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LeBron relishing 23rd season as retirement draws near

London: LeBron James said Monday he had not decided when to retire from basketball as he prepares to become the first player in NBA history to play a 23rd season in the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar told reporters at a media day that he is “excited” by the prospect of another season in the league alongside Luka Doncic and a bolstered roster.

James will turn 41 in December and plans to savour every minute of the tail-end of a glittering career that has straddled three different decades.

But the four-time NBA champion and all-time points scorer says he has no idea of when he will retire.

“I’m excited about today, I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season,” James told reporters.

“Whatever the journey lays out this year, I’m super-invested because I don’t know when the end is. It’s a lot sooner than later.

“I’m just super-appreciative of the fact that I come up here to do another media day and talk to you guys.”

James, who averaged 24.4 points per game last season, said his love for basketball — and hunger to keep improving — remained undimmed.

“The thing still pushing me is the fact that my love for the game is still high, and the love of the process is even higher,” he said.

“It’s that simple — me training and working my body and trying to get my body as close to 100% as possible every year, it’s a beautiful thing for me…The NBA season is a roller coaster. But no matter the good, the bad, ugly, I still love that process.

“For me personally, I love to play the game, I love to play at a high level. Age is kind of just a number. Not many guys at my age, especially going to year 23, is able to play a level like that. I try not to take it for granted.”

Last season, the Lakers sent shockwaves around the NBA after signing Luka Doncic in a stunning trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

James said the prospect of playing with the Slovenian star after a full training camp — instead of learning on the fly last year — was another motivating force for his 23rd season.

“The motivation to play alongside him every night, that’s super motivating,” James said. “That’s gonna train my body for every night I go out there and try to be the best player I can for him. We gonna bounce that off one another.”

In addition to a full training camp alongside Doncic, James is also relishing the propsect of starting the new season with a squad that has been bolstered by the arrival of veteran guard Marcus Smart and center Deandre Ayton.

“I’m excited about getting to work, and I’m excited to see what we can do,” James said.

Doncic meanwhile said Monday he hopes a full pre-season with James and the Lakers squad will make the 17-time NBA champions a more consistent, and formidable, force.

“When you get to a new team in the middle of season, it’s kind of hard to get everything together,” Doncic said. “But pre-season is going to help a lot with leadership, getting to know the guys. I’m very excited — I think we can do big, big things.”

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Pakistani Students’ UK Visa Delays Raised by Azam Nazeer Tarar with British High Commissioner

Azam Nazeer Tarar with UK High Commissioner

ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner Jane Marriott called on Federal Minister for Law & Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar. The meeting discussed Pakistan-UK bilateral relations, matters of mutual interest and ways to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Federal Minister raised the issue of delays in UK visas for Pakistani students and conveyed the Government of Pakistan’s concern to the British High Commissioner.

Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar said that hundreds of Pakistani students were facing difficulties due to delays in visa processing, with a risk that the delays could result in the loss of their academic year. He stressed the need to remove obstacles faced by Pakistani students seeking education abroad and facilitate them in this regard.

The Federal Minister briefed the British High Commissioner that, on the directives of the Prime Minister, a committee under his chairmanship was working to improve the legal and institutional framework concerning Pakistani students studying abroad.

He further informed the High Commissioner that, on the Prime Minister’s directives, the committee had finalized its recommendations on the matter, and work was underway to further improve the legal and institutional framework for Pakistani students pursuing education abroad.

The Federal Minister said that the legal and institutional framework for Pakistani students seeking education abroad was being improved to develop an effective mechanism for addressing the issues faced by students.

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott assured the Federal Minister that the issue of delays in visas for Pakistani students would be addressed.

The meeting also discussed further strengthening educational linkages between Pakistan and the United Kingdom, as well as enhancing institutional cooperation and engagement between the two countries.

Minister of State for Law, Justice and Human Rights Barrister Aqeel Malik was also present during the meeting.

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Naqvi Sets September 30 Deadline for Completion of Islamabad Safe City Expansion

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, accompanied by Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry, visited the Islamabad Safe City Headquarters on Friday and chaired a special meeting to review progress on the Safe City Expansion Project, directing officials to complete the ambitious initiative by September 30.

During the briefing, officials informed the minister that overall work on the expansion project has reached 85 percent completion. Installation of the new surveillance network is also 85 percent complete, while 415 kilometres of optical fibre have been laid to support the upgraded system. Work on the data centre, cyber architecture, and cybersecurity infrastructure has also reached approximately 80 percent completion.

Expressing satisfaction over the pace of work, Naqvi stressed that the remaining tasks must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

He said the government’s vision is to transform the Islamabad Safe City into a modern, smart, and world-class institution comparable to those in developed countries.

The interior minister said the technologically advanced Safe City system would significantly strengthen public safety through enhanced surveillance, effective monitoring, and rapid emergency response capabilities.

He noted that the project would play a vital role in improving law enforcement efficiency and ensuring better security for residents of the federal capital.

Naqvi also assigned officials the task of completing the state-of-the-art Fusion Centre within the next three months, describing it as a critical component of the upgraded Safe City network.

He further directed the relevant authorities to finalise the Safe City Bill at the earliest and present it before the National Assembly without delay to provide the legal framework necessary for the project’s long-term operation and expansion.

The meeting was attended by the Federal Secretary for Interior, the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), senior Safe City officials, and other relevant officers, who briefed the minister on the progress and future roadmap of the expansion project.

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PM Shehbaz, high-level delegation perform Umrah; pray for country’s progress

MAKKAH AL-MUKARRAMAH: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, along with his high-level delegation, performed Umrah here on Friday.

He was accompanied by his delegation including Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, federal ministers Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Attaullah Tarar, and Special Assistant to PM Tariq Fatemi.

The door of Khana Kaaba was opened specially for the prime minister and his delegation.

Following the completion of the Umrah rituals, the prime minister, field marshal, and other members of the Pakistani delegation offered special prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country, the safety and unity of the Muslim Ummah, and for regional and global peace.

The prime minister arrived in Jeddah on Thursday evening for a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Besides meeting with his Saudi counterpart, he will also pay a visit to the Roze-e-Rasool (PBUH) in Madinah.