The Pakistan playing XI for the third T20 against New Zealand has been announced with three changes in the team.
Pakistan announced the playing XI on Tuesday with Usama Mir, Aamir Jamal, and Abbas Afridi dropped from the squad.
In place of these three, Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz and Zaman Khan have been included in the national team.
It should be noted that Abbas Afridi has been ruled out of the match due to a strain in stomach muscles.
A picture circulating on social media in recent days shows a teacher’s hard work and honesty towards his profession, as he awards marks to his students while admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
A woman named Sandra Venegas took the photo of her father working on a hospital bed and shared it on social media to let people know the sacrifices a teacher makes and how dedicated he is to his profession.
Despite serious health issues, the said teacher took the time to pack his laptop and charger, knowing that he was going to the emergency room, and on his deathbed, he graded all his students’ assignments.The next day when the teacher died, his daughter posted this picture on social media with the caption that teachers take time out of their work hours for children in their private lives but no one appreciates them.
“Teachers put in so many extra hours, hours that many don’t realize. Even during a pandemic, even during a health crisis, teachers worry about completing their duties,” Venegas wrote in the caption of the post.
This post has gone viral with a large number of users appreciating the services of the teacher, with some also condoling the death of her father.
Zimbabwe cricket team’s all-rounder Sikandar Raza has set a historic record with five consecutive half-centuries in T20 Internationals.
The 37-year-old all-rounder scored his fifth consecutive half-century in the T20 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, after which he became the first cricketer in the world to score five consecutive half-centuries in the shortest format.
Sikandar Raza completed his fifth half-century in 37 balls and played an innings of 62 runs in 42 balls in the match.
Raza’s extraordinary form began in November during the Africa Region qualifiers for the T20 World Cup where he scored 58, 65, 82, and 65 runs in Zimbabwe’s last four matches.
He now stands as the only record holder by surpassing stalwarts including Brendon McCullum, Chris Gayle, Craig Williams, Ryan Pathan, Gustav McKeown, and Reza Hendricks who scored four consecutive half-centuries.
Argentina’s star footballer Lionel Messi has won the 2023 FIFA Player of the Year award for a record third time.
The FIFA Awards ceremony was held in London on Monday, in which the best players of the year were honored with awards.
In the Men’s Footballer of the Year category, tough competition between France’s Mbappe, Norway’s Erling Holland and Lionel Messi ended with the Argentinian beating his rivals.
Messi previously won the Men’s FIFA Player of the Year award in 2019 and 2022.
Portugal’s Ronaldo has also won the FIFA Men’s Player of the Year award twice.
However, Messi has now won the award for the third time, surpassing Ronaldo to become the player who has won the award the most times.
In a significant move, the caretaker government announced a substantial reduction in the price of petrol by Rs8 per litre for the upcoming fortnight, effective January 16.
This decision, as conveyed in a notification issued today by the Finance Division, aligns with the recommendations put forth by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA).
The adjusted ex-depot price of petrol now stands at Rs259.34 per litre, reflecting a notable decrease from the previous rate of Rs267.34 per litre.
However, it is important to note that there have been no alterations in the prices of high-speed diesel, light-diesel oil, or kerosene oil.
The government has already reached the maximum permissible limit under the law, with a Rs60 per litre petroleum levy imposed on both petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD).
This levy is in line with the commitments made to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), aiming to collect Rs869 billion during the current fiscal year.
Optimistically, the government anticipates surpassing this target, with the collection expected to exceed Rs950 billion by the end of June.
Petroleum and electricity prices have been identified as key contributors to inflation, which surged to 29.7 per cent in December, as indicated by the Consumer Price Index.
Presently, the government imposes a tax of approximately Rs82 per litre on both petrol and HSD.
This adjustment in petrol prices not only provides relief to consumers but also marks a strategic step by the caretaker government to manage fiscal targets while considering the economic impact on the general population.
The move is anticipated to have ripple effects on inflation rates, offering a temporary respite from the cost of living for the common citizen.
In November 2023, Pakistan’s Large Scale Manufacturing Industries (LSMI) experienced a notable monthly growth of 3.63 per cent, reaching a production index of 114.85, as reported by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS).
This marks an increase from the October 2023 figure of 110.83.
On an annual basis, LSMI output demonstrated a year-on-year rise of 1.59 per cent, contrasting with the November 2022 recorded index of 113.05.
However, when considering the cumulative data for the first five months of Fiscal Year 2024 (5MFY24), LSMI exhibited a marginal decline of 0.8 per cent when compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
Various sectors played a significant role in contributing to this overall decline of -0.80 per cent. Notable contributors to the growth include food (0.53), garments (3.18), petroleum products (0.43), chemicals (0.32), pharmaceuticals (1.56), and cement (0.17).
Conversely, sectors such as tobacco (-0.80), textiles (-2.48), paper and board (-0.11), iron and steel products (-0.09), electrical equipment (-0.45), automobiles (-1.70), and furniture (-1.65) experienced contractions.
The provisional quantum indices of LSMI for November 2023, based on the 2015-16 reference year, have been formulated using the latest data provided by the relevant source agencies.
On Monday, gold rates in Pakistan experienced a notable surge, mirroring an upward trend in the global market.
The price of the precious metal reached Rs217,900 per tola in the local market, marking a gain of Rs450 within the day.
According to data provided by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the 10-gramme gold was traded at Rs186,814, reflecting an increase of Rs386.
This upward trajectory follows a noteworthy rise of Rs950 per tola in gold prices on the preceding Saturday.
The international gold rate exhibited a similar positive movement, reaching $2,075 per ounce on Monday with a $20 premium.
This uptick of $7 in the global market was reported by APGJSA. Meanwhile, silver rates remained unchanged at Rs2,650 per tola.
These fluctuations in precious metal prices highlight the dynamic nature of the market, influenced by both domestic and international factors.
Investors and stakeholders continue to monitor these developments for their implications on the broader economic landscape.
Senior players of Pakistan cricket are upset and unhappy with the strict behavior of team director, Muhammad Hafeez.
Tension has erupted between team management and the players in New Zealand over the issue of the No Objections Certificate (NOC), Geo sources have said.
After losing three Tests in Australia, the Pakistan team has also been defeated in both T20 Internationals in New Zealand.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given unlimited powers to Hafeez after he replaced Mickey Arthur as director, putting him at the forefront of many decisions in domestic cricket.
Sources say that some players including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan had asked for and were issued NOCs for the expensive league ILT Twenty20 in Dubai. Still, some of the big cricketers asked for the NOC for the Bangladesh Premier League but Mohammad Hafeez is hesitant, which threatens his contracts.
Senior players are also not happy with long team meetings. Players say that they are interfering and interrupting unnecessarily which is spoiling the atmosphere of the team.
When Geo News tried to get a response from the Pakistan team management and PCB, they indicated that everything was fine.
Team sources say that although right now tension is in the initial stage, but going forward, things may become more bitter.
The final of the ILT Twenty will be played on February 17, the same day as the opening match of the Pakistan Super League. Retired player Mohammad Amir has been issued NOC for ILT Twenty20.
Late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, has shared details about the harrowing time she spent in jail after a media witch-hunt, following the heartthrob’s suicide.
In a recent interview, Rhea revealed that her time in jail was the toughest, as she was kept alone in a room for 14 days because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The food provided had to be eaten; they would ask if I was hungry and served dry rotis with water-soaked bell peppers.”
The actress said she found her source of being positive in her fellow inmates. “I started feeling grateful when I saw that many prisoners don’t have family support. Or they don’t have Rs. 5,000 or Rs. 10,000 for their bail. At least, I have my family and friends. I told myself, ‘You will get justice. You will get bail. You have not done anything wrong. I have so much to learn from these women while I am here. Why am I wasting my time sulking about what is not in my control?’” she said.
Rhea Chakraborty described the jail routine, stating, “Breakfast at 6 am, lunch at 11 am, and dinner at 2 pm were provided. Some would save lunch for later, but I thought if the food isn’t good, it shouldn’t be eaten cold, so I stuck to my routine.”
Regarding the investigations into Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide, Rhea Chakraborty has faced allegations from Sushant’s family, which she vehemently denies. She continues to demand a transparent investigation into Sushant’s death from Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
In the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) inaugural rally for the upcoming general elections in Okara, the party’s Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz strongly criticized political rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) without naming it, calling it a “terrorist party” and questioning the allocation of an electoral symbol to such an entity.
The PML-N, which had faced delays in launching its campaign, is now gearing up for the February 8 polls and is set to reveal its manifesto.
The delay in the campaign kick-off was attributed to the PML-N’s extensive deliberations on ticket distribution and seat adjustments with the Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).
Party leader Nawaz Sharif, concerned about his party being labeled the ‘favorite’ of the establishment, aims to dispel the impression during the election campaign, according to insider sources.
During her address to party supporters, Maryam Nawaz, without explicitly naming the PTI, asserted that a “terrorist party” should not be assigned an election symbol like other political entities.
She hurled an array of criticism at Imran Khan during the address and blamed him for orchestrating and carrying out the May 9 violent attacks.
She mocked Khan for snatching of his electoral symbol, saying that his election symbol should not be a bat but a “baton”.
The PML-N chief organizer also dubbed Imran Khan’s party a group of terrorists. “A terrorist group could not be given a political party’s electoral symbol,” she said.
“Your electoral symbol should be the watch that you stole or the petrol bomb that you hurled on police officials,” she said, adding “what goes around comes around”.
“Your electoral symbol was not bat but baton with which you attacked military installments. The baton has been snatched from your hand,” she maintained.
Maryam Nawaz emphasized that the PTI’s current situation is a consequence of its own actions and warned that the nation would not tolerate a political party manipulating its internal elections without consequences.
Referring to Imran Khan without explicitly mentioning his name, Maryam stated, “He was used to getting bails […] he was used to facilitation. But neither the facilitation nor the facilitators remain.”
She asserted that now only the law and the nation would determine the outcomes.
Maryam assured supporters that if the PML-N emerged victorious in the upcoming polls, it would prioritize issues such as good education, cheap electricity, women empowerment, and an improved living standard. She stressed that the PML-N did not seek revenge and believed in facing challenges truthfully and honestly.
The PML-N leader also highlighted that Nawaz Sharif’s “real umpire” was the public, expressing confidence that the people would bring him back to power.