Infinity Social Updates

A local election in an industrial city in northern Italy is exposing differences over immigration between governing coalition parties and showing how the country’s rapidly changing social fabric is shaping politics. Surrounded by factories and rice paddies, Vigevano is a city of 62,000 people where 15 per cent of the population is foreign, including many people from Egypt and Romania. Many more are naturalised Italians and second-generation immigrants. Once a Communist Party bastion, the city is held by the League, a far-right junior partner in Italy’s ruling coalition whose leader Matteo Salvini has said citizenship should be revoked for second-generation immigrants who commit crimes. Then-deputy PM of Italy, Matteo Salvini, attends a news conference for the government’s first budget in Rome, Italy on Nov 22, 2022. — Reuters/File But the League’s mayoral candidate, Riccardo Ghia, a jeweller, made headlines last month when he put two Muslim candidates ...

The Sindh government has announced a three-day Eidul Azha holiday from May 26 to 28, in correction of an earlier notification of a four-day holiday, which included Friday. The decision is in line with the federal government’s announcement of a three-day public holiday from Tuesday to Thursday to mark Eidul Azha. In a corrigendum dated May 23 and issued by Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, the provincial government declared May 26 (Tuesday), May 27 (Wednesday), and May 28 (Thursday) as public holidays for Eidul Azha throughout the province, “except essential services and departments/offices engaged in preparation of budget for financial year 2026-27”. On May 29 (Friday), offices will observe work-from-home, the notification read. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had also announced four Eid holidays from May 26 to May 29 (Tuesday to Friday), according to a notification issued a day earlier. The provincial government had earlier...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday highlighted four key areas with immense potential for bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and China. The premier landed in Hangzhou on Saturday, kicking off his four-day official visit to China. He will also visit Beijing, where he is expected to meet the top Chinese leadership. Addressing the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business Investment Conference in Hangzhou, PM Shehbaz listed four areas of importance for Pakistan-China cooperation: agriculture, IT, special economic zones (SEZs), and mines and minerals. Noting that Pakistan was “basically an agrarian economy”, the premier noted the 1,000 Pakistanis who received advanced training in China last year were now back in the country “doing a great job”. He called for both countries to move forward, taking opportunities to improve per-acre yields and have high-quality seeds, best agricultural practices, and mechanisation through which the agricultural sector could be advanced “manifold”. “Ch...

At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said on Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings. India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Temperatures in several cities across the country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45 degrees Celsius. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for “statewide vigilance” to safeguard public health. “The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels” and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy’s office said in a statement. Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, ...

QUETTA: The Balochistan Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has claimed to have killed four terrorists in an intense exchange of fire during an operation in Pishin district late on Friday. Upon receiving information of terrorist presence, an operation was launched in the Surkhab refugee camp area, 20 kilometres from Pishin town, a CTD spokesperson said. Four terrorists were killed in the “heavy gun battle”, the CTD spokesperson said, adding that a large quantity of arms and ammunition — including hand grenades, locally made bombs, automatic rifles and explosives — was recovered from their hideout. The bodies of all four alleged terrorists were shifted to the Quetta Civil Hospital. On Thursday, officials said security forces in Pishin killed the mastermind of the September 2025 suicide attack on the FC headquarters in Quetta. In February, following a spate of coordinated attacks across the province, the military said a total of 216 terrorists were killed in the days-long “ Operat...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced four Eid holidays from May 26 to May 29 (Tuesday to Friday), according to a notification issued on Saturday. A day earlier, the Sindh government also announced a four-day holiday, including Friday, the third day of Eidul Azha, in its holiday schedule. Eidul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan from May 27 to May 29. The federal government on Wednesday announced a three-day public holiday from May 26-28 (Tuesday to Thursday) to mark Eidul Azha. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared May 26 to 28 as “public holidays on the occasion of Eidul Azha”. The announcement was made after moon sighting testimonies were received from Karachi and other cities of Sindh, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and some other areas. Celebrated on the 10th of Zilhaj, Eidul Azha marks the culmination of Haj, one of the five pillars of Islam. Saudi Ar...

LAHORE: An inquiry committee constituted by Nishtar Medical University has found nine doctors and hospital officials guilty of misconduct and violation of screening protocols in a case involving surgery on a patient who was later found to be HIV-positive , prompting disciplinary action by the Punjab government. According to the inquiry report sent by Nishtar Medical University’s vice chancellor to the Punjab Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education Department on May 22, disciplinary proceedings were recommended against the officials under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability (Peeda) Act 2006. Acting on the inquiry findings, the Punjab health department suspended Senior Registrar (surgery) Dr Fariha Ahmed and Staff Nurse Rida Zahra. Dr Shahbaz Anwar, Medical Officer Dr Mohammad Ali Jan and Dr Muhammad Naeem Akhtar were also suspended with immediate effect over incompetence and mismanagement. In addition, the government suspended the FCPS Chemical Patholo...