Malala wants India and Pakistan to become true friends

Activist Malala Yousafzai said the philosophy of borders and divisions doesn’t work anymore and people in India and Pakistan want to live peacefully.

“It is my dream to see India and Pakistan become good friends,” said Malala at the virtual edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival on Sunday. “You can continue watching Pakistani dramas, we can continue watching Bollywood movies and enjoying cricket matches.”

Malala was speaking about her book I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for the Education and was Shot by the Taliban. “You are an Indian and I a Pakistani and we are completely fine, then why is this hatred created between us?”

She said the real enemies of both nations are poverty, inequality and discrimination, which should be fought in union. It is also her dream to see every girl have access to quality education.

“Minorities are at risk,” she said. “Be it Hindus and Christians in Pakistan, Muslims, Dalits and other minorities in India. It is not religion, but an exploitation of power.”

She praised the Indian women’s struggle for human rights and called their work “empowering and inspiring”, but also raised concerns over internet shutdown and arrests of peaceful activists.

At age 17, Malala became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014.



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Senate elections: Zardari arrives in Islamabad to campaign for Gillani

Former president Asif Ali Zardari arrived in Islamabad to campaign for Pakistan Democratic Movement candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani’s for the Senate elections.

The Pakistan Peoples Party leader will stay in the federal capital for three days.

Zardari will meet the coalition group’s candidate along with members of the National Assembly during his stay.

He will even address a dinner hosted for the parliamentarians by the former prime minister Monday evening.

His son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is serving as the party chairperson, is already in Islamabad and has been actively been campaigning for Gillani.

The PDM candidate is contesting the Senate elections against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Abdul Hafeez Sheikh.



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'It's about time': Director Zhao makes history

The director of Nomadland has made history, and become the second woman to ever win the award.

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In pictures: Globes stars still shine without red carpet

Images from the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony split between Los Angeles and New York.

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Lady Gaga’s French bulldogs returned unharmed

Lady Gaga’s two French bulldogs, which were stolen at gunpoint in Hollywood, have been safely returned, Los Angeles police said on Friday.

Koji and Gustav were seized after an employee walking them was shot and wounded Wednesday night, and the attackers escaped in a vehicle.

“Both of Lady Gaga’s dogs have been turned in to a local police station, and they have been safely reunited with Lady Gaga representatives,” Los Angeles Police Department tweeted.

A woman had found the dogs and reached out to the singer’s staff to return them.

Photo: Instagram/Lady Gaga

“The woman’s identity and the location the dogs were found will remain confidential due to the active criminal investigation and for her safety,” LAPD said.

The Poker Face singer had offered a $500,000 reward for the safe return of the two dogs.

“My heart is sick and I am praying my family will be whole again with an act of kindness. I will pay $500,000 for their safe return,” she wrote on Instagram.

“If you bought or found them unknowingly, the reward is the same.” 

Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer was shot and hospitalized in the incident, which is being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department’s robbery-homicide division. 

“I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero,” Lady Gaga said.

Two suspects had got out of a vehicle and demanded Fischer hand over the pets at gunpoint. He was shot once in a struggle with the two men who fled with two of the dogs, police said.

A third dog, Miss Asia, ran away during the incident before returning to the wounded Fischer, and was later recovered by law enforcement at the scene.

French bulldogs are a coveted and expensive pedigree breed that can sell for thousands of dollars. 

It was not clear if Lady Gaga’s pets were deliberately targeted.



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New dates announced for Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival

Saudi Arabia’s new Red Sea International Film Festival is all set to take place in November, Variety reported.

“The first edition’s theme will be Metamorphosis, which will celebrate the role of cinema as a force for positive change,” said the event’s organisers in a statement.

It is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival that will attract an international market. The festival will start November 11 and last two days in Jeddah, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, with a partly renewed team.

“The theme also reflects on the impact of cinema’s triumphant return to Saudi Arabia since 2019, as well as blossoming local and regional film scenes.”

The festival will also examine how cinema can connect a new, outward-looking Saudi and the world.

Movie-going is on the rise in Saudi after the country lifted a religion-related ban on cinemas in 2017. 

The festival’s senior management team has an equal gender split. 



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11-year-old domestic worker found dead in Faisalabad

The family of an 11-year-old domestic worker in Faisalabad’s Khayaban Colony has accused her employers of murdering her.

On Friday, the victim’s father received a call from her employers saying that the child has been rushed to a hospital after she fell from the stairs. “My daughter had been working here for over three months,” he said.

“When we reached the hospital, my daughter had already passed away.”

According to the doctors, the 11-year-old had sustained a head injury. The body has been moved to the Allied Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

On the other hand, the employers said that a cupboard fell on the child. “We had gone to a relative’s house. We were informed about the incident by our neighbours,” said Bilal, the owner of the house.

The police have detained Bilal and are questioning him. Further investigations are underway.

In July last year, the Federal Cabinet approved a bill against the employment of children for domestic help across the country.

According to the new clause, any child under the age of 14 years can not be employed as domestic labour.



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Golden Globes: Chadwick Boseman posthumously wins Best Actor award

Late actor Chadwick Boseman has won the Best Actor award for his performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom at the 78th Golden Globes.

“He would say something beautiful [in his acceptance speech], something inspiring,” Boseman’s wife Taylor Simone said through tears as she accepted his award at a virtual ceremony. “Something that would amplify that little force inside all of us that tells you to keep going.”

Boseman died in August last year after secretly battling colon cancer for four years. He was 43 years old.

Netflix’s historical drama The Crown, which was already a favourite, won actors Emma Corrin and Josh O’Connor their first Globes for portraying Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

Gillian Anderson, who plays Margaret Thatcher on The Crown, also won for a best supporting actress.

The Queen’s Gambit, a Netflix chess adaptation, bagged major awards for best limited series and TV movie actress for Anya Taylor-Joy.



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Sindh schools won’t resume five-day classes: Saeed Ghani

Schools in Sindh will not reopen as per the schedule given by the federal government, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani said.

In a press conference on Sunday, he said that 100% attendance in schools won’t be allowed until coronavirus cases in Pakistan reduce to zero.

“Until then, 50% of the students will be called in,” Ghani said. “If we call all students to school at once, it will become impossible to implement coronavirus SOPs especially social distancing.”

Earlier this month, Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced that schools across Pakistan will resume classes five days a week from March 1.

He said that the restrictions were imposed in some major cities to conduct staggered classes till February 28.

The educational institutions have been told to ensure the implementation of SOPs. Schools must check the temperatures of students at the entrance and ensure social distancing. Classrooms and halls at schools and colleges should be sanitised, and hand sanitisers should be installed at multiple points inside the campuses.

Pakistan schools and coronavirus

All educational institutions across the country were closed late February 2020 after coronavirus cases began to rise. They were reopened in phases starting September 15, 2020.

On November 23, 2020, after the second wave of coronavirus cases hit the country, the government announced that all educational institutions would close again from November 26, 2020.

Classes were taken online till December 24, 2020, and winter vacations started from December 25, 2020, and were supposed to last till January 10. The government said it would hold a meeting to review the decision to reopen schools on January 4.

The NCOC then decided that schools would reopen in phases with classes nine to 12 being the first to reopen on January 18.



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Hyunjin: K-pop star suspended for school bullying sparks debate

The singer of South Korean boy band Stray Kids is accused of being verbally abusive while in middle school.

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‘No open balloting for Senate elections, votes to be traceable’

The Supreme Court in its advice on the presidential reference on holding an open ballot for the upcoming Senate elections has said that the voting process can remain secret but the votes should be traceable.

The reference was filed on December 23, 2020.

The top court concluded its proceedings on February 25 and reserved its verdict.

A five-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, heard the case.

During the hearing, the top judge remarked that Parliament should decide if the balloting should be open or closed.



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Today’s outlook: Senate vote verdict expected, PM meets MNAs

Here the major stories which we are following today (Monday):

  • The Supreme Court of Pakistan will resume hearing the presidential reference on holding an open ballot during the upcoming Senate elections. The top court is expected to give its verdict.
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan will meet coalition MNAs ahead of the March 3 Senate election. With the Senate polls just two days away, political meetings to win the support of allies are at their peak.
  • The Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) candidate for the Senate elections Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani will host a dinner for parliamentarians. The function comes as part of the former prime minister’s campaign for the Senate polls against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Abdul Hafeez Sheikh.
  • Pakistan Super League continues with Islamabad United going up against Quetta Gladiators. Last night, Lahore Qalandars beat hosts Karachi Kings in a thriller.
  • A prayer leader and two teenage boys were killed after men opened fire at them in Islamabad’s Bhara Kahu on Saturday, said a police official. On Sunday morning, JUI-F supporters gathered in multiple areas across the capital city and protested against the murders. They demanded that the perpetrators be arrested immediately. The protest will continue.


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Trump airs grievances, teases 2024 run in post-presidential speech

Donald Trump told conservatives Sunday he was considering running for president again in 2024, as he reasserted dominance over the Republican Party and warned of a “struggle” for America’s very survival.

Echoing the grievance politics of his 2016 campaign and the harsh rhetoric of his one-term presidency, the 74-year-old fired up an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.

In a keynote speech — his first since leaving the White House on January 20 — he repeated his false claims that he won the election instead of President Joe Biden, and hammered establishment Republicans who voted against him in the latest impeachment drama.

But while he teased his future plans, he left the crowd guessing about whether he will challenge Biden in a rematch.

“With your help we will take back the House, we will win the Senate, and then a Republican president will make a triumphant return to the White House — and I wonder who that will be?” Trump said to a raucous cheer.

“Who knows?” he boomed about his potential plans. “I may even decide to beat them for a third time, OK?”

Banned from Twitter and other social media, Trump has maintained a low post-presidential profile at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

At CPAC, he walked on stage to revel in a lengthy standing ovation by cheering loyalists, the vast majority maskless despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Like he did so often during his two campaigns, he painted a pitched battle against as Democrats’ “socialist” agenda to remake the nation.

“We’re in a struggle for the survival of America as we know it,” Trump said. “This is a terrible, terrible, painful struggle.”

But he said the “incredible” populist movement that propelled him to victory four plus years ago is just beginning, “and in the end, we will win.”

Trump also put to rest the rumors that he might take his base of support to create a new political party.

“I am not starting a new party,” Trump said. “We have the Republican Party. It’s going to unite and be stronger than ever before.”

Trump as expected took swipes at Biden, saying the Democrat just concluded a “disastrous” first month in office.

In his rambling 90-minute speech he attacked immigrants, slammed “cancel culture,” criticized Biden policies on climate change and energy, and repeated his false claims that “illegal” actions by Democrats had cost him the election.

But he also took aim at Republicans he feels betrayed him — a strong signal that he will seek to help oust them in upcoming elections.

He called out by name the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him in the House of Representatives, and the seven Republicans who voted unsuccessfully to convict him in the Senate.

“Get rid of them all,” he seethed, while the crowd jeered.

Orlando, United States | AFP | Monday 3/1/2021 – 05:29 UTC+5 | 778 words


UPDATES THROUGHOUT

by Chandan Khanna, with Michael Mathes in Washington

Donald Trump told conservatives Sunday he was considering running for president again in 2024, as he reasserted dominance over the Republican Party and warned of a “struggle” for America’s very survival.

Echoing the grievance politics of his 2016 campaign and the harsh rhetoric of his one-term presidency, the 74-year-old fired up an enthusiastic crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando.

In a keynote speech — his first since leaving the White House on January 20 — he repeated his false claims that he won the election instead of President Joe Biden, and hammered establishment Republicans who voted against him in the latest impeachment drama.

But while he teased his future plans, he left the crowd guessing about whether he will challenge Biden in a rematch.

“With your help we will take back the House, we will win the Senate, and then a Republican president will make a triumphant return to the White House — and I wonder who that will be?” Trump said to a raucous cheer.

“Who knows?” he boomed about his potential plans. “I may even decide to beat them for a third time, OK?”

Banned from Twitter and other social media, Trump has maintained a low post-presidential profile at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

At CPAC, he walked on stage to revel in a lengthy standing ovation by cheering loyalists, the vast majority maskless despite the coronavirus pandemic.

Like he did so often during his two campaigns, he painted a pitched battle against as Democrats’ “socialist” agenda to remake the nation.

“We’re in a struggle for the survival of America as we know it,” Trump said. “This is a terrible, terrible, painful struggle.”

But he said the “incredible” populist movement that propelled him to victory four plus years ago is just beginning, “and in the end, we will win.”

Trump also put to rest the rumors that he might take his base of support to create a new political party.

“I am not starting a new party,” Trump said. “We have the Republican Party. It’s going to unite and be stronger than ever before.”

Trump as expected took swipes at Biden, saying the Democrat just concluded a “disastrous” first month in office.

In his rambling 90-minute speech he attacked immigrants, slammed “cancel culture,” criticized Biden policies on climate change and energy, and repeated his false claims that “illegal” actions by Democrats had cost him the election.

But he also took aim at Republicans he feels betrayed him — a strong signal that he will seek to help oust them in upcoming elections.

He called out by name the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him in the House of Representatives, and the seven Republicans who voted unsuccessfully to convict him in the Senate.

“Get rid of them all,” he seethed, while the crowd jeered.

Trump remains the most potent force in the Republican Party, something he made clear he was acutely aware of Sunday when he described his own endorsement as “the most powerful asset in politics.”

‘Cautionary note’

US political parties usually face a reckoning after a string of setbacks such as those the Republicans saw under four years of Trump: losing the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The party is also marked with Trump’s repeated lies about his election loss, his impeachment over inciting the US Capitol riot on January 6, and the faultline his actions have caused between establishment Republicans and pro-Trump populists.

But, instead of jettisoning its troubled leader and charting a new path, much of the party still sees Trump as retaining a vice-like grip on its future. 

At least at CPAC, enthusiasm for Trump remained sky high. Attendees posed next to a shiny gold-colored statue of the former president, and cheers rose up whenever panelists praised him.

In a straw poll conducted at the conference, nearly seven in 10 respondents said they want him to run again.

On future direction for the party, support for Trumpism was rock solid, with 95 percent of respondents wanting to continue Trump’s policies and agenda.

But when asked who they prefer as the party’s 2024 nominee, a moderate 55 percent chose Trump, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis a distant second on 21 percent.

Veteran Republican strategist Karl Rove said he would have expected a stronger result for Trump, especially at a gathering so supportive of the ex-president.

“I’d take that as a cautionary note,” Rove said on Fox News.

For some Republicans like Senator Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict Trump, moving on from the brash billionaire is critical.

Republicans can win “by speaking to those issues important to the American people,” he told CNN, “not by putting one person on a pedestal.”



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Golden Globe Awards 2021: Virtual ceremony gets under way

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are hosting the year's first major film and TV awards ceremony.

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Kooking with a Koori: How a Sydney father's simple meals have won hearts

Aboriginal man Nathan Lyons has found unexpected fame with videos inspired by "doing it tough".

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Why this teen set up a prize-winning fake cosmetics shop

Polish teenager Krystyna Paszko's idea won an EU prize - she tells the BBC the story behind it.

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The midwives braving armed gangs in Colombia

A group of Afro-Colombian women use their skills to help women give birth in areas run by gangs.

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Cape Town: Pictures of how Muslim worship helps quell South African ganglands

A team of Islamic scholars in South Africa is on a mission to some dangerous and drug-infested areas.

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Coronavirus: The misleading claims about an Indian remedy

A traditional herbal remedy said to "cure" Covid has resurfaced, but there's no evidence it works.

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Afghanistan: A year of violence on the road to peace

On the anniversary of the US-Taliban deal, Afghanistan finds itself in a precarious state.

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Sir Kazuo Ishiguro warns of young authors self-censoring out of 'fear'

Writers may be self-censoring because they don't want to be "cancelled", author Kazuo Ishiguro says.

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Yemen: The nine-year-old war-zone school teacher

Ahmed, blind since birth, stands in for teachers who don't make it in to their ruined school in Yemen.

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Jhelum’s Bhaganwala will be transformed into model village: PM

The government will transform Jhelum’s Bhaganwala into a model village, Prime Minister Imran Khan promised.

The premier inaugurated a heritage trail at the historical Alberoni Site in Nandana Fort on Sunday. Addressing the residents of the village, he said that growth in the tourism industry will substantially benefit people across the country.

“When tourism increases, employment opportunities grow and the livelihood of residents improve.”

The PM stressed that it is important to secure historical and heritage sites so that the upcoming generations are aware of their history.

The project was launched as a part of the government’s vision to combat environmental degradation and protect biodiversity. The prime minister will inaugurate two new national parks, Salt Range National Park and Tilla Joggian National Park, in the Salt Range as well.

The projects aim to increase wildlife conservation, increase honey production and olive cultivation.



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Being friends with the captain creates more responsibilities: Faheem Ashraf

Islamabad United’s Faheem Ashraf believes that his friendship with team captain Shadab Khan adds to his responsibilities, he told Cricket Pakistan in an interview Saturday.

“If your friend is a captain so responsibility on you increases. We behave as professionals on the field and our friendship is off the field,” he said. “As a player and friend, I will always appreciate Shadab but you all have seen as well how brilliantly he is captaining the side.”

He talked about behaving professionally on field, while maintaining a strong friendship off the field.

“You must have seen that he scolds us on the ground, but we don’t react because at that time he is our captain, not our friend. Besides, when we come to the hotel, we tease him about what he said to us on the field. We don’t do anything on the ground as whatever he does is for the team,” the left-handed batsman said.

Cricket Pakistan asked him why teams are consistently opting to bat second and whether this meant winning the toss secured the match.

“The pitches of Karachi are like this. If you have wickets in hand and you play according to the required rate, there is not much difficulty,” he said. “The toss is not in anyone’s hand, I say the team that plays well wins. Toss does have an impact like you have seen whoever is batting second is winning but the team which will make fewer mistakes will win.”

He is confident that his team will perform better this year. Islamabad United finished at the bottom of the points table last year with six losses out of their 10 games.

“We made some mistakes due to which the team was eliminated from the tournament. However, we are trying not to repeat our mistakes and are trying to give our 100 per cent for the team,” he said.

When asked who he looks up to for inspiration, Ashraf named Mohammad Asif and Umar Gul.

“When I started cricket, Pakistan’s bowling line-up included Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Umar Gul,” said the right-arm fast-medium. “By watching their bowling videos anyone can become their fan. I used to follow Mohammad Asif a lot because of his swing bowling and Umar Gul because of his yorkers.”



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Hong Kong charges 47 activists in largest use yet of new security law

The pro-democracy figures are accused of "subversion" under the controversial security legislation.

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Meet the Pakistani blogger who is an Aishwarya lookalike

Pakistani blogger Aamna Imrann is getting a lot of attention from media for bearing an uncanny resemblance to Aishwarya Rai.

She has posted a lot of pictures on her Instagram of her with makeup and styling similar to the Bollywood actor. Together with the eye-makeup and a lip-line, she has managed to look like Aishwarya’s doppelganger.

Photo: Instagram

Several India media outlets have also termed her Aishwaray’s doppleganger. Even her bio says “Media Says: “Aishwarya Rai Doppelgänger”.



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Myanmar coup: Casualties rise as police step up crackdown

Police fire live rounds, tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse anti-coup rallies in several cities.

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Golden Globes to launch pandemic-era Hollywood awards season

Hollywood’s award season kicks off Sunday at a very different Golden Globes, with a mainly virtual ceremony set to boost or dash the Oscars hopes of early frontrunners like “Nomadland” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Usually a star-packed, laid-back party that draws Tinseltown’s biggest names to a Beverly Hills hotel ballroom, this pandemic edition will be broadcast from two scaled-down venues, with frontline and essential workers among the few in attendance.

Deprived of its usual glamour, the Globes — which also honor the best in television — remain a coveted prize, and a high-profile source of momentum in the run-up to the season-crowning Oscars, which were pushed back this year to April.

“Nomadland,” Chloe Zhao’s paean to a marginalised, older generation of Americans roaming the West in rundown vans, has long been viewed as a frontrunner for the Globes’ top prize.

But it will face stiff competition from Aaron Sorkin’s “Chicago 7,” a courtroom drama about the city’s anti-war riots in 1968 with a mouth-watering ensemble cast including Mark Rylance, Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen.

Both films are fuelled by their timely themes of protest and joblessness.

“I think that it’s likeliest between them,” said The Hollywood Reporter’s awards columnist Scott Feinberg.

“And then the spoiler, if something were to come out of left field, would probably be ‘Promising Young Woman,’ which is just unlike anything else in recent memory.”

Its star Carey Mulligan — playing a revenge-seeker who lurks at bars, feigning drunkenness to lure men into revealing their own misogyny — is tipped by many to win best actress.

She will have to fend off Frances McDormand’s grounded and nuanced turn alongside a cast of non-actors in “Nomadland,” and Viola Davis’ portrayal of a legendary 1920s crooner in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

‘Hard to resist’

The other films vying for best drama, the night’s final and most prestigious prize, are “Mank” — David Fincher’s ode to “Citizen Kane,” which topped the overall nominations with six — and “The Father” starring Anthony Hopkins.

Hopkins, who has never won a competitive Globe despite seven previous nominations, has been showered with praise for his harrowing portrayal of the onset of dementia.

But he is up against sentimental favorite Chadwick Boseman, the “Black Panther” star who died last August from cancer at age 43.

Boseman is nominated for his kinetic performance as a tragic young trumpet player opposite Davis in “Ma Rainey.”

“This is his best part, and the backstory is that he knew this might be his last performance — so that’s kind of hard to resist,” said Variety awards editor Tim Gray.

The race will be closely watched by groups including Time’s Up, who this week slammed the Globes-awarding Hollywood Foreign Press Association for failing to admit a single Black member.

“I support and congratulate all the nominees, but the HFPA needs to change in meaningful ways,” tweeted actress Olivia Wilde. “Cosmetic fixes are not enough. #TimesUpGlobes.”

The HFPA released a statement recognizing that “we need to bring in Black members, as well as members from other underrepresented backgrounds.”

‘Two white guys’

The organisation has voted for just one woman as best director in 77 editions — and only ever nominated five women in the category before this year — but “Nomadland” director Zhao is tipped to buck that trend.

The race to emulate Barbra Streisand’s 1984 win for “Yentl” has two other contenders: Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Regina King (“One Night in Miami”).

“This is a year when women have strong movies… that is good news, and deserving,” said Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond.

“But we’ll see how it goes — in the end, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin, two white guys, may win.”

Unlike the Oscars, the Globes split most movie categories into drama and “musical or comedy,” with Baron Cohen’s “Borat” sequel and the Disney+ film of hit musical “Hamilton” leading the latter fields.

Baron Cohen also has a best supporting actor nod for “Chicago 7,” while the Globes offer “Hamilton” its best shot at film honors after the Oscars declared the taping of Broadway shows ineligible.

‘Notice to Oscar voters’

The A-list audience and nominees are expected to largely remain at home, accepting awards via videolink — similar to the format of September’s widely praised Emmys.

“The Life Ahead” director Edoardo Ponti told AFP he would be watching from his California home, while his mother and leading lady Sophia Loren remains in Switzerland.

“Of course you know it’s going to be three o’clock in the morning when our category is up” for Loren, said Ponti. 

“As soon as I know something, whatever happens, I’ll communicate the news to her.”

Their movie competes for best foreign-language film, in a category featuring acclaimed Korean-American family drama “Minari,” which is viewed by some as an outside Oscar best picture candidate.

Sunday’s Globes ceremony is being held just five days before Oscars voting begins.



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Eight-year-old child raped, killed in Attock: police

An eight-year-old child was raped and then murdered near Attock’s Chach Interchange, the police said on Sunday afternoon.

“The victim had gone to a wedding ceremony with her mother Saturday night where she went missing,” the investigation officer said. On Sunday morning, her body was found near the motorway.

According to the officers, she was strangled to death with a rope. The body has been moved to the Tehsil Headquarter Hospital for a post-mortem and medical examination.

An FIR has been registered and the police are on the lookout for the perpetrators.

Attock DPO Syed Khalid Hamdani has taken notice of the crime and has formed a special team to investigate the case. The team will be directly reporting to the district police officer.



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PSL 2021: Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars to battle for supremacy

Defending champions Karachi Kings will take on Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 on Sunday. 

The winner will join Peshawar Zalmi at the top of the table with six points as both teams have won two out of three matches played in the competition.



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Attorney-General Khalid Jawed Khan tests positive for covid-19

The attorney-general of Pakistan, Khalid Jawed Khan, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (SARS-cov-2), his spokesperson said.

He is self-isolating at his house. Khan tested for the virus on Saturday as he was leaving for the USA on March 2.

Following this, coronavirus tests of employees at the attorney-general office are being conducted.

Many politicians such as PTI’s Asad Umar and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, PPP’s Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Saeed Ghani, and Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah were diagnosed with the virus as well, which has claimed over 12,000 lives in Pakistan.



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Man arrested for murdering couple in New Karachi

A man was arrested for murdering a couple in New Karachi’s Sector 11-L, the police said on Sunday.

Seventy-year-old Jamil and his wife Farhat were found dead in their house earlier this week. According to their post-mortem reports, they were killed 10 days back.

During investigations, the police detained a man who owed money to the couple. “He confessed to the crime in custody,” the investigation officer said.

The suspect had borrowed Rs1.4 million from Jamil and paid monthly installments of Rs70,000. “A few months back, he suffered a loss in business after which he was unable to pay the installments,” the officer said, adding that that’s when he committed the crime.

An FIR has been registered and the suspect has been taken into custody. Further investigations are underway.



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Dominican Republic announces plans for Haiti border fence

The 380km barrier will curb the flow of illegal migrants, drugs and stolen vehicles, the president says.

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New York Governor Cuomo faces fresh claims of sexual harassment

New York's governor denies wrongdoing and orders an external inquiry after claims by a second ex-aide.

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New York governor accused of sexual harassment by second woman

A second ex-employee of powerful New York state Governor Andrew Cuomo has accused him of sexual harassment, charges the governor denied on Saturday.

This time the allegations came from 25-year-old former health adviser Charlotte Bennett, who told The New York Times that the governor sexually harassed her in the spring of 2020. 

According to Bennett, the 63-year-old politician said in June that he was open to dating women in their 20s, and asked her if she thought age made a difference in romantic relationships, the Times reported. 

While Cuomo never tried to touch her, “I understood that the governor wanted to sleep with me, and felt horribly uncomfortable and scared,” Bennett told the paper. 

She added that she spoke to Cuomo’s chief of staff and legal counsel, who transferred her to another post in another building. Bennett was happy with the new job and decided not to insist on an investigation.

Cuomo became a national star last spring with his straight-talking yet empathetic coronavirus briefings that contrasted sharply with then-president Donald Trump’s dismissive approach to the pandemic.

But the harassment allegations come as he faces a growing storm over his handling of the coronavirus in nursing homes in his state.

In a statement Saturday, Cuomo said he “never made advances toward Ms Bennett nor did I ever intend to act in any way that was inappropriate.” 

He said he wanted instead to support Bennett, who had told him that she was a sexual assault survivor. 

The governor, whose third term expires at the end of 2022, called for “a full and thorough outside review” of these charges, led by a former federal judge. 

“I ask all New Yorkers to await the findings of the review so that they know the facts before making any judgments,” he added. 

This is the second time in a week that the Democratic governor, who has led New York state for 10 years, has been accused of sexual harassment.

On Wednesday, another ex-adviser, Lindsey Boylan, said in a blog that he had harassed her when she was working for his administration, from 2015 to 2018.

Boylan, 36, alleged that the governor had given her an unsolicited kiss on the lips, suggested that she play strip poker with him, and went “out of his way to touch me on my lower back, arms and legs.” 

“For those wondering what it’s like to work for the Cuomo admin, read @LindseyBoylan’s story,” Bennett wrote in a re-tweet of Boylan’s post.

Cuomo’s office said in a statement that Boylan’s “claims of inappropriate behavior are quite simply false.”

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday joined a growing chorus of politicians calling for an investigation into the allegations made against Cuomo.



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Today’s outlook: Government decides petrol prices, PM heads to Jhelum

Here are some of the stories we will be following today [Sunday]:

  • Supporters of the Pak Sarzameen Party will meet in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth. PSP Chairperson Mustafa Kamal will address the rally.
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit Jhelum’s Pind Dadan Khan to inaugurate a number of development projects.
  • The government will announce the new price of petrol. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority had recommended an increase of Rs20.
  • PML-N’s Hamza Shahbaz has reached Model Town after he was released from the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore.
  • Rain and snowfall have been reported in multiple parts of the country such as Neelum Valley.
  • Jamaat-e-Islami will protest near Karachi’s Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road against inflation.


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Covid vaccine: Germany urged to back AstraZeneca jab for over-65s

A senior German immunologist tells the BBC that his country should reverse its decision on the jab.

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Golden Globe Awards 2021: Stars prepare for virtual ceremony

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler return to host the year's first major film and TV awards ceremony on Sunday.

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The Florida coffee shop where Trump is king

A look inside a "liberal-free zone" and meeting spot for people on the political right.

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Maids in Lebanon: 'My employer treats me like a slave'

Lucy's dream of working in the Middle East turned into a nightmare of abuse. She's not the only one.

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Cryptocurrencies: Why Nigeria is a global leader in Bitcoin trade

A devaluing currency and hard economic conditions make cryptocurrencies attractive despite the risks.

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Has China lifted 100 million people out of poverty?

President Xi says China has achieved his poverty reduction pledge - but has it?

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Covid: How this Indian firm is vaccinating the world

The Serum Institute of India isn't a household name, but it's the world's largest vaccine maker.

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Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine: FDA approves single-shot jab

The US is the first country in the world to approve the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

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El Salvador polls: More power for President Nayib Bukele?

While the election is for the legislative assembly, it is seen as a key test for President Bukele.

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Senate vote only cast in National Assembly, ECP tells Shehbaz

The Election Commission of Pakistan has rejected PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif’s request to cast his vote for the upcoming Senate elections in Lahore.

“Senate vote can only be cast in the National Assembly,” the electoral body said.

Earlier this month, the commission issued production orders for imprisoned members of the national and provincial assemblies. This allows them to be part of the Senate election voting on March 3.

“Detained members will be able to exercise their right to vote as it is a fundamental right of everyone. No one can be prevented from exercising their right to vote,” ECP’s order read.

It granted Shehbaz, PPP’s Khursheed Shah, PML-N’s Khawaja Asif and MNA Ali Wazir permission. All the leaders are in custody.

Senate elections

A controversy surrounding the Senate elections started when on December 15, the PTI government decided to hold the elections in February, instead of March. Following this, a debate was stirred in the cabinet whether the government had the constitutional right to change the election date.

The federal government also decided to hold the Senate election through a show of hands. The decision was made during a meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Following this, a presidential reference on open ballot votes was filed in the Supreme Court. A verdict in the case has, however, not been passed yet.

Senate elections are held every three years and only the commission has the authority to organise them. The process is, however, spread over phases and takes roughly a month to conclude.



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Karachi policemen arrested for letting go crystal meth dealers

Two police officers were arrested for letting go drug dealers in Karachi.

Defence Police Station’s SHO Mohammad Ali and SIO Wasim Abro are accused of letting three foreigners go after taking bribes from them. The foreigners were arrested on the charges of selling crystal meth.

The officers were called to Anti Violent Crime Cell to record their statements where they were arrested.



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Bilal Abbas, Sajal Ali come together for ‘Khel Khel Mein’

Actors Bilal Abbas Khan and Sajal Ali are all set to grace the big screen with their upcoming film Khel Khel Mein.

“Working with the finest producer-director duo in the country for the first time,” Bilal said on Friday. “Let’s meet at the theatre this time.”

Photo: Instagram/Bilal Abbas Khan

Sajal also shared a photo of the film’s script and wrote: “Bismillah.”

Photo: Instagram/Sajal Ahad Mir

Khel Khel Mein will be directed by Nabeel Qureshi and produced by Fizza Ali Meerza under Filmwala Pictures. They have delivered hit movies such as Na Maloom Afraad 1 and 2, Load Wedding and Actor in Law.

A release date for the film has yet to be announced. 

Bilal is being seen in drama serial Dunk opposite Sana Javed. Sajal, on the other hand, is busy with her international project What’s Love Got To Do With It, produced by Jemima Khan. The two were last seen together in HUM TV’s O Rangreza (2017 to 2018). 



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Chitral: Injured snow leopard rescued by wildlife department

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department rescued an injured snow leopard from Chitral’s Arkari on Friday.

A joint rescue operation was held by the department and the Snow Leopard Foundation. According to the foundation’s project manager Shafiullah Khan, the leopard had suffered injuries near its hind legs.

The animal has been moved to a veterinary hospital in Chitral where it will be treated. “The injuries would have had prevented the leopard from hunting,” Khan said.

Snow leopards live in higher altitude areas and an untreated injury means it can fall down from the mountains, he pointed out.

After the treatment, the animal will be released back into the wild. “In the last few years, this is the first time a snow leopard has been seen in Chitral, Khan added.

The wildlife department has stressed the importance of keeping animals such as snow leopards safe. It stated that they were an “asset” for the region and their well-being was very important.

Wildlife activists in the region have been working to improve the ecosystem for the survival and breeding of these animals.



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Ahmad Ali Butt opens up about his Covid-19 experience

Actor Ahmad Ali Butt has opened up about his experience with Covid-19 in a foreign country.

“I have been in quarantine for a better two weeks of my life in a country not my own and people who didn’t understand me,” said Ahmad.

Although the actor had decent food arrangement and accommodation, it was the most challenging experience of his life. He didn’t name the country.

Photo: Ahmad Ali Butt

“The isolation was something I wasn’t prepared for at all,” he said, adding that he would never like to remember those days.

He is back in Pakistan with his family and recovering.

In November last year, Ahmad announced that he had started shooting for Phatte Dinde Chakk Punjabi in the UK, with actors Neeru Bajwa, Gippy Grewal and Annu Kapoor.

Photo: Instagram/Ahmad Ali Butt

The film will release on Eid ul Adha this year.



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Golden Globes eye history as show goes on without stars

Hollywood’s A-listers are staying home, but this Sunday’s Golden Globes could still offer plenty of reasons to party — from history-making female filmmakers to posthumous glory for a beloved Black film star.

Second only to the Oscars, the season-opening Globes—which also honor the best in television—can massively boost or fatally dash the hopes of this year’s film awards frontrunners like The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Nomadland.

Aaron Sorkin’s ensemble drama about anti-war riots in 1968, and Chloe Zhao’s paean to Americans roaming the West in vans, fueled by their timely themes of protest and joblessness, are battling for the Globes’ top prize.

“If I had to guess… ‘Chicago 7’ is in good shape,” said Deadline awards columnist Pete Hammond. “It hits the zeitgeist… even though it takes place 50 years ago. And it’s got a big cast of stars.”

In contrast, Nomadland throws Oscar winner Frances McDormand in with a rag-tag bunch of non-actors who truly live on the open road—a “daring” move that may see it overtake its rivals, according to Variety awards editor Tim Gray.

“It’s the definition of a little film… a film that stays with you,” he said, adding he still tipped Chicago 7 to win best drama film.

They will have to best Anthony Hopkins’ dementia drama The Father, #MeToo thriller Promising Young Woman, and Mank, David Fincher’s ode to Citizen Kane, which topped the overall nominations with six.

While the battle for best drama is tight, Zhao is seen as the clear favorite to scoop best director.

It would be a historic win, as she would be only the second female victor in the Globes’ long history, and the first woman of Asian descent.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association had nominated just five female directors in the last 77 years, but Zhao competes Sunday alongside Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) and Regina King (One Night in Miami).

“This is a year when women have strong movies… that is good news, and deserving,” said Hammond.

“But we’ll see how it goes—in the end, David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin, two white guys, may win.”

‘Hard to resist’

Several movies with predominantly Black casts including One Night in Miami missed out on best film nominations from the HFPA’s mainly-white, 90-odd voters.

But one African American star is a strong bet for lead actor honors—the late Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman, who died last August from cancer after a string of seminal roles including Black Panther, put in an arguably career-best performance as a tragic young trumpet player in 1920s blues drama Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

“This is his best part, and the backstory is that he knew this might be his last performance—so that’s kind of hard to resist,” said Gray.

“But it’s not a guaranteed win,” he added, with Hopkins a formidable contender as well as Riz Ahmed as a musician going deaf in Sound of Metal.

On the actress side, Carey Mulligan’s Promising Young Woman—a revenge-seeker who lurks at bars, feigning drunkenness to lure men into revealing their own misogyny—leads a pack including McDormand and Viola Davis as legendary crooner Ma Rainey.

Unlike the Oscars, the Globes split most movie categories into drama and “musical or comedy,” with Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat sequel and the Disney+ film of hit musical Hamilton leading the latter fields.

Cohen also has a best supporting actor nod for Chicago 7, while the Globes offer Hamilton its best shot at film honors after the Oscars declared the taping of Broadway shows ineligible.

‘Subdued party’

In a Globes first, part of the show will take place down the road from Broadway at New York’s Rainbow Room, where Tina Fey will be joined by presenters including Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Amy Poehler will co-host a scaled-down remote broadcast from the Globes’ traditional base at a Beverly Hills hotel, as Globes organizers scramble to cope with California restrictions in place due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The A-list audience and nominees are expected to largely remain at home, accepting awards via video link—similar to the format of September’s widely praised Emmys—although precise details remain under wraps.

While the Globes are typically known as a raucous, star-studded and champagne-soaked event, Hammond predicted a “subdued party atmosphere.”

That may not matter to the winners at Sunday’s ceremony, which due to pandemic-related delays is being held five days before voting begins for April’s Oscars.

“Those wins will be fresh,” said Gray. 

“If you win a Golden Globe… it’s a notice to Oscar voters—you’d better see this film before you vote, because it’s worth looking at.”



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Prince Harry reveals he watches ‘The Crown’

Britain’s Prince Harry said in a rare one-on-one interview that he left royal life because the British press was “destroying” his mental health, and revealed he watches The Crown.

Harry gave an intimate insight into his young family’s new life in Los Angeles during an open-top bus tour of the city with The Late Late Show host James Corden.

“We all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health,” said Harry, who relocated to the United States with wife Meghan Markle last year.

“I was, like, this is toxic. So I did what any husband and what any father would do. I need to get my family out of here.”

Harry and Markle’s shock announcement in January 2020 that they were stepping back from royal duties rocked Britain’s royal family, with British newspapers dubbing it “Mexit.”

Earlier this month, Buckingham Palace announced that the couple had permanently quit royal duties following a one-year review of the new arrangement.

Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, to relinquish their honorary titles and patronages.

“It was never walking away,” Harry, 36, told Corden. “It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment.”

Harry has long had a difficult relationship with Britain’s tabloids, blaming press intrusion for contributing to his mother Princess Diana’s death in a car crash in 1997.

Earlier this month, Markle won a high-profile privacy claim against Associated Newspapers for publishing a private letter that she wrote to her estranged father.

Harry said he was “more comfortable” with the portrayal of the royal family in the hit Netflix series The Crown than he is with newspaper stories written about him and his family.

“They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional,” Harry said of the show.

“It’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, but it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”

Harry, who remains sixth in line to the throne, revealed that he would like to see actor Damian Lewis play him in future series.

The prince admitted during the relaxed chat that it was the first time he had ever been on an open-top bus.

Harry and Corden visited the house from hit 1990s US TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. They voice-called Markle, who referred to Harry as “Haz.”

Harry said that he had Zoomed with the Queen and Prince Philip so they could see their great-grandson Archie.

The prince revealed that Archie’s first word was “crocodile” and that the Queen had sent Archie a waffle maker for Christmas.

Harry also described evenings at their Santa Barbara home. 

“Depending on how the day’s been and how busy it’s been, we do Archie’s tea, give him a bath, read him a book, put him down, go downstairs.

“Meg might cook a meal, might order a takeaway, go upstairs sit in bed, turn the TV on, watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix,” the prince said.

The release of the interview comes a week before Harry and Markle’s controversial interview with Oprah Winfrey will air.



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PM Khan welcomes restoration of ceasefire along LoC

Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the restoration of ceasefire along the Line of Control in Kashmir.

“The onus of creating an enabling environment for further progress rests with India,£ PM Imran Khan tweeted on Saturay.

His statement came two days after the director-general of military operations of Pakistan and India reviewed the situation along the Line of Control and other sectors in a “free, frank and cordial atmosphere.”

Related: Video: India’s false flag operations and the ‘fantastic’ tea

Both the countries agreed on strict observance of all agreements, understandings, and matters regarding cross-border firing along the LOC, which will come in effect from February 25.

The prime minister also congratulated the nation and the armed forces “on the 2nd Anniversary of our response to India’s illegal, reckless military adventure of air strikes against Pakistan.”



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Pakistan schools resuming five-day classes, not universities: HEC

Pakistan schools are set to resume five-day classes from March 1 but the same policy does not apply to universities, the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan said Friday.

In a series of tweets, the HEC said that all universities are instructed to continue academic and research in accordance with the relevant instructions provided in the previous Covid-19 guidance notes.

The varsities have been instructed to come up with a “blended learning system” which means that classes should be held both online and on campus.

The universities will remain open for the following students:

  • Those who have internet problems at home
  • Foreign students
  • MPhil and PhD students
  • Final year students

“In no case, shall the total number of the students permitted to come to campus should exceed 30 percent of the total enrollment,” the policy read, adding that if classes are held on campus, the management will be responsible for ensuring coronavirus SOP implementation.

Schools across Pakistan will resume classes five days a week from March 1.

Earlier, schools in these cities were restricted to a three-day school week by NCOC in view of a high prevalence of COVID-19. NCOC has removed these restrictions following a fresh assessment of the prevailing situation in these cities, the commission tweeted.

Pakistan schools and coronavirus

All educational institutions across the country were closed in late February 2020 after coronavirus cases began to rise. They were reopened in phases starting September 15, 2020.

On November 23, 2020, after the second wave of coronavirus cases hit the country, the government announced that all educational institutions would close again from November 26,2020.

Classes were taken online till December 24, 2020, and winter vacations started from December 25, 2020, and were supposed to last till January 10. The government said it would hold a meeting to review the decision to reopen schools on January 4.

The NCOC then decided that schools would reopen in phases with classes nine to 12 being the first to reopen on January 18.



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Two ‘terrorists’ arrested in Sukkur CTD operation

Two terrorists were arrested by security agencies and the Counter-Terrorism Department in a joint operation in Sukkur Friday night.

According to the spokesperson of the department, a raid was conducted near the Patni police station. When the police reached there, the terrorists opened fire at them. In response, two suspects were shot.

The perpetrators were rushed to a hospital but they couldn’t sustain their injuries.

The area’s entry and exit points have been sealed and a search operation is underway. On the other hand, the police have seized a cache of weapons and explosives from the site.



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UN adopts resolution urging equitable access to vaccines

The UN Security Council gave unanimous approval Friday to a resolution calling for improved access to Covid-19 vaccines in conflict-hit or impoverished countries, diplomats said.

It was the second resolution on the pandemic passed by the council since it began a year ago.

“Voting for vaccine equity is important and we appreciate that,” said World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in welcoming the vote.

“But the concrete steps should be taken, and waive IP to increase production, coverage of vaccine and get rid of this virus as soon as possible,” he told reporters, saying: “The UNSC can do it if there is political will.”

In a rare gesture, the resolution was co-sponsored by all 15 members of the council, diplomats said.

“We are all facing the same threat, the same pandemic, and international cooperation and multilateral action is needed,” one diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

“This resolution could be a step in a good direction.”

The resolution required just a week of negotiations to draft, and its passage suggests the international community is moving towards unity that has been scarce since the health crisis began.

It also hints at the warming of relations at the UN between the United States and China since President Joe Biden took office in January.

Thorny issues remain, such as the origin of the virus in China and how transparent China has been in its explanations of the outbreak.

“Now, especially because of the changes in the US, I don’t see this issue to be as controversial as it was in the spring,” said another diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He was referring to the arrival of Biden and a change from the harsh anti-China rhetoric of Donald Trump, who spoke of the “China virus” or “kung flu” and said China was to blame for the once in a century global health crisis.

Asked if this new spirit of unity will last, the second diplomat said: “We will see.”

Focus on conflict zones

The first pandemic resolution passed by the council, in July of last year, needed more than three months of back and forth negotiations before it finally won approval.

The process was agonizingly slow because of disputes between the US and China. That resolution called for ceasefires in war zones to facilitate the fight against the pandemic.

The new resolution approved Friday stresses “the urgent need for solidarity, equity, and efficacy” in fighting the pandemic in countries with limited access to vaccines.

The resolution “invites donation of vaccine doses from developed economies and all those in a position to do so to low- and middle-income countries and other countries in need.”

It also “calls for the strengthening of national and multilateral approaches and international cooperation… in order to facilitate equitable and affordable access to Covid-19 vaccines in armed conflict situations, post-conflict situations and complex humanitarian emergencies.”

The UN says some 160 million people live in such conditions.

This new draft urges Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to carry out frequent assessments of obstacles to vaccine access.

It also calls on member countries to take measures to prevent speculation in and hoarding of vaccines so as to ensure access to inoculation, especially in conflict zones.



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Today’s outlook: PPP rally in Kohat, Hamza Shehbaz released

Here are some of the stories we will be following today [Saturday]:

  • PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will address his supporters at the Babri Banda ground in Kohat.
  • Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will visit Hyderabad.
  • PML-N Hamza Shehbaz will be released. Maryam Nawaz will be heading to Jati Umrah to meet him.
  • Motorway M-1 from Peshawar to Rashakai and M-3 from Lahore to Nankana Sahib have been closed for traffic because of fog. Visibility on the National Highway has dropped to 20 meters.
  • Rain and snowfall reported in multiple parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.


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Tiger Woods car crash: Golfer 'in good spirits' after latest treatment

The golfer received successful "follow-up procedures" following Tuesday's serious car crash in LA.

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Haiti prison escape: Hundreds of inmates flee from Croix-des-Bouquets jail

The prison's director is among 25 people killed in the mass escape near the capital, Port-au-Prince.

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Monsters, mania and the unstoppable march of Pokémon

Several waves of Pokémania have swept the globe, keeping this lucrative franchise relevant for 25 years.

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Mayday: How the White Helmets and James Le Mesurier got pulled into a deadly battle for truth

James Le Mesurier fell to his death in Istanbul in 2019 with a sense that Syrian and Russian disinformation had destroyed his reputation.

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John F Kennedy: When the US president met Africa's independence heroes

A photo archive reveals John F Kennedy's efforts to court African leaders in the post-colonial era.

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Week in pictures: 20-26 February 2021

A selection of striking images taken around the world this week.

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Bitcoin energy use 'bigger than most countries'

Could the cryptocurrency's huge electricity consumption also sink it?

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The Dissident: Jamal Khashoggi documentary points finger at Saudi Arabia's crown prince

The Dissident explores what happened to the Saudi journalist and who might have ordered his murder.

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Mourning the sisters killed as they taught handicrafts

Ayesha and Irshad were breadwinners in a former Pakistani tribal area where militancy is rising again.

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Mary Robinson 'made a big mistake' over Dubai princess

Princess Latifa Al Maktoum was previously described as "troubled" by the former Irish president.

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Ros Atkins on... Is Facebook too powerful?

Ros Atkins looks at the consequences of Facebook's power on events in Myanmar, Washington DC and Australia.

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Karachi man killed for marriage of choice: police

A man was killed after three men attacked him and his family at their house in Karachi’s Korangi Thursday night.

Abdul Sattar was a resident of Zia Colony, the police said, adding that he had married a woman of his own choice three years ago.

Related: One killed, 12 injured in Karachi street crimes

His mother and sister were injured in the axe attack too. They have been shifted to the hospital.

The police have launched a case and further investigations are under way.

Last week, it was reported that one person was killed and 12 injured by street criminals in Karachi.



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PSL 2021: Sultans eager to end losing streak against Qalandars

Lahore Qalandars will take on Multan Sultans in the first match of the double-header in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 on Friday.
Sohail Akhtar-led unit are currently placed on the top of the table after winning both of their matches where Mohammad Rizwan’s team are yet to open their account after suffering back-to-back defeats against Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi.



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Illegal hiring case: NAB arrests former Sindh secretary

The National Accountability Bureau arrested former Sindh special education secretary Noor Muhammad Laghari and Ashok Kumar from outside the Sindh High Court in Karachi on Thursday.

The court had cancelled the bails of Laghari, Kumar and six others including PS secretary Muhammad Ali, Naz Parween, Muhammad Ali Shah in the case.

NAB has accused them of hiring 294 people illegally in the special education department. The appointments were made between 2012 and 2019 in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur regions.



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Atif Aslam releases new single ‘Raat’

Singer Atif Aslam has released his highly-anticipated single Raat

“Wait no more!” Atif said on Thursday. “Dropping the glimpse of the most awaited track Raat.”

In a second teaser posted an hour before this announcement, Atif can be seen with actor Mansha Pasha.

“Any guesses what the song is about?” he wrote. “Be on the lookout for the audio track releasing soon.”

On February 11, Atif shared the first teaser for Raat, which featured actor Syra Yousuf, and asked his fans to subscribe to his channel for more details.

The music video has been directed by Yasir Jaswal and will also feature model Kiran Malik.



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SHC upholds death sentence of man who murdered 16-year-old daughter

The Sindh High Court dismissed the appeal of a man against his death sentence. He was convicted of murdering his 16-year-old daughter.

A two-member bench, headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto, heard the appeal on Friday.

The court upheld the death sentence of Khalil Ahmed.

Ahmed killed his daughter after repeatedly attacking her with a knife, the prosecutor told the court.

The appellant is not entitled to any leniency in light of the evidence against him, the court said.



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Mahira Khan shares why she attends Aurat March every year

Actor Mahira Khan attends Aurat March every year because she believes that it will make an impact.

“When I go to the Aurat March, I want to tell people that this is also what I believe in,” said Mahira on Mira Sethi’s talk show Hello! on Wednesday. “It doesn’t help much, but it has an impact.”

Mahira said she can explain the meaning of Aurat March to women because it gives her the time to do it. “I get those two minutes to explain mera jism meri marzi, which doesn’t mean that women want to strip off their clothes, but that it’s my choice whether you can stare at or touch me.”

Mahira is busy with her first production Baarwan Khiladi, which is a cricket-related web series.

A teaser for the series was released last week.



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Watch SAMAA TV Headlines 9am Pakistan – 26 February 2021



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Lady Gaga’s dogs stolen in Hollywood shooting

Two French bulldogs belonging to US pop singer Lady Gaga were stolen in Los Angeles after the employee walking them was shot and wounded, US media reported Thursday.

Los Angeles police said a gunman had taken the dogs and fled the Hollywood location in a vehicle Wednesday night, and that another man in his 30s was shot and hospitalised, but did not confirm any person’s identities.

Celebrity website TMZ reported that Lady Gaga had offered a $500,000 reward for the return of the dogs, named Koji and Gustav, “no questions asked.”

A third dog, Asia, was recovered by law enforcement at the scene of the attack, and reportedly later collected by another member of the singer’s staff.

French bulldogs are a coveted and expensive pedigree breed that can sell for thousands of dollars. It was not clear is Lady Gaga’s pets were deliberately targeted.

Publicists for Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, did not immediately respond to AFP request for comment.

The star is reportedly in Rome for the shooting of Ridley Scott’s “Gucci,” in which she plays the Italian fashion icon’s ex-wife, who was convicted of orchestrating his assassination.



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Today’s outlook: PM travels to Lahore, Orangi Nullah operation starts

Here are some of the stories we are expecting to follow today (Friday):

  • Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to travel to Lahore for a day’s visit.
  • The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation will start an anti-encroachment operation along the 11.25km Orangi nullah Friday. In the first phase, the KMC and district administration will remove soft encroachments from the stormwater drain. It is one of the three drains that are being widened to ensure a smooth flow of rainwater. The other two are the Gujjar and Mehmoodabad nullahs. The Sindh government decided to remove encroachments around these drains following the August 2020 urban floods in Karachi.
  • The Islamabad Bar Council challenged on Thursday the cases against lawyers who vandalised the Islamabad High Court. The case will be taken up by the Supreme Court today.
  • The Financial Action Task Force has decided to keep Pakistan on its grey list, with another review scheduled for June 2021. FATF President Dr Marcus Pleyer said the forum decided that Pakistan “needs to do more” on FATF requirements. The meeting took note of the significant progress Islamabad made on the entire action plan, the FATF said. “Pakistan has made progress across all action plan items and has now largely addressed 24 of the 27 action items,” it said. “As all action plan deadlines have expired, the FATF strongly urges Pakistan to swiftly complete its full action plan before June 2021.”
  • Two children were killed in an accident in Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Hadeed early Friday morning.


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North Korea: Russian diplomats leave by hand-pushed trolley

The diplomats had no choice as Pyongyang has banned trains from leaving as part of Covid measures.

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Melissa Caddick: Missing fraud suspect's foot found on Australian beach

The disappearance of Melissa Caddick - who is accused of stealing from investors - has flummoxed police.

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Ethiopia's Tigray crisis: How a massacre in the sacred city of Aksum unfolded

Eritrean troops killed hundreds in Aksum in Ethiopia's Tigray region, witnesses tell Amnesty and the BBC.

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Covid-19: Sri Lanka reverses 'anti-Muslim' cremation order

Critics said the forced burial order was intended to target minorities and did not respect religions.

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Fijian rugby league players sing tribute to Sydney quarantine staff

The rugby league players performed a song from their balconies in hotel quarantine in Australia.

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Biden approves US airstrike on Iran-backed militias in Syria

The Pentagon said the strike on Syria was in response to an attack on US and coalition personnel in Iraq.

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K-pop superstars Blackpink in climate change message

K-pop superstars Blackpink have emerged as the latest force in the global fight against climate change.

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Analysis: Can Asia help Myanmar find a way out of coup crisis?

While Western sanctions may not help, China and South East Asia's influence may have some sway.

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'Op Silent Viper': How an Indian rape suspect was caught after 22 years

The case went cold after the man accused disappeared following a brutal 1999 gang rape in India.

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Covid-19: High school band students rehearse in individual bubbles

Wenatchee High School in Washington state found a creative way for their band students to practise safely.

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Why Greenpeace is dropping huge boulders into the sea

Fishing community leaders say Greenpeace's action is dangerous and illegal.

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Golden Globes: Celebrity make-up artists on their job in the pandemic

Hollywood make-up artists on their experiences of working in the time of Covid-19.

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Amazon rainforest plots sold via Facebook Marketplace ads

Protected land reserved for Brazil's indigenous communities is being traded on the social network.

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Canadian farmers advised to ditch palm oil after 'buttergate' row

The dairy group looking into the hard butter issue has called for a freeze on palm fats in cow feed.

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Princess Latifa urges UK police to reopen sister's kidnap case

Dubai ruler's captive daughter writes to British police about her sister's abduction 20 years ago.

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Watch SAMAA TV Headlines 9am Pakistan – 25 February 2021



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Hit TV show Frasier to be revived after 20 years

Kelsey Grammer, who played Frasier Crane, will return but it is not known if other cast members will too.

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Man survives 14 hours 'clinging to sea rubbish'

Vidam Perevertilov's decision to swim towards a "black dot" - a life buoy - saved his life.

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Singapore: Police officer's wife admits to killing Myanmar maid

The domestic helper from Myanmar was reportedly tortured and starved before her death.

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Man accused of murdering 11 people arrested in Gujranwala

The Gujranwala police arrested a man on Wednesday on charges of murdering 11 people.

The suspect had cases registered at multiple police stations across Punjab. He murdered five people in Bahawalnagar, three in Kamoke and three in Gujranwala.

“All the crimes were committed over property issues,” the investigation officer said. The police had been searching for the suspect for over a year.

An FIR has been registered, the perpetrator’s weapon has been seized and he’s being questioned. Further investigations are under way.



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Today’s outlook: Bilawal meets Maryam, Ali Wazir’s bail hearing

Here are some of the stories which we are following today (Thursday):

  • The deadline for candidates to withdraw nominations for Senate elections will end today.
  • Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Vice-President Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Maryam Nawaz to meet in Jati Umra.
  • The Sindh High Court will take up the bail plea of MNA Ali Wazir. He was arrested in Peshawar on December 16, 2020. He has been accused of hate speech and inciting violence while addressing a rally in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth. His lawyer argued that the case is being heard by an anti-terrorism court, adding that his client should be granted bail till a verdict is given in the case.
  • A steering committee of the Pakistan Democratic Movement will sit and discuss strategies for Senate elections.
  • The Supreme Court will resume hearing the presidential reference on holding an open ballot during the Senate elections.
  • The hearing on the misconduct of lawyer resumes in Supreme Court. On February 8, the lawyers in Islamabad staged a protest after their chambers at the judicial complex were destroyed by the Capital Development Authority. They also stormed the chamber of Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah.
  • The election tribunal will continue hearing the NA-75 Sialkot by-election case. The PML-N has accused the PPP of rigging the election.


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Large real world study confirms Pfizer Covid vaccine 94% effective

The Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has proven 94 percent effective in a study involving 1.2 million people in Israel, the first peer-reviewed real-world research confirming the power of mass immunization campaigns to bring the pandemic to a close.

The paper, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, also demonstrated there is likely a strong protective benefit against infection, a crucial element in breaking onward transmission.

“The fact that the vaccines worked so well in the real world… really does suggest that if the nations of the world can find the will, we now have the means to end Covid-19 forever,” said Ben Neuman, a virologist from Texas A&M University who was not involved in the research.

The experiment was carried out between December 20 2020 and February 1, 2021 — a period when a newer variant first identified in Britain was rampant in Israel, making the vaccine’s performance all the more impressive.

Around 1.2 million people were divided into equal groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Each vaccinated participant was matched to an unvaccinated “control” person of similar age, sex, geographic, medical and other characteristics. 

Lead author Noam Barda, head of epidemiology and research at the Clalit Research Institute, told AFP the matching process was highly robust.

An elderly Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man from a particular neighborhood with a particular set of comorbidities and flu vaccination history would be matched for another person fitting that precise profile, for example.

The researchers then recorded outcomes at days 14-20 after the first of the two doses and day seven or more after the second.

The efficacy against symptomatic infections was 57 percent between 14-20 days after the first dose, but rose to 94 percent seven days after the second dose — very close to the 95 percent achieved during Phase 3 clinical trials. 

People who received second doses were also highly protected against hospitalization and death — though the precise numbers here are less significant and had a wider statistical range because of the relatively lower number of cases.

The study also found people who received their second dose had a 92 percent lower chance of getting any form of infection at all compared to those who were unvaccinated.

While this finding was considered encouraging, the researchers and outside experts said it needs more confirming evidence.

That’s because the participants weren’t being systematically tested at regular intervals; rather, they were getting a test when they wanted one. 

The authors attempted to correct for this with statistical methods but the result is still likely imperfect.

“Unless you are testing everyone all the time, this will miss some infections,” said Natalie Dean, a biostatistician at the University of Florida. 

She added she was certain there was a strong protective benefit, but “nailing down this number more precisely will require specialized study designs with frequent testing.”



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Former US President Bill Clinton admitted to hospital with fever

The 42nd president is at a Washington DC hospital, and is in "good spirits", according to a spokesman. from BBC News https://ift...