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'Mini version of hell': Heat dome over Europe scorches UK, France, Spain

Temperatures hit record highs for May in the United Kingdom and France on Monday, as forecasters warned of a prolonged period of extreme heat across Europe throughout the week. A so-called “heat dome” of warm air from northern Africa trapped under a high-pressure system over western Europe is behind the high temperatures not usually seen until high summer. Temperatures in Spain were expected to peak later this week at 38°C, while parts of Italy imposed restrictions on working outdoors. In the UK, the Met Office weather agency said it was the hottest May day on record, with temperatures hitting 34.8°C at Kew Gardens, southwest London – a full two degrees above the previous high. “This heat would be exceptional in the UK even in mid-summer, let alone May,” it said on X. “The weather here, it’s like a mini version of hell. It’s boiling. It’s like really hot,” said 10-year-old Liza Nizari on a visit to London, where temperatures normally average about 17°C or 18C at this time of year....
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Bonds behind financial assistance

Pakistan and China celebrated the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on May 21. The events held around these celebrations underscore that the relationship between the two countries is entering a new phase characterised by greater financial integration, expanding sub-national cooperation and renewed geopolitical cooperation. What began as a strategic and political partnership has gradually evolved into one of Pakistan’s most critical economic relationships. Today, China is one of Pakistan’s largest bilateral creditors, a major investor in infrastructure and energy, and an increasingly important source of financial stability for Islamabad during periods of economic stress. Against this backdrop, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is visiting China these days in a trip that focuses heavily on trade, industrial cooperation, financial connectivity and the future direction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “The visit is expected to further strengthen...
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PTI confirms Barrister Gohar, Sohail Afridi's meeting with Naqvi; says discussion focused on terrorism in KP

ISLAMABAD: The PTI confirmed on Sunday that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and party chairperson Barrister Gohar Ali Khan had held a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in previous days. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Dawn that the meeting was held to discuss the issue of terrorism in KP, especially in Bannu, where two police personnel and as many civilians were martyred while 25 terrorists were killed in a fierce clash between law enforcers, a peace committee and militants on Saturday. The interior minister “mostly discussed how terrorism can be controlled”, he said. He shared these details after Dawn approached him following an X post by Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan. “Barrister Gohar and Sohail Afridi met Mohsin Naqvi. Our family had no knowledge of this meeting, and neither was any family member present,” she said, addressing another post that said she was also part of the meeting. Spe...
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SC upholds consecutive life terms in multiple murder cases

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has affirmed that imposing concurrent sentences in cases involving multiple murders substantially diminishes the seriousness of additional offences and artificially equates the taking of one life with the taking of several. “To direct all sentences to merge into one concurrent term in cases of multiple murders would substantially dilute the gravity of the additional offences and create an artificial equivalence between the taking of one life and the taking of several,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar in a judgement he authored. Justice Kakar, who headed a three-judge SC bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard a jail petition filed by Qaiser Abbas against a May 11, 2018, judgement of the Lahore High Court. Qaiser Abbas was convicted of killing Faiza Bibi and Abiha on June 23, 2011. The prosecution stated a quarrel had taken place a month earlier between the deceased, Faiza Bibi, the complainant’s wife, an...
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‘Clever and street-smart’: Police say Anmol did not employ anyone permanently

KARACHI: Anmol alias Pinky, 31, an alleged cocaine queenpin arrested by police in Karachi, is ‘clever and street-smart’ because she did not hire anyone on a permanent basis in her narcotics trade, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said on Saturday. DIG Asad told Dawn that the accused Pinky’s associates supplied cocaine to customers through a network of 35 riders across the country. “She started her own network in Lahore after ending a 10-year marriage with her husband, Rana Nasir, who was also an alleged drug dealer, accusing him of domestic violence,” the senior police official said. He added that around nine or ten riders working for the accused had been arrested in Karachi’s Clifton and Defence areas. “The accused hired lawyers and paid them fees to pursue the cases of the arrested riders. In addition, she remained in contact with different police officers,” DIG Asad said. According to details shared by DIG South, Anmol told investigators that she had wanted...
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Actor Momina Iqbal seeks FIR against PML-N MPA over alleged blackmail and harassment

LAHORE: Actor and model Momina Iqbal on Friday filed an application with Chung Police for the registration of a first information report against a PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar, levelling serious allegations of blackmail, harassment and death threats. In her application, she alleged that the PML-N MPA had been making threatening calls to harass her and her fiance. Momina claimed that the lawmaker turned abusive when she refused his marriage proposal, after it transpired that he was already married to two women. Subsequently, she said Chadhar began blackmailing her. Momina also mentioned WhatsApp messages and video calls from the suspect in her application. She further alleged that the the MPA also sent the same threatening messages to her sister’s mobile phone. According to reports, Momina visited Chung Police Station along with her lawyers, met Station House Officer Faheem Imdad, and briefed him about her complaint. Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also warned that any at...
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PTI workers stage protests in various cities, defy Section 144 in Islamabad

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ISLAMABAD: PTI’s Islamabad wing held a protest in the federal capital on Friday despite Section 144 being in place, which restricts public gatherings. It is worth mentioning that Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) and PTI had given a call to hold countrywide protests against former prime minister Imran Khan’s imprisonment, rising inflation and other issues on Friday. The protest, held on Lehtrar Road near Taramri Chowk, was organised under the direction of PTI Islamabad President Aamir Mughal and led by General Secretary Malik Aamir Ali. PTI Islamabad Senior Vice President Raja Sajjad Dhanyal, Women’s Wing President Maimoona Kamal, Youth Wing President Murad Bukhari, Insaf Students Federation representatives and other leaders and activists participated in the protest. The protesters also demanded the release and proper medical treatment of the PTI founder and highlighted concerns over soaring inflation, deteriorating law and order, and the recent increase in petroleum produc...
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