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Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Veteran journalist, now 85, recalls birth of Pakistan, evolution of national media
ISLAMABAD: In the early hours of Aug. 14, 1947, hundreds gathered on the lawn of the Shakargarh tehsil headquarters, waiting for history to be made. As a German-made Grundig radio crackled to life with the announcement of Pakistan's independence, headmasters, scholars, businesspeople and children erupted in joy. Among them was seven-year-old Muhammad Arshad. Now 85, Arshad has spent more than five decades in journalism, witnessing both Pakistan's turbulent history and the transformation of its news media. The British partition of the subcontinent created two states on the basis of religion, with Muslim-majority areas allocated to Pakistan and Hindu-majority to India. The process triggered the largest mass migration in human history, with an estimated one million people killed in communal violence. Arshad's hometown of Shakargarh, then part of Gurdaspur district in present-day Indian Punjab, was allocated to Pakistan, while Gurdaspur itself went to India. The tehsil became a hub for Muslim migrants fleeing violence, many of them wounded and destitute. 'All the people who arrived were injured, cut up or wounded,' Arshad recalled. 'And they came into Shakargarh city, where there was only one government dispensary.' Arshad moved to Lahore in the 1950s for higher education, earning a Master's degree in Journalism from Punjab University in 1961 as part of its first graduating class in the subject. He began his career that year as a sub-editor at Daily Kohistan, later working for several newspapers before joining state broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV) in 1983, where he served until 2000. After retirement, he continued contributing to newspapers and television until 2010, and taught journalism at Pakistani universities until 2023. His career has given Arshad a unique vantage point to comment on Pakistan's media landscape, whose ethos he says has changed fundamentally. 'In earlier times, journalism meant serving the nation's existence, not one's own, like I am no one,' he said. 'And now, there is no preference to the nation, and I am on the forefront.' Indeed, Pakistan's news media, particularly its private television channels and digital outlets, regularly face criticism for political bias, sensationalism and spreading misinformation. Arshad contrasted current practices with his early years in the profession. 'During my career, news outlets gathered facts from the field like a sacred trust and reported them honestly,' he said. 'Now everyone wants to put himself and personal gains at the forefront and the public is behind somewhere.' He also lamented what he sees as a weakening command of the Urdu language among journalists, anchors and newscasters, urging them to refine their delivery and avoid mixing words. 'If we revive that spirit of truth and integrity, the profession can still guide Pakistan to a better future,' Arshad said. Indeed, at the end of the day, the veteran media man still remains hopeful — for the future of the media and Pakistan. 'There is no need for despair because it will be fine. How will it be fine? There is no argument for this except one,' he said. 'When Pakistan came into being, it did not even have a needle. Now, it is an atomic power.'
The Herald Scotland
09-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
The Scots who were the world's first Black Sabbath tribute group
ON a Sunday night in mid-November 1969, a new heavy metal band, Black Sabbath, played a gig at a venue in Dumfries. Earlier that month, the group, which had recently changed its name from Earth, had recorded their self-titled debut album at a London studio. Rugman's Youth Club in Dumfries was a small, railway-tunnel shaped venue, some 80 feet long with two-feet-high stages at either end, on which bands played. In the audience of between 80 and 100 teenagers that evening was Alex Wilson, a young man in flared trousers who was there to record another band on his Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder via a Grundig 4 channel Magic Eye mixer. He wasn't to know it then, but the events of November 16 would change his life, and not just because he happened to make the earliest known recording at that time of a live gig by Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. What would follow was one of the most curious episodes in Scottish rock music: the story of Iron Claw, a band which Alex was already in the process of forming. Encouraged by the experience of seeing Black Sabbath live and talking to them informally afterwards, Alex created a musical project by writing original songs with sledgehammer riffs and powerful interplay between lead guitar, bass and drums. Such was the motivation that night that Iron Claw learned to play all the early Sabbath songs and in the process of performing them live became the world's first Sabbath tribute band, in 1970. Iron Claw didn't make it into the big time in those pre-internet days, mostly because they were based in Dumfries and not in London, the then music capital of the UK, but also because the only financial input into the band was from Alex himself. The Iron Claw songs written and recorded at the dawn of the Seventies would not see the light of the day for nearly 40 years. A double vinyl album was released in 2009, covering the recordings made between 1970 and 1973, its 16 songs including Clawstrophobia, Sabotage, Skullcrusher, Pavement Artist and Winter. And – irony of ironies – that record, Iron Claw, has just been described as one of the 200 greatest heavy rock albums. The earliest version of the band consisted of four highly talented musicians: Jimmy Ronnie (16) on guitar, Ian McDougall (16) on drums, Mike Waller (17) on vocals and Alex Wilson (21) on bass. Alex, now 77, takes up the story. 'I was 20 when I started in 1968 assisting in the management of a local band, Amplified Heat, and used to record them regularly. After the best part of a couple of years I thought, I could do better than this – I can't sculpt, I can't paint, but I could maybe make some music. 'I went to see Led Zeppelin on their first tour, 1969. It was at Newcastle City Hall, that June. Fifteen pence to get in, and it wasn't even sold out! That was the first really big band I had seen, and of course I noticed right away that they didn't make any mistakes during a set. That showed me the standard that you've really got to achieve if you want to make a record'. Alex began putting together the eventual Iron Claw in the summer of 1969 choosing their name after a line in a King Crimson song. ('We liked the sound of it', Jimmy Ronnie told Psychedelic Baby magazine in 2011. 'It sounded heavy'). Between them, the quartet made a powerful outfit. Jimmy himself was something of a guitar prodigy. 'He had come up to me at an Amplified Heat open-air show in 1969 and asked if he could have a shot on my guitar', Alex recalls. 'I had a Gibson SG Standard which I had loaned to the Amplified Heat guitarist to use and I told Jimmy, 'aye, sure'. I heard him play, and he was impressive so I took a mental note. 'Jimmy said, 'I live in the flats just behind you'. And I thought, right enough: when I was going to work at eight in the morning I could hear this guitar being practised. Then I found Ian, who'd asked for a shot on Amplified Heat's drums at a Rugman's gig. He was very good; another mental note. Ian was only 15 at the time. Mike had previously been in Amplified Heat and was only 17 when he joined.' Iron Claw learned how to gel together, playing blues songs by the likes of Free, Taste and Johnny Winter. 'And then, one night', says Alex, 'Amplified Heat were backing Black Sabbath at Rugman's. I used to record Amplified Heat every night so that we could iron out any mistakes. Sabbath started off and I thought, My God! They were as good as Zeppelin, I thought. I was absolutely astonished, so I recorded their second half. Black Sabbath were all younger than me. Ozzy never swore that night. He was a really well-mannered guy, and so was [guitarist] Tony Iommi. They were all great lads. 'I was talking to them afterwards and they said they were writing their own stuff. They were on the blues circuit at the time, '68-69, and I thought, well, if they can write their own songs … the songs were quite basic but I loved the power of them'. Iron Claw were really taken with the Sabbath sound. 'We were the first Black Sabbath tribute band', is how Alex terms it. 'It was quite an interesting period. We got really tight and we learned all their songs. 'In those days there was no internet, of course. There was no radio or TV exposure. If you wanted to get anywhere you had to play live. That was it. We learned a good 30, 40 songs or whatever, and practiced, recording rehearsals to ensure no mistakes. Writing Iron Claw material, we recorded firstly in Edinburgh and then in London on very primitive equipment, in 1970. The last studio recordings we made were in Newcastle in 1973. 'That was it, basically. The rest of the boys were getting older and settling down, you have to remember. I was five years older than most of them and was the only one with a regular job'. The first of the line-up changes occurred when Mike Waller departed in 1972, Alex recruiting Willie Davidson and Donald McLaughlin, briefly, from Amplified Heat. Iron Claw hung together until 1974, when the band went their separate ways. Alex was the one who was left with all the Iron Claw bills to pay, and, seeking to recover some of his outlay, brought out, in 1976, Remains to be Heard, a self-produced cassette of Iron Claw songs. It went on sale locally, and sold out. 'About twenty years later, some German bootleg company got hold of a cassette copy and brought it out on CD. They actually brought it out twice – the first time under the Iron Claw name, and, the second time, under a fake name, Antrobus. That's how Rockadrome got to hear of the music, really'. Rockadrome is a specialist US record label and store that released the double Iron Claw album on vinyl and CD in 2009. The songs were remastered from Alex's original tapes. One critic, writing for the online magazine Terrorizer, noted at the time: 'This Scottish band is just ridiculously heavy and I think it's a travesty that the 16 songs they wrote around 1970/1971 never got an official release until 2009. This whole album is just breathtaking'. Read more On the Record: And what of that recent accolade? It came in a new publication from the makers of Uncut. At number 77 in The 200 Greatest Heavy Rock Albums … Ranked! is that 2009 Iron Claw album, ahead of some records by such renowned acts as AC/DC, Rush, Motorhead, Led Zeppelin and, yes, Black Sabbath. 'Inspired by Zep and Sabbath', the magazine notes, 'Iron Claw were formed in Dumfries in 1969, but didn't receive their due until this fab 2009 release of 16 tracks from the early 70s. Monolithic riffs emerge though the murk as stoner rock is born and promptly forgotten'. Alex is clearly happy with such recognition, as belated as it is, and has posted the news on Iron Claw's Facebook page. He writes: 'There will be some eye-rolling at some albums included BELOW No77!)... All opinions of course, but I still think it's a great honour to be included in such company!' To which one fan has succinctly responded: 'This is f——- great news! Congrats. Well deserved'.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Test summers are the sunshine-shaped bookmarks of our lives
The first Test of an English summer always has a certain frisson – who is shaping up and who might be shipping out? Will that debutant be able to make his mark? Will that old-timer still be able to cut it? Anticipation builds and the news cycle swirls in the run-up. Now here it is, the opening act. High summer lies ahead, ready to spill its stories like when they slice open the shark in Jaws. Look – is that a Ben Duckett double century next to that number plate? And over there, is that … it is – Farhan Ahmed poking out from behind that chewed rubber dinghy with a five-fer on Test debut. How has that happened? Advertisement Related: Bring back that Bazball feeling: McCullum wants England to reconnect with fans The first home Test summer I can vividly remember was the six-match visit from West Indies in 1995. Angus Fraser had been eschewed for the first game at Headingley and my seven-year-old self became weirdly invested in the performance of a blond and ruddy-faced Lancashire seamer picked to make his Test debut. When the images of Peter Martin pinning Richie Richardson lbw beamed out of my parents' cube-sized Grundig telly, I remember the surge of joy in that living room hitting me purer than any shiny football sticker swap or playground haul of Pogs ever had or would since. Of course, when you are a kid and cricket is on terrestrial television this stuff is so much easier. Finishing primary school in the early afternoon, you could be plonked on the rug with a sliced apple and a session and a half of play still to unfold. As the years pass and you grow older though, pesky old life gets in the way of hazy, lazy unadulterated stretches of Test viewing. Unless you're a student, obviously, or a new parent who has somehow aligned the scheduling stars and wound up with a newborn at the start of a winter tour. Or if you have somehow managed to wangle it to be your job. For the rest, though, those Thursday starts are a pain, eh? What with all that annoying 'work' getting in the way and a manager/team who inexplicably don't seem to be bothered about whether Sam Cook will jag the new Dukes and be quick enough on his Test debut or even whether Zak Crawley's Teflon coating might finally wear through? Advertisement Where do these people get off organising meetings for 11am? No matter, you've got your methods, your strategies. You've been in good form during the first months of the County Championship, honing your skills for the first Test. You do what the teenagers do and surreptitiously use an ear bud so you can tune in to Test Match Special on the sly. Do not – repeat NOT – start tapping your tea mug with your teaspoon when Soul Limbo kicks in, have some self-control. Play the long game. It's Test cricket for God's sake, show some grit and determination! Wait, who are you calling old-fashioned? Open up your tabs on your desktop. Go on, fire up that trusty out-of-date spreadsheet ready to cover the over-by-over and live text alerts with the flick of a shortcut key should someone walk past. Concentrate. Use your process. 'Be where your mouse is.' This thing could be over in an instant. Get your head down. Take each ball at a time. Throwing air punches and pounding your hot-desk because Josh Tongue has been picked in the starting XI … what are you? An amateur? You'll give the game away before the coin has even been tossed. Ah I see, you're embracing the danger, running towards it even – propped up behind a lever-arch file and an empty coffee cup – is that SkyGo on your phone? You maniac – I love it. When you reach a certain age you start to measure your life in Test match summers; they serve as timestamps, sunshine-shaped bookmarks. Ten years after my Peter Martin infatuation, it is 2005 and every run that pings across the Lord's turf from Marcus Trescothick's blade in the first Test of the summer gives hope that something special might be on the cards. Sure, this was 'just' Bangladesh and a snarling Australia lie in wait but England look primed and ready. Maybe they could actually do it this time. Advertisement A few weeks later, at Lord's once more, and Steve Harmison has Justin Langer hopping about like a toddler who needs a wee and Ricky Ponting is spilling claret all over the crease on the first morning of the Ashes. Maybe they could. In the days after the first Test of the 2023 Ashes I bumped into a former teacher of mine in the street, Mr S: 30 years apart in age, we were both giddily reminiscing about Zak Crawley's sonic-boom cover drive off Pat Cummins to get the series under way. He was comparing it to Michael Slater's rasping cut shot that served as a similar first-ball portent in the 1994 Ashes. England went on to lose the match but Mr S and I both agreed that the next few weeks would be unmissable. He was one of those teachers for whom you always wanted to work hard. To make proud. In the 20 years since I had left school we would often bump into each other like this and swap life updates on the pavement amid the sporting digressions and song recommendations. The other day I was at a social occasion surreptitiously following the cricket on my phone when it rang in my hand. My dad told me that Mr S had died suddenly. Far too young, far too cruel. Another English summer of Test cricket begins on Thursday. Another timestamp. Another sunshine-shaped bookmark that will, for me, glow a little duller than the rest. When the first ball is sent down at Trent Bridge, I'll think of him. Raza not missing out on England Sikandar Raza's skills with bat and ball have put him in demand for a frankly eye-watering number of teams around the world. From Montreal Tigers to Tshwane Spartans, back to Matebeleland Tuskers and on to Trinbago Knight Riders by way of Chittagong Kings, Manchester Originals, Seattle Orcas and, well, Northamptonshire. An Indiana Jones-style red line follows Raza as he circumnavigates the globe with his Mr Benn kitbag. Like plenty of modern-day cricketers his carbon footprint comes with added bunions. Advertisement Franchise commitments meant Raza missed out on Zimbabwe's recent Tests against Bangladesh and Ireland but he wasn't going to miss out on a chance to take on England for the first time in what he called on X last week a 'historic' Test match. 'National duty is the top priority for me and once picked I will honor and fulfil it,' he said. Raza has been around the block enough times to know that there will be plenty of eyeballs on this game and it'll be worth the air miles and the creak of jet lag to get a score against England in a Test. Raza's global hotfooting reminded me of a story Peter Lever told me about his Lancashire teammate Barry Wood's 'longest bloody duck in history' on England's tour of New Zealand in 1975. Wood was called up as a last-minute batting replacement and flew 'around the world about twice' to get from West Indies – where he was doing some coaching during the English winter – to Auckland in time for the first Test. Lever recalled, through waves of laughter, about how Wood basically landed in his whites after two days of solid travel and more or less headed straight out to the middle to bat. Inevitably, he was out to his very first ball. Richard Hadlee could smell the jet lag on him and made no mistake picking up a cheap Test scalp. A lot of air miles had culminated in a golden duck. 'All the other lads ran out of the changing room and left me on me own with Barry coming back in an almighty rage. I sat stock still as he entered and looked as if he was about to start trashing the place … ' Lever caught Wood's eye. 'There was a split-second and then we both just burst out laughing – we were on our knees in fits of giggles! During a Test match. It was ridiculous!' Quote of the week Now's the time where we shoot for the stars' – Brendon McCullum is clear on the direction of travel he wants his England Test side to take with India and Australia on the horizon. Memory lane In an Ashes summer, England's one and only victory against Allan Border's 1993 vintage – the sixth Test at the Oval – shows the power of the desperate: right, we've nothing to lose, so it's time for Plan B. Four Tests down (Trent Bridge a draw) England drafted in Devon Malcolm, Angus Fraser and Steve Watkin, with Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash introduced to gee up the batting. And it worked, the newbie attack sharing all 20 wickets, with Fraser taking his eighth and last wicket just after the start of the final hour's play, when he had Shane Warne lbw. England won by 161 runs, ending a fallow run of nine losses and a draw in 10 Tests and a gaping void of more than six and a half years since their last victory over Australia. Still want more? The 2005 Ashes was a hugely important time for cricket, both for the result and what followed, writes Taha Hashim. Advertisement Andy Bull looks at Zimbabwe's return to England and the changes the country and cricket team have undergone. Zimbabwe's Sean Williams tells Simon Burnton: 'It's been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs – mainly downs.' And Ali Martin has this exclusive about Virat Kohli possibly making his way to Middlesex. Contact The Spin … . … by writing to In? To subscribe to The Spin, just visit this page and follow the instructions.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Beko Triumphs at iF DESIGN AWARDS 2025 with Six Wins Across Product, UX, and Communication
Beko excels at iF DESIGN AWARDS 2025, winning six accolades across Whirlpool, Grundig, and Indesit brands in Product, UX, and Communication categories, showcasing innovative and sustainable design ISTANBUL, March 13, 2025 /CNW/ -- Beko continues to set new benchmarks in innovative, people-centric design, earning six prestigious iF DESIGN AWARDS 2025 across its Whirlpool, Grundig, and Indesit brands. The wins—spanning Product, User Experience (UX), and Communication disciplines—highlight the company's commitment to combining functionality, sustainability, and intuitive design to enhance everyday life. The iF DESIGN AWARD is hosted by the world's longest-standing independent design organization, Hannover-based iF International Forum Design GmbH. The awards are among the most fiercely competitive global honors in the design world and have epitomized outstanding design and design quality for over 70 years. Beko brands secured awards across multiple categories: Whirlpool – Three awards for its W Collection: Product: W Collection Induction Hob, W Collection Oven Set User Experience: W Collection Oven Set Grundig – Two awards for user-driven innovation: Product: Elementa Hair Care Family User Experience: Heat Pump and Controller Mobile App Indesit – One award for its creative brand storytelling: Communication: Sound of Collaboration digital marketing campaign To earn the prestigious awards the entries by Whirlpool, Grundig and Indesit had to excel in a field of over 10,000 submissions from 66 countries. The winners were selected by a distinguished jury of 131 independent experts from around the globe, impressing across five key criteria—idea, form, function, impact, and differentiation. Whirlpool W Collection Induction Hob – Product Award Category The W Collection Induction Hob scored highly in the Form and Function criteria. When it comes to Form, it is a celebration of sleek minimalist aesthetics and innovative features, thanks to carefully selected high-quality materials like tempered glass and stainless-steel assuring durability. With a minimalist graphic design and an invisible interface when off, it integrates smoothly into contemporary kitchens, delivering functionality with sophisticated style. More than just an appliance, this is a beautiful and practical solution that simplifies life. In terms of Function users can set the temperature and focus on cooking thanks to HeatControl, which maintains a stable temperature so there's no need for constant adjustments. The hob enhances performance by monitoring the temperature inside pans, not just energy output based on power levels. This feature allows continuous temperature monitoring, simplifying cooking for perfect results every time – all while optimizing energy use. Moreover, the CleanProtect nanotechnology makes cleaning effortless, just water and a sponge, saving up to six bottles of degreaser a year. W Collection Oven Set – Product Award Category Crafted with cutting-edge trend insights and in collaboration with top kitchen manufacturers, Whirlpool's new oven set offers broad functionality. The oven and compact oven set exemplifies a sophisticated fusion of style, functionality, and the innovative 6TH SENSE Technology. The Oven's SteamSense+, Food Sensing Probe, and Active Steam Control make precision cooking effortless, delivering perfect results with the right temperature and humidity every time. The Compact Oven, a versatile 3-in-1 solution, combines Steam and Microwave capabilities, ensuring impeccable results across three levels in just 45cm. Furthermore, this set is a perfect fusion of sophistication and celestial beauty, delivering a unique blend of style and function. Whirlpool W Collection Oven Set – User Experience Award Category Whirlpool ovens and microwaves let users cook in less time as the oven takes care of achieving perfect results. Offering functionality, the intuitive interface lies at the heart of this effortless cooking experience: a new HMI makes both automatic and traditional functions easy to discover and intuitive to select. The user experience was based on research that found users' preference for using just a small number of functions very frequently. Hence, on the home page it is possible for users to immediately access their two favorite cooking functions (customized by each user). The design balances form and function—with the control panel presenting a minimalistic face that comes to life when switched on. This touch sensitive display takes users step by step through selecting functions, showing all information needed to achieve flawless cooking results. Grundig Heat Pump Controller and Mobile App – User Experience Award Category Grundig's award winning submission to the User Experience category seamlessly brings together innovative home energy solutions with an effortless interactive digital experience. As a brand that values sustainability, Grundig seeks to take on energy pressures and the climate crisis with innovative home energy solutions. The Heat Pump, part of Grundig Home Energy Solutions, combined with an all-in-one inverter offers a compact system that converts, stores, and uses the sun's energy. Grundig developed the interactive device screen and a mobile app to provide access to the home energy solutions' features, complementing control of the programs and features via the physical device interface. Grundig Elementa Hair Care Family – Product Award Category Elementa® Hair Care Family takes its inspiration from the 4 elements of nature—combining with innovative technologies in a simple and elegant design approach. The family includes hair dryer (Aer), steam hair straightener (Aqua), hairbrush (Terra) and hair styler (Ignis). The elements inspired by nature are reflected in the products not only visually but also technologically. Just as the combination of these elements symbolizes life, these products offer a holistic approach to hair care and styling. Indesit "Sound of Collaboration" – Communication Award Category Indesit's award-winning digital marketing campaign received high scores for the strength of its creative idea. Building on Indesit's #DoItTogether mission to empower more people to participate in household chores, the campaign shows that collaboration at home not only helps create harmony but also is the first step towards equality. The cross-platform campaign was built around a creative video that uses the power of music and rhythm. Like a band or orchestra, sounds of everyday chores make music, with each appliance and chore adding to the harmony when everyone in the home collaborates but stopping when one person stops. When everyone does their share the music starts again, supporting the brand #DoItTogether claim. The advert also brings to life Indesit appliances' main attribute with the brand's unique Push&Go and Turn&Go technologies that make tasks easy and accessible. About iF DESIGN AWARD Since 1954, the iF DESIGN AWARD has been a globally recognized trademark when it comes to design excellence. The iF Design brand is internationally established as a symbol of outstanding design achievements. The iF DESIGN AWARD is one of the most important design prizes in the world. It honors design achievements in all disciplines: product, packaging, communication and service design, architecture and interior design as well as professional concept, user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). All award-winning entries are presented on Further information on the awards can be found on the official website under "Winners & iF Ranking." ABOUT BEKO Beko is an international home appliance company with a strong global presence, operating through subsidiaries in more than 55 countries with a workforce of over 50,000 employees and production facilities spanning multiple regions—including Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Beko has 22 brands owned or used with a limited license (Arçelik, Beko, Whirlpool*, Grundig, Hotpoint, Arctic, Ariston*, Leisure, Indesit, Blomberg, Defy, Dawlance, Hitachi*, Voltas Beko, Singer*, ElektraBregenz, Flavel, Bauknecht, Privileg, Altus, Ignis, Polar). Beko became the largest white goods company in Europe with its market share (based on volumes) and reached a consolidated turnover of 10.6 billion Euros in 2024. Beko's 30 R&D and Design Centers & Offices across the globe are home to over 2,300 researchers and hold more than 3,500 international registered patent applications to date. The company has achieved the highest score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) in the DHP Household Durables industry for the sixth consecutive year (based on the results dated 22 November 2024) and has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for the eighth consecutive year.** Beko's vision is "Respecting the World, Respected Worldwide." *Licensee limited to certain jurisdictions. **The data presented belongs to Arçelik A.Ş., a parent company of Beko. Logo: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Beko View original content to download multimedia: Sign in to access your portfolio
