ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan won a vote of confidence in the National Assembly today (Saturday) after the latest government downturn in the Senate elections.
Today, President Arif Alvi held the National Assembly meeting at 12:15 p.m.
PM Imran Khan thanked, in his address, the lawmakers for their support and trust in him.
Khan also thanked all the MNAs for extending their support to him and taking out the time to attend the session to vote.
Resolution for reposing confidence in the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan @ImranKhanPTI as required under Clause (7) of Article 91 of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been passed by the House@appcsocialmedia@PTVNewsOfficial@GovtofPakistan @demp_gov
— National Assembly ???????? (@NAofPakistan) March 6, 2021
Shortly after the PM won the vote of confidence, the official Twitter handle of the National Assembly shared an update on it.
Voting was ended at 1:10 PM. Later, the lawmakers started coming back into the House.
The premier needed 172 votes to win the vote of confidence.
KARACHI: Actress Humaima Malick is currently under criticism along with her sister Dua and brother Feroz Khan.
Recently, Humaima Malick posted a post on Instagram in which she prayed for a hijab for the rest of her life, which was appreciated by her fans. However, she was also criticized by many fans.
One user wrote that it would be good if the three of you remained silent on the issue of hijab and religion
The user wrote that after performing in the opening ceremony of PSL, isn’t this an open contradiction? you three brothers and sisters should be silent on the issue of hijab and Islam.
All three of you are siblings who get attention but it is better not to do it through religion.
KARACHI: The decline in gold prices persisted on Friday, while the prices of precious metals dropped by Rs1,450 per tola in the local market.
The cost of gold fell by more than 8 per cent in a month, as buyers are moving away from the safe bet product with COVID-19 fear subsidizing, as per traders.
The declining pattern also stems from the foreign market, where the cost of gold dropped to $1,696 per ounce from $1,814 on March 5. On the local market, gold prices decreased by 8.1 per cent or Rs9.050 to Rs102.750 per tola from Rs111.800 per tola on 5 March.
ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is all ready to receive a vote of confidence in the National Assembly today, on Saturday 6 March.
President Arif Alvi called the National Assembly to meet today at 12:15 p.m. for this reason.
According to the details, a large contingent of police is encamped around D-Chowk, the Parliament Lodges and the National Assembly prior to the vote of confidence.
Several other politicians have already started arriving for the NA session along with the Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry and MNA Nafeesa Khattak.
In Pakistan’s history, Imran Khan is the second prime minister seek to the National Assembly for a ‘voluntary’ vote of confidence.
Before Imran Khan, Nawaz Sharif, in 1993, first sought the Parliament for a voluntary vote of confidence following his reinstatement by the Supreme Court
Following the events that took place on 3 March, when government candidate Abdul Hafeez Sheik lost to opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gillani in the Senate race for the general seat of Islamabad, the Prime Minister declared on his own that he would request a vote of confidence from the Parliament—a daring decision that caused shock waves around the country.
KARACHI: Coronavirus continues to take a toll on people as 52 more people lost their lives in a matter of 24-hours while 1579 cases were reported so far.
According to the stats published on National Command Operation Center (NCOC), 37998 tests were conducted within a day, reaching a total number of 9135393 tests.
The total number of deaths that occurred so far reached 13128. A total of 155 critical cases were reported while 556769 people successfully defeated the virus.
In Sindh, according to the NCOC, 4,405 deaths, 259,164 confirmed cases, while 248,478 recoveries have been reported so far.
The situation remains the same in Gilgit Baltistan however the number of deaths is not as much high as in other parts of Pakistan. In GB 102 people fell victim to the virus while 4957 cases were confirmed and 4850 people were able to defeat the virus.
In Jazad Jammu and Kashmir, 10,409 cases were confirmed, 308 deaths were reported and 9,393 recoveries took place.
The cases were not any good in KPK as 2099 people died and 73,258 confirmed cases were reported, however, 68,946 people were able to recover from the virus.
Netizens are angry as the news came out that Jodie Comer being cast as a co-star opposite Joaquin Phoenix in the Napoleon Bonaparte biopic.
This week, Deadline announced that Ridley Scott was hoping to cast Comer as Joséphine, Napoleon’s wife in Kitbag from 1796 to 1810, a new drama for Apple Studios.
Nevertheless, when news of Comer’s possible casting circulated, many pointed out that the 18-year age difference between Phoenix, 46, and Comer, 27, did not represent Napoléon and Joséphine. Currently, the true Joséphine was six years older than her partner.
This was first observed by historian Fern Riddell, who tweeted, “Look, I love Jodie Comer, I think she’s great, but this is yet another sign of Hollywood’s fascination with younger women. Wouldn’t it be easier to see an elderly actress and a younger man? Wouldn’t it have been more interesting? ”
Look I love Jodie Comer, I think she’s amazing, but this is just another example of Hollywood’s obsession with younger women. Wouldn’t it be better to see an older actress and a younger man? Wouldn’t that be more interesting? Get over yourself, Ridley Scott. pic.twitter.com/eTuphRklWz
She went on to say, “I think Jodie will be a wonderful Josephine, but send Napoleon to a younger man, not someone almost 20 years older than her, who pretends to be a lot younger than she is. We ought to know why Josephine was older than Napoleon. It’s a complex matter.”
Y'all know I live and die for Jodie Comer, but…Josephine was 6 years older than Napoleon, kind of famously! Like, it's a PART of why he eventually threw her over!
— Rachel Hawkins/Erin Sterling (@LadyHawkins) March 2, 2021
A Twitter user wrote, “Hollywood has a math problem whenever age gaps between men and women are in play.”
But, some viewers praised the casting, one tweeting: “Jodie Comer could make Josephine a truly mysterious and fascinating character. The age issue, F***. If you can, do it, Jodie.”
Joséphine Bonaparte was 6 years older than Napoleon. Jodie Comer is 18 years younger than Joaquin Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/QIPB5XUsSA
WASHINGTON DC:
US President Joe Biden appointed Dilawar Syed, a Pakistani-American, to perform as deputy administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
As per a statement released from the White House on Wednesday shared the appointment.
Dilawar Syed turned to Twitter to thank the US President, he wrote,
“I’m deeply humbled & honored by President Biden’s nomination of me to help lead @SBAgov as the Deputy Administrator,” said Syed, ratifying the news on Twitter the following day.
Syed also said that, “If confirmed by the US Senate, I will put my heart & soul into helping small businesses everywhere in these challenging times.”
I’m deeply humbled & honored by President Biden’s nomination of me to help lead @SBAgov as the Deputy Administrator.
If confirmed by the US Senate, I will put my heart & soul into helping small businesses everywhere in these challenging times.
The White House, according to statement, Syed has done MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a BA in Economics and Computer Science from The University of Texas at Austin.
Pakistani-American immigrated to the US from Pakistan as a freshman student to attend The College of Wooster in Ohio.
He currently performs as the president and chief executive officer of Lumiata, an “AI for healthcare company concentrated on lessening healthcare expenses and expanding patient consequences, according to a statement.
Syed was formerly the president at Freshworks where he served in scaling the software company’s products to thousands of small and medium-scale businesses.
The announcement also asserted that Syed had a history of furthering civic efforts “at the federal, state, and local level concentrating on economic growth and entrepreneurship”.
KARACHI: On Friday, March 5, at the opening of the bullion market in Pakistan, a single tola of 24-karat gold was sold for Rs104,200.
Similarly, 10 grams of 24k gold sold for Rs89,335 and 10 grams of 22k gold for Rs81,890.
Furthermore, the price of a tola of silver is Rs1,350, whereas the price of a gram of silver is Rs1,157.40.
On Thursday, bullion prices in the international market fell from $10 to $1,713/ounce, according to data released by the All Sindh Saraf Jewellers Association.
KARACHI: At the opening of the currency market on Friday, March 5, the buying rate of the US dollar was Rs157.1, while the selling rate was Rs157.9.
According to dealers, the local currency reversed some of its gains from the previous session as political instability outweighed the effects of positive economic developments.
Furthermore, a rise in the trade deficit harmed sentiment. In February, Pakistan’s trade deficit increased by 24% year on year to $2.52 billion, owing to higher imports and lower exports.
“Despite several economic positives, there is still a view in the currency market that the rupee has space to appreciate further in the coming sessions,” a currency dealer said.
Shortly after Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview, the Royal family is facing accusations of having “double standards” over the matter of requesting to probe into the bullying claims against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle.
Tensions soared between the pair and the Royal Family when it was unveiled that Harry and Meghan would give Oprah Winfrey a wide-ranging interview-going against Windsors’ long-held mantra of “never complain, never justify.”
Short snippets from the interview reveal, the duchess that she can’t be made to “only be quiet” if the Royal Family plays an “active part” in “perpetuating falsehoods” about her.
In an interview, the co-author of Harry and Meghan’s biography, Finding Freedom, asked whether the palace had requested an investigation into the duchess, but had not done so with Prince Andrew.
Buckingham Palace announced on Wednesday that it will investigate charges of harassment against the Duchess during her tenure as a working princess after The Times newspaper revealed that she had “destroyed” one member of the staff and left another in tears.
Author Carolyn Durant said, “There have been a couple of double expectations that we’re talking about.
She continued, “why is there an investigation into this bullying but there’s not been an investigation into Prince Andrew and the allegations surrounding Jeffrey Epstein and the women who have made allegations?
“The ‘double standards'”, she added, “were something Meghan had ‘really struggled with’ and ‘her peers were worried about her.”
Harry and Meghan claimed that they were victims of a deliberate campaign of defamation, while their counsel said that the allegations against Meghan were founded on “misleading and malicious lies.”
Tsunami alerts were issued for New Zealand and tsunami watches were issued for Hawaii after several strong earthquakes struck along the New Zealand coast on Thursday night and Friday morning.
According to the US Geological Survey, the strongest quake measuring 8.1 magnitudes occurred 600 miles northeast of New Zealand on Friday morning.
There were no major injuries or damage reported right away.
Following the 8.1 quakes, civil defense officials in New Zealand advised residents of some areas on the East Coast of the North Island to evacuate to safer ground as soon as possible and not to shelter in their houses. They warned of the possibility of a devastating tsunami.
“People near the coast from the BAY OF ISLANDS to the WHANGAREI, from the MATATA to TOLAGA BAY, and GREAT BARRIER ISLAND must MOVE IMMEDIATELY to closest high ground, out of all tsunami evacuation areas, or as far inland as possible,” the New Zealand National Emergency Management Agency tweeted.
A tsunami warning had been issued for Hawaii.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said, “Based on all available details, a tsunami could have been triggered by this earthquake, which could be disastrous on coastal areas even far from the epicenter.”
After the first strong, intense earthquake hit off New Zealand’s northeastern coast Thursday night, officials issued a coastal warning.
“We expect massive and extreme waves in New Zealand coastal areas, as well as unexpected tides at the coast,” the National Emergency Management Agency of New Zealand tweeted.
We have issued a TSUNAMI WARNING for New Zealand coastal areas following the magnitude 7.3 earthquake east of the North Island. There is a LAND and MARINE TSUNAMI THREAT. An Emergency Mobile Alert has been issued to areas under land and marine tsunami threat.
— National Emergency Management Agency (@NZcivildefence) March 4, 2021
The first quake struck at a depth of 13 miles underneath the ocean, some 108 miles northeast of Gisborne, according to the US Geological Survey. Gisborne residents experienced mild to moderate aftershocks.
KARACHI: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday accused opposition parties of flowing money in the Senate elections for forty years.
Addressing the nation, the PM of Pakistan said that, our democracy is being mocked. Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation on the issue of defeat in the Senate and the vote of confidence in the National Assembly.
He wanted to talk to the nation about the Senate elections. prime minister Imran Khan said.
Khan said that money runs in Senate elections. He further mentioned that money has been running in the Senate elections for 40 years.
Prime Minister Imran Khan went on to say that senators become senators by bribery, parliamentarians give crores of rupees.
He said that 20 members have been expelled for taking money. While the president has called for the National Assembly on Saturday at the suggestion of the Prime Minister.
President Arif Alvi has asked to hold a meeting at 12 noon.
In the meeting on Saturday, Prime Minister Imran Khan will get a vote of confidence.
Following reports on Thursday morning that three more players have tested positive for Covid-19, the remainder of the 2021 Pakistan Super League has been postponed.
After an emergency consultation with the PCB and the franchises, the decision was made. The three new cases added to the number of seven positives in the tournament bubble on Thursday, six of which were matches.
The decision to call of the PSL made “following a consultation with the team owners and taking into account the fitness and well-being of all involved,” according to the PCB.
The board’s immediate attention will be on “ensuring the safe and stable passage of all applicants, as well as arranging for repeat PCR checks, vaccines, and isolation facilities to be given to the six participating sides.”
Fourteen of the match’s 34 scheduled fixtures have been played. The three most recent incidents, according to the PCB, come from two independent teams.
After registering symptoms on Wednesday afternoon, they were checked. The board stated that the new cases did not originate from any of the teams that competed in Wednesday’s double-header, ruling out players from the Karachi Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, Multan Sultans, and Quetta Gladiators.
The PCB first identified a case on March 1, when Fawad Ahmed, an Australian legspinner for Islamabad United, tested positive for the disease hours before the season’s 12th match.
Gladiators’ Tom Banton later announced on his Twitter account that he was one of the good events.
Karachi: A single tola of 24-carat gold in Pakistan will be purchased at Rs106,100 on Thursday, 4 March, at the opening of the bullion market.
Likewise, 10 grams of 24k gold were exchanged at Rs90,964, while 10 grams of 22k gold were traded at Rs83,383.
As per data released by the All Sindh Saraf Jewellers Association, the bullion rate decreased from $7 to $1,723/ounce on Wednesday in the international market.
KARACHI: The purchase rate of the US dollar was Rs157.15, while the sale rate was 157.35 on Thursday, March 4 at the opening of the currency market.
“The appetite for hard currency to be paid by importers has been subdued,” said a foreign exchange broker at a commercial bank on Wednesday.
“The surplus of dollars remained higher than the market, which drove the rupee up against the greenback.” In the interbank sector, the current amount has been the highest since March 9 last. The rupee was 0.5 percent higher than the previous close of 157.85.
Local currency rose 6.7% or Rs11.3 to the dollar since August 26 last, when it reached a record low of 168.43. The rupee has so far risen by 0.57% this week.
Buckingham Palace announced it will conduct probe complaints of harassment against the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle. It also added that the royals were very troubled about these charges.
Meghan, however, said she was troubled by a story that she had encountered an accusation of harassment during her stay at Kensington Palace in London following her marriage to Prince Harry. The Times newspaper confirmed that the lawsuit was made in October 2018 by Jason Knauf, then-Secretary of Communications for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The lawsuit argued that the former American star reportedly expelled two personal assistants from the household and impaired the confidence of the third staff member, according to the newspaper article. According to the Daily Mail, Meghan was accused of driving out two PAs and shattering the confidence of a member of the Kensington Palace team.
Millions of TikTok users have been confused by a string of deepfake videos of Tom Cruise. Learn how this tool could be used to propagate propaganda by watching persuasive images.
On the social media site TikTok, deepfake videos have gone viral after one person posted screenshots of a computer-generated Tom Cruise talking to the camera and playing golf.
The CGI version of the Hollywood star is so realistic that people were asking whether or not the actor was really in the films.
Deepfake videos are animated videos that have people talking to the camera or doing other realistic acts. They can also have voices that are programmed to sound identical to those of real people.
Highly polished and evidently fake videos have been held up as an imminent danger to civilization by those who say their degree of complexity means that deep-fake technology is already at a stage where ordinary consumers will be able to dabble in armed deception, and people will be unable to tell what is true and what is false.
The Tom Cruise TikTok posts, which were shared by the @deeptomcruise account, have been watched over 11 million times on the app and millions others on other networks. The videos were abruptly removed from TikTok’s account on Wednesday morning, shortly after foreign media approached the creators.
See this video of Tom Cruise?
Well, it’s not Tom Cruise.
It’s AI generated synthetic media that portrays Tom Cruise onto a TikTok user using Deepfakes.
They show the doppelgänger playing tennis, falling over while sharing a story about former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and eventually doing a close-up coin magic trick.
“I’m going to show you some magic… It’s the actual thing,” says the fake Cruise. “This is all the real thing.”
The videos are without a doubt excellent. They escaped detection when scanned using some of the best commercially accessible deepfake detection methods. Many speculated that a new level of deepfake complexity has been achieved and that social media would soon be flooded with similar videos.
But this kind of study does not take into account the amount of time, money, and expertise it took to make these videos.
What is the origin of the word “deepfake”?
The term deepfake, according to Insider, is derived from AI technology dubbed “deep learning,” an algorithm that can teach itself how to grapple with data sets and swap faces in photos. deepfake was first seen in 2017.
Hollywood has used them for stars that are no longer alive or are the same age as they were in the original film, such as Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing in the recent Star Wars spin-off films Solo and Rogue One. Since these films were set in the same era as the originals in the 1970s, CGI was needed to maintain continuity.
How are they made?
Their use varies from the mundane to the sinister, from the cinema to the election campaigns. Amateurs will mess around with light-hearted deep-seated fakes on the FaceApp by swapping races, ages and other attributes.
Why are they so bad?
Deepfakes can be used for a variety of unethical purposes, such as revenge porn. According to a Deeptrace survey, porn was responsible for 96% of deepfakes in 2019. According to the New York Times, Emma Watson, Gal Gadot, and Ariana Grande are famous pornographic faces, raising concerns about consent.
They can potentially spread misleading and wrong information quite easily to mainstream audiences. Proceedings of this have been hurting around the Internet since they were revealed, such as this footage of what seems to be Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook.
It looks like he’s delivered an interview to the CBS news outlet about Facebook’s plan to report advertising sales that has not happened.
A creepy portrayal of “Prince Charles” appears in another video, apologising for his care of his ex-wife Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in Paris in 1997. Since the early days of their relationship were shown on season four of Netflix’s The Crown, the actual Prince Charles was forced to censor their social media pages due to backlash.
One of the most troubling was the profound flaw generated by Donald Trump’s campaign in the run-up to the 2020 US election. His staff made a recording of what appears like Joe Biden’s declaration of support for the president. This video was debunked, but not until it was widely distributed.
More amusingly, President Barack Obama’s and model Kendall Jenner’s profound flaws clearly see them bumping together to a catchy banjo rhythm.
However innocent they might seem, technology still highlights the frightening potential of video manipulation technology, particularly in an age of disinformation. Apart from confidence problems, deep-fakes may also be used to create pornographic photographs without the consent of the subject.
2 years ago on stage I was asked “when will Deepfake video/audio impact trust & be believable in social engineering?” My response then was that we were 2 years away from undetectable Deepfakes. I wish my prediction then was wrong. We need synthetic media detection + labels ASAP. pic.twitter.com/yUUOTDepYY
Since the viral Tom Cruise videos did not violate their terms and conditions, TikTok and Instagram did not change or edit them. Some tech experts, such as Rachel Tobac, have called for labels to warn audiences that what they’re seeing isn’t legitimate.
Sandra Wachter, Professor of Ethics at Oxford University’s AI, told The Times, “If you find anything out there that is actually really dangerous to people or organisations that may pose a danger to national security, you certainly need to intervene.
What’s the future Deepfake videos?
We don’t know what the future holds for deepfakes, but we can honestly predict that they won’t go anywhere too soon.
KARACHI: On Wednesday, a single tola of 24-karat gold was sold in Pakistan for Rs107,200.
At the close of trade, the price of 10 grams of 24k gold was Rs 91,910. Similarly, 10 grams of 22k gold cost Rs. 84,250, while a 22k tola cost Rs. 95,240 at the market’s close.
The bullion prices in the foreign market fell from $13 to $1,730 ounce on Tuesday, according to data released by the All Sindh Saraf Jewellers Association.
Karachi: A Pakistani well-known Naat Khawan, Saeed Hashmi, embraced death on Wednesday after a prolonged ailment in Karachi.
The announcement regarding the time of his funeral and place would come later.
The Religious Naat Khawan was suffering from kidney disease, according to the deceased family. After his condition worsened, he was admitted to the hospital where he was being given intensive care.
But, unfortunately, doctors could not save the veteran Naat reciter.
Al Haaj Saeed Hashmi was a famous Naat Khawan notorious for his distinct voice especially for reciting the famous Karalm “Lamyaati Naziro” written by Ala Hazrat Ahmed Raza Barelvi.
His beautiful voice ruled over the hearts filled with the love of Prophet Mohammad (ﷺ).
Former Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Yousaf Raza Gilani beats the ruling party’s Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in a big election contest.
The much-anticipated Senate elections, which were held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today (Wednesday), are now over, and the ballots are being tallied.
PDM’s Yousuf Raza Gilani beats PTI’s Hafeez Shaikh in the general election in Islamabad, triggering a big upset.
Yousaf Raza Gilani received 169 votes, while Abdul Hafeez Shaikh received only 164.
Six of the 340 ballots cast in the National Assembly were rejected, according to the returning officer, who announced the results after the counting was completed in the National Assembly.
Controversies
On Tuesday, a video of Ali Haider Gilani, son of Pakistan Democratic Movement Senate candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, appeared in which he was reportedly asking PTI MPAs how to discard votes.
PTI has blamed the Opposition for being associated with corrupt action by trying to buy votes with money, while the Opposition has blamed the ruling PTI for bringing up the open ballot issue because it is unaware of its lawmakers’ loyalties.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the PPP’s chairman, has admitted that he was in touch with PTI representatives who had asked him for assistance.
The alleged audio of Sindh Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, in which he was reportedly talking to PTI MPAs about the Senate race, was widely posted on social media. The minister, on the other hand, has denied speaking with them and has forwarded the matter to Ali Gilani.
Democracy is the best revenge. Jeya Bhutto!
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 3, 2021
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), triumphantly tweeted: “Democracy is the most effective form of retaliation. Bhutto, Jeya!”
After the news came to light it started trending on social media and many besides the PPP chairman, also took to Twitter to talk about it. One of them was Sana Bucha who wrote on her Twitter account “I told u so! #SenateElections2021#YousafRazaGillani wins.”
The ruling party post on social media, “Epitome of honesty, professionalism and always serving the poor. Special Advisor to Prime Minister is now Senator @SaniaNishtar #SenateElections2021“.
Some regarded it a “Major setback for Prime Minister Imran Khan. The opposition defeats Khan in a do-or-die #SenateElections2021.”
As “PDM scores big victory against the ruling party. What looked impossible a few hours ago is now possible.”
Major setback for Prime Minister Imran Khan. The opposition defeats Khan in a do-or-die #SenateElections2021. PDM scores big victory against the ruling party. What looked impossible a few hours ago is now possible. pic.twitter.com/F9xtauhHZk
Major setback for Prime Minister Imran Khan. The opposition defeats Khan in a do-or-die #SenateElections2021. PDM scores big victory against the ruling party. What looked impossible a few hours ago is now possible. pic.twitter.com/F9xtauhHZk
The latest in a series of rocket attacks in Iraq, ten rockets were fired at an Iraqi military base hosting US-led coalition troops on Wednesday, the latest in a series of rocket attacks in Iraq, with this one coming just days before Pope Francis is expected to visit the region.
Missiles were launched in the early morning at Ain Al-Asad airbase, northwest of Baghdad. Wednesday, local time (11:20 p.m. Tuesday ET). Col. Wayne Marotto, the military spokesperson for Operation Inherent Resolve, the 83-member coalition fighting ISIS, reported the attack in a tweet.
According to foreign media, the rocket attack comes after a US airstrike in eastern Syria last week that killed one fighter in an Iranian-backed militia and injured two others.
Iraqi security forces Major General Tahseen al-Khafaji told NBC News that the attack took place at 7:30 a.m. local time (11:30 p.m. ET) and that no injuries or damage were reported at the base. He added that security forces were looking into who was behind the attack.
The new attacks would instigate fears of a repetition of escalation which led to the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the top Iranian general.
Up till now, there are no immediate reports of responsibility for the attack.
However, the latest larger-scale rocket attack on the same base by Iranian-backed groups took the US to the verge of war with Iran a year ago.
Rinstra has partnered with the Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at IBA to improve digital storytelling techniques and creative thinking in students, helping them look at issues and challenges around them from a narrative perspective.
Both organizations have signed the MoU to build capacity for digital storytelling.
This partnership would allow digital expertise through immersive workshops, seminars, and courses, with RINSTRA offering its state-of-the-art forum for digital documentary film festivals and theme-based video competitions.
Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer of RINSTRA, told, “This collaboration is vital for young storytellers to be equipped with digital skills that can help them maintain their artistic endeavors and economic well-being. RINSTRA has the vision to build 1,000,000 content creators over the next five years that will generate a modern digital creative industry of more than US$150 million in the world.”
Kamal Siddiqi, Director of the Center for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration, said on the occasion, “This collaboration with Rinstra will help our students test their interactive storytelling ideas and creative expressions.
Dr. Adil Akhtar, co-founder and chairman of RINSTRA, said in his post, “through this partnership, CEJ-IBA and RINSTRA will develop short-form storytelling strategies, i.e. films, dramas, music videos, theaters, documentaries and videos for RINSTRA and other digital platforms.”
He also said, “RINSTRA is the portal to Pakistani content and talent for local and foreign media markets and multimedia channels. Rising stars on iRINSTRA are being advertised on the main RINSTRA website, which will open up global artistic possibilities.
