WATCH: Cillian Murphy’s ’28 Years Later’ gets mysterious teaser video

Sony Pictures, 28 Years Later, Hollywood, Cillian Murphy

Sony Pictures has released a cryptic first teaser for ‘28 Years Later,’ starring Hollywood actor Cillian Murphy.

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Directed by Danny Boyle, the zombie apocalypse sequel will see the ‘Peaky Blinders’ actor reprise his role from the 2002 original ‘28 Days Later.’

Sony has dropped a teaser for the film which is almost black with flashes of an island.

The teaser also includes Morse code audio and statue-like figures, red skulls and red contamination symbols.

The viral teaser was released with no movie title or description on the YouTube video, however, it was tweeted from the official ‘28 Years Later’ account on X.

Read more: iPhone reportedly used as primary camera for ’28 Years Later’ filming

As per the official description of the film: “Sometime after the events of 28 Weeks Later, the Rage Virus has returned, and a group of survivors must survive in a world ravaged by hordes of the infected.”

As per Sony Pictures, ‘28 Years Later hit theatres on June 20, 2025.

Apart from Cillian Murphy, who reprises his role as a survivor from ‘28 Days Later,’ the zombie apocalypse sequel also stars Hollywood actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, Jack O’Connell, Erin Kellyman and Edvin Ryding.

Reports had said that the makers shot back-to-back another sequel, ‘28 Years Later Part II: The Bone Temple,’ which is directed by Nia DaCosta and also stars Cillian Murphy.

In September this year, reports emerged that the director of the film shot the movie on Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Sources close to the film revealed that director Danny Boyle used the iPhone 15 Pro Max as the primary camera on ‘28 Years Later’ set.

Reportedly, the team shot the movie using high-tech accessories with the iPhone to ensure quality results.



American hunter secures largest bid in Pakistan’s history

Pakistan, markhor hunting, National animal of Pakistan

CHITRAL: In a significant development for wildlife conservation, an American hunter paid a record-breaking amount of over Rs75 million to hunt the Markhor, Pakistan’s national animal, ARY News reported.

According to reports, this makes it the highest bid ever recorded in the country’s history. According to the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Wildlife, Farooq Nabi, the hunter acquired the permit for the first Markhor of the season by offering over Rs7 million.

DFO Farooq Nabi explained that the American hunter successfully hunted a Markhor with horns measuring over 49 inches, showcasing the trophy’s exceptional size.

Wildlife officials further stated that during the auction held in October this year, two prints were sold for a record $271,000.

Read More: Pakistan calls for joint efforts for conservation of Markhors at UN

Back in July 2024, Pakistan urged the world community to espouse collaborative efforts for the conservation of the Markhor, given its role in the overall ecosystem.

“For Pakistan, the Markhor holds a special significance as it is our national animal,” Ambassador Munir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told a side event that focused on strategies for the protection of this iconic animal, also known as a “screw-horned goat.”

“Markhors offer a significant opportunity to bolster the economy, foster conservation efforts and promote sustainable tourism and economic growth,” Ambassador Akram said at the event convened by the Tajikistan Mission to the UN in collaboration with UNEP (UN Environment Programme) and IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).

While Markhors’ population is declining globally, with less than 6,000 mature individuals left, he said their numbers in Pakistan have been increasing for the past ten years, reaching between 3,500 and 5,000, “due to our proactive conservation programmes, and community engagement.”

“In Pakistan’s experience”, Ambassador Akram said, “strengthening community governance structures and promoting local ownership over sustainable natural resource use is a crucial first step to building more capacity for wildlife management activities.”



Pat Cummins opens up on Travis Head, Mohammed Siraj incident

Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Mohammed Siraj, AUS v IND

Australia captain Pat Cummins has addressed the verbal spat between batter Travis Head and Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj in the second AUS v IND Test in Adelaide.

The altercation between the two rivals occurred on Day 2 of the pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval when Siraj dismissed Head during Australia’s first innings.

Following the dismissal, Travis Head and Mohammed Siraj exchange a few words, leading the Indian pacer to give the Australian batter a fiery send-off.

Head was dismissed after scoring an impressive 140-run knock on 141 deliveries. His inning in the second AUS v IND game included 17 boundaries and four sixes.

Meanwhile, Australia captain Pat Cummins has downplayed the incident between Travis Head and Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj, emphasising that such moments are common in a series like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

While acknowledging the intensity of the ongoing five-match AUS v IND Test series, Pat Cummins said that the situation was swiftly handled by the umpires.

“India can do whatever they want; I’m more worried about my boys. BGT is heated; it is a big series. There have been packed crowds all day, so there’s a lot riding on it. I think the umpire stepped in pretty quickly, and that was the end of it. Travis is vice-captain of the team. He’s a big boy; he can talk for himself,” the Australia captain said.

Pat Cummins lauded Travis Head for his match-winning knock in the Day-Night Test match, saying, “It feels like every time he walks out, the game’s kind of in the balance; it can go one or two ways. He’s done it time and time again for us in many different formats, and, yeah, he’s super impressive.”



Who is Abu Mohammed al-Golani: former al Qaeda chief who led overthrow of Syria’s Assad?

Bashar al-Assad, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, Sryia News, Latest on Syria, Al qaeda

BEIRUT: As the commander of al Qaeda’s franchise in the Syrian civil war, Abu Mohammed al-Golani was a shadowy figure who kept out of the public eye, even when his group became the most powerful faction fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Today, Abu Mohammed al-Golani is the most recognisable of Syria’s triumphant insurgents, having gradually stepped into the limelight since severing ties to al Qaeda in 2016, rebranding his group and emerging as the de facto ruler of rebel-held northwestern Syria.

The transformation has been showcased since rebels led by Golani’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), formerly known as the Nusra Front, swept through the nation and declared they had ousted Assad on Sunday after seizing the capital Damascus.

Abu Mohammed al-Golani has featured prominently in the takeover, sending messages aimed at reassuring Syrian minorities who have long feared the jihadists.

“The future is ours,” he said in a statement read on Syria’s state TV, urging his fighters not to harm those who drop arms.

When rebels entered Aleppo, pre-war Syria’s largest city, at the start of their sweep to Damascus, a video showed Abu Mohammed al-Golani in military fatigues issuing orders by phone, reminding fighters to protect the people and forbidding them from entering homes.

He visited Aleppo’s citadel accompanied by a fighter waving a Syrian revolution flag: once shunned by Nusra as a symbol of apostasy but recently embraced by Golani in a nod to Syria’s more mainstream opposition.

“Golani has been smarter than Assad. He’s retooled, he’s refashioned, made new allies, and come out with his charm offensive” towards minorities, said Joshua Landis, a Syria expert and head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.

PR EFFORT?

Aron Lund, a fellow at think-tank Century International, said Golani and HTS had clearly changed though still remaining “pretty hardline”.

“It’s PR, but the fact they are engaging in this effort at all shows they are no longer as rigid as they once were. Old-school al Qaeda or the Islamic State would never have done that,” he said.

Golani and the Nusra Front emerged as the most powerful of the multitude of rebel factions that sprang up in the early days of the insurgency against Assad over a decade ago.

Before founding the Nusra Front, Golani had fought for al Qaeda in Iraq, where he spent five years in a U.S. prison. He returned to Syria once the uprising began, sent by the leader of the Islamic State group in Iraq at the time – Abu Omar al-Baghdadi – to build up al Qaeda’s presence.

The U.S. designated Golani a terrorist in 2013, saying that al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria, and that Nusra had carried out suicide attacks that killed civilians and espoused a violent sectarian vision.

Turkey, the Syrian opposition’s main foreign backer, has designated HTS a terrorist group, while supporting some of the other factions that fight in the northwest.

Golani gave his first media interview in 2013, his face wrapped in a dark scarf and showing only his back to the camera. Speaking to Al Jazeera, he called for Syria to be run according to sharia law.

Some eight years later, he sat down for an interview with the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service’s FRONTLINE programme, facing the camera and wearing a shirt and jacket.
Golani said the terrorist designation was unfair and that he opposed the killing of innocent people.

He detailed how the Nusra Front had expanded from the six men who accompanied him from Iraq to 5,000 within a year.

But he said that his group had never presented a threat to the West. “I repeat – our involvement with al Qaeda has ended, and even when we were with al Qaeda we were against carrying out operations outside of Syria, and it’s completely against our policy to carry out external action.”

MESSAGES TO MINORITIES

Golani fought a bloody war against his old ally Baghdadi after Islamic State sought to unilaterally subsume the Nusra Front in 2013. Despite its al Qaeda ties, Nusra was regarded as more tolerant and less heavy-handed in dealings with civilians and other rebel groups compared to Islamic State.

Islamic State was subsequently beaten out of territory it held in both Syria and Iraq by an array of adversaries including a U.S.-led military alliance.

As Islamic State was collapsing, Golani was cementing the grip of HTS in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, establishing a civil administration called the Salvation Government.

Assad’s government viewed HTS as terrorists, along with the rest of the rebels.
With the Sunni Muslim rebels now in control, the HTS administration has issued statements seeking to assure the Shi’ite Alawites and other Syrian minorities. One statement urged the Alawites to be a part of a future Syria that “does not recognise sectarianism”.

In a message to residents of a Christian town south of Aleppo, Golani said they would be protected and their property safeguarded, urging them to remain in their homes and to reject the Syrian government’s “psychological warfare”.

“He’s really important. The main rebel leader in Syria, the most powerful Islamist,” said Lund.

He said HTS had displayed “logistical and governance capacity” by ruling its own territory in Idlib for years.

“They have adopted the symbols of the wider Syrian uprising… which they now use and try to claim the revolutionary legacy – that ‘we are part of the movement of 2011, the people who rose up against Assad, and we are also Islamists’.”



Good news for govt employees in Sindh

Salary, pension date, Sindh govt, govt employees news

Karachi: The Sindh government has decided to pay advance salaries and pensions of its employees, ARY News reported.

According to reports, in a decision to facilitate the Christmas celebrations for the Christian community, the Sindh government has announced the advance payment of salaries and pensions for government employees.

The notification, issued recently, states that the payments will be made on December 18.

This move ensures that Christian employees receive their due benefits before the Christmas festivities on December 25.

Read More: Sindh decides to amend Civil Service Act 1973 

The Sindh government in September 2024 amended the Civil Service Act 1973 to end provision of monthly pensions to retired employees.

According to the proposed amendment, the govt employees recruited after July 2024 will not be eligible for the provision of monthly pension after retirement.

The proposed amendment further stated that the employee and the provincial govt will contribute in Sindh Employee Benefit Scheme and after retirement, the employees will get the Golden Cheque Gratuity.

Under the scheme, the government as well as employees will contribute at a provisional rate of 12 percent and 10 percent respectively.

The move was being taken to relax the burden of pensions from the budget as numerous amount were dispatched in provision of pensions, the Sindh govt said.

Earlier, the Sindh cabinet, in its meeting at the CM House, approved the implementation of the Sindh Defined Contributory Pension Scheme 2024 starting from 1st July 2024.

The Sindh cabinet approved the insertion of a new subsection in the Section of the Sindh Civil Servant Act 1973.

According to the proposed amendment, “an individual who is appointed or regularized as a civil servant on or after the commencement of the Sindh Civil Servant (Amendment) Act, 2024, will be considered a civil servant, except for pension and gratuity.

Instead, they will participate in a Defined Contribution Pension Scheme as prescribed. In place of pension and gratuity, the civil servant will be entitled to receive the amount contributed by them, along with the contributions made by the government to their account in the mentioned fund, in the prescribed manner”.



Mohammed Siraj broke Shoaib Akhtar’s fastest-ball record?

Mohammed Siraj Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Siraj fastest-delivery, Mohammed Siraj 181 KM/h, Mohammed Siraj

The netizens went crazy when a speed gun captured India’s Mohammed Siraj hitting 181 km/h against Australia on the first day of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval.

As Australia’s Mitchell Starc dominated the action on the first day with 6/48, Mohammed Siraj’s speeding error by the official announcers toward the close of the day’s play also took center stage.

The incident took place during Australia’s first innings’ 25th over as Marnus Labuschagne smoothly played towards backward point for a four after Mohammed Siraj blasted a short off-length shot outside and off.

But as soon as the pacer finished the ball, Mohammed Siraj’s name appeared next to 181.6 kph at the bottom of the enormous screen. Fans were immediately drawn to the error, which sparked a social media meme frenzy.

Currently, Pakistan’s former speedster Shoaib Akhtar holds the record for the fastest delivery as he bowled with a speed of 161.3 kph (100.23 mph) against England in a 2003 ODI World Cup match in Cape Town, South Africa.

Netizens reaction

“Greatest Batsman + Bowler to ever exist on Planet Earth. 181.6 KM/H. DSP Mohammed Bradman Siraj Akhtar,” a social media user wrote.

Another one posted, “DSP Siraj bowled the fastest delivery in cricket  181.6 Km/H. After Viv Richards, he is coming to eat Shoaib Akhtar’s legacy.”

For the unversed, Australia and India are locking horns in the second encounter of the five-match Test series at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide with the visitors leading 1-0.

Australia are in commanding position at the stumps on Day 2 with India reeling at 128-5 and still trailing by 29 runs.

Read More: WATCH: Mohammed Siraj throws ball at Labuschagne in frustration

Meanwhile, the pacer was involved in a tense exchange with Australia’s batter Marnus Labuschagne.

Marnus Labuschagne stopped Mohammed Siraj midway through his action as a fan went past the sightscreen running with a glass snake.

The incident occurred on the fifth ball of the 25th over when the Australian batter was distracted by a fan in the stands. Marnus Labuschagne left his batting mark and stopped Mohammed Siraj, who in frustration, threw the ball towards him.

“Throwing a ball (or any other item of cricket equipment such as a water bottle) at or near a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, Match Referee or any other third person in an inappropriate and/or dangerous manner during an International Match,” says the ICC rulebook.



‘Pushpa 2’ screening disrupted as mysterious spray creates chaos

Allu Arjun, Pushpa 2, mumbai, Fahadh Faasil

A screening of South superstar Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ was paused for a brief period after a mysterious spray left several sick.

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Several audience members in Mumbai’s Gaitey-Galaxy theatre experienced coughing, vomiting and throat irritation after a suspect, allegedly present among the audience, sprayed the mysterious substance in the middle of the screening, Indian media outlets reported.

Police arrived at the scene after the theatre management alerted them of the incident.

“The audience alerted the theatre management, which approached Bandra police. A team rushed there and halted the show for some 10-15 minutes, but a check of people inside did not throw up any suspicious object that may have caused the incident,” as per an official of the Mumbai police.

While no case was filed, a probe into the incident at the ‘Pushpa 2’ screening continues, the official added.

Released on December 5, the film features South superstar Allu Arjun alongside Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil.

Read more: Woman dies, son injured critically in stampede at ‘Pushpa 2’ premiere

A day earlier, Allu Arjun was booked in a case pertaining to the death of a woman in a stampede during the premiere of ‘Pushpa 2.

Mumbai police booked the actor and his team for not informing the authorities and for the lack of additional security and crowd management provisions before his arrival at the venue.

According to police, Allu Arjun arrived at the venue without prior intimation to the police, resulting in chaos which claimed the life of a woman while her son was critically injured.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand said in a statement, “There was no intimation from the side of theatre management or actors team that they will be visiting the theatre.”

According to the commissioner, the ‘Pushpa 2’ actor’s team did not mark a separate entry or exit for the actor, leading to a stampede-like situation.