SYDNEY: Chris Gayle was fined but avoided suspension for making inappropriate comments to a female reporter in a live TV interview during a Big Bash League Twenty20 match in Australia.
After scoring 41 from 15 deliveries for the Melbourne Renegades in a win over the Hobart Hurricanes on Monday night, the former West Indies captain suggested to television reporter Mel McLaughlin that the pair go out and made remarks about her appearance. He added, “Don’t blush, baby” during an awkward pause in the interview.
Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland on Tuesday joined the criticism of Gayle’s suggestive comments, saying it bordered on harassment and was inappropriate in the workplace.
Renegades chief executive Stuart Coventry reacted by fining Gayle $10,000 Australian dollars ($7,300).
“It was done in jest but it’s inappropriate,” Coventry said. “We had a look at some history and ... we think that this is a one-off scenario.”
Coventry said Gayle was “quite surprised” when informed of the fine, which will be donated to charity.
Chris Gayle fined for sexist comments to reporter
Chris Gayle fined for sexist comments to reporter
Makkah museum displays world’s largest Qur’an
MAKKAH: The Holy Qur’an Museum at the Hira Cultural District in Makkah is showcasing a monumental handwritten copy of the Holy Qur’an, recognized as the largest Qur’an of its kind in the world.
The manuscript measures 312 cm by 220 cm and comprises 700 pages, earning the museum recognition from Guinness World Records for displaying the world’s largest Qur’an, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The manuscript is a magnified reproduction of a historic Qur’an dating back to the 16th century, the SPA stated.
The original copy measures 45 cm by 30 cm, with the chapters written primarily in Thuluth script, while Surah Al-Fatiha was penned in Naskh, reflecting the refined artistic choices and calligraphic diversity of the era.
The Qur’an is a unique example of Arabic calligraphy, gilding and bookbinding, showcasing Islamic art through intricate decorations, sun-shaped motifs on the opening folio, and elaborately designed frontispiece and title pages that reflect a high level of artistic mastery.
The manuscript was endowed as a waqf in 1883. Its original version is currently preserved at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Endowment Libraries, serving as a lasting testament to Muslims’ enduring reverence for the Qur’an and the richness of Islamic arts across the centuries.
