Pakistan

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The death toll in an Indonesian school collapse rose to 17 on Saturday, officials said, as rescuers deployed heavy machinery to recover dozens more victims believed still buried under the rubble. Part of the multi-storey boarding school collapsed suddenly on Monday as students gathered for afternoon prayers. Rescuers retrieved two bodies and a body part from the rubble today, bringing the death toll to 17, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) operation director Yudhi Bramantyo said in a statement. “The evacuation process is still ongoing. Debris removal is focused to the north side in an area not integrated with the main structure,” Yudhi said. Local search and rescue agency head Nanang Sigit confirmed the updated toll in a separate statement. Earlier today, authorities said they had recovered nine bodies on Friday. Rescuers were searching for 49 people still missing, National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto said before prior to the retrieval of the latest bodies. More victims could...

If launched, Gemini’s revamp could rival OpenAI as Sora tops charts and ChatGPT stays minimalist

A special Chinese relief aircraft carrying 700 tents, 16,000 blankets, 1,000 life jackets, and 4,000 sleeping bags—amounting to 90 tons of aid—arrived at Islamabad International Airport on Saturday to support communities affected by recent floods.

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Saturday that it would resume flights to the United Kingdom from October 25, with nonstop flights from Manchester to Islamabad. This comes a day after the Pakistan High Commission in London announced that the national carrier would resume flight operations to the UK this month as PIA received its Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit from the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Third Country Operator approval, but no exact date was given. PIA announced its “historic return” to British skies with a post on X today, which read: “The wait is finally over! Pakistan International Airlines proudly reconnects Manchester and Islamabad, bringing loved ones closer once again.” In yesterday’s announcement, the high commission said flight operations to Manchester would be resumed during the first phase, after which Birmingham and London would follow suit. In July, the UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List, allowing Pakistani airlines to apply to operate flights in Bri...

A district and sessions court in Islamabad issued bailable arrest warrants for YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan and two officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s anti-corruption body, it emerged on Saturday. The arrest warrants, issued by Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah yesterday and available with Dawn.com, were issued for Khan, head of the Directorate of Anti-Corruption Sadeeq Anjam and Adviser to the KP Chief Minister on Anti-Corruption Musaddiq Abbasi, over their alleged involvement in a social media campaign against Islamabad Judge Humayun Dilawar. Dilawar was the judge who convicted PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case in 2023 and sentenced him to three years in prison. All three warrants were issued under Sections 20 (offences against dignity of a natural person), 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and Sections 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 109 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequ...

The Lahore High Court has scheduled the hearing of former Senator Ejaz Chaudhry’s appeal against his ten-year prison sentence for 7 October.

For the first time in Punjab, a major step has been taken in wildlife development under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif with the launch of an ostrich breeding programme.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that Palestinian group Hamas’s response to US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan “creates a window for a ceasefire and ensuring peace that we must not allow to close again”. Late Friday night, Trump told Israel to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Subsequently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages following Hamas’s response. Meanwhile, the world welcomed Hamas’s positive response, with Pakistan also doing the same. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the premier said: “Alhamdolillah, we are closer to a ceasefire than we have been since this genocide was launched on the Palestinian people. Pakistan has always stood by the Palestinian people and shall always do so.” H...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Saturday lauded the security forces for eliminating more than 14 terrorists in Khuzdar district. Earlier, a statement issued on X by state broadcaster PTV News said security forces “foiled an attempt to harass peaceful people in the Zehri area” of the district and destroyed multiple terrorist hideouts during an operation while killing over 14 Fitna al-Hindustan members and injuring over 20. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al-Hindu­stan — a new phrase aimed at framing India’s alleged role in terrorism as a deliberate destabilisation strategy, potentially to galvanise domestic support. Congratulating the security forces, Naqvi hailed the operation as a “major success”, saying that the nation was “proud of the professional capabilities and courage of the security forces”. He further said: “Security forces are determined to eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists in Balochistan. The people of Balochistan stand with the security ...

Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik has said that authorities are in contact with X (formerly Twitter) over the use of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan’s account on its platform and an investigation into who has been operating it is underway. Speaking on Dawn News TV’s programme ‘Doosra Rukh with Nadir Guramani’ on Friday, Barrister Aqeel Malik said: “Investigations are underway [into who is operating PTI founder’s X account].“ “Evidence and further material will come forward, and that will disclose where the account’s links are and who is running it,” the state minister added. “At this moment, all I can say is that there is definitely an [the authorities’] engagement with X. Along with this, I believe that the legal process which is being adopted in this investigation [and] its results will also be before you very soon.” Imran was recently quizzed in prison by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials about his “anti-state” tweets, critical remarks on foreign policy...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visited Jati Umra on Saturday, where he met his elder brother, former prime minister and PML-N President Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday reported that Cyclone Shakhti over the northeast Arabian Sea has further intensified into a severe cyclonic storm, moving westward during the past 12 hours.

Japan’s ruling party picked hardline conservative Sanae Takaichi as its head on Saturday, putting her on course to become the country’s first female prime minister in a move set to jolt investors and neighbours. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has ruled Japan for almost all of the postwar era, elected Takaichi, 64, to regain trust from a public angered by rising prices and drawn to opposition groups promising stimulus and clampdowns on migrants. A vote in parliament to choose a replacement for outgoing Shigeru Ishiba is expected on October 15. Takaichi is favoured as the ruling coalition has the largest number of seats. Inherits party in crisis Takaichi, the only woman among the five LDP candidates, beat a challenge from the more moderate Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, who was bidding to become the youngest modern leader. A former economic security and internal affairs minister with an expansionary fiscal agenda for the world’s fourth-largest economy, Takaichi takes over a party in crisis. Various other part...

Test skipper Shubman Gill has replaced Rohit Sharma as India’s ODI captain, the country’s cricket board said on Saturday, starting with the series in Australia. The 38-year-old batsman Rohit and fellow stalwart Virat Kohli, 36, were both however named in the squad for the three-match series beginning on October 19. Top-order batsman Gill, 26, is now Test and one-day skipper, and vice captain of India’s T20 side. He took over the Test captaincy from Rohit starting with the series in England in the summer, earning praise for both his leadership and batting. He led from the front, scoring 754 runs in five Tests to help India draw the keenly contested series 2-2. Gill also leads Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League. Rohit, one of India’s most successful limited-overs captains, led the side to a record third Champions Trophy title in Dubai earlier this year. He and Kohli have both retired from T20Is and Tests. Gill’s vice-captain for the Australia series will be Shreyas Iyer. India currently top both the OD...

Light to moderate rain was likely in parts of Sindh and Balochistan on Saturday as cyclonic storm ‘Shakhti’ over the Arabian Sea had moved westward during the past 12 hours and further intensified into a “severe cyclonic storm”, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said. “It is likely to move west-southwestwards and reach northwest and adjoining central north Arabian Sea by Oct 5, then it will recurve and move east-northeastwards during subsequent 24 hours and weaken gradually,” a notification issued by the PMD said. It said that under the influence of the storm, wind/thunderstorm and light to moderate rain was likely today in Sindh’s Badin, Thatta, Sujawal and Jamshoro districts, and Balochistan’s Hub, Lasbela, Awaran and Kech districts, as well as at isolated places in Karachi Division. The notification stated that sea conditions were likely to remain “rough to very rough” with squally winds gusting 55 kilometres/hour near the Sindh coast. It also advised fishermen not to venture into the deep sea t...

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday welcomed the agreement reached between the federal government’s negotiation committee and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), calling it a major breakthrough in efforts to resolve all outstanding issues in the region.

The United States has announced a contribution of $1 million to support the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in delivering emergency assistance to families affected by the recent floods across Pakistan.

More rain is expected in the coming days across Punjab as surveys to assess the losses and damages from the recent floods are underway, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said on Saturday. Since June, monsoon rains across Pakistan have killed at least 1,037 people, swelling major rivers and devastating rural communities along their banks. In Punjab only, over 4.7 million people have been affected across 4,700 villages, according to the PDMA. Addressing a media briefing in Lahore today, DG Kathia said showers were expected to begin early tomorrow morning across Punjab, and continue till October 7 (Tuesday) in the northern parts. The PDMA chief said the north and northeastern regions from Rawalpindi to Lahore were likely to receive 30 to 35 millimetres of rainfall on average, while the province’s southern parts could see 5 to 10mm. He warned that the intensity of the showers would increase on October 6 and 7, with 50 to 70mm of rain anticipated in northern and nort...