FARUKH SHEHZAD

Raja Furqan

ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Federal Minister for Planning Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar on Wednesday has announced to open registration of 30 plus age citizens for coronavirus vaccination from May 16.

In a post on the social-networking website Twitter, the minister said, “As vaccine supply continues to improve and vaccination capacity gets enhanced in all Federating units, we continue to expand the categories of those who are eligible to get vaccinated.

Starting Sunday the 16th of May, registration will be open to all 30 years and older citizens. On May 3, Pakistan opened registration for the coronavirus vaccination for people aged between 40 to 49 years across the country.

The vaccine registration for the age group has been going on since April 27, whereas walk-in vaccinations for people aged 50 and above are underway in the country.

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KARACHI, MAY 12: Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq paid glowing tribute to his charges following Pakistan’s victorious tour of southern Africa, while claiming that the critics are boiling their own blood by being critical of his stature.

Addressing the tour-ending virtual media conference in Harare on eve of the Pakistan’s departure for Lahore on Tuesday, the 46-year-old Misbah admitted winning six series on the trot across all formats — having defeated South Africa at home in Test and Twenty20 series in January/February — were important steps as the team prepares for tougher challenges in the Twenty20 World Cup year.

“My philosophy always has been to make Pakistan among the top sides in world cricket. I think after the tours of South Africa [winning ODI series 2-1 and T20 series 3-1] and Zimbabwe (winning T20 rubber 2-1 before trouncing hosts by innings in both Tests] provided glimpses that we are heading in the right direction because winning obviously gives team confidence for the bigger challenges in the months ahead,” Misbah told reporters. “As a unit we can only work hard. On the way the results are not in our hands but as a coach, I am mighty proud of what we have achieved in recent weeks.

“Winning all [four] series in South Africa and Zimbabwe have given team to aim for the top. At the same time, whatever the critics say about me have not thought about my future and will not start doing that now either. The people who have been criticising me are simply boiling their own blood because I don’t care about them.”

Pakistan’s most successful Test captain remarked the overall results in alien conditions of South Africa and Zimbabwe were extremely encouraging.

“It is never easy playing South Africa in South Africa and to go there and win both One-day International and T20 series gave us great satisfaction with a young side. And despite winning, we have identified certain grey areas which need to be rectified if we aspire to take on top sides in white-ball cricket,” Misbah emphasized. “It was important for Pakistan to win in tough conditions we encountered in both these countries [South Africa and Zimbabwe]. Our middle-order batting in white-ball cricket was glaringly exposed. We will now go back to the drawing board and do a rethink over some of the selections on that front.

“Overall speaking, there is nothing more satisfying to play consistently good cricket throughout the period during a time when the entire world is battling with the Covid-19 pandemic. It is obvious to all that these are not normal times because of the restrictions of bio-secure bubble. Life in the bubble is a harrowing experience because in normal situation you are able to mingle with people day in and day out without worrying about your life in general.

“Here it was a sort of chastening experience since we have been touring from last year [starting with the England tour]. Hats off to everyone for sticking together through difficult times, be they the players or the backroom staff because the pressure of international cricket itself is very, very tough to handle in an abnormal environment.

“In fact, the pandemic gave us time to know each other more than we could have imagined because we have been working together while confined to virtually one spot. Over past four weeks, we have been spending time together meeting everyone at Sehri and Iftar times. The players deserve more of the credit because they were giving their best out there on the field. The commitment of everyone involved had been exemplary because cricket is our passion and to ensure we keep that passion alive we have to perform as one team.”

Commenting on Zimbabwe Test series the head coach singled out Hasan Ali as a rising star, while lauding the batting of Abid Ali, Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam. “I thought Hasan Ali has been magnificent since his comeback during the home series against South Africa. He performed extraordinarily throughout these months. We would like him to continue this momentum when Pakistan head to England for the white-ball series in July,” Misbah said. “And then the openers did a decent job during the first Test and Abid carrying on the excellent form in the next Test with a double century [unbeaten 215]. Fawad and Azhar also made centuries. With the ball, Nauman Ali did consistently well but the one area which pleased me most was the catching and overall fielding. In New Zealand, we were extremely poor but in Zimbabwe the catching was outstanding and we performed better in the field as well.”

Misbah also backed induction of Tabish Khan into the Test side despite the pacer being 36-year-old on his international debut. “We gave him a chance without compromising on team’s strengths without putting [all-rounder] Faheem Ashraf’s place in jeopardy. Faheem had been performing very well in recent series.

“Actually I have no issues with guys coming into international cricket whatever their ages are. I can give you my example. When the [Pakistan] captaincy was given to me, I was already past 36 and yet I played for seven years from then on. Age doesn’t mean much from my point of view because you can never be sure of what the players are capable of. How can one be sure that a 20-year-old cricketer would have a long [international] career or someone in the age bracket of 35-37 will fizzle out quickly?

“Therefore, as long as one is performing at the top of his game, he deserves recognition at the top level,” Misbah stressed.

Misbah also praised Babar Azam’s captaincy which he termed as a learning curve for Pakistan’s batting ace. “You gain more experience and go through different situations as captain and your tactical acumen improve accordingly. You keep learning about these strategies as you play more matches and I think the same applies to Babar.”

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Injuries from Israeli offensive on Palestinians also now number more than 220, says Health Ministry

RAMALLAH, MAY 12: The death toll of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces since the start of the offensive on the Gaza Strip has risen to 32, including a woman and 10 children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The Ministry said Tuesday that the number of injuries also climbed to 220.

Israeli warplanes launched raids beginning late Monday in the Gaza Strip in an offensive the army called Operation Guardians of the Wall.

Tensions have been running high in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem since last week, after an Israeli court ordered the evictions of Palestinian families.

Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents of Sheikh Jarrah have been targeted by Israeli forces.

Three Israelis have also been killed and 31 others injured in Palestinian rocket attacks.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980-a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

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UNITED NATIONS, MAY 12: The Organi­sation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), at a meeting in New York, has unanimously endorsed Pakistan’s proposal for issuing a joint statement deploring the Israeli actions against Palestinians.

The meeting also approved a proposal from the ambassadors of Turkey and Saudi Arabia for mobilising international support to convene a special session of the General Assembly on the situation. The OIC envoys set up a core group of member states as well to highlight this issue at the UN. Pakistan is a key member of this core group.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, UN Secretary General António Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” at escalating violence in the occupied Palestinian territory, while the UN rights office, OHCHR, appealed for “a redoubling of efforts to restore calm”, after airstrikes and days of clashes between protesters and Israeli police.

The ambassadors of OIC member states held this urgent meeting at the United Nations to show their angst at the Israeli aggression and unequivocally condemned the recent use of “brutal” force by the Israeli forces against Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

• Set up core group to raise issue at UN; meeting approves proposals from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey

In a statement issued after their meeting, the OIC ambassadors said the Israeli attacks on Palestinians in East Jerusalem, Sheikh Jarrah and Gaza were against all humanitarian norms and human rights laws, especially in the holy month of Ramazan.

The envoys urged the world community to immediately stop Israel’s attempts to evict residents of Sheikh Jarrah who have been living in that neighborhood for decades.

Tensions in East Jerusalem have soared earlier this week, after Palesti­nians complained about oppressive Israeli restrictions during Ramazan.

In Geneva, UN rights office spokesperson Rupert Colville cited reports that over 900 Palestinians had been wounded between May 7 and 10 in East Jerusalem, and over 200 in the West Bank, “most by Israeli security forces”.

Mr Colville cited reports saying that 24 Palestinians, including nine children and one woman, had been killed in the Israeli attacks.

The OHCHR official said at least 17 Israeli civilians were reportedly injured as the Palestinian groups had launched “some 250 rockets towards Israel in the past 24 hours”.

Addressing the envoys, Ambassador Munir Akram suggested immediate steps to draw the attention of the international community to the Israeli violations of the historic and legal status quo at the Al Aqsa mosque compound.

The world community should be encouraged to play its role in stopping these crimes against the Palestinian people and Muslim holy sites and to ensure the protection they need under international law, he added.

Ambassador Akram reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering “commitment to a two-state solution” in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent Palestinian state.

The UN chief said he was “deeply saddened to learn of increasingly large numbers of casualties, including children, from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and of Israeli fatalities from rockets launched from Gaza”.

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KARACHI, MAY 12: After moon-sighting committee of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirmed that the crescent of Shawwal had not been sighted, Saudi authorities announced on Tuesday that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated in the country on Thursday (tomorrow).

“BREAKING NEWS. The crescent for the month of Shawwal 1442 was NOT SEEN today, subsequently #EidUlFitr will be on Thursday, 13 May, 2021,” said official twitter handle of Haramain Sharifain, an important source of news relating to holy sites in the kingdom on digital media.

“Royal Supreme Court: ‘Tomorrow the month of #Ramadan will complete 30 days and Thursday is first day of #EidUlFitr’.”

The Jeddah Astronomical Association had already hinted that there were little chances of sighting of moon on Tuesday, predicting that the Shawwal moon was likely to be sighted in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday (today).

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Ex-Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif along with a delegation visited the embassy of Palestine on Tuesday to express solidarity with Ambassador of Palestine Ahmad Rabaie.

During the meeting he expressed grief over the prevailing situation in Palestine due to terror acts committing by Israeli forces on innocent people of Palestine.

Shahbaz Sharif said our support and prayers will always remain active to our Palestinian brethren as they face unprecedented Israeli brutality.

No other people have shown the kind of resilience that Palestinians and Kashmiris have in the face of the barbarity, Shahbaz added.

Ambassador of Palestine Ahmad Rabaie said it is my pleasure and honor to receive brother Shahbaz Sharif and his respected delegation to the Palestinian Embassy. He said, I thank him so much for the brotherly solidarity to support Palestine.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 12: Pakistan has strongly condemned the air strikes by Israel in Gaza that resulted in deaths and injuries to so many innocent Palestinians including children.

In a statement on (Tuesday), the Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudri said this is yet another reprehensible action during the holy month of Ramadan, following the increased restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of Palestinians, and the attacks in and outside Al-Aqsa Mosque.

He said the indiscriminate use of force by Israeli forces against defenceless Palestinians, causing death and injuries, defies all humanitarian norms and human rights laws.

The spokesperson said Pakistan calls upon the international community to put an end to the blatant use of force and flagrant violation of human rights of the Palestinian people.

He said establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous State of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, is the only sustainable guarantee for peace in the region.

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LONDON, MAY 11: Recently re-elected London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has declared strategies for the most important domestic tourism campaign the money has at any time witnessed.

The programs are made to aid the overall economy get back on its ft as Covid-19 limits are eased.

In a speech this early morning, Khan confirmed an quick priority will be the new ‘Let’s Do London’ campaign, which is getting created in partnership with the city’s hospitality, culture and retail industries.

The flagship marketing campaign to inspire Londoners and people back again into central London will contain a programme of one particular-off unique occasions designed in partnership with London’s most effective-identified cultural establishments and tourism attractions.

It will kick off afterwards this thirty day period with the capital’s well-known cooks, foodies and hospitality venues coming collectively to encourage and rejoice London’s earth-class food items supply.

There will be new interesting general public artwork installations to catch the attention of persons back into London from this thirty day period.

David Hockney, a single of the UK’s most influential living artists, has redesigned TfL’s iconic roundel ‘Hockney Circus’ in a particular artwork as portion of a takeover of Piccadilly Circus Station, starting off today.

Turning central London into a massive out of doors artwork gallery, award successful London designer Yinka Ilori is leading on ‘Asphalt Artwork,’ a collection of big new momentary streetscape commissions in central London and the City of London, in partnership with the London Design Pageant and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Asphalt Art Initiative.

The autumn will welcome back significant resourceful festivals, these types of as London Style Week, Frieze London, the London Structure Competition and the 65th BFI London Movie Festival, prior to the return of big events and attractions above the wintertime.

There will be even further exciting announcements across the year to showcase London’s earth class nightlife, cultural sights and hospitality corporations as nicely as the city’s grassroots venues and how imaginative freelancers, artists and performers will be at the heart of the programme as it carries on to produce.

The mayor has allotted £6 million to immediately guidance the new marketing campaign, in addition to market contributing above £1 million in funding and value-in-type.

Khan claimed: “It’s an honour to have been re-elected with a substantial mandate as Mayor of the city I like – the best metropolis in the planet.

“This is the most significant domestic tourism campaign London has at any time observed to champion our organizations, cultural establishments and points of interest that have suffered so a lot for the duration of the pandemic.

“This is about having the information out to Londoners and folks throughout the state that our funds stands all set to entertain, inspire and enthral as soon as all over again.”

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UNITED NATIONS, May 11: Ambassadors of member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Monday unequivocally condemned the recent use of “brutal” force by the Israeli forces against Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and vowed to draw world community’s attention to the atrocities.

At an urgent meeting, held in New York following the attacks against worshippers around the Al-Aqsa Mosque as also the escalation of clashes in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood and Gaza, the OIC ambassadors called the assaults against Palestinians against all humanitarian norms and human rights laws, especially in the holy month of Ramadan.

Alarms were particularly raised that residents of Sheikh Jarrah who lived in that neighborhood for decades were facing the threat of forced eviction, diplomats said.

Tensions in East Jerusalem have soared recently, with Palestinians complaining about oppressive Israeli restrictions during Ramadan.

The violence on last Friday, described as some of the worst seen in Jerusalem for many years, saw some 300 Palestinians injured in clashes following Israeli assault in the Haram Al-Sharif compound. On Saturday and Sunday clashes continued in East Jerusalem, ahead of a planned march by an Israeli group through the Old City.

The OIC envoys prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured, and reiterated steadfast support to the Palestinian cause, and once again urged the international community to take prompt action to protect the Palestinian people.

In this regard, Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram’s proposal for issuing a joint statement deploring the Israeli actions against Palestinians was unanimously endorsed by the OIC meeting.

Also approved was a proposal from Ambassadors of Turkey and Saudi Arabia for mobilizing international support to convene a special session of the General Assembly on the situation.

A core group of member states, which includes Pakistan, has been established to take lead on this issue at the UN.

In his remarks, Ambassador Akram underscored the need for “unequivocal and strong” solidarity with all Palestinians.

He also underscored the need for focusing international community’s attention to the Israeli violations of the historic and legal status quo at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and to stop these crimes against the Palestinian people and Muslim holy sites and to ensure the protection they need under international law.

Ambassador Akram reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to a two-state solution in accordance with the relevant United Nations and OIC resolutions, with the pre-1967 borders and Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of a viable, independent and contiguous Palestinian State.

On Sunday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and other senior UN officials expressed their deep concern over confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem.

The spokesperson Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement Sunday evening that Israeli authorities must exercise maximum restraint and respect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

“All leaders have a responsibility to act against extremists and to speak out against all acts of violence and incitement”, the statement said.

“The Secretary-General reiterates his commitment, including through the Middle East Quartet, to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements”

On Monday in New York, the Security Council meet behind closed doors to receive a briefing from the UN Special Coordinator for the region, Tor Wennesland.

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ISLAMABAD, MAY 11: In July 2015, at the 128th IOC Session held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,  Beijing was elected as the host city for Winter Olympic 2022. Beijing Olympic 2022 is an international winter multi-sport event scheduled from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China. It will be the first-ever  Winter Olympics planned to be held in China, the fourth in East Asia, and the last of three consecutive Olympics that took place in East Asia, following the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea and the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. 

Beijing has the honor to be the eleventh city to host the Olympic Games twice. Still, the first to have hosted both the Summer and Winter Games, having previously hosted the 2008 Summer Olympics already.

The city projects include four existing indoor venues purposely built for the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Beijing National Stadium (commonly known as the "Bird's Nest") will be used again as the ceremony venue. All other skiing events will be held in Taizicheng Area in Chongli District, Zhangjiakou city, Hebei province. It is 220 km from downtown Beijing. 

Games are promoted for good health and better physiques. All healthy nations promote sports to ensure general public health. Sports teach us discipline, self-control, and tolerance. Sports are being used to stimulate diplomacy and understanding. It is common practice that friendly nations exchange sports delegations and organize friendly matches to promote harmony and goodwill.

The Olympic Games, which initially started in ancient Greece as many as 3,000 years ago, were restored in the late 19th century and have become the world's preeminent sporting competition.

The first modern-day Olympics were held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. However, the Olympics indeed took off as a regular international sporting event after 1924, when the VIII Games were held in Paris. Around 3,000 athletes (with more than 100 women among them) from diversified 44 nations contested that year, and for the first time, the Games included a closing ceremony. The Winter Olympics debuted that year, comprising such events as figure skating, ice hockey, bobsledding, and the biathlon. Eighty years later, when the 2004 Summer Olympics reverted to Athens for the first time in more than a century, nearly 11,000 athletes from a record 201 countries participated. In a gesture that joined both ancient and modern Olympic customs, the shotput competition that year was held at the site of the traditional Games in Olympia.

All preparations are underway, and China has committed to make the event a historic one. The Beijing Organising Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has been constituted and is a public institution with legal prestige, in-charge of the organization, coordination of all related matters, and the preparations and delivery of 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

China has made tremendous developments in all sectors, including sports. China has the capacity and strong will to promote sports for the public good. It is believed that sports should be encouraged for International understanding and harmony. Sportsmen are goodwill Ambassadors globally.

However, some of the Western Countries are posed to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics. It reminds us of the cold-war era. In the past, two prominent Olympics boycotts—of the 1936 Berlin Summer Games and the 1980 Moscow Summer Games were counterproductive. It is desired that the Western World should learn from past experience and should not politicize sports.

As a matter of fact, few nations are fabricating false narratives to bargain with China over political issues. They might use boycott as a bargaining chip while negotiating with China on political fronts. However, China warned that boycott would be an unspecified "robust Chinese response."

It is desired that sports should be used to promote peace, harmony, and goodwill. Sports should not be used as a tool for political coercion. We must learn from past mistakes and should avoid repeating them again. Wish a successful Beijing Winter Olympic 2022! 

Author:  Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan. (E-mail: awanzamir@yahoo.com).

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"Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don't exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It's unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid," U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar wrote on the official social media account on Monday.

WASHINGTON, MAY 11: Israel's airstrikes on the Gaza Strip that have resulted in at least 20 civilian deaths, including nine children, "are an act of terrorism," US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said on Monday.

"Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don't exist to protect Palestinian civilians," Omar wrote on Twitter. "It's unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid."

In addition to the deaths, the Palestinian Health Ministry said 65 people were injured in the airstrikes.

The Israeli strikes came after Palestinian groups launched around 100 rockets, including seven on Jerusalem, while the rest targeted Ashkelon, Sderot and settlements near the Gaza Strip.

The rocket strikes came in response to continued Israeli raids on the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the eviction of Palestinian families from the Palestinian-majority Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem.

At least 305 people were injured as Israeli police on Monday stormed al-Aqsa in occupied East Jerusalem and attacked Palestinians who were on guard to prevent possible raids by far-right Jewish Israelis, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The mosque is the third holiest in Islam.

Tensions have been on the rise in East Jerusalem amid planned evictions of dozens of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, which is located just north of the Old City. Palestinians protesting in solidarity with residents have been targeted by Israeli forces and settler groups.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and annexed the entire city in 1980-a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

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