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  • Iranian media attributes cause of Ebrahim Raisi’s death to poor weather conditions

    Iranian media attributes cause of Ebrahim Raisi’s death to poor weather conditions

    Iranian state media has confirmed that the chopper crash in which Iran’s late President Ebrahim Raisi was killed was primarily caused by weather conditions that included thick fog, citing the final investigation report of the incident.

    “The main reason for the helicopter crash was complicated weather conditions in the region,” the final report concluded, according to Iran’s state TV.

    A preliminary report by Iran’s military had said in May that no evidence of foul play or an attack had been found during the investigation.

    President Raisi, 63, along with his entourage, died on May 19 after his helicopter went down in the country’s mountainous northwest while returning from a dam inauguration on the border with Azerbaijan.

    Raisi was laid to rest in his hometown of Mashhad.

    Among the people killed in the incident were Foreign Min­ister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Malik Rahmati, governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province, Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Al-Hashem, representative of the Iranian supreme leader to East Azerbaijan, Sardar Seyed Mehdi Mousavi, head of Raisi’s guard team, the helicopter’s pilot Colonel Seyed Taher Mostafavi, co-pilot Colonel Mohsen Daryanush, and flight technician Major Behrouz Ghadimi.

  • I will never forgive MS Dhoni for destroying my son’s career: Yuvraj Singh’s father

    I will never forgive MS Dhoni for destroying my son’s career: Yuvraj Singh’s father

    Former Indian Test cricketer Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yograj Singh, has publically called out Mahendra Singh Pansingh Dhoni, considered one of the country’s greatest captains, saying that he ruined his son’s career.

    “I will never forgive MS Dhoni. He is a great cricketer, but I will never forgive what he did to my son. He should look at his face in the mirror. Everything is coming out now, and it can never be forgiven,” Yograj said.

    “I have never done two things in my life: never forgiven someone who has done something wrong and never hugged, be it my family members or my kids. My son could have played for four or five more years; Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag have said there can be no other Yuvraj Singh,” the former cricketer said.

    “India should give Bharat Ratna award to my son for playing with cancer”, he added.

    Yuvraj Singh’s father, Yugraj Singh, has played one Test and six ODI matches for India.

    Meanwhile, MS Dhoni retired in August 2020, but he is still active in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

  • PM Shehbaz hails Moody’s rating upgrade amid cooling inflation

    PM Shehbaz hails Moody’s rating upgrade amid cooling inflation

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed his satisfaction with the recent ease in the inflation rate, noting that the government’s ongoing economic reforms are yielding positive results.

    In a recent statement, PM Shehbaz highlighted that the recent upgrade in Pakistan’s credit rating by Moody’s was a clear acknowledgment of the country’s improving economic indicators. He said that international institutions are recognising the progress Pakistan is making.

    Moody’s Ratings recently upgraded Pakistan’s local and foreign currency issuer and senior unsecured debt ratings from Caa3 to Caa2. This upgrade reflects slightly better macroeconomic conditions, alongside improved government liquidity and external positions, which, although still weak, have shown improvement. According to Moody’s, Pakistan’s default risk has now decreased.

    Read more: Govt notifies Rs1.86 per litre ‘reduction’ in petrol price for next fortnight

    This development follows another upgrade in July when Fitch Ratings pushed Pakistan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) from ‘CCC’ to ‘CCC+’.

    The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) easing to 11 per cent in July, and he anticipates that it will decline further in August. He reiterated the government’s commitment to pursuing economic reforms, including a right-sizing policy, which he is personally overseeing to ensure rapid implementation.

    PM Shehbaz expressed confidence that the reforms would soon have a noticeable positive impact on the country’s economy. He reassured the public that the government is fully aware of the challenges faced by the people and is working to address them.

  • Bangladesh all out for 262; Pakistan lose two wickets in second innings

    In the ongoing second Test match in Rawalpindi, the Bangladesh team bowled out for 262 runs in the first innings, while Pakistan scored nine runs for the loss of 2 wickets.

    At the end of the third day’s play of the second Test, Pakistan is in a commanding position with a lead of 22 runs over Bangladesh. Abdullah Shafiq 3 and Khurram Shehzad are out for zero, while opener Saim Ayub is at the crease scoring 6 runs.

    Hasan Mehmood took two wickets for Bangladesh.

    In the first inning, Pakistani scored 274 runs.

  • Govt notifies Rs1.86 per litre ‘reduction’ in petrol price for next fortnight

    Govt notifies Rs1.86 per litre ‘reduction’ in petrol price for next fortnight

    The government has marginally reduced petrol prices by Rs1.86 per litre for the next two weeks, following approval from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

    This slight decrease falls short of the anticipated Rs6 per litre, with many Pakistanis expecting a reduction of at least Rs3.10 per litre.

    Effective from September, the new petrol price in Pakistan will be Rs259.10 per litre, down from Rs260.96. The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has also been lowered by Rs3.32 per litre, bringing it down to Rs262.75 from Rs266.07.

    Additionally, the prices of kerosene oil and light diesel oil have been cut by Rs2.15 and Rs2.97 per litre, respectively, reducing their prices to Rs169.62 and Rs154.05 per litre.

    Read more: Exchange rates: PKR gains 10 paisa against US dollar, Rs2.35 versus Swiss Franc

    This marks the third consecutive reduction in petroleum product prices, with a total decrease of Rs16.5 per litre for petrol since July 30. In the previous fortnightly review, petrol and diesel prices were reduced by Rs8.47 and Rs6.70 per litre, respectively.

    It remains unclear whether this minimal price reduction will impact public transport fares or ride-hailing services, and it is unlikely to significantly ease daily commuting costs for motorists. Nonetheless, the prices are decreasing rather than rising.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi will play legendary athlete in biopic

    Hamza Ali Abbasi will play legendary athlete in biopic

    There is exciting news for fans of sports and film. Hamza Ali Abbasi will play one of Pakistan’s greatest athletes in an upcoming biopic. The titled of the film is ‘Abdul Khaliq: The Flying Bird.’

    The name of the writer and director is not confirmed yet but the owner of Nuplex cinema will produced the film.

    Abdul Khaliq (1935–1996) was a prominent athlete in Pakistan known for his achievements in sprinting. Khaliq won gold medels in the 100 and 200 meters race in Asian Games in 1958. In his international career, he won 36 gold, 15 silver, and 12 bronze medals.

    With Hamza Ali Abbasi starring in it, the film promises to be an exciting tribute to a legendary athlete.

  • Babrik Shah explains why he said no to Bollywood

    Babrik Shah explains why he said no to Bollywood

    Actor and model Babrik Shah has gone through all the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. After a hiatus away from the limelight, he appeared as a guest on GNN Studio Podcast where he talked about professional setbacks. During the podcast Shah said that in 2006, he received the opportunity to move to India for work, but he refused.

    “I felt that I cannot live in India because India is a very dirty country, which is considered to be the second dirtiest country in the world,” was the unusual reason he cited.

    Babrik then revealed a second reason for not moving to India. “The second reason for not moving to India was the halal food of Muslims, the third reason was the riots in India, because there is no peace there. One reason was that the Indian government does not issue us any passport, and neither can we marry anyone in India nor can we buy a house.”
    The host asked, “Adnan Sami sahib has left everything and gone away.”

    Babrik replied, “Whatever Adnan Sami got from India was found on the British passport, India does not even issue a passport to anyone on a Pakistani passport. And the other important reason is that Adnan Sami is a singer and a singer for India. They produce 2000 films in 29 languages every year and 10,000 songs are made in these films, so Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam, and others all of them manage to work in India.”

    The Zameen Kay Khuda actor shared the experiences of other Pakistani artists who had traveled to India, saying, “After Muammar Rana, I also went to India for work, at that time. The artists, directors, assistant directors, and cameramen there told me that you stay here, you are a talented actor, we will make you a star, you will be cast as a hero in films.”

  • Pakistan bowled out for 274 runs in first inning of Pindi Test

    Pakistan bowled out for 274 runs in first inning of Pindi Test

    Pakistan’s team bowled out for 274 runs in the first Test against Bangladesh in the Rawalpindi Test.

    The first day was washed out due to rain, on the second day, Bangladesh captain Najamul Hasan Shanto won the toss and decided to bowl first.

    On behalf of Pakistan, Abdullah Shafiq and Saim Ayub opened the innings, but Tasikn Ahmed bowled Abdullah for zero in the first over.

    After the dismissal of Abdullah Shafiq, Saim formed a joint partnership of 107 runs with captain Shan Masood, but Shan scored 57 runs and was dismissed by Mehdi Hasan Miraz. Mehdi Hasan also dismissed Saim on 58 runs.

    Apart from this, Saud Shakeel scored 18, Babar Azam 31 runs, Muhammad Rizwan 29 runs, and Salman Ali Agha scored 15 runs.

    Bangladesh has a 1-0 lead over Pakistan in the two-Test series.

  • ‘I did not expect Imran to survive jail’; Rana Sanaullah acknowledges Khan’s struggle

    ‘I did not expect Imran to survive jail’; Rana Sanaullah acknowledges Khan’s struggle

    Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanullah has told Geo News’ Shehzad Iqbal, that they “must admit that Imran Khan has resisted and survived jail, which we did not expect.”

    The journalist asked Advisor Sanaullah about PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi’s recent allegation that the former Prime Minister was being provided with drugs in Adiala Jail. Rana replied, “I have heard the rumors as well, but one thing I must admit is that Khan is surviving in jail, which I did not expect from him.”

    Rana Sanaullah also stated that Khan’s incarceration has nothing to do with whether he allegedly needs drugs or not because “surviving in a jail requires other things which I did not think Imran Khan had in him.”

  • PPP, PML-N members annoyed with CM Punjab over disallowing transfers of officers

    PPP, PML-N members annoyed with CM Punjab over disallowing transfers of officers

    Journalist Fakhar Durrani revealed on Geo News that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is annoyed with Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif because she does not let anyone transfer or appoint government officers based on political affiliations.

    Durrani alleged, “Not just PPP but the ministers within the PML-N are concerned as well about not being able to appoint their choice of bureaucrats.”

    The journalist opined that Pakistan’s political culture is one in which politicians appoint and transfer their chosen bureaucrats to their respective districts.

    He further said that CM Maryam Nawaz has announced within her party that she will not allow any change in administration due to political reasons and that a proper mechanism will be followed in Punjab.