Latest news with #Farhad
Express Tribune
09-08-2025
- Express Tribune
Court orders inquiry into death of man in police custody
Additional District and Sessions Judge Bakht Zada has directed that the inquiry into the death of a citizen in police custody be completed within 14 days. The order came while hearing a petition filed under Section 22-A for registration of a case against those allegedly responsible. The court also instructed both parties to appear at the next hearing with a copy of the FIR. During Saturday's proceedings, the court was informed that the petitioner, Farhad, claimed his son had died while in police custody at Pishtakhara Police Station. An area magistrate had conducted an inquiry into the incident, which found charges substantiated against ASI Mutiullah, Younas Khan, and Owais Khan. However, despite the findings, no case was registered against the accused, prompting the petitioner to approach the court. An Assistant Director Legal from the FIA appeared before the court and submitted a reply. The court was told that statements of both the complainant and the nominated suspects had been recorded by the Peshawar SSP Investigation. The judge directed the inquiry officer to obtain all relevant records and complete the investigation without delay.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘What if the strikes hit us on the highway?': Thousands flee Tehran amid bombardment
As Farhad* and his friends left Tehran, they had plenty of time to survey the destruction. Smoke billowed from rooftops and flames flickered behind them as they inched their way through miles-long traffic to escape Israel's bombardment of Iran's capital city. Related: Trump cannot avoid the question much longer – is he going to join Israel's war or not? | Rajan Menon Despite leaving early on Tuesday morning, it took Farhad six hours to reach his ancestral village, a journey that usually would take no more than two-and-a-half hours. 'Young children, elderly and sick grandparents, you found everyone stuck on the roads,' Farhad, a 22-year-old student at a university in Tehran, told the Guardian via text. Another Tehran resident, described a 10-hour journey fraught with worry as Israeli jets flew overhead. 'All the way while I was stuck in traffic we were fearing what if the strikes hit us on the highway? What if there are secret storage facilities around us? The fear of not knowing created a lot of anxiety,' said Mina*, 24, a finance professional in Tehran. They were some of the thousands of Tehran residents who have fled since Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on Iran early on Friday morning, which it said was aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran responded by launching a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel in a steadily escalating tit-for-tat war, which has entered its fifth day. Unlike Israel, which was well prepared for Iranian ballistic missiles, Tehran has no dedicated bomb shelters. City authorities opened the metro as an ad hoc shelter on Sunday and instructed other people to head to mosques – though it was unclear what protection, if any, the above-ground shelters could offer. Farhad, like many other residents, was loth to leave his home. The young international relations major had just scored a part-time job that he hoped would boost his applications to universities in Europe. Related: 'There's a smell of death in the air': chaos in Tehran as residents try to flee or find shelter But when a huge blast went off as he was shopping in the Sattar Khan traditional market, and his father's friend was injured in the Israeli strike on Iran's state broadcaster on Monday, he knew he had no choice but to leave. 'I am shattered for my friend. I am feeling useless and helpless. I don't know how much more we can take from the news, it's all escalating so quickly,' Farhad said. A resident of Tehran who stayed behind estimated that 'more than half' of the city's population had left, an estimate the Guardian could not verify. 'Tehran is in a state of semi-shutdown. You can say only banks and municipalities are open. Food supplies are running low, the market is almost shut down and Tehran is almost evacuated,' said Akram*, who was still in the city. He added that petrol stations were limiting customers to 10 litres a day, creating long fuel queues. On Monday, Israel issued evacuation orders to residents of a large part of Tehran, warning them that 'military infrastructure' would soon be bombed there. The message, issued via the social media platform X, resembled similar alerts issued by the Israeli military in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. X is officially banned in Iran and the Iranian government has been throttling internet access since Israeli attacks began on Friday, preventing many Iranians from seeing the evacuation orders. Donald Trump later urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform. Related: The Israel-Iran war in maps, videos and satellite images Human rights experts criticised the evacuation orders, which they said were overly vague and seemed designed to promote displacement. 'The most 'specific' evacuation order we have seen in Iran is 300,000 people. That's a massive, massive order. You cannot just order 300,000 people to leave without giving specific routes to leave,' said Hussein Baoumi, the deputy regional director for the Middle East and north Africa at Amnesty International. 'The evacuation orders seem to be following the same pattern as in Lebanon and Gaza, where they really seem aimed at causing confusion and panic, rather than offering protection to civilians,' Baoumi added. Not all residents of Tehran could flee. The war with Israel comes during Iran's worst economic crisis in decades and some lacked the means to travel out of the city. 'There are three kinds of people that are still in Tehran: those who have no place to go; those who have no money to leave; and medium-level government staff whose leave request was rejected by the government,' said Sadia*, a woman in her 40s who was still in the city. Activists also raised the alarm about Evin prison, which sits on the edge of the area specified by Israel's evacuation order. It is filled with political prisoners and female protesters detained in the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, as well as ordinary offenders and has not been evacuated. 'My dad is in prison! Can you tell me how he is supposed to evacuate Tehran!? Can you tell me? What do you mean he should evacuate Tehran!?' Mehraveh Khandan, whose father, the Iranian human rights activist Reza Khandan, is detained in Evin prison, said in an Instagram post. Despite a diplomatic flurry to stop fighting between Iran and Israel, there was no sign of a ceasefire on Tuesday night. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 225 people and wounded at least 1,400, while Iranian missiles killed at least 24 in Israel and wounded about 600. The continued fighting left displaced residents of Tehran in limbo, as they worried about those left behind and that their own exile would be prolonged. 'From here, I see the images of my beautiful home city being destroyed. I haven't brought much with me, just enough to survive. My entire heart and soul is in Tehran. I only brought hope with me,' Mina said.
The Guardian
17-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘What if the strikes hit us on the highway?': Thousands flee Tehran amid bombardment
As Farhad* and his friends left Tehran, they had plenty of time to survey the destruction. Smoke billowed from rooftops and flames flickered behind them as they inched their way through miles-long traffic to escape Israel's bombardment of Iran's capital city. Despite leaving early on Tuesday morning, it took Farhad six hours to reach his ancestral village – a journey that usually would take no more than two-and-a-half hours. 'Young, children, elderly and sick grandparents, you found everyone stuck on the roads,' Farhad, a 22-year-old student at a university in Tehran, told the Guardian via text. Another Tehran resident, described a 10-hour journey fraught with worry as Israeli jets flew overhead. 'All the way while I was stuck in traffic we were fearing what if the strikes hit us on the highway? What if there are secret storage facilities around us? The fear of not knowing created a lot of anxiety,' said Mina*, a 24-year-old finance professional in Tehran. They were some of the thousands of residents who have fled Tehran since Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes on Iran early on Friday morning, which Israel said was aimed at preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Iran quickly responded by launching a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel, sparking a steadily escalating tit-for-tat war which has entered its fifth day. Unlike Israel, which was well prepared for Iranian ballistic missiles, Tehran has no dedicated bomb shelters. City authorities opened the metro as an ad hoc shelter on Sunday and instructed others to head to mosques – though it was unclear what protection, if any, the above-ground shelters could offer. Like many other residents, Farhad loathed to leave his home. The young international relations major had just scored a part-time job which he hoped would boost his applications to universities in Europe. But when a huge blast went off as he was shopping in the Sattar Khan traditional market and his father's friend was injured in the Israeli strike on Iran's state broadcaster on Monday, he knew he had no choice but to leave. 'I am shattered for my friend. I am feeling useless and helpless. I don't know how much more we can take from the news, it's all escalating so quickly,' Farhad said. A resident of Tehran who stayed behind estimated that 'more than half' of the city's population had left, an estimate the Guardian could not verify. 'Tehran is in a state of semi-shutdown. You can say only banks and municipalities are open. Food supplies are running low, the market is almost shut down and Tehran is almost evacuated,' said Akram*, who was still in the city. He added that gas stations were limiting customers to 10 litres of gasoline a day, creating long fuel queues. On Monday, Israel issued evacuation orders to residents of a large part of Tehran, warning them that 'military infrastructure' would soon be bombed there. The message, issued via the social media platform X, resembled similar alerts issued by the Israeli military in Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen. X is officially banned in Iran and the Iranian government has been throttling internet access since Israeli attacks began on Friday, preventing many Iranians from seeing the evacuation orders. Donald Trump later urged everyone to immediately evacuate Tehran in a post on Truth Social, his social media platform. Human rights experts criticised the evacuation orders, which they said were overly vague and seemed designed to promote displacement. 'The most 'specific' evacuation order we have seen in Iran is 300,000 people. That's a massive, massive order. You cannot just order 300,000 people to leave without giving specific routes to leave,' said Hussein Baoumi, the deputy regional director for MENA at Amnesty International. 'The evacuation orders seem to be following the same pattern as in Lebanon and Gaza, where they really seem aimed at causing confusion and panic, rather than offering protection to civilians,' Baoumi added. Not all residents of Tehran could flee. The war with Israel comes during Iran's worst economic crisis in decades and some lacked the means to travel out of the city. 'There are three kinds of people that are still in Tehran: those who have no place to go; those who have no money to leave; and medium-level government staff whose leave request was rejected by the government,' said Sadia*, a woman in her 40s who was still in the city. Activists also raised the alarm about Evin prison, which sits on the edge of the area specified by Israel's evacuation order. It is filled with political prisoners and female protesters detained in the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests, as well as ordinary offenders. The prison had yet to be evacuated. 'My dad is in prison! Can you tell me how he is supposed to evacuate Tehran!? Can you tell me? What do you mean he should evacuate Tehran!?' Mehraveh Khandan, whose father, Iranian human rights activist Reza Khandan, is detained in Evin prison, said in an Instagram post. Despite a diplomatic flurry to stop fighting between Iran and Israel, there was no sign of a ceasefire in sight on Tuesday night. Israeli airstrikes killed at least 225 people and wounded at least 1,400, while Iranian missiles killed at least 24 in Israel and wounded about 600. The continued fighting left displaced residents of Tehran in limbo, as they worried about those left behind and that their own exile would be prolonged. 'From here, I see the images of my beautiful home city being destroyed. I haven't brought much with me, just enough to survive. My entire heart and soul is in Tehran. I only brought hope with me,' Mina said.
Miami Herald
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Playwright Nilo Cruz explores life in Afghanistan through monologues at Arca Images
Andrea Ferro, who barely stands over five feet tall, says that there are perks to being short when you're in the theater. The most obvious, of course, are acquiring roles that call for smaller stature. This includes her latest part, where Ferro grabs the lead in 'Farhad, or the Secret of Being.' She uses her petite frame to house the powerful voice of a 15-year-old girl who, because of the local Bacha Posh tradition, is forced to masquerade as a boy. The benefits, in a culture that favor males, are plenty, but with the onset of puberty her access to freedom is nevertheless cut short. Ferro says that preparing for the role has been an eye-opening experience. 'This role, in particular, is one of the most beautiful pieces that I've been lucky enough to work on in my career thus far,' she says. 'And the role itself is very powerful, especially because it's a story that not many people know.' The piece, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz, is one of three monologues focused on life in Afghanistan. Presented by Arca Images, 'Tres Veces Cruz' (Three Times Cruz), the bilingual production, opens March 6 and continues through March 16 at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center. Cruz says that he initially discovered the concept for 'Farhad, or the Secret of Being' after stumbling on a piece in the New York TImes. 'When I read the story, I was so intrigued that I started to do a little bit of research,' explains Cruz. 'I wanted to write a monologue about a young girl in Afghanistan that has 24 hours to enjoy the freedom that boys have, and men have in that part of the world, before she starts dressing as a girl, and therefore is oppressed by the country that she lives in. And I just thought it was fascinating, and thought it was important to document this, and so I came up with this piece.' The others include 'Melisma, or the Song of a Syllable,' where Carlos Acosta Milián stars as a wounded American soldier who confronts his own humanity by 'discovering beauty in the most unexpected moments.' And in 'The Journey of the Shadow,' Marcelo Miguel is an eight-year-old boy who desperately tries to communicate with his father who is a soldier in Afghanistan. Andy Barbosa, who plays Marcelo, immediately felt a bond with the boy. 'It's about falling in love with the character;' says Barbosa. 'There has to be something that connects with me as an actor.' He says he explores what it is about the character that also connects with the society that character is living in. 'All that fantasy that the little boy was able to create, in order to have this final conversation with his father. is what is the most interesting thing for me, and what caught my attention was how this character is able to deal with something so hard, being aware that he could lose his father fighting in a war in Afghanistan.' With the three monologues weaving such a rich tapestry of messages, Alexa Kuve, executive producer and artistic director of Arca Images says it is important to present the production in a way for all audiences to participate. To do so, 'The Journey of the Shadow' and 'Melisma or the Song of a Syllable,' will be presented in Spanish, while 'Farhad or the Secret of Being' will remain in English. 'We're trying to involve the community more in our presentations,' says Kuve, whose company offers either simultaneous translations in English or subtitles for all of its shows. 'It's important to us for the Anglo community, to get to know our work, and get exposed to different playwrights from Latin America.' As for Cruz, who is Cuban American, the use of language and culture is a crucial component to his success. He has leveraged both to provide audiences a front row seat into Latino culture. This is evidenced by numerous collaborations, translations and overall body of work including his Pulitzer Prize winning 'Anna in the Tropics,' a play centered on Cuban immigrants laboring in a cigar factory. He won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the the first Latin American ever to win the Pulitzer for playwrighting. With this monumental recognition in his pocket, Cruz continues to be grateful for other accolades he receives, including South Florida's Carbonell Awards, which presented him with the 2024 George Abbott Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Arts. 'I was elated because I just write and I don't worry about receiving external satisfaction, so it's really great when someone taps you on the shoulder and then you're reminded of all the work you've done throughout the year, and you're awarded for it. It's a really good feeling.' Kuve believes that there is one main reason why Cruz' work resonates with so many. 'He can write about so many subjects from so many different places. He's very diverse in that sense. Because in the end, in my opinion, what he seeks is the human existence and that is universal. If there a subject that touches him, he can write about the most horrific event, war for example, and he does it but with beauty and imagination, and it's just enchanting.' While writing is a conduit for thoughts and expression, sentiments can get lost in translation too, and sometimes words just get in the way. Cruz explains his process. 'How language operates on stage is a curious thing,' says Cruz. 'What is said but not said, what is spoken or unspoken. That's something that I'm very interested in when I write. Do I need this word? Do I need this sentence? Can we just do this with a gesture?' It's what he says he loves about theater, that it 'doesn't just live on the page.' 'Theater lives on the stage with gestures, with silence and with images too. Sometimes you might be writing a scene in which there's a lot of dialogue, and sometimes you might want to take away the dialogue and just do it with physicality, with just a moment or a look . . . Theater offers me this other dimension in which language operates, but in a visual way, or through silence or through gestures. And it's something that I'm constantly discovering when I'm directing or writing a play.' But Cruz hopes that 'Tres Veces Cruz' (Three Times Cruz) brings a message home to the audience that ultimately transcends any language. 'I think the three pieces are existential in many ways, because these three characters live in hopeless situations but there's also an element of resilience in the three of them. How these three people basically escape through the power of imagination, the power of dreaming, of creating a better self even if it's only in their minds.' If you go: WHAT: 'Tres Veces Cruz' (Three Times Cruz) WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 5 p.m. Sunday through March 16. WHERE: Westchester Cultural Arts Center, 7930 SW 40th St., Miami COST: $25 general admission, $20 for seniors, students with valid ID, and groups of 10 or more. INFORMATION: is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music and more. Don't miss a story at
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Black hole light show: James Webb telescope spots space fireworks
Have you ever wondered what an outer space disco might look like? Nasa's James Webb telescope has spotted a light show at the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, which is the galaxy that contains the Earth. It's called Sagittarius A*, and scientists took the longest and most detailed look at the black hole yet. Farhad Yusef-Zadeh of Northwestern University in Illinois, who led the study, said that the massive flares - like a light show - were completely new and really exciting."In our data, we saw constantly changing, bubbling brightness... And then boom!" The researchers found that Sagittarius A* is constantly letting out a stream of light flares that look like fireworks, bright enough to be visible across 26,000 light-years of to Farhad, the team "couldn't find a pattern in this activity. It appears to be random."Whilst he's still not 100% sure about what's causing this light party, Farhad thinks that the process behind this amazing natural display is similar to solar flares."It's similar to how the Sun's magnetic field gathers together, compresses, and then erupts a solar flare," said Farhad. "The processes are more dramatic because the environment around a black hole is much more energetic and much more extreme." Scientists plan to investigate this further, hoping that they can learn more about black holes. Black holes are places in space where the gravity is so strong that not even light can escape from it. When it 'eats' matter, a huge amount of light is wants to take an even closer look at Sagittarius A* to find out more."If we can observe for 24 hours, then we can see features that we were unable to see before. That would be amazing. We also can see if these flares repeat themselves or if they are truly random."
