Infinity Social Updates

The enormous costs of Israel’s multi-front war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to turn his country into a “super-Sparta” of the Middle East are driving up the defence budget and raising fears of cutbacks in education and healthcare. The total cost of the series of interconnected regional conflicts that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 stood at 405 billion shekels ($138bn) as of late April, according to the governor of the Bank of Israel, Amir Yaron. “That’s a huge figure, more than 17 per cent of GDP,” he said during a recent economic conference in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. Just the military campaign against Iran, which began with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on February 28, incurred an additional cost of 35bn shekels ($12bn) for the state up until a ceasefire took effect on April 8, according to an initial estimate by the finance ministry. Following the adoption of the 2026 budget in late March, the go...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a heatwave warning for various parts of the country from June 7 to June 12. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the districts of Peshawar, Mardan, Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Dera Ismail Khan are expected to record maximum temperatures four to six degrees Celsius above normal, ranging between 41°C and 46°C from June 8 to 11. Temperatures are expected to rise to 37°C-40°C in KP’s northern districts of Chitral, Dir and Swat, as well as in Gilgit-Baltistan, from June 8 to 10. In Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujrat, Mirpur, Bhimber, Kotli, Bagh and Muzaffarabad, maximum temperatures are expected to range between 41°C and 44°C from June 8 to 10. From June 8 to 11, temperatures are expected to range between 44°C and 48°C in Punjab’s Lahore, Okara, Kasur, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Joharabad, Khushab, Mianwali, Noorpur Thal, Jhang, Toba Tek Singh, Sahiwal, Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan, Khanewal, Pakpattan, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur, Ba...

KHYBER: Enraged Zakhakhel tribesmen blocked the main highway leading to Torkham on Saturday, announcing picking up arms in self-defence after two men were killed in a targeted killing incident late on Friday evening. Headed by a local tribal elder, Malak Abdullah Khan, the protesters — including scores of political party activists, civic society members and local tribesmen — announced that armed tribesmen would be assigned the responsibility of patrolling local areas. They also announced a complete ban on motorcycle riding and barred all the government employees hailing from the Zakhakhel tribe from attending to their official duties until a durable solution to restore lasting peace was found. Furthermore, they called for a boycott of polio vaccination drives and for the closure of all the government and private schools in the Zakhakhel area. The protesters also refused to meet any government functionary till a meaningful crackdown was initiated against suspected militants holed up...

Young students gathered in New Delhi on Saturday for the first street protest by the satirical “ Cockroach Janta Party ” (CJP) over alleged irregularities in recent major examinations. Carrying paper cockroach masks and pamphlets, the protesters called for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has faced criticism over the irregularities, including question paper leaks and technical glitches. The CJP has garnered millions of followers on social media since its launch last month. Modi’s government has blocked the movement’s X account in the country, a move the CJP has challenged in a Delhi court. Political analysts say the group’s popularity has begun to dent Modi’s image despite his party’s recent victories in key state elections, even as wider frustration grows over rising fuel prices and gas shortages brought by the Iran war. Abhijeet Dipke, head of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), holds a copy of “My Autobiography” by Dr. B. R. Ambed...

In what Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday called an “important milestone”, the government announced a fixed tax rate scheme for small shop owners in an effort to build a more “equitable, balanced and sustainable” tax system. The voluntary ‘Asaan Scheme’ aimed at small shops with annual earnings of Rs200 million, seeks to broaden the tax net by imposing a 1 per cent fixed tax on net income of the business. Shop owners will have to sign up for the scheme via a form available in multiple local languages. The announcement was made during a press conference by the finance minister along with State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiani. According to Kiani, shop owners who opt in for the scheme will receive Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) plaques displaying a unique QR code on them to be placed outside their shops and a point of sale system inside their shops. Tax inspectors making the rounds of the market will be able to acquire tax details for these shops using their QR code...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the “Shanghai spirit” and called for a joint strategy among SCO member states to counter terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking, cybercrime and terror financing. Naqvi said this at a special meeting of the Ministers of Interior and Public Security of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. He said the region faced “serious and complex security challenges” that were interconnected, noting that criminal and terrorist networks were rapidly adapting to technological advancements, exploiting artificial intelligence, digital platforms, online networks and cryptocurrency transactions to expand their activities. The interior minister emphasised the importance of modernising institutional coordination and enhancing intelligence-sharing mechanisms across the region to tackle these threats. Shared threats demanded shared solutions, Naqvi told the delegates, further calling for a comprehensive ...

LOWER SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Two sons of a prominent tribal elder, Malik Jamil Wazir, were killed after unidentified armed men opened fire near Kari Kot Bazaar in Wana tehsil, police said on Friday. Wana Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asghar Ali Shah said the deceased were identified as Naveed Wazir and Moeenuddin Wazir. He said the two brothers were travelling on a motorcycle from their home towards Kari Kot Bazaar when they were targeted by the unidentified gunmen. Both died on the spot, while a passerby sustained injuries during the attack and was taken to the hospital for medical treatment, he said. He added that the attackers fled the scene immediately after the incident. The injured passerby and the bodies of the deceased were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Wana. Police recorded the incident in the daily register at the City Police Station Wana and launched an investigation. The tribal elder and his family have been targeted previously. One of his sons wa...