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Warrants against Parvez Elahi withdrawn – Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: The Accountability Court of Rawalpindi on Wednesday withdrew the arrest warrants issued against former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi following his appearance before the court after repeated absences.

Accountability Court Judge Sheikh Ejaz Ali cancelled the warrants and restored Mr Elahi’s bail bonds.

The case relates to Bahria Town’s alleged illegal occupation of 684 acres in Rakh Takht Pari and 732.5 acres in the Loi Bher forests.

Takht Pari, located six kilometres from Rawalpindi near G.T. Road, spans a total of 2,210 acres and was transferred to the forest department on Aug 4, 1856.

According to a Punjab government report, the land consists primarily of natural shrub forest, dominated by Phulai and Sanatha bushes.

Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, representing Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz in the Supreme Court, defended his client by highlighting his charitable contributions, including the provision of medicines to the underprivileged and food to the needy. However, the court, while acknowledging Mr Riaz’s philanthropy, remarked that the case was akin to the saying: “Rob Peter to pay Paul.”

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2025

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July 10, 2025
Gold edges higher on softer dollar, trade war intensifies – Reuters
1. Gold edges higher on softer dollar, trade war intensifies Reuters
2. Gold inches higher with focus on trade talks Reuters
3. Gold hovers near one-week low as firmer US dollar, yields weigh Dunya News
4. Gold Holds Losses TradingView
5. Gold rises slightly following Trump’s announcement of new tariffs FXStreet
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July 10, 2025
Realising safer tuberculosis treatment with novel antibiotics

Based on the clinical trial results, the drugs could particularly benefit tuberculosis patients requiring extended therapeutic intervention.

New research has found two novel antibiotics that could provide safer treatment options for drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Sutezolid and delpazolid are part of a class of medicines called oxazolidinones. When compared to linezolid, these drugs have demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity and an improved safety profile.

Linezolid was introduced as part of the BPaLM regimen (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and moxifloxacin) in 2022. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended it as a standard six-month treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the researchers highlighted.

However, ”despite its effectiveness, linezolid is simply too toxic for many patients. We urgently need safer alternatives in this antibiotic class,” stated PD Dr Norbert Heinrich, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, LMU University Hospital Munich.

Working to improve outcomes in tuberculosis – potential of the novel antibiotics

Two Phase IIb clinical trials evaluated sutezolid and delpazolid in combination with bedaquiline, delamanid, and moxifloxacin, making them the first trials to use these specific four-drug combinations. In patients with drug-sensitive pulmonary tuberculosis, the antibiotics were reportedly safer and more tolerable compared to linezolid.

“These findings suggest that [sutezolid and delpazolid] may offer safer treatment options for [tuberculosis] patients, particularly those requiring longer courses of therapy”

Specifically, sutezolid demonstrated strong antibacterial activity and was well tolerated across all tested doses. On the other hand, delpazolid improved the effectiveness of the combination therapy with bedaquiline, delamanid, and moxifloxacin. A once-daily 1200mg dose achieved the desired drug levels for maximum efficacy. This was well tolerated over a 16-week period, the team shared.

“These findings suggest that both drugs may offer safer treatment options for [tuberculosis] patients, particularly those requiring longer courses of therapy,” explained Dr Tina Minja, National PI for the DECODE study at NIMR-Mbeya Medical Research Centre in Tanzania.

Future tuberculosis treatment landscape

“Seeing fewer side effects with sutezolid and delpazolid is a significant step forward—it brings us closer to [tuberculosis] therapies that are both effective and easier for patients to tolerate,” commented Dr Ivan Norena, Medical Team Lead at the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine at LMU University Hospital Munich.

Going forward, the research team plan to evaluate sutezolid and delpazolid in larger cohorts. Notably, subject to further development of these drugs as a new treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis, the antibiotics could play a key role in reducing treatment-related side effects while maintaining efficacy as next generation medicines for the disease.

These new findings were published in two peer-reviewed articles in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

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July 10, 2025
PHC terms Swat tragedy a gross negligence

PESHAWAR – The Peshawar High Court (PHC) Wednesday declared the Swat tragedy a result of gross negligence and ordered a comprehensive investigation into the incident. In a written judgment on a petition filed against encroachments on rivers and the Swat incident, the court stated that the tragic event that occurred on June 27 in the Swat River was due to the serious negligence of the concerned authorities. The judgment noted that 17 precious lives were lost due to the failure of officials, and no emergency measures such as helicopters were used to rescue tourists, terming it a clear sign of criminal negligence in public service. The court also pointed out that illegal construction of hotels and buildings along rivers such as the Swat, Panjkora, Dir, Indus, Kabul, and Charsadda has become common, posing a severe threat to human lives. The existence of these unauthorized structures reflects the failure and silent complicity of the relevant institutions. The court directed the investigation committee formed on the Swat tragedy to submit its preliminary findings within 7 days and a detailed report within 14 days. The Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also instructed to clarify what steps have been taken so far to ensure public safety. This firm action by court is seen as a landmark step towards ensuring accountability and protecting lives in the future.

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July 10, 2025
‘It still doesn’t compute’: David Corenswet on becoming Superman in James Gunn’s reboot

LOS ANGELES, July 10 — Actor David Corenswet feels a connection with the classic DC comic book character Superman that he portrays in the 2025 James Gunn directed film Superman.

The character Superman is known in the comic books for his identity problems, namely his double life as both a powerful superhero while also being an awkward reporter named Clark Kent who works at Daily Planet.

Corenswet is the latest actor to don the blue and red suit on the big screen, and he is still processing the weight of his new identity as the superhero.

“As far as the moments of it hitting me that I’m playing Superman, I think saying the sentence out loud is the closest I get,” he told Reuters.

“But it still just sounds so ridiculous to me to say it out loud that, you know, it doesn’t quite compute,” he added.

Superman, which arrives in US movie theatres tomorrow, follows Superman as he gets drawn into international politics as well as crossing swords with his billionaire nemesis Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult, monsters and other superpowered beings.

Cast members Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet attend a premiere for the film ‘Superman’ at the TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles, California July 7, 2025. — Reuters pic

The film has received high acclaim from early reviews on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with an 88 per cent rating.

“What’s best about Gunn’s movie is its laser-focused on relatable characters. This is no puzzle piece in a universe or a loud series of action set pieces,” Johnny Oleksinski of the New York Post wrote.

There was something special in Superman’s wardrobe that brought Corenswet closer to the character.

“The cape is the feeling that sort of pulls the whole thing together,” he said.

“When you walk in to the soundstage and you feel the cape billowing behind you, or you come to a stop in the cape, sort of twirls around you a little bit, you see your shadow on the wall and the silhouette of the cape, that’s the sort of like,” Corenswet said.

“And I don’t know whether it’s because I always wanted to be a Jedi growing up, but man, I can’t recommend the cape enough,” he added.

For Wendell Pierce, who plays the Daily Planet editor Perry White, the movie goes past its fantastical elements and reminds people that Superman is still relatable.

“That’s the thing that we learned from Superman, that his true superpower is humanity,” he said, emphasising Clark Kent’s life as a working journalist.

Superman is the first film of the new Warner Bros and DC Universe partnership, led by Gunn.

Upcoming projects include Supergirl and R-Rated horror film Clayface.

Anthony Corrigan, who plays Superman’s ally Metamorpho, who can transform his body into any element, said that Gunn didn’t just rely on Superman’s popularity to engage audiences.

“If it’s the right story, you know, it’s not just resting on the IP and on the character, it actually has to have a vision and creative vision,” he said, emphasising Gunn’s dedication to only make movies out of good screenplays. — Reuters

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July 10, 2025
Exercise enjoyment and commitment linked to personality traits

Finding motivation to exercise can be the greatest challenge in working out. This might be part of the reason why less than a quarter of people achieve the activity goals recommended by the World Health Organization.

But what if working out could be more enjoyable? One way of achieving this could be opting for types of exercise that fit our personalities. To this end, researchers in the UK now have examined how personality affects what types of exercise we prefer, and our commitment and engagement to them. The results were published in Frontiers in Psychology.

We found that our personality can influence how we engage with exercise, and particularly which forms of exercise we enjoy the most.”

Dr. Flaminia Ronca, first author from University College London’s (UCL) Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health

“Understanding personality factors in designing and recommending physical activity programs is likely to be very important in determining how successful a program is, and whether people will stick with it and become fitter,” added senior author Prof Paul Burgess from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Different sports for different people

The researchers recruited participants that attended lab testing for baseline fitness. They then split them into two groups; the first group was provided with an eight-week home-based fitness plan made up of cycling and strength training (intervention group), the other group continued their usual lifestyle (control group). During lab testing, the first intervention week, and after the intervention, all participants completed a questionnaire on how much they’d enjoyed each training session. The personality traits examined in the study included extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness.

“Our brains are wired in different ways, which drives our behaviors and how we interact with our environment,” Ronca explained. “So it’s not surprising that personality would also influence how we respond to different intensities of exercise.”

For example, people scoring high on extraversion enjoyed high intensity sessions with others around, including team sports. Contrary, people scoring high on neuroticism preferred private workouts. While they are fine with high intensity, they need short breaks in between. Others, scoring high on consciousness and openness were found to engage in exercise regardless of whether they particularly enjoyed it or were driven by curiosity, respectively.

Stress less

What was particularly interesting was the relationship between personality, change in fitness, and stress, the researchers said. Before the intervention, the stress levels of both groups were similar. After the intervention, however, especially people who scored high in neuroticism showed a strong reduction in stress. “It’s fantastic news, as it highlights that those who benefit the most from a reduction in stress respond very well to exercise,” Ronca said.

The researchers pointed out that the most important part about exercising is finding something we enjoy and not to be discouraged if we don’t immediately find it. “It’s ok if we don’t enjoy a particular session,” Ronca said. “We can try something else.”

“We hope that if people can find physical activities that they enjoy they will more readily choose to do them,” Burgess concluded. “After all, we don’t have to nag dogs to go for a walk: being so physically inactive that we start to feel miserable might be a peculiarly human thing to do. In effect, our body punishes us by making us miserable. But for some reason, many of us humans seem poor at picking up on these messages it is sending to our brain.”

Source:

Journal reference:

Ronca, F., et al. (2025) Personality traits can predict which exercise intensities we enjoy most, and the magnitude of stress reduction experienced following a training program. Frontiers in Psychology. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1587472.

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July 10, 2025
Dietary inflammatory index and its association with hematological inflammatory markers: a cross-sectional analysis in healthy and depressed individuals | BMC Nutrition
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