Weekly News Round-Up ( 7th – 13th June)
This week in the news, find out about the new cure for rectal cancer, how Pakistanis are taking over sports globally, which Pakistani singer made a cameo in Ms Marvel and more! Read on to find out all the news you’ve missed this week.
Televangelist & Politician Aamir Liaquat Passes Away
Popular television host and politician Aamir Liaquat Hussain, who passed away on Thursday 9th of June at his residence in Karachi, was laid to rest in the compound of revered Sufi Saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi’s shrine on Friday the 10th of June. The funeral prayer was offered after Asar prayers at Jamia Masjid Ghazi in the city’s Clifton neighbourhood and he was laid to rest in the compound of the shrine of Abdullah Shah Ghazi. The news of his death came as a shock to the media industry and people vented anger at the social media trolls who had hounded the TV host for his botched third marriage and leaked videos.
Educationist Shamim Saifullah Khan Passes Away At 86 Years-Old
Shamim Saifullah Khan, renowned educationist and former principal of Aitchison College Lahore (1994-2008), passed away on Sunday the 12th of June at 86 ye3ars-old. He has been laid to rest at his ancestral graveyard in Sadullah Khan Kallay. Shamim Saifullah Khan was the grandson of Dr Khan Sahib – former Chief Minister of then NWFP, now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Notable Pakistani bureaucrats and businessmen such as Imran KHan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, etc remained his students.
Dostarlimab A Potential Cure For Rectal Cancer Makes News Headlines Globally
An experimental cancer drug has shown a success rate of 100% in a small study trial on patients with rectal cancer by doctors at the New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The 18 participants were reportedly administered an experimental drug called Dostarlimab for six months and following the trial, every single one of their tumours was found to have disappeared. Much remains unknown about the drug and how the treatment trial was successful, however, there appears great optimism amongst scientists who say such a success rate has never been recorded in the history of the field. The United States Food and Drug Authority (FDA) had only approved the drug for human trial “for at least 300 patients across all tumour types” in early August last year, according to the FDA website.
In an interview with NPR, Dr Hanna Sanoff – who is one of the people who have written about the results – explained the mechanism by which the drug works. “This drug is one of a class of drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors. These are immunotherapy medicines that work not by directly attacking cancer itself, but actually getting a person’s immune system to essentially do the work. These are drugs that have been around in melanoma and other cancers for quite a while, but really have not been part of the routine care of colorectal cancers until fairly recently,” she explained
Microsoft To Retire Internet Explorer on June 15th After 27 Years Of Service
After its launch in 1995 for Windows 95, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is finally being phased out, especially because, over time, it has devolved into a default browser that is used to install other browsers. “The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 lies in Microsoft Edge,” said Sean Lyndersay, Microsoft Edge program manager, quoted Mashable. “With Microsoft Edge capable of taking on this and other responsibilities, the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will be discontinued and phased out of support for certain versions of Windows 10 on June 15, 2022.”
Think Games Pakistan 2022 Will Be Google’s First Flagship Gaming Event In Pakistan
The Ignite National Technology Fund is organizing Google’s flagship event for the gaming industry for the first time in the country. The event, called ‘Think Games Pakistan 2022’, will take place on 21 and 22 June 2022. According to Ignite, game developers, gaming studios, investors, and gaming enthusiasts who are looking to create, grow and monetize games can participate in the event. The event has three levels that are designed for the participants. Levels 1 and 2 will take place on 21 June. Level 1 will focus on learning and understanding, and will help the participants discover how to capture the world of opportunity. Level 2 is designed to create and connect. In it, participants will share their visions and will reach gamers from all over the world. Level 3 has been designed to grow and scale, in which the participants will learn how to expand with businesses with the help of Google’s global presence and reach.
Pakistani Mixed Martial Artist Anita Karim Secures Win In Bangkok
Pakistan’s first female MMA, Anita Karim secured a unanimous win against the Australian MMA Uyen Ha at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok on Saturday, the 11th of June. Anita had been rigorously training at Fairtex Training Centre, Pattaya for a couple of years. According to sources, ‘she is the only female Pakistani (and one of the very few women in the world) to have fought at the world-famous Lumpinee Stadium!’
Usman Wazir Wins World Boxing Association Asia Welterweight Title in Gilgit
Athletes from 10 countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines, fought on Saturday the 11th of June in the first World Boxing Association tournament organized in Pakistan’s northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. Hundreds of people gathered at Lalik Jan Stadium in Gilgit, the regional capital, to watch the WBA Asia Welterweight Championship bouts. The event was organized by Pakistani boxing champion Usman Wazeer with the support of the Force Command Northern Areas. In the final bout, Usman Wazir knocked out Thailand’s Phatiphan Krungklang to win the World Boxing Association (WBA) Asia welterweight title.
Pakistani Equestrian Usman Khan Breaks His Own National Record At Pompadour
According to various news sources, Pakistan’s Melbourne-based equestrian Usman Khan has secured another FEI qualification at the 2-star long format event at Haras National de Pompadour in France and created a new national record. “Pakistan flag flew in good spirit during the event and was applauded by an international crowd who were happy to see another nation rise to the occasion,” he said. In order to reach the 4-star Olympic Qualification rounds which start in 2023, Usman must compete at 2-star first. At the 4-star level, Pakistan will need a minimum of two events to secure Olympic Qualification. Pakistan must also be in top-2 in their Olympic Group F to officially secure an Olympic berth. With qualification events at Jardy and Pompadour, Pakistan’s world and regional ranking are bound to improve for the first time in 12 months.
News Of Rapper Eva B’s Debut In Ms Marvel With Her Song ‘Rozi’ Has Pakistanis Excited
Eva B, Pakistan’s first-ever female rapper, debuts her new single “Rozi” on Episode 1 of Ms Marvel, streaming exclusively on Disney+ starting June 8th. The track is being hailed as an anthem for female empowerment and is co-written and produced by musician, producer, and composer Gingger Shankar and is the first release on her new label Naughty Horses Records. “The track is done in Urdu, which for a mainstream Marvel series to do is fantastic. I’ve always been a fan of Marvel, but if you had told me five years ago that we would be doing an Urdu hip-hop track with Pakistani and Indian influences for a Pakistani female superhero, I wouldn’t have believed it!”
