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  • KYA BOLA? (Aug 6): ‘Martial law se behtar Angrezo ki hukoomat hai’ to ‘substandard’ construction work of Peshawar BRT

    KYA BOLA? (Aug 6): ‘Martial law se behtar Angrezo ki hukoomat hai’ to ‘substandard’ construction work of Peshawar BRT

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on August 6, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Martial Law Se Behtar Angrezo Ki Hukoomat Hai’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Supreme Court’s Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who is known for being a critic of certain quarters, has taken notice of irregularities in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and remarked “Marshal law se behtar hai hukoomat Angrezo ko de di jaaye.”

    ‘Kashmir Aik Namukamal Agenda Hai’

    Daily Jang has quoted Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar as saying “Kashmir, Taqseeme Hind ka namukammal agenda hai. Aaj maqbooza Kashmir Pakistan k naqshay mein shaamil hua hai, kal yeh Pakistan ka hissa hoga.”

    Buzdar was referring to Pakistan’s new political map approved by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Tuesday. It shows the troubled valley as a part of Pakistan.

    ‘Substandard’ Construction Work of Peshawar BRT

    According to Daily Dunya, Asian Development Bank (ADB), which is assisting the construction of Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project, has identified “substandard” construction work.

    The Peshawar BRT is rather infamous for its incompletion as the authorities concerned have failed to meet deadlines time and again. The government has now issued yet another deadline for completion of the much-delayed project, the cost of which has also swollen over the years.

  • WhatsApp launches new feature to tackle ‘fake information’ on its platform

    WhatsApp has recently announced a new feature ‘search the web’ that would allow the user to gather information on the internet about all the sent links and images.

    Not only WhatsApp but most of the social media platforms have turned into a hub of fake videos and news, since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.

    In a statement, the spokesperson of WhatsApp said: “Today, we’re piloting a simple way to double-check these messages by tapping a magnifying glass button in the chat. Providing a simple way to search messages that have been forwarded many times may help people find news results or other sources of information about the content they have received.”

    WhatsApp has also included double arrows to let users know that messages have not originated from their close contact. The update also informed about the authenticity of the chain messages.

    Search the web is being rolled out in Brazil, Italy, Ireland, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) for those on the latest versions of WhatsApp for Android, iOS and WhatsApp Web.

  • VIDEO: FM Qureshi says Pakistan ready to ‘ditch’ Saudi Arabia for Kashmir’s sake

    In what appears to be a major foreign policy shift for Pakistan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has asked Saudi Arabia-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to stop dragging feet on the convening of a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on the Kashmir issue.

    “I am once again respectfully telling OIC that a meeting of the CFM is our expectation. If you cannot convene it, then I’ll be compelled to ask Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to call a meeting of the Islamic countries that are ready to stand with us on the issue of Kashmir and support the oppressed Kashmiris,” he said while speaking to a private media outlet.

    When asked if Pakistan will “move forward” with or without Saudi Arabia, the foreign minister said, “with or without…”. In response to another question, he said Pakistan could not wait any further.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    According to Dawn, Pakistan has been pushing for the foreign ministers’ meeting of the 57-member bloc of Muslim countries, which is the second-largest intergovernmental body after the United Nations (UN), since India annexed occupied Kashmir in August 2019.

    Qureshi had at an earlier presser explained the importance of CFM for Pakistan. He had then said that it was needed to send a clear message from Ummah on the Kashmir issue.

    Although there has been a meeting of the contact group on Kashmir on the sidelines of UN General Assembly session in New York since last August and OIC’s Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission has made statements on the rights abuses in the occupied valley, but no progress could be made towards the CFM meeting.

    A major reason behind the failure to call the foreign ministers’ meeting has been Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to accept Pakistan’s request for one specifically on Kashmir. Riyadh’s support is crucial for any move at the OIC, which is dominated by Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

    Qureshi said Pakistan skipped Kuala Lumpur Summit last December on Saudi request and now Pakistani Muslims, who are ready to lay down their lives for the Kingdom, are demanding of Riyadh to “show leadership on the issue”.

    “We have our own sensitivities. You have to realise this. Gulf countries should understand this,” the foreign minister said, adding that he could no more indulge in diplomatic niceties.

    “We cannot stay silent anymore on the sufferings of the Kashmiris,” he said.

  • Three new drama serials are airing soon and here is everything you need to know about them

    As the season wraps up, so do many dramas and with the weather expected to change in the upcoming weeks, our TV screens will also witness the winds of change. Three new dramas –Mushk, Saraab and Prem Gali – are scheduled to air in the near future and their teasers have already dropped. Check them out below:

    Mushk

    Featuring Imran Ashraf, Urwa Hocane, Moomal Sheikh and Osama Tahir, Mushk is a layered love story. Speaking to a local media outlet, Ashraf said that “Mushk revolves around the concept of love, in all forms – good, bad and ugly. It presents a sharp contrast between good and evil.”

    He adds: “It is not a formula play, it has been created differently. The dialogues are very poetic.”

    The drama has been written by Ashraf himself and directed by Aehsun Talish (Suno Chanda, Ye Dil Mera). It also marks the return of Hocane to the small screen after a break of almost three years.

    https://youtu.be/8qyqg0zFv70

    Read more – ‘Family-friendly’ movies you should NOT be watching with your family

    Prem Gali

    Penned by Faiza Iftikhar (Akbari Asghari, Aunn Zara, Dil Lagi, Ranjha Ranjha Kardi) Prem Gali has been directed by Qasim Ali Mureed and features Farhan Saeed and Sohai Ali Abro in the lead. Not much is known about the drama except that it is a romantic comedy. From the teasers, it is also safe to say that Saeed is playing a similar character to that of Arsal in the superhit Suno Chanda.

    According to the director, the drama “will remind people of old school romance, where setting up a meeting with the beloved used to be a big task.”

    “It is a light-hearted project. We’ve tried to create something exceptional with major themes including love, family values, neighbourhood, etc,” he adds.

    It has been produced by Humayun Saeed under his production house Six Sigma Plus.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDg7_XVpcDx/

    Read more – The ‘Churails’ are coming to shake things up on August 11

    Saraab

    As the conversation on mental health gains traction, it is also being explored in more depth on our drama screen. Sonya Hussayn and Sami Khan’s upcoming drama Saraab aims to highlight schizophrenia and the plight of those suffering from the illness. It has been written by Edison Idrees and directed by Mohsin Talat.

    In an interview, Sonya said that the makers of the drama did thorough research on the project, including visiting mental asylums and rehab centres to understand the conditions of these patients, before beginning work on the drama so that it could be as realistic as possible.

  • Huawei to launch training for IT Ministry officials

    Huawei to launch training for IT Ministry officials

    Huawei Technologies Pakistan is going to launch a training programme for the government employees of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

    Huawei, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mark Meng, and a delegation of Huawei Technologies Pakistan called on Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque on Wednesday.

    The Minister welcomed the delegation in his office and matters related to information and communication technology (ICT), connectivity, and digitization were discussed during the meeting.

    CEO Huawei Pakistan briefed the Federal Minister about the company’s programs and its initiatives in the ICT sector.

    The Federal Minister also praised Huawei Technologies Pakistan for it’s IT training program for government employees and development projects for ICT sector. He also assured Ministry full support to Huawei.

  • 6-year-old girl chokes on ‘face mask cooked inside McDonald’s chicken nuggets’

    6-year-old girl chokes on ‘face mask cooked inside McDonald’s chicken nuggets’

    A six-year-old girl choked on pieces of a face mask found inside McDonald’s chicken nuggets, her mother claims. 

    Laura Arber said she discovered this in at least two of the 20 nuggets she had bought for her children from the fast food branch in Aldershot, Hampshire, yesterday.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zOpS7CXHFw

    According to details, the 32-year-old had taken three of her four children to the restaurant to pick up the order. Laura says she saw her daughter having difficulty eating before claiming to find parts of a blue disposal face mask.

    She said: “My little daughter just started choking and I put my fingers down her throat to loop it out there was just blue with the sick. I thought what on earth is this? I didn’t even think it could be the chicken nugget but looked over at the box and all you could see was this blue coming out of another chicken nugget in the box of 20.”

    “And the mask is cooked into it, like a part of the mixture and it’s clearly a mask. You can see the seam and how solid it is in there.”

    She spoke to the manager and claims she was told that the nuggets were not cooked on site.

    Laura claimed she did not receive an apology and was shocked that the restaurant did not stop serving nuggets.

    The mother added: “And the worst thing was that they carried on serving them. Before I left I said: ‘Are you going to keep serving them?’”

    “And they were carrying on serving them and that was the big thing for me. I just couldn’t believe the way the management were handling it.”

    “What if I had walked out of the room and my daughter had choked?,” asked the mother. “She could have died. It’s a split second thing. And I am just thinking, we have just come out of a pandemic and there is a face mask in my child’s chicken nugget.”

    Laura’s son was born in intensive care and she stayed in accommodation provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities UK for families whose children are very ill in hospital.

    She said she had always held the company in high esteem because of the way they helped her but said her experience yesterday left her feeling a disappointed.

    A McDonald’s spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to hear about this customer’s experience. Food safety is of the utmost importance to us and we place great emphasis on quality control, following rigorous standards to avoid any imperfections.”

    “When the matter was brought to the attention of our staff, we apologised, offered a full refund and asked the customer to return the item so we could further investigate the matter and isolate the affected product.”

  • Pakistani celebrities express shock over Beirut blast, extend prayers to those affected

    Pakistani celebrities express shock over Beirut blast, extend prayers to those affected

    Two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut’s port on Tuesday, wrecking buildings across the Lebanese capital. The explosions — which were heard in Nicosia, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away in Cyprus — were logged by seismologists, registering as the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake. According to the Lebanese Red Cross, more than 100 people have been killed while over 4,000 have been injured.

    “Until now over 4,000 people have been injured and over 100 have lost their lives. Our teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas,” a statement said.

    Following the devastating incident, Pakistani celebrities including Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Mehwish Hayat, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Saba Qamar and Asim Azhar extended their prayers to those affected by the tragedy.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan also said that he was “deeply pained to hear” of the incident.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDgVXBQhBXG/
    https://twitter.com/ushnashah/status/1290687908521877504?s=20
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfrIHBndA-/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CDfzWpCHMoV/

    Turkish actors Esra Bilgiç and Engin Altan Düzyatan also extended heartfelt thoughts and prayers to those affected.

  • Man accidentally burns down flat while proposing to girlfriend

    A man accidentally set fire to his flat after a romantic gesture he had planned to propose to his girlfriend went wrong.

    According to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, the man wanted to ask his partner in a room “filled with hundreds of tea lights”, balloons and a bottle of wine. But he left the candles burning while he went to pick her up from work. When he returned he found his flat burning in flames.

    He and his girlfriend thankfully managed to escape the fire unharmed.

    Three fire engines were sent to the home above a newsagent in Sheffield on Monday night.

    The fire service in a series of Tweets described the incident and wrote in one of the Tweets, “As a bonus, she said YES!

     

  • VIDEO: Dubai crown prince restricts access to his Mercedes SUV after bird builds nest on it

    VIDEO: Dubai crown prince restricts access to his Mercedes SUV after bird builds nest on it

    Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum has cordoned off his car upon finding that a small bird had built a next on its hood, Gulf Today reported.

    As per the details, the crown prince on his Instagram shared a video of the bird nesting on his Mercedes-AMG G63 SUV parked within his residence in Dubai. 

    The video, which Sheikh Hamdan shot at a distance, shows the G-wagon cordoned off with red-and-white tape and he has told all personnel to stay away from the area so as to not disturb the bird.

    Reportedly an avid lover of nature, Sheikh Hamdan regularly shares his experiences across his social media platforms.

    Earlier this week, Hamdan shared videos and photos of the bird building the nest. Ever since, the royal has not been near his car and therefore told everyone to stay off the area.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Hamdan Bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, the senior wife of Mohammed. He is the second son of their 12 children and the fourth of his father’s children. Hamdan’s elder full brother was Sheikh Rashid bin Mohammed.

    He is popularly known as Fazza, the name under which he publishes his poetry, and which means “the one who helps” in Arabic.

    While the crown prince’s Instagram account with more than 10 million followers suggests his hobbies include animals, poetry, sports, photography and adventures, Hamdan Al Maktoum is also a licensed and a well-cultivated equestrian, a skydiver and a scuba diver. 

  • ‘Article 370’ details how horrific the Kashmir lockdown could be

    ‘Article 370’ details how horrific the Kashmir lockdown could be

    It has been a year since India revoked the special status of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) and imposed a curfew in the region. To highlight Indian atrocities in the region and share a glimpse of life in lockdown, filmmaker Ibrahim Baloch has released a short film on the issue titled Article 370.

    The film tells the story of Gul-e-Rana (Mariyam Nafees), a pregnant girl living in IoK. She is awaiting the birth of her child when a complete lockdown is imposed in the region and her husband goes missing. The short 16-minute video touches a chord and your heart goes out to those living in the region.

    Speaking about the film, Baloch told a local media outlet that he wanted to highlight the human side of the political move.

    “I started following the situation in Kashmir after India announced its decision and realised that it was primarily debated from a political perspective,” he said. “I was more interested in the human side of the issue. So after doing some research, I came across stories of Kashmiri women in Srinagar who gave birth during the lockdown imposed by the Indian administration.”

    Meanwhile, the film’s official synopsis states: “An untold tale of people who have made sacrifices the world is unaware of, while they lived their lives in hell. Gul-e-Rana didn’t know her fairytale would end so soon and her blessing would turn into a curse.”

    Read more – PPP Senator Rehman Malik is making a movie on Kashmir

    The film has been produced by Madiha Majeed under the banner of ‘See Prime’.

    Watch the film below: