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  • Syra and Shahroz’s ‘Babylicious’ set for worldwide release on Eidul Fitr

    Syra and Shahroz’s ‘Babylicious’ set for worldwide release on Eidul Fitr

    In the first round of announcements for Eid movies, Pakistani movie lovers around the world can look forward to the releases of romantic comedy ‘Babylicious’. Starring former couple, Syra Yousuf and Shahroz Sabzwari, the movie is already getting praise for its interesting storyline and acting.

    ‘Babylicious’ is directed by filmmaker Shahid Shafaat. It is the story of two people dealing with love, relationships, and being parents while facing life’s ups and downs.

    People who love Pakistani movies all over the world can soon watch ‘Babylicious’ in cinemas during Eid-ul-Fitr.

  • England’s white ball captain Jos Buttler nay apna naam badal dia

    England’s white ball captain Jos Buttler nay apna naam badal dia

    England White Ball cricket captain Jos Buttler has changed his name and the England Cricket Board (ECB) has made this announcement on Instagram in a very unique way.

    He has changed his name from “Jos Buttler” to “Josh Buttler”.

    Talking about reason behind changing his name, he said, “I have been called with wrong names all my life. My mother is also among those who called me by wrong names.”

    “After representing the country for 13 years and winning two World Cups, I have found a solution to the problem. Now I’m Josh Butler.”

  • Who earns more money? Hiba Bukhari, Arez Ahmed disclose details

    Who earns more money? Hiba Bukhari, Arez Ahmed disclose details

    Hiba Bukhari and Arez Ahmed, a much-loved couple, are excelling in their careers while also valuing love and respect for each other and their families. Hiba is now one of Pakistan’s top actresses, with Arez always there to support her in her journey and work.

    They both appeared as guests on the television programme Shan-e-Suhoor and disclosed how marriage has transformed them. Hiba shared that Arez has become calmer, more responsible, and more focused on family since tying the knot.
    The host asked who is better at saving money and Hiba said, “I save more”. Arez said, “Hiba saves more because she earns more. Hiba earns more than me, but I’m not insecure about it. I’m proud of my wife.”

  • Tigress injures two near Multan as it escapes during transportation

    Tigress injures two near Multan as it escapes during transportation

    A Bengal tigress which was being transported from Lahore to Multan by an animal dealer, Muhammad Adnan, ran away from its cage into the fields near Multan in the early hours of Sunday, DAWN has reported.

    The age of Bengal tigress is reportedly about two years and its value is Rs5-6 million.

    Punjab Wildlife Department Multan Deputy Director Sheikh Zahid told Dawn’s Shoaib Ahmed that the tigress was being carried in a pick-up in a cage. The incident happened when the pick-up got stuck in a muddy track on Bosan Road behind the Multan Public High School.

    The cage got opened when the vehicle jerked to get out of the mud. The owner, Muhammad Adnan, called 15 but the police told him to contact the wildlife department.

    The furious tigress ran into the fields and reportedly injured two persons, including a wildlife official. However, the injuries were mild. The Punjab Wildlife Department officials and a DHA Multan Zoo vet were involved in the operation to catch the tigress. It was tranquilised by a DHA Multan Zoo vet.

    Animal dealer Adnan was fined Rs221,000 by the wildlife department under the Punjab Wildlife Act 1974. The tigress has been returned to the owner on payment of the fine, told Sheikh Zahid.

    Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department Director General Mudassar Riaz Malik talked to the media. To a question why tigers and lions had not yet been categorised in Schedule 3 of the Punjab Wildlife Department, the DG said he had called a meeting on Monday (today) to set standards and regulate the issue of keeping tigers and lions in breeding farms and houses only. “Such animals fall in Schedule 3 and it is prohibited to keep them domestically,” he added.

    Malik was asked if these animals were put in Schedule 3, what would happen to the private breeding farms having a huge number of lions and tigers. To this he responded it’s a crucial issue that would be discussed in the meeting besides all other aspects and possible licensing of such animals. To yet another question, Mr Malik said the meeting would also discuss either a new schedule or a new law.

    The wildlife DG said the Captive Wildlife Management Committee had got rules approved by the cabinet and new law would be introduced under these rules.

  • Pakistani Tekken star Arsalan Ash plays Tekken with Saudi prince

    Pakistani Tekken star Arsalan Ash plays Tekken with Saudi prince

    Pakistani Tekken superstar Arsalan Ash played Tekken with the royal elite of Saudi Arabia as well as aspiring Tekken players in the Arab country. Arslan coached a group of young gamers for the first time in his career and added a new skill to his portfolio. He also shared his experience on his social media.

    Arslan’s win at last year’s EVO Championship made him the first player in not only Tekken 7 but all of Tekken’s history to win 4 EVO trophies.

  • ‘Possible short circuit’, Police launch investigation into Gujjar Khan church fire

    ‘Possible short circuit’, Police launch investigation into Gujjar Khan church fire

    The Punjab government has initiated a thorough investigation into the burning of a church in Gujjar Khan, The News reported on Monday. 

    However, police of that specific location didn’t register a first information report (FIR) of the case.

    Investigators explained that the church had been constructed on land owned by the National Highway Authority (NHA) many years ago. NHA authorities themselves erected a building measuring 12 marlas on Kaliam Road approximately 25 years ago and relocated the church there.

    They also said that Gujjar Khan Church had been empty for more than 12 years. The elders of the Christian community started Sunday services at Kaliam Road Church peacefully around 10 years ago. A preliminary investigation report has been sent to the Punjab Home Office, but it hasn’t identified any particular group or person involved.

    Regional Police Officer (RPO), Rawalpindi Region, Babar Sarfaraz Alpa, when contacted to obtain his version about the occurrence, said, “The police recovered nothing yet except that the fire erupted due to a short circuit. However, the police have not given up the probe.” The investigators have collected forensic evidence and examined it, but have gotten no clue so far, the RPO concluded.

    Dr. Majeed Abel, the Executive Secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, urged authorities to uncover and disclose what happened to the church. He demanded that those responsible be held accountable under the law.

  • Ajay Devgn doesn’t know why he married Kajol

    Ajay Devgn doesn’t know why he married Kajol

    Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn hax been married to superstar Kajol since many years. However, Ajay himself admits that he doesn’t understand why he married Kajol.

    An old interview of the actor is going viral once again, where the host asks him why he married Kajol. “Honestly, even I don’t know why I married Kajol,” he replied.

    “We met, liked each other, started feeling comfortable without even proposing, and then we got married.”

    The two tied the knot on February 24, 1999, and have two children together.

  • ‘Check my father’s passport’; Bella Hadid fires back at Israeli Minister’s denial of Palestine

    ‘Check my father’s passport’; Bella Hadid fires back at Israeli Minister’s denial of Palestine

    For almost two weeks now, Israel has surrounded al-Shifa hospital in Gaza, not allowing people to get in or out. More than 400 people, including patients, those who had to leave their homes because of the war, and hospital workers, have died. According to Al Jazeera, up until March 19, around 32,000 Palestinians have lost their lives and over 74,000 have been injured in Gaza genocide.

    As people around the world get more upset about Israel’s harsh treatment of Palestine, many famous people and important figures are using their popularity to speak up about it. One of them is Bella Hadid, a supermodel who is Palestinian-American. She’s adding her voice to the many others who are criticizing Israel’s unfair apartheid system.

    She shared a video clip of a speech by an Israeli minister named Orit Strook. In the video, which was originally in Hebrew, Strook said, “The Palestinian people do not exist. There is no such thing.”

    Bella wrote a message on top of the video on her Instagram Story in reply to what the Israeli minister said. “Look at my father’s passport and the millions of people with Palestinian heritage in their blood and hearts.”

    She continued, saying, “Think about the land that has been taken from Palestinians over generations, the lives lost, and families torn apart. All because some people decided one day it belonged only to them.” Bella ended her message with “Food for thought.”
    In another post on Instagram, Bella shared a video from Al Jazeera. The video showed many people who were hurt in Syria after an Israeli air attack, according to the Syrian military. Bella wrote another message on top of the video, saying, “The killings just keep happening. One tragedy after another. All because of one powerful force.”

    After Israel’s military action against Palestinians following a surprise attack by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7 last year, Bella spoke out a few weeks later. She shared a long message on Instagram, along with a TikTok video showing the increasing destruction in Gaza and the West Bank. Then she talked about her opinion on what was happening.

    “Sorry for not speaking up earlier,” the model said. “I haven’t found the right words for these last two weeks. It’s been really tough and terrible. The world is paying attention to a problem that’s been hurting people for a long time. I have a lot to say, but for now, I’ll keep it short.”

    Bella said that she’s been getting “daily” death threats recently. This happened after her and her family’s phone numbers were leaked because they have Palestinian heritage and they criticize Israel. People close to her family said that Bella’s dad, Mohamed Hadid, was thinking about asking the FBI to find out who’s making the threats. Sharing how these events made her family fear for their safety, the half-Palestinian celebrity asserted that she “cannot be silenced any longer” and that “fear is not an option”.

  • New Palestinian government gets wary greeting

    New Palestinian government gets wary greeting

    Ramallah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – A new Palestinian government that contains both Gazans and four women was sworn in Sunday, but was already facing scepticism from its own people.

    The Palestinian Authority led by Mahmud Abbas is under pressure from Washington to prepare to step into the breach in the aftermath of the Gaza war and undertake reforms.

    Newly-appointed prime minister Mohammed Mustafa said his government’s “top national priority” was ending the war as he named his new team.

    He said his cabinet “will work on formulating visions to reunify the institutions, including assuming responsibility for Gaza”.

    President Abbas, 88, is being nudged by the United States to shake the creaking authority up so it can reunite the occupied West Bank and the devastated Gaza Strip under a single rule after the war.

    The Palestinian Authority has had almost no influence over the Gaza Strip since Hamas took power there in 2007 from Abbas’s Fatah party.

    Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Abbas to make “administrative reforms” when the two men met in January.

    Abbas’s Ramallah-based administration has been hamstrung by Israel’s decades-old occupation of the West Bank and his own unpopularity.

    Mustafa, an economist and longtime Abbas advisor, said the “reconstruction” of the Palestinian territories was his main goal, with Gaza in ruins after six months of Israeli bombardment in retaliation for the October 7 attack.

    His new cabinet is made up of 23 ministers and includes four women and six ministers from Gaza, among them former Gaza City mayor Maged Abu Ramadan who has been given the health portfolio.

    Among the new female faces is Varsen Aghabekian, a Palestinian-Armenian academic who will work alongside Mustafa in the foreign ministry, which he also controls.

    ‘Deepen divisions’

    The premier, who previously worked for the World Bank, said the thorny issue of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem was also a top priority along with the “fight against corruption”.

    But many doubt whether the Palestinian Authority — which has been dogged by divisions, corruption scandals and the authoritarian tendencies of its ageing leader — can be a credible player in any future deal.

    Ali Jarbawi, a former PA minister and political scientist, said it faces massive challenges on all fronts.

    “It is broke and it’s in debt and can’t pay its salaries, so it needs immediate financial support,” he said.

    And it needs to be accepted by both Palestinian factions — Fatah which controls the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza.

    “Thirdly it needs a political horizon, from the international community, and a commitment to the two-state solution,” Jarbawi said.

    And none of that can happen unless the “Israeli government, the army and settlers in the West Bank ease the pressure” on Palestinians, he added.

    Senior Hamas member Bassem Naim criticised Abbas’s policies.

    “His hijacking of the unified Palestinian decision-making” is dangerous for “our cause at this very critical stage in the history of our people,” he told AFP.

    He said Hamas “proposed sitting down for the sake of national dialogue and rebuilding the political system… but Abbas blocked all these attempts.”

    Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Marxist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine issued a joint statement earlier this month declaring that Mustafa’s appointment would only deepen Palestinian divisions.

    People on the streets of Ramallah, where the authority is based, were equally sceptical.

    “Changing the government will not solve anything because change to us comes only from the outside,” said Suleiman Nassar, 56.

    “We know very well that any minister or any Palestinian government will not get in without an American or Israeli” approval he said.

  • Imran Khan does not want to get out of Adiala Jail, says Shandana Gulzar

    Imran Khan does not want to get out of Adiala Jail, says Shandana Gulzar

    During a talk show with Nadir Gurmani at Dawn News, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shandana Gulzar remarked that Imran Khan does not want to come out of Adiala jail because he is safe under the supervision of jail authorities.

    When the anchor asked Shandana Gulzar about the lack of unity of party leadership on a one-point agenda that Imran Khan must get out of jail, she replied that the former Prime Minister does not believe in this agenda.

    “Only Imran Khan can set an agenda, nobody else. Khan has a three-point agenda; the first is to give us back our stolen mandate, the second is to release all PTI workers who have been arrested without any valid reasons and the third is to get our workers free from illegal military trials,” she stated.

    She said that Shehryar Afridi told Khan that they wanted him to get free, to which he replied “I don’t want to get out of jail. My priority is Pakistan so it does not disintegrate like Bangladesh.”

    “After God, Khan’s life is in the hands of jail authorities,” she said on the show, expressing concerns that there would be no guarantee of his safety if he gets shifted to sub-jail.