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Sports

Gauff thwarts Osaka’s fight-back to reach San Jose WTA quarter-finals

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American teenager Coco Gauff built a big lead early then had to dig deep late for a 6-4, 6-4 victory over four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka Thursday at the WTA hardcourt tournament in San Jose, California.
The 18-year-old, who reached her first Grand Slam final at the French Open in June, needed just one break of serve to seize the first set 6-4 in the blockbuster encounter.
With booming serves and matching ground strokes, she then roared to a 5-1 lead in the second set.
But the Japanese superstar, unseeded in her first tournament since an opening-round exit at Roland Garros, didn’t go down without a fight.
She saved match points — all on her own serve before Gauff was finally able to serve it out.
Down 5-1 and 0-40, Osaka uncorked a string of big serves that kept Gauff at bay. Gauff would get one more chance in that game but hit a backhand service return into the net before Osaka fired her first ace of the match for a game point on the way to a hold of serve.
Osaka recouped a break in the next game and survived the triple match point again in the next game to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Gauff finally held her nerve after a double fault to make it 30-30, winning the next two points, including a 104 mph second serve on match point to seal the win.
“Even though I was up 5-1 and 40-0 I knew I didn’t have the match in the bag yet and obviously she proved that,” Gauff said. “Whenever you play Naomi she can play lights-out tennis. I feel like maybe two of the match points I had an actual shot on.
“Other than that, ace, ace, unreturnable, winner,” Gauff said with a laugh.

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Cricket Sports

Liton retires hurt after scoring an unbeaten 81 for Bangladesh

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Bangladesh opener Liton Das has stretchered off the field with a suspected hamstring injury after scoring an unbeaten 81 against Zimbabwe on Friday in the first of three one-day internationals.
Liton was among four batters to post half-centuries as the tourists made 303-2 in their 50 overs at Harare Sports Club after Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to bowl.
His runs came off 89 deliveries and included nine fours and a six as Bangladesh sought revenge for a 2-1 Twenty20 series loss to Zimbabwe last Tuesday.
Anamul Haque struck 73 runs and captain Tamim Iqbal 62 and Mushfiqur Rahim was unbeaten 52 for the visitors, who beat the West Indies 3-0 in an ODI series last month.
Das and Tamim put on 119 for the first wicket before being separated when the skipper was caught at short third man by Innocent Kaia after skewing off a top edge.
Bangladesh was 171-1 when Liton retired and they added a further 96 before Wellington Musakanda caught Anamul at long-on.
All the Zimbabwe bowlers struggled with wicket-takers Victor Nyauchi and Sikandar Raza conceding 113 runs between them. AFP

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Sports

Pakistan’s Nooh and India’s Gurdeep celebrate over Moosewala songs

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After setting a new Commonwealth Games record of 405 kg in the 109 kg-plus categories, Pakistan’s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt, 25, looked around for the bronze medalist, India’s Gurdeep Singh. The winner of Pakistan’s first gold medal at these Games wasn’t just being courteous for the camera, but rather looking for his friend to share their moment of glory, The media reported from Birmingham.
Much later, away from the public spotlight, the two would dance into the night, sharing their joy while listening to their favorite Sidhu Moosewala tunes in the background.
The two strongmen from the two Punjabs on either side of the India-Pakistan border had established a bond while competing against each other on the world circuit due to their shared musical tastes, culture, and mother tongue.
The lifters, who were born 250 kilometers apart in Pakistan’s Gujranwala and Majri Rasulra village in Khanna district, have a long history. They may have been attempting to out-lift one other since their junior years, but they haven’t let fierce competition ruin their friendship, the Indian news publication reported.
“Gurdeep and I have been very good friends. After the gold, I first congratulated Gurdeep, and later we did a small celebration where we danced to Moosewala’s songs,” Nooh told The Indian Express.
Gurdeep expressed the same sentiment. “Nooh and I first met in junior championships six years ago and would share tips about diet. Conversing in Punjabi obviously helped our friendship,” he said. In a report by Daily Dawn, however, Nooh was quoted as saying in a “mischievous tone” that he is from a Muslim country and doesn’t dance. The two athletes keep in touch even when they are not competing as in May of this year when a concerned Nooh called Gurdeep. “When I saw the news of Sidhu Moosewala’s death, I messaged Gurdeep to confirm. At my home gym, where I train, I played songs like Jatt Da Muqabla and the recently released Song 295 to set the tempo for my training,” says Nooh, who hails from a family of weightlifters.
Noah had grown up hearing stories about his father, Ghulam Dastgir Butt, a 16-time Pakistan national champion, and his journeys throughout the world, as well as the friends he had established in what they were told, was enemy territory.
He always mentioned India as a friendly country where Pakistani players were always welcomed. It did not fit the dominant narrative of animosity promoted by the media of the two states, which have fought multiple wars since Partition.
Butt Senior first came to India in 1987 to compete in the South Asian Federation Games in Kolkata, where he won a gold medal. He is overjoyed to receive a call from the other side of the border on the same day that his son won gold in a competition in which India got bronze. Noah also admires Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu. “In addition to my father, I look up to Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu.” She is the torchbearer for South Asia, and the impact she has had on international weightlifting makes us proud as well.”

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National

No doubt that Zawahiri was killed on Pakistani soil: DG ISPR

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There is “no question” that Pakistani turf was used in the drone hit that killed al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, according to Major General Babar Iftikhar, the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, who made the statement on Friday.

Ayman Al-Zawahiri is the subject of a clear declaration from the Foreign Ministry. It is improbable that Pakistani soil was utilised for this, he added, adding that unsupported irrelevant claims are made.

The director-general criticised the harmful online advertising that spread following the chopper crash and said: “We have been upset since the catastrophe on August 1.

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Sports

Inayatullah, a Pakistani wrestler, advances to the CWG 2022 quarterfinals

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Pakistani wrestler Inayatullah advanced to the quarterfinals of the Men’s Freestyle 65kg wrestling competition at the Commonwealth Games after eliminating Malta’s Adam Vella in just three minutes.
Inayat dominated his opponent, imitating the champion wrestler Inam Butt. Inayat has crowned the victor after scoring 10 straight technical points. Vella remained defenseless and was unable to gain any ground. Inayat will compete against Nigerian Amas Daniel later on in the day. In the Men’s Freestyle 86kg wrestling event, Pakistan’s Inam will face off against Scotland’s Kieran Malone. In the Men’s Freestyle 125kg wrestling competition, Pakistan’s Zaman Khan will face Kensley Anthony of Mauritius in the quarterfinals straight away.

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ESports Football

Can Sunak catch up with Truss in race for Downing Street?

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One month before the new Conservative leader and British prime minister is announced on September 5, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has a commanding lead over ex-chancellor Rishi Sunak among the Tory Party members who decide the outcome – having framed the economic policy debate to her advantage amid an acute cost of living crisis.

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The latest polls show Truss has widened her lead over Sunak: 58 percent of the approximately 180,000 Conservative Party members back her, compared to 26 percent who back Sunak and 12 percent who have not yet made up their minds, according to a survey by Tory activist website ConservativeHome published on August 4.

Sunak’s campaign has focused on his reputation for competence, after he steered the British economy through the Covid crisis as chancellor of the exchequer, splashing out more than £300 billion to keep jobs and demand afloat. But this response to a once in a century pandemic has left the UK with a record budget deficit and the highest tax burden since Clement Attlee’s 1945-51 Labour government – while more than a decade of dismal productivity growth augurs badly for Britain’s underlying economic health.

This economic outlook makes the premiership something of a poisoned chalice – but in terms of the leadership contest, Liz Truss has so far turned the stormy situation to her advantage.

The foreign secretary says she will cut taxes to boost Britain’s economic dynamism and ease the acute cost of living crisis. This classical liberalism is playing well with Tory members, who tend to be older, affluent and southern. It is a markedly different constituency from the party’s new, second electoral base –those vast numbers of northern ex-Labour voters, some of whom the Tories gradually won over the past few decades, many of whom flocked to the Conservatives in 2019 when Labour’s Red Wall came crashing down.

‘A job to run away from’: Dilemmas await successor to UK’s Johnson

spoke to Sir John Curtice, a professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, about the race for Downing Street a month before Boris Johnson’s successor is announced.

Why does Truss have such a commanding lead over Sunak among Tory members?

Truss has played into the party’s angst about the level of taxation and public spending it finds itself presiding over in the wake of Covid – and she has effectively used the cost of living crisis as a reason for pursuing tax cuts. It was Sunak’s misfortune to have been in his post when the music stopped. Sunak has struggled with that.

Truss has also succeeded in creating narratives that paint her in a good light and cast doubt on Sunak, of which the clearest example is her portraying herself as an ordinary person from a not particularly well-off background while portraying Sunak as a posh boy who went to Winchester [one of the UK’s grandest private schools] and who is now, along with his wife [Akshata Murthy], worth a fortune.

This narrative can be questioned. Having a father who was a professor of mathematics is not obviously a more deprived background than having a father who was a GP [a general practitioner doctor]. The parts of Leeds in which she grew up are relatively affluent. But it’s a clever narrative and she does come across as more ordinary, whereas Sunak’s politics can make him seem rather more distant.

The third factor is that Sunak has suffered from the fallout from Partygate [he was fined] along with the non-dom issue [it was revealed that Murthy has non-domiciled status, meaning she did not pay tax on income earned overseas while residing in the UK].

If this contest was happening six months ago, Sunak would have won it relatively easily. He is still suffering from a substantial decline in his popularity in the wake of those two issues.

Sunak has been keen to portray himself to Tory members as more electable among the general public. Why has this tactic seemed to gain little traction? Is he really more electable?

Neither of them has the advantage here. I can find polls that have slightly more people amongst the general public preferring Truss, I can find others where the balance is slightly in the opposite direction, and quite a few where it’s basically even. Polls also show them on level-pegging when people are asked who they’d prefer against [Labour leader Sir Keir] Starmer.

But the important thing is that Tory members think Truss is more likely to win.

Sunak does score relatively well when it comes to perceptions of competence; questions of who looks more prime ministerial. You could see that during last night’s televised debate – he clearly impressed the audience with his command of detail.

But the trouble is that if you look at the debate on the BBC last week, he displayed strong debating ability yet to some it looked a bit aggressive. So [that performance] didn’t necessarily work – because he could be painted as a Winchester public school boy engaging in Oxford Union-style debating, as opposed to ordinary Liz who understands people’s concerns and whom you can relate to.

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International News

Elon Musk’s endorsement of the contentious climate change agreement has drawn criticism

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Thank you for Senator Manchin, tweeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk on August 5.The tweet made reference to the contentious tax and environment agreement reached by US Senator Joe Manchin last week.

The agreement, which intends to use federal funds for energy and climate change programmes while raising taxes to reduce healthcare costs, has drawn a variety of responses.

For instance, the West Virginia Coal Association has denounced the agreement and dubbed it “egregious” in a statement. The firm has expressed concern that the agreement may “diminish” its coal-producing operations.Musk’s tweet about the subject received largely negative responses.

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National

Regarding the deteriorating situation in IIOJK, Pakistan sends a “strong demarche” to India

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ISLAMABAD: Since India’s takeover of the disputed territory on August 5, 2019, the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) has gotten worse, prompting Pakistan to issue a “strong demarche” to India.

The Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad was summoned, according to a statement from the Foreign Office, and informed of Pakistan’s “unequivocal rejection of India’s illegal and unilateral acts” on August 5, 2019, in IIOJK.

New Delhi was warned that the action “breached international law, the UN Charter, the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as many decisions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute” by the letter.

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Football Sports

Leicester’s Pereira facing six months out injured

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London : Leicester defender Ricardo Pereira will be out of action for up to six month following Achilles surgery, Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers said Friday.
Portugal right-back Pereira had an operation on Thursday after suffering the injury during last week’s friendly win against Sevilla.

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Rodgers added Harvey Barnes will miss Sunday’s Premier League opener at home to Brentford.
“It was looking really good, but we’ve picked up injuries against Sevilla,” Rodgers told a news conference on Friday.
“Sadly Ricardo Pereira will be out for up to six months with a ruptured Achilles. A lot of our game idea was about our full-backs and him in particular. He was looking so good.
“It’s a massive blow to him. He had his operation last night and he’ll recover now, get strong again and come back better I’m sure.”
This is, however, yet another setback since Pereira joined Leicester from Nice in 2018, with the player sidelined for nine months after damaging knee ligaments in March 2020.
Rodgers said winger Barnes could be out for “a few weeks” due to a knee injury.
“Hopefully he won’t be too long and he can come back and pick up where he left off,” the manager said.
Leicester are the only Premier League club yet to make a pre-season signing and Rodgers, who has seen long-serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel join Nice, and Rodgers is not expecting any new arrivals.”As things stand, I believe not,” he said.
“I mentioned that before, there’s nobody imminent coming in. The concentration has purely been on the players who are here. I think we can do well.”
The Northern Irishman added: “I felt this was a time we would need to improve, but I respect the club’s position. The club have been outstanding in supporting me. This time, I need to support them.
“It’s unfortunate. I don’t need to fight with anyone. I would have loved to improve the squad and there is time until the end of August if things change.”

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International News

Indian newlywed bride forced to consume acid dies a week later

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Anjali, a 21-year-old woman from the Bihar province of India, passed away last week after allegedly being forced to drink acid by her husband and in-laws.

The victim’s family claimed that she was being tortured by her husband and in-laws since they were unable to pay the dowry three months prior in the amount of 200,000 Indian rupees and a motorcycle.

Dharmendra Sahni, Anajli’s cousin, claimed that she wed on May 2 of this year and that her in-laws forced her to consume acid after first pouring it on her.

They also made Anjali drink acid, and then they took her to a luxury hospital in Manjhaul where she spent a week fighting for her life.She was transferred to another private nursing centre in Begusarai town as her condition worsened on Wednesday, where she eventually passed away from her burn injuries, according to Sahni.

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National

Injections for anaesthetic and a lack of medications both persist in government hospitals

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LAHORE: In provincial government hospitals, there is still a dearth of medications and anaesthesia injections for hospital patients.

Patients and their loved ones at Lahore’s Mayo Hospital are beginning to purchase medications from the market because they have been days without them there.

According to sources at the Mayo and Jinnah hospital, surgeries and operations have slowed down due to a scarcity of anaesthesia injections.

But according to MS Dr. Khalid of General Hospital, his medical centre has loaned 300 doses of anaesthesia to Mayo and Jinnah hospitals.

The Mayo Hospital management claims that although no medications have yet been acquired, they will begin giving them to patients as soon as supplies become available.

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Opinion

Poets are the Messengers of Humanity

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There are three figures who are meritorious for divine gift of Providence. The prophets are endowed with the gift of revelation. The philosophy is based on intellectual reasoning. The poetry is the product of intuition with overflow of passions transcended in tranquility. These personalities are God gifted. They can not be made by artificial modes and methods.

They are endowed with natural proclivities and propensities which others don’t possess. Some of my friends have asked me about the mission of poetry. Very briefly, I would like to say that the grand mission of poetry is the promotion of humanity. Poetry is of several kinds. Romantic poetry, pastoral poetry, religious poetry, philosophical poetry, political poetry, revolutionary poetry, and humorous poetry.

Most of the poets are romantic poets as love pain is the most intense part of grief. Everyone experiences it in life. Whether, one succeeds or fails in the experience of love, it is a universal passion. Love is different than lust. Love is a very sacred and pure passion. It is neither a sin , nor a crime. In ancient times, to express love passion to the beloved was not welcomed in religious and traditional cultures. The lovers had no source to contact their beloveds.

It was a close culture. Now, in advanced societies, there is no binding on love affair or match – making . Even sexual freedom is rampant in the Western countries. But even with all personal freedom , the hearts are wounded because of common divorces and the betrayal of the partners. William Shakespeare had excellently praised the true, firm and selfless passion of love , when he wrote that love does not alter, when it finds alterations. As soul in immortal, love is immortal. John Keats is known as the poet of beauty.

He was fascinated by the winsomeness of his beloved Fanny Brown and suffered the woes of love and died in youth time. The pastoral poetry depicts natural sights and scenes. An Australian poet Paterson is a great pastoral poet. He is one of my favorite poets. Religious and philosophical poetry like the poetry of Milton, Sheikh Saadi, Altaf Hussain Hali and Dr.Iqbal gives spiritual and didactic message.

Humorous poetry purges out the pent up passions of depressed and grieved souls. In English literature, we find sunny humor in the poetry of Chaucer and Pope. In Urdu, we have some eminent mighty humorous poets who gave serious message through humorous poetry such as Zamir Jafri, but majority of Urdu humorous poets are like Shakespearian clowns and are buffoons and jesters. They are only entertainers.

Shelley is known as the poet of revolution and social justice. In Urdu poetry Dr. Iqbal, Josh Malih Abadi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sahir Ludyanvi, Habib Jalib and Ahmed Faraz are well known for their revolutionary poetry. Lord Byron in his “Childe Herald” explicitly expounds the need of political freedom. In the opinion of Matthew Arnold, T.S. Eliot and Altaf Hussain Hali, poetry has a serious mission. It is not the task of banters. William Wordsworth considered poetry a chosen task.

This chosen task in the words of great philosopher and poet of East, Dr. Iqbal is the serious mission of reformation. In a Persian couplet he says:
“ If the purpose of poetry is the reformation of humans, then it is a prophetic mission.”
Mostly, my fans and friends invite me in Mushaira/ public poetry recitation meetings. I humbly apologize and do not attend public poetry sessions. I want to tell the younger generation that public poetry sessions are our traditional culture. When, there were no literary magazines, book publishing facilities and news papers, the only way to reach out the people was Mushaira. Now, in this modern and advanced age, we have all facilities to publish and publicize our writings.

My thirty two books of poetry, philosophy and politics in seven languages have been published and 15 books are unpublished and God willing will be soon published. There is an adage in English, “either publish or perish”. I would suggest, the young poets to improve their vocabulary by reading the classic and modern masters of poetry. The study of Persian language and literature will polish their poetry diction and the study of English Language and literature will enhance their scholastic outlook.

Dr. Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz were the masters of English literature and created sublime and superb poetry in Urdu. We should not run after cheap popularity and sham fame like the pack and clique of some poets, who are divided into literary camps and groups and like cheap politicians are at daggers drawn. There is no short cut to achieve literary excellence and immortality. Be the eagles of Dr. Iqbal and do not join the company of crows.

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National

Proactive Diplomacy can be a Viable Way-Forward to Resolve Kashmir Conflict: Speakers at IPCA Conference

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Islamabad : A One-day conference organized by the Institute of Peace and Contemporary Affairs (IPCA) was held at Islamabad Press Club on the topic of “Modi-Hindutva Nexus & the Struggle of Kashmir”. Former Ambassador Naela Chohan highlighted the prominent role of Pakistan in highlighting the Kashmir conflict on national and international forums.

India was the first to take Kashmir issue to UN, however since the UN declared Kashmir as an international conflict between Pakistan and India, it backfired Indian aspirations and India backed out. She highlighted the dual standards of international media in refraining to highlight the human rights atrocities carried out by Indian forces in the region.

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Former Vice Naval Chief and Naval Attaché of Pakistan to India, Admiral Muhammad Haroon, emphasized how Pakistan has always taken the lead in any peacebuilding efforts made in the interest of fostering good relations with India. He categorically stated that war is the only solution in resolving the Kashmir conflict with India. Group Captain (R) Sultan Mahmood Hali spoke about the impact of Hindutva on the Kashmiri freedom struggle.

He strongly condemned India’s mass killings and violation of human rights in the region. He highlighted that Indian forces used rape as strategy to demean the Kashmiri women. He urged the need for a proactive diplomacy from Pakistan on Kashmir issue. Assistant Professor Quaid-e-Azam University, Dr. Mujeeb Afzal, highlighted the importance of conflict resolution methods in addressing Kashmir conflict.

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He stressed the need to assess and evaluate mutually agreeable solutions that are practically implemented including peace diplomacy, mutual negotiations and composite dialogue. He criticized India’s hegemonic and stubborn power enforcement in Kashmir. Chairman Kashmir Youth Association Dr. Mujahid Gillani brought into light the ground reality of Kashmiris in to limelight.

He pointed out how Kashmiris are painted and portrayed only as victims, yet they are also warriors and fighters. While highlighting the sacrifices gives by Syed Ali Gillani (RA), Dr. Qasim Faktoo, Asiya Andrabi and Yaseen Malik, he expressed his firm stance of standing with Pakistan as his single identity. Ambassador Salahuddin Choudhry emphasized the importance of a peace-seeking mindset in conflict resolution.

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He emphasized mutual respect, friendship to all, and malice toward none. He emphasized the importance of diplomatic advancement in overcoming the challenges in the Kashmir struggle and expressed hope that soon Kashmir will be free from Indian aggression and Kashmiris will freely live in their homeland.

Executive Director IPCA Hassam Siddiqi said that it is time for common Pakistanis to pacify the Indian passive narratives through following the concept of ‘Jihaad -Bil-Qalam’ as it is the way-forward to impact the national and international media. A brief Q &A session was also held in which participants of the conference enthusiastically participated.

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National

Future combat would be based on firepower and cyberwarfare, according to COAS Gen. Bajwa

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RAWALPINDI: Observing that “firepower and cyber” warfare will be the “mainstay of future battle,” Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Qamar Javed Bajwa, urged the “need to develop” Pakistan’s competence and capacity in these areas.

Gen. Bajwa visited the Army Center of Emerging Technologies and the newly established Army Cyber Command, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The Army Cyber Command’s two primary units make up the command.

“Warfare is evolving in both nature and character. Future warfare will mostly rely on firepower and cyber, thus we must increase our capacity and capability in both areas.In order to create synergy at the national level, the newly elevated Cyber Command will gradually be linked to Tri-Services level and will also be a part of national cyber projects.

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Technology

Subway Surfers defeats Minecraft to become the most popular speedrun

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Subway Surfers defeats Minecraft to become the most popular speedrun

Subway Surfers becomes most popular speedrun.
It has nearly 18,000 active players.
In 2019, Subway Surfers was declared most downloaded mobile game of the last decade.
A recent viral tweet pointed out that mobile game Subway Surfers has become the most popular speedrun, defeating Minecraft and Super Mario 64, reported Fan Byte.

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The game holds top position in major categories like most active, most runs, and most players. Right now, Subway Surfers has nearly 18,000 active users which is 38 times more than Super Mario 64.

It has twice as many players as Minecraft with total player count at 26,000. Most of these runners are from Brazil. In the list of top 200 runners, 64% are Brazilians.

Despite there being virtually no end to the game, it remains gamers’ top choice. The most popular category of the game is the “no coins” category where players do not even have to collect any coins and simply attempt to go as far as possible.

One of the causes of the game’s popularity and comeback is TikTok. Some users started posting text-to-speech audios of subway surfers gameplays. Along with that, a trend of recreating gameplays to the game’s theme music brought people to the game.

In 2019, with more than 2.7 billion downloads, Subway Surfers was declared the most downloaded mobile game of the last decade. It is free to download and can be played by any age group.

The runs are addictive as they are short. Even the best players have been able to reach six minutes in the no coin category.

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Sports

Commonwealth Games: Pakistan in ice hockey event

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Commonwealth Games: Pakistan in ice hockey event
without medal race Pakistan lost to Australia in the ice hockey event of the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Thursday. Australia won the game with her 7–0 lead convincingly. Pakistan she will meet with Canada on August 6th. Birmingham: Pakistan has been excluded from the medal race for the 2022 Commonwealth Games ice hockey tournament. The unbeatable Australian showed the doors to Pakistan in Thursday’s Pool A match.

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NN


Pakistani players looked helpless in their comeback efforts as their rivals dominated the game from the start. The Australian leaders of
Pool A took a 1–0 lead when Break His Govers scored in the 12th minute. The Pakistani players struggled to equalize in the second quarter, but to no avail.
Pakistan’s troubles doubled when Jeremy Hayward gave the team his 2–0 lead in the 19th minute. Hayward scored another goal in the third quarter. Overall he is second and he is third.
The Pakistani players were unable to stop the Australians’ advance and Tom Wickham won 4-0 in the 42nd minute.
Wickham just started the fourth quarter He scored his second goal in the second minute and he extended the lead to 5–0. Australia took a 6–0 lead when Jacob Anderson scored in the 53rd minute. Nathan Ephrams threw the ball into the net for another goal in the penultimate minute of the game. With
convincing wins and his 7–0 lead, this was a walkthrough for Australia, who were advancing to his CWG semi-finals of his ice hockey event.
Pakistan withdraws from the medal race. However, they will face Canada in his 7th place match on August 6th.

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Sports

Gary Neville makes key Tottenham prediction, but Jamie Carragher misses Antonio

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Gary Neville makes key Tottenham prediction, but Jamie Carragher misses Antonio Conte
Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher deliver verdict on Tottenham as 2022/23 Premier League starts this weekend
Antonio Conte is preparing his Tottenham squad for the season opener as Southampton move to his N17. The Italian has had a good summer at Spurs, bringing six new players to the squad, winning two and losing one pre-season friendly with a draw.

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There is still work to be done on and off the pitch, but Conte seems to have high hopes for the team. domestic cup. “Why not the Premier League and the Champions League? (laughs) My goal and the club’s goal is to get better,” he explained.
“This is a process that started seven months ago. Qualifying for the Champions League does not mean that we have achieved our goal. From my experience, I can say that we are on the right track. At the same time, we know that one more step was needed for the club to be able to compete with the top teams in Europe.
READ MORE: Everything Antonio Conte Said About Transfers, Jed Spence, Skip, Bisma, Perisic Fitness To be a top club, we must strive to improve both on and off the pitch,” added Conte. Partnership with Skybet.

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Sports

The Hundred: Eoin Morgan reveals shape earlier than London Spirit area Oval Invincibles through 3 runs in mystery

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The Hundred: Eoin Morgan reveals shape earlier than London Spirit area Oval Invincibles through 3 runs in mystery
Eoin Morgan rankings forty seven from 29 balls and Jason Roy falls for golden duck earlier than London Spirit beat Oval Invincibles through 3 runs in Hundred mystery; past due boundary blitz takes Invincibles to 168 from one hundred balls – having been 12-four after 17 – in respond to Spirit`s 171 at packed-out Kia Oval

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Eoin Morgan slammed forty seven from 29 balls and Jason Roy’s batting woes persevered with a golden duck earlier than London Spirit edged Oval Invincibles through 3 runs in a Hundred mystery after quelling an impressive fightback…
Story of the match
Morgan end as England white-ball captain in past due June together along with his very last innings for the countrywide aspect successive geese towards the Netherlands in one-day worldwide cricket in advance that month.
But the Spirit skipper rediscovered his shape at The Kia Oval, putting 3 sixes and 5 fours earlier than being stuck withinside the deep off Reece Topley as his aspect racked up 171-6 from their one hundred balls, an innings wherein Zak Crawley fired 4 fours in an 11-ball 21 up top.

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Sports

Why we predict Liverpool’s Premier League title success and its evolutionary approach

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Why we predict Liverpool’s Premier League title success and its evolutionary approach
Liverpool have to stop in the race against Manchester City, but are at least well positioned to bring them back to the front. One cannot avoid the conclusion that it ended in a rather somber way. They were there to win an unprecedented quad and winning two trophies is obviously nothing to scoff at, but the two they won weren’t the two they wanted.

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In the Premier League, they led Manchester City until the last 20 minutes of their last game. In the Champions League he lost to Real Madrid by one goal. Subsequent analysis is how narrow the gap between victory and defeat is in top-flight club play, even if the final result appears to be left unquestioned.
That’s not the only reason. The events of his league final night in the Champions League in Paris will bring back terrible memories of the past for his Liverpool supporters of a certain age. As if the last 30 years had never passed, the French authorities shamefully sought to blame their innocent supporters themselves for a complete loss of control.
There was also uncertainty on the player side of the club. Sporting director Michael Edwards left the club in May after stepping down last November. Mo Salah delayed contract negotiations. Sadio Mane was on his way to Munich. If Liverpool fans felt a little like an era, and a feeling he hadn’t properly experienced in over 30 years, might be coming to an end, it would have been understandable.

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Sports

Alan Shearer picks two things Manchester United should do for the new season.

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Alan Shearer picks two things Manchester United should do for the new season.


Alan Shearer reveals what Manchester United need to do to maximize their chances of success this season
Premier League hero thinks he has two issues United need to work out ahead of the new season.
Eric Ten Hug had a good summer, but he never ran out of things to talk about. The club have yet to sign their much-anticipated central midfielder ahead of Sunday’s opener against Brighton.

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Frenkie De Jong remains Ten Hug’s number one target even after United agreed in principle to sign the midfielder in June. However, there has been little movement after it became clear that Barcelona were obliged to pay their players’ salaries, and negotiations are now in their fourth month.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo has told the club that he wants to leave.Ten Hug said in Sunday’s friendly against Rayo Vallecano that the attacker was He hid his feelings about his decision to leave Old Trafford early.
Ten Hag nevertheless reiterated that he is still part of his plans, despite the 37-year-old stressing his desire to leave last week. said Ronaldo’s situation needs to be sorted out and United need to strengthen their squad with more players if they are to aim for the top four or beyond.

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Thompson-Herah wins Commonwealth 100m

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Olympic 100m champion Elaine Thompson-Herah cruised to Commonwealth gold on Wednesday as Australia’s Ariarne Titmus completed a stunning individual freestyle treble on the last night of swimming action.
Elsewhere on the second day of track and field action in Birmingham, England’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson claimed her first heptathlon title for three years as she retained her crown.
Jamaica’s Thompson-Herah finished a disappointing third behind compatriots Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Shericka Jackson in the 100m at last month’s world championships in Eugene, Oregon.
But she was the only one of three in the field at the Alexander Stadium and she made no mistake, crossing the line in 10.95sec to win the title for the first time.
“Feeling good,” said the 30-year-old. “I didn’t have the best execution but nevertheless I had to dig for that one but I am still grateful to win my first Commonwealth Games.”
Johnson-Thompson ended her drought since the 2019 world championships by racking up 6,377 points in the heptathlon to finish 144 points clear of Northern Ireland’s Kate O’Connor.
“It feels incredible to do that in front of my home crowd,” said the 29-year-old, who finished a disappointing eighth at the world championships.
“It was the crowd who got me through the competition, especially the 800m when the noise was so loud.
“You know when you feel pain, you didn’t feel it, so I have got them to thank for that performance.”
Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala won the men’s 100m in a time of 10.02 while Scotland’s Eilish McColgan emulated her mother Liz McColgan in winning the women’s 10,000m.
On the final night of action at the Sandwell Aquatics Centre, 400m world record holder Titmus beat a high-class field after her earlier triumphs in the 200m and 800m freestyle. AFP

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Titmus clinches freestyle treble at Commonwealths

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Australian swim star Ariarne Titmus completed a stunning individual freestyle treble at the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday as England’s Ben Proud won his third straight 50m freestyle crown.
Titmus, the world record holder in the 400m, beat a high-class field in the event to add to her earlier triumphs in the 200m and 800m freestyle in Birmingham.
The 21-year-old dominated the race, touching in 3min 58.06sec to see off the challenge of Canada’s 15-year-old Summer McIntosh.
The Olympic 200m and 400m champion skipped the world championships in Budapest in June, where she would have faced US star Katie Ledecky, to focus on the Commonwealths.
She leaves Birmingham with four golds in total after also being part of Australia’s winning team in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay. “I came here with the goal to win all four. I believed I had the capacity to do that and I’m happy I did,” she said.
Titmus said it was crucial to have race practice in a high-pressure situation. “I think that, back home, Australia really prides itself on success in the pool at the Comm Games,” she said.
“Potentially there’s more pressure here to win than at the Olympics sometimes because we are so dominant. Performing under that pressure is tough.”
Proud, 27, won his third straight Commonwealth men’s 50m freestyle title, dominating the field to win in 21.36sec. “It’s a year ago since I was giving my interviews and burst into tears because of a bad swim at the Olympics,” said the world champion, who also won the 50m butterfly in Birmingham. AFP

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Hockey at the Commonwealth Games: Pakistan defeated Scotland 3-2

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Pakistan is having a great day at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, which are presently taking place in Birmingham.
The hockey team from Pakistan defeated Scotland by a score of 3-2 on Wednesday. After being defeated 4-1 by New Zealand in their last match, Pakistan made a strong comeback. Scotland held a firm hold on the game early on in the contest’s first period. In the ninth minute of the match, Cammy Golden scored the opening goal for Scotland, putting their opponents under pressure.
With back-to-back goals in the second quarter, Pakistan played admirably and increased the advantage.
In the 22nd minute, Afraz scored to tie the score. Abdul Shahid scored the second goal in the very next minute by kicking the ball into the goal. Pakistan maintained its advantage throughout the contest and won the second period 2-1. Up until Struan Walker scored an equalizer in the 38th minute, both sides battled to take the lead in the third quarter.
In the 55th minute, Rooman struck the ball to score the third goal.
Pakistan maintained its lead till the game’s conclusion, which was a resounding victory for the nation. Pakistan presently holds the fourth position in pool A with the same number of points. Australia topped the pool-A chart after winning both games. With four points each, South Africa is in second place, followed by New Zealand. Australia will play Pakistan next in today’s final pool game (August 4).

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Traffic plan issued for processions on 6th Muharram-ul-Haram

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ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Capital Police (ICTP ) have issued a diversion plan for three large processions on 6th Muharram ul Haram for which major thoroughfares of the city will be inaccessible, including segments of the Islamabad Highway.

The first procession will commence from the residence of Raja Basheer in Sector I-9/1 at 9pm. It will culminate at the Imambargah Jafferia in Sector I-9 after passing through streets 22, 24, and 27 before making a U-turn on the service road. During the procession, a diversion will be erected at the U-turn on the service road and street 18 Service Road.

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As an alternate, residents of Sector I-9/1 can use the Rawalpindi-Faizabad and Pirwadhai-Katarian Road and then IJP road to get to their destination. Residents of sector I-9/2 can use the service road of the Tuesday Bazaar, Sector I-9 Service Road, IJP and Pirwadhai-Faizabad road.

The second procession will emerge from the residence of Zulfiqar Shah at 9pm and will culminate at the Imambargah Qasar-e-Sakina on the Shakrial Highway. For this procession, the Islamabad Highway at Shakrial will remain closed from 10:30 pm to 12 pm.

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Heavy Traffic arriving from Lahore and southern areas of Punjab will be diverted towards Rawalpindi from T-Cross, while small vehicles (light traffic) will be diverted from Koral Chowk towards the old airport or the Rawal and Murree Roads.

Traffic arriving from KRL Chowk will be diverted towards Capitan Tufail Naeem Shaheed Chowk (Taramri Chowk), Park Road and the Rawal Dam.

The third procession will commence from Sector F-11/3 at 8pm and will culminate at the Imambargah Bheka Syedan in Sector F-11/4. During the procession, the Colonel Sher Khan Road, Exchange Chowk and street 37 in Sector F-11/3 to Exchange Chowk on Sher Khan Road will remain closed to both, up and down traffic.

Residents of sector F-11/1 can use Karam Road and Hilal Road as alternate routes to get to their destinations.

ICTP said that people may contact its helpline (1915) for traffic updates while it’s FM Radio 92.4 channel will keep updating commuters about the latest situation on closed roads and alternate routes. SSP Traffic Dr. Syed Mustafa Tanveer has urged citizens to cooperate with the police and avoid unnecessary travel during these timings.

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Commonwealth Games 2022: Rs5m cash reward for gold medalist Nooh Dastagir announced

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KARACHI: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Thursday announced a cash reward of Rs5 million for weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt who bagged the first gold medal for the country in the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Butt won the first gold medal for Pakistan in the CWG 2022 in Birmingham by lifting a total of 405 kilograms – 173 kg in snatch and 232 kg in clean and jerk. It is a CWG record.

Shah Hussain Shah won a bronze medal for Pakistan in Judo after defeating South African Thomas-Laszlo Breytenbach in Men’s -90 Kg event.

Talking to Geo News, PSB Director General Colonel (retd) Mohammad Asif Zaman said that he telephoned Nooh Dastagir and Shah Hussain and congratulated them for winning the medals.

As per the laws of the PSB, Rs50 million would be given for winning a gold medal, Rs20 million for silver and Rs1 for a bronze medal, he said.        

Nooh Dastagir Butt wins praise  

It was a joyous moment for Pakistan late Wednesday when weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt bagged the first gold medal for the country in the ongoing Commonwealth Games.

Pakistanis celebrated the maiden gold by pouring out on social media and lavishing praise on the 24-year-old Pakistani athlete, soon after the Gujranwala-hailed weightlifter claimed his record lift.

 Butt also bagged bronze in the last games held in 2018. He also won silver for Pakistan last year in December.

People who congratulated Nooh Dastagir Butt include Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Shehbaz in his Twitter reaction said, “Well done, Butt saab.”

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Strictly Come Dancing 2022: Will Mellor and Kym Marsh join line-up

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Kym Marsh has been announced as the second contestant to be taking part in this year’s Strictly Come Dancing.

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The actress and TV presenter currently hosts BBC One’s Morning Live and has appeared in Coronation Street and The Syndicate.
“I’m nervous but I’m really looking forward to it,” Marsh told BBC Breakfast on Thursday.

She joins actor Will Mellor, who was announced as one of this year’s contestants earlier.

The dancing competition is set to return to BBC One in September.

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In the early noughties, Marsh was a member of pop group Hear’Say, who were created on talent show Popstars.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage, performing in that kind of way, so it’s going to be really tricky, but I’m up for the challenge,” Marsh said about joining Strictly.

Asked how she would deal with criticism from the judges, she said: “Listen, I was judged by Nasty Nigel in Popstars, he was the villain back in the day, so I think I’ll be fine with it,” she joked.
Mellor, who was announced earlier on Thursday, is known for appearing in Hollyoaks, Coronation Street, Casualty and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.

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The actor said he was “honestly so chuffed to be taking part” in Strictly Come Dancing.

“It’s getting a bit frightening now,” Mellor told BBC Breakfast about taking part in the show.

Asked if he could dance well, he replied: “It depends what you call well. I dance in the kitchen or at parties like anybody does, but nothing at all like I’m doing here, I’m way out of my comfort zone.”

He explained: “My mindset completely changed a while back, and I just thought, I’ve got to start doing things that frighten me.

“I lost my dad in 2020 and from then I just thought, I’ve just got to grab life. I’ve got to create new memories.”
Mellor reached number five in the UK singles chart with When I Need You in 1998.

He recently toured the UK with a live version of the popular podcast he co-hosts with Ralf Little, Two Pints with Will and Ralf.

Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse and head judge Shirley Ballas will all return to the Strictly judging panel this year.

They will be joined once again by Anton Du Beke, who has now permanently taken over from Bruno Tonioli.

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Jesus’ winning mentality contagious for Arsenal players, says Arteta

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London : Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes that Gabriel Jesus’ experience of regularly winning trophies at Manchester City will rub off on his new teammates.

Jesus makes his competitive debut for the Gunners at Crystal Palace on Friday night after a summer move from City, where he won four Premier League titles among eight major trophies.

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The Brazilian forward joined the Gunners for more game time as he aims to make the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

He has whetted Arsenal fans’ appetite by scoring seven times in pre-season.

“When you bring top players from top clubs and they’ve been extremely successful over the years, there is expectation,” said Arteta at his pre-match press conference on Friday.

“The role that Gabi has here is going to be very different to the role that Gabi had in his previous club.

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“He’s a tremendous talent with a mentality that is so contagious and he’s going to give us a lot, but it’s a team at the end of the day.”

Arteta has also recruited Oleksandr Zinchenko from City, while the additions of Fabio Vieira, Marquinhos, Matt Turner and the return of William Saliba from a loan spell at Marseille have bulked up the Arsenal squad.

Expectations of finishing in the Premier League top four for the first time in seven years have been lifted by thrashings of Chelsea and Sevilla in pre-season.

But Arteta knows those results will count for little if his side do not make a positive start at Selhurst Park, where they lost 3-0 last season.

“We are all enthusiastic. We had the pre-season we wanted, it was well organised, we had good results, good preparation and good performances,” added the Spaniard.

“But now the ball starts to roll tomorrow evening in a completely different context and against a Premier League team and we know what to expect there.”

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War in Ukraine: latest developments

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Kyiv:Here are the latest developments in the war in Ukraine

US ratifies Finland, Sweden NATO membership –

The US Senate ratifies the entry of Sweden and Finland into NATO, strongly backing the expansion of the transatlantic military alliance in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

With the agreement of all 30 members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization needed before hitherto non-aligned Finland and Sweden can join, the United States becomes the 23rd to give the nod.

Of the seven member countries which have yet to formally agree, only Turkey has raised a challenge, demanding certain concessions from both countries to back their memberships.

These include the extradition of dozens of government opponents it labels “terrorists” from both countries in exchange for its support.

Ankara has said a special committee will meet Finnish and Swedish officials in August to assess if the two nations are complying with its conditions.

Deadly bus stop shelling
Russian shelling of a bus stop in the frontline east Ukraine town of Toretsk kills eight people and injures four, the regional governor says.

“According to preliminary information, there was artillery fire. They hit a public transport stop, where there was a crowd of people at that time,” Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Ukraine-run Donetsk region administration, writes on Telegram.

The attack comes as Kyiv orders civilians to leave the war-torn Donetsk region which is bearing the brunt of Moscow’s gruelling eastern offensive.

Ukrainian officials say Russia also continues to pound towns and cities across the sprawling front line, notably in Mykolaiv in the south and Kharkiv in the northeast.

Ukrainian forces endangering civilians: Amnesty
Rights group Amnesty International accuses Ukrainian forces of violating international law and endangering civilians by establishing bases in residential areas, including in schools and hospitals.

Their tactics “in no way justify Russia’s indiscriminate attacks”, it says in a new report, and some Russian “war crimes” including in the city of Kharkiv are not linked to the tactics.

But it lists incidents when Ukrainian forces appeared to have exposed civilians to danger in 19 towns and villages in the Kharkiv, Donbas and Mykolaiv regions.

Ukraine slams the report as “unfair”.

“This behaviour of Amnesty International is not about finding and reporting the truth to the world, it is about creating a false equivalence — between the offender and the victim, between the country that destroys hundreds and thousands of civilians, cities, territories, and a country that is desperately defending itself,” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says in a video posted on Facebook.

UN to seek ‘truths’ on prison bombing
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres announces he will launch a fact-finding mission to uncover the “truths” about a jail where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war died in a bombing strike last week.

Kyiv and Moscow have blamed each other over the strikes on the prison in Kremlin-controlled Olenivka in eastern Ukraine, which killed over 50.

Moscow said that among the dead were Ukrainian forces that had laid down their arms after weeks of fighting off Russia’s brutal bombardment of the sprawling Azovstal steel works in Mariupol.

Accused grain ship leaves Lebanese port
A Syrian ship leaves the Lebanese port of Tripoli after being cleared for release after it was seized over allegations it was carrying flour and barley stolen from Ukraine.

Investigations have failed to prove The Laodicea carried stolen goods, officials say.

Ukraine has repeatedly accused Moscow’s forces of ransacking its grain warehouses since Russia invaded on February 24.

Ukraine says it is “disappointed” by the decision, which it argues will encourage Russia to “continue thefts in the temporarily occupied southern Ukraine with a sense of impunity.”

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Russian court sentences US basketball star Brittney Griner to 9 years on drug charges

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A Russian court sentenced U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison on Thursday after finding her guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia, a ruling that President Joe Biden called “unacceptable.”

Griner was arrested in mid-February, and her case threw the Texan athlete into the geopolitical maelstrom triggered when President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, propelling U.S.-Russia relations to a new post-Cold War low.

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Griner’s sentencing could now pave the way for a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap that would include the 31-year-old athlete and an imprisoned Russian who was once a prolific arms dealer.

Griner had admitted having the vape cartridges containing hashish oil but said it was an honest mistake. Before the verdict, she pleaded with a Russian judge not to “end her life” with a harsh prison sentence, before breaking down in tears in court. The court also fined her 1 million roubles ($16,990).

Biden, under pressure to help free Americans held in Russia, called on Russia to release Griner immediately and said his administration would continue to work for her release.

“Today, American citizen Brittney Griner received a prison sentence that is one more reminder of what the world already knew: Russia is wrongfully detaining Brittney,” Biden said in a statement.

“It’s unacceptable, and I call on Russia to release her immediately so she can be with her wife, loved ones, friends, and teammates.”

Griner’s defence lawyers said they would appeal. The defence team said that in sentencing the court had ignored all evidence they had presented as well as Griner’s guilty plea. They said they were “disappointed” by the verdict.

The Russian prosecutor had called for Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star, to be sentenced to 9-1/2 years prison if she was found guilty of bringing illegal drugs into the country.
Griner was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Feb. 17 with the cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. While she pleaded guilty, she said she had neither intended to bring a banned substance to Russia nor to hurt anybody.

“I made an honest mistake and I hope that in your ruling, that it doesn’t end my life here,” Griner said in court on Thursday before breaking down in tears.

“My parents taught me two important things: one, take ownership of your responsibilities and two, work hard for everything that you have. That’s why I pled guilty to my charges.”

Griner also referred to the international politics around her case.

“I know everybody keeps talking about political pawn and politics, but I hope that is far from this courtroom,” Griner said.

Cannabis is illegal in Russia for both medicinal and recreational purposes.

Griner’s defence team had called for her to be acquitted. Her lawyers said on Thursday that if the court deemed it necessary to punish her, she should be treated leniently, casting her as a sporting legend alongside Usain Bolt and Michael Schumacher.

“In sprinting there is Usain Bolt, in Formula 1 Michael Schumacher, and in women’s basketball there is Brittney Griner,” lawyer Maria Blagovolina, a partner at Rybalkin Gortsunyan Dyakin and Partners law firm, told the court.

Alexander Boikov, her other lawyer, said some of the case files were drawn up in violation of the law.

The United States has offered to exchange Russian prisoners for American citizens including Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan.

“I want to say again that I had no intent on breaking any Russians laws,” Griner told the court. “I had no intent, I did not conspire or plan to commit this crime.”