Pakistani comedian and stage artist Allah Rakha, known by his stage names Pepsi and Pani Puri, has died at the age of 50 apparently after suffering a heart attack during a recording session.

Television host and actor Mohsin Abbas Haider announced the news on Instagram story saying, “Allah Rakha suffered a fatal heart attack while recording. Details of his funeral prayers have yet to be published.

Allah Rakha Pepsi was famous for his solo comedic routines, stage shows and parody shows and over the years he had built a huge fan following.

He was especially known for his one-of-a-kind mimicry of world-renowned music star Michael Jackson and was titled “Pakistan’s Michael Jackson” among admirers.

The news of Allah Rakha’s unexpected demise has sent shockwaves across Pakistan’s entertainment sector as other artists and fans mourn the loss of the famed comedian.

Former Afghanistan international fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has passed away at the age of 38 after a protracted illness.

Zadran died in New Delhi on July 7, one day shy of his 39th birthday.

Zadran, at over six feet tall, was famed for his aggressive fast bowling, long flowing hair and fierce demeanor on the field. He was instrumental in the initial emergence of the Afghanistan national cricket team in the world.

Zadran started his cricketing life in Peshawar, where he resided as a refugee in Pakistan. In his early playing days he played alongside future Afghanistan players as Mohammad Nabi, Asghar Afghan and Dawlat Zadran.

In 44 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 36 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) between 2009 and 2020, Zadran was a big contributor for Afghanistan during an era of transformation for Afghan cricket.

He was being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) at a hospital in New Delhi for Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and life-threatening immune system illness, sources said.

The cricketing community has been mourning his loss with fans and former teammates hailing him as one of the trailblazers who helped put Afghanistan on the map as a competitive force in

US President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US would lift sanctions on Turkey imposed in 2020 over Ankara’s purchase of Russian defense missiles and signaled a willingness to sell the NATO ally F-35 fighter jets, moves that would both be massive gestures to Turkey and may face legal hurdles.

Trump was greeted by President Tayyip Erdogan at the airport with a magnificent state ceremony, as Turkish troops on horseback accompanied Trump’s convoy to the presidential palace in the first visit to Turkey by a US president in 11 years. In public statements, the leaders praised each other. Under Trump, the deteriorating human rights record in Turkey has never been a major worry for Washington.

Trump, speaking to reporters at the Turkish presidential palace, showered Erdogan with praise, saying he had “chemistry” with him and that the relationship with Ankara had never been stronger. The friendliness was an almost total reversal of a relationship that was distant under former President Joe Biden.

Improved ties notwithstanding, Turkey’s 2019 purchase of a Russian S-400 system and Washington’s subsequent implementation of US sanctions on a major Turkish defense company and exclusion of Turkey from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program in 2020 have long been a sore subject. Fixing such problems would remove a major strain in the relationship but that is unlikely to happen soon.””We’re going to be lifting the sanctions,” Trump told reporters ahead of his meeting with Erdogan during a visit to Turkey for a NATO summit. “It’s time.” “We don’t want to sanction friends,” he added, adding that his secretary of state and Treasury secretary are working on the problem.

Asked whether he was concerned that Ankara still possessed the Russian S-400s, he responded he was not. ‘I don’t care about anything concerning Turkey,’ he remarked. “Now I would say the relationship with Turkey is better probably than it has ever been.”MUCH MORE FAITHFUL.’

Trump also said he may support a move to allow Turkey to acquire F-35 stealth fighter fighters, though he did not clarify how such a sale would be made in the face of legal challenges and opposition from the US Congress. “Turkey has been, in many ways, far more faithful than other countries that we believe would be loyal. . . . greatest plane, the greatest, the best plane, the best plane out there right now. “And that is certainly something we’ll be looking at,” Trump said.

Erdogan also stated he was hopeful of a satisfactory outcome on Ankara’s request to buy F-35 fighter fighters. “We have already talked about this with the US and were promised five jets,” Erdogan stated. “I know that Mr Trump always keeps his promises,” he said.

The US Congress enacted a measure to ban Turkey from buying any F-35s as long as it kept the S-400s, stating the Russian system was a security risk to US-made combat aircraft. US law currently also prohibits Turkey from using or possessing the S-400 system if it wants to rejoin the F-35 program.

Two ​people familiar with the subject told Reuters earlier ​that Trump was anticipated to back a potential sale of F-35s to Turkey. One alternative that has gained some steam in recent weeks is to relocate the Russian system to a third nation, although an agreement on this has yet to be reached, the sources said, asking not to be named to discuss sensitive subjects.

It was unclear whether Russia would agree to such a move that would necessitate end-user responsibilities in arms sales.

NATO countries are looking to Turkey, the alliance’s second-largest military and a prominent producer of armed drones, as an increasingly important bulwark against Russian aggression on

Trump has stepped up his criticism of NATO over what he sees as the pact’s refusal to help with the Iran war, so members are unlikely to criticize Turkey’s declining ⁠democracy and ​rule of law, especially after the Republican president said he may not have attended the NATO summit ​at all if it hadn’t been Erdogan who invited him.

Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party, of which Istanbul’s Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu is presidential candidate and Erdogan’s main competitor, has been hit by an unprecedented judicial crackdown, including jailing of its leaders.