Babar, Rizwan break Pakistan’s partnership record against West Indies

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Pakistan’s opening duo Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on Thursday added more feathers to their caps by breaking records as batting partners and as individual batters with remarkable performance against West Indies in the third T20I.

Babar Azam scored 79 off 53, while Muhammad Rizwan smashed 87 off 45 as they scored 158 for the first wicket.

The opening stand of 158 was a 6th-century stand between the pair — the most by any batting partners in T20Is. They surpassed Indian batting partners Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul who have the 5th century stands to their credit — both the pair partnered together in 27 innings.

Among these six-century partnerships, three have come while batting second. No other pair has such a record while chasing the target.

During the innings of 87, Mohammad Rizwan also became the first cricketer to score overall 2,000 T20 runs in a calendar year. He had earlier surpassed West Indies Chris Gayle in the list of most T20 runs in a calendar year.

He ended the year with 2,036 runs, smashing 18 half-centuries and a century in T20 cricket this year. Of a total of 2,036 T20 runs, 1,326 were scored in T20Is, also the most by a cricketer in a calendar year.

During the innings, Rizwan smashed three sixes, taking his total T20I 6s tally in 2021 to 42. He set a new record of most sixes in a calendar year, surpassing New Zealand’s Martin Guptill who smashed 41 in the same year.

Rizwan also stormed 119 fours in the year to become the only player to smash over 100 boundaries in a calendar year.

Skipper Babar Azam also smashed a half-century today and became the first player to achieve 20 scores of 50 or more in overall T20 cricket in a calendar year. Babar’s tally also includes three scores in double figures.

Babar finished the year 2021 with 939 runs, standing right behind Rizwan in the list of most runs this year and also in the list of most runs in a calendar year.

Their performance helped Pakistan chase the target of 208 comfortably to register Pakistan’s highest successful chases in T20Is. The score is also the highest ever T20I score at the National Stadium Karachi.

Mushk Kaleem ties the knot in a Nikk-endi

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Famous Model Mushk Kaleem, who tied the knot with beau Nadir Zia in an intimate Nikkah ceremony followed by a Mehendi event in Karachi. They named their fusion event, Nikkendi.

For their close-knit Nikkah ceremony, the bride wore a Maria B. number and the couple colour-coordinated in traditional whites and made a lovely couple. The duo shared pictures after sealing the deal, looking fully in love, ready to begin the new journey together.

Moreover, for the Mehendi, Mushk opted for a gold embellished deep pink lehenga choli by celebrated designer Ali Xeeshan and Nadir stayed in his white shalwar kurta with gold buttons.

Earlier this month, the model asked everyone to “save the dates” for her wedding. With one event down, the couple will move forward to celebrate their union with a wedding ceremony on December 17 followed by a reception on December 18.

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Imran Abbas announces mother’s demise in a heartbreaking post

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUt-DESK)

Actor Imran Abbas on Wednesday announced the demise of his mother in a heartbreaking Instagram post. The renowned star shared a picture of him kissing his mother’s foot, sharing he has lost his ‘Jannat’ (Paradise). He had lost his father on the same date in 2019.

“Alwida Meri Maa (Farewell, my mother),” he shared, adding, “I won’t be able to kiss these feet anymore. Lost my “Jannat” (paradise) today on December 15, the same date I lost my father two years back. Please recite Surah-e-Fateha for her.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXgmegkoP9v/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Many shared condolences and sent heartfelt wishes his way. Celebs such as Sajal Aly, Mashal Khan, Sanam Jung and Turkish actor Celel Al took to social media and lent him support.

On Mother’s Day this year, the Tum Kon Piya actor shared the same picture and had written, “May I always keep kissing your feet till I am alive. Happy Mother’s Day to every mother around the world.”

In 2019, on his father’s passing away, Imran had shared that he was going through the darkest time of his life.

Abbas then emphasised how important it was to be grateful to our parents before there was no room left for gratitude. “Please value your parents because there is no one in this whole universe like them. Give them your love and time, that’s all they want, otherwise, we are just left with regrets and remorse,” concluded the star.

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Pakistani Mobile manufacturers eyeing the innovation strategies.

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-Technology)

In recent years, mobile technology has been utilized in an increasingly wide range of business scenarios, from enabling employees to perform office work on-the-go, to enhancing sales activities and improving productivity in the workplace. Each day, new projects launch that engage mobile devices in fields that, until now, have not fully utilized mobile — such as transportation, construction, healthcare, and agriculture.

As mobile phone industry booms across the globe, the expectations of local customers are evolving as well with the younger generation demanding state-of-the-art technology. This has encouraged mobile phone companies to equip their devices with faster and more capable processors to meet the growing demand of multi-tasking, work from home and smooth communication.

“Users now look for smarter phones that can play audio while looking at pictures and answering the text at same time,” OPPO South-Asia Marketing Director Kevin Hu said on the sidelines of Annual INNO Day 2021.

Talking to Press, Tecno Pack Electronics CEO Aamir Allawala highlighted that Pakistan’s smartphone market was expanding, although it was dominated by phones having basic features.

Giving details about the market share, he said that the feature phones – ranging from $6 to $20 per unit – made up around 53% of the market while smartphones’ share stood at 47%.

“Among smartphones, 70% are priced below $100 per unit,” he added.

He projected that around 90% of all mobile phones sold in the country would be made locally by January 2022.

Regarding localisation, he said that “the first step of any industry is assembly of the final product and that has been done.”

All major global brands including Samsung, Nokia, Tecno, Infinix, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Itel would be assembled locally, Allawala said.

“A total of 50,000 new jobs have been created already,” he underlined, adding that the next step was the localisation of mobile components as defined under the Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy.

Eventually, Pakistan is moving towards export of mobile phones on the back of cheap labour compared to other regional countries, he said.

“After Device Identification Registration Blocking System (DIRBS), all businesses came into the ambit of the official economy,” Allawala said, adding that this encouraged global brands to set up their assembly plants locally.

Echoing his views, ICT expert Parvez Iftikhar underlined that DIRBS played a critical role in creating the local industry. The system effectively curbed smuggling of completely built up (CBU) mobile phones which aided the local assemblers, he highlighted.

SI Global CEO Noman Ahmed Said was of the view that global smartphone brands had a huge potential in Pakistan.

“Mobile Device Manufacturing Authorisation has also been granted to 19 foreign and local companies for the production of mobile devices locally,” he revealed.

“The cost of manufacturing in Pakistan is still high, but the plan can be viable if the government gives tax rebate, supports manufacturing and ensures policies to attract foreign direct investments,” he remarked.

The mobile phone subscriber base in Pakistan crossed 140 million recently, he said, adding that with the introduction of 3G/ 4G services in the country, the number of smartphone users was also skyrocketing.

With such favourable conditions, Chinese brands are also trying to gain a foothold in the Pakistani market, he underlined. In recent years, many international smartphone players have entered the market including Oppo, Huawei, Lenovo etc, he said.

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Maryam Nawaz dresses up for son Junaid Safdar’s wedding event

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-FASHION)

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz has once again stolen the limelight by dressing up to the nines for her son, Junaid Safdar’s, wedding festivities. 

For the last few days, Maryam’s pictures from different pre-wedding events have been taking social media by storm, with both critics and fans obsessing over her looks. 

On Tuesday, Maryam opted to wear a stunning, bottle-green sharara for Junaid’s barat. The dress comprised heavy gold embroidery and a net dupatta with delicate pink floral work. 

In terms of jewellery, Maryam wore a gold necklace and a gold-and-emerald tiara which enhanced her traditional look.

On the other hand, the groom opted for a crisp white sherwani and traditional white headdress. The father of the groom, Captain Safdar, chose a navy-blue suit that he teamed with a pink headdress. 

Junaid’s reception, who got married in London in August, is scheduled to take place on December 17 in Lahore. 

The Sharif family has celebrated several pre-wedding events over the course of the last two weeks.

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Namibia captain offer to play for ‘free’ in PSL 2022 after Kamran Akmal steps back

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Following Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal’s decision to leave the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Namibian skipper Gerhard Simpson has shown interest to play in the tournament, that too for “free” if need be.

The second-highest run-scorer Kamran Akmal was selected in the ‘Silver’ category during the PSL draft by his previous team, Peshawar Zalmi. However, he refused to play after being selected as the last option and considered this action as “humiliation.”

Replying to a tweet shared by ESPNcricinfo, the Namibian player wrote: “Pick me. I’ll be there for free.”

In a conversation on his YouTube channel “Catch and bat with Kamran Akmal”, the cricketer had said: “Perhaps the team has no use for me anymore.”

Akmal went on to say that PSL would do better to give a chance to younger players “rather than pick me in the Silver category”.

The wicketkeeper-batsman had said that when his category changed from Platinum to Gold last time, he was taken aback.

He had said he believes he is deserving of the Gold category based on his performance “but they picked me in the Silver category”.

“I do not think I should play in the seventh edition of the PSL,” Akmal had said.

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WhatsApp rolls out new feature for voice notes

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp on Tuesday revealed that the users can now preview their voice messages before sending them.

“They’re not mistakes, they’re rehearsals,” Whatsapp shared on Twitter. “Now you can preview your voice messages before you hit send.”

Sharing a 27-second video clip providing details of the new feature, the instant messaging app said users can now “express themselves with voice messages they can preview.”

Meanwhile, WhatsApp on Monday announced that it would roll out the “Disappearing Messages” feature within the next week.

According to a status shared by the messaging company on Twitter, the feature will allow users to choose how long their messages stay around.

“With Disappearing Messages, you choose how long your messages stay around. Set to default on all new chats, choose the duration, and get more control of your conversations. Not every message needs to stick around forever. Rolling out over the next few weeks,” WhatsApp wrote.

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Guddu power plant: GE held responsible for damage

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

Senate Standing Committee on Power has held General Electric (GE) as technically responsible for damage to Guddu 747MW combined cycle thermal power plant (Block-V) in February this year.

The sources said, Central Power Purchasing Generation Company (CPGCL) (GENCO-11) Guddu had signed a contract service agreement with M/s General Electric (GE) OEM, in respect of 747MW, combined cycle power plant Guddu for a period of 16 years.

Under the agreement GE is responsible for scheduled inspection, supply of initial spares, diagnostics and online performance monitoring, O&M advisory services, asset performance management operational excellence system as these are included in the scope of covered maintenance.

The BoD of CPGCL argued that major areas like legal, commercial were not covered in the report and stance of M/s GE had not been taken before arriving at conclusions. The Board has advised that a complete picture after covering all the commercial and legal aspects be placed before the Senate Standing Committee on Power or any other forum, as may be required.

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Starlink Officials Visit PTA

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

US based global satellite broadband provider Starlink’s Director Middle East & Asia, Mr. Ryan Goodnight and Head of Global Site Acquisition Mr. Ben Macwilliam visited Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Headquarters, Islamabad today. They met with Chairman PTA, Maj General Amir Azeem Bajwa (R) and Executive Director, Frequency Allocation Board.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed matters pertaining to provision of satellite broadband connectivity in Pakistan and Starlink’s future plans for connecting Pakistan to their global network. Chairman PTA apprised Starlink representatives about PM’s vision of Digital Pakistan and prospects in Pakistan’s evolving market for quality broadband internet. He assured Starlink’s representatives about PTA’s support in line with regulatory framework for Starlink’s operations in Pakistan.

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PTA renews Telenor Pakistan’s licence for 15 years

Posted on by Ali Qasim

Lahore (NUT-DESK)

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has renewed Telenor Pakistan licence at a price of $449.2 million for 15 years, with enhanced terms and conditions for coverage and quality of service. The Authority stated that Telenor Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd has signed renewed license with Pakistan Telecom Authority.

The license signing was held at the PTA Headquarter. The signing was due since 2019. Renewed license has enhanced terms and conditions for coverage and quality of service, as established during the recent Pakistan Spectrum Auction.

The license is renewed at a price of $449.2 million for 15 years, out of which Telenor Pakistan has already paid $333.64 million on account of license renewal fee and applicable mark-up.

Telenor Pakistan stated that it has signed its GSM license renewal template issued by the PTA under protest and without prejudice, said the cellular mobile company.

Despite the signing of the license after paying the fee in full, the company stated it reserves the right to continue seeking a legal resolution to its dispute with the PTA on the case. The PTA had issued a 15-year license for network operations to Telenor Pakistan in 2004, which was due for renewal on May 25th, 2019, a failure of which could impact its nationwide operations.

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