Ahmed Shameel

BEIRUT: The death toll from the Beirut port blast surged past 100 with over 4,000 injured, the Lebanese Red Cross said on Wednesday. "Until now over 4,000 people have been injured and over 100 have lost their lives. Our teams are still conducting search and rescue operations in the surrounding areas," a statement said. Rescuers worked through the night into Wednesday after the two enormous explosions ripped through Beirut's port as they wrecked buildings across the Lebanese capital. The second blast sent an enormous orange fireball into the sky, immediately followed by a tornado-like shockwave that flattened the port and shattered windows across the city. The explosions — which were heard in Nicosia, 240 kilometres (150 miles) away in Cyprus — were logged by seismologists, registering as the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake. Firefighters douse a blaze at the scene of an explosion at the port of Lebanon´s capital Beirut on August 4, 2020. Photo: AFP ...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Assembly today as the country marks Youm-e-Istehsal, to show solidarity with Kashmiris who have been braving the Indian government's 'brutal fascist military siege' since August 5 last year. “Kashmiris in IIOJK have been subjected to a brutal fascist military siege by India since its illegal actions of 5th Aug last year followed by efforts to change the demography of IIOJK,” the prime minister said in a tweet on Wednesday. “I will continue to be an ambassador for all Kashmiris whose voices India has tried to silence through its brutal illegal occupation of IIOJK,” PM Imran said, adding that after many years his government raised the Kashmir issue effectively at international forums. “My government raised the Kashmir issue effectively before the UN and exposed the Hindutva Supremacist fascism of the Modi government,” he said. PM Imran added, “We have also depicted the as...

GENEVA: UN experts have urged the global community for immediate action in Indian occupied Kashmir as the region marks a year on Wednesday since it was stripped of its autonomy a year ago.  Independent experts, who do not speak for the United Nations but report their findings to it, called on other nations to pile pressure on India if it does not do so. "Urgent action is needed," the 18 special rapporteurs and other experts said Tuesday in a joint statement. "If India will not take any genuine and immediate steps to resolve the situation, meet their obligations to investigate historic and recent cases of human rights violations and prevent future violations, then the international community should step up." Wednesday marks the one-year anniversary of the restive region being stripped of its autonomy. Prime Minister Narendra Modi imposed direct rule last August 5, promising peace and prosperity after three decades of violence that have seen tens of thou...

The government decreased on Tuesday the half-yearly profit rate on the Special Savings Certificates, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance. A Rs500,000 Special Savings Certificate will now bring you a profit of Rs17,000, instead of Rs17,500. However, the annual profit rate on special savings accounts has been increased from 6.8% to 7%. Similarly, the annual profit rates on Martyrs Family Welfare Accounts and Pensioners Benefit Accounts were increased to 10.32%. Previously, the profit margin on these schemes was 9.96%. There has been a reduction in the monthly profits on the Bahbood Savings Certificates. A Rs500,000 Bahbood certificate will now get you Rs4,150 per month, instead of Rs4,300. Likewise, the quarterly profit on short-term savings accounts has been decreased to Rs1,530 from Rs1,700. The new rate of return on national savings schemes will be effective from August 4. The National Savings is the largest investment and financial institut...

The first Test between England and Pakistan will be played in Manchester from Wednesday. The fixture will be contested in a bio-secure environment without any audience in the stands. England are heading into the Pakistan series after claiming a 2-1 series win over the West Indies. The side lost the first Test but made a remarkable recovery in the following games to take the series home. Pakistan, on the other hand, have not played a single international fixture since February this year due to the coronavirus. Their two-match Test series against Bangladesh, which was to be completed following this year’s edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), was halted halfway. Azhar Ali’s side had a 1-0 lead after winning the series-opener. The match will begin at 3pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST). Squads: England:  Joe Root (captain), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes...

 Problems of Purity - Hadith No. 5 Hadith in Arabic حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَمْرٍو يَعْنِي السَّدُوسِيَّ ، حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ هُوَ ابْنُ صُهَيْبٍ ، عَنْ أَنَسٍ ، بِهَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ، قَالَ : اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ ، وَقَالَ شُعْبَةُ : وَقَالَ مَرَّةً : أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ ، وقَالَ وُهَيْبٌ : عَنْ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ ، فَلْيَتَعَوَّذْ بِاللهِ . Urdu Translation ´انس بن مالک رضی اللہ عنہ سے یہی حدیث مروی ہے` اس میں  «اللهم إني أعوذ بك»  ہے، یعنی  ” اے اللہ میں تیری پناہ چاہتا ہوں “ ۔ شعبہ کا بیان ہے کہ عبدالعزیز نے ایک بار  «أعوذ بالله»   ” میں اللہ کی پناہ چاہتا ہوں “  کی بھی روایت کی ہے، اور وہیب نے عبدالعزیز بن صہیب سے جو روایت کی ہے اس میں  «فليتعوذ بالله»   ” چاہیئے کہ اللہ سے پناہ مانگے “  کے الفاظ ہیں۔ English Translation Another tradition on the authority of Anas has: " O Allaah, I seek refuge in Thee. " Shubah said: Anas sometimes reported the words: "I take r...

LONDON: Gold rates chalked up another record peak on Tuesday before pulling lower as the dollar clawed back earlier losses, while equity markets struggled with mounting coronavirus fears, dealers said. With worrying new spikes in infections in Asia and Europe — on top of the already-high new US cases — forcing governments to impose strict COVID-19 containment measures, the global economic outlook remains clouded, putting the brakes on a months-long stocks rally. The virus uncertainty, combined with China-US tensions, has sent gold soaring nearly 30% this year — and, on Tuesday, it struck another record pinnacle at $1,981.27 per ounce in Asian trade. That smashed the previous day's peak but it later pared the advance to sit lower for the day. But observers say $2,000 could be broken as early as this week, with focus on the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting, which is tipped to see it unveil more easing measures to support the world's top economy. US second-q...