Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Christian youth awarded death sentence for ‘sparking’ Jaranwala riots

    Sahiwal’s Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) has awarded the death sentence to a Christian man who allegedly circulated a social media post that led to riots in Jaranwala last year, reports Dawn.

    Judge Ziaullah Khan sentenced the young man to 22 years in prison and imp­osed a fine of Rs1 million. The final judgment said he was awarded the death sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 under Section 295(C), ten years rigorous imprisonment under Sec­tion 295(A), seven years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, and five years and Rs500,000 fine under 7(1) (G)-ATA.

    The Punjab police claimed last year that around 135 miscreants had been booked for the attacks, but according to Advo­cate Akmal Bhatti, only 12 people are currently facing trials in the court.

    However, the convict was accused of sharing a social media post which allegedly contained blasphemous content.

    He was picked up by police on intelligence reports three days after the riots.


    Complainant Amir Farooq, who is now SHO at the Ghala Mandi police, told Dawn that while the man in question did not produce the blasphemous content, he did share it on TikTok, where it went viral.

    Background


    In March, Faisalabad ATC had acquitted two Christian brothers who were ‘framed’ for desecration after a police probe revealed that the two had been implicated in a blasphemy case over a personal enmity.

    Dozens of Christian homes and around 20 chu­rches were vandalised and ransacked by mobs in Jaran­wala following allegations that a copy of the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

  • BJP leader caught on camera threatening to slaughter ‘200,000 Muslims’

    BJP leader caught on camera threatening to slaughter ‘200,000 Muslims’

    Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member Karnell Singh was caught on camera threatening Muslims after an incident involving a cow’s head near a Hindu temple in New Delhi.

    In a viral video circulating online, Singh is seen issuing a chilling threat to “slaughter 200,000 Muslims” in the vicinity if the culprits are not arrested. He can be seen warning an officer that he (the officer) has 48 hours only to solve the issue, or else he “will hand a sword in the hands of Hindus”, and Muslims will not be spared.

    His comments have escalated tensions amidst communal sensitivities, drawing widespread condemnation from various quarters.

    The incident underscores ongoing communal tensions in India, where issues related to cows, considered sacred in Hinduism, often ignite debates and occasionally lead to violent riots.

  • K-Electric seeks increase in base electricity tariff by Rs.10

    K-Electric seeks increase in base electricity tariff by Rs.10

    K-Electric has requested National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) to increase the base electricity tariff in Karachi by Rs 10, taking it from Rs 33 to Rs 44.


    The request is part of K-Electric’s comprehensive investment plan, which includes establishing fourteen new grid stations and laying 550 kilometers of transmission lines in Karachi over the next seven years, reports Samaa.


    An online public hearing on K-Electric’s application was conducted by Nepra on Thursday in which it was laid out that a $2 billion investment strategy for improving the city’s electricity transmission, distribution, and supply system.


    During the hearing, K-Electric’s Director of Communication, Imran Rana assured NEPRA that the increase in the base tariff would not impact Karachi’s electricity consumers due to the uniform electricity rate policy implemented across the country.


    K-Electric emphasised that approving this tariff is crucial for maintaining a stable electricity supply and demand balance in the city.

  • Provinces intensify security protocols ahead of Muharram

    Provinces intensify security protocols ahead of Muharram

    With Muharram approaching, security concerns loom large, exacerbated by recent terrorist activities across the country. Provincial governments have formulated plans to ensure peace.

    Punjab

    The Punjab Home Department has issued security guidelines that enforce Section 144 throughout the province. 502 locations have been identified as sensitive, with deployment of army and Rangers personnel at these sites.

    10,426 Muharram processions are scheduled across the province.

    The Punjab Interior Department has stipulated that processions and gatherings are permitted only along designated routes and locations.

    According to Punjab’s Interior Secretary, Noorul Amin Mengal, peace committees in each district are tasked with implementing all SOPs and monitoring assemblies and processions.

    Hate speech on social media is also strictly prohibited, and serious actions will be taken against violators; whereas unauthorized use of loudspeakers is also prohibited by law.

    Sindh

    The Sindh Home Department has also announced a province-wide curfew for the duration of Muharram.

    Starting from the first to the tenth of Muharram, a ban on motorcycle double riding has been imposed.

    Additionally, the display of weapons and the operation of drones are strictly prohibited.

  • UK PM ‘hurt’ after being called ‘f***ing Paki’

    UK PM ‘hurt’ after being called ‘f***ing Paki’

    United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he was hurt and angry that a supporter of the right-wing Reform UK party passed a racial slur about him.

    Sunak, Britain’s first ethnic-minority prime minister, currently campaigning for the July 4 national election that his Conservative Party is tipped to lose after 14 years in power, was responding to the comments broadcast by a man identified as Andrew Parker, calling Sunak a “f***ing Paki” – a British racial slur for people of South Asian descent.

    “My two daughters have to see and hear Reform people who campaign for Nigel Farage calling me an effing Paki. It hurts and it makes me angry, and I think he has some questions to answer,” Sunak told reporters.


    “I don’t repeat those words lightly, I do so deliberately because this is too important not to call out clearly for what it is,” he added.


    Nigel Farage, the leader of right wing Reform party initially said he was dismayed by the language when the comments were first broadcast on Thursday. But on Friday he suggested, without providing evidence, that Parker was an actor involved in “a political setup” to undermine Reform during the election.
    Asked during a television debate when he would accept some responsibility, Farage said: “I am not going to apologise […] it is a setup, a deliberate attempt to smear us.”

  • Sindh Chief Minister is going to solarise govt institutions

    Sindh Chief Minister is going to solarise govt institutions

    Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah chaired a meeting on energy where he instructed the Energy Minister to initiate the process of solarising government institutions.

    According to a spokesperson, Shah emphasised that solarising government buildings would reduce electricity bills.

    Energy Minister Nasir Shah pledged to expedite solarisation efforts in the new financial year.

    The Chief Minister then ordered that electricity supply should be disconnected in government’s residential buildings where bills are not being paid.

    Additionally, he instructed officials to settle HESCO, SEPCO, and K Electric bills in August.

  • Japanese scientists make smiling robot with ‘living’ skin

    Japanese scientists make smiling robot with ‘living’ skin

    Japanese scientists make smiling robot with ‘living’ skin have used human cells to develop an equivalent to living skin that can be attached to robotic surfaces to flash a realistic — if creepy — smile.

    The University of Tokyo researchers published their findings this week along with a video of the gooey-looking pink material being stretched into an unsettling grin.

    They used a “skin-forming cell-laden gel” to create a “robot covered with living skin”, their study in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science said.

    The biohybrid robot specialists hope the technology will one day play a role in the invention of androids with human-like appearances and abilities.

    “We also hope this will help shed better light on wrinkle formations and the physiology of facial expressions,” and help to develop transplant materials and cosmetics, the team led by Professor Shoji Takeuchi said.

    The new material could signal a departure from traditional humanoid robots covered with genuine-looking skin often made of silicone rubber, which cannot sweat or heal itself.

    The scientists’ goal is “to endow robots with the self-healing capabilities inherent in biological skin”, but they are not there yet. In previous studies, they grafted collagen onto a cut on lab-grown skin covering a robotic finger to demonstrate how it could be repaired.

    But they said conducting similar repair tests on their smiling robotic skin “is a future challenge”.

    To create what they described as a “natural smile” that moves fluidly, they gelatinised the skin-like tissue and fixed it inside the robot’s holes, a method inspired by real human skin ligaments.

  • Makkah, Madina to have shorter khutbas

    Makkah, Madina to have shorter khutbas

    Amidst an intense heat wave in Saudi Arabia, the Friday sermon (Khutbah-e-Jummah) and jummah time in Masjid al-Haram and Masjid an-Nabawi (PBUH) have been reduced.

    In the wake of intense heat, Friday sermons and prayers will be 15 minutes long only in Masjid al-Haram and Masjid Nabawi, while Friday sermons in the United Arab Emirates has also been limited to 10 minutes.

    Emirates authorities say that protecting human lives from extreme heat is a priority.

    The temperature in the desert areas of the Gulf country has reached 50 degrees Celsius in summer.

  • Delhi airport roof collapses amid heavy rainfall

    Delhi airport roof collapses amid heavy rainfall

    An outdoor partial roof at Delhi airport collapsed early on Friday morning after heavy rainfall in the city, killing one person and injuring four others.


    Videos online showed huge pillars erected to support the roof, smashing into cars parked along the airport’s main terminal.

    Rescue operations are underway at the airport, and the injured are being treated in hospitals.

    Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu rushed to the airport after the incident

    India’s aviation regulator has advised airlines to accommodate passengers on alternate flights or offer them full refunds.


    Federal Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu has announced a compensation of two million Indian Rupees to the deceased’s family and 300,000 rupees for the injured.

    On social media, many users pointed out that the terminal had undergone a massive renovation at the cost of billions of rupees and had been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March – a month before the recent general election began.

    However, Kinjarapu later said the portion that collapsed was not part of the renovated section.

  • Which Pakistani city is among the best cities in the world?

    Which Pakistani city is among the best cities in the world?

    The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has released a list of the best cities to live in around the world for 2024.

    Vienna, the capital of Austria in Europe, has been named the best city to live in for the third consecutive year.

    This recognition is attributed to its stable infrastructure, culture, education, medical services, and entertainment.

    Following Vienna, Copenhagen, located in Denmark, holds second place, maintaining its position from last year.

    Zurich, Switzerland, took third place, with Melbourne, Australia, following in fourth.

    Calgary, Canada, and Geneva, Switzerland, shared fifth place, while Sydney, Australia, and Vancouver, Canada, shared seventh.

    Only one Asian city, Osaka in Japan, was ranked 9th, alongside Auckland, New Zealand.

    Karachi, Pakistan, is the only city from the country on the list, maintaining its 169th position from last year out of 173 cities.

    Regarding the least suitable cities to live in, Damascus, Syria, ranks 173rd, followed by Tripoli, Libya (172nd), Algeria (171st), and Lagos, Nigeria (170th), with Dhaka ranking 168th.

    The report stated that the global situation improved somewhat during the last year, but threats to global stability remained.

    According to the report, protests continued throughout the year in different parts of the world due to the increase in interest rates, inflation, and other economic problems.