JAIPUR – A devastating fire at the trauma centre of the largest state-run hospital in Jaipur, the capital of India’s northwestern Rajasthan state, has killed at least six patients and injured five others. Officials stated on Monday that a short-circuit is the suspected cause of the blaze, which highlights recurring safety vulnerabilities in the country’s healthcare infrastructure. The fire originated late on Sunday in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Sawai Man Singh Hospital (SMS). Hospital official Anurag Dhakad told the ANI news agency that the blaze released “toxic gases.” He confirmed that five patients remain in critical condition,…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
GENEVA – The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is scheduled to vote on Monday on a pivotal European Union (EU) proposal to establish a comprehensive UN investigation into abuses in Afghanistan. Should the motion pass, it would create a mechanism capable of preparing evidence for future criminal investigations targeting suspected violations by both the Taliban authorities and past actions of foreign troops. The EU motion calls for investigators to gather and preserve evidence for eventual court proceedings, marking one of the strongest forms of UN rights scrutiny. It is comparable to existing high-level probes into crimes committed in Syria…
RIYADH – Saudi Arabia has announced a major liberalisation of its pilgrimage regulations, confirming that visitors and residents holding any type of visa will now be permitted to perform Umrah during their stay in the Kingdom. This move is set to dramatically broaden access for Muslims globally. In a statement released by the Ministry of Haj and Umrah on Sunday, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that individuals holding “personal and family visit visas, electronic tourist visas, transit visas, work visas, and other types of visas” are included in this expanded access. Streamlining Access Under Vision 2030 The…
PARIS – France’s profound political instability intensified dramatically on Monday as the newly appointed Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu, submitted his resignation, barely 14 hours after announcing his cabinet. The unprecedented, swift departure came after both allies and opponents threatened to topple his government, sending immediate ripples through financial markets and driving French stocks and the Euro sharply lower. Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, had finalized his ministerial appointments on Sunday after weeks of cross-party consultations, with the first cabinet meeting scheduled for Monday afternoon. However, the new lineup immediately alienated factions across the political spectrum—some deeming it…
QUETTA – An armed clash between local tribesmen and alleged militants in the Korki area of Mangochar in Balochistan’s Kalat division has left four suspected terrorists dead and claimed the life of one local. The confrontation, which began on Sunday, highlights growing civilian resistance to militant groups in the volatile province. Security officials confirmed that the slain militants belonged to banned Baloch separatist groups and had reportedly attacked the people of Korki, a locality on the outskirts of Mangochar. However, the locals “did not surrender and offered stiff resistance.” Hours-Long Gun Battle The gun battle, which officials described…
QUETTA – Security forces, aided by local communities, successfully rescued more than a dozen fishing boats and their crews trapped in the Arabian Sea by high tides triggered by Cyclone Shakhti. The cyclone’s effects have placed coastal areas, including Karachi and the Makran coast, on high alert. The 13 fishing boats were stranded in deep waters off the coast of Ormara when they were caught by the severe weather conditions. Officials from the fisheries department confirmed the success of the operation, stating, “All the 13 boats and the stranded fishermen were rescued,” with no casualties reported. High Alert and…
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD – Pakistan is forging a new phase in its strategic and economic engagement with the United States as the two allies move closer to implementing a deal for the export of rare earth minerals. The development comes amid strong political opposition demands for the government to disclose the full details of all agreements struck with Washington. US Strategic Metals (USSM), which signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pakistan in September to invest roughly $500 million in mineral processing facilities, recently dispatched its first consignment of mineral samples to the US to advance the deal. Sources in Washington anticipate…
KOHAT – A police checkpoint in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Kohat district came under a fierce overnight assault, resulting in the martyrdom of one police officer and injuries to a Frontier Constabulary (FC) official. The attack, confirmed by police on Monday, underscores the sustained and brutal threat faced by law enforcement agencies in Pakistan’s northwest. Kohat District Police Officer (DPO) Dr. Zahidullah Khan reported that a “large number of miscreants” launched the attack on the post in Darra Adamkhel from “multiple sides” around 1 am. A subsequent exchange of fire between the security personnel and the unidentified assailants lasted for two-and-a-half…
ISLAMABAD – The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) announced on Monday that cyclonic storm Shakhti over the Arabian Sea has weakened in severity, though it is still expected to trigger isolated rainfall across the coastal belts of Sindh and Balochistan today. The weather system, which originated as a deepening depression over the Arabian Sea on Friday before quickly intensifying into a severe cyclonic storm, is now on a dissipating trajectory. An 11 am update from the PMD confirmed that the “severe cyclonic storm Shakhti over west central and adjoining northwest of the Arabian Sea has weakened into a cyclonic storm during…
LAHORE – Heavy rainfall across Pakistan’s Punjab province has resulted in a deadly toll, claiming the lives of at least four people and injuring another 28 over the last 24 hours, according to Rescue 1122 officials. The fatalities, which include two children, underscore the immediate danger posed by the severe weather system currently impacting the region. The severe downpour was anticipated after the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) issued an alert last week, forecasting “heavy to very heavy wind-thunderstorms and rains” across Punjab, Islamabad, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from October 5 to October 7, driven by a strong westerly weather system. …
