Infinity Social Updates

Torrential rains in the wake of a powerful cyclone caused the collapse of a quarry in India’s Mizoram state killing 12 people, government officials said on Tuesday. “So far 12 bodies have been found, we are looking for more,” deputy commissioner of Aizawl district Nazuk Kumar told AFP . Rescue efforts in the quarry were being hampered by “heavy rains”, police director general Anil Shukla said, NDTV news network reported . Mizoram Chief Minister Lalduhoma offered compensation to families of the victims of the “landslide due to Cyclone Remal”. “I pray for the success of rescue and relief operations and wish a speedy recovery of the injured,” India’s President Droupadi Murmu said on social media. In Mizoram, several highways and key roads were disrupted by landslides. All schools were shut and government employees were asked to work from home. India’s weather office has issued warnings of extremely heavy rainfall across Mizoram and other northeastern states on Tuesday. In India’s...

England captain Jos Buttler will miss their third T20 International against Pakistan for the birth of his third child, the team said ahead of Tuesday’s match in Cardiff. Buttler has returned home to be with his wife after leading England to a 23-run win at Edgbaston on Saturday, which gave them a 1-0 lead in the four-match series following the washout of the first game in Leeds. “Jos Buttler is set to miss our third IT20 match vs Pakistan as his wife Louise is expecting the birth of their third child,” England Cricket said in a statement . All-rounder Moeen Ali will captain England in Buttler’s absence. Meanwhile, Pakistan need to ensure they end up on the winning side to go into the T20 World Cup with their confidence sky-high. A victory — after a 23-run defeat in the preceding game on Saturday following a washed-out opening fixture — will keep the four-match series and Pakistan’s chances to win it alive. England did not say whether Buttler would return in time to play...

Multiple posts and an image circulating on social media since Sunday claimed that the Christian man subjected to mob violence in Sargodha over the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran was killed along with his son. However, a close relative has confirmed the claims to be false. The police on Saturday rescued the man as well as two Christian families from the enraged mob that wanted to lynch him and barge into the homes of some other members of the minority community. The incident had taken place after some residents of the colony fou­nd burned pages near an electric pole and the houses of the Christian family. On Sunday, an X user shared an image of a woman cradling a man with his eyes closed. The caption said: “Protesting and crying for Palestine, while killing this innocent Christian brother and his father, over false blasphemy allegations, explains our hypocrisy. Each and every Pakistani, who was involved, must be arrested and an example should be made!” The post gained over...

Seventeen terrorists were killed and another two were injured on Monday in two separate operations conducted by security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the military’s media affairs wing said. In a press release, the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that in an operation conducted in Tank District on Monday, “own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, as a result of which ten terrorists were sent to hell”. Another engagement occurred in the “general area [of] Bagh, Khyber District, wherein the security forces sent seven terrorists to hell while two terrorists were injured”, the ISPR said. However, “during the intense exchange of fire, five brave soldiers” — Naik Muhammad Ashfaq Butt, 32, resident of district Kahuta; Lance Naik Syed Danish Afkar, 30, resident of district Poonch; Sepoy Taimoor Malik, 32, resident of district Layyah; Sepoy Nadir Sageer, 22, resident of district Bagh; and Sepoy Muhammad Yasin, 23, resident of district Khushab — “having fought galla...

The body of a missing teenager was located on Monday from Margalla Hills Trail 5 in Islamabad after a lengthy search operation, police said. According to a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, by Islamabad police, the body was found in a ditch and arrangements were being made to retrieve it, the statement said. The city superintendent of police (SP) and the search team were present at the spot along with family members of the deceased, according to the police. “It seems as though the teenager lost his way and fell into the ditch after his foot slipped,” read the statement. “Further investigation is underway and a post-mortem of the body will be conducted to cover all aspects.” A first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn.com , was filed on the deceased’s mother’s request on Sunday afternoon at the Secretariat Police Station. According to the FIR, the teenager went for hiking on Trail 5 at 7am on Saturday with five of his classmates. At about ...

Sargodha Police have identified and booked 44 people for their alleged involvement in mob violence against a Christian man accused of desecration of the Holy Quran the previous day in the city’s Mujahid Colony, it emerged on Sunday. The police on Saturday rescued the man as well as two Christian families from the enraged mob that wanted to lynch him and barge into the homes of some other members of the minority community. The incident had taken place after some residents of the colony fou­nd burned pages near an electric pole and the houses of the Christian family. The first information report (FIR) of the incident, filed hours after the incident, invokes Section 324 (attempt to murder), 186 (obstructing public officials in discharging their duty), 353 (assaulting a public official who is discharging their duty), 436 (mischief by fire or explosive material with intent to destroy house), 440 (mischief by fire or explosive material with intent to cause death or hurt) 149 (Every member...

The United States is expected to lift a ban on the sale of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, potentially in the coming weeks, The Financial Times reported on Sunday. The newspaper reported that Washington has already signalled to Saudi Arabia that it was prepared to lift the ban, citing a person familiar with the matter. Soon after taking office in 2021, Biden adopted a tougher stance over Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties, and over Riyadh’s human rights record, in particular the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist and political opponent Jamal Khashoggi. Saudi Arabia, the biggest US arms customer, has chafed under those restrictions, which froze the kind of weapons sales that previous US administrations had provided for decades. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday said the US and Saudi Arabia were very close to concluding a set of agreements on nuclear energy, security and defence cooperati...