Entertainment
IHC orders to re-record witnesses’ statements in Imaan Mazari controversial tweets case
- Hadi appears in court; Imaan represented by lawyers.
- SC instructed hearing of both parties before verdict.
- Verdict can be given based on available record: AAG.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed the trial court, seized with controversial social media posts case against Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha, to re-record witnesses’ statements within three days.
IHC Justice Mohammed Azam Khan issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by Mazari, challenging the trial court’s November 19 order. Chatha appeared before the court, while Mazari was represented by her lawyers.
“Merit is not being considered. We are directing the trial court to re-record the witnesses’ testimonies within three days […] Supreme Court has directed us to decide the matter at the earliest,” Justice Azam Khan remarked while hearing the case.
Defence counsel Riasat Ali told the court that the Supreme Court had instructed that both parties be heard before a decision.
During the hearing, the assistant attorney general said that all records were present before the court and argued that the testimonies recorded so far were legally valid. “All records are before the court. A verdict can be made based on them,” he said.
The IHC judge raised questions about trial procedures and the presence of legal representatives. “If Imaan Mazari was not present in court, was her pleader present?” Justice Azam Khan asked.
The court also sought clarification on the timeline for re-recording the testimonies. “How long will it take to re-record the testimonies?” Justice Azam Khan asked the defence counsel.
Advocate Riasat requested more time, saying that arguments on merit would be presented by Faisal Siddiqui. “If we are to hear the matter on merit, we need time. Faisal Siddiqui will present the arguments,” he said.
Justice Azam Khan instructed that the case be adjourned till tomorrow and asked Faisal Siddiqui to appear for arguments.
Meanwhile, the apex court, last week, issued directives to halt the trial of lawyer Mazari and her husband in the controversial tweets case.
A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Hashim Khan Kakar, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim heard and accepted Mazari’s plea against the Islamabad High Court verdict which had dismissed the lawyer’s plea seeking to stop the trial in the additional sessions judge’s court.
The court, in its verdict, said that the trial in the said case should be halted till the decision of the IHC.
Mazari and Chattha were booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and were subsequently indicted on October 30.
Entertainment
Lola Tung recalls ‘really special’ moment with Hudson Williams
Lola Tung recalls some “really special” moments she spent with the new heartthrob in town, Hudson Williams.
Back in February The Summer I Turned Pretty and the Heated Rivalry stars attended the Gold House’s Lunar New Year Celebration in New York City.
They were spotted hitting the dance floor together at the event, sending their fans into a frenzy. Their admirers quickly ship both the actors after the interaction.
And now the 23-year-old model and actress is spilling the beans about how the two ended up on the dance floor.
“Well, there’s something really special I think, about… ‘Cause I met Hudson, and then I met Yerin Ha also at that party, and it feels like when you have a similar experience, where… I mean, they’re having crazy experiences right now,” she said.
“I mean, Hudson‘s experience is like, I can’t even imagine that… but it’s that thing of like, you almost instantly have this connection of like, ‘Hi, are you okay?’” she added of how their instant friendship began. “Like, ‘How are you feeling? Are you tired, do you need anything? Do you just wanna like dance and have a good time?’ ‘Cause it’s hard to do that sometimes.”
“And with Hudson too, I was like, ‘I wanna dance, do you wanna dance?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s dance!’” the actress, who played Isabel “Belly” Conklin in the hit Amazon Prime Video series, recounted. “But like I do appreciate that he was like, ‘Let’s just have a good time. Let’s have a moment.’”
“Even though it like, ya know, is online, and people take their phones out and stuff, it’s like we were having a good time, ya know? And we kind of were like, ‘Everybody dance with us, come on!’” she told Variety during a recent interview for her new movie Forbidden Fruits.
Interestingly, at the event, Lola reunited with her on-screen brother, Sean Kaufman, from The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Entertainment
Celine Dion to return to live stage, but there’s a problem
Celine Dion is set to confirm her long-awaited return to live performance today, her 58th birthday, with a residency in Paris this autumn.
But her ongoing battle with a rare neurological disorder means she may have to perform while seated.
The Canadian icon, who has not done a full concert since March 2020, will announce a ten-show run at Paris’s La Defense Arena, one of Europe’s largest indoor venues with a capacity of 45,000.
She is set to perform two shows a week, but health concerns surrounding her Stiff-Person Syndrome, a condition that causes severe muscle rigidity and violent spasms, have led insurers to impose strict conditions on the run.
“To insure the gigs, Celine and team have agreed to non-negotiable terms including a performance limit and regular medical checks right up until the final show,” a source said.
The possibility of performing from a chair would put Dion in the company of other music icons who have made similar adaptations in recent years.
Ozzy Osbourne performed seated on a throne at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert last summer, and Phil Collins sat throughout Genesis’s final tour in 2021.
Dion has been open about her determination to get back on stage despite everything her condition has put her through.
In her 2024 Prime Video documentary I Am: Celine Dion, she was unambiguous about what performing means to her. “If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. I miss it so much,” she said.
Since stepping away from touring, she has made only two brief public appearances, at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in 2024 and at a fashion show the same year.
The announcement marks the most significant step yet in her return.
Entertainment
Crude oil on track for record monthly leap amid widening Middle East conflict
- Iran conflict escalates, Houthis launch attacks on Israel.
- Analysts flag concerns over Saudi exports from Red Sea.
- Iran accuses US of ground assault plans amid offers of talks.
Oil prices extended gains on Monday, with Brent headed for a record monthly rise, after Yemeni Houthis launched their first attacks on Israel over the weekend, widening the US-Israel war with Iran in the Middle East.
Brent crude futures jumped $3.09, or 2.74%, to $115.66 a barrel by 2353 GMT after settling 4.2% higher on Friday.
US West Texas Intermediate was at $102.56 a barrel, up $2.92, or 2.93%, following a 5.5% gain in the previous session.
Brent has soared 59% this month, the steepest monthly jump, exceeding gains seen during the 1990 Gulf War, after the Iran conflict effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for a fifth of the world’s oil and gas supplies.
The war, launched on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the Middle East, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday launching their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict, raising concern about shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea.
“The conflict is no longer concentrated in the Persian Gulf and around the Strait of Hormuz, but now extends into the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb — one of the world’s most crucial chokepoints for crude and refined product flows,” JP Morgan analysts led by Natasha Kaneva said in a note.
Saudi crude exports redirected from the Strait of Hormuz to the Yanbu port in the Red Sea reached 4.658 million barrels per day last week, data from analytics firm Kpler showed.
If exports from Yanbu were disrupted, Saudi oil would need to pivot toward Egypt’s Suez-Mediterranean (SUMED) pipeline to the Mediterranean, JP Morgan analysts said.
Attacks in the region escalated over the weekend and damaged Oman’s Salalah terminal despite efforts to start ceasefire talks.
Iran said it was ready to respond to a US ground attack, accusing Washington on Sunday of preparing a land assault even as it sought negotiations.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said they had covered possible ways to bring an early and permanent end to the war in the region as well as potential US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
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