Islamabad:-Critically acclaimed and one of Pakistan’s most celebrated actors, Bilal Abbas Khan has been named on the first of its kind Top 50 Asian Celebrities In The World list as the highest placed male actor from Pakistan.
Published by the UK based paper Eastern Eye, Bilal Abbas Khan has been ranked at 28 on the list, ahead of not only many global artists but also fellow senior actors and artists from Pakistan. The Cheekh famed actor who debuted back in 2016 has solidified his place in the industry by showing his tremendous range as a performer. Bilal Abbas Khan managed the top spot in male actors after the fame he achieved through his 2020 hit drama PyarKeSadqay and his first international web series EkJhooti Love Story.
Eastern Eye entertainment editor AsjadNazir, who put the list together said: “Fast rising acting star Bilal Abbas Khan is the future of Pakistani film and television. He had another great year with projects including EkJhooti Love Story, which was boundary breaking in its reach and continued being a powerful role model for a new generation.”
Upon receiving this recognition, Bilal Abbas Khan was elated and talked about his desire to keep on taking unconventional roles, “I think every character that I play has a story to tell – and so far I have been conscientious what stories I want to tell the audiences. This is the kind of praise that I didn’t expect to receive, but I am grateful and proud of the choices I have made because of all the love the audience continues to show me. I hope to continue to inspire, surprise, and make people think with every role I play. Thank you.”
The artists on the list were ranked based on their media exposure, performances, broadcasting activities, and professionalism. Bilal Abbas Khan’s year in showbiz has been nothing short of extraordinary, with news of two new projects also unveiling in the first half of the new year, a web series titled ‘AbdullahpurKaDevdas’ and the murder-mystery drama ‘Dunk.’
OSLO – If you’ve heard the saying that Norwegians were born with skis on their feet, it may not come as a surprise that the country is a nation of skiers.
From the de facto national sport, cross country skiing, to alpine (downhill), to ski-jumping, and beyond, Norway seems to have championed them all!
But how did such a small nation get so good at this sport, and why are they so obsessed with it?
The answer lies in the climate, their ancestors, and their connection to nature.
While the origins of skiing can be traced to China, the earliest evidence of skiing in Norway is a rock carving estimated to be around 6000 years old.
Discovered in 2001 and known as the Bøla Man, the carving shows a human on skis with one pole in his hand.
The single pole is thought to have been used as a paddle, demonstrating that skiing was already prevalent at this time.
A second carving known as the Rødøy Man was discovered in 1933 and is dated to 2000 BC. The carving depicts a figure on skis.
It became the inspiration for a worldwide sporting event, as we will see later.
793 – 1066: The Vikings and Old Norse
Did you know that the term “ski” comes from the Old Norse word, “skíð,” meaning cleft wood?
Outside of pillaging, the Vikings found some time to worship the many Norse Gods and Goddesses.
Among them were Ullr and the giantess Skadi, both of whom are documented in Norse folklore for their skiing ability.
In reality, heavy snowfall meant that skiing was a necessary means of transport during the Viking Age.
A good area for hunting was high up in the mountains, but there was only one way down, which required skilled navigation.
The Vikings combined elements of alpine and jumping to ensure a safe descent from their hunts.
1204: The Prince and the Birch Legs
Fast-forward 138 years, and a civil war is now raging between two groups, the Baglers and the Birkebeins.
The name Birkebeins, meaning “birch legs,” was intended to be negative – referring to their use of birch bark as proper footwear, indicating their low status.
They supported the ruling King Haakon Sverressons and appointed him the leader of their group.
When he died, the king’s new-born son and heir to the Norwegian throne, Håkon Håkonsson, became a target for the Baglers.
Worried about the infant in danger, a group of Birkebeiners planned to carry young Håkon to safety on skis, but only the two best skiers could go due to bad weather.
Together, they completed a treacherous 54km journey and secured Håkon’s ascent to the throne.
This piece of history is commemorated by the annual skiing event, Birkebeinerrennet.
All participants carry a backpack weighing 3.5 kg, symbolizing the weight of the infant.
In 2015, the event came full circle when Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon became the first member of the royal family to participate in the race.
You can find out how he got on here!
The 1800s: Norway gets modern
Although records exist from the Danish-Norwegian army of military ski exercises, it was not until the 1800s that civilians took up skiing for leisure.
The oldest officially recognized ski race for civilians is considered «Veddeløb paa Ski» (Betting Run on Skis), which took place in Tromsø in 1843.
From this date onwards, its popularity exploded across Norway, and the first ski club was founded shortly after.
Around the same time, a new type of skiing emerged from the county Telemark.
This modern technique is attributed to Sondre Norheim, dubbed the Father of Skiing for his pioneering skills and technical innovations that would later propel Norway onto the world stage of skiing.
1905: New rulers
Following independence from Sweden in 1905, the Norwegian government identified suitable candidates for the Norwegian Crown.
It had been over 500 years since Norway had had its own king.
After some discussions, the Danish Prince Haakon VII and his English wife, Princess Maud, emerged as the new King and Queen of Norway.
Aware of the need to adapt to a new country and much to the delight of Norwegians, they quickly found a cross-country skiing instructor as well as a friend in the explorer, Fridtjof Nansen.
The Royal couple instilled their love for the sport in their son, Crown Prince Olav.
He is fondly remembered as Norway’s Ski King and, on two occasions, he even took part in the Holmenkollen ski jump competition!
1924 and 1994: Winter Olympics
Winning a total of four gold medals in skiing, Norway proved victorious in the first Winter Olympics hosted by France.
Since then, the country has gone on to win the Games an additional eight times, more than any other country in the world.
A total of 70 years after the first competition, it was Norway’s turn to host. Remember the rock carving of the Rødøy Man? That was the inspiration for the pictograms for each sport, designed to highlight their proud heritage.
1943: The heroes of Telemark
In April 1940, the Nazis invaded neutral Norway and, a month later, seized Vemork hydroelectric power plant in Telemark.
The facility became the basis for initial research into atomic bomb production, which caused growing concern among allied forces.
Britain formed the Linge Company, a group of talented Norwegians, to undertake raids against the Nazis.
One such raid would be the plant.
A failed mission by Britain to detonate the facility had already resulted in 41 deaths.
Determined, they called on the Linge Company for help, and Operation Swallow/Gunnerside was born.
Both operations succeeded, but with 2,800 Nazis in pursuit, the groups had to escape quickly.
By sunrise, the saboteurs were well clear, five of whom skied cross-country for 14 days, covering 280 miles before reaching neutral Sweden.
Conclusion
With such a long history, skiing is entrenched in the Norwegian way of life.
Although the participation for leisure purposes is less, Norwegians remain proud of their heritage, and Norway’s athletes remain at the top of their game.
ISLAMABAD, DEC 13 (DNA) – Muhammad Saleem, High Commissioner for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Republic of Tanzania, called on Palamagamba John Aidan Mwaluko Kabudi. Minister of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the United Republic of Tanzania in Dar es Salaam .
As a major leap-forward in bilateral ties, following two MoUs were signed during the meeting:
Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on Bilateral Political Consultations.
Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of a Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation between the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
The MoUs provide the institutional framework for structured dialogue between the two friendly countries in political and economic fields to elevate the relations to higher levels. Both sides are also working on various other initiatives including exchange of high keel visits, trade delegations and people-to-people contacts to further strengthen the existing cordial ties.
The bilateral trade between Pakistan and Tanzania during financial year 2019-20 soloed US$ 154 million. Pakistani business community has invested amend USS490 million in the Tanzanian economy prodding employment for 5,400 Tanzanian nationals. Both countries are working on realizing the existing trade and investment potential following a Tanzanian trade delegation’s recent visit to Pakistan from November 25 – December or, 2020.=DNA
ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner to Pakistan Christian Turner has Congratulated Pakistan for its global leadership on Climate Action under Prime Minister Imran Khan’s leadership.
In a series of tweets on Sunday, he said, Pakistan is leading the way on Climate Action by announcing no new coal power projects and with – 1 percent of global emissions but 5th most affected country. He said we are working together to tackle the threats of Climate Change.
ISLAMABAD, Dec 13 (DNA): The Italian Ambassador to Pakistan, Andreas Ferrarese said here on Sunday that he perceived more trade potential between Pakistan and Italy in different sectors of the economy that would help evolve trade equilibrium between both the sides.
“Both the sides want equilibrium and to achieve trade balance as currently, Pakistan had a trade surplus in bilateral trade with Italy as was observed in FY 2019-20,” the ambassador said.
Replying to a question he said Pakistan exports to Italy were US $ 731million during 2019-20 while Pakistan’s major exports to Italy included textile, leather, rice, ethanol, including textiles articles, sets, worn clothing, Cotton ,apparel, crocheted, Cereals, raw hides and skins, leather, beverages, spirits and vinegar, Plastics, footwear and gaiters.
The ambassador said in FY 2019-20, Pakistan’s imports from Italy stood at US $ 521 million and included ships, boats, and other floating structures, machinery, pharmaceutical product, aircraft, spacecraft, electrical, electronic equipment, Organic chemicals, iron and steel, miscellaneous chemical products, optical, photo, technical and medical apparatus. He said currently, Italy was providing technical assistance in textiles, leather and marble sectors.
The Ambassador, Andreas Ferrarese said his government prioritized to enhance bilateral trade between Pakistan and Italy to its full potential of US $ five billion annually in the next three years from current US $ 1.7 billion. He said dairy and livestock, olives and olive products, plastics, processed food and construction sector were the areas where Italy could extend its cooperation with Pakistan. The Pak-Italy Joint Economic Commission was the forum for bilateral economic engagement and was expected to meet in Rome in the last quarter of this year.
While replaying about the expectation of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) between Pakistan and Italy, he said Italy was in European Union (EU) countries adding, “We are fully supporting Pakistan in Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) status in every review.” He informed that Pakistan has a share of 10 percent of trade with Italy in the whole contribution with EU countries and in future both sides would extend more cooperation in trade and economy.
The ambassador informed that Italy has become the largest contributor from the EU in home remittances to Pakistan. He said in FY 2019-20, it registered 29 percent growth which was far higher than our national growth in remittances. He said Pakistani workers contributed US $ 142.9 million in home remittances in FY 2019-20, and US $ 111 million in 2018-19. He said Italy was the eigth largest economy of the world with US $ two trillion Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Italy has the third largest economy in the European Union (EU) after Germany and France and Pakistan`s 9th top export destination, he added. He said Italy has the largest Pakistani diaspora in the EU. Ambassador Ferrarese said the construction for the new embassy was underway and his priority task was to supervise the new under-construction Italian embassy in the diplomatic area and speed up the process.
He said a new economic mission would also be established in Pakistan to enhance trade and economic connectivity with Pakistan. The ambassador said, “I want to open up a cultural centre, maybe in one part of the new embassy, and promote Italian cuisine, art, paintings, music so that the Pakistanis can know more about Italy.” He said that he was appointed about nine months ago when coronavirus was at its peak. Replying to a question, he said his predecessor, Stefano Pontecorvo, was a seasoned economist and he tried his best to enhance the overall volume of bilateral trade.
He set a good example and standards for boosting the economic and trade relation between both of the countries. He said COVID-19 wasted our efforts and then he had to start afresh to give a quantum jump to the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Italy. Ambassador Ferrarese has many out of the box ideas in-store to promote bilateral, trade and cultural relations between Pakistan and Italy. He also stressed the need for the importance of cultural connectivity to promote trade and said that he would encourage exchange of students to further strengthen bilateral relations.
Replying to a question about his family, he said that his father and mother were educationists; his father was a professor of history and his mother a professor of financial economy. He started that his foreign services career was started at the age of 26 from the department of Economic Affairs, Italy looking after the Asia region. DNA
LAHORE, DEC 13 – Daraz – the largest online shopping platform in Pakistan – is about to host the year end 12.12 sale. After a successful run with 11.11, they are shifting gears to make sure that all customers make the most out of the sale with a seamless experience.
The platform has partnered with TCS to provide convenience to customers through FREE SHIPPING on bulky orders on products including air conditioners, refrigerators, televisions and a lot more high value items which are available for up to 49% off from 12th-18th December exclusively on the Daraz App.
For an accelerated customer experience for customers, Daraz has also increased visibility by making timelines more transparent for the customer by providing updates regarding when the item has been shipped and how long it will take to reach the customer.
Harris Jamali – CEO, TCS commented, “TCS has been serving Daraz in Pakistan almost since its inception and our partnership is based on mutual respect and collaboration. As true pioneers and market leaders in our respective spheres, we are both focused on pushing each other to new heights with the joint goal of strengthening not only our relationship but also the broader e-commerce ecosystem in the country and beyond.”
Both companies have a deep focus on providing the best customer experience and are confident that the added discounts on large orders will help customers. During the largest year end sale, customers will benefit significantly from TCS’s nationwide network coupled with Daraz’ 15 million plus assortment.
In an effort to provide further ease to customers while still offering discounts and ease in deliveries, Daraz has scaled up its team by adding 300 care champs to handle the high influx of customers during the 12.12 sale. This will further allow customers to have their queries resolved quickly.
Ehsan Saya, Managing Director Daraz Pakistan, spoke about how the platform is enveloping their customers in a complete experience. “Customer experience is our #1 priority – discounts, assortment size, delivery speed, all of those are done in order to ensure the customer has a pleasant experience on our platform. TCS has been by our side through thick and thin – and we are so excited to further invest in our relationship by offering customers free shipping on their large orders – we are confident this will further improve the experience for our customers..”
The year-end sale is just days away from its launch which will bring many flash sales, mega deals, engagement games, lucky draws and staggering discounts for the people of Pakistan. This 12.12 sale is all about making the customer experience and their journey seamless.
At least 25 people were injured in an explosion near the Ganj Mandi police station in Rawalpindi on Sunday, rescue officials said.
Initial reports suggested that it was a hand grenade attack but City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Mohammad Ahsan Younas said that the nature of the blast cannot be ascertained as yet.
The CPO noted that it was the second attack near a police station in 10 days. On December 4, one man was killed and seven other people were injured in a blast carried out using an improvised explosive device near Pir Wadhai police station.
CPO Younas said today that there were reports of terror plots and added that progress had been made in the investigation of the Pir Wadhai blast.
ISLAMABAD, DEC 13 – Pakistan has vowed to remove hitches in quick completion of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects, Gwadar Pro reported on Sunday.
According to Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, Pakistan and China would work together to take the mega CPEC project to new heights.
Asad Umar said he would personally hold four meetings in the next two weeks to address all outstanding issues of CPEC projects. “The great nations of Pakistan and China will work together to strengthen CPEC to take it to a higher level for mutual prosperity of both nations”, he said in a tweet.
The minister had held a meeting on Thursday with all the companies working on coal to gas and coal to liquid projects. During the meeting, Asad Umar said induction of this new technology will unlock vast local energy reserves and go a long way in enhancing energy security of Pakistan and for this purpose a policy framework was being developed.
Earlier on Saturday, the Embassy of China in Pakistan said the Chinese companies were committed to the new phase of CPEC cooperation under guidance of two governments.
In a message on its official twitter account, the embassy appreciated Asad Umar and Chairman CPEC Authority Asim Saleem Bajwa for meeting with representatives from CPEC projects to discuss ways forward.
Several Chinese companies have been complaining about bureaucratic hurdles in smooth working on the CPEC projects. Prime Minister Imran Khan recently ordered to settle the issues and expedite work on the CPEC-related projects. He especially directed to facilitate the working on the CPEC projects in the Balochistan province.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Defence Minister Pervez Khattak-led steering committee to oversee CPEC-related projects in the Khyber Pakhtunkhaw province will hold its maiden meeting on Monday (December 14) to expedite the work on the CPEC ventures.
The steering committee will take up the Chashma Right Bank Canal project in its first meeting, an official statement said.
The establishment of the Steering Committee was agreed at a recent meeting between Speaker National Assembly and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhaw Mehmood Khan after they felt the CPEC projects were moving ahead at a slow pace due to procedural and coordination flaws.
Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser had approved establishment of a steering committee under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Defence Pervez Khattak to oversee the CPEC related projects in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw.
The steering committee would oversee and resolve the issues related to Chasma Right Bank Canal Project, Peshawar-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway and Chakdara Chitral Road (Dir Motorway).
The committee has also been mandated to oversee the expeditious execution of the CPEC projects in KPK and their timely completion.
Gaurav Ahluwalia will be leaving soon for his next assignment as Ambassador of India to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria
NEW DELHI (DNA) – Diplomat Suresh Kumar has been appointed as the new Charge d’Affaires at the Pakistan High Commission of India.
He is expected to take up the assignment in Islamabad shortly. Suresh is a 2006 batch Indian Foreign Service officer and has worked as deputy secretary at the Pakistan desk in the Ministry of External Affairs. Current Charge d’Affaires at the High Commission of India, Islamabad, Gaurav Ahluwalia will be leaving soon for his next assignment as Ambassador of India to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria.
Gaurav Ahluwalia had replaced JP singh as deputy head of mission. But due to Pakistan, India tensions, the Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria had to leave Pakistan. Consequently, Gaurav was tasked to act as Charge d Affaires.
Kunming (China), DEC 13 – China-South Asia On-line Expo held this year, that enabled 181 Pakistani exhibitors to start their online business, Gwadar Pro reported on Sunday.
According to the report, on December 12th, the Everlasting China-South Asia Online Expo 2020 kicked off. This year, free online booths were provided to all exhibitors.
Online expo has more potential. In the offline exhibition he can not display all of his products, while the online expo gives him opportunities to show more,” said Farooq Ahmed, a Pakistani exhibitor of a clothes company.
Pakistan’s Commercial Consuler in Beijing was making efforts to inviting more Pakistani exhibitors to participate.” Farooq said in an interview with Gwadar Pro.
The official website of the online expo shows that 181 Pakistani online exhibitors participate in the online expo. Among them, there are a lot of Pakistani food companies, which were uncommon in the Kunming expo before.
Farooq hoped that the organizers will help the exhibitors to open the online business in China after the expo.
“Cooperating with JD.com, we have developed a digital platform for this online expo with the functions of exhibiting, negotiating and trading,” said Zhao Ruijun, head of the Department of Commerce of Yunnan Province.
“After the expo, the platform will keep providing online services for the exhibitors, ” he added.
Meanwhile, according to another Gwadar Pro’s report one ton of Chili seeds sent to Lahore，Pak-China Chili cooperation formally kicked off this winter.
“Chilies are very important in Sichuan cuisine and hotpot. ”said Mahmood Akhtar, deputy consul general of Pakistan in Chengdu.
“Pakistan’s temperature and soil conditions are very suitable for good quality food. Chili cooperation is specifically suitable for Sichuan and Pakistan.
According to Mahmood Akhtar, people were planning to introduce and grow chilies this year in Pakistan and then export to China. ”
The results of our experiment in growing chilies in Lahore and Karachi last year were very successful, and the product quality was not much different from that in China,” said Chen Li，chairman of Sichuan Litong Food.
“This month we just shipped a ton of chili seeds to Lahore, and more than 3,000 mu of land will be cultivated for chili.”
“This project is our cooperation with CMEC and a Pakistani agricultural company Fetima. We provide seeds and send technicians to Pakistan to train Fetima staff with planting technology.
After the chilies are ripe, they are naturally dried and then shipped back to China for further processing. Chen Li told Gwadar Pro that in addition to bring economic benefits, this project will also boost local employment. “In August next year, we will start planting in Karach, she said.
