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  • Hull City legend Dean Windass tells graduates ‘live your dream’

    Hull City legend Dean Windass tells graduates ‘live your dream’

    University of Hull/Mike Park Dean Windass is wearing a red and green gown and a black hat with a red thick tassel dangling on the right. He is in an arena and is smiling to the audience. There is an academic smiling behind him.University of Hull/Mike Park

    Former footballer Dean Windass was awarded an honorary degree for his contribution to sport

    Former Premier League footballer Dean Windass has told new graduates to “go live your dream” after he received an honorary degree from the University of Hull.

    The former Hull City, Bradford City, Aberdeen and Middlesbrough forward was awarded for his significant contribution to the field of sport.

    In a speech at the Connexin Live arena in Hull, Windass, who revealed earlier this year that he has stage two dementia, said: “I’ve been called a lot of things in my life but not a doctor. Wow.”

    The 56-year-old is one of three people being recognised by the university, including broadcaster and self-described “eco-futurist” Alan Raw and motivational speaker Jaz Ampaw-Farr.

    Windass played for 12 clubs during a professional career spanning 19 years. Following the news of his dementia diagnosis, he revealed in May he had also been diagnosed with ADHD.

    Windass was part of the Bradford City side promoted to the Premier League in 1999 and wrote his name into Hull City folklore with a wonder goal in the Championship play-off final at Wembley in 2008, which saw Hull City promoted to the top flight for the first time in its then 104-year history.

    He also had stints at Aberdeen, Oxford, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United during a career that saw him amass more than 700 appearances and more than 230 goals.

    Reuters Dean Windass with arms raised aloft on the pitch at the Wembley play-off final. He holds a trophy in his right hand and is wearing his amber Hull City shirt.Reuters

    Windass scored the winning goal for Hull City in the 2008 Championship play-off final

    During his acceptance speech for his Doctor of Letters (DLitt) award on Wednesday, Windass told students graduating at the university he had an “incredible journey” from being initially rejected by Hull City at the age of 18 to proving his critics “wrong”.

    “Ironically, I got my break just before my 21st birthday with a manager called Terry Dolan at Hull City and he gave me that chance.

    “I worked on a building site while playing non-league football and then I didn’t want to go back to that building site. That’s what spurred me on.”

    He told students and academics in the arena to “go live your dream” and said hard work, sacrifice and daily attendance were among the qualities for success as well as trying “your hardest” and respecting others.

    “Yes it’s been a journey, yes it’s been tough but I would never change anything in my football career.

    “All I tried to do in my football career was to prove people wrong. I’ve made mistakes of course, we all do but I own my mistakes.”

    A head and shoulders photo of Dean Windass during a BBC interview. He has short, grey hair and is wearing a silver shirt.

    Windass said his family and friends had stood by him especially during his dementia diagnosis

    Thanking his family and friends, he gave a special mention to his fiancée Kerry Allanson, who Windass said had stood by him through his dementia diagnoses.

    “She’s been my rock for the last six years. I’ve let her down a couple of times but we’re getting married next year.”

    “I’ll prove to my fiancée that I’ll be a very good husband,” he added.

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  • UK jobs market cools as unemployment rate rises

    UK jobs market cools as unemployment rate rises

    The UK jobs market has weakened as the number of job vacancies continues to fall and wage growth slows, according to official statistics.

    The annual rate of pay growth in the three months between March and May slowed to 5%, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show, while the unemployment rate rose to 4.7%.

    Meanwhile, the number of vacancies fell again to 727,000 for the April to June period, marking three continuous years of falling job openings.

    Economists say the Bank of England may choose to cut interest rates at its meeting next month to boost the labour market.

    Earlier this week, in an interview with the Times, the Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey indicated there could be larger cuts to interest rates if the jobs market showed signs of slowing down.

    Most economists are predicting a cut – though some say it would be unwise to encourage spending while inflation is still rising.

    The ONS said survey data suggested that some firms may not be recruiting new workers or replacing ones who have left.

    The number of job vacancies is now at its lowest in 10 years, excluding the plunge seen during the pandemic when lockdowns stopped firms from hiring.

    While the unemployment rate rose, the ONS has flagged that the figures need to be treated with caution due to problems with how they are collected.

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  • 'Proud' Litton lauds Bangladesh's T20 triumph in Sri Lanka – France 24

    1. ‘Proud’ Litton lauds Bangladesh’s T20 triumph in Sri Lanka  France 24
    2. Mahedi was Litton’s ‘first name in the line-up’ for Colombo T20I  ESPNcricinfo
    3. Mahedi, Tanzid shine as BD secure T20 series win  Dawn
    4. All The Records Bangladesh Broke vs Sri Lanka In T20I Series Decider  OneCricket
    5. SL vs BAN: Mahedi Hasan breaks Harbhajan Singh’s record from 2012 in Bangladesh’s win  The Times of India

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  • Bass guitarist, members of Sabri Qawwal party killed in Kalat

    Bass guitarist, members of Sabri Qawwal party killed in Kalat

    Listen to article

    A devastating armed attack on a passenger bus in Balochistan’s Kalat district has left three members of a travelling qawwali party dead and at least 13 members injured, music industry insiders confirmed on Wednesday.

    The group, which was en route from Karachi to Quetta for a private performance, came under fire late Tuesday night when unidentified assailants opened fire on their vehicle near the Johan area of Kalat.

    Law enforcement agencies have termed the incident a targeted assault.

    Among those killed was Muhammad Asif, a promising young bass player from Karachi, who had been making a name for himself in the city’s live music circuit. The bassist had performed for famous singers such as Rahim Shah and Natasha Baig.

    The other two deceased, Muhammad Ahmed Bashir Sabri and Muhammad Raza, were long-time members of the qawwali troupe.

    The musical troupe was reportedly associated with the wider circle of the late Amjad Sabri, although not directly performing under his banner. Instruments belonging to the performers were also damaged in the assault.

    Hassan Ali Effandi, a music producer and curator from Karachi told The Express Tribune that Asif in particular had been an avid part of the growing live performance circuit in Karachi and had also performed for the famous singer Natasha Baig.

    Nimra Rafiq of Coke Studio fame also took to Facebook to remember Asif. “Really shocked and heartbroken to hear about Asif Bhai. He used to play bass with me and we did so many shows together. May Allah grant him peace and the highest place in Jannah. Ameen.

    Nadeem Sabri, the elder brother of Majid Ali Sabri, under whose leadership the qawwal party operates, released a video to express his grief and anguish over the brutal assault.

    In an emotional video message that has since gone viral, Sabri recalled the harrowing moments leading up to the ambush.

    “We were just thirty minutes away from our destination when bullets rained down on us,” he said. “Qawwals and artists are ambassadors of peace. I fail to understand what our fault was. Why were we targeted?”

    Fighting back tears, Sabri mourned the loss of three lives from the group, adding that nearly everyone in the party had suffered injuries. “We’ve lost three invaluable souls. The entire group has been wounded, and even our equipment, our means of livelihood, has been destroyed in this attack.”

    Civil society members and musicians have expressed outrage over the attack, calling for greater protection for artists travelling across provinces.

    Law enforcement officials say a first information report (FIR) has been registered, and investigations are underway.

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  • PSX surges as mutual fund inflows, FX reserves fuel optimism

    PSX surges as mutual fund inflows, FX reserves fuel optimism



    Broker is busy in trading at Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi on Wednesday, January 1, 2025. — PPI

    Buoyed by a record jump in foreign exchange reserves and a surge in equity fund inflows, the stock market extended its winning streak on Thursday.

    “Mutual funds have invested more than $50 million in the equity markets after the budget increased tax on money market returns as well as SBP reserves increase,” said independent investment and economic analyst AAH Soomro.

    “This liquidity backed rally will continue in the 140,000 plus range for KSE 100,” he added.

    The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 138,665.49 points, up 2,285.53 points, or 1.68%, from the previous close of 136,379.96.

    During the session, the index rallied to an intraday high of 138,943.47, gaining 2,563.51 points, or 1.88%, while the low of the day stood at 136,674.98, showing an increase of 295.02 points, or 0.22%.

    Investor sentiment remained buoyant as Pakistan’s central bank foreign exchange reserves surged by $5.12 billion to $14.51 billion at the close of FY2025, surpassing the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) $13.9 billion target. This is a sharp rise from $9.39 billion reported on June 30, 2024.

    The increase in reserves reflects a combination of improved current account dynamics and the materialisation of planned financial inflows.

    Though the central bank did not provide detailed commentary on the jump, in a statement last month it noted $3.10 billion in commercial borrowings and over $500 million from multilateral lenders.

    The gain followed a major drawdown of $2.66 billion as of June 20 due to external debt repayments — the second largest weekly fall on record. However, the timely rollover of $3.4 billion in Chinese loans restored confidence.

    Of this, $1.3 billion was refinanced commercial lending previously repaid by Islamabad, while $2.1 billion had been part of SBP’s reserves over the past three years and was renewed in June.

    On Wednesday, the KSE-100 increased by 440.1 points, or 0.32%, to 136,379.96 points from 135,939.87 points recorded in the last session. The highest index of the day remained at 137,232.11 points, while the lowest level was recorded at 135,542.89 points.

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  • SL vs BAN: ‘Proud’ captain Litton Das lauds Bangladesh’s historic T20I triumph in Sri Lanka

    SL vs BAN: ‘Proud’ captain Litton Das lauds Bangladesh’s historic T20I triumph in Sri Lanka

    Bangladesh skipper Litton Das says his team’s first ever T20I series win in Sri Lanka has been “huge” for his leadership and made the cricket-crazy fans back home happy.

    Bangladesh hammered Sri Lanka by eight wickets on Wednesday in Colombo to clinch the three-match series 2-1 and cap off its tour of the island nation on a high.

    Chasing a modest 133 for victory, Bangladesh rode on opener Tanzid Hasan’s unbeaten 73 to achieve its target with 21 balls to spare at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

    Spinner Mahedi Hasan set up the victory with figures of four for 11 to restrict Sri Lanka to 132 for seven after the host elected to bat first.

    “It is a proud moment for me as a captain,” Litton said.

    “I am happy that the fans are also happy seeing us win a T20 series in Sri Lanka.”

    Litton, who was named Bangladesh T20I skipper until next year’s World Cup in India, led the T20 team in the absence of Najmul Hossain Shanto last year in a 3-0 series sweep in West Indies.

    “Both series wins are huge for me,” said Litton, who was named player of the series for his 114 runs in the three matches.

    “Beating the West Indies in their back yard is massive. They are a strong team in their conditions. It is the same in Sri Lanka. They are a balanced team too.”

    Sri Lanka, led by Charith Asalanka, won the ODI series 2-1 followed by victory in the opening T20I before it lost two straight matches by big margins.

    “We are bitterly disappointed,” said Asalanka.

    “We probably made a blunder at the toss. When I came on to bowl, I realised that the wicket had improved. We need to take responsibility for the way we batted. It can happen in one game but this happening in back-to-back games is a huge concern. The World Cup is just seven months away and we can’t let these things happen. Credit to Bangladesh. They outperformed us. They fielded better than us and their bowlers were more effective than ours. Their batsmen also had clear plans.”

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  • Shopping centre fire leaves multiple dead

    Shopping centre fire leaves multiple dead

    A fire that tore through a shopping centre in the Iraqi city of Kut has left dozens dead and injured, state media has reported.

    The blaze at the mall, which had reportedly opened five days ago, broke out on Wednesday night and has since been brought under control.

    Medical officials quoted by news agency AFP said said 55 people died in the fire, with rescuers still looking for missing people.

    “A tragedy and a calamity has befallen us,” regional governor Mohammed al-Miyahi said, adding that legal action would be brought against the shopping centre’s owner.

    Videos on INA’s news channel show flames ripping through several floors of a multi-storey building as firefighters try to douse them.

    Other clips circulating on social media appear to show a small number of people on the roof during the fire, as well as the burned out insides of the centre.

    A number of people were rescued from the building by firefighters, al-Miyahi told local media.

    Ambulances were still taking casualties to hospitals in the city, which is about 160 km (100 miles) southeast of Baghdad, at 04:00 local time.

    Firefighters are continuing to search for missing victims.

    Nasir al-Quraishi, a doctor in his 50s, told AFP he lost five family members in the blaze.

    “A disaster has befallen us,” he said. “We went to the mall to have some food, eat dinner and escape power cuts at home.

    “An air conditioner exploded on the second floor and then the fire erupted and we couldn’t escape it.”

    A medical source told the agency: “We have more than 50 martyrs, and many unidentified bodies”.

    An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, with preliminary findings expected within two days, al-Miyahi said.

    “The tragedy is a major shock,” he said, adding that a “serious review of all safety measures” would take place.

    The shopping had opened just five days ago, AFP reported.

    It has been named as the Corniche Hypermarket Mall in the centre of Kut by local media.

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  • Imran Khan claims ‘harsh treatment’ in jail, explains Asim Munir’s grudge

    Imran Khan claims ‘harsh treatment’ in jail, explains Asim Munir’s grudge

    Complaining of “harsh treatment” in jail, former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has appealed to his party members to hold Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir accountable if anything happens to him.

    In a lengthy post on X, Khan, who has been languishing in Adiala jail for the past two years along with his wife Bushra Bibi, said they were being deprived of basic human rights.

    IMRAN KHAN’S APPEAL FROM JAIL

    The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since 2023 after being convicted in a web of corruption cases.

    “In recent days, the harsh treatment I face in jail has intensified. The same applies to my wife. Even the television in her cell has been switched off. All basic rights – both human and those legally granted to prisoners – have been suspended for both of us,” Khan said.

    The former Prime Minister, who was voted out of power through a no-confidence motion, claimed a colonel and the jail superintendent were carrying out actions on the “orders of Asim Munir”.

    “Therefore, I give clear instructions to my party. If anything happens to me in jail, Asim Munir must be held accountable,” the post further said.

    The former Prime Minister had previously said he was caged like a “terrorist” in a “death cell”.

    CALL AHEAD OF AUGUST PROTESTS

    The timing of the post is crucial, coming days ahead of planned nationwide protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to press the Shehbaz Sharif government to free Khan.

    The protests are likely to be led by Khan’s two sons, Suleman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, who have so far distanced themselves from dabbling in politics.

    Earlier this month, Khan’s former wife Jemima Goldsmith said the government has not allowed any communication between him and his sons.

    “My children have not been allowed to speak on the phone to their father. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years,” Goldsmith tweeted.

    WHY ASIM MUNIR IS TARGETING IMRAN KHAN

    Khan also claimed that the treatment being meted out to him and Bushra Bibi by Asim Munir was due to an incident that happened when he was the prime minister.

    He said after Munir was removed as ISI chief, his request for a meeting with Bushra Bibi was snubbed.

    “When Asim Munir was removed from his post of ISI chief, he attempted to send a message to Bushra Bibi through Zulfi Bukhari (PTI leader), requesting a meeting. She firmly refused,” Khan said.

    – Ends

    Published By:

    Abhishek De

    Published On:

    Jul 17, 2025

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  • PAF contingent arrives in UK to participate in Royal Int’l Air Tattoo 2025 – RADIO PAKISTAN

    1. PAF contingent arrives in UK to participate in Royal Int’l Air Tattoo 2025  RADIO PAKISTAN
    2. PAF to showcase advanced JF-17 Thunder jets at UK airshow  Dawn
    3. Pakistan to showcase JF-17 at prestigious Royal International Air Tattoo in UK  The Express Tribune
    4. Pak Air Force says JF-17 jets set to participate in UK military airshow  Business Standard
    5. Pakistan flexes aerial reach with JF-17 jets deployment to UK air show after India clash  Arab News

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  • New AI Tool Deciphers Mysteries of Nanoparticle Motion in Liquid Environments

    New AI Tool Deciphers Mysteries of Nanoparticle Motion in Liquid Environments

    Better understanding their movements is key to developing better medicines, materials, and sensors. But observing and interpreting their motion at the atomic scale has presented scientists with major challenges.

    However, researchers in Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that learns the underlying physics governing those movements. 

    The team’s research, published in Nature Communications, enables scientists to not only analyze, but also generate realistic nanoparticle motion trajectories that are indistinguishable from real experiments, based on thousands of experimental recordings.

    A Clearer Window into the Nanoworld

    Conventional microscopes, even extremely powerful ones, struggle to observe moving nanoparticles in fluids. And traditional physics-based models, such as Brownian motion, often fail to fully capture the complexity of unpredictable nanoparticle movements, which can be influenced by factors such as viscoelastic fluids, energy barriers, or surface interactions.

    To overcome these obstacles, the researchers developed a deep generative model (called LEONARDO) that can analyze and simulate the motion of nanoparticles captured by liquid-phase transmission electron microscopy (LPTEM), allowing scientists to better understand nanoscale interactions invisible to the naked eye. Unlike traditional imaging, LPTEM can observe particles as they move naturally within a microfluidic chamber, capturing motion down to the nanometer and millisecond.

    “LEONARDO allows us to move beyond observation to simulation,” said Vida Jamali, assistant professor and Daniel B. Mowrey Faculty Fellow in ChBE@GT. “We can now generate high-fidelity models of nanoscale motion that reflect the actual physical forces at play. LEONARDO helps us not only see what is happening at the nanoscale but also understand why.”

    To train and test LEONARDO, the researchers used a model system of gold nanorods diffusing in water. They collected more than 38,000 short trajectories under various experimental conditions, including different particle sizes, frame rates, and electron beam settings. This diversity allowed the model to generalize across a broad range of behaviors and conditions. 

    The Power of LEONARDO’s Generative AI

    What distinguishes LEONARDO is its ability to learn from experimental data while being guided by physical principles, said study lead author Zain Shabeeb, a PhD student in ChBE@GT. LEONARDO uses a specialized “loss function” based on known laws of physics to ensure that its predictions remain grounded in reality, even when the observed behavior is highly complex or random.

    “Many machine learning models are like black boxes in that they make predictions, but we don’t always know why,” Shabeeb said. “With LEONARDO, we integrated physical laws directly into the learning process so that the model’s outputs remain interpretable and physically meaningful.”

    LEONARDO uses a transformer-based architecture, which is the same kind of model behind many modern language AI applications. Like how a language model learns grammar and syntax, LEONARDO learns the “grammar” of nanoparticle movement, identifying hidden reasons for the ways nanoparticles interact with their environment.

    Future Impact

    By simulating vast libraries of possible nanoparticle motions, LEONARDO could help train AI systems that automatically control and adjust electron microscopes for optimal imaging, paving the way for “smart” microscopes that adapt in real time, the researchers said.

    “Understanding nanoscale motion is of growing importance to many fields, including drug delivery, nanomedicine, polymer science, and quantum technologies,” Jamali said. “By making it easier to interpret particle behavior, LEONARDO could help scientists design better materials, improve targeted therapies, and uncover new fundamental insights into how matter behaves at small scales.”

    Read the original article on GeorgiaTech.

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