Fishermen from Ibrahim Haideri in Karachi caught a whole lot of Sowa fish, reportedly worth Rs. 700 million, says a report by Geo.
According to the Coastal Media Centre in Karachi, Sowa fish is extremely expensive. One fish costs around 70 hundred thousand to 10 million in Pakistani rupees. Its meat costs a thousand rupees per kg.
The fat in its stomach is rare and is used to form sutures used in surgeries.
Fishermen were extremely excited and happy as the news broke out.
During Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), a stand at the Melbourne Cricket Stadium (MCG) has been named ‘Pakistan Bay’.
Melbourne Stars fans will be able to sit in the ‘Pakistan Bay’ and watch the first three home matches. Haris Rauf and Osama Mir will represent Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League.
The opening three matches of the Big Bash League will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 13, January 2, and January 6.
Melbourne Stars has also started a membership in the name of Pakistani fast bowler Haris Rauf.
Fans with memberships will be able to watch the match sitting in the Pakistan Bay at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Exclusive MCG seat sales have also been launched from the name of Pakistan Bay.
Amidst its fight to reduce suffocating levels of smog, the Indian capital, New Delhi, has announced a ten-day-long winter break in schools throughout the city.
Over in Pakistan, the hazardous air has worsened to the extent that the government announced a four-day health emergency from November 9 to 12 in Lahore, Gujranwala, and Hafizabad. Schools, markets, offices, and restaurants shall remain closed in these cities.
Following the trail, New Delhi announced an early winter break for the session of 2023-24 in schools from November 9-18. The notification asserted that the step has been taken after observing “severe air quality prevailing in Delhi” and that there is “no respite from such adverse weather conditions in the near future”.
Lahore and New Delhi have been vying with each other in the charts of air quality index, being the top two most polluted cities in the world.
On Thursday, gold prices in Pakistan experienced a decline, mirroring the global market trend.
The value of the yellow metal reached Rs211,800 per tola, marking a decrease of Rs2,400.
The 10-gram gold was traded at Rs181,584, reflecting a Rs2,058 drop, as reported by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA).
In the preceding session, gold prices had risen by Rs200, settling at Rs214,200 per tola.
The international gold rate, accompanied by a $20 premium, was established at $1,968 on Thursday, indicating a $20 reduction in the global market, according to APGJSA.
In the midst of these changes, silver rates remained steady at Rs2,580 per tola in Pakistan.
In the 41st match of the World Cup, New Zealand easily defeated Sri Lanka by five wickets, making their way to the semi-finals very easy and Pakistan’s seemingly impossible.
Sri Lanka’s inning:
The Sri Lankan team was bowled out for 171 runs in 46.4 overs, Kaushal Perera was outstanding by playing an innings of 51 runs.
Apart from this, Dhananjaya De Silva scored 19 runs, Angelo Mathews scored 16 runs, Asalanka scored 8 runs, and Mahesh Theshanka scored 38 runs.
On behalf of New Zealand, Trent Boult dismissed three players by giving 37 runs, Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra took two wickets each while Tim Southee took one wicket.
New Zealand’s inning:
Sri Lanka’s target of 172 runs was easily achieved by New Zealand at the loss of 5 wickets in 23.2 overs.
Dion Conway 45, Daryl Mitchell 43, Richan Ravindra scored 42 runs, captain Kane Williamson scored 14 runs and Mark Chapman scored 4 runs, Glenn Phillips remained unbeaten with 17.
For Sri Lanka Angelo Mathews took two wickets while Maheesh Theshanka and Chameera took one wicket each.
The latest death toll in Gaza from October 7 till now stands at 10,744 Palestinians and 1,405 Israelis.
More than 1,000 USAID employees call for ceasefire
More than 1,000 staffers at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have signed a letter pushing for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.
Officials from USAID’s departments and overseas missions are among the signatories, increasing the number of government employees who have been against US support for Israel’s military offensive in Gaza
On Wednesday, more than 100 Congressional staffers staged a walkout.
Eight Gaza hospitals bombed in three days
Gaza’s government media office has reported that eight hospitals have been bombed by Israeli forces in the past three days and 18 hospitals are out of service since October 7.
The premises of al-Shifa Hospital and al-Nasr Hospital were shelled by Israeli artillery cannons.
“The bombing of hospitals is a war crime according to international humanitarian law, and is criminalised by 16 international agreements and UN resolutions that call for the protection of these health facilities,” the statement read.
War crimes lawsuit filed by Palestinian groups
Three renowned human rights organisations operating from the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip have filed a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court (ICC) “calling for it to consider apartheid and genocide in its continuing investigation of the situation in Palestine,” Al Jazeera reports.
The lawsuit by Al Haq, Al Mezan and the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights remarked that Israel’s actions in Gaza are war crimes, asking that arrest warrants be issued for Israeli officials, including President Herzog, PM Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant.
On Wednesday, Motaz Azaiza, one of the journalists sharing details of Israeli atrocities in Gaza, shared a picture of Gazans walking on a highway in a long line. “People evacuating the city to the south of the strip. It’s literally a new Nakba.”
Nakba is the most momentous event in all of Palestinian history, especially the history of the last century with Israelis. It literally means “catastrophe” and refers to the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by the Israelis in 1948. It has been 75 years now that zionist forces took 78 percent of the historic land of Palestine and killed about 15,000 Palestinians in a series of 70 massacres. 7,50,000 Palestinians out of 1.9 million were made refugees in their own land as Israel established a Jewish majority state, fulfilling their Zionist motives.
The official commemoration of this expulsion and ethnic cleansing by Palestinians around the world was done on May 15, 1948, but the facts reveal more than half of the displacement was already done by then.
Since then, there have been many Arab-Israeli wars and many attempts to displace Palestinians. Israel, originally given 55 percent of the land by the UN, now owns 85 percent of it. However, it openly wishes to have control over all of it. In his address to the UN in September, Benjamin Netanyahu displayed two maps that showed the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip as part of Israel. The repeated calls to move to the South after October 7, is actually more than revenge.
In one of the videos posted by Motaz, it can be seen that tens of thousands of Palestinians are moving to the South- in front of the Israeli army- raising their hands to show that they are unarmed. In a number of incidents, these caravans have been bombed too.
This has been confirmed as the Israeli government claims that some 50,000 people have fled Northern Gaza to the South.
On the other hand, there are hundreds of thousands of people who are not obeying these orders because they believe there is no place safe from Israel’s bombings and that they would rather die at home.
Palestinian journalist Ahmed Abu Artema in his message to The News International has already called for the world to take action as he firmly thinks “This is the second Nakba”.
Right before the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel followed by Israel’s declaration of war against the Palestinians resulting in a death toll of 10,5000+, Saudi Arabia and Israel were steering towards the establishment of ties despite their conflict of views over the Palestine issue.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) reportedly asked the US for “security guarantees and access to civilian nuclear technology and advanced weapons in exchange for a deal.”
Moreover, Saudi diplomats asserted that Israel must concur with the establishment of a Palestinian state as defined in the 2002 Saudi Peace Initiative. And while this particular demand was rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jewish ministers in his government, a deal was almost at hand between the two countries.
However, after October 7, people in support of Palestine across the world, particularly the Muslim world, have demanded from Saudi Arabia to take a stand against the atrocities committed by Israel on Palestinian soil — to use their power to put an end to the attacks.
However, their concerns seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
The Saudi Minister of Investment, Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih, has remarked that the Kingdom is still willing to consider normalising relations with Israel, depending on a peaceful solution to the Palestinian issue.
During a discussion session at the Bloomberg New Economy Forum held in Singapore, Falih responded to a question in regard to normalisation of ties between the two countries: “This matter was on the table, and it is still on the table, and it is clear that the recent withdrawal (from the talks) explains why Saudi Arabia is so determined to make a solution to the Palestinian conflict part of broader normalisation in [West Asia].”
When asked if Saudi Arabia would use economic devices like oil to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, he reportedly laughed and replied: “This is not on the table today. Saudi Arabia is trying to achieve peace through talks that seek peace.”
Falih also offered details of the three summits that Saudi Arabia is expected to host in the coming days which will be attended by Arab, African and Islamic countries, an effort to promote a “peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict”.
In 1973, Saudi Arabia imposed an oil embargo on the United States and other countries for their support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War against Egypt and Syria.
Saudi Arabia is again reassuring its allies that it will not use oil as a weapon to achieve ceasefire in Gaza and wants to normalise with Israel.
Here’s a reminder about using oil as a threat in 2018 when punitive measures were considered over the death of Jamal Khashoggi!… pic.twitter.com/aNyNDTYrCJ
— Ismailoğlu (@IsmailogluF) November 9, 2023
The Punjab government on Thursday revised the terms of the lockdown imposed in multiple districts of the province as major cities grapple with crippling fog.
In its amended notification, the Primary and Secondary Healthcare Department of the province notified that call centres and international information technology companies will be allowed to operate during the lockdown.
پنجاب کے 8اضلاع میں 10نومبر کی عام تعطیل سے مستثنیٰ قرار دیئے گئے مختلف کاروبار کانوٹیفکیشن جاری@PSHDept pic.twitter.com/EdU7IwVy1r
— Government of Punjab (@GovtofPunjabPK) November 9, 2023
While markets in the eight smog-hit districts will be allowed to operate today and tomorrow; however, shopping malls and markets will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.
The notification also states that cinema halls, restaurants and gyms will remain open today as per routine.
The decision will remain in effect in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala Narowal, Hafizabad and Sialkot.
Previous Notification
A day earlier, an environmental and health emergency had been declared in Lahore, Gujranwala, and Hafizabad divisions for four days due to the prevailing smog conditions.
Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi made the announcement during a press conference on Tuesday when the air quality index (AQI) in the city measured 390, falling under the category of hazardous.
At this AQI level, the city maintained its position as one of the most polluted cities with citizens experiencing a hazy and smoggy atmosphere throughout the day. The air quality was severely poor, making it nearly impossible to breathe normally outdoors.
Notification issued on Tuesday detailed that from Thursday to Sunday i.e., November 9, 2023, to November 12, 2023, all markets, shopping malls, restaurants, cinemas, gymnasiums, schools (public and private), and offices (public and private) will remain closed in Lahore, Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala Narowal, Hafizabad and Sialkot.
Also, the movement of people will be limited to and from these areas by public and private transport.
The following will be exempted from closure:
Large departmental stores will only keep their grocery /pharmacy sections open while all other sections will remain closed.
It has been suggested by the government that people buy groceries and medicines within the vicinity of their residence.
In preparation for the upcoming general elections, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has announced the creation of a ‘political engagement committee’ on Wednesday. The committee’s job is to talk to other political parties that PTI will compete against in the upcoming elections.
The five-member committee includes Senator Ali Zafar, Senator Dr Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Ali Asghar Khan and Raoof Hasan, the party notification shared on its official X account stated.
The development comes days after ecent announcement by the previous ruling party that they plan to participate in the upcoming elections in every constituency, both at the local and national levels.
The political party led by Imran Khan usually strongly criticizes its rivals, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), accusing them of corruption and stealing from the country.
However, now PTI is willing to set aside old disagreements to work together to form new political partnerships, so they can be stronger in the upcoming general elections on February 8 next year.
A day earlier, the PML-N and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) announced that they will “jointly contest” the upcoming polls.