Author: newsdesk

  • ‘I am helpless’: boxer Amir Khan opens up on war on Gaza

    ‘I am helpless’: boxer Amir Khan opens up on war on Gaza

    Pakistani-born British boxer Amir Khan expressed his anger at Israel’s ongoing brutality in Palestine, asking why nothing is being done to stop the attacks on Gaza.

    Issuing a statement on X, Amir Khan said, “The hospital was bombed in Gaza last night, innocent people including children are being killed, and world leaders should raise their voices on Gaza and take action”.

    He wrote, “Seeing these videos every day breaks my heart, I am helpless, I never thought that I would see a war crime in my life.” He asked that the Israeli Prime Minister should be held accountable and should be stopped.

  • Man and his mule quenching the thirst of Gazans

    Man and his mule quenching the thirst of Gazans

    Israel has blocked the water supply of Palestinians stuck in Gaza since the launch of its military offensive against the strip. Reports by the UN have also affirmed that more than two million Palestinians do not have access to water.

    Jameel al-Karoubi is the silver lining in these terrible times, a Palestinian who gets up before the crack of the dawn and takes his mule Almond to the streets of Gaza to provide people with water.

    He says he has promised his friend Almond an extra sack of fodder on completion of the noble task and he has been fulfilling the promise ever since.

    Before the war disrupted everything, Jameel was a vegetable vendor but for the last ten days, all he does is get two big tanks filled with water and take it to the destitute people of Gaza. He has been able to pull this off because of the well of natural water in his house which is proving extremely beneficial in the face of Israeli blockage of water lines to Gaza.

    He refuses to take any money for his service. People in his neighbourhood consider him a Godsend for getting hold of water let alone drinkable water, a task close to impossible in Gaza right now. He also gives away all the extra fruit and vegetables that are grown in his garden.

    Jameel wants to help people of other localities too but the destruction caused by the Israeli forces has hampered the roads and pathways to other parts of the city. Even though he is risking his life, he has the support of his family. They are proud of his contribution to help the besieged people.

    Jameel is proof that humanity is very much alive in the hearts of the people even when there is no light in sight. He is determined to extend his support to all the needy.

  • Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Strict action will be taken against officials who neglect duties in polls, says Sikandar Sultan Raja

    Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja warned government officials that strict action will be taken against them if they will show “political bias”, adding that free and fair elections are necessary for a strong democracy.  

    A day earlier, while heading a meeting at the Provincial Election Commission Secretariat, Raja Sikandar said that all resources will be brought into service for unbiased and peaceful polls. He also offered assurances that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will provide full support to the provincial government.

    “There will be no tolerance for any form of political bias among government employees, and immediate action will be taken if such complaints arise,” warned the CEC.

    The ECP secretary briefly detailed preparations for general elections as well as revised the electoral rolls and process of voter registration.

    On the other hand, Sindh election commissioner also informed the meeting about preparations for general elections in the province.

    The Sindh chief secretary also told the huddle that Sindh government will fully cooperate with ECP in the upcoming polls.

  • Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan along with 2000 artists call for ceasefire in Gaza

    Tilda Swinton, Steve Coogan along with 2000 artists call for ceasefire in Gaza

    Renowned names like Tilda Swinton, Liam Cunningham and Charles Dance are among 2000 artists who have signed an open letter accusing their governments of involvement in Israel’s war on Gaza. The letter states that “the specter of death” hangs over the territory, as Israeli military bombed a Gaza hospital where more than 1000 people are reported dead.

    The letter includes producers, writers, architects, directors and comedians who accused their government of “not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them. There will come a time when they are held to account for their complicity. But for now, while condemning every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them, our obligation is to do all we can to bring an end to the unprecedented cruelty being inflicted on Gaza.”

    “Gaza is already a society of refugees and the children of refugees. Now, in their hundreds of thousands, bombarded from air, sea and land, Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale.  Dispossessed of rights, described by Israel’s minister of defence as ‘human animals’, they have become people to whom almost anything can be done.”

    The letter ended with the signatories calling for their government to end military and political support for Israel’s actions, and for an immediate ceasefire to commence.

  • World Cup 2023: Netherlands defeats South Africa by 38 runs in second upset

    World Cup 2023: Netherlands defeats South Africa by 38 runs in second upset

    In the second upset of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023, the Netherlands beat South Africa by 38 runs to win at the event for the first time.

    Batting first, the Netherlands scored 245 for eight in the allotted overs, with captain Scott Edwards scoring an unbeaten 78. Apart from this, Van der Merwe scored 29 runs, Teja Neida Munro scored 20 runs and Aryan Dutt scored 23 runs.

    Lungi Ngiti, Marco Johnson, and Kagiso Rabada took two wickets each for South Africa.

    Chasing the Netherlands’ target of 246, the South African team struggled from the start, as its first five baters returned to the pavilion for 89 runs.

    Captain Bavuma scored 16, De Kock 20, Vander Dussen four, Markram one and Klaasen scored 28 runs. Apart from this, Johnson put up nine runs, David Miller 43, Quayze 22, and Rabada left the team after scoring nine runs while Maharaj scored 40 runs.

    Thanks to the Netherland bowling, the entire South African team was bowled out for 207 runs in 42.5 overs. On behalf of the Netherlands, Logan van Beek dismissed three players, while de Leda, Paul van Meekren, and Van der Merwe took two wickets each.

    This is South Africa’s first ODI defeat against the Netherlands.

  • Britney Spears reveals she had an abortion after Justin Timberlake got her pregnant

    Britney Spears reveals she had an abortion after Justin Timberlake got her pregnant

    Pop singer Britney Spears has released excerpts of her upcoming memoir ‘The Woman In Me’ which will explore some of the most controversial moments of her career, including the conservatorship she was placed under by father James Spears.

    A clip from the extracts is going viral on social media where the singer talks about her high-profile relationship with singer Justin Timberlake which lasted from 1999 to 2002. The ‘Womanizer’ singer revealed that she got pregnant by Justin, but was later forced to get an abortion as he was “not happy” about the announcement, believing they weren’t ready to become parents yet.

    Spears wrote that had the choice been up to her, she would not have had the abortion at all.

    “For me, [the pregnancy] wasn’t a tragedy. I loved Justin so much. I always expected us to have a family together one day. This would just be much earlier than I’d anticipated. But Justin definitely wasn’t happy about the pregnancy. He said we weren’t ready to have a baby in our lives, that we were way too young … I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it. And yet Justin was so sure that he didn’t want to be a father.”

    Britney also addressed the conservatorship by writing: “Thirteen years went by with me feeling like a shadow of myself. I think back now on my father and his associates having control over my body and my money for that long and it makes me feel sick … I became a robot. But not just a robot – a sort of child-robot. I had been so infantilized that I was losing pieces of what made me feel like myself … The woman in me was pushed down for a long time. They wanted me to be wild onstage, the way they told me to be, and to be a robot the rest of the time.”

    ‘The Woman In Me’ is set to release on October 24.

  • Iphones lost, bags stolen at Narendra Modi Stadium during Pakistan-India match

    The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad witnessed a high-octane World Cup clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan on Saturday. The world’s biggest cricket stadium was filled to capacity as more than one lakh spectators came to watch the most anticipated match of the year.

    But while the majority of the fans got what they wished for and went back home with smiles on their faces after India’s resounding victory, a section of the crowd was left wondering who stole their mobile phones.

    Bollywood actress Urvashi Rutela couldn’t see Naseem Shah bowl due to his recent injury and unfortunately lost her phone during the match too.

    “Lost my 24 carat real gold i phone at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad! If anyone comes across it, please help. Contact me ASAP! Tag someone who can help,” Urvashi tweeted on Sunday.

    A video by Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta is currently going viral on social media, wherein he disclosed incidents of mobile phone and purse thefts during the Pakistan-India match in Ahmedabad.

    Gupta stated, “While entering the ground, my friend’s mobile phone was stolen from his pocket, and several other spectators also reported incidents of mobile and purse theft.” Criticizing security officials, he highlighted the possibility of mismanagement and security issues in handling such a massive crowd. He emphasized that thefts taking place in the ground surpass the concerns of mismanagement and security glitches.

    Many other people lost their phones that day.

    Meanwhile, there was one fan who even got his iPhone back as a security guard managed to catch the thief.

    Another X user, @tricatrio also lost her phone. She wrote, “Lost my iphone 15 at Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad!”

    User @shizmaite wrote, “Chaos at the gates & no one to handle the crowd. A good day ended on a bad note! #indvpak”

  • Jordan’s King refuses to meet Biden after Israeli strike on hospital

    Late on Tuesday night, following a deadly attack by Israel on the Baptist Hospital in Gaza, Jordan announced that a summit involving US President Joe Biden has been canceled. Earlier, President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine also announced that he will not meet Joe Biden as the fallout from the deadly strike continues to reverberate across the world.

    The summit will be held “when the decision to stop the war and put an end to these massacres has been taken”, the Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi had said in an unusually harsh worded statement.

    ‘Nothing can justify targeting civilians’: President of France on Gaza hospital strike

    Macron has also demanded humanitarian access to Gaza ‘without delay’. He took to X (former Twitter) and said, “France condemns the attack on the Al-Ahli Arabi hospital in Gaza which caused so many Palestinian victims. We think of them. All the light must be shed.”

    Protests have erupted all over the world against Israel’s heinous and brutal attack on a Palestinian hospital which killed more than 800 people. From Sweden to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the West Bank, people are taking to the streets and protesting against the genocide in Palestine. Protestors in Jordan have surrounded the Israeli embassy with calls to end the genocide.

    After the recent attack, Scotland becomes the first country to offer refuge to the people of Gaza.

  • ISRAEL CELEBRATES ATTACK ON HOSPITAL, LATER BLAMES HAMAS FOR ATROCITY

    ISRAEL CELEBRATES ATTACK ON HOSPITAL, LATER BLAMES HAMAS FOR ATROCITY

    After a heinous attack on a hospital in Gaza, Israel, initially taking credit for killing more than 800 innocent civilians, blamed the attack on Hamas.

    According to Al-Jazeera, an Israeli spokesman said that the hospital and five others could be a target by Israel.

    After the attack and the extreme backlash around the world, Israel retracted it’s statement and said that Hamas had hidden weapons in the hospital and then had misfired their own rockets onto the hospital. According to journalists, official Israeli accounts even posted footage of a rocket misfire – but the timing of the footage didn’t match the time of the attack – and was deleted by the Israeli accounts.

    Pressure mounts on US President Biden who is expected in Israel tomorrow to see if he will now go to the country after the Israeli state bombs a hospital – the most heinous crime in the history of the conflict.

    X (former Twitter) users have called out Israel and their supporters on the retraction of their statement and trying to put the blame of their atrocities on Hamas.

    Protests have erupted all over the world against Israel’s heinous and brutal attack on a Palestinian hospital which killed more than 800 people. From Sweden to Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Tunisia, Jordan, Lebanon, and the West Bank, people are taking to the streets and protesting against the genocide in Palestine. Protestors in Jordan have surrounded the Israeli embassy with calls to end the genocide.

    After the recent attack, Scotland becomes the first country to offer refuge to the people of Gaza.

  • PTCL’s profits drop by 7.11% despite revenue increase

    PTCL’s profits drop by 7.11% despite revenue increase

    Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PSX: PTC) has reported its financial performance for the first nine months of 2023.

    The company’s profit dropped by 7.11 per cent compared to the same period last year, coming in at Rs7.64 billion with earnings of Rs1.50 per share. This is less than the Rs8.23 billion profit and Rs1.61 per share in the previous year.

    On the positive side, the company’s revenue increased by 17.15 per cent compared to last year, reaching Rs71.61 billion, up from Rs61.13 billion.

    Even though the cost of sales also increased by 17.16 per cent, the increase wasn’t as much as the rise in sales, resulting in a 17.1 per cent increase in gross profit, which reached Rs15.28 billion.

    In terms of expenses, selling and marketing costs rose by 21.53 per cent year-on-year, while administrative and general expenses increased by 10.28 per cent during this period.

    Additionally, the company’s impairment loss on trade debts and contract assets went up by 6.53 per cent.

    Looking ahead, PTCL’s other income increased significantly, going up by 48.30 per cent. The company’s finance costs saw a substantial increase due to higher interest rates.

    Regarding taxes, the company paid 11.33 per cent more in taxes compared to the previous year.