Tag: Top News

  • Class 10 student decapitated by 32-year-old fiance in India

    A tenth standard student was brutally murdered by her 32-year-old fiancé in Karnataka, India. The man cut off the victim’s head and threw away her body right outside her home.

    The victim was identified as 15-year-old Meena, a tenth-grade student of High School who had passed the board examination recently. She was brutally murdered by the accused Onkarappa (Papu), a resident of the village because their engagement was called off.

    The accused allegedly dragged the victim out of her house on Thursday night and massacred her in front of her parents. The incident has been registered at the police station.

    Journalist Muhammad Zubair from ALT news posted on X that the incident is not being given coverage because elections in Karnataka are over and the suspect is not a Muslim.

  • PIA staff forgets to send boy’s body with parents

    A PIA flight from Islamabad to Skardu left behind the body of a six-year-old boy at the airport on Friday, while his parents continued their journey, unaware of the horrific mistake.

    Six-year-old Mujtaba, a resident of Katshi village of Kharmang district, was diagnosed with a tumour at a hospital in Skardu a month ago. Doctors referred him to Rawalpindi for treatment. His father Muhammad Askari took him to Rawalpindi along with his wife for treatment at Benazir Bhutto Hospital. Mujtaba succumbed to his illness in the hospital on Thursday.

    The parents decided to transport the body of their child to their native village of Katshi for burial, through a PIA flight on Friday, as a 24-hour-long journey from Islamabad to Skardu by road with the body was not possible due to hot weather.

    The parents of the deceased boy were shocked and fainted at Skardu airport when they came to know that their son’s body had been left behind in Islamabad.

    Ibrahim Asadi, a relative of the deceased boy, told Dawn that the body was scheduled to be transported with the parents to Skardu at 9am.
    He said the flight was delayed for four hours and left Islamabad at 1pm.

    Upon arrival at Skardu airport at 2pm, the parents were informed that mistakenly the body was not loaded on the plane and left behind at Islamabad airport.
    The news sparked grief and outrage as parents were shocked and started crying while the boy’s mother and father fainted at the airport. Relatives of the boy waiting to receive the body also gathered at the airport’s lounge and started protest against the PIA management’s negligence. It continued for three hours.
    Officials of PIA, Civil Aviation Authority and other departments, who were on duty at Skardu airport, tried to calm down the boy’s parents and relatives and admitted their mistake. They assured the parents of bringing back the body on Saturday (today).

    PIA officials said the company which handles cargos at the airport is responsible for not loading the body and assured the parents that action would be taken against it for negligence.

    The boy’s parents and relatives chanted slogans against the PIA administration. They said the poor family had paid higher price to transport the body through the PIA flight, but the airline committed serious negligence. They appealed to the government to take action against those responsible.

    Alleged possibility of a VIP visit causing the delay

    Yousaf Kamal, another relative of the deceased boy, said the body had deliberately not been loaded on the plane. He said Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Engr Amir Muqam was scheduled to fly to Gilgit from Islamabad on Friday, adding that the PIA flight from Islamabad to Gilgit couldn’t operate due to bad weather conditions.
    He said the federal minister had changed his plan and decided to go to Skardu and kept the passengers waiting. He said the flight was scheduled to depart from Islamabad at 9am, but was delayed till 1pm to accommodate the minister, leaving the body behind at the airport.

  • Sardar Saleem Hiader takes oath as new governor of Punjab

    Sardar Saleem Hiader takes oath as new governor of Punjab

    Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sardar Saleem Haider has taken oath as the new Governor of Punjab on Friday at the Governor’s House.

    Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), administered the oath to newly appointed Governor.

    Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi attended the swearing-in ceremony.

    Last week, president Asif Ali Zardari gave approval for the appointment of Saleem Haider, Faisal Karim Kundi, and Jaffar Khan Mandokhail as governors of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Balochistan, respectively.

  • Pakistani researcher killed in Portugal

    Pakistani researcher killed in Portugal

     A young researcher from Lahore has been killed in Porto, Portugal, when he resisted a robbery attempt, Geo reported on Friday.

    Family members of the victim, Anthony Shoukat, said he went to Portugal for a research project of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital.

    They appealed the government to help them bring the victim’s body at the earliest and bring the culprits to justice.

    The victim’s family said Anthony had done his masters from Sweden and his PhD from Germany.

    In March, Fahimuddin, a Pakistani-German, was murdered and his family attacked with a knife in Germany. Fahimuddin had moved from Karachi’s Azizabad neighbourhood to Germany and made it his permanent home.

  • Laptop scheme phir shoroo?

    Laptop scheme phir shoroo?

    Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz on Friday gave the green signal to restart her party’s laptop scheme for students after a gap of seven years.

    Punjab government announced that laptops will be given to students, it was decided in a meeting presided by Maryam about higher education sector reforms, wherein a detailed briefing was also given on promotion of laptop and transport facility for students.

    Punjab has almost 0.65 million students, 44 per cent of whom are boys and 56 per cent are girls.

    Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, Information Minister Azma Zahid Bukhari, the chief secretary, secretary higher education and other officials also attended the meeting.

  • Ranveer Singh addresses divorce rumors after deleting wedding picture

    Ranveer Singh addresses divorce rumors after deleting wedding picture

    Ranveer Singh has dismissed rumors of divorce with his wife Deepika Padukone, just days after he removed their wedding photos from his Instagram account.
    The Bollywood action star, who recently wiped out all posts on his Instagram before January 2023, including those with Padukone, addressed the resultant speculation during a fancy jewelry store’s opening in Mumbai. He showed everyone his favorite jewelry- his wedding and engagement rings.
    “One of the rings that are very dear to me is this one it’s my wedding ring, presented to me by my wife. The other one is a platinum engagement ring,” he said while showing the jewellery pieces to the camera.
    “And then there are my mother’s diamond earrings and my grandmother’s pearls,” he added. “These are my favorite pieces because they have a lot of personal and sentimental value to me.”

    Ranveer Singh and Indian superstar Deepika Padukone got married in Lake Como, Italy in 2018. They had been dating for almost six years.
    This year, in February, the couple shared the news of their first pregnancy. They made the announcement on Instagram. They said they’re expecting their baby to arrive in September.

  • Militants blow up first private school in North Waziristan

    Militants blow up first private school in North Waziristan

    A private girls’ school called Afia Islamic Girls Public School was blown up by unidentified militants in Tehsil Shewa of North Waziristan district on Wednesday night, reports Dawn.

    The police said the militants first assaulted the school watchman and later blew up two rooms of the school. There was, however, no loss of life in the explosion.

    Locals say that it was the only private girls’ school in the area and its administration had received multiple threat letters in the past.

    Journalist Iftikhar Firdous wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that he was contacted by the owner of the school and was told how the school was formed after going against the tide and now it is destroyed. Firdous wrote, “He was emotional so I asked him to share what he felt in his own words.”

    As government schools are “non-functional”, private schools are playing their part in promoting education. “In North Waziristan, the private sector plays an important role in promoting boys’ education, but there was no private girls’ school present in the area”.

    The owner deliberated with the elders of the region because he was determined to promote girls’ education. “For the construction of a private school for girls in Tehsil Shewa, we contacted different people, but no one was ready to build a school for girls because they said that the Taliban would destroy it since they are against female education, and we are not ready to invest in girls’ education in our area.”

    The owner convinced his friend, working as a laborer in the UAE, to invest Rs 10 lacs into the construction of a girls’ school in Tehsil Shewa, North Waziristan, as it would help promote girls’ education in the area. “He readily agreed with our advice and was ready to invest money in the girls’ school.” The owner related that the funds were not enough and so it took three years for completion. It was inaugurated on May 19, 2023. “In less than one year, 100 girls got admission to Afia School, and with every passing day, the strength of the school increased,” he told Firdous in an emotional tone.

    On May 9, 2024, at midnight 1 PM, unknown persons destroyed the school with a bomb, while also breaking chairs and whiteboards.

    Firdous shared how he ended the note determined to promote the cause he believes in.“In this way, they stopped our girls from education, but we will continue our struggle for the promotion of girls’ education until death”.

  • Which dashing bowler does Natasha Ali want as her hero?

    Natasha Ali, actor and contestant on ‘Tamasha 2’, expressed her desire to have fast bowling sensation Haris Rauf as the main actor and Babar Azam in the role of her brother in a movie.

    During a talk show on ‘Show Time’ she was joined by veteran actor Babar Ali. Natasha chose the two cricketers from Pakistan’s national cricket team for her dream cast in a film. “I would like to cast Haris Rauf as my hero, whereas, for his brother, I would choose Babar Azam,” she remarked, leaving the live audience in splits.

    Natasha then said, “I think Muhammad Rizwan would be a good villain. Maybe it’s his face, or maybe just how he looks in pictures. But remember, villains don’t always have to look mean. There are handsome villains too!”

    “Honestly, I don’t know a lot about him, but I think Iftikhar Ahmed would be good for the father’s role,” Natasha said. “And Shaheen Afridi could play the funny character in the film,” she added.

    Meanwhile, when Babar Ali was asked about his picks for the upcoming World Cup, he chose Babar Azam, Hassan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imam ul Haq, Haris Rauf, Muhammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Saud Shakeel, Muhammad Wasim, and Muhammad Haris.

  • Greta Thunberg shows up at protest to denounce Israel’s participation in Eurovision

    Greta Thunberg shows up at protest to denounce Israel’s participation in Eurovision

    Continuing with her support for the Palestinian cause, climate activist Greta Thunberg joined thousands of demonstrators marching through the streets of Malmo in Sweden, on Thursday, spamming Israel’s participation in Eurovision.

    This year’s Eurovision song contest began on Tuesday, in the southern Swedish city of Malmo. The grand finale is scheduled for Saturday, but the war in Gaza is ‘looming’ over the festivities.

    “I am a Eurovision fan and it breaks my heart but I’m boycotting. I can’t have fun knowing that Israel is there participating when all those kids are dying. I think it’s just wrong” 30-year-old protester Hilda (who did not want to provide her surname), told members of the press. Israel’s military offensive has killed at least 34,904 people in Gaza, mostly women and children.

    In 2022, Russia’s state broadcaster was excluded from the European Broadcasting Union (which oversees Eurovision), in the wake of the war in Ukraine. “I feel like if they can remove Russia why can they not do it to Israel?” 29-year-old, Margo Mustafa said in an exchange with reporters’.
    “The people are here for Eurovision trying to celebrate. There’s nothing to celebrate. It’s an ongoing war” she added.

    An excess of 5,000 people gathered on Thursday afternoon, in Malmo’s main square, according to an estimate. Signs in the crowd read: “Liberate Palestine”, “EUR legitimises genocide” and “colonialism cannot be washed in pink.”

    Israel’s entrant, “Hurricane” by singer Eden Golan, is set to compete in Thursday’s semi-final. It has already been partially re-written and given a new title, after Eurovision organisers deemed the original version to be ‘too political’.

    Protester Cecilia Brudell, told the press “At six and nine, my children are now at an age where they want to watch Eurovision but this year we are completely boycotting it”.

    Since the new year, numerous petitions have demanded Israel’s exclusion from the 68th edition of the annual music competition. At the end of March, contestants from nine countries, including Swiss favourite Nemo, called for a ‘lasting ceasefire’.

  • Governor rule will not be tolerated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says Gandapur

    Governor rule will not be tolerated in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, says Gandapur

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur said on Thursday that the KP government will resist any efforts to impose governor rule in the province.

    He condemned the May 9 incidents and said that those who are responsible for violent protests should be held accountable.

    Gandapur emphasised that, despite facing eight FIRs in eight different districts, none of the allegations have been proven to be true.

    Gandapur also warned undemocratic forces who want to undermine the democratic process.

    “I will not remain silent for the chief minister’s seat, and if governor rule is imposed, we will take over the governor’s house,” Gandapur said.