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  • England hires chef ahead of Pakistan tour to maintain the quality of food served

    England hires chef ahead of Pakistan tour to maintain the quality of food served

    In the early stages of Brendon McCullum’s time as head coach, the England Test team has been letting go of support personnel. A chef, however, has been added to the group for their impending visit to Pakistan.

    The appointment follows a recap of the limited-overs team’s seven-match T20I series experiences in the country. Players and support personnel said that the cuisine, especially at match locations, was not that good, and a few experienced stomachaches at various points during the tour.

    The difficulties experienced were by no means severe; nobody fell ill for a protracted length of time, and England went on to win the thrilling series 4-3. But given the demands of a Test match, not to mention the back-to-back format of the three-match series over 21 days in three different cities (Rawalpindi, Multan, and Karachi), having someone oversee food preparation and customise menus in accordance with specific needs and preferences felt necessary to control.

    While on the T20 trip, Moeen Ali, playing the role of interim captain, made light of the rivalry between Lahore and Karachi’s culinary traditions “I’ve been a little let down by Lahore’s cuisine. Karachi was quite pleasant.” Those who want to try the regional cuisines may relax knowing that Lahore is not on the schedule this time around and Karachi will host the third Test.

    According to ESPNcricinfo, Omar Meziane, who served in a comparable capacity with the England men’s football team at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020, will fill the position.

    The change by the Test squad will satisfy picky diners while also putting Jack Leach at rest. The left-arm spinner has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease, and must follow a rigorous diet in addition to taking immunosuppressant medicine to treat his condition.

    Leach experienced serious food illness on a visit of New Zealand in November 2019, which led to his hospitalisation and sepsis. Despite being able to go for the next South African Test tour, he was unable to participate in any of the activities due to the consequences of the earlier sickness and had to leave the trip early.

    The ECB has previously provided food when travelling, even though this may be the first time they have deliberately hired a chef for a trip. The Sydney Morning Herald obtained a file titled “Test catering criteria” that was provided to all hosting venues prior to the dismal 2013–14 Ashes.

    The 82 pages, which included 194 recipes for everything from protein-rich “banana and peanut bars” to Moroccan spiced griddled chicken fillets with lime and coriander mayo, were dubbed “modern pretentious” by the Herald. It didn’t help England in their humiliating 5-0 loss.

  • PAK-UNESCO Joint Centre of Excellence in Teachers Training and STEAM Learning to be established in Islamabad

    PAK-UNESCO Joint Centre of Excellence in Teachers Training and STEAM Learning to be established in Islamabad

    Pakistan and UNESCO have agreed work out the establishment of a PAK-UNESCO Joint Centre of Excellence in Teachers Training and STEAM Learning at Islamabad.


    The understanding was reached at a meeting between Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and Assistant Director General for Education UNESCO, Ms Stefania Giannini. The meeting was held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
    Speaking on the occasion, Rana Tanveer Hussain said Pakistan will make all-out efforts to ensure inclusive, equitable and quality education while promoting lifelong learning opportunities.


    Along with its other partners (UNICEF, WFP, WHO, etc.), UNESCO has been doing its best to support Pakistan’s education sector in times of need, said Stefania Giannini. She was grateful for Pakistan’s effort to address the nation’s educational problems.

  • CPEC created 190,000 jobs in less than 10 years: Chinese official

    CPEC created 190,000 jobs in less than 10 years: Chinese official

    A Chinese official said on Sunday that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a pilot project of the Belt and Road Initiatives, had generated 190,000 jobs in the previous nine years.

    According to Meng Wei, a representative of China’s National Development and Reform Commission, China and Pakistan created the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) on the CPEC in 2013 with an emphasis on collaboration in the Gwadar Port, energy, infrastructure, and industries.

    The two parties have recently increased their areas of collaboration to include agriculture, society, people’s livelihoods, and the information technology industries.

    The Gwadar East Bay Expressway project, the Gwadar Seawater Desalination Project, the Carlot Hydropower Station, China’s assistance to Pakistan’s flood-affected areas, and more may be seen as examples of the cooperation’s success, according to the China News Service.

    The spokesman said, “The two sides will next work together to put the leaders’ agreement into action, speed up their cooperation in areas including agriculture, mining, information technology, society, and people’s livelihood, and support the CPEC’s high-quality building.”

    CPEC is kicking off a new age of collaboration and exchanges between the two nations in a variety of fields, including energy, industry, culture, and trade and business.

  • Punjab: a joy-less land

    Punjab: a joy-less land

    Under pressure from conservatives, the federal government banned Saim Sadiq’s Joyland a few days before its countrywide release. After severe backlash on social media and mainstream media, the federal government finally reconsidered its decision and lifted the ban on Joyland. Less than 24 hours after the federal government decided to lift the ban, the Punjab government of issued a notice to the film’s producer, Sarmad Khoosat, saying that they cannot exhibit the film in the jurisdiction of Punjab province. Joyland is the country’s official entry for the Oscars, paving the way for Pakistan to make a name at the Academy Awards, with a bright chance to bring the Oscar home.

    So how did a film promising to spread joy, receiving a 10-minute standing ovation from the august audience at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, ended up getting banned in its own country and the very province it was filmed in, Punjab. Set in the eastern city of Lahore, Joyland tackles issues of gender and sexuality – taboo topics in Pakistan – through the story of a married man who falls in love with a transgender dancer, played by transgender actress Alina Khan. From what we understand, the story is about love, acceptance and tackling issues in relevance to gender. So the problem is basically because of the love between a transgender and a man in the movie.

    Any marginalised community in a country goes through struggles and challenges of its own. From their right to live to their right to freedom, their existence revolves around many obstacles. Pakistan is no different. The transgender community in Pakistan is a marginalised community that on a daily basis is ridiculed, harassed, abused, and given life threats. And this has been a pattern for many years. So the treatment with “Joyland” has been no different.

    The question is: what are we scared of? Does the representation of a marginlised community make us weak as a nation or does it make us stronger? How is upholding the ban in the wake of no real logic correct? How is Joyland a threat to the country’s cultural and social fabric? Pakistani cinema was in need of a moment like Joyland, until the bans which took away the joy from the land where transgenders are only laughed at, mocked, abused and not to forget, killed. It is acceptable to show transgenders being made fun of, but once they are shown as normal persons, living normal lives, it somehow becomes problematic and against social values. Isn’t it hypocritical of us? Joyland was one way people could understand and learn the pain and troubles the trans community goes through. But systems in Pakistan work and behave differently for the ones who are ‘different’. So here we are banning a film on a transgender and barring them an existence in fiction. Now imagine their existence in the real world. What is peculiarly interesting about the public outcry for the ban on “Joyland” is from people who are up in arms against a movie they haven’t seen.

    We as a nation want to see the cinema and film industry thrive — but look at what we do to people who are the reason that art, film and Pakistan can flourish. We are habitual haters of a thriving society. We just hope that Punjab, which has significantly become a “joyless land” learns from the provinces next to it, remembers to laugh, be okay to experiment and above all, becomes a joyland.

  • ’85 per cent of provincial budget is spent on govt employees’ salaries’: CM Balochistan

    ’85 per cent of provincial budget is spent on govt employees’ salaries’: CM Balochistan

    Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, the Chief Minister of Balochistan, has raised alarms on the financial difficulties that the province is facing.

    He said that 85 per cent of the provincial budget is spent on the salaries of government employees, leaving the provincial government with little funds to spend on development projects.

    Speaking at an event in Quetta on Friday, he said, “We are far behind other provinces of the country as far as development projects are concerned due to lack of resources and funds to develop the province.”

    The chief minister highlighted that before 2010, Balochistan used to get very little share in the National Finance Commission Award (NFC) award on the basis of population, with the government barely able even to pay the salaries of its civil servants.

    However, he said, the situation has improved a little now, however, the budget still doesn’t fulfill the needs of the province.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Balochistan was severely affected by the recent floods. The province has lost about a half million head of livestock in the floods.

  • Thinking of going up north? NDMA issues travel guidelines

    Thinking of going up north? NDMA issues travel guidelines

    National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued tourist guidelines for people visiting popular holiday destinations such
    as Murree, Galiyat, Abbottabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Naran, Kaghan and other northern areas.


    Tourists have been advised to regularly check weather forecasts on Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) and NDMA’s website for updated weather information.

    In addition the authority has advised tourists to check with National Highways & Motorway Police (NH&MP) on their website or helpline for the status / road condition of the intended route.

    “Ensure proper checking and maintenance of vehicles from a mechanic. Also carry a spare tire (checked and filled with required air pressure), radiator fluids and lubricants, as advised by the mechanic,” reads the advisory.

    “Keep passage for fresh air circulation through the air conditioning mechanism or keep a window slightly ajar,” it added.
    Earlier this year in January, a traffic jam in Murree turned deadly after 23 people, including children, were killed by carbon monoxide poisoning as they waited for roads to clear in their cars with engines running.

  • ‘There has never been truth to foreign conspiracy’: US on Khan’s allegations

    ‘There has never been truth to foreign conspiracy’: US on Khan’s allegations

    The United States (US) has once again reiterated that there has never been any truth to former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations of Washington DC orchestrating a regime change conspiracy to oust his government.

    “As we’ve previously said, there has — there is not and there has never been truth to these allegations, but I don’t have anything additional to offer,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said in reply to a question during a press briefing on Wednesday.

    Patel was asked about Imran Khan’s recent interview in which he has said that he no longer “blames the US” for engineering the Vote of No-Confidence that resulted in his government’s ouster, and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

    “The US values our longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and has always viewed a prosperous and democratic Pakistan as critical to US interests. That remains unchanged,” said Patel.

    “We support peaceful upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles. And ultimately, we will not let propaganda, misinformation and disinformation get in the way of any bilateral relationship, including our valued bilateral partner with Pakistan.”

    Read More: ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    Referring to the alleged conspiracy which the former Prime Minister has insisted upon since April of this year, Khan said that “it was over”, in an interview with the Financial Times.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over; it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” he said.

  • Six killed in attack on police in Lakki Marwat

    Six killed in attack on police in Lakki Marwat

    Terrorists opened fire on a police patrol car in Lakki Marwat on Wednesday morning, killing six people including a driver, an ASI, and four constables.

    The attack happened when local police were conducting a routine patrol in the city.


    Security officials have started a search operation in the area after the attack.

    The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Mahmood Khan, has taken notice of the attack and directed the Inspector General (IG) of police to submit a report on the attack.

    Soon after the attack, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident in strong words, writing on twitter, “Let us make no mistake. Terrorism continues to be one of Pakistan’s foremost problems. Our armed forces & police have valiently fought the scourge. No words are enough to condemn terrorists’ attack on a police van in Lakki Marwat. My thoughts & prayers are with bereaved families.”

  • Is Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani ready to purchase Liverpool FC?

    Is Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani ready to purchase Liverpool FC?

    One of the most renowned football clubs in the world—Liverpool F.C.—has been approached by Indian billionaire businessman Mukesh Ambani with a takeover bid, according to several media reports.

    Ambani is the eighth richest man in the world with a net worth of more than $90 billion. He is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Ltd and is an avid sports fan. Currently, he is the owner of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Mumbai Indians, and is the founder of the Indian Super League (ISL).

    Fenway Sports Group (FSG) purchased the membership of the football club in 2010 and the group is now reportedly preparing to sell it for £4 billion.

    The current owner’s decision to sell the club comes after Liverpool’s poor start to the domestic season.

    Though cricket continues to be the most followed sport in India, football is now slowly catching up.

    However, the news is not officially confirmed as it has been not verified by the billionaire’s company yet.

  • Nawaz Sharif returning soon?

    Nawaz Sharif returning soon?

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif—who is currently in London— reportedly wants to come back to Pakistan soon as his return date is being discussed within trusted circles, reports Samaa News.

    According to the media outlet, Nawaz said that the public in Pakistan is facing financial problems, not political ones. About the general elections, he was of the view that they will be held at the designated time.

    Moreover, he claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s long march has failed. Sharif said that his party [PML-N] is against the politics of revenge and hatred.

    Last week, Nawaz was visited by his brother Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in Britain and conducted several meetings with him. It was widely reported that the two brothers were holding consultations on who should be the next head of the armed forces.

    The PML-N supremo was granted an eight-week bail on medical grounds in October 2019, and, he was allowed to travel to London for treatment for four weeks. However, Nawaz has not returned since then.