Infinity Social Updates

At an Indian gourmet food store, Avanti Mehta is organising a blind tasting of drinks sourced from France, Italy and India. No, this isn’t wine, it’s water. Participants use tiny shot glasses to check the minerality, carbonation and salinity in samples of Evian from the French Alps, Perrier from southern France, San Pellegrino from Italy and India’s Aava from the foothills of the Aravalli mountains. “They will all taste different … you should be choosing a water that can give you some sort of nutritional value,” said Mehta, who is 32 and calls herself India’s youngest water sommelier, a term usually associated with premium wine. Her family owns the Aava mineral water brand. Premium water is a $400 million business in the world’s most populous nation and is growing bigger as its wealthy see it as a new status symbol that fits in with a spreading wellness craze. Avanti Mehta, 32, India’s youngest water sommelier, talks about different brands of packaged water at “Sip and Sense”, a ...

Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins was ruled out on Saturday for next month’s Twenty20 World Cup after failing to recover from a nagging back injury , and Ben Dwarshuis will replace him for the global showpiece. Cummins played just one of the five Ashes tests against England, but Australia kept him in the provisional World Cup squad hoping for his availability in the Super Eight stage of the tournament to be played in India and Sri Lanka. Matt Renshaw also replaced fellow batter Matthew Short but veteran Steve Smith could not break into the World Cup squad despite his strong form in the Big Bash League. “With Pat needing more time to recover from his back injury, Ben is a ready replacement who offers a left-arm pace option as well as dynamic fielding and late-order hitting,” selector Tony Dodemaide said. “We believe his ability to swing the ball at good pace along with clever variations will be well suited to the conditions we expect and overall structure of the squad.” The Mitchel...

US President Donald Trump walked back his conciliatory tone on Friday after outrage over the killings of two American citizens in Minneapolis by federal agents, branding one of them, Alex Pretti, an “agitator.” Footage shared online this week reportedly showed intensive care nurse Pretti in a scuffle with federal agents 11 days before he was shot dead on Saturday by officers enforcing an immigration crackdown. The White House has scrambled to stem widespread outrage over Pretti’s killing, which came weeks after Renee Good, another US citizen and mother of three, was fatally shot by agents in the same city. Trump claimed he wanted to “de-escalate a little bit” in the fallout of the killings and appointed a new point man in Minneapolis, border chief Tom Homan, who said on Thursday that some federal agents could be withdrawn from the city after weeks of protests against immigration raids. On Friday, the US president said Pretti, 37, was an “agitator and, perhaps, insurrectionist,” ...

The Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) group declared a ceasefire deal on Friday that foresees a phased integration of Kurdish forces with the state, staving off a potentially bloody battle for the northeast. The sides announced the agreement after government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa captured swathes of northern and eastern Syria from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) this month, forcing the Kurdish forces to retreat into a shrinking enclave. The fate of the SDF, which once held a quarter or more of Syria, has been one of the biggest issues looming over the country since fighters led by Sharaa toppled President Bashar al-Assad 14 months ago. US envoy Tom Barrack, who has been closely involved in mediation efforts, declared the agreement “a profound and historic milestone in Syria’s journey towards national reconciliation, unity, and enduring stability”. Deal aims to unify Syria Under the agreement, forces that had amassed on...

Pakistan on Thursday opted to bat first after winning the toss against Australia as the two begin a T20I series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. “Pakistan elect to bat first against Australia in the three-match T20I series opener at Gaddafi Stadium,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on X. Speaking at the toss, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the pitch seemed dry, so he expected less turn in the first inning. Noting that Australia were a “quality side”, he affirmed that the Green Shirts were prepared as well. Australian player Travis Head, who was at the toss, said his team was looking forward to the match. He stressed the need to be “adaptable”, acknowledging that the game was great preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Australian cricket team arrived in Lahore on Wednesday, marking the third time they have toured Pakistan. The tour was announced earlier this month. All three matches are scheduled to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, 31 and Febru...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar underscored the importance of dialogue and diplomacy in a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday. The Foreign Office (FO) posted on X today that the two foreign ministers had spoken on the phone, during which Dar expressed concern over the evolving regional situation. The foreign minister “underscored that dialogue and diplomacy remain the only viable way forward”, the FO said. It added that both leaders agreed to remain in close contact. The two leaders had already spoken on Saturday, when Dar received a call from Araghchi while on a visit to Dubai. According to the FO, the Iranian minister thanked the deputy prime minister for “his strong support and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, including its call for a vote as well as voting against the resolution concerning Iran”. Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to e...

Fifth seed Elena Rybakina booked her place in the Australian Open semi-finals on Wednesday with a dominant second-set display to hand six-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek a 7-5 6-1 defeat at Melbourne Park. Looking to lift the trophy for the first time, the 28-year-old will take on American Jessica Pegula for a place in Saturday’s final. Rybakina fired 11 aces and 26 winners as she ended Swiatek’s career Grand Slam bid on Rod Laver Arena, winning eight of the last nine games to underline her authority. Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina celebrates after winning her quarter final match against Poland’s Iga Swiatek. —Reuters ‘Really pleased with the win,’ said Rybakina. ‘We know each other pretty well and I was just trying to stay aggressive. ‘I feel like in the first set for both of us the first serve wasn’t working so we were trying to step in on the second serve to put pressure on each other. ‘I think in the second I just started to play more free, serve better and I’m really ha...

KARACHI: A consumer court has issued notices to a clothing brand and a postal service on an application alleging that they had delivered a sack of flour instead of garments worth more than Rs50,000. The court has summoned the defendants to appear on Jan 31 to respond to the allegations. Muhammad Usman Malik, a consumer, had filed an application under the consumer protection law before the judicial magistrate of the consumer court (East) against Maria.B, a clothing brand, and a postal service, PostEx (Pvt) Ltd, alleging “gross negligence” and that the defendants had committed serious deficiencies in service and engaged in unfair trade practices. After a preliminary hearing, the court summoned the defendants to appear before the court on Jan 31. In the application, the plaintiff claimed that on Dec 1, 2025, he had placed an order through the official website of Maria.B for the purchase of garments worth Rs55,864. Four days later, the courier service contacted him, informing that the ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday emphasised the need to expand cooperation between Pakistan and Myanmar. He made the remarks as Myanmar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Than Swe, who is currently undertaking a four-day official visit to Islamabad, called on him in Islamabad, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. “Welcoming the visiting dignitary and reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening its longstanding relations with Myanmar, the prime minister underscored the importance of expanding cooperation in trade and economic engagement, education, culture, capacity-building, and people-to-people exchanges,” the statement said. He also appreciated Myanmar’s cooperation in combating trafficking and its support for Pakistan’s engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Meanwhile, the Burmese foreign minister thanked PM Shehbaz for the warm welcome accorded to him and his delegation. “He conveyed the greetings and good wishes from Myanmar...

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that there was no question of a military operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tirah Valley, whose residents have been vacating there houses in recent days amid concerns about a military action against terrorists. Asif made these remarks during a press conference in Islamabad, where he was flanked by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Information and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Affairs Ikhtiar Wali Khan. At the outset of the press conference, he said members of the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan had been residing in Tirah with their families. “They are around 400-500 in number,” he said. The defence minister further stated that the provincial government had approved a package of Rs4 billion for the people of Tirah Valley, who were to migrate. “The armed forces deployed in that area have nothing to do with it. This is an arrangement between the jirga and the provincial government, and as a resul...

The Sindh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the relief and rehabilitation package — announced last week — for the families of the victims of the Gul Plaza inferno in Karachi, which includes Rs10 million as financial compensation. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had earlier announced the compensation on January 19. The deadly inferno , which erupted on the night of January 17 at the mall and took nearly two days to be fully extinguished , has claimed at least 73 lives and left over 1,100 shops in ruins. After nine days of scouring through the rubble to locate remains of the dead and missing, the search operation concluded on Sunday. According to a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s House today, during the meeting, the cabinet expressed grief over the loss of lives in the Gul Plaza tragedy and approved Rs10m for the families of the deceased, along with the Rs10m “interest-free loans” for shopkeepers affected by the devastating blaze. The chief minister held that “Ther...

A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced Dhaka’s fugitive former police chief and two senior colleagues to be hanged for crimes against humanity committed during the rule of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina. All three, including the capital’s former police chief, Habibur Rahman, were tried in absentia, and their whereabouts are not known. The verdict comes ahead of elections on February 12 , the first in the South Asian country of 170 million people since Hasina’s overthrow in August 2024. Five other ex-police officers were sentenced to varying terms. The case concerned the killing of six protesters in Dhaka on August 5, 2024, the day Hasina fled to India as protesters stormed her palace. Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024 when Hasina’s government launched a brutal campaign to silence the protesters, according to the United Nations. “The police forces… opened fire with lethal weapons… causing death to the aforesaid six persons,” judge Golam Mortuza...

Greenland is a land of snow and ice, home to only 57,000 people. Yet Donald Trump’s desire to control it has caused protests in Greenland itself together with unprecedented tensions with European allies. And at one point even seemed to risk military confrontation between North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) members. The US President has now backed down from his threat of tariffs and has ruled out military action. But why is Donald Trump so interested in Greenland? Here’s what he’s said about it himself: “We need it for strategic national security and international security. And the fact is, no nation or any group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland, other than the United States.” Greenland’s strategic military location Greenland, a Danish territory, certainly does occupy a strategic position. It’s at one end of what’s called the G-I-UK gap, between Greenland, Iceland and the UK. Much of Russia’s navy needs to cross this gap to access the Atlantic. S...

Security forces killed three “Indian-sponsored terrorists” during an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Sunday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “On January 25 (Sunday), security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in Panjgur District of Balochistan, on [the] reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy, Fitna al Hindustan .” Fitna al Hindustan is a state-designated name for the Balochistan-based terror groups allegedly supported by India to target military personnel in Pakistan. The statement said that during the conduct of the operation, the security forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an “intense fire exchange, three Indian sponsored terrorists were eliminated.” Among the killed was a local terrorist commander, Farooq alias Soro, the ISPR said. “Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who ...

Video footage of the moment immigration agents shot dead a 37-year-old nurse in Minneapolis on Saturday appears to contradict Trump administration claims that the man was a violent aggressor who sought to “massacre” federal law enforcement officials. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after the shooting said Alex Pretti had “approached US Border Patrol officers with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun” and “violently resisted” when they attempted to disarm him. Administration officials did not say whether Pretti had the gun in his hands at the time. Video shared widely by US media, which AFP has not verified, however, shows Pretti with a phone in his hands, filming agents in a snow-lined street and directing traffic. After an agent shoves a woman protester to the ground on the sidewalk, Pretti steps in between them and is sprayed in the face by a chemical irritant. The agent then pulls Pretti to the ground and several officers struggle to detain him on the icy roadway. Seconds l...

European Council president Antonio Costa arrived in India on Sunday, as the EU and New Delhi seek to seal a free trade pact, capping nearly two decades of negotiations between the economic behemoths. Costa and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen are chief guests for this year’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Monday before an EU-India summit on Tuesday, where they hope to shake hands on the accord, described as the “ mother of all deals ”. “President Costa is in New Delhi for the 16th EU-India summit taking place on Tuesday,” the EU Council said on X. “The summit will be an opportunity to build on the EU-India strategic partnership and further strengthen collaboration across key policy areas.” India, the world’s most populous nation, is on track to become the world’s fourth-largest economy this year, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) projections. While the EU eyes India as an important market for the future, New Delhi sees the European bl...

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday thanked his Pakistani counterpart Ishaq Dar for his “ strong support ” and Pakistan’s position at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) amid the prevailing tense situation between Washington and Tehran. On Friday, the UNHRC adopted a resolution — with 25 votes in favour, seven against and 14 abstentions — to extend the mandate of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran for two years. The resolution also extended the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran by one year and called for an urgent investigation by the mission, in the context of the deadly nationwide protests in Iran that started in December. Pakistan, along with China and India, voted against the resolution. In a post on X on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) said Dar, who is on a visit to Dubai, received a telephone call from Araghchi. The Iranian minister thanked the deputy prime minister for “his strong support a...

“As dissenters challenge existing ideas, social consciousness grows, the condition of human existence and rights improve and society progresses …Thus, it is in society’s collective interest that the right to dissent be upheld, even though critical ideas might seem unpalatable. It is in the state’s own interest to tolerate ideas critical of it. Criticism of the state and its policies is a natural outcome of the democratic system of governance … the security of the state must not be projected by the state itself to be so fragile that critical speech would shake its foundation.” — Justice Babar Sattar in the case of Shoukat Ali vs. Government of Pakistan (PLD 2024 Islamabad 135) On Friday, lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested while they were reportedly on the way to the Islamabad district courts. The multiple cases registered against them invoke provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), anti-terrorism legislation, and law...

Being surrounded by many loved ones is like sharing a busy home kitchen; there is warmth, laughter, and support, but there is also crowding, noise, and the occasional clash. This, in essence, captures the experience of the traditional joint family system in South Asia. Legend has it that the joint family system in South Asia has roots in ancient and medieval agrarian societies, where extended families living together made economic and social sense. Nowadays, the traditional joint family, though increasingly rare, is part of our cultural legacy — something many families take pride in. It represents a tradition where multiple generations live together in the same household, where grandparents, uncles, aunts, or cousins continue living together under one roof, a practice not commonly seen in the Western part of the world. A nuclear family, on the other hand, usually consists of just two parents and their children, living together. As someone from a nuclear family, I have the first-hand...

KARACHI: Seven people were rescued while a search operation was underway to find four others missing after a merchant vessel hit a fishing boat off Manora Beach on Friday morning. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that seven people had been rescued, with four still missing, in the incident. In a separate statement, Karachi’s Edhi Information Centre said search efforts were ongoing for the missing individuals. DIG Raza detailed that the incident took place in a channel of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) at about 2am, when a civil fishing boat named Al-Shahbaz was hit by merchant vessel Kang Huan. “All fishermen on the boat jumped into the sea, and the fishing boat toppled down,” the police officer added. Subsequently, rescue operations were initiated by HPO, the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency and the KPT. “Seven persons were rescued by another fishing boat,” DIG Raza said, adding that four were still missing. “The recovered fishermen were taken to the ...