Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Much-awaited coronavirus drug ‘fails in first trial’

    Much-awaited coronavirus drug ‘fails in first trial’

    A potential antiviral drug for the coronavirus has reportedly failed in its first randomised clinical trial, Financial Times reported.

    According to reports, there had been widespread hope that remdesivir could treat the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — that has left at least 191,000 people dead and 2.7 million infected across the globe.

    But a Chinese trial showed that the drug had not been successful, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization (WHO).

    The drug did not improve patients’ condition or reduce the pathogen’s presence in the bloodstream, it said.

    Researchers studied 237 patients, giving the drug to 158 and comparing their progress with the remaining 79. The drug also showed significant side effects in some, which meant 18 patients were taken off it.

    Interest in the drug, had been high as there are currently no approved treatments or preventive vaccines for COVID-19, and doctors are desperate for anything that might alter the course of the disease that attacks the lungs and can shut down other organs in extremely severe cases.

    The United States (US) firm behind the drug, Gilead Sciences, is testing it in multiple trials, and highly anticipated trial results from a study involving 400 patients hospitalised with severe cases of the illness are expected later this month.

    It says the WHO documents mischaracterised the study.

    Remdesivir, which previously failed as a treatment for Ebola, is being tried against COVID-19 because it is designed to disable the mechanism by which certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, make copies of themselves and potentially overwhelm their host’s immune system.

  • Mehwish Hayat takes the viral ‘Oh Na Na’ dance challenge

    Mehwish Hayat takes the viral ‘Oh Na Na’ dance challenge

    Ever since the world went into lockdown, people are coming up with fun ideas to lift up their spirits and of those around them. Several social media challenges have also gone viral including the ‘Oh Na Na’ Dance Challenge, Don’t Rush Makeup Challenge and the Pillow Challenge, in which you have to dress up using pillows. Celebrities all over the world are also taking part in these challenges.

    Mehwish Hayat recently did the ‘Oh Na Na’ Dance Challenge with her brother and the result is fun, groovy and full of energy.

    Watch the video below:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_SowQmH_dd/

    This is not the first time that the actor took a viral social media challenge. Earlier, Mehwish had also participated in the Bottle Cap Challenge and had blown away her fans with it.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzgE9CfFZD4/

  • VIDEO: Man in Waziristan celebrates recovering from COVID-19 with traditional dance

    A man in Waziristan broke into a cultural dance after he was discharged from quarantine.

    The man was quarantined in the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital after testing positive for coronavirus. However, after being in self-isolation and taking the necessary precautions, his tests came out negative and he started dancing to celebrate his recovery. The video of his cheerful dance went viral on social media.

  • PTI’s Pakistan: Current account deficit shrinks to $2.78bn

    PTI’s Pakistan: Current account deficit shrinks to $2.78bn

    The country’s current account deficit (CAD) — a trade measurement that says a country imported more goods, services, and capital than it exported — decreased to $2.78 billion during the first nine months of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, a decline of 73 per cent as compared to the $10.284 billion CAD recorded in the corresponding period last year, data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has revealed.

    The CAD for March stood at $6 million, as against $823 million recorded in March last year, and $198 million recorded in February 2020, Profit reported.

    Most of this was driven by the decline in imports, which fell 19.3 per cent year-on-year to $4.118 billion in March. Exports of goods also fell 10.8 per cent year-on-year to $2.037 billion in March.

    Additionally, there was a 9.2 per cent rise in the inflow of workers’ remittances, which were recorded at $1.734 billion.

    The trade deficit in total balance of goods and services was recorded at $2.368 billion in March, an improvement over the deficit recorded in February ($1.969 billion).

    During the July-March FY20 period, the total deficit in goods and services balance stood at $17.1 billion, a decline of 30.8pc from the deficit of $24.7 billion recorded in the corresponding period of last year.

  • Celebrities come together for a short film on coronavirus

    Celebrities come together for a short film on coronavirus

    A host of Pakistan’s much-loved celebrities have come together for a short film titled Call To Action to raise awareness on the coronavirus pandemic.

    Among those who feature in the film includes Hamza Ali Abbasi, Humayun Saeed, Reema, Shehzad Roy, Ali Rehman Khan, Zara Noor Abbas, Maya Ali, Anwar Maqsood, Bilal Maqsood, Sheheryar Munawar, Wasim Akram, Shaniera Akram, Ayesha Omar, Iqra Aziz, Yasir Hussain and Mikaal Zulfiqar. The film follows them as they talk to each other on the phones. While the conversation appears to be like one anyone would be having with their friend or family on the phone, each dialogue has a message behind it.

    For example, Shehzad Roy talks about how important it is to keep washing our hands, while Iqra says, “Fasla rakhain, kaheen corona na ho jaye.” Ayesha Omar expresses her annoyance at unverified Whatsapp forwards. The dialogues are fun, short and witty.

    The film has been written and directed by Faisal Qureshi.

    https://www.facebook.com/99319189034/videos/332682641054551/?__xts__[0]=68.ARCUqC90EHnhYu44OAka_NzkLjp4DPNDfxreqZ-g-_0VvCS45Ba3b-bv-IRWsooBrSfOIDGlgcz3u7pwWtGlDSUt0LTpgQs4F6gJqexpQBP0IotW5eV1WDzmpvdlt8Aa0qLvWG-SubERhJqtVPUlp6nMGL1SkWb42Yo1Xas-OxDy7PV9pinB2TDABda0EOjNGLZWrJnId_jZ6Hz77caiszjYUmipE3T0Ajhw2qVjfAQUuIPsVa65EEtjWNAHI8gERPE9W2y-eaUIjz1OGquIvkE5NZw1H9QORWVeqGVjPA4RVpdXzH213FAbVC0RbXN6AUuxCTVxFHH7Bl2fMM4L7wRtWU8tDXfl93NDqM5wzCXsWNpcPEiUW9CMORhzeJC7jcvdM6rpgTOqdExvjySH6ZB4_bkPnV0xJgC3NBCBgkDDGS5NlE41VZV7Q9xam0N8pMywt_N9l6pFk99nCd59228jdERIns7LawD5z0ZVfq7KZMkYIPvlJmPTuhbn8A&__tn__=-R

  • ‘Money Heist 4’ features an Indian actor as the Pakistani hacker

    Hit Spanish TV series La Casa de Papel, popularly known as Money Heist is very popular all over the world as it released its fourth season earlier this month. The show is also a big hit among Pakistani audiences.

    One thing that made Pakistani fans more involved in the show were the inclusions of two Pakistani characters – a surgeon and a hacker. Shakir, who plays the hacker is actually from India. He was cast in the show as someone who helped the Professor and his team of robbers in robbing the Bank of Spain.

    In a recent interview, the actor, Ajay Jethi, shared how he landed the role of Shakir.

    “When I got a call for Money Heist, it was like any other project for me, a new project for me. The manager told me it is a big project and the series is famous on Netflix,” Jethi said. “But, I had not seen the series till then as I was occupied with other things. I did not give any auditions because I had worked a lot with the casting director on many projects before.”

    Though Ajay is from Patiala, India, has is currently living in Spain.

  • VIDEO: Fawad Khan serenades Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha

    VIDEO: Fawad Khan serenades Deepika Padukone, Sonakshi Sinha

    Before India became a victim to extremism and religious bigotry, things were pretty decent between Pakistan and India. There was a lot of cultural exchange and several of our superstars crossed the border and won hearts there. Fawad Khan, in particular, became an instant hit with the audiences there who couldn’t get enough of his good looks and charm.

    Recently, The Current came across a video of Fawad serenading Deepika Padukone and Sonakshi Sinha at the 2016 IIFA Awards held in Madrid. In the video, Fawad is hosting the award ceremony with Karan Johar, when Johar challenges him to win the ladies. Karan then proceeds to first invite Sonakshi Sinha on stage and then Deepika Padukone. While Fawad sings Roop Tera Mastana for Deepika, he sang Chaudvi Ka Chaand for Sonakshi Sinha. Needless to say, the ladies were impressed and Deepika even went down on one knee for Fawad.

    Watch video:

    At the same event, Ranveer Singh also expressed his desire to work with the Pakistani heartthrob and demonstrated how girls act when they see Fawad.

    Meanwhile, it was also reported that after the awards ceremony, Fawad jetted off to Barcelona with Deepika and Karan Johar for a mini-vacay.

    Fawad’s last project in Bollywood was Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which also released in 2016.

  • Twitter updates its COVID-19 policies in a bid to contain the spread of false information

    Twitter updates its COVID-19 policies in a bid to contain the spread of false information

    Twitter is working to ensure that misinformation and panic does not spread through the platform. According to the official Twitter Safety handle, the social media site has “removed over 2,230 tweets containing misleading and potentially harmful content.”

    https://twitter.com/TwitterSafety/status/1253044734416711680?s=20

    Twitter Safety tweeted: “We have broadened our guidance on unverified claims that incite people to engage in harmful activity, could lead to the destruction or damage of critical 5G infrastructure or could lead to widespread panic, social unrest, or large-scale disorder.”

    “Our automated systems have challenged more than 3.4 million accounts targeting manipulative discussions around COVID-19,” the tweet further read.

    “We’re prioritising the removal of COVID-19 content when it has a call to action that could potentially cause harm,” TechCrunch quoted a spokesperson for Twitter as saying.

    With the entire world fighting against coronavirus, many social media domains have made consistent efforts on their part to ensure only relevant remains on their platforms. Earlier, Whatsapp placed a limit on the number of times a message could be forwarded.

  • BJP threatens ‘Gulf News’ editor in Dubai

    BJP threatens ‘Gulf News’ editor in Dubai

    An Indian journalist working with Gulf News in Dubai has been threatened that his passport would be impounded and he would be arrested as and when he returns to India.

    Mazhar Farooqui, Features Editor looking after Special Reports, claims he was inundated with abusive and threatening messages forwarded to his e-mail, on WhatsApp, on Facebook Messenger and on Twitter. He also claimed that while some of the accounts have been deactivated and some tweets deleted, several threats were issued from verified accounts and by people followed by the Indian Prime Minister.

    Farooqui had written reports exposing Islamophobic social media posts by Indian expatriates working in the UAE and Gulf countries. The reports had led in some cases to police action and some of the Indian expatriates being sacked.

    Some of the threats Farooqui received were:

    • You are being closely watched by security agencies here; your future liberty in India is uncertain. U may have to go to jail if you return here.
    • Iss ki family kahan rahti hai? Should be picked up. Passport should be cancelled
    • You are on our list too. Along with your daughters.

    Messages were also sent to authorities and police in Dubai, asking whether they had carried out a thorough background check on Farooqui, who, they said, was a Shia Muslim from Lucknow and was working secretly for Iran.

    Asked to comment, Farooqui told the National Herald, “Well, it’s like a pandemic — I have got nearly 5,000 messages via e-mail, FB messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp from hundreds of such people. That said, many have deactivated their accounts or deleted their posts fearing action.”

    “In the midst of all this, BJP’s IT cell has launched a relentless, malicious campaign against me on Twitter. People with a verified account and many followed by the [Indian] PM are abusing me and threatening to revoke my passport and harm me and my daughters. They have even posted their pix on social media.”

    Farooqui had worked for Hindustan Times in Lucknow before moving to Gulf News in Dubai.

  • COVID-19 cases in Pakistan can rise to 200,000 by July, warns World Health Organization

    COVID-19 cases in Pakistan can rise to 200,000 by July, warns World Health Organization

    The number of estimated coronavirus cases in Pakistan can rise to 200,000 by mid-July if “effective interventions” are not taken, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

    According to WHO Director General (DG) Dr Tedros Adhanom, who was speaking at the launch of a virtual conference titled “Pakistan National Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan”, without effective interventions, there could be an estimated 200,000 cases by mid-July, the impacts of which on the economy could be devastating and double the number of people living in poverty.

    He said that the required funding for the plan was $595 million, which would be allocated to support various measures.

    “We must act in solidarity, with a coherent, coordinated approach,” Dr Tedros was quoted as saying.

    The statement from the global health body comes at a time when coronavirus cases in Pakistan have reached 10,982 with at least 230 fatalities.