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  • Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Fawad says ‘Science & Tech Ministry has nothing to do with science’

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that his ministry has “nothing to do with science”.

    In a recent interview with Independent Urdu, the minister was asked what relation was there between his law degree and science.

    There is no connection, he said, adding: “In fact, the Science and Technology Ministry itself has no relation with science.”

    Earlier, in an interview to The Current, Fawad, who was sacked as the federal minister for information and broadcasting in last month’s cabinet reshuffle, had said he himself had chosen the Science and Technology Ministry.

    “I was offered two or three ministries by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and I voluntarily chose this ministry because science and technology is the way forward,” he had said.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

  • VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    VIDEO: Saudi Arabia intercepts missiles headed for Makkah

    Saudi Arabia has intercepted two missiles headed for Makkah, the kingdom announced on Tuesday night.

    According to an official statement, the ballistic missiles, reportedly intercepted over Taif, were fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels and were headed for the holy city as well as Jeddah, a port city on the Red Sea.

    In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington confirmed the reports.

    PAKISTAN CONDEMNS:

    Meanwhile, Islamabad has condemned the reported firing of ballistic missiles.

    The Foreign Office, in a statement, issued its condemnation and also commended Saudi forces for their “vigilant” defence.

    “Pakistan condemns the firing of ballistic missiles by Houthis towards Makkah province and commends the vigilant Saudi defence forces for intercepting the missiles,” read the statement.

    “Pakistan reaffirms its solidarity with Saudi Arabia and reiterates its support against any threat to the security of the kingdom.”

    Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition of Muslim states that intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power by Houthi rebels in late 2014.

    The Houthis, on the other hand, denied that their missiles were targeting Makkah, roughly 70 km (40 miles) from Jeddah and 50 km (30 miles) from Taif. The group called the claim “a tactic by Saudi Arabia to rally support for its war”.

  • Formula One legend Niki Lauda passes away

    Formula One legend Niki Lauda passes away

    Legendary Formula One driver Niki Lauda passed away at the age of 70 on Tuesday. His death comes eight months after he underwent a lung transplant. If you’ve seen the 2013 blockbuster Rush, you probably know who Niki Lauda is but if you haven’t read on.

    Lauda was born as Andreas Nikolaus on February 22, 1949, in Vienna into an upper-middle-class family, who did not share his passion for cars. In 1968, without telling his parents, Lauda won his first race with a Mini Racer he had bought with his grandmother’s help.

    During his driving career, Lauda suffered horrific injuries on August 1, 1976 when his vehicle burst into flames on the Nuerburgring in Germany. He had severe burns to his face and hands and inhaled toxic fumes which severely damaged his lungs.

    Despite being given the last rites in hospital he made an almost miraculous recovery to race again just six weeks later still bandaged and in intense pain.

    He missed only two races that season but was unable to hold off the challenge of Britain’s James Hunt, who went on to claim his only world title. The rivalry between the two men was also portrayed in Rush.

    The next season, in 1977, Lauda went on to win his second Formula One world championship with Ferrari. He also went on to win a championship in 1984 with Mercedes. Lauda continued to be associated with F1 and was a non-executive chairman at Mercedes F1 since 2012.

    Apart from that, Lauda was also an airline entrepreneur. He bought and sold several airlines including Lauda Air and Niki.

  • Gujranwala man burns his dollars to stabilise economy

    Gujranwala man burns his dollars to stabilise economy

    Following the continuous devaluation of the rupee, a resident of Gujranwala set his US dollars on fire.

    According to ARY News, Amjad burned his dollars to initiate a movement to stabilise the Pakistani rupee.

    Speaking to the media about his actions, Amjad urged masses to do the same and avoid trading in US dollars to strengthen the Pakistani rupee.

    Meanwhile, Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani, in a tweet, said that purchasing dollars in this hour of economic crisis is a grave sin and disloyalty to the country.”

    He added that “those involved in hoarding are cursed by Allah,” according to some “narrations of a Hadith.”

    On Tuesday, the dollar touched a new record high of Rs153 in the open market.

  • Journalist comes under fire for crass comment

    Journalist comes under fire for crass comment

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s aftari is all everyone can talk about since Sunday evening. It was the first time that most opposition leaders came together for an informal meeting to discuss the future of Pakistan.

    However, politics aside, the one joke everyone started cracking was that Maryam Nawaz and BBZ were looking like newly-weds. It is important to note here than Maryam has a son who is a few years younger than Bilawal and is also a grandmother. Hence, such humour is classified as crass.

    Journalist Mona Alam went one step forward and questioned where Maryam’s husband Capt. (r) Safdar is.

    https://twitter.com/MonaAlamm/status/1130143120614727686

    Mona’s comments were met with a lot of backlash. But she did not back down and defended herself.

    In response to Mona’s comment, one user asked why Capt. (r) Safdar should have been present in the first place considering it was a political gathering, to which she replied:

    Another Twitter user asked Mona where her husband is, to which she replied:

    https://twitter.com/MonaAlamm/status/1130179433082642437

    Soon after, the debate began to heat up even more and personal blows were exchanged such as:

    Not that it’s anyone’s business but Captain (r) Safdar was at the iftar party.

  • United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    United opp divides people: All you should know about Bilawal’s Iftar

    As leaders of major opposition parties joined hands to attend an Iftar dinner hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday, their united stance against the government left social media divided.

    ATTENDANCE:

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) senior leader Liaquat Baloch, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) Chairman Aftab Sherpao and Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) leaders Ali Wazir and Mohsin Dawar were all in attendance for the event organised at Zardari House in Islamabad.

    AGENDA:

    Bilawal is working to unite all opposition parties and his Iftar was an opportunity for them to reach consensus on launching an anti-government movement after Ramzan.

    The grand show of around ten political parties discussed strategies against the government. Sources had earlier informed The Current that the meeting was set to unite opposition leaders against the country’s economic crisis — falling rupee value and inflation.

    It was decided that solutions will be found to the issues the country is facing and all opposition parties will launch a protest inside and outside the parliament after Eid.

    They also agreed that the government has failed in running the affairs of the country and after Eid, an All Parties Conference (APC) would be held where a joint strategy would be formulated.

    The meeting also expressed concerns over “political victimisation” by the National Accountancy Bureau (NAB).

    PM IMRAN’S REACTION:

    Meanwhile, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan hit out at the opposition and said, “Today certain people have gathered for an event but we really know that it is because of them that Pakistan has not moved forward.”

    He said that the economy was being used “as a source of blackmail by corrupt political mafia”.

    DIVIDED SOCIAL MEDIA:

    Some social media users lauded Bilawal and Maryam as the new faces behind the two biggest opposition parties in the country, “taking forward the ideas of their parents” — former PMs Benazir Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz.

    https://twitter.com/always_opposed/status/1130139351558631424

    Meanwhile, some others stepped up to criticise the “unholy alliance”.

    https://twitter.com/ShahnawazChudh1/status/1130384542513205248
    https://twitter.com/FawadPTIUpdates/status/1130080776899452928
    https://twitter.com/Faisal_Kp01/status/1130382713062678528
  • Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    Pakistani millionaire who lost everything, became labourer in UAE

    An overseas Pakistani has gone from owning a million-dirham business in Sharjah to becoming a labourer at a junk yard after he lost over Dh500,000 in an alleged scam, Khaleej Times reported.

    As per the details, Asghar Hussain and his family’s lives were turned upside down in late 2008, when an Indian con artist forged his signatures on legal company papers and fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

    Asghar, his wife and four kids, aged 15 to 23, have had to live with the dire consequences that followed the incident. By 2013, Asghar was no longer able to keep his business going as he was unable to pay bank loans.

    His children were kicked out of school in 2014 for not paying the fees – they remain without an education till this day.

    Their residence, which used to be a large two-bedroom apartment, is now a small, unfurnished room. They sleep on the floor, hang their clothes on a dirty ladder, and have their belongings stored away in worn-out cardboard boxes.

    “My children haven’t been to school in almost five years,” the mother, Farah Gull, told Khaleej Times. “I have knocked on so many doors, asking charities if they can at least help us with school, but we were turned away.”

    The family still owes the school, the Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School in Sharjah, about Dh20,000.

    “My mother died when I was living here illegally, so I couldn’t even go to see her one last time. My wife’s parents died and she couldn’t go either. It really breaks our hearts,” Ashgar said.

    Going back home to Lahore was not an option for them as the parents sold their home and all of their belongings to pay for their failing business, rent and school fees.

    Asghar has managed to secure a temporary job at a junk yard, where he and his 23-year-old son work as labourers, earning less than Dh500 per month.

    “It’s not a life I imagined for myself and my kids, but we have to produce some kind of income for the home. I have a wife, three daughters and a son that I have to take care of. I refuse to beg on the streets, but I will do a job of a labourer if I have to earn cash for my family,” he said.

  • The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    The Current’s favourite political gimmicks

    Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi was spotted visiting different areas of Multan as a pillion rider on a motorbike, without any protocol and listening to the problems of his constituents.

    Hardly anyone is not familiar with the lines our political leaders can cross while trying to score attention or approval of the masses.

    Here are four of The Current’s favourite Pakistani political stunts.

    4. Shehbaz Sharif’s overenthusiastic address to party workers:

    Shehbaz and his signature “mic drops”. Here’s a private news channel’s report on it.

    3. Imran Khan burning a utility bill against inflation under PML-N rule:

    Fulfilling his promise to burn his electricity bill at the infamous 2014 sit-in, the PTI chief set fire to a piece of paper on night of his call to celebrate the “Day of Deliverance”.

    2. Sheikh Rasheed on the run across Rawalpindi:

    Despite orders for his arrest, Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed made it to a rally of his supporters in Rawalpindi’s Committee Chowk on a motorbike while beating the cops after him.

    1. Imran’s ‘civil disobedience campaign’ against PML-N government:

    The disobedience movement was a no-confidence public campaign against the government of PML-N. It was launched by the PTI chief in 2014 to protest against the alleged corruption of Sharif family members.

  • Pakistan not taking any wickets ‘to avoid PM Imran’s wrath’, explains Ramiz Raja

    Pakistan not taking any wickets ‘to avoid PM Imran’s wrath’, explains Ramiz Raja

    Explaining why Pakistani bowlers have been unable to defend 300 plus totals in the last couple of games, commentator and former cricketer Ramiz Raja has made some funny post-match remarks.

    Instead of coming down hard on the team for losing the ODI series to England ahead of ICC World Cup 2019, the former skipper chose to be sarcastic.

    Taking to Twitter to reveal bits of conversation between Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Pakistan team members, Ramiz shared how the former had called out some team members on “silly wicket-taking celebrations”.

    “Ever since being called out by PM Imran Khan on silly wicket-taking celebrations, this team it seems has decided to not take any wickets to not invite the wrath of the great man! Keeping trouble free, the Pak bowlers,” he tweeted jokingly and added a wink emoji at the end.

  • Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    Railways suffer losses worth over Rs28bn in PTI’s first eight months

    In contradiction to Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed’s claims, Pakistan Railways (PR) has suffered a loss of Rs28.62 billion within the first eight months of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, it was revealed Friday.

    Just last month, Rasheed had claimed that PR has generated a profit of Rs43 billion ever since he was handed the reins of the department.

    However, according to a report submitted to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways, the department’s total expenditure stands at Rs72 billion, while six of the 10 new trains inaugurated by Rasheed are suffering losses.

    The trains running to further ruin the crippling department include Dhabeji Express, Shah Latif Express, Mohenjodaro Express, Rohi Passenger Train, Thal-Mianwali Express, Faisalabad Non-Stop Train and Rawalpindi Express.