Category: Uncategorized

  • Euro Cup: Netherlands and Turkey Advance to Quarter-Finals

    Euro Cup: Netherlands and Turkey Advance to Quarter-Finals

    The Netherlands and Turkey reached the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup. The Netherlands beating Romania 3-0 while Turkey defeated Australia by 2-1.

    The pre-quarterfinals in Munich witnessed an exhilarating first half between the Netherlands and Romania, adding to the thrill of the Euro Cup.

    In the 20th minute of the match, Kody Gepko scored to give the Netherlands the lead; Romana could not equalize until the break. In the second half, Romania played better, but in the 83rd minute, Daniel Malin scored the second goal for the Netherlands to secure the victory for his team.

    Daniel scored his second and possibly third goal in injury time to send the Netherlands into the quarter-finals.

    In the second match, Turkey beat Austria by one goal to two. The line-up of eight teams for the quarter-finals of the Euro Cup has been completed.

    It should be noted that England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey are among the top eight teams.

  • After UN body’s statement on Khan, US asks Pakistan to respect human rights

    After UN body’s statement on Khan, US asks Pakistan to respect human rights

    After the recent statement by United Nations working group on arbitrary detention calling the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in violation of international law, the US State Department has asked Pakistan to respect people’s fundamental human rights.

    Addressing a press briefing on Monday, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that US officials have consistently and privately and publicly urged Pakistani authorities to respect the rights of its people in line with its constitution and international commitments.

    A journalist asked Patel a question regarding the resolution passed by the US House of Representatives seeking an investigation into the February 8 elections but the spokesperson refused to comment on it.

    “We urge the Government of Pakistan to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of expression, freedom of association, peaceful assembly, and the freedom of religion as well,” he said.

  • At least 27 crushed to death in India religious gathering: govt

    At least 27 crushed to death in India religious gathering: govt

    At least 27 people were crushed to death at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India, with several more injured and fears the toll could rise, government medics said Tuesday.

    “We have received 27 bodies so far… bodies are still coming,” Uttar Pradesh state senior medical officer Ram Mohan Tiwari told AFP.

    Crowds had gathered to celebrate the Hindu deity Shiva in the city of Hathras, some 140 kilometres (87 miles) southeast of New Delhi.

    Umesh Kumar Tripathi, chief medical officer, told reporters the dead were 25 women and two men.

    “Many injured have also been admitted,” Tripathi said. “The primary reason is a stampede during a religious event.”

    Deadly accidents are common at places of worship in India during major religious festivals.

    At least 112 people were killed in 2016 after a huge explosion caused by a banned fireworks display at a temple marking the Hindu new year.

    The blast ripped through concrete buildings and ignited a fire at a temple complex in Kerala state, where thousands had gathered.

    Another 115 devotees died in 2013 after a stampede at a bridge near a temple in Madhya Pradesh.

    Up to 400,000 people were gathered in the area, and the stampede occurred after a rumour spread that the bridge was about to collapse.

    About 224 pilgrims died and more than 400 others were injured in a 2008 stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.

  • Targets set to control growing population in Pakistan

    Targets set to control growing population in Pakistan

    The federal government has set targets to curb population growth as part of its five-year plan.

    Sources report that the Prime Minister approved the Ministry of Planning’s proposal during the NEC meeting. According to the plan, the target is to reduce the annual population growth rate to 1.1 percent by 2030. The latest census in 2023 recorded a growth rate of 2.55 percent, one of the highest in the region.

    The Ministry of Planning is aiming to decrease the total fertility rate to 2.2 percent by 2030. In FY 2024, the rate stood at 3.32 percent.

    Sources indicate that efforts are underway to increase intentional contraception usage to 60 percent by 2030. As of FY 2024, the rate was 39.36 percent.

    It has been reported that a limited adoption of modern contraception methods has caused Pakistan to witness 2.5 million intentional abortions annually.

    As of now, Pakistan’s population is at 241.49 million according to the 2023 census.

  • KP Minster defines climate change as garbage being converted into pacifiers for children

    KP Minster defines climate change as garbage being converted into pacifiers for children

    A shocking interview of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Fazal Hakeem Khan, has shocked netizens. The interview, conducted in Pashto, shows the minister defining climate change as “ragpickers pick up junk, hand it over to industries to make pacifiers for babies who then grow up stunted.”

    The provincial minister gave an interview to a local channel, Khyber News, with the host of the programme Rafat Ullah Orazakzai, asking him to tell what climate change is – the portfolio he’s in charge of.

    The host asked the minister to explain his thoughts further, and the climate minister did not hold back.

    “Our environment is being destroyed by China and India. I will cool down certain districts so the glaciers in the country stop melting,” he said, displaying incredible ignorance of what he is supposed to govern.

    Journalist Iftikhar Firdous tweeted about the interview saying, “In the middle when he doesn’t know, the answers he shifts the topic to Imran Khan’s imprisonment and why people love him. These are the people who run this system we expect to deliver.”

  • Nine terrorists killed in two separate operations in KP

    Nine terrorists killed in two separate operations in KP

    Security forces have killed nine terrorists, including two “high-value targets” in two separate operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), the Inter-Services Public Relations said on Monday.

    The eliminated militants were actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area and were wanted by law enforcement agencies. Weapons, ammunition and explosives were recovered from them after the operation.

    Sanitisation operations are being conducted to eliminate any terrorist found in the area as the security forces are determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country, the military’s media wing concluded.

    Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terrorist attacks since the interim government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan was established in 2021.

    Pakistan has time and again raised its concerns with the interim Taliban government over the use of Afghan soil by various militant organisations including the TTP to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

  • Fawad Chaudhry ran like an elephant after seeing police, says Sher Afzal Marwat

    Fawad Chaudhry ran like an elephant after seeing police, says Sher Afzal Marwat

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Sher Afzal Marwat has lambasted former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, stating that Fawad has no right to criticize PTI’s current leadership.

    Talking to the media, Sher Afzal Marwat said, “I witnessed Fawad Chaudhary running like an elephant after seeing police outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC),” asking that Fawad should keep his advice to himself.

    On May 16 last year, Fawad Chaudhry ran away to avoid arrest outside IHC after seeing police. After that, in relief, IHC barred police from arresting the former information minister in any case for two days.    

    “We stuck by Imran Khan in hard times and did not run away like Fawad Chaudhry,” Marwat told journalists.

    Chaudhry said on Sunday that PTI leaders currently leading the party have no political strategy, adding that there is no chance of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s release in the current leadership’s presence.

    In response to Marwat, Fawad Chaudhry wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “The people who make fun of violence against others are the political team of torturers. We faced the worst violence and were put in jails so that a team could be made who could keep Imran Khan in jail. The veil will be lifted from their faces soon.”

  • UN working group says Imran Khan ‘illegally’ detained; must be released immediately

    UN working group says Imran Khan ‘illegally’ detained; must be released immediately

    United Nations Rights Working Group published an opinion on Monday in favour of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan remarking that his detention is arbitrary and in violation of international law.

    The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention stated, “Appropriate remedy would be to release Mr Khan immediately and accord him an enforceable right to compensation and other reparations, in accordance with international law.”

    It also said that the legal proceedings against Khan were part of a much larger “campaign of repression” against him and PTI.

    It also stated that in the lead-up to the 2024 general elections, Khan’s party members were arrested and tortured, and their rallies were disrupted.

    The UN group further alleged that “Widespread fraud on election day, stealing dozens of parliamentary seats,” took place.

  • Shocking: Govt has access to citizens’ messages, audio/video content, browsing history

    Shocking: Govt has access to citizens’ messages, audio/video content, browsing history

    During the court hearings of the illegal surveillance of Bushra Bibi’s case last month, the Islamabad High Court made a startling discovery, learning that the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had ordered telecom operators to finance, import, and install a system enabling mass surveillance of citizens’ data.

    The surveillance system currently in operation is known as the Lawful Intercept Management System (LIMS), the system allows access to private messages, video/audio content, call records, and web browsing histories, Geo News reported.

    Justice Babar Sattar of the IHC noted that the LIMS was being utilised by “designated agencies” for surveillance purposes.

    Justice Sattar noted that mass surveillance was illegal and it lacked any judicial or executive oversight.

  • 24 karat gold price declines by Rs200 to Rs241,500 per tola

    24 karat gold price declines by Rs200 to Rs241,500 per tola

    The price of gold in Pakistan saw a decline on Monday, with 24-karat gold being sold at Rs241,500 per tola, marking a decrease of Rs200 per tola.

    This reduction is noteworthy as the price has been maintained at Rs1,500 below its actual cost due to diminished purchasing power among consumers.

    According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the price of 24-karat gold per 10 grammes also fell, now standing at Rs207,047, a reduction of Rs172 per 10 grammes. Similarly, the price of 22-karat gold was recorded lower at Rs189,793 per 10 grammes.

    Meanwhile, silver prices in the domestic market remained stable. The price of 24-karat silver was unchanged, selling at Rs2,850 per tola and Rs2,443 per 10 grammes.

    On the international front, spot gold traded near $2,327 an ounce, an increase of $2.8 or 0.12% from the previous session.