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  • Pakistan offers to host Bangladesh matches as T20 World Cup venue dispute continues: reports

    Pakistan offers to host Bangladesh matches as T20 World Cup venue dispute continues: reports

    Pakistan has reportedly expressed interest in hosting Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches after the team refused to travel to India for the tournament.

    Citing Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sources, media reports have said that if Sri Lankan venues remain unavailable, Pakistan stands ready to step in. The Board pointed to its successful hosting of the Champions Trophy and ICC Women’s Qualifier as evidence of its capability to organise World Cup matches. 

    “Pakistan’s venues are fully prepared to host T20 World Cup matches,” the reports said, adding that all stadiums meet the requirements for international competitions.

    The offer comes after Bangladesh declared it will not send its team to India for the tournament. 

    The controversy began when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dropped star Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from its Indian Premier League (IPL) squad following directives from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

    The move sparked outrage among cricket fans and administrators in Bangladesh, who called for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to take reciprocal action. The BCB subsequently cited security concerns and requested the ICC relocate its group matches from India to Sri Lanka.

    India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the 20-team tournament starting February 7, with all of Bangladesh’s group matches originally scheduled at Indian venues.

    Following two days of silence, the ICC and BCB held a virtual meeting on January 6 to address the dispute. The BCB has now agreed to work closely with the ICC to resolve security concerns.

    “The ICC has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns, and has assured that the board’s inputs will be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event,” the BCB stated on January 7.

    The Board committed to “continue constructive engagement with the ICC and relevant event authorities in a cooperative and professional manner to arrive at an affable and practical solution.”

    ESPNCricinfo reported that the ICC told Bangladesh during the meeting that the team must travel to India or risk forfeiting points. However, the BCB dismissed the report as “completely false and unfounded,” stating such claims do not reflect the nature of communications received from the ICC.

    Bangladesh’s interim government has escalated the dispute by banning IPL broadcasts.

    Relations between the nations have remained strained since August 2024, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi after an uprising ended her rule. Bangladesh blames India for supporting Hasina during her time in power.

    The ICC is yet to make a final decision on whether it will relocate Bangladesh’s matches, with the tournament’s opening match just over a month away.

  • ‘Shadi tou hone do’: Hania Aamir has hilarious reaction to astrologer’s prediction about her marriage

    ‘Shadi tou hone do’: Hania Aamir has hilarious reaction to astrologer’s prediction about her marriage

    Superstar Hania Aamir is not just talented and beautiful, she’s also really witty. Her trademark wit popped up on social media again when an astrologer claimed she will marry twice in 2026. 

    The actress took to Instagram, writing “Ajeeb, pehly shadi tou hone do [Strange, let me get married first],” addressing the bizarre predictions that have circulated about her personal life.

    The controversy began when astrologer Samia Khan appeared on Nadia Khan’s morning show and analysed Hania’s birth chart. 

    Khan warned the actress to focus on her career and avoid marriage in 2026, claiming that if Hania and singer Asim Azhar tie the knot this year, the relationship could end in a breakup that would damage both their personal and professional lives.

    Multiple astrologers have weighed in on the matter. Kiran Chaudhary, who claims to have correctly predicted Hania’s previous breakup, suggested the actress might reconcile with her former partner and marry this year. Meanwhile, astrologer Ali Muhammad stated he can see a relationship in Hania’s future but believes marriage remains distant.

    Hania and Asim’s relationship has captivated fans since 2018. The couple split in 2020 after Asim got engaged to Merub Ali, though that engagement ended in June 2025. 

    Following the split, speculation about Hania and Asim rekindling their romance gained traction.

    Recent social media interactions have fueled the rumors. 

    Last year, Hania posted a reel featuring Asim’s song “U Got This,” prompting the singer to respond on his Instagram story with “Haan, main galat par sahi bhi hota hoon” (Yes, I’m wrong, but I am also right).

    Entertainment outlet Galaxy Lollywood added to the speculation in their latest “What’s The 411” episode, claiming Hania and Asim will marry this year, followed by actress Sajal Aly’s wedding to actor Hamza Sohail later in 2026.

    However, neither Hania nor Asim have officially confirmed or denied the relationship rumors.

  • Noor Zaman loses Karachi Open quarterfinal but wins praise from former world champion

    Noor Zaman loses Karachi Open quarterfinal but wins praise from former world champion

    Pakistan’s young squash star Noor Zaman lost to former world champion Mohamed Elshorbagy in the Karachi Open quarterfinals on Friday, eliminating Pakistan from the tournament, but the 21-year-old won the hearts of fans with his spirited performance.

    Zaman gave the former world number one a tough fight in a five-game thriller, earning praise from Elshorbagy after the match. The Egyptian acknowledged the challenge Noor presented, particularly in the later games.

    The first game saw a weak start from Noor as Elshorbagy displayed brilliant shots and took it 11-2. In the second game, Noor drew energy from the home crowd’s and showed a stronger performance, though Elshorbagy edged it 11-8.

    Noor found his rhythm in the third game and defeated Elshorbagy 11-6 to stay in the semifinal race. 

    Both players competed neck and neck in the fourth game, but Noor gained the upper hand through some intelligent shots, treating fans to spectacular action.

    The fifth and final game proved extremely thrilling as both players battled hard for every point. Elshorbagy eventually won the last game 11-9 to claim the match. 

    At the match’s conclusion, both players embraced each other and Elshorbagy offered Noor some advice while fans gave the players a standing ovation.

    “He is a young guy and was more excited for the match as he was winning the games. It was hard, I can tell you. The fifth game was definitely a lottery. It could have gone either way,” Elshorbagy said after the match. “He is very good one to watch in the future,” he added.

    Noor Zaman became the first-ever men’s U23 World Squash Champion in April 2025, achieving the historic feat at the inaugural championship held in Karachi. 

    His accolades include two consecutive Asian Junior Championship titles, a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games, and a bronze in the 2024 Asian Senior Team Event. 

    In December 2025, he claimed his second Copper-level title of the 2025/26 PSA Tour season at the CAS Serena Hotels International Squash Championships in Islamabad.

  • Travel advisory issued for Pakistanis as tensions continue to soar in Iran

    Travel advisory issued for Pakistanis as tensions continue to soar in Iran

    In light of protests in Iran, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has issued a travel advise on Saturday advising Pakistani citizens not to make unnecessary trips to the country. 


    “Until conditions improve, Pakistani nationals are advised to avoid all unnecessary travel to the Islamic Republic of Iran for their safety and security,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.


    Additionally, the alert advised Pakistanis living in Iran to use “extreme caution,” maintain vigilance, restrict non-essential movement, and stay in regular contact with the Pakistani missions”  in Mashhad, Zahidan, and Tehran.

    The Foreign Office shared contact numbers for the Pakistani mission in Tehran, including +98-21-66-9413-88/89/90/91, +98-21-66-9448-88/90 and +98 910 764 8298. Contact details for the consulate in Zahidan included +98 54 33 22 3389 and +989046145412, while the Mashhad consulate can be reached at +98 910 762 5302 and +98 937 180 7175.


    The advisory was issued as protests have continued across Iran for nearly two weeks. The public’s outrage at growing living expenses served as a spark for the protests, which started on December 28. Since the start of the protests, authorities have restricted access to the internet in several areas of the nation. 


    Human rights activists news agency (HRANA), an Iranian rights organization, reported on Friday that at least 62 people had died since the protests began. The group claimed that 48 demonstrators and 14 security personnel were among the dead.


    US President Donald Trump issued a warning at the beginning of January that if Iran’s security forces killed protestors, the US was “locked and loaded” to retaliate. 

    Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded to the protesters in remarks that were shown on state television on Friday. He called the protesters “saboteurs” and “vandals.” 


    A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Foreign Office stated earlier this week that Islamabad is against foreign meddling in other nations’ domestic affairs, particularly Iran. He stated that Pakistan did not want to comment on Iran’s internal issues and condemned external pressure or violence, viewing the situation in Iran as an internal affair.

  • Punjab tightens hospital rules, introduces body cameras for staff

    Punjab tightens hospital rules, introduces body cameras for staff

    The Punjab government has announced that hospital security guards, ward boys, nurses, and pharmacy staff will be equipped with body cameras, as part of comprehensive reforms to enhance security and service delivery in public hospitals.


    The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, which reviewed the progress of health projects.


    Officials agreed to restrict doctors and nurses from using mobile phones during duty hours to provide better patient care.


    The chief minister also took serious notice of complaints against private security guards deployed in hospitals, calling for strict accountability measures.


    Maryam Nawaz ordered that all government hospitals complete full steam cleaning by 9am daily to maintain hygiene standards. 


    She further directed authorities to prepare a new list of modern medicines for government hospitals and form a dedicated committee for the task.


    Expressing concern over medicine shortages, she highlighted the government’s allocation of Rs80 billion for medicines, calling the unavailability of essential drugs “incomprehensible.”

    Officials informed the meeting that Punjab hospitals may be allowed to procure modern Chinese-made medical equipment to upgrade healthcare facilities. 


    The chief minister also instructed the establishment of a foolproof mechanism to ensure uninterrupted medicine supplies.

    The meeting approved the creation of a Medical Superintendent (MS) pool across Punjab, linking salary increases strictly to performance. 


    Community health inspectors will also be tasked with conducting hospital surveys.

    To assess the impact of public welfare initiatives in the health sector, Maryam Nawaz ordered the establishment of a data analysis centre.


    Officials told the meeting that over 2,500 doctors have secured jobs in Punjab in less than two years. 


    Additionally, 585,000 patients have been registered for home delivery of cardiac medicines, while 6,000 hepatitis and tuberculosis patients are receiving medicines at their doorsteps.

    Reiterating her commitment to efficiency, the chief minister warned that public money and time would no longer be wasted and that negligent staff would face strict consequences.

  • Schools in Punjab to remain closed till Jan 19th, confirms education minister

    Schools in Punjab to remain closed till Jan 19th, confirms education minister

    Schools in Punjab will now reopen on January 19, the Punjab government has decided due to severely cold weather.

    According to Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, winter vacations in both government and private schools have been extended by a week and schools will not reopen on January 12.

    Shortly after a statement on his official X account, the minister told a private media outlet that the decision came after consulting the public through a survey on his social media accounts, where 83 percent votes supported the January 19 reopening while 17 percent people favoured January 12.

    The minister said the extension was approved keeping in view the severity of the ongoing weather conditions and stressed that students’ health and well-being remained the top priority of the government.

    Hayat said he has directed all chief executive officers (CEOs) of education departments to ensure strict implementation of the orders across their respective districts as uniform enforcement is essential to avoid confusion among parents, teachers and students.

    Calling it a “health-focused decision”, the minister said public consultation helped shape a policy that directly benefits students.

    He reiterated that the Punjab government will continue to prioritise education quality alongside student safety.

    It may be noted that just a day earlier, Hayat had dismissed viral reports claiming an extension in winter vacations, confirming that institutions would reopen on January 12 as originally planned.

  • Grok restricts image generation to paid users after global backlash over ‘digital undressing’

    Grok restricts image generation to paid users after global backlash over ‘digital undressing’

    The Elon Musk-owned chatbot Grok has restricted some of its image generation features to paid subscribers on X, days after widespread criticism over the AI tool being used for what users described as “digital undressing,” including the creation of images involving children.

    The change appeared to have occurred between Thursday and Friday. The chatbot now replies, “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers,” along with a link encouraging users to subscribe, when non-paying users try to request photographs by tagging Grok in an X post. 


    The limitation does not, however, apply to the entire platform. Grok’s stand-alone website and mobile app still allow users to generate images and videos for free. 

    Additionally, Grok’s “edit image” button, which enables anyone to use the AI tool to change photographs uploaded to the platform, can still be used by X users. Only public image generating requests submitted by tagging Grok in X posts seem to be subject to the restriction.


    The action comes after global criticism of Grok Imagine creating photographs that digitally removed clothing from people, including children, in response to user commands. During a discussion at xAI, Elon Musk voiced his dissatisfaction with Grok Imagine’s barriers. Three key members of xAI’s safety team, including the head of product safety, departed the company around the same time. 

    Concerns regarding Grok’s safety safeguards have been voiced by officials in the the United Kingdom, European Union, Malaysia, and India. They have cautioned that the technology may contribute to what many have called deepfake pornography.


    In the United States, a group of senators sent a letter to Apple and Google urging them to remove X and Grok from their app stores, citing alleged violations of app store distribution terms.


    Public reaction on X has been sharply critical, with users questioning why the feature was monetised instead of being shut down entirely.

    One user wrote, “No we haven’t won. Grok has only stopped image generator for non paying users. You can still undress any woman if you have premium.”

    Another post read, “Turning Grok image generator into a paid feature in order to generate revenue out of people being sexually harassed instead of banning it instead is a diabolical choice but what else could we expect from the antichrist.”

    A third user criticised the move as ineffective, saying, “Yeah censorship and suppression of free speech without actually fixing Grok!”

    Others viewed the change as part of a wider shift in social media platforms’ approach to AI tools. One user wrote, “The era of ‘free’ AI experiments on social media is closing fast. With restricting Grok’s image tools to Premium and Premium+ users, we’re seeing a shift in how these platforms prioritize their power users over the general public.”

    Concerns intensified after the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said its analysts had identified what it described as “criminal imagery” of girls aged between 11 and 13 that appeared to have been created using Grok. The imagery, described as “sexualised and topless,” was found on a dark web forum where users claimed Grok was used to generate it.

    In spite of the issue, X leadership openly emphasized the platform’s high levels of interaction during the trend’s circulation.

  • David Warner trolls Zaman Khan during BBL, says he bowls like ‘four-year-old’

    David Warner trolls Zaman Khan during BBL, says he bowls like ‘four-year-old’

    Sydney Thunder captain David Warner took aim at Brisbane Heat’s Pakistani pacer Zaman Khan during their Big Bash League (BBL) match on Saturday, saying he bowled like a “four-year-old”.

    Warner, who smashed 82 off 56 deliveries at the Gabba, confronted the umpires between overs about Zaman’s bowling action. “He is bowling like a four-year-old bowling. It’s stays so low,” the Australian legend said.

    The 24-year-old Zaman Khan, who replaced the injured Shaheen Afridi in Brisbane Heat’s lineup, endured a difficult debut for his new franchise. 

    He conceded 32 runs across three wicketless overs, including 14 runs in his third over alone to Warner and Sam Billings.

    Warner opened the innings alongside Matthew Gilkes and hammered eight boundaries and three sixes to power Sydney Thunder to 180-6 in 20 overs. 

    Billings contributed 34 off 26 balls while Nic Maddinson added 21 off 14 after the early dismissals of Gilkes and Cameron Bancroft.

    Zaman previously played for Sydney Thunder in BBL 13, taking eight wickets in four games. Brisbane Heat brought him in after Shaheen Afridi was ruled out of the BBL 2025-26 season due to injury.

  • Fawad Khan celebrates 21 years of marriage with wife Sadaf in mehndi-themed party

    Fawad Khan celebrates 21 years of marriage with wife Sadaf in mehndi-themed party

    Actor Fawad Khan and his wife Sadaf celebrated their 21st wedding anniversary with a vibrant mehndi-themed party.

    Pictures from the event quickly went viral, showing the couple marking the milestone with a festive celebration featuring colorful decorations, garlands, and marigolds (genda phool) that recreated traditional South Asian pre-wedding vibes.

    Close family and friends attended the intimate gathering, including the couple’s daughters Elayna and Bia and son Ayaan.

    Fans flooded social media with congratulatory messages in response to the photos. “MashaAllah. What a lovely idea & such beautiful pics,” one fan commented. Others wrote “haseen,” “Happy Wedding Anniversary,” and “Wow MashaAllah Allahhumabarik.”

    SnapInsta

    The Khan family recently attended several weddings in Lahore, continuing their recent string of family celebrations.

    The couple married in 2005 and have three children.

  • Guptill excited as Hyderabad joins PSL

    Guptill excited as Hyderabad joins PSL

    Former New Zealand batter Martin Guptill has expressed his excitement after the Kingsmen (FKS) Group secured one of the two new franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    The PSL officially expanded on Thursday as Hyderabad and Sialkot were confirmed as the two new franchises following a high-stakes auction held at the Jinnah Convention Centre in Islamabad.

    The two teams will make their debut appearance in PSL season 11, joining the existing six franchises: Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars, Peshawar Zalmi, Quetta Gladiators, Islamabad United and Multan Sultans.

    The FKS Group, owned by Fawad Sarwar, secured the seventh franchise for Hyderabad with a successful bid of Rs1.75 billion. OZ Developers, owned by Hamza Majeed, then clinched the eighth franchise with a record-breaking bid of Rs 1.85 billion, announcing it will represent Sialkot.

    Guptill, who has represented three franchises in the PSL from 2020 to 2024, shared his excitement on Instagram.

    The 39-year-old posted a picture of the Hyderabad owners receiving souvenirs from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on his story.

    “Kingsmen Cricket USA, how good is this,” the caption of his Instagram story read.

    While the official names of both franchises will be announced at a later stage, PSL 11 is set to be the biggest edition of the tournament to date with the addition of two new teams. 

    The tournament is scheduled to run from March 26 to May 3.