Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Andrew Flintoff airlifted to hospital after accident while filming Top Gear

    Andrew Flintoff airlifted to hospital after accident while filming Top Gear

    Former English all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was immediately taken to the hospital via helicopter on Tuesday after injuring himself in an accident while filming the famous BBC TV show ‘Top Gear’.

    The 45 years old cricketing star was given first aid at the scene while filming an episode of Top Gear, BBC’s famous show about automobiles.
    BBC has stated that his injuries are not life-threatening.

    The incident happened at the program’s test track at Dunsfold Park Aerodrome, south of London.


    Flintoff, a celebrated all-rounder better known as “Freddie”, played 79 Tests for England before retiring from cricket aged 32.
    “Freddie was injured in an accident at the Top Gear test track this morning (Tuesday) with crew medics attending the scene immediately,” a BBC spokesperson said, according to the BBC and Sky


    “He has been taken to hospital for further treatment and we will confirm more details in due course.”

    During his cricket career, Flintoff played a pivotal role in England winning the Ashes in 2005 and 2009.

  • New Zealand passes world’s first tobacco law to prevent future generations from smoking

    New Zealand passes world’s first tobacco law to prevent future generations from smoking

    As part of its attempts to become smoke-free by 2025, New Zealand has passed new regulations. The newest legislation prohibits anyone under the age of 14 from ever being able to legally purchase cigarettes. The decision to ban smoking for the next generation would be a first in the world.

    According to associate health minister Ayesha Verrall, “Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be $5bn better off from not needing to treat the illnesses caused by smoking, such as numerous types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes, amputations.”

    The laws passed their final reading on Tuesday evening and will come into force in 2023. The number of stores legally allowed to sell cigarettes will be reduced to a tenth of their existing levels – from 6,000 to just 600 countrywide.

    Tobacco will not be sold to anyone who was born on or after January 1, 2009, in New Zealand, which will be the first country in the world to specify the age for smoking that increases every year.

    The amount of nicotine that is legally allowed to be present in tobacco products will be drastically reduced, and instead of being sold in corner stores and supermarkets, they will have to only be sold through specific tobacco stores, according to The Guardian.

    These laws will also be accompanied by a number of other initiatives to make smoking more expensive and less accessible.

  • Back to 2020? Markets, restaurants to be closed by 10pm

    Back to 2020? Markets, restaurants to be closed by 10pm

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued orders to close markets and restaurants in Lahore by 10pm in order to control the worsening smog in the city.

    The court gave out its ruling after a hearing on a petition seeking the court’s intervention to curb smog. According to the orders, the closure of markets and restaurants by 10pm will be enforced on weekdays.

    On weekends, however, restaurants will be allowed to close at 11pm. Although it has been suggested that markets should remain closed on Sundays but the suggestion has been put off for now.

    Regarding schools, the court said that schools that remained open on Fridays will be sealed and directed the education department to strictly implement its orders.

    Last week, the Punjab Government ordered closure of schools in the provincial capital for three days a week— Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

    Pakistan’s biggest cities have ranked among the most polluted in the world for the past few weeks, with Lahore, the capital of Punjab, having topped the list the metropolises with the most polluted air several times in the last month.

  • ‘Main Ranveer ka dost bol raha hoon, us ne surf kha liya hai’: Social media reacts to photoshoot of Pakistani model

    ‘Main Ranveer ka dost bol raha hoon, us ne surf kha liya hai’: Social media reacts to photoshoot of Pakistani model

    Pakistani supermodel Aimal Khan’s latest photoshoot has sent social media users into a tizzy when the images surfaced on the internet. Some are criticising him for the nude photoshoot while others are commenting that Pakistani model’s photoshoot is better than Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh’s nude photoshoot.


    Have a look at the reactions:

    Have a look at the reactions.

    https://twitter.com/OldSukool_/status/1602746885977931776

  • Aanay waalay dinon mein koyi barra toofaan barpa ho sakta hai: Hamid Mir

    Aanay waalay dinon mein koyi barra toofaan barpa ho sakta hai: Hamid Mir

    Senior journalist Hamid Mir has warned that all is not well in Islamabad and a big storm may hit the corridors of power in the near future.

    While speaking on Geo News’ programme Geo Pakistan, Mir said, “Maujooda haqoomti ittehaad mein sab kuch acha nahin hai aur Islamabad mein honay waali siyaasi garma garmi aanay waalay dinon mein koyi barra toofaan barpa kar sakti hai” (All is not well within the incumbent coalition government. The political heat in Islamabad could create a big storm in the coming days).

    Mir said that if Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan dissolves the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab Assembly, then the heat in Islamabad can create a huge storm.

    He was of the view that junior coalition parties could also force Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s government to hold general elections.

    Separately, differences can also be seen within Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and his predecessor Miftah Ismail put forward their conflicting views on the state of Pakistan’s economy.

    While Dar argued that the country’s performance criteria are up to the mark and “complete” for the International Mone­tary Fund’s (IMF) ninth review, Ismail insisted that the default risk wouldn’t subside unless the Fund came to the table.

    Mulk mein default ka khatra hai, says Miftah Ismail

    Miftah Ismail said on Tuesday that there is still a threat of the country defaulting until the government completes the IMF ninth review. On the contrary, Dar said that he was not concerned whether the IMF team arrived or not for the ninth review, asserting that the IMF could “not dictate” the government.

    Appearing on Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, Miftah rang alarm bells, stating that Pakistan is in jeopardy. “It has gone back in jeopardy and as long as IMF is not back on the table, the threat of default will remain high,” he emphasised.

    Moreover, he believed that the path Pakistan is on might take the country toward default urging the incumbent government to take steps to prevent that from happening.

    On the show, the former minister blamed Khan for the ongoing economic crisis. He said, “Khan is responsible for pushing Pakistan towards default; he is the one who broke his promise with the IMF; Khan is the one who wanted to derail the IMF programme when we tried to revive it under PM Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership.”

    When asked that the incumbent finance minister Ishaq Dar has said several times that IMF is being unreasonable, Miftah responded that first we need to take a good look at ourselves.

    “When the IMF gives you a loan, this means they are helping you out. We need to look at ourselves, why did we go to the IMF previously. Dealing with the IMF is not an easy task,” Miftah said. He reiterated that if the IMF didn’t come to the table, “It will be very difficult to save Pakistan from a default”.

    He stressed that the country needed to take action on certain matters to bring the IMF mission to Pakistan, saying that funds from neighbouring countries could only last the country for weeks.

    Earlier this month, Pakistan ended its immediate default risk when the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) made a payment of $1 billion for sukuk bond.

  • ‘Company CEO more respected than us’: BNP, JUI-F not happy with PM Shehbaz led govt

    ‘Company CEO more respected than us’: BNP, JUI-F not happy with PM Shehbaz led govt

    Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-Mengal) — boycotted a federal cabinet meeting over a controversial bill regarding the revival of the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Balochistan.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif formed a cabinet committee to address the grievances of JUI-F and BNP-M while assuring them that an amendment bill would soon be tabled in the parliament after consulting the two allies.

    Both JUI-F and BNP-Mengal were of the view that the recently passed Reko Diq related bill — the Foreign Investment (Promotion and Protection) Bill, 2022, in the Senate, was against the rights of the people of Balochistan and that both parties had not been taken on board during the preparation of the bill.

    Chairman BNP Akhtar Mengal has signalled that he may separate his party from the incumbent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government at the centre.

    Discussing his reservations during Geo News programme “Capital Talk”, the BNP-M leader said that the coalition government, instead of taking allies into confidence, takes investors into confidence. “More importance is given to companies instead of the parliament. We will have to think about the basis of our unity,” he warned.

    Expressing his displeasure, Mengal said that a CEO of a company is respected more than the allies. He added that his province was “looted” by everyone. “The resources change people’s lives, but it is Balochistan’s misfortune that the way the resources were discovered there, they became a disaster for the people,” he said.

    During the programme, another ally of the government Jamaat-e-Islami-Fazl’s (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza said that the Foreign Investment Bill has been passed forcefully and with deceit which is a threat to Pakistan.

  • Climate Change can lead to humanitarian crisis in 2023

    Climate Change can lead to humanitarian crisis in 2023

    The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released its annual Emergency Watchlist, highlighting the 20 countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023.


    According to the report, climate change will accelerate humanitarian crises around the world in 2023, adding to issues created by armed conflict and economic downturns.


    As per the study, Somalia, Ethiopia and Afghanistan top IRC’s list of countries most at risk of deteriorating humanitarian crises in 2023.
    David Miliband, President and CEO of the IRC said, “The Emergency Watchlist shows record levels of humanitarian need in 2022 and real peril ahead for 2023.

    “A year ago we diagnosed a global ‘System Failure’ – deficits in respect of state actions, diplomacy, legal rights and humanitarian operations that are driving the increased numbers of people in humanitarian need. Yet humanitarian need, forced displacement and food insecurity have all worsened since then,” he said. This system failure can be seen in this year’s figures: humanitarian need has jumped by 65 million people since last year, displacement has ballooned to over 100 million people.

    “The 2023 Watchlist reveals a need for a step change in the way the international community approaches humanitarian crises. At their heart, these are political crises, economic crises, security crises, and climate crises. But the erosion of guardrails meant to address these underlying issues means that humanitarian crises are spiraling. Aid as usual will not meet the moment. The nearly 340 million people who require aid in 2023 need more humanitarian funding for greater and better programs. But they also deserve more. They require a plan to break the cycle of runaway crises. This means new tools to protect people caught up in conflict, and a new commitment to confront – rather than compound- shared global risks,” he stated.

  • NASA records sound of ‘dust devil’ on Mars

    NASA records sound of ‘dust devil’ on Mars

    The sound of a ‘dust devil’ on Mars has been recorded for the first time by NASA’s Perseverance when a short whirlwind swept over the rover.

    Researchers believe that the recording will help to gain more information about climate behavior on Mars, including how the atmosphere of the red planet could possibly support life.

    Although dust devils and dust storms are very common on Mars, NASA’s rover has captured it for the first time on its microphone.
    The rover’s audio recording device is turned on only occasionally, leading to estimates that such events might be recorded just around 0.5 percent of the time. Wind speeds in the walls of the dust devil reached nearly 40kmph as with the last whirlwinds observed by other instruments, this early morning dust whirl caused a slight drop in atmospheric pressure and rise in temperature as it swept over the rover on September 27, 2021. It was 25 meters in diameter, at least 118 meters tall, and ambled by at about 20 kilometers per hour.

  • Lionel Messi determined to win football’s greatest prize as Argentina reaches the World Cup final

    Lionel Messi determined to win football’s greatest prize as Argentina reaches the World Cup final

    Lionel Messi’s lifelong dream of leading Argentina to World Cup will remain alive until the last day of Qatar 2022, as the South American powerhouse outclassed a weary-looking Croatia in a 3-0 victory in Tuesday’s semifinal.

    Argentina has made its eighth appearance in a World Cup semifinal (defeating the USA in 1930, Belgium in 1986, Italy in 1990, and the Netherlands in 2014). It has additionally made the final six times. The last time Argentina won the World Cup was in 1986.

    According to CNN, Argentina and Croatia both played conservatively at the beginning of the game in an effort to avoid making a mistake. But after a half-hour, Argentina took charge and never looked back.

    When Julián Álvarez and Croatian goalkeeper Dominik Livaković faced off in the 32nd minute, Livaković knocked Álvarez down, earning a penalty kick. Then Lionel Messi, a star for Argentina, took the initiative and did what he seemingly usually does. He struck the ball high and to the right with calm and composure, giving his team a 1-0 lead.

    Álvarez had not finished. He led a counterattack in the 39th minute and dribbled all the way from midfield, racing through three Croatian defenders before lofting the ball past Livakovi to put Argentina ahead 2-0 at the break.

    In goal, Livaković excelled during the competition. However, a relentless Argentina onslaught and a few defensive mistakes by Croatia proved to be too much.

    Against Croatia, Messi and Álvarez had one more brilliant moment as a team. Messi displayed incredible ball control in the 69th minute against Croatian goalkeeper Joko Gvardiol on the right side of the net. Then Messi connected with Álvarez, who scored to make it 3-0. Only two of Croatia’s twelve shots on goal were successful.

    Only one of their previous 41 international games had Argentina lost, coming into this encounter (28 wins, 12 draws). Croatia, who finished second in the 2018 tournament, had only dropped one of their previous 12 World Cup games.

    Messi moved slightly ahead of Kylian Mbappé of France (five goals and two assists) for the lead in the Golden Boot competition with his fifth goal of the tournament (and third assist). In the championship game, Messi plans to smash another record. In terms of overall FIFA appearances, he now has 25 World Cup games under his belt and is tied with Lothar Matthäus.

    On Sunday, Argentina will take on the winner of the semifinal match between France and Morocco on Wednesday. The World Cup competition for Croatia is still ongoing. It will compete against the loser of tomorrow’s semifinal in the third-place game on Saturday.

  • Chalo jee, roti, naan expected to be Rs16, Rs25 in Lahore

    Chalo jee, roti, naan expected to be Rs16, Rs25 in Lahore

    The Nanbai Association in Punjab’s capital city has hinted at increasing the price of naan and roti in the city, calling a meeting to determine the price.

    The prices of Roti and Naan are expected to increase by Rs2 to Rs3.

    According to details, Aftab Gul, the President of the Association, has said that the increase in the price of roti and naan has been proposed because of the increase in price of wheat in the market. In addition, he said that non-availability of gas, wood and expensive LPG are among reasons behind the expected increase.


    Aftab Gul also said that the price of a 15 kg bag of wheat has increased from Rs1400 to Rs1775, while a bag of fine flour has increased from Rs8500 to Rs9500.