DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

☆ ‘There is no school for girls’: Afghans who fled to Pakistan sent back to a homeland that is foreign to many
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Sophia Saifi | Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“I was born in Pakistan, I’ve lived here for 42 years, I went to school in Pakistan,” said Nasim, who had traveled to the Torkham border crossing from the northern city Peshawar. Nasim, who was born and raised in Pakistan, and is now preparing to return to Afghanistan. International bodies and human rights groups have warned of a looming humanitarian disaster as they return. He hoped the Taliban would greet those forced out of Pakistan and help them find new jobs. The steady deterioration of human rights under the Taliban since its return to power have only confirmed the worst fears of many Afghans.

Persons: I’ve, ”, Nasim, “ I’ve, –, “, ” Nasim, Abdul Basit, Sarfraz Bugti, Ravina Shamdasani, Wakil Kohsar, Ghulam Sakhi, we’ve, Raza Muhammad, ” Muhammad, Akhtar Muhammad, Zahid Bahand, can’t, I’m Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN, ”, Getty, Security, Authorities, United Nations, Human Rights, Rights Watch, ” CNN, Interior Ministry, “ Police, UN, International Organization for Migration, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taliban Locations: Chaman, Pakistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar, Afghanistan, ”, Quetta, “, Soviet, States, AFP, Afghan, Karachi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Balochistan’s, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Kabul

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani security forces on Wednesday rounded up, detained and deported dozens of Afghans who were living in the country illegally, after a government-set deadline for them to leave expired, authorities said. According to the U.N. agencies, there are more than 2 million undocumented Afghans in Pakistan, at least 600,000 of whom fled after the Taliban takeover in 2021. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan’s Taliban-led administration have become strained over the past two years because of stepped-up attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, a separate militant group that is allied with the Afghan Taliban. Since the government deadline was announced on October 3, more than 200,000 Afghans have returned home from Pakistan. Associated Press writers Rahim Faiez in Islamabad and Abdul Sattar in Quetta, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Persons: Sarfraz Bugti, ”, Zabihullah Mujahid, ” Mujahid, “, Ahmad Banwari, Banwari, ___ Khan, Rahim Faiez, Abdul Sattar Organizations: ” Interim, Taliban, Afghanistan’s, Pakistani Taliban, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Islamabad, Pakistan, Afghanistan, “, ”, Karachi, Rawalpindi, Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The New York, Kabul, Nangarhar, Pakistani, Taliban Pakistan, United States, Peshawar, Quetta

☆ Israel, It’s Time to Consider a Cease-fire - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +12 min

I am watching the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza today and thinking about one of the world leaders I’ve most admired: Manmohan Singh. The cost of occupying Gaza could overstretch the Israeli military and economy for years to come. Israel should keep the door open for a humanitarian cease-fire and prisoner exchange that will also allow Israel to pause and reflect on exactly where it is going with its rushed Gaza military operation — and the price it could pay over the long haul. Israel built an impressive society and economy, even if flawed, and Hamas took nearly all of its resources and built attack tunnels. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Persons: I’ve, Manmohan Singh, Singh, Shivshankar Menon, “, ” Menon, ”, Menon, Israel’s, It’s, Israel —, —, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, ’ ’, Gaza —, Shin Bet, excusing, don’t Organizations: Pakistan Army, Abraham Accords, Economist, Hamas, United, West Bank, Shin Bet, European Union, Democratic Party, U.S . House, Bank, Gaza, New York, Facebook, Twitter Locations: Israel, Gaza, Pakistani, India, Mumbai, Pakistan, Abraham, United States, Mexico, European, U.S, Washington

Sharif, who has served as Pakistan’s prime minister three times and was once ousted in a military coup, landed at Islamabad airport on Saturday, according to airport officials. Sharif was the former head of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), or the PML-N, one of two dynastic parties that have traditionally dominated the country’s politics. Supporters of Nawaz Sharif wait for his arrival for a welcoming rally at a park in Lahore on October 21, 2023. Nawaz Sharif’s younger brother, Shehbaz, welcomed the news of his brother’s bail, writing on Twitter that it was a “fundamental right.”“The elected prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was disqualified based on a fictitious and fabricated story,” Shehbaz Sharif wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. Nawaz Sharif is expected to head its election campaign.

Persons: Pakistan CNN — Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Nawaz, Imran Khan, Khan’s, Nawaz Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Nawaz Sharif’s, Shehbaz, ” “, ” Shehbaz Sharif, Khan, Shehbaz Sharif Organizations: Pakistan CNN, Pakistan Muslim League, Getty Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Sharif, Lahore

☆ Returning to Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif Aims for a Splashy Comeback
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( Salman Masood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, planned a grand return to Pakistan on Saturday after years of self-imposed exile, seizing an opening in the country’s turbulent politics and economic disarray to attempt another dramatic comeback. In late 2019, an ailing Mr. Sharif left Pakistan for London in an air ambulance after being granted bail from a seven-year prison sentence. While he is Pakistan’s longest-serving prime minister, Mr. Sharif has never finished any of his terms in office, running afoul of the country’s powerful military or, in the latest case, being toppled by corruption allegations. On Saturday, a politically revitalized Mr. Sharif, 73, boarded a plane from Dubai bound to Pakistan, where he plans to hold a big gathering the same day in Lahore, his hometown and Pakistan’s political heart. The rally in Lahore will be a gauge of the popularity of Mr. Sharif and his party, the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), before an upcoming general election.

Persons: Nawaz Sharif, Sharif, Imran Khan, Nawaz Organizations: Pakistan Muslim League Locations: Pakistan, London, Dubai, Lahore

☆ Pakistan coach says ‘I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life’ after first-ever World Cup qualifying round win
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Stephen Constantine, the head coach of Pakistan’s men’s national football team, said he has “not seen so many grown men cry in all my life” after his side claimed its first-ever World Cup qualifying round win. Pakistan beat Cambodia 1-0 at Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports Stadium thanks to a 67th-minute goal from Harun Hamid. “It is an unbelievable atmosphere here, I’ve not seen so many grown men cry in all my life,” Constantine told the BBC. Pakistan is ranked 197th in the world and will now face matches against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan in the second round of qualifying, which begins in November. “We don’t have regular football; half of them have part-time jobs … and that makes the double result even more impressive.

Persons: Stephen Constantine, Pakistan’s, Harun Hamid, I’ve, ” Constantine, haven’t, “, I’m, Li shanze, Constantine, ” Organizations: CNN, football team, Pakistan, Islamabad’s Jinnah Sports, BBC, Saudi, Pakistan Football Federation, FIFA Locations: Cambodia, India, Nepal, Malawi, Sudan, Rwanda, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Jordan

☆ India beats Pakistan at Cricket World Cup in a sporting rivalry like no other
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Fans packed inside the enormous Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, India to watch India take on Pakistan in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup on Saturday. And in front of a sea of blue India shirts, punctuated by flashes of green, orange and white as people waved India flags, the home team secured a thumping seven-wicket victory over Pakistan. Often described as one of the greatest sporting grudge matches in the world, an India-Pakistan cricket match is always bound up in the geopolitical faultlines that separate the two nations. The two teams had not played each other for seven years on Indian soil, and Pakistan had never defeated India at a men’s World Cup. Led by a rampaging Rohit Sharma, who starred with 86 off 63 balls, India responded with ease, reaching Pakistan’s total with 117 balls to spare.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar, Mohammed Siraj, Rohit Sharma, Alex Davidson, ” Rohit Organizations: CNN, ICC Men’s Cricket, India, ICC, Getty, Sky Sports, Bangladesh, Australia Locations: Ahmedabad, India, Pakistan

But on Saturday, for the first time in seven years, these two rivals will play each other on Indian soil in the opening stages of Cricket World Cup, which India is hosting. As Pakistan’s cricket team arrived in India’s southern city of Hyderabad last month, they were met with rapturous applause from Indians waiting at the airport for the star players. Even the Pakistan cricket team were only able to obtain visas at the eleventh hour, after complaints of a delay in the process which the Pakistan Cricket Board said disrupted the team’s preparation for the event. Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, popularly known as Chacha Cricket, waves after crossing the India-Pakistan border in Wagah on March 29, 2011, on the eve of the India-Pakistan Cricket World Cup semi-final match. “The World Cup is the one with the history and the legacy, it’s the one you want to win,” Shah said.

Persons: Farees Shah, ”, Vijay Hazare, Pakistan's Amir Eliah, Babar Azam, Azam, Abdul Jalil, Chaudhry Abdul Jalil, Narinder Nanu, “, ” Hadeel Obaid, Asif Hassan, Punit Paranjpe, Mukerji, Imran Khan, “ Ajay Jadeja, Waqar Younis, Venkatesh Prasad, Amir Sohail, Divya Bakhshi Bhatnagar, It’s, Narendra Modi, Money Sharma, Modi, Modi –, Shah, ” Shah Organizations: Islamabad CNN —, Indian, Pakistan cricket, Cricket, Keystone, Hulton, Sri, Pakistan Cricket Board, CNN, India’s Sports Ministry, Ministry, Pakistan Cricket, Getty, Gaddafi, Pakistan, Pakistan …, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Western, India, Pakistani, team, – Locations: Delhi, Islamabad, Pakistan, Republic of India, Lahore, Amritsar, Hindu, India, New Delhi, India’s, Hyderabad, Sri Lanka, Wagah, AFP, Australia, Chennai, Gurgaon, Kashmir, UAE, Ahmedabad, India's, Gujarat, China

The spacecraft would also make room for 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of foreign science payloads, the agency said on its website. This could allow overseas partners to conduct lunar research by “piggybacking” off the mission, Chinese state media said. China is not alone in elevating its space program and lunar ambitions as multiple countries eye the potential scientific benefit, national prestige and access to resources and further deep space exploration that successful moon missions could bring. That same week, Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure with its Luna 25 spacecraft crashing into the moon’s surface. Its last mission, Chang’e-5, landed on the moon in December 2020 and returned with samples of lunar rocks and soil.

Persons: CNSA, ”, “ piggybacking, Artemis, Hu Hao, Hu, can’t, Pakistan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Space Administration, International Astronautical, United, NASA, Artemis, Aitken, European Space Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Baku, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, India, United States, Italian

The chief minister said the gang lured patients from hospitals and performed the operations privately in the region of Taxila, the city of Lahore and in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Three deaths have so far been confirmed, according to the chief minister, but authorities were still confirming the data. Fawad had previously been arrested five times but was released on each occasion and was able to resume his operations, Naqvi said. Later, when he went to another doctor for further treatment, he was told he didn’t have a kidney, according to the chief minister. But the practice has continued and local media have reported that illegal kidney transplants have made a comeback in recent years.

Persons: Fawad, ”, Mohsin Naqvi, Naqvi, ” Naqvi, didn’t Organizations: Pakistan CNN — Police, Police Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Pakistan’s Punjab, Fawad, Taxila, Lahore, Kashmir, “, Punjab

Quetta, Pakistan CNN —At least 52 people were killed and dozens more wounded in what authorities believe was a suicide attack at a religious procession in southwest Pakistan Friday. Local police told CNN two explosions had occurred at the mosque in Hangu, causing its roof to collapse and potentially trapping worshipers inside. People gather outside the Mastung hospital, following the deadly attack, on September 29, 2023. One of the attackers then detonated an explosive close to the mosque’s entrance, while the other detonated one inside the building, local police officer Saaleh Muhammad told CNN. Muhammad told CNN that while most worshipers fled during the shootings, some had remained inside as the mosque’s roof collapsed.

Persons: Prophet Mohammed, Jan Achakzai, Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh, Atta Ul Munim, Abdul Rasheed, Ul Munim, Achakzai, Anwar, Haq Kakar, Arshad Butt, Saaleh Muhammad, Muhammad Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, CNN, Local, Reuters, ” Police Locations: Quetta, Pakistan, Mastung, restive Balochistan, Balochistan, Pakistan’s, Peshawar City, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Hangu, Karachi

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Pakistan’s interim prime minister said he expects parliamentary elections to take place in the new year, dismissing the possibility that the country’s powerful military would manipulate the results to ensure that jailed former premier Imran Khan’s party doesn’t win. Kakar resigned as a senator last month after outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raza Riaz chose him as caretaker prime minister to oversee the elections and run the day-to-day affairs until a new government is elected. “The most important player in this dispute is the Kashmir people," Kakar said. “It is neither India or Pakistan,” but the Kashmiri people who "have to decide about their identity" and their future. It’s just a divine blessing.”By law, he can’t contest the elections when he’s interim prime minister, but Kakar said in the future he hopes “to play a constructive political role in my society.”

Persons: —, Imran Khan’s, Haq Kakar, Khan, Kakar, Shehbaz Sharif, Raza Riaz, ”, ” Kakar, Imran Khan, I’m, that’s, — Kakar, Karar, “ Organizations: UNITED NATIONS, Associated Press, United Nations, NATO, Taliban, Islamic Locations: Pakistan, Kashmir, India, “, Ukraine, Europe, North America, Afghanistan, Islamic State, Kabul, Pakistan's

CNN —The Taliban has welcomed Zhao Sheng as China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan during a lavish ceremony held at the presidential palace in Kabul on Wednesday. China is among a handful of countries, including Pakistan, Iran and Russia that have maintained a diplomatic presence in Afghanistan since the Taliban retook control of the country in 2021. In the palace ceremony, Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund shook hands with Zhao and “accepted the credentials of the new Chinese Ambassador,” the prime minister’s office said on X, formerly known as Twitter. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement the appointment was the “normal rotation of China’s ambassador to Afghanistan” and was “intended to continue advancing dialogue and cooperation” between the two countries, according to Reuters. The ministry said, “China’s policy toward Afghanistan is clear and consistent.”CNN has reached out to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Persons: Zhao Sheng, Mohammad Hasan Akhund, Zhao, “, Mr Zhao Sheng, Zabiullah Mujahid, ”, Mujahid, Afghanistan ”, Qin Gang Organizations: CNN, Taliban, Honorable, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters, Pakistan Economic Locations: Afghanistan, Kabul, Wednesday, China, Pakistan, Iran, Russia, China’s, Islamabad, Xinjiang

☆ The Best True Crime to Stream: Leaving the United States
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Maya Salam | More About Maya Salam | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

In this podcast, one of Pakistan’s first in the true crime realm, we travel to Karachi in the late 1960s and early ’70s, when the city’s lust-fueled nightlife and high-society scandals would rival the most sensational eras of Hollywood or New York. The show’s hosts, Tooba Masood and Saba Imtiaz, Pakistan-based journalists, have been researching the circumstances surrounding Zaidi’s death for years. Over two seasons, they share their findings in great detail, attempt to apply logic to the gossip of that time and debate the legitimacy of the possible scenarios. Now, its leader, Sanjoy Sachdev, is facing allegations of extortion. As Warner puts it, “Escape is far from the same thing as freedom.”

Persons: Mustafa Zaidi, Shahnaz Gul, Tooba Masood, Saba, ’, —, Gregory Warner, Mansi, Lauren Frayer, Sanjoy, ” Organizations: Commandos, Warner Locations: Karachi, New York, Saba Imtiaz, Pakistan, India, Delhi

CNN —One year after catastrophic floods devastated swathes of Pakistan, some 4 million children in the South Asian nation remain without access to safe water, the United Nations children’s agency has warned. “Vulnerable children living in flood-affected areas have endured a horrific year,” Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, said in the statement. “The climate-related disaster deepened pre-existing inequities for children and families in affected districts,” UNICEF said in the statement. Children pick vegetables from water at a flooded market after heavy rainfall in Lahore on June 26, 2023. Fadil from UNICEF said the agency has called on the government of Pakistan and its partners to “increase and sustain investment in basic social services for children and families.”He added: “We cannot forget the children of Pakistan.

Persons: ” Abdullah Fadil, “, Asim Hafeez, Dera Allah Yar, Fida Hussain, Imran Khan, Khan, ”, Stephen Innes, Arif Ali, Fadil Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UNICEF, UNICEF Representative, Bloomberg, Getty, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Capital Economics, Analysts Locations: Pakistan, Karachi Division, Sindh province, Pakistan’s, Dera, Jaffarabad district, Balochistan, AFP, Asia, Lahore, South Asia, Afghanistan, India

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —Battling anxiety and nausea, they huddled together in the ruptured cable car, gripped by fear as they dangled precariously hundreds of feet in the air. A soldier slings down from a helicopter during a rescue mission to recover students stuck in a cable car in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan on August 22. As they waited to be rescued, two of the students in the cable car were slipping in and out of consciousness, one of the passengers told Pakistani outlet Geo News. Battagram district, where the cable car is located, is deeply impoverished and lacks infrastructure and development. Last December, 12 children were rescued from another cable car in eastern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Persons: Tanveer Ur Rehman, “, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar Organizations: Pakistan CNN, AFP, Geo, Battagram, Twitter, Cable Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Batangi, Battagram, Battagram district

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —An urgent rescue effort is underway in Pakistan for eight children and two adults trapped in a chairlift dangling 1,200 feet over a mountainous region in the country’s northwest. Tanveer Ur Rehman, a local Battagram district official, said rescue efforts were being conducted from the ground due to the height of the chairlift system. “The chairlift is hanging 1,200 feet (365 meters) above ground,” he said. The chairlift connects two communities in the region and runs on two cables, one of which snapped, Faizi said. Many children who live in remote and mountainous parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province rely on cable cars to ferry them to school and back.

Persons: Bilal Ahmad Faizi, Tanveer Ur Rehman, ”, Faizi, Anwar, Haq Kakar Organizations: Pakistan CNN, CNN Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

CNN —Authorities in Pakistan’s Punjab province have arrested more than 100 people after crowds descended on churches and set them on fire on Wednesday, raising concerns over the discrimination faced by religious minorities in the country. At least 17 churches have been vandalized since Wednesday, according to the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR), a Pakistani government body. The attacks took place after a Christian man was accused of committing blasphemy and desecrating the Quran. “According to NCHR inquiry, 17 Churches in #Jaranwala have been targeted. 12 registered churches and 5 smaller, unregistered churches,” NCHR posted on X, previously known as Twitter, on Thursday.

Persons: ” NCHR, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, “, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, ” Baloch, Riina Kionka, Prophet Mohammed, Asia Bibi Organizations: CNN, Authorities, National Commission for Human Rights, ” Ministry of Foreign, ” Police, PM, European Union Locations: Pakistan’s Punjab, Pakistani, Jaranwala, Punjab, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan, EU, Lahore’s Badami Bagh

CNN —A crowd vandalized eight churches and several homes following accusations of blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan’s most populated province of Punjab on Wednesday, according to government authorities and residents, stoking tensions between local Muslim and minority Christian communities. Multiple churches including the town’s Catholic Church, the Salvation Army Church and the Pentecostal Church, as well as the local Christian colony, were also vandalized and set on fire, Talib told CNN. Religious minorities in Pakistan are vulnerable to persecution under the country's strict blasphemy laws. Pakistan is among the countries where blasphemy is a crime punishable by the death sentence. Three years earlier, a mother of five from Punjab was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to hang, after she was accused of defiling the name of the Prophet Mohammed.

Persons: “, Prophet Mohammed, ”, Yasir Talib, Talib, Ghazanfar Majidi, ” Pakistan’s, Anwaar, Haq Kakar, Bishop, Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall, ” Marshall, ” Riina Kionka, Asia Bibi Organizations: CNN, National Commission for Human Rights, Centre for Social Justice, Catholic Church, Salvation Army Church, Pentecostal Church, Police, . District Police, AP People, Getty, Church of, European Union Locations: Pakistan’s, Punjab, Jaranwala, Pakistani, Faisalabad, Wednesday, Pakistan, AFP, Church of Pakistan, EU, Lahore’s Badami Bagh

☆ Argentina's far-right surprise, Black Sea warning shots and the latest from Maui
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Read the transcriptA shock win to a far-right candidate in Argentina’s election as the country grapples with 116% inflation. The painful search for survivors continues in Maui -- we hear from a mother who escaped the flames with her 9-year-old. Warning shots by Russia in the Black Sea cause consternation along a key international shipping route. Visit the for information on our privacy and data protection practices. Further ReadingArgentine far-right outsider Javier Milei posts shock win in primary electionAfter Maui wildfires kill 96, search for the missing continuesKremlin blames loose monetary policy as rouble slides past 100 vs dollarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Javier Organizations: Apple, Google, Reuters, Reading Argentine, Thomson Locations: Maui, Russia

CNN —An attack on Chinese engineers in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan was thwarted by Pakistan’s military, leaving two militants dead and the Chinese workers unharmed, police say. In a statement to CNN, the Baloch Liberation Army, a militant separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack. The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan said it strongly condemned the attack and urged the Pakistani authorities to punish the perpetrators and do all it could to prevent further attacks. But in recent years terrorist attacks targeting Chinese nationals and their interests in Pakistan have alarmed Beijing. More than a dozen people were killed after a bus carrying Chinese engineers fell into a ditch following a “fiery explosion,” according to local police.

Persons: Chakar Baloch Organizations: CNN, Baloch Liberation Army, Embassy, Pakistan Economic, University of Karachi’s Confucius Institute, Confucius Locations: Balochistan, Chakar, Gwadar, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan, Iran, Beijing

☆ K2 Climbers Criticized Over Continuing Ascent After Finding Dying Porter
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-12 | by ( Chris Cameron | More About Chris Cameron | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Mr. Hassan fell from a particularly dangerous stretch of the climbing trail on K2 known as the bottleneck and later died. “There was no rescue mission,” Wilhelm Steindl, an Austrian climber who provided video footage of other climbers stepping over Mr. Hassan on the narrow mountain path, said in an interview with Sky News. “Seventy mountaineers stepped over a living guy who needed big help at this moment, and they decided to keep on going to the summit.”The authorities in Pakistan’s Gilgit-Baltistan region, where a portion of the mountain is located, identified Mr. Hassan as a “high-altitude porter.” They said they were investigating whether “adequate efforts were made to rescue” Mr. Hassan, whom Ms. Harila said was part of another team. The authorities said they would examine the conditions of Mr. Hassan’s climbing gear and “ascertain who authorized him to climb with equipment that might have been insufficient for such high-altitude expeditions and his level of experience.”People frequently die summiting the tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest and K2. The treks are so dangerous that the bodies of fallen climbers are sometimes left behind, and some are never recovered.

Persons: Hassan, ” Wilhelm Steindl, ”, Mr, Harila, Mount Organizations: Sky News, Mount Everest Locations: Austrian, Pakistan’s Gilgit, Baltistan

The Pakistani government named a caretaker prime minister on Saturday, a move that kicks off preparations for the country’s next general elections and comes amid a year of political turmoil. The close ties that the new leader, Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar, has to the country’s powerful military reinforces its dominance over Pakistan’s politics, sending a clear message: After a year of political turmoil that challenged the authority of military leaders, they have a firm hand on the wheel once more. “He is undoubtedly a choice of the establishment,” Khalid Mahmood Rasool, a political analyst and newspaper columnist, said, referring to the military establishment. The term of the outgoing government, led by Shehbaz Sharif, who is also close the military, ended on Thursday. In Pakistan, once a government’s term ends, a caretaker must be established to oversee the next general elections.

Persons: Anwar, Haq Kakar, ” Khalid Mahmood Rasool, Shehbaz Sharif Locations: Pakistan

CNN —A record-breaking Norwegian climber has hit out at what she calls “misinformation and hatred” surrounding claims she and her team climbed over a dying porter on K2 to summit the deadly peak. In a statement posted to her website on Thursday, Harila insisted she and her team did everything they could to save Pakistani mountain porter Mohammad Hassan. Pakistani mountain porter Mohammad Hassan died after slipping on K2, the world's second highest mountain. Kristin Harila/InstagramSteindl and Flämig said they later spoke with witnesses to confirm what had happened and ascertain the victim’s identity. We did not fully understand the gravity of everything that happened until later,” Harila added.

Persons: Kristin Harila, Lama –, Harila, Mohammad Hassan, Wilhelm Steindl, Philip Flämig, Flämig, ” Flämig, ”, Hassan, Steindl, ” Harila, “ Lama, Gabriel, Niranjan Shrestha, “, Lama Organizations: CNN, Austrian, Süddeutsche Locations: Austrian, Pakistani, Hassan, Base

Search resuls for: "Pakistan’s"

25 mentions found