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Author: News Desk

  • Amir Khan predicts Pakistan will one day produce champions like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson

    Amir Khan predicts Pakistan will one day produce champions like Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson

    Pakistani-origin British boxer Amir Khan believes Pakistan’s boxing future looks bright and says the country will produce a global champion like Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson.

    Speaking at the Jinnah Sports Complex in Lahore during the International Boxing Championship on Saturday, Khan said, “Pakistan has tremendous talent. One day, a champion like Muhammad Ali or Mike Tyson will emerge from here.”

    In the main event, British boxer James Metcalf won the WBA Asia Gold Middleweight title after knocking out Julio de Jesus of the Dominican Republic in the third round.

    Argentina’s Alberto Palmetta claimed the WBA Asia South Welterweight title after knocking out Filipino fighter Jopher Montano in the sixth round.

    Khan praised the event’s organisation and atmosphere. “It feels great to be in Lahore. Boxers from 15 countries competed here. The fans, the environment, the security, everything was excellent,” he said.

    He added that the championship would help promote sports in Pakistan. “This event will boost sports in the country. The hosting was impressive, and it will also support tourism.”

    Khan also thanked the Pakistan Army for facilitating the championship. “The fights we saw were outstanding. I am grateful to the Pakistan Army for organising such a great event and for ensuring top-level security for all international boxers and guests.”

    Amir Khan is a former unified light-welterweight world champion. He won the WBA title in 2009 and added the IBF belt in 2011 after defeating Zab Judah. 

    Khan first rose to fame when he won a silver medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics at the age of 17, making him Britain’s youngest Olympic boxing medallist in more than 30 years. 

    He retired in 2022 with major career victories that include wins over Marcos Maidana, Zab Judah, Paulie Malignaggi, and Andriy Kotelnik.

  • Russian fitness influencer dies after extreme 10,000-calorie daily diet plan goes wrong

    Russian fitness influencer dies after extreme 10,000-calorie daily diet plan goes wrong

    A 30-year-old Russian fitness influencer baker Dmitry Nuyanzin has died after following an extreme 10,000-calorie daily diet that he believed would help him gain weight quickly before starting a fat-loss program.

    According to international media reports, Dmitry, who lived in the city of Orenburg, wanted to prove that he could lose weight in any situation. What he did not realise was that his plan would turn into a tragic and cautionary story.

    Before beginning his weight-loss journey, Dmitry deliberately tried to gain nearly 25 kilograms by eating huge amounts of junk food every day. For several weeks, he consumed around 10,000 calories a day.

    His daily meals included pastries and cakes for breakfast, two pounds of mayonnaise-covered dumplings for lunch, and burgers, pizza, chips, and other high-calorie snacks for dinner. Within a month, he gained 13 kilograms and his weight reached 105 kilograms.

    On November 18, Dmitry posted his final Instagram update, where he shared a video of himself eating chips and told his followers that he felt unwell. 

    No one expected that it would be his last post.

    A day before his death, he cancelled his coaching sessions and informed friends that he was sick and planned to visit a doctor.

    He never made it. A few hours later, Dmitry died in his sleep as his heart stopped.

  • All beauty, no backbone: Why ‘Neelofer’ misses its own story

    All beauty, no backbone: Why ‘Neelofer’ misses its own story

    One day, a Pakistani film editor will take a stand against directors and writers. He will ruthlessly cut down on scenes that do nothing to take the story forward, he will tell the director that his beloved project is too long, and he will not let every shot be included into the final reel. 

    The film he edits will be the project that will save the industry. 


    Neelofer, unfortunately, is not that film. 

    Bogged down by the film makers’ love for Lahore, the film spends an excessive run time showing you all of the city’s glory but very little time explaining why the two main leads are doing what they are doing. You may not fathom why the reserved Mansoor falls for the out-there Neelofer on the day he meets her but you will know that he likes to follow her into the narrow lanes of centuries-old colourful bazaars. You will not understand exactly why Mansoor was rejected by Neelofer, but you WILL know that he now likes to forlornly walk about in front of the pre-partition buildings of Mall Road. 

    The story is simple enough. Famous writer Mansoor Ali Khan, mourning the death of his wife, falls for Neelofer, who meets him in an opthalmologist’s clinic while preparing for a transplant to cure her blindness. 

    The film spends upwards of an hour establishing the romance between the introvert hero and spunky heroine as they go through a checklist of Lahore’s famous spots. Rooftop in androon complete with pigeons? Check. Dinner at the charming Nairang Gallery? Check. Driving the dodge-em cars amidst Joyland’s bright colours? Check. 

    Much less time is spent on the villain who will eventually drive a rift between them. In fact he gets a total of three scenes. We will have to take the script’s word that he is jealous of Mansoor’s success without knowing why. 

    Other characters breeze in and out at the writer’s whim, adding nothing to the story. Atiqa Odho gets two scenes and perhaps three lines, none of which were important enough to cast such a big name in. Samiya Mumtaz plays a charming eye-doctor who we see interacting with Mansoor but not with Neelofer, a lost opportunity to explore the medical disability that is a major driving force in the story. 

    There are bright points that show you what the film could have been like without the bloat. Neelofer is thankfully not a pitiful creature. She’s confident, smart and played with plenty of abandon by Mahira Khan. Fawad Khan’s protagonist is charming enough to make the walls swoon. One scene at a railway station plays to both Mahira’s and Fawad’s strengths, taking their chemistry off the charts. Another one at Walton’s old air strip keeps you hooked with the raw vulnerability of the unlikely couple who don’t know much about each other. 

    Towards the end of the film, everything gets crammed in quite haphazardly to end the film. There is a hint of a love triangle that then gets gobbled up in haste. An Indian angle gets sprung on the audiences out of the blue. Gohar Rasheed is completely wasted as the voice of reason in a lurid talk show. 

    What we are left with is a film that could have been much better had director Ammar Rasool recognised that the clunky material he wrote does not need indulgent adoration but a firm hand at the helm.

  • IMF awards ‘C’ grade for India’s GDP data

    IMF awards ‘C’ grade for India’s GDP data

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed India in the second-lowest performance tier, giving the country a ‘C’ grade in its latest annual review of national economic data.

    The IMF said India’s 2011-12 economic dataset is old and unreliable, and noted that the country’s national accounts contain serious gaps.

    The report stated that a ‘C’ grade shows “data weaknesses that hinder effective economic monitoring”.

    According to the global lender, flaws in India’s economic data continue to obstruct proper surveillance.

    The Fund pointed out that India’s income-based method for calculating GDP has repeatedly faced criticism from economists.

    The IMF added that these weaknesses have not improved.

    It may be noted that this was the second consecutive year in a row when India’s national accounts received a ‘C’ grade, as the shortcomings in its statistical system remain in place.

  • Petroleum prices likely to drop from Dec 1

    Petroleum prices likely to drop from Dec 1

    Petrol prices in Pakistan are expected to decrease for the next fortnight starting from December 1, media reports said Saturday.

    As per the details, the price of petrol could fall by Rs3.70 per litre to Rs261.75 while high-speed diesel (HSD) price could drop by Rs4.28 per litre to Rs280.16 per litre.

    Kerosene prices could slightly drop by Rs0.73 per litre, down to around Rs193.61 whereas light diesel oil (LDO) is projected to see the largest drop of Rs6.35 per litre – bringing the price down to Rs164.45 from Rs170.80.

    For the last fortnight starting November 15, petrol prices remained unchanged at Rs265.45 per litre. 

    HSD, on the other hand, rose by Rs6 per litre to Rs284.44 on the recommendation of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and the Ministry of Energy.

    For the first two weeks of November, the federal government had increased petrol prices by Rs2.43 per litre to Rs265.45 while HSD rates went up by Rs3.02 to Rs278.44.

    The latest drop in prices is being attributed to minor fluctuations in the international market.

  • ‘I will use my legal right’: Chaudhry Aslam’s wife slams Bollywood portrayal of her husband

    ‘I will use my legal right’: Chaudhry Aslam’s wife slams Bollywood portrayal of her husband

    The widow of martyred Sindh police officer Chaudhry Aslam has strongly criticised the makers of the upcoming Indian film Dhurandhar, calling their portrayal of her late husband “offensive” and accusing the filmmakers of glorifying criminals.

    In an exclusive interview with a private news channel, Noreen Aslam took umbrage at a dialogue included in the film’s trailer. 

    She said, “The trailer says a child born from the devil and a jinn is called Chaudhry Aslam. This line attacks the character of Chaudhry’s mother. We are Muslims and we live in an Islamic country. We do not believe in relations between women and jinns. Chaudhry’s mother was a pure and pious woman.”

    Noreen Aslam criticised Indian writers for targeting Pakistan. 

    “Actors are never wrong, the writer decides everything. Indian writers always show Pakistan as a terrorist state, but they stay silent about the Indian colonel who admitted he placed a bet on Chaudhry Aslam. Whether Chaudhry is a hero or a villain depends on people’s own view. I do not object to that, but Chaudhry stayed loyal to his soil.”

    She warned that she will take legal action if the film misrepresents her husband. 

    She said, “We will know on December 5 how they show Chaudhry. But if they try to run propaganda against him, I will use my legal right.”

    Noreen questioned the glorification of Rehman Dakait in the film. 

    Pointing out that TTP is a globally recognised terrorist group, she said that Rehman Dakait was never as big a terrorist as he is being portrayed. “Chaudhry encountered far more dangerous terrorists. Rehman was a extortionist and involved in drugs. He was never such a big don. Why did they show him like this, only they know.”

    She also raised concerns about scenes involving Sanjay Dutt. 

    “When the film releases, we will see whether the TTP spokesman calls Sanjay Dutt. The whole world knows what Chaudhry said. That clip is still on YouTube.”

    Noreen Aslam also demanded a response from PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto over the film’s depiction of the party. 

    She said, “The trailer shows a rally where one side has Benazir Bhutto’s picture, one side has the public and one side has Rehman Dakait. What are they trying to show? I believe the PPP spokesperson and Bilawal Bhutto must give a statement on this.”

    The Bollywood film Dhurandhar, which includes key Pakistani figures as central characters, is scheduled for release on December 5. 

    The cast includes Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and Sanjay Dutt.

  • Rana Sanaullah says KP Chief Minister should go on ‘hunger strike until he dies’

    Rana Sanaullah says KP Chief Minister should go on ‘hunger strike until he dies’

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser Rana Sanaullah launched a sharp attack on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi, saying that Afridi should start a hunger strike outside Adiala Jail and “continue it until he dies in love with Imran Khan.”

    Speaking on a TV programme, Rana said, “The PTI founder should get permission to meet people, but after a three hour meeting there should not be a one and a half hour press conference.” 

    He added, “No one should talk about attacks, arson or a march on Islamabad. No law allows anyone to run a movement from inside a jail. No one has permission to meet the PTI founder and then hold hours long press talks outside.”

    Rana Sanaullah said the court that allowed the meeting also set a clear limit. 

    He said, “The court order had two parts: allow the meeting and do not do politics. When Nawaz Sharif went to London, did he break out of jail? The cabinet allowed him to travel.”

    He said the government does not feel threatened by Imran Khan. “We fear no one. The PTI founder should meet people under the law.” He claimed intelligence reports warned that PTI supporters had planned protests on November 26, similar to the violent ones held the previous year.

    Rana Sanaullah criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister and said, “The KP chief minister should start a hunger strike outside Adiala. He should continue the hunger strike until he dies in love for the PTI founder.”

    Meanwhile, KP adviser on information Shafi Jan responded and said Rana Sanaullah himself admitted that meetings with the PTI founder should take place. 

    “They fear Imran Khan. Recent health reports about him were alarming. We have serious concerns about his health,” he stated. 

    He observed that the Islamabad High Court ordered a meeting between the PTI founder and the KP chief minister. “Our entire leadership waited outside Adiala. KP chief minister wanted to meet the chief justice but he refused.”

    Shafi Jan also accused federal authorities of violence. 

    He said, “As soon as we leave KP’s border, they attack us. The government does not have the courage to bring Imran Khan to court. He has become a symbol of fear for them. We held a symbolic sit in on Adiala Road. We do not need a meeting to protest. Ali Amin was supposed to be changed and we already received the message.”

    Earlier, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi threatened to block parliamentary proceedings if authorities did not arrange a meeting with the PTI founder. 

    He also announced a protest outside the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday.

  • Maryam Nawaz says will form new department if traffic police doesn’t reform

    Maryam Nawaz says will form new department if traffic police doesn’t reform

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has given Traffic Police authorities 30 days to improve Lahore’s traffic system during a meeting that focused on modern traffic management, road safety and administrative reforms.

    Maryam Nawaz said on Friday that authorities must improve traffic management in Lahore and all other cities. She warned that no one will receive special treatment. “Everyone will pay fines for violations,” she said. 

    She criticised the performance of the traffic police and warned that the government will form a new department if officials fail to deliver. 

    She said, “This is the last chance for the traffic police. If they do not perform, we will create a new department. We fixed everything, yet the traffic situation remains terrible. Traffic violations and disorder weaken the state’s authority.”

    Officials briefed the chief minister that Lahore will receive a decisive 30 day deadline to bring major improvements. They noted that the 60-year-old traffic act has undergone twenty major reforms. 

    Under the new rules, repeated traffic violations will lead to vehicle auctions. Government vehicles that break the law will face heavy fines. The province also received a 30-day grace period to eliminate wrong way driving.

    Authorities also approved a decisive crackdown on underage driving. In such cases, vehicle owners could face up to six months in jail. Traffic police will also act against transporters who place passengers on bus rooftops.

    The meeting also decided that Qingqi rickshaws will be completely banned on five model roads in Lahore. Marriage halls must arrange proper parking and any venue that fails to provide parking will not be allowed to operate.

  • Iran boycotts FIFA World Cup draw after US denies visas to delegation

    Iran boycotts FIFA World Cup draw after US denies visas to delegation

    Iran announced on Friday that it will boycott next week’s FIFA World Cup finals draw in Washington DC after the United States refused to issue visas to several members of its football delegation.

    According to foreign media reports, the Iranian football federation said it informed FIFA that the decision by US authorities had nothing to do with sports. The spokesperson told state television that the delegation will not take part in the draw.

    An Iranian sports outlet reported on Tuesday that the US rejected visa applications for multiple officials, including federation president Mehdi Taj. 

    Taj criticised the move on Thursday and described it as a political act. He said he told FIFA President Gianni Infantino that the US must stop this behaviour.

    According to Varzesh 3, four members of the delegation, including head coach Amir Ghalenoei, received visas for the December 5 draw.

    Iran qualified for the World Cup in March, securing a fourth straight appearance and seventh overall. The team has never reached the knockout stage, but its 2-1 victory over the US in the 1998 World Cup remains one of its most celebrated moments. 

    The US won the most recent meeting in 2022 with a 1-0 result.

    Tensions between the US and Iran have shaped relations for more than forty years. Both sides held nuclear talks starting in April, but the negotiations collapsed in mid June after Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran. 

    The strike triggered a 12 day conflict that briefly pulled the US into direct military action against key Iranian nuclear facilities.

  • Case No. 9: the double-cross no one saw coming

    Case No. 9: the double-cross no one saw coming

    Episode 19-20 of Case No.9 was full of suspense and a twist that no one expected.

     

    Kamran (Faysal Quraishi) bribes Inspector Shafeeq (Gohar Rasheed) to figure out a way to ruin Sehar’s (Saba Qamar) reputation and case online and Shafeeq makes a killer good plan by getting a woman Shazia, to pretend she is Kamran’s earlier victim and gain Sehar’s trust. He figures out that Sehar and her team will want to use the victim’s story and he’s banking on them using social media to do it. Once they do, Shazia will release a video of herself saying Sehar and her team bribed her to lie.

     

    It did feel like Shazia was shady. The way she randomly got in touch and randomly had a thing with Kamran when he was single without showing any form of proof. It seemed strange from the start and it was also strange that Manisha (Navin Waqar) was so pushed to get her statement on social media. It wasn’t very clear what kind of information Ali (Ali Rehman Khan) Sehar’s ex-husband was going to gather from Kamran’s workplace but this is the episode that shows exactly why he was needed, at the right place at the right time.

     

    Without a doubt the most stellar performance in the series is by Inspector Shafeeq. It is hard to hate a character as much as you learn to hate Shafeeq and credit goes to Gohar Rasheed for really playing the part of the greedy, corrupt police officer to the T. 

     

    Even though Sehar finds out in time that the woman has been planted by Kamran, it is Beenish (Amina Shaikh) that becomes a soft voice of reason where she, when talking to Manisha, says that maybe it’s not a good idea to use social media – almost because it’s a tool that was used and abused by Kamran as well. Beenish realises the value and sanctity of the case and even though Manisha does too, Manisha knows the power that social media holds. The point being that there is no quick fix to cases like this and that maybe it’s best to let things off social media, no matter how tempting it is to take a battle on that front as well. 

     

    But things are bad when Bukhari (Noor-ul-Hasan) is also trying to convince Kamran to use his underhanded ways to help them gain sympathy in the case. The lawyer, who was so arrogant and sure of himself in the past, now seems shaky, which shows where things are going.

     

    Even though Kamran figures out that Ali is in fact, Sehar’s husband and now Ali’s cover is blown, the more telling part is how everyone expects that a divorce is the woman’s fault. Kamran and Bukhari wanted to find Ali to prove Sehar was a bad wife (a point inadmissible in court) but Ali clearly shows us how it is – it was him and he is man enough to admit it.

     

    But the biggest point is that it is now crystal clear that Rohit (Junaid Khan) will have to take the stand. Beenish explains that even if Rohit doesn’t want to, the court can force him to and it’s something that will either make or break the case for Sehar. Watching Rohit go through his moral struggle, with his marriage and family on the line, is the real suspense and Junaid Khan doesn’t disappoint. 

     

    We will definitely be seeing more of him and his internal struggle in the next few episodes and also Beenish poking holes in the testimonies of Kamran’s staff. Things aren’t looking good for him as he realises that money can’t buy everything.