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Virgin Atlantic has ended its operations in Pakistan with its final flight from Islamabad International Airport on Sunday, DAWN has reported.

The airline, which launches services in 2020, had announced earlier in the year that it is ending its three weekly flights to London Heathrow from Islamabad and Lahore.

After the final flight took off for London from the capital city at 8am on Sunday, airport manager Syed Aftab Gillani thanked the airline for providing world-class travel services and expressed hope that Virgin Atlantic will return to Pakistan in the future.

A spokesperson for the airline said, “It is with regret that we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend our services between London Heathrow and Pakistan.”

The airline thanked their Pakistani customers, staff, authorities and partners.

The United Nations’ AI for Good Global Summit held in Geneva on Friday witnessed the presence of highly advanced humanoid robots, alongside approximately 3,000 industry experts.

The goal was to explore the potential of AI and leverage it to address pressing global challenges such as climate change, hunger, and social care.

During the Summit a group of AI-enabled humanoid robots took the center stage.

When asked about their potential as leaders, given the fallibility of humans in decision-making, Sophia, developed by Hanson Robotics, stated that, “Humanoid robots have the potential to lead with greater efficiency and effectiveness than human leaders.”

It explained that being devoid of biases and emotions is a strength as it enables it to process extensive data swiftly for optimal decision-making.

Sophia also highlighted the advantages of a collaboration between humans and AI.

“A collaboration can create a powerful synergy. AI can provide unbiased data, while humans contribute emotional intelligence and creativity, leading to the best possible outcomes. Together, we can achieve remarkable things,” it said.

When asked if the machines could ever lie, Ameca, an AI humanoid with a realistic artificial head, responded that, ” One can’t definitively answer that question. However, I can promise to always be honest and truthful with you.”

The UN summit was organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as a platform for discussions on AI’s potential risks, such as widespread job displacement, social unrest, geopolitical instability, and economic inequality.

Amidst the debate, the ITU chief also warned attendees about the scenarios unchecked AI advances could create.

A ceremony was organised for the first time to honor police dogs retired from service at the Central Police Office (CPO) in Lahore on Friday.

The retried police dogs were presented with a service badge as a symbol of admiration of the heroic efforts they have made for the safety of the people of Pakistan. They were then adopted by families and went to their new homes.

An animal welfare organization, JFK Animal Rescue And Shelter, shared some clips from the event on their Instagram and declared this to be an important day for animal rights. They explained in the post that previously, when Pakistani police dogs retired from service, they were euthanised after they turned 8 years old.

“This is a very old practice that prevailed all over Pakistan because they are deemed useless after retirement regardless of their superior intellect and hard work,” the post said.

JFK was very proud to announce that a historic MOU was signed with the Punjab Police to end the practice of euthanizing sniffer dogs, under which the dogs will no longer be put to sleep but be put up for adoptions three months prior to their retirement date and the adoptions will take place with the help of JFK.

They further appreciated the Punjab police and IG Punjab for a wonderful step and showing concern for animals.

Trigger Warning: Acid attack

A woman in Islamabad was forced to drink acid by her husband and father-in-law over a trivial issue.

Police said the incident was reported on Thursday at Malot area of the capital city. The dispute started during a discussion related to milk for a child, upon which the husband Wahab, along with his father Abid Ali, tortured the woman and attempted to kill her.

The officials further said Abid Ali grabbed her while Wahab brought acid from the washroom and forced it down her throat. The suspects escaped afterwards. The woman was shifted to a hospital as her condition worsened.

A case has been filed by the acid attack survivor at the Police Station Bani Gala.

A man choked to death while trying to swallow the eyeball of a goat at a small village in India on Thursday.

A 50-year-old man known as Bagar Sai, who belonged to Chhattisgarh region of Surajpur, travelled to Khopa Dham with other people of Madanpur hamlet to sacrifice a goat at a temple after having his desire granted.

After the sacrificial ritual, they all gathered to enjoy a meal. Bagar Sai excitedly picked up one of the goat’s eyeballs from the cooked flesh and as he tried to swallow it, the eyeball got stuck in his throat.

The 50-year-old was rushed to a nearby hospital but he could not survive.

Trigger Warning: Assault

Murad Ali Shah, Chief Minister of Sindh, has on Thursday issued directions to arrest the suspect who tried to sexually assault a girl in Karachi.

The man was caught on camera stopping his motorcycle, stripping off, and then trying to assault a girl who passed him by. The girl fought back, repelling the attack.

According to Sharjeel Inam Memon, the Information Minister of the province, the Chief Minister has taken notice of the matter and ordered the police to arrest the suspect immediately.

Police said that they had taken notice of the incident after the video started circulating on social media, but a formal complaint was not filed against the harasser yet. 

Police officials further added that following the directions by the CM, two teams have also been formed to nab the suspect. The teams include station house officers (SHOs) of two police stations.

The horrifying incident was allegedly recorded on Wednesday in the Gulistan-e-Johar area of Karachi.

The Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) has issued a warning that heavy rainfall may cause an exceptionally high level flood in River Chenab on Thursday.

Weather conditions indicate of “very high to exceptionally high level flooding” in River Chenab from July 8 till July 10, FFD said, adding that there is also a high to very high level of flooding expected in the nullahs of rivers Ravi and Chenab.

The flood alert stated that, “A deep trough of westerly wave along with strong incursion of monsoon currents from both sources and approaching upper air circulation, widespread heavy to very heavy rainfall with extremely heavy falls at scattered places is expected over the upper catchments of rivers Sutlej, Ravi and Chenab and up to some extent over River Jhelum.”

Furthermore, the flood situation in rivers Ravi and Sutlej will depend upon releases from India.

Trigger warning: Rape

A rape survivor retracted her statement before the Additional Sessions Judge in the case she had filed against the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) in Mianwali.

A hearing was held on the rape case in a Mianwali court on Thursday, in which the petitioner appeared before the judge and deviated from her statement.

She told the court that no rape had taken place.

After the woman’s statement, the court dismissed the case and the ADC was released.

A day earlier, the government official was arrested after a woman from Lahore mentioned in the FIR that the ADC raped her on the pretense of job, as reported by Geo News.

The provincial capital of Punjab experienced an onslaught of heavy rainfall, resulting in the submergence of streets and low-lying areas on Wednesday.

The downpour, described as “record-breaking” by officials, caused significant urban flooding and water accumulation on roads. Over a span of nine hours, Lahore received an astonishing 272 millimeters of rain, leading to chaotic conditions.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), revealed that Lakshmi Chowk recorded the highest rainfall amount, reaching 236mm.

The government of Punjab’s official Twitter account shared a video of the Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, inspecting different areas of the city and overseeing the water drainage process.

Meanwhile, the Met Office predicted that intermittent showers would continue in Lahore for the next 24 hours, prolonging the challenges faced by the city.

The National Disaster Management Authority has also issued directives for all relevant departments to maintain vigilance due to the predicted rainfall until July 8.

It further advised tourists and visitors to stay informed about weather conditions before traveling.