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  • Woman gives birth inside a polling station in Khushab

    Woman gives birth inside a polling station in Khushab

    Polling is in full swing in the PP-84 Khushab constituency, where the seat fell vacant after the death of the PML-N MPA on March 12 from COVID-19.

    Khushab’s by-election saw something interesting today when a woman gave birth in a polling station located at the constituency. The child was born at the Mith Tiwana Rural Health Centre, which has been turned into a polling station for the by-poll.

    The newborn’s father, Salamat, said he was overjoyed over the birth of his child. “I am very happy at the birth of my child on the election day. Insha’Allah we will name the child after giving some though to it. Whichever name we think is suitable,” he added. 

    The baby born is the first child to the family.

    Residents of Khushab are exercising the right to vote for their preferred candidate in to the PP-84 Punjab Assembly seat. PTI’s Sardar Ali Hussain Khan Baloch and PML-N’s Malik Moazzam Sher Kallu are the top contenders.

  • Shahid Afridi honoured to receive MCC’s ‘lifetime’ membership

    Shahid Afridi honoured to receive MCC’s ‘lifetime’ membership

    Shahid Afridi has said that he is honoured to receive Marylebone Cricket Club’s (MCC), which owns the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground and is the guardian of the sport’s laws, lifetime membership.

    VIDEO: The Current Life with Shahid Afridi

    “A big honour to receive Marylebone Cricket Club lifetime membership,” wrote Afridi on Twitter.

    Thanking MCC, Lala wrote: “I want to thank the most prestigious cricket club in the world for the respect and recognition. I would continue to play my part in promotion of this wonderful sport both on and off the cricket field.”

    https://twitter.com/SAfridiOfficial/status/1389527971367686144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1389527971367686144%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-4943728772336014564.ampproject.net%2F2104170104001%2Fframe.html

    Back in 2017, Afridi — along with Pakistan’s highest Test run-getter Younis Khan and current Pakistan team coach Misbah ul Haq — was made an “honourary life member”.

    MCC was founded in 1787, taking as its home a cricket ground set up by the ambitious entrepreneur Thomas Lord who had staged his first match on the ground on Dorset Fields in Marylebone in the UK.

    Soon after its founding, the club issued a Code of Laws for modern-day cricket, which it continues to do so till date.

  • Waqar Zaka claims he can settle Pakistan’s debt if given chance to run the country

    Waqar Zaka has claimed that he can pay off Pakistan’s debt using crypto currency if given the chance to “run the country”.

    “I can pay off Pakistan’s debt using crypto[currency] but the condition is Imran Khan, should step down and let me run the country,” wrote the reality show host on social media.

    Zaka also asked supporters of the ruling party what they have to pay off the debt.

    “If not, then Pakistanis should demand what solution respectable, olive plantation, tourism, anti-corruption lovers IK has?” asked Zaka, challenging “all politicians” to present a better idea.

    Meanwhile, Twitter had a field day over Zaka’s Tweet.

    https://twitter.com/bouquetvibes/status/1389650242224590848

    Waqar Zaka got famous from the reality tv show, Living on the edge. Earlier this year he submitted his documents to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to launch his own political party. Zaka has been at the forefront of many trending causes including demanding cancellation of exams and ban on PUBG and TikTok.

  • ‘We are all the same’: Barcelona church opens doors to Ramzan dinners

    ‘We are all the same’: Barcelona church opens doors to Ramzan dinners

    With COVID-19 limitations holding Barcelona’s Islamic population from celebrating Ramadan at the usual indoor venues, a Catholic church has opened its open-air cloisters for Muslims to eat and pray together.

    As per details, every evening almost 50 to 60 Muslims, many of them homeless, walk into the centuries-old stone passages of the Santa Anna church where they are offered with home-cooked food by the volunteers.

    “We are all the same… If you are Catholic or of another religion and I am Muslim, that’s fine,” said Hafid Oubrahim, a 27-year old Moroccan of Berber descent who attends the dinners.

    “We are all like brothers and we must help each other too.”

    Photo via Reuters
    People eat during a charity Ramazan dinner in the cloister at Santa Anna church during the coronavirus outbreak, in Barcelona, Spain on April 28. — Reuters
    Photo via Reuters

    Faouzia Chati, president of the Catalan Association of Moroccan Women, used to organise Iftar gatherings in the city, but restrictions on indoor dining due to the pandemic made her to find an alternative space with good ventilation and area for distancing.

    Read more – Indian man turns rickshaw into oxygen-equipped ambulance, serves people for free

    “People are very happy that Muslims can do Iftar in a Catholic church, because religions serve to unite us, not to separate us,” said Chati.

    Photo via Reuters

    Sanchez looked on as a man intoned the Muslim evening call to prayer beneath the orange trees of the church’s central courtyard, illuminated by the flames of gas heaters.

    “Even with different cultures, different languages, different religions, we are more capable of sitting down and talking than some politicians,” said the rector.

  • Police arrest man for throwing four children into canal after dispute over eid clothes

    Police arrest man for throwing four children into canal after dispute over eid clothes

    The police on Tuesday arrested a man in Faisalabad for throwing his four children into a canal at Sheikhupura Road.

    According to details, the man had an argument with his wife four days ago over not having new Eid clothes for their children.

    In a fit of rage, the man took the children and threw them into the canal. Meanwhile, he made his wife believe that he had left them with relatives, said the police.

    When the children did not return, the mother after four days filed a complaint against her husband.

    The police said that when they detained the man, “he confessed to the crime and said he had thrown them into the Bhhikhi canal”.

    Read more – 10 million Pakistanis to fall below poverty line

    District Police Officer Mubashir Maikan said that the children were as young as seven, four, and two, with the youngest being only a year old. Three were girls and one a boy.

    The police added that the man, in his statement to the police, also “cast aspersions on his wife’s character”.

    Maikan said that an operation to search the bodies of the children is underway.

  • ‘Emily in Paris’ season 2 begins production in France

    ‘Emily in Paris’ season 2 begins production in France

    Bonjour friends! Our beloved Emily (Lily Collins) is back in Paris as filming for the record-breaker series officially commenced on May 3 in France. As per details, filming began in Villefranche-sur-Mer and the paparazzi managed to snap pictures from the sets.

    Emily in Paris’ official Instagram announced the news with a star laden video featuring Emily and all her friends.

    Cast members returning for the second season include Collins, Ashley Park (Mindy), William Abadie (Antoine), Samuel Arnold (Julien), Leroy-Beaulieu, Bruno Gouery (Luc), and Camille Razat (Camille).

    Talking about the second season, creator Darren Star told E! News that Emily might be in for some “surprisingly tough choices”.

    “The show’s so much about the culture undermining her expectations of how things are and how things seem. And everything will not be as it seems. It’s always about challenging her American worldview. We certainly have a lot of forks in the road and a lot of places to go,” he added.

    Meanwhile, it was reported that the second season will shed more light on Emily’s equation with Gabriel and his girlfriend Camille.

    Earlier, in an interview with Vogue UK, Collins had said: “Does Camille like Emily? You can’t really get a vibe, and I feel like that ambiguity is what keeps Emily intrigued. I think anyone in that position would be like, you’re my friend, but now I have this romantic connection [with Gabriel], and I don’t want to hurt you, but… Oh my God! So, you know what, it’s really confusing. I feel like the next season will only create more love triangle drama, although maybe Emily will have a little bit of a stronger handle on the situation… Or maybe not.”

    Released on October 3, 2020, Emily in Paris became Netflix’s most-watched comedy of 2020 conquering a viewership of about 58 million households. The series revolves around the life of Emily, a marketing enthusiast from a Chicago-based firm, who is sent to France to help renew the social media marketing strategy of their newly acquired French organisation.

    Read more – Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Emily is faced with difficult expectations to live up to, amusing culture shocks, and a steaming romance with the boy next door.

    A release date has not yet been announced.

  • Meghan Markle is writing a book on Harry & Archie’s relationship

    Meghan Markle is writing a book on Harry & Archie’s relationship

    Meghan Markle is about to become a published author. The Duchess of Sussex on Tuesday announced that she will be publishing a children’s book next month titled The Bench about the relationship between a father and son based on her husband Prince Harry and the couple’s child Archie. It will highlight family dynamics between a father and son through the eyes of a mother.

    The book is the latest venture by Meghan and Harry, Queen Elizabeth’s grandson, since they stepped down from royal duties and moved to Los Angeles last year with Archie, who celebrates his second birthday later this week.

    Illustrated by artist Christian Robinson, The Bench will hit shelves on June 8, with Meghan narrating an audiobook version, publisher Random House Children’s Books said.

    “The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born. That poem became this story,” the duchess said in a statement. “My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine.”

    The cover art features a bench beneath a large tress with chickens all around. Robinson explains the concept behind it by describing Meghan as “a mother, wife, feminist, and activist” who “currently resides in her home state of California with her family, two dogs, and a growing flock of rescue chickens.”

    An illustration also features a father wearing a military uniform which is Meghan’s way of honouring Harry’s tenure as a captain in the British Army.

    Another illustration showcases a father sitting with his son under a tree.

    Meanwhile, Meghan, who is pregnant with the couple’s second child, is not the first royal to venture into the world of children’s literature.

    Read more – Meghan Markle spotted with baby bump, Archie

    Heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles wrote The Old Man of Lochnagar based on stories he used to tell his young brothers, while Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has also penned a number of children’s stories.

    Meghan and Harry have rarely been out of the media spotlight since they gave an explosive interview to Oprah Winfrey in February, accusing one unnamed royal of making a racist remark and ignoring her pleas for help when she felt suicidal.

    Harry returned to Britain for the first time since that interview for the funeral of his grandfather Prince Philip last month.

  • EXCLUSIVE: A lookback at Fawad Chaudhry’s shocking fitness routine

    EXCLUSIVE: A lookback at Fawad Chaudhry’s shocking fitness routine

    “It was like training someone who was utterly determined to be the best and he did get there.” This is what the owner of the gym Eleven, Waleed Saigol had to say about the time when Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry used to regularly attend his gym in Lahore.

    Traveling when fit

    “Fawad Chaudhry was the focal point of people’s attention at the gym,” Waleed added, “and we really miss him and wish he would come back. When he first came it was difficult for him to walk at pace on the treadmill and at the height of his training, he was boxing like he was beating the opposition.”

    The Current reached out to Fawad after a video of him boxing like a champion went viral on social media.

    https://youtu.be/Nz9O9DFKOBs
    watch the viral boxing video

    “It was all because of Waleed Saigol’s perseverance that I managed to get to where I did,” the minister said, “I really want to get back on schedule. I’ve gained 15 KGs in three years and it’s terrible.”

    Hiking and timing the workout

    It’s no wonder that Fawad doesn’t have the time to be regular at the gym. After heading the ministry of science and technology and managing to take it from a defunct ministry to a cool one, he then was re-appointed as the Minister for Information. He remembers his workout days fondly and says he can’t wait to get back to the gym.

    Fitness days

    “The bigger issue is sleep,” Fawad told us, “I don’t get enough sleep and because of that my exercise routine is suffering.”

    It isn’t just the Information Minister who can’t focus on his fitness goals. A report in February stated that Prime Minister Imran Khan was also gaining weight because of the workload.

  • ‘Complete ban on tourism’ – NCOC’s Eid regulations

    ‘Complete ban on tourism’ – NCOC’s Eid regulations

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced a complete ban on tourism, for both locals and outsiders. The ban shall be observed from May 8-16, the week leading up to and including Eid holidays.

    All tourist resorts, formal and informal picnic spots, public parks, shopping malls; all hotels and restaurants in/around tourist/ picnic spots to remain closed.

    All travel nodes leading to tourist/picnic spots both in Northern areas and in South to remain closed. Locals, especially people belonging to Gilgit Baltistan and AJK will be allowed to travel back home.

    The NCOC will form monitoring teams at federal, provincial, and district levels to ensure the implementation of coronavirus SOPs.

    All business and shops to remain closed during this time period, with exceptions like food outlets, grocery stores, paramedics, petrol pumps and bakeries etc.

    On Monday, Pakistan witnessed a total death toll of 161 individuals, due to Covid-19. The country has recorded a total of 837,523 confirmed Covid cases, with current positivity rate of 8.9%.

  • ‘Govt to renegotiate programme with IMF’: Finance Minister

    ‘Govt to renegotiate programme with IMF’: Finance Minister

    The new Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin has said that the government of Pakistan is trying to renegotiate the terms of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.

    Tarin said this during the National Assembly Finance and Revenue meeting on Monday. He said he is trying to convince IMF that price hikes in electricity tariffs will only create problems for the people, as the country is already deeply impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “We have assured IMF of reducing circular debt but the demand of increasing tariff is not understandable,” he said.

    Tarin further added that the terms and conditions can also be fulfilled if the government “curtails circular debt through other means instead of increasing the tariff.”

    “Financial and monetary wallets are open all over the world but the IMF’s sword is only hanging over us,” Tarin maintained.

    In addition, the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) cannot be managed by the government, and they must be privatised.

    “The 17 per cent General Sales Tax (GST) rate is very high, and a mechanism has been prepared for its reduction,” he said.

    On stabilising Pakistan’s economy, the finance minister said that the four to five per cent economic growth is enough for Pakistan, and the government will now focus on achieving the above-stated targets.

    He regretted that the government is spending 85 per cent revenue on only nine cities and rarely invests in education and health.

    Unless the country moved to higher economic growth, nothing would improve, and if we continue with stabilisation that has been in place for over two years, neither revenue collection would go up, nor job opportunities would be available to people, he explained.

    He said the government would increase the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) in the next budget and provide equal growth opportunities to all provinces.

    As the country lacks proper planning, Tarin said that he had selected 10 to 12 sectors on which economic experts had already started working so that they could come up with long-term planning for areas such as price stability, agriculture, industry, revenue, housing, social protection, national services, debt management and privatisation of loss-making state-run entities.

    The committee chairman assured the finance minister of all cooperation by committee members.