Rachel's personal transformation through Jesus inspires her to serve the women in her community.

Greek Easter program 2007 was organized in co-operation with a local church and included youth work, painting and helping in the church. The program was very rewarding in many ways, here are some highlights.

Women caught in the sex industry find new life through Nea Zoi, a partner organisation, which reaches out to sex workers in Athens.

OM partners with a Greek aid organisation to run the only Christian camp on Lesbos, offering help in Jesus' name.

Michael (Kenya) participates in a short-term mission trip to Romania and gives an account of God's transforming power at work amongst the Roma people.

Transform team provides children’s programme, conducts English classes and learns how to love Bedouin people in the desert village.

Believers bring a positive identity message to teenage girls living in a remote village.

Danish students gain perspective and experience with OM Italy.

Incarnate 2014, a course in arts and mission hosted by OM Italy, touches the lives of the students and local community.

Meeting Christian refugees praying for European governments made a deep impression on a Transform participant. For another, the term ‘refugee’ got a whole new meaning.

As they seek to establish a church, God gives OM Spain the opportunity to minister to the community, break down barriers and share the gospel.

Eight young people, five nationalities, one van, one month and one BIG God.

God uses football and English lessons to build friendships between OM Serbia and refugees.

Wanted: an adventure-loving, open-minded driver. Esa was that driver.

OM Czech Republic engaged in a medical mission outreach and evangelism ministry to villages in northern Ghana.

Bringing justice for the oppressed is the mandate given to every Christian, says Natasha Shoultz, working among sex workers in Prague.

As OM Czech Republic team members reach out to sex workers by visiting a brothel regularly, they are able to establish friendships and talk about God and His care for the women there, and offer them Christmas gifts, which touch hearts.

Human trafficking grows like a cancer in Ecuador. Boris and Fernanda Salinas are destined to fight it.

Cartagena, Colombia :: Logos Hope partners with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) in an outreach to a troubled community.

As Australia grapples with a tight international schedule, cricket legend Mark Waugh foresees a future where One-Day International (ODI) cricket is largely reserved for major tournaments.

India vs South Africa 3rd T20I LIVE Updates: Varun Chakaravarthy has picked two wickets as South Africa are four down in their chase of 220 runs against India

Before the toss ahead of the 3rd India vs South Africa T20I, Hardik Pandya handed the India cap to the debutant Ramandeep Singh

Ravichandran Ashwin and Steve Smith will face off during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy starting November 22 in Perth.

CBS EcoMedia CEO Paul Polizzotto's latest company wants to make donating to nonprofits easier

After the viral slapping incident, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission figured in another controversy after a PAOCC employee reportedly stole the phone of a worker of the raided business process outsourcing firm in Bagac, Bataan.

Filinvest Development Corp. (FDC) is drawing closer to breaking its prepandemic income record as it continued to benefit from gains across its businesses in the nine-month period, mostly due to recovering consumer demand and tourism. The Gotianun-led conglomerate, whose businesses include real estate, banking and power generation, on Wednesday reported a 59-percent surge in net […]...

Keep on reading: FDC closer to record-high earnings 

“Climate change continues to happen, and it is important that Israel remains part of the efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change,” Behar said.

"I’m more concerned about France’s attack on the pitch than anything that might happen off it" Ben Shimon said, regarding possible threats to the upcoming game.

Numerous security forces surrounded Dayr Qadis and are currently searching the area for the terrorist, the military announced. 

KARACHI: At a time when cities across Punjab are facing the worst air pollution in their history, two members of the ruling coalition on Tuesday made “insensitive” jibes over the issue in their posts on social media.

In his post on X, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari shared a chart of the air quality index readings of Pakistan’s major cities on November 10 at 9pm.

The chart showed Peshawar as the most polluted city with an AQI of 591, followed by Multan 573 and Lahore 479. Karachi was 7th with AQI of 78.

“Dear Pakistan, move to Karachi,” wrote Mr Bhutto-Zardari in his post.

Late at night, Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said crop burning was unreasonably blamed for the smog when vehicles were the biggest polluters.

He shared a chart showing that total emissions from transport were 127 gigagrams, while that from stubble burning was 5.97gg.

The minister’s post did not mention the chart’s source or when the readings were taken.

He said the chart shows the “real culprits” contributing to the smog, but the people are being misled into believing that stubble burning, which has been going on “since the time of Mohenjo Daro”, was causing the pollution.

In another post, he referred to an order by Lahore High Court Justice Shahid Karim to close markets at 8pm, which was “yet to be implemented”.

According to the minister, the markets in Lahore remained open from 2pm to 2am and blamed the traders for being “intransigent” on this issue.

He also called out political leaders who are not ready to address this issue due to “political expediency”.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

• Govt objects to repeal of prison rules for PTI founder
• Imran booked in 54 cases across Punjab, LHC told

LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday disposed of pre-arrest bail petitions of eight PTI activists in the case regarding an attack on the Lahore corps commander’s residence after police declared them innocent in the investigation.

ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill was hearing the bail petitions of 32 activists when a prosecutor stated that a joint investigation team (JIT), formed to probe the May 9 incidents, had exonerated eight of the petitioners for lack of evidence.

At this, the lawyer for the activists sought the court permission to withdraw their bail petitions.

The judge adjourned the bail petitions of other activists till Dec 11 and 13, asking them to join the JIT investigation.

The judge allowed the request and disposed of the petitions of Tanzila Imran, Ri­­zwana Ghazanfar, Makiya Saeed, Shah­baz Amir Ali, Farooq Ahmad, Usman Naveed, Zirk Khan and Mian Ahmad Rehman.

Sarwar Road police of Lahore had registered a case against PTI leaders and workers for attacking the Lahore corps commander house, also known as Jinnah House, on May 9 last year.

Separately, ATC-III Judge Arshad Javed adjourned the hearing of post-arrest bail petitions by the PTI leaders, including Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, in May 9 cases.

The judge directed the petitioners’ lawyers to conclude their arguments on the next hearing; otherwise, the petitions would be decided on the basis of police record.

The judge postponed the pleas of Rasheed till Nov 12, Dr Yasmin till Nov 13 & 16, and Qureshi till Nov 19.

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, issued a notice to Advocate Sher Afzal Marwat on whose petition the section was set aside, seeking his response.

Prison rules

Meanwhile, a two-member division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up the petition of the chief commissioner Islamabad against setting aside of Section 265 of the Punjab Prison Rules that prohibits political discussion during prisoner meetings with visitors.

The plea contested Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan’s verdict, which had struck down Section 265.

Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat argued that the IHC lacked jurisdiction to intervene in Punjab’s laws and maintained that the single bench did not have the authority to nullify provisions in the Punjab Prison Rules.

Chief Justice Farooq asked, “So, you are saying that the Islamabad High Court cannot interfere in any provincial law?”

Justice Imtiaz noted that the Punjab Prison Rules are also applicable to prisoners in Isla­mabad, suggesting an overlap in jurisdiction.

The CJ inquired whether a formal notice under Section 27A was issued to the attorney general or the advocate general by the single bench, a requirement before declaring any law invalid.

While the advocate general said he had been summoned, he acknowledged that a formal notice was not issued.

Advocate General Shaukat requested the immediate suspension of the single bench’s decision, but Chief Justice Farooq scheduled a formal hearing for the next week.

Justice Farooq Haider was hearing a petition filed by Imran’s sister, Noreen Niazi, challenging the non-disclosure of the cases’ details against her brother.

Cases against Imran

Also on Tuesday, Punjab Police told the La­­­hore High Court that 54 criminal cases, in­­cluding those related to May 9, had been registered against PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in different cities of the province.

An additional advocate general presented a report on behalf of the inspector general of police, revealing that 21 cases were registered in Lahore, 19 in Rawalpindi, seven in Sheikhupura, five in Faisalabad and one each in Gujranwala and Mianwali.

The cases include attacks on the Jinnah House, Askari Tower at Liberty Roundabout, General Headquarters in Rawalpindi and office of an intelligence agency in Faisalabad. A law officer for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sought additional time to provide details of the cases, if any, against Imran Khan.

The judge allowed the request and adjourned further hearing till Nov 20.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024

Airlines cancelled flights to and from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Wednesday, leaving travellers stranded after a nearby volcano catapulted an ash tower miles into the sky.

At least 16 international routes were affected after Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki on Flores island spewed a nine-kilometre tower a day earlier, the general manager of Bali’s international airport said in a statement.

Flights from Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar, India, Australia, Malaysia, China’s Pudong and South Korea’s Incheon were all either delayed or grounded, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab said Wednesday.

Animal clinic worker Samsudin, 52, from Indonesia’s main island was transiting in Bali to Malaysia and forced to spend the night at the airport.

“I’m sleeping here rather than going back to Java. It is far,” he told AFP.

“I’m waiting here, until tomorrow,” he added, saying he bought a new flight after his AirAsia ticket was refunded.

Australia’s Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia all grounded flights, while Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, India’s IndiGo and Singapore’s Scoot also listed flights as cancelled on Wednesday, an AFP journalist at Bali’s airport said.

“Volcanic ash poses a significant threat to safe operations of the aircraft in the vicinity of volcanic clouds,” said AirAsia as it announced several cancellations.

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific also listed its flights as cancelled, rescheduling routes to and from Bali until Thursday.

Multiple eruptions from the 1,703-metre twin-peaked volcano in recent weeks have killed nine people, with 31 injured and more than 11,000 evacuated, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said on Tuesday.

Eruptions can pose serious risks to flights, disgorging fine ash that can damage jet engines and scour a plane’s windscreen to the point of invisibility.

The island’s tourism head called for calm after the cancellations, saying the island was “very safe” because the volcano is far away.

“Bali’s tourism activity is still running normally,” Tjok Bagus Pemayun said in a statement on Wednesday.

But airlines said the situation was too dangerous to keep their planes in the sky.

Jetstar said all flights to and from Bali would be halted until noon on Thursday as it was “currently not safe to operate flights”.

Malaysia Airlines said it had cancelled six flights on Wednesday in a statement on its website, while Scoot said it scrapped two flights and rescheduled four more.

The airlines said they would monitor the volcano’s status and provide updates.

Singapore Airlines was still listing its flights as running on Wednesday.

‘Refunds, rescheduling, re-routing’

Bali airport’s Shahab said 26 domestic and 64 international flights had been affected by recent eruptions as of Wednesday afternoon.

“Due to this natural event impacting flight operations, airlines are offering affected passengers the options of refunds, rescheduling, or re-routing,” he added in a statement.

But some said they were set to be stranded for days, with little help forthcoming.

“There’s nobody helping us, nobody is providing us accommodation or food, we are kind of stranded,” said IT consultant Arsh Khurana, 39, from Delhi whose Air India flight was rescheduled to Saturday.

“There is nothing from Air India, there is absolutely no support,” he told AFP, adding that he and his wife were set to lose money as the airline’s travel insurance did not cover disruptions caused by volcanic eruptions.

Local media reported thousands of passengers were affected but Balinese officials gave no estimate.

Bali’s international airport operator PT Angkasa Pura Indonesia said on Wednesday it had conducted tests in its airspace and no volcanic ash was detected, saying the airport was “operating as normal”.

But the airport in the tourist hotspot of Labuan Bajo on Flores island was shuttered on Wednesday until 8pm local time (1200 GMT) because of the volcanic ash from Lewotobi, according to the airport’s Instagram.

Lewotobi erupted again from midnight Wednesday until early morning, and a large ash column could be seen pouring from its crater, an AFP journalist nearby said.

Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman”.

The island’s economy is heavily reliant on tourism but Indonesia is one of the most disaster-prone nations on Earth, straddling the Pacific Ring of Fire where tectonic plates collide.

Security forces killed four terrorists, including a “high-value target”, during an exchange of fire in Balochistan’s Kech district, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday.

According to a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in the general Balgatar area of Kech District on the “reported presence of terrorists”.

“During [the] conduct of the operation, after an intense fire exchange between own troops and the terrorists, four terrorists including a high-value target, terrorist ring leader Sana [alias] Baru were killed,” the statement said.

It added that the killed terrorist was a focal recruitment agent, “especially suicide bombers, for the so-called Majeed Brigade in District Kech and was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies.”

A sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area.

Pakistan’s security forces “remain determined to thwart attempts of sabotaging peace, stability and progress of Balochistan,” the statement said.

The country has lately witnessed a sharp uptick in the number of attacks targeting security forces, other law enforcement agencies, and security checkpoints, particularly in Balochistan and KP.

Attacks escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022 and vowed to target security forces.

Last Sunday, security forces killed 10 terrorists and injured eight others during three different engagements in North Waziristan.

On Nov 7, security forces killed five terrorists during an exchange of fire in South Waziristan, while four soldiers were martyred in the operation.

In another incident on Nov 4, security forces killed seven terrorists in separate operations, with one terrorist killed in Balochistan and the other six killed during two operations in KP.

Likewise, on November 2, four terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s South Waziristan region.

1. ₹50000 for 1 night in Ahmedabad? Fans claim Coldplay’s upcoming concert skyrocketed hotel prices  Hindustan Times
2. Coldplay announces 4th India show in Ahmedabad: Check out ticket sale details  Hindustan Times
3. Everything You Need to Know About The World's Largest Cricket Stadium In Ahmedabad, Which Will Hold Coldplay's Gujarat Concert  NDTV
4. Coldplay Announces New Concert in Ahmedabad: Know The Date and How To Book Tickets  News18
5. Coldplay announces fourth show in Ahmedabad after Mumbai due to unprecedented demand  Moneycontrol

A well-preserved section of the 2,000-year-old road, known as Watling Street, was unearthed under Old Kent Road in Southwark

The discovery could lead to a new treatment for millions of people with obesity and type 2 diabetes who do not respond well to current treatments.

8 weird causes of weight gain that might surprise you  The Times of India

1. Sunita Williams breaks silence on weight loss rumours, says THIS has 'definitely changed' her body | Mint  Mint
2. "My Body Has Changed, But....": Sunita Williams On Health Aboard Space Station  NDTV
3. After Sunita Williams, NASA now worried about her stranded mission partner's losing body mass  Hindustan Times
4. Stranded Sunita Williams dismisses severe weight loss rumours, says she feels ‘healthier than ever’  The Times of India
5. Exclusive | NASA races to stabilize astronaut Sunita Williams' weight  New York Post

1. ‘ICC should snatch hosting rights from India and Pakistan for 8 years’: Rashid Latif to HT on Champions Trophy muddle  Hindustan Times
2. Mohammad Rizwan's request for KL Rahul, Suryakumar amid Champions Trophy chaos wins hearts: 'Whatever PCB decides...'  Hindustan Times
3. Shahid Afridi cites ‘Olympics spirit’ example amid ICC Champions Trophy chaos after India-Pakistan standoff  Mint
4. Champions Trophy Row Escalates, Report Says Pakistan Government Asked PCB To...  NDTV Sports
5. CT 2025: PCB pens letter to ICC after India refuses to travel, says `we will not be accepting a hybrid model`  WION

1. Arvinder Singh Sahney takes charge as Chairman of IndianOil  ANI News
2. Arvinder Sahney takes the reins of IOC chairman  The Times of India
3. Arvinder Singh Sahney appointed Indian Oil CMD  Mint
4. WILL A K SAHNEY BE THE NEXT CHAIRMAN OF IOCL  Indian Mandarins
5. Arvinder Singh Sahney is new chairman of Indian Oil  The Hindu

1. IndiGo, Air India cancel flights to and from Bali after volcanic eruption: ‘Ash clouds may impact air travel’ | Today News  Mint
2. Deadly volcano still erupting near Indonesian holiday island: IndiGo, Air India cancel Bali flights  Moneycontrol
3. Bali volcano eruption: Tourists stranded after ash clouds from Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki force flight canc  The Times of India
4. Indonesia's volcanic eruption grounds flights on tourist island of Bali  Business Standard
5. International airlines cancel Bali flights amid ongoing volcanic eruptions in Indonesia  The Financial Express

1. EC officials check Eknath Shinde's bag in Palghar amid Uddhav Thackeray checking row  Hindustan Times
2. 'Bag-checked': CM Shinde, Ajit Pawar, Fadnavis post frisking videos as Uddhav Thackeray questions EC  The Times of India
3. Eknath Shinde's Bag Checked In Palghar Amid Uddhav Thackeray's Accusations  NDTV
4. Maharashtra Assembly Election: Devendra Fadnavis’s bag was checked too: BJP rebuts Uddhav Thackeray with video  India Today
5. Uddhav Thackeray's convoy stopped at Maharashtra-Goa border check-post  Telegraph India

1. HIGHLIGHTS | Jharkhand Assembly elections |Phase 1 sees voter turnout of 64.86 per cent  The New Indian Express
2. Jharkhand Phase-I Assembly poll records over 65% turnout; Wayanad bypoll 64.72%  The Hindu
3. Despite Maoist threats, Jharkhand records 64.86 per cent voter turnout during first phase of polling  The New Indian Express
4. Craze to capture video of MS Dhoni and wife Sakshi casting vote in Ranchi reaches new heights  Hindustan Times
5. Jharkhand elections: MS Dhoni casts his vote in Ranchi  India Today

Rupali Ganguly, known for the Hindi serial ‘Anupamaa’, has filed Rs 50 crore defamation suit against stepdaughter Esha Verma for “false and damaging statements”

Seven years after transitioning from Malayalam playback to the world of ghazals, Gayatri Asokan is set to release yet another track, ‘Kitne Aish Se Rahte Honge’, inspired by the poetry of Jaun Elia

Kannada star Shivarajkumar opens up on playing a character with two shades in ‘Bhairathi Ranagal’, his upcoming films and ‘Fire Fly’, produced by his daughter Niveditha Shivarajkumar

‘Aitraaz’ starred Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Kareena Kapoor Khan

Justices G. Jayachandran and C.V. Karthikeyan clear the decks after the producer deposits ₹6.41 crore on Wednesday

Alison Hammond's fall not even halfway into the Great British Bake Off's week eight caused chaos in the tent.