WASHINGTON: Female tennis stars continue to dominate earnings charts, surpassing athletes from other sports in 2025.
According to US media, Coco Gauff has emerged as the highest-earning athlete this year, earning a total of $31 million. Of this, $8 million came from prize money and $23 million from sponsorships and other deals. Gauff has now been the highest-earning female athlete for three consecutive years.
World No. 1 tennis star Aryna Sabalenka earned $30 million in 2025, with $15 million from prize money and the rest from contracts. Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek earned $23.1 million, including $10.1 million in prize money and $13 million from sponsorships, while freestyle skier Eileen Gu earned $23 million.
So far, only four female athletes have crossed the $30 million mark this year: Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka, Naomi Osaka, and Serena Williams.
Among the top 15 highest-earning female athletes, 10 are tennis players, and in the top 10, seven are WTA stars.
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan is once again under criticism for a controversial act.
According to Indian media reports, a video of Aryan at a party surfaced on social media. The footage, reportedly from November 28, shows Aryan attending a club party alongside the sons of local political figures.
In the video, Aryan is seen standing on an elevated surface, waving to people, and making an inappropriate gesture that quickly went viral online.
Social media users heavily criticized Aryan, emphasizing that being the son of a major star comes with responsibilities, and such behavior was deemed inappropriate.
The United States is preparing to increase the number of countries subject to travel restrictions from 19 to more than 30.
Kristi Noem, Secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, told American television that President Trump is reviewing which additional countries may be added to the list, without specifying any names.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Trump administration had blocked all immigration applications, including green cards and citizenship processes, from 19 non-European countries due to national security and public safety concerns.
According to Reuters, these restrictions apply to individuals from countries that were already facing partial travel bans in June.
The list includes Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, which were subjected to the strictest restrictions in June, including near-total entry bans with some exceptions.
Other countries facing partial bans in June, which may now see expanded restrictions, include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Moscow: The Russia authorities have imposed a ban on Snapchat and Apple’s video calling service FaceTime.
According to international media reports, authorities stated that the platforms were allegedly being used for planning terrorist activities. Officials claimed that certain groups were taking advantage of Snapchat’s encrypted chats and disappearing messages to stay in contact, after which the app was blocked nationwide.
Alongside Snapchat, Russia has also suspended Apple’s FaceTime service. Authorities said that some “unauthorized” foreign communication tools are incompatible with the country’s security surveillance systems, leading to the decision.
It is noteworthy that Russia has previously restricted access to Google, YouTube, several Meta services, WhatsApp and Telegram.
Analysts believe that such consistent actions are further limiting public access to international digital platforms within the country, while the government maintains that the measures are essential for national security.
KARACHI: Veteran actress Bushra Ansari has raised her voice over Karachi’s deteriorating state, expressing serious concern in a recent Instagram video message.
Bushra Ansari stated that while people often say Karachi is dirty and its roads are broken, they are not wrong. However, despite these issues, the people of Karachi remain courteous and welcoming, whether the guests arrive from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Balochistan.
Expressing disappointment, she said that for the past 30 to 40 years promises have been made to improve Karachi, yet nothing has changed in reality.
She clarified that her criticism was not directed at any political party, but highlighted that responsible authorities make claims of progress every year while the city continues to suffer.
The actress urged citizens to demand accountability, calling on Karachi’s residents to file a collective petition.
She questioned whether those in charge do not love their own city, and asked how long it will take before Karachi is finally set right.
In the second Ashes Test at the Gabba, England were dismissed for 334 runs in their first innings.
On the second day, the visitors could add only 9 runs to their overnight total before losing the final wicket. Jofra Archer, who resumed with Joe Root, scored 38 before being caught by Marnus Labuschagne. Joe Root remained unbeaten with a magnificent 138.
For Australia, Mitchell Starc was the standout performer with the ball, claiming 6 wickets, while Michael Neser, Brendan Doggett and Scott Boland picked up one wicket each.
Earlier on Day 1, after opting to bat first upon winning the toss, England suffered an early blow yet again, losing Ben Duckett for a golden duck in the opening over. Ollie Pope followed soon after, departing without scoring.
Zak Crawley and Joe Root steadied the innings, adding 117 runs for the third wicket. Crawley fell for 76 to Michael Neser. Harry Brook contributed 31 before being dismissed by Starc, a wicket that marked Starc’s record-breaking 415th in Test cricket, surpassing Wasim Akram.
Skipper Ben Stokes scored 19, Jamie Smith was out for zero, Will Jacks made 19, Gus Atkinson 4, while Brydon Carse departed without scoring.
England had ended the first day at 325 for 9 before being bowled out early on Day 2.
Brisbane: Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc has set a new milestone in Test cricket by breaking Pakistan legend Wasim Akram’s 23-year-old world record.
During the pink-ball Ashes Test at the Gabba, Starc dismissed English batters Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook in the first innings, marking a historic achievement.
With these wickets, Starc has now become the highest wicket-taking left-arm fast bowler in Test cricket. Previously, the record belonged to Wasim Akram, who claimed 414 wickets in 104 Test matches.
Mitchell Starc surpassed the record by securing his 415th wicket in his 102nd Test match.
It is worth noting that England’s James Anderson holds the overall record for most Test wickets by a fast bowler, with 704 wickets in 188 matches.
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence has issued the notification for the appointment of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir as the Chief of Defence Forces following approval from President Asif Ali Zardari.
The notification has been released under Article 243 of the Constitution of Pakistan and Clause 8A of the Army Act.
According to the notification, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has been appointed for a tenure of five years.
A day earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari approved the summary forwarded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the appointment of Field Marshal Asim Munir as the Army Chief and Chief of Defence Forces. The Prime Minister had endorsed the appointment and sent the summary to the President.
Under the approved decision, Field Marshal Asim Munir will serve concurrently as Chief of Army Staff as well as Chief of Defence Forces. He becomes the first officer in the country to hold the newly created position of Chief of Defence Forces.
Meanwhile, the service tenure of Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu has also been extended for two years. The extension will take effect after the completion of his current five-year term in March 2026.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on his appointment as Pakistan’s first Chief of Defence Forces.
He expressed best wishes for Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir.
He said, “The appointment of the Chief of Defence Forces is in line with contemporary and modern warfare requirements. The country’s defence will improve further.”
“Under the leadership of Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, our brave forces delivered a crushing defeat to the enemy,” he added.
He said, “Under the leadership of Field Marshal, the brilliant success in Marka e Haq made Pakistan’s name shine all over the world and the country gained respect.”
The Prime Minister also congratulated and expressed good wishes to Chief of Air Staff Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu on his two-year extension in service.
He said, “Under the leadership of Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu, the Pakistan Air Force destroyed enemy warplanes with its excellent professional skills during Marka e Haq and frightened the enemy.”
“All institutions of the country will work together for the defence, development and prosperity of Pakistan,” he remarked.
He said, “Together, we will make the country’s defence impregnable.”
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to impose fines on individuals and businesses responsible for littering as part of its ongoing Clean Punjab campaign.
The decision was taken during a high-level meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister, focused on the Clean Punjab program and the Waste-to-Value project. The Chief Minister directed officials to submit a comprehensive plan for the project by mid-January.
Officials briefed the Chief Minister that the Clean Punjab initiative has received positive public feedback across the province. Measures such as vehicle tracking management systems, live container monitoring, and a digitized salary and payment system have been implemented to ensure transparency.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz remarked, “Establishing such a large-scale sanitation system is no less than a miracle. Starting from zero, we have steadily improved the Clean Punjab project. A comprehensive system for cleaning cities and villages should have been established years ago.”
The meeting also resolved that commercial areas and streets in Punjab will be strictly regulated under the law, and anyone found littering will face fines.
Furthermore, sanitation vehicles in the province will now be environmentally friendly electric vehicles, and the government plans to generate energy from waste in the near future.
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has expressed his concerns about the future of cinema, warning that streaming services are impacting traditional movie theatres by drawing fewer audiences.
The Titanic and Inception actor told Deadline, “This year seems like one of the most lightning-rod moments in cinema history,” highlighting the increasing challenges in bringing viewers to theatres.
DiCaprio explained, “We’re up against it — the future of the cinematic experience — more than ever, I feel. Getting people to come to the theatres seems like more and more of a challenge.”
While he believes the theatrical experience is not doomed, citing the simultaneous releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer as examples of successful cinema events, he added that original and innovative storytelling is increasingly being confined to streaming platforms.
“The theatrical experience may now be reserved for technological spectacles that audiences want to experience on the big screen, while completely new, out-of-the-box stories may largely shift to streamers,” he noted.
Leonardo DiCaprio recently starred in One Battle After Another, which received widespread acclaim from both critics and fellow actors, earning praise for his craft and performance.
