Current Final

Tag: New York

  • Pakistani artist Salman Toor listed among TIME magazine’s list of 100 emerging leaders

    Pakistani Artist Salman Toor has been listed among “2021 TIME100 NEXT”, a list revealed by Time Magazine that includes 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future.

    Salman’s profile in the TIME feature says, “In his painting The Star, Salman Toor uses classical techniques—deploying brushstrokes and lighting reminiscent of the 1800s—to render a thoroughly modern scene: a young South Asian man sits backstage in front of a mirror, wearing a furry pink jacket, as a makeup artist and a hairstylist fuss over him. That these contrasts might seem unexpected is exactly the point.

    “Toor, who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, and lives in New York City, has made his career subverting the styles of old paintings by centring openly queer men of South Asian descent in an attempt to, as he says in the audio guide for The Star, ‘play with the idea’ of societal norms. Now more people than ever are paying attention: the artist recently secured his first solo show at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, which will be on display through April 2021.”

    Priincipal subjects of Toor’s paintings are often South Asian Queer Man.

    Dan Macsai, the editorial director of the TIME100, said: “Everyone on this list is poised to make history. And in fact, many already have.”

    TIME editor-in-chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal writes in his letter to readers: “Amid a global pandemic, deepening inequality, systemic injustice and existential questions about truth, democracy and the planet itself, the individuals on this year’s list provide ‘clear-eyed hope’.”

    TIME100 Next list consists of Artists, Phenoms, Leaders, Advocates, and Innovators.

  • Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    United States (US) President Donald Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Roosevelt Hotel in New York, it was revealed on Wednesday during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation.

    The 19-storey hotel with 1,025 rooms plus allied facilities in New York City, with some of the suites being among the most luxurious available in Manhattan, is considered a valuable property that also carries cultural significance for Pakistan.

    tandingg on the corner of 45th Street and Madison Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the hotel bears a quintessentially American name in honour of former United States (US) President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously been the governor of New York State.

    According to The News, the managing director of PIA Investments Limited informed the lawmakers that Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the iconic hotel in the past and was “still keen on purchasing it”.

    “The government has tried 10 times to sell the hotel,” he added.

    Briefing the members, Privatisation Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro said the government was not selling the property but rather planning to lease it out or work in a joint venture with the private sector.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif said that the parliament should be taken into confidence over the privatisation matter.

    “We are not against privatisation but we must wait for a better time to get a good price,” Asif added.

    “Don’t make a decision now and instead wait. Right now, neither PIA would be sold nor the hotel.”

    Earlier this month, opposition parties had slammed the ruling party when it was reported that the government is considering selling the Roosevelt Hotel.

    The plan was shelved due to stiff opposition and the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a meeting on July 2, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) decided that the Roosevelt Hotel would be run under a joint venture with a third party.

    The said hotel was acquired by PIA Investment Limited on lease during the year 1979 with an option to purchase the property. PIA had purchased the hotel against $36.5 million against a demand of $59.5 million by contesting a lawsuit against the owner in 1999. The Interstate Hotel and Resort is managing the Roosevelt Hotel since 1997.

  • PTI govt mulls selling PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel worth ‘billions of dollars’

    PTI govt mulls selling PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel worth ‘billions of dollars’

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is planning to privatise the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)-owned luxurious Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan, drawing the ire of opposition members and the general public for “attempting to sell an asset of the national carrier worth billions of dollars”.

    The 19-storey hotel with 1,025 rooms plus allied facilities in New York City, with some of the suites being among the most luxurious available in Manhattan, is considered a valuable property that also carries cultural significance for Pakistan.

    Standing on the corner of 45th Street and Madison Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the hotel bears a quintessentially American name in honour of former United States (US) President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously been the governor of New York State.

    It has remained in news for the last several years for its proposed auction. However, the management of PIA always rejected such claims.

    The said hotel was acquired by PIA Investment Limited on lease during the year 1979 with an option to purchase the property. PIA had purchased the hotel against $36.5 million against a demand of $59.5m by contesting a lawsuit against the owner in 1999. The Interstate Hotel and Resort is managing the Roosevelt Hotel since 1997.

    According to a notification issued Monday — at a time when the federal government is reportedly at odds with the national carrier after Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan’s statements regarding PIA pilots having “dubious” licences –, the privatisation of the hotel was discussed in a meeting of the cabinet committee on privatisation on Wednesday.

    The meeting was chaired by Adviser to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, stated the notification issued a day before the meeting.

    It has, however, not been very well-received by the Twitterati.

    What do you think of the government’s plans to sell the luxury hotel owned by PIA? Let The Current know in the comments.

  • Meera tests negative for coronavirus

    Meera tests negative for coronavirus

    Meera, who recently returned from virus-hit New York after being stranded there for a couple of weeks has tested negative for COVID-19.

    In a video posted to Instagram, Meera along with some other Pakistani students shared that they have tested negative for COVID-19 and are back home safe and sound. They said that they are ecstatic to be home, even though their journey took almost two days. They were quarantined at a local hotel in Lahore while they waited for their tests.

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

    Meera returned from United States on May 12 via a special flight arranged by the Government of Pakistan to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in the US.

    Read more – Meera is back in Pakistan

    In a video message posted to Instagram, the actor has shared that she is back in Pakistan and gave a special shoutout to the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the New York Consulate for assisting her. Meera appreciated the work of the Pakistan Embassy and Consulate in the US and said that they facilitated her – and all other stranded passengers – at every step.

  • Meera is back in Pakistan

    Meera is back in Pakistan

    After being stranded in New York for several weeks, Meera has managed to return to Pakistan on a special flight arranged by the Government of Pakistan to repatriate stranded Pakistanis in the United States.

    Read more – Meera says she wants to die in her own country, appeals to PM Imran for help

    In a video message posted to Instagram, the actor shared that she is back in Pakistan and gave a special shoutout to the Pakistan Embassy in Washington and the New York Consulate for assisting her. Meera appreciated the work of the Pakistan Embassy and Consulate in the US and said that they facilitated her – and all other stranded passengers – at every step. She also requested people not to pass negative comments or lash out at them because they are trying to do their best to help everyone as much as they can.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CAGl83fjaA6/

    Last month, Meera had appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring her back home. In a video message, the actor had said that she was stranded in New York for the past two months and that she was running out of resources and funds to sustain herself. Meera urged the Government of Pakistan to facilitate her journey back home as soon as possible because New York was turning into a graveyard and she did not want to die in a foreign land.

    Read more – Meera in New York: An update from Times Square

    Meanwhile, Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Asad Khan had earlier shared pictures and videos of the first special flight taking off from the US for Lahore.

  • Is Meera lying about being stranded in New York?

    Is Meera lying about being stranded in New York?

    Earlier this week, a video of an emotional Meera appealing to Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring her back home went viral on social media. In the video, Meera had said that she was stranded in New York for the past two months and that she was running out of resources and funds to sustain herself. Meera urged the Government of Pakistan to facilitate her journey back home as soon as possible because New York was turning into a graveyard and she did not want to die in a foreign land.

    Read more – Meera says she wants to die in her own country, appeals to PM Imran for help

    Soon after Meera’s video went viral, several media outlets reported that the actor is not telling the truth and that she is in fact at her husband and father-in-law’s house in New York. The media reports also suggested that her video was shot in a room at their house and not in a hotel room as she claimed.

    Furthermore, Meera in her first video had also said that she had travelled to the US with Humayun Saeed and that while he had managed to return home she was left behind. However, Humayun Saeed while speaking to GNN stated that he had gone to the US with Adnan Siddiqui and Hira Mani for Meray Paas Tum Ho shows. He said that Meera was not part of their contingent and that he had met her last six months ago. Humayun further shared that Meera had approached him for a film but because he was busy with the shoot of London Nahi Jaunga, he has to turn down her offer.

    Following the reports and speculations, Meera, in another video message denied the rumours and called out those spreading false information.

    “In my video, I had asked requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to bring me home. As a Pakistani, it is my right,” she said. “This is not the time to mock or ridicule people.”

    Slamming those twisting her story, Meera further said that the Pakistan embassy in New York knows of her whereabouts and that she is grateful to Council General Ayesha Ali [for her help].

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_TeQ5JH-2V/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Meanwhile speaking on Bakhabar Savera among other media outlets, Meera further clarified that the videos of her enjoying BBQ parties were from a few days back and that for the past one week, she has been stuck in a hotel in New York.

    Meera also shared a series of erratic social media updates.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Tf7NbnHEe/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Th88YjQvQ/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_ToAyijNqT/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_T_HyYDBFl/
  • Meera says she wants to die in her own country, appeals to PM Imran for help

    Meera says she wants to die in her own country, appeals to PM Imran for help

    Meera, who is currently stranded in New York, has appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to help her get back to Pakistan.

    In a video message sent to Geo News, Meera said that she had gone to the United States to shoot for her upcoming film Long Distance. She shared that while the rest of her colleagues including Humayun Saeed had managed to get back home, she was stranded in New York.

    “It is 2:00 am in New York City and I am stuck in my room and addressing you (PM Imran). I had come to New York with several artists including Humayun Saeed for the shooting of a film and show. My colleagues have gone back to Pakistan but I am stuck in New York,” Meera said in the video adding that she had no savings and was running out of resources.

    Meera elaborated that New York has become one big graveyard and that recently her Chinese cameraman had also passed away. She said that she did not want to die in a foreign country. New York has reported more than 10,000 deaths from COVID-19.

    “Dear prime minister, you have always supported artists. All countries are bringing back their citizens to their homelands. I request you to please make arrangements for my repatriation to Pakistan as I wish to die in my country,” she urged.

    Speaking to this correspondent over the phone, Meera said that all actors have returned but only she and actor Saud, who is currently in Dallas, remain in the United States.

    She appealed to PM Khan and the Government of Pakistan to help her as soon as possible.

    Meanwhile, the cast and crew of Ishrat Made in China who were stranded in Thailand for almost two weeks recently returned on a special flight arranged by the government.

    Read more – Team of ‘Ishrat Made in China’ tested for COVID-19

    Thousand of Pakistanis are stuck in different countries across the world after flights were cancelled due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases. Special Assistant to the PM for Overseas Pakistanis Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari said that more than 6500 Pakistanis will be repatriated on special flights between April 20 and 28. However, there is no flight scheduled for the United States.

  • Tiger at New York’s Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus

    A tiger at New York’s Bronx Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19.

    According to the zoo management, it is believed that the four-year-old Malayan tiger Nadia may have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time.

    Nadia along with her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all developed dry coughs but are expected to fully recover, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs the city’s zoos said in a statement.

    “We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus,” the statement read, adding “Though they have experienced some decrease in appetite, the cats at the Bronx Zoo are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers.”

    “It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats since different species can react differently to novel infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate full recoveries.”

    All four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York — whose virus death toll has topped 4,000 — have been closed since March 16.

    The zoo emphasized that there is “no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to people other than the initial event in the Wuhan market, and no evidence that any person has been infected with COVID-19 in the US by animals, including by pet dogs or cats.”

    Chinese disease control officials had identified wild animals sold in a Wuhan market as the source of the coronavirus pandemic that has infected well over one million people worldwide.

    According to the US Department of Agriculture website, there had “not been reports of pets or other animals” in the United States falling ill with coronavirus prior to news of the tiger Nadia.

    “It is still recommended that people sick with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more information is known about the virus,” the department’s website says.

    In late March a pet cat was discovered infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium, following similar cases in Hong Kong where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19.

    All of those animals are believed to have contracted the virus from the people they live with.

    The Bronx zoo said preventative measures were in place for caretakers as well as all cats in the city’s zoos.

  • Man hides COVID-19 symptoms so he could be with his wife in the labour room

    Man hides COVID-19 symptoms so he could be with his wife in the labour room

    A man who was exposed to the coronavirus hid that he was feeling ill so he could visit his wife in the maternity unit of an upstate New York hospital and be with her when she delivers their child.

    According to NBC, the matter only came to light after his wife also began to show symptoms.

    The hospital staff said that the man was questioned by the staff at the hospital before entering and he assured them that he was in good health and had not been exposed to the coronavirus. However, shortly after giving birth, the woman began to show symptoms.

    “That’s when the significant other admitted his potential exposure and that he was feeling symptomatic,” said a hospital official, adding that they cannot share whether the mother, father or newborn child were infected with the coronavirus because of privacy laws. The mother has since returned home.

    Meanwhile, a nurse who assisted the family was also tested for the virus and the results came back negative.

    Many hospitals in New York are banning most visitors to help control the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

    A hospital official said that before they would only ask visitors before allowing them inside, “but now we’re adding the temperature check.”

    “Those with symptoms will be asked to leave the hospital. These screening measures will be completed twice daily throughout the hospitalization,” the hospital said, adding that the guest will not be allowed to leave the patient’s room without the patient.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-cDZFIH0_x/
  • Singer Ali Sethi to feature in Times Square display on Christmas days

    Singer Ali Sethi to feature in Times Square display on Christmas days

    Pakistani musician Ali Sethi will feature in a special video display in New York’s (NY) iconic Times Square over the Christmas holidays.

    Ali Sethi broke this news on his Instagram account where he wrote, “Guess who’s gonna be featured here (NY Times Square] on 13 screens twice a day for a full week? C’est moi, that’s who! Along with a bunch of amazing artistes who collaborated with global music force DU Yun in 2019″.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B56FOBeBDwq/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Sponsored by the Beijing Century Foundation and NY’s Times Square, the Future Tradition video celebrates the genre-bending work of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun and her global collaborators.

    Earlier this year, Sethi and Du Yun joined hands to create a classical work for NY’s Carnegie Hall and the Times Square display will show a portion of his performance. This will be followed by other images from Du Yun’s ouevre.

    The Dil Lagaayein star in a statement said, “I feel honoured to be a part of this display, I have always believed in our musical traditions, in their power to win hearts and change minds, and I feel so proud to represent them before the world.”

    The video display will run twice a day on thirteen screens from December 15th to 21st, with sixteen sightings on December 16th.