Islamabad: A Pakistan court has banned public celebrations of Valentine's Day in Islamabad, saying they are against Islamic teachings. The Islamabad High Court's order prohibits all Valentine's Day festivities in government offices and public spaces. The order had been sent to Pakistan's media regulator to ensure a blackout on any Valentine's Day promotions in print or electronic media. The orders were a response to a private petition which argued that Valentine's Day was contrary to Islamic teaching. The ban does not affect shops and restaurants, but it is the first time such a ruling has been imposed in the capital, and the ban applies only to Islamabad as its high court has no jurisdiction beyond the city.
Telangana youth shot dead in US
Warangal: In what appears to be a case of racial attack, a postgraduate engineering student from Telangana was shot dead at Milpitas city in Santa Clara, California, US, in the early hours of Sunday. The victim, Mamidala Vamsi Reddy, 27, was returning home in a car from his job when he was stopped and shot at by an unidentified man. The US police informed the victim's father Sanjeeva Reddy, a farmer, about the attack on his son.
Salman Rushdie to release new novel
NEW DELHI: Author Salman Rushdie's new book "The Golden House,” is slated to be released in September, said a statement released by Penguin Random House on Feb. 7. The forthcoming book from Rushdie is a breathtaking new novel on a sprawling canvas. A modern-day thriller, it follows a mysteriously wealthy family from Bombay that is desperately seeking to forget the tragedy they left behind as they feverishly reinvent themselves in New York City. The novel is copiously detailed, sumptuously inventive, brimming with all the razzle-dazzle that imbues his fiction with the lush ambience of a fable.
13 killed in Philippines quake
Manila: At least 13 people were killed and 100 others injured after a 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit Philippines' Surigao city, officials said. Surigao Governor Sol Matugas said the quake struck late Friday night, 14 km northwest of the city. Matugas said that the earthquake caused power outages in the city, destroyed the airport runway, bridges and buildings, including hotels and schools.
Olympian in hijab detained at US airport
Los Angeles: Fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, the first American to compete in the Olympics wearing a hijab, has said she was recently detained at US Customs for two hours without any explanation.
Ibtihaj said she did not know if she was held as a result of the Trump administration's travel ban but is sure the move was a result of her ethnicity. “I don't know why. I can't tell you why it happened to me, but I know that I'm Muslim. I have an Arabic name. And even though I represent Team USA and I have that Olympic hardware, it doesn't change how you look and how people perceive you,” she said. Ibtihaj won bronze in team sabre at the Rio Olympics last year.
16 killed in blast outside Punjab assembly
Lahore: Three top police officers were among 16 people killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up targeting them during a protest rally outside Pakistan's Punjab assembly that also left 60 others injured. Punjab Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said more than 60 people suffered injuries. The condition of some 11 injured is stated to be critical, the minister said. A TV footage shows that a motorcyclist dragging his bike close to police officers and blew himself up. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanullah confirmed that it was suicide blast and 'some police officers' have been killed. He said the agencies had issued a threat alert that terrorists might target Punjab Assembly building and Governor's House on the Mall Road.
Pak kicks off 37-nation naval drill
Islamabad: Pakistan kicked off a naval exercise with 36 countries including the US, Russia, China and the UK in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi. Aman-17 is the fifth such exercise that Pakistan has organised every alternate year since 2007. It includes search and rescue operations, gunnery drills, anti-piracy demonstrations, replenishment at sea and maritime counter-terrorism demonstrations. A Pakistan navy spokesman said the drill aimed to demonstrate the allied nations' capabilities to fight terrorism and maritime threats and to provide a platform for participants to hone their skills, and build cooperation.
Over 100 kite flyers arrested in Pakistan
Lahore: Authorities in Pakistan arrested at least 107 kite flyers for flouting a Supreme Court ban on kite flying, media reports said. Police arrested a total of 107 kite flyers on Sunday and seized thousands of kites, rolls and strings, Geo TV reported. Basant, a very popular festival celebrated by thousands of local people here, was banned by the Supreme Court in 2005 due to multiple deaths caused by the use of glass-coated string laced with chemicals as the 'manjha'. The ban not only deprived the people of the annual kite-flying fun, but also rendered thousands of kite-makers and sellers unemployed.
