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Tag: Canada

  • From streaming to gaming: Netflix starts testing games on TVs and computers

    From streaming to gaming: Netflix starts testing games on TVs and computers

    Netflix is expanding its gaming initiative by testing games on a wider range of devices, including TVs and computers, in addition to mobile phones. The initial testing is starting in Canada and the United Kingdom, with select subscribers getting to try out games on their TVs. Two games, “Oxenfree” and “Molehew’s Mining Adventure,” will be part of this test phase.

    For TV gaming, the games will be available on devices from partners like Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, LG, Nvidia Shield, Roku, and Samsung Smart TVs. Notably absent is the Apple TV. More devices will be supported in the future.

    Netflix recently launched an iPhone game controller app that connects to TV-based games through a QR code displayed on the Netflix app.

    Gaming on PCs and Macs will use keyboard and mouse controls.

    During the beta phase, Netflix aims to refine its game-streaming technology and improve the user experience.

    According to Tech Crunch, Mike Verdu, Netflix’s VP of Games, emphasises the company’s excitement about expanding gaming to more devices while acknowledging the early stage of their gaming journey.

    Netflix’s move into gaming was hinted at last year, along with the establishment of a gaming studio in Southern California.

    Verdu clarifies that Netflix’s gaming approach differs from traditional platforms like PlayStation and Xbox, focusing on a unique business model for seamless gaming.

    In the upcoming year, Netflix plans to launch a total of 40 games, with 16 from their in-house studios and 70 more in partnership with developers. Since starting in gaming in 2021, Netflix has already released 70 mobile titles.

  • PIA flight steward goes missing in Toronto

    PIA flight steward goes missing in Toronto

    A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight steward went missing in Toronto soon after he landed in the city. According to a report by ARY News, the flight steward arrived in Toronto from Lahore on Friday.

    PIA administration has said that flight Steward Muntazir Mehdi was on the national airline’s flight PK-798 to Toronto.

    Muntazir Mehdi had been staying with other colleagues in a hotel in the Canadian city.  

    The mysterious disappearance of the steward came to light when he didn’t show up for his flight back to Pakistan. Airline management and Canadian immigration authorities were informed about the matter.

    It is not the first incident of a flight steward going missing in foreign cities. At least 4 flight stewards and hostesses have illegally slipped away in Canada for the purpose of acquiring citizenship.

    The airline authority has also confirmed that last year, a PIA steward, Ramzan Gul, went missing after flight PK-798 landed in Toronto.

  • Lahore-Canada flight turns back after hydraulic dysfunction

    Lahore-Canada flight turns back after hydraulic dysfunction

    A Pakistan International Airline (PIA) aircraft enroute to Canada has returned back to Pakistan midway due to hydraulic dysfunction during the trip, The News has reported.

    The technical problem was discovered when flight PK-797 was flying over Russia, forcing the plane to return to Allama Iqbal International Airport.

    The aircraft took off from Lahore at 4:30 a.m. on Monday and landed back at 1:30 p.m at the same airport.  

    According to the PIA spokesman, due to delays in repair, the passengers of the flight would be sent to Toronto on an alternative flight.

  • New Canadian airline introduces direct flights from Canada to Pakistan

    New Canadian airline introduces direct flights from Canada to Pakistan

    A new Canadian airline has introduced direct flight to three major cities in Pakistan from Toronto. The flights to Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore will begin in August.

    The new airline, Zara Airways, has appointed Ejaz Haroon, former managing director of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), as an adviser.

    The airline will operate three weekly flights from Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore.

    It plans to initiate operations in August, utilising two Boeing 777 aircraft initially, with the potential to expand the fleet based on demand. The partnership with Shaheen Airport for ground services, cabin crew, and other operational support will further strengthen Zara Airways’ capabilities.

    To ensure smooth commencement of operations, Zara Airways is currently in the process of securing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Canadian government.

    The establishment of Zara Airways is poised to invigorate Pakistan’s aviation industry, which has recently witnessed positive developments.

    The approval of Wizz Air Abu Dhabi and SunExpress by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will introduce increased competition, ultimately leading to lower fares and improved services for passengers.

    Additionally, Ethiopian Airlines has announced the resumption of direct flights between Karachi and Addis Ababa, a route that had been suspended since 2004.

  • Maula Jatt’s iconic gandasa sells for over Rs 1.4 crore at charity event

    Maula Jatt’s iconic gandasa sells for over Rs 1.4 crore at charity event

    The iconic gandasa from the Pakistani blockbuster ‘The Legend Of Maula Jatt’ was sold at a charity auction for more than Rs 1.4 crore.

    At the charity event organized by Sahara Life Trust in Toronto, Canada, props from the film were auctioned off to Pakistani expats. Actor Fawad Khan was also present at the event.

    The replica of the iconic gandasa which had been Maula Jatt’s sole weapon in the film was auctioned off for $50,000 (approximately Rs1.4 crore) at the charity event, with the funds being donated to helping cancer patients.

    Since its release last year, ‘The Legend Of Maula Jatt’ had broken records by becoming the first Pakistani film to earn 1000 crore, almost USD 10 million worldwide.

  • ‘Zero chance of survival’: World’s most premature twins celebrate first birthday

    ‘Zero chance of survival’: World’s most premature twins celebrate first birthday

    A Canadian girl and boy, born over four months premature, celebrated their first birthday with a Guinness World Records (GWR) nod as the world’s most premature twins. The chances of the twins surviving were quite low.

    When Shakina Rajendram went into labour after just 21 weeks and five days – over four months early – she was told that she would lose the pregnancy and nothing could be done to save her twins.

    Her babies were “not viable,” doctors said. “Zero per cent chance of survival.”

    Adiah and Adrial Nadarajah were born on March 4, 2022 at the gestational age of 22 weeks, or 126 days early — breaking by one day the previous record set in 2018 by American twins.

    Most hospitals do not attempt to save babies born before 24-26 weeks.

    But these two are alive and kicking.

    A photo of the twins sitting on a couch next to their GWR framed certificate shows Adiah looking surprised with her mouth wide open, while her brother Adrial appears pensive.

  • Canada appoints Amira Elghawaby as the first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

    Canada appoints Amira Elghawaby as the first Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia

    n a first for Canada, the country has appointed Amira Elghawaby as the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the development on Thursday in a statement, stating that this was done to improve government efforts in offering advice on policy making or programs to improve the lives of Muslims living in Canada.
    “Diversity truly is one of Canada’s greatest strengths, but for many Muslims, Islamophobia is all too familiar. We need to change that. No one in our country should experience hatred because of their faith,” he said.
    Trudeau further added that Elghawaby’s position “is an important step in our fight against Islamophobia and hatred in all its forms. I look forward to working with her as we continue building a country where everyone feels safe and respected.”
    Elghawaby is a Muslim journalist who is a contributing columnist for the Toronto Star newspaper, and also works at Canadian Race Relations Foundation. She also serves as a board member for the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, a non-profit that tracks the rise of hate crimes committed towards minorities in Canada.
    On Twitter, Elghawaby thanked Trudeau and the Canadian government, promising that she would use her platform to ensure that the interests of Canadian Muslims are represented on the national platform.
    “It is my honour to serve in this role. I want to thank the Prime Minister of Canada @JustinTrudeau for working to fight Islamophobia and to ensure Canadian institutions from coast to coast to coast are inclusive of Canadian Muslims, and all people.”
    “I look forward to meeting with elected officials, policymakers, and community leaders across the country to amplify the voices of Canadian Muslims and work together to fight discrimination and hate in all its forms.”

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping scolds Canadian PM Justin Trudeau over media leaks

    Chinese President Xi Jinping scolds Canadian PM Justin Trudeau over media leaks

    Chinese President Xi Jinping scolded Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau in an on-camera dressing down at the G20 summit.

    Xi Jinping on Wednesday criticised PM Trudeau in person over alleged leaks of their closed-door meeting at the G20 summit, a rare public display of annoyance by the Chinese leader.

    In video published by Canadian broadcasters, Xi and Trudeau can be seen standing close to each other and conversing via a translator at the summit on the Indonesian island of Bali.

    “Everything we discussed has been leaked to the papers. That is not appropriate,” Xi remarks.

    Speaking evenly and wearing a slight smile, he says: “And that’s not the way (our discussion) was conducted, was it?”. As Trudeau listens in silence, the Chinese President addresses him directly, “If there is sincerity, we can have conversations based on an attitude of mutual respect. Otherwise, the results will be unpredictable.”

    Xi then appears to try to walk past Trudeau, but the Canadian leader replies: “In Canada, we believe in free, open and frank dialogue, and that is what we will continue to have.

    “We will continue to look to work constructively together, but there will be things we disagree on,” he tells Xi.

    Raising his hands, Xi cuts him off, saying bluntly: “Create the conditions. Create the conditions.” He then broadens his smile, barely looking at Trudeau as he shakes his hand and leaves his counterpart to make his way out of the room.

    Neither the Chinese foreign ministry nor state media have published anything on talks between Xi and Trudeau. The two held a 10-minute informal meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit on Tuesday.

  • Urdu, Punjabi among most spoken non-official languages in Canada

    Urdu, Punjabi among most spoken non-official languages in Canada

    Punjabi is the fourth and Urdu is the seventh most widely spoken language — predominantly spoken at home — in Canada according to new data released by Statistics Canada (StatCan), the country’s data agency. This is based on the 2021 census.

    Apart from English and French, Mandarin and Punjabi were Canada’s most widely spoken languages. About 4.6 million Canadians (12.7%) speak a language other than English or French predominantly at home. Mandarin and Punjabi are spoken predominantly at home by more than half a million Canadians each.

    More than a hundred thousand people each speak Yue (Cantonese), Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, Persian languages, Urdu, Russian and Korean at home as per the 2021 census.

    According to the 2021 census, which was announced on August 18th, Urdu was at the seventh spot out of the top 12 non-official spoken languages in Canada.

    In 2021, 520,000 Canadians spoke Punjabi at home, and 530,000 spoke Mandarin at home. According to the census, 290,000 people speak Arabic while 160,000 speak Urdu at home.

    Meanwhile, conventional estimates indicate that the number of Pakistani-origin Canadians is a lot more than the official numbers. According to an official of the Pakistan High Commission in Ottawa, around 500,000 to 600,000 Pakistanis reside in Canada.

  • VIDEO: Justin Bieber reveals he is suffering from facial paralysis

    VIDEO: Justin Bieber reveals he is suffering from facial paralysis

    Canadian popstar Justin Bieber revealed that he is suffering from facial paralysis after cancelling a series of shows on his latest tour. He was on his Justice tour in North America but cancelled performances in New York, Washington DC and Toronto.

    In a video posted on his Instagram page, the 28-year-old singing sensation said he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome after a virus had damaged the nerves in his ear.

    Justin Bieber revealed: “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move, so there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”

    According to the BBC, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome is when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near someone’s ears.

    Bieber asked his fans to understand as he will be using this time rest and relax.

    “I hope you guys understand, and I’ll be using this time to just rest and relax and get back to 100 per cent so I can do what I was born to do. But in the meantime, this ain’t it.”

    READ MORE: By 20 I made every bad decision you could have thought of: Justin Bieber

    Bieber’s last album, Justice, released in March 2021, has been certified platinum in the US, and got to second in the UK album charts. Bieber’s Justice World Tour began in February.