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  • Nicholas Hoult says it felt ‘warm’ to be held by Superman star David Corenswet

    Nicholas Hoult says it felt ‘warm’ to be held by Superman star David Corenswet

    Superman co-star Nicholas Hoult opened up about a deeply personal moment involving his fellow actor David Corenswet during a recent episode of the Armchair Expert podcast.

    Hoult revealed that he felt “warm and safe” when Corenswet held him—a gesture that resonated deeply after a conversation with his wife highlighted how comforting it can be to be embraced by someone bigger.

    On the podcast, Hoult shared: “I was chatting to my wife… and she was like, ‘You don’t really get that, do you?’ …She said, ‘David could hold you.’ And I did [ask him]. It felt ‘warm and safe to be held.’” 

    At 6’2.5″, Hoult is tall himself, but Corenswet, who stands about 6’4″ and bulked up to 238 lb for the role of Superman, provided a comforting embrace that left a memorable impact. The anecdote underscores the mutual trust and camaraderie behind the scenes as they gear up for the film’s July 11 release.

    Hoult, portraying Lex Luthor, and Corenswet, as the titular Man of Steel, are central to James Gunn’s freshly rebooted DC Universe. Their dynamic mirrors real-life respect: Hoult was reportedly the first to recognize Corenswet as the right choice for Superman during auditions and has expressed admiration for his co-star’s physique and presence.

    The duo appeared alongside Rachel Brosnahan in interviews, emphasizing their friendly off-screen relationship—something fans can expect to see reflected in the film’s on-screen tension.

    As anticipation builds for Superman, out July 11, this heartwarming story reveals a layer of warmth behind the blockbuster’s superhero facade.

     

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  • More than 100 killed in Texas floods, with 11 still missing from Camp Mystic

    More than 100 killed in Texas floods, with 11 still missing from Camp Mystic

    Did US government cuts contribute to flood tragedy?

    Debris is seen along the Guadalupe River in Texas following deadly floodsGetty Images

    By Ben Chu, Jake Horton, Kayla Epstein & Marco Silva

    In the aftermath of the fatal Texas floods, some have hit out at the Trump administration’s spending and staffing cuts may have impeded the ability of the National Weather Service (NWS) to adequately predict the floods and raise the alarm.

    But White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said: “These offices [of the NWS] were well staffed../ so any claims to the contrary are completely false.”

    BBC Verify has examined the impact of cuts under Trump, and while there has been a reduction in the workforce at the NWS, experts who we spoke to said the staffing on hand for the Texas floods appears to have been adequate.

    The Trump administration has proposed a 25% cut to the $6.1bn (£4.4bn) budget at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA), the agency which oversees the NWS, though these cuts do not take effect until October.

    Staffing levels at the NWS have already been separately reduced by the Trump administration’s wider personnel cuts, which began in January.

    In total, the NWS lost 600 of its 4,200 staff, says Tom Fahy, the director of the NWS union, causing several offices across the country to operate without the necessary staffing.

    But Andy Hazelton, a climate scientist who modelled hurricane paths for the NOAA until he was fired during the layoffs in February, says of the Texas floods: “I don’t think the staffing issues contributed directly to this event. They got the watches and the warnings out.”

    Among the current NWS job vacancies in Texas is a senior hydrologist, a scientist who specialises in flooding events, in the San Angelo office, NSW union director Fahy tells BBC Verify.

    The San Antonio office also lacks a “warning coordinating meteorologist”, who coordinates communications between local forecasting offices and emergency management services in communities, Fahy says.

    However, he notes that both offices had temporarily upped their staffing in anticipation of a dangerous weather event, which is typical in these circumstances.

    Read BBC Verify’s investigation into whether spending cuts played a role in the flooding disaster: Did US government cuts contribute to the Texas tragedy?

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  • Bank of Korea to pause easing in July amid household debt surge: Reuters poll – Reuters

    1. Bank of Korea to pause easing in July amid household debt surge: Reuters poll  Reuters
    2. South Korea to closely monitor tariff impact on economy, markets  TradingView
    3. U.S. tariff impact bigger policy concern than inflation for S. Korea: BOK chief  MSN
    4. BOK likely to freeze key rate this week amid escalating housing prices: experts  MSN
    5. BOK flags inflation risks, vows vigilant monitoring  MSN

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  • WTI edges lower below $67.00 on stronger US Dollar, OPEC+ oversupply concerns

    WTI edges lower below $67.00 on stronger US Dollar, OPEC+ oversupply concerns

    • WTI price loses ground to near $66.85 in Tuesday’s early Asian session. 
    • The White House said that Trump has signed an executive order pushing the tariff implementation deadline from July to August 1.
    • Geopolitical risks in the Middle East might cap the downside for the WTI. 

    West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the US crude oil benchmark, is trading around $66.85 during the early Asian trading hours on Tuesday. The WTI price edges lower amid oversupply concerns triggered by the July 6 Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+) meeting.

    OPEC+ agreed on Saturday to hike their collective crude production by 548,000 barrels per day (bpd), as they continue to unwind a set of voluntary supply cuts. This is faster than the 411,000 bps expected. The group previously announced hikes of 411,000 bpd for May, June, and July, already three times faster than scheduled. Oversized output hikes have raised concerns about oversupply, which could undermine the WTI price in the near term.

    Additionally, the stronger Greenback after US President Donald Trump announced the latest round of tariff policies could weigh on the USD-denominated commodity price as it makes crude oil more expensive for foreign buyers. The White House said late Monday that Trump has signed an executive order pushing the tariff implementation deadline from July to August 1. 

    The Trump administration announced levies of 25% on goods from Japan and South Korea, while South Africa would see a 30% tariff, and Laos and Myanmar would face a 40% levy. Other nations hit with levies included Indonesia with a 32% rate, Bangladesh with 35%, and Thailand and Cambodia with duties of 36%.  

    Nonetheless, escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, a globally significant region for oil production, might help limit the WTI’s losses. Israel stated late Sunday that the country’s military had attacked Houthi targets at three ports and a power plant in Yemen. Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the attack, saying they were carried out due to repeated attacks by the Iranian-backed rebel group on Israel.

    WTI Oil FAQs

    WTI Oil is a type of Crude Oil sold on international markets. The WTI stands for West Texas Intermediate, one of three major types including Brent and Dubai Crude. WTI is also referred to as “light” and “sweet” because of its relatively low gravity and sulfur content respectively. It is considered a high quality Oil that is easily refined. It is sourced in the United States and distributed via the Cushing hub, which is considered “The Pipeline Crossroads of the World”. It is a benchmark for the Oil market and WTI price is frequently quoted in the media.

    Like all assets, supply and demand are the key drivers of WTI Oil price. As such, global growth can be a driver of increased demand and vice versa for weak global growth. Political instability, wars, and sanctions can disrupt supply and impact prices. The decisions of OPEC, a group of major Oil-producing countries, is another key driver of price. The value of the US Dollar influences the price of WTI Crude Oil, since Oil is predominantly traded in US Dollars, thus a weaker US Dollar can make Oil more affordable and vice versa.

    The weekly Oil inventory reports published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Energy Information Agency (EIA) impact the price of WTI Oil. Changes in inventories reflect fluctuating supply and demand. If the data shows a drop in inventories it can indicate increased demand, pushing up Oil price. Higher inventories can reflect increased supply, pushing down prices. API’s report is published every Tuesday and EIA’s the day after. Their results are usually similar, falling within 1% of each other 75% of the time. The EIA data is considered more reliable, since it is a government agency.

    OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries) is a group of 12 Oil-producing nations who collectively decide production quotas for member countries at twice-yearly meetings. Their decisions often impact WTI Oil prices. When OPEC decides to lower quotas, it can tighten supply, pushing up Oil prices. When OPEC increases production, it has the opposite effect. OPEC+ refers to an expanded group that includes ten extra non-OPEC members, the most notable of which is Russia.

     

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  • Alien planet lashed by huge flares from its ‘angry beast’ star – Newspaper

    Alien planet lashed by huge flares from its ‘angry beast’ star – Newspaper

    WASHINGTON: Scientists are tracking a large gas planet experiencing quite a quandary as it orbits extremely close to a young star — a predicament never previously observed.

    This exoplanet, as planets beyond our solar system are called, orbits its star so tightly that it appears to trigger flares from the stellar surface — larger than any observed from the sun — reaching several million miles (km) into space that over time may strip much of this unlucky world’s atmosphere.

    The phenomenon appears to be caused by the planet’s interaction with the star’s magnetic field, according to the researchers. And this star is a kind known to flare, especially when young.

    “A young star of this type is an angry beast, especially if you’re sitting as close up as this planet does,” said Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy astrophysicist Ekaterina Ilin, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature.

    The star, called HIP 67522, is slightly more massive than the sun and is located about 407 light-years from Earth in the constellation Centaurus. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). This star and planet, as well as a second smaller gas planet also detected in this planetary system, are practically newborns. Whereas the sun and our solar system’s planets are roughly 4.5 billion years old, this star is about 17 million years old, with its planets slightly younger.

    The planet, named HIP 67522 b, has a diameter almost the size of Jupiter, our solar system’s largest planet, but with only 5pc of Jupiter’s mass. That makes it one of the puffiest exoplanets known, with a consistency reminiscent of cotton candy (candy floss).

    It orbits five times closer to its star than our solar system’s innermost planet Mercury orbits the sun, needing only seven days to complete an orbit. A flare is an intense eruption of electromagnetic radiation emanating from the outermost part of a star’s atmosphere, called the corona. So how does HIP 67522 b elicit huge flares from the star? As it orbits, it apparently interacts with the star’s magnetic field — either through its own magnetic field or perhaps through the presence of conducting material such as iron in the planet’s composition.

    “We don’t know for sure what the mechanism is. We think it is plausible that the planet moves within the star’s magnetic field and whips up a wave that travels along magnetic field lines to the star. When the wave reaches the stellar corona, it triggers flares in large magnetic field loops that store energy, which is released by the wave,” Ilin said.

    “As it moves through the field like a boat on a lake, it creates waves in its wake,” Ilin added. “The flares these waves trigger when they crash into the star are a new phenomenon. This is important because it had never been observed before, especially at the intensity detected.” The researchers believe it is a specific type of wave called an Alfvn wave, named for 20th century Swedish physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Hannes Alfvn, that propagates due to the interaction of magnetic fields. The flares may heat up and inflate the planet’s atmosphere, which is dominated by hydrogen and helium. Being lashed by these flares could blast away lighter elements from the atmosphere and reduce the planet’s mass over perhaps hundreds of millions of years.

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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  • Just a film – Newspaper

    Just a film – Newspaper

    THE 10-year-old film Spotlight was recently added to Netflix in Pakistan. It’s an old-time favourite; understandably so as it’s based on events at a newspaper in the US. The decade-old film is about the award-winning coverage, shortly after 9/11, by the American paper The Boston Globe, of a child abuse scandal in the Catholic church. The paper won a Pulitzer for the series of stories it did on the issue.

    Truthfully, one of the reasons the film is a favourite is because it is of a world that perhaps no longer exists but is missed sorely by the likes of myself. A world where newspapers ruled the world of journalism, where money was aplenty and resources would be poured into teams that did investigative reports, spending months and more before something was published. It was a time when celebrity pundits and lone star podcasters did not hold forth and command all the attention. Instead, ordinary hacks, without much fame or fortune, could pool in time and effort and produce something worthy of awards and films. And it brought prestige. Which is why the owners would find the money for it.

    But the film doesn’t just offer nostalgia for dinosaurs such as myself. It is also the way it has been made. Quietly and calmly, in an un-Hollywood-like way, it tackles a difficult and extraordinary subject without sensationalism. It’s not about hotshot reporters who are meeting unknown sources in dark, shadowy basements for cryptic messages. It’s a film about solid journalism by hardworking reporters — where the story is not hidden but the dots have to be connected, for which people pound pavements, knock on doors, pore over documents, sketch the outline, and add details and colour painstakingly before the larger picture emerges.

    Indeed, there is no breaking news here to be played on a bright screen where the colours are never still, forcing the viewer to stand transfixed. The film begins at a moment when the news is already public — of a priest having been accused of molestation. In fact, there are stories about more than one wayward priest with multiple allegations against him, as the victims pursued cases for financial compensation. The time limit in law for abuse cases is short, and by the time the victims came forward, it was too late. However, the widespread assumption was that these cases were about the ‘bad eggs’ within.

    A new editor at the paper pushes the investigative team to explore the matter further, leading to the award-winning exposé about how widespread the abuse is and the collusion of the church in hiding the abuse and protecting those accused of it.

    There are no dramatic scenes, no flourish — just a quiet, linear progression.

    There are no ‘gotcha’ moments in the film. No dramatic scenes, no flourish — just a quiet, linear progression. The magnitude and horror of the abuse come through the acts themselves, when the victims, mostly grown men, tell their story — men who find it difficult to describe what happened years earlier, dredging up old memories in response to questions by reporters. The abusers are faceless, as such; those who helped hide their crimes are not.

    But there is more to the story, ie, the city which is the backdrop against which this story unfolds. Boston was America’s largest Catholic city when the scandal broke. The church played a key role in the city’s social and cultural life. Even most of the journalists working at the paper come from a Catholic family or have gone to a church-run school; their social milieu is, to a large extent, dominated by the religious institute or its various guardians. The new editor of The Boston Globe (who lands in the city as the film begins) is scheduled to have a meeting with the cardinal in town, because how could the head of one Boston institution not meet the one running another?

    Against this backdrop run the human vignettes of reporters who grapple with the burden of investigating what has been happening around them. There is the reporter who finds it difficult to accompany her grandmother to the church as they find out more; the journalist whose close friends ask him why the paper is looking into these matters at the behest of a new editor who is an ‘outsider’; the burden of guilt as most of them realise they had ignored all the telltale signs of widespread abuse.

    And with this comes anger and disillusionment with an institution which had played a huge role in the life of the city. This disillusionment is perhaps the part of the story that continues to date. Since the abuse scandal broke, the church has struggled with the fallout — the loss of faith and the disenchantment of followers — especially as its response to the abuse has continued to be one of damage control. The perception is that the church has continued to protect its interests over the victims or its followers. Consider that when the cardinal in Boston resigns in the aftermath of the story (for the reportage linked him with the cover-up of the abuse) he is transferred to Rome where he is given a prestigious assignment.

    In the decade since this film came out, the church continues to grapple with this issue. What the film is able to show so well is how those who trusted the church were let down in their hour of need. And this is perhaps a lesson for other institutions also; trust is lost when the institutional interest is put ahead of those who are supposed to follow. Once it is lost, platitudes, assurances and lectures about sincerity do not prove enough. The lived experience cannot be erased so easily. The matter may not be as grievous as abuse but the lessons can still apply to so much else.

    The writer is a journalist.

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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  • SBCA chief sacked as govt moves to raze ‘dangerous’ buildings – Newspaper

    SBCA chief sacked as govt moves to raze ‘dangerous’ buildings – Newspaper

    • CM Murad asks commissioner to conduct survey of 51 ‘extremely’ dilapidated buildings
    • Orders FIR against officials found responsible for criminal negligence
    • LG minister announces Rs1m compensation for families of each victim
    • Shahmir Bhutto posted as new SBCA chief

    KARACHI: Four days after the collapse of a five-storey residential building in Lyari, the provincial government has suspended the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) director general and issued notices to occupants of two adjacent buildings to vacate the premises, paving the way for the demolition of the weakened structures.

    The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday.

    It was also decided to demolish all “dangerous” buildings across the city and introduce a proper procedure for approving building plans.

    A notification issued by the chief secretary said that the SBCA DG Ishaque Khuhro’s services were “placed under suspension with immediate effect for the reason of misconduct and inefficiency”.

    Shahmir Khan Bhutto, a grade 20 officer serving as the secretary of the chief minister’s inspection, enquiries and implementation team, was notified as the new SBCA chief.

    The meeting, held at the CM House, was attended, among others, by Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar and Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani.

    The meeting was informed that there were 588 “dangerous” buildings in Karachi, including 426 in the South district alone.

    The chief minister directed the Karachi commissioner to conduct a comprehensive survey to assess the living conditions and ownership status of families residing in these hazardous structures, as 51 buildings had been classified as “extremely dangerous”.

    Hours after the meeting, the SBCA issued notices to the occupants of two buildings in close proximity to the collapsed structure to vacate and remove their belongings.

    The provincial government’s decision to bring major reforms in the SBCA comes after the five-storey building, with an illegal penthouse constructed on top, collapsed in Lyari, claiming 27 lives.

    The sources said that the chief minister expressed extreme displeasure and annoyance at the performance of the SBCA and ordered strict action against the delinquent officials involved in the illegal approval of building plans.

    They said the meeting was informed that there was no record of approval of the building plan from the SBCA, and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) had complained in 2022, stating that the building was deemed unsafe in a survey conducted at that time.

    The sources said that Mr Khuhro was the SBCA chief when the HRCP had complained about the dangerous building, and a six-member team had carried out the survey and recommended the demolition of the third floor. However, the third floor was never demolished.

    The chief minister directed the registration of an FIR against those responsible for criminal negligence and mandated a thorough inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the collapse.

    Ministers’ presser

    In a subsequent press conference, Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, LG Minister Saeed Ghani and Home Minister Zia Lanjar provided updates on the decisions made during the emergency meeting.

    The senior minister said that the chief minister had also ordered the chief secretary to identify SBCA officers who were responsible for the area in 2022, when the building was declared dangerous.

    He said that the Karachi commissioner had been tasked with submitting a detailed report within 24 hours on the number of residents in these hazardous buildings to facilitate prompt demolition efforts.

    “A comprehensive survey report of all dangerous buildings is expected within two weeks,” he added.

    The LG minister said that other SBCA officials who were suspended included the director, deputy director and building inspectors assigned to Lyari.

    He said that the Sindh government had announced Rs1 million in compensation to the families of the 27 deceased people.

    The LG minister said that there were 51 buildings in Karachi that were “extremely fragile and should be demolished”.

    He said the city commissioner had been directed to provide the number of residents and units in those buildings, as well as details of whether they own the property or have rented it, so that the process of demolishing them could be started.

    “The Karachi commissioner also has to provide assessments of the 588 buildings which were declared dangerous within two weeks so that we can decide which of the buildings need to be destroyed and which can be fixed through major repair,” he added.

    He said that if any negligence, even by the SBCA DG, was found in the inquiry, then he would also be included in the FIR.

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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  • Ashura processions culminate peacefully in Rawalpindi – Newspaper

    Ashura processions culminate peacefully in Rawalpindi – Newspaper

    RAWALPINDI: Youm-i-Ashur was observed peacefully in the garrison city on Sunday with traditional religious fervour to commemorate the sacrifices of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and his 72 devoted companions in Karbala.

    Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider, Punjab Minister for Communication and Works Malik Sohaib Ahmed Berth, along with RPO Babar Sarfraz Alpa, Commissioner Aamer Khattak, Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema, and CPO Syed Khalid Hamdani visited the 10th Muharram procession.

    Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider stated that foolproof security is being provided for Ashura processions and majalis. He emphasised that Muharram is a month of peace and brotherhood, during which no one will be allowed to spread chaos.

    He directed all institutions to perform their duties diligently and with coordinated efforts, just like they did on the eve of the 9th and 10th Muharram, to ensure the 11th Muharram procession concludes in peace.

    Foolproof security arrangements were organised by the district administration and Rawalpindi police. The police, along with law enforcement agencies, worked to maintain law and order in the district. Members of the District Peace Committee also assisted the LEAs in the process.

    In Rawalpindi, the main Youm-e-Ashur procession was taken out from Imambargah Ashiq Hussain Teli Mohallah, Imambargah Col Maqbool Hussain, and Imambargah Hifazat Ali Shah situated at Bohar Bazar.

    The mourning procession passed through its traditional routes of Jamia Masjid Road, Sarafa Bazaar, Fawara Chowk, College Road, Liaquat Road, Babra Bazaar, Committee Chowk, Trunk Bazaar, Bara Market, and Bunni Chowk. Afterwards, mourners held ‘Sham-e-Gariban’ at Qadeemi Imambargah.

    Later, the main Ashura procession reached Raja Bazaar and Purana Qila, where zuljinah processions from Imambargah Kashmirian Tyre Bazaar and Darbar Shah Chan Chiragh merged into the main procession. The main procession concluded at Imambargah Qadeemi after passing through Jamia Masjid Road and Imambara Chowk.

    Tehreek-e-Nifaaz Fiqha Jafariya (TNFJ) Pakistan, led by Allama Agha Syed Hussain Muqaddasi, delivered a speech to mourners at Committee Chowk and addressed the media.

    He highlighted that the meeting place of freedom fighters and the source of inspiration worldwide is Karbala and the essence of Hussain. He demanded that the Punjab government to revoke the anti-Azadari (mourning) SOPs issued by the previous administration, which are against fundamental rights.

    He declared their commitment to ensure mourning is not limited and vowed to sacrifice everything to preserve it.

    The Punjab government, he noted, has made good arrangements, but certain SOPs are not correct, and the change of seasons cannot stop or diminish mourning or the immortality of Imam Hussain in Karbala.

    “Our beloved homeland, Pakistan, is the product of joint efforts and sacrifices of all schools of thought; the constitution guarantees equal rights to all, and discriminating against anyone violates the constitution,” he contended.

    He demanded that the incidents of disturbing the mourners and the elements causing disrepute to the administration should be investigated and those found guilty be punished.

    He further stated that government rules and regulations banning mourning in the federal government and especially in Punjab are obstacles to exercising religious rights; obstacles should not be erected in the path of mourning.

    The TNFJ head insisted that members of banned parties be expelled from peace committees, while also paying tribute to Shia-Sunni unity during the ten days of Muharram. Rainwater accumulated on the routes of various processions, and Wasa cleared the rainwater before start of the mourning processions.

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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  • De-nuclearisation of Israel is critical – Newspaper

    De-nuclearisation of Israel is critical – Newspaper

    THE recent airstrikes by the United States targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan have reignited global concerns about nuclear proliferation in the Middle East. While analysts debate whether or not Iran’s programme has been set back by months or years, a more pressing question looms: will Iran abandon its nuclear ambitions? The most likely answer is in the negative.

    Iran regards Israel as its primary adversary, and the former’s nuclear aspirations appear to be driven largely by deterrence. Despite a religious edict in Iran forbidding the production of nuclear weapons, and Tehran’s repeated insistence that its programme is peaceful, it perceives a nuclear-armed Israel, backed rather unconditionally by the US, as an existential threat.

    Although Israel has never officially acknowledged its nuclear arsenal, it is widely believed to possess dozens of warheads. In such an asymmetric en-vironment, Iran views nuclear capability as a strategic necessity, one aimed at establishing a degree of parity.

    Expecting Iran to just meekly accept Western-imposed setbacks to its nuclear programme, while ignoring Israel’s arsenal, is short-sighted. This approach may offer temporary relief, but cannot deliver a lasting solution. Feeling strategically vulnerable and unfairly singled out, Iran is likely to persist; covertly, if necessary.

    The recent bombings may have delayed Iran’s technical progress, but they have not altered its strategic calculus. Tehran’s pursuit of nuclear capability is deeply embedded in its national security doctrine, and the scientific knowledge behind it cannot be erased by airstrikes.

    For lasting peace, the international community must look beyond containment and coercion. The root cause of tension is the region’s nuclear imbalance. Only when Israel’s undeclared arsenal is subjected to international scrutiny, and ultimately dismantled, can Iran be expected to halt its nuclear ambitions. Such a step would lend moral authority to efforts pressuring Iran to abandon its programme.

    Moreover, rectifying this imbalance could pave the way for a Middle East nuclear weapons-free zone; a proposal repeatedly raised at the United Nations, but consistently blocked primarily due to Israeli resistance and Western double standards.

    Enduring peace cannot be built on selective enforcement. As long as one state is permitted to maintain a clandestine arsenal while others are penalised for seeking strategic parity, instability will persist. Disarmament must be universal to be meaningful and sustainable. The path to durable peace lies not in airstrikes or sanctions, but in fairness, dialogue and mutual security guarantees. The sooner the international community recognises this fact, the better it surely would be.

    Ahmad Fakir Muhammad
    Karachi

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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  • Amid stringent security, Ashura processions end peacefully across province – Newspaper

    Amid stringent security, Ashura processions end peacefully across province – Newspaper

    KARACHI/HYDERABAD: Ashura was observed with traditional zeal and fervour across the province where all mourning processions culminated peacefully in all major cities and towns on Sunday amid strict security arrangements.

    In Karachi, main procession originated from Nishtar Park and ended at Hussainia Iranian Imambargah in Kharadar. Promi­nent scholar Allama Shehenshah Hussian Naqvi addressed participants of the procession before it started its journey along the designated route.

    Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah accompanied by Karachi mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Sindh Minister for Local Bodies Saeed Ghani, his adviser Senator Waqar Mehdi, Sindh Minister for Home Zia Lanjar, Sindh IGP Ghulam Nabi Memon and other senior officials took part in the procession at Naumaish Chowrangi, said a spokesperson for the CM House.

    The mourners offered prayers on main M. A. Jinnah Road after which members of the Imamia Students Organisation staged a demonstration against Israel and the United States and other countries for their ‘anti-Islam agenda’ and ongoing atrocities against Palestinian people.

    The route was completely sealed on both sides and all the participants were thoroughly frisked by scouts before they were allowed to join the procession while those who had come earlier to attend the majlis at Nishtar Park underwent at least three layers of security checks, all managed by the scouts.

    All the shops along the procession’s route had been sealed by police since Sunday night, while police and Rangers personnel were deployed on rooftops for monitoring the procession’s movement.

    A team of the Bomb Disposal Squad swept the route ahead of the procession. Buses were arranged at Tower traffic intersection for the transportation of mourners at the culmination of the procession.

    In Hyderabad, central procession was brought out from Qadam Gah as per tradition though it started late by an hour this year and subsequently ended late at Karbala Dadan Shah. The procession was organised every year by Anjuman-i-Hyderi (1948) and at least 25 Anjumans were part of the procession.

    The mourners performed zohrain prayers at St Mary’s convent school roundabout and afterwards, a majlis was addres­sed by Syed Wasim Hyder Zaidi and Allama Irfan Ali Kazmi.

    DIG Tariq Dharejo, SSP Adeel Chandio and deputy commissioner Zain Ul Abiden monitored the procession’s proceedings from a control room set up in City police station.

    Local chapters of MQM, PPP and several social welfare organisations had set up camps along the Station Road to provide relief to the mourners.

    Another traditional Ashura procession was staged in Khokhar Mohallah and Saddar Bazaar.

    In Sukkur and Rohri, dozens of processions were taken out which followed their traditional routes and joined the main procession that originated from central Imambargah amid strict security arrangements.

    Majalis were held at several locations along the routes of the processions, where scholars shed light on the philosophy of Karbala.

    According to a press release issued by Sukkur DIG office, 9,416 male and female police officials and personnel performed duties from the 1st to the 10th of Muharram.

    Mayor Sukkur Barrister Arsalan Islam Sheikh said that Sukkur hosted the largest procession in the country.

    In Nawabshah, several processions were taken out throughout Shaheed Benazirabad, Sanghar and Naushahro Feroze districts.

    The main procession in Nawabshah emerged from Murtazvi Imambargah, which was joined by a number of small processions.

    In Naushahro Feroze, the main procession emerged from Imambargah Baab-i-Haider and culminated at the same location where a majlis was held.

    In Sanghar and adjoining towns of Shahdadpur, Sinjhoro, Jam Nawaz Ali, Khipro, many processions were taken out amid tight security.

    In Mirpurkhas district and its towns of Mirwah Gorchani, Digri, Jhuddo, Tando Jan Muha­mmad, Naokot, Kot Ghulam Muhammad, Sindhri, Phulady­yoon and Hingorno, several processions were taken out from different Imambargahs amid tight security.

    Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2025

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