Latest news with #Kamran
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Business
- Scotsman
Plans approved to turn former Edinburgh cake shop into a hot food takeaway at South Clerk Street
Plans have been approved to turn a former Edinburgh cake shop into a hot food takeaway. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The proposals for 3 South Clerk Street were submitted by a Mr Kamran in May and approved by the council's planning department on July 23. The application site is a vacant mid-terrace ground floor commercial unit within a four-storey row of tenements, situated in the Southside Conservation Area. The plans include an external flue on the rear elevation that would terminate above eaves level. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This former cake shop at 3 South Clerk Street in Edinburgh will soon become a new hot food takeaway after change of use plans were accepted by the council. | Google Maps Approving the proposed change of use of the existing vacant shop to form a hot food takeaway, the council's chief planning officer David Givan said: 'The external works would be situated to the enclosed rear elevation of the application site and by virtue of this, it would have a neutral impact on the character and appearance of the conservation area. 'The proposals have regard to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the conservation area and are acceptable. It is not anticipated that the proposal would lead to an unreasonable impact upon residential amenity. 'In terms of the proposed use itself, this would represent a suitable commercial addition to the application site and would contribute towards the vitality and vibrancy of the mixed-use nature of the surrounding area.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The application received two objections, regarding seagulls and E-bike deliveries, which planners deemed as 'not material planning considerations'. The applicant now has three years to carry out the needed change of use works at 3 South Clerk Street.
Indian Express
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Bollywood director lost entire life's savings after one flop; daughter was forced to dance, son performed for money at beach to repay debts
In the 1960s and 1970s, former actor and stuntman Kamran Khan began directing B-grade action movies starring Dara Singh. These were films such as Beqasoor, Watan Se Door, Ilzam, and Panch Ratan. However, after welcoming his second child, he thought to go mainstream. He mortgaged everything he owned, pooled his entire life's savings into the project, and signed Sanjeev Kumar to star in it. However, midway through filming, the star abandoned the project, leaving Kamran with debts amounting to lakhs of rupees. Overnight, he lost everything, and spiralled into alcoholism and depression. He didn't work for over a decade, his marriage crumbled, and he eventually died penniless. The family didn't even have money to pay for his funeral, and had to borrow a small amount from his close friend, writer Salim Khan. Kamran's two children were only teenagers then, but they had to start earning for themselves, and to repay their father's debts. They've now left marks on the industry themselves; they're Farah Khan and Sajid Khan. In a recent interaction at the Ajanta Ellora Film Festival, Farah reflected on the difficult childhood that she and Sajid experienced. 'Cinema kept me happy even in the worst of times. During my childhood, when things were bad at home, and parents were fighting, they were separating. The only time I got happiness was when I went to a movie theatre, sat for three hours, and we saw either a Manmohan Desai movie or a Nasir Hussain movie. We used to watch the potboilers at that time. That kept us happy.' Also read – Mughal-E-Azam actor worked in over 500 films, but lived in a house without electricity, could never afford a car She continued, 'I don't think anyone knows my father's name, because he used to make B-grade movies with Dara Singh, and they used to be great fun. They were all like Robin Hood Comes to Bombay, Tarzan Comes to Bombay… Dara Singh is roaming around in Tarzan's kachchha all over Bombay city… Then, the usual happened. He put all his money into one movie, including the house, and it was a washout, and with that, everything went. Then, for the next 13-14 years, my father didn't work. He didn't leave the house, and times were very, very bad.' In an earlier interaction with journalist Karan Thapar, Farah said that her father died with only Rs 30 in his pocket. 'I was a spoilt brat before that, and would get whatever I wanted and then suddenly everything changed… Only the house remained, and everything else went… The cars, my mom's jewellery, the gramophone—everything. Finally, we were left with an empty house, two sofas, and a fan. We even rented out the drawing room for a few hours. People would come, organize a kitty party, play cards in the room, give us some money in return, and leave. That's how the house was running for a couple of years.' Also read – Legendary Bollywood music composer lived as paying guest in final years, banned family from attending funeral In an interview on the Timeout with Ankit YouTube channel, Sajid told the story of his father's failures. 'My father was a filmmaker, who used to make films with Dara Singh. He used to make black-and-white B-grade films. Salim Khan was one of my father's close friends. When Farah was born, my father was going through a very good time, but when I was born, he gave his first flop. He must've thought that he has two kids, and he should expand. He decided to make an A-grade film. He tried to make a big film with Sanjeev Kumar. That film never worked, because it never got made. Halfway through, Sanjeev Kumar abandoned the film and ran away. My father lost all his money. Then he started drinking, he became an alcoholic, my parents got divorced. And I went and stayed with my aunts.' He said that even as a child, he would shuttle between his maternal and paternal relatives, and would be confused about his religion. 'One day, I asked my father, 'What is my religion'. He kept his drink down, he used to drink from morning till evening, and he pointed out of the window to the Lido Cinema. He said, 'That's your religion'. This was fed to me as a seven-year-old child. He said, 'In there, Hindus and Muslims and Christians all come together, they laugh and cry together, that's your only religion',' he said. Read more – Bollywood's biggest star of the 1950s became destitute, Amitabh Bachchan spotted him 'alone, unnoticed' at a bus stop: 'I drove on…' Sajid recalled the moral crisis that he experienced immediately after his father died, because he had bought a ticket to a movie and wasn't sure if he should go to watch it. He said, 'I'd bought a ticket for a Friday show of Rajesh Khanna's Naya Kadam. On Tuesday, my father died. He drank himself to death. By Thursday, I started worrying about the ticket I'd bought for the movie. Should I go to see the movie or not? I'd just lost my father on Tuesday. I was 14. I asked my friend what to do, and he said, 'Have you gone mad?' But I told him that my dad would've wanted me to see the movie. My friend took the ticket from my hand and tore it. I'm still dealing with this in my head. Was I right to think about a movie after my dad died? But this was what he had inculcated in my head.' He continued, 'Normally, when parents pass away, they leave some real estate or some money in the bank, or a will. My father left Farah and me with debts. I was 14, she was 17. We had a debt of Rs 3 lakh, in 1984. We were shattered. We had no idea how to earn money. We spoke to those people and told them that we would pay them back bit by bit. Farah started dancing, she started her dance troupe. I started doing mimicry at birthday parties. On Sundays, I'd perform at the beach. I would give the money to Farah, and save some to watch movies.' Read more – Bollywood's most celebrated Golden Age writer died penniless, burdened by heavy debts; Javed Akhtar blamed Raj Kapoor Opening up further about the hardships they experienced in the subsequent years. 'We were the only family in our neighbourhood that didn't have a TV. We had no money. We had just one fan. We didn't have money to pay for electricity for two weeks. We would sleep in the hall, Farah and me. You work when you don't have a choice. We did it with a certain amount of dignity, and my mum insisted that we finish our education. She was also working, she was doing housekeeping at a hotel, but she was living separately because she had to go in the morning and she'd come back in the evening. When my father passed away, I went to one of my relatives to ask for money for the funeral. We did not have money for the funeral. It was Salim uncle who gave money for the funeral. Salman's dad. He gave me money. But that's life. They can take everything away from you, but they can't take away your sense of humour,' he said. Farah began choreographing dance numbers, and eventually climbed her way to the top of the pyramid. She made her directorial debut with the film Main Hoon Na, and then made the blockbuster Om Shanti Om, both starring Shah Rukh Khan. Sajid made several hit films himself, but was accused of sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement. He hasn't directed a film since then.
Express Tribune
24-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Lecturer arrested over alleged harassment
A visiting lecturer at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) has been arrested on charges of attempted sexual harassment and bribery, following a complaint lodged by a female student of the IT department. According to the FIR registered at Baghdadul Jadeed Police Station, the accused, Ahmed Mahmood, allegedly lured the student to his home under the pretense of helping improve her English paper marks — from 40 to 85. Once there, he allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs50,000 and attempted to sexually harass her. The student raised an alarm, prompting the lecturer to flee through the back door of his residence. The complaint was first reported to the Chairperson of IUB's anti-harassment committee, who immediately referred the matter to the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kamran. In response, the vice chancellor terminated the lecturer's services and imposed a ban on his entry into the university campus. "The university will extend full cooperation to the police in their investigation," he said. The police have taken the accused into custody and initiated a formal investigation after registering the case.
Telegraph
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
How the ‘most terrifying night' of Israel's war on Iran unfolded
Kamran pulled over on the motorway as he drove towards Tehran with his wife and two children. They were finally returning after days of air strikes pumelled their home city. But their hopes were dashed as news reached them that Donald Trump's ceasefire was already crumbling. 'We packed up at my grandmother's house when we heard the news of the ceasefire and started driving around 5am,' Kamran told The Telegraph. 'We're no longer sure whether to go back or turn around and head north again.' Even before Israel broke the ceasefire on Tuesday morning, pockets of Tehran were smouldering. Residents of the Iranian capital of 10 million people described how bombs rained down all night before the deadline the US president set for the truce. Israeli warplanes struck at least 12 locations in what witnesses described as the most terrifying night of the war. The Telegraph gathered a detailed account of the night's events by speaking to civilians on the messaging apps still permitted by the regime. Journalists are restricted from operating freely in Iran. The attacks began at 2.58am and continued for hours, with explosions rocking central districts and north eastern suburbs as weakened air defence systems activated throughout the night. At about 3am, residents reported old Soviet air defence systems opening up again as multiple explosions were heard in central and north eastern Tehran. 'My building in Ekbatan was constantly shaking,' said Shahla. 'I was shaking the whole night. I must have heard over 100 explosions, big ones. 'I was hugging my daughter, she kept waking up terrified.' Narges, a university student, said the bombs could be heard 'from every direction'. 'They were hitting us in such a way that fire was everywhere – the sky was orange throughout the night,' she added. 'It was so intense and close that I couldn't catch my breath.' Elsewhere in the city, residents described windows shattering and buildings shaking with each impact as the strikes continued until dawn. Previous air strikes over the last week or so had closed in on the city centre, starting on air defence units and spreading to state TV newsrooms, government buildings and even the notorious Evin prison, where dissidents silenced by the regime are locked up. It remains unclear how many people were killed in the latest strikes. The war has gone largely under-reported inside Iran thanks to censorship and the regime's tight control on the media. According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency based in the United States, Israeli strikes had killed at least 387 civilians but that was before Monday night's attacks. 'Banking systems, transportation, communications, and healthcare services have been disrupted,' it reported. 'Citizens are facing shortages of goods, long queues, rationing, and widespread anxiety.' Despite the bombings, and some calls for regime change, the clerics who lead Iran have faced limited dissent. There has been some evidence that citizens have rallied around the flag to a degree. Pro-regime supporters have also come out on the streets to celebrate Iranian attacks on a US military base in Qatar and Israel, although it remains unclear whether the gatherings were encouraged or supported by the regime. The strikes on Tuesday morning extended beyond Tehran's city limits to Karaj where residents reported that buildings had been targeted. Families who had followed distant conflicts through news reports suddenly found themselves potential targets in an active war zone. Tehran province officials said security remained under control despite the attacks. 'No halt has been made in identifying, arresting and chasing unauthorised nationals,' the capital's governor said as bombs were falling. 'Tehran is under security supervision.' Then, suddenly, the strikes stopped. 'Until just an hour ago, the sounds of explosions and firing did not stop,' activist Hossein Ronaghi said in the morning. 'Now the street sweepers are busy cleaning, and the crows and sparrows are both busy singing. Tehran is still beautiful.' The Islamic Republic claimed it had forced Israel into a ceasefire after 12 days of heavy fighting. State television broadcast a statement claiming the Islamic Republic's 'successful resistance' had halted attacks. Regime officials said the war launched by Israel had failed in its goals, and had only galvanised 'unprecedented national unity' in Iran. 'The noble Iranian nation imposed a ceasefire on the enemy' and demonstrated the 'exemplary solidarity of our dear people in defending the homeland', state television reported. By evening, no new bombings were reported. The fragile ceasefire appeared to hold after both sides blamed each other for violations.
Business Recorder
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
APTMA, US CG discuss ways to foster bilateral trade
LAHORE: Kristin K Hawkins, United States Consul General in Lahore, and All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) office-bearers discussed ways to foster bilateral trade and economic relations between Pakistan and the United States of America. Kamran Arshad, Chairman APTMA, Asad Shafi, Chairman North, Ahmad Shafi, Vice Chairman, Mohammad Qasim, Treasurer, Haroon Ellahi, senior Executive, former Chairman Ali Ahsan, and Secretary General Raza Baqir along with senior members of APTMA representing leading textile groups welcomed Kristin Hawkins, William Campbell, Economic Chief and Amna Anis Economic Specialist. They discussed the enormous potential to work together in the field of cotton and textile besides expanding trade and investment relations in other focused areas reducing trade deficit and diversifying major commodities of trade between both countries in the wake of US reciprocal tariffs. Both sides were of the view that Pakistan has strong potential to grow in textile and other sectors. APTMA leadership continued to focus on engagements and dialogue with their American counterparts to uplift trade volume and to gain maximum benefit of economic partnership between both the countries. Speaking on the occasion, Kamran Arshad made a detailed presentation on textile industry of Pakistan. He pointed out that Pakistan's domestic cotton production has declined over the years and even this year huge quantity of cotton would be required to be imported due to poor cotton crop. He said the major supplier of cotton to Pakistan is the USA. Pakistan is the largest importer of US cotton in the world. He added that the import of US cotton compensate loss in production of local cotton. According to Kamran, the availability of cotton and other inputs is essential for economy of the country as textile constitutes 62% of total exports from Pakistan. Kamran Arshad highlighted issues being faced by textile industry including withdrawal of Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff for both electricity and gas. He specifically mentioned discriminatory tax treatment for local supplies and import of inputs under Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) which allows tax-free import of raw materials but levies sales tax @ 18% on procurement of locally produced goods. This discrimination has forced closure of 120 spinning mills and more than 800 ginning factories, increasing import of yarn from $340 million last year to $800 million this year. Kamran emphasised for restoration of even playing field both for imports and local supplies under EFS to ensure continuous operations of textile industry as any shut down of textile sector would render millions as jobless, creating catastrophic situation endangering survival of the country. He stressed on evolving a mechanism to import US cotton under GSM-102 against export of textile products to the US. He added that proceeds of Pakistan textile export to the US may be used as collateral through the mechanism of an escrow account whereby this liability is deducted from the export proceeds of Pakistan textile import into the US. Speaking about the strength of the textile industry in Pakistan and further expansion of bilateral trade between the US and Pakistan, Asad Shafi, Chairman North said that the US is Pakistan's largest trading partner with a total bilateral trade of $9.85 billion in 2024. According to him, total exports of Pakistan to the US stood at $5.12 billion out of which $3.93 billion or 77% were textile and apparel. As against this, Pakistan imported $2.14 billion goods from the US in 2024 of which cotton imports were more than $700 million. Asad stressed upon promotion of US cotton linkages with Pakistan textile industry, as well as, promotion of toll manufacturing in Pakistan by US textile industry. He said there is a need for technology transfer to Pakistan for high yielding cotton seed and synergies with US cotton research institutes for better quality. He also sought capacity building of agricultural research institutions in Pakistan and technology transfer for cotton traceability. Asad said that the United States should facilitate entry of international seed companies with transgenic technologies besides introduction of improved, genetically modified, and certified seed. He also spoke on the importance of establishing joint ventures between Pakistan and US investors. Meanwhile, speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan, met with the United States Chargé d'Affaires, Natalie A. Baker, and US Consul General Kristin Hawkins, at the Punjab Assembly. The Speaker warmly welcomed the distinguished guests and termed their visit to the Assembly as a positive step towards strengthening institutional ties. On this occasion, Malik Muhammad Ahmad appreciated Natalie Baker's constructive and dynamic role in Pakistan, stating that Pakistan–US relations are based on mutual trust and a valued strategic partnership. He emphasized that the United States' proactive and constructive role in ensuring peace in South Asia is of utmost importance. The meeting included detailed discussions on Pakistan–US relations, regional peace, climate change, food security, educational collaboration, and cooperation in other vital sectors. The Speaker expressed a desire to further deepen ties between Punjab and the US state of California, noting that the Pakistani-American community continues to serve as a robust bridge between the two nations. He further remarked that Pakistan views the United States as a key global partner in addressing climate change, development, and food security, and wishes to expand this strategic cooperation even further. Natalie Baker affirmed that the United States aims to further strengthen diplomatic engagement with Pakistan and will continue to support democratic institutions and parliamentary exchanges. Kristin Hawkins expressed her intent to enhance collaboration in the fields of education and social development. The meeting was also attended by Member Provincial Assembly Iftikhar Chachar, Secretary General of the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Amer Habib, Principal Secretary to the Speaker Imad Hussain Bhalli, and Malik Taimoor Ahmad Khan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
