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  • Maya Ali inspired by children battling cancer

    Maya Ali inspired by children battling cancer

    Maya Ali is known for her amazing acting in TV shows and movies, but the actress is also a softie at heart.

    Besides acting, Maya Ali really loves cricket. Recently, she cheered for her favorite team, the Quetta Gladiators, at the National Stadium in Karachi during a PSL match. Maya is the brand ambassador for the Gladiators.
    But Maya Ali isn’t just passionate about acting and cricket. She also cares about helping others.

    She recently met children battling cancer at the stadium in Karachi. Moved by their bravery, she shared a video on social media. In the video, she said, “It was literally the happiest moment for me to see these little warriors happy, and battling cancer with a big smile on their faces. The strength they show is something we can all learn from. I have made new friends who taught me that no matter what, life is beautiful and we just have to count our blessings and be grateful. May ALLAH bless them all with good health, Ameen”

  • PPP did not join federal cabinet as government will not last long, says Imran Khan

    PPP did not join federal cabinet as government will not last long, says Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has said that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) did not join the federal government because it will not last long.

    The former prime minister spoke to journalists in Adiala jail on Wednesday, stating that the “establishment, caretaker government, and the Election Commission are all one, and everything is based on lies.”

    Terming Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja a “liar,” Khan said the CEC is still occupying the office despite five reports issued by election watchdogs on election irregularities.

    The founder of PTI also claimed that the new government will not last more than five to six months. However, inflation will increase in the country after signing a new deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    Imran Khan, who is currently in Adiala jail, stated that he is mentally ready to stay incarcerated.

    Regarding strain ties with the establishment, he responded to a question, saying: “Attempts are under way to create differences between us and the army.”

  • Naseem Shah is one of the most expensive player of The Hundred

    Naseem Shah is one of the most expensive player of The Hundred

    Pakistani fast bowler Naseem Shah is now among the most expensive players in England’s Cricket ‘The Hundred’ Players Draft.

    Birmingham Phoenix acquired Naseem Shah for £125,000, making him the first Pakistani to come in the most expensive category of GBP 125,000. His remuneration in Pakistani currency will be around 4.5 crore rupees.

    Pakistan’s Imad Wasim and Shaheen Shah Afridi have also been selected for The Hundred.

    Imad Wasim was acquired by Trent Rockets for £100,000 while Welsh Fire have signed Shaheen Shah Afridi for the second season in a row for £100,000.

    Haris Rauf was retained in the squad by Welsh Fire and Usama Mir by Manchester Original.

  • 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.

  • Seven BLA militants killed storming Gwadar port: officials

    Seven BLA militants killed storming Gwadar port: officials

    Security forces killed at least seven militants on Wednesday as they tried to storm the offices of a Pakistan port considered a cornerstone of China’s investment in the nation, officials said.

    Pakistan has for decades battled a simmering insurgency in southwestern Balochistan province, where separatists hostile to Islamabad have often targeted foreign investment projects.

    Local official Saeed Ahmed Umrani told AFP seven militants had been killed in an attempt to “infiltrate” the compound of Balochistan’s Gwadar Port Authority.

    Gwadar Port, which sits on the Arabian Sea, is managed by a Chinese firm and considered the crown jewel of Beijing’s investment in Pakistan under its gargantuan Belt and Road infrastructure project.

    An army source who asked to remain anonymous also said seven militants had been killed, alongside four soldiers defending law-enforcement posts inside the compound.

    “The terrorists attacked with grenades, rocket launchers and Kalashnikovs,” he said. “The area is cleared now.”

    Chief minister of Balochistan province Sarfraz Bugti said on social media platform X that eight militants had been killed.

    The attack was claimed by separatist group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in an email statement, and spokesman Jeeyand Baloch said military intelligence offices had been targeted.

    “The operation was launched at 3:30 pm (1030 GMT) and is still underway”, he said in a message sent early Wednesday evening.

    Last August, the BLA also claimed an attack on a convoy carrying Chinese engineers to the port.

    Ethnic Baloch separatists have long claimed their communities are not getting a fair share of wealth from the region, which sits atop huge reserves of natural resources.

    They have frequently targeted Pakistani security forces protecting foreign investment projects.

    China has inked over two trillion dollars in contracts around the world under its Belt and Road scheme, but projects in Pakistan have been plagued by security concerns.

    In 2022, a BLA suicide bomber killed four people, including three Chinese language teachers, in Karachi city.

    A year earlier, a bus carrying engineers to a construction site near a dam in northwestern Pakistan was hit by a bomb, killing 13 people including nine Chinese workers.

    Islamabad has been accused of committing abductions and extrajudicial murder of Baloch citizens in retaliation for their campaign of separatism.

    bur-jts/sco

    © Agence France-Presse

  • 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.