Khan

AMIR KHAN fears Canelo Alvarez has lost his hunger for boxing – leaving Terence Crawford ready to feast. 

Canelo defends his undisputed super-middleweight titles against Crawford on Saturday night – which will be the 68th bout of his iconic career. 

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The red-haired boxing hero – who was bullied for his ginger hair earning him the nickname Canelo, which translates to cinnamon in Spanish – turned pro aged just 15. 

And now two decades later the 35-year-old is the sport’s top attraction.

He is on course to become a BILLIONAIRE and has world titles in four division’s clogging up his trophy cabinet. 

So Khan – who was beaten in his retirement fight against Kell Brook in 2022 – reckons Canelo has lost the same fire which burnt him in their 2016 clash. 

Khan, 38, told SunSport: “I think that Crawford takes the fight in my opinion.

“I like Canelo and he’s very respectful but the reason why I think this is because Crawford’s a fresher fighter.

“I’ve just started seeing little things in Canelo in the last couple of fights where he moves more.

“I just don’t think he’s got the fire in the belly like he used to or have that killer instinct like before.

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CANELO VS CRAWFORD: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY

“I don’t think he has that killer instinct now. Normally they have that killer instinct where they wanna go for the kill and hurt the guy, but I think he’s calm and he’s a made man.

“I know how that is. Like when I fought against Brook, you don’t have that fire in your belly like you are coming up and you wanna achieve something.

“You know when you’ve achieved everything – which Canelo in my opinion has when it comes down to belts, titles, and also weight categories and also financially – that fire in the belly just goes and I know you might say that it might not go, it’s automatically it’s gonna happen.

“Your mind’s a very strong muscle that it just takes over your whole body.” 

Khan boxed to an early lead against Canelo almost ten years ago – before a frightening right hand in the sixth robbed him of his momentum and senses. 

The former super-lightweight champ was caught so hard he was out for the count well before the he even hit the deck. 

Khan said: “I don’t know if he’s got the same kind of power that he had then, but in my opinion, he does hit very, very hard.

“I mean, even before I hit the floor, I was probably knocked out, to be honest with you. That’s how hard he hit me. So that just shows pure power.

“The guy’s very strong and he can definitely hurt someone really badly. But like I said, I don’t know how much power he has left in him now.

“Obviously, as you get older, the power’s not gonna be the same, but I’m sure it’s still very strong.”

Crawford, 37, beat a past-his best Khan in 2019 but the pair reunited as training partners three years later before the Brook grudge bout. 

That was at the 10st 7lb welterweight limit – but Crawford now finds himself up THREE divisions to challenge for Canelo’s 12st throne. 

I just don’t think he’s got the fire in the belly like he used to or have that killer instinct like before.

Amir Khan on Canelo

But Khan – who had Crawford in the corner the night he lost to Brook – warned the unbeaten American can hang with the biggest and best of them. 

He said: “Crawford is a bigger guy in camp. He’s always a stronger and bigger guy. I’ve seen him take down heavyweights.

“The guy, he’s a good wrestler and also he’s just a very strong guy. He’s got a strong upper body.

“So yeah, I don’t think anyone’s gonna give him any problems, especially Canelo, I don’t think Canelo’s gonna give him any problems.

“Look, you make them wrestle, I guarantee you Crawford will take Canelo down easy. That’s how strong he is.

“He’s a very good strong wrestler as well. But obviously that shows how much strength he has, core strength is solid. He’s a solid guy.”

The pound-for-pound greats meet at the Las Vegas Raiders’ 65,000-seat NFL stadium – streamed live on Netflix. 

It has the hallmarks of a bonafide super-fight for the ages – one Khan reckons cannot disappoint. 

He said: It’s gonna be a fantastic fight though still regardless because one thing I can say about both fighters is that they’re not gonna sit back and they’re not gonna put on a performance, they’re gonna fight till they die.

“But I just feel that Crawford has that little bit more than Canelo.”

In the last decade, Southeast Asia has experienced an acceleration in the modernization of defense equipment, especially Indonesia, which is now the first operator of modern ballistic missile systems in Southeast Asia thanks to the acquisition of KHAN missiles produced by Roketsan from Turkiye in 2022. The move taken by Indonesia has the potential to change the balance of power and encourage the defense posture of neighboring countries, especially Malaysia and Singapore, which are within firing range of KHAN missiles.

A brief profile about the KHAN missile, the KHAN missile owned by Indonesia is an export variation that has the farthest range of 280 KM. The system package typically includes mobile launchers (MLRS/8×8), command vehicles, and ammunition carrier vehicles, making them suitable for shoot-and-scoot operations as well as high survivability against counter-battery and ISR counter-attacks.

Looking at these specifications, of course, the KHAN missile is suitable for the geography of Indonesia which has a stretching archipelago. Such missiles are capable of striking high-value targets (C2s, ammunition depots, radars, tactical runways) at theater operational distances without relying on interdiction-prone air platforms. In addition, this missile comes from the Türkiye defense industry which is indeed aggressive in exporting and conducting technological cooperation. With these dynamics, it finally provides an opportunity amid global supply uncertainty for Indonesia to modernize its armed forces and this is not the first cooperation between Indonesia and Turkiye.

In the end, KHAN put Indonesia on a precision ground attack capability, even though it was only 280 KM away, but this was enough to reach key facilities in the border area, tactical bases, or aggressor supply lines. So that the surrounding countries will begin to see the need to strengthen layered air/anti-missile defenses. 

KHAN, who was stationed in Kalimantan, was close to the Ibu Kota Nusantara and his firing range reached the East Malaysian region. Although not the main target, the existence of ballistic missiles adds pressure for Malaysia to increase its air defense. But Malaysia is also aware that Khan is aimed at external deterrence (such as China and other regional extremist threats) so that intra-ASEAN will not be a target for Indonesia. 

For Singapore, which already has advanced air defenses (Aster 30, SPYDER, Green Pine radar). With KHAN presence, it will strengthen the argument that investment in the air defense layer should continue to be expanded. With KHAN in Indonesia’s hands, Singapore can further emphasize air dominance in order to remain able to conduct a first strike in the event of a conflict (although it is unlikely to be an intra-ASEAN scenario).

Therefore, the conclusion for the response of the two countries is:

1. Malaysia will tend to be vigilant but its response is limited and more focused on improving air defense and regional coordination.

2. Singapore will be more proactive, where Singapore will strengthen missile defense and defense diplomacy so that Khan’s presence does not create regional instability.

KHAN presence does not necessarily make ASEAN enter a full-fledged ballistic missile race. But Indonesia opens up the possibility that tactical ballistic missiles will be accepted as a natural part of the defense toolkit in the region. Especially for limited deterrence, and destruction of high-value targets.

And for Türkiye, this is a promising prospect where Türkiye is a new market in the Global South to balance its dependence on NATO. Indonesia as a key partner of ASEAN is a natural target. And KHAN cooperation can be an “entry point” towards a more concrete Strategic Partnership, covering trade, energy, and multilateral diplomacy. Indonesia can also position Turkey as an alternative counterweight to the dominance of traditional suppliers (the US, Russia, and France). So that Turkiye benefits from its image as a global defense exporter, especially since KHAN in Indonesia is the debut of Turkiye ballistic missiles in Southeast Asia.

At least 200 arrested from Lahore, says party spokesperson, as thousands march across the country on second anniversary of ex-PM’s imprisonment.

Thousands of supporters of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan are rallying across the country to demand his release on the second anniversary of his imprisonment.

Security officials on Tuesday said dozens of activists belonging to Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have been arrested, with most detentions made on Monday night and early on Tuesday in the eastern city of Lahore, where the PTI has called a huge demonstration later in the day.

At least 200 activists had been arrested from Lahore, said PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, adding that the protests would still take place. Lahore is the capital of Punjab, the country’s most politically important region and home to half of its population.

Khan, a popular cricket star, was elected prime minister in 2018. But once in office, he fell out with Pakistan’s powerful military and was toppled in 2022 through a vote in parliament. His arrest in May 2023 on several charges spurred widespread protests against the military, leading to a crackdown on the party.

In a message attributed to Khan on his party’s X account on Monday, he urged supporters to “come out and hold peaceful protests until a true democracy is restored in the country”.

Khan’s party posted a video on its X account on Tuesday, showing a former PTI candidate, Rehana Dar, being carried into a police van by personnel with riot gear.

“An elder like Rehana Dar is being dragged by the shameless Punjab Police, a disgraceful sight,” the PTI said.

An elder like Rehana Dar is being dragged by the shameless Punjab Police, a disgraceful sight. Maryam Nawaz and IG Punjab have sunk to a new low with this act. Under this martial law of Asim Munir, they have abandoned all sense of shame and decency! pic.twitter.com/gK0HsJoDOE

— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 5, 2025

Social media videos also showed at least two other people being detained in Lahore.

The PTI’s Multan chapter alleged that its Lahore rally was “attacked by police”, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported on Tuesday.

“Rallies are being held today on the orders of the PTI founder,” PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said in a statement, adding they would continue until Khan’s release.

The rallies were held despite the government’s order barring “illegal” gatherings and large assemblies, Pakistan’s Geo TV reported.

پشاور سے سیکڑوں گاڑیوں پر مشتمل قافلہ صوابی کی جانب روانہ ہو گیا ہے pic.twitter.com/3Yr5LiHHWB

— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 5, 2025

Translation: A convoy of hundreds of vehicles from Peshawar has set off towards Swabi.

In a statement on Monday, police said security was beefed up in major cities nationwide.

At a news conference on Monday, Khan’s party was accused of always creating “chaos” by Uzma Bukhari, a spokesperson of the provincial government.

“No political party can be barred from politics in Pakistan, but a terrorist organisation disguised as a political party is not allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace,” Bukhari said.

PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the party has pledged to demonstrate peacefully and was not seeking confrontation, Geo TV reported.

Khan says the charges against him – ranging from terrorism to disclosure of official secrets – are politically motivated. He was convicted in January in a corruption case, while being acquitted of other charges or receiving suspended sentences.

Before the protest call, hundreds of Khan’s party members, including several parliamentarians, were convicted late last month on charges related to the 2023 protests against his arrest.

Khan’s party emerged as the single biggest in the 2024 election, and it says rigging robbed it of more seats. Other parties merged to form a government under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has denied coming to power through electoral fraud.

LONDONERS have seen a 75 per cent rise in the “Sadiq Khan stealth tax” during the mayor’s time in office, we can reveal.

The levy — officially known as the mayoral precept — is added to council tax bills in all 32 city boroughs and has risen steadily since the Labour politician’s 2016 election.

For a Band D home, it has jumped from £280.02 in 2017 to £490.38 today.

In comparison, Liverpool asks £24, Cambridge £36 and Greater Manchester £128.95.

West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker charges nothing.

Much of this year’s London fee — £319.13 — goes to the Met Police to pay for cops.

Another £71.72 is for the London Fire Brigade and £77.09 for transport services.

The Greater London Authority, which includes Mr Khan’s office, takes the remaining £22.44.

The Sun told last week that he is on course to rake in £14million, most of it from motorists failing to pay the £12.50 daily ultra low emission zone (Ulez) charge.

City Hall Conservative Group leader Susan Hall said: “Sadiq Khan has taxed the life out of our city. Where has it all gone? Crime is out of control, traffic is at a standstill, nightlife is dead, house building’s virtually stopped and the green belt is at risk.

“To paraphrase the president of the USA, he’s a terrible mayor.”

A spokesman for the mayor said a record £1.16billion had been invested in policing this year, providing 935 neighbourhood cops.

He added: “Keeping Londoners safe is Sadiq’s top priority.”

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SIR Sadiq Khan has backed calls to decriminalise possessing small amounts of cannabis.

London’s mayor said a report published today gave “a compelling case”.

The London Drugs Commission says current cannabis laws are “disproportionate” and policing continues to focus on ethnic communities, hurting relations with cops.

The LDC, set up by Mr Khan in 2022, is calling for small quantities of natural cannabis to be decriminalised.

Importing, manufacturing or distributing the drug would still be illegal.

Labour’s Mr Khan said: “The report makes a compelling case for the decriminalisation of small quantities of natural cannabis which the Government should consider.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “Cannabis is illegal for a reason. I oppose these plans.”

Responding to the report, Sir Sadiq said: “I’ve long been clear that we need fresh thinking on how to reduce the substantial harms associated with drug-related crime in our communities.

“The London Drugs Commission report makes a compelling, evidenced-based case for the decriminalisation of possession of small quantities of natural cannabis which the Government should consider.

“It says that the current sentencing for those caught in possession of natural cannabis cannot be justified given its relative harm and people’s experience of the justice system.

“We must recognise that better education, improved healthcare and more effective, equitable policing of cannabis use are long overdue.”

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Eyewitness video captured an Israeli airstrike hitting west Khan Younis in Gaza as people flee tents amid gunfire. Israel had warned of an “unprecedented attack” and ordered evacuations. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to control all of Gaza, despite global pressure and famine fears.

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan notified the court Friday he will take a leave from his duties until an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him concludes. Khan (C) pictured announcing requested arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant May 20, 2024. File Photo by International Criminal Court (ICC)/ UPI. | License Photo

May 16 (UPI) — International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan notified the court Friday he will take a leave from his duties until an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him concludes.

A female assistant, an attorney in her 30s, accused Khan of forced sexual intercourse multiple times in New York, Colombia, Congo, Chad and Paris as well as at Khan’s home at the Hague.

Khan’s defense lawyers called the allegations “categorically untrue.”

A spokesman for the ICC told the Wall Street Journal in an email that Khan “communicated…via email his decision to take leave” until the investigation is over.

Khan said in an email to staff “In light of escalating media reports, I have made the considered decision to take leave until the completion of the investigation.”

The U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services is expected to issue a report on the investigation in coming months.

The Wall Street Journal and Drop Site News first reported the allegations. The female aide testified to United Nations investigators about the allegations.

Based on documents it has reviewed, the Washington Post reported that the allegations against Khan occurred over approximately a year.

It’s being investigated as part of an alleged pattern of abuse that also included sexual harassment and inappropriate touching.

Washington, DC – A federal judge has ordered Georgetown University scholar Badar Khan Suri released from immigration detention, in the latest victory for US visa holders targeted by the administration of President Donald Trump for pro-Palestine stances or advocacy.

The ruling on Wednesday by US District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles comes shortly after two other prominent students targeted for deportation, Columbia University Student Mohsen Mahdawi and Tufts University PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk, were ordered released from detention as their deportation cases move forward.

Speaking at a news conference following the hearing at the federal court in Arlington, Virginia, Khan Suri’s wife, Mapheze Saleh, thanked supporters who demonstrated outside of the facility.

“I thank everyone who came out to support the cause of a truth-telling, speaking up and standing for Palestinian rights,” said Saleh, who is Palestinian American.

As with similar cases where visa holders have been targeted for deportation related to their pro-Palestine views and advocacy, lawyers for Suri Khan – who has Indian citizenship and a US student visa – argued ICE agents unlawfully detained him outside his Virginia home in March for speech that should have been constitutionally protected.

The Trump administration has taken the broad position that those constitutional protections do not apply to temporary visa holders or even US permanent residents. The question will likely eventually be decided by the US Supreme Court.

The administration has further relied on the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to justify its actions. An obscure provision of the law allows the US secretary of state to deport any non-citizen deemed to have “potentially serious adverse foreign consequences”.

In a separate ruling related to Columbia University Student Mahmoud Kahlil in April, a federal judge adopted a broad interpretation of the provision, saying Kahlil was deportable based on Rubio’s claims he took part in “anti-Semitic” protests. That came despite the top US diplomat providing no further evidence.

Similarly, the Department of Homeland Security had previously claimed in a post on X that Khan Suri was “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media”.

It added he “was married to the daughter of a senior advisor for to Hamas terrorist group”.

But speaking to reporters, Nermeen Arastu, one of the lawyers representing Khan Suri, noted that evidence backing up those claims has not been presented by government lawyers in court.

Arastu, who is also an associate professor of law at the CUNY School of Law, said it was notable that “the court today also pointed out that the government is kind of throwing around accusations in social media, but not presenting them in the formal courtroom setting”.

“And tied that to this due process concept that’s so important here to understand – that at the very basic level, you have a right to understand the allegations that are being brought against you,” she said.

‘Badge of honour’

Critics have further accused the Trump administration of targeting Khan Suri based on his familial ties. His wife is the daughter of Ahmed Yousef, a former adviser to assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh who left his position with the armed group more than a decade ago.

“He should have never been arrested and jailed for his constitutionally protected speech just because the government disagrees with him,” ACLU of Virginia senior immigrants’ rights lawyer Sophia Gregg, told reporters on Wednesday.

“He should have never been punished for his relationship with his wife or his father-in-law,” she said.

Like in the cases of Ozturk and Mahdawi, Khan Suri’s cases will proceed despite his release. He faces two separate legal proceedings, one in immigration court in the one challenging his arrest and detention in Virginia.

He remained in detention in Texas when the ruling was issued on Wednesday, his lawyers said, adding they were expecting him to be released shortly.

Saleh said at the court that she had recently spoken to her husband from the detention centre in Texas, where he was held.

“He told me if my suffering in the detention centre is because I married a Palestinian and because I spoke out against the genocide in Gaza, then I should wear it as a badge of honour,” she said.

1 of 2 | Pro-Palestinian protesters march in an anti-ICE rally in Lower Manhattan in New York City in March. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles ordered the immediate release of Indiana national and Georgetown University postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri. He was held by ICE for two months.

File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

May 14 (UPI) — U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles on Wednesday ordered the immediate release of Indian national and Georgetown University postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri. He had been held by ICE for two months despite not having been charged with a crime.

Suri was in the United States on an academic visa. He was arrested March 17 by masked ICE agents and sent to a Texas detention immigration detention facility.

Judge Giles ordered Suri released without bond on condition that he maintain a residence in Virginia and attend hearings in his case in person. For Texas immigration hearings, Suri can attend virtually.

The judge said at Suri’s hearing his release is “in the public interest to disrupt the chilling effect on protected speech.”

Suri’s defense lawyers alleged he was singled out for revocation of his visa and deportation “based on his family connections and constitutionally protected speech.”

Suri has not been charged with a crime. He was taken by ICE for his social media posts supporting Palestinians.

Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin cited the posts as she claimed without including concrete evidence that Suri allegedly had connections to a senior adviser of Hamas.

Suri said in an April statement that he had “never even been to a protest.”

His release petition argued that he was likely targeted by the Trump administration due to his marriage to a U.S. citizen of Palestinian origin.

Also, Suri’s father-in-law Ahmed Yousef was an adviser to Hamas over a decade ago.

Giles ruled in March that Suri “shall not be removed from the United States unless and until the court issues a contrary order.”

Suri’s release order follows court-ordered releases from ICE custody of fellow immigrant academics Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University Palestinian student, and Tufts University student Rumseya Ozturk.

Attorneys representing Suri said during his detention he was transferred to five different facilities across three states. They said he at one point slept in a room with no bed and a TV blaring almost all day for nearly two weeks.

In a letter to his lawyers, Suri wrote, “My only ‘crimes’ making me a ‘national security threat’ are my marriage to a United States citizen of Palestinian origin and my support for the Palestinian cause.”

Near the end of an evening ruled by queens, a king was keeping Chaka Khan waiting.

“Stevie Wonder’s in the house tonight,” Khan said late Sunday as she stood in the spotlight at Inglewood’s Kia Forum. “I don’t know where he is.” The veteran soul-music star wandered over to the edge of the stage, the black fringe of her bedazzled cape swaying with every step, and peered out into the crowd. “Steve, you over there?”

Khan was in the middle of her set to close Sunday’s installment of a traveling R&B revue called “The Queens” that launched last week in Las Vegas and has her on the road through the fall with three fellow lifers in Patti LaBelle, Gladys Knight and Stephanie Mills. (One longs to have been in the room when they decided who plays last.) She’d come out singing “I Feel for You” — saucy, casual, effortlessly funky — then glided through “Do You Love What You Feel” and “What Cha’ Gonna Do for Me.” Now her would-be special guest was nowhere to be found.

“Stevie Wonder!” she said again, attempting to summon him to the stage. “We go back a long, long way. I remember once we did a tour, he and I — must have been back in the ’80s, the ’70s or something. It was that long ago. We were on tour for dang near two years. Two friggin’ frack years.” Khan went on for a minute about a vexing old record deal then seemed wisely to think better of that. “Call him,” she instructed the crowd, which started up a “Stevie” chant.

“What?” boomed a voice at last over the sound system. It was Wonder, shuffling out from the wings wearing his signature shades and beret to join his old friend for — well, for what? Khan had set up Wonder’s cameo by saying they should do “I Feel for You” again since Wonder played harmonica on the original record in 1984. But Wonder didn’t appear to have gotten that note: After clasping hands with Khan, he started telling the story of writing “Tell Me Something Good” a decade earlier for her group Rufus, which led Khan to cue her backing band on that number instead.

And what a number it was — that slinky up-and-down riff still a marvel of rhythmic ingenuity that inspired Khan and Wonder to go off in a volley of ad libs like the seasoned pros they are.

Signs of life such as that one are precisely the reason to go to a concert like “The Queens,” in which the vast experience of the performers — Mills was the youngest at 68, LaBelle the oldest at 80 — serves not as a safeguard against the unexpected but as a guarantee that whatever might happen is fully roll-with-able.

Mills got up there Sunday and discovered an unwelcome climate situation — “I wish they would cut that air off,” she said, “it’s blowing so cold on me” — but went ahead and sang the bejesus out of “Home,” from “The Wiz.” LaBelle put out a call for willing men from the audience — “Black, white, straight, gay,” she made clear — then presided over an impromptu talent show as each guy did a bit of “Lady Marmalade” for her. And then there was Knight’s handler, who seemed to show up a few beats early to guide her offstage after “Midnight Train to Georgia.” No biggie: He could just stand there holding her arm gently for a minute while she traded “I’ve got to go’s” with her background singers.

Another reason to go to “The Queens,” especially on Mother’s Day, was to behold the finery displayed onstage (and in the crowd). Knight wore a crisp red pantsuit with glittering figure-eight earrings, Mills an off-the-shoulder mermaid gown. LaBelle showed off two outfits, emerging in a silky blue suit before changing into a long tunic-style dress. During “On My Own,” she kicked off her heels, sending them hurtling across the stage; later, she spritzed herself from a bottle of fragrance then spritzed the front row for good measure.

As a three-hour program — Knight opened at 7 p.m. on the dot — Sunday’s show moved quickly, with a rotating stage that whirred to life after each woman’s set. And of course nobody stuck around long enough to offer up anything but hits. The musical pleasures were the ripples of detail in all those familiar tunes: a little ha-ha-ha Knight used to punctuate “That’s What Friends Are For”; LaBelle’s frisky vocal runs in “When You Talk About Love,” which she sang as a stagehand came out to help put her in-ear monitor back in; the way Khan toyed with her phrasing in “Through the Fire,” slowing down when you thought she’d speed up and vice versa. (Nobody wants to start a fight here, but Khan was undoubtedly the night’s best singer.)

After bringing the Mother’s Day audience to its feet with “I’m Every Woman” — somewhere out there was Khan’s own 91-year-old mom, she said — she started to make for the exit when her band revved up the throbbing synth lick from “Ain’t Nobody.”

“Oh, one more?” she said to no one in particular. “S—. One more!”