AR Rana

11/09/2026

Eight first-class matches. No passport until seven days ago.

Then he steps off the plane, lands in England, and marks his run-up.

First over: 89.7 mph average.
Every single delivery faster than any other Pakistan bowler has managed the entire tour. Before he even concedes his first Test run, he traps Joe Root; England’s greatest-ever Test batter, plumb in front. He walks off with a four-wicket haul.

Then he picks up the bat.

From the bottom of the order, he blasts 81 runs in a single day, finishing as the second-highest run-scorer in the innings. Along the way, he smashes the record for the most sixes by a debutant in Test history, waking up an entire stadium and an entire country in the span of two hours.

Pakistan has never suffered from a shortage of talent. Only a shortage of people willing to look for it.

What a story 💚

11/09/2026

31/08/2026

𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗜𝗡: The Welsh government is trialling new signage in a bid to reduce the number of Middle Lane Wankers on the M4. The signs gently encourage middle lane bellends to move aside and let proper drivers pass safely.

31/08/2026

Has anyone spotted one of these in the wild yet? The Jenoptik VECTOR-SR is one of the most advanced enforcement cameras now appearing on UK roads, far more capable than the traditional Gatso cameras you're used to seeing.

Unlike older single-lane speed cameras, it can monitor traffic flowing in both directions across up to three lanes simultaneously, read number plates using ANPR technology, and operate day and night without any visible flash thanks to infrared imaging. Beyond speeding, it's also designed to catch mobile phone use, seatbelt offences and red light violations, all from a single unit.

It combines radar-based speed measurement with high-resolution video and an intelligent virtual grid system, giving clear evidence of both the vehicle and its occupants, and unlike traditional cameras, it doesn't even need painted road markings to work, making it far more flexible about where it can be installed.

The rollout is already well underway, with successful trials completed in Greater Manchester, Devon, Cornwall and Wales, and Transport for Greater Manchester alone contracting Jenoptik to upgrade 90 spot cameras across 25 routes. A nationwide expansion is under way, alongside planned installations around Glasgow and Edinburgh.

So the next time you spot one of those small yellow cameras on a pole, it might be watching a lot more than you'd expect.

16/08/2026

Death anniversary of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: The King of Qawwali

The vertiginous sound that Nusrat created was so spellbinding, that many Hollywood A-listers also lined up to use his music and vocals. He collaborated on a studio album “Night Song” with Canadian composer Michael Brook, and went on to contribute to film soundtracks. His work with Peter Gabriel on Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ”, and “Natural Born Killers” penned by Tarantino, opened Hollywood to leveraging his genius further. The collaborations transcended genres, from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder and Bruce Springsteen in films like ‘Face of Love’ and ‘Dead Man Walking’, to Mick Jagger, Jeff Buckley, Madonna, Pavarotti, Zayn Malik, Joan Osborn and A.R. Rahman.

Nusrat’s global appeal allowed him to perform in over 40 countries, and acquire many titles of honor. Dr. Baud wrote, “Singing Buddha in Tokyo, Quintessence of the human voice in Tunis, The Voice of Paradise in Los Angeles, The Spirit of Islam in London, Pavarotti of the East in Paris, and Shahenshah-e-Qawwali in Lahore. Over the space of about 15 years, this chosen singer, one of God’s madmen, one of God’s sweetest, shot to planetary fame. A man of superlatives: weight (impressive), octaves (six, supposedly), albums (125 at the beginning of the 1990s according to the Guinness book of records, maybe twice that many by now), videos that can be consulted on the Internet site YouTube (over 2,000, certain of which have been viewed a million times in a single year), concerts (by the thousands), Google references (hundreds of thousands), cassettes and CDs (by the millions).”

In 1995, Nusrat was awarded the UNESCO Music award and in 1996, the Grand Prix des Amériques at the Montreal World Film Festival and the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes for his contribution to the world of music. In 1997, 'Intoxicated Spirit' was nominated for a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album. In the same year 'Night Song' was also nominated for a Grammy for Best World Music Album. In 2005, Khan posthumously received the "Legends" award at the UK Asian Music Awards. In 2006, Time magazine’s issue of “60 Years of Asian Heroes”, placed him amongst the top 12 artists and thinkers. He appeared on NPR's 50 great voices list, and was also included in CNN's list of the twenty most iconic musicians from the past fifty years in 2010.