Author: newsdesk

  • Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen have a message for fans after receiving ICC awards

    Pakistan cricket team captain Babar Azam, wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi have a message for their fans after receiving ODI Cricketer of the Year, T20I Cricketer of the Year and ICC Player of the Year awards respectively. All three cricketers took to their social media to express their gratitude for achieving the feat.

    Read More – Babar Azam named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year

    Taking to Twitter, Babar expressed his gratitude for being named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year 2021.

    “I am thankful to Almighty, my family, friends, and fans who always push me to do better with all their love and trust,” he said in a tweet.

    This is the third mention of Babar Azam in the ICC Awards 2021. He was earlier announced as the captain of the T20 and ODI teams of the year by the ICC.

    Similarly Rizwan, after being declared the T20I Cricketer of the Year, took to Twitter to thank the Almighty.

    “Alhumdulillah. Bus Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he wrote.

    He further added: “I am grateful to everyone for their support and love. In sha Allah, the journey has just started. This award is dedicated to Pakistan and the beautiful people of Pakistan.”

    The player aggregated a staggering 1,326 runs in only 29 matches at an average of 73.66 and a strike-rate of 134.89 last year.

    Read More – ‘Sirf Allah se hota hai’: Mohammad Rizwan after scoring 2,000 record T20 runs in a year

    According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), Rizwan was “as solid as ever behind the stumps”, playing a key role in Pakistan’s run to the semi-final during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, where he ended up as the third-highest run-scorer.

    Pakistan’s “tall boy” Afridi, as noted by ICC, also joined Babar and Rizwan in expressing his joy and gratitude by posting a tweet.

    “Almighty has been very kind to me. I’m extremely grateful for all the love sent my way,” he wrote.

    Afridi took 78 wickets in 36 internationals at an average of 22.20 with the best bowling figures of 6/51.

    The 21-year-old speedster was on fire throughout 2021, knocking some of the best batters over across all three formats of the game.

    He especially had a year to remember in Tests and T20Is, reaching his peak during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in UAE where he impressed one and all with his sheer speed and skills. His exceptional spell against India in the ICC T20 World Cup was the cherry on the top for the Pakistan cricket fans. He sent Indian openers KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli to the pavillion in the clash with India. He conceded only 31 runs in his four overs.

  • PM Khan’s pet project River Ravi declared illegal by LHC

    PM Khan’s pet project River Ravi declared illegal by LHC

    The River Ravi Urban Development Project, which is considered a pet project of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has been declared illegal by the Lahore High Court (LHC). The court ordered its construction to be halted immediately.

    The verdict was announced by Justice Shahid Karim. “The Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority Act, 2020, is against the Constitution,” said the court and added that the land was not acquired legally.

    Section 4 of the Ravi Urban Development Authority Act, 2020:

    “The government shall, by notification in the official Gazette, establish an Authority to be known as the Ravi Urban Development Authority for carrying out the purposes of this Act.”

    “The authority shall be a body corporate, with perpetual succession and a common seal, with powers, subject to the provisions of this Act, to acquire and hold property, both movable and immovable, and may by the said name, sue and be sued. The Government shall review the performance of the Authority and may, from time to time, give general policy directions to implement such directions.”

    “The loans for the project have been borrowed illegally,” the bench said. Justice Shahid Karim added that the Ravi authority immediately repay the loan of Rs5 billion it took from the Punjab government for the project. The court also observed that environmental laws have been ignored in the Ravi River Urban Project,

    The Ravi UrbanDevelopment Authority was inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan in August 2020.

  • Sheikh Rasheed warns of terror threat against Opposition’s long march, urges them to defer plan

    Sheikh Rasheed warns of terror threat against Opposition’s long march, urges them to defer plan

     Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed has urged the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to defer its long march, warning the Opposition of a potential terror threat.

    “Both Prime Minister Imran Khan and I love this country as much you (Opposition) do, but remember there is a terrorism threat on March 23,” he added.

    The minister said that he is not “afraid of PDM’s long march but there are terrorism threats”, adding that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was also told not to stage a procession in Rawalpindi because of security reasons but she went ahead with it despite the warnings.

    “Half of Islamabad will be under the control of [the government] and jammers will be installed there,” said Rasheed, adding that on March 23, foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries will attend the Pakistan Day parade.

    “How will the Opposition [mark its influence] under such circumstances?” the minister questioned. 

    Rasheed said that he would suggest that the PDM show “strength in Islamabad on March 17 or 27”.

    Rasheed further said that after India faced its “biggest defeat” in Afghanistan, its intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) was now paying local criminals in Pakistan to sabotage peace here.

    Shedding light on talks between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Rasheed said the talks were not being held anymore.

    “Talks are not possible with those [elements] who are against the integrity of Pakistan,” he underlined.

  • ‘Stupid son of a b****,’ US President curses reporter for asking about inflation

    ‘Stupid son of a b****,’ US President curses reporter for asking about inflation

    During a press conference on Monday, United States (US) President Joe Biden was caught swearing at a reporter after his mic seemed to accidentally pick up his reaction to a question about inflation.

    In the video, it can be seen that all reporters were leaving the room when Fox News‘ White House (WH) Correspondent Peter Doocy asked Biden, “Will you take questions on inflation then? Do you think inflation is a political liability ahead of the midterms?”

    Unaware that his microphone was still on, the democratic leader said, “No, it’s a great asset — more inflation. What a stupid son of a b****.”

    Later, his mic was quickly turned off and Biden looked quite surprised as he appeared to notice his mistake.

    New York Times‘ WH correspondent Katie Rogers also tweeted the official transcript of the scene.

    After the conference, Doocy appeared on Fox News and revealed that he didn’t even hear the president’s response until the conference had finished.

    He said, “The White House and the communications officials here had been signalling last week when they had their first year in office anniversary that they were going to take a different approach with reporters.”

    However, later when he appeared on Fox News‘ Hannity programme, he said that the president had called him to “clear the air”.

  • Ertuğrul star Ayberk Pekcan passes away, Engin and Esra express grief

    Ertuğrul star Ayberk Pekcan passes away, Engin and Esra express grief

    Ayberk Pekcan, Turkish actor best known for playing Artuk Bey on Dirilis: Ertugrul, has passed away. The actor was only 51 years old. He had been battling the illness for a while. 

    He also visited Pakistan last year.

    Over the course of his career, Pekcan appeared in a number of Turkish productions, including the popular Turkish series Valley of the Wolves (Kurtlar Vadisi).

    Esra Bilgiç and Engin Altan took to Instagram to remember their co-star.

    Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ was a 179 episodes saga, that was dubbed in Urdu and aired on PTV. It was a major success in Pakistan.

  • Anushka Sharma’s fans call out Shoaib Akhtar for his comments on Virat’s early marriage

    Former Pakistani cricketer, Shoaib Akhtar, recently commented on the marriage of former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli with Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma in an interview with an Indian outlet. Anushka’s fans are calling out the former Pakistan speedster for his remarks.

    Shoaib Akhtar remarked that Virat Kohli should not have married now in his career so that he could perform at maximum level at his peak cricket career.

    He said, “I would have not even married if I were in his place. I had just scored runs and enjoyed cricket, these 10-12 years of cricket are different time and doesn’t come again, I am not saying getting married is wrong but If you are playing for India, you would have enjoyed the time a little.”

    Meanwhile, fans of Anushka Sharma have shown anger over his remarks on Virat’s early marriage. Many of them commented not to compare someone’s professional career with their personal life and commitments.

    Another user added, “Sachin had no problem being married and having children and making runs and records.”

    Akhtar further added that married life increases the responsibility of a professional cricket player.

    “There is pressure from the children, of the family. As the responsibility increases, so does the pressure. Cricketers have a short career span of 14-15 years in which you stay at the peak for five-six years. Those years of Virat have passed, now he has to struggle.”

  • PCB releases Atif Aslam, Aima Baig’s PSL Anthem ‘Agay Dekh’, netizens compare it with ‘Groove Mera’

    PCB releases Atif Aslam, Aima Baig’s PSL Anthem ‘Agay Dekh’, netizens compare it with ‘Groove Mera’

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday released the much-awaited Pakistan Super League (PSL) anthem for the seventh edition of the tournament.

    The song, Agay Dekh is produced by Abdullah Siddiqui which features the rockstars Atif Aslam and Aima Baig.

    Sharing the official video of the anthem on the official Twitter handle, the PCB wrote: “The wait is over. Presenting to you the official #PSL7 anthem.”

    Last year, the PSL anthem ‘Groove Mera’, featuring Naseebo Lal, Aima Baig and Young Stunners, had become a hit. At first, a few netizens did not like the song but later it became a treat for cricket lovers.

    This is the first time that Atif Aslam sang a PSL anthem and his fans are gushing over his new style in the song and many are showering their love on his PSL debut.

    We have collected a few reactions of Twitterati, have a look:

    A few thought that ‘Groove Mera’ was better than ‘Agay Dekh’.

  • Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2021: Pakistan scores 28 out of 100

    Pakistan has been ranked 140 out of 180 countries, slipping further down to 16 spots over the last year, on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2021 by Transparency International, reports The News.

    Pakistan’s score dropped by three points to 28 on the global corruption index. Last year, the country’s score was 31.

    “It shows that corruption has increased in Pakistan as compared to the last year,” said the anti-graft watchdog in its report.

    “The index, which ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean,” the organisation said.

    The top countries on the index are Denmark (88), Finland (88), and New Zealand (88), all of which also rank in the top 10% in the world on the Democracy Index civil liberties score.

    However, Somalia (13), Syria (13), and South Sudan (11) remain at the bottom of the CPI. Syria is also ranked last in civil liberties.

    Of the 23 countries whose CPI score significantly declined since 2012, 19 also declined on the civil liberties score.

    Moreover, out of the 331 recorded cases of murdered human rights defenders in 2020, 98% occurred in countries with a CPI score below 45, read the statement.

  • Contempt of court petition to be filed against Shehbaz if he fails to submit Nawaz’s medical report: AGP

    Contempt of court petition to be filed against Shehbaz if he fails to submit Nawaz’s medical report: AGP

    The Attorney-General for Pakistan (AGP) has written a letter to the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif to bring back Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif to Pakistan.

    The AGP has instructed Shehbaz to submit Nawaz’s medical reports within the next 10 days; in case he fails to do so, contempt of court petition will be filed against Shehbaz.

    The AGP also mentioned that according to media reports, Nawaz is in good health, while when he was leaving the country, his condition was described as critical.

    The letter further said that as soon as Nawaz reached London, “his condition improved”.

    “After reaching London, Nawaz did not stay in the hospital for a single day and remained involved in his political activities,” the letter stated.

    The AGP highlighted that the affidavit and the court order were “violated as Shehbaz did not submit Nawaz’s medical reports”.

    In line with the federal cabinet’s decision, the Punjab government formed a medical board to examine Nawaz Sharif’s health reports submitted in the Lahore High Court (LHC).

  • ‘She was my student but we had class difference’: Kapil Sharma makes revelations about wife Ginni

    ‘She was my student but we had class difference’: Kapil Sharma makes revelations about wife Ginni

    Star comedian and actor Kapil Sharma have opened up about one thing he loves more than comedy and that is his wife Ginni.

    He is gearing up for his comedy special ‘Kapil Sharma: I’m Not Done Yet on Netflix and spilt the beans on how he met the love of his life and what brought the two together.

    Newlywed Kapil Sharma shows babaji ka thullu to wife Ginni in this hilarious pic - Television News

    The duo tied the knot in 2018 and ever since then have been giving us major couple goals. The couple welcomed their first child in 2019 and their second was born last year.

    In a candid conversation, Kapil Sharma talked about their romantic tale and revealed why he initially felt it won’t work out between them.

    Kapil said: “Ginni Jalandhar ke girls’ college mei thi and was 3-4 years younger to me. Mai apna PG Diploma commercial arts mein pursue kar raha tha and was in need of pocket money (I was doing my PG Diploma in commercial arts and I was in need of pocket money).

    “I was always participating in theatre and visiting other colleges. Ginni was my student and really bright.

    Kapil Sharma And Ginni Chatrath To Welcome Their First Baby After 5 Months Of Marriage

    “She was good at histrionics and skits and so I made her my assistant. Also, she hailed from a well-to-do family. I remember she would come in an expensive car every day to college and I would ride my scooter.”

    The firangi star revealed that it was his wife, who fell in love first.

    “She fell for me first but mujhe hamesha apne class difference ke wajah se doubts the ki kuch bhi ho sakta hai (I always doubted because of our differences).

    “One of my friends even told me that Ginni likes me but I didn’t take it seriously. I never thought anything would be possible between the two of us. But God has been very kind and I’m lucky that I got married to her,” he added.

    Kapil Sharma, wife Gini Chatrath celebrate daughter Anayra's first birthday; pictures inside

    Kapil Sharma said that she has always been very supportive of him.

    The comedian said: “I remember, when I was going through a rough patch and I decided to set things right in my life, marrying her was the first thing I did right after. Today, I’m lucky to have been blessed with two amazing kids.”

    ‘Kapil Sharma: I’m Not Done Yet’ is releasing only on Netflix on January 28.