Pakistan

The world’s largest gathering of people, and perhaps it’s the world’s largest test of communication, takes place in holy sites in Saudi Arabia, where more than two million pilgrims from 180 nations converge for Haj. With those pilgrims come hundreds of languages, dialects, and customs, making effective communication profoundly challenging. According to a press release from the Saudi Ministry for Haj and Umrah, the kingdom is “rewriting the rules of communication at Haj”, making broad use of AI translation tools at the core of a pilgrimage built on clarity, access, and spiritual depth. “One of the most powerful examples came during the Arafat sermon, a central and emotionally resonant moment of Haj,” the press release read. “This year, the sermon was translated in real-time into 35 languages, allowing millions around the world — and every pilgrim on the ground — to hear the message of unity, compassion, and faith in their own tongue”. According to the ministry, the broadcast was enabled by advanced AI systems ...

.

At least 10 injured in roof, wall collapse incidents

Maryam promises measures to protect children in Punjab

.

.

Victims held at gunpoint, forced to perform acts on camera

Police claim suspects were involved in bank heists

.

.

Beijing hit back on Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will “never forget” the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an “attack” on China. Troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms. The exact toll is unknown, but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000. China’s communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown, with censors scrubbing all online references. Police were seen by AFP on Wednesday at the entrance to Wan’an Cemetery, a site in west Beijing where victims of the crackdown are known to be buried. Officers were also posted at several intersections leading into Tiananmen Square. On Wednesday evening, a line of buses and a cherry picker partially blocked screens at the German and Canadian embassies showing images of candles, a symbol commonly used to pay tribute to Tiananme...

At least 11 people died on Wednesday in a crowd surge outside a cricket stadium in the Indian city of Bengaluru, where fans were celebrating Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first Indian Premier League title win, authorities said. Thousands of people, some waving the home team’s red flag, lined the streets around the Chinnaswamy Stadium as the team arrived in a bus in the evening, TV channels showed, with some climbing trees and the stadium wall for a better view. As the celebration proceeded, some people outside without passes tried to push through gates and there was further trouble between the perimeter and main arena, police said. Images from the scene showed people climbing over others. At least 11 people were killed and 47 were injured in the incident, Karnataka state chief minister Siddaramaiah, who uses only one name, told reporters. “At a time of celebration, this unfortunate event should not have happened. We are saddened by this. The fans that showed up were beyond our expectations,” he said. One poli...

Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam has assured affectees of the Diamer Bhasha Dam of addressing their genuine demands with sincerity and mutual consensus.

Nowshera police on Wednesday arrested the prime suspect in the murder of three children last month, with the alleged killer revealed to be the victims’ grandmother, according to a statement issued by Nowshera police. In May, a family suffered from health problems after consuming food believed to be contaminated, resulting in the death of three children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Nowshera district. Nowshera police spokesperson Turk Ali Shah told Dawn.com, “The family had consumed Mithai [sweets] with tea at night, after which their condition deteriorated. Three siblings died after consuming poisonous food. Their mother was in critical condition.” According to Wednesday’s statement, police formed an investigation team to probe the case, which was registered on May 19 upon the complaint of the victim’s father. An inquiry was launched under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) (police to inquire and report on suicide, etc). “District Police Chief Abdul Rashid formed an investigative team led by SP (S...

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari dismissed PTI leader Waqas Akram’s rigging allegations following the party’s significant loss in the Sambrial by-election, calling the claims “shameful” in light of what she termed a “humiliating defeat.

More than 200,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the government renewed a deportation drive in April, with Iran also stepping up expulsions of Afghans. Generations of Afghans have fled to Pakistan and Iran during decades of successive wars, seeking safety and better economic opportunities. Both governments have grown weary of large migrant populations and ordered millions to leave under the threat of arrest. Pakistan has launched a strict campaign to evict more than 800,000 Afghans who have had their residence permits cancelled, including some who were born in the country or lived there for decades. According to the interior ministry, more than 135,000 Afghans left Pakistan in April, while around 67,000 departed in May and more than 3,000 were sent back in the first two days of June. The number of returnees has slowed ahead of the Eidul Azha holiday later this week, but some Afghans were still crossing the main border points from Pakistan today. “We left behind our orchards” and livelihoods, 21-year-old far...

A tanker driver attempted to kidnap a traffic police officer in Karachi’s Manghopir, resulting in a clash which injured three cops, police said in a statement on Wednesday. According to District West Police spokesperson Nabeel Ahmed Rajput, “A tanker driver attempted to kidnap a traffic official near the Malik Chandio Chowk area of ​​Manghopir Police Station. “Instead of stopping at the checkpoint, the tanker driver tried to kidnap the traffic policeman,” he said, adding that the noise prompted a nearby police mobile to chase the tanker to stop it. The statement also said, “An angry group of people, accompanying the driver, launched an attack, injuring three police officers by assaulting them with sticks and stones.” The injured have been shifted to the hospital for immediate medical attention, the spokesperson said. He added that the police were present at the scene and the situation was under control. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including d...

Minister for Power Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari says the government is not abolishing net metering but is considering transforming its existing mechanism into a more effective, transparent, and sustainable model.

PTI leader Sheikh Waqas Akram has alleged that the Sambrial election was marred by widespread rigging and that the entire process was pre-planned.

The high-powered delegation, led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, has reached Washington after concluding its two-day visit to the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday. Pakis­tan had launched a broad-based engagement campaign in the United States to present its perspective on the recent spike in tensions with India, and counter New Delhi’s growing lobbying presence here. The delegation comprises Senator Rehman, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Dr Musadik Malik, Engineer Khurram Dastgir, Faisal Subzwari, Tehmina Janjua, Senator Bushra Anjum Butt and Jalil Abbas Jilani. In New York, the delegation “drew attention to India’s illegal use of force and violations of international law, including the UN Charter and International Humanitarian Law, particularly targeting of civilian areas and killing of innocent civilians, including women and children”, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office. It added that the delegation rejected India’s allegations regarding t...