Author: newsdesk

  • Indian actor fasts for sixth straight Ramzan

    Indian actor fasts for sixth straight Ramzan

    Indian TV actor Vivian Dsena, who announced his conversion to Islam in 2019, has explained why Ramazan is important to him, narrating that he’s been fasting for the entire month for six years now.

    The actor said, “Ramadan is very special to me because I embraced Islam during this month. This year is my sixth Ramadan, and by God’s grace, I’ve been fasting every year. Fasting for the whole month is important in Islam, it’s one of the five main things we do. I fast for 30 days unless I have a reason like being sick, then I can skip a day.” he explained.

    Dsena added, “At first, I was really worried about fasting, especially since water and coffee are important for me. Even my family and friends wondered how I could go without water or caffeine for 13 or 14 hours. But God has been kind to me, and fasting has been going quite smoothly.”
    The actor spends Ramazan with his family in Bahrain where he enjoys Iftar meals, especially the ones his wife cooks at home. His favorite Middle Eastern desserts are Basbousa and Kunafa.
    Vivian Dsena had confirmed his marriage to Nouran Aly when he announced he accepted Islam. They have a daughter who is one year old.

  • Virat or Babar? Javed Minadad has surprising choice for greatest batsman

    Virat or Babar? Javed Minadad has surprising choice for greatest batsman

    Pakistan’s former legendary batsman Javed Miandad has revealed that who he thinks is the greatest batsman in cricket history till now.

    In a recent interview on YouTube with Ajmal Jami, Miandad was asked by the host, “Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Sachin Tendulkar, or Sunil Gavaskar, who is the greatest batsman ever in cricket?”

    In response, Javed Miandad said, “See, Sunil Gavaskar is class, look at his height and the point is if you have to make a comparison, then you will make a comparison in such a way that who you have faced. Whom you have faced then, and whom am I facing today? If you will judge, you will know that the old player was better, he has performed so much.”

    The host asked again, “It means you saying that Sunil Gavaskar was greater than, Babar, Virat, Sachin, Richard?”

    Javed replied, ” Yes, of course, he is one of the greatest batsmen ever.”

    Former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar is known as one of the greatest opening batsman of all times, with particular talent against fast bowling. He was named Little Master by commentators in the 1970s.

  • Karachi woman takes loud hens to court

    Karachi woman takes loud hens to court

    A hearing was held in the Sindh High Court (SHC) on a petition against keeping chickens in homes filed by a Karachiite woman named Samira, reports Geo.

    SHC has sought responses from relevant institutions including the Cantonment Board on the petition against rearing chickens in residential urban areas.
    Chief Justice Aqeel Abbasi inquired whether the relevant institutions have received complaints about the hens.

    Samira said that the Cantonment Board is not doing anything whereas hens are not allowed according to their own rules. The petitioner said that the hens create noise that reaches the whole area.

    The Chief Justice remarked that chickens indeed are very mischievous and make a lot of noise.

    The court asserted that in earlier times, naughty boys used to slaughter chickens and eat them up but what can be done now to get these chickens.

    The next hearing is scheduled to be held on April 23.

  • Hammad Azhar resigns from PTI Punjab President post

    Hammad Azhar resigns from PTI Punjab President post

    Hammad Azhar, senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), voluntarily resigned from his roles as acting Punjab President and General Secretary on Wednesday, citing legal cases and the challenges the party is currently facing as the reason for the surprise decision.

    The politician, who was once a federal minister during the PTI regime, submitted his resignation letter to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary-General Omar Ayub Khan. He said that he’s staying underground because of cases and raids, and he believes the party would benefit more from leadership that’s actively present on the ground.

    “It has been an honour, but it would be selfish of me to continue while I am still in hiding and unable to represent the party even on television. In my opinion, at this stage, the party would be best served by a leadership in Punjab that is able to be present on the ground and lead from the front,” he stated in the letter.

    Leadership ought to have the opportunity to be on television and directly meet the founding chairman, Imran Khan, Hammad observed, pointing out that he lacks this access and permission.

  • Saudi opens first alcohol store for diplomats in move seen as necessary for societal change: BBC report

    Saudi opens first alcohol store for diplomats in move seen as necessary for societal change: BBC report

    Saudi Arabia has taken a major step with the opening of an alcohol store catering to diplomats – breaking of a 70-year-long national ban on alcohol.

    BBC spoke to Kristian Ulrichsen, who explores economic trends in the Middle East and works for Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in Texas, in the U.S.

    “Key elements of Vision 2030 are tourism, entertainment, and hospitality. And Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince, has set very ambitious targets of attracting more than 100 million visits a year by 2030.” he says.

    Ulrichsen points at the necessity of societal shifts to accommodate the influx of visitors and residents essential for the success of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious development projects.

    Moreover, Saudi Arabia is in competition with Dubai, which is why this latest move mirrors similar actions taken by UAE to maintain an advantage in the region.

    “The Saudi move is very controlled,” Ulrichsen adds.

    Starting with controlled enclaves before possibly expanding access to alcohol in designated areas or larger projects over time, he explains.

    While access in larger society remains limited for now, future developments, such as the planned mid-2020s offshore island projects in the Red Sea, may see increased availability as public acceptance grows.

  • Future Samsung smartphones to offer lightning-fast data transfer rates

    Future Samsung smartphones to offer lightning-fast data transfer rates

    Samsung Semiconductor is propelling mobile device technology forward with its latest advancements in non-volatile memory.

    After successfully integrating the UFS 4.0 solution into its previous flagship models such as the Galaxy S23 series and the 2023 foldable phones, followed by the latest Galaxy S24 lineup, Samsung is now gearing up for the next phase.

    In a recent announcement on the social media platform Weixin, Samsung Semiconductor unveiled its roadmap for the evolution of UFS (Universal Flash Storage) solutions.

    According to the roadmap, Samsung is set to introduce the UFS 4.0 4-lane CS next year, with a significant leap to UFS 5.0 anticipated in 2027.

    These advancements promise substantial improvements in data transfer speeds, with UFS 4.0 4-lane expected to double the current speed from approximately 4GB/s to 8GB/s.

    Looking further ahead, the highly anticipated UFS 5.0 update, slated for 2027, aims to push speeds even higher, potentially exceeding 10GB/s.

    Samsung Semiconductor is committed to commencing mass production of UFS 4.0 4-lane solutions before 2025, emphasizing the integration of two UFS controllers to enhance sequential read speed.

    These advancements are poised to revolutionize mobile experiences, offering faster loading times and empowering on-device AI applications.

    While Samsung has not disclosed specific models set to adopt the UFS 4.0 4-lane technology first, speculation suggests it could be integrated into the Galaxy S25 series.

    Moreover, UFS 5.0 is expected to debut alongside future Galaxy S27 models, promising an even more seamless user experience.

    In line with these technological advancements, Samsung is also exploring AI-based features for its next-generation devices, potentially introducing some through a subscription-based model.

  • Gold price increases by Rs500 to Rs227,800 per tola

    Gold price increases by Rs500 to Rs227,800 per tola

    Gold prices in the domestic market showed a slight uptick on Wednesday. The value of 24-karat gold rose by Rs500 to reach Rs227,800 per tola, according to the Karachi Sarafa Association.

    For smaller quantities, the price of 24-karat gold per 10 grammes climbed to Rs195,302, marking an increase of Rs429. Meanwhile, 22-karat gold saw a similar trend, reaching Rs179,027 per 10 grammes.

    In contrast, silver prices remained stable, with 24-karat silver being traded at Rs2,580 per tola and Rs2,211.93 per 10 grammes.

    Last week, 24-karat gold saw a reversal from its two-week upward trend, registering a loss of Rs2,700 per tola.

    On the global scale, international spot gold hovered around $2,155.8 an ounce, experiencing a marginal decline of 0.08 per cent compared to the previous session.

    Investors are eagerly awaiting the policy decision from the US Federal Reserve later today, with prevailing expectations leaning towards the Fed maintaining its current stance.

  • ‘A lie’; Donald Lu slams allegations of involvement in Khan removal

    ‘A lie’; Donald Lu slams allegations of involvement in Khan removal

    US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu has categorically denied former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s allegations that he engineered the PTI founder’s removal from government.

    Testifying before a Congressional panel on Wednesday morning in Washington DC, Lu minced no words when asked about the allegations. “I wanna be very clear on this point, this conspiracy theory is a lie, it is a complete falsehood,” he stated. He was the key witness before a House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee.

    Imran Khan and his party, along with its coalition government, was removed from power in April 2022 after a Vote of No Confidence, the first successful one in Pakistan’s history.

    Lu said during the hearing- titled ‘Pakistan After the elections: Examining the future of Democracy in Pakistan and the US Pakistan relationship- that Pakistan’s envoy to Washington Asad Majeed also testified to his government that there was no conspiracy. “We respect the sovereignty of Pakistan, we respect the principle that Pakistani people should be the only ones to choose their leader through democratic process,” he observed.

  • ‘My mother wants me to marry my cousin who is four years younger than me,’ Yashma Gill

    ‘My mother wants me to marry my cousin who is four years younger than me,’ Yashma Gill

    Yashma Gill, a famous actress in the showbiz industry, recently shared the qualities she looks for in a life partner.
    During a TV program, she was asked, when it comes to marriage, what qualities should your life partner have.
    In response, she said, “I want to marry someone who is a nice person, somebody who has good moral values, somebody who has good ethical values.”

    The actress emphasized the importance of her partner having fear of God, as it helps them understand how to care for others and present themselves with good manners.
    During the conversation, she also revealed, “My mother has completely different thoughts about my marriage and nowadays, she’s asking our employee for my friend’s number so she can convince my friend to marry my cousin.”
    Yashma Gill said that her mother wants her to marry her other cousin, who is four years younger than her, because he is becoming part of the modeling and showbiz industry.

  • Don’t want to be a better person for her’: Vicky Kaushal reveals details about marriage with Katrina Kaif

    Don’t want to be a better person for her’: Vicky Kaushal reveals details about marriage with Katrina Kaif

    During a recent interview, Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal expressed a deep connection between himself and Katrina Kaif.
    He said that his marriage to Katrina is a result of a profound connection; she understands his heart, and he cherishes hers. They are just like any other couple.

    He also said that he doesn’t want to become a better person for her or vice versa. “We love each other for who we are at the moment, and our newness lies in how we blossom together.”
    In response to a question about Katrina Kaif’s eating habits, Vicky said, “Katrina eats more greens than me. She likes special foods like chole bhature, but I find her unique tastes are charming to some extent.”