Fatima Bhutto, author and the granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, announced the birth of her baby boy on Saturday. She has named her son Mir Murtaza Byra, after her father Mir Murtaza Bhutto.
The writer shared the good news via her account on X and wrote, “Graham and I are so happy to share the news of the birth of our baby boy.”
The internationally acclaimed writer also shared an elaborate social media post, revealing the name she picked for her son and explaining her reasons behind the choice.
“We wanted to give our son a name that would bestow him with courage and kindness as he makes his way through the world. I wanted a name that would act as an inspiration to him in his life but also one that would cloak him in love and strength, a name that he could wear with the knowledge that it was given to him from deep within his mother’s heart and soul to protect him throughout his life, to give him in equal measure both grace and fearlessness, a sense of his homeland and of joy,” she wrote.
Sharing her feelings regarding the naming her child, Fatima stated: “Every time I thought of what name might do that, I always came back to my beloved father’s name.”
She also asked her fans and followers to pray for her family during this happy time.
The Lahore Family Court has sentenced a man for marrying for the second time without the permission of his first wife.
Judge Adnan Liaquat of the Family Court Lahore delivered the verdict on the petition, sentencing the accused to seven months imprisonment and imposing a fine of five lakhs.
According to the court, the husband married the second wife without the written permission of the first wife, a legal requirement for the second marriage – which the husband did not fulfil.
Under the law, the accused violated Section 6 of the Muslim Family Law Ordinance. If the accused fails to pay the fine of five lakh rupees, he will face an additional month in prison.
Due to operational issues of various airlines, 22 flights across the country including eight domestic flights of Quetta have been cancelled today.
According to PIA spokesperson, as reported by Geo news, the flights had to be cancelled due to not meeting the minimum load of the required number of passengers.
Aviation reported that today alone, PIA cancelled six flights from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore to Quetta. PK 310, 311 from Karachi, PK 322, 323 from Lahore and PK from Islamabad to Quetta. K 325, 326 will not be operated today.
PIA’s Karachi-Gwadar PK-503, 504 flights have also been cancelled.
Five flights from Karachi to Islamabad, three flights between Karachi to Lahore, two flights of PIA from Islamabad to Sukkur have been cancelled.
Sher Afzal Marwat, the popular Pakistani politician and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) lawyer has revealed that Nadir Ali saved his life through his pranks.
In a YouTube show ‘Metatainment’ Sher Afzal Marwat discussed the difficult times he had faced in his life.
“At a time in my life when I was a victim of problems, I used to think that strangers were harassing me. I was under mental stress. This was a period of one and a half or almost two years when I was in a lot of trouble. This was the time when there were peace issues in our area. My father was murdered, I was directly under attack, there was a lot of conflict in our tribe. There were many problems too.”
Detailing his mental struggles, Marwat said, “I used to wonder why this life is so difficult. Many strange thoughts used to come into my mind, but Allah gave me courage.”
Talking about Nadir Ali, he said, “These pranks, especially Nadir Ali who is a Pakistan famous prankster, I used to watch his pranks daily and I think his pranks saved my life. I used to watch his single video 10, 50 even 100 times.”
“I am a big fan of his. I went to Karachi but didn’t get a chance to meet him or interact with him. If I am a fan of one person in my life, it is Nadir Ali.”
Nadir Ali is a Pakistani famous prankster on YouTube who has four million subscribers.
Stockholm (AFP) – Music streaming giant Spotify on Wednesday announced it would be posting music videos on its platform in “select markets”, entering an arena long dominated by YouTube.
“The beta version of music videos on Spotify begins rolling out today…,” the company said in a statement.
It would release limited catalogue of hits from global artists such as Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Ice Spice, as well as local favourites, it added.
Initially, the music videos will only be available to paying subscribers in the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia,the Philippines, Indonesia, and Kenya.
In early February, Spotify announced it had passed 600 million monthly users, of which 236 million were paying subscribers.
Google’s streaming behemoth YouTube has long dominated music videos online, with much of the platform’s most-viewed content being music videos.
Songs like Luis Fonsi’s “Despacito,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and K-pop star Psy’s viral hit “Gangnam Style” each gathered several billion views.
Spotify has invested heavily since its launch to fuel growth with expansions into new markets and, most recently, exclusive content such as podcasts.
Pakistan has been ranked 161st out of 191 countries on the UN Human Development Index, scoring 0.544 points. This marks a slight improvement from 2023, when Pakistan was ranked 164th with 0.540 points, three places below its 2022 ranking.
The report also highlights that Pakistan’s HDI rank remained steady at 161st globally from 2019 to 2021. The index comprises health, education, and income indicators, each ranging from 0 to 1.
In South Asia, Sri Lanka leads at 73rd place with 0.782 points, followed by Bangladesh at 129th with 0.661 points, and India at 132nd with 0.633 points. Nepal ranks 143rd, while Afghanistan trails at 180th with 0.478 points, although it’s slightly above the bottom 10.
Globally, South Sudan ranks last at 191st with 0.385 points, while Switzerland tops the list at 0.962 points, followed by Norway at 0.961 points.
The report observes that while global development has returned to pre-pandemic levels, a growing gap between rich and poor countries persists. This rebound follows two years of decline, primarily due to the COVID-19 crisis which reversed five years of progress.
Despite overall positive trends, inequality persists, with the poorest nations falling behind, exacerbating global polarisation.
“The result is a dangerous gridlock that must be urgently tackled through collective action,” the United Nations warned in a post on social media.
The report also recognizes that “rich countries experienced unprecedented development, yet half of the world’s poorest nations continue to languish.”
The United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) combines economic and non-economic factors to measure a country’s prosperity, including life expectancy, educational attainment, and gross national income per capita.
The report underscores a reversal in the trend of reducing inequalities between wealthy and poor nations, emphasising the need for collective action to address shared challenges and ensure people’s aspirations are met.
Additionally, the report identifies a “democracy paradox,” wherein support for democracy coexists with endorsement of leaders who may sabotage democratic principles, increasing political polarisation and inward-looking policy approaches.
The number of people in Pakistan expecting financial conditions to improve in the country has increased by 10 per cent compared to the previous quarter.
A survey conducted by Ipsos Pakistan’s Consumer Confidence Survey – a global market research and public opinion specialist – laid out the latest figures.
The survey revealed that 35 per cent of Pakistanis expressed hope for improvement in their own financial conditions in the future as the financial conditions in the country improve.
On the other hand, 35 per cent of Pakistanis are disappointed and believe that the financial conditions will become weaker.
The rate of Pakistanis expressing disappointment has reportedly increased by two per cent i.e. 43 per cent.
Pakistanis also expressed concern regarding the overall economic situation of the country. This ratio, however, remains at the same level as of November 2023.
On the other hand, 88 per cent believe that the country is heading towards a wrong direction, while 60 per cent of Pakistanis said the current state of the country’s economy is weak.
The percentage of Pakistanis who expect the country’s economy to improve in the future has decreased by six per cent i.e. to 27 per cent.
In a recent survey conducted by Gallup & Gilani Pakistan, people across the country were asked about their favorite type of meat. The survey revealed the following preferences: • 41 percent of respondents chose goat meat as their favorite. • 25 percent favored beef. • 23 percent preferred chicken. • 11 percent either didn’t know or didn’t answer.
Gallup & Gilani Pakistan conducted the survey to gather information about people’s food preferences. Understanding what people like helps businesses and policymakers make decisions.
We agree that nothing beats a good mutton karahi. Or a good mutton pulao. Or a good mutton haandi. Or paai.
A new advisory issued by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has instructed pilots and the cabin crew to not observe fast in the month of Ramzan during flights, reports The Express Tribune.
The directive issued by the manager of the flight safety department at PIA outlined guidelines regarding fasting during the flights.
It said that fasting can potentially decrease alertness and impair decision-making abilities, which could lead to serious consequences in the emergencies. It also said that even though it is technically feasible, this may reduce the margin of safety, as per corporate safety management and the aircrew medical center’s advice.
The official circular emphasised that although fasting is a highly important practice in Islam, it disrupts the normal routine and can lead to dehydration, a drop in glucose level, and other physiological changes.
The directive clearly instructed all fasting cockpit and cabin crew members to abstain from operating flights, highlighting that self-exemptions cannot be claimed even under state law. It emphasised compliance with rules and regulations to ensure the safety of passengers and crew.
As Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz launched Saaf Suthra Punjab Campaign in Lahore, netizens all over the internet have started posting photos and information about the overflowing drains, sewage spillage, huge piles of garbage, and poor hygiene conditions in their cities.
Newly elected Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is on a mission to transform Punjab. The latest in the series is the ‘Saaf Suthra Punjab drive’. Netizens are quick to remind her of the poor condition of drains and garbage in Lahore and other cities of Punjab.
In Lahore, citizens are struggling with the issues of overflowing drains, sewage water, and the stink emitting from them.
Blogger and activist Riaz Ali Turi posted about the uncovered drains in Lahore causing health risks and nauseating smells in NA-127 of Lahore which include the prominent areas of the city like Township and Green Town.
Urgent call to action: Uncovered drains in Lahore, particularly in NA-127, are posing serious health risks, with nauseating smells affecting residents, especially children. The situation on the ground was dire, as we witnessed. @MaryamNSharifhttps://t.co/uppeHGCyFVpic.twitter.com/II5KjUPwje
Another user with a pseudo name of I M Imran Khan shared the pictures of Shadman area in Lahore where overflowing drains are disturbing life. Adil posted about how the area around Urdu Bazaar is facing sewage issues to which Maryam Nawaz assured him of holistic action. Noman Waseem tagged CM Maryam that even though the initiative is great, nothing has been done in his city of Multan.
The whole shadman area in Lahore is worst than this, with a big sewage/ dirty drain in Shadman, jail rd, n chungi, which have become hallmarks of Lahore city. The moment u enter in Shadman, the unbearable sewer gas smell welcomes u. pic.twitter.com/LQvrbacUbM
In response to Zeeshan Malik’s tweet about the Punjab government’s work in Bahawalpur, a netizen commented that Pindi needs the same attention, and, not just on the roads but in the walled city as well.
Pindi mai kb ho ga zeeshan.just main roads per kaam na ho.asal maza tub hai androon yay saaf sutra punjab hona chew
A resident of Sheikhupura posted a series of littered streets that are disturbing the lives of citizens yet the commissioner was claiming to have started the project.
Dawn’s Khalid Hasnain interviewed a resident of a locality of Pine Avenue near Valencia Town named Aziz who complained, “You see the Sattukatla drain full of waste, which is choking its sewage flow. The water level in the drain is also rising due to the choking caused by the waste piling in it.”
“It is also surprising that though the WASA’s machine meant for desilting or cleaning the drain is parked here but no one has visited the site since long to operate it,” Aziz adds the Sattukatla drain overflows in the monsoon or the unexpected heavy rain while its choking is also spreading a very foul and unbearable smell everywhere.
The Current went to ask the residents near drains at Upper Mall which are especially disturbed by the foul smell which gets unbearable during rains.
Around Walton drains, a resident named Zahid Abbas complained that occasional breaking of the walls of the drain and overflowing of its contents causes many hindrances on daily basis. “When there is rain we become restricted to our homes and transportation via cars become increasingly difficult especially crossing the road,” says Zahid.
Traditionally, the epicentre of PML-N’s politics, Lahore has always been flaunted as the most developed part of the province the drains and heaps of garbage are depicting an opposite story. The situation is no better in other cities where grave problems require immediate action across the Punjab.
