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PMD issues Glof alert for GB, KP amid soaring temperatures

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued an alert for glacial lake outburst floods (Glofs) for Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, predicting that soaring temperatures across the two regions are likely to persist until the first week of July. “This significant warming will substantially accelerate snow and ice melt in the glaciated valleys of these regions,” the Met Office said in the alert issued late on Friday. It said that consequently, the water level in the river streams was likely to remain high, existing glacial lakes may rapidly expand with an increase in their water levels, and new glacial lakes were likely to form due to the high volume of melted water. Meanwhile, vulnerable downstream locations and low-lying areas adjacent to riverbeds may face a high risk of sudden inundation with chances of flash flooding in vulnerable locations, it added. The Met Office further said that the rapid expansion of glacial lakes could destabilise their natural ice or mo...
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Indian authorities arrest staff accused of theft from temple built on site of razed Babri mosque

Indian police have arrested eight people over allegations of theft and misappropriation of offerings at a temple that has been at the centre of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-first politics, authorities said. The Ram Mandir temple in northern Uttar Pradesh state, built on grounds where a mosque stood for centuries before being torn down by Hindu zealots, was inaugurated in 2024 with great fanfare by Modi himself. Allegations regarding irregularities in the handling of donations led to a criminal case being registered on Thursday, with police arresting eight people, including temple employees, according to a government statement issued late on Thursday. Most of them were involved in counting or handling cash and valuables donated by devotees, including gold and silver, media reports said. The government has not disclosed the scale of the alleged embezzlement. Opposition parties and media reports say it could amount to more than $20 million. “It is so shameful that a shrine...
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Mourners observe Ashura amid elaborate security arrangements

Elaborate security arrangements have been made countrywide today as scores of mourners take out Muharram 10 processions in observance of Yaum-i-Ashura. Yaum-i-Ashura is observed every year with mourning processions and religious gatherings to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Husain (RA) and his companions in the Battle of Karbala in 680AD. The central procession in Karachi departed from Nishtar Park at around 9:30am. It will conclude at Imambargah Hussainia Iranian after passing through its traditional routes. Meanwhile, 12 processions are planned for Peshawar. Among them, the first one departed Imambargah Agha Syed Ali Shah near Meena Bazaar at around 11am. No procession would be taken out in Islamabad, but the main procession in Rawalpindi was planned to be taken out from Imambargah Ashiq Hussain in Taili Mohallah and culminate at Imambargah Qadeemi. Meanwhile, commuters in various cities have been advised to take alternative routes, in line with traffic plans devised in view ...
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World expresses solidarity with Venezuela after deadly earthquakes, offers assistance

Venezuelans saw buildings crumbling on Wednesday evening when two powerful earthquakes shook the country, leaving at least 32 dead and hundreds injured. Video footage showed emergency workers scrambling over the pancaked debris of a collapsed building in the capital as night fell, while distraught relatives sought help for loved ones believed to be trapped. Several dazed survivors were taken away, some on stretchers. The US Geological Survey, using predictive modeling to estimate the death toll, said it would ‌most likely run into the thousands, with a substantial probability of exceeding 10,000. Meanwhile, countries in Latin America and beyond extended condolences and offers of help. ‘Deeply saddened’ From Pakistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed solidarity with Venezuelans in “ this difficult and challenging time”. “Deeply saddened by the devastation and loss of life caused by the earthquakes in Venezuela. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I convey our heartfelt co...
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'Missiles were flying all over': Trump says it may never be known who was at fault for strike on girls' school in Iran

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday it may never be known who was at fault for a ​deadly strike on a girls’ school in Iran on February ‌28, the first day of the Iran war , that killed scores of children. Reuters reported in March that an initial internal US military investigation showed US forces were likely responsible ​for the fatal strike in Minab in southern Iran. The Pentagon ​has since elevated the probe but it has not acknowledged any ⁠preliminary findings. “I don’t know that they are ever going to solve ​that problem,” Trump told reporters. “I don’t know that they are ever going to ​solve that problem in terms of whose fault was it because there were missiles flying all over the place, and it’s horrible what happened but there were missiles flying ​all over the place,” he said. “Somebody said it was our missile, maybe ​it wasn’t our missile but I have seen nothing to lead me to believe ‌it ⁠was,” Trump remarked, addi...
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Major power outage in France as Europe wilts under record heat

Europe braced on Wednesday for another day of a sweltering heatwave that has smashed records, left tens of thousands of people without power and sent air conditioner sales zooming in a continent unused and ill-equipped to handle searing heat. The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric patterns that keep hot air trapped in place for days, with these factors worsened by global warming, experts say. France’s national temperature indicator — an average of daytime and nighttime temperatures across 30 stations — reached 29.8 °C on Tuesday, the hottest since measurements began in 1947. With four more French departments being put under the highest heat alert category on Wednesday, around 44 million people are affected, according to AFP calculations. Added to the 31 departments currently on orange alert, more than 90 per cent of the French population is exposed to extreme heat, with temperatures of 39°C to 41°C expected on Wednesday from Brittany to ...
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