upper dir battles
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Upper Dir battles massive cholera outbreak as case…

ByJustpaste.in

PESHAWAR: A major cholera outbreak has struck several areas of Upper Dir in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, infecting more than 3,000 people and placing severe pressure on local healthcare facilities, officials said on Saturday.

The outbreak has affected multiple localities, including Ashirai Dara, Sharingal, Barawal and Dir Khas, where a large number of residents have reported symptoms associated with the waterborne disease.

According to Dr. Sahibzada Imtiaz, Medical Superintendent of the District Headquarters Hospital in Upper Dir, the number of cholera patients has risen rapidly over the past few days. He said more than 3,000 people, including women and children, have been infected since the outbreak began.

Hospital authorities revealed that 600 patients were admitted in a single day, highlighting the alarming pace at which the disease is spreading. The influx of patients has overwhelmed the District Headquarters Hospital, leaving medical staff under immense pressure.

Doctors said several patients remain in critical condition and are being shifted to other healthcare facilities for specialized treatment because the main hospital has reached full capacity.

In response to the health emergency, teams from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Health Department have been dispatched to the affected districts. Public health officials are conducting field inspections, monitoring the spread of the disease and working to improve access to safe drinking water.

Authorities are also testing local water sources to identify possible contamination, as cholera is commonly spread through polluted water and poor sanitation.

Health experts have urged residents to drink only boiled or purified water, maintain proper hygiene and seek immediate medical attention if they experience severe diarrhea, vomiting or dehydration. They stressed that early treatment can significantly reduce the risk of serious complications.

The outbreak has raised concerns about public health infrastructure in remote areas, where limited access to clean water and medical services can accelerate the spread of infectious diseases. Officials say emergency response efforts will continue until the situation is brought under control and further infections are prevented.

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    Federal government freezes ad hoc relief allowance…

    ByJustpaste.in

    The federal government has decided to keep the 2023 and 2024 ad hoc relief allowances unchanged for its employees, maintaining the existing rates while also outlining the allowance structure for newly appointed staff. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Finance, the Ad Hoc Relief Allowance-2023 will remain frozen at the level applicable on June 30, 2023, and will not be revised until further instructions are issued. Under the current arrangement, employees in Grades 1 to 16 will continue to receive an allowance equal to 35% of their basic pay, while officers in Grades 17 to 22 will receive 30% of their basic pay under the 2023 relief allowance. The ministry has also announced that the Ad Hoc Relief Allowance-2024 will remain frozen at the rates applicable on June 30, 2026. Employees in Grades 1 to 16 will continue to receive 25% of their basic pay, whereas those in Grades 17 to 22 will receive 20% of their basic pay. The decision means there will be no increase in these allowances until further notice, although eligible employees will continue receiving them at the existing rates. The notification also provides guidance on the applicable allowance rates for newly recruited federal government employees, ensuring uniform implementation across government departments. The Finance Ministry said the revised pay and allowance framework will remain effective unless amended through a future government notification.

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    North Korean hackers develop AI tools for cyberattacks

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    SEOUL: A North Korean-linked hacking group has reportedly expanded its use of artificial intelligence to strengthen cyberattacks, automate operations and analyse stolen data. The group, identified as Kimsuky, has developed and collected a range of AI-related tools that could help its operators conduct attacks more efficiently, according to a South Korean cybersecurity company. The company said it discovered infrastructure linked to Kimsuky containing several programs designed to run and manage artificial intelligence models locally. These included Ollama, GPT4All and Msty. The hackers also appeared to be using retrieval-augmented generation technology. The system can help AI models search and process large collections of documents. Researchers said the use of locally operated AI models could allow the group to analyse sensitive information without sending data to external AI services. This could give hackers greater control over stolen material and reduce their reliance on third-party platforms. The investigation also uncovered AI agent development frameworks, speech-to-text software and an AI-assisted coding tool called Cursor. According to the cybersecurity firm, the findings indicate that Kimsuky may be moving beyond the simple use of generative AI for creating phishing messages. The group could now be seeking to integrate existing AI models into different stages of its cyber operations. These may include malware development, stolen-data analysis and attack automation. Researchers also identified documents related to finance and cryptocurrency on the infrastructure. Some of the files appeared to have been generated using artificial intelligence. The documents were designed to look like legitimate investment reports and other professional workplace material. Such files could potentially be used as decoys or to make malicious campaigns appear more credible. The findings have not been independently verified. However, cybersecurity researchers and government agencies have repeatedly linked North Korean state-backed groups to international cyber operations. North Korean cyber units have been accused of conducting espionage campaigns, stealing money and targeting cryptocurrency-related assets. Authorities in the United States and South Korea have previously warned about the activities of such groups. Kimsuky has long been associated with cyber-espionage operations targeting governments, organisations and individuals. The group has also been accused of gathering intelligence to support North Korea’s strategic interests. The latest findings point to a growing role for artificial intelligence in cyber operations. Security researchers have warned that AI tools can make phishing campaigns more convincing and help attackers process information and develop malicious software more quickly.

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    FGEHA warned in 2019, yet Rs5.4 billion released f…

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    Islamabad: A major land controversy surrounding Sky Gardens, formerly known as Green Enclave II, has come under scrutiny after the Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was told that Rs5.4 billion had been released for development despite earlier warnings that disputed land could not be used for a housing project. The committee was further informed that around 2,600 kanals of land had now been physically retrieved from the private developer, with the administration marking the land and placing pillars at the site. The revelations have raised serious questions about how the project was approved, why a joint venture was signed despite official warnings, why development funds were released and why the withdrawal of a National Accountability Bureau no objection certificate in December 2023 was allegedly not brought before the committee earlier. The Senate committee, chaired by Senator Nasir Mehmood, took up the Green Enclave II and Sky Gardens matter during its meeting at Parliament House and decided to summon senior officials to explain how the disputed transactions and agreements took place. According to the briefing by NAB Director General Rizwan Khan, an inquiry into Green Enclave II, also known as Commerce Sky Gardens, was initiated on the basis of a Supreme Court judgment dated May 4, 2018. The central issue was the alleged conversion of Shamlaat land, which is common village land, into private land. NAB told the committee that the Supreme Court had placed a legal bar on the partition, construction and transfer of Shamlaat land and had declared such transactions illegal from the beginning. Despite this, more than 3,000 kanals in Moza Mengal were transferred to a private developer through two mutations in April 2018. The timing of these mutations became particularly controversial. NAB told the committee that the Supreme Court judgment came around 10 days after the mutations. The Naib Tehsildar Murree subsequently cancelled the mutations. However, after an appeal by the developer, the mutations were restored without following the required legal process, according to the NAB briefing. The issue did not end there. In April 2019, the Deputy Commissioner Murree wrote to the Federal Government Employees Housing Authority (FGEHA) and warned that the land was ineligible for a housing project because of the Supreme Court judgment. Despite this warning, the FGEHA Executive Board signed a joint venture agreement with the developer on October 11, 2019. The committee was told that 4,086 kanals were subsequently transferred to FGEHA and that by 2023, Rs5.4 billion had been released to the private contractor for development. Another issue raised before the committee was that the same party that supplied the land was also given the development contract without bidding. This raised further questions about the way the project was structured and approved. The controversy deepened over the role of NAB and two separate addenda. NAB officials told the committee that FGEHA had assured NAB in 2022 that it would not develop the disputed Moza Mengal land and would instead shift the project to Moza Kathar, which was described as clear private land. Based on that understanding, NAB closed its inquiry concerning Moza Mengal in May 2022. But according to the NAB briefing, after receiving the closure letter, FGEHA signed another addendum and brought Moza Mengal back into the project. The situation became even more serious when development funds were released. NAB said that after it learned in October 2023 that Rs5.4 billion was being released for development, it withdrew its no objection certificate and reopened the inquiry on December 12, 2023. The committee chairman questioned why FGEHA had entered into an agreement for land that had already been declared problematic. He said that if a project’s foundation was flawed, the entire project would face problems. The committee also questioned why FGEHA did not issue a warning to the developer after NAB withdrew its no objection certificate in December 2023. The Housing Secretary told the committee that FGEHA had called its joint venture partner and warned that the agreement could be cancelled if the partner failed to provide land free from legal complications. But the chairman was not satisfied. He pointed out that the committee had previously been told the NAB matter was complete, while the latest briefing showed that NAB had withdrawn its letter in December 2023 and reopened the inquiry. The chairman said this was a major issue and indicated that the committee would not leave the matter without further investigation. The committee then turned to recovering the disputed land. Revenue Officer Umer Owais told the committee that approximately 2,600 kanals had been retrieved so far. He said the entire Shamlaat land in the area had been marked in the official record with a red entry, making it non transferable. The district’s land record had also been digitised, with Shamlaat holdings digitally blocked to prevent further transactions. The administration also claimed that the recovery was not limited to paperwork. A show cause notice was issued to the Sky Gardens management on January 27, 2026. The management submitted its response on February 9, but officials said the response was unlawful and lacked supporting proof. An order was issued on March 17, 2026, after which officials went to the site. The administration found earthwork taking place and physically took back the relevant land. Officials demarcated the area and installed pillars and markings to identify the recovered land. The recovery report was also submitted to police, according to the briefing. The Secretary Housing questioned why he had not been informed about the physical recovery when he had visited the Commissioner’s office around two weeks earlier. The revenue officer replied that the matter had been discussed informally and that officials had planned to brief FGEHA and the Housing Ministry together. The chairman said the central question was simple: if the land had never been transferred, the controversy would not have developed. He questioned the role of the revenue officials who allowed the transfer and placed responsibility on FGEHA for accepting the land despite the Supreme Court judgment and the Deputy Commissioner’s

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    Mehar Bano’s fake death prank reel receives backlash

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    A reel that actress and writer Mehar Bano posted while on a trip to northern Pakistan has gone viral for all the wrong reasons, with many viewers finding the premise of the video deeply unfunny and some expressing genuine alarm before realising it was staged. Mehar Bano, known for her bold screen presence and her work across Pakistani dramas and films, was on vacation with a group of friends when they decided to create a prank reel built around the concept of her fake death. The video was filmed in the style of a breaking Pakistani news report, with Mehar lying motionless on a rock while her friends played the roles of reporters and devastated family members lamenting that their holiday had been ruined by her sudden passing. The production was deliberately styled after the kind of dramatic live television reporting that Pakistani news channels are known for, clearly intended as satire. The internet, however, was not amused. The backlash was immediate and pointed. Comments flooded in from viewers who found the death prank concept distasteful rather than clever. “I actually thought she died,” wrote one person, capturing the alarm that the video initially triggered before its prank nature became clear. Another was far blunter in their assessment, writing simply, “What a third class act.” A third commenter expressed their reaction without ambiguity: “I did not find this funny.” The response reflects a broader sensitivity in Pakistani digital culture around death-related humour, particularly when it is framed as breaking news. For a country where audiences have frequently received genuinely distressing news about public figures through social media and news channels, a video that mimics that format as a prank occupies uncomfortable territory. What the creators of the reel may have seen as a piece of satirical comedy landed for many viewers as something that was using a format associated with real loss and real grief for the sake of social media engagement. The criticism also reflects something about the evolving relationship between Pakistani celebrities and their online audiences. There is a growing expectation that public figures, particularly those who occupy cultural space as artists and writers, should bring a certain level of thoughtfulness to the content they share publicly. For those who follow Mehar Bano and appreciate her work, the reel felt like a misalignment between the intelligence they associate with her and the specific choice she made here. Mehar Bano has not publicly responded to the backlash or addressed the criticism of the reel at the time of writing. The video remains shared on her Instagram account, where the comment section continues to reflect the divided reaction it has generated.

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    1,300-year-old shipwreck hides incredible gold tre…

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    Archaeologists have uncovered an extraordinary collection of gold coins and precious jewelry from a sunken Byzantine-era ship near Croatia’s southern coastline, offering new insights into the empire’s maritime history and suggesting that a high-ranking official may have been among the passengers. The ancient shipwreck was first discovered more than a decade ago, but researchers spent several years conducting detailed underwater excavations before releasing their findings. The results, announced on Thursday, indicate that the vessel most likely dates back to the seventh or eighth century AD, making it one of the region’s most significant archaeological discoveries in recent years. According to experts, the remarkable collection of valuables recovered from the wreck suggests that the ship was far more than an ordinary merchant vessel. Instead, archaeologists believe it may have been transporting an influential government official, noble, or other prominent figure, accompanied by attendants or security personnel. Among the most valuable discoveries are gold coins minted during the reigns of four Byzantine emperors from the Heraclian dynasty, which ruled between AD 610 and 711. Researchers also recovered ornate gold fittings from luxury boxes decorated with rubies, emeralds, and pearls, highlighting the wealth and status of those on board. The quality and rarity of the artifacts provide important clues about the Byzantine Empire’s political, economic, and cultural life during the early medieval period. Experts say the recovered objects demonstrate the sophisticated craftsmanship of the era and reveal the importance of maritime travel for government officials and elite members of society. The ongoing archaeological investigation is expected to deepen historians’ understanding of Byzantine trade routes, royal travel, and naval activity across the Adriatic Sea. Researchers hope that further analysis of the ship’s structure, cargo, and recovered artifacts will help reconstruct the vessel’s final journey and explain the circumstances that led to its sinking centuries ago. Officials involved in the excavation described the discovery as a major milestone in underwater archaeology. As conservation work continues, many of the recovered treasures are expected to be carefully preserved and studied, providing valuable information for future research into the Byzantine Empire and its influence across southeastern Europe. The discovery underscores the importance of underwater archaeological exploration and demonstrates how centuries-old shipwrecks continue to reveal remarkable stories about ancient civilizations, their rulers, and the maritime networks that connected them across the Mediterranean world.

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    John Stones joins Inter Milan after Manchester City exit

    ByJustpaste.in

    England international John Stones has completed a free transfer to Italian champions Inter Milan after leaving Manchester City at the end of his contract. The experienced centre-back signed a two-year deal with the Serie A giants, bringing an end to a successful decade-long spell at the Etihad Stadium, where he established himself as one of the Premier League’s top defenders. Stones departed Manchester City after his contract expired at the end of June. His move to Inter Milan comes shortly after representing England at the FIFA World Cup 2026, where the Three Lions secured a third-place finish. The defender featured in five matches during the tournament and earned his 94th international cap in England’s semi-final defeat. Following the announcement of his transfer, Stones shared his excitement about beginning a new chapter in Italy. “I’m excited to be here, thank you so much. I’ll see you soon, ciao,” he said in his first message to Inter supporters. The 32-year-old arrives in Milan with a wealth of experience at both club and international level. Since joining Manchester City in 2016, Stones played a crucial role in one of the most successful periods in the club’s history. His composure on the ball, tactical intelligence and ability to play out from the back made him a key figure in City’s defensive setup. During his time in Manchester, Stones helped the club win six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, three League Cups and the UEFA Champions League, adding several other domestic and international honours to his impressive collection. He was widely praised for his partnership with fellow defenders and his contribution to City’s possession-based style of football. Despite his success, the latter stages of his City career were disrupted by recurring injury problems. Fitness issues limited his appearances over the past few seasons, and he made only nine Premier League appearances during the previous campaign. As a result, his departure marked the end of an era for both the player and the club. Inter Milan will hope the experienced defender can strengthen their backline as they prepare to defend the Serie A title. The club sees Stones as an important addition, bringing leadership, experience and a winning mentality to the squad. Moving to Italy also presents a fresh challenge for the England international, who will experience Serie A for the first time in his career. The switch offers him the opportunity to revive his club career while continuing to compete at the highest level in European football. Stones is expected to integrate quickly into Inter’s squad ahead of the new season. If selected, he could make his competitive debut when Inter begin the defence of their Serie A crown against Monza at the San Siro on August 22. With a decorated career already behind him and plenty of experience on the international stage, Stones now begins a new journey in Italy, aiming to add further silverware to his impressive list of achievements while helping Inter remain among Europe’s elite clubs.

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