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  • Woman escapes rape attempt in Swat

    Woman escapes rape attempt in Swat

    A man allegedly attempted to rape a woman in Mahodand, Swat. As per a Twitter thread shared by Zaki Khalid, a couple from Lahore went for a camping trip on June 18, with their colleagues.

    They booked camps from a hotel named “Khan Jee” at Mahodand lake. However, the hotel owner delayed installing the camps and after three hours, set up the camp far away from the decided location.

    The couple initially refused to go to the camp but because they had no other option available, they went to the newly installed camp.

    At night, the woman heard unzipping of their camp when a man entered their camp. She told the man to take the money, thinking he was there for mugging, but he asked her to stay quiet. Her husband woke up and found the man over his wife. He attacked the man to save his wife and the man eventually left.

    Her husband’s hand got injured during the fight and they both went outside the camp shouting for help. However, the owner of the hotel who was standing at a distance ignored them. After a few minutes, people from surrounding areas came, and one of them was the man who attacked the couple.

    The couple then went to Kalam for treatment. The people from Mahodand followed them to Kalam.

    https://twitter.com/misterzedpk/status/1539273682698358785?s=20&t=Vx__D1gYlTu4toMYKjIqvg

    A first information report (FIR) has been lodged against the accused. Two people, including the owner of the hotel ,have been arrested and the Khan Jee hotel has been sealed by the local authorities. All the owners of hotels and tent/camp facilities have been ordered to make necessary entries of their staff with the concerned police stations as well as of tourists at their hotels/facilities.

    The case is still under investigation.

    https://twitter.com/misterzedpk/status/1539335936915427329
  • Enaam Ahmed makes Pakistan proud by securing third position in recent Indy Pro 2000 Championship race

    Enaam Ahmed makes Pakistan proud by securing third position in recent Indy Pro 2000 Championship race

    A 22-year-old British-Pakistani Enaam Ahmed has secured third position in the Indy Pro 2000 Championship while racing at Road America.

    Enaam Ahmed’s historic “Road to Indy” journey led him to Wisconsin and one long and fast-flowing track called Road America at Elkhart Lake. Enaam has nearly completed an entire year of racing in the United States, and this was his first appearance at this facility, located about two hours north of Chicago.

    “We went back to, like, ninth and 10th, but I had a good car, and I fought my way back to third, which I’m happy about. I’ve missed out on a few podiums this year due to a few unlucky things, but I’m happy to be back,” stated Enaam while recalling his experience on the racetrack after bagging a third place on the podium.

    His next car race is at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course from July 1 to 3.

    Enaam began his racing career at the age of 15. His remarkable start quickly propelled him to the British Formula Three Championship, and since then the young driver hasn’t looked back. Enaam Ahmed has competed in a number of renowned events across numerous countries.

  • Samsung Galaxy S23 to get a massive camera upgrade: Leak

    Samsung Galaxy S23 to get a massive camera upgrade: Leak

    Soon after the release of the Galaxy S22 series, a source claimed that Samsung had begun “Project Diamond” development on the Galaxy S23 series. More details regarding the company’s upcoming flagship devices are now becoming available months later.

    Samsung will reportedly update the selfie camera in the vanilla and larger editions of the forthcoming Galaxy S series phones, according to a claim by GalaxyClub. The business has been utilising the same front-facing camera since 2019 for those who are unaware.

    The same 10MP selfie camera is included in every Galaxy S series phone (apart from Ultra variants), from the Galaxy S10 series to the Galaxy S22 series. Apparently, this will finally change with the coming generation.

    According to the rumour, Samsung would equip the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus with a 12MP front-facing camera. The Galaxy S23 Ultra’s selfie camera is not mentioned in any way. A 40MP front-facing camera has been standard on Ultra variants up to this point.

    The Galaxy S23 series’ 12MP selfie camera’s placement underneath the display or inside a punch-hole is unknown at this time. We anticipate learning more information about the devices in the upcoming months as their release is still over a year away.

  • French court bans ‘burkinis’ in city’s swimming pools

    French court bans ‘burkinis’ in city’s swimming pools

    Women in France will not be able to wear full-length swimsuits or ‘burkinis’ in public swimming pools. France’s high administrative court ruled on Tuesday that public swimming pools in Grenoble should not allow full-body swimsuits, including burkini, upholding a lower court ruling.

    On May 16, the City Council of Grenoble voted in favour of allowing burkini, prompting protests from conservative and far-right politicians of France who say the move has destroyed France’s principle of secularism in public life.

    What is Burkini:

    Burkini is a full body-covering swimsuit. It only has the face, hands and feet exposed. Muslim women often wear these to maintain their modesty according to their beliefs.

    The debate over burkini in France has been heating up since 2016 when a southern city tried to ban it on public beaches. On that occasion, the Conseil d’Etat declared the ban null and void, saying it violated fundamental freedoms.

    Muslim rights groups in France say that the ban on burkini limits basic human rights and it is discrimination against Muslim women.

    France is known for its Muslim discrimination laws, as it banned full-face niqab and burqa veils in public in 2010.

  • PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi gets interim bail in Rs720 million money laundering case

    PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi gets interim bail in Rs720 million money laundering case

    Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Moonis Elahi has been granted interim bail till July 4 by a banking court in a Rs720 million money laundering case against him, which was filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    The court has reportedly asked FIA to submit the record of the case and barred the agency from arresting Elahi till July 4. Moreover, it has directed Moonis to submit Rs500,000 as a surety against the bail.

    In the bail petition, Elahi argued that the money laundering case against him is politically motivated, maintaining that he is innocent.

    “The proceedings have been initiated to harass and blackmail the petitioner and his family so as to muffle their voice against the government of the day,” the petition stated.

    Terming the First Information Report (FIR) against Elahi “illegal and without lawful authority”, the petition further stated the case has no connection with matters concerning the federal government. Similarly, it stated that the FIA “does not have the jurisdiction to proceed in such matters”.

    In the petition, it is said that no evidence on record proved an offence that could be registered under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, and other sections. Furthermore, the petition underlined that the case against Elahi was registered without him “being summoned” or sent a notice after the completion of the inquiry.

    Earlier, the FIA booked Moonis, Punjab Assembly (PA) Secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti, and others on charges of money laundering.

    What is the case?

    According to the FIA’s FIR, the case against Elahi was registered in which the state has been named as the complainant. The agency said that it has “solid evidence” against the PML-Q leader.

    According to the FIR, proceedings against Moonis under the Money Laundering Act started during former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s tenure. Last year, Khan had tasked the FIA to investigate the sugar crisis throughout the country and find out who benefitted from it.

    Following this, the FIA released a report claiming that some of Khan’s own party members and Moonis were among those who had allegedly gained from the sugar crisis in Pakistan.

  • ‘Shehbaz Sharif should be allowed at least one year to serve the nation’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘Shehbaz Sharif should be allowed at least one year to serve the nation’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said that Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif should be allowed at least one year to “serve the nation”. Bilawal was speaking at a gathering commemorating his late mother and former premier Benazir Bhutto’s 69th birthday in Larkana.

    “Give this government some time to carry out economic and electoral reforms. We will then hopefully come out of the mess left behind by the selected government,” said Bilawal, adding that the previous government had been in power for four years.

    The foreign minister was of the view that the current economic crisis was due to Imran Khan.

    “Imran Khan had inked a wrong deal with the IMF.”

    Bilawal added that it was necessary to send the “selected government” back home because it became a threat to the economy and democracy. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team saved the country from default, he said.

     “Our slogan is ‘trade not aid’ and we are ready for economic engagement with other countries,” said Bilawal.

    The foreign minister was hopeful for more good news from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and said, “Pakistan will be out of the grey list of the FATF by October.”

  • Son files complaint against father for not allowing him to marry

    Son files complaint against father for not allowing him to marry

    A 28-year-old man in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmoodullah, has lodged a complaint against his father for not allowing him to get married. A complaint lodged by Mahmoodullah states that he is trying to avoid sinful activities but his parents do not care about him and no efforts are being made by them to get him married, BBC Urdu reports.

    Mahmoodullah’s father Moin Gul was called by the police for clarification.

    Moin said: “I am aware of my responsibilities towards my son but if he is disobedient and irresponsible, then how can I put someone’s daughter’s future at stake for him?”

    Moin Gul said that his son is a troublemaker who sometimes takes money from him and then spends it unwisely. He told the police that his son had been arrested once.

    According to DSP Asif Khan, Mahmoodullah has now promised to improve himself. His father says that if he shows responsibility, they will get Mahmoodullah married.

  • Mohammed Hanif withdraws from Germany conference after Palestinian journalist disinvited

    Mohammed Hanif withdraws from Germany conference after Palestinian journalist disinvited

    Pakistani writer Mohammed Hanif has announced that he would no longer attend a Goethe Institute conference being held in Hamburg, Germany, after Mohammed El-Kurd, a Palestinian writer and poet, was disinvited. The conference is to be held from June 23 to 26.

    “Withdrawing from @goerheinstut’s Hamburg conference where they first invited and then disinvited Palestinian journalist and poet Mohammed El Kurd. Reason is even more offensive. Apparently Kurd is not respectful enough towards Israel. How do you say bugger off in German?,” wrote Hanif.

    “Mohammed El Kurd’s house was taken over by settlers when he was elven. Kurd and his sister Muna have been protesting since they were children. Haven’t read much Goethe but I don’t think he wanted the world to be respectful towards a ruthless apartheid regime,” Hanif wrote in another tweet.

    Hanif was invited to talk about the Dynamics of Right Wing Structures.

    Goeth Institute on June 17 tweeted that El-Kurd was “not an appropriate speaker for this forum: in previous posts on social media, he had made several comments about Israel in a way the Goethe-Institut does not find acceptable”.

    Who is Mohammed El-Kurd?

    Kurd is an internationally acclaimed award-winning writer from Jerusalem-occupied Palestine. His work has been featured in numerous international outlets and he is currently the Palestine correspondent for The Nation. RIFQA, his debut collection of poetry, was published by Haymarket Books.

    Kurd has been quite vocal about Israeli occupation and atrocities in Palestine.

  • Sixth Covid wave expected, warn medical experts

    Sixth Covid wave expected, warn medical experts

    Pakistan is expecting another Covid-19 wave, according to medical experts. Karachi is the most affected city with 340 positive cases, raising Sindh’s positivity rate to 10.69 per cent in seven days.

    Medical experts say a new variant — BA.5 — is fast spreading in other countries and had been reported in Pakistan, including Karachi.

    “While other [old] sub-variants of Omicron are also being reported in Karachi, this one is more contagious since it’s a new one and has been a cause of concern in other parts of the world,” said Dr Saeed Khan, a professor of molecular pathology heading the Sindh Public Health Lab at the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), while speaking with Dawn.

    “If we don’t pay heed to medical advice and start implementing the Covid-related preventive measures seriously, the spike in cases might turn into the sixth wave of coronavirus,” he said.

    “They are genetically different, which helps them transmit fast. Other reasons include waning of vaccine immunity after six months, reluctance on part of the general public to get a booster shot and absence of Covid-19 preventive measures at public places,” said Dr Khan.

    According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 204 cases of Covid-19 with a positivity rate of 1.53 per cent were reported in Pakistan today (June 22).

  • IN PICTURES: Earthquake kills 950 people in Afghanistan

    IN PICTURES: Earthquake kills 950 people in Afghanistan

    At least 950 people have died in Afghanistan as a result of an earthquake. The earthquake was magnitude 6.1 at a depth of 51 km while the epicentre was about 44 km from Khost city in Afghanistan, said the US Geological Survey (USGS). 

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his grief over the loss of innocent lives in the earthquake. “Deeply grieved to learn about the earthquake in Afghanistan, resulting in loss of innocent lives. People in Pakistan share the grief & sorrow of their Afghan brethren. Relevant authorities working to support Afghanistan in this time of need.”

    Disturbing images of the Paktika province near the Pakistani border are being widely shared on social media, including wrecked stone dwellings, people being carried on stretchers, rubble and ruined homes.

    Helicopters are being used by the Afghan authorities in a rescue effort to transport food and medical supplies to the injured.