Zelensky denies Russian capture of key eastern city Kostiantynivka
Ukraine still controls the strategically important eastern city of Kostiantynivka, President Volodymyr Zelensky and the General Staff said on Saturday, rejecting Russian claims that it has been captured. Russia’s military told President Vladimir Putin on Friday that its forces had taken control of Kostiantynivka, a target that Moscow has long sought in its advance through the Donetsk region. “Of course, that is not true. It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story,” Zelensky said on X. “If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war,” he added, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The General Staff also said Kostiantynivka remained under the control of Ukrainian forces. “Military units and subunits of the 19th Army Corps of the Eastern Grouping continue to conduct defensive operations on designated lines within the town and on its approaches,” it said in a statement. Kostiantynivka is the southernmost of four key settlements that form a defensive line central to Ukraine’s effort to hold the heavily industrialised Donetsk region. Analysts say capturing Kostiantynivka would give Russian forces a foothold from which to push north along the defensive belt, now the main axis of their campaign. Russia’s military has for some time reported controlling parts of Kostiantynivka, one of several heavily fortified cities that make up Ukraine’s so-called “fortress belt” in Donetsk.
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Outgoing UK PM Starmer says successor cannot spend less time on foreign affairs
Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said whoever succeeds him would have to devote as much time to international crises and diplomacy as he did, rejecting suggestions Britain’s next leader could focus more heavily on domestic issues. Starmer, who announced last month that he would step down after two years in office, said in a BBC interview on Friday that foreign and domestic policy could not be separated as Britain faced an increasingly volatile world. “There’s often this discussion —what’s the right balance between dealing with international affairs and dealing with domestic affairs? They’re one and the same thing,” he said. Asked whether a prime minister could spend less time on diplomacy than he had, Starmer replied: “No, I don’t think it is possible.” Starmer has faced criticism f...
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PM Shehbaz invites Turkish companies to expand investments in Pakistan
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday invited Turkish companies to expand their investments in several sectors in Pakistan, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatisation. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the development came as the premier held a series of meetings with senior executives from Turkiye’s leading business groups and industry organisations in Istanbul during his official trip. The statement said PM Shehbaz reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to “strengthening economic cooperation and attracting greater Turkish investment across key sectors of the economy”. He also underscored the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan...
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MQM-P warns of protest if Centre does not ensure implementation of 2022 agreement with PPP
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Saturday warned of issuing a protest call if the Centre did not ensure that the party’s 2022 agreement with the PPP on various provincial issues was implemented. The MQM-P and PPP had signed an 18-point agreement on March 30, 2022 — just before the two joined hands with other parties to remove PTI’s Imran Khan as the prime minister. The MQM-P’s demands ranged from municipal government structure to future power-sharing formula and recruitment policy in Sindh to local policing system. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Farooq Sattar referred to that deal as the “last agreement between the MQM-P and PPP”. He stressed that his party had not demanded to be included in the provincial government or sought authority over Sindh’s resources....
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Ghotki resident arrested for forging letter claiming to be National Assembly employee
The National Assembly (NA) Secretariat said on Saturday that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested a resident of Ghotki who had forged an appointment letter and used it to “obtain undue privileges”. In a statement, the NA Secretariat said that a person named Abdul Wajid, a resident of Ghotki, falsely represented himself as a Grade-17 employee and used a forged appointment letter issued in the name of the secretariat, which also bore forged signatures of Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. “According to reports, the said individual not only misled government officials and police authorities by claiming this fake status and allegedly obtained undue privileges and protocol, but was also reportedly involved in harassing and pressuring citizens through various means, causing concern and unrest...
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Huge crowds gather in Iran as funeral ceremonies for assassinated supreme leader begin
Funeral ceremonies for Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on the first day of the Middle East conflict — officially began on Saturday, state television reported, an event drawing thousands and intended to serve as a show of strength to the Islamic republic’s foes. Iranian authorities said they anticipate between 15 and 20 million participants in Tehran alone over the next three days for tributes to the man who ran the country for three-and-a-half decades. Six days of funeral ceremonies are planned to commemorate Khamenei, who ruled the Islamic republic as its number one from 1989 until his assassination aged 86 on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran on February 28. The events will be scrutinised in particular for any signs ...
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In speech dripping with patriotism, Trump says American identity under 'renewed attack' as US turns 250
US President Donald Trump lashed out on Friday at what he called a fresh threat against the country’s identity, taking aim at domestic “radicals and extremists” on the eve of America’s 250th birthday. In a speech dripping with patriotism, Trump lauded American exceptionalism and praised its past leaders, speaking at Mount Rushmore with its giant carved heads of four of his legendary predecessors. But he added at the foot of the iconic monument: “As we approach this magnificent anniversary, we see our American identity under a renewed attack.” He charged that there was “a resurgence of the communist menace in our land”. It is a theme that Trump has repeatedly hammered home in recent weeks, as the anti-establishment left of the Democratic Party carried a surge of US primary victories. The...
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Punjab replaces Pindi commissioner, deputy commissioner, city police officer
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government made a major reshuffle in Rawalpindi administration and police on Friday night, replacing commissioner, deputy commissioner, city police officer, chief traffic police, and revenue officials. Commissioner Abdul Aamer Khattak transferred and asked to report to Services and General Administration with immediate effect, while Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema is asked to report to Services and General Administration, and Capt (retired) Nadeem Nasir, who was serving as Deputy Commissioner in Faisalabad, was appointed Deputy Commissioner Rawalpindi. Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Capt (retired) Sheheryar Sherazi is transferred and asked to serve in Services and General Administration, and replaced by Capt (retired) Tayyab Sami Khan, while Ass...
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Prosecution seeks inclusion of Gul Plaza inquiry report in charge sheet
KARACHI: The prosecution has once again returned the charge sheet submitted by the investigating officer in the Gul Plaza case, as he failed to include the judicial commission’s report and to remove several defects earlier pointed out by the prosecution. In his third attempt to submit the charge sheet, the IO had fixed the responsibility on four union officials — Tanveer Pasta, Amar Ismail, Muhammad Ramazan and Muhammad Ameen — as well as the owner of an artificial flower shop, Naimatullah and his teenage son, placing them as absconders under Section 512 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the report. He had charged them for committing offences under Sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 337-H (punishment for hurt...
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Poland’s Bargiel makes history by skiing 8,000m peaks without oxygen
Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel poses for a photo while climbing Nanga Parbat.—Photo by the writer GILGIT: Polish ski mountaineer Andrzej Bargiel has made history by skiing down from the summit of Nanga Parbat (8,126 metres) without using supplementary oxygen. Seven Summit Treks announced the achievement in a statement on Friday, saying that the 38-year-old Polish climber reached the summit of Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen before completing a full, uninterrupted ski descent to Base Camp on June 30, 2026. “Climbing without supplemental oxygen, he reached the summit of Nanga Parbat and then completed a full, uninterrupted ski descent all the way back to Base Camp on June 30, 2026,” the statement said. “Seven Summit Treks is incredibly proud to have organised and supporte...
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PPP ticket picks trigger legal challenge, fresh controversy
MUZAFFARABAD: The PPP’s selection of candidates for the forthcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections ran into controversy on Friday as the opposition announced plans to seek contempt proceedings over one nominee’s disputed State Subject status, while the ruling party also reversed its decisions on candidates in two other constituencies. The legal challenge was announced by Syed Shoukat Ali Shah, the PML-N candidate for LA-42 (Kashmir Valley-III), who said he would move the AJK Supreme Court against the PPP’s regional leadership, including Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, for awarding the party ticket to his rival, Asim Sharif Butt, despite official inquiries declaring the latter’s State Subject certificate invalid. Mr Butt, a resident of Multan, was elected from the refugee ...
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Courts must not rely solely on nikahnama in marriage disputes: LHC
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that in disputes involving alleged love marriages and claims of abduction or forced marriage, courts must examine the entire chain of surrounding circumstances instead of relying solely on documentary evidence such as a nikahnama (marriage certificate). In a judgement authored by Justice Anwaar Hussain, the LHC dismissed a petition filed by Muhammad Jamil challenging an appellate court decree in favour of a woman who had sought a decree of jactitation of marriage (takzeeb-i-nikah), maintaining that she had been abducted and forced into marriage against her will. The judge framed the principal legal question as: “What is the correct approach for a court while appreciating evidence in cases where an alleged love marriage is relied upon by one ...
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UK in talks with Pakistan over deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader: report
The UK government is in talks with Pakistan over the possibility of deporting a leader of the Rochdale grooming gang to the country, the BBC reported on Friday. Shabbir Ahmed, who has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, was released from prison this week after his 2012 conviction on multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. British officials told his victims that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because of a 55-year-old law barring his removal. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the home secretary to review Ahmed’s case following calls for his deportation from the UK. The BBC reported that Andy Burnham, who is widely tipped as a future leader, was among those calling for Ahmed to be deported. “We have raised this issue with our counterparts in...
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Tibetan activist dies after self-immolation near UN HQ in New York
WASHINGTON: Police in New York City said on Thursday a man died from severe burns near the United Nations headquarters, and activists and a media outlet of exiled Tibetans identified him as a Tibetan who set himself on fire in an appeal for independence. A New York City Police Department spokesman said police, responding to an emergency call made around 6:30pm ET (2230 GMT) on Thursday, found the man badly burned. He was taken to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said, adding an investigation was ongoing. Police did not name the man and did not provide any potential motive for his action. Voice of Tibet, a media outlet of exiled Tibetans, said Tibetan activist Lobga Rangzen “self-immolated outside the UN headquarters in New York after a live appeal for Tibetan indep...
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Danger abounds as Lahore expands onto Ravi’s turf
• Comparison of satellite imagery from 1990 and 2025 reveals rapid urban growth into river’s natural floodplain• Suparco warns floodwaters more likely to overtop banks, inundate settlements• Experts stress need for detailed hydrological studies before using floodplain for urban or agri-expansion• RUDA claims measures in place to protect developed areas in case of future floods AN ANALYSIS of satellite imagery spanning 35 years has revealed rapid urban expansion into the floodplain of the River Ravi, raising concerns that land that appears dry for much of the year is gradually losing its ability to accommodate floodwaters during extreme monsoon events. Official imagery, released by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on its web portal ‘Space4Climate’, allo...
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Govt slashes petrol, diesel prices by Rs1.97
ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday cut the price of both petrol and diesel by Rs1.97 per litre, with immediate effect for the week ending July 10, to pass on part of the impact of lower global prices over the past week. As such, the ex-depot price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was set at Rs309.50 for the next week instead of Rs311.47 at present, down Rs1.97. The diesel price has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3. Its price had started rising from Rs281 per litre after the US-Iran war broke out on February 28. HSD is considered the most inflationary fuel given its widespread use in freight transportation. The ex-depot rate of petrol was set at Rs297.53 per litre for the next week against Rs299.50 at present, showing a decrease of Rs1.97. The petrol price had peaked at R...
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UK in talks with Pakistan over deportation of Rochdale grooming gang leader: BBC
The UK government is in talks with Pakistan over the possibility of deporting a leader of the Rochdale grooming gang to the country, the BBC reported on Friday. Shabbir Ahmed, who has dual British-Pakistani citizenship, was released from prison this week after his 2012 conviction on multiple counts of rape and sexual offences against girls. British officials told his victims that Ahmed could not be deported to Pakistan because of a 55-year-old law barring his removal. However, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has asked the home secretary to review Ahmed’s case following calls for his deportation from the UK. The BBC reported that Andy Burnham, who is widely tipped as a future leader, was among those calling for Ahmed to be deported. “We have raised this issue with our counterparts in...
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Dashing Djokovic matches Federer with 105th Wimbledon match win
Novak Djokovic has spent the latter half of his glittering career equalling records set by former rival Roger Federer, and the Serb was at it again as he notched up win number 105 at Wimbledon to reach the fourth round on Friday. The 39-year-old, eyeing Federer’s men’s record eight Wimbledon singles crowns, suffered a third-set wobble against dangerous Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech and was pushed hard before closing out a 7-5 6-4 1-6 7-6(4) Centre Court victory. Another one against Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin will take him to second alone on the all-time Wimbledon match win list behind only Martina Navratilova’s 120. “I propose a match-up between Roger and me for 106,” seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic joked in his on-court interview after celebrating the win with some “d...
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PM Shehbaz arrives in Turkiye on official visit
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Istanbul on Friday for an official visit to Turkiye at the invitation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said a statement by the government. The premier, earlier today attended the funeral Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated in a US-Israeli strike on February 28. After paying his respects, the prime minister departed for Istanbul. At Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, the premier was received by Turkish Minister of Trade Professor Dr Omer Bolat, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkiye Dr Yusuf Junaid, and officials from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistani embassy. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar are accompanying the p...
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Sukkur-Hyderabad M-6 motorway project split into five sections, NA body informed
ISLAMABAD: The multi-billion-rupee Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M-6) project, the construction of which is scheduled to begin in the current fiscal year, has been split into five sections. This was revealed during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Communications on Friday, chaired by its chairman, Aijaz Hussain Jakhrani. Reviewing the latest progress on the M-6 project, the committee was informed that the project comprises five sections: Hyderabad–Tando Adam, Tando Adam–Nawabshah, Nawabshah–Naushahro Feroze, Naushahro Feroze–Ranipur, and Ranipur–Sukkur. The project has already been delayed by more than five years due to several factors. The committee was informed that Rs30 billion had been allocated in the current financial year against a total requirement of Rs70 b...
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40 killed, 8 injured as passenger bus falls into ravine near Balochistan-KP border
QUETTA: Forty people were killed and eight others injured when a Peshawar-bound passenger bus fell into a ravine just as it left the Dhanasar area of Balochistan’s Sherani district and crossed the provincial border into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Friday, officials said. The number of casualties was first shared in a statement by the Balochistan chief minister’s aide for media and political affairs, Shahid Rind, who cited initial reports. It was later also confirmed by the KP Rescue 112. Rind’s statement said rescue efforts were initiated soon after the accident on Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti’s directives. “The district administrations from both provinces, rescue and other relevant departments are providing assistance to the affected persons,” the statement sai...
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Unidentified quadcopter crashes on rooftop of house in Islamabad’s Humak locality
ISLAMABAD: A quadcopter flown from an unidentified location crash-landed on the rooftop of a house in the capital’s rural area. Police said that a resident of the house, located in Model Town Humak, informed them about the quadcopter’s crash landing. After receiving the information, police reached the house and cordoned off the area, and confiscated the quadcopter. A police official said that efforts were under way to identify and trace the location from where the quadcopter was flown. He added that attempts were also under way to trace and identify the persons who flew it. Earlier in March, security sources said that two rudimentary drones were intercepted at different locations adjacent to Rawalpindi but were successfully brought down through electronic countermeasures. Security sourc...
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EPA Punjab launches skimming boat to remove plastic waste from Lahore Canal
LAHORE: Punjab’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday launched its first skimming boat designed to remove plastic waste from canals and rivers, in a major step towards tackling plastic pollution. The boat will begin operations as a pilot project in the Lahore Canal, marking the introduction of a technology-based solution to address water pollution in the province. EPA Punjab officials said the skimming boat, with a waste collection bin installed at its front, would play a vital role in collecting floating plastic waste from waterways, supporting the province’s broader campaign against plastic pollution. They noted that the pilot project would help assess the effectiveness of the technology before its potential expansion to other canals and rivers across Punjab. The announceme...
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IHC suspends National Highway Authority notification to impose 50pc additional toll on vehicles without M-Tag
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday suspended the operation of a National Highway Authority (NHA) notification that imposed an additional 50 per cent toll on vehicles travelling on motorways without an M-Tag or with insufficient balance in their M-Tag accounts. The interim order was passed by IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir after hearing a petition filed by advocate Muhammad Jalal Haider, who had challenged the legality of the notification issued by the NHA on May 30, 2025. The court issued notices to the respondents, including the federation and the NHA, directing them to file a report and para-wise comments within a fortnight. The case was adjourned until August 3. Pending further proceedings, the court ordered that the impugned notification “shall remain suspended”. ...
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FIA arrests five in Islamabad for alleged smuggling of human placenta: report
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is investigating a syndicate suspected of smuggling alleged human placenta from hospitals to produce anti-ageing injections, the BBC reported on Friday. According to the BBC, officials uncovered 500 kilogrammes of what is believed to be human placenta during a raid on an illegal processing facility in Islamabad last week, leading to the arrest of five people. Photographs shared by the agency showed trays of dried placenta arranged in trolley carts inside a house that had been “converted into a facility for storing and processing placenta,” the report added. FIA officials were also reported to have intercepted a 100kg shipment of placenta at Islamabad airport on Wednesday, which was bound for Vietnam. The five suspects bought the placenta from hospi...
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India approves buying $5.46 billion in military equipment
India approved on Friday the purchase of a range of military equipment for its defence forces worth $5.46 billion, including missiles, electronic warfare systems and Kamikaze drones. The acquisition was approved “in-principle” by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) comprising top military officers and headed by the defence minister, according to a government statement. The statement said the estimated cost of the deal would be about INR520 billion. It did not specify the period over which the acquisitions would be made or whether the systems approved for purchase will be imported or domestically produced. New Delhi over the last decade has sought to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning to other countries like the United States a...
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Lahore police register case against five suspects over abduction, sexual assault of two foreign women
LAHORE: Police in the provincial capital on Thursday registered a case against five suspects on charges of kidnapping for ransom and sexually assaulting two foreign women. The Police Emergency Helpline 15 received a call from Spain, made by the father of one of the women, reporting the incident. The alleged victims, who are nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, had come to Pakistan to visit their ‘friends’. DIG Faisal Kamran told Dawn that police acted accordingly, dispatched a team of senior officials, recovered the women, arrested four suspects and lodged an FIR. He said the suspects had been tracked and apprehended with the help of the Punjab Safe City Authority’s cameras installed in the city. The recovered foreign women were later produced before a judicial magistrate at Cant...
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Submarine cable fault may cause intermittent internet disruption: PTA
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Thursday it was closely monitoring internet traffic disruptions caused by a fault in the SEA-ME-WE 5 (SMW5) international submarine cable system, which was likely to cause intermittent degradation in service quality and connectivity. The telecom authority added that Transworld Associates (TWA) is coordinating with the SMW5 consortium to “identify the root cause of the fault” and determine the estimated time for restoration. According to its website, TWA is the only private-sector operator with exclusive ownership of submarine fibre-optic cable systems. “In the meantime, internet traffic is being rerouted through alternate international links to minimise the impact and ensure service continuity to the greatest extent possi...
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Economic reform: German workers will no longer be able to call in sick
Germany’s ruling coalition has agreed on sweeping tax, labour and pension reforms, including scrapping the right to obtain sick notes by telephone to reduce worker absenteeism in the country. “We are working to increase the flexibility of our businesses,” Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Thursday during a press conference in Berlin after lengthy talks between his centre-right CDU/CSU alliance and their coalition partners, the centre-left SPD. “We are working to cut red tape. We are working to protect our welfare state, and we are working to ease the burden on employees and companies by lowering taxes,” said Merz, who had promised a “great leap forward” for German growth. The package includes income tax cuts worth 10 billion euros ($11.4bn), to be financed by higher taxes on those earning ...
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Rescuers dig out Venezuelan man eight days after quakes; death toll nears 2,300
Hundreds of rescuers in Venezuela cheered and embraced Thursday after pulling a 43-year-old man alive from the ruins of a collapsed building eight days after deadly twin earthquakes, AFP journalists witnessed. With the official death toll nearing 2,300 and huge numbers of people still missing, the rescue of security guard Hernan Gil after so long under the rubble was greeted as a miracle. Gil was brought out on a stretcher after a painstaking operation to extract him from the collapsed seven-story building where he worked in Catia La Mar, a coastal area almost entirely razed to the ground in the June 24 catastrophe. “This is truly a miracle,” Gil’s wife Gusbimar Gonzalez told AFP before his rescue. “I’m completely amazed because it’s the first time I’ve seen so many countries come toget...
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Govt decides to extend Murree Expressway by 70km to Muzaffarabad
ISLAMABAD: The government on Thursday decided to extend the Murree Expressway by 70 kilometres to Muzaffarabad during a National Highway Authority (NHA) meeting chaired by Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan. Work on the road has been ongoing under Khan’s tenure, including when he visited the expressway last November to review beautification, rehabilitation and improvement works along the route. According to the communications ministry, Khan presided over the meeting to review the authority’s financial close and map out strategic infrastructure priorities for the current fiscal year. In a decision aimed at boosting regional connectivity, the minister announced a 70km extension of the Murree Expressway (N-75) to Muzaffarabad. The expansion will effectively connect Azad Jammu and Kas...
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AJK Supreme Court defers hearing on petition against PTI’s provisional registration
MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Supreme Court on Thursday deferred hearing on the Election Commission’s application seeking ex parte ad interim relief against a high court order directing the provisional registration of PTI as a political party. A full court comprising Chief Justice Raja Saeed Akram, Justice Raza Ali Khan and Justice Khalid Yousaf Chaudhary ruled that the application would be heard along with the Election Commission’s petition for leave to appeal (PLA) after the latter completes scrutiny in the court’s registry. On June 23, the AJK High Court had directed the commission to provisionally register PTI as a political party, effectively suspending the commission’s May 16 decision rejecting the party’s registration application. Challenging the order, the Elect...
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30pc of MNAs record ‘perfect attendance’ in National Assembly budget session; 2pc skip all
ISLAMABAD: Ninety-nine members of the National Assembly, or 30 per cent of the House, attended all 15 sittings of the 28th session, while six MNAs, or 2pc, did not attend any sitting, a Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen) report released for the budget session revealed. The 15-sitting session from June 10 to 24 had 333 members, with three general seats vacant. Overall, 234 MNAs, or 70pc, skipped at least one sitting, the report stated. The 13th sitting, which saw voting on demands for grants and consideration of a standing committee report on the budget for FY27, recorded the highest attendance of 75pc, with 300 MNAs present. Statistics of MNAs’ attendance during the 28th National Assembly session from June 10 to 24, based on NA data. — screengrab from Fafen report According to Fafen...
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Nine Thai monks killed after boy drives truck into procession
An 11-year-old boy drove his parents’ truck into a Buddhist procession in Thailand on Thursday, killing nine monks and seriously injuring around 10 others, police and local authorities said. A group of 35 monks and five lay followers were walking along a roadside in northeastern Mukdahan province during a pilgrimage when the incident occurred. “I saw a boy driving a pickup truck, approaching. At that moment I was chanting ‘Buddho, Buddho’ (a meditation mantra),” one monk, identified as Phra Sompong, said in a video posted online by local rescue workers. “Then suddenly the truck hit at full speed and crashed us,” he said. “Luckily another monk and I managed to jump out of the way in time,” he added. “The first nine monks in line survived. But others who were hit were thrown into the air....
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Child killed, 5 people injured in roof collapse incident in Lahore
LAHORE: A child was killed and at least five people were injured after the roof of an under-construction building collapsed in Lahore’s Baghbanpura neighbourhood on Thursday, police said. An update issued by the Baghbanpura police said an eight-year-old boy died, while four men and a child were injured. Speaking to the media, Baghbanpura Station House Officer (SHO) Rizwan Khan said the school administration was expanding its 14-marla building by constructing a two-marla structure. “During the construction of the aforesaid area, rubble from the roof fell on the road, killing a young boy and injuring a bike rider along with the construction workers,” he added. Footage showed multiple women, who were reportedly from the adjacent school, being taken away in a police van. However, the SHO de...
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Security forces foil attempts to blow up girls' school, bridge in KP's Bannu
BANNU: Two separate attempts by terrorists to destroy civilian infrastructure in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district were foiled on Thursday. The terrorists targeted a government girls’ school and a bridge in the district. According to local sources, explosives planted at the school partially damaged the building. Security forces responded promptly and prevented what could have been a major incident. Terrorists also planted explosives under a bridge in an attempt to destroy it and disrupt movement in the area. According to officials, a barrel filled with explosives was placed beneath the bridge. Upon receiving information about the device, security forces reached the site, where a bomb disposal unit successfully defused it. Security forces said around 50kg of explosives had been planted...
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Education, health fees among key concerns
China to legislate on preschool education
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International group praises green revival
A high-level international advisory body applauded China's efforts to improve the environment and suggested a 15-year strategy against pollution in a draft recommendation report on Monday.
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Beijing, Moscow drill for potential missile warfare
China and Russia kicked off their second joint computer-assisted anti-missile drill on Monday, a move experts said could deter potential missile threats amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
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Memorial Day a time to 'remember', 'inspire'
A memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nanjing Massacre committed during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931-45) brought together hundreds of activists and members of the Chinese and other Asian communities on Sunday in San Francisco.
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More military technologies targeted for civilian sector to boost economy
China will strengthen innovation by developing high-tech industries with military technologies to boost military-civil integration, a move that aims to cultivate new growth drivers and boost the economy, said a recent State Council guideline.
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