In the latest wave of political unrest in Pakistan, three supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party lost their lives during protests in Islamabad. The demonstrations, aimed at securing the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, have escalated tensions between PTI activists and law enforcement agencies. The protests began as peaceful marches but quickly turned confrontational. Clashes erupted near key government installations, with protesters attempting to breach security barriers. In response, police deployed tear gas and baton charges to disperse the crowds. Amid the chaos, three PTI workers sustained fatal injuries. The deceased have been identified as Muhammad Ali, aged 28; Saeed Khan, aged 35; and Asif Mehmood, aged 30. Eyewitnesses report that the men were at the forefront of the protest when they were struck by projectiles, leading to their deaths. Their bodies were transported to a local hospital, where medical staff confirmed the fatalities. PTI leadership has condemned the use of force by authorities, alleging that the government’s heavy-handed tactics are an attempt to suppress dissent. Party spokespersons have called for an independent investigation into the deaths and have vowed to continue their protests until their demands are met. The government, on the other hand, maintains that the measures were necessary to maintain public order. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi stated that while the right to protest is respected, any attempts to disrupt peace or damage property will be met with appropriate force. He also expressed regret over the loss of life and assured that the incidents would be thoroughly investigated.

Peyton Smith scores 12 points as Fairfield earns 67-66 win over VermontNew-Age Tech Stocks In 2024: Bad Year For Honasa, But Who Gained The Most?

From wealth and success to murder suspect, the life of Luigi Mangione took a hard turnLife-sized statue of blues legend Rory Gallagher granted planning approval by Belfast City Council

“Gladiator II” asks the question: Are you not moderately entertained for roughly 60% of this sequel? Truly, this is a movie dependent on managed expectations and a forgiving attitude toward its tendency to overserve. More of a thrash-and-burn schlock epic than the comparatively restrained 2000 “Gladiator,” also directed by Ridley Scott, the new one recycles a fair bit of the old one’s narrative cries for freedom while tossing in some digital sharks for the flooded Colosseum and a bout of deadly sea-battle theatrics. They really did flood the Colosseum in those days, though no historical evidence suggests shark deployment, real or digital. On the other hand (checks notes), “Gladiator II” is fiction. Screenwriter David Scarpa picks things up 16 years after “Gladiator,” which gave us the noble death of the noble warrior Maximus, shortly after slaying the ignoble emperor and returning Rome to the control of the Senate. Our new hero, Lucius (Paul Mescal), has fled Rome for Numidia, on the North African coast. The time is 200 A.D., and for the corrupt, party-time twins running the empire (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), that means invasion time. Pedro Pascal takes the role of Acacius, the deeply conflicted general, sick of war and tired of taking orders from a pair of depraved ferrets. The new film winds around the old one this way: Acacius is married to Lucilla (Connie Nielsen, in a welcome return), daughter of the now-deceased emperor Aurelius and the love of the late Maximus’s life. Enslaved and dragged to Rome to gladiate, the widower Lucius vows revenge on the general whose armies killed his wife. But there are things this angry young phenom must learn, about his ancestry and his destiny. It’s the movie’s worst-kept secret, but there’s a reason he keeps seeing footage of Russell Crowe from the first movie in his fever dreams. Battle follows battle, on the field, in the arena, in the nearest river, wherever, and usually with endless splurches of computer-generated blood. “Gladiator II” essentially bumper-cars its way through the mayhem, pausing for long periods of expository scheming about overthrowing the current regime. The prince of all fixers, a wily operative with interests in both managing gladiators and stocking munitions, goes by the name Macrinus. He’s played by Denzel Washington, who at one point makes a full meal out of pronouncing the word “politics” like it’s a poisoned fig. Also, if you want a masterclass in letting your robes do a lot of your acting for you, watch what Washington does here. He’s more fun than the movie but you can’t have everything. The movie tries everything, all right, and twice. Ridley Scott marshals the chaotic action sequences well enough, though he’s undercut by frenetic cutting rhythms, with that now-familiar, slightly sped-up visual acceleration in frequent use. (Claire Simpson and Sam Restivo are the editors.) Mescal acquits himself well in his first big-budget commercial walloper of an assignment, confined though he is to a narrower range of seething resentments than Crowe’s in the first film. I left thinking about two things: the word “politics” as savored/spit out by Washington, and the innate paradox of how Scott, whose best work over the decades has been wonderful, delivers spectacle. The director and his lavishly talented design team built all the rough-hewn sets with actual tangible materials the massive budget allowed. They took care to find the right locations in Morocco and Malta. Yet when combined in post-production with scads of medium-grade digital effects work in crowd scenes and the like, never mind the sharks, the movie’s a somewhat frustrating amalgam. With an uneven script on top of it, the visual texture of “Gladiator II” grows increasingly less enveloping and atmospherically persuasive, not more. But I hung there, for some of the acting, for some of the callbacks, and for the many individual moments, or single shots, that could only have come from Ridley Scott. And in the end, yes, you too may be moderately entertained. “Gladiator II” — 2.5 stars (out of 4) MPA rating: R (for strong bloody violence) Running time: 2:28 How to watch: Premieres in theaters Nov. 21. Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.HSGMC polls to be held on Jan 19

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC stock underperforms Monday when compared to competitors despite daily gainsThis company will participate in the 9th World Oil and Gas Equipment Exhibition WOGE2024

After months of relentless promotion (remember ?), “Wicked” has finally landed in theaters, delivering a lavish and stealthily political adaptation of the beloved musical. Yet beyond hoping to defy the box office gravity of the streaming era, the film’s brightly colored explosion of pink and green makes it the movie a lot of people can surely use right now: buoyant escapism from a bruising election cycle and the uncertain future left in its wake, with a whole lot of heart — and not incidentally, a message. Movies take years to produce (director Jon M. Chu told NBC’s “TODAY” show during the process of making the film), so they’re a highly imperfect instrument to address, or divine, public moods. Still, “Wicked’s” arrival, along with sequels to “Gladiator” and the animated “Moana,” could tell us quite a bit about how festive the holidays will be for Hollywood as well as how eager Americans are to embrace distractions in this moment. Like “ ” (which also featured lots of pink and earned a whole lot of green), “Wicked” is a showcase for its female leads, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, she who will become the Wicked Witch of the West in the Oz story; and Glinda (Ariana Grande), the popular fashion plate. Initially defined by hostility — or loathing, as the song goes — their relationship serves as the backbone of the film as they gradually and sweetly bond, until Elphaba’s opportunity to meet the legendary Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum, the one questionable casting choice) sets them on very different paths. Much of the audience will surely know most of the songs by heart, but as with any musical translated to the screen, film allows Chu to expand upon the scope of the visuals in dazzling ways. The two-part format also enables this first chapter to probe Elphaba and Glinda’s characters more deeply, although at two hours and 40 minutes, the length and more leisurely pace might be the most obvious quibble. (The distributor of the film is Universal Pictures, like MSNBC, a unit of NBCUniversal.) On its face, “Wicked” serves as a character-driven leap into a fantasy grounded by friendship and female empowerment, as the shy, disrespected Elphaba finds her voice (and then some, thanks to Erivo) and sense of purpose. While it’s hard to match the theatrical experience, don’t be surprised if opening-weekend audiences occasionally erupt in spontaneous applause. Again like “Barbie,” with its resonant feminist message, “Wicked” will surely provoke political conversations the wholly escape-minded might wish to avoid. Because by Gregory Maguire (while taking certain liberties), the story incorporates “a powerful allegory of how societies can sleepwalk into fascism,” , where a disenfranchised group gets exploited to achieve those ends. That includes, in the most chilling line, the observation that if the goal is to bring folks together, “give them a real good enemy.” Some of that nuance might get overlooked when Erivo (whose stage credits include a Tony Award for “The Color Purple”) unleashes that Broadway belt, but “Wicked’s” wickedly clever approach to turning the classic story on its head, making us question what we think we know about good and evil, and the origins of these characters, feels both timeless and inordinately timely. For Elphaba, that includes taking a principled stand, even if that means challenging authority and personal sacrifice. It’s a classic hero’s journey, but again, has undercurrents that won’t be lost on anyone who has spent the last two weeks doomscrolling headlines. Although the movie , a known title and a marketing onslaught, some have sought to replicate that strange summer of “Barbenheimer” magic by touting “Wicked” and “Gladiator” as an unlikely double feature (“ ,” as Variety put it). The pairing actually seems unlikely, even a bit lazy, since the two seem particularly well matched, demographically, to complement each other. Where director Ridley Scott’s long-delayed Roman Empire sequel revels in visceral thrills, the musical, while offering epic qualities, strikes other emotional nerves. In her show-stopping number, Elphaba famously notes, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly.” Whether viewed as a flight of fancy or something deeper, “Wicked” deserves the chance to be seen and shared, which, given the film’s charms and the current cultural moment, could leave the holiday season’s other box office hopefuls feeling green with envy.Jason Aldean's wife blames 'wokeness' for Billboard 100 greatest country artists of all time list snub

Judge grants dismissal of election subversion case against TrumpCHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis hit three 3-pointers and scored 21 points — both season highs — and Tomislav Ivisic had his third double-double of the season to help Illinois beat Little Rock 92-34 Monday night. The 7-foot-1 Ivisic scored 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds with two steals. Louisville transfer Tre White also scored 16 points and Will Riley added 13 for Illinois (5-1). After Little Rock's Mwani Wilkinson hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring, White made a layup and then hit two free throws to give Illinois the lead for good with 18:26 left in the first half. Riley hit a 3-pointer to make it 20-10 with 12 minutes left in the first half before the Fighting Illini scored 23 consecutive points — including four 3-pointers and three dunks — to take a 30-point lead when White made a layup with 4:05 left in the first half. The Trojans went 0 for 9 from the field and committed three turnovers during a scoring drought of nearly 8 minutes and Illinois scored eight second-chance points off four offensive rebounds during that span. Jakucionis, who played point guard for Lithuniana at the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship, scored 13 points on 3-of-4 shooting and hit 6 of 6 from the free-throw line as Illinois took a 51-19 halftime lead. Jordan Jefferson led Little Rock (3-4) with 11 points. __ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball Illinois' Will Riley (7) shoot over Oakland's Isaiah Lewis (3) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. Credit: AP/Craig Pessman