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  • Disney to shut Lucasfilm studio in Singapore

    Lucasfilm’s visual effects and animation studio in Singapore will close down in the coming months due to economic reasons, parent firm Disney said on Tuesday.

    The Singapore studio was set up in the 2000s by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), which was founded by Star Wars creator George Lucas and is a division of Lucasfilm.

    For years, its home in Singapore was the striking Sandcrawler building, named after the Star Wars transport that inspired its design. Lucasfilm sold the building in 2021.

    “Over the next several months, ILM will be consolidating its global footprint and winding down its Singapore studio due to economic factors affecting the industry,” Disney said in a statement.
    It did not say how many employees will be affected in Singapore.

    Disney said in February it was cutting 7,000 jobs worldwide — part of a reorganisation as its traditional television business erodes and in the face of stiff competition and eroding subscriber numbers for its streaming service, Disney+.

    “Lucasfilm’s decision to wind down its Singapore operations is in response to changes in the industry and business conditions,” Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) said in a joint statement.

    “The global media industry is facing disruption from rapid technological advancements, while studios are coping with challenges relating to talent and profitability.”

    The Singapore studio was involved in high-profile Hollywood productions including “Iron Man”, “The Avengers” and Star Wars films, according to the EDB’s website.

  • Petrol price increased by Rs17.50 to Rs290.45 per litre

    Petrol price increased by Rs17.50 to Rs290.45 per litre

    The caretaker government has increased the petrol price by Rs17.50 to Rs290.45 per litre while diesel price has been increased by Rs20 to Rs293.40 per litre.

    The situation appears to be worsening for the already burdened population, who were already facing challenges in affording expensive petrol. Now, an additional financial strain is looming as they will be obligated to pay even higher prices.

    The Finance Division, addressing the recent developments, explained that the escalation of petroleum prices in the international market over the past two weeks has necessitated a revision in consumer prices within Pakistan. This decision has been made in response to the global market dynamics impacting local prices.

    This announcement follows a substantial price hike in fuel that was announced by the former Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government on August 1.

    At that time, a significant increase of Rs19 per litre in the prices of both petrol and diesel was introduced. This move was attributed to the mounting global oil prices.

  • Justice delayed and denied

    Justice delayed and denied

    Rizwana, a teenaged victim of domestic torture, awaits justice. Her case, with horrifying details of injuries, is being followed with great interest by the public, mainly because the main suspect, Somia Hafeez, is the wife of civil judge Asim Hafeez. Somia has been charged with allegedly physically torturing the girl, who worked as a maid in her home, after accusing her of stealing jewellery.

    But will the courts be fair in their judgement?

    In 2016, 10-year-old Tayyaba, working as a domestic worker, was severely tortured by her employees. Tayyaba, a native of Faisalabad, was living in Islamabad to work and financially support her family after her father lost a finger. The employers in question were Islamabad judge Raja Khurram Ali Khan and his wife.

    According to Dr. Tariq Iqbal, who was heading the medical board, the girl had “some burns, some traumas, some lacerations, some blisters [on her body]”.

    In April 2018, the couple was found guilty and sentenced to 12 months in jail. The sentence was increased to three years by Islamabad High Court in June 2018, following an appeal by prosecutors, with a Rs500,000 fine.

    However, in 2019, the verdict was reversed as Tayyaba’s lawyer claimed that no abuse was inflicted on the convict and that her bruises were “accidental” while the statement she gave in court during cross-examination was “memorised like a parrot”.

    Resultantly, in 2020, the apex court set aside the three year sentence and maintained the one-year jail term for the convicts.

    Like Tayyaba, will 14-year old Rizwana be left at the whims of power? Will she too one day say that the injuries she has, requiring surgeries and stays in ICU wards, were incurred accidentally?

    Will justice be served? Or delayed and denied once again?

  • Asia Cup 2023: Everything You need to know about schedule

    Asia Cup 2023: Everything You need to know about schedule

    Asia Cup 2023 schedule has been announced. The event will start with the match between Pakistan and Nepal that will be played on 30 August in Multan.
    Teams are divided into two groups:
    Group A
    Pakistan
    India
    Nepal
    Group B
    Bangladesh
    Afghanistan
    Srilanka

    Here is the schedule for Asia Cup 2023:

  • Exclusive: Man who made fake bomb threat on Malaysian flight is former Pakistani model Arif Ali

    Exclusive: Man who made fake bomb threat on Malaysian flight is former Pakistani model Arif Ali

    On August 14th, a Malaysia Airlines flight from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur was forced to turn back when an agitated man claimed he had “explosives” in his backpack, Australian police said.

    The 45-year-old was arrested after the plane returned to Sydney and has been charged with one count of making a false statement about a threat to damage an aircraft.

    Videos of the man went viral where he can be seen praying on a prayer mat in the airplane’s aisle and repeatedly asking people if ‘they are a slave of Allah’.

    https://youtu.be/PJ5KW0oi83Q

    The Current has confirmed with multiple sources that the man is a former Pakistani model and actor, Muhammad Arif Ali. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated from NCA in 2002. He worked as an architect at a number of firms in Karachi and Lahore from 2002-2016.

    He was also featured in renowned Pakistani singer Abrar-ul-Haq’s song, “Preeto” and as an actor he was in a Pakistani sitcom, “Kollege Jeans”, which revolves around the campus life of the National College of Arts, directed by Jawad Bashir.

    Most of his entertainment industry friends say that they lost contact with him while one of our sources confirmed that, “I lost contact a long while ago but I heard that he has developed extremist views”.

    We followed his social media and here is what we found:

    His Behance profile as an architect was made in January 30th, 2012, where he shared different projects he worked on during his career.

    His Facebook profile is open and shows that he lives in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. People have started commenting on his public posts.

    His YouTube channel “food for thought” is made up of shorts and videos, mostly based on his religious views. The last video on August 12 2023.

    His Instagram profile was made in June 2014 and has a throwback video with his “Kollege Jeans” co-actors. His former colleagues and his lawyer say they hope he is given a psychological assessment and is dealt with in a fair manner, saying that he likely suffers from mental health issues.

    https://youtu.be/e8GpD8BhDL4
  • Child dies after falling into uncovered manhole in Karachi

    Child dies after falling into uncovered manhole in Karachi

    While the Mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, works on improving the infrastructure of his city, a toddler has died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Malir’s Memon Goth.

    As reported by _, the incident took place in the area of Jamot Mohalla on Monday where the sewer was left open.

    “Where do we go, which door to knock? There is no one to hear about the loss,” says the grieving father, Abdur Rehman, who has now lost his only son. He pointed out that the manhole had been without a lid for more than 15 days while complaints had been lodged by locals to the union council but staffers said that they did not have a lid to cover the sewer.

    In June, Mayor Wahab promised to make the city ‘Clean and Green’. So far, he has banned plastic bags, improved basic infrastructure and provision of street lights, but sewers remain uncovered, making the roads a danger zone for pedestrians and bikers.

    On meeting Rehman, Karachi’s Deputy Mayor Salman Abdullah Murad offered his condolences. He promised to take action against the officials responsible for maintenance.

  • Will Pakistan make it to the semi-finals of World Cup 2023? Indian commentator Aakash Chopra’s prediction may surprise you

    Will Pakistan make it to the semi-finals of World Cup 2023? Indian commentator Aakash Chopra’s prediction may surprise you

    In a recent appearance on an Indian show, renowned cricket commentator and former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra claimed that Pakistan, England, Australia and India will make their way into the semi-finals of 2023 One Day International (ODI) World Cup.

    In his view, the Indian cricket team has an advantage over its opponents considering their recent performances. Expressing a strong hope in the team, he further claimed that India will have the advantage of playing in the comfort and familiarity of its homeground since the country will be hosting the tournament.

    When it comes to Pakistan, Chopra believes that the team can make its way into the semi-finals due to their excellent performance in ODI whereas the talent and consistency of the Austrailians and English will lead them to the final four.

    “I will be slightly surprised if any of them does not play the semi-finals, although you do get slightly surprised when the World Cup happens. The New Zealand guys are saying that they are also coming and it is an ICC event”, he added.

    Earlier, another former Indian cricketer and Indian commentator, Sourav Ganguly, said that Australia, England, and India can reach the semi-finals but “You can never underestimate New Zealand in these big matches.”

    After naming the four teams, Ganguly said, “I will pick five [teams for the semi-finals], and include Pakistan also.”

    The upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 will be played in India in October-November.

  • Is Babar Azam getting married?

    Is Babar Azam getting married?

    Kya paya cricket team to stan karke? One by one, all the boys including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan have been hitched just this year. Aur jo thori hope reh gayi thi, khatam hogayi because now rumors are surfacing that the captain himself, Babar Azam, is getting married.

    According to Geo’s sources, Pakistan cricket team’s belobed captain is set to tie the knot after the upcoming World Cup and a wedding will be held in November, according to the cricketer’s close friend.

    The source said Babar’s family want him to get married before the team jets off for their Australia tour in December.

    The news publication further said the cricket player is set to marry his maternal aunt’s daughter.

    Previously, Shadab Khan got married in a star-studded ceremony where close teammates like Babar and Shaheen were present.

    Prominent sports management agency has called all the news surrounding Babar Azams wedding false in a tweet posted today.

  • Life in Afghanistan: Two years since the Taliban takeover

    Two years since the Taliban stormed back to power on 15 August 2021 after two decades of war against the US and its allies, life has changed dramatically for many Afghans. A businesswoman, a former Taliban fighter and a farmer tell AFP how the changes have impacted them.

  • Coke Studio singer Asad Abbas passes away from kidney failure

    Coke Studio singer Asad Abbas passes away from kidney failure

    Pakistani singer Asad Abbas has passed has passed away from double kidney failure. His death comes a few weeks after he went viral on social media, asking for financial aid to battle the disease. His official Facebook page has shared a post announcing his death, stating that the Coke Studio singer had fought till the end.

    Asad Abbas, who had also sang the popular OST for the drama ‘Raqs-e-Bismil’, gave an interview to Daily Pakistan where he revealed he needed Rs 50 million for his treatment, confessing that his family had spent all their savings to fund his kidney transplant. Actors Imran Ashraf Awan and Adnan Siddiqui had come to the aid of the singer, requesting his followers to help Asad Abbas as he battled financial distress.

    READ MORE: After Asad Abbas, veteran actor Rashid Mehmood opens up about needing financial help

    Abbas had begun singing at age fourteen, rising to fame after winning the Pakistan Sangeet Icon competition. He was once the lead singer for the Meekal Hassan Band , and had also sung the track ‘Mahi Gal’ for Coke Studio Season 6.