Author: newsdesk

  • After showing each other the middle finger, Sohail Tanvir and Ben Cutting fined in PSL match

    After showing each other the middle finger, Sohail Tanvir and Ben Cutting fined in PSL match

    Quetta Gladiators’ pacer Sohail Tanvir and Peshawar Zalmi’s Ben Cutting have both been fined 15 per cent of their match fees for breaching a Level 1 offence of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Code of Conduct. They both indulged in a verbal spat during the PSL seven’s 22nd match on Tuesday.

    Both players were found to have violated Article 2.6 of the HBL PSL Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during a PSL Match”.

    The incident involving Cutting happened in the penultimate over of Zalmi’s innings when the batter, after hitting the bowler for a third consecutive six, made inappropriate gestures using his fingers.

    Sohail made similar gestures after catching Cutting off Naseem Shah on the first ball of the final over.

    Both Cutting and Sohail pleaded guilty to the offences and accepted the sanctions proposed to be imposed by Ali Naqvi and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing. The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Michael Gough and Rashid Riaz, third umpire Asif Yaqoob and fourth umpire Waleed Yaqoob.

    All first-time offences of Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of an official warning and/or imposition of a fine of up to 25 per cent of the applicable match fee.

    Earlier, Quetta’s Jason Roy and Karachi Kings’ Imad Wasim have also been fined for breaching PSL’s Code of Conduct.

  • Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to launch two weekly flights to Australia, cutting travel time to and from the country by around one-third, The News reports.

    PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez says that if it (flights to Australia by a Pakistani carrier) happens, it would be happening for the first time.  He said that PIA has conducted a feasibility study, which concluded that it would be beneficial to the airline.

    PIA intends to operate two weekly flights from Karachi and Lahore to Sydney at first. Later, it might also include Islamabad.

    Flights might commence in late March or early April, according to the national carrier. The airline, however, has yet to receive authorisation from the Australian aviation authority.

    Direct flights would shorten a traveler’s flight duration to 12:30 hours and 13 hours, if one is going to Australia or coming to Pakistan respectively.

    Because there are no direct flights between Pakistan and Australia, passengers must travel for 34 to 35 hours with stopovers, which adds to their travel time.

    “Every airline must touch their hub before flying on to their destination,” stated Nadeem Sharif, Chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP). “There may be eight-hour layovers or even overnight stays, which adds to the travel time.”

    He added that, for example, if a person travelling to Australia via Qatar Airways from Pakistan, he or she must first fly to Doha, Qatar Airways’ hub, and then be carried to Australia from there. Similarly, when a person travels from Australia to Pakistan, the same thing happens.

    PIA’s fleet is expected to grow from the current 29 to 49 by 2026, comprising 16 wide body, 27 narrow body and 6 turbo propeller aircraft. PIA’s share price increased by 1.24 percent on Tuesday to Rs4.09.

  • Lahore’s River Ravi among most polluted rivers in the world

    Lahore’s River Ravi among most polluted rivers in the world

    The water flowing through River Ravi has been found to be among the most polluted in the world, reports Dawn.

    A study, which is part of the University of York-led Global Monitoring of Pharmaceuticals Project, measured the presence of 61 pharmaceuticals in 258 rivers around the world. More than 1,000 test sites in over 100 countries provided samples for the study. More than a quarter of the 258 rivers sampled had “active pharmaceutical ingredients” present at a level deemed unsafe for aquatic organisms.

    Waterways in Lahore, Bolivia, and Ethiopia are among the most contaminated, according to the study while rivers in Iceland, Norway, and the Amazon rainforest fared best.

    Pollution of the world’s rivers by medications and pharmaceutical products, according to the research, constitutes a “threat to environmental and global health”.

  • Sikh trader injured in robbery attempt in Peshawar, community protests outside hospital

    Sikh trader injured in robbery attempt in Peshawar, community protests outside hospital

    A Sikh trader, Pepinder Singh, was shot and injured during a robbery attempt at a hakeem’s shop in Peshawar, reports The Express Tribune.

    The robber was fleeing the crime scene after stealing cash and other valuables. When Singh resisted the robbery attempt, the thief opened fire. People around the shop caught the robber and handed him over to the police.

    Singh was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital in critical condition. Fortunately, he survived a bullet injury. The members of the Sikh community gathered outside the hospital to protest against the incident.

    Sikh community leader, Dr Sahib Singh said that Pepinder Singh was targeted but now his condition is out of danger. He also stated that Singh was shot in the foot.

    While talking to The Express Tribune, Superintendent of Police (SP) Saddar Circle, Farhan said that the police reached the crime scene and arrested the accused.

    He revealed that a passer-by also sustained some injuries in the robbery incident but added that it is too early to say why the accused opened fire on Singh.

    According to the police officials, the accused has been identified as Ahmad who is a resident of Peshawar. He is a drug addict and also involved in other criminal activities.

    Last year in October, a similar incident happened when unidentified men shot down a Sikh hakeem near Charsadda Bus Stand in Peshawar.

  • Gun blazing Journalist Mohsin Baig attacks FIA officials, resists arrest over remarks on PTI’s Murad Saeed

    Gun blazing Journalist Mohsin Baig attacks FIA officials, resists arrest over remarks on PTI’s Murad Saeed

    The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing and the police arrested Daily Jinnah and Online news agency Editor Mohsin Jamil Baig on Wednesday.

    According to details, the FIA Cybercrime wing raided the journalist’s house in the federal capital along with the police and took him into custody, confirmed Baig’s son.

    Baig’s son told Geo News that FIA officials in plainclothes came to the house earlier today and arrested his father.

    “Initially, we thought that they (FIA personnel) are thieves and opened fire in the air but later they introduce themselves as law enforcers. We also asked them to show arrest warrants but they didn’t have any. Meanwhile, a police party also came to our house.”

    It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued a show-cause notice to News One for airing “derogatory/demeaning remarks” about federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed “without any editorial check” in a programme, ‘G for Gharidah’. Baig was part of the panelists on the show.

    The panelists were discussing the premier’s awarding of certificates to the top ten ministries over their performance in which Saeed’s ministry was awarded the first rank.

    Baig is blamed for initiating a debate on a television show with obscene references towards Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Murad Saeed.

    Anchorperson Gharida Farooqi asked the panelists on her show: “The Prime Minister seems satisfied with Murad Saeed. He is in the top position, what could be the reason?”

    Analyst Mohsin Baig responded, “The reason [for Murad Saeed being at the top place] is written in Reham Khan’s book. I don’t really know about the projects.”

    Meanwhile, it is being reported that Mohsin Baig was arrested after Murad Saeed filed a complaint against him.

    Renowned journalist Hamid Mir shared pictures of Baig’s house in the morning when the police and FIA officials surrounded his home in Islamabad, adding that Baig’s “arrest is a sign of weakness not strength of @ImranKhanPTI”.

    Journalist Hamza Salam tweeted, “Without any warrants or due cause, former PTI supporter #MohsinBaig has been arrested by FIA Cyber Crime reflecting the panic of the government in the wake of criticism.”

    Journalist Munizae Jahangir said, “We condemn the government for using law enforcement agencies to attack journalists in this manner.”

  • Twitterati claim Islamabad United’s Alex Hales ditched PSL for IPL

    Twitterati claim Islamabad United’s Alex Hales ditched PSL for IPL

    Islamabad United’s opening batter Alex Hales early Tuesday opted out of the ongoing seventh edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), with fans claiming they know the “actual” reason behind it.

    The team’s management, confirming the news, said that the star batter has decided to withdraw due to personal reasons, but Twitterati think that there must be some other reason behind it.

    Soon after the news broke, Hales took to his Instagram story and confirmed that the Covid-19 bubbles had taken a toll on him, therefore, he could not continue.

    “To all the Islamabad and [PSL] fans, I am extremely sorry to have to leave the tournament early. Unfortunately the last four months away from home in Covid bubbles has taken a considerable toll on me,” he said.

    “I would like to thank everyone at Islamabad for understanding and respecting my position,” Hales said.

    However, Twitter did not seem to buy it, as they claimed the player had bagged an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract and was ditching it due to that.

    https://twitter.com/Shelby_Boyy/status/1493500209757831170?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493500209757831170%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F399429-twitterati-claim-alex-hales-ditched-psl-for-ipl

    https://twitter.com/snicko__/status/1493559958398332932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493559958398332932%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.geo.tv%2Flatest%2F399429-twitterati-claim-alex-hales-ditched-psl-for-ipl

    Hales was bought by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 1.5 crore.

  • VIDEO: Muslim man praised in India for saving trapped Hindu girl

    VIDEO: Muslim man praised in India for saving trapped Hindu girl

    A video is making rounds on social media in which a man can be seen risking his life to save a girl who was trapped under a moving g train in Bhopal.

    As reported by Indian media, the incident took place on February 5. A girl, Sneha Gaur, was passing under a parked goods train and suddenly, the train started moving. When Sneha got trapped under the train, she started screaming

    A Muslim man named Mohammad Mehboob, who works as a carpenter, was rushing to a furniture factory when he saw Sneha Gaur trapped under a train.

    As the train started moving, Mohammad slid onto the tracks past the wheels to reach Sneha and ensured that she stayed down without hitting the moving wagons.

     “On February 5 evening, I was returning from the Golden Mosque after namaz on a two-wheeler. We were getting late for the furniture factory so we crossed the goods train to stand on the railway track but one of my friends was crossing it by lying down under the goods train. A young woman followed him but suddenly the goods train started moving and the woman got stuck,” said Mohammad Mehboob while talking to Indian media.

    “She panicked and people tried to tell her to lie down between the tracks but she did not understand what to do. I decided to save her and entered the track by crawling down. I held her hand and asked her to lie down silently. As many as 26 bogies passed over us. After the train passed, we stood up and the girl left without saying anything,” he added.

  • PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    PPP announces party’s long march schedule towards the capital

    Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) on Tuesday announced the schedule of the party’s long march, which is set to take place on February 27.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will start the long march from Karachi and will reach the capital in 10 days.

    According to the schedule, the long march will start from Karachi’s Mazar-e-Quaid on February 27.

    The marchers’ will reach Multan on March 3, where they will be hosted by former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani.

    The march will reach Lahore on March 6 . The last stop of the march will be Islamabad on March 8.

    The PPP, however, has not disclosed the final venue where the participants will stay after reaching the capital from all over the country.

    PPP office-bearer, on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the leadership would decide the duration of the stay in Islamabad after seeing the response of the masses and assessing the situation. However, he said, many party leaders believed that the past history showed that indefinite sit-ins staged by political parties had never remained successful.

  • Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri passes away

    Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri passes away

    Iconic musician, Bappi Lahiri known for his contribution to the Bollywood disco genre, has passed away in Mumbai.

    The musician had been undergoing treatment for multiple health issues over the past month. He was 69.

    Dr Deepak Namjoshi, director of the hospital, evaluated his case and said, “Lahiri had been admitted to the hospital for a month and was discharged on Monday. But his health deteriorated on Tuesday and his family called for a doctor to visit their home. He was brought to the hospital. He had multiple health issues. He died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) shortly before midnight.”

    Lahiri, also known as Bappi Da, was famous for composing songs for movies including Disco Dancer, Himmatwala, Sharaabi, Adventures of Tarzan, Dance Dance, Satyamev Jayate, Commando, Aaj Ke Shahenshah, Thanedaar, Numbri Aadmi and Shola Aur Shabnam.

    The news of his demise comes after rumours spread in September about his deteriorating health.

    “I am shocked to see so many reports stating that I’ve lost my voice. It’s ridiculous and I’m really unhappy,” he said.

    The composer’s last contribution to Bollywood was the song Bhankas from the 2020 film Baaghi 3.