Infinity Social Updates

Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion and Peter Howitt won the 2025 Nobel economics prize on Monday for their work on how innovation and the forces of “creative destruction” can drive economic growth and lift living standards across the globe. Their research explains how technology gives rise to new products and production methods which replace old ones, resulting in a better standard of living, health and quality of life. “Over the last two centuries, for the first time in history, the world has seen sustained economic growth. This has lifted vast numbers of people out of poverty and laid the foundation of our prosperity,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards the prize, said in a statement. Economic growth not guaranteed The laureates have also shown that such progress cannot be taken for granted, the Academy said, while two of the prize winners highlighted that US President Donald Trump’s trade policies would impinge on growth. “Economic stagnation, not growth, has been th...

Former Pakistan Test batter Wazir Mohammad passed away on Monday, according to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to Cricinfo , the 95-year-old right-hander was born in Junagadh in 1929, and his siblings included renowned cricketers Hanif, Mushtaq and Raees Mohammad. “One of the four Mohammad brothers to represent Pakistan in test cricket, he featured in 20 matches for his country from 1952 to 1959,” the PCB wrote in a post on X, extending its condolences. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi expressed his condolences to Mohammad’s family in a statement, paying tribute to the batter’s services to test cricket. “Wazir Mohammad was a good batsman and an extremely refined human being,” Naqvi was quoted as saying, offering prayers for the family. More to follow from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/27kTDXu

United States President Donald Trump told the Israeli parliament on Monday that the ceasefire he helped broker in the Gaza conflict had ushered in the “historic dawn of a new Middle East”. “And after so many years of unceasing war and endless danger, today the skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still, and the sun rises on a holy land that is finally at peace, a land and a region that will live, God willing, in peace for all eternity,” he said. “This is not only the end of a war … This is the historic dawn of a new Middle East.“ Trump’s lightning visit to Israel came ahead of a summit in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh co-chaired by the American president, who has declared the conflict in Gaza “over”. Under the ceasefire deal, Israel is due to release nearly 2,000 Palestinians held in its jails. Addressing the Israeli parliament, Trump called the agreement that brought about a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the captives held by Hamas a triumph...

China is concerned about recent border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan and has asked the two countries to protect its nationals and investments in the region, Beijing’s foreign ministry said on Monday. Intense border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan started late on Saturday night and continued into Sunday morning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that 23 troops were martyred and 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists were killed when Islamabad responded to aggression by Kabul. Afghanistan claimed it carried out the attack as a “retaliatory” measure, accusing Islamabad of conducting air strikes in its territory earlier this week. For its part, Islamabad has not confirmed whether it was behind the air strikes but maintains that Kabul should “stop harbouring the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan on its soil”. In response to Islamabad’s repeated calls to bar terrorists from using its territory for cross-border attacks, Afghanistan denies the allegation of allowi...

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Sunday urged the PTI and other political parties to unite in backing the “charter for a stable Pakistan” , saying the initiative had become more crucial than ever following last night’s border escalation with Afghanistan. According to a statement from the military’s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), overnight skirmishes between Kabul and Islamabad erupted on the night of Oct 11-12, after “Afghan Taliban and India-backed militants launched an unprovoked attack along the Pak-Afghan border”. Pakistan said its forces responded decisively, killing over 200 Taliban and affiliated terrorists, while 23 Pakistani soldiers were martyred. Islamabad has repeatedly urged Afghanistan to rein in the Fitna-al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for militants linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — saying the group operates from Afghan soil. Kabul, however, has denied any involvement. Speaking...

The PTI’s Sohail Afridi on Sunday submitted his papers to contest the chief minister elections due to be held during a session of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly tomorrow , according to the assembly’s secretary. Afridi, a member of the provincial assembly hailing from Bara, was nominated for the office by party founder Imran Khan after sitting KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced his resignation earlier this week. This has prompted an election to decide KP’s next chief executive. Secretary Syed Muhammad Mahir told reporters that Afridi’s papers, as well as those of the three opposition candidates — contesting on behalf of the PPP, PML-N and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) — have been received and approved. “The nomination papers of the PTI’s Sohail Afridi have been approved,” he said. “The papers of Arbab Zarq of the People’s Party, Sardar Jahan of the PML-N and Maulana Lutfur Rehman of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-F have also been approved for the Chief Minister’s post....

Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick to pass 50 international goals in record time as Norway cruised to a 5-0 thrashing of Israel on Saturday, edging closer to qualifying for a first World Cup finals since 1998. Before the match in Oslo, hundreds of people attended a pro-Palestinian demonstration, chanting “Free Palestine” to protest against Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza, AFP journalists reported. Norwegian police dispersed a gathering of pro-Palestinian activists with tear gas and made several arrests. Inside the Ullevaal Stadium, several dozen Israeli fans waved their country’s flag and a banner reading “Let the Ball Talk!”. Norway now lead Group I with 18 points, six more than second-placed Italy, who beat Estonia 3-1 in Tallinn to stay on track for qualification. The comfortable win in Oslo leaves Norway firmly in control of the group as they seek a place at next year’s finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. After a meek performance, Israel take on Italy in Udine on...

Australian airline Qantas said on Sunday that data from 5.7 million customers stolen in a major cyberattack this year had been shared online, part of a leak affecting dozens of firms. Disney, Google, Ikea, Toyota, McDonald’s, and fellow airlines Air France and KLM are also reported to have had data stolen in a cyberattack targeting software firm Salesforce, with the information now being held to ransom. Salesforce said this month it was “aware of recent extortion attempts by threat actors”. Qantas confirmed in July that hackers had targeted one of its customer contact centres, breaching a computer system used by a third party now known to have been Salesforce. They secured access to sensitive information such as customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and birthdays, the blue-chip Australian company said. No further breaches have taken place since, and the company is cooperating with Australian security services. “Qantas is one of a number of companies globally that has had ...

Notorious gangster Khawaja Tareef Butt, alias Teefi Butt, was killed in an alleged gun battle with police in the early hours of Saturday in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district. Butt was a proclaimed offender who fled to the United Arab Emirates after he was accused of being involved in a murder in Lahore last February. A probe carried out by investigating officers in September found that he was involved in the incident. A statement from the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department (CCD) stated that Butt, who had been arrested in Dubai earlier this week with the aid of Interpol, had landed at Karachi Airport a day prior and was handed over to CCD custody, who were to transport him to Lahore by road. “When the CCD team reached near Sanjarpur, District Rahim Yar Khan, in the wee hours of 11th October, a number of armed assailants intercepted the CCD vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire,” the statement claimed. During the gun battle, a CCD officer sustained serious bullet injuries an...

Pakistan captain Shan Masood believes taking 20 wickets, rather than piling up big scores, will be key to winning the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa, as the hosts prepare spin-friendly conditions for the opener at the Gaddafi Stadium from Sunday. Speaking at the pre-series press conference at the venue on Saturday, Shan said Pakistan’s focus was on creating result-oriented pitches that suit their strengths. “We don’t want flat tracks where matches end in draws,” he remarked. “Sometimes you sacrifice runs to create situations where 20 wickets are possible.” The Pakistan skipper said the approach reflected lessons from the previous World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, where his side struggled to convert opportunities at home. “The idea is to use our home advantage wisely,” he added. The Gaddafi Stadium surface, hosting its first Test of the current WTC cycle from Sunday, is expected to offer assistance to spinners. Pakistan are likely to field up to three slow b...

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday assailed the PTI-led KP government for “facilitating terrorists, sowing division, and undermining national security,” stressing that the sacrifices of Pakistanis in the fight against terrorism will not be in vain. The information minister’s remarks come a day after the spokesperson for the military’s media wing, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, without naming anyone, said the “state and its people will not and cannot be left to the whims of a single person deemed most responsible for bringing terrorism back to KP.” “In the past week alone, there have been several terrorist attacks which were bravely and courageously repelled by officers and soldiers of the Pakistan Army,” Tarar said. Referring to PTI, he said there remains only one party — “Tehreek-i-Inteshaar” (movement of chaos) — which has no regard for the sacrifices of martyrs or the country’s integrity, and is only interested in dividing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, worsening t...

A Karachi University student died on Friday after being run over by a campus bus, police said. The victim was identified as a second-year student of the social work department by traffic police inspector Akmal Rai. According to police reports, the student had gotten off at a point near the Mehmood-ul-Hassan Library and was attempting to cross the road when another bus passed by her. Meanwhile, a campus bus, bearing registration number EB-0333, attempted to overtake the first bus and hit the student from the driver’s side. The student, knocked down by the initial impact, was then run over by the bus, killing her on the spot. A notification issued by the university dated October 10, and available with Dawn.com , said an inquiry committee has been constituted to “investigate the tragic incident”. “Vice Chancellor is pleased to constitute an inquiry committee forthwith to investigate the tragic incident in which a female student succumbed to death,” the notification stated. Per the ...

The recent floods across Punjab have upended lives once again, displacing nearly 2.8 million people and affecting more than 4.2m, according to a Rapid Needs Assessment report from the United Nations. Amid the devastation, survivors are struggling not only with loss and uncertainty but with deep psychological distress that shows no sign of easing. A mother’s silent struggle Nazeera Bano, 39, a mother of four from Bait Nabi Shah village in Muzaffargarh’s Tehsil Alipur, has been having sleepless nights since this year’s floodwaters swallowed her home and forced her family to seek shelter in a government-donated tent. Now living with relatives in a nearby village, she says the flashbacks of the ordeal still play out vividly in her mind, leaving her anxious and on edge. “My daughter is getting married next year, so we had all the dowry kept in the house. When the water entered, we barely had time to save anything. We brought the jewellery with us and some essential items, but not everyt...

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for promoting democratic rights in her country and her struggle to achieve a transition to democracy, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. The following are some facts about the democracy campaigner: Upper-class background Maria Corina Machado, 58, was born in Caracas, Venezuela, on October 7, 1967. She is an industrial engineer by training, and her father was a prominent businessman in Venezuela’s steel industry. Her upper-class roots have made her a target of criticism from Venezuela’s governing socialist party. In hiding Machado won a resounding victory in the opposition’s primary election in 2023, and her rallies attracted large crowds, but a ban from holding public office prevented her from running for president against Nicolas Maduro in an election in 2024, and she went into hiding. The country’s electoral authority and top court say Maduro, whose time in office has been marked by a deep ec...

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Friday that the revised National Action Plan was decided upon by the country’s political parties but not being followed, which was causing a surge in terrorism. The DG ISPR began the press conference with paying homage on behalf of the armed forces of Pakistan to the “brave sons of soil” of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said the purpose of the press conference was to give an overview of the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. For the past two decades, Pakistan, particularly KP, has been facing the issue of terrorism, he said. In 2024, he said, 1,435 intelligence-based operations were conducted in KP, 769 terrorists, including 58 Afghan terrorists, were killed and 272 army and FC personnel and 140 policemen were martyred while 165 civilians were killed. Moreover, he continued, 10,115 operations were conducted in 2025 until September 15. In these operations, 970 terrorists were killed...

Italy are struggling to qualify automatically for next year’s World Cup finals and the pressure on the team is exacerbated by the tension surrounding next Tuesday’s qualifier with Israel in Udine. Italy was the scene of some of Europe’s biggest pro-Palestinian protests last weekend, as Israeli forces continue their offensive in Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered across Italy in anger at Israel’s actions, and calls for the country to be barred from international sport have grown louder. The protests were in response to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, which was sparked by the attack by Hamas fighters on October 7, 2023, on Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip. During Friday’s massive strike action in support of the Palestinians, demonstrators went to the Italian national team’s training centre in Florence to demand the match against Israel be called off. As of Tuesday only around 4,000 tickets had been sold for the game in Udine, a small city in Italy’s far ...

What started off as a difference in opinion over how to aid flood affectees has now spiralled into a full-blown feud between the PML-N and the PPP, the two main partners in the ruling coalition. The spat, termed a ghar ka mamla by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Sept 30, has devolved into a public spectacle threatening the alliance between the two parties. The bad blood has escalated to the point that leaders from both sides hold daily press conferences to take potshots at the other side. And now, President Asif Ali Zardari appears to be making overtures to smooth over the situation. But how did the whole thing begin? Here’s what we know. How to help flood victims? It appears that differences developed between the PML-N and the PPP last month as the two bickered on how to help flood victims. Several PPP leaders, including Sherry Rehman , called for the utilisation of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to aid flood victims in Punjab, while the provincial government insi...

A local journalist, Tufail Rind, was shot dead by unidentified armed men in the Mirpur Mathelo area of Sindh’s Ghotki district on Wednesday morning, according to the police. The attack took place when he was on his way to drop his children off at school. According to a police press release, the shooting occurred on the Jerwar Road near Maso Wah, where the assailants riding a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire at his car. “Rind died on the spot, while his children miraculously escaped unharmed,” the police said. Witnesses added that the attackers fled the scene after the assault, spreading panic across the area. The police later transported the body to the District Headquarters Hospital of Mirpur Mathelo for medico-legal formalities. The police statement said that upon receiving the information, Ghotki’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anwar Khetran immediately reached the crime scene, inspected the site, and met with the victim’s family, issuing “strict orders to the conce...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday said the Afghanistan football team’s visa issues had been sorted out. On Tuesday, Pakistan Football Federation president Mohsen Gilani said that its Afghanistan counterpart had failed to ensure the presence of its full travelling squad at the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul for biometric verification, as most of the players were not living in the country. The Afghanistan Football Federation was quoted by the Afghan Voice Agency as stating that it had sent the initial list of team members to the Pakistan Embassy on September 18, but “despite repeated follow-ups and official contacts, visas have not been issued to the players and officials”. Today, Minister Naqvi took to X to announce the issue had been sorted out. “Issued now,” he said in response to journalist Faizan Lakhani’s post saying the minister has ordered to sort out the visa issue of the Afghanistan football team. “Thank you for highlighting it,” Naqvi added. Uncertainty sur...

The article was first published in December 2019 and has been replugged for DawnMedia’s upcoming air pollution conference in Lahore. There is mounting evidence that the air quality in Pakistan is having a strong impact on our quality of life. While research has shown the impact of poor air quality on morbidity and mortality for more serious conditions, its insidious effects are not discussed enough. The numbers paint a frightening picture. According to the World Air Quality report, Pakistan was the second most polluted country in 2018. At the time of writing this article, Karachi and Lahore were among the 10 cities in the world to have the most polluted air, with Lahore’s AQI (Air Quality Index) at 188 and Karachi’s at 182. An AQI of up to 50 is healthy. Beyond that, an AQI 0f 100-150 becomes unhealthy for children, and people with heart and lung disease. An AQI of above 150 is unhealthy for everyone while levels above 300 constitute a health emergency. Data from Lahore and Pes...