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Author: News Desk

  • Hania Aamir embraces flaws, promotes self-confidence

    Hania Aamir embraces flaws, promotes self-confidence

    Social media is full of images of perfect beauty, but Hania Aamir is not interested in promoting false imagery. The star actress, fresh off her success on the hit series Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum, is open about flaws on her skin. 


    In an interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Hania talked about struggling with acne in 2019.


    She said, “It’s easy to cover up blemishes on TV with makeup, cameras, and filters. However, I felt like I was living a lie by hiding my pimples. When you’re on screen, nobody finds out. But I started feeling like I was lying to the people who were following me.”


    She often shares makeup-free photos with her 16.3 million Instagram followers. She realized the power of her influence and decided to be honest about her skin. “One day I took a picture of my skin and I posted it,” she said. “I decided that I would not stay sad if my skin broke out and neither would I let anyone else feel the same way about themselves.”


    She also said, “I didn’t cover up skin marks while filming Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum. You’ll notice that if I had a mark on my face, it has not been covered up. I am stubborn about that.”


    Hania wants girls to know that they don’t have to look perfect to work in showbiz. “That’s also why in most of my videos, I don’t wear makeup,” she said.


    Hania’s attitude promotes self-confidence in a world obsessed with social media perfection.

  • Australia sets 148 runs target for Pakistan in second T20

    Australia sets 148 runs target for Pakistan in second T20

    Australia has set a target of 148 runs for Pakistan in the second T20 match being played in Sydney.

    Australia captain Josh Inglis won the toss and elected to bat first. Australia opened the innings with Matthew Short and Jack Fraser-McGurk.

    Pakistan suffered costly losses in the first two overs of the innings, but Haris Rauf dismissed first Jack Fraser and then Kangaroos captain Josh Inglis for a total of 52. Abbas Afridi dismissed Matthew Short for an individual score of 32. Aaron Hardy fell victim to Abbas Afridi for 28.

    In the stipulated 20 overs, the Australian team scored 147 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Haris Rauf and Abbas Afridi took four wickets for Pakistan, while Safyan Muqim took three wickets.

    There was no change in the Australian team for the second T20 match, while one change was made in the Pakistani team, and Safyan Muqim was included in the team in place of Hasibullah.

    The Pakistani team includes captain Muhammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan, Salman Ali Agha, Irfan Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah, and Haris Rauf. In addition, Naseem Shah and Sufyan Muqim are also among the 11 players.

    It should be remembered that Australia defeated Pakistan by 31 runs in the rain-affected first T20 match. Australia has a one-nil lead in the three-match T20 series.

  • Icecream giant Ben and Jerry’s sues Unilever for silencing pro-Palestine stance

    Icecream giant Ben and Jerry’s sues Unilever for silencing pro-Palestine stance

    Internationally renowned ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has filed a lawsuit against their parent company, Unilever, for silencing its attempts to show support for Palestinians suffering in Gaza, alleging that Unilever threatened to dismantle its board and sue its members over the issue.


    Reuters has reported that the latest case is another “sign of the long-simmering tensions between Ben & Jerry’s and consumer products maker Unilever.”


    The clash started between the ice cream brand and Unilever 2021 when the former said it would stop selling its products in Israeli regions and occupied West Bank because it doesn’t align with its values. 


    This led some investors to divest from Unilever shares.


    Subsequently, the ice cream-making brand sued Unilever for selling its business in Israel to its licensee there, which in turn allowed marketing in the West Bank and Israel to continue.


    The latest legal action also claimed that Unilever has breached the terms of a confidential settlement agreed two years ago in 2022.


    The ice cream brand argued in the lawsuit that as part of the agreement, Unilever is required to “respect and acknowledge the Ben & Jerry’s independent board’s primary responsibility over Ben & Jerry’s social mission.” 


    It further claimed that “Ben & Jerry’s has on four occasions attempted to publicly speak out in support of peace and human rights.”


    It outrightly blamed that “Unilever has silenced each of these efforts.”


    Ben & Jerry’s firstly tried to call for a ceasefire, secondly attempted to express support for the safe passage of Palestinian refugees to Britain, thirdly back students protesting at US colleges against civilian deaths in Gaza, and last but not least, advocate for a halt in US military aid to Israel, but has been blocked by Unilever for this.


    The lawsuit acknowledged that the independent board separately spoke out on some of the matters, but the company was largely silent.


    Ben & Jerry’s categorically stated that Peter ter Kulve, Unilever’s head of ice cream, said he was more concerned about the “continued perception of anti-Semitism” regarding the ice cream brand voicing its opinions on Palestinian refugees.


    Additionally the legal action is being taken because Unilever was also required under the confidential 2022 agreement to make a total of $5 million in payments to Ben & Jerry’s for the brand to make donations to human rights groups of its choosing but Unilever objected to the groups selected by Ben and Jerry’s by saying that they are “too critical of the Israeli government.”


    Notably, the ice cream makers selected the left-leaning, pro-Palestinian Jewish Voice for Peace and the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, among others.


    In March, earlier this year, Unilever also decided to spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry’s, to simplify its holdings by the end of 2025.


    In an emailed statement to Reuters, Unilever has said, “Our heart goes out to all victims of the tragic events in the Middle East. We reject the claims made by the B&J social mission board, and we will defend our case very strongly.”


    Additionally, the parent company declined to comment on the matter.


    Ben & Jerry’s has positioned itself as a very socially conscious brand since its establishment. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded the company in a renovated gas station in 1978. It continued working according to its mission until after Unilever acquired it in 2000.

  • Army has ruled out possiblity of deal with Imran Khan: report

    Army has ruled out possiblity of deal with Imran Khan: report

    Amid claims of yet another major political development, this time in favour of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the military has dismissed the possibility of negotiating with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, a foreign media outlet has claimed.

    As per the details, London-based The Guardian has quoted senior military sources as ruling out the possibility of striking a deal or negotiating with Khan days after the former prime minister expressed willingness to engage in talks with the military leadership from his jail cell at Rawalpindi’s Adiala.

    According to reports, the British newspaper had sent a questionnaire to Imran via his legal team, and in his responses, the incarcerated PTI founder confirmed that he had not had any direct interaction with the military since after he was arrested and locked up in August 2023.

    Khan, however, said he would not rule out striking a deal with the establishment. It merits a mention here that the incarcerated former premier had earlier launched a tirade against the establishment, accusing the country’s military leadership of ousting his government.

    The report quoted senior military leadership as saying that Khan, for the past few months, had been “applying pressure” for discussions with the military and had even offered to hold unconditional talks while seeking a deal for his release.

    However, the military leadership is resolute in refusing to enter into any negotiations with him, the report said.

    “Khan has to face the court cases against him, and can’t expect any deals from the military. Khan wants everyone to follow the rule of law, but he does not want this rule of law for himself,” it quoted military sources as saying.

    “With regards to doing a deal with the military, any engagement would be based on principles and in the interest of the people, not personal gain or compromises that undermine Pakistan’s democratic values,” Khan reportedly told the publication.

    While the PTI founder’s rhetoric towards the current military establishment has taken a more conciliatory tone in recent weeks, his jail time continues to drag on as he faces over a hundred cases that his legal team claims to be “baseless”.

    Meanwhile, the government is yet to confirm if Khan could be facing a military trial for his alleged involvement in attacks on military instalments on May 9, 2023. The report quoted Khan as saying that a civilian could not be tried in a military court, let alone a former premier.

    “It’s ludicrous. The only reason to try a civilian in military court is because no other court of justice would convict me. The very idea of it is alarming,” Khan reportedly told the publication.

  • ‘People with limited knowledge taking decisions’; Sana Mir slams women team’s central contract

    ‘People with limited knowledge taking decisions’; Sana Mir slams women team’s central contract

    Pakistan’s former women’s cricketer Sana Mir has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) central contract for women’s cricket teams. Interestingly, Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz have been excluded from the central contract.

    Sana wrote on X (previously Twitter), “How can Nida Dar and Aliya Riaz not find a place in the contracts when a 50 Over qualifier is coming up in Feb and potential 50 over World Cup in Oct next year? Extremely disappointed but not surprised at all. The decisions are being taken by people with limited knowledge of the women’s game.”

    Central contracts of the Pakistan women cricketers show captain Fatima Sana and Muniba Ali promoted to A Category. Left-arm spinner Sadia Iqbal has been promoted to Category B based on recent excellent performances.

    PCB has announced central contracts for 16 women cricketers for the international season after the annual performance review, which will be effective from July 1, 2024.

    Last year, 20 cricketers were given central contracts for two years, with the clause that their performance would be reviewed after the 2023-24 season.

    This central contract includes three new entries: Gul Feroza, Ramin Shamim and Tasmia Rabab. Tasmia has received a central contract for the first time, which is an important milestone in her career. Gul Feroza has been able to get a central contract again after 2018, and Ramin Shamim after 2022-23.

    The central contracts of Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Anushay Nasir, Iman Fatima, Shawal Zulfiqar and Sidra Nawaz have not been renewed. However, all these players will remain available for selection.

    The PCB has shifted its focus to developing the next generation of cricketers, keeping in mind the ICC Women’s Future Tours program.

  • State-run PTV uses VPN to post about ‘un-Islamic’ VPNs on X

    State-run PTV uses VPN to post about ‘un-Islamic’ VPNs on X

    With the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) terming the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) “un-Islamic”, state-run Pakistan Television (PTV) has reported all about it on X, formerly Twitter, which remains inaccessible in the country without VPN.

    As per the details, the CII on Friday declared the use of VPNs as “un-Islamic”, emphasising the need to block access to immoral or blasphemous content on the internet.

    CII Chairman Dr Raghib Hussain Naeemi, in a statement, said the federal government had the prerogative to curb evil and prevent access to it, declaring that adopting measures to prevent or restrict access to immoral and offensive content was in accordance with the Shariah.

    The development came hours after the Ministry of Interior (MoI) penned a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block illegal VPNs, highlighting increasing risks to national security and public morality.

    Amid criticism against the ruling by netizens and religious scholars, including Maulana Tariq Jameel, state-run PTV also reported on the CII decision.

    It went on to post about the development on X, the micro-blogging website that remains inaccessible to Pakistanis without a VPN since before the February 8 general elections due to compliance issues. 

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    “[The] Council of Islamic Ideology has declared the use of VPN in violation of Shariah,” PTV said in a post that went viral soon after.

    Earlier, CII chief Dr Naeemi had also said that VPNs, while technically a tool for security and privacy, were often misused to access forbidden content. 

    These included obscene websites, platforms spreading misinformation, or those fostering anarchy within society, he said, adding that VPNs were also used for online theft and fraud, making it difficult to trace cybercriminals.

    The CII chief said that under Islamic principles, the permissibility of any act depended on its intent and method of use. He said using VPNs for unlawful purposes directly violated both Islamic and societal laws. Furthermore, he added, Muslims were obligated to respect state laws, provided they did not contradict Islamic principles.

    He warned that bypassing restrictions on blocked websites not only violated national laws but also went against Islamic ethical principles.

    Meanwhile, the MoI stated in its letter that VPNs were “increasingly being exploited by terrorists” to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan. “Off late, an alarming fact has been identified, wherein VPNs are used by terrorists to obscure and conceal their communications,” it said in a statement.

    Additionally, the ministry added, unregulated VPNs were also being used for discreetly accessing pornographic and blasphemous content.

  • Rohit Sharma has become a father again

    Rohit Sharma has become a father again

    Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma and his wife Ritika Sajdeh have welcomed their first son on the intervening night of Friday, November 15 and 16.

    Following his son’s birth, Sharma could not leave for Australia with the Indian team for a Test series.

    This is the second child born to captain Rohit and Ritika. The couple are parents to six-year-old daughter Sameera.

  • Four-year-old crushed under metro bus in Rawalpindi

    Four-year-old crushed under metro bus in Rawalpindi

    A metro bus crushed a four-year-old child as he was getting off with his mother at Liaquat Bagh metro station in Rawalpindi.


    Various footage of the incident has emerged online. In one of them, it can be seen that the body was covered with a sheet, surrounded by people and a bus parked on the side.

     


    Journalist Shabbir Dar posted a video made from inside the bus where the parents of the child were seen shouting and crying in panic while other passengers were trying to console them.


    Geo News reported that the four-year-old child fell on the track while getting off the metro bus. He was accompanied by his mother and was crushed under the tyre of the metro bus. The child died on the spot.


    The police said that the child who died in the incident at Liaquat Bagh metro bus station was identified as Rehan, a resident of the Amrapura area of Rawalpindi.


    The police stated that the child was getting off the bus and holding his mother’s finger when the bus stopped at Liaquat Bagh station, and he instantly fell on the metro track.
     
    However, at the same time, the bus driver started the bus, and as a result, the child was crushed to death by the big bus tyre.


    The driver of the metro bus, as well as the other officials of the metro bus administration, fled the premises immediately after the incident, according to the police.


    The incident happened in the jurisdiction of Waris Khan police station of Rawalpindi. A police team reached the accident site and started an investigation.

    Previously, in 2017, a 19-year-old student was crushed to death after the bus rammed into a near side pole. Following her death, massive protests broke out in the area by fellow students. 

  • YouTuber Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson in boxing match

    YouTuber Jake Paul defeats Mike Tyson in boxing match

    YouTuber Jake Paul defeated former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson in an international boxing match on Friday night.

    All three judges declared Jake Paul the winner on points in an eight-round match in Texas.

    The 27-year-old Paul is also an American actor.

    The 58-year-old Mike Tyson, on the other hand, is known as one of the “greatest heavyweight boxers of all time.” However, he appeared a bit sluggish in this match.

    The age difference was clearly evident. Tyson fought hard in the first two rounds, but in the end, Jake Paul defeated him.

    Earlier, this fight was scheduled for July this year, but it was postponed due to Tyson’s health issues.

    Tyson retired from boxing in 2005 after losing to Kevin McBride.

    Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul


    Former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson slapped opponent Jake Paul as the two men faced off for the final time on Thursday ahead of their controversial Netflix-backed bout.

    Tyson, 58, hit Paul flush on the cheek with his right hand following the formal weigh-in for Friday’s fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.


    A scrum of security swiftly intervened to separate the two fighters following the incident before Tyson was ushered away.

    Tyson, who weighed in at 228.4 pounds after stepping onto the scales wearing only a pair of Versace briefs, barely spoke before leaving the stage.

    “Talking’s over,” Tyson said before making his exit with members of his entourage.

    Paul, the 27-year-old Youtuber-turned-boxer, insisted he had not been hurt by Tyson’s open-handed slap, which drew gasps from the audience.


    “I didn’t even feel it — he’s angry. He’s an angry little elf…cute slap buddy,” said Paul, who weighed in at 227.2 pounds.

    Paul concluded his remarks with an expletive-laden pledge to knock Tyson out before roaring theatrically into a microphone: “He must die.”


    Tyson is reportedly being paid $20 million for Friday’s officially sanctioned about in Texas, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds.

    The contest, being streamed live on Netflix, has divided opinion across the boxing world, with many prominent figures decrying the prospect of Tyson lacing up his gloves nearly 40 years after his professional debut and 19 years after his last officially sanctioned fight.

  • Weather update for the second T20 between Pakistan and Australia

    Weather update for the second T20 between Pakistan and Australia

    The second T20 match between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled to be played today (Saturday) at 1 pm Pakistani time in Sydeny, but there is bad news for cricket fans. 

    The second T20 match is also likely to be affected by rain. 

    According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, four to six per cent rainfall was predicted during the crucial match of the series to be played in Sydney. Chances of rain in the morning hours are up to 30 per cent.

    Scattered clouds will continue to linger throughout the day in Sydney, while wind speeds of upto 31 kilometres per hour are exoected. Humidity is likely to be between 76 and 83 per cent.

    Probable change in Pakistan’s squad:

    The Pakistan cricket team is likely to drop a fast bowler and include a young spinner in the second T20 match against Australia.

    The second match of the T20 series between Pakistan and Australia will be played in Sydney today (Saturday) at 1 pm Pakistani time.

    The Sydney pitch is conducive to spin, for which Sufyan Muqeem or Arafat Minhas is likely to be included in the national team, while Naseem Shah can be dropped.

    In the first T20, Naseem Shah took only one wicket for 37 runs in two overs.

    Both teams have not faced each other at the Sydney Cricket Ground since 2019 when the match was washed out due to rain, while the Green Shirts have not won a T20 match against the Kangaroos at home.

    The first match was delayed due to rain. Later, the game resumed with seven overs for each team. Australia defeated Pakistan by 29 runs. Chasing 94 runs, the Green Shirts scored 64 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. 

    Glenn Maxwell was declared the man of the match for playing an aggressive innings of 43 runs on 19 balls.