ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s legendary cricket star and politician, Imran Khan, tied the knot Thursday, ending weeks of speculation about whether one of the country’s most famous bachelors was getting married for a second time.
Khan married Reham Khan, a former BBC journalist who now hosts a talk show on Pakistani television, during a ceremony Thursday at his house on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad. Party officials said it was a simple ceremony.
“We hope that this marriage will be successful, and it will be a good omen for the nation,” said Naeemul Haq, a senior official with Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf political party.
Khan, who led Pakistan to the World Cup in 1992, was previously married to British socialite Jemima Khan and has two sons. His new wife reportedly has three kids from a previous marriage. Khan’s PTI is the third largest party in the parliament, and he has been one of the most vocal opponents to the current government.
Pakistan has been abuzz for weeks about the remarriage and in a press conference earlier this week, Khan promised to share some good news with the country. His former wife, Jemima, with whom he had an amicable divorce, said on Twitter that she hoped Imran would be happy in the new phase of his life.
Pakistani television showed photos of the couple in formal Pakistani wedding attire. Imran wore a gold-colored achkan, a knee-length coat for formal occasions, and white pants, called salwar. His bride wore a more elaborate, silver-colored wedding outfit.
Little is known about their romance, although Reham Khan has interviewed the politician on her talk show. The two are not related, and Khan is a common family name in the country.
Weddings in Pakistan are often elaborate affairs but PTI officials said only close friends and relatives were invited to the ceremony and that instead of a reception, food and clothes would be distributed to poor families.
Even so, some opposition politicians slammed Khan for getting married at a time when the nation is still mourning last month’s Taleban massacre at a Peshawar school.
Pakistan cricket legend Khan marries ex-BBC journalist
Pakistan cricket legend Khan marries ex-BBC journalist
Mittens the cat becomes an accidental frequent flyer after getting mistakenly left on a plane
- A Maine coon cat named Mittens accidentally flew three times between New Zealand and Australia this month after her cage was mistakenly left in the plane’s cargo hold
WELLINGTON: A Maine coon cat named Mittens became an accidental jetsetter this month when her cage was overlooked in a plane cargo hold and she made three trips in 24 hours between New Zealand and Australia.
Mittens, 8, was booked for one-way travel with her family from Christchurch, New Zealand to their new home in Melbourne, Australia on Jan. 13. But owner Margo Neas said Wednesday that as she waited for Mittens to be unloaded from the plane’s freight area, three hours passed with no sign of the cat.
It was then that ground staff told Neas the plane had returned to New Zealand — with Mittens still on board. The return trip involves about 7.5 hours in the air.
“I said, how can this happen? How can this happen? Oh my God,” Neas said.
The Air New Zealand pilot was told of the extra passenger during the flight and turned on the heating in the cargo hold to keep Mittens comfortable, she added. Neas was told that a stowed wheelchair had obscured a baggage handler’s view of Mittens’ cage.
“It was not a great start to our new life in Melbourne because we didn’t have the family, we weren’t complete,” she said.
But the saga had a happy ending. The pet moving company that Neas used to arrange Mittens’ travel met the cat on her return to Christchurch and ensured she was back on the plane for another trip to Melbourne — this time just one way.
Mittens had lost weight but was otherwise unharmed.
“She basically just ran into my arms and just snuggled up in here and just did the biggest cuddles of all time,” Neas said. “It was just such a relief.”
Air New Zealand would reimburse all costs associated with Mittens’ travel and has apologized for the distress caused, the airline said in a statement.
“We’ll work closely with our ground handler in Melbourne to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” said spokesperson Alisha Armstrong.
Meanwhile Mittens, not usually an affectionate pet, is “the cuddliest she’s ever been,” said Neas.
“The cat gets as much attention as she wants right now because we’re just so absolutely and utterly relieved to have her back.”
Nintendo says its new Switch 2 console will be released in 2025
- The initial reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was lackluster, and the company’s Tokyo-traded shares slumped 4.3 percent on Friday
LOS ANGELES: Gaming giant Nintendo revealed its newest console Thursday in a highly anticipated announcement gamers had been waiting for since rumors of its release first spread years ago.
But the initial reaction to the Nintendo Switch 2 was lackluster, and the company’s Tokyo-traded shares slumped 4.3 percent on Friday. Nintendo’s shares had surged to a record ahead of the announcement.
The successor to the Nintendo Switch system will be released this year, the promotional video says.
In the video, Nintendo showcases a larger version of the Switch that looks similar to its predecessor. It also shows the system’s controllers, or Joy-Cons, will attach to the side of Switch 2’s main unit rather than slide in.
The Nintendo Switch 2 will play Switch 2 exclusive games, as well as both physical and digital Nintendo Switch games. Some Nintendo Switch games may not be supported on or fully compatible with Nintendo Switch 2, the company said.
The announcement did not provide many details on the console. Nintendo says more information about the system will be available during the company’s April Nintendo Direct event. The Kyoto-based game developer said it will also host “Nintendo Switch 2 Experience” events in several countries, where players can get a hands-on experience with the new system.
Those events are planned for cities such as Los Angeles, New York, London and Paris beginning in April. Ticket registration for those events begins Friday, Nintendo said.
Young gorilla rescued from aircraft hold recovers at Istanbul zoo
- Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature
ISTANBUL: A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said on Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat.
The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month. After a public competition, he has been named Zeytin, or Olive, and is recuperating at Polonezkoy Zoo.
“Of course, what we want and desire is for the baby gorilla … to continue its life in its homeland,” Fahrettin Ulu, regional director of Istanbul Nature Conservation and National Parks, said Sunday.
“What is important is that an absolutely safe environment is established in the place it goes to, which is extremely important for us.”
In the weeks since he was found, Zeytin has gained weight and is showing signs of recovering from his traumatic journey.
“When he first came, he was very shy. He would stay where we left him,” said veterinarian Gulfem Esmen.
“He does not have that shyness now. He does not even care about us much. He plays games by himself.”
FASTFACT
The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a flight from Nigeria to Thailand last month.
Both gorilla species — the western and eastern gorillas, which populate central Africa’s remote forests and mountains — are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
As Istanbul emerges as a central air hub between continents, customs officials have increasingly intercepted illegally traded animals.
In October, 17 young Nile crocodiles and 10 monitor lizards were found in an Egyptian passenger’s luggage at the city’s Sabiha Gokcen Airport.
Meta nixes diversity and inclusion program as it prepares for second Trump administration
MENLO PARK, California: Joining companies such as John Deere and Walmart, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta Platforms Inc. is getting rid of its diversity, equity and inclusion program that includes hiring, training and picking vendors, a company spokesperson confirmed on Friday.
The move, which was first reported by Axios, comes on the heels of the social media giant’s decision to end its third-party fact-checking program and scale back policies on hate speech and abuse.
Citing an internal memo sent to employees, Axios said the Menlo Park, California-based tech giant said the US Supreme Court “has recently made decisions signaling a shift in how courts will approach DEI. … The term ‘DEI’ has also become charged, in part because it is understood by some as a practice that suggests preferential treatment of some groups over others.”
In practice, this means Meta will no longer have a team focused on diversity and inclusion and the company said it will instead “focus on how to apply fair and consistent practices that mitigate bias for all, no matter your background.”
The company will also end it’s “diverse slate approach” to hiring, which meant that a diverse pool of candidates was considered for every open position.
Other companies that have ended DEI programs recently include McDonald’s, automaker Ford, Walmart and farm equipment maker John Deere.
US citizen denied entry into Poland after security staff object to handwritten notes in passport
- The unidentified passenger arrived at Krakow’s Balice airport on a flight from London
- She will remain at the airport for a return flight to London on Thursday
WARSAW: A US citizen has been blocked from entering Poland because her passport was defaced with handwritten notes, border officials said Wednesday.
The unidentified passenger arrived at Krakow’s Balice airport on a flight from London shortly after midnight, according to Justyna Drozdz, a local border security spokeswoman.
The woman was stopped at passport control because her document contained handwritten notes of locations and airport names under visa stamps from the countries she had visited.
The woman told border security staff she was unaware it was not permitted to write on passports or ID documents, Drozdz told Polish news agency PAP.
She will remain at the airport for a return flight to London on Thursday.
As a general rule, it is not permissible for the holder to write in a passport other than to provide a required signature and emergency contacts. Airlines and immigration officials often deny boarding or entry if they feel a passport has been damaged or defaced.
It was not clear why border officials elsewhere had not questioned the woman about her passport.
