Azaiza featured on Time’s ‘100 influential people’ list

Palestinian photojournalist Motaz Azaiza was named one of the ‘100 Most Influential People of 2024 by Time Magazine for acting as the “world’s eyes and ears” during the ongoing Israeli military offensive that has decimated the Gaza Strip.

The list has highlighted the “influential people” under six categories: leaders, pioneers, artists, icons, innovators, and titans.

Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 33,899 people, primarily women and children, according to the health ministry in the besieged territory.

Meanwhile, at least 97 journalists and media workers, the majority being Palestinian at 92, have been killed since Israel began its retaliatory attacks on the strip, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports.

“Journalists in Gaza face particularly high risks as they try to cover the conflict during the Israeli ground assault, including devastating Israeli airstrikes, disrupted communications, supply shortages, and extensive power outages,” the CPJ notes.

Amid all this, Azaiza extensively documented the impact of the fighting, Israeli aggression, and wide-scale destruction of Gaza for over 100 days.

The freelance photographer, who was forced onto the frontlines by the horrors of the conflict as most foreign reporters were denied access to Gaza, gained global attention when he recorded himself wearing a press vest and helmet to report on the conditions during the fighting in Israel.

Cyber Salus launched in Pakistan

Cyber Salus, a leading cybersecurity company and the fastest-growing cyber company in North America, announced its official launch in the Middle East and Pakistan in April 2024. The event was well-attended by the who’s who of the corporate world and the media. Cyber Salus is a leading cybersecurity company that safeguards critical infrastructure and data from evolving cyber threats. With a focus on people, processes, and technology, Cyber Salus offers comprehensive cybersecurity solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of various industries. Globally headquartered in Florida, USA, with offices across the globe, including Karachi, Pakistan, Cyber Salus is committed to delivering excellence and driving innovation in the cybersecurity landscape.

PRL’s Upgrade Supplemental Agreement with OGRA

Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) is all set to sign a supplemental agreement with the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA). This agreement will pave the way for a transformative upgrade and expansion project that will double PRL’s refining capacity from 50,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 100,000 bpd. Crucially, the project will also enable PRL to produce EURO V standard fuel, which will save the company billions of rupees annually in penalties for non-compliance with environmental regulations.

These agreements followed the inking of a deal with the regulator, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), to access incentives outlined in the new refinery policy. The upcoming signing of the supplemental agreement will significantly enhance the incentives offered in the amended brownfield policy approved in February 2024, highlighting PRL’s proactive approach to regulatory compliance and its determination to capitalize on the incentives outlined in the new refinery policy.

The expansion undertaken by PRL represents an investment aiming at ensuring long-term sustainability, with plans to increase Motor Spirit production by more than six times, High-Speed Diesel by three times, and the eventual elimination of Furnace Oil from its product portfolio. Without these upgrades and expansion, the long-term sustainable operation of the company will remain a question mark.

In the meantime, PRL is ensuring that its existing operations remain sustainable by focusing on operational excellence. Consequently, PRL achieved and surpassed production targets for the second quarter of 2023-24, demonstrating a significant improvement in its production mix and setting new industry standards.

Princess Diana’s dresses on display in Hong Kong

Shoulder-padded, daffodil yellow and accented with gleaming gold buttons — a very of-its-time suit Princess Diana wore during her 1989 trip to Hong Kong is now among six outfits on display in the former British colony.

The collection of dresses, shoes, and handbags — some of which are familiar fashion moments from the Princess of Wales — is part of a 12-day exhibit at a Hong Kong mall that launched in April.

They will then be on display in Ireland at another exhibit before going on auction on June 27.

“She made a fashion statement every time she got dressed and went out the door,” Martin Nolan, executive director of California-based Julien’s Auctions, said. The yellow suit, designed by Catherine Walker, is estimated to fetch up to $50,000 — a fraction of the $400,000 that a midnight blue star-embellished tulle gown is expected to bring at the auction block. Diana had worn the show-stopping number designed by Murray Arbeid to the 1986 “Phantom of the Opera” premiere in London’s West End. Visitors milled about the small pop-up space, pausing every once in a while to take a closer read of an outfit’s history.

Remembering Diana’s visit in 1989, an elderly shopper surnamed Fung said the streets of Hong Kong were crowded with people hoping to catch a glimpse of the glamorous royal.

The 65-year-old added that the city’s affection for her went beyond the usual fanfare for other British royals. “Diana was charismatic, caring, and devoted to charity. That’s why a lot of Hong Kongers respected her,” Fung said.

Photographer Salem wins ‘World Press Photo of the Year’ award

Reuters’ photographer Mohammed Salem won the prestigious 2024 World Press Photo of the Year award for his image of a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her five-year-old niece in the Gaza Strip.

The picture was taken on October 17, 2023, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, where families were searching for relatives killed during the Israeli bombing of the Palestinian enclave. Salem’s winning image portrays Inas Abu Maamar, 36, sobbing while holding Saly’s sheet-clad body in the hospital morgue.

Mohammed Salem received the news of his WPP award with humility, saying that this is not a photo to celebrate but that he appreciates its recognition and the opportunity to publish it to a wider audience.

The haunting image showed a Palestinian woman cradling the body of her niece at a hospital morgue in Khan Yunis. Announcing its annual awards, the Amsterdam-based World Press Photo Foundation said it was important to recognize the dangers facing journalists covering conflicts. It said 99 journalists and media employees had been killed covering the Israeli aggression. “The work of press and documentary photographers worldwide is often done at high risk,” said Joumana El Zein Khoury, the organisation’s executive director.

Google fires 28 workers protesting contract with Israel

Google fired 28 employees following a disruptive sit-down protest over the tech giant’s contract with the Israeli government, a Google spokesperson said.

The demonstration was organized by the group “No Tech for Apartheid,” which has long opposed “Project Nimbus,” Google’s joint $1.2 billion contract with Amazon to provide cloud services to the government of Israel. Video of the demonstration showed police arresting Google workers in Sunnyvale, California, in the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s, according to a post by the advocacy group on X, formerly Twitter. Kurian’s office was occupied for 10 hours, the advocacy group said.

Workers held signs including “Googlers against Genocide,” a reference to accusations surrounding Israel’s attacks on Gaza. “No Tech for Apartheid,” which also held protests in New York and Seattle, pointed to an April 12 Time magazine article reporting a draft contract of Google billing the Israeli Ministry of Defence more than $1 million for consulting services.

A “small number” of employees “disrupted” a few Google locations, but the protests are “part of a longstanding campaign by a group of organisations and people who largely don’t work at Google,” a Google spokesperson said.

US report highlights India’s transnational repression

An official US report suggests that India engages in “transnational repression against individuals in another country,” seemingly referring to alleged assassinations and assassination attempts carried out by Indian agents in Canada, Pakistan, and the United States. The 2023 Human Rights Report from the US State Department, released this week, also accuses Pakistan of similar actions. It alleges that the Pakistani government intimidates or seeks reprisal against individuals beyond its borders, including civil society activists, human rights defenders, and journalists, as does India. The Indian government faced accusations in 2023 from other governments, diaspora communities, and human rights groups of being involved in the killing of individuals or using violence or threats of violence against individuals in other countries as reprisal.

Maldives vows to send Indian troops home

The Maldives will press on with Chinese-backed construction and evict Indian troops from the strategically placed atoll nation, President Mohamed Muizzu’s office said two days after his party’s stunning parliamentary victory.

He thanked voters for the landslide victory by his Peoples National Congress, which promised a boom in building apartments, bridges, and new airports with Chinese funding.

Muizzu, 45, won September presidential polls after vowing to evict 89 Indian troops deployed in the country.

The Indian contingent, operating three aircraft patrolling the archipelago’s vast maritime boundary, is due to leave by May 10.

Muizzu consolidated his hold on power by winning more than two-thirds of the seats in April’s vote for the 93-member assembly.

“We will bid farewell to the enduring anguish of housing insecurity, a pressing and long-standing concern burdening the Maldivian populace,” his office said, quoting his promise at a victory rally in Male.

He did not mention China or India by name, but said he will work towards ensuring that the country’s sovereignty is not compromised.

“It is important that Maldivians have sole authority over matters concerning our nation, to be addressed according to our desires,” he said.

Muizzu previously declared that the deployment of Indian troops was an affront to Maldivians, who he said were capable of patrolling their own waters without personnel from the regional powerhouse.

Fan’s Inappropriate Hug with Atif Aslam Enrages Public

Atif Aslam is undoubtedly a super famous Pakistani singer who has a substantial international following. The singer is well-known for conducting concerts worldwide. Well, the brilliant singer was recently on a tour to Bangladesh and Nepal to perform the series of concerts.

Atif Aslam performed in a concert in Bangladesh last week. He was singing a song when a female fan came up on the stage and started hugging him. She was not leaving Atif Aslam. The girl also did not hear what the security guard was saying to her. Atif Aslam seemed annoyed by the sudden hug, but he gracefully tackled the situation. The moments were captured by the fans, and the videos are now going viral on social media. Fans are praising Atif Aslam for his calm response to the fan who hugged him in the middle of the concert.

The fans are enraged at the over-excited fan for being inappropriate with Atif Aslam. Fans are saying that her act is a transparent form of harassment, and it is uncomfortable to watch for them. Fans are schooling the girl for losing her control after seeing Atif Aslam. Many are saying that it is vulgarity and obscenity.

Ranveer Singh lodges FIR

Indian film actor Ranveer Singh has lodged an FIR against an account spreading an AI-generated deepfake video of him endorsing a political party.

According to NDTV, the video manipulated actual footage from an interview with the news agency ANI falsely depicts Singh criticizing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues such as unemployment and inflation.

The altered video concludes with a message urging viewers to vote for the Congress party. Singh responded to the controversy on his Instagram stories, cautioning his followers, “Deepfake se bacho doston [Friends, beware of deepfakes].”

The actor’s legal team confirmed to ANI that an FIR has been registered, and an investigation is currently underway. “Yes, we have filed the police complaint, and an FIR has been lodged against the handler promoting the AI-generated deepfake video of Ranveer Singh,” an actor spokesperson said. Singh’s deepfake follows actor Aamir Khan’s, which was also used to endorse a political party.

The film director aims for a ‘different image’ of Gaza

Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi wants to “export a different cinematic image of Gaza,” now ravaged by Israeli aggression, as he presides over the jury at the eighth Aswan International Women Film Festival themed on “resistance cinema.”

Against the backdrop of the aggression in the Gaza Strip, the festival in southern Egypt decided to screen six Palestinian short films in the competition, which brings together filmmakers from across the region.
This was despite many voices in the Arab world calling for the suspension of all artistic and cultural activities in solidarity with Palestinians.

Masharawi is known internationally for being the first Palestinian director to be in the official selection at the Cannes Film Festival when his film “Haifa” was included in 1996.
Born in the Gaza Strip to refugees from the port city of Jaffa, the director now lives in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

“If film festivals do not play their role when major disasters occur, as with what is currently happening in Palestine, then why do they exist?” he asked.

Among the six Palestinian films included at Aswan is the 14-minute documentary film “Threads of Silk” by director Walaa Saadah, who was killed last month in the war. The film looks at the meanings of the embroidery on the Palestinian “thawb” robe.

The 16-minute documentary film “A Cut Off Future” by director Alia Ardoghli discusses the daily experiences of 27 girls between the ages of 11 and 17 in the shadow of the Israeli occupation.