Author: News Desk

‘No one loves me,’ says Meera on her unmarried status

While Meera is a star on-screen, her heartfelt confession about being unmarried reveals a more candid side of the actress.

Generally known for her unapologetic statements and exceptional acting, she has now made headlines for expressing her disappointment about not being married yet during an interview with a City 42 reporter.

When asked about actress Neelam Muneer’s recent wedding, Meera shared her feelings about her own unmarried status.

“Right now, I am very sad. It is very upsetting that I haven’t married yet. I think no one loves me, and no one wants to marry me,” Meera confessed.

Meera, our absolute favourite Lollywood diva, never fails to shock and intrigue with her revelations and attention grabbing behavior.

During the interview the host Ambreen Fatima asked, “When will we get to see Meera alongside Fawad Khan?”

Meera said, “There’s a lot of talk going on about Fawad Khan, but it depends on the director’s decision. If I’m alive, I’ll definitely work with him if the opportunity arises.”

Fawad Khan has starred in dramas like Humsafar, Zindagi Gulzar Hai, and Dastaan. He also worked in films like The Legend of Maula Jatt, Khoobsurat, Ae Dil Mukshil, and Money Back Guarantee. Fawad’s upcoming series Barzakh will air on Zee Zindagi on July 19.

She has starred in film such as Kanta, Chief Sahib, Hawaen, Baazigar, Miss IstanbuL, Cheez Bari Hai Mas Mast

Earlier, director Saqib Malik was invited recently as a guest on Dawn News’ show Aap Ki Kahani with Deepak Parwani. He discussed his experience working with Meera in ‘Baaji.’
“Working with Meera was a wonderful experience.

Despite the rumors and gossip surrounding her, we managed to complete the film successfully and it received a great response. It was a labor of love, and I would love to collaborate with her again in the future.

Meera is an incredibly talented actress with a very expressive face that conveys a thousand emotions without needing much effort. She brings great energy to the set, but her trusting nature can sometimes be a weakness, as she believes others easily and can be influenced by hearsay. Nevertheless, her hard work and dedication to her craft are evident in the appreciation she received for her role in Baaji. I’m grateful for her brilliant performance and my own hard work on the project.”

Saqib Malik has directed many music videos, including ‘Khumaj’ , Na Re Na’, and ‘Love Mein Gum’. His recent success was the feature film ‘Baaji’ (2019).

January 10, 2025
Social media haunted by eerie resemblance between burnt Los Angeles and Gaza

Social media is rife with similarities between pictures of Gaza and the Pacific Palisades neighbourhood of Los Angeles, ravaged by wildfires.

The California fire dubbed the Greater Los Angeles wildfire, has burnt more than ten thousand structures and taken ten lives so far. Pictures coming out of the American city show large properties, including the mansions of Hollywood celebrities, burnt to ashes with no trees in sight.

The photos reminded internet users of the destruction in Gaza carried out by Israel.

A user by the name of Biker Niqabi reposted the viral picture of one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in LA, Pacific Palisades, which had been completely burnt down. The user captioned it, “I’ve been seeing pictures like this or worse from neighbourhood after neighbourhood in Gaza every single day for more than a year now, but it’s only worthy of being recognized as horrible if it’s happening to a wealthy western neighbourhood, I guess.”

Another user compared the LA neighbourhood to Palestine. “Palisades looks like Palestine rn [right now]. Even the names being slightly similar is making me uncomfortable.”

Leslie replied to this by posting, “Impossible to see this image and not think of what Palestinians have been enduring for the last 15 months.”

However, without mincing words, another Twitter user posted a GIF which stated, “God don’t like ugly.” She captioned the post by pointing out the complicity of the American government in the genocide in Gaza: “Their government is funding genocide in Gaza and in support of Israel with their full chest…see their little Gaza now!! Their government is involved in every aspect of evil in the world……”

A netizen mentioned, “It almost looks like it was bombed by Israel for a year.”

A tweet urged the US government to learn from the lesson of “mother nature” and “stop funding the genocide in Gaza.”

On the other hand, some also found these comparisons unfair, as TV host Aleena Farooq Sheikh posted on Instagram, “We’re all hurt and bleeding for Palestine and Syria but those celebrating LA fires and calling it karma should seriously introspect. Never gloat over anyone’s misery/misfortune even if they’re your worst enemy.”

Notably, renowned American actress and producer Jamie Curtis, who was born and raised in LA, also spoke about the astonishing similarity of visuals coming out of the burnt estates in LA with that of Gaza and other “war-torn countries”.

Speaking at an event she said, “The entire Pacific Palisades looks like, you know, unfortunately, Gaza or one of these war-torn countries where awful things have happened.”

January 10, 2025
Announcement or threat? Social media trolls PIA for its unique way of announcing new flights

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the country’s national flag carrier, has posted a picture announcing the resumption of direct flights between Islamabad and Paris from January 10 this year; however, the image has a lot of people confused about the messaging.

PIA announced the resumption of direct flights to France after the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) listed the ban on PIA flights to Europe in November 2024 after more than four years.

The European aviation regulator banned the Pakistani airline in Europe over doubtful pilot licences in 2020 after PIA’s flight from Lahore crashed near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, killing around 100 people.

During Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) tenure in 2020, then-aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar alleged “almost 40 percent” of pilots working in Pakistan airlines had fake licences in an infamous National Assembly speech.

Following the minister’s remarks, European and UK authorities banned PIA from their territories, which were the airline’s most profitable routes.

The European aviation regulator announced that PIA “demonstrated to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency compliance” safety standards, lifting a four-year ban on PIA.

The agency has also granted the ‘Third Country Operator (TCO)’ authorisation to Airblue, allowing the private airline to start commercial flights to Europe.

Dawn News reported that the positive development came due to the aviation ministry’s “complete focus” on strengthening the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) and ensuring safety oversight in line with the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standards.

Therefore, the PIA announced its plans to expand both its domestic and international operations by launching new flights starting in January.

Though the latest development is positive, the official handle of PIA on X (formerly Twitter) is getting trolled online for uploading a picture that might resemble a dark moment in the world’s history.

One social media user wrote: “PIA please change the angle of your plane. It’s looking like 9/11 here.” Another user wrote: “I think every Pakistani should clarify that this plane isn’t aiming for Eiffel tower. And the designer should be fired ASAP.”

Some social media users were disappointed with the post writing: ” ‍♂️Who approved this graphic ? Delete it!! Mutlab aqal istimal karni he nahi hai .. Give PIA away for free at this point and keep the debt. This is an embarassment.” Another user wrote: “Tell me this isn’t an actual ad. Do you guiz not understand this entire layout, and the tagline sounds more like a threat than anything else.”

Some social media users uploaded a PIA advertisement in a French newspaper from the 20th century in which the PIA aeroplane’s shadow was imprinted on the Twin Towers in New York.

Journalist Waseem Abbasi commented: “Keep the plane a little to the side. Flights have resumed with great difficulty.”

Many X users edited the PIA’s recently uploaded image with one user fixing a white flag above the plane seemingly headed towards the Eiffel Tower.

January 10, 2025
Neelam Muneer’s fairytale Dubai wedding: A glimpse into her magical day

Some people tie the knot, while others tie their shoelaces—Neelam Muneer chose the knot, and boy, did she do it in style.

Renowned Pakistani actress Neelam Muneer got married in a private ceremony in Dubai. The intimate event was attended by close family members.

The magical moments of the wedding were beautifully captured by talented photographer Abdul Samad Zia, who brilliantly preserved the essence of the special day.

Neelam looked nothing short of breathtaking in a stunning silver-grey dress, her elegance and poise being the highlight of the event. Her groom complemented her perfectly in a graceful black sherwani.

She posted pictures on Instagram with the caption: “Wherever we are destined to go—to the midst of the crowd or at the end of the world, I will follow you! ♾”

Check the pictures below:

Read more about Neelam Muneer wedding

January 10, 2025
England wants ICC to halt Afghan funding amid women’s cricket ban

The England Cricket Board (ECB) has decided to raise the issue of Afghan women’s cricket team restrictions in front of the International Cricket Council (ICC) rather than boycotting the match against Afghanistan.

According to foreign media reports, ECB Chief Executive Richard Gould and other members are scheduled to meet with the ICC next Monday.

During the meeting, the ECB officials will demand sanctions against Afghanistan and call on the ICC to halt funding to the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) over its lack to resume women’s cricket under the Taliban rule.

The ECB will demand that the money be kept in an account till the restrictions of Afghan women’s team were lifted, reports said, claiming that the ECB will also demand that the ICC set a deadline for the same.

The reports come after ECB chief Richard Gould discussed the issue with England men’s cricket team captain Jos Butler. Earlier, 160 British politicians had also written a letter to the ECB to boycott the match with Afghanistan in the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.

January 10, 2025
‘I’ve never seen anything like it’: Nora Fatehi has terrifying escape from LA fires

In a terrifying turn of events, Canadian actress and dancer Nora Fatehi was forced to flee her Los Angeles home as raging wildfires wreaked havoc across the city, leaving thousands of residents displaced.

In a recent Instagram post, Fatehi shared details of her frightening experience, describing the panic and chaos leading up to her hurried evacuation.

“The wildfires are out of control, I‘ve never seen anything like it, we only got the evacuation order five minutes ago,” she said.

The wildfires, which erupted on the night of January 07, 2025, have already consumed large areas of land, reportedly destroying over 1,500 properties and leaving 15,000 residents displaced.

Nora Fatehi quickly packed her things and headed to the airport, hoping her scheduled flight wouldn’t be cancelled. “I packed quickly and left for the airport as I have a flight today,” she said.

“I hope everyone stays safe, I’ve never experienced anything like this before. This s**t is scary I’m gonna keep you guys updated,” she added.

She wasn’t the only celebrity affected by the wildfires. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas also witnessed the devastating blaze from her mansion in LA.

Sharing a video of the fire, Priyanka Chopra wrote, “My thoughts are with everyone, I hope we all stay tonight.”

Other Hollywood celebrities, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Mandy Moore, and Paris Hilton have also lost their homes to the wildfires. The fires have caused immense destruction, and the city of Los Angeles remains under siege, grappling with one of its worst natural disasters.

As the fires keep burning, the focus is on keeping residents safe and applauding the hard work of those fighting the flames.

Earlier, A new wildfire broke out late Wednesday in the Hollywood Hills area of Los Angeles after other fires in the region killed at least five people, destroyed hundreds of homes and forced authorities to issue evacuation orders to more than 100,000 people. City authorities reported “zero containment” due to dry, hurricane-force winds.

At least five people have been killed in wildfires rampaging around Los Angeles, officials said Wednesday, with firefighters overwhelmed by the speed and ferocity of multiple blazes.

Up to 1,500 buildings have burned in fires that have broken out around America‘s second biggest city, forcing over 100,000 people from their homes.

Hurricane-force winds whipped up fireballs that leapt from house to house in the upmarket Pacific Palisades area, incinerating a swathe of California‘s most desirable real estate favored by Hollywood celebrities.

On Wednesday evening, a new fire erupted in the Hollywood Hills, just a few hundred meters (yards) from the storied Hollywood Boulevard, sparking an evacuation order for the world’s entertainment capital.

January 10, 2025
Home of Hollywood actor who wanted Gaza destroyed is burnt in LA fires

Hollywood actor James Woods, a vocal supporter of Israel’s genocide in Gaza, recently appeared on an American TV show to talk about losing his home in Los Angeles fires.

The actor, who once tweeted “#KillThemAll” about Gaza, was seen crying on air, talking about the destruction he had to witness as fires ravaged Los Angeles. Netizens were quick to spring to action, reminding him of his hate-spewing against Palestinians facing a genocide at the hands of Israeli forces since the past 15 months.

Woods had always been vocal about his support for Israelis. He cheered Israel’s deadly attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

“Bomb the savages who did this back to the Stone Age. There are no grey areas. Kill them all,” he wrote in an X post in October 2023, the day Hamas attacked Israel.

In another post, Woods had demanded “no ceasefire, no compromise, no forgiveness. #KillThemAll”.

He broke down in tears during the interview on Wednesday, talking about losing his mansion in the wildfires that swept through Hollywood in LA.

“One day, you’re in the swimming pool, and the next day it’s gone,” he said while sobbing.

The clip from the interview went viral, prompting pro-Palestine voices to remind the Hollywood actor James Woods of his support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

Palestinian poet Mosab Abu Toha lambasted Woods by saying: “How dare you get on the air and cry?!”.

The award-winning poet even shared a screenshot of the Twitter interaction with James Wood, where he had addressed Toha using abusive language and called him “Hamas-loving scum.”

Toha posted a series of four pictures, including Wood and the others of Palestinians sitting on the rubble of their home while the actor sits in a furnished room, but all of them bawling their eyes out. He captioned them as “A letter to James Wood.”

Another user shared the clips of Woods and his statements and posted, “Karma works in mysterious ways.”

A netizen by the name of Syeda posted, “I don’t know if I should feel happy seeing someone like this in their dreadful times, but I am definitely not sad for a wretched soul like his.”

Additionally, some other social media users highlighted the irony for Woods, who is a climate-change sceptic and has lost his house to extreme weather.

January 10, 2025
Sher Afzal Marwat unleashes furious attack on Salman Akram Raja

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat hit back at lawyer Salman Akram Raja in retaliation on Thursday, declaring his appointment as party secretary general was not in accordance with the party constitution.

Appearing on the ARY News programme Khabar, PTI firebrand Sher Afzal Marwat stated that, according to the party constitution, Salman Akram Raja cannot become the party’s secretary general. “Only the elected person who has contested an intra-party election is eligible for the position of party secretary-general,” he explained.

He went on to say that Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan and Firdous Shamim Naqvi are public officeholders. “Salman Akram Raja is a stranger [to the party],” he added.

Earlier, lawyer Salman Akram Raja, while speaking on the ARY News programme Off The Record on the same day, downplayed Marwat’s claims, which he recently linked to party founder Imran Khan, saying, “Only two or four party members are deemed capable of having the right to speak about the party.

“Marwat statement has nothing to do with the party’s official narrative. His [Marwat] statements are unimportant,” Raja said.

Following statements from Raja, who questioned Marwat’s understanding of the party’s policy matters, Marwat assailed him.

The PTI senior leader accused Raja of terminating him in the middle of the Iddat case when Raja was representing former premier Imran Khan. Raja then took over the case himself.

“I will give him a befitting reply if he speaks against me again,” Marwat said.

When asked whether PTI founder Imran Khan is aware of Marwat’s claims about Salman Akram Raja’s unconstitutional appointment as party secretary general, Marwat said, “I will meet Khan Sahib tomorrow and inform him about Salman Akram Raja’s appointment. I am sure Khan Sahib will not tolerate any violation of the party constitution.”

The PTI firebrand also alleged that YouTuber Adil Raja is an Indian intelligence agent and questioned, “Why do they [pseudo-PTI social media activists] expect me to defend them on TV when they regularly abuse me on social media?”

“How can he — who was Nawaz Sharif’s lawyer in the Panama case, Khawaja Asif [now Defence Minister], and PML-N’s Nausheen Iftikhar against PTI’s candidate Asjad Malhi — taunt me?” he mocked.

January 10, 2025
Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal register for PSL 10

Ahmed Shehzad and Umar Akmal have registered for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10 Local Players Gold Category List.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has released the list of local players for the Gold category, which includes several notable names, including Ahmed Shehzad, Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal, and Sharjeel Khan.

Ahmed Shehzad last played in the PSL during the 2020 edition, where he represented the then-defending champions, Quetta Gladiators.

The PSL 10 Drafting Ceremony will take place in Lahore on January 13. During this event, the six teams will select players, and the categories have now been finalized.

Australian opener David Warner, Tim Southee, Chris Lynn, and 40 other overseas players are available in the Platinum category for the PSL 10 draft.

Other notable players in the Platinum category include Matthew Short, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, and Jason Roy.

A total of eight foreign players can be selected from the Platinum category, while 87 foreign players have registered in the Diamond category and 165 in the Gold category.

Additionally, players like Nissanka, Asalanka, Finn Allen, Chapman, Jason Holder, Adam Milne, Shaun Abbott, Corbin Bosch, Daryl Mitchell, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mustafizur Rahman are also available for the season 10 draft.

January 10, 2025
Novak Djokovic alleges that he was poisoned in Melbourne

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic recently revealed that he was allegedly “poisoned” during his short stay in Melbourne back in 2022 amid the COVID-19 controversy.

Djokovic’s claims refer to the time in January 2022 when he was deported from Australia for not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Upon his arrival in Melbourne for the Australian Open, he was detained after his vaccination status was questioned, and his visa was cancelled. The Serbian tennis star fought a legal battle but was ultimately unsuccessful and was sent back to his home country.

“I had some health issues, and I realised that in that hotel in Melbourne, I was fed some food that poisoned me,” Djokovic said in an interview with GQ magazine.

“I had a really high level of lead and mercury,” he added, revealing this publicly for the first time.

In 2022, the Australian government had strict COVID-19 rules, prohibiting anyone unvaccinated, regardless of their status, from entering the country.

Djokovic returned to Melbourne the following year and won the tournament. He has won 10 of his 24 Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open.

Despite the controversy, Djokovic holds no ill will toward the Australian people. “A lot of Australians I met, either in Australia or around the world, came up to me and apologised for the way I was treated. They were embarrassed by their government’s actions,” he said.

At the 2025 Australian Open, Djokovic will begin his campaign against Indian-origin American teenager Nishesh Basavareddy. He could face No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal match against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic will also be working with a new coach, former rival and Grand Slam winner Andy Murray.

January 10, 2025