England and India penalised for slow over-rates in first Test

Dubai, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):England and India have been fined 40 per cent of their match fees and penalised two ICC World Test Championship points each for maintaining slow over-rates in the first Test in Nottingham. Chris Broad of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees imposed the sanctions after both sides were ruled to be two overs short of their targets after time allowances were taken into consideration.

In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to minimum over-rate offences, players are fined 20 per cent of their match fees for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

In addition, as per Article 16.11.2 of the ICC World Test Championship playing conditions, a side is penalised one point for each over short. Captains Joe Root and Virat Kohli pleaded guilty and accepted the proposed sanctions, so there was no need for formal hearings. On-field umpires Michael Gough and Richard Kettle borough, third umpire Richard Illingworth and fourth umpire David Millns leveled the charges.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

Root, Bumrah move up in MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings

Dubai, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):Joe Root has overtaken counterpart Virat Kohli to fourth position in the batters’ list while Jasprit Bumrah is now ranked ninth in the bowlers’ rankings. England captain Joe Root and India fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah have advanced in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after fine performances in the opening match of their ICC World Test Championship series in Nottingham.

Root, top-ranked in the past, has overtaken counterpart Virat Kohli to fourth position in the batters’ list after his Player of the Match performance of 64 and 109 earned him 49 rating points. Bumrah has galloped 10 slots to return to the top 10 for bowlers with a match haul of nine for 110. Bumrah, who held a career-high third position in September 2019, is now ranked ninth.

Seam bowlers James Anderson (up one place to seventh) and Ollie Robinson (up 22 places to 46th) of England and Shardul Thakur (up 19 places to 55th) of India have also moved up in the latest men’s weekly rankings update, carried out on Wednesdays.

India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has progressed three slots to 36th among batters with a first innings half-century and opener Lokesh Rahul has re-entered the rankings in 56th position with scores of 84 and 26. England opener Dom Sibley is up four places to 52nd.

In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings, Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan has regained the top spot among all-rounders, having last reached that position last in October 2017. He has also gained three slots to reach 53rd among batters and advanced six slots to reach 12th position among bowlers. Captain Mahmud Ullah has gained two slots and is now in 33rd position.

Fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman is back in the top 10, gaining 20 slots after taking five wickets in four matches while Mohammad Saifuddin (up 26 places to 43rd) and Nasum Ahmed (up 103 places to 66th) are among the others to make headway.

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has gained four slots to reach 21st position among batters after aggregating 111 runs in the last four matches of the five-match series in Bangladesh, played over the last week. Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar has gained one slot to reach seventh place among bowlers while fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is up 43 places to 34th position.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

National Assembly takes up 60 percent agenda, refers six bills to committees 

Islamabad, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):The National Assembly took up 60 percent of its agenda and referred six private members’ bills to relevant committees for deliberation, observes Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) in its daily factsheet on Tuesday.

Following are key observations of the proceedings during 13th sitting of the 35th session:

Members’ Participation

The National Assembly met for four hours and 49 minutes.

The sitting started at 11:12 am against the scheduled time of 11:00 am.

Two members of panel of chairpersons presided over the entire sitting in the absence of the speaker and deputy speaker.

The leaders of the house (Prime Minister) and the opposition did not attend the sitting.

As many as 42 (12 percent) lawmakers were present at the outset and 44 (13 percent) at the adjournment of the sitting.

Seven minority lawmakers were present.

Output

The House witnessed introduction of six private members’ bills which were referred to the relevant committees for consideration. These bills were the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Article-27); the Trade Organizations (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Article-59); the Drug Regulatory Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the Pakistan Medical Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Islamabad Capital Territory Destitute and Neglected Children Bill, 2021.

Two bills including the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2021 (Amendment in Article-54) and the Contractors Registration Bill, 2021 were deferred following the consent of their movers.

A bill – the Memon University at Islamabad Bill, 2021 – was deferred due to the absence of mover.

Twenty-three reports of various standing committees on 20 legislative proposals, two starred questions and a calling attention notice (CAN) were presented in the House.

The House did not consider eight private members’ bills, 17 resolutions, two amendments in the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in National Assembly, 2007.

Representation and Responsiveness

The House passed a motion under sub-rule (7) of rule 154 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007 for consideration of the Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety Bill, 2020 in joint sitting of the parliament.

Parliamentary Secretary for industries and production and Minister of State for parliamentary affairs responded to CANs regarding increase in the prices of food essentials in the Utility Stores and violations of rights of wars affected people, respectively.

Five motions under Rule 259 on the agenda were not taken up.

Order and Institutionalization

Forty-eight lawmakers spoke on points of order for two hours and 30 minutes mainly related to issues of their constituencies.

The House was adjourned to meet again on Wednesday, August 11, 2021 at 11:00 am.

Transparency

‘Orders of the Day’ was available to legislators, observers and public.

Attendance of lawmakers was available to media and observers.

For more information, contact:
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN)
FAFEN Representative
FAFEN Secretariat 224, Margalla Road F-10/3 – Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-2211026
Fax: +92-51-2211047
Cell: +92-321-5017355, +92-301-8549188
Email: media@fafen.org
URL: www.fafen.org

If someone has an anti-people policy, PPP will be their enemy: Bilawal Bhutto Zardari 

Karachi, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that this government will be gone soon, and elections can be held in the country at any time. Whether living in the mountains of Kashmir or Kemari, people are now looking to the PPP as their saviour.

Addressing a press conference at the YMCA in Karachi, Chairman PPP said that despite limited resources, the Sindh government was doing an excellent job for the welfare and development of the province’s people. Providing opportunities for positive activities to the youth in YMC is amongst one of the beneficial initiatives of the Sindh government. He also said that it has become a habit of rival parties of Islamabad to do nothing for Karachi and try to ensure that no one else works for the betterment of the city. He also stated that rival parties are agitated that PPP is working day and night to improve the circumstances of Sindh despite their conspiracies, non-cooperation, and provision of limited resources.

In fact, the PPP has improved the condition of the entire province, including Karachi, and has also set in motion more projects that will ease the daily struggles of the people. “The federal government has repeatedly been unjust to the province, and the people now know the truth,” said Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “Which is why the only hope of the people of Pakistan is the Pakistan People’s Party.”

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari further said that his party was continuing its political struggle and preparing for the elections. “The PPP is always in election mode,” he continued. “From Kashmir to Quetta, influential people known for their work are joining the party.” He said that the nation has seen that the real face of change is historical unemployment, poverty, and inflation. This is why people are joining PPP. He said that the present government is not only illegitimate but also a weak government – hence, the general elections can take place at any time, and it is crucial to start preparing for them.

Replying to a question, the PPP chairman said that he had great respect for Maulana Fazlur Rehman. “We believe that a united opposition can cause harm to the current government,” he said. “If politics is conducted democratically, the government can be harmed – and we have shown that. As long as the PDM was obeying the PPP, adopting the PPP policy, the opposition was constantly winning. When PPP’s word was obeyed, it won 11 out of 11 by-elections. We have proved that the people are with the opposition. From Karachi to Khyber and from Pishin to FATA, the government suffered a historical defeat.”

Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also stated that PPP even won the senator seat in Islamabad and forced Khan to take a vote of confidence. He also said that if the opposition is serious, a no-confidence motion has to be brought against Buzdar and then against Imran Khan. The opposition will have to realize who is serious about harming the government, whether those who have harmed the government or those who suggest that only the opposition is harmed.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Pakistan Peoples Party is the only party that operates for the people’s benefit, while other parties have been formed in his nursery. When those parties see the PPP doing politics, they take it as an example to be followed.

Responding to a question by a journalist, the PPP chairman said that at the time of approval of the recent federal budget, the Sindh Chief Minister had written a letter to the federation pointing out the injustices done to Sindh. “The right of NFC and the right of our city is not being given. The census is wrong,” he revealed. “During the last monsoon, the federal government had announced a package of Rs. 1100 billion for Karachi, but so far not a single brick has been laid, and not a single drop of water has been provided.”

He further said that he had condemned the blasts in Quetta yesterday and demanded the government to implement the National Action Plan fully. Given the situation in Afghanistan, the crisis in Pakistan may worsen. Still, it is sad to say that our Prime Minister sympathizes with the terrorists, declares the terrorists martyrs, and sacrifices lives from Karachi to Waziristan. “Soldiers and officers are left without heirs,” he stated. “We believe that as long as Khan does not review this policy, the threat of terrorism will remain.”

The PPP chairman said that Pakistan Peoples Party is not against anyone – it is a people-friendly party. However, if someone has an anti-people policy, PPP will be their enemy. Whoever’s policy will be people-friendly, PPP will support them. He also pointed out that whoever joins the PPP, suddenly becomes ‘bad’. This behaviour is not appropriate. The PPP is a political party, and its doors are open to all those who want to remove this government, oust Imran Khan, and make the country a peaceful, progressive, and prosperous Pakistan.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the hard work of Chief Minister Sindh and his team is in front of everyone. Despite limited resources in health, education, water, and even energy, significant work has been done to solve Karachi’s problems. In response to a question about his visit to the United States, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that he would also visit Washington in the next few months, and then the world will see the fear of the present government. He also said that Sheikh Rashid had once claimed that General Musharraf’s government would always be in power, but President Asif Ali Zardari had also ousted him.

The PPP chairman said that whatever unilateral decision the federal government would take that ignore the people and government of Sindh would remain controversial. He said that the people of Karachi would respond to PTI and MQM with the power of their vote in the coming local body elections because they know both of these parties are responsible for the problems they face. The PPP is the only party working for the betterment of Karachi. He said that the people had also welcomed the appointment of Administrator and Special Assistant in Karachi.

For more information, contact:
PPP Media Cell (Sindh)
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)
Peoples Secretariat Shikarpur Colony,
Behind Mazar-e-Quaid-e-Azam, Karachi, Pakistan
Cell: +92-305-3370383
Email: contact@ppp-tu.com
Website: https://www.ppp.org.pk

ICC opens Expressions of Interest for Media Rights opportunities ahead of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 

Dubai, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):The International Cricket Council (ICC) today invited parties to submit expressions of interest for various non-exclusive media rights in relation to public screening and on-board rights ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. The event is scheduled to take place in the UAE and Oman from 17th October to 14th November.

Interested parties are being offered the opportunity to acquire regional or worldwide public screening rights for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 matches. For more information, contact public.screening@icc-cricket.com

The ICC is also offering the opportunity for interested parties to obtain on-board rights to transmit or exhibit various attractive content packages for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup via any in-flight or on-board entertainment system aboard any aircraft, ship, or train (but not an automobile). Rights include the transmission of the live feed and highlights programmes to all matches, as well as various ICC-produced programming. For more information, contact onboard.rights@icc-cricket.com

The ICC is keen to partner with organisations who share in its ambition to continue to grow and deepen engagement globally in cricket.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

37% of Pakistanis believe that coronavirus is a foreign conspiracy: Gallup and Gilani Pakistan

Islamabad, August 11, 2021 (PPI-OT):According to a survey conducted by Gallup and Gilani Pakistan, 37% of Pakistanis believe that coronavirus is a foreign conspiracy.

Complete report for Wave 11 of the COVID-19 tracker survey can be accessed here:

https://gallup.com.pk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Gallup-COVID-19-Tracker-Wave-11.pdf

A nationally representative sample of adult men and women from across the four provinces was asked the following question, “To what extent do you agree or disagree that ‘I think Coronavirus is a foreign conspiracy’?” In response to this question, 27% completely disagreed, 7% disagreed to an extent, 12% agreed to an extent, 25% completely agreed while 24% did not know. 5% did not provide any response.

Question: “To what extent do you agree or disagree that ‘I think Coronavirus is a foreign conspiracy’?”

For more information, contact:
Head Office,
Gallup Pakistan
Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8445080
Email: isb@gallup.com.pk, caf@gallup.com.pk
Website: www.gallup.com.pk