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Next year’s Golden Globes will take place on February 28, an unusually late date for the glitzy film and television award show as Hollywood scrambles to adjust to the coronavirus pandemic. The Globes, which are typically held in early January, will take the weekend previously reserved for the Oscars, which last week were delayed by eight weeks to April 25. “The HFPA will provide further guidance around eligibility, voting period, and revised nominations announcement timing in the coming weeks,” said the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in a statement. The 78th Golden Globes will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, it confirmed. The statement did not specifically mention the pandemic. But coronavirus has wreaked havoc on Hollywood, closing down productions and forcing studios to delay releasing movies while theaters remain closed. Other award shows including the Baftas and the Film Independent Spirit Awards have also postponed their ceremonies. In an exceptional move, the Ac...

The Peshawar Counter-Terrorism Department personnel gunned down four suspected terrorists after raiding their hideout on the Kohat Road Monday. According to the security forces, the suspects were plotting an attack. A cache of weapons and ammunition has been seized too. On Monday evening, a special CTD team raided the hideout after surrounding it and exchanged fire with them. No CTD personnel was injured in the operation. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/2V8MRbn

SIALKOT: Police on Tuesday claimed to have busted an infamous gang of robbers and seized Rs20.3 million looted cash from their possession, ARY News reported. A spokesperson for the police confirmed the arrests saying the eight-member gang had looted a pharmaceutical company’s truck full of medicine. He said the looted cash to the tune of Rs20.3 million was also recovered from their possession. The police said the recovered cash and truck have been handed over to their owner. Read More: Youngster battles for life as Punjab police ‘mistakenly’ opens fire on him Earlier, on June 20, Karachi police had apprehended six robbers allegedly involved in a bank robbery of Rs10.5 million last month. The robbers had produced Rs9 million from the bank robbery in front of the police after being taken under arrest. The police also recovered the weapons used by the criminals in the bank robbery. The gang was stated to have a previous record of robbing various places in the city, the police said. ...

KARACHI: Gold prices hit an all-time high of Rs102,000 per tola in the domestic market on Monday. The per tola price of yellow metal rose by Rs1,300 to Rs102,000 while 10 gram gold rate rose by Rs1,114 to trade at Rs87,448, according to All Sindh Saraf Jewellers Association (ASSJA). The increase in domestic gold prices was attributed to $12 per ounce rise in world gold rate to $1,746. According to Reuters, gold jumped to its highest in more than a month on Monday as investors sought the safe-haven metal after surging coronavirus cases intensified concerns over a delay in global economic recovery . Spot gold was up 0.7% to $1,754.74 per ounce by 0225 GMT after hitting its highest since May 18. U.S. gold futures rose 1.1% to $1,771.40. “General risk aversion is helping the market, we are seeing pressure on growth exposed currencies and on share markets. Overall, there are concerns about increasing infection rates,” said Michael McCarthy, chief strategist at CMC Markets. The post G...

Here are the headlines from SAMAA TV’s 9am bulletin. Pakistan has begun reporting fewer coronavirus infections in the last couple of days. In the last 24 hours, 3,964 cases were reported with 105 deaths. Around 73,000 recoveries have been confirmed so far. Three people were killed in a collision between a motorcycle and ambulance on the Mehran highway. A child was injured as well. Robbers looted a house in Karachi’s Azizabad in broad daylight and in the presence of a policeman. The cop chased the thieves but they were able to escape. SAMAA TV has acquired a CCTV footage of the robbery. A terrorism bid has been foiled in Peshawar. During a raid, security forces eliminated four terrorists. A cache of weapons and ammunition has been recovered. Saudi Arabia has announced it would hold a “very limited” Hajj this year owing to the coronavirus pandemic, with pilgrims already in the kingdom allowed to take part. The Kingdom has informed Pakistan about it as well. Pakistan’s Religious A...

The Taliban killed at least 291 Afghan security personnel over the past week, a top government official said Monday, accusing the insurgents of unleashing a wave of violence ahead of potential talks. The previous week was the “deadliest” in the country’s 19 years of conflict, said Javid Faisal, spokesman for the National Security Council, even as the insurgents dismissed the latest figures. The Taliban carried out 422 attacks in 32 provinces during that time, killing 291 security force personnel and wounding 550 others, Faisal said on Twitter. “Taliban’s commitment to reduce violence is meaningless, and their actions inconsistent with their rhetoric on peace,” he said. The Taliban rejected the latest government figures. “The enemy aims to hurt the peace process and intra-Afghan talks by releasing such false reports,” Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesman in Afghanistan, told AFP. “We did have some attacks last week, but they were mostly in defence.” In a cabinet meeting Mo...

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The Faisalabad police arrested more than 20 shopkeepers in the localities that have been sealed due to spike in the coronavirus cases. These men had resumed business and failed to follow the district administration’s instructions. The police initially punished the men by making them stand in the sun for over half an hour. Six shopkeepers were reportedly booked while others were allowed to walk free after a warning. Around 25 areas in Faisalabad are under a smart lockdown since June 16. The smart lockdown has been enforced for two weeks. The administration has prohibited people to come out of their homes unnecessarily. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3eCwc7y

Two women and a man were killed after a motorcycle collided with an ambulance on Mehran Highway near Khairpur Tuesday morning. A seven-month-old was injured too. The bodies have been shifted to a nearby hospital. The deceased belonged to the same family. They live in a village near Nawabshah, according to the police. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/318Z17U

https://www.samaa.tv/wp-content/uploads//usr/nfs/sestore3/samaa/vodstore/digital-library/2020/06/Allama-Talib-Jauhari-June-23.mp4 Allama Talib Jauhari was a poet and orator, who had been awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz for his contributions to society. He was known as a philosopher and had written several books. “His book Hadees-e-Karabla is one of the few Maqtal written in Urdu and has been considered as one of the most well compiled sources to the traditions related to the Event of Karbala,” according to his website. He passed away at a private hospital in Karachi at the age of 81. His death was confirmed by his son Riaz Jauhari. He had been hospitalised for a while and was in the ICU. Generations grew up listening to his majlis and he was Pakistan’s most prominent zakir for Sham-e-Ghareeban. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3drN6V4

ISLAMABAD: The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) killed 105 more people in the country in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 3,695. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 3,946 fresh cases were detected, taking the national tally of the cases to 185,034. 3,946 new infections were detected when 24,599 tests were conducted in the past 24 hours. Thus far, more than 1.1 million tests have been conducted in the country. 107,863 COVID-19 patients are under treatment while 73,471 patients have so far recovered from the disease. Read More: Govt to account for every penny of corona relief fund: PM Imran Khan 71,092 cases have been detected in Sindh so far, 68,308 in Punjab, 22,633 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 9,587 in Balochistan, 11,219 in Islamabad, 869 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 1,326 in Gilgit Baltistan. Worldwide coronavirus death toll The number of coronavirus cases across the world has surpassed nine million while the pandemic has so far claimed more than ...

Real Madrid knocked Barcelona off the top of La Liga by beating Real Sociedad 2-1 on Sunday as Sergio Ramos rolled in another penalty before being forced off due to injury. Karim Benzema continued his excellent form by adding a second at Anoeta and while Mikel Merino gave Real Sociedad hope with seven minutes left, Madrid held on to go above Barca on head-to-head. Real Sociedad were contenders for the top four before the three-month suspension but a draw and two defeats since the restart leaves them sixth, five points adrift. Ramos scored his 20th consecutive spot-kick in the 50th minute to become La Liga’s highest ever scoring defender on 68 goals, overtaking Ronald Koeman on the all-time list. “He’s the best defender in the world,” said Zinedine Zidane. “What he has been doing and achieving for so many years is incredible.” But Ramos limped off 10 minutes later with what looked like a knee injury, which will be a huge concern for Madrid if the problem proves serious. He was seen...

The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan has allowed the import and manufacturing of antiviral Remdesivir for severely ill COVID-19 patients, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday. Registration letters were issued to two importers and 14 local manufacturers. Remdesivir is an experimental antiviral drug that was invented as a potential treatment for Ebola. It has been approved for emergency use in Pakistan, according to the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Health Services. DRAP’s registration board in its meeting held from June 8 to 11 had allowed the emergency use of Remdesivir. The US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorisation of the drug on May 1. DRAP has only permitted health facilities treating COVID-19 patients to use the drug “in order to avoid the hoarding, profiteering and the distribution of Remdesivir through the black market, and its irrational use by healthcare professionals through private clinics.” In an advisory for the use of Remdesivi...

The guitar that grunge rock icon Kurt Cobain played during his legendary 1993 MTV Unplugged performance sold Saturday for a record $6 million, the auction house said. The retro acoustic-electric 1959 Martin D-18E that Cobain strummed for Nirvana’s career-defining performance in New York — just five months before his suicide at age 27 — sold after a bidding war to Peter Freedman, founder of RODE Microphones, Julien’s Auctions said. At $6.01 million after fees and commission, the instrument was the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, among other records. The starting estimate was $1 million. Freedman said he plans to display the guitar in a worldwide tour, with proceeds going to benefit performing arts. “When I heard that this iconic guitar was up for auction I immediately knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to secure it and use it as a vehicle to spotlight the struggles that those in the performing arts are facing and have always faced,” the Australian was quot...

An anti-terrorism court in Karachi issued on Monday the production order of Uzair Baloch, one of the main faces of the Lyari gang war, for attacking policemen during the Lyari operation. The Kalakot police approached the court to reopen the case against him. The police said that Baloch’s custody has been given to Central Jail, Karachi. Baloch was arrested by the Rangers on January 30, 2016. He has confessed to committing criminal activities such as murder, extorting money, encroaching on land, illegally occupying 14 sugar mills, harassing residents, and purchasing arms. He claimed that he was working with some members of the Sindh government and Karachi police. He had been nominated in nearly 62 cases pending in different ATCs which have been delayed because he wasn’t presented in court by the jail authorities. In April 2017, his custody was handed over to the Pakistan Army after he was accused of espionage and leaking information to foreign intelligence agencies. The Army Corps ...

Pakistan fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan took to Twitter to ask people to stop spreading rumours of his death in a car accident. “Some social media outlets have been spreading a baseless fake news about my death in a car accident,” the left-arm pacer tweeted. “This has disturbed my family and friends beyond words and I have been receiving endless calls on this.” He went on to state that people should stop indulging in such activities. “There was no accident and we are well,” he tweeted. The lanky pacer, who has represented Pakistan in 86 fixtures, last played in a T20I against Australia in Canberra last year. from SAMAA https://ift.tt/3hTlGey

SUKKUR: An accountability court in Sukkur on Monday adjourned the hearing of assets beyond means case against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and former opposition leader Syed Khursheed Shah, reported ARY News. The hearing was adjourned until July 14 due to non-appointment of a presiding officer of the Sukkur accountability court. The court has been lying vacant for the past one and a half month since the completion of former accountability judge Ameer Ali Mahesar’s tenure. Many important references filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) are facing delays owing to the non-availability of a judge. The anti-graft watchdog had filed the assets beyond means reference of Rs 1.23 billion against Syed Khursheed Shah and 17 co-accused. The bureau nominated his two wives, two sons, and son-in-law in the reference. It is noteworthy that the accountability court had granted bail to Shah last year in December due to delay on the part of the bureau to file the reference against...

LAHORE: The Punjab government claimed on Monday to have raked in a huge sum of over Rs750 million by auctioning non-operational vehicles, machinery, and furniture that lay idle on the premises of various government offices. Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar in a statement today said the provincial government generated Rs750 million funds without using any public money. “This step of ours is a remarkable example of cleaning offices and making the system transparent,” he said. Read More: FM Qureshi, CM Buzdar discuss south Punjab secretariat He said divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners, and police helped complete the auction process. The amount generated through the auction has already been deposited in the provincial kitty, he added. CM Usman Buzdar said there was a paucity of space for staff and visitors in government offices as most of the space was occupied by useless things. “We are trustees of hard-earned public money”, he said, lamenting the government’s c...

KARACHI: After continuing its protests for more than two weeks in all the government-run hospitals, the Grand Health Alliance (GHA) has decided to organise a protest outside Sindh CM House today, ARY News reported on Monday The Grand Health Alliance staged a sit-in outside Karachi press club and has announced to march towards CM House today as the deadline given to the Sindh government for acceptance of demands has ended. The GHA has put forward 13-points demands including immediate construction of isolation centres in the province amid coronavirus outbreak. The protesting doctors are demanding risk allowance as number of doctors have tested positive for the deadly virus. Read more:  Coronavirus: Doctors call for imposition of health emergency in Sindh A spokesperson for the alliance warned that if the Sindh government forcibly tried to stop their peaceful protest, the healthcare workers across the province would shut down the emergency services in the state-run hospitals. ...

Private school teachers will now be provided facilities to conduct online classes by the schools’ management, All Private Schools Association Chairperson Tariq Shah said. “We have also taken permission from the government to allow teachers to conduct online classes from the school premises,” he said while talking on SAMAA TV’s programme Naya Din on Monday. This way, they will be using the facilities provided to them by schools, Shah said. “Initially teachers had been using their own facilities because there was a lockdown and schools had been closed down for three months,” he elaborated. “But now, with the smart lockdown, things are falling back into place.” Shah said schools had also made sure that they paid their teachers’ salaries from their own pockets. “There were some teachers who were employed on contract basis and laid off as their contracts were not renewed.” The chairperson acknowledged that both for parents and students, the new system of online classes was difficult ...