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  • Zulfiqar Jabbar announces support for ‘Kana Yaari’ singer Wahab Bugti amidst floods

    Zulfiqar Jabbar announces support for ‘Kana Yaari’ singer Wahab Bugti amidst floods

    As torrential rain continues to wreak havoc across Balochistan, stories are emerging of thousands of people being homeless, amongst them is musician Wahab Bugti.

    The Kana Yaari singer and his family have been affected by the flooding in Dera Bugti and required help. Fellow Coke Studio artist Kaifi Khalil and activist Muniba Mazari requested public to help him and his family.

    Activist Mazari shared photo of the singer with his family surrounded by floodwater on Twitter.

    Khalil asked his followers to help as much as they can. “Please help him koyi bhi in say nazdeek rehta hai ya in k touch main hain [whoever lives nearby or is touch with him] lots more of prayers for you Wahab bhai,” he wrote.

    The musician is currently staying at his friend’s home, since his house has been affected by the water.

    Now the producer of Coke Studio 14, Zulfiqar Jabbar has announced that he and his team are providing support to Bugti and his family amidst the crises.

    Read More: Floods in Balochistan and Sindh kill at least 400 people

  • ‘Yes, it’s true’: Shahbaz Gill confirms he was sexually assaulted in police custody

    ‘Yes, it’s true’: Shahbaz Gill confirms he was sexually assaulted in police custody

    Imran Khan’s chief of staff Shahbaz Gill’s room in Parliament Lodges was raided late Monday.

    The Islamabad police recovered weapons, a satellite phone and foreign currency. A pistol was recovered during the operation; however, Gill refused to take ownership of the weapon.

    “My wallet was usually carried by my driver and the room from where the pistol has been recovered was in use of my guards,” he said. 

    Replying to the questions of journalists, Gill confirmed he was sexually assaulted in police custody. 

    “Yes, it’s true”, said Gill in response to the question about Imran Khan’s statement.

    “I see some changes in my room, my passport wasn’t found at its usual place…this means that somebody came here during the time I was in custody,” he added.

    Read More: Islamabad court approves two-day physical remand of Shahbaz Gill

    Earlier on Monday, a district and sessions court in Islamabad granted a two-day physical remand of Gill after reviewing his medical report. Shahbaz Gill was taken into custody on August 9 from Bani Gala Chowk for inciting the public against state institutions.

    ‘Gill was tortured both mentally and physically, including sexual abuse’: Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman demanded justice for his Chief of Staff Dr Shahbaz Gill and claimed that he was sexually abused while in police custody.

    In a series of tweets Khan said, “All the pictures and videos show clearly Gill was tortured both mentally and physically, including sexual abuse — most too gruesome to relate.”

    “ICT police says it did not inflict any torture. So my question is: Who tortured Gill?” Khan asked.

    The PTI chairman added that there is a general perception in the public at large and in “our minds too as to who could have carried out the gruesome torture”.

    “Remember the public will react. We will leave no stone unturned to find out those responsible and bring them to justice,” he added.

    Rallies in solidarity with Shahbaz Gill

    In a video message, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said that nationwide rallies to show solidarity with Shahbaz Gill will be taken out tomorrow.

    Imran reaches PIMS

    Khan reached Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to meet Gill.

    Khan barred from meeting Shahbaz

    Imran Khan announced nationwide rallies to show solidarity with Shahbaz Gill, after the former premier claimed his party leader faced “sexual abuse” in police custody.

    “I will lead a rally in Islamabad tomorrow […] and rallies will be held in all divisional headquarters across the country,” the PTI chairman told journalists.

    Khan’s brief presser came after he was barred from meeting Gill at the PIMS hospital in the federal capital.

  • Bilawal Bhutto most vocal MNA during PTI tenure: PILDAT

    Bilawal Bhutto most vocal MNA during PTI tenure: PILDAT

    As the 15th National Assembly concluded its fourth parliamentary year, the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development And Transparency (PILDAT) released analysis of its performance.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was the most vocal lawmaker during the fourth year of the current National Assembly before the change in government, with a talk time of one hour and 59 minutes , according to PILDAT.

    PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif came in second and spoke for one hour and 57 minutes, followed by PML-N’s Khawaja Mohammad Asif who spoke for one hour and 27 minutes.

    During this period in the House of 342 members, 174 (50.88 per cent MNAs) did not speak for a single minute in the Assembly. Out of these 174 non-vocal MNAs, 149 were male and 25 were women MNAs. 84 of these MNAs (22 per cent of the House) belong to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), 48 MNAs are of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and 23 are affiliated with the PPP.

    PILDAT’s comparative analysis looked at the three years and eight months’ period of the National Assembly under former prime minister Imran Khan and also looks how the PTI tenure under Imran Khan as prime minister was different from the same period in the 14th National Assembly.

    Legislative activity witnessed a decrease of 8 per cent in the fourth year of the 15th National Assembly as it passed 55 laws compared to 60 bills passed during the third year of the Assembly. 30 bills were passed during the second year while only 10 bills were passed in the first year.

    However, in a comparison of legislation between four years of 15th and 14th National Assembly, the 15th National Assembly has passed 155 bills in the four-year-period while the 14th National Assembly had passed 125 bills in its first four years.

  • Govt imposes Rs36 billion additional tax on cigarettes, tobacco processing to revive IMF programme

    Govt imposes Rs36 billion additional tax on cigarettes, tobacco processing to revive IMF programme

    The government has issued an ordinance to impose an additional Rs36 billion tax on cigarettes, an additional Rs2 billion tax on the processing of tobacco, and lowered charges on transportation vehicles in order to raise an additional Rs38 billion in taxes.

    According to Geo, tier-1 brand cigarettes may see a price increase of Rs20 to Rs30 each packet, while tier-2 brand cigarettes would see a price increase of Rs10 per packet.

    The government increased the advance federal excise duty (FED) tax on tobacco processing from Rs10 per kg to Rs390 per kg, which will be adjustable.

    In order to secure the restart of a stalled programme and the release of a $1.17 billion tranche under an expanded $7 billion extended fund facility (EFF), Pakistan has moved to impose taxes on cigarettes and tobacco processing just prior to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) executive board meeting, which is scheduled to take place in Washington on August 29.

    The government did not apply regulatory duties on luxury goods because they will be imposed through SRO after receiving tariff board approval and perhaps receiving ECC approval.

    The FBR expects to raise between Rs5 and Rs14 billion in tax income through RDs, hence the overall revenue impact could reach between Rs50 and Rs52 billion.

    It appears strange that the government did not implement any taxation measures on the production of sugar-filled beverages, which also harms the health sector.

    According to the ordinance, retailers who do not fall under tier-1 will be charged the tax through their monthly electricity bills at a rate of 5 per cent where the amount of the bill does not exceed Rs20,000 and at a rate of 7.5 per cent where the amount is greater. The electricity supplier will deposit the money that is thus collected directly without deducting it from his input tax.

    Through this move, the government hopes to raise Rs2 billion.

    In contrast, the FED on locally produced cigarettes has increased from Rs5,900/1,000 sticks to Rs6,500/1,000 sticks for tier-1 and from Rs1,850/1,000 sticks to Rs2,050/1,000 sticks for tier-2 cigarettes. The FED on un processed tobacco has increased from Rs10 per kg to Rs390 per kg.

  • Kim Kardashian, Sylvester Stallone, others under fire for water wastage amidst California drought

    Kim Kardashian, Sylvester Stallone, others under fire for water wastage amidst California drought

    A-lister celebrities from the American entertainment and sports industry are included in a list of about 2,000 Los Angeles residents accused of using excessive amounts of water amid the ongoing drought.

    According to documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times from the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, several celebrities were issued “notices of exceedance” stating that they had surpassed 150 percent of their monthly water budget at least four times since the district issued new rules to combat the drought at the end of last year.

    La Nina is on the way — don't expect CA drought to lessen

    The excessive water usage notices were sent out in May and June, and according to the Times, among those recipients were Kim and Kourtney Kardashian, Kevin Hart, Sylvester Stallone, and former NBA star Dwyane Wade.

    Kim was also recently under fire after making number 7 on a list of celebrities that were ranked as the “biggest offenders” of private jet emissions. While occasionally sharing her views on climate change, the report stated that her jet expelled 4268.5 tonnes of carbon emissions over 57 flights so far this year.

    Nearly 97 percent of Los Angeles is in a state of “severe drought” according to Drought.gov. This year has been deemed the fourth driest year in the last 128 years—with the first four months being the driest ever recorded, the Weather Channel reported in May.

  • World’s most handsome man: BTS’ RM tops, beats Nick Jonas and Hrithik Roshan

    World’s most handsome man: BTS’ RM tops, beats Nick Jonas and Hrithik Roshan

    According to an international survey, South Korean boy band’s member RM was chosen as the world’s most handsome man over Henry Cavill, Nick Jonas and Hrithik Roshan.

    Top 10 Most Handsome Man In The World 2022
    Top 10 Most Handsome Man In The World 2022

    RM leads the biggest boy band in K-pop history, and gave many hits like Butter, Life Goes On, and many more.

    According to the TC Candler platform in a survey given out by them, BTS’ RM aka Kim Nam-Joon was selected to be the world’s most handsome man, beating Superman fame Henry Cavill to come in second on the list. The list also included soccer veteran David Beckham.

    Top 10 Most Handsome Man In The World 2022

    After the South Korean boy band’s first day of the BTS PTD concert in Las Vegas, Kim Nam-Joon interacted with fans on V Live. RM spoke about marriage, having children and dyeing his hair. He also got candid about the Grammy and having haters.

    BTS’ RM Opens Up About Having Kids “I Used To Want To Have Kids So Bad But Now...”

    During the V Live session, when a fan asked RM when he wanted to get married, the singer replied, “Oh… I don’t know.” But when quizzed about having children, the BTS leader said, “How many kids I’d like to have? I used to want to have kids so bad but now… not so much. When I think about a kid who’s like me since I was not a very nice kid to my mom so I don’t like that idea.”

    While talking about the South Korean boy band having haters, RM said (as translated by Twitter user @modooborahae), “We’ve always had haters. It could be our fault but a lot of times it’s not our fault. There were always haters. All teams have their haters.” The BTS leader added, “There’s also a positive thing about having haters here in the US since it means we’re mainstream.”

    During the interaction with the ARMY, RM also opened up growing his hair long and dyeing it. He said, “Later on when I want to grow my hair long and dye it a dark colour.. one day when I have the patience, I’d like to do that.”

    The BTS rapper also spoke about getting a tattoo, saying, “I used to plan to have one and I actually had a sketch but I cancelled it because I was afraid. Because I’m kinda ‘in a rush’ guy, I get sick of something really fast so if I have a tattoo, I was afraid I would be sick of it. I’m still open tho!”

  • Nine women murdered in Peshawar in a week

    Nine women murdered in Peshawar in a week

    According to the police, nine women, including a girl child, were killed in Peshawar in the last week. Incidents of women’s murders have taken place in Dawoodzai, Matni, Shahpur, Khazana and Regi.

    A female child was killed in a firing between two parties in Shangri. According to the police, most incidents of murder of women are cases of domestic violence and honour killing.

    The cases of murder of women were registered in their respective police stations, and the police have arrested 4 suspects involved in the incidents.

    As per the data compiled by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development and Communication (CRDC), the month of July saw 16 incidents of physical assault reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    (KP), three cases of abduction occurred, 11 cases of rape were reported and17 cases of domestic violence were reported. 32 children were sexually abused and 27 children were kidnapped. 11 cases of physical violence against children were reported and three children were murdered. One child labour case was reported.

  • Pakistani rupee loses Rs2.01 against dollar to close at Rs216.66

    Pakistani rupee loses Rs2.01 against dollar to close at Rs216.66

    On Monday, the Pakistani rupee (PKR) remained under pressure to start the week, falling Rs2.01, or 0.93 per cent, versus the US dollar in the interbank market.

    The local currency dropped from Friday’s closing rate of Rs214.65 to Monday’s closing rate of Rs216.66 per dollar, according to the State Bank of Pakistan.

    The dollar fluctuated between Rs213-214 during the previous week. It ended at Rs214.65 on Friday after ending at Rs213.98 on Monday. Last week, the rupee lost 0.31 per cent of its value against the dollar.

    The KSE 100-index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), on the other hand, experienced a bearish trend on Monday, shedding 443.99 points, or 1.03 per cent, and finishing at 42,826.66 points as opposed to 43,270.65 points on the last working day.

    When compared to the previous trading day, when 306,208,580 shares were traded, a total of 194,667,559 shares were traded on Monday (today). The price of the shares was Rs5.331 billion as opposed to Rs6.393 billion on Friday.

  • Apple wraps up iOS 16 development ahead of iPhone 14 event next month

    Apple wraps up iOS 16 development ahead of iPhone 14 event next month

    Apple engineers finished creating the first iteration of iOS 16 last week. This indicates that Apple will concentrate on fixing bugs in the last few weeks rather than adding any significant new features or modifications to the operating system.

    Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reaffirmed in the most recent issue of his “Power On” newsletter that the release of iOS 16 and watchOS 9 together with the new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models is scheduled for September, while he anticipates the release of iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura for October.

    Apple engineers completed work on the iOS 16.0 update this past week, and it will be released in September along with watchOS 9. The new hardware will be compatible with such updates. However, due to Stage Manager-related delays to the iPad software, the updates to macOS Ventura and iPadOS are now planned for October to coincide with the new hardware lineup, said Gurman.

    A configurable Lock Screen with widgets, the option to temporarily modify or unsend an iMessage, iCloud Shared Photo Library for sharing photos with family and friends, a redesigned Home app, and other features are among the major new features in iOS 16. On the majority of iPhones with a notch, Apple also reintroduced a battery % indication in the status bar.

    The most recent public beta of iOS 16 from Apple has a new icon for the battery percentage. This makes determining the remaining battery life on an iPhone with Face ID easier: On the upper right of the display, inside the battery symbol, is the remaining percentage. Up until now, Face ID iPhones lacked a battery indicator, so you had to visit Control Center to see how much power was left in your device.

    Especially if you have an iPhone with Face ID, one of the things you look at the most on your iPhone is the lock screen. The lock screen on the iPhone has undergone the biggest overhaul to date with iOS 16. Hold down the button to change your lock screen.

    To test out numerous different looks, swipe. Each design modifies the typography and colour filter for the lock screen backdrop photo in order to make everything blend together. Similar to Google’s Material You, which debuted with Android 12, this has an Apple vibe to it.

    Visual Look Up in iOS 15 can analyse your photographs and recognise objects like plants and animals. In contrast, iOS 16 enhances this feature. You can remove a photo’s subject from the background and add it to applications like Messages by touching it.

    In essence, it’s a tap-and-hold tool that gets rid of the background of a picture. Although Apple occasionally overuses the word “magic” for this feature.

  • Islamabad’s air quality improves as pollutants found below permissible limits

    Islamabad’s air quality improves as pollutants found below permissible limits

    The air quality in the federal capital was rated as satisfactory and clean due to the proportion of air pollutants being under acceptable limits on Sunday.

    Owing to the persistent rainy weather and the low volume of traffic on the roads, the air quality in Islamabad was assessed as being healthy because suspended particles and the pollutants’ ratio were both within the allowed levels in the atmosphere. The Pak-EPA has gathered the air quality data, which is based on three intervals of eight hours of data collection from various sites and monitors air pollutants ratio for 24 hours.

    The Pak-EPA data showed that the contaminants were below the allowable thresholds of national environmental quality (NEQs) requirements throughout the three data monitoring intervals, keeping the air quality high.