Sania bids farewell to Grand Slam career
Indian pioneer Sania Mirza retired from Grand Slam tennis on Friday after losing alongside Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open. Considered one of her country’s top tennis players,Sania Mirza,who is 36 years old,returned to her park in Melbourne for her final cheer and reached the final.But she and her 42-year-old Bopanna failed to cross the line as she lost 7-6 (7/2) 6-2 to Brazilian duo Luis Stefani and Rafael Matos.Mirza broke down in tears at the post-match awards ceremony.She said” these are tears of joy and I am happy that I came a log way”.Talking about her tennis partner Rohan,she said” he was my first mixed doubles partner when I was 14 and we won the national team.“After 22 years, I couldn’t think of a better person to end my career here and play in the final. He is my best friend and one of my best partners. There is no better place for me or for anyone else to finish a career at a Grand Slam.” Mirza, who is married to former Pakistani team captain Shoaib Malik, has a young son “Izhaan”. It was incredible to play in front of him in the Grand Final.I never thought I would be able to play in front of my own kids in the final,so it’s really special to have him here and my parents too.Known for her ardent convention-breakers,Mirza became the first Indian woman to win her WTA singles title in her hometown of Hyderabad in 2005.She reached the fourth round at the US Open that same year,and in 2007 she was among the top 30 women.However, her wrist injury forced her to focus on doubles,and she partnered Swiss great Martina Hingis,who produced three Grand Slam titles for her.Sania has planned to retire from tennis because she think her body is not having that capacity to play like fire and also she wanted to take care of her child with full time and attention.
The dollar hit an all-time high on the interbank market,trading at Rs 255
The local currency suffered a heavy blow in the interbank market during intraday trading on Thursday,dropping more than 24 rupees per day after unofficial caps were lifted in the open market.The local currency was trading at Rs. 255 against the dollar in intraday trading.This is the lowest level the rupee has fallen against the dollar since reaching 239.94 rupees in the interbank market on 28 July 2022.Meanwhile,data released by the Association of Stock Exchanges of Pakistan (ECAP) shows the dollar is selling at $255 on the open market after gaining 12 rupees.“The SBP seems to be adjusting its exchange rate to the market rate. PTI leader Asad Umar accused Finance Minister Ishak Dar of his “false ego”, which he said had severely damaged the national economy. “People who claimed to have pushed the dollar below 200 pushed the dollar up to 240,” he said.“Billions of dollars lost in remittances and exports, thousands of businesses destroyed and millions of people out of work due to false egos. Who is to blame for this catastrophe? Meanwhile, speaking to Geo, Dr. Khaqan Hassan Najeeb,a former adviser to the Ministry of Finance Television, said it was the “right move” to let the market determine the value of the local currency. He said “the move was necessitated by a severe dollar liquidity squeeze, tight reserves and the need for Pakistan to move forward with the IMF.”The economist added In this regime, trade deficits,supply and demand factors,and economic fundamentals have a significant impact on currency fluctuations.
Babar Azam is named ICC Men’s ODI Cricket Player of the Year for the second consecutive year
Pakistani cricket captain Babar Azam is named Men’s ODI Player of the Year for the second year in a row by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday for his “match-winning stroke and attractive batting”. The ICC noted that in the past year, Azam has only accumulated 679 runs from his nine ODIs, scoring an average of 84.87 in three centuries and his five half centuries. He also maintained his lead as the number one hitter in his ICC-ODI Men’s Player Rankings, which he has held since July 2021.The ICC also praised Skipper for his role as Pakistan’s captain, “leading the team in style with only one loss in the season” against Australia in Lahore.Cricket statistician Mazhar Arshad commented on Azam’s performance: “He is truly an ODI great”.
India invites FM Bilawal to Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting: report
India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to host in May,Indian media reported.It might a possible thaw between rivals with nuclear weapons.The invitation came days after Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif called for talks with India on all matters of concern, including the Indian-Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).The call was made in August 2019, prior to making it clear that it has been reverted.Just a month ago, he said, as a bystander at a UN Security Council meeting, there were street protests in India after Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawalbutt Zardari called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “gujarat slaughterer”,to which India called Bilawal’s comments “uncivilized”.Foreign ministry spokesmen from both countries did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on media reports that Bilawal had been invited to his SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa. India’s Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar’s invitation was delivered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, according to the Indian Express newspaper. “The dates currently being considered are May 4th and 5th,” it added.If Pakistan agrees, Foreign Minister Bilawal will visit India for almost his first time in 12 years. The last foreign minister to visit India was Hina Rabani Khar in July 2011,Indian Express said.
Suzuki raises prices up to Rs.355,000
PSMCL spokesman Shafiq Ahmed said the company has passed on a minimal portion of the increased overhead costs and economic uncertainty to consumers. Prior to this, Honda Atlas Cars (HACL) and Indus Motor Company (IMC) raised prices from Rs.300,000-550,000 and Rs.280,000 to Rs.1.2 million respectively.Alto VX, VXR, VXR AGS and AGS new prices have been set at Rs. 1,859 crore, Rs. 2,156 crore, increased by Rs.2. 223 million rupees, increased from 160,000 rupees to 200,000 rupees.After jumping from Rs 208,000 to Rs 257,000, the new charges for Wagon R,VXR, VXL and AGS models are Rs 2,629 million, Rs 2,789 million and Rs 3,059 million respectively. New prices for Suzuki Cultus VXR, VXL and AGS are Rs 3,309m,Rs 3,339m and Rs 3,569m respectively, rising from Rs 285,000 to Rs 335,000.The new selling prices of Suzuki GL MT, GL CVT and GLX CVT are set at Rs.3,479 million, Rs.3,742 million and Rs.4,115 million respectively, increased from Rs.299,000 to Rs.355,000. The Suzuki Ravi and Ravi without deck models are priced at Rs 1,539m and Rs 1,464m respectively, up Rs 115,000 each compared to Rs 1,424m and Rs 1,349m respectively.With the increase of Rs.119,000,the new prices of Bolan Van and Bolan Cargo are Rs.1619 crore and Rs.1606 crore
Trend of “Caesarean” in pakistan, Do Doctors Perform Unnecessary Surgery?
For centuries, children around the world have often been born at home. As medical science advances, millions of women and their children’s lives are saved each year, but so does unnecessary use. Both India and Pakistan have seen a steady increase in the number of babies born by caesarean section, especially in private hospitals. In Pakistan, her 1 in 5 babies are born by caesarean section. The latest Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) report shows that the caesarean section rate has increased rapidly from 14% in her 2012-13 to 22% in 2017-18. Is Pakistan’s caesarean section rate too high? The answer is overwhelmingly yes. The World Health Organization recommends in a statement that a caesarean section rate above 10% of hers is not associated with reduced maternal or neonatal mortality (who, 2015). Current rates exceed World Health Organization recommendations, suggesting Pakistan is part of a global trend towards non-medical Caesarean deliveries. Pakistan’s health care system is mostly private, with about 64% of the country’s health care costs being funded by the private sector (Statistical Authority of Pakistan, 2018). In our survey sample, 53% of women gave birth in healthcare facilities (Figure 1), and the caesarean section rate in private healthcare facilities was nearly 28% (Figure 2). In the private realm of maternal health, where gynecologists, obstetricians, and staff are responsible for the individual care of pregnant women, they tend to have sole authority to make medical decisions based on the patient’s condition. In most cases, private maternal and child health organizations perform caesarean sections for profit. In public hospitals, doctors have no financial incentive to perform caesarean sections. However, the doctor’s fee and post-operative in hospital costs for performing a caesarean section with private medical facilities in Pakistan، are prohibitively expensive (depending on the type and location of the hospital). The results of this study therefore point to the need for a systematic review of private antenatal care units۔
Hours after a massive blackout in Pakistan,power restoration is now underway.
Massive blackouts in Pakistan continued on Monday,affecting most of its 220 million people in the country, including the metropolitan areas of Karachi and Lahore.Energy Minister Khurrum Dastgir said authorities are restoring power across the country after more than 12 hours had passed since the outage. Power is beginning to be restored in parts of Islamabad,Lahore and Faisalabad. The minister had previously said power would be fully restored across the country by 10pm after blackouts hit Pakistan caused by “frequency fluctuations” in the state-owned power grid.In a televised address, the minister said “there had been widespread blackouts in the country, adding that authorities were working to restore power. “At 7:34 a.m the north-south transmission corridor experienced unusual voltage and frequency fluctuations, impacting the system frequency of the national power grid and causing widespread blackouts.” He said the country’s power grid would not be affected, but explained that power is needed to run power plants and dams.Discussing measures taken to improve blackouts, he said there is now a power plant in “Uch” operating. He said electricity generated by the plant, which powers some areas of Sindh, will also be diverted to parts of Balochistan and Punjab. He has personally overseen the matter at the National Power Control Center (NPCC) and assured the country that relevant authorities are working hard to restore power and expressed hope for sooner recovery in all areas.
Mission Majnu – Inspired by ‘true events’ or hate propaganda against Muslims
Art can be a powerful medium for creating harmony, but it can also be a great tool for spreading hate.While everyone on the internet is talking about Siddharth Malhotra’s latest contribution to Netflix and the long tradition of Indian propaganda films against Pakistan, an out-of-school literature student is at the bottom of it. A great opportunity has arisen to explore the discourse revealed by Mission Majnu trailers and such media in general. There are pitfalls. Depending on who is in charge, art becomes propaganda and chocolate heroes become chauvinistic national traits. Nevertheless, to the surprise of many, these films are said to appeal the people’s sense of patriotism.The idea to enhance patriotism by hating Muslims is pathetic.This is how you appear to be human and treat other communities? A few years back The charming “Shah Rukh Khan” talks about a peaceful future for his children built through cooperation and negotiation. Borderless films like” Main Hoon Na” is now seen as relics of a bleak past. However, the exchange couldn’t be more atrocious.Talking about “Mission Majnu”,Malhotra’s appearance in the movie has become talk of the town. Stereotypical clothing, excesses, and forced accents seem blatantly ridiculous and funny because of inaccuracy of language.We can say that it is the result of conscious effort (rather than lack of it) distinguishing it from another.In Pakistan this movie has been mocked highly on social platforms because of its fakeness. It’s also important to remember why movies like Mission Majnu continue to be made. Simply to win elections, sometimes across borders, sometimes within borders, you need to find something more sacred than your own happiness and the sanctity of human life. If you want to be inspired by real events, don’t give in to this devastation. Makers should make films on true stories but they will make sure that it would not be agitational.We must use art to spread peace and harmony by telling meaningful stories about our personal histories, traumas, and struggles that inspire connection. For this to happen, rational minds must resist, question, and reject these hateful narratives and understand that we both are fighting against poverty and educational inequality.We have to solve the problems on the discussion table. It is also the responsibility of media houses to create accurate and meaningful stories to foster understanding between communities that leads to a sense of harmony.
Whirlwind of Twists: Saba Qamar Reveals First Appearance of her Upcoming Drama Sar-e-Rah
The superemely talented Saba Qamar is back on tv after her super hit drama “Fraud”.She wrote on her instagram “We have the big announcement we have been waiting for.ARY Digital is delighted to announce “Sar-e-Rah”, a new project presenting a thought-provoking story that brings together some of drama’s most famous characters”. Saba Qamar’s upcoming drama is about personal stories starring Muneeb Butt, Saboor Aly, Hareem Farooq and Sunita Marshall. While announcing the cast, she wrote this project would be “a whirlwind of twists and turns.” The drama will be directed by Ahmed Bhatti and written by Adeel Razaq under the banner of iDream Entertainment.Qamar shared the first look of “Sar-e-Rah” on Instagram on Friday. This starts with her sitting in the driver’s seat of a taxi, and as she starts the engine the camera moves to a montage of other characters from the series (such as Hareem Farooq and Muneeb Butt).In a trailer Qamar can be heard saying “pata nahi ye kya kahani hai [I don’t know what this story is about]”,while in the video Saboor Aly plays the influencer and Marshall plays a role of a doctor.Muneeb butt is playing hermaphrodite who becomes Assistant commissioner.So if you are tired of seeing those same old stories,this wil be a unique serial to catch your attention and worth your time.
Nawaz goes public as PML-N leaders gather in London
PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif has broken his silence for the first time after his party suffered a severe political blow in Punjab after Parvez Elahi won a confidence vote just before the state legislature was dissolved.He said ” a cruel joke had been played on Pakistan for personal gains”.After meeting a delegation of senior Pakistani PML-N leaders, he told reporters,” Pakistan will get out of this difficult situation and we will be the ones to liberate the country. ” When Asked whether former retired army commander Gen.Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI officer Gen.Faiz Hamid blamed the state of the country? he said, “Reality comes first”. Everything is open Now.Names and faces are no longer hidden. It was a cruel lie spread on the country. At the time,he also mentioned that Gen.Qamar and Gen.Hamid are responsible for the “two governments” in the country. His comments suggested that he and his daughter Mariam Nawaz have met with party leaders at a high-level meeting to discuss strategies as elections in the two states become more likely followed.The meeting came amid heightened political activity at home and discussion about Maryam Nawaz returne to Pakistan. PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah, Pervaiz Rashid and Javed Latif were also present at the meeting.