Infinity Social Updates

The United Arab Emirates announced $544 million to repair the homes of Emirati families on Wednesday after last week’s record-breaking rains caused widespread flooding and brought the oil-rich Gulf state to a standstill . “We learned great lessons in dealing with severe rains,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum after a cabinet meeting, adding that ministers approved “two billion dirhams to deal with damage to the homes of citizens”. Wednesday’s announcement comes more than a week after the unprecedented deluge lashed the desert country, where it turned streets into rivers and hobbled Dubai Airport, the world’s busiest for international passengers. “A ministerial committee was assigned to follow up on this file […] and disburse compensation in cooperation with the rest of the federal and local authorities,” said Sheikh Mohammed, who is also the ruler of Dubai, which was one of the worst hit of the UAE’s seven sheikhdoms. The rainfall, the UAE’s heavi...

Repolling in the Kohlu district of Balochistan for the PB-9 constituency could not take place on Wednesday after a landmine exploded and rockets were fired at a polling station, according to the deputy commissioner. The incident came just hours after one person was killed in a rocket attack at the election office of a PPP candidate late on Tuesday evening. Officials said two rockets, fired from an unknown location, landed and exploded near the election office of Mir Nasibullah Marri. The victim was hit by splinters, resulting in his death. Marri had contested the election for Balochistan Assembly from Kohlu’s PB-9 constituency and was elected MPA. However, the losing candidate challenged the result, and the Election Commission ordered re-polling in seven polling stations. Speaking to Dawn.com , Deputy Commissioner (DC) and District Returning Officer Naqibullah Kakar confirmed that of the six rockets fired at the polling station this morning, three rocket shells landed inside the p...

A six-member bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday decided that a larger bench should hear a set of intra-court appeals (ICAs) against the court’s Oct 23 unanimous ruling that had nullified the military trials of civilians involved in the May 9 riots, and referred the matter to bench reconstitution committee. The development came as the existing bench — led by Justice Aminuddin Khan and including Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Syed Azhar Hasan Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat Khan — resumed hearing the appeals. The case pertains to the trial of more than 100 civilians for their alleged role in attacks on army installations during the riots that followed ex-premier Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 last year. In a widely praised ruling last year, a five-member SC bench — comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Munib Akhtar, Yahya Afridi, Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Ayesha Malik — had unanimously declared that trying the accused civ...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due in China on Wednesday, as the United States ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat will meet China’s top brass on Friday in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates a new leader, and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices — a vital issue for President Joe Biden in an election year. But Blinken is also seeking to stabilise ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies palpably easing since his last visit in June . At the time, he was the highest-ranking US official to visit China in five years, and the trip was followed by a meeting between the countries’ presidents in November. At that summit in California, Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to a US wish list including restoring contact between militaries and cracking down on precursor chemicals to fentanyl, the powerful painkiller b...

Three terrorists were killed by security forces in an intelligence-based operation in Balochistan’s Pishin District, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the operation took place last night on the reported presence of terrorists in the area. “During the conduct of [the] operation, after intense fire exchange, three terrorists were sent to hell, while one terrorist was apprehended in injured condition, who has been identified as an Afghan national,” the ISPR said. It added that a large cache of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered during the operation. “Security forces of Pakistan, in step with the nation, remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the ISPR said. Two alleged terrorists were also killed and several injured in a gun battle with security forces in the district a day ago. According to officials, the local administration ...

The US State Department’s annual human rights assessment found “significant” abuses in India’s northeastern Manipur state last year and attacks on minorities, journalists and dissenting voices in the rest of the country. Manipur has seen fierce fighting between its tribal Kuki-Zo and majority Meitei populations after a court order a year ago suggested the Kuki’s minority privileges be extended to the Meitei. More than 200 people have been killed. The State Department report said over 60,000 people were displaced between May and November in Manipur. There was no immediate comment on the report from the Indian embassy in Washington. In the rest of India, the State Department reported “numerous instances” in which the government and its allies “allegedly pressured or harassed media outlets critical of the government”. For example, the Income Tax Department searched the BBC ’s offices in early 2023 after it released a documentary critical of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Nar...

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Tuesday that the issue of missing persons could “not be solved overnight” but the government was committed to finding a solution by first achieving a consensus amongst all stakeholders. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad alongside Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the law minister said the issue — which went back four decades — could “not be solved overnight through any haste or someone’s anxiety or someone speaking on social media platforms or even court directives”. The law minister emphasised that when discussing the issue of missing persons, it must be noted that Pakistan had performed the role of a frontline state in a war-ridden area for the past four decades, adding that the circumstances in neighbouring countries had further exacerbated internal challenges. Azam noted that the people and army of Pakistan had paid an “unbelievable price” in the fight against terrorism with their sacrifices, adding that the same must be taken ...