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Author: News Desk

  • IBSF World Cup: Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal knocks India’s Pankaj Advani out, makes it to semis

    IBSF World Cup: Pakistan’s Asjad Iqbal knocks India’s Pankaj Advani out, makes it to semis

    Seasoned Pakistani cueist Asjad Iqbal has continued his impressive run at the IBSF Snooker World Cup 2025, reaching the semi-finals after a series of dominant victories at the Active Oman Sports and Entertainment Hub.

    According to reports, the 34-year-old former national champion defeated India’s Pankaj Advani 4-0 in the quarter-finals after opening with an 81 break to take the first frame 100-0, followed by a 92-37 win in the second.

    He went on to score a 68 break in a 117-16 third-frame victory and sealed the match 83-21 in the fourth.

    Asjad’s campaign began in the last 32 round, where he beat India’s Hussain Khan 3-0 (53(53)-44, 90-41, 93(84)-9). In the same round, Egypt’s Mina Awad defeated Pakistan’s Mohammad Hasnain 3-1, while Pakistan’s Mohammad Asif overcame Khalid Kamali of the UAE 3-2 (71(70)-77, 17-70(54), 77-74, 61(51)-45, 84-38).

    In the pre-quarterfinals, Asjad beat Mina Awad 4-1 after losing the first frame 62-21. He bounced back with wins of 72(72)-11, 69(52)-29, 58-29, and finished with a 104(104)-0 clearance. Meanwhile, Mohammad Asif fell 4-2 to France’s Nicolas Mortreux (74-49, 46-57, 72(68)-28, 9-106(83), 73(73)-65(60), 85(55)-43).

    Asjad will face Mortreux in the semi-finals, aiming to improve on his bronze medal finish from the previous edition and keep Pakistan’s hopes alive in the prestigious tournament.

  • Indian media claims phone calls from Pakistan, Turkiye near New Delhi blast site

    Indian media claims phone calls from Pakistan, Turkiye near New Delhi blast site

    Authorities have traced calls from Pakistan and Turkiye near the site of the deadly New Delhi blast, Indian media reports have claimed.

    Although no official statement has so far been released by the Indian government, a report by india.com said that police found 68 suspicious mobile numbers active near Sunheri Bagh’s parking and the blast site, with calls traced from Pakistan and Turkiye.

    At least 15 people were killed and 20 others injured when a car exploded near the historic Red Fort in the Indian capital on Nov 10.

    Amid conflicting reports on the nature of the explosion, Indian government on Nov 12 declared the incident a terrorist act, however, it refrained from its usual practice of directly blaming Pakistan.

    Delhi Police said there were two to three people inside the car at the time of the explosion and preliminary police findings also indicated that the blast may have been a possible suicide attack.

    As probe continues, the report by india.com claimed that data from nearby towers revealed unusual activity before the blast, and phone mapping showed 187 phones active within 30 meters of the car that exploded after remining parked for over three hours.

    It merits a mention that this is not the first time India is reportedly linking a terror incident to neighbouring Pakistan, as earlier this year both countries engaged in military clashes after cross-border Indian aggression rooted in similar allegations following the Pahalgam attack.

    Experts, however, believe that India has this time cautiously steered away from its earlier practice of immediately blaming Pakistan for any terror activities because of the thrashing it took in May.

    “It took 48 hours for the Modi regime to admit that the Delhi blast that killed 10 was a terror attack. No more chest thumping, mo more crude jingoism, no more threats to Pakistan [sic],” Indian-Swedish Peace and Conflict expert Ashok Swain wrote in a post on X.


     
    The cost might have been the loss of six or seven fighter jets “but at least some sanity has come to India’s Hindutva crowd”, he went on to add in reference to the clashes that erupted in response to India’s cross-border aggression after the Pahalgam attack.


     
    At least six Indian jets were shot down by Pakistan on the night of May 7 in what was termed one of the biggest aerial confrontations since World War II. The beyond-visual-range battle had followed days of cross-border skirmishes that ended with a United States (US) brokered ceasefire as Pakistan destroyed several Indian military targets in retaliatory strikes.

  • Pakistan-India mashup by Indian singer garners millions of views

    Pakistan-India mashup by Indian singer garners millions of views

    An Indian singer content creator who goes by the handle ritvikmunjal on Instagram has created a mashup of two Pakistani and one Indian song that has racked up over 3.1 million views in just four days.

    The songs that have been featured in the mashup include Sabaat Batin’s smash hit Gal Sun, 2025’s monster hit Pal Pal and Indian singer Vikram Sarkar’s latest banger Naam Chale. 

    As the mashup went viral, Sabaat wasted no time in commenting on the catchy mashup, writing “Aaha ” in the comments. The Chandigarh based singer replied with a heartfelt “thank you paaji”. 


    Gal Sun has become a monstrous hit within two months of its release, racking up more than 6.4 million streams. The Punjabi hit has been featured in numerous TikToks, setting records on both sides of the border.

    Pal Pal by Afusic has been streamed more than 8.5 million times on Spotify alone while Vikram Sarkar’s Naam Chale has also racked up more than eight million streams.

  • Trump hosts MBS with red-carpet welcome for deal-making White House visit

    Trump hosts MBS with red-carpet welcome for deal-making White House visit

    President Donald Trump rolled out the red carpet for Mohammad Bin Salman on Tuesday, welcoming the Saudi crown prince to a pomp-filled, deal-making visit to the White House.

    Making his first White House visit in more than seven years, the crown prince was greeted with a lavish display, presided over by Trump on the South Lawn, complete with a military honor guard, a cannon salute and a flyover by US warplanes.

    The meeting underscores a key relationship – between the world’s biggest economy and the top oil exporter – that Trump has made a high priority in his second term as the international uproar around the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi insider-turned-critic, has gradually faded.

    Addressing the issue on Tuesday, MBS said the 2018 killing of the Washington Post columnist was a “huge mistake”.

    Talking about the killing, perpetrated by Saudi agents, the prince said: “it’s painful and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”

    However, his host defended MBS, calling Khashoggi “extremely controversial”.

    Trump chided the reporter who asked about the scandal, ordering him to “leave it at that”. “You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” he said, adding: “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happened, but he (the prince) knew nothing about it”.

    Khashoggi was killed in 2018 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkiye. The killing and dismemberment of the journalist, who’d been critical of the Saudi rulers, briefly caused a diplomatic crisis and prompted criticism from Trump, who was then serving his first term. Saudi officials later said his killing was a rogue operation, rather than something ordered by the leadership.

    Trump began his remarks in the Oval Office by lauding MBS as a “very good friend” and saying he’d done an “incredible” job on “human rights, and everything else”.

    He said the US had reached a defence deal with Riyadh, without providing details, adding that he was working to approve the sale of advanced American AI chips to Saudi Arabia. The US president also said he had spoken to MBS about the Abraham Accords, adding that he believes he got a positive response.

    MBS said his country wanted to normalise relations with Israel through Trump’s Abraham Accords, but first needed a “clear path” to Palestinian statehood.

    “We want to be part of the Abraham Accords. But we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution,” the prince said in the Oval Office alongside Trump. “We’re going to work on that, to be sure that we can prepare the right situation as soon as possible,” he added.

    Trump also denied that he had any conflicts of interest in negotiating with MBS, after his sons signed a major real estate deal in that country. During a day of White House diplomacy, MBS will have lunch in the Cabinet Room and attend a formal black-tie dinner in the evening, giving it many of the trappings of a state visit.

  • After Dawn, Lahore Police caught using ChatGPT for social media posts

    After Dawn, Lahore Police caught using ChatGPT for social media posts

    Days after English daily Dawn was trolled for using AI to edit news articles, the official X account of Lahore Police has been caught using OpenAI’s ChatGPT for social media posts.

    As per the details, the police department on X posted an update about a meeting with local religious scholars, complete with photos of officers and community members seated around a long conference table, but started with “ChatGPT said:”.

    The post that remained publicly visible and unedited by the time this report was filed, showed that the text was copied directly from ChatGPT without removing the prompt header.

    Just last week Dawn made waves on social media after a surprising slip-up in its Business section.

    In an article discussing the recent surge in auto sales, an AI-generated note from ChatGPT was accidentally printed, sparking an outpouring of reactions online. The note, which was clearly intended as an internal message, read:

    “If you want, I can also create an even snappier ‘front-page style’ version with punchy one-line stats and a bold, infographic-ready layout — perfect for maximum reader impact. Do you want me to do that next?”

    The mistake quickly went viral, with people flocking to platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and LinkedIn to share their amusement and surprise.

    Meanwhile, some took the moment to reflect on the increasing role of AI in the media industry. A digital media expert remarked, “This is why AI can help, but you still need humans to read things before they go out. A lesson learned today.”

    The incident also sparked discussions about the future of journalism. Several commenters raised concerns about the risks of relying too heavily on AI in newsrooms, with one noting, “It’s funny, but also kind of terrifying. How many more errors like this are lurking out there as AI plays a bigger role in newsrooms?”

    While some found humor in the mistake, others saw it as a cautionary tale about the need for thorough editorial oversight, especially as AI tools continue to play a larger role in content creation.

    Dawn later corrected the story on its website and added an editorial note acknowledging the error.

    “This newspaper report was originally edited using AI, which is in violation of Dawn’s current AI policy. The policy is also available on our website. The report also carried some junk, which has now been edited out. The matter is being investigated. The violation of AI policy is regretted. — Editor,” the note read.

  • Top regional commander among 15 India-backed terrorists killed in KP ops

    Top regional commander among 15 India-backed terrorists killed in KP ops

    Security forces have killed 15 India-backed terrorists in two intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported Tuesday.

    According to the military’s media-wing, the operations, launched on confirmed reports of presence of Fitna al-Khawarij militants, targeted hideouts in Kulachi, Dera Ismail Khan and Datta Khel, North Waziristan on November 15 and 16.

    Fitna al-Khawarij is the name used by the state to refer to Indian-sponsored and banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

    Forces killed 10 terrorists in Kulachi and another five in Datta Khel. The killed terrorists included commander Alam Mehsud, who led the India-backed network in the region.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement on his official X account, praised the successful actions.

    “Under the vision of determination and stability, the security forces are achieving great successes against terrorism. The nation stands firmly with Pakistan’s forces in this war. We remain committed to eliminating terrorism in every form,” read the statement.

    It may be noted that the ops come a week after ISPR reported that security forces had killed at least 24 terrorists in three separate encounters across KP and Balochistan.

  • Newly married girl found hanging on rooftop in Karachi’s DHA

    Newly married girl found hanging on rooftop in Karachi’s DHA

    Karachi police are investigating the death of an 18-year-old newly wed girl whose body was found hanging on the rooftop of a residential building in DHA Phase V in the night between November 17 and 18. 

    Police registered a murder case at Darakhshan Police Station on the complaint of her father.

    According to reports, Zainab, moved to Karachi from Sialkot about a month ago after she got married. She had been staying at her husband’s maternal aunt’s house in Badr Commercial, where her body was discovered.

    Her father, Abdul Jabbar, said his daughter went to the rooftop the previous evening and did not return for a long time. He said he later learned that someone had strangled her and that she was found unconscious on the rooftop. 

    When she was taken to the hospital, doctors confirmed she had died. He said he believes someone strangled his daughter for unknown reasons and that he requested legal action for justice.

    Police found the circumstances suspicious after examining the scene. SSP South Mahzor Ali said the murder case had been filed and that police have recorded statements from the husband’s aunt and cousin. He said investigators are verifying the statements and expanding the inquiry.

    Police detained a suspicious individual while also questioning others connected to the case. The SSP confirmed that the aunt’s son, Abdul Hadi, is currently in custody. He said anyone found involved in the murder will face justice.

    Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya said the preliminary post-mortem shows Zainab died from strangulation. She said investigators collected samples for chemical and DNA analysis.

    Earlier this year, model Humaira Asghar was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside her flat in DHA Phase VI’s Ittehad Commercial area. 

    Her body was discovered when a court bailiff arrived to enforce an eviction order for unpaid rent in a case filed by the flat’s owner. It was later determined that Humaira had likely died 10 months ago.

  • ICC fines Babar Azam for code of conduct breach

    ICC fines Babar Azam for code of conduct breach

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has fined Pakistani batter Babar Azam for breaching the code of conduct during the third match against Sri Lanka.

    According to the ICC, Babar committed a Level One violation after hitting the stumps with his bat following his dismissal in the 21st over at Rawalpindi Stadium. 

    The board imposed a fine of 10 percent of his match fee and added one demerit point to his disciplinary record.

    Babar Azam has accepted the ICC’s findings, acknowledging the breach of conduct.

    His fine comes as Pakistan wraps up a dominant ODI series. In the second game, Babar ended a long century drought with an unbeaten 102 off 119 balls to guide Pakistan to an eight-wicket win, sealing the series 2–0.

    Pakistan then completed a 3–0 whitewash in the third ODI with a six-wicket victory. 

    Now, Pakistan turn their attention to a high-stakes T20 tri-series, kicking off today in Rawalpindi against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe.

  • Journalist Shahzeb Khanzada looks absolutely unbothered in latest click by wife

    Journalist Shahzeb Khanzada looks absolutely unbothered in latest click by wife

    Days after a viral video showed journalist and anchor Shahzeb Khanzada being publicly harassed by an unidentified alleged Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporter, actor Rushna Khan has taken to social media to share a picture of her husband, suggesting that the journalist remains unbothered in the face of conflicting opinions.

    As per the details, netizens are divided over a viral video that showed Khanzada being accosted by a frustrated man who hurled abuses at him at what appeared to be a clothing store. In the video, the man told the anchor he should be “ashamed” of “what he has done against [former ousted prime minister] Imran Khan and his wife”.

    With the video drawing widespread condemnations from journalists, politicians and the general public alike, who also praised Khanzada for not engaging with the man, some chose to defend the unidentified man’s actions.

    Amid a war of words over the internet, Khanzada’s wife on Monday took to her Instagram account to share a picture of her husband’s athletic build, underscoring his commitment to fitness.

    “This is what commitment looks like,” she wrote, prompting netizens to point out how the journalist and his family seemed unbothered by what was termed unacceptable behaviour of the alleged PTI supporter.

    It may be noted that the man from the viral video did not provide an explanation for the allegations he levelled against the anchorperson. However, former PTI minister Shahbaz Gill shared an old clip of Khanzada talking about the Iddat case, filed against Bushra Bibi and Imran by her former husband Khawar Maneka, on his show.

    The video had come two days after The Economist published an article covering Imran’s marriage to Bushra Bibi and her alleged influence in his decision-making as the country’s premier.

    As several people on social media came to Khanzada’s defence, they also lauded his reaction, terming it graceful.

  • Key PCB selection committee member resigns from multiple roles

    Key PCB selection committee member resigns from multiple roles

    Former cricketer Azhar Ali, a member of Pakistan Cricket Board’s national men’s selection committee, has resigned from both his role on the panel and as Head of Youth Development, media reports confirmed on Tuesday.

    Azhar joined the national selection committee in October 2024 alongside former ICC elite umpire Aleem Dar and ex-Test pacer Aqib Javed, joining Asad Shafiq who was already serving. 

    The panel arrived amid a turbulent period following Pakistan’s innings defeat in the Multan Test against England.

    The revamped committee drew attention after making bold calls, including dropping star batter Babar Azam and pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah from the remaining two Tests. The decisions sparked debate but were credited with helping Pakistan bounce back to claim a 2-1 series win.

    In November 2024, the PCB appointed him as Head of Youth Development after a formal recruitment process. In the role, he oversaw grassroots programs, long-term talent pathways, and development of players from junior to elite levels.

    The resignation comes as a surprise amid the board’s focus on strengthening its development framework. The PCB has not issued an official statement on the reasons behind the departure.

    The former player enjoyed a distinguished international career, earning 97 Test and 53 ODI caps, captaining Pakistan in nine Tests and 31 ODIs, and playing a key role in Pakistan’s ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2017. He scored 7,097 runs in 96 Test matches at an average of 42.49, making him Pakistan’s fifth-highest Test run-scorer with 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries.