Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Spinning maestro Harbhajan Singh retires from cricket

    Spinning maestro Harbhajan Singh retires from cricket

    Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has retired from all formats of cricket. The cricketer announced the news on Twitter.

    Taking to Twitter, Harbhajan wrote: “All good things come to an end and today as I bid adieu to the game that has given me everything in life, I would like to thank everyone who made this 23-year-long journey beautiful and memorable.”

    The cricketer also thanked everyone saying that he is “grateful”.

    In a video message, the 41-year-old said that “in many ways, I had already retired”, but because of his commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, he was forced to delay the announcement.

    “There comes a time in your life when you must take some tough decisions and move ahead. I have been meaning to make this announcement for the last few years, but I was waiting for the right moment to share it with all of you: today, I am retiring from all formats of cricket,” he said. “In many ways, I had already retired as a cricketer, but hadn’t been able to make a formal announcement.”

    “I haven’t been an active cricketer for a while. But I had a commitment to Kolkata Knight Riders, and wanted to spend the (2021) IPL season with them. But during the season itself, I had made up my mind to retire.”

    Harbhajan last played for India in March 2016, in a T20I against the UAE in Dhaka in that year’s Asia Cup.

    The former cricketer concluded by saying: “Now I begin a new chapter in my life, which starts with its own challenges. Believe me, your Turbanator is ready for the examination! Just keep showering your love on me.”

  • ‘Will see you soon in Pak’: Nawaz Sharif hints yet again at coming back

    ‘Will see you soon in Pak’: Nawaz Sharif hints yet again at coming back

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has hinted at coming back to Pakistan.

    The PML-N leader while addressing a conference with party workers and leaders said, “Thank you all very much, see you soon in Pakistan.”

    Senior party leaders have hinted at the same stance as that of their leader Nawaz Sharif. Former Speaker National Assembly (NA) Ayaz Sadiq on Thursday said that Nawaz Sharif will return to Pakistan soon.

    Ayaz Sadiq said that the opponents of PML-N are afraid that Shehbaz Sharif might not leave for London. He went on to say that he has not seen any man more cowardly than PM Imran Khan in politics.

    He mentioned that the premier’s ‘good governance’ has turned into bad governance while Nawaz Sharif has left all his matters to Allah.

    PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah while talking to the media said, “The decision of Nawaz Sharif’s return before the election will be his own and he will come back whenever he wants.”

    “The party wants Nawaz Sharif to be assured of justice and the party has decided that he should not return unless he is assured of justice,” said Rana Sanaullah.

  • ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    ‘Kill them’: Three-day hate speech conclave held in India as Hindutva leaders call for killing Muslims

    A three-day “hate speech conclave” was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand in Uttarakhand’s pilgrimage city of Haridwar, India, where multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made, reports The Quint.

    The gathering had speakers like Annapurna Maa, Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar, Anand Swaroop Maharaj, Sagar Sindhuraj Maharaj, Swami Premanand Maharaj, and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

    “If you want to finish them off, then kill them… We need 100 soldiers who can kill 20 lakh of them to win this,” said Annapurna Maa.

    Dharamdas Maharaj from Bihar said: “If I was present in the parliament when Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh said that minorities have first right over national resources, I would’ve followed Nathuram Godse, I’d have shot him six times in the chest with a revolver.”

    “If the governments do not listen to our demand [the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra through violence against minorities], we will wage a war far scarier than the 1857 revolt,” said Anand Swaroop Maharaj.

    According to the report, religious leader Swami Anandswaroop gave an example of how Muslim street vendors should be treated. “The street in which I live, every morning I used to spot a mullah with a big beard and nowadays they keep a saffron beard. This is Haridwar, Maharaj. There is no Muslim buyer here, so throw him out,” he said.

    Videos of the event have been circulating on social media and people are reacting to the threats being directed towards the minorities in India.

  • United States and Russia ready to talk

    United States and Russia ready to talk

    Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed tensions with the west over growing concerns about troop buildup on its border near Ukraine, reports BBC.

    The Russian president wanted quick surety on the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) to stem the crisis.

    “The ball is in their court, they have to give us some response,” Putin said at his annual press conference.

    The United States (US) warned of sanctions if Putin does not refrain from his actions.

    Ukraine security officials say more than 100,000 Russian troops have been sent close to its borders, and the US has threatened Putin with sanctions “like none he’s ever seen” if Ukraine comes under attack.

    Russia wanted Nato to give up all military action in Eastern Europe.

    “It’s you who must give us guarantees, and give them immediately, now,” Putin said on Thursday, stressing that military measures were not his preferred choice.

    United Kingdom (UK) Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she welcomed the fact that Moscow had “signalled it is willing to enter talks in January”, but warned any Russian attack would be met with sanctions that would hit Russia’s economy.

  • IN PICTURES: Nida Yasir ups her glam game in United States with son Balaj

    IN PICTURES: Nida Yasir ups her glam game in United States with son Balaj

    Host and actor Nida Yasir is currently vacationing with her son in United States. She took to her Instagram stories to share pictures from her winter vacation with her youngest son Balaj Nawaz.

    The Nadaaniyaan star made sure to give her fans and followers a sneak peek into her travel diaries.

    Have a look at the pictures:

    Earlier, this year in June the internet was flooded with pictures of Nida and Yasir Nawaz’s Turkey vacation.

  • ‘It will generate revenue’: Ravi Shastri calls for legalisation of sports betting in India

    ‘It will generate revenue’: Ravi Shastri calls for legalisation of sports betting in India

    Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri has said that he is all for legalising sports betting in India and it is time that the country catches up to an excellent way of generating revenue, which will only help the authorities to keep a control on it in official ways.

    Sports betting is illegal in India as of now. As per reports, in 2018, the Law Commission of India had recommended the legalisation of regulated betting and gambling activities in sports. It has also been said that the efforts of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are “ineffective and insufficient to tackle the menace of illegal and underground betting”.

    Titled as ‘Legal Framework: Gambling and Sports Betting Including in Cricket in India’, the report stated: “Incapability to enforce a complete ban has resulted in a rampant increase in illegal gambling, resulting in a boom in black-money generation and circulation. Since it is not possible to prevent these activities completely, effectively regulating them remains the only viable option.”

    The Law Commission also recommended classifying gambling into two categories, namely ‘proper gambling’ and ‘small gambling’.

    While in conversation with an Indian media outlet Indian Express, Ravi Shastri was asked whether he will be in favor of or against if sports betting was legalised in India. The former Indian team head coach said that he would be in favour of legalising betting on sports.

    He said that other countries were benefitting from it tax-wise and it would generate tremendous income for the government. He also asserted that the more the authorities tried to curb it or stop it, the more betting will rise through alternate channels, hence it was better to earn from it by legalising it in a proper way.

    “I think it will generate tremendous revenue for the government. Tax-wise, it’s the way of the world at the moment. The more you try to shut it down, the more it will be in your face through alternate channels. I think it’s extremely important that it should be legalised in a proper way and it’s a good platform for things to be done officially and properly,” Shastri stated.

    Meanwhile, he called the BCCI the most efficient cricket board in the world in the last 40 years and lauded the politicians for running the Indian cricket board and doing an excellent job in administering cricket in India.

  • Chief Justice proposes Justice Ayesha Malik’s name for SC judge, again

    Chief Justice proposes Justice Ayesha Malik’s name for SC judge, again

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed has proposed the name of Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as a judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) once again. A meeting of Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has been again called by the CJP on January 6 to consider Justice Ayesha’s nomination.

    CJP Gulzar Ahmed is due to retire in February 2022.

    Read more- Judicial reforms and the question of representation

    The decision to propose her name again has been welcomed by Women In Law, which is an initiative that brings together female lawyers of Pakistan and works for their equality of opportunity in the profession.

    Earlier, the JCP in September did not approve the nomination of Justice Ayesha Malik for SC appointment.

    Read more- In-depth analysis: Everything you need to know about Justice Ayesha Malik’s SC appointment

    If appointed, Justice Ayesha Malik will be the first woman to reach the apex court, and in the future can be appointed as the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

    As per the Lahore High Court website, Justice Ayesha Malik completed her education from Paris and New York and did her Senior Cambridge from the Karachi Grammar School. She did her A-Levels from the Francis Holland School for Girls in London. She assumed office in March 2012.

    Read more- Pakistan judiciary’s missed moment

  • ‘Enjoyed playing in Australia’: Shadab Khan is excited to be part of Sydney Sixers in BBL

    ‘Enjoyed playing in Australia’: Shadab Khan is excited to be part of Sydney Sixers in BBL

    Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan is excited to be a part of defending Big Bash League (BBL) champions Sydney Sixers. He said that he is hopeful to contribute to his team’s success.

    Taking to Twitter, Shadab wrote: “I have always enjoyed playing in Australia and the @BBL , these are different and tough conditions so you get to learn a lot. Really excited to be part of the @SixersBBL. Hopefully I can contribute to my team’s success.”

    Shadab will be playing the remainder of the season in a timely addition for the injury-hit Sixers, who have lost off-spinner Ben Manenti to a season-ending neck injury while Australia’s Steve O’Keefe is currently on the sidelines with a calf strain.

    He has returned to the BBL after a brief three-match stint with Brisbane Heat in the 2017-18 season.

    The 23-year-old cricketer impressed everyone with his performance at the recent T20 World Cup with nine wickets from six games, including 4 for 26 against the winners Australia in the semi-finals. Shadab, however, was wicket-less in his past two T20Is against West Indies earlier this month.

    As the lower-order batter, Shadab averages 18.33 with a strike rate of 136.81 from 64 T20Is and has also scored three half-centuries in his six-Test career.

    Shadab is the fifth Pakistani to sign in this season’s BBL and joins Melbourne Stars’ trio Haris Rauf, Syed Faridoun and Ahmad Daniyal, and Sydney Thunder’s Mohammad Hasnain.

  • Sanam, Ramsha and Anoushey raise their voice against bakeries for discrimination with Christian customers

    Sanam, Ramsha and Anoushey raise their voice against bakeries for discrimination with Christian customers

    Pakistani Celebrities took to their Instagram stories to share strong opinions against Karachi-based bakeries, ‘Delizia’ and Auntie Muanaver’s ‘Food and Dessert’ where one of their staff refused to write ‘Merry Christmas’ to the customers. Netizens also called out on social media against the bakeries and urged them to boycott.

    Actress and Video Jockey (VJ), Anoushey Ashraf wrote in her story that writing ‘Merry Christmas’ does not weaken our faith. She emphasised that it is the job of the staff to compel the request of customers.

    The Zindagi Gulzar Hai star Sanam Saeed also took to her Instagram story to express disappointment over the behaviour of bakery staff. She tagged both bakeries, Delizia and Auntie Muanaver’s Food, and reminded them about the representation of white colour in our flag.

    Shehnai diva Ramasha Khan who is currently appearing in ARY Digital’s serial, Sinf-e- Aahan, also tweeted about the incident and shared one of the quotes of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

    Earlier, the customer reported the incident on a Facebook group “Voice of Customer PK” in which she said that she went to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) branch of Delizia where she was refused to write ‘Merry Christmas’ by their staff. She also stressed to the bakeries that they should not make money from their religious occasions as well if they are so much against non-Muslims and their religions.

    The management of both bakeries are yet to release an official statements to the public.

    In 2018, the same incident happened in the Badar Commercial branch of Delizia bakery when a customer was refused a cake with ‘Merry Christmas’ written on it. The staff made a similar excuse at that time as well that it was not company instructions. It was reported on another Facebook page, Karachi Food Diary.

  • Google honours late Moin Akhtar on his 71st birth anniversary

    Google honours late Moin Akhtar on his 71st birth anniversary

    Google has honoured legendary comedian Moin Akhtar on his 71st birth anniversary with a doodle.

    The veteran artist got fame from Radio Pakistan along with names like Bushra Ansari and Anwer Maqsood. He used to work in plays for radio. Angan-Terha was one of his most popular drama. Loose Talk was a milestone in his career where he featured in over 400 hundred episodes playing different characters.

    Akhtar was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance Award in 1996. He died from a heart attack on April 22, 2011, in Karachi.

    People on social media are also remembering the legendary artist on his birth anniversary: