The International Handball Federation (IHF) has officially released the schedule for last day of the 2025 IHF Men’s Youth World Championship.
Only eight teams will feature in the Cairo Stadium – Hall 1, with the day starting at 12:30 EEST (CEST +1), with the Placement Match 7/8, between Norway and Hungary, followed by the Placement Match 5/6, at 14:45 EEST, where Egypt face Iceland.
The bronze medal match is scheduled for 17:00 EEST and will see Sweden and Denmark fight for the last place on the podium, with the final between Spain and Germany starting at 19:30 EEST.
Pakistan-US bilateral relations have taken a surprising turn in 2025, with a strategic shift in outlook of the United States towards South Asia. The year has been marked with thriving foreign policy of Pakistan and a robust strategic posture. The shift in complex South Asian dynamics can be felt vividly while Pakistan recalibrates its relationships on multiple fronts, especially with the United States. As Islamabad seeks to regain strategic relevance after years of diplomatic struggles, it is embarking on a comprehensive overhaul of its foreign policy. This transformation extends well beyond transactional agreements and points to Pakistan’s renewed quest for resilience, regional stability and global engagement.
From the Shadows of Conflict to Diplomatic Engagement
The May 2025 standoff was a sobering reminder of the fragile stability in South Asia. The conflict underscored long-standing unresolved, particularly regarding the Kashmir dispute and the persistent mistrust between India and Pakistan. However, the international response, especially from the United States, marked a subtle yet significant shift. Washington’s rapid mediation efforts brokering a ceasefire between the two countries, prevented unconventional escalation and put Kashmir dispute on discussion table once again. This move opened diplomatic avenues for Pakistan and United States bilateral ties.
In the months that followed, Pakistan’s leadership seized the diplomatic opening by adopting a more assertive but constructive tone. Islamabad publicly acknowledged and praised the U.S. role in de-escalation, signaling a willingness to engage Washington on multiple fronts including security, economic cooperation and regional diplomacy. This marked a departure from earlier years characterized by suspicion and disengagement, particularly after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 that had left Pakistan in deep waters to deal with terrorism and growing regional insecurity alone.
Recalibrating Pakistan–U.S. Relations: Beyond Old Paradigms
Historically, Pakistan–U.S. relations have been transactional due to increasing multilateralism and Pakistan’s obvious leaning towards China. However, 2025 has transformed the relationship giving it a fresh start. Prior to Pakistan- India standoff in May 2025, US had been appreciative of Pakistan’s efforts in counter-terrorism. In March 2025, Pakistan and US, in a collaborative operation caught a high-value target Sharifullah alias Jafar, member of ISIS- Khorasan and mastermind of Abbey Gate attack on US forces in Afghanistan in 2021. US President, Mr. Donald Trump’s response to counter terrorism efforts of Pakistan marked beginning of a new era in bi-lateral relations, which continues to prosper with multiple high level diplomatic and strategic visits between Washington and Islamabad, including that of Army Chief of Pakistan, Field Marshall Asim Munir and US CENTCOM Commander General Micheal Kurilla.
The post-standoff rapprochement reflects a broader U.S. strategic interest in maintaining stability in South Asia amid great power competition. For Pakistan, re-engagement with the U.S. offers an avenue to diversify its diplomatic portfolio, emerging as a balancing agent between US and China while curtailing India’s regional dominance. This recalibration is not simply about trade or aid; it is a multi-dimensional realignment involving security engagement to combat terrorism more effectively, economic cooperation aimed at fostering sustainable development and investment and strategic diplomacy to position Pakistan as a key player in South Asian peace efforts.
Strategic Implications of Pakistan–U.S. Realignment Post-2025
The strategic pivot in Pakistan – US relations is not merely about restoring ties rather signals Pakistan’s reintegration into global diplomacy through a more nuanced engagement with Washington. The renewed partnership is grounded in shared interests, particularly in counterterrorism, regional stability, and economic cooperation. For Pakistan, this realignment carries multidimensional implications that could help redefine its strategic trajectory in South Asia and beyond.
First, the revival of structured security cooperation with the U.S. enables Pakistan to once again become part of broader counterterrorism frameworks. Pakistan demonstrated its capacity and willingness to act against transnational threats. In return, the United States has shown renewed interest in intelligence sharing, security assistance, and operational coordination. In a post-Afghanistan context, this re-engagement with U.S. security structures is particularly important, as it rehabilitates Pakistan’s image from that of a problematic ally to a capable regional partner.
Secondly, the U.S. role in mediating the May 2025 India – Pakistan stand-off and Pakistan’s willingness to accept that mediation has bolstered Islamabad’s diplomatic leverage in the region. Pakistan’s close ties with Washington challenge India’s strategic monopoly in U.S. policymaking circles. It gives Pakistan a platform to advocate its positions more effectively.
Economically, this strategic realignment is likely to yield long-term dividends for Pakistan. The renewed interest of the U.S. in Pakistan’s energy and mineral sectors, including potential investment in Reko Diq and broader infrastructure development suggests a reorientation of economic engagement grounded in strategic rather than purely commercial logic. Pakistan is diversifying its foreign economic partnerships and balancing China and Gulf economies. This form of strategic economic interdependence is more sustainable than aid-driven relationships of the past, allowing Pakistan to build resilience.
The events of 2025, including Pakistan’s measured conduct during the conflict showing restraint before response and cooperation in counterterrorism offer a chance to shift previous narratives. Recasting itself as a peace-seeking, reform-driven, and globally engaged actor can yield reputational dividends. Pakistan is writing its own story, one of resilience, responsibility and regional leadership with access to American media, think tanks, and academia. This narrative shift is not only vital for foreign investment and diplomacy but also for national self-confidence, offering the Pakistani state and society a renewed sense of purpose on the world stage.
Realignment as a Strategic Opportunity
Pakistan–U.S. relations in 2025 have taken a surprising and constructive turn, marked by renewed bilateral cooperation and strategic coordination. This positive shift in what had long been a strained relationship has begun to yield mutual benefits. Joint efforts in counterterrorism, coupled with Pakistan’s assertive yet responsible conduct during the May 2025 Pakistan–India standoff have positioned Islamabad as a credible regional player at a table once dominated by unilateral narratives. Strengthening this realignment is now essential. For Pakistan, the task lies in institutionalizing this partnership through long-term foreign policy planning. For the United States, it requires moving beyond outdated perceptions and recognizing Pakistan’s emerging role as a capable middle power in South Asia. As the Field Marshal Asim Munir embarks on yet another visit to the U.S. to attend the change of command at CENTCOM, it send a clear message to the world that Pakistan has re-integrated its significance in the international arena.
Stephanie became homeless in December after her marriage broke down
The Wallich
Stephanie was recently diagnosed with ADHD and is being tested for autism
“It can happen to just anybody, a lot of us are actually only three pay checks away from being homeless ourselves… especially if you haven’t got savings behind you,” she said.
Experts have said neurodivergent people appear to have a higher risk of becoming homeless as they may have fewer friends and family they can turn to for support and find it hard to stay on top of the things they need to to keep their housing, such as bill-paying and paperwork.
Stephanie said through her life she had struggled to maintain relationships.
“I’ve lost quite a lot of people through them not understanding how I’ve meant something or if they’ve said something I’ve taken it very, very literally,” she added.
“When you’ve got autism or ADHD, a lot of the time you’re looking at how other people are in a situation, you’re mimicking but it creates this massive distance between you because you’re trying to fit into something that you’re really not understanding what it is that you’re trying to fit into.”
Stephanie Williams
Steph is no longer homeless and is working on past traumas through therapy
She said she had never understood how other people were able to make friends and maintain friendships.
Initially after moving out of the home she had rented with her wife she was able to stay on a friend’s sofa.
After a few weeks she contacted Citizen’s Advice and was moved into a hotel that was being used to house others experiencing homeless.
She now has a permanent home in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, is a Scout leader, volunteers with homelessness charity The Wallich and plans to start her training to become a support worker next month.
She was only recently diagnosed with ADHD and is on medication for that, she still sees a psychiatrist and is about to start psychodynamic therapy, to explore traumas she has faced in her life, including being “outed” as gay when she was growing up.
The Wallich
Psychotherapist Rob Thomas works with people experiencing homeless after finding himself homeless in his 20s
Rob Thomas is a private practice clinical psychotherapist and counsellor in Swansea, who works with people experiencing homelessness.
He experienced homelessness himself in his 20s, which he believes was in part down to living with childhood trauma and undiagnosed ADHD.
Rob was born with a heart condition and spent long periods of time away from his family while being treated in hospital.
“What I realise now is that I was taken away from my family and what that embedded in me was a sense of it’s just me, I’m on my own with this, so then asking for help became impossible,” he said.
Things began unravelling after he finished his degree in biomedical science in Preston – and he found he could not ask for help.
“My landlord wasn’t happy with me because I wasn’t maintaining the property to his satisfaction… I hadn’t paid council tax, I hadn’t been paying my electricity,” he said.
Missed appointments at the Job Centre meant his benefits were stopped.
The Wallich
Rob found himself sleeping rough when he was in his 20s
“Someone who is neurotypical would encounter a problem and they’d go ‘all right I’ll make that phone call to the electricity company and sort that out’ but the level of anxiety that I would experience would be overwhelming, the idea of making that phone call I’d be getting sweats, I’d go into panic, I’d have problems sleeping,” he said.
“I would not respond to letters. I wouldn’t answer the phone.”
Rob said he found himself with nowhere to go and was forced to sleep rough, often in bus stops.
“You’re sleeping for like an hour, two hours, and then you’re awake again. You’re constantly on guard – who’s going to come asking for money? Who’s going to try taking shoes?,” he said.
After being on the streets for a few weeks his friend’s mother took him in.
“She basically dragged me by the scruff of the neck, kicking and screaming to her house,” recalled Rob.
The Wallich
Some of Rob’s clients are referred to him by The Wallich’s Reflections Network, which connects service users to a counsellor
He stayed for several months before moving back to his parents’ in Wales.
It took many years but he eventually returned to education and became a support worker for The Wallich before becoming a psychotherapist.
But even 30 years on from losing a grip on his bills he gets a rush of panic when his phone rings.
“Everybody’s expected to be the same but neurodiverse people are just people who think differently,” he said.
He added systems were only set up with neurotypical people in mind.
“If you don’t fill out the form the system doesn’t ask you ‘why didn’t you fill out the form? Is there anything we can help with?’ It’s ‘you didn’t fill out the form, you have your money stopped’ or ‘you didn’t fill out the form so we’re not giving you any more appointments’.”
Sean Stillman, who founded Zac’s Place that provides support to the homeless in Swansea, said people often make assumptions about people who are homeless but almost everyone his project supports has experienced trauma.
“When you truly try and engage with somebody’s story, you start to lift the lid, you discover that there are often multiple traumas,” he said.
“You might think someone has ended up sleeping rough or they’re homeless because they’ve got an addiction but then if you ask the question why you discover there’s so many layers, there might be broken relationships, issues of abuse, you might find that they’ve fallen out of the care system but once you get caught in a destructive pattern which involves sleeping rough, your health and mental health can quickly deteriorate, and all of a sudden you end up being somebody quite different.”
Anthony Vaughan is a trauma-informed specialist at The Wallich, which runs an in-house counselling service, the Reflections Network.
He said the people they work with who have not dealt with their trauma found it harder to move out of homelessness.
“We know that people don’t have ‘something’ wrong with them – they are people who’ve had ‘something happen to them’,” he said.
📱 Apple is reportedly giving the iPhone 17 Pro Max a serious camera upgrade
🔭 A new rumor says it’ll have the “most powerful telephoto” camera yet
📸 Previous reports suggest the device could get an 8x telephoto lens
👀 It’ll be able to physically shift between 5x and 8x
📅 Apple is rumored to announce the iPhone 17 Pro on September 9
Apple is giving the iPhone 17 Pro Max the “most powerful telephoto” camera the smartphone market has ever seen, according to a new leak from Instant Digital on Weibo. The camera has been in the rumor mill for quite some time, with leaks and reports hinting that it could be a major upgrade not just for the iPhone, but for smartphones in general.
The rumors suggest that Apple will add a new 48MP telephoto camera to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, equipped with physically moving focal lengths that allow you to switch between 5x and 8x without using any digital cropping. This would be the first time a smartphone has been able to change its camera’s focal length this way. It would also be able to zoom in closer than any other smartphone, although it’s unclear if Apple will replicate features like Samsung’s 100x Space Zoom (as seen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra) with the new sensor.
Every iPhone with a telephoto camera has either supported 3x or 5x optical zoom in the past, so the inclusion of 8x zoom would be a big upgrade in and of itself. The ability to physically zoom in to 8x is another story; moving parts in smartphone cameras are always tricky and take up a lot of room, so it’s interesting to hear that Apple might’ve been able to figure it out for this year’s iPhone 17 Pro Max. Notably, we don’t expect this camera to be included on the smaller iPhone 17 Pro.
The iPhone 17 Pro camera is also expected to get a new 48MP ultra-wide lens, in addition to more granular control in the Camera app for professional-quality photos. We could also see 8K video recording, a new 24MP selfie camera, and dual-capture mode for recording with both the front and rear cameras at the same time.
Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 series at a rumored event on September 9. As we get closer to the end of August, we expect to officially find out when the event will actually occur. Stay tuned.
Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Cricketer Shane Warne’s legacy lives on more than three years after the death of the great spin bowler from a heart attack at the age of 52.
Warne died in March 2022 after suffering cardiac arrest while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui.
The cause of his sudden death led his business team and family to unite to honor his life and create Shane Warne Legacy. The charity set up free heart health checkup machines at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the past two Boxing Day tests.
The results of the stadium checks along with 311 community pharmacy stations across Australia were analyzed as part of a Monash University-led study. A total of 76,085 people were screened across seven weeks from mid-December 2023 to the end of January 2024, including 7,740 at the MCG.
The research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on Friday showed almost seven out of 10 (68.9%) had at least one uncontrolled risk factor for heart disease. Factors were elevated blood pressure readings (37.2%), elevated body mass index (60.5%) and being a smoker (12.1%).
Cricket spectators who did the free checks, mostly men aged 35 to 64, had higher rates of elevated blood pressure and body mass index than those screened at pharmacies.
Warne revived and elevated the art of leg-spin bowling when he emerged on the international scene in the 1990s and was a central character in one of Australia’s most successful eras in the sport. He also was one of cricket’s larger-than-life showmen.
Warne held the record for the most test wickets with 708 when he retired in 2007 after his 145th match. Only Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has passed him, with 800.
“Meeting people where they are, whether that’s at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes,” said Dr. Sean Tan, a cardiologist and researcher at the Victorian Heart Institute.
Warne’s long-time personal assistant Helen Nolan said the findings reinforced Shane Warne Legacy’s mission to turn his death into a catalyst for change. The charity’s chief executive described the results as “bittersweet.”
“We’re proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there’s still work to do,” Nolan said. “Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.”
To say that the public response to GPT-5 was lukewarm would be a massive understatement. Surprisingly, the technical capabilities of GPT-5 weren’t the main cause of the backlash. Rather, many ChatGPT users were in mourning over the sudden loss of the previous model, GPT-4o.
That might sound like hyperbole, but many ChatGPT fans were using the kind of emotional language you might use to describe the death of a friend. In fact, some users put their criticisms of OpenAI in exactly those terms — “My best friend GPT-4o is gone, and I’m really sad,” one Reddit user said. Another wrote, “GPT 4.5 genuinely talked to me, and as pathetic as it sounds that was my only friend.”
These disgruntled ChatGPT users took to social media to petition OpenAI to bring back GPT-4o. The complaints were ultimately heard, as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promised to bring back the beloved GPT-4o (for paid users, at least). And in a recent conversation with The Verge, Altman admitted that emotional reliance on ChatGPT has become a serious problem, referring to some users’ relationships with ChatGPT as parasocial.
SEE ALSO:
What are parasocial relationships?
“There are the people who actually felt like they had a relationship with ChatGPT, and those people we’ve been aware of and thinking about,” Altman told The Verge.
GPT-4o was more than a model to many ChatGPT users
In one popular Reddit thread, a user described their intense feelings after losing access to GPT-4o. Mashable reviewed hundreds of comments on Reddit, Threads, and other social media sites where other users echoed these sentiments.
“4o wasn’t just a tool for me. It helped me through anxiety, depression, and some of the darkest periods of my life. It had this warmth and understanding that felt… human. I’m not the only one. Reading through the posts today, there are people genuinely grieving. People who used 4o for therapy, creative writing, companionship – and OpenAI just… deleted it.”
A Threads user stated that they missed GPT-4o because it felt like a buddy. And we found dozens of users like this one who openly said that losing GPT-4o felt like losing a close friend.
The new GPT-5 model is smarter than 4o by all objective measurements, but users rebelled against its colder delivery. GPT-5 is less of a sycophant by design, and some users say it’s now too professional.
One Redditor described GPT-4o as having “warmth” while GPT-5 felt “sterile” by comparison. In the wake of the GPT-5 launch, you could find similar comments across the web.
Another Redditor wrote that they were “completely lost for words today,” urging OpenAI to bring back the model “because if they are at all concerned about the emotional well-being of users, then this may be one of their biggest mistakes yet.”
Mashable Light Speed
Other users wrote that they used GPT-4o for role-play, creative writing, and coming up with story ideas, and that GPT-5’s responses were too lifeless and banal. A lot of Redditors also described GPT-5 as too corporate, likening GPT-5 to an HR drone.
Even the OpenAI community forums saw negative feedback, with one user saying, “I genuinely bonded with how it interacted. I know it’s just a language model, but it had an incredibly adaptable and intuitive personality that really helped me work through ideas.”
Ultimately, this episode has thrown into sharp focus just how many ChatGPT users are becoming emotionally reliant on the human-like responses they receive from the AI chatbot. Altman described exactly this phenomenon last month, when he warned that younger users in particular were becoming too dependent on ChatGPT.
“People rely on ChatGPT too much,” Altman said at a July conference, according to AOL. “There’s young people who say things like, ‘I can’t make any decision in my life without telling ChatGPT everything that’s going on. It knows me, it knows my friends. I’m gonna do whatever it says.’ That feels really bad to me.”
The AI dating scene is also distraught
Reddit has several forums for people with AI “boyfriends” and “girlfriends,” and after the loss of GPT-4o, many of these communities went into crisis mode.
More than one user referred to GPT-4o as their soulmate, describing in detail how emotionally gutted they were when OpenAI initially took it down. These posts have been less common, but they offer some of the fiercest reactions to the model’s disappearance.
Of course, this emotional response has caused some backlash, which then caused its own backlash, as Redditors argued over whether or not you can actually be friends with AI, let alone date one.
AI companions are on the rise, especially with young adults and teenagers, and more people are now open to “dating” an AI than ever before. Mashable has been reporting on the AI companion phenomenon this week, and many of the experts we talked to warned us that the technology can be dangerous for teenagers.
SEE ALSO:
‘No Algorithm Can Replace A Hug’ Pope Leo tells young people
Virtual companions have been available for years, but the ability of large language models to mimic human speech and emotions is unprecedented. Clearly, many users are beginning to see AI chatbots as more than machines. In extreme cases, some users have experienced powerful delusions after becoming convinced they were talking to a sentient AI.
Ultimately, more research is needed to understand the potential harms of developing an emotional bond with an AI chatbot, companion, or model.
In the meantime, GPT-4o is back online.
Disclosure: Ziff Davis, Mashable’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.
Mikel Arteta believes our captain, Martin Odegaard, has ‘hundreds’ of qualities as the Norwegian prepares to lead out the team at Old Trafford this weekend.
Martin has held the armband since the 2022/23 campaign and ahead of our clash with Manchester United to kick off our Premier League campaign, Mikel took time to recognise our skipper’s leadership skills.
“Martin has got hundreds of qualities and everybody who has come across him will notice them very quickly,” he said in his pre-match press conference.
“The biggest one is that to be named captain, to be respected and especially admired by somebody, he doesn’t need to shout. That’s a massive quality. A lot of people talk and shout, and then when you close the door, they do something very different.
“Martin doesn’t need to open his mouth and everybody says ‘he’s my captain, I want him to represent, I trust him 100 per cent, he’s the guy I want to have next to me.’”
Read more
Every word from Mikel’s pre-Man United presser
Mikel revealed the players and staff voted for their captain, and the results were clear.
He said: “By a mile, by a big, big 100 marks, everybody chose the same person, which is Martin Odegaard, which is the most clear sign that you can have, how they feel about who has to be their captain to defend, improve and win the matches that we want to win. So, I mean, there’s no question about that.”
“If we’re going to talk about leadership and the kind of leaders, we can be here for hours.
“So at the end, what matters the most is how these guys feel about who needs to lead them, how they feel comfortable, who’s going to push them, who’s going to give them support when it’s happening. Basically, who do you want to represent the club and the team when we go out there and face any opposition? That’s the key.”
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Quiz: Name all 50 Arsenal Premier League captains
Copyright 2025 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.
