The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced that the National Women’s Football Championship has been postponed.
The decision to postpone the league was made after feedback from several clubs about the dates clashing with the academic activities and championship dates. The National Football Championship was scheduled in Karachi from May 5 to 21.
PFF said that It was a difficult decision. The next schedule will be announced soon after consultation.
In an extended trailer for the long-awaited “Gladiator” sequel, star Paul Mescal does battle in a Colosseum filled with rhinos, bloodthirsty baboons and even floating Roman warships, egged on by Denzel Washington’s shadowy advisor.
“It is possibly more extraordinary than the first,” said director Ridley Scott, speaking via video link.
The footage was met with an enthusiastic thumbs up at CinemaCon, an annual gathering at which Hollywood studios showcase their upcoming titles for movie theater owners and managers from around the world.
Ridley Scott’s sequel will hit theaters in November, nearly 25 years after the release of the original, Oscar best picture-winning historical epic “Gladiator.”
All this week, promotional marble statues for “Gladiator 2” have adorned the casino floors of Caesars Palace, the Ancient Rome-themed casino and hotel in Las Vegas where CinemaCon is held.
As the previous film’s main characters, played by Russell Crowe and Joaquin Phoenix, were killed off, a new crop of actors step in.
Mescal portrays gladiator Lucius, the nephew of Phoenix’s villainous emperor, who was seen briefly as a child in the original film.
Pedro Pascal plays a military general, while Denzel Washington’s mysterious character is seen in the extended footage plotting to topple the Roman Empire.
“Rome must fall. I need only to give it a push,” he says in one scene.
The lavish presentation raised cheers even as both Paramount and the wider big-screen industry face uncertain times.
The parent company of Paramount — one of Hollywood’s oldest studios — is currently locked in merger talks with Skydance, a media company founded by the billionaire Ellison family.
Meanwhile overall Hollywood box office receipts are expected to fall in 2024, largely due to last year’s actors and writer strikes, which shuttered and delayed film productions.
On Thursday, Paramount executives also showcased titles such as “A Quiet Place: Day One,” “Smile 2,” “Transformers One” and “IF” — a new comedy from John Krasinski and starring Ryan Reynolds.
Paramount film chief Brian Robbins even joked about the merger talks, suggesting one of his executives had launched a crowd-funded Kickstarter campaign to buy the studio.
Later on Thursday, Disney rounded off CinemaCon with its own star-studded presentation — which took an unexpectedly adult turn.
The showcase included appearances from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — promoting this November’s “Moana 2” release — and Amy Poehler, who returns in “Inside Out 2” this June.
Oscar-winning “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins previewed his animated prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King,” which hits theaters in December.
Disney unveiled footage of Harrison Ford making his Marvel superhero film debut in next year’s “Captain America: Brave New World.”
But the family-friendly studio’s presentation departed from the usual script with a glimpse of “Deadpool & Wolverine,” Disney’s first R-rated superhero movie.
The film sees Reynolds’ potty-mouthed antihero team up with Hugh Jackman’s beloved “X-Men” star.
Both characters were previously owned by 20th Century Fox.
ut Disney bought that rival studio and its properties in 2019, and is now weaving them into its hugely popular Marvel film series.
That has resulted in a Disney superhero movie that features adult language, explicit sexual references, and several meta jokes about the studios themselves.
A speeding vehicle of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz’s motorcade reportedly caused the death of a motorcyclist at the Chandowal Stop on Shakargarh Road, Narowal, Dawn reported on Friday.
The CM was heading to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur to join in the three-day Baisakhi festival celebrations. As her motorcade travelled from Narowal to Kartarpur, an Elite Force vehicle collided with a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction. The motorcyclist, 23-year-old Abubakar from Jassar Town, lost his life on the scene.
The CM’s motorcade did not stop to take the injured to the hospital.
Ali Rizwan, a cousin of the accident victim, told Dawn that Abubakar was on his way to the gas station where he worked. He expressed frustration that no officials stopped their car to help the injured Abubakar, nor did they call Rescue 1122. Instead, he noted with disappointment that police officers arrived at the scene after the incident and washed away the blood from the road to eliminate the evidence.
Hong Kong, China – Oil prices rallied and equities fell Friday as reports said explosions had been heard in Iran and Syria, fuelling fears of an escalation of the Middle East crisis after last weekend’s retaliatory missile attack on Israel by Tehran.
The reports followed another batch of data indicating the US economy remained in rude health and compounded concerns that the Federal Reserve will hold off cutting interest rates this year or even hike them again.
Traders have been on edge since Saturday’s barrage by Iran, which Israel’s army chief General Herzi Halevi warned would be met with a response.
Leaders in Tehran said the strike was a legitimate response to a deadly attack on an Iranian embassy building in Damascus that it blames on Israel.
Iran’s Fars news agency reported “three explosions” were heard near Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army airbase, while space agency spokesman Hossein Dalirian said “several” drones had been “successfully shot down”.
Dalirian said on social media platform X there were “no reports of a missile attack”.
Nuclear facilities in Isfahan were reported to be “completely secure”, the Tasnim news agency said.
ABC and CBS News reported the strikes had been carried out by Israel, quoting US officials.
There was no immediate comment from the White House or Pentagon, and the Israeli military told AFP: “We don’t have a comment at this time.”
The news sent shivers through markets, with crude briefly surging as much as four percent on worries about supplies from the oil-rich region, while fears of a regional conflict saw equities tumble.
However, the gains were pared as Iran appeared to play down the matter. Tasnim denied the reports and said the Isfahan nuclear facility was safe, while the International Atomic Energy Agency added that it had not been damaged.
Asia equities fell but were well off their early lows.
Tokyo plunged more than two percent and Taipei shed more than three percent, while there were also losses in Hong Kong, Sydney, Shanghai, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Manila, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta.
London, Paris and Frankfurt were also in the red.
The rush for safety also saw the yen rally against the dollar and gold jump back past $2,400, while US Treasuries climbed.
“It is now clear that the escalating shadow warfare between Israel and Iran… has finally ignited the powder keg in the Middle East, and we have moved decisively out of the shadows and into the glaring light of open conflict,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management.
“It should be noted that this is not a staged response to an Iranian drone attack but rather an indication that we have entered a new phase of this conflict, one that is likely to have significant and far-reaching consequences for Middle East peace and least of all risk markets.”
The mood among traders was already downbeat as they contemplated the prospect of the Fed staying pat on interest rates this year following data showing jobless claims came in below expectations while a gauge of business activity hit a two-year high.
Meanwhile, Atlanta Fed boss Raphael Bostic said inflation is “too high” and he felt there was no need to cut borrowing costs until later in the year.
“I’m comfortable being patient,” he added.
New York Fed chief John Williams and governor Michelle Bowman also said they saw fewer reductions than expected, if at all, this year.
Michael Landsberg, of Landsberg Bennett Private Wealth Management, said: “We are firmly in the camp of no rate cuts in 2024.
“We believe investors should prepare for a higher-for-longer regime when it comes to both inflation and interest rates.”
West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.4 percent at $83.85 per barrel
Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.1 percent at $88.10 per barrel
Tokyo – Nikkei 225: DOWN 2.7 percent at 37,068.35 (close)
Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.0 percent at 16,224.14 (close)
Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 0.3 percent at 3,065.26 (close)
London – FTSE 100: DOWN 0.7 percent at 7,825.73
Dollar/yen: DOWN at 154.40 yen from 154.67 yen on Thursday
Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.0643 from $1.0645
Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.2429 from $1.2438
Euro/pound: UP at 85.64 pence from 85.57 pence
New York – Dow: UP 0.1 percent at 37,775.38 (close)
– Bloomberg News contributed to this story –
dan/sco
© Agence France-Presse
Former Bollywood star and author Twinkle Khanna has had an important conversation about aging and makeup. The columnist pointed out that women over 50 often feel shy when it comes to wearing red lipstick.
In a recent video she shared, Twinkle openly discussed how women of a certain age may feel embarrassed about wearing red lipstick. She even demonstrated this by wearing red lipstick in the video to gauge people’s reactions.
She wrote her on Instagram, “Do you see an age limit written on this lipstick?
What unwanted makeup advice have you received recently?”
Last year, Twinkle, the daughter of Bollywood legends Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia and wife of action star Akshay Kumar, celebrated her 50th birthday.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to block all phone SIMs that are registered on an invalid or expired identity card.
The security czar visited the NADRA headquarters on Thursday in Islamabad and directed authorities to establish NADRA offices all over Pakistan, just as the model police stations were established in Punjab.
He also stated that by establishing model NADRA offices, service delivery will be enhanced.
Local police have confirmed on Thursday that a firing incident in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) claimed the lives of six people, including five customs officers.
Police officials stated that unknown attackers targeted the officers at Sago Road in Daraban tehsil of the district.
Five customs officers and one passer-by were killed in the firing incident, police added.
Attackers armed with weapons hid in bushes, then attacked the vehicle and quickly escaped on motorcycles without being stopped.
Due to the attack, the driver of the customs vehicle lost control and collided with another vehicle, resulting in the death of the citizen.
The bodies of the six individuals were shifted to the district headquarters hospital (DHQ).
Police officials cordoned off the area of the incident, and investigations have started.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur strongly condemned the incident, expressing regret over the deaths
Mareeha Safdar, a well-known Pakistani model and actor has entered Bollywood, where she worked with famous actors like Akshay Kumar.
Mareeha recently featured on Samaa TV’s popular show Gup Shup, where she discussed her experiences working with Bollywood actors, including Indian actress Nargis Fakhri. “Indian actors are super professional, and there’s a reason they’re ahead of us.”
About Nargis Fakhri she said, “I had good friendships with all the actors like Lisa, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Boman Irani. They were all very friendly except Nargis Fakhri. She acted like she was too important, didn’t bond well with us, and seemed jealous. She was probably wondering where this girl, me, came from. She was rude and jealous towards others.”
India began voting Friday in a six-week election with an all but assured victory for Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as a weakened opposition is pushed to the sidelines.
A total of 968 million people are eligible to take part in the world’s biggest vote — a staggering logistical exercise that critics say follows a concerted effort to delegitimise rivals.
A long and winding queue was patiently assembled outside a polling station in the Hindu holy city of Haridwar, on the banks of the Ganges river, even before the booths opened.
“I am here because I am happy about the direction the country is headed,” said autorickshaw driver Ganga Singh, 27.
“I will vote keeping in mind not personal welfare but the country’s prosperity.”
Modi, 73, remains resoundingly popular after a decade in office that has seen India rise in diplomatic clout and economic power, as well as efforts by his government to bring the country’s majority faith in ever closer alignment with its politics.
“I urge all those voting… to exercise their franchise in record numbers,” he wrote in a social media post on X as the election began.
“Every vote counts and every voice matters!”
Modi has already led the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through two landslide victories in 2014 and 2019, forged in large part by his appeals to the Hindu faithful.
This year, he presided over the inauguration of a grand temple to the deity Ram, built on the grounds of a centuries-old mosque razed by Hindu zealots.
“The nation is creating the genesis of a new history,” Modi told the thousands gathered for the ceremony, among them Bollywood celebrities and cricket stars.
Construction of the temple fulfilled a long-standing demand of Hindu activists and was widely celebrated across India with back-to-back television coverage and street parties.
Analysts have long expected Modi to triumph against a fractious alliance of more than two dozen parties that have yet to name a candidate for prime minister.
His prospects have been further bolstered by several criminal probes into his opponents and a tax investigation this year that froze the bank accounts of Congress, India’s largest opposition party.
Opposition figures and human rights organisations have accused Modi’s government of orchestrating the probes to weaken rivals.
“We have no money to campaign, we cannot support our candidates,” Rahul Gandhi, the most prominent Congress leader, told reporters in March.
“Our ability to fight elections has been damaged.”
Congress dominated Indian politics for nearly seven decades following independence and remains the only opposition party with a nationwide presence.
In Haridwar, Gabbar Thakur, who photographs tourists by the Ganges for a living, turned out early to vote.
“I am here because I am upset with the government,” he said. “The so-called development hasn’t reached where I live.”
Modi’s tenure has seen India overtake former colonial ruler Britain as the world’s fifth-biggest economy, and Western nations lining up to court a prospective ally against regional rival China’s growing assertiveness.
In doing so, they have sidestepped concerns over the taming of India’s once-vibrant press and restrictions on civil society that have seen rights groups like Amnesty severely curtail their local operations.
Last year, the tax office raided the BBC’s local offices weeks after the British broadcaster aired a documentary questioning Modi’s role in 2002 religious riots that killed around 1,000 people, most of them Muslims.
While India is constitutionally secular, the country’s 220 million-strong Muslim community and other minorities have felt threatened by the rise of Hindu nationalist fervour.
Modi’s time in office had seen “a pattern of repression to undermine democracy and civic space”, rights group CIVICUS said in a Wednesday report.
Modi’s BJP is challenged by an alliance of more than two dozen parties that have come together in an electoral bloc.
It has accused Modi’s government of using law enforcement agencies to selectively target its leaders and undermine its campaign.
Among them is Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested last month and still in custody on allegations his party received kickbacks in return for liquor licences.
Gandhi — the scion of India’s most famous political dynasty, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather all served as prime minister — was briefly disqualified from parliament last year after being convicted of criminal libel.
The 53-year-old has criticised the government for democratic backsliding and its chest-thumping Hindu nationalism.
On Friday, his Congress party urged voters to end “hatred and injustice” as polls opened.
“Your one vote can put an end to inflation, unemployment, hatred and injustice,” it said on social media platform X.
But Gandhi has already led Congress to two defeats against Modi and his efforts to dent the premier’s popularity have failed to register with voters.
Published opinion polls are rare in India, but a Pew survey last year found Modi was viewed favourably by nearly 80 percent of the public.
Voting will be staggered over seven stages between April 19 and June 1, with more than a million polling stations across India.
Ballots will be counted all at once on June 4 and are usually announced on the same day.
Iranian state media has stated that the country’s air defence systems brought down three drones over the central city of Isfahan.
According to latest development, the Iranian news agency Tasnim has cited “informed sources” as saying that “there are no reports of an attack from abroad against Isfahan or any other part of Iran”.
Separately, an Iranian analyst argued on state television that mini-drones were flown by “infiltrators from inside” the country, according to Al Jazeera.
The International Atomic Energy Agency says it can confirm that there has been no damage to Iran’s nuclear sites.
Meanwhile, US media, citing senior US officials, also reported that Israeli missiles had hit an Iranian site.
Iranian air defence systems were activated and flights across several areas including Tehran and Isfahan were suspended.
Regional tensions rose following Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel after an attack on its diplomatic premises in Syria.
There are fears of all-out confrontation after Iran had been warning Israel that it would respond strongly to any aggression.