Author: newsdesk

  • One Direction star Liam Payne dies in shocking accident

    One Direction star Liam Payne dies in shocking accident

    Liam Payne, former member of the popular band One Direction has died at the age of 31 in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 16, 2024.

    According to police reports, emergency services were called to an upscale hotel in the Palermo neighborhood after receiving a 911 call about an aggressive individual. Upon arrival, they heard a loud sound from an interior courtyard, where they discovered Payne’s body. Authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, with an autopsy scheduled to determine the cause.
    Emergency medical services director Alberto Crescent shared that Payne suffered ‘serious injuries’ but did not provide details about the fall from the hotel balcony. Meanwhile the UK Foreign offices is in in contact with Argentinian authorities, but no further information has been disclosed.

    Argentina media outlets reported that an emergency call from a hotel manager reported a guest on drugs, destroying his room on the property.
    The hotel manager told the operator the room has a balcony, expressing fear that they might put their life at risk.

    The Buenos Aires security ministry said in a statement that when officers arrived, the hotel manager reported ‘the death of a man who had jumped from the balcony of his room.’

    American Singer Charlie Puth posted a story on his Instagram saying, “I am in shock right now. Liam was always so kind to me. He was one of the first major artists I got to work with. I cannot believe he is gone.”

    Just hours before his death Liam shared a story on Snapchat with a video of himself and his partner Kate Cassidy, in which he said, “lovely day here in Argentina.”

    Liam Payne became famous as a member of One Direction, a boy band that was formed on the X Factor TV show in 2018 along with Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Niall Horan and Zayn Malik.

    On March 25, 2015 Liam Payne separated from One Direction.

    Here is the story of American Singer:

    Here are some songs of Liam Payne with One Direction:

  • What Sajid Khan told Joe Root before bowling him out?

    What Sajid Khan told Joe Root before bowling him out?

    Pakistani left-arm spinner Sajid Khan has said that as English batting maestro Joe Root came to bat, he told the Britisher something personal.

    “I said to him, ‘Youre my dream wicket,’” the spinner told the media at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. ,”As soon as Joe Root came to bat, I told him I’ve played against your brother in England, but you are my dream wicket, so he started laughing. But that was my dream and most prized wicket today.”

    Calling Root a “great cricketer”, Sajid said that he was happy to take the prized wicket. “Thank God that my performance was good in the second day’s game against England, will try to get England out early,” he remarked.

    “In the beginning, I conceded runs, but I kept bowling in my way and got wickets”, he told members of the press.

    In response to a question about missing a run-out while fielding, he said, “I was disappointed to miss a run-out, as I am a fielder, it should not have happened. Harry Brooke plays on the back foot, and I noted that. I bowled to him accordingly and dismissed him.”

    He then went on to talk about his personal life: “I have been playing cricket from a young age; I work hard. I feel a passion when I play for Pakistan, I play for the star on the shirt. I played only in the final in the Champions Cup, then I went to play in the department. I kept myself fit and continued to practice even though I was not in the national team. I did not get a chance in the Bangladesh series, but now I have, and I have given my best. I will try to perform.”

    Sajid Khan has taken seven wickets for 111 runs in the first innings of the second Test against England in Multan.

    Pakistan has a 75-run lead in the second innings after the English team was bowled out for 291 runs.

    Earlier, Pakistan scored 366 runs in the first innings.

  • Sajid Khan turns table for Pakistan: England bowled out for 291 runs

    Sajid Khan turns table for Pakistan: England bowled out for 291 runs

    The English cricket team has bowled out for 291 runs in the first innings of the 2nd Test match in Multan Cricket Stadium.

    England started their incomplete first innings with 239 for 6, but at 248, Sajid Khan dismissed Brydon Carse for four runs and took his fifth wicket of the innings, while Sajid also bowled next man Matthew Potts on six runs.

    Jack Leach scored 25, while Shoaib Bashir scored nine runs for England.

    Sajid Khan took seven wickets for Pakistan

    Pakistan inning:

    In the first innings of the second Test match, the Pakistani team was all out by scoring 366 runs; the national team started its incomplete first innings at 259 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, then the wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was out by scoring 41 runs for the gain of just five runs. Done. Agha Salman, 31, and Sajid Khan, two runs, proved to be guests.

    Aamir Jamal and Nouman Ali formed a partnership of 49 runs for the 9th wicket, but Aamir got out after scoring 37 runs; later, Nouman Ali was caught by Jack Leach after scoring 32 runs.

    On behalf of England, Jack Leach took four wickets, Brayden Carrs took three wickets, Matthew Potts took two wickets, and Shoaib Bashir took one wicket.

    Day one of the second Test:

    Abdullah Shafiq started the innings in the second Test match but failed again and returned to the pavilion with an individual score of just 7. Captain Shan Masood 3 and Saud Shakeel were guests for four runs.

    Later, Saim and Kamran stabilized Pakistan’s score by establishing a partnership of 149 runs, but Saim scored 77 runs and lost his wicket.

    Kamran Ghulam, who scored a century on debut, was the top scorer by playing an innings of 118 runs.

  • New grading system announced for 9th class, first-year students; passing marks increased

    New grading system announced for 9th class, first-year students; passing marks increased

    The Federal Ministry of Education has introduced a new grading system for passing exams in the country.

    The Ministry of Education announced that the grading system will be applied to the 9th and 11th grades in the first phase. The grade point average, i.e. GPA or CGPA, will be counted instead of the marks system.

    The chairman’s inter-board committee has introduced a grading system at the secondary and higher secondary levels. 10 point grading system will be applied Instead of 7 points grading system.

    Grades will include A++, A+, A, B++, B+, B, C, D, E, and U.

    The grading system will be implemented in the academic year 2024. The minimum passing marks in the examinations have been increased from 33% to 40%. From 2025, only the grading system will operate in colleges and universities.

    According to the Federal Ministry of Education, Federation, Sindh, Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan have implemented the new grading policy.

  • Greenlight for Pak-India cricket series?

    Greenlight for Pak-India cricket series?

    Pakistani senior journalist Azaz Syed has claimed that Pakistan and India might soon play a bilateral cricket series.

    Taking to his X (Previously Twitter) account, Azaz wrote, “Breaking: #Pakistan #India agreed to the first talk on #cricket resumption. Details will be finalised later. For more details on my news, keep watching @geonews_urdu and #TalkShock on YouTube.”

    The talks between foreign ministers of Pakistan and India on the occasion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference started with cricket, Azaz reported for Geo News.

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy is scheduled in Pakistan in February next year. Discussions have been started on this matter from both sides.

    Last, Pakistan and India played the bilateral series in 2012-13. This series consisted of Two T20 and Three ODI matches played in India. The T20 series was drawn by 1-1, while Pakistan won the ODI series by 2-1.

    Champion Trophy 2025 and India’s participation:

    The Champion Trophy is scheduled for February of next year in Pakistan. All teams have confirmed their arrival, while India’s participation is yet to be confirmed.

    In July, Indian media claimed that India would not visit Pakistan for the event, saying that some matches of the Champions Trophy would be held in the United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka on a hybrid model.

    However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice president Rajeev Shukla denied these claims, saying that the Indian government would make the final decision.

    The Telegraph Report on Champion Trophy:

    UK publication ‘The Telegraph’ has reported that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is considering different venues for India’s matches, including the final of the trophy. The final could be shifted from Lahore to Dubai. The final is scheduled to be played in Gadafi Stadium in Lahore on March 9, 2025.

    Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are likely to host India’s matches if needed, The Telegraph has reported.

    ICC chief executive’s statement about Champions Trophy:

    On September 12, ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice confirmed now that there are no plans to move the Champions Trophy from Pakistan.

    He said, “No team has hesitated to play in the tournament. All teams are committed to playing in Pakistan. Despite previous challenges, all participating teams are determined to play in Pakistan.”

    The ICC Champions Trophy will host eight elite teams based on their performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup: India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

    Pakistan is currently the defending champion of the Champions Trophy. The Pakistan cricket team, led by former captain Sarfraz Ahmed, won the Trophy in England in 2017, defeating India in the final.

  • Foreign currency deposits rise to nearly $6.7 billion in September

    Foreign currency deposits rise to nearly $6.7 billion in September

    Foreign currency deposits witnessed slight increase of $55 million, or 0.83 per cent, reaching $6.69 billion as of September 2024, according to the latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan. 

    On an annual basis, deposits surged by $303 million, showing a 4.75 per cent rise. 

    The data shows that resident foreign currency deposits stood at $5.84 billion during the month under review, marking a 1.05 per cent increase from the previous month’s total of $5.78 billion. Compared to the same period last year, the rise was 4.15 per cent, up from deposits of $5.6 billion. 

    For those unaware, these deposits play a crucial role in financing Pakistan’s fiscal and external current account deficits. In September 2024, $647 million was utilised to support the country’s exports, while $1.38 billion went towards import financing.

    Read more: Gold price jumps to record high of Rs277,200 per tola

    Furthermore, $1.06 billion was placed with the SBP, with $84 million and $393 million held within Pakistani banks and abroad, respectively.

  • Punjab College ‘rape’: CM Maryam orders crackdown on those spreading fake news

    Punjab College ‘rape’: CM Maryam orders crackdown on those spreading fake news

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday directed to initiate a crackdown on individuals involved in spreading fake news concerning the alleged rape of a student at Punjab College of Women.

    During a press conference, the Punjab Chief Minister remarked that a crackdown should be initiated “regardless of whether they belong to the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) or Chaudhry Pervez Elahi’s Q-League.”

    Maryam Nawaz criticises the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for spreading disinformation and unrest in the country at a time when the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit was taking place in Islamabad.

    “I call them [PTI] a terrorist organisation for some reason. Who will compensate for the loss that the child and her family suffered as a result of her name being used to spark unrest,” she added.

    “I know very well who is behind this incident and will not leave anyone who was involved in this,” the CM said

    A report from a high-level committee established by the Punjab government has confirmed that the girl was not raped, and her injuries were sustained at her home.

  • SCO Summit: Why was Indian FM’s speech muted on Pakistani TV?

    SCO Summit: Why was Indian FM’s speech muted on Pakistani TV?

    With a muted video of Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s address at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) going viral, netizens, especially Indians, have taken to social media, calling out Pakistan for “muting” the Indian representative’s speech.

    A social media user on X (formerly Twitter) named A Waheed Murad wrote, “State TV in Pakistan muted the address of the Indian Foreign Minister at the SCO summit in Islamabad.”

    While Murad wasn’t the only one to highlight the muted video, Journalist Iftikhar Firdous also took to X to explain that all in-camera sessions were bound to be muted on PTV and the same goes for SCO.

    “It’s an in-camera session. I haven’t heard any of the speeches on TV, even the Pakistani premier is live and it’s muted. I also inquired why I couldn’t hear them”, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter)

    Meanwhile, Information Ministry also stated that according to standard operating procedure (SOPs), except for the SCO initial ceremony, all addresses were bound to mute.

    Islamabad and New Delhi, in their national statements, have avoided taking indirect jabs at each other through the SCO platform.

    “While the international community must extend the needed assistance to help Afghan Interim Government in staving off the humanitarian crisis and preventing an economic meltdown, it must also demand from the Afghan Interim Government to take concrete measures to promote political inclusivity, as well as to ensure that its soil is not used for terrorism against its neighbours, by any entity,” maintained PM Shehbaz Sharif during his address at SCO.

    “Projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and International North-South Corridor (INSC) can be expanded to improve connectivity, focusing on roads, railways, and digital infrastructure,” he said.

    Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar, while addressing the SCO summit, congratulated Pakistan for hosting such a high political union of countries. “We must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, and this cooperation should be based on genuine partnership, not unilateral agendas,” he asserted.

    According to Pakistan’s Foreign Minister M. Ishaq Dar, the last time Pakistan hosted a diplomatic event of this magnitude was 27 years ago, marking what he called the country’s “return to the international stage.”

    In 1997, Pakistan held the first Extraordinary Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to celebrate its 50th year of independence.

    The SCO bloc claims to represent 40% of the world’s population and about 30% of its GDP.

    Previously, Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday arrived in Pakistan to attend the SCO meeting, as well as for a four-day bilateral visit. His visit is the first by a Chinese head of government to Pakistan in 11 years, Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office said.

  • Sajid Khan roars in Multan: England score 239-6 in first innings on Day 2

    Sajid Khan roars in Multan: England score 239-6 in first innings on Day 2

    England has scored 239 runs for the loss of six wickets in the first inning on the second day of the Multan Test.

    The English team’s openers started aggressively against Pakistan, but Zach Crowley lost the wicket by scoring 27 runs on a total score of 73, while Ollie Pope was dismissed by scoring 29 runs. Joe Root scored 34, Ben Duckett 114 and Harry Brook was dismissed for zero.

    For Pakistan, Sajid Khan took four wickets, and Noman Ali took one wicket.

    Pakistan inning:

    In the first innings of the second Test match, the Pakistani team was all out by scoring 366 runs; the national team started its incomplete first innings at 259 runs for the loss of 5 wickets, then the wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan was out by scoring 41 runs for the gain of just five runs. Done. Agha Salman, 31, and Sajid Khan, 2 runs, proved to be guests.

    Aamir Jamal and Nouman Ali formed a partnership of 49 runs for the 9th wicket, but Aamir got out after scoring 37 runs; later, Nouman Ali was caught by Jack Leach after scoring 32 runs.

    On behalf of England, Jack Leach took four wickets, Brayden Carrs took three wickets, Matthew Potts took two wickets, and Shoaib Bashir took one wicket.

    Day one of the second Test:

    Abdullah Shafiq started the innings in the second Test match but failed again and returned to the pavilion with an individual score of just 7. Captain Shan Masood 3 and Saud Shakeel were guests for four runs.

    Later, Saim and Kamran stabilized Pakistan’s score by establishing a partnership of 149 runs, but Saim scored 77 runs and lost his wicket.

    Kamran Ghulam, who scored a century on debut, was the top scorer by playing an innings of 118 runs.

  • Atif Aslam posts adorable college uniform photo of wife on her birthday

    Atif Aslam posts adorable college uniform photo of wife on her birthday

    Renowned singer Atif Aslam has wished his wife Sara Bharwana a happy birthday with an adorable message on Instagram.

    He shared pictures from their memory lane taken with his wife.

    One of these photos is from Bharwana’s college days, during which she can be seen wearing her uniform.

    Sharing these photos, Atif Aslam wrote in the caption, “I am always smiling since the day our eyes met for the first time.”

    “Happy birthday to my love”; he wrote.

    This post of Aslam is being liked a lot by fans and famous personalities on social media who have also wished Bharwana a happy birthday.

    The couple got married back in 2013.

    Check the pictures below: