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  • ‘-65 Celcius temperature’: Nepali climbers overcame ‘treacherous’ conditions to make history on K2

    Nepali climbers who made history at the weekend by becoming the first to summit the world’s second-highest mountain in winter told on Wednesday how they battled hurricane-force winds and freezing temperatures to achieve the record.

    The triumphant 10-man team was plucked from Base Camp on the 8,611-metre K2 — known as the “savage mountain” — by a Pakistan Army helicopter and flown to the Shigar Valley, a gateway to the mighty Karakoram range.

    Wearing traditional woollen hats and festooned with garlands, the climbers were received as heroes on the first leg of their journey back home.

    “This winter we came here with the hope that we were going to make this happen,” said Nirmal Purja, one of the leading members of the team and a former Gurkha and British special forces soldier.

    “The weather conditions were really, really horrendous, the temperature was up to minus 65 degrees Celsius — there were hurricane [strength winds] but 10 climbers from Nepal managed to make it happen.”

    One of the climbers told AFP how he almost missed out on making history, briefly giving up in the tough conditions.

    “At camp four I had actually quit, but when I made the radio call […] he didn’t answer,” Mingma Gyalje, known as Mingma G, who had attempted the record last year, told AFP. “I couldn’t leave my team alone like that so when he didn’t answer, I decided to try again.

    “Normally when someone doesn’t answer a call you feel offended, but in this case I am thankful.”

    Despite being famed for their climbing expertise, there has never before been a Nepali climber on a first winter ascent of a peak higher than 8,000m.

    Nepali guides — usually ethnic Sherpas from the valleys around Mount Everest — are considered the backbone of the climbing industry in the Himalayas for bearing huge risks to carry equipment and food, fix ropes, and repair ladders.

    The climbers had been spread across different expeditions at the start, but formed a new group in order to claim the summit in Nepal’s name on Saturday, singing the national anthem as they reached the top.

    “This was not by any means an individual effort — [it was] 10 brothers united like a family, like a brother, and everybody played a really, really important part,” said Purja, who in 2019 broke the record for being the fastest person to conquer every mountain on earth over 8,000m, completing the mammoth challenge in just over six months.

    “The message from here is, the world is going through [a] crisis right now — we have Covid-19, and more than that […] global warming.

    “I think the message is important, that if we all unite together we can make […] anything possible, and hence why the 10 of us worked together to make K2 possible.”

    Unlike Mount Everest, which has been topped by thousands of climbers young and old, K2 is a much tougher and lonelier place.

    Northern Pakistan is home to some of the world’s tallest mountains, including K2, in Gilgit-Baltistan.

    Nestled between the western end of the Himalayas, the Hindu Kush mountains and the Karakoram range, Gilgit-Baltistan has 18 of the world’s 50 highest peaks.

  • Indian SC issues notice to ‘Mirzapur’ makers, Amazon Prime

    Indian SC issues notice to ‘Mirzapur’ makers, Amazon Prime

    The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the makers and producers of the web-series Mirzapur and Amazon Prime Video.

    According to reports, a bench headed by Chief justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde admitted the plea and sought a response from the makers of the web-series and Over The Top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video.

    The petition sought a direction that the government of India set up a core screening committee for web series, films, or other programmes that are directly released on online platforms.

    The plea said, “The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting must make a certificate from a government authority mandatory before releasing any web series, movies, or program on OTT platforms.”

    “By showing such ridicules and shameless things on the name of a city/ district is the insult of approximately 30 lakh population and rich culture of Mirzapur,” added the plea.

    The PIL was filed by Sujeet Kumar Singh, a resident of Mirzapur, who said the web-series makers had shown Mirzapur as a city of goons and adulteress. The show, which was released on Amazon Prime Video on November 16, 2018, explores crime, murder and general lawlessness in a typically dysfunctional fictional town in the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh. Its second season was released in October 2020.

    The plea has made the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Excel Entertainment Private Limited and Amazon Prime Video as parties in the case.

    The court’s notice comes two days after an FIR was registered in Uttar Pradesh (UP) against the creators of Mirzapur for hurting “religious, social and regional sentiments” and “damaging social harmony”.

    The FIR was filed by local journalist Arvind Chaturvedi who alleged that the Amazon Prime Video show hurts religious, social, and regional sentiments and damages social harmony. Chaturvedi also claimed that the series has hurt religious beliefs and feelings by focusing on abusive and illicit relationships. It is pertinent to add here that Chaturvedi has also written a book on the life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Chaturvedi also accused the makers of spoiling the image of UP and presenting the city of Mirzapur in a poor light. He claimed that the web series shows abusive content, incest, and illicit relations.

    Meanwhile, Amazon Prime is also under fire for its recently released political drama Tandav. The show is facing backlash for its portrayal of Hindu Gods and it has been alleged that the show depicts them in a poor light. Several BJP leaders have called for a complete ban on the show.

    Tandav creator Ali Abbas Zafar on Tuesday announced that the cast and crew of the show has decided to implement changes in the series in order to pacify viewers who have been hurt because of the content.

    Zafar shared an official statement from the cast and crew of Tandav on Twitter and asserted that the team had no intentions to hurt or offend the sentiments of any caste, race, community, or religion.

    “We have the utmost respect for the sentiments of the people of our country. We did not intend to hurt or offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead,” read the statement.

  • Trash on Everest to be turned into art to highlight mountain’s garbage problem

    Trash on Everest to be turned into art to highlight mountain’s garbage problem

    Trash collected from Mount Everest is set to be transformed into art and displayed in a nearby gallery, to highlight the need to save the world’s tallest mountain from turning into a dumping site.

    Used oxygen bottles, torn tents, ropes, broken ladders, cans, and plastic wrappers discarded by climbers and trekkers litter the 8,848.86 metre (29,032 feet) tall peak and the surrounding areas.

    Tommy Gustafsson, project director and a co-founder of the Sagarmatha Next Centre – a visitors’ information centre and waste up-cycling facility – said foreign and local artists will be engaged in creating artwork from waste materials and train locals to turn trash into treasures.

    “We want to showcase how you can transform solid waste to precious pieces of art … and generate employment and income,” Gustafsson told Reuters. “We hope to change the people’s perceptions about the garbage and manage it.”

    The Centre is located at an altitude of 3,780 metres at Syangboche on the main trail to Everest base camp, two days’ walk from Lukla, the gateway to the mountain.

    It is due for “soft opening” to locals in the spring as the number of visitors could be limited this year due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, Gustafsson said.

    Products and artwork will be displayed to raise environmental awareness, or sold as souvenirs with the proceeds going to conservation of the region, he said.

    Trash brought down from the mountain or collected from households and tea houses along the trail is handled and segregated by a local environmental group, the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee, but the task in a remote region that has no roads is a huge challenge.

    Garbage is dumped or burned in open pits, causing air and water pollution as well as contamination of soil.

    IN PICTURES: Nepali mountaineers first to summit K2 in winter

    Phinjo Sherpa, of the Eco Himal group involved in the scheme, said under a “carry me back” initiative, each returning tourist and guide will be requested to take a bag containing one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of garbage back to Lukla airport, from where the trash will be airlifted to Kathmandu.

  • Adnan Siddiqui, Sheheryar Munawar lambast Cannoli owners for mocking manager’s ‘English’

    Adnan Siddiqui, Sheheryar Munawar lambast Cannoli owners for mocking manager’s ‘English’

    Sheheryar Munawar, Adnan Siddiqui, and Ahsan Khan among other celebrities have slammed the owners of Cannoli Café Soul in Islamabad, Uzma, and Diya, for mocking and ridiculing their restaurant manager for his English speaking skills.

    Sharing his thoughts on the incident, Adnan Siddiqui in a long note posted to Instagram said that he “wish[es] someone had taught them basic courtesy”.

    “The joke’s on them because they just exposed their class, rather lack of it,” said the actor. “Do yourself a favour and find a cure for your colonial hangover.”

    Similarly, Munawar condemned the behaviour of the owners, writing: “Seems like an exaggerated scene out of a 90’s movie, where the mean rich kids pick on the protagonist, making fun of his humble background.”

    “Shame,” he added.

    Expressing his outrage, Ahsan Khan said: “I find it very distasteful that even in today’s world we demean people who work for us just because they can’t speak English.”

    “Such pretentious snobs,” added the actor.

    Ahmed Ali Butt, Sarah Khan and Mushk Kaleem also expressed their distaste over the incident and criticised the disgraceful remarks by the two women.

    Mushk also reminded her followers of the time when Iman Aly had passed a “condescending statement about the current models of our industry.”

    Meanwhile, the owners later issued an apology, saying that they “are saddened and appalled by the reaction of the people, how they have misconstrued our banter with a team member”.

    Social media users, however, are not buying their “fake apology” and have criticised them further for being tone deaf and arrogant.

  • Ahad Raza Mir opens up on nepotism

    Ahad Raza Mir opens up on nepotism

    Ever since the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020, there has been a lot of debate on nepotism in the film and entertainment industry. While the debate did not gain a lot of traction in Pakistan, it is still being discussed. Ahad Raza Mir, whose father Asif Raza Mir is an established actor, recently discussed the topic on Anas Bukhash’s talk show.

    Talking about his childhood, Ahad, who grew up in Canada, said that his father always kept him away from the limelight.

    “When I moved back to Pakistan in 2009, I had no idea what this industry was like,” said Ahad.

    The actor went on to say that the reason behind this was probably that his father wanted him to make his own independent decisions and not be influenced in any way.

    “He just wanted me to live my life,” said Ahad. “He himself is the same outside as he is indoors, it’s not like he becomes a star as soon as he walks out of his house. So I guess he never wanted it to get to my head.”

    Ahad then went on to say how there are people who think his presence and success in the industry has everything to do with his father.

    “There will always be that criticism that you’re an actor because your father was an actor. But no, I never knew he was and I went to university, studied, worked professionally in Canada for many years and I think I was just fortunate when I came to Pakistan,” said the actor.

    He continued: “My career started doing well and people said it’s cause I’m a star kid. But there are doctors whose kids are doctors, there are generations in the army and generations in politics, no one bats an eye. But as soon as there’s a child of an actor who starts doing well, everyone starts yelling ‘nepotism’.”

    It is pertinent to add here that Ahad, who debuted in 2017 with Sammi, has several successful projects to his credit including Yakeen ka Safar (for which he bagged a Lux Style Award for Best Actor), Ehd-e-Wafa, and Parwaaz Hai Junoon. He also won the prestigious Betty Mitchell Award for his performance in Hamlet in Canada.

    During the conversation, Ahad also opened up about his childhood, his decision to move back to Pakistan and marry young.

    “I think it was good, pretty normal, kind of hectic because I moved between Pakistan and Canada, so I guess sometimes identity is a challenge,” said Ahad when asked about how his life was while growing up.

    Speaking of his relationship with his parents, Ahad said that he is very close to his parents.

    “My mom is my best friend and with my dad, there’s this respect factor, not that there’s any formality, but I’m good friends with my dad too,” he said.

    Ahad is married to his Yakeen ka Safar co-star Sajal Aly. The two tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Abu Dhabi in March 2020.

    Meanwhile, Ahad is reportedly all set to step in as executive producer for upcoming film Kalasha.

  • Osman Khalid Butt points out the difference between harassment and flirting

    Osman Khalid Butt used a viral meme to educate people on the difference between harassment and flirting.

    The original meme showed a man and woman indulging in PDA with the caption: “The difference between harassment and flirting is your financial position.”

    Butt cut out the latter part of the caption, writing: “The difference between harassment and flirting is CONSENT.”

    Earlier, Osman had schooled a troll by explaining the difference between intimacy and sex to him.

    Meanwhile, the actor is currently shooting for his upcoming drama Chupke Chupke with Ayeza Khan and Mira Sethi. The comedy-drama, which is expected to go on-air in Ramazan, is being directed by Danish Nawaz.

  • Twitterati slam Cannoli owners for ‘non-apology’

    After the owners of Cannoli Café Soul sparked outrage for mocking their manager for his English speaking skills, they issued an apology which reeks of privelege and arrogance.

    In an official statement, the café said: “We are saddened and appalled by the reaction of the people, how they have misconstrued our banter with a team member.”

    The owners explained that the video showed “casual gup shup” between the owners and their team, adding: “This video depicts the gup shup between us as a team, and is never meant or taken in a hurtful or negative way. If anyone was hurt or offended we apologise, however that was never our intention.”

    The statement further said: “We are not required to prove or defend ourselves as kind employers. Our team has been with us for a decade, that should speak for itself.”

    “We are proud Pakistanis who love our language and our culture,” the statement concluded.

    However, social media users are not buying Cannoli’s apology, with some wishing they had never issued one.

    One user had predicted the entire apology statement.

    https://twitter.com/MirTharkiMir/status/1352214340087279619?s=20
    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1352231146638225421?s=20

  • ‘Ichhra looking hairpiece’: Nabila receives flak for ridiculing local makeup artist’s work

    Nabila is at the receiving end of flak for leaving “bitter” comments and mocking a makeup artist Fatima Nasir’s work.

    Commenting on Eman Suleman’s post, in which the model had shared pictures from a recent shoot, Nabila wrote: “Great idea, executed badly, especially the Icchra looking hairpiece. When the subject is so beautiful it’s a sin to not up to our game.”

    While Nabila’s comments appear to be well-intentioned, her choice of words did not sit well with the makeup artist and model.

    Defending Nasir, Eman wrote: “I think it’s a job well done, better than any parlour could have done.”

    Instead of ending the debate there, Nabila continued her criticism saying: “In my opinion, the hair finish looks too synthetic and takes away from the regal styling.”

    “Obviously we can choose to be reactive or grow from criticism. I prefer the latter,” added the makeup maestro.

    At this point, Fatima jumped in to defend her work and explained the process behind the hairdo.

    “It’s a lot easier to just criticise someone’s work don’t you think?,” she questioned, to which Nabila replied: “I see you choose to react and defend. All the best.”

    During the exchange, Fatima pointed out to Nabila that it was wrong of her to use the word ‘Ichhra’ to describe her work.

    “Sorry if I hurt you, but false empathy can be interpreted as false flattery in my dictionary. If I were you, I would investigate how I can improve my finishing skills. But you are not me. Let’s leave it at this,” concluded Nabila.

    Soon, models Farwa Kazmi and Rehmat Ajmal also jumped in to defend Fatima and called out Nabila for her comments.

    “It’s sad to see such a condensing and wicked comment coming from a very senior artist who has been in the industry for 35 years. One can only claim their right to criticise when they also praise the work others do,” wrote Kazmi.

    Similarly, Ajmal wrote that the senior makeup artist’s comments were “quite disgusting and off-putting”.

    Farwa further wrote: “If I were you, I would write my opinion and leave my suggestion in a polite way without attacking the artist, the work and the locality which would have been well received.”

    “But you aren’t me, you are Nabila. Let’s leave it at that,” she added.

    Nabila had earlier come under fire when she had demanded for salons to be opened when coronavirus cases were at an all-time high in Pakistan.

  • Ameer Gilani clears the air on his relationship status

    Ameer Gilani clears the air on his relationship status

    Ameer Gilani has put to rest all rumours regarding his relationship status and clarified that he is single.

    Responding to a question during an interactive session on Instagram, the Sabaat actor said that he has no girlfriend and is single.

    It was being speculated that Ameer is in a relationship with his Sabaat co-star Mawra Hocane.

    Later, while responding to a question on when is he is getting married, the actor said: “Not any time soon.”

    Meanwhile, responding to a question on his studies, the actor said that he is currently doing his Masters and would like to pursue a PhD some time in the future. Gilani is enrolled at Harvard University for an LLM. He has been attending classes online due to the pandemic.

    Gilani rose to popularity with Hum TV’s Sabaat in which he shared the screen with Hocane, Sarah Khan, and Usman Mukhtar. The drama was a critical and commercial success. While Ameer hasn’t revealed the details of his next project, he has shared that he will be returning to the screen soon.

  • VIDEO: McDonald’s customer enraged after delivery boy ‘cancels order’, eats it outside her home

    VIDEO: McDonald’s customer enraged after delivery boy ‘cancels order’, eats it outside her home

    A delivery boy enraged a Mc Donald’s customer after he cancelled a food order and ate it outside her house in Kentish Town, London.       

    According to details, the food chain’s delivery partner ‘Just Eat’ rider ate the customer’s food after cancelling the order.

    A video shared by the customer shows the delivery boy eating the food right outside the customer’s house after cancelling the order. She recorded the video of the driver herself.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88JS-fsrgtE&feature=emb_title

    Later, her brother, CJ, shared the video on Twitter, tagging Mc Donalds and Just Eat in the caption.

    A spokesman of the food chain told The Mirror: “At Just Eat we’re committed to providing a positive experience for all of our customers. When we become aware of any practices that fall below the high standards we expect, we will always take steps to address this. As such, we were concerned to hear about this incident. We are investigating, will take action as appropriate, and are also in contact with the customer.”

    “Most delivery drivers delivering food to customers’ doors are employed directly by independent restaurants. But we do engage with third-party courier companies, agency couriers, and self-employed independent contractors to deliver on behalf of restaurants that don’t have this service,” the spokesperson added.