Pakistan and Bangladesh vowed to spur efforts to increase bilateral trade, investment and connectivity after the first visit by Pakistan’s chief diplomat in 13 years.
The two South Asian nations, which separated more than half a century ago after a deadly civil war, lifted the visa restrictions for their diplomats and government officials, while Pakistan offered 500 scholarships to Bangladeshi students in the next five years, according to a statement by the foreign ministry in Islamabad.
Vietnam has evacuated more than half a million people as it braces for Typhoon Kajiki which, at the time of writing, is forecast to make landfall near the city of Vinh on Monday. Boats and flights have been cancelled in preparation for the typhoon’s impact.
Kajiki developed into a typhoon on 23 August as it travelled across the South China Sea. It continued to strengthen, with sustained winds reaching more than 100mph (160km/h), as it travelled just to the south of Hainan, an island province in southern China. A red alert was issued for Hainan, which is the highest alert level in China’s warning system.
The typhoon is expected to bring more than 300mm (11.8in) of rainfall to parts of Hainan and Vietnam on Monday, causing flooding that is likely to have a severe impact on farmland. On Tuesday, Kajiki is forecast to rapidly weaken as it travels inland across Vietnam and Laos owing to the lack of warm seas required to fuel the storm.
Across the Atlantic, despite Hurricane Erin remaining about 200 miles (320km) away from the coast of the US as it moved across the western Pacific last week its impacts could still be seen along the coast as large swells washed away beaches and flooded houses.
Waves of almost 50ft (about 15 metres) were recorded by a buoy in the western Pacific on Wednesday night, with waves breaking at about 20ft along coastal areas. As Erin tracked away from the east coast of the US last week it become a post-tropical cyclone, but still remained a powerful system with sustained winds reaching about 90mph. Erin will stall to the north-west of Britain through this week and weaken without causing much of an impact to western Europe.
However, the swell produced by Erin will continue to propagate into the west coast of Europe causing hazardous rips and large waves. Waves at the popular surfing spots of Mullaghmore on the west coast of Ireland and Nazaré on the west coast of Portugal are expected to be above 20ft on Tuesday.
Brazil also experienced large swells brought by a deep low pressure system in the southern Atlantic that produced the largest wave ever surfed in the country at 48ft. Another tropical system named Fernand developed shortly after Erin in the western Pacific last week, although this system is not expected to make landfall or strengthen into a hurricane, partly owing to a lesser amount of warm water across the western Pacific brought by the upwelling as Erin passed.
Waves approach Cua Lo beach as Typhoon Kajiki nears eastern Vietnam
Vietnam has ordered more than 586,000 people to evacuate ahead of a powerful typhoon expected to make landfall on Monday evening local time.
Typhoon Kajiki packs winds of up to 166km/h (103mph) and is expected to bring heavy rain, flooding and landslides.
Vietnamese authorities say they expect it to be as powerful as Typhoon Yagi, which killed around 300 people and caused billions in damage when it hit Vietnam last year.
The storm, which earlier skirted past China’s Hainan island, has already brought heavy rain and strong winds to southern China.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest news as it happens.
FAISALABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Monday handed prison sentences of up to 10 years each to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and others over their involvement in attack on Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Sanaullah’s residence during the May 9 riots in 2023.
The court, while announcing its verdict in a case registered at the Samanabad Police Station, sentenced a total of 75 people out of the total 109 accused and acquitted 34 others.
Out of those sentenced, 59 were given 10-year imprisonment including Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Rai Murtaza Iqbal, Farah Afgha, Kanwal Shauzab, Rai Hassan Nawaz, Ahmad Chattha, Ansar Iqbal, Bilal Ijaz, Ashraf Sohna, Mehr Javed, Shakeel Niazi and others.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid Javed and other PTI workers were given a three-year prison sentence.
The development adds to the mounting legal woes faced by the Imran Khan-founded PTI, which has seen scores of leaders getting prison sentences over the May 9 riots while several others, including the former prime minister, remain behind bars in a plethora of cases.
Earlier this month, an ATC in Lahore sentenced PTI’s Dr Yasmin Rashid, Senator Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mehmood ur Rasheed, former Punjab governor Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and several others to 10 years in prison.
Also, the court, in the Jinnah House case, sentenced Rashid, Cheema, Chaudhry, Rasheed, Ayesha Ali Bhutta, Muhammad Fahim, Niaz Ahmed, Ali Hasan, Zain Ali, Asad Ali, Bilal Wajahat, Bilal Bashir, Muhammad Qasim, and Zain ul Hassan to 10 years each in prison.
However, the ATC exonerated Shah Mahmood Qureshi Sohail Khan, Muhammad Owais, Rafiuddin, Farid Khan, Salman Ahmed, Abdul Qadir, Faizan, Tayyab Sultan, Shahid Baig and Majid Ali.
Last week, PTI founder’s nephews Shershah and Shahrez — sons of Aleema Khan — were arrested over their alleged involvement in the May 9 riots.
Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan stormed public property and military installations, including the Corps Commander House in Lahore, on May 9, 2023, in protest against the former premier’s arrest.
The riots erupted after the PTI founder was taken into custody from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a graft case.
During the unrest, the supporters of Khan — the only prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted via a no-confidence vote — targeted civil and military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.
Several PTI leaders and workers were released on bail after their arrests, while many remain behind bars.
The Sunkissed Shores event lets Pokémon Go visit the beach for one last time before summer departs. In a fitting manner, it also marks the release of Dondozo!
While you’re hunting down the Big Catfish Pokémon, make sure you complete the Sunkissed Shores Timed Research quest and complete the Sunkissed Shores research tasks. (All XP is good XP!)
Don’t forget to enjoy the Sunkissed Shores bonuses and wild Pokémon spawns either!
On this page:
The Sunkissed Shores Timed Research quest is running until Sunday 31st August at 8pm (local time) as part of the Sunkissed Shores event in Pokémon Go. If you want to earn all of the rewards from this event, then you need to complete it before this deadline passes or else you won’t be getting anything.
So let’s take a look at all of the Sunkissed Shores Timed Research quest steps and rewards down below. Just be wary of spoilers!
‘Sunkissed Shores Timed Research’ Step 1 of 1
Rewards: 10,000 XP, 7,000 Stardust and Alolan Exeggutor encounter.
Here are the Sunkissed Shores field research tasks in Pokémon Go:
Thank you to Amiibofan101 from reddit for the help with this information.
August in Pokémon Go is coming to a close with the Sunkissed Shores event and the release of Dondozo!
You can now catch Dynamax Pokémon through Max Battles. First, however, you need to visit Power Spots to collect Max Particles and complete the To the Max! quest.
Don’t forget to try out Routes, Gift Exchange and Party Play while you’re hunting down rare Pokémon, fighting in the Go Battle League or competing in PokéStop Showcases.
Dondozo, the Big Catfish Pokémon, from Gen 9 has debuted in Pokémon Go. If you want to add Tatsugiri’s best friend to your Pokédex, make sure you visit our how to get Dondozo guide. I’ve taken a look at the best Dondozo counters for this battle!
Here are the wild Pokémon appearing more frequently during the Sunkissed Shores event:
| One Star | Three Star | Five Star | Mega |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visor Slakoth | Alolan Raichu | Necrozma | Mega Salamence |
| Curly Form Tatsugiri In Europe, Middle East and Africa |
Alolan Marowak | ||
| Droopy Form Tatsugiri In the Americas |
Dondozo | ||
| Stretchy Form Tatsugiri In the Asia-Pacific regions |
There are two pay-to-play quests available during the Sunkissed Shores event.
There’s the details for the first pay-to-play quest:
The second pay-to-play quest involves:
Hope you enjoy the Sunkissed Shores event!
MELBOURNE (Monday, August 25, 2025): London-based singer songwriter Arthur Hill has announced he’ll be making his Australian live debut with Stella AusTour, a run of headline dates taking place in January 2026.
Arthur will kick off the new year bringing his dazzling, energetic live show to The Triffid, Brisbane (January 14), Factory Theatre, Sydney (January 15), and Max Watts, Melbourne (January 16).
Pre-sale tickets for Stella AusTour will be available as follows:
An artist presale will commence on Wednesday August 27 at 9am, running until Friday August 29 at 8am.
A Secret Sounds presale kicks off Thursday August 28 at 9am, concluding Friday August 29 at 8am.
A Spotify presale runs from Thursday August 28 at 11am, running until Friday August 29 at 8am.
General public tickets go on sale on Friday August 29 at 9am.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit: secretsounds.com
Speaking on today’s announcement, Arthur says, “Artour going global! Can’t wait to be heading to Australia and doing these shows. Heard rumours they’re the best crowds in the world? Get me down under!”
The announcement arrives as Arthur, who has been carving his own path in the music industry since 2022, concludes a summer packed full of festival appearances, which saw him impress crowds at a number of UK festivals including Boardmasters, Live At Leeds, Latitude, TRNSMT, and Isle of Wight Festival. Nearing the end of a momentous 2025, Arthur is now gearing up for his sold out UK/EU headline tour, which kicks off in November and will see him perform at some of the UK’s most iconic venues before heading to Europe.
Fans can expect to hear Arthur perform their favourite tracks from his growing discography, including infectious head-bopper ‘Appetite’ and his latest offering ‘Man In The Middle’, a single soaked in warm synths and nostalgic melodies, displaying Arthur’s transparent vulnerability. Earlier this year Arthur shared his debut EP ‘In The Middle Of Somewhere’, a six-track body of work showcasing his refreshingly honest lyrics, including fan favourites ‘Lily’, ‘Late For The Reservation’, and viral track ‘Hey Arthur!’, which earned over 4 million Spotify streams and counting.
Presented by Secret Sounds
THE TRIFFID – BRISBANE
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 14
THE FACTORY THEATRE – SYDNEY
THURSDAY JANUARY 15
MAX WATTS – MELBOURNE
FRIDAY JANUARY 16
Artist Presale: Wed, Aug 27, 9am – Fri, Aug 29, 8am
Secret Sounds Presale: Thu, Aug 28, 9am – Fri, Aug 29, 8am
Spotify presale: Thu, Aug 28, 11am – Fri, Aug 29, 8am
All times are local.
For complete tour and ticket information, visit: secretsounds.com
Upcoming Headline Tour Dates – 2025
Monday November 17 – O2 Academy Birmingham – Birmingham, UK
Tuesday November 18 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds, UK
Thursday November 20 – The Academy – Dublin, Ireland
Friday November 21 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK
Sunday November 23 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK
Tuesday November 25 – Chalk – Brighton, UK
Wednesday November 26 – Electric Bristol – Bristol, UK
Thursday November 27 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
Saturday November 29 – Les Etoiles – Paris, France
Monday December 1 – Melkweg – Amsterdam, Netherlands
Thursday December 4 – Uebel & Gefahrlich – Hamburg, Germany
Friday December 5 – LUXOR – Cologne, Germany
Sunday December 7 – Vega – Copenhagen, Denmark
FOLLOW ARTHUR HILL
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A major study reveals that prenatal exposure to chlorpyrifos, once widely used in homes and farms, may have lasting effects on children’s brains, from disrupted metabolism to weaker motor skills.
Study: Brain Abnormalities in Children Exposed Prenatally to the Pesticide Chlorpyrifos. Image credit: hedgehog94/Shutterstock.com
A JAMA Neurology study used a sample of school-aged children to examine the associations between prenatal chlorpyrifos (CPF) exposure and brain abnormalities. CPF exposure during prenatal development was associated with changes in neuronal tissue differentiation, enhanced myelination of the internal capsule, reduced fine motor speed and motor programming skills, and significantly disrupted regional blood flow and localized neuronal metabolism throughout the brain.
CPF is a very common insecticide used globally, so it is typically found everywhere, including in non-organic grains, vegetables, and fruits, as well as in air and dust. In this study’s New York City cohort, prenatal exposure largely came from indoor residential spraying before its 2001 U.S. residential ban. In pregnant women, it has been seen to cross the placenta and reach the fetal brain. In rodent models, prenatal and neonatal CPF exposure has adversely impacted the brain, hampering neuron and glia generation and interfering with neuronal differentiation. Early exposure to CPF is more toxic to glial cells than to neurons.
The adverse effects of CPF exposure could be mediated at the molecular level, including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, altered responses to neurotrophins, and impaired mitochondrial function. Research using rodent models has shown that these molecular effects lead to motor hyperactivity, learning and memory problems, and adulthood behaviors resembling anxiety and depression.
Prenatal exposure to CPF in humans has been linked to lower fetal growth, lower birth weight, smaller head size, abnormal newborn reflexes, and other disorders. The preclinical and clinical research conducted so far has shed light on the neurotoxicity of prenatal CPF exposure, but its effects on the human brain are unknown.
This prospective, longitudinal pregnancy cohort study examined the impact of prenatal CPF exposure on offspring brain metabolism, structure, and function in middle childhood. The study was conducted between January 1998 and July 2015 among pregnant women (N = 727) of African American or Dominican descent aged between 18 and 35.
During pregnancy, women completed questionnaires and self-identified their race and ethnicity. These data were collected to assess the representativeness of the sample. Within one day postpartum, maternal blood was collected, and umbilical cord blood was also obtained at delivery; CPF plasma levels from either source were measured. Of the original 727 women, 512 had CPF levels measured, and MRI analyses were conducted on 270 children aged 6-14.
Cortical thickness and local white matter volumes at the cerebral surface were evaluated using anatomical MRI measures. The direction and rate of water diffusion were assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Fractional anisotropy (FA) in DTI represented the directional preference of diffusion, and the mean diffusion rate over three spatial directions was represented using the average diffusion coefficient (ADC).
Furthermore, regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured using arterial spin labeling (ASL), and the brain metabolite concentrations were measured using magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).
A positive association was observed between prenatal CPF exposure and cortical thickness in frontal, temporal, and posteroinferior regions. An inverse association was noted between CPF exposure and cortical thickness in the dorsal parietal region. Concerning local white matter volumes in the frontal, temporal, and posteroinferior regions, an inverse association was noted with CPF exposure.
CPF exposure is inversely associated with ADC and positively associated with FA values in the internal capsule (IC). This was particularly true for IC’s anterior limb and genu for FA, and for the anterior limb, genu, and posterior limb for ADC. The long axis of IC fiber bundles exhibited reduced diffusion in both the radial and axial directions, contributing to lower ADC values. Across most brain regions, there was an inverse association between prenatal CPF exposure and rCBF values.
The concentration of N-acetylL-aspartate (NAA), an index of healthy neuron density, was measured using MRSI. Within deep white matter tracts and gray matter of the insular cortex, NAA was inversely associated with CPF exposure. The findings for other metabolites were sparse. A positive association was found between CPF and glutamate/glutamine (Glx) concentrations in the anterior cingulate cortex, after normalizing metabolite concentrations to creatine. The association between CPF and MRI measures in any modality was not significantly moderated by age or sex.
Concerning behavioral outcomes, a significant inverse association was noted between CPF values and fine motor speed and motor programming in both hands. The effects were disproportionate in the nondominant hand for motor programming.
Prenatal CPF exposure was associated with higher myelination of the internal capsule, changed differentiation of neuronal tissue into cortical white and gray matter, and poorer fine motor and motor programming performance. Widespread reductions in brain blood flow and scattered, localized reductions in neuronal density (NAA) suggest metabolic disruption. Some of the observed associations are accounted for by the molecular and cellular effects of CPF, including oxidative stress, inflammation, impaired mitochondrial functioning, and oligodendrocyte dysregulation.
A key limitation of the current study is the lack of generalizability of the findings, as the sample consisted of urban Dominican and African American women. There could have been selection bias regarding which individuals in the cohort could be contacted and who agreed to participate in MRI scanning. Furthermore, postnatal CPF exposure and exposure to other insecticides were not accounted for and could have influenced the results.
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An anti-terrorism court in Faisalabad on Monday sentenced several PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub, to 10 years in prison each in connection with the May 9 attack on the residence of Rana Sanaullah.
The ATC, however, acquitted former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and Zain Qureshi, son of PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, due to a lack of evidence.
Apart from Omar Ayub, PTI leaders including Shibli Faraz, Zartaj Gul and Ismail Sela were also sentenced to 10 years in prison each.
The case related to the violent protests that erupted on May 9, during which a group of PTI supporters allegedly attacked the house of PML-N leader and former interior minister Rana Sanaullah.
The ATC convicted 75 out of 109 accused, while 34 were acquitted, including former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry and Zain Qureshi, son of senior PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
According to the ruling, 59 individuals have been sentenced to 10 years in prison, while 16 others, including Sheikh Rashid Javed and several PTI workers, have received three-year jail terms.
The ATC acquitted 34 others in the case. All accused have been sentenced in absentia.
The case involved the central PTI leadership and 88 party workers among the 109 accused.
An FIR for the incident had been filed at Samanabad Police Station.
This verdict marks the fourth in a series of May 9-related cases. Three earlier verdicts have already been delivered by courts.
Due to convictions in those prior cases, Shibli Faraz has been disqualified from the Senate, and Omar Ayub from the National Assembly.