Latest news with #MansoorKhan
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
'No one wants war': Indian, Pakistani expats in UAE stay up all night as tensions escalate
Mansoor Khan, a Pakistani expat from Mirpur in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, spent the night on his phone, his eyes glued to the news and his ears listening for calls from relatives in his hometown and other places. 'I couldn't sleep. I was looking through news websites and videos every few minutes just to see if my family was okay. We live in a peaceful area, but when missiles are flying, nothing feels safe,' he said. Mansoor works in a car rental company in Dubai and has lived in the UAE for eight years — but his heart is back home. As soon as he heard that India had fired missiles and Pakistan had responded with airstrikes, he went into panic mode. 'I am not interested in politics or who is right or wrong. I just want everyone to be safe. I want my Indian friends to be safe too. War benefits no one.' India attacked nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir on Wednesday, targeting 'terrorist infrastructure'. At time of publishing, eight civilians — including at least one child — were killed in the strikes, while 35 were reported injured. Pakistan has called the attack an 'act of war' and promised it won't 'take long to settle the score'. The strikes come as India blamed its neighbour for the violence in Pahalgam last month in which 26 tourists were killed. Pakistan has denied responsibility. News of military strikes between India and Pakistan started circulating early on Wednesday morning. By 1am, social media was flooded with photos, updates, and messages of concern. Many expats from both sides of the border stayed up all night, texting family and friends or just scrolling. Several flights from Pakistan to Dubai were either cancelled or delayed for hours on Tuesday, increasing the sense of anxiety that expat communities in the UAE were feeling. Rameela Ahmed, a Pakistani mother of two who lives in Sharjah, said she was crying herself to sleep. 'We had our dinner and family time and slept around 10.30pm. When my husband got up to drink water, he saw a notification on a news app of a military strike between the two countries. I just kept checking on my parents in Lahore. We have seen this kind of thing before, but now I have kids, and the fear hits differently,' she said. 'Even my Indian neighbour came over to check in on us. We were both shaken,' she added. Fears of war The fear of an all-out war is what's making many people from both sides of the border nervous. Amardeep Singh, a finance professional from Amritsar, said he stayed up till dawn. 'I was supposed to sleep early because I have a meeting today, but how can I? We don't know what's going to happen next,' he said. The Indian expat has been working in Dubai for over 12 years. He believes that dialogue is the only way forward. 'We may have different governments, different histories, but people on both sides are the same. No one wants war. Everyone just wants peace, safety, and a normal life. I have many good Pakistani friends here and we all are praying that this stops soon.' Of all the expats Khaleej Times spoke to, the overwhelming sentiment was clear: neither side wanted conflict. 'We have lived as neighbours here in the UAE for decades,' said Singh. 'We celebrate Eid together, work in the same companies, and our kids go to school together. No one here wants war.'
Associated Press
07-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Persivia Powers the Next Era of Digital Health with Strategic $107 Million Investment and AI Innovation Patent
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., May 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Persivia, the company behind one of the healthcare industry's most advanced digital health platforms, today announced two major developments—a $107M investment from Aldrich Capital Partners and the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 12,254,975 B2 for its Health Data Processing System. This dual milestone signals a new era for healthcare, as Persivia prepares to scale its proven AI-first platform and transform how care is delivered, measured, and managed across the continuum. The newly granted patent protects the core AI capabilities behind CareSpace®, Persivia's modular digital health platform. Unlike typical platforms that merely surface data, CareSpace® uses Soliton®, a now-patented AI engine to ingest, analyze, prioritize, and deliver actionable insights in real time. This allows care teams to respond to the most urgent needs, manage complex patient populations, and streamline workflows—all from a unified interface. Aldrich's investment—completed at the end of February—provides the financial firepower to expand quickly and invest deeply in platform innovation, client success, and go-to-market execution. It also puts Persivia in a position few companies can claim: deeply funded, clinically validated, and now legally protected as the innovator of a patented AI-driven platform. 'This isn't just a win for Persivia, it is a great day for US healthcare as a whole,' said Dr. Mansoor Khan, CEO of Persivia. 'With the industry-leading platform, new capital and a newly issued patent, we're ready to deliver on a vision that's been 20 years in the making—solving healthcare's toughest challenges with an AI core that is now patented, proven, and deployed at scale.' At the heart of this transformation is CareSpace®, a digital health platform designed to help organizations thrive while transitioning from fee-for-service to value-based care. It supports a wide range of use cases – from data, care, quality and population health management to analytics, virtual care, risk adjustment and many more. Built on a modular architecture with the Soliton® AI engine at its core, CareSpace® gives healthcare organizations the flexibility to deploy exactly what they need, when they need it—without the overhead of point solution sprawl. 'Most healthcare AI solutions today are point solutions that bolt on to existing platforms,' said Dr. Fauzia Khan, CMO of Persivia. 'The CareSpace® platform is built around the Soliton® AI engine which resides at the heart of the system. This vision of AI at the heart of all data flows, analytics and workflows forms the basis for our patent, which was applied for in early 2020, long before AI was the buzzword it is now.' As the healthcare industry faces mounting pressure to do more with less, Persivia is delivering a platform that combines speed, intelligence, and interoperability—driving better outcomes, lowering costs, and reducing burnout. With the issuance of this patent, the company is sending a clear message: the era of intelligent, AI-driven care has arrived, and Persivia is leading it. To learn more about Persivia and the patented AI system powering CareSpace®, visit About Persivia Persivia delivers an AI-powered platform that helps healthcare organizations work smarter. By unifying clinical, claims, social, and operational data into one intelligent system, Persivia turns complex data into real-time insights that drive decisions, streamline workflows, and improve performance across the board. Whether it's powering value-based care, optimizing risk, improving quality, or managing cost and utilization. Learn more at . The platform gives payers and providers the tools to move faster, act earlier, and operate more efficiently. Headquartered in Marlborough, MA, Persivia supports 200+ hospitals and 12,000+ clinicians nationwide. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Persivia Inc.
Time of India
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Not Aishwarya Rai, Kajol was the FIRST choice to play Shah Rukh Khan's sister in Josh, reveals director Mansoor Khan
Mansoor Khan revealed surprising casting choices for his film 'Josh.' Shah Rukh Khan was always the first choice for Max, but Aamir Khan initially assumed he would play the role. Kajol declined the sister's role, wanting to play Max instead. Aishwarya Rai's professionalism impressed Khan, as she accepted the role without concern for character prominence. Filmmaker Mansoor Khan, known for hit films like Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, recently spoke about the casting of his 2000 movie Josh. In a new interview with PTI, he revealed that the film's cast could have looked very different. Aamir Khan was first considered to play Aishwarya Rai's love interest, and Kajol was originally offered the role that later went to Aishwarya. The film eventually starred Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya as twins. Shah Rukh Khan Was Always the First Choice for Max The director shared that SRK was always his first choice to play the role of Max in Josh. However, when he first discussed the script with Aamir Khan, Aamir assumed he would be cast as Max. Later, when Mansoor approached Shah Rukh with the same role, the actor was enthusiastic. But after realizing that Aamir might be involved, Shah Rukh stepped back from the project, which led to a change in casting plans. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo Kajol Wanted to Play Max, Not the Sister Eventually, Shah Rukh came back on board to play Max, while Aamir left the project. But casting challenges continued. When Mansoor Khan offered the role of Max's twin sister to Kajol—who had already shared blockbuster success with Shah Rukh in films like DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai—she surprised him by walking out after the narration. When asked about taking the role, she declined, expressing interest in playing Max instead, as she felt that character carried more charm. Aishwarya Rai's Professionalism Sealed the Deal Things finally fell into place when Mansoor Khan approached Aishwarya for the role. Unlike others, she didn't focus on which character had more prominence. She appreciated the overall story and agreed to come on board. Her professionalism stood out, and Mansoor believes Josh was one of her finest performances. The filmmaker highlighted that his casting decisions are guided by conviction rather than commercial appeal. He shared that he doesn't focus on whether the pairing will be a box-office hit, but instead prioritizes whether he personally believes in the casting choice.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Mansoor Khan says Kajol refused to play Shah Rukh Khan's sister in Josh, walked out of his house: ‘Thank God Aishwarya Rai agreed or…'
Filmmaker Mansoor Khan, who has directed cult classic films Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), recently reflected upcon the casting process of his 2000 action-romantic drama Josh. The film, which starred Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai in lead roles, was also offered to Kajol to play Shah Rukh Khan's sister. This was when the duo was already established as the biggest romantic pair in that era. In a recent interview, Mansoor Khan also opened up about eventually casting Aishwarya in the film. Describing the approach behind the casting process, he shared, 'I don't ever think that the casting will work or not, I always think if I am convinced or not. I believe in personal conviction. But, there has to be a balance between your conviction and the audience reception.' For Josh, the filmmaker was only firm about SRK playing Max's character. 'My thought was that both characters are equally important. I could have taken Shah Rukh for Max or a struggling actress, not Aishwarya Rai or an extra, but in my mind, they are parallel in their importance in the script.' ALSO READ | 'Perfectionist' Aamir Khan landed at co-actor's house at midnight for a scene that didn't involve him: 'He was in his shorts, smoking' He further added, 'I always had Shah Rukh in my mind for Max's role. I was intending to cast Aamir as the romantic lead opposite Aishwarya. But when I narrated the script to Aamir, he thought he was playing Max. Then I went to Shah Rukh, he was really excited about Max. I narrated it to him, he suggested a lot of things for Max's character. I asked him, 'You are doing the film or not?' He said no, because I was taking Aamir in it. He sensed it. That fell apart.' Mansoor Khan went on to pitch the story to Kajol, who walked out and turned down the film. 'I narrated the script to Kajol because I wanted her to play the sister, after DDLJ, Baazigar, Karan Arjun and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. This is the ultimate sacrilege. After she heard the story idea, she got up to go out of my house. I asked her if she will do the film. She said no. She also wanted to play Max because it was such a charismatic character,' he said. After which, Aishwarya Rai was cast for the role as she didn't have such a prejudice about roles and gave a nod for the film's story. 'Then, I realised that maybe nobody will want to play Max's sister, but thankfully Aishwarya agreed to do the film. She was thoroughly professional. I feel that Josh was her best film,' he concluded.
