Latest News
FIFA will permit disposable water bottles at World Cup matches following public outrage.
FIFA announced that it will permit supporters to bring one “soft, plastic” throwaway water bottle into World Cup sites following backlash against its prohibition of refillable bottles.All attendees will be allowed to bring one soft, plastic, 20-ounce (590ml) factory-sealed disposable water bottle into any FIFA World Cup 2026 match in the USA and Canada, stated World Cup Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi in a video uploaded on FIFA’s X account.
The announcement, which FIFA termed a “clarification” of its water bottle policy, occurred two days after FIFA stated that refillable water bottles would be prohibited.
The modification to their official stadium code of conduct may compel thirsty patrons to purchase bottled water.
FIFA explained the decision on the basis of safety, “to mitigate danger and injury to players and attendees.FIFA stated to AFP that external bottles are already banned at numerous locations for safety reasons, and this policy is being implemented across all tournament stadiums.
On Friday, FIFA stated that those worries persist as legitimate.
Schirgi stated that “fans will not be allowed to bring hard-sided, reusable water bottles for safety and security reasons,” providing samples of permissible and prohibited bottles.
Forecasters have cautioned that spectators may encounter health hazards due to excessive heat at outdoor locations during the World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
A survey released by the World Weather Attribution research group last month indicated that 26 out of 104 games at the World Cup are likely to occur in conditions where the Wet Bulb Global Temperature (WBGT) surpasses 26 degrees.
WBGT is an index that quantifies heat stress on the human body by integrating temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation.
During the previous year’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, where spectators expressed dissatisfaction due to extreme temperatures, attendees were prohibited from taking water bottles into the stadia.
FIFA has said that misting stations, fans, hydration stations, and cooling tents will be accessible within “the stadium footprint.
FIFA states that bottled water supplied within the venue will be priced consistently with that of other events at each stadium.
Entertainment
Falak Shabir encourages Maryam Nawaz to legislate clothing code for public places
Pakistani musician and actor, Falak Shabir has urged the Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz to adopt laws on clothing rules in public areas.
Falak Shabir took to Instagram and uploaded a story appreciating the Punjab government’s decision of banning vaping in the province and called it a positive step.
However, as a father of two girls, the musician stated that he wished to make a humble request to Maryam Nawaz to think about bringing legislation connected to people wearing revealing attire in public places, marketplaces and on roadways.This is very nice move but as father of two girls, I respectfully request Maryam Nawaz to make some law for those wearing short dresses in public places, markets and on roads. “Otherwise we will be culturally destroyed,” he wrote.
The singer’s comments have set social media alight, with some people debating the subject of personal freedom, cultural values and standards of attire in public.
Latest News
China and Pakistan Establish Collaborative Herbal Medicine Laboratory to Enhance Traditional Medicine Partnership
The official launch of the Zhejiang-Pakistan Joint Laboratory on R&D of Herbal Medicine at the 2026 International Symposium on Traditional Chinese Medicine–Unani Medicine Cooperation and SCO Member States Traditional Medicine Industry Exchange Forum in Ningbo, Zhejiang, on June 4 marked a milestone in the scientific cooperation between China and Pakistan.
The Joint Laboratory is an international science and technology cooperation platform at the provincial level, recognised by the Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province in December 2025. It was developed jointly with the Institute of Drug Discovery Technology of Ningbo University, in cooperation with the Faculty of Medicine of Ningbo University and Ningbo Kangning Hospital.
The partners from the Pakistani side are the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi and the University of Lahore.
Professor Zhao Yufen, member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and dean of the Institute of Drug Discovery Technology at Ningbo University, is the chair of the Academic Committee of the Joint Laboratory. The Chinese director is Professor Liu Xinmin from the Institute of Drug Discovery Technology, and the Pakistani director is Professor Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, head scientist at the University of Karachi and the University of Lahore.
The laboratory is staffed by a team of 50 members, 30 of whom are Chinese researchers and 20 are overseas researchers. The team covers interdisciplinary fields including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Unani Medicine, pharmacy, medicine, biology, chemistry, artificial intelligence, and policy and regulation, CEN said.
The joint laboratory is devoted to preclinical research of TCM, clinical research of TCM, international registration of relevant products, as well as academic exchanges and talent training.
During the occasion, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Traditional Medicine Industry Alliance (SCO-TMIA) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (OIC-COMSTECH) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in areas related to Traditional Chinese Medicine and Unani Medicine, including clinical research on traditional medicine, policy and regulatory research, registration facilitation, and capacity building
Latest News
US hits Iranian installations after Iran launches drones in fresh Gulf flare-up
U.S. forces hit Iranian coastal radar stations on Saturday after shooting down drones launched by Iran toward the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. military said, in the latest escalation that complicates efforts to resolve the confrontation between the two countries.
The U.S. military believes the four Iranian drones were targeting regional marine activity, a U.S. official said. The U.S. then bombed Iran’s surveillance stations in Goruk and Qeshm Island, both near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command stated on X.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it fired missiles at U.S. bases in the region in retaliation for U.S. strikes and fired on four tankers trying to enter the strait without its permission.
Kuwaiti air defences were intercepting missile and drone assaults of secret origin, state media said, and in Bahrain sirens rang and citizens were warned to take shelter. Iran stated it had launched ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in both countries but the U.S. military said six of the missiles were intercepted and a seventh failed to reach its target.
The U.S. and Iran have been negotiating, mostly indirectly, on a temporary settlement to stop the three-month-old war, which would allow matters such as Iran’s nuclear programme to be negotiated further.
But an agreement has proved elusive, despite recurrent battles.
Tehran wants access to billions of dollars in oil revenue, waivers on sanctions on crude exports, relaxation of a U.S. ban on its ports and power over the strait as part of any deal. Iran has virtually closed the strait through which approximately a fifth of the world’s oil used to pass before the conflict.
Rising petrol prices are adding to escalating political pressure at home for U.S. President Donald Trump to terminate the unpopular war. While most of Iran’s drone and missile manufacturing facilities have been destroyed, the Iranians still have access to around a fifth of their missiles,” he told NBC.They’ve got some rockets, they’ve got some drones. Percentage-wise, I would guess about 21% to 22% of their missiles. “It’s a lot of missiles, but not what it was when we first attacked,” Trump told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” program, according to excerpts released by the network Friday.
Trump was asked why Iran’s officials — if as desperate as he has depicted them — were not more ready to reach a deal.
“Because they are powerful. They’re proud. There’s things they never thought they’d be doing that they’re going to have to do, they’ve got no option, and it takes a little while.”
The U.S. and Israel opened the war against Iran on Feb. 28, after which Tehran launched missile and drone attacks on Gulf states that host U.S. bases, largely stopping shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The fighting has caused oil prices to spike and disrupted supply systems for other goods. The U.N. World Food Programme warned on Friday it was pushing millions more people into starvation owing to higher fuel and shipping expenses.
“A peace deal depends on the Trump administration unfreezing $24 billion in Iranian assets,” adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Mohsen Rezaei told CNN on Friday, warning that the U.S. would “enter into a dark corridor” if it started strikes.
FIGHTING BREAKS OUT ACROSS REGION DESPITE CEASEFIRES
In a parallel conflict in Lebanon, the Iran-aligned armed group Hezbollah said on Friday it had launched two attacks against Israeli troops in south Lebanon, including near the recently captured Beaufort Castle. Lebanese security services said Israeli airstrikes hit towns across southern Lebanon.
Iran has reiterated its backing for Hezbollah and called for Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Tehran has said that any peace deal to terminate the war with Washington must include a truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
The most recent bout of warfare between Israel and Hezbollah began in early March. Hezbollah declared it was acting in support of Tehran.
Hezbollah commander Naim Qassem rejected a U.S.-brokered deal between Israel and the Lebanese government to end the violence in Lebanon this week. The arrangement did not provide for an Israeli pullout and Hezbollah was not part of the negotiations.
Israel has continued to strike in southern Lebanon and vowed its forces will not retreat or stop operations in the nation amid rising conflict with the U.S. Parliament speaker and Hezbollah ally Nabih Berri said on Friday he would accept the evacuation of the organization from southern Lebanon if Israeli troops also pulled out of areas they occupy in the nation.
Lebanon and people in Gaza, northern Israel and Kuwait have all been under fire this week, despite ceasefires mediated by the U.S., which Trump stated featured “shooting in a more moderate manner”, rather than a complete cessation of violence.
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