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BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah took three wickets for just seven runs as India beat Afghanistan by 47 runs in their Super Eight match at the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday. Later, Pat Cummins took the first hat-trick of the tournament as Australia beat Bangladesh by 28 runs under the Duckworth-Lewis system due to rain delays. Bumrah's four-over spell was aided by Arshdeep Singh, who finished with 3-36. Spinners Kuldeep Yadav (2-32) and Axar Patel (1-15) shared three wickets as Afghanistan was bowled out for 134 runs. Suryakumar Yadav scored 53 off 28 balls — his fifth T20 World Cup half-century — as India reached 181-8 in 20 overs after deciding to bat. Yadav, named player of the match, hit three sixes and five fours, while Hardik Pandya scored 32 off 24 balls, including two sixes. "I am clear in my mind how I want to bat," Yadav said. "There's a lot of hard work, process and routine involved in it. You just need to know your game plan and just play accordingly. In the end, we were happy with 180." On a slow-paced Barbados wicket, India had made a sluggish start. Skipper Rohit Sharma was out caught for eight, while star batter Virat Kohli only managed run-a-ball 24. Rishabh Pant, batting at three, provided some acceleration — he scored 20 off 11 balls with four fours. Afghanistan skipper and wrist spinner Rashid Khan did damage to India's top order, dismissing both Kohli and Pant, the latter out lbw. It was the first time Khan picked up wickets against India in T20s. India was down to 62-3 in 8.3 overs, when Yadav played a rescuing hand. He added 28 of 14 balls with Shivam Dube (10) and then the match-turning 60 runs with Pandya. Yadav's stand with Pandya came off only 37 balls as India scored 102 runs off the final 10 overs. Rashid Khan finished with 3-26 in four overs. Afghanistan's chase got off to a poor start against Bumrah — he sent back both openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Haratullah Zazai (2) cheaply. In between, Axar Patel struck in the fourth over as Ibrahim Zadran was out for eight, and Afghanistan slipped to 23-3 in 4.1 overs. Ravindra Jadeja had 1-20 in three overs. Afghanistan lost its last five wickets for 32 runs across 28 deliveries as India crossed the finish line with ease. Australia beats BangladeshAt North Sound, Antigua, Cummins claimed the first hat-trick of the tournament as Australia beat Bangladesh by 28 runs after rain delays forced the result to go to the the Duckworth-Lewis system. Cummins dismissed Mahmdullah and Mahedi Hasan with the last two balls of the 18th over and Towhid Hridoy with the first ball of the 20th as Australia restricted Bangladesh to 140-8. Australia was 100-2 when heavy rain set in after 11.2 overs, well ahead of the winning score it needed at the time. The umpires finally called off the match around 12.30 a.m. local time. Cummins was the seventh player to complete a hat-trick — three wickets with three balls — at a Twenty20 World Cup and the second Australian after Brett Lee who achieved the feat, also against Bangladesh, in 2007. "I had no idea," Cummins said. "At the end of the over I saw it come up on the screen so I thought I'll make sure I remember but I totally forgot about it. I had a few (hat-tricks) in juniors but never for Australia." David Warner and Travis Head then shared a 65-run opening partnership in 6.5 overs to set up Australia's run chase. Head was out for 31 but Warner went on to make a half century from 34 balls. He finished 53 not out. Mitchell Starc bowled Tanzid Hasan with the third ball of the match after Australia sent Bangladesh in and Bangladesh struggled to create momentum, hampered by regular wicket falls. Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto made 41 from 36 ball and shared a half century partnership from 42 balls with Litton Das (16). But after the second-wicket pair were separated with the total was 58-2 in the ninth over, Bangladesh struggled to create partnerships. Adam Zampa dismissed both Litton Das and Shanto, bowling Das with a ball that snuck under the bat and cannoned off the back leg onto the stumps. Shanto knelt to sweep a ball which skidded on a hit on the knee roll in front of middle. Zampa also took a catch from Glenn Maxwell's bowling to remove Rishad Hossain who had been promoted in the order to hurry the scoring but managed only two runs from four balls.

TEL AVIV, Israel — A company drilling for natural gas off the coast of northern Israel discovered a 3,300-year-old ship and its cargo, one of the oldest known examples of a ship sailing far from land, the Israel Antiquities Authority said Thursday. The discovery of the late Bronze Age ship so far out at sea indicates that the navigation abilities of ancient seafarers were more advanced than previously thought because they could travel without a line of sight to land, the IAA said. The great depth at which the ship was found means it has been left undisturbed by waves, currents or fishermen over the millennia, offering greater potential for research, it said. "The discovery of this boat now changes our entire understanding of ancient mariner abilities. It is the very first to be found at such a great distance with no line of sight to any landmass," said Jacob Sharvit, head of the IAA marine unit, adding that two similar ships from the same era had been discovered previously, but only close to shore. Sharvit said the assumption by researchers until now has been that trade during that era was conducted by boats sailing close to the shore, keeping an eye on land while moving from port to port. He said the newly discovered boat's sailors probably used the sun and the stars to find their way. The wooden ship sank about 90 kilometers off Israel's Mediterranean coast and was discovered at a depth of 1,800 meters by Energean, a natural gas company which operates a number of deep-sea natural gas fields in Israel's territorial waters. In its work, Energean said it uses a submersible robot to scour the sea floor. About a year ago, it came across the 12- to 14-meter-long ship buried under the muddy bottom, nestled under hundreds of jugs that were thousands of years old. The boat and its cargo were fully intact, the IAA said, adding that the vessel appeared to have sunk either in a storm or after coming under attack by pirates. The ship for now is not being retrieved. Energean worked with the IAA to retrieve two of the jugs, which were likely used for carrying oil, wine or fruit, and bring them to the surface for research. The IAA identified the jugs as Canaanite, a people who resided in the lands abutting the eastern Mediterranean.

BEIJING — Nine people have died and six are missing after downpours caused historic flooding in rural parts of Guangdong province in southern China, while authorities warned Friday of more flooding ahead in other parts of the country. Four people died and four are missing, in Meixian district in Guangdong's Meizhou city, state broadcaster CCTV reported Thursday night. Another five are dead in Jiaoling county, which is also in Meizhou. The heaviest rains were from Sunday into Tuesday, toppling trees and collapsing homes. A road leading to Meixian district completely collapsed during the heavy rains. The Songyuan river, which winds through Meizhou, experienced its biggest recorded flood, according to CCTV. The estimated direct economic loss is 3.65 billion yuan ($502 million) in Jiaoling county, while in Meixian district, the loss is 1.06 billion yuan ($146 million). Other parts of the country also face torrential rains and extreme weather in the next 24 hours, with the National Meteorological Center issuing a warning for several provinces in the south and a few individual places in the north. Henan and Anhui provinces in central China, as well as Jiangsu province on the coast and the southern province of Guizhou, all are expecting hail and strong thunderstorms, according to the forecast. Rainfall could be as high as 5-8 centimeters in one day in Henan, Anhui and Hubei provinces, the National Meteorological Center said. Last week, southern Fujian and Guangxi provinces experienced landslides and flooding amid heavy rain. One student died in Guangxi after falling into a river swollen from the downpour.

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South Korea says it will consider sending arms to Ukraine after Russia and North Korea rattled the region and beyond by signing a pact to come to each other’s defense in the event of war. We talk to Gregg A. Brazinsky works on U.S.-East Asian relations and East Asian international history at George Washington University. Donald Sutherland, one of Canada's most versatile and gifted actors, who charmed and enthralled audiences in films such as "M*A*S*H," "Klute," "Ordinary People" and the "Hunger Games,” has died at the age of 88.

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Washington — U.S. President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday banned Russia-based cybersecurity firm Kaspersky from providing its popular antivirus products in the United States over national security concerns, the U.S. Commerce Department said. "Kaspersky will generally no longer be able to, among other activities, sell its software within the United States or provide updates to software already in use," the agency said in a statement. The announcement came after a lengthy investigation found Kaspersky's "continued operations in the United States presented a national security risk due to the Russian Government's offensive cyber capabilities and capacity to influence or direct Kaspersky's operations," it said. U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, "Russia has shown time and again they have the capability and intent to exploit Russian companies, like Kaspersky Lab, to collect and weaponize sensitive U.S. information." Kaspersky, in a statement to AFP, said the Commerce Department "made its decision based on the present geopolitical climate and theoretical concerns," and vowed to "pursue all legally available options to preserve its current operations and relationships." "Kaspersky does not engage in activities which threaten U.S. national security and, in fact, has made significant contributions with its reporting and protection from a variety of threat actors that targeted U.S. interests and allies," the company said. The move is the first such action taken since an executive order issued under Donald Trump's presidency gave the Commerce Department the power to investigate whether certain companies pose a national security risk. Raimondo said the Commerce Department's actions demonstrated to America's adversaries that it would not hesitate to act when "their technology poses a risk to the United States and its citizens." While Kaspersky is headquartered in Moscow, it has offices in 31 countries around the world, servicing more than 400 million users and 270,000 corporate clients in more than 200 countries, the Commerce Department said. As well as banning the sale of Kaspersky's antivirus software, the Commerce Department also added three entities linked to the firm to a list of companies deemed to be a national security concern, "for their cooperation with Russian military and intelligence authorities in support of the Russian government's cyber intelligence objectives." The Commerce Department said it "strongly encouraged" users to switch to new vendors, although its decision does not ban them from using the software should they choose to do so. Kaspersky is allowed to continue certain operations in the United States, including providing antivirus updates, until September 29, "in order to minimize disruption to US consumers and businesses and to give them time to find suitable alternatives," it added.  

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washington — The number of arrests by Border Patrol agents of people crossing illegally into the United States fell in May to the third lowest of any month during the Biden presidency, while preliminary figures released Thursday show encounters with migrants falling even more in the roughly two weeks since the president announced new rules restricting asylum.  The figures are likely welcome news for a White House that has been struggling to show to voters concerned about immigration that it has control of the southern border. But the number of people coming to the border is often in flux, dependent on conditions in countries far from the U.S. and on smugglers who profit from global migration.  The Border Patrol made 117,900 arrests of people entering the country between the official border crossing points in May, Customs and Border Protection said in a news release. That's 9% lower than during April, the agency said. The agency said preliminary data since President Joe Biden's June 4 announcement restricting asylum access show arrests have fallen by 25%.  "Our enforcement efforts are continuing to reduce Southwest border encounters. But the fact remains that our immigration system is not resourced for what we are seeing," said Troy A. Miller, the acting head of CBP.  The U.S. has also benefited from aggressive enforcement on the Mexican side of the border, where Mexican authorities have been working to prevent migrants from making their way to the U.S.-Mexico border.  The figures are part of a range of data related to immigration, trade and drug seizures that the CBP releases monthly. The immigration-related figures are closely watched at a time of intense political scrutiny over who is entering the country and whether the Biden administration has a handle on the situation.  Immigration is a top concern for voters, with many saying Biden hasn't been doing enough to secure the country's borders. Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, has made immigration a cornerstone of his campaign by saying he's going to deport people in the country illegally en masse and take other measures to crack down on immigration.  After Biden announced his plan to restrict asylum access at the southern border, opponents sued, saying it was no different from a similar effort under Trump.

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AUGUSTA, Maine — Former U.S. Marine Gerry Brooks died alone at a nursing home in Maine, abandoned and all but forgotten. Then the funeral home posted a notice asking if anyone would serve as a pallbearer or simply attend his burial.  Within minutes, it was turning away volunteers to carry his casket.  A bagpiper came forward to play at the service. A pilot offered to perform a flyover. Military groups across the state pledged a proper sendoff.  Hundreds of people who knew nothing about the 86-year-old beyond his name showed up on a sweltering afternoon and gave Brooks a final salute with full military honors Thursday at the Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Augusta.  Patriot Guard Riders on motorcycles escorted his hearse on the 40-mile route from the funeral home in Belfast, Maine, to the cemetery. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars paid tribute with a 21-gun salute. Volunteers held American flags next to the casket while a crane hoisted a huge flag above the cemetery entrance.  Some saluted while filing by. Others sang The Marines' Hymn.  "It's an honor for us to be able to do this," said Jim Roberts, commander of the VFW post in Belfast. "There's so much negativity in the world. This is something people can feel good about and rally around. It's just absolutely wonderful." He said Brooks' son, granddaughter and son-in-law came to the funeral but did not speak during the service.  'We will always be there' The VFW is called a couple times a year about a deceased veteran with no family or with one that isn't willing to handle the funeral arrangements, said Roberts. But "we will always be there." Like other veterans helping out Thursday, he hadn't known Brooks.  So many groups volunteered to take part in paying tribute that there wasn't enough space to fit them into the 20-minute burial service, said Katie Riposta, the funeral director who put out the call for help last week.  "It renews your faith in humanity," she said.  More than 8 million of the U.S. veterans living are 65 or older, almost half the veteran population. They are overwhelmingly men. That's according to a U.S. Census Bureau report last year. As this generation dies, it said, their collective memory of wartime experiences "will pass into history."  A master of 'dad jokes' Much about Brooks' life is unknown.  He was widowed and lived in Augusta. He died on May 18, less than a week after entering a nursing home, Riposta said. A cause of death was not released.  The funeral home and authorities reached his next of kin, but no one was willing to come forward or take responsibility for his body, she said.  "It sounds like he was a good person, but I know nothing about his life," Riposta said, noting that after Brooks' death, a woman contacted the funeral home to say he had once taken her in when she had no other place to go, with no details.  "It doesn't matter if he served one day or made the military his career," she said. "He still deserves to be respected and not alone."  The crowd on Thursday wasn't all strangers — and it turned out Brooks hadn't been one, either.  Victoria Abbott, executive director of the Bread of Life shelter in Augusta, said he had come every day to eat at their soup kitchen, always ready to crack "dad jokes" and make the staff smile. He had a favorite table.  "Your quintessential 80-year-old, dad jokes every day," Abbott said. "He was really great to have around. He was part of the soup kitchen family."  But most people there Thursday met him too late. The memorial book posted online by Direct Cremation of Maine, which helped to arrange the burial, had a few strangers' good wishes.  "Sir," one began, and ended with "Semper Fi."  The two others, a couple, thanked Brooks for his service. "We all deserve the love kindness and respect when we are called home. I hope that you lived a full beautiful life of Love, Kindness, Dreams and Hope," they wrote.  They added: "Thank you to all those who will make this gentleman's service a proper, well-deserved goodbye."  Linda Laweryson, who served in the Marines, said this was the second funeral in little over a year that she has attended for a veteran who died alone. Everyone deserves to die with dignity and be buried with dignity, she said.  Laweryson read a poem during the graveside service written by a combat Marine who reflects on the spot where Marines graduate from boot camp.  "I walked the old parade ground, but I was not alone," the poem reads. "I walked the old parade ground and knew that I was home." 

TEHRAN, Iran — In the second live debate on state television, six presidential candidates on Thursday discussed Iran's economic problems ahead of the country's June 28 election.  Three more debates are planned in the days before the vote in a shortened campaign to replace Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei once thought to be a possible successor to the 85-year-old cleric. Raisi and seven others died in a helicopter crash in May.  Like the first debate, the second one also related to economics, with the candidates discussing their proposals for Iran's spiraling economy, which is struggling under sanctions imposed by the United States and other Western nations.  The candidates also discussed inflation, the budget deficit, fuel consumption subsidies and education. They all promised to try to get the sanctions lifted and to introduce reforms, but none offered concrete details.  "Negotiation is a method of struggle," said prominent candidate Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, 62, with regards to getting the Western sanctions on Iran lifted. Qalibaf is a former Tehran mayor with close ties to the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.  He emphasized the destructiveness of the sanctions on the economy and said that Iranians have a right to a good life, not just an ordinary life.  Iran's vice president, Amir Hossein Qazizadeh Hashemi, 53, said he would continue Raisi's unfinished administration and vowed to develop the tourism industry.  Regarding the health sector and the emigration of doctors and nurses, Qalibaf said there should be a fundamental change in the way health workers are paid to increase the motivation to stay.  Many doctors and nurses reportedly have left Iran in recent years over its deepening economic woes and poor working conditions. Qalibaf's call for more pay for health workers was repeated by the other candidates.  All the candidates said they believed the Education Ministry was the most important part of the government because "the next generation of the country is raised in this ministry." Qalibaf said the ministry's budget must be increased.  The one pro-reform candidate, Masoud Pezeshkian, who is backed by pro-reform figures such as former President Mohammad Khatami and former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, thinks the economic crisis can be resolved by solving party differences inside the country as well as external factors.  The June 28 election comes at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, its arming of Russia in that country's war on Ukraine and its wide-reaching crackdowns on dissent.  Iran's support of militia proxy forces throughout the wider Middle East, meanwhile, has been increasingly in the spotlight as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels attack ships in the Red Sea over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

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Windhoek, Namibia — Amnesty International has called on authorities in Namibia to ensure the safety of the LGBTQ+ community as a court prepares to rule in a case challenging the laws that criminalize homosexual conduct. In November 2020, the Law Reform Commission of Namibia recommended discarding laws related to sodomy as they relate to intimate same-sex practices between homosexual men. However, the parliament of Namibia has been slow to repeal these laws, which prompted gay activist Friedel Dausab to sue the government on the ground that the sodomy law is not consistent with the Namibia constitution. The High Court of Namibia will rule on this matter Friday. "There were many pieces of laws that have been in the law books for many years, basically since before independence, many of which really did not make sense any longer and they are just not compatible with the modern times," said Etuna Joshua, the chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission of the Ministry of Justice. Linda Baumann, an LGBTQ+ activist, said the community has taken extra security measures to ensure its safety during and after the proceedings on Friday. Baumann said Namibia has seen an increase in violence against LGBTQ+ persons, which she says is directly linked to a Supreme Court ruling that said marriages between same-sex couples performed out of the country were valid. She said that since that ruling, religious and faith-based groups have incited violence against the LGBTQ+ community. "Amnesty [International] is not exaggerating," said Baumann. "What we are doing as a movement is to alert ourselves around the issue around safety and security because we have anti-groups. ... We've also seen murders of LGBT people in six months. Six people, six months." A local daily newspaper recently published a report on a string of killings where LGBTQ+ people were the victims. However, some critics say Namibia has a high number of killings in general and the killings cannot be regarded as hate crimes. Mercedez Von Cloete, a transgender activist who successfully sued the state for a transphobic assault at the hands of a police officer seven years ago, said the community is at risk of targeted violence if the sodomy law is repealed by the High Court. "It was targeted violence as a result of not only political but also religious hate speech as well as mob organizing that has made LGBTQ people — especially in the last couple of months — feel unsafe. … And I applaud Amnesty International for the fact that they were able to at least raise an alarm." Amnesty International human rights lawyer Mandipa Machacha told VOA that "while Namibia traditionally had tolerance towards LGBT persons compared to other countries [in Africa], there has always been a certain level of hostility, and the situation deteriorated significantly following the 2023 ruling which recognized same-sex unions." She said Amnesty International fears Friday's ruling may drive homophobia against members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Islamabad — As Pakistan this week celebrated Eid al-Adha — the festival coinciding with the Hajj pilgrimage — journalists in the country mourned the loss of yet another colleague. On Tuesday night, unidentified gunmen killed Khalil Jibran and injured a lawyer accompanying him in the Khyber tribal district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Reports indicate the journalist was on his way home with friends when the attackers ambushed his car. Authorities said Jibran's bullet-riddled body showed signs that he might have had a physical altercation with his attackers at the crime scene before being killed. This was at least the sixth killing of a journalist in Pakistan this year. Four media members were killed just in May. "It makes me feel miserable and insecure, and unsafe," said veteran Pakistani journalist Absar Alam, who survived an assassination attempt in April 2021 in the nation's capital, Islamabad. 'An alarming deterioration' The first three months under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have been marred by "an alarming deterioration in press freedom," according to Reporters Without Borders. Listing the attacks on journalists and a raft of government measures, Reporters Without Borders, known by its French acronym RSF, recently urged Sharif's coalition government to uphold its commitment to media freedom. "The many press freedom violations reveal a climate of violence and a determination to censor that has little in common with the undertakings given by the political parties in their election campaign manifestos, and the message of support for journalists by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif," said Celia Mercier, head of RSF's South Asia desk. The organization ranks Pakistan very low — 152nd out of 180 countries in its global press freedom index, in which 1 is the best. "Space for true journalism has reduced in Pakistan. It's toxic. It's unsafe. There are all kinds of actors — state actors, nonstate actors — who are making our space more limited," said Alam. Electronic curbs The latest step that could further limit space for journalism and access to information may be the implementation of a national firewall to filter any online content authorities deem inappropriate. In a January interview with a news channel, Pakistan's then-interim prime minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, announced the measure. "Very soon a national firewall will be deployed," Kakar said. A high-ranking government official recently confirmed to VOA Urdu that Sharif government authorities were working to deploy that nationwide online censorship tool, although the government has not issued a formal statement about it. This follows the mid-February suspension of the X social media platform, formerly Twitter, on orders of Pakistan's Ministry of Interior. Speaking to VOA, the ministry spokesperson said he did not have information about the national firewall. "It is not the domain of the Interior Ministry," said Qadir Yar Tiwana, adding that just because the ministry banned X, it could not be held responsible for all similar measures. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, the country's independent telecom regulator, and the Ministry of Information Technology – two offices Tiwana said would be responsible for implementing any firewall — did not respond to VOA requests for comment. Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar received VOA's query about the firewall but did not share a response in time for the publication of this story. At a recent press conference, however, Tarar dismissed the suggestion that Pakistan discussed acquiring the firewall from China during Sharif's recent visit there. Sadaf Khan, co-founder of the nonprofit Media Matters for Democracy, told VOA the lack of information about the firewall was adding to fears of further decline in media freedom and privacy in the country. "There is no clarity on what this firewall is [or] how invasive it is. Is it surveilling data? Is there an encryption blockage?" Khan said. "If there is a bit of digital literacy, if people are smart about it, they will still be able to access the information that they need. However, obviously, it does increase the chance for surveillance. There might just be a chilling effect. This kind of ambiguity creates a lot of fear." Legislative curbs Government efforts to curb what it considers fake news and propaganda online have compounded fears of declining freedoms of information and expression. In May, the federal government created the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency under the controversial Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. Despite the existence of the Federal Investigation Agency's Cybercrimes Cell, Tarar said in a press conference that "there was a call for a specific authority to address the issue of online harassment." Critics say it is unclear how broad the new agency's powers will be or what its impact on privacy and online freedom might look like. Later that same month, the government in Punjab province, where Sharif's niece Maryam Nawaz is the chief minister, enacted what was called an anti-defamation law. Media and civil society condemned the law for protecting state institutions from scrutiny and requiring no proof of damage for filing a defamation lawsuit. The law is currently being challenged in the Lahore High Court. Alam, the veteran Pakistani journalist who served as the chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority from 2015 to 2017, said some of the state's concerns regarding fake news are not unfounded. "It's not only the state that suffers from fake news and irresponsible journalism," Alam said, pointing to cases where Pakistani citizens won defamation lawsuits in Britain for content broadcast there by Pakistani channels. Given Britain's tough laws, Alam said, Pakistani news channels now often refrain from airing potentially defamatory content in the United Kingdom but still show it in Pakistan. Still, he acknowledged, strict laws in Pakistan are often used as a tool to target journalists. "Past history tells that all governments have been using such laws against journalism, not against fake news spreaders," Alam said. Awaiting justice Media watchdogs regard Pakistan as a dangerous country for journalists. Most cases of journalists targeted for their work remain unresolved. On Thursday, journalists in several towns across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa protested Jibran's killing. The day before, locals, journalists and civil society activists protested with Jibran's shrouded remains, temporarily blocking a highway that runs to the border with Afghanistan. Although Sharif condemned the killing, Alam is not optimistic that justice will be served anytime soon. "Successive governments in the last many years have not apprehended the culprits who attacked journalists," said Alam, whose attackers and their financiers are out on bail or have disappeared. "So, I think the statement by the prime minister may be part of the verbal support to journalists but, practically speaking, the problem is in our culture."

washington — A key U.S. lawmaker warned Thursday that Russia is on the verge of ushering in the end of the Space Age with its new, nuclear anti-satellite weaponry. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner, an Ohio Republican, told an audience in Washington that allowing Russia to gain such an advantage would be catastrophic. He called on President Joe Biden to mount an aggressive response. “This crisis is the Cuban missile crisis in space,” Turner said, comparing the moment to the 1962 confrontation between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union, which took both sides to the brink of nuclear conflict. But in this case, Turner said, Russia could unilaterally impose high costs on the U.S. simply by detonating a nuclear anti-satellite weapon in orbit. “This threat would mean that our economic, international security and social systems come to a grinding halt,” he said. “This would be a catastrophic and devastating attack upon Western economic and democratic systems.” Turner, who accused Biden of “sleepwalking into an irreversible day zero,” called on the White House to immediately declassify all of its intelligence on the Russian program to make the world aware of the full extent of the threat. The White House on Thursday rejected Turner’s accusations. “He's just wrong. He's just flat-out wrong,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “We have absolutely taken this very seriously,” Kirby said. “We've been working this particular problem set from every possible angle, including through intense diplomacy with countries around the world and, obviously, through direct conversations with Russia.” Russia has repeatedly denied the U.S. accusations, including last month when Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov dismissed concerns as “fake news.” "The Americans can say whatever they want, but our policy does not change,” Ryabkov told the Interfax news agency, adding that Moscow, "always consistently opposed the deployment of strike weapons in low-Earth orbit.” Turner first raised concerns about the prospect of a Russian anti-satellite weapons program in February, when he issued a statement warning of "a serious national security threat” and issued his initial call for the White House to declassify the relevant intelligence. Biden responded by confirming that Russia was developing a space-based, anti-satellite weapons system but added there was no indication that Russia had decided to move ahead with the program and that there was no nuclear threat to anyone on Earth. Concerns spiked last month when the U.S. accused Russia of using a May 16 space launch to deploy what the U.S. Defense Department described as an anti-satellite weapon “capable of attacking other satellites in low-Earth orbit.” “Russia deployed this new counterspace weapon into the same orbit as a U.S. government satellite,” Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, said at the time. “So, you know, obviously that's something that we'll continue to monitor.”

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islamabad — Authorities in northwestern Pakistan reported Thursday that an enraged crowd stormed a police station, seized a detainee facing blasphemy charges and killed him.    The evening violence erupted in Swat District, a popular tourist spot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, after local announcements that a tourist had desecrated the Quran. Residents tortured the man before area police took him into custody and moved him to their detention facility.    Witnesses and officials said a mob later gathered outside the police station, demanding the man be swiftly brought to justice for insulting Islam’s holy book. Police used aerial fire to disperse protesters but failed to prevent them from assaulting and setting fire to the building and police vehicles before taking “the suspect away.”    Zahidullah Khan, the district police chief, told local media that the crowd had also set fire to the suspect’s body after beating him to death. He added that the unrest resulted in several injuries.    Videos shared on social media showed a crowd gathered around a burning body in the middle of the street. VOA could not immediately ascertain the veracity of the footage from independent sources.     Khan said police reinforcements later arrived in the area and efforts were under way to defuse the tensions.     Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in majority-Muslim Pakistan, and mere allegations have led to mobs lynching scores of suspects — even some in police custody. Insulting the Quran or Islamic beliefs is punishable by death under the country's blasphemy laws, though no one has ever been officially executed.    Last month, hundreds of people gathered in a Christian settlement in the central Pakistani city of Sargodha and killed a Christian man in his early 70s after accusing him of desecrating the Quran.     In August 2023, in a similar blasphemy accusation, thousands of Muslim protesters attacked a Christian neighborhood. They burned scores of properties, including 21 churches, over allegations that two Christian brothers had desecrated the Quran.      Domestic and international rights groups have long demanded Pakistan reform its blasphemy laws, arguing they are often used to fulfill personal vendettas and disputes and intimidate religious minorities.    Critics say that hundreds of suspects, mostly Muslims, are languishing in jails in Pakistan because fear of retaliation from religious groups deters judges from moving their trials forward.