

    Twitter’s blog added that for those who want to return to Twitter’s office the company “will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions”.

    The San Francisco-based company employs more than 4,000 people across its global offices. It has allowed employees to work from home since March and have decided to reopen its offices probably in September.

  • Amazon owner likely to become world’s first trillionaire

    Amazon owner likely to become world’s first trillionaire

    While the coronavirus pandemic has racked the global economy with uncertainty, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is on track to become the world’s first trillionaire by the year 2026.

    The business software comparison site used data collected from the last five years of the Forbes Rich List to calculate the yearly wealth growth rate of the world’s richest billionaires.

    The results concluded that Bezos, whose wealth is over $140bn, could become the world’s first trillionaire in 2026, by then he will be 62 years old.

    The study also says that Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, could become the youngest trillionaire in the world in 2036 when he will be 51 years old.

    Physical shopping is not a thing at the moment, therefore, Amazon is doing well at the moment because the demand for online is very high.

    Last month Jeff Bezos donated $100 million to US food banks which are struggling to feed a growing number of Americans who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus crisis.

    According to the Billionaires Index, Bezos is one of the world’s five richest people who hasn’t lost money in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Amazon has reported $75.5 billion in revenue for the first quarter of 2020.

  • Reema backs Shaan, says ‘Ertuğrul’ should not be aired on ‘our national channel’

    Reema backs Shaan, says ‘Ertuğrul’ should not be aired on ‘our national channel’

    And the debate on Diriliş: Ertuğrul continues.

    While Pakistanis enjoy the Turkish series in Urdu on their TV screens, Reema has voiced her criticism against the government’s decision to air the drama on PTV. The actor supported her colleague Shaan’s comments and said that the Turkish series should not be aired on “our national channel”. Shaan had earlier remarked that the state-owned channel should we working towards uplifting the local entertainment industry and should not be spending money on imports. In response to Shaan’s comments, Senator Faisal Javed Khan had clarified that Ertuğrul was a gift to Pakistan from the President of Turkey.

    Read more – Shaan is disappointed with PTV for airing ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    While speaking on her Ramzan transmission, the actor said, “Our artists have raised their voice [against its airing]. Why is foreign content being aired on national television?”

    “When you have plenty of local content and your artists are sitting at home, why is there a need to spend money and promote foreign content,” questioned Reema, adding, “It really hurts us. Because we’re the one paying taxes, not foreign artists.”

    “Shaan nay haq ki awaaz uthayi hai.”

    Reema’s guests Madiha Maqvi and Faisal Subzwari agreed with her comments and said that the government should promote local artists.

    Watch from 41:00:

  • Jemima reacts after Amir Mateen tries to give her parenting advice

    Jemima reacts after Amir Mateen tries to give her parenting advice

    British journalist, film producer and former wife of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Jemima Goldsmith, has reacted to senior Pakistani journalist and analyst Amir Mateen trying to give her what seemed to be parenting advice.

    As per the details, Jemima recently tweeted about how her son is relieved that he can now play sports “but only with her [due to the lockdown]”, drawing reactions from Pakistani Twitterati among whom she remains immensely popular even years after her separation with cricketer-turned-politician Imran.

    Among netizens reacting to the tweet was Mateen, who said:

    “Sad. He should have [a] normal life and pursue his interests,” Mateen tweeted, which did not seem to sit very well with Jemima.

    Here’s what Mateen had to say in response:

    “It was a joke. [British PM] Boris Johnson announced this eve you can play sports but only with members of your own household,” Jemima said in a subsequent tweet.

    In response to which, Mateen made Jemima realise how “she had lived here long enough to understand that even her jokes are taken seriously in Pakistan”.

    But all’s well that ends well…

    What do you think of this discussion? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    ‘Imran’s Naya Pakistan is Gen (r) Musharraf’s Pakistan’

    Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is following the footsteps of former military ruler General (r) Pervez Musharraf, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has ruined national consensus.

    Speaking to PPP leader Qamar Zaman Kaira on the coronavirus crisis and the evolving political situation in the country, Zardari criticised the government, saying that it wants to curtail constitutional and financial powers of provinces.

    “This government is fighting the opposition instead of fighting coronavirus,” he said.

    Referring to PPP’s past tenure, the former president stated that when he came to power in 2008, the country was a victim of terrorism and division. “We conducted the Swat operation through national consensus and brought peace [throughout the country],” the former president asserted.

    The PPP and the PTI have been trading barbs over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, after being criticised for the second consecutive day by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the Parliament House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had demanded that the foreign minister either withdraw his statement against PPP or resign from his position.

    The minister had spoken at length about PPP’s style of governance and the participation of the province in national decision-making, saying that the former ruling party was focused on only provincial politics rather than thinking of the entire country.

  • VIDEO: Allama Zameer Akhtar Naqvi allows Pakistanis to continue making memes

    VIDEO: Allama Zameer Akhtar Naqvi allows Pakistanis to continue making memes

    Controversial cleric Allama Zameer Akhtar Naqvi, who has time and again made headlines for his claims such as possessing the antidote for coronavirus, has allowed netizens to continue making memes about him.

    “Continue making memes… those who don’t listen to me seriously are able to understand my teachings by going through these funny memes,” he said in a viral video doing rounds over social media.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    He went on to say that none of his words are to be considered as something funny, but those who are able to understand them in a funnier way may continue to do so as long as they understand his teachings.

    Naqvi went on to “pretend” getting mad at those making memes about him, and later clarified that he was a “master of articulation” and his earlier viral “nahi bataoonga” rant was a prank that he played on netizens.

    “Stop making a fool out of yourself by all these comments you post. Learn the art of balance. If you follow me, you will be successful,” he maintained.

    A few days earlier, Allama Zameer Akhtar Naqvi had also claimed to possess the antidote for coronavirus. This claim was highly criticised by Pakistanis who believed that this claim showed how non-serious Pakistani clerics were in dealing with this global health crisis.

  • Canada’s Calgary Zoo to return two pandas to China due to shortage of bamboo

    Canada’s Calgary Zoo to return two pandas to China due to shortage of bamboo

    The Calgary Zoo in Canada is sending two giant pandas back to China due to a shortage of bamboo. A lack of flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused issues with shipments of high-quality bamboo imported from China, forcing the zoo to make the difficult decision.

    “When you’re looking after the welfare of animals, you need to put the politics and business aside,” said Calgary Zoo president Dr Clement Lanthier. “It is too much of a risk for the health and welfare of (the pandas).”

    Er Shun and Da Mao have been in Calgary since March of 2018 and were expected to remain through 2024 as part of a 10-year agreement between Canada and China. The pair spent their first five years at the Toronto Zoo.

    The facility had originally been importing bamboo from China to Calgary directly but when those flights were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis, they began receiving the bamboo via Toronto. However, when flights from China to Toronto were scaled back, it affected the regularity of their shipments. Delivery times were also slower than normal causing poor quality bamboo.

    They began bringing bamboo in from the United States but Er Shun and Da Mao refused to eat it, preferring the taste of Chinese bamboo instead.

    According to Dr Doug Whiteside, a senior veterinarian at The Calgary Zoo, this can happen because giant pandas have a specific taste and smell for bamboo and are selective eaters.

  • Coronavirus may never go away, WHO says

    Coronavirus may never go away, WHO says

    The new coronavirus may never go away and populations around the world will have to learn to live with it, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.

    As some countries around the world begin gradually easing lockdown restrictions imposed in a bid to stop the novel coronavirus from spreading, the WHO said it may never be wiped out entirely, AFP reported.

    The virus first emerged in Wuhan in China late last year and has since infected more than 4.2 million people and killed nearly 300,000 worldwide.

    “We have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it,” said Michael Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies director.

    “This virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away,” he told a virtual press conference in Geneva. “HIV has not gone away — but we have come to terms with the virus.”

    More than half of humanity has been put under some form of lockdown since the coronavirus crisis began.

    But the WHO warned there was no way to guarantee that easing the restrictions would not trigger a second wave of infections. “Many countries would like to get out of the different measures,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

    “But our recommendation is still the alert at any country should be at the highest level possible.”

    ‘LONG WAY TO GO’:

    Ryan added that there was a “long, long way to go” on the path to returning to normal, insisting that countries would have to stay the course.

    “There is some magical thinking going on that lockdowns work perfectly and that unlocking lockdowns will go great. Both are fraught with dangers,” the Irish epidemiologist said.

    Ryan also condemned attacks on healthcare workers that were linked to the pandemic, saying more than 35 “quite serious” such incidents were recorded in April alone in 11 countries.

    He said the attacks were often over-reactions from ill-informed communities — while others were more sinister.

    “Covid-19 is bringing out the best in us, but it’s also bringing out some of the worst,” he said. “People feel empowered to take out their frustrations on individuals who are purely trying to help.

    “These are senseless acts of violence and discrimination that must be resisted.”

    But he insisted that in finding a way to conquer the virus was a chance for humanity to take major steps forward by finding a vaccine and making it widely accessible.

    “It’s a massive opportunity for the world,” Ryan said.

  • Humayun Saeed to play an Islamic hero in Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar’s historical epic

    Humayun Saeed to play an Islamic hero in Khalil Ur Rehman Qamar’s historical epic

    Turkish drama series Diriliş: Ertuğrul has created a sensation in Pakistan to the point that there is nothing else anyone can talk about. The drama has become the most-watched television show in Pakistan this Ramazan and is being widely discussed on social media and in Whatsapp groups.

    Read more – ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a gift to Pakistan from Erdoğan’

    Following the excitement, Khalil ur Rehman Qamar announced that he is working on a historical saga similar to Ertuğrul. The writer said that it was time to “introduce our heroes to the younger generation who don’t know them”.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, the writer said, “We have decided to make a serial on a great Islamic hero. I am currently doing research, reading various books and will start writing it in a week.”

    The writer further shared that he will once again join hands with the team of Meray Paas Tum Ho for this and will cast Humayun Saeed as the lead hero. Nadeem Baig will direct the show while Humayun’s production house Six Sigma Productions will produce it.

    Qamar added that he has been asking Humayun to “work on something like this for the last twelve years” but due to limited facilities, they have been unable to turn their dream into reality.

    While Qamar refrained from sharing further details, he said that the TV show will match international standards and will be based entirely on facts. He said that the team will soon hold a joint press conference to formally announce the project and other details.

    Read more – After ‘Ertugal’, PM Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to watch ‘Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu’

    The writer appreciated Ertuğrul and said that he “salutes” the creators of it and the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for producing this masterpiece. He also lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to air this series in Urdu for Pakistani audiences.

    “Ertuğrul was the hero of the Muslims, whether the serial is made by Turkey or any other country, heroes don’t change,” said Qamar.

    On the other hand, Humayun while talking about the project said that he hopes it will be the “grandest drama ever produced in Pakistan”.

    “I had contemplated making a historical drama nearly two years ago, which is when I saw Ertuğrul,” said Humayun. “When I saw Ertuğrul‘s popularity in Pakistan as soon as it started airing on PTV, I was even more convinced that we needed to create a historical drama of our own.”

    “We are yet to decide who the story will be based on and the planning is still in its initial stages, but yes, Khalil sahab is writing it,” he added. Some reports are suggesting that the drama will on the great warrior of Islam Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi.

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul is being aired in Urdu on PTV on the recommendation of PM Imran who wanted to “help youngsters connect with their roots.”

    Set in 13th century Anatolia, before the establishment of the Ottoman Empire Diriliş: Ertuğrul illustrates the struggle of Ertugrul Gazi, the father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty.