A battery-powered train has broken the world record for the longest railway journey on a single charge.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) train, a specially adapted former District Line train, travelled overnight along a 200-mile (322km) route from Reading and back again via London Paddington and Oxford.
It reached 140 miles (225km), breaking the record on Brunel Maidenhead Bridge at about 04:00 BST.
The previous record of 139 miles (224km) was set by German train company Stadler Deutschland in Berlin on 10 December 2021.
The Rail Performance Society was on board to verify the record attempt.
Vice chairman Nigel Smedley said: “We can confirm that, subject to final checks, the Great Western Railway Class 230 train travelled 200 miles on a return journey from Reading Train Care Depot without charging its batteries from any external energy source.”
Great Western Railway (GWR) made the attempt to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the railways.
GWR engineering director Dr Simon Green said: “Today’s record attempt has been a bit of fun, but it also underlines a serious point: investment in battery technology is essential as we look to replace our ageing diesel fleet.”
GWR is exploring if battery trains could replace its diesel fleet as it goes out of service over the next seven to 10 years.
The death toll from yesterday’s heavy rainfall in Karachi rose to eight on Wednesday as the city’s residents struggled with flooded roads and Sindh braced for more downpours in the coming days.
The rains severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, causing stormwater drains and sewers to burst, along with disrupting industrial operations across the economic hub. Several areas experienced hours-long power and internet services outage. Due to the severity of the situation, the provincial administration announced a public holiday in the city today.
According to separate statements issued by Karachi Rescue 1122, two more people died in rain-related incidents, in addition to yesterday’s six deaths.
Edhi Marine Service volunteers recovered the body of a 50-year-old man, identified as Abbas Mohsin, who went missing in a nullah near the Gurumandir area yesterday, Rescue 1122 said. His body was taken to Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK).
In Defence Housing Authority’s (DHA) Phase 5, Edhi Marine Service volunteers recovered the body of 19-year-old motorcycle rider Yasir, after being informed about an electrocution incident. The man’s body was shifted to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College (JPMC).
A man and a woman were injured after part of an old building collapsed in Ranchore Line area, a statement from Edhi Rescue service said. Both were taken to CHK in an ambulance.
The Sindh government has ordered all private and public educational institutions across the city to remain closed today, after Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab declared a rain emergency.
Rainwater was still accumulated on some roads near I. I. Chundrigar, as Karachi witnessed sunny skies with no further rain so far.
This Google Map screengrab shows road blockades across Karachi on Aug 20, 2025 as of 12:20pm, a day after heavy rainfall led to flooding in various areas.
Yesterday’s rains severely flooded Karachi’s major arteries, including Sharea Faisal, M.A. Jinnah Road, and I.I. Chundrigarh Road, with hundreds of cars and motorcycles submerged and commuters stuck in traffic jams for several hours. Many had to wade through waist-deep water in the business district as they tried to return home.
Shortly after the heavy rains hit the city, power outages swept across the city, plunging several areas into darkness. Even upscale neighbourhoods, such as DHA and Clifton, were severely affected, with rainwater flooding homes and adding to the residents’ misery.
The domestic and international flight operations at Jinnah International Airport were also affected, with the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) confirming that several flights were either delayed, cancelled or diverted to an alternative airport due to inclement weather.
Among six people who died yesterday were four members of a family who lost their lives after the walls of a house in Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s Block-12 collapsed during the heavy rain. According to a JPMC statement, a boy aged between two to four years and a six to seven-year-old girl were among the deceased, while a fifth relative was injured.
In another similar incident in Orangi Town, an eight-year-old child lost his life. An unidentified man, aged 20-24 years, died in a suspected electrocution case in DHA’s Phase 7.
Power restored in various areas: KE
In an update at 2:15am, K-Electric spokesperson Imran Rana said efforts were underway to restore power supply in affected areas after getting safety clearance from on-ground teams as accumlulated rainwater recedes.
“K-Electric’s generation, transmission, and distribution systems remain stable after the torrential monsoon rains, and power supply continues across the city through more than 1,700 feeders,” the statement on Rana’s X said.
Areas in which power had been restored, as per KE, included North Nazimabad’s Block L and M; Askari 5; Malir Cantt Sector J; Orangi Town; Shamsi Colony; Feroz Shah Colony; Bangla Bazaar; Sectors 14-A, B, C, D, E and F; Pak Colony; F.B. Area Block 10, 11 and 14; Sarhad Colony; and Naubahar Colony.
Power had also been restored in Badar Commercial’s Street 2, 6, 9 and 12; Zamzama Commercial; Azam Basti; DHA Phase 5; Clifton Block 2 and 9; Gulistan-i-Johar’s Block 15 and 17; City Railway Colony; Defence; Dhoraji; CP Berar; Faran Society; Zamzama Commercial; and Azam Basti.
Rana said fuel supply disruptions across the city were also impacting the movement of KE vehicles for the restoration work.
More rains expected in Sindh, Balochistan
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast torrential rains in Sindh, parts of Balochistan, and other regions of the country in the coming days, advising the provincial disaster management authorities to make necessary arrangements.
According to the PMD, strong monsoon currents from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are continuously penetrating the country, particularly the southern parts.
Under the influence of these conditions, widespread rain-wind/thundershowers with scattered heavy falls, at times very heavy, are expected in Karachi, Mithi, Tharparkar, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar and Jamshoro.
Scattered showers are likely in Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, and Jacobabad till August 22 with occasional gaps.
In Balochistan, rain-wind/thundershowers with scattered heavy falls are expected in Barkhan, Musakhel, Loralai, Sibi, Zhob, Qila Saifullah, Khuzdar, Lasbela, Awaran, Kech, Gwadar, and Panjgur till August 22 with occasional gaps.
The Met Office warned that torrential rains may cause urban flooding in low-lying areas of Sindh, including Karachi, Thatta, Badin, Sajawal, Tharparkar, Umer Kot, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Shaheed Benazirabad, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Sanghar, and Jamshoro.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
Micro RGB delivers exceptional color accuracy with sub-100-micrometer LEDs, redefining the paradigm of ultra-premium displays
Samsung Electronics announced the official launch of its Micro RGB, the world’s first display to feature a micro-scale RGB LED backlight behind a large 115-inch screen. This breakthrough display establishes a new benchmark for color accuracy, contrast and immersive viewing in the ultra-premium TV segment.
Samsung’s Micro RGB is built on Samsung’s proprietary Micro RGB Technology, which arranges individually controlled red, green and blue micro RGB LEDs — each less than 100µm in size — in an ultra-fine pattern behind the panel. Unlike conventional backlighting, the architecture enables precision control over each red, green and blue RGB LED.
“Micro RGB achieves unprecedented precision in the control of micrometer-sized RGB LEDs, raising the bar for color accuracy and contrast in consumer displays,” said Taeyong Son, Executive Vice President and Head of the R&D Team of the Visual Display (VD) Business at Samsung Electronics. “With this launch, we’re setting the standard in the large-sized, ultra-premium TV market and reinforcing our commitment to next-generation display innovation.”
Micro RGB is powered by Samsung’s Micro RGB AI engine, which uses AI processing to fully optimize both picture and sound. This advanced technology analyzes each frame in real time and automatically optimizes color output for a more lifelike and immersive picture. With this AI engine, Micro RGB Color Booster Pro recognizes scenes with dull color tones and intelligently enhances colors across all content for a more vivid and immersive viewing experience.
Additionally, Samsung’s Micro RGB features Micro RGB Precision Color, ensuring colors are delivered as intended for maximum accuracy and vividness, with precisely controlled colors that achieves 100% color coverage of BT.2020, an international standard for color accuracy established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The display also received ‘Micro RGB Precision Color’ certification from the Verband der Elektrotechnik (VDE), a leading German electrical engineering certification institute.
With Glare Free technology, Samsung’s Micro RGB minimizes reflections, even in bright lighting conditions for a more comfortable and focused viewing experience. Apart from providing next-generation performance, Micro RGB’s super slim metal design achieves a sleek, minimalistic profile to compliment any interior.
With Samsung Vision AI integrated, Samsung’s Micro RGB brings the latest state-of-the-art AI technologies including AI picture and sound, and a smarter Bixby voice assistant, powered by generative AI, which offers a more conversational and personalized experience for TV users to get more from what they’re watching without leaving the screen.
Samsung’s Micro RGB is also secured by Samsung Knox, the industry-leading security solution designed to protect users’ sensitive personal data, and Samsung’s 7-year free Tizen OS Upgrade program, which ensures ongoing software enhancements and long-term support.
After its debut in Korea, Samsung’s Micro RGB is set to launch in the U.S., with plans for a global rollout featuring a variety of sizes to meet customer needs.
To learn more about Micro RGB, visit, https://www.samsung.com/my/.
MIRPUR (AJK), Aug 20 (APP):Paris-based Chairman, Jammu and Kashmir Forum France, Chaudhry Naeem Akhtar, has strongly condemned the ban imposed by the occupying Indian forces on 25 prominent authors’ books on Kashmir in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) state.
In a statement released to the media, he stated that censorship and restrictions on democratic freedoms continued in the region.
He expressed these views during a media talk.
Terming the ban on books as irrational, unfortunate, and contrary to democratic values, he said, “We fail to understand what it is in these books that threatens the occupying Indian forces.
He questioned, If the situation was truly normal, then why resort to censorship? He further added that history bears witness that bans on books often lead to their increased popularity. Ideas that are suppressed tend to become more deeply ingrained in public consciousness.
Akhter also stated that this decision to ban books was a tyrannical attack on democratic rights and intellectual freedom. Particularly, the fact that this ban was imposed on the day marking six years since the abrogation of Article 370, makes it yet another symbol of injustice towards the Kashmiri people.
He remarked that banning books was a failed attempt to erase history.
Democracy thrived on the free exchange of ideas, he lamented.
“Imposing a ban on books cannot erase history—it only fuels further division and alienation,” he said.
He concluded by saying: Censorship does not silence ideas; it amplifies their echo”.
Donald Trump says US may provide air support as part of peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
The US president, Donald Trump, said on Tuesday his country may provide air support to back a Ukraine peace deal. Trump ruled out putting US troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said he might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia’s war in the country. It comes a day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war at an extraordinary White House summit. The path to peace remained uncertain as the US and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include.
“When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air,” Trump said in an interview with the Fox News “Fox & Friends” program.
Nato military leaders were expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine, with US Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expected to attend virtually, officials told Reuters.
Also:
Putin has said Russia will not tolerate troops from the Nato alliance in Ukraine. He has also shown no sign of backing down from demands for territory, including land not under Russia’s military control, after his summit with Trump on Friday in Alaska.
Later, in an interview with radio host Mark Levin, Trump characterised his negotiating style in trying to end the war as “probably instinct more than process.”
Following Monday’s meeting, Russia launched its biggest air assault in more than a month on Ukraine, with 270 drones and 10 missiles launched, the Ukrainian air force said. The energy ministry said the strikes caused big fires at energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine’s only oil refinery.
Oil is flowing to Slovakia again via the Druzhba pipeline, the Slovak economy ministry said late on Tuesday, after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov region cut off supplies. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, a key conduit for generating money for Kremlin’s war efforts, with oil and gas sales accounting for a quarter of Russia’s total state budget proceeds.
Key events
Russia launched a “massive drone strike” on the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa, injuring one person and causing a large fire at a fuel and energy facility, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said on Wednesday.
Administration of the Izmail district in the Odesa region said on social media that port infrastructure in the city was damaged.
A firefighter works at the site of a fuel storage facility hit by a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Odesa region, Ukraine August 20, 2025. Photograph: State Emergency Service Of Ukraine/Reuters
Russia’s air defence units destroyed 42 Ukrainian drones overnight, Russia’s RIA news agency reported on Wednesday, citing data from the Russian defence ministry.
Donald Trump says US may provide air support as part of peace deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine
The US president, Donald Trump, said on Tuesday his country may provide air support to back a Ukraine peace deal. Trump ruled out putting US troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said he might provide air support as part of a deal to end Russia’s war in the country. It comes a day after Trump pledged security guarantees to help end the war at an extraordinary White House summit. The path to peace remained uncertain as the US and allies prepared to work out what military support for Ukraine might include.
“When it comes to security, (Europeans) are willing to put people on the ground. We’re willing to help them with things, especially, probably … by air,” Trump said in an interview with the Fox News “Fox & Friends” program.
Nato military leaders were expected to meet on Wednesday to discuss Ukraine, with US Gen Dan Caine, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, expected to attend virtually, officials told Reuters.
Also:
Putin has said Russia will not tolerate troops from the Nato alliance in Ukraine. He has also shown no sign of backing down from demands for territory, including land not under Russia’s military control, after his summit with Trump on Friday in Alaska.
Later, in an interview with radio host Mark Levin, Trump characterised his negotiating style in trying to end the war as “probably instinct more than process.”
Following Monday’s meeting, Russia launched its biggest air assault in more than a month on Ukraine, with 270 drones and 10 missiles launched, the Ukrainian air force said. The energy ministry said the strikes caused big fires at energy facilities in the central Poltava region, home to Ukraine’s only oil refinery.
Oil is flowing to Slovakia again via the Druzhba pipeline, the Slovak economy ministry said late on Tuesday, after a Ukrainian drone strike on an oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov region cut off supplies. Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure, a key conduit for generating money for Kremlin’s war efforts, with oil and gas sales accounting for a quarter of Russia’s total state budget proceeds.
An AI start-up which claims to act as an ‘immune system’ for software has landed $17m (£12.6m) in initial funding from backers including the ventures arm of Alphabet-owned Google.
Sky News has learnt that Phoebe, which uses AI agents to continuously monitor and respond to live system data in order to identify and fix software glitches, will announce this week one of the largest seed funding rounds for a UK-based company this year.
The funding is led by GV – formerly Google Ventures – and Cherry Ventures, and will be announced to coincide with the public launch of Phoebe’s platform.
It is expected to be announced publicly on Thursday.
Phoebe was founded by Matt Henderson and James Summerfield, the former chief executive and chief information officer of Stripe Europe, last year.
The duo sold their first start-up, Rangespan, to Google a decade earlier.
Their latest venture is motivated by data suggesting that the world’s roughly 40 million software developers spend up to 30% of their time reacting to bugs and errors.
More on Artificial Intelligence
Financial losses to companies from software outages are said to have reached $400bn globally last year, according to the company.
Phoebe’s swarms of AI agents sift through siloed data to identify errors in real time, which it says reduces the time it takes to resolve them by up to 90%.
“High-severity incidents can make or break big customer relationships, and numerous smaller problems drain engineering productivity,” Mr Henderson said.
“Software monitoring tools exist, but they aren’t very intelligent and require people to spend a lot of time working out what is wrong and what to do about it.”
The backing from blue-chip investors such as GV and Cherry Ventures underlines the level of interest in AI-powered software remediation businesses.
Roni Hiranand, an executive at GV, said: “AI has transformed how code is written, but software reliability has not kept pace.
“Phoebe is building a missing layer of contextual intelligence that can help both human and AI engineers avoid software failures.
“We love the boldness of the team’s vision for a software immune system that pre-emptively fixes problems.”
Phoebe has signed up customers including Trainline, the rail booking app.
Jay Davies, head of engineering for reliability and operations at Trainline, said Phoebe had “already had a real impact on how we investigate and remediate incidents”.
“Work that used to take us hours to piece together can now take minutes and that matters when you’re running critical services at our scale.”
How do tidal forces determine a planet’s orbital evolution, specifically planets in the habitable zone? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated how tidal forces far more powerful than experienced on Earth could influence orbital evolution of habitable zone planets with highly eccentric orbits around low-mass stars. This study has the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of exoplanets, specifically regarding where we could find life beyond Earth.
For the study, the researchers used a series of computer models to simulate tidal forces on Earth and three exoplanets: Proxima Centauri b, GJ 3323b, and TRAPPIST-1e, which are located approximately 4.24, 17.5, and 40 light-years from Earth, respectively. As noted, the researchers analyzed data from planets orbiting low-mass stars, and the mass of each planet’s star compared to our Sun is 0.12, 0.17, and 0.08, respectively.
Additionally, the observed eccentricities of the planets are approximately 0.35, 0.23, and 0.0051. For context, Earth’s observed eccentricity is 0.0167. One of the most important aspects of these planets is their semi-major axes (the distance from its star) are each much smaller than the Earth at 0.0485, 0.0328, and 0.0282 astronomical units (AU), respectively. For context, Earth is 1 AU from our Sun.
In the end, the models revealed that tidal force energy exerted on planets with eccentric orbits could result in their orbits being manipulated 1-2 orders of magnitude greater than Earth. Along with manipulating orbital evolution, the increased tidal forces could also influence planetary surface geography.
The study notes in its conclusions, “Under this condition, it is likely that all continents above the sea level would be easily eroded away by ocean tides, leaving no continent such that the planet would be more like an aqua-planet if the planet still has oceans. These tides may dramatically influence orbital evolution, climate, habitability, and observational features. The strong ocean tides can induce large tidal energy dissipation and can also enhance deep ocean mixing, oceanic overturning circulation and thereby equator-to-pole ocean heat transport. For asynchronously rotating planets with small eccentricities, the ocean tides would be much weaker but is still nonnegligible and comparable to that on Earth.”
The reason tidal forces have been studied for exoplanets is because the former is a common occurrence throughout our solar system, most notably between the Earth and its Moon. While Earth is approximately 81 times as massive as the Moon, the latter is large enough and orbits close enough to exert its gravitational pull on the former. This results in daily water bulging on opposite sides of the Earth, which is used primarily by the boating and fishing industries to determine the most opportune times for launching and recovering ships.
Beyond the Earth, tidal forces are observed between Jupiter and two of its Galilean moons, Io and Europa. As the much smaller Io orbit the much more massive Jupiter, for former’s eccentric orbit takes it closer and farther from Jupiter, resulting in Jupiter’s gravitational pull being greater and weaker, respectively. Over millions of years, this constant flexing and compressing of Io results in frictional heating of its interior, resulting in Io being the most volcanically active planetary body in the solar system.
Like Io, Europa’s orbit is also eccentric, but it is also receiving a gravitational pull from Ganymede, which orbits beyond Europa. These tidal forces result in Europa possessing a large liquid water ocean, which has become a target for astrobiologists with NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft currently en route to Europa to better understand the moon’s habitability.
As this study demonstrates, the phenomenon of tidal forces extends far beyond our solar system, potentially influencing how planets form and evolve and the plausible life that could exist there. As the number of known habitable zone exoplanets continues to increase, so will our knowledge about their formation and evolution, and whether they have the ingredients for life as we know it.
What new discoveries between tidal forces and habitable zone planets will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
