The US Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) initiative has been scaled back, despite Pakistan’s requests that the US increase the number of scholarships available to Pakistani students.
Director General (Americas) Mudassir Tipu stated that Pakistan is eager to strengthen and expand engagement with the USEFP in order to explore a variety of exciting opportunities for Pakistani students who want to study in the top US universities during their meeting with USEFP Executive Director Rita Bruun Akhter.
He suggested that USEFP look into expanding both the scope of the programme and the amount of scholarships available to Pakistani students.
ISLAMABAD: The PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan will appear before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) tomorrow (Thursday) to request bail in a case involving terrorism, a party official announced on Wednesday.
PTI’s senior leader Babar Awan stated in a video message that the party’s legal committee had agreed that Khan’s bail petition would be submitted to the ATC tomorrow, and the former premier would travel there personally.
The government, according to Awan, “destroyed” Pakistan’s anti-terrorism narrative by filing this case, calling the accusations against Khan “fake.”The former special assistant to the PM on legislative issues claimed, “This is a contrived case; no threat was issued; no Kalashnikov gun was shot.”
It’s warm. It is extremely hot for millions of people on all continents, and it is extremely hot in our planet’s thermostats, the Arctic and the Antarctic.People can stay safe if they can stay cool and if food and medications are kept cold.
If not, productivity will, at best, decline; at worst, morbidity and death will increase. From Pakistan and northern India to the UK, Spain, France, British Colombia, Argentina, China, and the United States — on every continent — the reports of records broken and heat never before felt grow.
The UK compared living in two cities in a region that is extremely hot and only becoming hotter: Kuwait City, which is only 80 miles distant and is an island of air-conditioned comfort, and Basra, where electricity and cooling are scarce.
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) warned students on Wednesday that it has stopped accepting new applicants to a private university.
The education organisation announced on Twitter that it would no longer be accepting students from all fields at Isra University as of Fall 2022.
According to the HEC, this would apply to all admissions, including those to medical schools, in Hyderabad’s primary seat as well as Karachi and Islamabad.Without specifying what the crisis was, the body stated that admissions would be suspended until it was resolved.
Twitter whistleblower says company misled regulators on security issues
Twitter Inc misled federal regulators about its defenses against hackers and spam accounts, the social media company’s former security chief Peiter Zatko said in a whistleblower complaint.
In an 84-page complaint, Zatko, a famed hacker widely known as “Mudge,” alleged Twitter falsely claimed it had a solid security plan, according to documents relayed by congressional investigators. Twitter’s shares fell 7.3% to close at $39.865%.
The document alleges Twitter prioritized user growth over reducing spam, with executives eligible to win individual bonuses of as much as $10 million tied to increases in daily users, and nothing explicitly for cutting spam.
Twitter labeled the complaint a “false narrative.” The social media company has been battling Elon Musk in court after the world’s richest person attempted to pull out of a $44-billion deal to buy Twitter. Musk said it failed to provide details about the prevalence of bot and spam accounts.
Tesla Inc Chief Executive Musk had offered to buy Twitter for $54.20 per share, saying he believed it could be a global platform for free speech.
Twitter and Musk have sued each other, with Twitter asking a judge on the Delaware Court of Chancery to order Musk to close the deal. A trial is scheduled for Oct. 17.
Zatko filed the complaint last month with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Department of Justice, as well as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The complaint was also sent to congressional committees.
“We are reviewing the redacted claims that have been published but what we have seen so far is a false narrative that is riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies,” Twitter Chief Executive Parag Agrawal told employees in a memo.
The Senate Judiciary Committee’s top Republican, Chuck Grassley, said the complaint raised serious national security concerns and privacy issues and needed to be investigated.
“Take a tech platform that collects massive amounts of user data, combine it with what appears to be an incredibly weak security infrastructure, and infuse it with foreign state actors with an agenda, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster,” he said.
The FTC declined to comment. A spokesperson for the Senate Intelligence Committee said it had received the complaint and was setting up a meeting to discuss the allegation.
Twitter’s real regulatory risk lies in whether the documentary evidence shows “knowing or reckless misleading” of investors or regulators, said Howard Fischer, a partner at Moses & Singer and a former SEC attorney.
US and Iran edge closer to a nuclear deal as Tehran drops some demands
The Biden administration is expected to weigh in this week on Iran’s latest offer to resume its compliance with the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but neither side is offering a definitive path to revive the agreement, which has been on life-support since former President Donald Trump withdrew from it in 2018.
U.S. officials say they expect to respond to Iran’s comments on a European draft proposal as early as Wednesday, after which there is expected to be another exchange of technical details followed by a meeting of the joint commission that oversees the deal. The new developments, including stepped-up public messaging campaigns by both Tehran and Washington, suggest that an agreement could be near.
Despite the forward movement, numerous hurdles remain. And key sticking points could still unravel efforts to bring back the 2015 deal under which Iran received billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program intended to prevent it from developing an atomic weapon.
Even U.S. supporters of an agreement are no longer referring to the “longer and stronger” deal that they had initially set out to win when indirect negotiations with Iran began last spring. And, on the Iranian side, demands for greater U.S. sanctions relief than the administration appears willing or able to promise could undercut the push to revive the agreement.
In Washington, the Biden administration faces considerable political opposition to returning to the 2015 deal from both Democrats and Republicans in Congress who remain unconvinced that it is in U.S. national security interests.
Sweltering Saudis escape to mountainous ‘City of Fog’
As Saudi Arabia swelters in sizzling desert temperatures, some are escaping to the “City of Fog” — a mountainous oasis of cool where warm clothing is needed even in summer.
Sitting with friends on a picnic blanket, under light rain and a thick, swirling mist in Al-Namas, Abdullah Al-Enizi wears a body-warmer over his traditional white robes to guard against the chill.
The retreat, 2,800 metres (9,200 feet) above sea level in Saudi Arabia’s rugged south, is in stark contrast to other parts of the vast, largely desert country where summer heat of up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) is an annual challenge.
At Al-Namas, humid monsoon weather keeps temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), dropping as low as 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit) at night, as fog blocks out the sun over verdant hills.
“It’s 46 degrees in Riyadh and only 20 here, it’s 26 degrees lower,” says Al-Enizi at the holiday destination, about 850 kilometres (530 miles) south-west of the Saudi capital.
“We’re escaping the heat. Here, it’s cool and the rain and fog are here nearly all the time,” added the semi-retired Saudi, 45, who drove about 12 hours from Riyadh.
Around his group of friends, families enjoy the breeze as their children run around in the fresh air, rather than being cooped up in their air-conditioned houses as usual elsewhere in the country.
Clusters of holidaymakers in raincoats and woolly hats sip Arabic coffee and crowd under umbrellas, while kites flutter in the wind.
“Before we came, we packed all our winter things!” says Nouf, who did not want to give her surname, while doing up her daughter’s coat.
Tourist authorities have built a “fog road” for hikers and cyclists traversing a high summit that overlooks the mist-shrouded mountains.
Khalaf Al-Juheiri travelled to Al-Namas with his wife and children from Tabuk, in Saudi Arabia’s north, to enjoy the “cool weather”.
“We really miss this weather when the temperature goes over 40 degrees in summer” in Tabuk, said the 33-year-old civil servant, covering his head against the rain.
‘Visit Saudi’ In 2020, a study published by the Science Advances magazine showed that the Gulf region has the hottest and most humid climate on the planet.
Because of global warming, some Gulf cities could become uninhabitable before the end of this century, experts say.
Thanks to its altitude and strong winds, Al-Namas escapes the worst of the increasing heat, says Hassan Abdullah, a Jordan-based official from the WASM weather technology company.
It has become a prized destination at a time when Saudi authorities, searching for new income streams apart from oil, are heavily promoting domestic and international tourism.
The ‘Visit Saudi’ promotion is in full swing just three years after tourist visas were first made available for foreign visitors in 2019.
As plane fares surge after the pandemic, Saudi families spent 80 billion riyals (about 21 billion euros) on domestic travel last year, a 30 percent increase from 2019, ministry of tourism figures show.
“Summer is the peak tourist season, going from May to October,” says Abdullah Al-Shahri, a hotelier at Al-Namas where winter temperatures sometimes plunge to zero degrees.
At the top of a hill that overlooks the green valley, Mushabab Al-Omari takes in the view, sitting next to his wife.
“I’ve been here nearly three months,” says the retiree, “and I’m ready to stay another four or five months if the weather stays like this.”
All Blacks captain Cane warns ‘plenty of work to do’ Captain Sam Cane says the All Blacks must prove their stunning win over South Africa in Johannesburg was no fluke as they prepare for back-to-back home Tests against Argentina.
New Zealand ended a run of three straight defeats with a hard-fought 35-23 win over the world champion Springboks, easing some of the pressure on head coach Ian Foster.
“But it’s just the start of where we want to get to,” Cane told reporters.
Cane said the All Blacks must build on the momentum when they face the Pumas in Christchurch on Saturday, before again hosting Argentina in Hamilton a week later.
“We’d been saying for a couple of weeks: we’d been improving and we then took a significant step in that game (against South Africa),” Cane added.
“It’s one performance. Just because we got that one right doesn’t guarantee we get this one, so there’s plenty of work to do.
“For us, it’s a good stepping stone.”
New Zealand play an Argentinian team buoyed by a seven-try pounding of depleted Australia in a 48-17 home victory, the Pumas’ biggest win over the Wallabies.
“I’ve played the Pumas a few times,” Cane said.
“They’re one of the best defensive sides in the world when they get it right.”
“They’ve got some exciting backs with exceptional footwork,” he added.
The All Blacks are assessing the fitness of playmaker Beauden Barrett after he limped out of training on Tuesday.
China warns of ‘severe’ threat to harvest from worst heatwave on record
China’s autumn harvest is under “severe threat” from high temperatures and drought, authorities have warned, urging action to protect crops in the face of the country’s hottest summer on record.
The world’s second-largest economy has been hit by record temperatures, flash floods and droughts this summer — phenomena that scientists have warned are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change.
Southern China in particular has recorded its longest sustained period of high temperatures and sparse rain since records began more than 60 years ago, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.
Four government departments issued a notice on Tuesday urging action to protect crops, calling for “every unit of water to be used carefully” through methods including staggered irrigation and cloud seeding, which aims to induce rain.
“The rapid development of drought superimposed with high temperatures and heat damage has caused a severe threat to autumn crop production,” the statement said.
The warning comes as multiple Chinese provinces announce power cuts to cope with a surge in demand, driven partly by people cranking up the air conditioning to cope with temperatures as high as 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
The megacities of Shanghai and Chongqing have cut outdoor decorative lighting, while authorities in southwestern Sichuan province have imposed industrial power cuts as water levels drop at key hydroelectric plants.
The national meteorological service renewed its warnings for drought and high temperatures on Tuesday, calling for 11 provincial governments to “activate” emergency responses.
Real Madrid and rivals await Champions League draw in Istanbul
Title holders Real Madrid and the rest of Europe’s elite clubs will be able to start plotting their route to Champions League glory when the draw for this season’s group stage is made in Istanbul on Thursday from 1600 GMT.
All going to plan, the journey will end back in the Turkish city on June 10 next year for the final at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium, the same venue where Liverpool defeated AC Milan on penalties in 2005.
Istanbul was supposed to host the final in 2020 and again in 2021, but on each occasion UEFA moved the game to Portugal due to pandemic-related restrictions.
Another late change was required last season, with Saint-Petersburg being stripped of the final after Russia invaded Ukraine, and Paris instead stepping in to host Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool.
The Spanish giants have now been crowned kings of Europe 14 times, twice as many times as the competition’s next most successful club, AC Milan, and they started this season by defeating Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt in Helsinki to lift the UEFA Super Cup.
LG polls in 9 Sindh districts put off due to rains, floods A final decision about the LG polls in Karachi would be made today
KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has postponed the second phase of Local Government elections in nine districts, including six districts of the Hyderabad electoral region and three districts of Badin region.
In the latest statement issued Tuesday night, the ECP said that the decision was taken after taking into consideration the worst destruction, losses, displacement of people due to the recent floods, recommendations of the Provincial Election Commissioner, Sindh, and reports received from the district administration and meteorological department.
The ECP has also reconvened a meeting today (August 24) to review the points raised by the Sindh government about the conduct of the LG polls in the Karachi Division. A final decision about the LG polls in Karachi would be made after reviewing the odds and meteorological reports today.
Bangladesh cuts school and office hours due to soaring energy prices
Schools in Bangladesh will close an additional day each week and government offices and banks will shorten their work days by an hour to reduce electricity usage amid concerns over rising fuel prices and the impact of the Ukraine war.
The reduced hours take effect Wednesday. In Bangladesh, most schools are closed on Fridays, but now will also close on Saturdays, Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam said Monday.
He said government offices and banks will cut their work days to seven hours from the previous eight hours, but that private offices will be allowed to set their own schedules.
Supply disruptions caused by the Ukraine war have led to soaring world prices for energy and food.
Bangladesh has been taking measures in recent weeks to ease pressure on its declining foreign currency reserves. Last month, fuel prices were raised by more than 50%. The government says it is exploring options to get cheaper fuel from Russia under a special arrangement.
The decision has drawn criticism, but the government said it is necessary to cut losses amid rising international fuel prices. Small street protests against the higher prices have taken place in recent weeks, and the government said domestic prices will be adjusted after international prices ease.
The country has been suffering more frequent power cuts after the government suspended operations of all diesel-run power plants, reducing daily electricity production by 1,000 megawatts.
But authorities have promised to continue supplying power to industrial zones to help support the country’s $416 billion economy, which has been growing rapidly over the last decade.
The country’s opposition has accused the government of failing to control corruption and eliminate losses in the energy sector.
In July, Bangladesh sought an unspecified loan from the International Monetary Fund, becoming the third country in South Asia to do so recently after Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Rahul Anand, division chief in the IMF’s Asia and Pacific Department, said in a recent consultation that Bangladesh was not in a crisis situation and its external position was “very different from several countries in the region.”
“Bangladesh has a low risk of debt distress and is very different from Sri Lanka,” he was quoted as saying by the Dhaka-based The Business Standard Daily.
Bangladesh’s foreign currency reserves have dwindled to around $40 billion
KARACHI: As the nation struggles with a money shortage, the Pakistani rupee lost more ground against the US dollar during Tuesday’s intraday activity on the interbank market.
A currency crisis that analysts claim is being caused by the United Arab Emirates’ new regulations, smuggling, and the lifting of the import ban caused the local currency to lose Re1 versus the dollar and close at 217.66.
There has been a spike in the open market price of the US dollar as a result of the UAE’s requirement that Pakistani travelers report 5,000 dirhams at the airport upon arrival.
KARACHI: In the first two weeks of August, K-Electric conducted up to 762 anti-power theft drives throughout the city and cut off unauthorised connections.
Imran Rana, a KE spokeswoman, stated that the power supply company condemns individuals who utilise illicit connections on their property because they endanger the lives and property of the general public and violate the legal rights of customers who receive electricity.
“Every day, we continue to carry out similar anti-kunda drives and cut off thousands of unauthorised connections, but regrettably, they are quickly restored. However, we want to reassure you that we will do everything in our power to bring these offenders to justice “Added he.
Emily Carey, who plays the villain in the television series House of the Dragon, revealed that she cancelled her Twitter account after receiving criticism for her remarks about “humanising her nasty character.”
“Rhaenyra superfans” criticised Emily on social media for not “comprehending the original material,” which was Martin’s spin-off book Fire and Blood.The actress admitted that the feedback made her decide to remove her social media accounts.
“I will admit that I deleted Twitter because it is simply too noisy. She told the site, “Even when it’s fantastic, there are so many and it’s so loud.
Malaysia, PUTRAJAYA: Tuesday’s ruling by Malaysia’s highest court upholding Najib Razak’s 12-year prison term for corruption in the 1MDB financial scandal was criticised by observers as potentially closing the door to a political comeback.
A warrant of committal was also issued by Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, according to a lawyer, which indicates that Najib will be arrested right away.
As the decision was announced, the 69-year-old former prime minister was flanked by his wife Rosmah and their two children and appeared solemn and disappointed.
“The appeal has no validity in our opinion. We believe the conviction and punishment to be secure “Maimun spoke on behalf of the Federal Court’s five judges.
NEW DELHI: According to a whistleblower statement to US authorities, a former Twitter security head said that the Indian government pressured the social media company to hire a government agent.
Along with other security breach allegations at Twitter, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko brought up the matter with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to a redacted copy of the lawsuit, he claimed that Twitter’s lax security measures would have allowed the government agent access to sensitive user data.Requests for comment from the Indian IT ministry’s representatives were not immediately fulfilled.
Sania Mirza, an Indian tennis player, is renowned for sharing snippets of her personal and professional life on social media to keep her followers up to date with what’s happening in her life.
Her most recent Instagram post, however, does not have the same enjoyable material as normal. The tennis player informed her followers via Instagram stories that she had to withdraw from the US Open owing to an elbow and forearm injury she sustained two weeks ago.
She claimed that she was initially unaware of the severity of the damage and only learned that she had damaged “a tiny bit of” her tendon after undergoing diagnostic scans.
Prior to the crucial ACC T20 Asia Cup, which will take place on August 27 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pakistan and India received a significant boost; however, it was in a different format.
The traditional rivals have advanced in the most recent ICC one-day international (ODI) rankings, inching closer to the top two nations, New Zealand and England.
The boost came after Pakistan defeated the Netherlands 3-0 and India defeated Zimbabwe by the same margin in their respective series. This helped them gain critical rating points. With 107 rating points, Pakistan has risen to the fourth spot in the standings, while India has 111 points and is now in third place.
Apple is to begin producing the iPhone 14 in India as the US tech giant looks for alternatives to China after the Xi administration’s disagreements with Washington and nationwide lockdowns halted production.
According to a report on Tuesday that quoted people with knowledge of the situation, the business has been collaborating with suppliers to increase production in India and reduce the customary six to nine-month delay in producing new iPhones.
The source claims that Apple’s Taiwan-based supplier Foxconn has researched the logistics of shipping goods from China and has investigated how to assemble the iPhone 14 at its facility outside of Chennai, a city in southern India.
KARACHI: The education government has stated that all schools and institutions in Sindh will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday, August 24–25, due to threats of heavy rain.
More rain is expected across the nation this week, according to a warning issued earlier in the day by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
A well-marked low pressure system that is currently over east Rajasthan in India is expected to proceed in a northwesterly direction and hit Sindh tonight, according to the Met office.
The PMD issued a warning that “monsoon currents are penetrating in the southern and higher portions of the country due to this intense weather system.”
In light of the monsoon rains in the province, the Sindh administration wrote to the provincial Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday to ask for the postponement of the next local government elections, which were set to take place on August 28.
The province government requested in the letter that the organisation reevaluate the date of the second round of local government elections in the divisions of Hyderabad and Karachi.
According to the letter, the rains have caused 450 billion rupees worth of additional losses in the province of Sindh. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a warning that another period of severe rain will begin on August 23, 2022, thus the harm is still being done.
A grant of €350,000 (about Rs76 million) has been approved by the European Union to help families in need of life-saving humanitarian aid after severe flooding devastated numerous areas of Pakistan.
The EU stated in a statement that the aid will concentrate on meeting the immediate needs of people most impacted in some of Balochistan’s hardest-hit areas, Jhal Magsi and Lasbela.
According to Taheeni Thammannagoda, who manages EU humanitarian programmes in Pakistan, “the disastrous floods have left a trail of ruin in Pakistan, leading people to suffer the loss of their homes, livelihoods, and belongings.”
NEW DELHI: The two nuclear-armed adversaries handled the issue amicably because there were no casualties, according to the Indian Air Force, which said on Tuesday that the government had fired three officers for “accidentally” shooting a missile into Pakistan in March.
On March 9, the BrahMos missile—a land-attack cruise missile with nuclear weapons capability—was launched, leading Pakistan to ask New Delhi about the safety precautions taken to prevent unintentional launches.
“A Court of Inquiry, established to examine the facts of the matter and determine who was responsible for the occurrence, ruled that three officers’ violation from the Standard Operating Procedures caused the missile to be accidentally fired.
MUMBAI: Following calls for his arrest from Muslim organisations for remarks he made about the Holy Prophet Mohammad, Indian police detained a state lawmaker from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party on Tuesday on suspicion of “promoting hostility in the name of religion” (PBUH).
T Raja Singh, a politician from the Telangana state in southern India, was detained months after his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fired a spokesperson for comments she made about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which sparked diplomatic retaliation against India.
Joel Davis, a top police official in Hyderabad, said, “He has been accused of inciting hatred in the name of religion.””He is being held, and he will be arrested. This relates to the most recent video he posted.”
The elderly man had married a female who was decades younger than him, Singh claimed in the video, which is available on social media and appears to be a reference to the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
Asif Ali Zardari, a former president and leader of the PPP, encouraged the government and institutions on Tuesday to establish their authority while mocking PTI Chairman Imran Khan for disparaging Pakistan’s armed services, police, and courts.
A tweet from the government and institutions read, “The institutions and government will have to establish their writ or else the law, Constitution, and institutions will keep bowing to his [Imran Khan’s] demands.”
In a meeting with Sindh ministers, Zardari reportedly stated that flood victims in all four provinces are looking to the government for assistance, while Imran Khan’s insatiable desire for power is driving him insane day by day.
WASHINGTON: Asserting that it does not support any political party, the US declined to comment on Monday’s allegations of terrorism against PTI Chairman Imran Khan.Ned Price, a spokesman for the US State Department, stated during a press conference that the nation was “of course” aware of the information regarding the claims.
However, he claimed that Pakistan’s legal and judicial system should be involved in this.We don’t have a position on one political candidate or party versus any other political candidate or party, thus it isn’t specifically a US issue.
The spokeswoman for the State Department further stated that the US stands in favour of Pakistan’s “peaceful preservation of democratic, constitutional, and legal values.
A Chinese lady filed a lawsuit against a male coworker, alleging that the man hugged her too forcefully and shattered three of her ribs.
She chose to bring the case today even though the man hugged her last year.The woman, who is from the Chinese region of Hunan, brought the case before the Yunxi court.
The court ordered the coworker to pay 10,000 Yuan, or more than Rs300,000, in damages.The woman was talking to someone else when a coworker approached her in the workplace and gave her a hard hug. The woman then yelled in pain.
Bella Hadid, the daughter of Palestinian real estate billionaire Mohamed Hadid and Dutch supermodel Yolanda Hadid, has admitted that she lost a lot of her friends as a result of her anti-Israel stance.
The 25-year-old model was forthright about her opinions on Israel and acknowledged that both friends and employers have shunned her because of them.
Due of the dispute between the Jewish state and Palestine, Gigi Hadid’s sister has in the past publicly criticised Israel on social media.The fashionista said in his podcast with Libyan-American journalist Noor Tagouri that “so many brands have stopped working with me.”
NAIROBI: Kenya’s Chief Justice Martha Koome, who built her career defending dissidents and this year’s court thwarted constitutional reforms sought by the president who selected her, is no pushover in a nation formerly infamous for political involvement in the judiciary.
However, when opposition leader Raila Odinga filed a Supreme Court petition on Monday seeking to annul the outcomes of the presidential election held on August 9, her own reputation for impartiality and independence is now in jeopardy.
The chairman of the election commission announced that Deputy President William Ruto had won by around 233,000 votes, but four of the seven commissioners disagreed, claiming that the results had not been fully tallied.
