Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Pakistan rejects Kaneria and Malik's pleas to help lift bans

Pakistan's cricket board on Friday (10) rejected pleas by two former national players for help in overturning lifetime bans for charges related to match-fixing.

Former spinner Danish Kaneria was banned by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2012, while ex-skipper Saleem Malik was struck off in 2000 by the Pakistan board on the recommendation of a judicial commission.


Kaneria, charged for inducing his Essex county team-mate Mervyn Westfield to concede runs in a 2009 match, was left unable to play or coach in any country under International Cricket Council (ICC) rules and lost a subsequent appeal.

"The life ban was imposed by the ECB and upheld by all ICC members, you have lost an appeal so as such, you are advised to approach the ECB as per the rules," the PCB said in a statement following his request.

Pakistan's most successful spinner with 261 wickets in 61 Tests, Kaneria has previously accused the country's cricket authority of targeting him for being a minority Hindu -- a charge vehemently denied by the PCB.

Malik also sought the PCB's help to start a coaching career.

But the board ruled that Malik has refused to respond to separate ICC claims that he was recorded telling an undercover reporter how to fix matches.

It said it "will be unable to proceed any further until such time you respond on the said matter."

Malik's ban was lifted by a Pakistan civil court in 2008, but the move was not endorsed by the ICC.

Malik, 57, played 103 Tests and 283 one-day internationals for Pakistan.

More For You

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

Keir Starmer speaks during a reception for public sector workers at 10 Downing Street in London on July 1, 2025. (Photo by CARL COURT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer faces revolt as welfare bill vote sparks Labour uproar

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer faced the most serious test of his leadership on Tuesday (1) as his government’s flagship welfare reforms came under fierce attack from within his own party.

The day was marked by emotional speeches, last-minute concessions, and a deep sense of division among Labour MPs, many of whom said the proposed changes would push vulnerable people into poverty

Keep ReadingShow less
Lucy Letby

Letby, from Hereford in western England, was charged in 2020 after a series of deaths in the hospital's neo-natal unit.

Three senior hospital staff arrested in Lucy Letby case probe

POLICE on Tuesday said they had arrested three senior staff members at the hospital where nurse Lucy Letby was found guilty of murdering seven babies. The arrests were made on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

The investigation was launched in 2023 at the Countess of Chester Hospital (CoCH) in northwest England, following Letby’s conviction and life sentence for killings that took place between 2015 and 2016.

Keep ReadingShow less
Dan Houser new game

Fresh take on the open-world genre from one of its most influential creators.

YouTube/ Rockstar Games

Red Dead Redemption creator Dan Houser confirms new open-world game in development

Key points

  • Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser is developing a new open-world video game.
  • The game is set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a sci-fi audio series launched in 2023.
  • A Better Paradise is being adapted into a novel series, with the first volume due in October 2025.
  • Houser left Rockstar in 2020 and founded Absurd Ventures in 2021.
  • There is no confirmed release date for the game at this time.

Dan Houser, the acclaimed co-creator behind Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, has officially confirmed that his new company, Absurd Ventures, is developing a new open-world video game. The title will be set in the universe of A Better Paradise, a science fiction IP first introduced in audio format last year.

A new venture after Rockstar

Dan Houser, a founding figure at Rockstar Games, played a central role in writing and producing some of the studio’s most celebrated titles, including Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto V, and Bully. After leaving Rockstar in 2020, he launched Absurd Ventures in 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh in a still from Sardaar Ji 3 set for overseas release only
IMDB

Diljit Dosanjh’s 'Sardaar Ji 3' becomes highest-grossing Indian film in Pakistan amid boycott in India

Quick highlights:

  • Sardaar Ji 3 rakes in £275,000 (₹3 crore) on opening day in Pakistan, surpassing Sultan.
  • Diljit Dosanjh responds to backlash: “When we shot the film, everything was fine.”
  • Film was not released in India due to controversy over Pakistani actress Hania Aamir’s casting.
  • Worldwide opening weekend collection touches £1.6 million (₹18.1 crore).

The Punjabi-language horror-comedy Sardaar Ji 3, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, has become the highest-grossing Indian film ever released in Pakistan. Despite being banned in India, the film grossed £275,000 (₹3 crore) on its opening day and £825,000 (₹9 crore) over the first weekend in Pakistan alone.

Keep ReadingShow less