The second and last solar eclipse of 2023 will take place by the end of the first fortnight of the month of October.
According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) the eclipse will start at 8:04 pm on Oct 14 and end at 1:55am on Oct 15.
Unfortunately, it will not be visible anywhere in Pakistan.
However, the eclipse will be visible in southwestern Mexico, countries in Central America, while also being visible in central Columbia and northern Brazil.
Ring of Fire
Solar eclipse happens when the moon is at or near its farthest point from Earth. This is how it appears smaller and does not block out the entire Sun when it passes in front of Earth, leaving behind a bright ring of Sun visible at the eclipse’s peak, creating the ring of fire effect.
A special program will be organized on the occasion of the India-Pakistan match in the Cricket World Cup 2023. According to Indian media, Indian superstars will participate in the program in Ahmedabad.
Many film stars including senior Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rajinikanth will attend the ceremony.
Reports state that former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and singer Arijit Singh will also participate while the event will also feature a light show, fireworks, and dance performances.
According to Gujarat Cricket Association Secretary Anil Patel, the special event will start around 12 noon in which 20 to 25 Pakistani journalists will also participate.
Anil Patel says that all arrangements have been completed for Pakistani journalists. Pakistan Cricket Board officials will also come to India to watch the Pakistan-India match.
According to the Indian media, the Indian Cricket Board has decided to hold a special event for the fans on the occasion of the India-Pakistan match after not opting for an opening ceremony of the World Cup. Cricket fans had expressed disappointment over the absence of the opening ceremony in the World Cup.
The match between Pakistan and India is scheduled to be played on October 14 at the Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium.
Supermodels sisters Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid have consistently been vocal about supporting the liberation of Palestine on their platforms, even going to the extent of attending public marches and donating to causes providing aid to war-torn cities in Palestine. Bella has also revealed in a 2021 podcast interview that her activism has cost her jobs and even relationships, but refused to abandon her support for a liberated Palestine.
“I had so many companies that stopped working with me…I have friends that completely dropped me…I know my family enough, I know my own history enough. And that should be enough.”
But there is a painful history behind why the Hadid sisters have continued to advocate for a free Palestine, even at the risk of losing their prolific careers. It involves their own family members who were expelled from Palestine during the 1948 Nakba. During this period, more than 70,000 Palestinians were removed or expelled from their homes located in the area that was to be declared the state of Israel.
Bella and Gigi’s father, Mohammad Hadid spoke at the #ABtalks podcast about his experience, sharing that he was born in Nazareth, the city where Jesus Christ was believed to have been born. In the interview, the real estate developer said that his family had taken in Jewish refugees who came on a ship from Poland, who were rejected from several countries before arriving at the Haifa port, that Hadid said his great-grandfather had rebuilt during the Ottoman Empire.
The Jewish refugees lived with Hadid’s family for two and a half years, after which Mohammad was born. The senior Hadid recalled when his mother came back to their home in Safad, they were told by guards to leave, and weren’t even allowing his mother to get a blanket to wrap her baby.
Mohammad Hadid is the descendant of the Arab ruler of Northern Palestine Zahir al-Umar al-Zaydani, the Prince of Nazareth from his mother’s side.
According to an article, the monarch was the first Arab ruler of Nazareth, Haifa and Jabba of Palestine to introduce a mandate that allowed Muslims, Jews and Christians to live in harmony under his rule. Today, his ancestors still live in Northern Palestine, where he is celebrated as a national hero.
Alongside Mohammad Hadid, his children have spoken about the trauma of Nakba and called for a liberated Palestine. In 2022, Bella reshared a clip by Al-Jazeera detailing the significance of Nakba Day, and wrote that it was heartbreaking how elders are still not allowed to return to their homeland today.
Alana shared a picture with her father holding the Palestinian flag and wrote they were remembering the trauma of 1948. Gigi shared the image and added hearts.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, has told his enemies that “elections are near” and he has passed all “exams of life”, Geo has reported.
While addressing a dinner party given by PPP leader Ghulam Qadir Mari in Naushero Feroz district on Tuesday, Zardari said, “I was born in this land (Sindh), and I will continue to strive for the development of this land.”
The PPP co-chairman also said that he is the son of soil and will always struggle for it.
“The PPP has always served the people. I have struggled all my life, and my workers have also supported me,” said the former president, adding, “We know each other. Allah gave us the opportunity, so we served the people and this soil. I have to be buried in this soil. It is our duty to serve it.”
The PPP leader also mentioned that he gave Pashtuns their separate identity, and by bringing the 18th Amendment, his party gave provincial service.
Recounting the sacrifices of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, Zardari said, “Today, I am serving you, then Bilawal Bhutto will serve, as will Aseefa Bhutto. We are all with the people of Sindh.”
Pakistan chased down the highest total in the history of the World Cup on Tuesday against Sri Lanka, successfully bypassing the island nation’s 344/9 with six wickets to spare.
Muhammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq scored magnificent centuries to lead their team to a comfortable victory. Rizwan was suffering cramps during the match, limping across the pitch.
After this historic chase social media users started sharing memes. Here are one the best ones posted yet:
As per the United States Geological Survey, yet another earthquake occurred in Afghanistan at a shallow depth at around 5:10 am local time on Wednesday, with its epicenter about 29 kilometres north of the city of Herat.
Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.3 – 28 km NNW of Herāt, Afghanistan https://t.co/uIPpxcmo6K
According to the Associated Press, Ministry of Information spokesperson Abdul Wahid Rayan has said that at least 80 people have been injured and a landslide has blocked the main Herat-Torghundi highway.
This is the second deadliest aftershock in the region after Saturday’s earthquake which destroyed 11 villages and has devastated 12,000 people. The death toll has exceeded 2,400 fatalities. Afghanistan is frequently hit by deadly earthquakes, but this weekend’s disaster was the worst to strike the war-ravaged country in more than 25 years.
Rescue efforts are being hampered by poor infrastructure and lack of resources.
Records were left stranded in the dust as Pakistan created history on Tuesday night, chasing down the highest total in World Cup history against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan chased a target of 345 and won the match against Sri Lanka by six wickets. Muhammad Rizwan, who battled severe cramps during the match, remained unbeaten on a 121-ball 131. He was declared Player of the Match. We hope we win the World Cup with these dedicated players in our team.
Rizwan took to X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday to celebrate the victory, dedicating it to people suffering a war in Gaza Strip, an already besieged area, that will now face a “total” blockade from Israel including a ban on food and water.
This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza.
Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier.
Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.
“This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier. Extremely grateful to the people of Hyderabad for the amazing hospitality and support throughout.,” he wrote.
Pakistanis celebrated all night long after their cricket team’s stunning victory against Sri Lanka on Tuesday night, successfully chasing down a 345 runs target with six wickets to spare. The win created history as the highest successful chase in the World Cup. Cricketers Muhammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafiq paved the way for the team, leading it to a comfortable victory with their stunning centuries.
Now, Rizwan’s hilarious quips after the match have taken center stage. Addressing a press conference, he talked about the cramps that plagued him while he was playing, limping on the pitch.
Addressing the moment, Rizwan cheekily replied “Sometimes it’s cramps, sometimes I’m acting.”
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif will travel on a chartered plane to reach Pakistan from Dubai on October 21.
According to a report filed by Geo News, the flight carrying Nawaz will be named ‘Umeed-e-Pakistan’. It can carry approximately 150 passengers.
The former prime minister will leave Dubai for Pakistan on October 21, along with senior and close party members. Nawaz Sharif’s flight will land in Islamabad for a 30 minute long stay, with the PML-N supremo then flying to Lahore to address a gathering at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Before the final leg of the journey, Nawaz Sharif will reach Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and perform Umrah there. He will stay in Saudi Arabia for a week and hold important meetings.
Earlier, former finance minister Ishaq Dar said there is no chance of Nawaz’s arrest upon his arrival in the country.
Dar also said that PML-N’s narrative will be about the economy, adding that, “recovery of the economy is the best revenge.”
Prolific writer Arundhati Roy, the only non-expatriate Booker prize winning author of The God of Small Things, is one of the most high-profile critics of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a voice for the voiceless in her country.
Amidst the dire situation of press freedom in India, the author may face prosecution for a speech she delivered in 2010 about Kashmir, as per media reports. A top-official in New Delhi, VK Saxena, has given approval for the case to proceed before the courts. According to Saxena’s directive, Roy and her co-defendants were allegedly advocating for the secession of Kashmir from India at a public function and that is enough evidence for a legal case.
Under the Modi Government, sedition laws are often used to curb the freedom of expression and journalism, raising a question over the so-called biggest democracy’s principles. Added to that are PSA laws exclusive to Jammu and Kashmir which allow detention of individuals “preventively” for up to two years, without a trial or warrant. In IOK, a number of journalists have been held in detention.
The revocation of Article 370 ensuring the special status of Kashmir on August 6, 2019, has caused voices like Roy to become more loud. “In Kashmir when we wake up and say, ‘Good Morning’ what we really mean is ‘Good Mourning,’” exclaimed one of the characters from her novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Her house was besieged when the speech became public and the complaint that lodged against her has now proceeded after 13 years.
Roy, now 61, has always been fearless in her expression and is known for her work as a journalist, activist and a novelist. Her work is a scribbled protest whereas her speeches and the articles she reads in conferences is vocal dissent in the face of oppressors. In one of her famous speeches, she voices out the basic facts of Kashmir’s reality that “it is not an integral part of India and even the Indian Government has accepted this years back in the UN.” Her latest book Azadi Freedom, Fascism, Fiction is an honest account of the situation of minorities, Dalits and activists in India.
