Author: newsdesk

  • First time in history of Test cricket, 7 Players returned to pavilion with zero run

    First time in history of Test cricket, 7 Players returned to pavilion with zero run

    In the Test match against South Africa, India’s batting line proved to be a wall of sand, setting a unique record for the most ‘0’ in an inning.

    In the Cape Town Test, the South African team was bowled out for 55 runs in the first innings, after which India scored 153 runs for four wickets at one point, but then the South African bowlers turned the tables.

    The Protease bowlers created a new history of Test cricket by taking 6 wickets of India without giving any runs, also in this inning India’s seven players returned to the pavilion without scoring a single run in an inning of a Test match.

    Image: Espncricinfo

    Thus, the Indian team was all out for 153 after losing 6 players without adding any runs.

  • How 379 people escaped deadly fire in a plane in Japan?

    How 379 people escaped deadly fire in a plane in Japan?

    It took firefighters more than eight hours to extinguish the fire that engulfed a Japan Airlines jet after it struck another plane on landing at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday. It took 12 crew members just minutes to usher hundreds of people on board to safety.

    All but one of the six people on the smaller aircraft were killed, but all 379 Japan Airlines passengers and crew escaped down emergency slides minutes before the Airbus was engulfed in flames late Tuesday.

    The blackened husk of the airliner, still sitting on the tarmac Wednesday, bore witness to just how dangerous their escape had been. Several hundred metres (yards) away lay the remains of the coast guard’s DHC-8 aircraft.

    The captain of the coast guard plane — which had been bound for the New Year’s Day earthquake zone in central Japan — was its lone survivor but suffered serious injuries.

    Footage on Tuesday showed a ball of fire erupting from underneath the airliner shortly after landing and coming to a halt on its nose after its front landing gear failed.

    “It was getting hot inside the plane, and I thought, to be honest, I would not survive,” one female passenger told broadcaster NHK.

    “I thought we landed normally. But then I realised I was smelling smoke,” a woman with a small child told NHK.

    “I needed to protect my daughter. That was the only thing in my mind,” she added.

    Another passenger described surviving the crash as a “miracle”.

    “I bounced off my seat from the impact when we landed,” the 28-year-old man told Nikkei Asia.

    “We made it just in the nick of time. It’s a miracle we survived.”

    Takuya Fujiwara from the Japan Transport Safety Board told reporters that the flight recorder and the voice recorder from the coast guard plane had been found, but those of the passenger jet were still being sought.

    “We are surveying the situation. Various parts are scattered on the runway,” Fujiwara said, adding that the authority planned to interview several people involved.

    Asked at a briefing whether the Japan Airlines flight had landing permission, officials at the major carrier said: “Our understanding is that it was given.”

    Widely shared video footage shows flight attendants at the front of a darkened cabin gesturing for passengers to remain seated and thanking them for their cooperation. At one point, the camera pans across to show a window frame filled with orange light.

    “Please get me out of here,” one woman shouts in the video. A child is heard asking: “Why don’t you just open the doors?”

    The actions of crew and passengers have been credited with averting tragedy. Incredibly, none received serious injuries. 

    none appeared to have paused to retrieve hand luggage from overhead lockers, ensuring a clear route to the emergency exits. Less than two hours earlier, the passengers had watched a JAL safety video urging them to do exactly that. In the video, a flight attendant warns: “Leave your baggage when you evacuate!”, extending her open palms for emphasis. An animated sequence then shows the damage that bags and high-heeled shoes can cause to the inflatable evacuation slides.

    Aviation experts said the unshakeable composure displayed by the flight attendants combined with the high level of cooperation among passengers probably prevented a deeply unsettling experience from becoming a major disaster.

    “I can’t speculate on what happened here but human error will probably be found as a contributing cause,” Doug Drury, aviation expert at Central Queensland University, told AFP.

    “Airlines are required to be able to empty an airplane of all passengers and crew within 90 seconds. The flight crews train for events quite frequently in simulation and it is a complicated process that as we saw was completed without fail,” he said.

  • Prisoners rape, kill fellow inmate in Adiala Jail

    Prisoners rape, kill fellow inmate in Adiala Jail

    Jail inmates have raped and killed a fellow prisoner in Adiala Jail, Public TV has reported.

    https://youtu.be/nT9KVGGU3J4?si=5SyxdaBRUK0mjANM

    The victim, Sabil, was first raped and then hanged to death by his fellow prisoners. He was locked in the mill of Adiala Jail Cell 2 where the harrowing incident took place.

    The jail administration has registered a complaint against four suspects who have been detained.

    According to the FIR, the victim was raped by Waqas, Asif, Naqash, and Bilal by tying his hands and feet and then killed him by putting a cloth noose around his neck.

    The Jailer has said that Waqas pressed down on Sabil’s throat and chest with his foot, quoted PNP.

    On the morning of January 1, the deceased was found lying unconscious in cell 2. His death was confirmed upon being transferred to the prison hospital. There were marks on the neck of the deceased which made the cause of death suspicious.

    Police say that the body of the deceased prisoner has been handed over to his family after an autopsy.

  • No ‘bat’ symbol for PTI: Peshawar High Court

    No ‘bat’ symbol for PTI: Peshawar High Court

    The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has accepted the review petition of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and restored the ECP’s ruling on the intra-party polls and election symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Justice Ejaz Khan announced the reserved verdict today after hearing all parties.
    The Election Commission’s lawyer, Sikander Bashir Mohmand, and PTI’s lawyers, including Shah Faisal Uthmankhel and Qazi Anwar, were present in court today.

    The ECP had submitted a review petition in high court against PHC’s order that suspended the ECP’s decision of declaring PTI’s intra-party elections “illegal” and stripped it of using the ‘bat’ symbol.

    In its petition, the ECP requested the court to review the PTI’s intra-party elections and its decision related to the election symbol.
    However, PTI’s chairman, Barrister Gohar Khan, said that PTI will move to the apex court to get justice in this matter.
    “The Supreme Court has already stated that revoking a party’s symbol is tantamount to disbanding the entire party,” the PTI leader said, hoping that his party would get relief from the top court.

  • Star-studded lineup for Dubai’s Urdu Literature Festival

    Jashn-e-Rekhta, the famous Urdu literary festival, is coming to Dubai on 27 and 28 January, 2024. It’s a two-day celebration of the Urdu language with poetry, talk shows, ghazals, and storytelling. The festival starts at Zabeel Park with a panel discussion called ‘Urdu Tehzeeb aur Rishton ki Lazzat’.

    (The Delight of Urdu Culture and Relationships), featuring Javed Akhtar and Arfa Sayeda Zehra.The event will also feature a stage play, a Sufi concert by Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan, and a performance about the life of Noor Jehan. Don’t miss the enchanting session of Sufi music called ‘Shab-e Rafta’ from 9 pm to 11 pm.

    There’s a talk show with Sameena Peerzada and Usmaan Peerzada, followed by an interactive session with Mahira Khan, Shabana Azmi, and Shekhar Kapur.
    And let’s not forget about ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaau’n,’ a project combining poetry, songs, narration, and music with Javed Akhtar, Meiyang Chang, and Jahnvi Shrimankar. The grand international mushaira ‘Gehan aur Dhoop’ will showcase amazing poets like Anwar Shaoor, Farhat Ehsad, Zehra Nigah, Shakeel Azmi, and Abbas Tabish.
    It’s going to be a cultural fusion like no other. And with delicious food at Aiwan-e-Zaiqa Food Bazaar and an Urdu Bazaar with art, handicrafts, and books, it’s going to be a fantastic experience.

  • Which Tafseer will Imran Khan be reading in jail?

    Which Tafseer will Imran Khan be reading in jail?

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s lawyer Intezar Hussain Panjutha has on Wednesday tweeted about the Tafseer of the Holy Quran that Khan is reading in Jail.

    The Study Quran is written by a group of writers and the chief editor is Iranian Philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr.

    It can be ordered online via Readings and Liberty Books in Pakistan.

    This is not the first time Imran Khan is either reading a commentary on the Quran or a book during incarceration. In August, his sister Aleema Khan told the media, “He has started finishing the Quran for the second time and has also read Islamic history.”

    The same lawyer, Panjutha, is seemingly the most regular supplier of books to Khan as he has posted about sending him books previously as well.

    To read more about how Imran Khan is spending time in jail, read TV, 29 books, four pillows and so much more: list of things provided to Khan in jail.

  • Waqar Younis and Wasim Akam slam decision to rest Shaheen

    Waqar Younis and Wasim Akam slam decision to rest Shaheen

    Former Pakistani fast bowling greats Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis have slammed the decision to give rest to Shaheen Shah Afridi before the third Test in Sydney. Wasim Akram has said that the decision was Shaheen Afridi’s alone and was not influenced by the management, stressing that players have to decide whether they want to become great cricketers or prefer financial gain.

    Wasim Akram said on Fox Cricket, “After the Sydney Test, we will play five T20 against New Zealand and Shaheen Afridi is the captain of this format, but its T20 cricket, who cares? I understand it’s for entertainment and it’s for financial gain for the cricket boards and the players, but cricketers should know that Test cricket is the ultimate.”

    “These players have to understand and learn whether you want to become a great sports player or you want to earn money, you can be both with a little more understanding,” he said.

    Waqar Younis expressed surprise at the absence of Shaheen Afridi and said, “I was expecting Shaheen to be a part of the last match because he was looking good before the last match.

  • Mohsin Dawar safe after attack on convoy

    Mohsin Dawar safe after attack on convoy

    National Democratic Movement (NDM) chairman Mohsin Dawar’s convoy has been attacked by unknown gunmen in North Waziristan on Wednesday afternoon.

    The former MNA survived the attack as he was travelling in a bulletproof car.

    Unknown gunmen opened fire on the car of the former MNA and partner of the former coalition government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    Mohsin Dawar was campaigning in his constituency for general elections, set to take place on February 8.

    Police have confirmed that Mohsin Dawar is safe and has been shifted to a nearby safe place.

    Police have started search operation in the area.

  • Interbank closing: Pakistani rupee resumes winning streak against US dollar

    Interbank closing: Pakistani rupee resumes winning streak against US dollar

    The Pakistani rupee exhibited resilience against the US dollar in the inter-bank market, marking a 0.06 per cent gain on Wednesday, reaching a settlement of Rs281.72, reflecting an increase of Re0.17, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). 

    This positive momentum follows a slight dip on Tuesday, when the rupee settled at Rs281.89 against the US dollar.

    Meanwhile, on the international front, the US dollar experienced a broad ascent on Wednesday, hovering near a two-week high against major peers. 

    This surge is attributed to various factors, including elevated US Treasury yields and a cautious shift in risk sentiment that impacted Wall Street.

    In another significant development, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is poised to implement stringent measures targeting non-filers during the current month. 

    The initial phase involves the blocking of mobile SIM cards and mobile phones for non-filers, with the issuance of the Income Tax General Order expected by January 15. 

    The FBR is also formulating a strategy to disconnect electricity and gas connections for non-filers, acknowledging a current lack of comprehensive data on the electricity connections of non-filers.

  • Tributes pour in after senior politician Sartaj Aziz’s death

    Tributes pour in after senior politician Sartaj Aziz’s death

    Senior politician, diplomat, and former finance minister Sartaj Aziz passed away at the age of 94 in Islamabad on Tuesday night.

    Born in February 1929 in Nowshera, Aziz was a veteran politician from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). He served in key governmental posts in his long political career, including as the minister for finance and economic affairs. He also remained a senator from 1985 to 1999 and was elected as an advisor on national security and foreign affairs in the 2013 general elections.

    Aziz’s vast political career spanned academia, civil service, and public office holding.

    Besides serving as the federal minister, Aziz also fulfilled responsibilities as assistant president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and director of the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Commodities and Trade Division.

    The two-time finance minister was considered a respected figure in the national discourse, bearing keen insights and analysis on economic and political issues.

    PML-N announced the death of the senior politician on X (formerly Twitter). “It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Mr. Sartaj Aziz. A stalwart, a true icon, and a towering figure! His contributions to the nation and towards the party will never be forgotten.”

    Other politicians and his colleagues started posting pictures of him and recalled the time, they served with him. Ahsan Iqbal said he had the “honour of working with him very closely and will never forget his affection and guidance”.

    Shehbaz Sharif termed it as “not just a personal loss but a loss for the nation.”

    Miftah Ismail said, “Sartaj Aziz’s passing is surely the end of an era.”

    Engineer Khurram Dastgir called it a profound loss to the nation.

    Reacting to the demise of a veteran politician, President Arif Alvi expressed deep grief and solidarity with the survivors of the deceased. He also prayed for Aziz’s forgiveness and patience for his family.

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also expressed sorrow and said that his contributions to the country will always be remembered.

    Career diplomat Maleeha Lodhi paid tribute to him by saying, “Pakistan will be poorer without him.”

    Fellow Academic Adil Najam lauded him by saying, “Thank you, Sartaj sb, for a life well lived; a life of unwavering commitment to Pakistan.”

    Senior journalist, Nasim Zehra showed her respect towards Sartaj by praising him for his “commitment to the very best for Pakistan as Foreign and Finance Minister.”

    Fellow diplomat, Kristof Duwaerts tweeted, “I had the pleasure of interacting with H.E. late Sartaj Aziz on a number of occasions during my time in Pakistan.”

    Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, praised him for being a gentleman and a great diplomat.

    Social worker and activist Khaleel Tetaly lauded Sartaj Aziz as a key advocate for community-led development in Pakistan.

    Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad extended condolences on the passing of Sartaj Aziz for serving Pakistan with his exceptional talent in various capacities for over seven decades.

    Beaconhouse National University paid tribute to their esteemed founding Vice Chancellor and cherished mentor.