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  • Punjab Interior Department calls Army to assist flood relief in Lodhran

    Punjab Interior Department calls Army to assist flood relief in Lodhran

    LAHORE: The Punjab Interior Department has requested the deployment of the Pakistan Army in Lodhran to support ongoing flood relief efforts, ARY News reported.

    The request comes as Pakistan Army troops have already been assisting in Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Faisalabad, Narowal, Okara, Sargodha, and Hafizabad. The Pakistan Army has been deployed to aid district administrations and ensure the protection of human lives in the affected areas.

    Meanwhile, the Punjab government continues its rescue and relief operations in flood-hit regions, with district administrations, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Civil Defence, Rescue, and Police working around the clock.

    Over 9,000 Civil Defence volunteers are actively serving in flood-affected areas across Punjab. Relief camps have been established to provide shelter and support to affected communities. Civil Defence teams are also assisting in the safe evacuation of residents and their livestock to secure locations.

    Authorities urge the public to cooperate with the administration during ongoing rescue and relief operations.

    Pakistan Army, Pakistan, Pakistan floods, Punjab, Lodhran,

    Also Read: Pakistan Army troops requisitioned in Punjab for flood relief activities as India releases water

    Earlier, in view of the potential flood threat following the release of water by India, the Pakistan Army was called in to assist the civil administration in Punjab.

    As per details, the water level is rising in Pakistan rivers as India opened all gates of the dam on the River Ravi.

    The move created a flood-like situation in Punjab’s rivers, prompting the provincial government to deploy army units in seven districts.

    A spokesperson for the Punjab Home Department said the provincial government had taken an urgent decision to seek Pakistan military assistance for immediate relief operations in seven districts of Punjab, including Lahore, Kasur, Sialkot, Narrowal, Faisalabad, Okara and Sargodha.

    The spokesperson added that the district administration, Rescue 1122, Civil Defence, and police were already active on the ground.

     

     

     

  • Sindh on alert to tackle flood contingency: Sharjeel Memon

    Sindh on alert to tackle flood contingency: Sharjeel Memon

    KARACHI: Senior provincial minister Sharjeel Memon on Thursday said that the Sindh government has been fully alert to tackle any flood contingency, ARY News reported.

    Talking to media, minister said that all preparations have been made to tackle the flood situation even the rain falls during flooding.

    Provincial minister said that the flood flow currently entering in Sindh, the government has been watchful and closely monitoring the situation. “Currently there is no emergency situation in Sindh,” Sharjeel Memon said.

    He said the People’s Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto has been in contact with the chief minister and all other ministers over the water situation.

    “We are prepared to address the situation and avoid likely losses,” minister added.

    It is to be mentioned here that extremely heavy rainfall as well as releasing water by India into Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers have unleashed devastating floods in Punjab resulting in losses of life and property.

    Indus River, the life-giving water source for Sindh, has been mostly in below flooding level so far. However, all floodwater of Chenab, Sutlej, Ravi and tributaries will discharge into the Indus, boosting water levels in the great river before it enters in Sindh.

    Indus has been currently in low flood situation at Sindh’s all three barrages at Guddu, Sukkur and Kotri. The water level in the river is expected to surge as Indus River, carrying floodwaters from Punjab will enter in Sindh.

  • PM Shehbaz warns of recurring floods in coming years, urges urgent dam construction

    PM Shehbaz warns of recurring floods in coming years, urges urgent dam construction

    NAROWAL: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the urgent need to expand Pakistan’s water storage infrastructure to mitigate the impact of devastating flash floods, warning that such disasters are likely to recur in the coming years due to climate change.

    Chairing a high-level meeting to review the flood situation, the prime minister said enhancing storage capacity was critical and urged immediate action. “Storage capacity is the need of the hour, and without wasting any more time, we should start work in this regard,” he emphasized.

    Shehbaz Sharif stressing the importance of generating resources to fund the construction of dams and water reservoirs nationwide, said “we will have to generate the resources by ourselves”.

    Shehbaz Sharif added that projects like the Diamer-Bhasha Dam must be completed without delay.

    The premier noted that while floods initially hit northern areas, they were now wreaking havoc in Punjab’s plains. He expressed condolences for those who lost their lives and lauded the coordinated rescue and relief efforts of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Pakistan Army, and civil departments.

    Recalling the devastating 2022 floods in Sindh and Balochistan, Shehbaz warned that Pakistan remains among the top ten most climate-vulnerable countries, resulting such disasters likely to recur in coming years.

    He called for short-, medium-, and long-term strategies to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.

    Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives, crops, and infrastructure but stressed that no deaths occurred due to negligence. She praised NDMA, PDMA, police, civil defense, and the army for rescuing over 50,000 people, ensuring timely evacuations, and minimizing livestock losses through early warning systems.

    With parts of the Gurdwara submerged, Maryam directed authorities to drain floodwater urgently. She also ordered activation of field hospitals, deployment of 1,000 mobile clinics, and sufficient vaccine supplies, prioritizing vulnerable groups such as women, children, and the elderly.

    She said around 200 km of roads had been damaged and ordered immediate restoration of temporary routes to maintain connectivity, while also stressing long-term rehabilitation and infrastructure to maximize water storage and minimize wastage.

    Read More: Raging riverine flooding claims at least 25 lives in Punjab

    Federal Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal highlighted climate change as a pressing but manageable challenge if gaps in disaster response were addressed. He noted that unlike Pakistan, neighboring India suffered less damage due to stronger infrastructure.

    Iqbal warned that village connectivity had been severely disrupted, requiring bulldozers and heavy machinery to restore access and medical coverage. He emphasized rehabilitation efforts, urging agriculture banks to provide concessional loans to flood-affected farmers to help them rebuild and achieve self-reliance.

    Earlier, NDMA Chairman Lt. Gen. Inam Haider briefed the meeting on the overall flood situation in Punjab.

  • Travis Kelce’s ex shares a cryptic post after Taylor Swift engagement

    Travis Kelce’s ex shares a cryptic post after Taylor Swift engagement

    As NFL star Travis Kelce and pop megastar Taylor Swift announced their engagement, after two years of dating, his ex-girlfriend, Kayla Nicole, has reacted to the news with a cryptic post.

    Sports reporter and content creator Kayla Nicole, who was in a five-year-long relationship with Travis Kelce before their breakup in 2022, took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday to repost a telling clip about ‘experiencing joy’, after Taylor Swift announced her engagement with the Kansas City Chiefs tight-end via a social media post.

    Travis Kelce – News and Updates

    In the clip, actor Tracee Ellis Ross can be heard saying, “I work at it. I think joy is different from happiness. I feel like happiness is something you can get at 7/11, and joy is something you earn and work for and takes practice.”

    “I feel like joy has legs. I feel like joy has feet, I feel like joy has roots, I feel like it creates space and allows for room for more than just a good day. I think joy is an attitude. I think joy is a perspective, and I think joy is a lens through which I live and look at my life,” she explained further in the video. Sharing the clip on her Instagram stories, Nicole, who has previously confessed to the trauma of a public breakup with Kelce, added in the caption, “Read about this very concept years ago in a book called Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough. I aspire! So so good.”

    For the unversed, the ‘Lover’ hitmaker broke the news of her engagement with Kelce earlier this week, when she shared the pictures of their dreamy proposal, and confirmed in the caption, “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”

  • Pakistan urges Israel’s allies to review policies enabling ‘mass carnage’ in Gaza

    Pakistan urges Israel’s allies to review policies enabling ‘mass carnage’ in Gaza

    UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan on Thursday called on countries shielding Israel at the UN Security Council to urgently reconsider their policies, warning that such support has enabled “mass carnage” of Palestinians in Gaza.

    “The occupying power’s apologists must introspect and objectively assess the consequences of their policies,” Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, told the 15-member Council.

    “What else is complicity? In fact, impunity has become Israel’s shield – and this Council’s silence, its enabler,” he said, stressing that the Council “cannot remain a bystander” and must act decisively to fulfill its Charter responsibility for maintaining international peace and security.

    Highlighting the scale of destruction in Gaza, the envoy noted that most of the more than 62,000 people killed were women and children. “This cannot be collateral damage. It is mass carnage,” he declared.

    Ambassador Ahmad said that Israel is carrying out “a campaign of ethnic cleansing in plain sight” through mass killings, displacement, famine, settlements, and the systematic destruction of habitable land. He also condemned Israel’s planned full occupation of Gaza City, calling it a “blueprint for further humanitarian catastrophe” that could displace up to one million more people.

    Read More: NGO says starving Gaza children too weak to cry

    At the same meeting, senior UN officials painted a grim picture of the worsening crisis. Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory had deteriorated “to levels not seen in recent history.”

    Meanwhile, Joyce Msuya, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, confirmed that famine is now occurring in Gaza, citing the findings of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee.

  • PM free youth laptop scheme 2025 major update amid floods

    PM free youth laptop scheme 2025 major update amid floods

    ISLAMABAD: The Prime Minister’s Youth Laptop Scheme, aimed at distributing 100,000 free laptops to deserving students across the country, has been postponed due to the ongoing flood crisis in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), APP reported citing official sources.

    According to the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP), the distribution drive—originally scheduled to begin in July 2025—has been delayed to prioritize relief operations in flood-affected regions.

    Officials confirmed that the distribution event has been rescheduled by two weeks, as many universities remain closed nationwide. A revised date will be announced soon to ensure eligible students can receive their laptops under the government’s initiative to promote digital literacy.

    The recent floods have caused widespread devastation, displacing thousands of families and disrupting essential services. Authorities are monitoring the situation closely and will finalize the new schedule once conditions in KPK, GB, and AJK stabilize.

    Students have been advised to stay updated through official government channels regarding the revised timeline.

    Read more: PM Shehbaz announces 100,000 free laptops for students

    Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced that 100,000 free laptops will be distributed among talented students across the country strictly on merit.

    Addressing an event in Islamabad marking International Youth Day, the Prime Minister said the laptops would go to high-achieving students based solely on their academic performance.

    “This government believes in transparency and merit, and we will ensure both in the distribution process,” he said.

    The distribution will cover all four provinces, the federal capital Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    Referring to Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, the Prime Minister said Pakistan’s victory on May 10 against a numerically larger and “vainglorious” enemy had instilled new vigour in the nation. He urged the youth to build on this spirit and strive for excellence to bring pride to the country.

  • Tom Cruise hates THIS new Hollywood favourite

    Tom Cruise hates THIS new Hollywood favourite

    Megastar Tom Cruise is reportedly growing insecure about fellow actor Pedro Pascal and his sudden rise to the ‘daddy’ figure of Hollywood.

    As revealed by industry insiders to a foreign publication, A-lister Tom Cruise, 63, is frustrated over the recent growth of Pedro Pascal, 50, into Hollywood’s new favourite leading man, with his latest choice of roles in both TV and cinema.

    Tom Cruise – News and Updates

    According to sources, the ‘Mission: Impossible’ star might have ‘patched things up’ with rival Brad Pitt, but Pascal is a competitor giving Cruise a tough time.

    “Tom might be in his 60s, but he has no intention of stepping aside. His drive is still as strong as ever,” the tipster told a publication. “He has softened with time and even patched things up with Brad Pitt, but Pedro is the competitor who really bothers him now.”

    While another source claimed, “It’s really tied to Tom’s outlook.”

    “He thinks true movie stars should stay in film rather than bouncing between movies and TV. Pedro has built his reputation doing exactly that, and Tom doesn’t respect it,” the person explained. “For him, the goal is packing cinemas – it’s what defines his career, and he treats it with total seriousness.”

    The insider also interpreted, “Pedro is only a bit younger, but Hollywood acts like he’s the fresh face of the industry, and that really irritates Tom.”

    “Plus, Tom sees himself and Brad as Hollywood icons and Pedro as a newbie,” the tispter concluded.

    Pedro Pascal – News and Updates

  • 11 people die from electrocution during July rains across Pakistan: NEPRA

    11 people die from electrocution during July rains across Pakistan: NEPRA

    ISLAMABAD: At least 11 people lost their lives due to electrocution during the July monsoon rains across Pakistan, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) revealed on Thursday.

    The disclosure came during a NEPRA hearing in Islamabad on a petition seeking a Rs1.69 per unit reduction in electricity prices.

    Expressing strong anger over the fatalities, NEPRA Member Technical Rafique Ahmed Shaikh said that the highest number of such accidents occurred in July, highlighting that six of the deaths were reported in areas falling under the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

    “Where is the IESCO CEO? How did these deaths occur in its system? What safety measures were in place?” Shaikh questioned during the hearing. He urged the power division to take notice of the situation.

    He further remarked that while the NEPRA can only impose maximum fines on power distribution companies, these companies often obtain stay orders to avoid penalties.

    Read More: KE CEO, officials booked after two brothers electrocuted in Karachi

    Earlier, Shah Faisal Colony police on Thursday registered a case against K-Electric Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Syed Moonis Abdullah Alvi and other officials after two brothers were electrocuted to death during heavy rains.

    The victims, identified as Israr Khan and his younger brother Siraj Khan, were killed after coming into contact with a live underground K-Electric wire outside their residence, according to the family.

    Both died instantly as floodwaters had inundated the road. The grieving family has called for strict legal action, holding K-Electric authorities responsible for negligence.

  • Met Office forecast widespread rains in country from tomorrow

    Met Office forecast widespread rains in country from tomorrow

    ISLAMABAD: Met Office has forecast widespread rains in Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan from August 29 (Friday).

    Pakistan Meteorological Department in a weather report said that strong monsoon currents from Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal likely to enter in upper parts of the country from tomorrow. A westerly wave is also likely to approach upper and central parts of the country from 30th August (Saturday).

    Widespread rains with scattered heavy and at times very heavy falls are expected in Kashmir from 29th August to 02nd September and in Gilgit-Baltistan from 30th August to 01st September, according to the weather report.

    Widespread rain with isolated heavy to very heavy falls are expected in Khyber Pakthunkhwa from 29th August to 01st September.

    Punjab and Islamabad will also receive widespread rain with scattered heavy and at times very heavy falls from 29th August to 02nd September with occasional gaps.

    Rain with isolated heavy falls is also likely in D.G. Khan, Bhakkar, Layyah, Multan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar, Rajanpur and Rahimyar Khan from 29th (night) August to 02nd September.

    Rainfall is expected in Mithi, Thar Parkar, Sukkur, Larkana, Jacobabad, Dadu and Umer Kot in Sindh on 30th and 31st August.

    Rain is also expected in Baluchistan’s Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Sibbi, Zhob, Kalat and Khuzdar from 30th August to 01st September, Met Office said.

  • Alia Bhatt blasts media publications over privacy invasion

    Alia Bhatt blasts media publications over privacy invasion

    Bollywood A-lister Alia Bhatt lashed out at media publications for invading the privacy of her family by publishing the pictures and videos of their new under-construction home on the internet.

    Furious Alia Bhatt turned to her Instagram handle earlier this week, with an angry statement, calling out fans and paparazzi for recording the visuals of their under-construction six-storey bungalow in Pali Hill and pushing it on the internet, in what she called a clear ‘invasion of privacy’.

    “I understand that in a city like Mumbai, space is limited — sometimes the view from your window is another person’s home. But that does not give anyone the right to film private residences and push those videos online,” Bhatt pointed out, after a report, accompanied by a video, suggested that she and her husband, Ranbir Kapoor, have moved into their INR250 crore residence with their 2-year-old daughter, Raha.

    Bollywood Latest News & Top Stories

    “A video of our home — still under construction — has been recorded and circulated by multiple publications, without our knowledge or consent. This is a clear invasion of privacy and a serious security issue,” the ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ actor noted. “Filming or photographing someone’s personal space without permission is not ‘content’ — it’s a violation.”

    “It should never be normalized,” she urged, and asked, “Think about it: would you tolerate videos of the inside of your home being shared publicly, without you knowing?”

     

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    A post shared by Alia Bhatt 💛 (@aliaabhatt)

    “None of us would. So here’s a humble but firm request — if you come across such content online, please don’t forward it or share it further. And to our friends in the media who have carried these images and videos: I urge you to take them down immediately. Thank you,” Bhatt added.

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