Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf on Friday attributed the failure to fully utilize Pakistan’s Hajj quota to private tour operators, citing their missed payment deadlines and non-compliance with Saudi Arabian government regulations. In January 2025, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia formally signed the annual Hajj agreement, allocating a total of 179,210 slots for Pakistani pilgrims. While approximately 90,000 slots were designated for the government scheme, only 25,698 pilgrims were able to proceed through private operators, resulting in thousands of private quota pilgrims being unable to perform Hajj this year. Hajj, one of the five fundamental pillars of Islam,…
Author: Web Desk
Pakistan has been ranked seventh worldwide for civilian casualties stemming from explosive weapons in 2024, according to a new report by the British explosive violence monitor, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV). The report documented the highest global toll of such violence since 2010. AOAV recorded 67,026 deaths and injuries from explosive weapons globally last year. Of these, 59,524 were civilians—comprising 89% of the total. Civilian fatalities alone reached 24,147. The report characterized 2024 as “the most injurious year for civilians” since the inception of the Explosive Violence Monitoring Project. Compared to 2023, global incidents escalated by 29%, civilian casualties by…
Saima Saleem, Counsellor for Human Rights at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, has unequivocally called upon India to halt state-sponsored terrorism and initiate constructive dialogue. Saleem’s statement came in response to India’s remarks during the UN Security Council’s open debate, where she asserted that India had once again resorted to disseminating misleading information, deflection, and outright denial. “No amount of obfuscation can conceal the facts,” the counsellor informed the 15-member council. “India brazenly kills and maims civilians in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), carried out blatant aggression against Pakistan targeting civilians, and sponsors terrorism and assassinations…
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) announced on Saturday that a low-pressure system in the Arabian Sea has strengthened into a depression, now situated approximately 1,058 kilometers southeast of Karachi. The Met Office anticipates this depression will move eastward. However, officials have confirmed that there is currently no threat to any of Pakistan’s coastal regions. The system is projected to begin weakening after making landfall on the Indian coast. This development is particularly favorable, as earlier concerns of a heatwave impacting Sindh, including Karachi, under the influence of this system have now diminished. With the expected weakening of the depression, the…
A group of US-based Pakistani doctors and businessmen, who were previously involved in discreet diplomatic overtures concerning Imran Khan, have returned to Pakistan amidst renewed endeavors to secure respite for the incarcerated founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). This delegation, which reportedly engaged with a senior official and Imran Khan during a prior visit to Islamabad a couple of months ago, arrived this week and is currently in Lahore. However, sources indicate that the delegation has not yet succeeded in arranging a meeting with Khan during this visit, nor is it confirmed if any interaction has occurred with key officials. The…
In a dramatic and decisive action, the US President Donald Trump’s administration has barred Harvard University from enrolling foreign students. This significant decision impacts over one-quarter of the university’s student body and represents a severe confrontation between Trump and one of America’s most esteemed educational institutions. Trump asserts that Harvard has failed to adhere to regulations and has fostered a campus environment that he claims is unsafe for Jewish students and conducive to radical viewpoints. Trump is reportedly incensed with Harvard – a university that has produced 162 Nobel laureates – for its rejection of his demand for oversight on…
The United States is anticipated to experience a more robust and perilous hurricane season this year, with an increased likelihood of powerful storms making landfall. However, precisely as this risk escalates, the Trump administration is implementing job cuts and funding reductions at the nation’s primary weather and climate agency – the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Experts are cautioning that these cutbacks could impede the ability to effectively track storms and ensure timely public safety. On Thursday, NOAA issued a forecast predicting a more intense Atlantic hurricane season for the current year. NOAA estimates a 60 percent probability…
At least four individuals, predominantly elderly with compromised immune systems and pre-existing health conditions, have succumbed to Covid-19 in Karachi amidst a noticeable surge in cases over the past two weeks. Officials and infectious disease experts confirmed this development on Thursday, as reported by The News. All reported fatalities occurred at Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), which has observed a consistent increase in Covid-19 admissions. This trend has been described by experts as “unusual” for this particular time of year. Professor Dr. Syed Faisal Mahmood, an infectious diseases specialist at AKUH, stated that the hospital has been experiencing a continuous…
Jony Ive, the acclaimed designer behind Apple’s iPhone, has now joined OpenAI with the objective of creating devices specifically engineered for leveraging generative artificial intelligence. This announcement was made through a video posted on Wednesday by the developer of ChatGPT. Ive and his team will assume leadership of design operations at OpenAI as part of the acquisition of his startup, “IO,” a transaction valued at $6.5 billion. In the video, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, without divulging specifics, stated that a prototype Ive had shared with him “is the coolest piece of technology that the world will have ever seen.”…
The fierce competition to dominate artificial intelligence within Silicon Valley has shifted its battleground to a new arena: the recruitment of superstar researchers. While the relentless pursuit of top talent and ensuring their contentment has always been a characteristic of the tech industry, since the launch of ChatGPT in late 2022, the intensity of recruiting has surged to levels comparable to professional athletics, according to a dozen individuals involved in AI researcher recruitment who spoke to Reuters. “The AI labs approach hiring like a game of chess,” remarked Ariel Herbert-Voss, CEO of cybersecurity startup RunSybil and a former OpenAI researcher…
