Monsoon likely to cover most parts of northwest India by June 25: IMD
The primary rain-bearing system reached Kerala on May 24, marking its earliest onset over the Indian mainland since 2009, when it arrived on May 23.
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Express Tribune
32 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Respite from merciless heat on horizon
A trio travels on a motorcycle with their heads covered in Hyderabad, where the mercury rose to 39°C on Friday. PHOTO: PPI A hot and dry weather prevailed in most parts of the country on Friday, particularly very hot in the plains of Punjab and Sindh, where the temperatures hovered between 40 and 50°Celsius. The country has been in the grip of a scorching heatwave since last week. However, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecast a change in weather pattern during the coming few days that could subside the heatwave. According to the PMD, the highest temperature on Friday was recorded in Jacobabad in Sindh at 50.5°Celsius and in Sibbi in Balochistan at 47°C. Cities in Punjab reported temperature exceeding 40°C. the humidity level were also very low. In Karachi, however, temperature rose to 39.1°C with up to 70% humidity. The metropolis is currently under the influence of cyclonic circulation from Indian state of Gujarat. In other parts of Sindh, the weather remained hot and dry. The PMD said that a fresh system of westerly winds was likely to enter the upper parts of Pakistan from Friday, bringing rain accompanied by gusty winds and thunderstorms, which would continue intermittently until June 16. The rain is expected in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mianwali, and Sargodha. The forecast further extends to central Punjab, where cities like Lahore, Faisalabad, Jhang, and Toba Tek Singh may experience scattered rainfall over the next few days. In upper Sindh, all districts are expected to receive thunderstorm-related rainfall, bringing much-needed relief from the extreme temperatures that have gripped the region, the PMD said, advising citizens to take necessary precautions in areas prone to urban flooding or strong winds.
Express Tribune
40 minutes ago
- Express Tribune
Bilawal warns of water war risk
The head of the Pakistan parliamentary delegation and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari called on the international community Friday to engage with India and emphasise that military confrontation was not a solution to the Kashmir dispute or terrorism, stressing that dialogue was the only way forward. Speaking to the European think tanks and international media representatives in Brussels, Bilawal warned that India's aggressive posture, including threats to revoke the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), could escalate tensions to dangerous levels. "We are here to present Pakistan's stance on recent tensions with India and expose New Delhi's anti-Pakistan agenda," he said. He emphasised that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute must be resolved in line with United Nations Security Council resolutions. Bilawal criticised India's "new abnormal" policy of blaming Pakistan for any terrorist attack in India or Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir without evidence, leading to immediate threats of war. He recalled that Pakistan had proposed an impartial international investigation into the recent Pahalgam incident, but India rejected the offer. He condemned India's suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, calling it a violation of international law and a "war crime" that threatens water access for 240 million Pakistanis. "If India weaponises water, we may have no choice but to retaliate, risking a full-blown water war," he warned. Bilawal reiterated that Pakistan had shown restraint, offered dialogue, and adhered to international law, urging the same standards be applied in South Asia as in Europe. "If the world ignores this crisis, it could become a nuclear flashpoint," he cautioned. On the Pahalgam attack, Bilawal stated that India had failed to provide evidence linking Pakistan to the incident. "To this day, India hasn't revealed the identities of the attackers or how they crossed the heavily militarised border," he said.
The Hindu
41 minutes ago
- The Hindu
When an Air France Boeing 747 aircraft went up in flames at the Chennai airport
At around 11:25 p.m. on March 5, 1999, an Air France Boeing 747 freighter aircraft (AF-6745), carrying five crew members and 66 tonnes of assorted cargo, attempted to land at Chennai Airport in Meenambakkam. It missed the first landing attempt. Captain Jean, who was piloting the aircraft from Paris with stopovers at Karachi and Bangalore, informed Chennai Air Traffic Control (ATC) that the plane had developed a 'technical snag.' A short while later, the aircraft approached again from the Pallavaram end of Runway 7 (the main runway). This time, its nose-wheel landing gear failed to deploy, and the jumbo jet landed with a thud, 'screeching to a halt after covering half the runway on its belly.' Smoke billowed from the nose-wheel area. The Airport Fire Service swung into action, deploying airfield fire rescue vehicles, five crash fire tenders, and one water tender. Four of the five crew members were rescued using a step ladder through the tail-end of the aircraft. 'The last occupant, an Indian national, was rescued with the help of a rope ladder. He injured his leg when he jumped off in panic. The injured crew member, Mr. Nandhya Hillol, was rushed to a city hospital,' reported The Hindu on March 7. Airport authorities declared a 'full emergency,' alerting all emergency services, and Chennai Airport was shut down at 11:50 p.m. According to the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department, 'The control room in Chennai received information about the fire at 23:35 hours.' The incident is listed on the department's website among the major fire accidents it has handled. Two fire units from nearby Guindy and Tambaram were dispatched. The situation quickly became alarming. Two foam tenders and two water tenders joined the firefighting efforts. Subsequently, eight more water lorries reached the site. 'Airport Fire Station and Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services personnel conducted intense firefighting. The Director of Fire Services, along with the Deputy Director, two Divisional Fire Officers, and about 50 firemen, as well as the Assistant Director (Fire) and 40 others from the Airport Fire Service, battled the blaze for over three hours, finally extinguishing it by 2:30 a.m. on March 6,' the department said. By then, only charred metal parts, the tail, and nose sections remained on the damaged runway. According to The Hindu, the fire broke out about 40 minutes after the aircraft crash-landed. It spread rapidly from the wings to the fuselage and tail. A series of explosions followed as the fuel ignited. A major catastrophe was averted, as the exploding debris did not damage nearby aircraft parked in adjacent bays. Commenting on the inability to save the aircraft, then Airport Director Sudhir Kumar said the 'exact source of the fire was not visible,' which made it difficult for the fire tenders to effectively target the flames. Since the aircraft had landed in the middle of the main runway, blocking normal operations, a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) was issued around 11:50 p.m. announcing the closure of Chennai Airport. A Lufthansa flight arriving from Frankfurt was diverted to Mumbai. Other passengers booked on Malaysian Airlines, Indian Airlines, and Lufthansa flights were stranded and provided hotel accommodation. During the chaos, a delay in restoring runway lights caused the late departure of a Delhi-bound Indian Airlines flight. It also led to anxious moments for a Jet Airways flight attempting to land from Mumbai, which was eventually diverted to Bangalore with only 20 minutes of aviation turbine fuel left. Less than six hours after the crash-landing, officials from the Directorate of Airworthiness (a wing of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DGCA) located the aircraft's black box on the runway, though it was slightly damaged by the fire. DGCA Director General H.S. Khola, who rushed to Chennai, stated that the landing gear — including the nose-wheel that failed to deploy — was found intact. Based on preliminary investigations, he said the onboard flight engineer had made a 'wrong assessment' of the nose-wheel's condition. The pilot, acting on the engineer's confirmation that there was no fault, proceeded with the second landing. 'Only after touchdown did the pilot realise the engineer's assessment was incorrect,' Mr. Khola said. Director of Air Safety V.K. Chandna was appointed the 'Inspector of Accident' to investigate the incident. Air France dispatched a senior official based in India along with a technical team to assist with the investigation and assess the cause of the fire. Flight operations resumed at 2 p.m. on March 6 on a shortened 7,000-foot stretch of runway, when an Alliance Air flight took off for Bangalore and Mangalore. Mr. Khola praised the Chennai ATC for 'providing timely navigational guidance' and lauded the quick restoration efforts by the Airports Authority of India's international division. What was in the cargo? According to the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department, the aircraft was carrying consignments of clothes and cut flowers. However, the Geneva-based Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives states on its website that the cargo also included 20 tonnes of cigarettes, chemicals, and three cars.
