The holy month of Ramzan is around the corner with less than two weeks left.
According to weather analyst Jawad Memon, although the Ramzan moon will rise on March 10, it will not be visible on that day. “The moon will be clearly visible on March 11,” he said. The first Taraweeh will take place on the night of March 11 as there is a 95 percent probability that the first Roza will be on Tuesday, March 12.
Like every year, the meeting of the Central Royat Hilal Committee will be held in Islamabad, in which all the zonal committees will be meeting in their respective domains.
Earlier, Gulf News reported that astronomers have predicted that the main connection will be on March 10 at 9 am. Resultantly, the moon will be visible only after sunset in most Islamic countries on March 10.
However, astronomers believe that the chances of seeing the moon in the entire Arab and Islamic world on March 10 are very low.
Ramzan is expected to start on Tuesday, March 12 in most Islamic countries including Pakistan.
AP Dhillon is arguably the biggest name in Punjabi music, with fans spread all over the globe, including Pakistan. Recently, the singer held a concert in Dubai, and many Pakistani celebrities were spotted there, enjoying his music live.
Saboor Aly, Atif Aslam, Ali Ansari, Dananeer Mobeen, and Ken Doll were among those seen dancing and sharing moments from the concert. Take a look at some of these moments:
The most expensive ticket for the India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup to be held in the United States and West Indies in June this year has sold for $175000.
According to a report filed in US TODAY, the resale tickets for the Pakistan vs India match on June 9 in New York are being sold for at least double the original prices on the website.
The most expensive ticket for the India-Pakistan match is around 4 crore 87 lac rupees ($175000) including tax fee of $50000, the total price of the ticket is 6 crore 26 lac rupees ($225000).
ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup general tickets are being resold on resale websites such as StubHub and SeatGeek 10 days after going on sale. The match tickets starting at 1,670 rupees ($6) in official sales.
The most expensive ticket for the India-Pak match was $400 for premium seating without tax.
The ICC had made it clear that no additional fees would be charged over and above certain taxes, with VIP tickets for the same match being offered for over $40,000 on the resale website, with a fee of $10,000, the total value of which becomes more than 50 thousand dollars.
The cheapest India-Pakistan match ticket on StubHub was $1,259 till Friday. The lowest priced ticket for the match on SeatGeek was $1,166 without taxes or fees as of Friday afternoon.
Singapore said Monday its grant to Taylor Swift for her concerts in the city was nowhere near as high as speculated, following media reports that the superstar was offered millions of dollars per gig.
Around 300,000 people from Singapore and around the region are expected to attend the six sold-out shows that began March 2 — but some neighbours were not happy about being left off The Eras Tour.
Some, including reportedly the Thai prime minister, have said that Swift was paid millions to keep her from performing anywhere else in the region.
“There has been some online speculation as to the size of the grant. I can say that it is not accurate and not anywhere as high as speculated,” Singapore’s culture minister Edwin Tong told parliament.
“Due to business confidentiality reasons, we cannot reveal the specific size of the grant or the conditions of the grant.”
Tong added that the “economic benefits to Singapore are assessed to be significant and outweigh the size of the grant”.
Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin had reportedly said, citing a concert promoter, that Singapore offered Swift up to US$3 million per concert if she did not play anywhere else in Southeast Asia.
A lawmaker in the Philippines also criticised Singapore, reportedly saying this was not “what good neighbours do”.
Tong played down the role the grant may have played in convincing Swift to perform only in Singapore.
“Promoters of top artists will do their own calculation and assess where they want to perform and for how long,” he said, citing Singapore’s location and infrastructure as key factors.
Since the end of pandemic curbs, a number of top artists have performed in Singapore, including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Blackpink and Harry Styles.
Renowned singer Amjad Pervaiz, known for many hit songs, has sadly passed away due to kidney failure at the age of 79. His family has confirmed that he had been struggling with renal disease for some time. The family announced that Amjad Pervaiz’s funeral will be held on Monday, March 4, after noon prayer at Main Boulevard Mosque in Shadman, Lahore.
Chief Minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, has expressed sadness over Amjad Pervaiz’s passing. “His music will always be remembered and appreciated,” she said.
Amjad Pervaiz was born in Lahore in 1945. His father was a chemistry professor, and his grandfather was the principal of Islamia College Lahore. Despite his academic background, Amjad Pervaiz pursued his love for music. He started singing as a child at Radio Pakistan, Lahore station. With the help of music teacher Ustad Salamat Ali and others, he became a famous singer. Amjad Pervaiz’s music has touched many hearts and will continue to do so. He will be missed by all who knew him and loved his songs.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has opposed a proposed Senate resolution seeking a ban on social media platforms.
The rights body has warned the members of the senate that such “ill-judged measures that violate people’s constitutional right to freedom of expression” represent an erosion of democracy.
HRCP released the statement on Sunday, a day after it was reported that the Senate is going to discuss today (Monday) a resolution moved by Senator Bahramand Khan Tangi calling for a complete ban on some social media sites—X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Tangi was expelled by the PPP last month. The senator is set to retire on March 11.
His resolution had argued that the platforms are adversely affecting the younger generation in the country as they are being used to promote norms that are against religion and culture. “[The platforms are also] creating hatred among the people on the grounds of language and religion,” it said.
The resolution also “noted with concern” the use of such platforms against the interest of the country for spreading negative and malicious propaganda against the armed forces of Pakistan.
“The HRCP calls on civil society and digital rights activists to mobilise against all efforts to impose such arbitrary curbs, including reports of a ban on all VPNs, and demands that X be restored immediately,” the statement said.
Previously, Senator Brahmand Tangi, who was expelled by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) one month ago, had moved a resolution in the senate asking that all social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram be banned in Pakistan to protect the next generation from what he has dubbed their “negative and devastating” effects.
Tangi was expelled by the PPP last month after he went against party policy and remained silent on a resolution asking for delay in Balochistan and KP general elections. However, DAWN has reported that the party has till now not moved a reference against him.
The resolution has alleged that social media platforms were being used to promote norms “against our culture and religion” and creating hatred among the general populace.
The document also charges the platforms with being used to run “malicious” campaigns against the army and spreading fake news.
PPP has said that the senator should not use the party’s name anymore, swiftly distancing itself from the controversial resolution. Nonetheless, it will be on Monday’s agenda.
Shehbaz Sharif has taken oath as the 24th prime minister of Pakistan today (Monday) at President’s House in Islamabad.
President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath to the newly-elected premier. The oath-taking ceremony began with a holy recitation.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president was elected the 24th prime minister of the country on Sunday, after completed his previous 16-month tenure from April 2022 to August 2023.
It will be the second time that Shehbaz Sharif will serve the nation as prime minister. The PML-N president got 201 votes against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) opponent Omar Ayub Khan, who got 92 votes in the National Assembly (NA) on Sunday.
Shehbaz’s victory was expected, as he enjoyed the support of seven other parties apart from the PML-N. The PM-elect is backed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), and the National Party (NP).
The sources of Geo News claimed that caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will welcome Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House.
Multan Sultans became the first team to reach the playoffs in the ninth season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Team captain Muhammad Rizwan issued a message for the late Alamgir Tareen on Instagram.
Rizwan shared a picture of Tareen and wrote, “As Multan Sultans secure a place in the PSL playoffs, I remember Alamgir Tareen. His kindness and humble presence in the dugout lifted us all. Let’s make dua for him and remember to cherish and care for those around us, recognizing the silent battles they may face.”
Tareen, well-known businessman, owner and managing director of Multan Sultans, committed suicide via gunshot at his home in July last year. In a note that he left behind, he said that he wanted his illness to end.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has agreed to the appointment of Ishaq Dar as the finance minister, as per The News on Monday. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PPP are ready to form a coalition government in the centre after the February 8 polls nationwide.
The development comes in the backdrop of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto’s tirade during election campaign in the run-up to the February 8 polls, wherein he had time and again criticised Dar for mismanaging the economy during the PML-N-led Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government.
In January, Bilawal Bhutto told Geo News that his party will see “anyone but Dar” as the country’s finance minister because of the poor economic situation in Pakistan.
The PML-N leader refrained from responding to his comment and said, “He [Bilawal] is like my child. I don’t want to comment on what he said.”
“This is the same Bilawal who on the floor [of the parliament] a few months back used to say that for him I’m Dar uncle,” he added.
Spanish tourists identified as Vicente and Fernanda, having a total of 240 thousand followers on Instagram were attacked by a group of seven men in the Indian state of Jharkhand.
The couple had stopped their motorbikes and set up a tent to pass the night in the state’s Dumka district when the group found them. They repeatedly hit the man and gang-raped the woman.
“They had beaten us and robbed us, although not many things [were taken] because what they wanted was to rape me,” the 28-year-old woman said in an Instagram post while showing her bruised face.
SPANISH TOURIST RAPED BY 7 MEN IN INDIA
“They beat us. They put a knife to my neck and told me they were going to kill me.”
“Something has happened to us that we would not wish on anyone. Seven men have raped me. They have beaten us and robbed us, although not many things,… pic.twitter.com/1Zgcsy7j3x
“They raped me, they took turns while some watched and they stayed like that for about two hours”, Fernanda, who has joint Brazilian-Spanish nationality, said in an interview.
In another post, her male partner said he was hit several times in the head with a helmet and that his “mouth is destroyed”.
A patrol car rescued the duo late on Friday night after the assault and escorted them to a local hospital.
The local police has said that they have identified everyone involved and arrested four men who have confessed to rape.
However, three of them have appeared in court after the gang rape of a Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip with her husband, with police hunting four other suspects, reports said Monday. “We have formed a team to hunt the remaining suspects,” senior local police officer Pitamber Singh Kherwar told AFP.
On Sunday, three accused were seen being escorted into court with sacks on their heads by police officers holding ropes tied around their waists. The three were later remanded in custody.
The Spanish woman and her husband were also in court.
“We have to ensure strict punishment,” Kherwar said, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency reported Monday.
Kherwar said a special team including forensic officers had been formed to scour the scene of the attack, while another team was hunting more suspects.
“They are constantly raiding places,” Kherwar said in PTI’s report. “We will soon arrest the remaining accused.”
On average, in 2022, nearly 90 rapes were reported in India every day, meaning one woman is raped every 18 minutes according to the National Crime Records Bureau, which recorded 31,516 rape cases that year.
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh states recorded the highest number of cases.
