Russia has accused Ukraine of trying to assassinate President Vladimir Putin by attacking Kremlin with drones.
The two countries are at war since February 2022.
In a statement, Russia said that Ukraine attempted to carry out a strike on the Kremlin residence of the President. Kremlin is a large government complex in central Moscow.
It said it regarded this “as a planned terrorist act and an assassination attempt on the president”.
Putin himself was not present at the location at the time.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky denied his country was behind it.
“We don’t attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities,” he said, speaking on a visit to Finland.
Meanwhile, senior Ukrainian Presidential official Mykhailo Podolyak said the reported incident indicates that “Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack”.
As for the drones over the Kremlin. It’s all predictable… Russia is clearly preparing a large-scale terrorist attack. That's why it first detains a large allegedly subversive group in Crimea. And then it demonstrates "drones over the Kremlin". First of all, Ukraine wages an…
On Wednesday, Finance Minister Senator Ishaq Dar reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme during a meeting with US Embassy Charge’d Affaires Andrew Schofer at the Finance Division.
Dar informed Schofer about the ongoing programme and assured him that the government was dedicated to completing it. Schofer expressed his confidence in Pakistan’s economic policies and programs and offered his support to strengthen economic and trade relations between the two nations.
The finance minister also discussed the current economic challenges and policy decisions taken by the government to stabilize and promote sustainable and inclusive growth. Both parties exchanged their views on the notable bilateral relations between the US and Pakistan.
Dar thanked the US Charge’d Affaires and reiterated the government’s desire to expand bilateral trade and investment ties. The meeting followed a report published by The News that stated the IMF and Pakistani authorities were holding each other responsible for the delay in reviving the stalled programme.
It is still uncertain how Pakistan will proceed to accomplish the current IMF programme, which expires on June 30, 2023.
Met Gala is considered as fashion’s biggest night of the year, with celebrities coming out in droves wearing the most elaborate costumes.
The event is hosted by the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour, and is actually a fundraiser benefit for the Metropolitan Museum Of Art’s Costume Institute. Each year a new theme is decided upon for invitees to adhere to.
This year, the Met Gala theme was ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty’ which was a celebration of the life and career of the late German fashion designer, who was the head of Chanel.
Celebrities from all over the world came to celebrate the occasion with wild and creative choices that definitely ensured that the biggest night of fashion lives up to its name. We had some old faces making a comeback, Bollywood stars who graced the red carpet and even some of Lagerfeld’s own muses who made an appearance.
Let’s go through all the biggest stars of the night and what they had worn to celebrate the occasion:
Bollywood starlet Alia Bhatt made her debut wearing a dreamy white gown designed by Prabal Gurung, which was embroidered with pearls. In her Instagram post, the ‘Gangubai’ actor wrote that her look was inspired by supermodel Claudia Schiffer’s 1992 Chanel bridal look.
The ruler of the fictional lanf of Genovia and queen of our hearts, Anne Hathaway, was the star of the evening with a stunning Versace gown, which was decorated with swarovski crystals and paired with a coin necklace by Bulgari.
But what makes the Met Gala live up to it’s name is that there is no strict dress code demanding beautiful gowns and polished appearances, with attendees allowed to go as wild as they want with the theme.
Actor Jared Leto decided to wear a full animal suit, honoring Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Choupette.
Rapper Lil Nas X took a creative spin on the theme with his bold look: wearing a metallic colored thong and covering his body with silver paint, along with embellished jewels and pearls on his face and neck.
Among the A-listers were also some of the iconic super models of the 90’s, who had opened and closed for the late German designer’s fashion shows. Super model Naomi Campbell, who had began working with the late German designer when she was 16 years old, chose to wear a salmon pink silk sari from Chanel’s spring/summer 2010 collection.
Iconic 90’s supermodel and actresss Devon Aoki made her debut at the Met Gala along side with designer Jeremy Scott, wearing a custom Moschino designed by him.
Aoki had been famously hand-picked by Lagerfeld to be the ‘Chanel bride’, his choice ‘it girl’ who would close out Chanel couture shows.
Famous sports figures had also shown up dressed to the nines to celebrate the glamorous night.
Tennis legend Serena Williams attended the Met Gala alongside her husband Alex Ohanian, wearing a custom Gucci gown, where she also announced that she was expecting her second baby.
Tennis champion Roger Federer, who was also one of the co-hosts of the night, made a stunning comeback after attending last in 2017. He had worn a sleek black tuxedo paired with black sunglasses, and posed at the event with his wife, Mirka.
Afghan Taliban have once again rejected international calls to lift the ban they imposed on women’s work and education, after the United Nations sanctions committee concluded in Doha without formally recognising the administration in Afghanistan.
Suhail Shaheen, head of the Taliban political office in Doha pointed out that the meeting’s decisions cannot be accepted or implemented when the government in Afghanistan is not part of the process.
In a meeting where over 20 countries’ representatives were present, the Taliban administration was not invited.
When asked by a journalist if there will ever be a situation when he will meet the Taliban directly, UN Chief António Guterres said: “If the time is right, I will not deny the possibility.”
Afghan Foreign Minister (FM) Amir Khan Muttaqi will reportedly visit Pakistan in a couple of days.
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman has become Babar Azam’s closest rankings challenger after he was rewarded for his recent form with massive gains on the latest ICC Men’s ODI Batting Rankings.
Fakhar had commenced Pakistan’s ongoing ODI series at home against New Zealand in a blaze of glory, with the 33-year-old scoring back-to-back centuries to put his side in control of the five-match series.
The left-hander scored 117 in the series opener in Rawalpindi and then backed it up with a magnificent 180* in the second match at the same venue and was duly rewarded with an eight-spot jump to second behind Babar on the latest rankings update.
Fakhar has scored three ODI centuries on the trot, rising to a career-best rating of 784 rating points and is now the closest challenger to his skipper despite trailing by 103 rating points.
It means Pakistan now have three players in the top five on the latest ODI batting charts ahead of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup later this year, with Imam-ul-Haq remaining in fifth place behind his two teammates and South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen and India’s Shubman Gill.
There is no possibility of postponing the Asia Cup or shifting the tournament to a neutral venue, Asian Cricket Council (ACC) sources have confirmed to Dawn News, stating that it did not send any notification to the member countries.
Pakistani media reports have claimed that if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) does not agree to play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue, the tournament may be out of the hands of the country.
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah and the Chairman Asian Cricket Council (ACC) have stated that India will not travel to Pakistan for Asia Cup 2023. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by Pakistan but BCCI continuously threatens PCB that they will not send their team to the host country and force the Cup to shifted to a neutral venue.
Asia Cup 2023 is scheduled to be played in September but the final date has not been announced yet.
PCB management committee has proposed a hybrid model in which Pakistan will play their matches in Pakistan but India will play their matches in Dubai. Najam Sethi had clarified that “We will decide where the Indian team will play their matches, not them. We have the right to decide and we will not back off from the hosting”
The Indian cricket board is believed to want the entire tournament to be shifted to the UAE, as was done in 2018 and 2022 when India and Sri Lanka hosted the tournament.
A member of the ACC board said on condition of anonymity that “messages have been exchanged but no discussion or proposal has been made to postpone the Asia Cup”.
He further said that if the Asia Cup is canceled, the PCB will be informed first, but nothing has happened so far.
According to him, the ACC will have to convene an executive board meeting to postpone or cancel the event. Sources further said that Chairman Jay Shah can call a meeting (virtual or physical) in 7 days, but so far there is no information about any such meeting.
ACC sources said that to the best of their knowledge, the last official exchange of mail between the PCB, ACC and BCCI was an invitation to assure the Indian team of maximum security and best hospitality.
He said that however, obviously, it is difficult for India to travel to Pakistan in the current sensitive political environment.
Another issue is how much money the official broadcaster has promised on contracts, which include at least two guaranteed Pak-India matches and a bonus third match if both teams reach the final.
“We should remember the media rights and the deal with Star Sports who have paid crores of rupees for at least two Pak-India matches in the Asia Cup,” he said.
Sources are clear that if the board meeting of ACC will decide to cancel the tournament so it will not only effect the participation of Pakistan in World Cup 2023 but will be a dangerous thing for the bilateral relationships of Pakistan with other countries.
Thousands of Hollywood movie and television writers are participating in a nation-wide strike, protesting for better wages and shares of the profits from streaming platforms.
Members of the Writers’ Guild Of America (WGA)- which represents 11,500 writers working in film, television and other forms of entertainment, had been in negotiations for six weeks after which the strike was announced on May 2, in a letter written to The Alliance Of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP):
“Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal — and though your strike vote gave us the leverage to make some gains — the studios’ responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing. The companies’ behavior has created a gig economy inside a union workforce, and their immovable stance in this negotiation has betrayed a commitment to further devaluing the profession of writing.”
A report shared in March by WGA stated that while the number of jobs has soared in the entertainment industry, budget allocations towards television and film writers has largely reduced by 4% in the last decade. Vox reported that as television shows have begun shortening their seasons by going for 8-10 episodes in comparison to 22 episodes per season, writers are paid less for their jobs. Adding that for movie screenwriters, their salary has not increased since 2018, which means that during inflation, their salaries have reduced by 14%.
The guild demanded that studio owners address the rise of the ‘mini-room’, a practice in which two or three writers are hired to work on a show rather than the usual seven, before it is even picked up for production. The letter highlighted that with this practice, writers are paid less than they generally receive for a regular writer’s room, and are usually disposed off when production begins.
What does this mean for all of our favorite shows? The last time a strike happened was in 2007, causing several hit shows like ‘The Office’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ to delay production and cut down several episodes.
This time, the popular shows whose production is under threat include Netflix’s monster hit ‘Stranger Things’. Los Angeles Times reports that although writing for the 5th season began last year in August, Netflix did not confirm that the scripts had been completed.
Showtime’s hit comedy series ‘Abbott Elementary’ has already put its Season 3 on hold with several writers participating in the protest to improve their wages. Speaking to Democracy Now, writer Brittani Nichols demanded that the studio start prioritizing their workers, rather than Wall Street.
Hollywood screenwriters of @WGAWest are going on strike. They are fighting for a living wage in the streaming era, says Abbott Elementary writer @BisHilarious, who calls the industry a "gig economy," where studios prioritize Wall Street, not workers. pic.twitter.com/GDxWvfi5ZJ
Critically acclaimed thriller series ‘Yellowjackets’ has also announced a halt in production, as confirmed by the co-creator Ashley Lye. In a tweet, she revealed that work on Season 3 has stopped until a fair deal is negotiated with WGA
Well, we had exactly one day in the #YellowJackets S3 writers’ room. It was amazing, and creatively invigorating, and so much fun, and I’m very excited to get back to it as soon as the #WGA gets a fair deal. #1u#unionstrong ✊🐝
Popular late-night talk shows like ‘The Late Show’ and ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ have already shut down production and popular television host Seth Meyers addressing the strike during a segment and sent solidarity to the writers:
“I love writing. I love writing for TV. I love writing this show. I love that we get to come in with an idea for what we want to do every day and we get to work on it all afternoon and then I have the pleasure of coming out here. No one is entitled to a job in show business. But for those people who have a job, they are entitled to fair compensation. They are entitled to make a living. I think it’s a very reasonable demand that’s being set out by the guild. And I support those demands.”
In a positive development, Pakistan’s press freedom ranking has improved, with the country moving up seven spots to number 150 on the list.
However, India’s position has slipped to 160 compared to last year’s stats when the country was placed at 150. China has been placed in the second last spot in the ranking list and North Korea has been put in the last.
May 3rd marks World Press Freedom Day, an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of press freedom; to assess the state of press freedom throughout the world; to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
The World Press Freedom Index also revealed a shocking general slide, with an unprecedented 31 countries deemed to be in a “very serious situation”.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif took to Twitter to pay his tributes to all journalists across the world “for the commendable work they are doing to inform and educate the people.”
On World Press Freedom Day, I pay glowing tributes to journalists across the world, particularly those in Pakistan for the commendable work they are doing to inform & educate the people. The environment in which they work is often full of challenges & risks and yet they never…
Many households in Pakistan served by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) are experiencing low gas pressure or no gas supply in the month of May. SSGC customers are facing seven to eight hours of load shedding, from 10 pm to 5-6 am, while SNGPL residential consumers are encountering a similar situation.
The SSGC is facing a gas shortfall of 265 mmcfd as its demand is 1,165 mmcfd, but its supply is only 900 mmcfd, including 90 mmcfd of RLNG. The Sui Northern system has also lost 85 mmcfd gas for 12 days due to annual maintenance.
A spokesperson from SSGC stated that the gas load shedding is being done for seven to eight hours to maintain the gas line pack so that the gas supply can be provided for 16-17 hours. Balochistan is receiving only 109 mmcfd of gas. The Sui Northern system’s situation is also vulnerable due to the suspension of supply from the Nashpa plant for 12 days.
An official from Sui Northern stated that the gas companies are only providing gas for cooking times as per their agreement with residential consumers and not for 24 hours. However, the gas companies used to supply gas for 24 hours, which was not agreed upon by the domestic consumers.
According to The News, the Punjab power sector is receiving 605 mmcfd RLNG, while the fertiliser sector is receiving 88 mmcfd. The power sector’s RLNG consumption has reduced to 605 mmcfd due to low temperatures. The government is receiving 900 mmcfd gas, but it has a purchasing capacity of 1,200 mmcfd. Pakistan is receiving RLNG of nine cargoes on long-term agreements, eight from Qatar and one from ENI.
Despite the decline in RLNG prices to $12-13 per barrel in the international market, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) is reportedly unable to purchase spot cargoes due to a dollar liquidity crisis.
A match between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) did not end on a happy note after Virat Kohli sledged Afghan fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq in the 17th over.
RCB registered a superb 18-run win against LSG on Monday night. However, what became the win was overshadowed by the brawl between RCB batter Virat Kohli, Lucknow mentor Gautam Gambhir and fast bowler Naveen-ul-Haq.
It seemed like a replay of 2013 when the latter was leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and involved in a heated exchange with a young Virat who was just 5 years old in the cricketing circle. A decade later, a similar picture was in front of everyone.
Naveen-ul-Haq has now shared his thoughts with some of his teammates according to Indian Express. The Afghan pacer has reportedly said, “I am here to play in the IPL, not to take abuse from anyone.” The bowler said that as a player, he has dignity and nobody can abuse him like that.
Haq and Kohli both shared cryptic Instagram stories after the incident in which the latter shared quotes while the former directly pointed towards Kohli and wrote:
“You get what you deserve, that’s how it should be and that’s how it goes.”
The incident was condemned by former players while all three were also heavily penalised.
