TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave on Sunday his official endorsement of Dr Masoud Pezeshkian as the country’s ninth president, following snap elections won by the reformist camp’s candidate. In a message read by the director of Khamenei’s office, the supreme leader said: “I endorse the vote (for) the wise, honest, popular and scholarly Mr Pezeshkian, and I am appointing him as the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The new reformist president is due to be sworn in before parliament on Tuesday. The endorsement ceremony was held in the capital Tehran in the presence of senior Iranian officials…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
GAZA STRIP: The civil defence agency in Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli strike Sunday hit tents at a declared safe zone in the Palestinian territory’s south, killing at least five people. A witness said a newborn was among the dead in Al-Mawasi near Khan Yunis city, where tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians have sought refuge from the war, now nearing its 11th month. Since Monday, Israeli forces have operated in and around Khan Yunis including in parts of the coastal area of Al-Mawasi. Miriam al-Astal who lives in Al-Mawasi said a newborn baby was killed. “We were sitting in…
LONDON: New footage has surfaced showing the alleged assault of three police officers at Manchester airport, followed by an officer kicking a man in the head. The chaotic scenes, captured in the video obtained by the Manchester Evening News, depict an officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying face down on the floor. A Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer was suspended after the video was widely shared on social media, sparking protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that the officer is now under criminal investigation for assault. The next steps involve determining…
MAJDAL SHAMS: While Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday vowed to “hit the enemy hard”, raising fears that the Gaza conflict will spread after a rocket attack on Golan Heights, the European Union as well as Lebanon called for an independent probe into what happened. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Western powers, including the US, Britain France and Germany condemned the attack and appealed for calm, as Iran warned Israel any new military “adventures” in Lebanon could lead to “unforeseen consequences”. Israel’s army called it “the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians” since October 2023 and blamed Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement for…
QUETTA: Haq Do Tehreek (HDT) leader and MPA Maulana Hidayatur Rehman has strongly condemned the use of force on the convoy of Baloch Yakjehti Committee supporters near Mastung and announced that he is now joining opposition benches in the Balochistan Assembly. “I will not support the coalition government anymore,” the HDT leader said. “I don’t understand why the government created hurdles and disallowed a peaceful gathering in Gwadar while the Constitution allows everyone to hold such peaceful public meetings.” Mr Rehman criticised the provincial government for not fulfilling its responsibilities which led to violent incidents. He also condemned the closure…
LAHORE: Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi has announced that the national flag will be hoisted on mosques and seminaries from Aug 1 to 30, while Kashmir Exploitation Day will be observed on Aug 5 across the country. He was speaking at a press conference here on Sunday. He said that the country should not be weakened in the name of politics and demanded action against those who launched a campaign against the Pakistan armed forces and its chief. Expressing his support for Azm-i-Istehkam Pakistan drive, he said the country direly needed unity, determination and stability. He said the National…
RAWALPINDI: A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight attendant caught smuggling foreign currency at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, has been sent on judicial remand. Customs officials produced the suspect before a magistrate on Saturday and sought her custody. According to Customs authorities, the air hostess was detained on Friday after a large amount of Saudi riyals were found in her socks during a body search. A video of the cabin crew member taking out the currency notes has also gone viral on social media. Later, an FIR was registered against the air hostess, who was only referred to by her initials A.Q.…
LAHORE: The government on Sunday vowed to pursue legal action after an office-bearer of a politico-religious group ‘incited violence’ against a top functionary. The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) held a series of gatherings in various parts of the country to register their opposition to the judgement in the Mubarak Sani case, which was recently reviewed by the apex court in light of a plea filed by the Punjab government. At one such gathering outside the Lahore Press Club, where TLP chief Saad Rizvi was also in attendance, vice emir Pir Zaheerul Hasan Shah delivered remarks amounting to incitement of violence against…
QUETTA: The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) has called upon the Balochistan police chief to book the officers who allegedly used force against the participants of a peaceful rally on July 11. Addressing a presser on Saturday, VBMP chairman Nasarullah Baloch, vice chairman Mama Qadeer and Hurrian Baloch said women and children were also present at the rally and they were injured when the police allegedly resorted to violence. They also demanded the formation of a judicial commission to unearth the facts behind the incident and warned that they would approach the high court and Supreme Court for justice…
KURRAM: Gunfire continued to ring out on Sunday in the volatile district bordering Afghanistan, despite authorities’ claims of having brokered a ceasefire between two feuding tribes in Kurram. The five-day conflict has so far claimed at least 35 lives, according to Mir Hassan Jan, the medical superintendent of the Kurram District Headquarters Hospital. Mr Jan said that 166 people have been injured in the conflict. Hostilities between two rival groups hailing from Boshehra and Maleekhel tribes flared up over a land dispute last week and both sides resorted to using heavy weapons to target each other’s positions. Clashes had also spread to…
