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  • Only two Pakistanis nominated for ICC Awards of the Decade

    Only two Pakistanis nominated for ICC Awards of the Decade

    The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Thursday, announced the nominations for the Awards of the Decade in the men’s and women’s categories. Two Pakistani male cricketers have been nominated for the awards.

    According to details, former captain of the Pakistan cricket team and current head coach Misbah-ul-Haq and leg-spinner Yasir Shah are the only two Pakistanis nominated for the awards.

    60 nominations have been made and the winners for each category will be selected through votes cast by fans around the world. The final announcements regarding the winners of their respective categories will be made on December 18.

    Misbah was nominated for the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award of the Decade whereas Shah was nominated for the prestigious category of Men’s Test Player of the Decade.

    The former captain of the Pakistan side had won the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award for the year 2016 after leading his side to the number-one spot in the ICC’s Test rankings for the very first time since its inception.

    Meanwhile, five Indian cricketers have been nominated in different categories from which four are men and one woman cricketer. Indian skipper Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin and Mithali Raj are nominated in different categories of men and women. Interesting thing is that Kohli is the only player to be nominated in all five men’s categories in the ICC Player of the Decade Award.

    Fans can vote for their favorite player and they can also win prizes by registering on the website. Voting opened on November 25 and will be closed on December 16.

    Nominations list for each category can be read on the official website of ICC.

  • Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in leaked pictures from upcoming film

    Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in leaked pictures from upcoming film

    Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan is unrecognisable in the pictures leaked from the sets of his upcoming thriller Bob Biswas. Pictures of the actor wearing a blue shirt and dark pants, a wig and large glasses have gone viral on social media.

    Bachchan is even sporting a big paunch.

    According to details, the actor is currently shooting for the film in Kolkata. In the film, he will be playing the character of Bob Biswas, an intriguing character from Sujoy Ghosh’s Kahaani, starring Vidya Balan. The film also stars Chitrangda Singh.

    The movie is a spin-off to the 2012 thriller Kahaani. It is produced by Gauri Khan and Gaurav Verma under Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment alongside Sujoy Ghosh’s Bound Script Production.

    It is directed by debutante filmmaker Diya Annapurna Ghosh. The film went on floors on January 24, 2020. Balan is most likely to have a cameo in the thriller.

    Bachchan’s last release Ludo was well-received by audiences and critics alike.

  • Celebrities pay tribute to football legend Maradona

    Celebrities pay tribute to football legend Maradona

    The sudden demise of football legend Diego Maradona of Argentina sent waves of grief across the world with celebrities and dignitaries mourning his loss. The 1986 World Cup winner passed away at home in Tigre after suffering a heart attack at the age of 60.

    Soon after his demise, social media was flooded with tributes from all parts of the world.

    Pakistani celebrities including Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar also mourned the footballer’s loss.

    From across the border, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh among other Bollywood celebrities also paid rich tributes to the former Napoli and Barcelona star.

    Meanwhile, renowned names from the world of football also mourned their fraternity’s loss.

    Cristiano Ronaldo called Maradona an “unparalleled magician”.

    “Today I say goodbye to a friend and the world says goodbye to an eternal genius. One of the best ever. An unparalleled magician. He leaves too soon, but leaves a legacy without limits and a void that will never be filled. Rest in peace, ace. You will never be forgotten.”

    Sharing a picture with Maradona, Lionel Messi said it was “a very sad day for all Argentinians and for football”.

    “He leaves us, but he is not gone because Diego is eternal. I stay with all the beautiful moments I lived with him and I wanted to send my condolences to his family and friends.”

    “A sad day for Argentina and a sad day for football as we celebrate the greatness of what this man gave us. Someone that played with passion, spirit and was nothing less than a pure genius. I was so excited to meet Diego and we will all miss him,” said David Beckham.

  • Gilgit: Viral video shows man removing Pakistani flag from burning car

    Gilgit: Viral video shows man removing Pakistani flag from burning car

    The video of a man in Gilgit removing a Pakistani flag from a burning car has gone viral on social media.

    The black car is believed to belong to a Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) minister and was set on fire during the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) protest against alleged rigging in the recently held elections.

    The video shows a man running towards the car and taking the flag off the bonnet.

    Widespread, even violent, protests are being held in the northern region against what the PPP has termed a “stolen” election on November 15.

    Videos from the area have shown people thronging the streets of and accusing Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of winning the maximum number of seats by rigging.

    Earlier, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had alleged irregularities in the elections.

    “My election has been stolen. I will be joining the people of Gilgit-Baltistan in their protest shortly,” he had tweeted as early as initial results had started pouring in while Maryam Nawaz of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had accused the PTI of “pre-poll rigging”.

  • Govt allows Dubai ruler to export 150 rare falcons despite ban

    In spite of a ban on the trade of falcons under wildlife protection laws, the federal government has granted permission to Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, to export 150 falcons of rare species from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates.

    According to a report in Dawn, the Dubai ruler needed younger falcons to hunt houbara bustards, and a permission in this regard has been issued by the foreign ministry.

    The permit issued on Sept 15 this year read: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs…has the honour to inform that the esteemed embassy may export one hundred and fifty (150) falcons from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirate (UAE) for personal use of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, vice president of UAE and ruler of Dubai, from Karachi/Bahawalpur/Rahim Yar Khan/Islamabad/Quetta.”

    “In this regard, the concerned authorities have been requested to accord facilitation for the export of one hundred and fifty (150) falcons from Pakistan to UAE,” the notification read.

    The permission, however, will create challenges for Pakistan as it is a member of various wildlife conservation treaties. The newspaper reported that Pakistan is a signatory to treaties that ensure the protection of wildlife, such as the Switzerland-based Conven­tion on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).

    Also, due to a ban on the trade of rare falcons, there are no markets in the country that would deal in the ‘legal trade’ of these species, which meant that the Arab exporter will have to seek these birds in the black market. By allowing this trade, the government and the exporter will be guilty of patronising this illegal wildlife trafficking, the news report added.

    In addition, the export of these birds would also hurt Pakistan’s standing in the eyes of the European Union and the country may lose the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) Plus for violating international conservation treaties, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.

    The GSP+ status facilitates the easy access of Pakistani exports to the highly lucrative market of the European Union.

  • Humayun Saeed, Akcent congratulate Asif Ghafoor on promotion

    Humayun Saeed, Akcent and Aijaz Aslam among other celebrities have congratulated former DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor on his promotion from Major General to Lieutenant General.

    “Congratulations to you my friend for being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General.” wrote Akcent’s Adrian Sina on social media.

    “I can’t wait to have the fantastic cup of tea again,” added the lead singer of the Romanian pop band.

    Sina had visited and met with General Ghafoor last year after his concert in Lahore and had a “fantastic cup of tea” with him at the ISPR Headquarters.

    Humayun Saeed wished him all the best for his future endeavours.

    Aijaz Aslam and Fahad Mustafa also extended their regards.

    On Wednesday, six major generals were promoted to the rank of lieutenant general.

    In a tweet, the military’s media wing said those promoted included Maj Gen Akhtar Nawaz , Maj Gen Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, Maj Gen Salman Fayyaz Ghani, Maj Gen Sarfraz Ali and Maj Gen Muhammad Ali.

    Asif Ghafoor, who is among the most prominent recipients of the promotion, has previously served as the ISPR director-general. He was appointed to the post in December 2016, replacing Lt Gen Asim Bajwa as the military’s spokesperson. Gen Ghafoor has now been posted as Inspector General Communication and Information Technology.

  • IN PICTURES: Rabab Hashim glows in green on her mehndi

    IN PICTURES: Rabab Hashim glows in green on her mehndi

    Rabab Hashim, famous for her roles in Qarrar and Piya Mann Bhaye, has gotten married to Sohaib Shamshad. Pictures from the actor’s big day have gone viral on social media.

    Rabab looked stunning in a green lehnga on her mehndi, which reportedly took place Wednesday Night.

    The bride shared a sweet moment with her father on her mehndi.

    Junaid Khan and Maryam Nafees were also spotted at the event.

  • Dollar down by Rs1.77 in two days, Rs159.28 is the new rate

    Dollar down by Rs1.77 in two days, Rs159.28 is the new rate

    Continuing with the previous day’s momentum, Pakistani Rupee gained another 81 paisas against the United States Dollar (USD) in the interbank on Wednesday.

    According to a State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) tweet, USD opened at Rs160.09 and closed at Rs159.28. The local currency had gained Re0.96 against the greenback on Tuesday.

    Money dealers in the market attributed this rally of rupee against USD to encouraging economic indicators as well as the global downfall of the greenback. On the other side, they added, importers are being careful in buying goods from their foreign suppliers owing to the second wave of COVID-19.

    On Tuesday, rupee had weakened against USD. The buying rate of USD was Rs160.4 while it was sold at Rs161.2 at the opening of trading in Pakistan’s currency market on November 24.

    Other currency rates had then been recorded as follows:

    CurrencyBuyingSelling
    Australian Dollar116118 
    Canadian Dollar121123
    China Yuan24.45 24.6 
    Euro188.5192 
    Japanese Yen1.551.58
    Saudi Riyal4343.5 
    UAE Dirham43.5544 
    UK Pound Sterling212.5 215.5 
  • These are not my videos, says Bakhtawar

    These are not my videos, says Bakhtawar

    Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari has hit out at all those sharing fakes videos and pictures from her alleged dholki.

    Responding to a Twitter user, Bakhtawar said: “These are obviously not my videos nor have anything to do with me. If reading isn’t your speciality (clearly says 27th on the leaked cards) then perhaps basic vision will allow you to see Bakhtawar is not in any of these videos neither are her very identifiable family members.”

    The Twitter user Anees Jillani, who had shared the videos later deleted them and apologised to Bakhtawar for posting them without verification.

    Videos and pictures which are circulating on social media show people celebrating and dancing without any masks or SOPs.

    Meanwhile, arrangements for Bakhtawar’s upcoming engagement on November 27 are in full swing at Bilawal House in Karachi. According to details, a catering committee has been set up for the event and all members of the staff have been assigned duties. Decorations for the event will be completed by Thursday night. The ceremony is expected to be held in the open area of the Bilawal House Karachi.

    Reports have also stated that Bakhtawar’s father Asif Ali Zardari is personally monitoring all the arrangements for the event.

    Moreso, it is mandatory for all those, including staff members, entering Bilawal House to undergo a coronavirus PCR test.

    Bakhtawar’s fiancé-to-be Mahmood Choudhry will be arriving in Pakistan with his family today (Thursday).

    Unfortunately, Bakhtawar’s brother Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will be unable to attend his sister’s wedding as he has tested positive for COVID-19.

    He will hopefully be able to attend the wedding which is expected to take place in January 2021 in Karachi.

  • End of tour? Six Pakistan cricketers test positive for COVID-19 in New Zealand

    At least six members of the Pakistan Cricket Team — that is under managed insolation facility — have tested positive for coronavirus in Christchurch, confirmed the New Zealand Cricket and International Cricket Council.

    Two of the six results had been deemed “historical”, while four are dubbed as fresh cases. It is not clear at this stage if the six who tested positive are players, staff members, or others in the touring party. They will move into quarantine in the managed isolation facility.

    “All six squad members would be moved to the quarantine arm of the managed isolation facility, while the team’s exemption to train had been put on hold until investigations had been completed,” reports in foreign media stated.

    Pakistan, who arrived in New Zealand on Tuesday, were set to face the Black Caps in three T20s and two test matches, starting on December 20. However, the team was supposed to go under a two-week isolation period as a precautionary measure against coronavirus. According to the NZ cricket board, some of the Pakistan players also flouted the restrictions on their first day of managed isolation.

    “We will be having discussions with the tourists to assist them in understanding the requirements,” the board said.

    “While this is disappointing for the Pakistan squad, the testing outcomes and the actions taken show the Government system is working,” NZC said in a statement. It further added that the health and safety of the touring teams was of paramount importance.

    In September, the NZ sports minister had said that if a player “tests positive it would probably mean the end of the tour as games couldn’t be played”.