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  • US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that allows more Pakistani women to avail scholarships under a merit and needs-based programme.

    According to the Congress website, the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote last Friday.

    It has now been forwarded to US President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

    The bill requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to give at least 50% of scholarships to Pakistani women under Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and under current eligibility criteria.

    Sharing the news on social media, Malala thanked the Congress for passing the legislation, saying that she is “very excited to see where they lead us”.

    Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban as she was returning home from school in Swat Valley, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights in 2014.

    She is now internationally known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children.

  • Everything you need to know about Nadia Khan’s husband

    Everything you need to know about Nadia Khan’s husband

    Nadia Khan, who recently tied the knot, has spilled details about her husband Faisal Mumtaz on social media, saying that he is not new to the media.

    In a social media post, the popular morning show host revealed that her husband is a retired PAF officer and fighter pilot.

    “He is known to be one of the most competent and distinguished pilots with 30 years of Flying and Management experience with leading air forces of the world,” shared Nadia. “Faisal has over 4000 flying hours on Mirage, F-7, Hawk Grob, T-37, Cessna, and other aircrafts. Apart from that, he has topped all the major training courses both in Pakistan and the UAE. He retired from the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as Wing Commander in 2009 after serving for 18 years and joined the UAE Air Force first as Instructor Pilot and then as Chief of Safety.” 

    She also revealed that her husband is not new to media since he was featured in ISPR’s song Hawa ka Sipahi by Najam Sheraz.

    Nadia also revealed that “Faisal is the son of journalist and former director of News & Current Affairs PTV late Mumtaz Hamid Rao. Rao was one of the founders of Pakistan Television and one of the first journalists to set up PTV News.”

    She added that her husband’s mother is a housewife and hails from Jammu.

    Nadia also shared details of Faisal’s family, what his brothers do, adding that his son Hayyan is pursuing his engineering degree in the US.

    While many initially believed that it is Nadia’s third marriage, the morning show host cleared the speculations with a comment in which she clarified that it was her second marriage.

    “Kiaan is my adopted son and this is my second marriage,” wrote Nadia.

  • Diljit Dosanjh shares proof of Indian citizenship, requests people not to spread hate

    Diljit Dosanjh shares proof of Indian citizenship, requests people not to spread hate

    Diljit Dosanjh has been in the news ever since he joined and voiced his support for the ongoing farmers’ protests in India. The singer-turned-actor has been actively campaigning for the farmers, urging authorities to hear their appeals.

    Dosanjh also donated one crore Indian rupees to farmers after which reports emerged that the income tax department had initiated a probe into the actor’s finances. Several social media users accused him of income tax fraud and also questioned his citizenship.

    To shut down rumours, Dosanjh shared the income tax certificates of gratitude that were given to him by the Indian Ministry of Finance.

    “We appreciate the taxpayer, in the Platinum category, in recognition of the contribution towards building this great Nation,” the certificate reads.

    The actor also requested his followers not to spread hate while sharing the picture of the certificate.

    Dosanjh was earlier involved in a Twitter feud with Kangana Ranaut over the farmer’s protests. But it appears that the argument did not end there because Kangana has launched a fresh attack on him.

    Responding to Dosanjh’s vacation pictures, Kangana tweeted: “Amazing, brother! After inciting farmers and applauding their decision to protest in this biting cold, you are having quite the time vacationing abroad.”

    “This is what I mean when I talk about a ‘Local Revolutionary’,” she added.

    Dosanjh immediately hit back at Kangana saying: “Farmers are not that naïve. They cannot be swayed or influenced by what people like you or me have to say on this issue. They have a mind of their own. And you cannot seem to stop staring at my social media posts…Punjabis are waiting for your answer. Don’t think we have forgotten about you.”

  • Fawad Chaudhry visits sets of ‘Kuruluş: Osman’ in Turkey

    Fawad Chaudhry visits sets of ‘Kuruluş: Osman’ in Turkey

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry, who was recently in Turkey on a private trip, visited the sets of Kuruluş: Osman where he interacted with the actors of the Turkish historical series.

    When asked what went down on his visit, Fawad exclusively told The Current that he “discussed how to defeat PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement)”.

    Kuruluş: Osman is the sequel to the superhit Diriliş: Ertuğrul, which took Pakistan by storm after Prime Minister Imran Khan recommended it and directed PTV to air it in Urdu. Created by Mehmet Bozdağ, the series focuses on the life of Osman I, founder of the Ottoman Empire. The second season of the series opened in October 2020 and set new records in viewership.

    The show was also among the top Google searches in Pakistan in 2020.

  • Due to zero political interference, NAB recovered Rs389bn in two years: PM

    Due to zero political interference, NAB recovered Rs389bn in two years: PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) managed to recover more money in the first two years of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government as compared to the entire tenures of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    In a tweet, PM Imran said that the reason NAB was able to recover money during his government was the fact that it was functioning “independently” and without any sort of “political interference”.

    “Total recoveries by NAB in 2019 & 2020 amount to Rs.389 bn in comparison to previous 10 yrs (2008-2018) recoveries of Rs.104 bn,” the prime minister said.

    Imran also appreciated the performance of Punjab’s Anti-Corruption Establishment, saying it recovered Rs206bn in 27 months of Buzdar-led government, whereas it had only managed to recover Rs3bn during the two tenures of PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif.

    He said the money recovered by the two accountability watchdogs show that accountability worked best when institutions are independent. Imran went on dub the tenures of the PPP and PML-N as “dark ages under corrupt rulers”.

    The opposition leaders, on the other hand, accuse NAB of political victimisation. They claim that NAB is working to target the rivals of PM Imran Khan. Similar remarks were also made by the Islamabad High Court in a graft case against PML-N leader Saad Rafique and Salman Rafique.

  • Cuteness overloaded: Maryam’s toy shopping on video call with granddaughter goes viral

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz has been spotted speaking to her granddaughter while looking for toys, a video of which has gone viral over the internet.

    In the video, reportedly shot at a rest-stop on the Bahawalpur-Lahore route, the PML-N leader was seen speaking to granddaughter Serena, telling her what she had bought for her and asking what else did she want.

    “I got red chips for you,” Maryam was seen telling the kid on a video call. “You want to see?” She is then seen heading over to a wall where a toy doctor set is hanging. “Look… look at this doctor’s set Serena. You want this one?” “You want the doctor’s set or do you want the bus?” she asks before reciting the nursery rhyme “Wheels on the Bus”.

    “Maryam Nawaz specially stopped at a rest area on her way back to Lahore from Bwp to get things for her granddaughter Serena… Showing her toys on a video call,” PML-N’s Sania Ashiq wrote while tweeting the video.

    “The pleasures and joy of being a Nano,” Maryam said while reacting to it. On May 6, 2018, Mehrunisa, Maryam’s daughter and the granddaughter of former prime minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif, gave birth to the baby girl. A picture of the baby in Maryam’s arms had also gone viral later.

  • PIA plane flies with only one passenger on board

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flew its plane from Islamabad to Manchester with only one passenger on board. According to reports, the plane which had a capacity of 371 passengers carried only one passenger to the destination.

    While Geo News has reported that the flight took off from Islamabad, journalist Murtaza Ali Shah said that the plane flew from Manchester to Islamabad.

    In the video posted by Shah, a PIA’s staffer, while pointing towards other empty 370 passenger seat, remarks that the passenger on board is the “lucky” one. The only passenger on the flight was a native of Gujrat.

    Read more – Imran govt likely to rid PIA of Rs500 billion debt

    Meanwhile prominent aviation journalist Tahir Imran Mian said PIA’s flight was not the only one that flew empty.

  • Memes break the internet after Shafqat Mahmood announces reopening of schools

    Memes break the internet after Shafqat Mahmood announces reopening of schools

    Amid the second wave of coronavirus, the government has decided to open educational institutions in phases from January 18.

    Soon after the news was announced, memes started doing rounds on social media adding to the popularity of Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood.

    https://twitter.com/notabdullahkhan/status/1345983641797713920?s=20
    https://twitter.com/hoor_kehti_ha/status/1346038604443897857?s=20

    Mahmood’s memes also went viral earlier after he announced that educational institutions would be closed till January 11 due to rising COVID-19 cases. In an exclusive interview with The Current, the minister talked about the memes and which ones were his favourite.

  • Punjab govt ‘temporarily’ shuts down free WiFi service

    Punjab govt ‘temporarily’ shuts down free WiFi service

    In a bid to save money, the Punjab government has decided to shut down the free WiFi service in public spaces for an indefinite period.

    The decision was taken by the provincial government led by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar to save Rs190 million that the project was costing.

    The WiFi service launched by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in 2017 was available in several cities of Punjab, such as Lahore, Rawalpindi and Multan. The government had created at last 200 hotspots to provide free internet to the residents. It was also available at airports, railway stations, metro stations, colleges, and universities.

    Chief Minister’s aide Firdous Ashiq Awan was reported as saying that the service has been shut down temporarily and it will be resumed soon. However, she didn’t give any specific date.

    In 2019, the government had halted the free internet service due to a lack of funds. According to a report in Dawn, the service was stopped after the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) failed to pay Rs150m to the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).

  • Ayesha Omar claps back at troll criticising her choice of outfit

    Ayesha Omar claps back at troll criticising her choice of outfit

    Ayesha Omar gave a befitting reply to a troll who criticised her for her choice of outfit.

    Commenting under a post which talked about how Omar promoted women empowerment by wearing a local label run by two women to the Lux Style Awards, a social media user commented: “If she is promoting women to expose of their body (via such clothes), then that surely is not ‘women empowerment’.”

    “Such a misquoted term,” they added.

    Responding to the comment, Ayesha wrote: “I’m definitely not promoting/ asking/urging women to expose their bodies. That is their own choice as wearing this dress was mine. As wearing whatever you want is yours.”

    Talking about the outfit, Ayesha said: “This dress was sent to me as it is. I had no input in the design, length, structure or type of dress they were making for me. They only asked for my size. They contacted me themselves and sent me this outfit in June.”

    The actor continued: “I wasn’t paid to wear or promote it either and was waiting for an appropriate opportunity to wear it. I’m promoting and showcasing their work/talent: the beautiful beaded hand embellishments.”

    “If you could look beyond a bit of my limbs showing, it would be nice to appreciate someone’s hard work without being judgmental. Try it. It uplifts both parties.”

    Ayesha concluded her note by sharing the meaning of the word empowerment.

    In another comment, when a user remarked that such outfits provoke rape cases, Ayesha hit back saying: “Oh so that explains 4-month-old babies, 5-year-olds and 7-year-old girls and being raped?”

    Read more – Komal Aziz Khan hits back at troll for moral policing her

    Later, in an Instagram post, Ayesha said that 2020 was a crazy year and she saw many people suffer physically, emotionally and financially which is why she decided to would try and help as many people as she could in whatever capacity.

    “One of those ways was to use my social media platforms to promote social causes, NGOs, public service messages and small businesses throughout the year. (completely free of charge),” said the actor. “Every day I would receive quite a few packages, messages and queries and I tried to promote as many products and services as I could.”

    Omar has often been criticised for her choice of outfits but she has always clapped back brilliantly.