Infinity Social Updates

Britain agreed the most significant reset of defence and trade ties with the European Union since Brexit on Monday after US President Donald Trump’s upending of the global order pushed the two sides to move on from their acrimonious divorce. Nearly nine years after it voted to leave the bloc , Britain, the second largest defence spender in Europe, will take part in joint procurement projects. The sides also agreed to make it easier for UK food and visitors to reach the EU, and signed a contentious new fishing deal. Trump’s tariffs, alongside warnings that Europe should do more to protect itself, forced governments around the world to rethink trade, defence and security ties, bringing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer closer to France’s Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders. Starmer , who backed remaining in the EU in the Brexit referendum, also bet that offering benefits to Britons, such as the use of faster e-gates at EU airports, would drown out the cries of “betrayal” fro...

The Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) on Monday nominated Justice Ejaz Swati as the top judge of the Balochistan High Court (BHC). A press release issued today by the Supreme Court’s public relations officer said a “JCP meeting of the judicial commission was held to consider the nominations for the BHC chief justice’s appointment. “The Commission, by consensus, has nominated Mr Muhammad Ejaz Swati, Acting Chief Justice High Court of Balochistan, for his appointment as Chief Justice of the High Court of Balochistan,” the release said. A circular from the JCP secretary to the prime minister’s principal secretary requested that further action be taken in this regard. Justice Swati had taken his oath as the acting BHC chief justice on February 14. According to his profile , Justice Swati was born on June 6, 1963, in Quetta. He completed his primary and secondary education at the Tameer-i-Nau Public School, Quetta, in 1978. He pursued a graduate degree in English from the Univers...

Pro-EU Warsaw mayor Rafal Trzaskowski scored a narrow win in round one of Poland’s presidential election but faces an uphill struggle after right-wing and far-right candidates won a majority of votes, analysts said on Monday. Trzaskowski, who is backed by the governing centrists, will face nationalist historian Karol Nawrocki in the June 1 run-off vote. An overall victory for Trzaskowski as head of state would be a boost for the centrist government led by former European Union leader Donald Tusk, which has been at loggerheads with the current nationalist president. A Nawrocki win would probably extend the political deadlock in the Central European country of 38 million people, which is a member of NATO and the EU. Analysts predict that fresh parliamentary elections may have to be called. With all ballots counted, the national election commission said Trzaskowski won 31.36 per cent against 29.54pc for Nawrocki in Sunday’s first round. The razor-thin margin between the two sets the...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday dismissed reports of the Indian media claiming that Pakistan used nuclear-capable Shaheen missiles during the recent tensions with India. New Delhi had accused Islamabad, without evidence, of orchestrating last month’s deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Pakistan had strongly denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe . As the situation turned into a military confrontation between the nuclear powers, it took American intervention for both sides to agree to a ceasefire . A day earlier, the Indian army claimed that Pakistan launched a nuclear-capable Shaheen missile at India during the intense shelling, News Arena India reported . A video released by the Indian army allegedly showed the use of the Shaheen missile during the recent crossfire, according to NDTV . In a statement today, FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said, “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly rejected the unfounded allegations circulating in certain segme...

Pope Leo XIV formally began his reign on Sunday by reaching out to conservatives who felt orphaned under his predecessor, calling for unity, vowing to preserve the Catholic Church’s heritage and not rule like “an autocrat”. After a first ride in the popemobile before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square, Leo was formally installed as the 267th pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign monarch of Vatican City at an outdoor Mass. Well-wishers in the crowd waved US and Peruvian flags, with people from both countries claiming him as the first pope from their nations. Born in Chicago, the 69-year-old pontiff spent many years as a missionary in Peru and also has Peruvian citizenship. Crowds chanted “Viva il Papa” (Long Live the Pope) and “Papa Leone”, his name in Italian, as his distinctive, open-topped popemobile weaved around St. Peter’s Square. Robert Prevost, a relative unknown on the world stage who only became a cardinal two years ago, was elected pope on M...

At least 17 people died after a fire ripped through a building in the Indian city of Hyderabad, local officials said on Sunday. The large blaze broke out in the early hours of the day in a three-storey building which houses a jewellery store. A statement from the fire disaster response emergency and civil defence department in southern Telangana state, where Hyderabad is located, said they had received the call for help just after 6am local time (5:30am PKT). “The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. Firefighting, search & rescue operations were carried out simultaneously,” it said. The statement also listed the names of 17 individuals who lost their lives. “The suspected cause of the fire is under investigation,” it said. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his “deep grief” over the loss of life and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (around $2,300) to the next of kin of each victim. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to...

PESHAWAR: Terrorist group Islamic State’s regional affiliate Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for the May 11 suicide blast , which martyred two police officials and injured three here. In its weekly publication Al-Naba on Friday, the ISKP insisted that one of its members, Abu Ibrahim al-Khorasani, carried out the suicide attack by detonating his explosive belt when the police tried to stop him at a checkpost in the jurisdiction of the Chamkani police station. Police investigators believe that the police weren’t the target of the suicide bomber, who actually wanted to attack a Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl gathering at the party’s Mufti Mehmood Markaz headquarters, which was attended by leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman the same night. “It appears that the bomber’s target was the JUI-F gathering, but it has yet to be confirmed,” a source in the police’s counter-terrorism department told Dawn. Police believe bomber was planning to target JUI-F rally He, how...

The Pakistan Haj Mission (PHM) has welcomed 38,229 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia (Madina and Makkah) under the government scheme since the start of the month-long pre-Haj flight operation on April 29. These pilgrims arrived via 143 flights under the government scheme , while 3,440 more intending pilgrims through 13 flights will reach the holy land today, said Muhammad Umar Butt, a spokesman for the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Sharing the details with APP , he said that there are five scheduled flights from Lahore, four from Karachi, three from Islamabad and one from Multan today. This year, the PHM will host over 88,380 pilgrims under the government scheme and more than 23,000 under the private scheme. He said that as possession of the Nusuk Card is a mandatory requirement for entering Haram Sharif, the pilgrims are being given these through Tawafa Company Al-Rajhi, responsible for facilitating Pakistani pilgrims during Haj, soon after their arrival. The PHM is utilising Pak Haj App...

A sessions court in Rawalpindi sentenced a man to death on Friday for raping a woman. Additional Sessions Judge Afshan Ijaz Sufi announced the verdict today, sentencing the convict to be hanged to death under Section 17 of the Anti-Rape (Investigation & Trial) Act, 2021. The judge also imposed a fine of Rs200,000 and ordered him to pay Rs500,000 in compensatory damages to the victim. In case of failing to pay, the convict will be sentenced to six months’ additional imprisonment. The first information report of the case was lodged at the Saddar Beroni police station on July 20, 2024, under Pakistan Penal Code Section 376iii (punishment for rape of a minor) on the complaint of the victim’s mother. The mother said she worked as a housemaid and had left her 21/22-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son at home when the culprit had entered around noon and raped the former. The woman said her children had raised a hue and cry with her son alerting someone who called her up and inform...

Pakistan is expected to experience “moderate growth, stabilising after a period of economic contraction”, with its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) projected to expand by 2.3 per cent in 2025, according to a major United Nations report. The report, titled ‘ The UN World Economic Situation and Prospects 2025 ’ and released a day ago, noted that declining inflation has allowed most of the South Asian region’s central banks to commence or continue monetary easing in 2025. Meanwhile, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are expected to continue fiscal consolidation and economic reforms under International Monetary Fund programmes. It said that the near-term outlook for South Asia was expected to remain robust, with growth projected at 5.7pc in 2025 and 6pc in 2026, “driven by strong performance in India as well as economic recovery in a few other economies”, including Bhutan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The report said the global economy was at a precarious juncture, marked by heightened trade te...

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul on Friday at their first direct peace talks in more than three years, under pressure from US President Donald Trump to end Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War Two. Live television showed Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan addressing Russian and Ukrainian negotiators at the lavish Dolmabahce Palace on the Bosphorus. Half of the Ukrainian delegation wore camouflage military fatigues, sitting at a table directly facing their Russian counterparts, who were in suits. Fidan said it was critical to achieve a ceasefire as soon as possible. He said he was happy to see the will of both sides to open a new window of opportunity for peace, and it was important that the Istanbul talks form the basis for a meeting between leaders of the two countries. “There are two paths ahead of us: one road will take us on a process that will lead to peace, while the other will lead to more destruction and death. The sides will decide on their own, wi...

Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan on Friday urged India to maintain the ceasefire agreed with Pakistan, warning that the country would respond if the neighbour resumed aggression. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack . On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. The nation observed Youm-i-Tashakur across the country today to honour the armed forces and the people for the victory in Operation Bunyanum Marsoos — a part of Marka-i-Haq — against India. During his weekly press conference today, the spokesperson said: “The recent announcement of a Pakistan-India ceasefire is a positive development. We urge India to faithfully adhere to its implementation.” He said Pakistan appreciated the ro...

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that India had offered a trade deal that proposed “no tariffs” for American goods, while expressing his dissatisfaction with Apple’s (AAPL.O) plans to invest in India. New Delhi is seeking to clinch a trade deal with the US within the 90-day pause announced by Trump on April 9 on tariff hikes for major trading partners. “It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs,” Trump said in a meeting with executives in the Qatari capital Doha. Reuters has reported that New Delhi has offered to reduce duties to zero on 60 per cent of tariff lines in a first phase of the deal under negotiation with Washington, while offering preferential access to nearly 90pc of the merchandise India imports from the US. India’s equity benchmarks jumped to a seven-month high after Trump’s comment on the deal with India. The Indian trade ministry did not reply to a mail seeking c...

Bulls took control of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday as shares gained over 1,400 points, bringing calm to yesterday’s heightened volatility . The positive momentum comes just a day after Pakistan received the second tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), worth $1 billion, under its loan programme. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 858.23 points (0.73 per cent) to stand at 119,394.75 points from the previous close of 118,536.52 at 9:40am. The intraday high was recorded 119,990.30 points at around 3:18pm, 1,453.78 points (1.23pc) higher than yesterday. Finally, the KSE-100 closed at 119,961.91 points, with a gain of 1,425.39 points (1.20pc) compared to the previous close. This screengrab taken at around 3:40pm shows bullish activity at the PSX on May 15, 2025. — PSX data portal Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pak Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, said the market was positive due to the recent inflows from the IMF. He also no...

Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday the intelligence service’s arrests of a Kurdish representative and a Swedish diplomat were not linked to a journalist facing “terror” charges in Turkiye. Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio had alleged late on Wednesday that one of the suspects was connected to the case of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who is currently in custody in Turkey awaiting trial on a charge of belonging to a “terrorist” group. The Swedish Security Service (Sapo) confirmed to AFP that two people had recently been arrested for “aggravated unauthorised handling of secret information”. They had since been released but were still suspects, Sapo said. It declined to disclose any details of the case. Sveriges Radio said one of the suspects in Sapo’s case was a Swedish citizen who was a leading representative for Kurds in Northern Syria. The other was a diplomat at the foreign ministry. The broadcaster said it was unclear whether the arrests had been made as a result of a re...

A powerful explosion targeted the vehicle of local JUI-F leader Maulana Noorullah on Thursday near a seminary in the lower South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said. The explosion hit Maulana Noorullah’s car near Shahzad Madrassah, adjacent to a police station in the district’s Azam Warsak market. According to a police statement, the bomb attack was carried out to target Maulana Noorullah, who remained unharmed. Police confirmed the incident and said there were no casualties in the explosion. Security forces cordoned off the area and started an investigation. According to a video later released by the JUI-F, Maulana Noorullah told his supporters that he was accompanied by local party leaders Maulana Ishaq and Maulana Amanullah when the blast occurred. “We all are safe,” he told his supporters. “We want peace in the country and protection of religious schools, mosques and all Muslims.” JUI-F leaders have been targeted in different parts of KP and Balochistan over...

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has commenced budget meetings to finalise the development proposals and their allocations in the province for the next financial year and has also launched an austerity drive to conserve funds for development initiatives. The provincial government is finalising proposals for the upcoming budget for the next financial year. The federal government will unveil the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on June 2 . In two separate meetings at the CM House of the Finance and Planning & Development departments today, the chief minister finalised the Annual Development Programme (ADP), stressing that rehabilitation of flood-damaged infrastructure must be prioritised in the upcoming budget. He also emphasised the need to reduce non-development expenditures while increasing allocations for development projects. He further instructed that canal and watercourse lining projects be included in the new development schemes, and highlighted the importance of...

A couple were burnt to death on Tuesday night as blazing wildfires engulfed the forests of Hasham Khel Dab mountains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla district in Martung tehsil, according to police. Pakistan has grappled with an unprecedented surge in forest fires in recent years. Provinces, including KP and Balochistan, have seen huge wildfires in the past three years. Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Usman Munir, while speaking to Dawn.com , shared that a man and his wife were burned to death while they were trying to protect the firewood kept near their home from the fire. The SDFO of the forest department in Alpuri, Zahid Hussain told Dawn.com that the victims — identified as Hakim Zada and his wife Hajiroon — set fire to the bushes near their house. The fire then quickly got out of control due to intense and gusty winds, engulfing the forest. The wildfire has now been extinguished, and the bodies of the victims have been recovered from the site. According to Deputy Commi...

PTI MNA Junaid Akbar on Tuesday said he had handed over his resignation as the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to the party. The development came after it emerged that PTI founding chairman Imran Khan had directed Akbar to resign from the position and focus on provincial matters. In a video statement issued today, Akbar confirmed that he had handed over his resignation to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, saying that he readily accepted the decision of the party and Imran. “Whatever the decision of the party and the decision of Imran Khan, I will not think for a moment and will readily accept it,” he said. Akbar said the position was a responsibility given by the party and he would accept any decision by the PTI founder, including handing over the party presidency or resignation from the assembly. PTI’s central information secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram, had confirmed to Dawn , that Akbar would step down as PAC chairman. He said Imran had conveyed the message t...

Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur on Tuesday vowed that the provincial government will make education a “top priority” in the upcoming budget and allocate more resources towards the sector, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The chief minister’s concerns follow in the wake of the unexpected textbook shortage in the province which has disrupted classes, high dropout rates, and Pakistan’s “low” ranking in the District Education Performance Index Report 2020-23 . “Presiding over a meeting in Peshawar, he directed measures to enhance teachers’ capacity, ensure 100 per cent merit in new recruitments, and establish schools in rented buildings in areas where they are urgently needed,” the report said. During the meeting, it was decided that comprehensive and multi-faceted measures would be taken to increase student enrollment in schools. In this regard, schemes would be included in the upcoming budget to support various activities. “Gandapur expressed concern that in s...