Daily News Pakistan

Pakistan is all set to witness the rare Comet (Tsuchinshan ATLAS) A3 through the naked on Sunday morning, Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) confirmed. Currently, the comet rises around 4:45am and can be seen when it's around 3-4 degrees altitude above the horizon until twilight sets in and it fades into the sunlight around 05:20am. This comet is currently making the turn around the Sun and has become fairly bright to be visible to the naked eye. Many people across the world have already reported sighting it with the naked eye, including Pakistan. Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) spokesperson Marya Tariq said that the comet, named Comet C/2023 (Tsuchinshan ATLAS) A3, "is going to visit us after 80,000 years as it returns to the inner solar system, just passing a few million miles (25 million miles) from our home at closest approach". "If you are a night sky enthusiast and an early riser, now is the chance to hav

With the spectre of all-out war looming over the Middle East, world powers warned of the potential repercussions of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination by Israel amid growing calls for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Middle East. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the UN General Assembly on Saturday that there must not be a delay in reaching a “comprehensive ceasefire” in the Middle East, and said a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians rema­ins the way out of the region’s tensions. Russia strongly condemned “yet another political assassination” in the Lebanese capital Beirut. Its foreign ministry said, “This forceful action is fraught with even greater dramatic consequences for Lebanon and the entire Middle East. The Israeli side could not fail to recognise this danger, but took the step of killing Lebanese citizens, which would almost inevitably provoke a new outburst of violence. Thus, it bears full responsibility for the subseq

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says the international community will not forget that the order for Israel’s terrorist act to assassinate Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was issued from New York. In a statement on Saturday, Hezbollah confirmed the martyrdom of its leader in massive Israeli airstrikes targeting a group of residential buildings in southern Beirut on Friday. The attacks took place as the Israeli regime's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was addressing the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. According to Iranian media, in a message of condolences on Saturday, Pezeshkian said the United States cannot absolve itself of complicity with the Zionists in the terror attack against the Hezbollah chief. He added that Israel’s Friday terrorist attack on the Dahiyeh area in the south of Lebanon’s capital Beirut and the martyrdom of prominent figures of the resistance movement, particul

Lebanon's Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was martyred and vowed to continue the battle against Israel. "His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, has joined his great and immortal martyr comrades who have led their path for nearly thirty years," Hezbollah said in a statement on Saturday. According to reports from the resistance media, Nasrallah was assassinated in a massive Israeli attack in southern Beirut Friday evening. The Israeli army launched a series of extensive assaults on what it described as the “central headquarters” of Hezbollah in the southern suburb of Dahieh. The strike came amid heightened tensions between Hezbollah and the Israeli regime over the genocidal war in the Gaza Strip. Israel said earlier that it had killed the Hezbollah leader in an airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs a day earlier, in what would be a devastating blow to the group as it reels from an escalating

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on the group's central headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut a day earlier. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has yet to issue any statement on the status of Nasrallah, who has led the group for 32 years. The Israeli military "eliminated ... Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah terrorist organization," Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in a statement on X. "Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world," the Israeli military said in a post on X on Saturday. Israel launched a new wave of airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas of Lebanon on Saturday, a day after carrying out the massive attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut known as Dahiyeh.

Hezbollah security sources said that Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the resistance movement, is in a secure location and has not been harmed by the recent Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut. This statement follows rumors circulating on social media suggesting that Nasrallah was targeted during the Israeli regime's large aerial assault on the Dahiya neighborhood of southern Beirut on Friday. Six buildings were razed to the ground as a result of the Israeli aggression on the southern suburb of Beirut. The Israeli army radio said that F-35 aircraft carried out the aggression using bunker-buster bombs. Israeli media reports said the regime had informed the United States of the attack shortly before it was carried out. Lebanese media said civil defense personnel were working to extinguish the fire that broke out in the area and evacuate the injured. Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati reacted to the attack, saying the international community must

Veteran lawmaker Shigeru Ishiba was set on Friday to become Japan’s next prime minister after winning a closely fought contest in his fifth and final attempt to lead the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Ishiba prevailed over hardline nationalist Sanae Takaichi in a run-off vote in what was seen as one of the most unpredictable leadership elections in decades with a record nine candidates in the field. The leader of the LDP, which has ruled Japan for almost all of the post-war era, is essentially assured of becoming Japan’s premier because of its majority in parliament. The scramble to replace current premier Fumio Kishida was sparked in August when he announced his intention to step down over a series of scandals that plunged the Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) ratings to record lows. Ishiba must quell anger at home over rising living costs and navigate a volatile security environment in East Asia fuelled by an increasingly assertive China and nuclear-armed North Korea. In brie

Hurricane Helene was set to slam into the Florida coast as a “catastrophic” Category 4 storm Thursday, the US weather service said, threatening up to six metres of deadly ocean surge and pummeling winds as residents rushed to get out of harm’s way. The fast-moving storm was a Category 2 early Thursday, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami said, packing wind speeds of 155 kilometres an hour as it churns over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The NHC said it is expected to make landfall near the state’s Big Bend by Thursday evening or early Friday, warning that “damaging” winds may “penetrate well inland across the southeastern United States, including over the higher terrain of the southern Appalachians.” Along with the storm surge and fierce winds, it warned of up to 18 inches of rain and potentially life-threatening flooding as well as “numerous” landslides across the southern Appalachians. “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,”

Sudan’s army has launched a major offensive in the capital, Khartoum, to regain ground held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The army carried out air strikes on Thursday against RSF positions in the capital and north of Khartoum in its biggest such assault in months. According to international media reports, the army attacked several military sites belonging to the RSF, the sources said. Heavy and light weapons were being used in the continuing battles, and the Sudanese Air Force was carrying out several flights over Khartoum, they added. At least four people were killed and 14 wounded during artillery shelling on Thursday morning by the RSF, which targeted residential neighbourhoods in the Karari Governorate, north of Omdurman, according to Khartoum State Health Ministry spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim. The injured were transferred to Al-No Hospital, he said. Though the army retook some ground in Omdurman early this year, it depends mostly on artillery and air strikes a

Meta-owned WhatsApp has brought a new feature which would enhance the video-calling experience for its users. According to WaBetaInfo, the new AR feature was rolled out in its latest update for call effects and filters. Through this feature, users will be able to personalise their interactions with new visual tools. The messaging application is also refining this feature by allowing users to integrate these effects into the camera. A new filter button has been introduced to the camera interface through this filter which would allow users to apply filters with just a tap, making their pictures and videos more enhanced. These effects were only available during video calls, however, users can now access them through their cameras. "With this new button, users can quickly toggle through a variety of filters, allowing for real-time adjustments before capturing their images and videos," said WaBetaInfo. Users will find skin-smoothing filter among others which would help them

The son of Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said he was happy with the army chief’s timeline for elections within 18 months, though it was later than expected, but warned that genuine reform and polls were impossible without her party. General Waker-uz-Zaman, whose refusal to stand by Hasina in the face of deadly student protests prompted her flight to India in August, has told Reuters that democracy should return within a year to a year-and-a-half. “I’m happy to hear we have an expected timeline at least now,” Hasina’s son and adviser, Sajeeb Wazed, told Reuters late on Tuesday. “But we have seen this play out before where an unconstitutional, unelected government promises reform and then things only get worse.” He was referring to Bangladesh’s history of coups since independence from Pakistan in 1971. The most recent was in 2007, when the military backed a caretaker government that ruled until Hasina took power two years later in a tenure that ran 15 years. W

Hezbollah has claimed it fired a rocket at the Mossad spy agency headquarters near Tel Aviv. This comes as Israel announced that it has successfully intercepted a missile launched by Hezbollah aimed at Tel Aviv. Fortunately, there were no reports of damage or casualties, and civil defense instructions remained unchanged. It triggered warning sirens in Tel Aviv and other central locations, including Netanya. Mossad spy agency headquarters near Tel Aviv was responsible for the assassination of Hezbollah leaders and the destruction of its communication devices. It is reported that it is the first time the Lebanese group targeted Tel Aviv with a missile. In recent days, Hezbollah has launched hundreds of missiles and rockets at Israel, intensifying the ongoing conflict along the Lebanese border. The UN Security Council said it would meet on Wednesday to discuss the conflict. “Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon – the people of Israel – and the people of the world - cann

US President Joe Biden makes his final appearance at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, after dropping out of the race in July and endorsing his vice president as the Democratic nominee, the 81-year-old is not taking any chances. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also attended the opening session of the 79th UNGA being held today marking the beginning of the annual gathering of world leaders. Biden asked world leaders to prevent "full-scale war" over Lebanon, as clashes escalated between Israel and Hezbollah, prompting the UN chief to warn of a situation "on the brink." The UN General Assembly, the high point of the diplomatic calendar, comes as Lebanese authorities say Israeli strikes killed 558 people — 50 of them children. "Full-scale war is not in anyone's interest. Even though the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible," Biden said in his farewell address to the global body. "In fact (it) remains the

Apple, the world’s leading phone manufacturer, had quite a busy past few weeks following the launch of its latest iPhone 16 series, featuring its iOS 18, earlier this month. With the iPhone 16 series available in stores in many countries, Apple enthusiasts are now eagerly waiting for the roll out of Apple Intelligence — the tech company's suite of artificial intelligence features — which is expected to make its debut in October with iOS 18.1, India Today reported. Despite Apple Intelligence being rolled out next month, the full suite of AI features will be gradually introduced over the course of 2025. These AI powered features also include a revamped version of Siri, which promises to redefine the personal assistant experience. However, the timeline for the rollout of the new version of Siri, which was announced by the iPhone maker during its Worldwide Developers’ Conference 2024 in June, remained unknown until recently. Some of the new Siri features could potentially be int

Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Monday killed at least 492 people, including 35 children, 39 women and two medics, according to the health minister. Firass Abiad said Israeli bombing targeted homes, medical centres, ambulances and cars of people trying to flee reported. Over 1,600 people were injured in air raids. The Israeli military in a statement said that it conducted over 800 air raids targeting locations associated with Hezbollah The escalation of violence raises concerns about the potential for a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as broader regional conflict. Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health stated that among the casualties were children, women, and medical personnel. This announcement followed warnings from the Israeli military for civilians to evacuate areas it claimed were being utilized by Hezbollah, which had launched a series of rockets into northern Israel the day before. The fighting along the Israel-Lebanon border has intensified,

South Korea said Monday it would take "decisive military action" if anyone is killed by the wave of trash-carrying balloons being launched across the border by North Korea. Pyongyang has sent more than 5,500 balloons carrying payloads of garbage since May, disrupting flights, causing fires, and even hitting government buildings in the South. Pyongyang says the tactic is a response to activists in the South sending balloons carrying propaganda to the North. Seoul "will take decisive military actions if the North's trash-filled balloons post a serious safety threat or are deemed to have crossed a line", Lee Sung-joon, of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters. The line would be crossed if anyone died as a result of the balloons he said, without giving details on exactly what the "decisive" measures would entail. Most of the balloons sent by the North have bags of waste paper attached, which pose no specific health risk, but concerns have been r

At least 50 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded in Israeli attacks across eastern and southern Lebanon. Children, women and paramedics among those killed and wounded in the attacks, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says. Israel’s military has warned civilians to avoid Hezbollah positions as it pounds southern Lebanon, while it was reported that phone warnings have been received across the country. The Israeli army reported on Monday that its warplanes had launched more than 300 strikes in Lebanon. The intensification of the fighting across the shared border, which has seen low-level skirmishes since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October, follows last week’s explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies which killed dozens in Lebanon. The increased hostilities further raise fears of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, or even a wider regional conflagration. In the early hours of Monday, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said the army had conducted “extensi

The Brazilian Supreme Court on Saturday asked Elon Musk-owned social platform X to present documents validating its new legal representative in the country, as the firm's lawyers now say it will comply with court demands to be allowed to resume operations in Brazil. X was shut down in Brazil in late August after it did not comply with orders from the top court related to hate speech moderation in the social platform. But in the last few days, X representatives have started to publicly vocalise intentions to address the court demands, even though the firm had previously said it would not meet them. X lawyers said late on Friday that the platform had named a legal representative in Brazil, addressing a key demand imposed by the court. In a Saturday decision, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes gave five days for X to provide commercial registries and other documents proving that X formally signed Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao as its Brazil legal representative. Brazilian la

Sri Lanka imposed a night curfew across the country on Saturday despite a peaceful presidential election that is effectively a referendum on an unpopular IMF bailout. Police announced the eight-hour curfew shortly after the independent Election Commission said Saturday’s poll was the most peaceful in the country’s electoral history. President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is facing an uphill battle to retain power, imposed the unexpected travel restriction “as an additional measure to protect people”, police said in a statement. It urged people to remain indoors. Earlier in the day, the government declared Monday a special public holiday. Results of Saturday’s election are expected on Sunday. Turnout was at an estimated 75 per cent when polling stations closed after nine hours of balloting, an election official said, citing provisional figures. The record for voter turnout in a Sri Lankan presidential election was set in 2019 with 83.72 per cent. Wickremesinghe is seeking re-election

Sri Lanka's Marxist politician Anura Kumara Dissanayaka took an early lead in Saturday's presidential election during the counting of postal ballots, official results showed. Dissanayaka had 60.21% of the 164,000 votes counted, out of just over 700,000. Public servants involved in conducting the election are entitled to post their ballots, which are the first to be counted. About 76% of the 17.1 million person electorate turned out for Saturday's vote, and final results are expected later Sunday. The election has turned into a referendum on incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe's austerity measures, implemented in line with a $2.9 billion bailout loan he secured from the IMF early last year. The 55-year-old Dissanayaka had vowed to renegotiate the unpopular IMF agreement under which Wickremesinghe had doubled income taxes, removed energy subsidies and raised prices. The initial results showed opposition leader Sajith Premadasa had 19.98, almost neck-and-neck w

France’s new premier said he hoped to finalise a long-awaited government soon, as President Emmanuel Ma­c­­ron weighed a line-up that marks a shift to the right. The full line-up, which includes fresh faces in almost all key posts, is due after “final fine-tuning”, Prime Minister Michel Barnier’s office said, after over two months of deadlock created by inconclusive legislative elections. While there appeared to be no major surprises or big-name entrants into the cabinet, there are set to be new foreign, economy and interior ministers, with only the defence minister remaining unchanged among the key offices of state. Barnier has proposed Europe Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as foreign minister, a source close to Macron’s political faction said. The move would be a major promotion for the 41-year-old, whose slick media appearances have impr­e­ssed observers, but boosting France’s presence on the international stage could pose a challenge. Bruno Retailleau, who heads the faction of the

At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli attack that hit a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. The Palestinian Civil Defence agency in Gaza confirmed that Israel targeted the Zeitoun School in the eastern part of Gaza City on Saturday. Those killed include 13 children, six women, and a three-month-old baby, the Government Media Office said in a statement, adding that Israel had committed a “horrific massacre”. At least 30 people were wounded, the ministry said, including several who suffered severe burns. Two people remain missing. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal noted that thousands of displaced people had sought shelter at the school. This is the latest in a series of Israeli raids on school buildings housing displaced people in Gaza, where tens of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes by Israeli offensives and evacuation orders have been sheltering. A strike on the United Nations-run al-Jaw

Elon Musk-owned social media platform X has named a legal representative in Brazil, the firm's lawyers said Friday, in a move that would address one of the demands imposed by Brazil's top court to allow the company to operate in the country. Andre Zonaro and Sergio Rosenthal, who were recently appointed as X's lawyers in Brazil, told Reuters that colleague Rachel de Oliveira Conceicao was chosen as the firm's legal representative. In late August, Brazil's top court ordered mobile and internet service providers to block X in the nation, and users were cut off within hours. The shutdown followed a monthslong dispute between Musk and Brazilian Justice Alexandre de Moraes over X's noncompliance with court orders demanding the platform take action against the spread of hate speech. Courts have previously blocked accounts implicated in probes of allegedly spreading misinformation and hate, which Musk has denounced as censorship, and had also ordered X to name a

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Thursday that Jewish-American voters would be partly to blame if he lost the November 5 election to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate. During comments to the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington, the former president lamented that he was trailing Harris among American Jews. Israel would likely cease to exist within two years should Harris win the election, and Jews would be partly to blame for that outcome because they tend to vote for Democrats, Trump argued. “If I don’t win this election — and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens because if 40 per cent, I mean, 60pc of the people are voting for the enemy — Israel, in my opinion, will cease to exist within two years,” Trump told the crowd. Trump was citing a poll that he said showed Harris polling at 60pc among American Jews. He also lamented winning less than 30pc of the vote among American Jews in

WhatsApp, a messaging platform owned by Meta, has introduced a feature that will tell the user which chat is consuming more memory. Many users get worried or worried about WhatsApp memory being full, but now WhatsApp has made this problem easy for them. A large number of users are unaware of the hidden WhatsApp hacks that must be known. An easy way is to know who you have interacted with the most. The following lines describe the method of the new feature through which you can easily know who you have sent the most messages to on WhatsApp and which chats are using up the most of your phone’s memory. For this follow the following simple steps: 1. Open WhatsApp on your mobile phone. 2. Click on the three dots (Menu) in the upper right corner. 3. Go to “Settings”. 4. Select “Storage and Data”. 5. Then click on “Manage Storage”. Recently, Meta also announced its plans to roll out a feature to support third-party video and voice calls in 2027. Meanwhile, the tech giant has main

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet US President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic Nominee Kamala Harris next week and plans to see Donald Trump as he visits the United States to shore up support before November’s crucial presidential election. Zelensky will be covering all political bases in what could be his last such visit before an election that could upend Washington’s policy of support for Ukraine against Russia’s invasion. The White House said Zelensky will have separate talks on September 26 with President Biden and with Vice President Harris, who is the Democratic nominee against Republican former president Trump. Zelensky has said he will share a “victory plan” with the US leaders to end the war with Russia. “The president and vice president will emphasize their unshakeable commitment to stand with Ukraine until it prevails in this war,” Biden’s Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. Biden said separately that he was “looking forw

LinkedIn has quietly enrolled users into training generative AI models. According to media reports, without prior consent, the professional social network introduced a privacy setting allowing the platform to use personal data for AI training. While LinkedIn recently updated its privacy policy to reflect this change, many users were not notified beforehand. In its updated policy, LinkedIn states that personal data may be used to "improve, develop, and provide products and services," including training AI models and using automated systems to personalize the platform. Users can opt-out by visiting the "Data for Generative AI Improvement" setting in the Data Privacy tab and toggling the option off. However, LinkedIn notes that opting out only affects future data usage, not previous training conducted with personal data. LinkedIn’s AI training policy highlights that it uses "privacy enhancing technologies" to redact or remove personal data in its train

At least 27 Palestinians were rounded up in Israeli military raids in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, according to media reports. A journalist was among the detainees in the raids that targeted the cities of Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Hebron, and other towns in the occupied territory. Israeli army forces searched and vandalized several homes in Qalqilya and the nearby town of Jayyus, arresting 13 people, witnesses said. Four more people were detained in Nablus amid clashes between angry residents and Israeli forces, which used live fire and tear gas canisters during the raid, they added. No injuries were reported. In Jenin, two people were arrested by Israeli army forces, including a journalist, witnesses said. More than 10,700 Palestinians have been arrested by the Israeli army in the West Bank since last October amid rising tensions over the ongoing Israeli onslaught on the Gaza Strip, which has killed nearly 41,300 people, mostly women and children, according

The United States has reiterated its "longstanding policy" denying support to Pakistan’s ballistic missile programme, saying it will continue to use sanctions and other tools to ensure its own national security and protect its financial system from being used by "proliferators". In a press briefing on Tuesday, addressing a query regarding the recent sanctions considered "biased and politically motivated" by Islamabad — as per the journalist, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that while Pakistan has been a long-term partner of the US, there are disagreements. "... and when we have disagreements, we won’t hesitate to act on those to protect America’s interests," he said, emphasising on the country's policy to deny support to Pakistan’s missile programme. "... we will continue to use our sanctions and other – our other tools to ensure our national security cannot be – cannot be impacted, and that the US financial system

The US State Department said on Monday that Under Secretary John Bass discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in his recent visit to Pakistan. Bass had met Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir in Islamabad, according to a readout from the US Embassy in Islamabad on Monday. Speaking at a routine press briefing on Monday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said that discussions included countering terrorism. “So they discussed our approaches to expanding bilateral cooperation on economic and security issues, including countering terrorism and violent extremism, the importance of fostering regional stability and prosperity,” Miller said in response to a question regarding Bass’ visit. “The under secretary expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s continued cooperation in assisting Afghans in resettlement pathways to the United States, and we will continue to work closely with the Government of Pakistan on all t

Three people have been killed in Lebanon’s Bekaa region in the east of the country in the latest device blasts, the state news agency has reported, a day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah detonated across the country. Multiple explosions have been reported across Lebanon on Wednesday, with Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reporting that pagers and “devices” have exploded in Hezbollah strongholds in the east and south of Beirut. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported explosions in multiple areas of Lebanon, which it said were the result of walkie-talkies detonating. On Tuesday, pagers used by Hazbollah, exploded nearly simultaneously in Lebanon, killing at least 12 people, including two children, and wounding around 2,800. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel. Israel did not comment on the attacks.

Hezbollah has said it "will continue, as in all the past days, its blessed operations to support Gaza", after a deadly wave of exploding pagers the group blamed on Israel. "This path is ongoing and separate from the difficult reckoning that the criminal enemy must await for its massacre," the group said in a statement issued on Telegram. Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded across Lebanon Tuesday, killing at least nine people and wounding around 2,800 in blasts the group blamed on Israel. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the wave of explosions, which came just hours after Israel announced it was broadening the aims of the war sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attacks to include its fight against Hezbollah along the country’s border with Lebanon. The blasts “killed nine people, including a girl”, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said. He added that about “2,800 people were injured, about 200 of them critically”. A s

More than 1,200 people, including Hezbollah fighters and medics, were wounded on Tuesday when the pagers they use to communicate exploded across Lebanon. According to international media reports, the pagers exploded in the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut, known as Dahiyeh on Tuesday, security sources said, adding that communication devices were also exploded in the south of Lebanon. Officials said the blasts appeared to be a remote cyber attack by the Israeli regime at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanese border. Footage shared on social media showed the wounded were attended by passers-by. Groups of people also gathered at the entrance of buildings to check on people they knew who may have been injured. In a statement, Hezbollah said at least three people, including a girl, were killed in the pager explosions and many others sustained injuries in the blasts. Hezbollah said that relevant authorities are currently conducting security and scientific investigations

Meta Platforms is rolling out enhanced privacy and parental controls for Instagram accounts of users under 18 in a significant overhaul aimed at addressing growing concerns around the negative effects of social media. Meta will port all designated Instagram accounts automatically to “Teen Accounts”, which will be private accounts by default, the company said on Tuesday. Users of such accounts can only be messaged and tagged by accounts they follow or are already connected to, while sensitive content settings will be dialed to the most restrictive available. Users under 16 can change the default settings only with a parent’s permission. Parents will also get a suite of settings to monitor who their children are engaging with and limit their use of the app. Meta, ByteDance’s TikTok and Google’s GOOGL.O YouTube already face hundreds of lawsuits filed on behalf of children and school districts about the addictive nature of social media. Last year, 33 U.S. states including California

A bus accident in Iran has resulted in the deaths of at least ten people and left 41 others injured, according to reports. The incident occurred when a passenger bus traveling from Bushehr to Mashhad overturned, allegedly due to excessive speed. The bus, which was en route to Mashhad, reportedly lost control and flipped over. Emergency services swiftly arrived at the scene and transported over 50 passengers to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, 10 individuals were confirmed dead upon arrival, with six pronounced dead at the scene and four succumbing to their injuries in the hospital. Among the injured, 41 passengers were admitted to the hospital, with nine in critical condition requiring intensive care. More than 15 others were treated for less severe injuries and discharged. The identities of the victims have not yet been fully established, and it remains unclear whether they were local residents or pilgrims. Eyewitnesses suggest that the bus’s excessive speed may have been a m

Papua New Guinea has given police permission to use “lethal force” to restore order as shootouts between rival tribes have killed dozens of people. Between 20 and 50 people have been killed in the violence in the Porgera Valley in Enga province, home to one of the country’s largest gold deposits, the United Nations estimated on Monday. The fighting involving hundreds of tribal warriors, apparently over control of local mining access, is continuing, the government said. The violence has spiralled after an attack in August on a landowner in the area by unauthorised miners, police said as they reported that 300 shots had been fired the previous day. Mate Bagossy, the UN’s humanitarian adviser for Papua New Guinea, said the death toll from the intensifying tribal conflict had reached “at least 20” on Sunday but was “likely up to 50 people” based on information from community members and local authorities. “Today, some security forces have started moving in,” Bagossy said on Monday, a

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have issued a directive to Regional Police Officers (RPOs) and District Police Officers (DPOs) across the province, mandating a ban on the use of social media platforms by police personnel. The letter emphasized officers and officials are prohibited from using TikTok, Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, and other social media platforms. The directive also forbids the uploading of police badges or other identifiable evidence on social media, highlighting concerns over breaches of standard operating procedures (SOPs). The letter notes that several officers have been found violating these SOPs, and it calls for departmental action against those who contravene the new policy. The police leadership has stressed that the use of social media undermines the integrity of the police force and poses risks to officers' safety. The new policy aims to address these issues by ensuring strict adherence to SOPs and safeguarding the department’s reputation and operational

A Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) vessel that spent months anchored at a disputed reef in the South China Sea has left the area, but a new vessel is being deployed “immediately” to replace it, Philippine officials announced, in a move that is likely to irk China. BRP Teresa Magbanua had been anchored inside Sabina Shoal since April to assert the Philippine claims to the area within its exclusive economic zone, and to prevent China from seizing it. “After more than five months at sea, where she carried out her sentinel duties against overwhelming odds, BRP Teresa Magbanua is now sailing back to her homeport with her mission accomplished,” Lucas Bersamin, executive secretary and chairman of the National Maritime Council, said in a statement on Sunday. Bersamin said the vessel’s return was necessary to the medical needs of its crew and to undergo repairs. NMC spokesperson Alexander Lopez later said “another will immediately take over”, citing a PCG order. “Definitely, we will keep our