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Rahat Fateh Ali fills London arena, sings for flood victims

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LONDON: Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan delivered a mesmerising performance to a sold-out crowd at London’s O2 Arena and also appealed for funds to help the victims of floods in Pakistan.

This was Khan’s third performance at the iconic London venue since he started performing globally over 10 years ago after signing up exclusively with Salman Ahmed — his producer and global promoter.

Khan called on Pakistan’s showbiz community to urgently come together and start raising funds for the victims of floods who have been left with nothing.

“Pakistan is surrounded by a natural disaster of the kind and size Pakistan has never seen before. I appeal to the artist community to help those who have been left with poverty and helplessness only. They need our help,” he appealed.

Nearly 20,000 people attended the show to full capacity on a day when famous Indian singer Neha Kakar was performing in London just a few miles away at the Wembley Arena.

Most of those who attended Rahat’s show were Indians, followed by Pakistanis and Bangladeshis.

Ahmed, Khan’s producer and global promoter whose company PME manages the maestro, said he was thrilled that a milestone of 10 years has been achieved, bringing glory to Pakistan and one of its biggest talents who has made a huge market from South Asia to the international stage.

Ahmed said that people keep coming back to listen to Khan because of the constant variations, innovations and fusions that are produced in every tour.

“We have all evolved and our relationship has grown within our team and with the audience. Look at the fusion that we add to every show for at least half of the duration. That has brought a whole new segment to our events because Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali does it so brilliantly.”

Ahmed said that diaspora South Asians wait for Khan’s tours and keep asking for more.

He said that qawwalis were popular in all sections of Asians and Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and others are drawn to qawwalis to gain spiritual satisfaction and this genre is an essential element of Rahat’s shows.

He recalled how it has been a great journey working with Khan for over 10 years.

“We did our first concert with Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in Wembley Arena in 2012 and since then we have been selling in the UK and across the world non-stop. It’s been a phenomenal journey.”

“A lot of hard work and team effort goes into the work of managing and delivering at the global level for a global audience to the global standards. We have been successful because we work professionally and we are all on the same page,” the producer and global promoter said.

Khan introduced his son Shah Zaman Ali Khan at the O2 Arena to the audience as his new band member.

A sold-out crowd attends Ustad Rahat Fateh Alis musical night at O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, on August 29, 2022. — Provided by our correspondent
A sold-out crowd attends Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali’s musical night at O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, on August 29, 2022. — Provided by our correspondent

Ahmed said: “Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali is following the old tradition of Pakistani Qawwals. His brother Wajahat Ali Khan and now his son Shah Zaman Ali Khan also perform with him at all concerts.”

To make the journey memorable, the producer said he was planning to launch a global tour in 2024 where Ali Khan will set a new record by playing with a 100-piece symphony orchestra.

“That requires a lot of devotion and hard work, and we have already started working on that project. We will make new history and will set new precedents for South Asian music.”

Khan was introduced to Bollywood in Mahesh Bhatt’s movie Paap and performed on stage for the first time in 1998 at a benefit concert in Los Angeles, and as they say, the rest is history.

Khan has now captured the hearts of millions worldwide and continues to mesmerise audiences with his melodious voice and Sufi music. He has had award-winning hits with films such as Dabaang, My name is Khan, Son of Sardar and many more. 

He has been honoured with the Award for Best Music Talent in a Film at the 14th London Music Festival in 2012, the Award for Best Male Playback Singer at the 2011 Filmfare Awards and the Award for Best Singer Male at the Pakistan Media Awards in 2011. 

Ahmed is one of the most experienced and respected Asian art promoters. His alliance with the showbiz started some 34 years ago when he started organizing Bhangra nights and small British Asian concerts.

That was the time when British Asian singers started making their mark. The BBC covered one of Ahmed’s first concerts at the time.

There was no social media and no Asian channels around. The BBC aired a report then to showcase how the second generation of British Asians was growing with a fusion of British and Asian cultures.

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Kahani Suno 3.0? Kaifi Khalil to drop new song soon

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Singer Kaifi Khalil, who took over the music industry by storm with Kahani Suno 2.0, has revealed that he will be releasing a continuation of the song very soon. 

The young singer also talked about the story behind Kahani Suno 2.0 during a Junaid Akram’s podcast released on Eid ul Fitr. 

He said that the new song wouldn’t be Kahani Suno 3.0 but it would be an explanation of his previous song. He also said he was trying to release it after the Eid. 

“Kahani Suno was an old song and I decided to rewrite it and do justice to that track. I wanted people to relate to the song as if they are listening to someone’s story,” he said while talking to the host.

He said that he completed writing the song within three days, adding that he was scared it was a love song as this feeling is not taken very seriously these days.  

When asked if his song is based on a real story, Khalil said he would answer this question in the next song that he is about to release as it would continue. 

Replying to a question if a female version of this song would come, the singer said that he has no idea about it. 

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Here are details of world’s second deepest blue hole

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Blue holes are believed to be the mysterious space underwater that go very deep and are abundant with plant and animal life. A similar blue hole has been identified by scientists at Chetumal Bay off the coast of Mexico.

The second deepest blue hole is named Taam Ja in Mayan, meaning “deep water”. It is estimated to be 900.2 feet (274.4 metres) deep.

The first deepest hole is located off the coast of China, with a depth of 987 feet (300.89 metres). It was discovered in 2016 and was named Dragon Hole or Longdong.

The observation and survey were carried out in 2021; however, the experts have revealed its existence in recent research published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

According to the team, based at Colegio de la Frontera Sur (ECOSUR), a research centre in Mexico: “The information gathered revealed a maximum recorded depth of 274.4 metres below sea level (mbsl). This makes the now-named ‘Taam ja Blue Hole (TJBH)’ the world’s second-known deepest blue hole. Origin and geological evolution of the TJBH deserve further investigation.”

The blue holes are similar to sinkholes on land. The only difference is they’re filled with water which makes it possible for boats and ships to pass over them.

The Mexican researchers said that knowledge provided by local fishermen prompted them to investigate this particular location. This was despite finding no references to blue holes at Chetumal Bay in the existing scientific literature.

With the help of echo-sounding, the team determined its dept whereas it sought scuba diving to measure upper depths.

The researchers said that “Taam ja has a nearly circular shape at its surface and steep sides with slopes of more than 80 degrees that form a large conic structure, adding that the walls of the blue hole are covered by a fine-grained layer and coated by brown algal biofilms — slippery communities of algae that bind together to survive.”

They also noted that the blue hole is close to the coasts of Mexico and Belize and its discovery could lead foreign and local visitors.

The researchers concluded in their paper that currently, the local population is not aware of the existence of the TJBH.

“[We] encourage the scientific community to explore, monitor, and broaden the research of the TJBH to settle an adequate basis for responsible social appropriation in the near future,” they maintained.  

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Naseem Shah reveals who responded to Urvashi Rautela

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Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah has finally revealed that it was not him, but his manager who responded to Indian model and actress Urvashi Rautela’s comment on Instagram, which has since become a hot topic for the rumour mills of both countries.

During a talk show on a private TV channel, the interviewer asked Naseem what the plans were regarding his upcoming tour to India for the ICC World Cup 2023. 

Before he could even complete the question, Naseem responded: “My only plan is to play cricket. I have no other plans.”

The interviewer then asked if he had no plans to see Rautela, Naseem said he had none.

The purported social media interaction between the young pacer and Rautela has been one of the most interesting topics lately as Pakistanis want to know if there is actually something cooking between the two.

Naseem and the ex-pageant winner have been associated with each other due to a fan-made video, posted by the model after a Pakistan-India match in Asia Cup 2022. Naseem was playing in the match and Rautela was among the spectators.

The video showed the model smiling and blushing, and coincidentally, Shah was also recorded smiling during the same match — giving her the opportunity to juxtapose herself in the video.

Ever since the video came to light, Naseem Shah and Rautela’s relationship has been the talk of the town and this made the fans hunt for any interaction between the two on social media.

Months after posting the video, the Indian model and actress Urvashi Rautela was at it again.

She wished the pacer a “happy birthday” on Instagram as the cricketer turned 20 this year.

The ex-pageant winner commented on an Instagram post shared by Naseem congratulating his fellow teammate Shadab Khan on his wedding.

“Congratulations mere Chotay bhai @shadab0800 […]may Allah bless you both on this day with a lifetime of shared love and joy,” the cricketer had written in his caption adding “Best Wishes Always” for his colleague’s married life.

Deep down in the comments section was a birthday wish by Rautela for the young pacer alongside a congratulatory message for being conferred with an honorary Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) rank by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

Naseem Shah reveals who responded to Urvashi Rautela

“Happy birthday @inaseemshah congratulations on being conferred with honorary DSP rank,” she wrote in her comment.

To everyone’s surprise, the young cricketer responded to the model with a humble “thank you” followed by an emoji gesturing gratitude with both hands joined together.

However, during the interview, Naseem finally broke the silence on the matter and shared that it was not he that replied to the comment — but his manager.

He said that he doesn’t see his Instagram account much so he had told his manager to respond if he received any birthday wishes.

“I didn’t know that he [manager] would write thank you to just anyone,” the young cricketer said smilingly.

When prompted to tell if he likes Rautela or not, Naseem said that he loves all the people.

“Everyone is a human, everyone is good and I like all humans, but I don’t take anything personally,” he said.

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