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The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has warned of a prolonged heatwave gripping Punjab, with scorching conditions expected to persist until June 13. According to the PDMA spokesperson, temperatures across the province are running up to 7°C above normal, with intense heat forecast for major cities, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, and Rawalpindi. Southern Punjab districts, such as Multan, Bahawalpur, Sargodha, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Sahiwal, are bracing for particularly severe heatwave conditions. The Meteorological Department reported extreme temperatures across the region. Bhakkar recorded a high of 49.5°C, with a “feels-like” temperature of 53°C due to humidity. Sargodha hit 46°C…

A mysterious outage has hit ChatGPT, the popular AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, leaving thousands of users worldwide frustrated and disrupted. According to outage monitoring website Downdetector, reports of the disruption began pouring in around 12:10pm IST, with over 1,000 complaints registered in the UK and almost 500 in the US. The error message, which has caused widespread panic among users, reads: “If this issue persists, please contact us through our help center at (link unavailable)” Users have taken to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration and concern, with many reporting issues with the web…

A Pakistani government delegation led by former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari briefed the All Parties Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Pakistan at the British Parliament, warning that India’s aggressive posture and recent actions could endanger regional and global peace. Addressing the APPG at the historic Westminster Palace, Mr Bhutto-Zardari highlighted India’s unilateral decisions, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty and repeated attacks on civilian populations along the Line of Control (LoC), terming them “blatant violations of international law”. The Pakistani delegation also drew attention to what it described as India’s “unsubstantiated and politically motivated allegations” following the Pahalgam…

Iran on Tuesday executed nine members of the militant Islamic State (IS) group who had been detained following a deadly clash with the country’s paramilitary forces in 2018, according to the judiciary’s official news outlet. The Mizan news agency reported that the militants were involved in an armed confrontation with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) that resulted in the death of three Iranian troops. The executions were carried out by hanging, the standard method of capital punishment in the Islamic Republic. Iranian authorities did not disclose further details regarding the identities of those executed or the exact location of…

MNA and First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemned the brutal murder of young social media star Sana Yousuf, calling it a “punishment for saying no” and a painful reflection of the growing violence against women in Pakistan.  In a statement, Aseefa Bhutto expressed her condolences to Sana Yousuf’s family and urged society to reflect on the shameful treatment meted out to the young woman. She lamented that the murder was not merely a tragic incident of violence, but a chilling message against a woman’s right to refuse. “The murder of Sana Yousuf is not just a violent…

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) soared to an all-time high on Tuesday as investor sentiment turned bullish ahead of the federal budget presentation, with the benchmark KSE-100 index surging more than 900 points during intraday trade. Resuming activity after the extended Eid holidays, the market opened on a strong footing and maintained upward momentum throughout the day. At 11:30am, the KSE-100 index was seen trading at 122,161.81 — up 520.81 points or 0.43 per cent. It later climbed to a record 122,558 points, setting a new benchmark in the bourse’s history. The rally was driven by robust buying interest in…

The post-Hajj repatriation operation for Pakistani pilgrims will formally commence on Wednesday (June 11), with the first flight scheduled to land at Islamabad International Airport in the early hours of the day. According to the Chief Executive Officer of Islamabad International Airport, Aftab Gilani, all necessary arrangements have been finalised to ensure a smooth and dignified return of pilgrims. The first flight, carrying 307 pilgrims under the government’s short-term Hajj scheme, will depart from Jeddah at 11:50 pm on Tuesday and is expected to arrive in Islamabad at 3 am on Wednesday. The post-Hajj operation will continue till July 10,…

Former Pakistan women’s cricket captain Sana Mir has become the first female cricketer from the country to be inducted into the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame,  announced the International Cricket Council. Mir joins an elite list of seven inductees for 2024, which includes India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni, South Africa’s Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla, Australia’s Matthew Hayden, New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori and England’s Sarah Taylor. The induction ceremony was held at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios — famed for its association with The Beatles — located near Lord’s Cricket Ground, where the ICC World Test Championship final is set to…

Pakistan’s fast-bowling spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi leads a high-profile contingent of players from the country who have confirmed their availability for the upcoming Big Bash League (BBL) Draft, scheduled to take place on June 19. Afridi, alongside fellow national teammates Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf, and Shadab Khan, is among more than 600 overseas cricketers who have registered for selection in the men’s and women’s BBL drafts, ahead of the 2025 season. With no international fixtures lined up for Pakistan between November and February, these players are set to be available for the full season — a prospect that has generated…

Key details of the federal budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 surfaced ahead of its formal presentation, indicating a projected budget deficit of Rs6,501 billion — nearly 5 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP). The upcoming budget, expected to be unveiled by the Finance Minister in the National Assembly later today, outlines major allocations, including Rs2,550 billion for defence expenditures. According to sources familiar with the budget documents, the federal government has proposed total expenditures amounting to Rs17,573 billion, while federal revenue is projected at Rs19,298 billion. After provincial transfers — estimated at Rs8,206 billion — the net…