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At Nepal school, outpouring of grief for climber Nirmal Purja

As rescuers recovered the body of climbing legend Nirmal Purja on Sunday, grief rippled hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal at the school where he first displayed the grit that would make him world-famous. At the Small Heaven School in Chitwan district, friends, teachers and students gathered around a framed photograph of the 43-year-old British-Nepali climber, adorned with flowers. Lighting candles, they shared with AFP their memories of the boy they knew long before he became one of the most celebrated figures in modern mountaineering. “When he was missing, we were praying for him and spent sleepless nights,” Dhiraj Bahadur Panta, a school friend of Purja, told AFP , his voice quivering with emotion. “It was not only me and my friends. I think people all over the world who knew him… prayed for him. But it was his fate; no one could avoid it.” Purja was killed alongside nine other climbers after they were caught in a deadly avalanche on Pakistan’s Broad Peak on Thursday. News ...
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US govt advises Americans to leave Mideast

• US embassies urge citizens to ‘consider departing’ the region • Iran says any country acting as US defensive shield will be engulfed by flames of war • Official insists Tehran planning for worst-case scenarios • 30 commercial vessels redirected by US naval blockade, says Centcom • Tanker struck by ‘unknown projectile’ off Oman; Kuwait destroys hostile drones • Houthis deny plans to impose fees on ships sailing through Red Sea TEHRAN: United States embassies in capitals across the Middle East urged Ame­rican citizens to beware of an “unforeseen escalation” in the regional conflict and asked them to be ready to leave on Saturday as Iran’s military accused the US of “escalating tensions” in the region and warned countries against cooperating with Washington. US embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates posted the alerts online. “Americans in the region should consider departing, or be prepared to depart ...
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Second phase of AJK elections on Sunday in 9 Muzaffarabad division, 12 refugee constituencies

MUZAFFARABAD: Polling for the second phase of elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly will be held on Sunday in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, where more than 340 candidates are contesting 21 seats. According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are in the fray for the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six from Jammu. A total of 809,621 voters are registered in Muzaffarabad division, including 427,955 men and 381,666 women. The 12 refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834, comprising 247,776 male and 191,054 female voters. Internet services were suspended again on Friday, less than 45 hour...
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Parts of Punjab, Sindh face urban flooding risk

• Tarbela, Mangla levels continue to rise amid monsoon rains • Medium-flood at Guddu and Sukkur barrages; Chenab may reach high-flood at Marala • PDMA says 45 killed in Punjab LAHORE: As the River Indus continues to flow at a medium flood level at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, water levels in the country’s major reservoirs — Tarbela and Mangla dams — have risen significantly over the past 15 days due to torrential rains in their catchment areas. According to reports issued by the Water and Power Deve­lopment Authority (Wapda), the water level at Tarbela dam increased from 1,504.31 feet on July 16 to 1,537 feet on July 31, a rise of 32.69 feet. The reservoir is now just 13 feet below its maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet. Also, the water level at Chashma Lake, which has a total capacity of 649 feet, rose to 648.50 feet on Friday from 646.80 feet on July 16. Similarly, the water level at Mangla dam rose from 1,173.20 to 1,195.55 feet over the same period, while its maximum conser...
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Pakistan welcomes Board of Peace developments under Gaza Peace Plan: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan welcomed developments under the Board of Peace towards implementing the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan. Earlier today, US President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza, but a Hamas official described the deal as a draft and US officials said Israel was sceptical the Palestinian group would surrender its weapons. “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that the disarmament would come in phases. In a social media post on X, PM Shehbaz said, “Pakistan welcomes developments under the Board of Peace towards the implementation of the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan.” He emphasised that the mediating countries, including the United States of America, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, ...
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ECP refuses to recognise Achakzai as PkMAP chief over failure to hold intra-party polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday refused to recognise National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai as chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) over the party’s failure to hold intra-party elections. A full five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the matter. Two other cases related to the party were also fixed for hearing. It was learnt that not only Achakzai’s leadership but also certain “controversial” amendments made to the party’s constitution and PkMAP’s account details were under question. At the initial hearing last week, the ECP bench had observed that a decision would first be made regarding the party’s counsel, Aimal Mandokhail. On Thursday, the chief election commissioner said an order would be issued regarding the power of attorney. Raja made the remarks after asking the lawyer who had signed the power of attorney submitted to the commission. Mandokha...
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Gangster Uzair Baloch’s brother shot, critically injured in Karachi’s Lyari: police

KARACHI: The brother of imprisoned Uzair Baloch , chief of the defunct People’s Amn Committee, was shot and critically wounded in Karachi’s Lyari area on Thursday evening, according to police. Chakiwara police, in a statement, said that Zubair Baloch, 40, was shot and injured on main Chakiwara Road, while two passersby were also injured. They were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that Zubair had been arrested in seven criminal cases in 2012 and was released in January 2025. He added that Zubair was sitting outside his residence in Singu Lane when armed suspects on a motorcycle opened fire on him and fled the scene. Zubair sustained multiple injuries, including to his chest and abdomen, and was undergoing surgery. DIG Raza noted that one of the injured passersby was also in serious condition. The DIG added that the police were investigating the incident from different angles, including gang rivalry and personal enmity...
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