Faisalabad’s Chak Jhumra police on Monday arrested a so-called faith healer who allegedly raped the 16-year-old daughter of his disciple. The girl was reportedly working at his residence.
A city police spokesperson said a police team arrested the suspect in a raid on a place in Faisalabad where he was hiding.
Police say that the girl, the daughter of a follower of the suspect, was left at his house to work as a house-help.
The victim told the police that the suspect had been raping her for the last four months.
Her medical examination also revealed that she was pregnant.
Dawn reports that Punjab Women Protection Authority (PWPA) chairperson Hina Pervez Butt visited the survivor on behalf of the chief minister.
The Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has ordered a private company to immediately withdraw 11 packaged snacks from the market after a laboratory test declared them “unfit” for human consumption.
“— Slanty Vegetable, Snackers Hot Masala, Snackers Pizza, Twitch Classic, Potato Sticks, Cheese Ball Masala, Cheese Balls Cheese, Kai Korean Hot, Kai Spicy Mala, Kai Mala Wok and Kai Korean Kimchi have been found by examination not fit for human consumption,” told SFA Director General Muzamil Hussain Halepoto to Imtiaz Ali from Dawn.
Mr Halepoto directed the management of the said company to withdraw the products from the market within three days.
He asserted that after the deadline, legal action would be taken against the company.
He said around two and a half months ago, the said company had submitted 24 products for registration. The SFA had submitted its samples to the Food Testing Laboratory established at the Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Karachi, which had declared 11 of them unfit for human consumption.
The products were submitted for testing on March 6.
“It was found by examination of the test reports dated April 19 that the products did not meet the minimum required safety and quality standards and, therefore, were not fit for human consumption and pose a potentially significant health hazard to the public and it is also a serious violation of the law and regulations,” said the letter addressed to the private firm on Monday.
The SFA chief has issued an order for “initiating full food recall” against the products.
The DG’s order also provides a ‘remedy’ to the accused person /company. “If it feels aggrieved by such order, (the company/person) may pursue appropriate remedy i.e. appeal under relevant law of the said Act to the SFA Board within a period of one week,” says the letter.
Halepoto called for other provincial food authorities to look into the issue in their respective jurisdiction for the safety of public health.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), known for its support of Israeli war crimes, is yet again under fire for a misleading headline that portrayed the killing of a Palestinian man with Down’s Syndrome as a “lonely death”.” In contrast, he died after being attacked by a dog trained by the Israeli Defence Forces.
The details of the report outline Mohammed Bhar’s killing. His mother told BBC that he was left to die by Israeli soldiers after being brutally attacked by the IDF’s dog. His parents later found his decomposed body on the street.
However, the caption on X said, “The lonely death of Gaza man with Down’s Syndrome.”
Netizens lambasted the choice of words, morphing the whole incident into a mere lonely death instead of a murder.
A user quoted Middle East Eye for its appropriate headline, saying, “Gaza: Palestinian with Down syndrome ‘left to die ‘ by Israeli soldiers after combat dog attack.” The tweet read, “This is the headline a real news organisation would write. Why would you try to sanitise a brutal attack on a disabled man?”
Another user stressed that BBC is not a credible source anymore because it avoids at all cost to hold Israel accountable. “An embarrassment for a national broadcaster,” he asserted.
This is not a lonely death; it is a violent murder, another user emphasized.
“You mean he was separated from his family, deliberately mauled by an IDF attack dog within earshot of them and left to die. His parents found his decomposing body later. That’s called murder,” a user named Natalie Holme Elsberg tweeted.
In one of the responses, BBC was criticised for the choice of words. “Lonely? Strange adjective to describe the death of someone who was murdered by an armed gang.”
An owner of a loader rickshaw cut off a buffalo’s tongue for eating fodder from his rickshaw, reports Geo.
The incident took place on July 15 in a village near Shahpur City. The culprit has been identified as Bilal.
As per the details shared by the police, Bilal was putting fodder in his loader rickshaw when a buffalo started eating it. He got enraged and cut its tongue off. A case has been registered against the suspect at the request of the buffalo owner. Bilal has been arrested. Meanwhile, DPO Sargodha has ordered an investigation and sought a report.
The Livestock Department also conducted a medical examination of the buffalo, which confirmed that its tongue had been bitten.
The remains of the obscure, five-metre (16.4 foot) long, beaked creature were found near a river mouth in southern Otago province on July 4, government researchers said.
It was identified by marine-mammal experts from New Zealand’s Department of Conservation and the national museum, Te Papa, as a male spade-toothed whale.
A DNA investigation has been launched to confirm its classification, the scientists said.
“Spade-toothed whales are one of the most poorly known large mammalian species of modern times,” said the conservation department’s coastal Otago operations manager, Gabe Davies.
“Since the 1800s, only six samples have ever been documented worldwide, and all but one of these was from New Zealand,” Davies said in a statement Monday.
“From a scientific and conservation point of view, this is huge.”
The find was fresh enough to offer the first opportunity for a spade-toothed whale to be dissected, the conservation department said.
The species is “so rare next to nothing is known about them”, it said.
The body of the whale has been placed in cold storage and genetic samples have been sent to the University of Auckland as curators of the New Zealand Cetacean Tissue Archive.
It may take several weeks or months for the DNA to be processed and a final identification confirmed.
“The rarity of the whale means conversations around what to do next will take more time because it is a conversation of international importance,” the conservation department said.
The species was first described in 1874 from just a lower jaw and two teeth collected from the Chatham Islands off the east coast of New Zealand.
That sample, along with skeletal remains of two other specimens found in New Zealand and Chile, enabled scientists to confirm a new species.
Marine scientist Vanessa Pirotta said researchers would study the whale’s stomach contents, genetics, and how this sample compared to previous ones.
This could shine light on the whales’ behaviour, their population and why they are so rare, Pirotta told AFP, describing the discovery as “like hitting the jackpot”.
Because so few specimens have been found and there have been no live sightings, little is known about the spade-toothed whale and it is classified as “data deficient” under New Zealand’s Threat Classification System.
The first intact specimen was from a mother and calf stranding in Bay of Plenty in 2010, the New Zealand conservation department said.
A further stranding in 2017 in Gisborne added one more specimen to the collection.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) loyalist Sanam Javed who was arrest last year in cases related to May 9 riots, has been shifted to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House in Islamabad on KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s orders, the CM’s spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday.
Javed was recently released from prison but was soon arrested by Islamabad Police in yet another case again. Morever, a new case has been lodged against in Balochistan.
Yar Muhammad Khan Niazi, the focal person to CM KP, stated, “KP CM was in touch with Javaid’s father and husband,” adding that the PTI activist along with her family would remain at the KP House in the federal capital.
His remarks came after Sanam got relief in her months-long legal problems after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered her release and stopped the police from arresting her.
Sana Javed’s response to people filming her without her consent has gone viral on social media.
Sana is currently traveling with her husband, Shoaib Malik, who is participating in the Legends League.
While in Birmingham with the team and their families, Sana was filmed without her permission. The actress, visibly uncomfortable, tried to shield her face from the camera with her hands.
The video quickly spread on social media, sparking a heated debate.
criticized Sana, claiming she was overreacting. Others defended Sana, saying the filming invaded her personal space and privacy. One supporter wrote, “One should respect personal boundaries, regardless of a person’s celebrity status.” Another added, “Celebrities should have the right to protect their privacy. The public should be more mindful of personal boundaries.”
This incident with Sana Javed is not unique. Actress Dur-e-Fishan Saleem faced a similar situation when she was filmed without her knowledge and also received both criticism and support.
As one user summed up, “Just because they are celebrities, it doesn’t mean they don’t have any feelings. They’re normal people who get affected by such behavior. The one who made the video should be ashamed.”
Actor Anam Tanveer recently discussed why getting married in Pakistan is harder than in other parts of the world during a podcast with FHM.
Tanveer pointed out that in many other countries, people can marry who they love without considering religion, social status, or background. However, in Pakistan, these factors play a significant role.
She gave examples: “In Pakistan, if a guy from DHA likes a girl from Malir, they often can’t marry because of where they live. This shouldn’t be the deciding factor.”
She added, “If I live in North Nazimabad, a guy might think it’s a cheap and backward area and refuse to marry me. Today, people prioritize where someone lives over compatibility, education, or character. A guy from DHA usually marries a girl from the same area.”
Tanveer also talked about her ideal partner, saying he should respect women, support his wife, and trust her career goals. She concluded by saying, “I haven’t met a single Pakistani man who respects women well.”
Punjab government has decided that cellphone services would remain partially suspended on the 9th and 10th of Muharram in different parts of the province.
The spokesperson for the Punjab Home Department says cellular services would be suspended only in the surrounding areas of processions and Majalis. “Mobile services will be partially suspended in Gujranwala, Narowal, Toba Tek Singh, Bhakkar, Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, Rajanpur, Faisalabad, Bahawalnagar, Hafizabad, Gujrat, DG Khan and Jhang.”
However, the spokesperson clarified that cellular services will not be completely suspended in any city of the province.
In a bid to ensure safety of the citizens, the partial suspension of mobile signals will continue from 8am till 10pm during the 9th and 10th of Muharram, he added.
The spokesperson informed that cellular network services will be suspended at 28 locations in Rawalpindi, 15 locations in Rahim Yar Khan, 11 locations in Mianwali and Bahawalpur.
Meanwhile, the services will remain suspended at 10 places in Layyah, seven places in Muzaffargarh and six places in Nankana Sahib.
The cellular service would remain active in Lahore, Kasur, Sheikhupura, Sargodha, Khushab, Sialkot, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran, Vehari, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Okara and Chiniot, the official statement asserted.
Donald Trump received a hero’s welcome Monday as he entered the Republican National Convention arena with a bandaged right ear in his first public appearance since being wounded in a weekend assassination attempt.
Hours after winning the formal nomination to be the Republican presidential candidate and announcing right-wing Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, Trump marched into Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum flanked by aides and waved at supporters on the opening day of what is expected to be a triumphalist gathering.
Trump, who is due to give a formal acceptance speech on Thursday, took his seat to the sound of country singer Lee Greenwood’s patriotic hit “God Bless the USA” without delivering any remarks but appeared markedly moved by the rapt ovation he received from a packed venue.
“It was absolutely amazing. I mean, just thinking what he’s been through, and to come here today because he really cares,” Illinois delegate Susan Sweeney told AFP on the convention floor.
It was the second huge moment of the day for the Republican crowd, which erupted into cheers earlier as Trump announced Vance, just 39, as his vice presidential pick, rewarding a one-time harsh critic who has become one of his most uncompromising supporters.
While Trump, 78, is increasingly confident of a shock return to the White House — despite multiple legal problems and two impeachments clouding his first term — President Joe Biden.
The standard-bearer for a new kind of populism that has come to the fore under Trump, Vance is also one of the least experienced VP picks in modern history.
But he embraces the ex-president’s isolationist, anti-immigration America First movement and is even further to the right than his new boss on some issues — including abortion, where he embraces calls for federal legislation.
Strong polling
He initially made his name with the 2016 memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” a best-selling account of his Appalachian family and modest Rust Belt upbringing that gave a voice to rural, working-class resentment in left-behind America.
Turning his back on previous Republican opposition to Trump, whom he once said might be “America’s Hitler,” Vance reinvented himself and ultimately won the ex-president’s endorsement in the 2022 Ohio Senate race, launching his meteoric rise.
Some 50,000 Republicans descended on the shores of Lake Michigan for the four-day convention, four months before election day.
The gathering comes with the country reeling from a botched attempt by a gunman to kill Trump at a rally in Butler, western Pennsylvania on Saturday.
The attack — which killed one bystander and left Trump with the bloodied ear that required the bandage — was expected to dominate proceedings.
Leading in multiple polls, despite being convicted in his hush-money criminal case in New York, Trump is exuding confidence.
At 81, Biden meanwhile is facing calls from his own side to quit the race over concerns around his age.
His campaign released a statement saying the Trump-Vance agenda would “take away Americans’ rights, hurt the middle class, and make life more expensive — all while benefiting the ultra-rich and greedy corporations.”
Message of unity
Trump told the New York Post he had “prepared an extremely tough speech” about Biden’s “horrible administration” to deliver at the convention.
As some Republicans — including Vance — sought to blame Democrats’ anti-Trump rhetoric for the attack, Trump said he had torn up that version in favor of one he hopes will “unite our country.”
Still, that means him having to rein in the instinct to settle scores — demonstrated by his cry for supporters to “fight” in the seconds after Saturday’s attack.
A diminished figure after his 2020 election loss and a subsequent riot at the Capitol by his supporters, Trump has spent much of the last four years reshaping Republican politics.
Installing loyalists, including his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, atop the Republican National Committee, the billionaire has effectively crushed dissent within the party.
He scored another victory Monday as a judge dismissed one of the criminal cases against him concerning accusations he endangered national security by holding on to top secret documents after leaving the White House.
