Blaze News - Pakistan

India and China agreed to redouble efforts to ensure complete disengagement on the contested Himalayan frontier, New Delhi said on Thursday after India's National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Russia. "Both sides agreed to work with urgency and redouble their efforts to realize complete disengagement in the remaining areas," the Indian government said in a statement. Meanwhile, in a separate development, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday that India's economic relationship with neighbour China has been very "unfair" and "imbalanced". Speaking at an event in Geneva, Jaishankar also said about 75% of the "disengagement" problems at India's long and mountainous border with China had been sorted out. from Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/X6TFHB0

Every morning after breakfast, Afghan teenager Prina Muradi turns on the television - not to watch films or cartoons, but to study maths, science and literature. Muradi, 16, has not been to school since 2021 when the Taliban seized the country and barred girls from secondary education. But now she is racing to catch up, thanks to a satellite television channel that is broadcasting the entire Afghan curriculum from France for girls who are shut out of school. "I've regained hope," Muradi said from her home in the capital Kabul. "This is a battle against ignorance." Begum TV is the brainchild of Swiss-Afghan media entrepreneur Hamida Aman, founder of the Begum Organization for Women (BOW), a non-profit supporting girls and women in Afghanistan. Last November, BOW launched the Begum Academy, a digital platform hosting some 8,500 videos covering Afghanistan's secondary school syllabus in both Dari and Pashto, the country's official languages. But most girls ...

Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump meet for the first time on Tuesday night in their only scheduled debate, a clash that could prove pivotal in their pitched battle for the White House. The nationally televised debate beginning at 6 am PST on Wednesday takes place just eight weeks before the November 5 election. The race is a close one that could easily swing in either direction and early voting will start in some states in the coming days. The encounter is particularly important for Harris, with opinion polls showing that more than a quarter of likely voters feel they do not yet know enough about her, in contrast to the well-known former president. The debate offers Harris, a former prosecutor, a chance to make her case against Trump, whose felony convictions, outspoken backing for supporters convicted in the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol and frequent falsehoods offer plenty of fertile ground. It will be the firs...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not yet added Pakistan’s new 37-month Extended Fund Facility (EFF) to the agenda for its Executive Board meetings scheduled through September 18, according to the Fund’s official website.  The upcoming meetings, set for September 9, 13, and 18, do not include the $7 billion EFF agreement reached with Pakistan, as reported by local media. Earlier this year, Pakistan completed a $3 billion Standby Arrangement (SBA) with the IMF, aimed at bolstering the country’s foreign exchange reserves and easing pressure on its external finances.  Following the conclusion of the SBA, Pakistan and the IMF team reached a staff-level agreement on a new 37-month EFF worth $7 billion on July 12.  However, this agreement still requires the approval of the IMF’s Executive Board, contingent on Pakistan securing necessary financing assurances from its development and bilateral partners. To meet these requirements, the government is reportedly negotiating ...

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) staged a political power show with a rally at Sangjani on Sunday. Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, was also in attendance. Addressing the rally, Achakzai claimed that PTI enjoys unprecedented support from millions of people, a level of backing not seen by any previous movement in Pakistan.  He criticised the current government as one of theft and corruption and threatened a nationwide movement if the PTI founder was not released. He further declared that neither the military nor the police could halt their efforts. Meanwhile, the district administration had instructed rally organisers to conclude the event by 7 pm. However, the rally continued beyond the designated time, resulting in clashes between the participants and the Islamabad Police. from Latest News, Breaking News & Top News Stories | The Express Tribune https://ift.tt/ui0Fksc

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France on Saturday in protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right politician Michel Barnier as prime minister. Leftist political groups criticised Macron for disregarding the outcome of recent elections. Macron’s appointment of the 73-year-old Barnier, a conservative and former European Union Brexit negotiator, came on Thursday, following a two-month search after his ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that resulted in a hung parliament. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, addressed protesters at the march in eastern Paris, stating, “Democracy is not just about accepting victory, but also having the humility to accept defeat.” He encouraged supporters to engage in a prolonged struggle. Organisers claimed that approximately 300,000 people protested peacefully across France, including 160,000 in Paris. However, police estimates suggested that 26,000 peop...

In the past 48 hours, Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip have resulted in the deaths of at least 61 people, according to Palestinian medical sources, as Israeli forces engaged with Hamas-led fighters. Despite 11 months of ongoing conflict, numerous diplomatic efforts have yet to yield a ceasefire or secure the release of Israeli and foreign hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Among the targets of the Israeli airstrikes were two former schools in Gaza City and Jabalia, which had been housing displaced individuals. These strikes reportedly claimed the lives of at least 12 people. The Israeli military stated that these strikes were aimed at Hamas gunmen operating within the compounds. A further five individuals lost their lives in an airstrike on a house in Gaza City, bringing the death toll on Saturday to 28. Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah, reported engaging Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets, mortar bombs, and explosives intended for Israeli...

A 23-year-old Indian student, Tapala Nadamuni, has reclaimed a Guinness World Record by designing the world’s smallest vacuum cleaner, measuring just 0.65 cm (0.25 in), smaller than the width of a pinkie fingernail. This new creation breaks the previous record set in 2022, which was 0.2 cm larger.   Tapala, who first held the title in 2020 with a 1.76 cm vacuum, spent two years and two failed attempts trying to regain his title. “I came with a completely new design,” he explained, after preparing over 50 schematic diagrams to ensure the vacuum met strict criteria. The device, built primarily from a ballpoint pen, includes a tiny fan powered by a four-volt motor, generating suction capable of picking up dust particles.   The project cost around 20,000 rupees (£181; $238), and Tapala shared his excitement in reclaiming the title, saying, “All the students in our college were amazed at this tiny vacuum cleaner, and my faculty told me that it’s the most beautiful creation they’ve ...

 Three Lebanese paramedics were killed and two others wounded, one critically, in an Israeli attack while they were extinguishing fires in the southern town of Faroun, Lebanon's health ministry said on Saturday. "Israeli forces targeted a team from the Lebanese Civil Defence as they responded to fires sparked by recent Israeli airstrikes," a ministry statement said, specifying that the strike hit a fire truck. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the Israeli attack as a violation of international law and announced an emergency meeting on Monday with Western ambassadors and international organisations to address the ongoing hostilities. "To date, because of Israel's aggression, 25 paramedics from various ambulance teams have been killed, along with two health workers, and 94 paramedics and health workers have been injured," the health ministry statement added. The health ministry also condemned the attack as a "blatant strike" on an offici...

Norway has reported an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm in the southern part of the country, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) said on Friday. Bluetongue can be deadly for domestic ruminants such as sheep, cattle and goats. A new variant of the disease has been circulating in northern Europe since late last year, leading to vaccination campaigns in affected countries like France. The outbreak in Norway was the country's first since 2010, though the strain of the virus was not yet identified, WOAH said in a note, citing information from the Norwegian authorities. "Two affected sheep were killed for animal welfare reasons before disease confirmation. Samples were taken on those two animals and sent to be analysed to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, who confirmed the disease," WOAH said in the note. The sick animals were part of a flock of 56 sheep, it said. UK vaccines Few days ago UK announced a vaccine against the bluetooth virus in sheep an...

Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has officially stepped into politics by joining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), according to Indian media reports.  Jadeja's entry into politics follows in the footsteps of his wife, Rivaba Jadeja, who is already a BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Jamnagar. Rivaba took to X to announce the news, sharing images of the couple holding their new BJP membership cards.  She mentioned the party’s ongoing membership drive, which commenced on September 2 and included the renewal of PM Modi's membership. Rivaba joined the BJP in 2019 and successfully contested the Jamnagar North assembly seat in the 2022 elections, defeating Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Karshanbhai Karmur by over 50,000 votes. Ravindra Jadeja, 35, recently retired from T20 international cricket after India's historic victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup against South Africa in June.  Since his debut in 2009, Jadeja has represented...

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced plans to consult religious scholars from various sects to develop a unified “narrative in the war against terrorism.”  This initiative follows a wave of militant attacks that left over 50 people dead in Balochistan last month, according to Radio Pakistan on Wednesday. During a meeting with Maulana Syed Muhammad Abdul Khabeer Azad, chairman of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, Naqvi stressed the importance of involving ulema from all schools of thought to formulate an effective strategy against extremism.  He urged religious leaders to play an active role in countering militancy and extremist ideologies. The minister revealed plans for a nationwide consultation campaign to enlist religious scholars in this effort. Pakistan has pointed fingers at neighbouring countries, particularly India and Afghanistan, for the rise in militant attacks.  The government claims that anti-Pakistan groups have been emboldened since the Afghan Tal...

Around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in recent months, escaping escalating violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, according to Bangladeshi officials. The violence has intensified as fighting between Myanmar's ruling junta and the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic militia drawn from the Buddhist majority, continues to worsen. "We have information that around 8,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh recently, mostly over the last two months," said Mohammad Shamsud Douza, a senior official in charge of refugees for the Bangladeshi government. "Bangladesh is already over-burdened and unable to accommodate any more Rohingya," he told Reuters on Wednesday. The Bangladesh government has not previously provided any estimate of how many Rohingya have crossed over in the last few months. The government will hold a "serious discussion at the cabinet" within the next two to three days to address the crisis, Bangladesh’s de-facto foreign minis...

During a recent appearance on the highly-popular Lex Fridman Podcast, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was asked about the potential declassification of the controversial 'Epstein Files.' Clarifying his stance on the matter, the former president said he would be "inclined" to consider making the files available to the public. Trump acknowledged that many powerful figures were associated with Jeffrey Epstein but asserted that he himself was not friends with him.         View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Grant Godwin (@the_typical_liberal)   During a June 2024 interview on Fox & Friends, Trump was asked whether he would declassify various federal files, including those related to 9/11, the JFK assassination, and Epstein. While Trump quickly agreed to release files on 9/11 and JFK, he hesitated when it came to Epstein. “I think [Epstein] less so because you ...

Britain will immediately suspend 30 of its 350 arms export licences with Israel because there was a risk such equipment might be used to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, foreign minister David Lammy said on Monday. Lammy said the decision to suspend the licences did not amount to a blanket ban or an arms embargo, but only involved those that could be used in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. "We recognise, of course, Israel's need to defend itself against security threats, but we are deeply worried by the methods that Israel's employed, and by reports of civilian casualties and the destruction of civilian infrastructure particularly," Lammy told parliament. Soon after the Labour Party won an election in July, Lammy said he would update a review on arms sales to Britain's ally Israel to ensure these complied with international law. "It is with regret that I inform the House (of Commons...

Google researchers have developed GameNGen, an AI system capable of simulating the classic video game DOOM in real-time, achieving over 20 frames per second with visuals nearly indistinguishable from the original. This breakthrough raises significant questions about the future of video game development. GameNGen operates on a single chip, predicting each frame using a diffusion model, and produces playable gameplay at 20 frames per second. Trained on 900 million frames of gameplay data, the AI generates three-second clips that playtesters found almost identical to the actual game. However, the researchers acknowledge the challenge of collecting human gameplay data at scale. To address this, they initially trained a reinforcement learning agent to play the game, recording its actions and observations to create the training data for the generative model. Running on a single TPU, GameNGen manages DOOM's 3D environments and fast-paced action without relying on traditional game engine c...

Scientists at Cornell University have developed a “biohybrid” robot that moves in response to signals from the nervous system of fungi. These robots incorporate mycelium, the root system of fungi, which senses and communicates through electrical signals. Researchers grew mycelium directly into the robot's electronics, allowing it to drive the machine by processing these natural signals. The team built two versions: one with wheels and another spider-shaped with soft legs. Both versions respond to light and other stimuli, with the mycelium sending signals to the robot's actuators to initiate movement. Experiments demonstrated the robots' ability to move based on natural mycelium signals, react to ultraviolet light, and even allow manual override. Future developments may include multiple inputs like chemical signatures, enhancing the robot's ability to autonomously interact with its environment. “This paper is the first of many that will use the fungal kingdom to provide ...