Malala Yousafzai gets married in small ceremony, terms it ‘precious day’

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has tied the nuptial knot during a small ceremony in Birmingham, the education activist revealed on Twitter Tuesday.

Taking to the microblogging website, the education activist wrote: “Today marks a precious day in my life. Asser and I tied the knot to be partners for life. We celebrated a small nikkah ceremony at home in Birmingham with our families. Please send us your prayers. We are excited to walk together for the journey ahead.”

Malala also posted four photos from the nikkah ceremony in which she could be seen posing alongside her newlywed husband, Asser, as well as her parents, Ziauddin Yousafzai and Toor Pekai Yousafzai.

For her big day, Malala wore a melon-pink outfit adorned with gold embroidery. Her nikkah pictures were captured by her friend, Malin Fezehai, who is a photographer and visual journalist.

Congratulations pour in

Taking to Twitter, her father said the occasion was “beyond words”. 

“Toor Pekai and I are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. Alhamdulillah,” he added.

PPP leader Aseefa Bhutto Zardari felicitated Malala and hoped that the newly-wedded couple find every joy together.

“May your journey be blessed at every turn. Sending you love & duas,” she said.

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Asim Azhar receives a gift at Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Singer Asim Azhar has shared a video with Shoaib Malik from the stadium. He was in awe of Shoaib’s personality and was all praise for him.

“What a player, what a human!” Asim wrote. “Love you, Shoaib bhai.”

Asim hoped Pakistan would bring the cup home.

The video shows Asim engaging in a brief conversation from the stands with Shoaib after the game. When Shoaib congratulates Asim on his latest PISA award (Best Original Soundtrack for Ishqiya), Asim responds by saying that there could be no “bigger award” than Shoaib’s praise for him.

Asim even received a gift from fast bowler Shadab Khan.

Bubble ki dooriaaan 😅 well played my bro @76Shadabkhan and thank you for this gift ♥️ pic.twitter.com/BqW62xwy4F

— Asim Azhar (@AsimAzharr) November 7, 2021

What’s better than meeting your favourite players and that too after they have delivered a spectacular performance?

Shoaib Malik is all over social media for scoring the fastest 50 in the continuing edition of the T20 World Cup on Sunday. The all-rounder, who smashed 54 off 18 balls, now shares the record with India’s KL Rahul.

Soon after Pakistan emerged victorious against Scotland, photos and videos from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium made it to social media. Sania Mirza in the stands with their son Izhaan is being lauded for applauding Shoaib’s performance despite India being knocked out from the tournament after second game of the day (New Zealand vs Afghanistan). India were banking on Afghanistan to help them stay in the tournament but couldn’t book the semi-final berth.

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Eternals banned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Marvel’s latest release Eternals will not be screened in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar, according to reports by several international news websites.

Eternals was set to hit the screen across the Gulf States on November 11, but it was removed from the websites after Disney refused to make the proposed edits.

The controversy surrounds Marvel Cinematic Universe’s same-gender couple, Phastos (played by Brian Tyree Henry) and his on-screen spouse Ben (Haaz Sleiman). Disney was reportedly requested to remove an intimate scene involving the two characters.

Eternals is, however, still listed among the movies that are going to be released in the UAE. Eternals has been directed by Chloe Zhao and features an ensemble cast of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Lia McHugh, Kit Harington, Don Lee, among others. 

Angelina remarked that she is “sad” for the audiences in the countries where Eternals has been banned, but added that she is proud of Marvel for refusing to edit the proposed scenes out.

Eternals stars Kumail Nanjiani as well who is the first Pakistani actor to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.The movie had its world premiere in Los Angeles on October 18 and was released on November 5.

In August, Akshay Kumar’s spy thriller BellBottom was banned across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar for content “not fit for exhibition”. It was inspired by the hijackings of Indian Airlines flights in the 1980s during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as prime minister. 

The objection was that the movie showed Akshay’s character Bell Bottom (an Indian agent) as the hero of the entire episode while the UAE defence minister was kept in the dark by Indian officials. The authorities were reportedly irked by the “distortion of facts”.

 BellBottom starred Lara Dutta as Indira Gandhi and featured Vaani Kapoor opposite Akshay.   

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Lahore court rejects Meesha Shafi’s appeals in Ali Zafar defamation case

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Dasht e Tanhai singer Meesha Shafi has Monday conceded rejection of her plea of exemption from presenting in regular hearings by the Lahore sessions court in the defamation case against Channo Ki Aankh singer Ali Zafar, whom she had accused of sexual harassment.

The sessions court also binned her appeal on the trial court decision which directed her to submit the bail bonds. The sessions court judge Rai Muhammad Yaseen Shaheen noted in his verdict today that neither the singer has ever appeared before the trial court, nor has she admitted the testimonies of the witnesses supporting her accusations.

Her charge sheet has yet to be prepared for her arraignment in the court, the judge said.

The court has only extended her a one-day exemption from appearing in the court while directing her to not miss the hearing next time. It ordered her to also submit the bonds of bail as per trial court orders.

It is the prerogative of the trial court to exempt of order the appearance of the accused in the case at any stage, the additional judge said. There’s no lacuna in the judgment of the judicial magistrate, he noted.

The verdict noted that the trial court had ordered Shafi to present before the court on March 27 which she didn’t, in the case of running a vilification campaign on social media against Zafar.

Earlier this year, the Lahore court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for actor-host Iffat Omar and Ali Gul Pur in a defamation lawsuit filed by Ali Zafar against Meesha Shafi and others for leveling allegations of sexual harassment on him.

Judicial Magistrate Yousuf Abdul Rehman heard the case.As the hearing went underway, the judicial magistrate rejected the plea of Iffat Omar’s exemption from appearance and issued arrest her non-bailable warrants. The court also issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Ali Gul Pir.

The Federal Investigation Agency Cybercrime Wing on Dec. 16 declared singer Meesha Shafi, seven others ‘guilty’ of running a defamation campaign on social media against singer cum actor.

The FIA cybercrime wing submitted an interim challan to the Lahore court which stated that Meesha Shafi and seven others were found guilty of running a defamatory drive against the actor by accusing him of his alleged involvement in sexual harassment and assault.

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Ayeza Khan throws birthday party for son Rayyan on his 4th Birthday.

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Actor Ayeza Khan and her husband Danish Taimoor threw a Superman-themed birthday party for her son Rayan Taimoor and the pictures went viral on social media.

The actor took to Instagram to share cute pictures of the fun-filled and joyous occasion.

“My Superman,” the caption on the photo read.

Here are some other pictures that made rounds on social media.

Rayan can be seen wearing a Superman costume whereas the birthday cake had an emblem like that of the DC Comics character.

The actor was wearing a blue ruffle top and her hair was left sleek straight. Her husband was wearing a denim jacket over a Superman t-shirt.

Danish felicitated birthday wishes to his son in his Instagram profile.

The couple got married in August, 2014 and have two children, daughter, Hoorain Taimoor and son, Rayan Taimoor.

 

The Koi Chand Rakh star is one of the most followed celebrities on social media in Pakistan. Her Instagram profile alone has at least 10.3 million followers.

She regularly keeps the fans updated with family pictures along with her photoshoots and behind the scenes of her projects.

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WhatsApp web gets new features

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

WhatsApp has announced that it’s introducing a couple of feature updates for the messaging application’s desktop version, WABetaInfo reported Sunday.

One of the updates, incoming call ringtone and turn off all desktop incoming calls, give WhatsApp users more control to manage call notifications while using the application on the web.

“The second one is a new interface for Contact Info, Business Info, Group Info”, the website said, which is similar to the interface a user can see on their Android or iPhone when they are looking at a contact or group info.

The new features can be used by WhatsApp users when they are updating the WhatsApp Web version but some of them might not be able to see the updates right now. However, very soon their versions will be updated with more activations following.

WhatsApp desktop beta versions may be released for a specific platform in advance so the users have to wait for some days to get the new version for the platforms they are using.

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Ajoka will perform Sharam Di Gal & Dhee Raniay at Alhamra

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Theatre is Back!

After almost 2 years, Lahore is ready for it’s first full fledged performance, by Ajoka Institute’s “Art of Acting” students, first time Actors raring to showcase their Talent.

These short plays were originally performed over 25 years ago, and unfortunately, still remain relevant today. Women continue to face the same issues they faced over two decades ago and a Collective Awareness is the need of the hour.

With Theatrical Devices rooted in our Soil, join us for a Refreshing evening of Song, Dance, Colours, and Meaningful Entertainment.

Please Screenshot/Save a Copy of the E-Pass provided in the Event Details

Limited Seats will be available, on a First Come First Serve Basis.
Vaccination Certificates(Digital/Original) will be required

Date: November 12th
Time: 7PM
Venue: Lahore Arts Council, Alhamra Hall 3

 

Disney+ offers discount for a month

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Walt Disney said on Monday it was offering a month of Disney+ for $1.99 for a limited period, as the entertainment giant seeks to stem a slowdown in paid user growth at its streaming service.The promotion will begin on Nov. 8 and will be valid for a week through Nov. 14 for new and eligible returning subscribers in the United States and some other countries, Disney said in a statement.

Disney, which charges $7.99 per month for its streaming service in the United States, recently hinted at a slowdown in subscriber growth in Disney+, leading to a rare Wall Street downgrade.

Disney+, which has “Star Wars” and “Avengers” franchises in its portfolio, picked up more new subscribers during the COVID-19 pandemic as theater closures prompted more people to turn to digital streaming to quench their entertainment needs.

As part of the promotions marking the launch of Disney+ two years ago, the company said it would provide other offers including an early entry into its theme parks for eligible subscribers. Disney will report its fourth-quarter results on Wednesday.

Disney+ is currently available in 61 countries across North America, Europe, Asia/Pacific, and Latin America.

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. As part of Disney’s Media and Entertainment Distribution segment, Disney+ is available on most internet-connected devices and offers commercial-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series and short-form content. Alongside unprecedented access to Disney’s incredible library of film and television entertainment, the service is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Disney+ is available as part of a bundle offer in the U.S. that gives subscribers access to Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.

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Adnan Sami conferred with Padma Shri Indian National Award.

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Bollywood personalities Adnan Sami and Kangana Ranaut are a few names being honoured with the Padma Shri on Monday in a ceremony held at Dehli’s Rashtrapati Bhavan (President House),

They were feted with the honour by Indian President Ram Nath Kovind. Other recipients of the Padma Shri this year from the world of arts include Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor and late singer SP Balasubramaniam.

Clad in a black sherwani and with gold embroidery, Adnan beamed with pride after being conferred with the Indian National Award.

The honour didn’t come without its fair share of controversy. Sami, who is of Pakistani origin and became an Indian citizen in 2016; was widely criticised when the Padma Shri winner list was announced in January with the Nationalist Congress Party calling it an “insult to 130 crore Indians.”

Speaking to news agency after controversy erupted, Sami said, “The people who are criticising are some minor politicians. They are doing it because of some political agenda that they have and it has nothing to do with me. I am not a politician, I am a musician.”

 

PCB releases schedule of Australia’s tour of Pakistan

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revealed the schedule of Australia’s tour of Pakistan, scheduled to take place in March-April next year. 

Tim Paine’s Australian side is scheduled to visit Pakistan and take on the Men in Green for three Test matches, an equal number ODIs and one T20 match next year. 

The first Test match between the two sides will be played from March 3 in Karachi while the second Test will be played from March 12-16 in Rawalpindi. 

The teams will then play a third Test match in March 21-25 in Lahore. 

The Tests will be played as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be connected to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League – a 13-team event from which the seven highest-placed sides and the hosts, India, will qualify directly for the event proper in 2023.

All four white-ball matches of the series will take place in Lahore from March 29 to April 5, confirmed the PCB. 

This will be the first time that an Australian side will be visiting Pakistan to play a cricket series here after 24 years. 

The last time an Australian squad played a series in Pakistan was in 1998 when Mark Taylor led them to a 1-0 series victory – their first since Richie Benaud’s side defeated Fazal Mahmood’s team by 2-0 in the 1959-60 series. Between the two series, Pakistan hosted Australia in 1964-65 (drew 0-0), 1979-80 (won 1-0), 1982-83 (won 3-0), 1988-89 (won 1-0) and 1994-95 (won 1-0).

Pakistan staged the last four series with Australia offshore – 2002-2003 (Colombo and Sharjah, Pakistan lost 3-0), 2010 (drew 1-1 in England), 2014-15 (won 2-0 in the UAE) and 2018-19 (won 1-0 in the UAE).

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