Entertainment
Pakistan, ADB ink two climate resilience initiatives worth over $300m
- Coastal project targets flood risks, ecosystem restoration: ministry
- Punjab initiative promotes low-carbon, climate-smart farming.
- Millions to benefit from resilience, productivity measures: ministry.
Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday signed two major climate resilience initiatives aimed at strengthening coastal protection and promoting low-carbon agriculture.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finance and Revenue, the agreements include the $180.5 million Sindh Coastal Resilience Sector Project (SCRP) and the Punjab Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Agriculture Mechanisation Project, valued at $124 million.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Islamabad, Secretary Ministry of Economic Affairs Muhammad Humair Karim appreciated ADB’s continued support, describing it as a trusted development partner in Pakistan’s efforts to advance climate resilience, sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth.
He said the Sindh Coastal Resilience Project would promote integrated water resources and flood risk management, restore nature-based coastal defences, and strengthen institutional and community capacity for strategic planning.
The project will be financed through $140.5 million from ADB, including a $140 million loan and $0.5 million technical assistance grant, $40 million from the Green Climate Fund, and $20 million in counterpart funding from the Sindh government. It is expected to directly benefit more than 3.8 million people in Thatta, Sujawal and Badin districts.
Karim said the Punjab Climate Resilient and Low Carbon Agriculture Mechanisation Project would enhance agricultural productivity and climate resilience across 30 districts of Punjab. The project, with a total outlay of $129 million, will be financed through a $120 million ADB loan, a $4 million ADB grant, and $5 million in counterpart funding from the Punjab government.
Under the project, small farmers will gain improved access to climate-smart machinery, circular agriculture practices will be introduced to reduce crop residue burning, testing and training facilities will be established, and 15,000 women will be empowered through skills development and livelihood diversification.
The secretary said both initiatives were transformative, noting that the Sindh project would safeguard livelihoods, food security and biodiversity along the province’s vulnerable coastal belt, while the Punjab project would drive sustainable, low-carbon agricultural growth and inclusive development.
ADB Country Director Emma Fan welcomed Pakistan’s commitment, highlighting the importance of the Sindh project in addressing climate-induced risks and protecting coastal communities, and describing the Punjab mechanisation initiative as a key step toward modernising agriculture and reducing emissions.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to ensure the effective use of financing and the timely completion of the two projects.
Entertainment
Jackie Chan left baffled when asked about the ‘Kardashians’
Jackie Chan is clueless about the Kardashians and fans are not surprised by the revelation at all.
A throwback video has resurfaced on the internet, where Jackie was asked to name his favourite Kardashian and he was completely confused.
The incident occurred in 2017, while he was promoting his film The Foreigner on Access Hollywood Live.
The host asked him, “Who is you favourite Kardashian”. Chan, who was totally perplexed, replied, “Kardashian? What do you mean, Kardashian?”
The Rush Hour actor even inquired “if the name was English”.
Fans are not surprised at all by Chan being clueless about the popular American media and business dynasty, led by Kris Jenner as they emphasized that both belong to “different worlds.”
“Jackie Chan has been making action classics for decades… Meanwhile the Kardashian family built a whole empire off reality TV. Two completely different worlds colliding”, wrote one.
Meanwhile, another one highlighted how big of a star Jackie himself is that even the Kardashians are his fan.
A social media user commented, “The truth that’s not everyone knows the kardashians and Jackie wasn’t a new school type of person He’s an icon from way back, even the Kardashians are his fans.”
Work wise, the 71-year-old Hong Kong based actor last featured in Karate Kid: Legends (2025). He is all set to return for a potential Rush Hour 4 movie.
Entertainment
Dor Brothers, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt shake industry
Artificial intelligence has stormed into Hollywood with breathtaking speed and alarming consequences.
What began as experimental novelty has now escalated into a full-blown industry crisis, as viral AI-generated films and hyperrealistic clips of A-list actors force studios, unions, and lawmakers to confront the future of entertainment.
Earlier this week, the Dor Brothers, Berlin-based AI Video Production company, claimed they had produced a “$200,000,000 AI movie in just one day.”
The video, created entirely with generative tools, went viral on X (formerly Twitter), amassing millions of views and sparking debate over whether AI can truly replicate blockbuster filmmaking.
Supporters hailed it as proof of a new era, while skeptics dismissed it as hype.
Regardless, the post underscored how quickly AI is encroaching on traditional production models.
Deepfake Shock: Tom Cruise vs. Brad Pitt in AI combat
If the Dor Brothers’ film was a provocation, the viral AI fight sequence between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt was a shockwave.
Created with Seedance 2.0, the 15-second clip depicted the two megastars trading blows on a rooftop with uncanny realism.
Variations of the video circulated online, complete with dialogue and camera angles, leaving audiences unsettled.
Screenwriter Rhett Reese (Deadpool & Wolverine) warned bluntly, “It’s likely over for us.”
The clip crystallized Hollywood’s worst fears that AI could convincingly mimic actors without their consent, eroding both creative integrity and livelihoods.
SAG-AFTRA draws line on AI exploitation
In response, SAG-AFTRA has taken a hard line.
The union condemned Seedance 2.0’s use of actors’ likenesses as “blatant infringement” and called for an outright ban on AI creations featuring real movie stars.
It is argued that unauthorized replication of voices and faces undermines performers’ ability to earn a living and strips them of control over their identities.
The guild has worked for several years on AI protections, with demands for strict consent requirements, compensation frameworks and federal safeguards.
Hollywood Divided: Threat or opportunity?
Hollywood is now split between alarm and opportunity.
Unions, screenwriters, and many actors see AI as an existential threat.
They warn of job losses, creative theft and a collapse of artistic value if studios embrace AI without regulation.
Some studios and technologists argue AI can be a powerful tool if used responsibly for previsualization, special effects, or enhancing workflows.
They stress that AI is not yet capable of producing true 4K theatrical-quality films, highlighting its current limitations.
The Road Ahead: 2026 as a defining year for cinema
2026 is shaping up as a pivotal year.
With studios investing billions in AI, unions mobilizing for protection, and viral clips eroding trust, Hollywood faces a defining choice: embrace AI intelligently or risk chaos.
Entertainment
Why Robert Duvall’s ‘napalm’ line in ‘Apocalypse Now’ is so iconic
One of the most referenced and iconic dialogues in the history of cinema that truly enjoyed a life of its own is “I love the smell of napalm in the morning.”
These timeless lines were performed by Robert Duvall in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1979 Vietnam War classic Apocalypse Now.
The chilling monologue is what is making buzz on social media again after the demise of the Oscar winner for Tender Mercies, who passed away at his home in Middleburg, Virginia, on Sunday, February 15.
Let’s find out why, decades later, the monologue has become one of the most quoted lines in cinema history.
The line was said by Lieutenant Colonel Bill Kilgore, a daring and eccentric cavalry officer, when he set a helicopter ambush on a Vietnamese village.
Colonel Kilgore calmly reflects on the ashes left after the napalm bombing, finally coming to terms with the fact that it smells like “victory.”
The line is, “Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed for twelve hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn’t find one of ‘em, not one stinking drink body.
“The smell, you know, the gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like… victory.”
What follows is, “Some day this war’s gonna end.”
It was a quiet introspection of what war takes and steals from human lives.
Why does the line continue to resonate?
The dialogue has taken on a life beyond the film, becoming a symbol for glorifying chaos, dark irony, and battlefield arrogance.
Cultural critics have been referencing it across pop culture, memes, viral trends, and television shows, often using it with a taste of sarcasm to introspect obsession, destruction, or self-indulgence.
Above all, Robert Duvall’s iconic performance in the film, especially in the immortal sequence, has been etched into the memories of cinema lovers, as long as the shadows of war continue to loom over our planet.
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