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  • Pakistan issues flood alert for southern districts as rescuers search for missing in the northwest

    Pakistan issues flood alert for southern districts as rescuers search for missing in the northwest

    BUNER, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan issued a flood alert Wednesday for some southern districts, warning of torrential rains, as rescue teams continued searching for missing people in the country’s northwest, where severe floods killed hundreds over the past week.

    The new warning is for the same southern regions struck by climate-induced catastrophic deluges in 2022 that killed thousands of people.

    The National Emergencies Operation Centre said expected rainfall of up to 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) over the next 24 hours could submerge highways, disrupt transport, and damage power and telecommunications networks in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas, and Sukkur in the southern province of Sindh.

    At least 41 people have been killed in rain-related incidents nationwide over the past 24 hours, the disaster management agency said, mostly in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region and in the city of Karachi, where torrential rains on Tuesday flooded streets and disrupted daily life. Schools in Karachi remain closed.

    Pakistan has suffered above-normal monsoon rains, killing at least 746 people since June 26.

    Meanwhile, rescuers in the northwest pressed on with a grim search for nearly 150 people missing in the district of Buner, where floodwaters carrying massive boulders and mud swept through villages, flattening homes and leaving piles of rubble. Search teams aided by army sniffer dogs pulled more bodies from the debris as anxious relatives looked on.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s powerful army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, visited flood-hit areas in Swat Valley and Buner later Wednesday. Sharif promised, in a televised speech, financial compensation for the survivors and quick repairs of the damaged infrastructure, while warning residents to avoid building structures near river banks.

    Mohammad Suhail, a spokesman for the emergency services, said the death toll in Buner has climbed to 290 after more bodies were recovered. Rescue teams managed to distribute tents, blankets, cooking utensils, ready-to-eat food, and clean drinking water in the area, he said, as others worked on restoring power in the devastated zone. Most of the damaged roads have been reopened in Buner.

    Survivors recounted horrific stories of sudden floodwaters that carried boulders and barely allowed people to run to safer grounds. Many residents have blamed the government for not issuing an early warning.

    Zarin Gul, 45, told The Associated Press he saw dark clouds bursting with rain over the mountains as he worked his fields early on Aug. 15 in the village of Gokand in Buner when “a wall of rain” headed toward where his aunt and cousins lived. He called to warn them, but she couldn’t make it in time

    “Huge boulders, some the size of rooms, tumbled like straws in the torrent, crushing houses that had never seen flooding before,” he said.

    In the village of Malik Pura, hopkeeper Raza Khan, 50, said everything was so sudden “that we didn’t even realize when everything was being swept away,” expressing grief over the loss of loved ones.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.


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  • Prevalence and risk factors associated with common mental disorders among pregnant women in Kumasi, Ghana: a facility-based survey in selected primary care settings | BMC Psychiatry

    Prevalence and risk factors associated with common mental disorders among pregnant women in Kumasi, Ghana: a facility-based survey in selected primary care settings | BMC Psychiatry

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  • Matosinhos Fly-By: Biotherm keep perfect score as Paprec Arkéa charge back into contention – The Ocean Race

    1. Matosinhos Fly-By: Biotherm keep perfect score as Paprec Arkéa charge back into contention  The Ocean Race
    2. The Ocean Race Europe Leg 2 – Day 2  Sail-World.com
    3. Team Amaala in tough spot as Be Water Positive and Allagrande Mapei join pursuit of leaders  The Ocean Race
    4. Biotherm sweeps the points  float Magazin
    5. Hare delighted to return to sailing roots in race  BBC

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  • Joe Jonas reveals one of his most embarrassing moments in the Mile High Club

    Joe Jonas reveals one of his most embarrassing moments in the Mile High Club

    Joe Jonas gets honest about joining the Mile High Club

    Joe Jonas just made a rib-tickling confession and its from a couple of years ago, about joining the Mile High Club.

    The whole thing was recounted on the NowThis’ video series Are You Okay? and he even offered fans a bonus embarrassing encounter.

    He began by recalling, “I was wearing contacts, left the bathroom.”

    And “I thought I was high-fiving my drummer — it was the flight attendant.”

    He then admitted his relief over the fact that “it was a private flight, or I would be banned from flying.”

    This was not the only admission he made ether, the singer also offered a little titbit on one thing people may not know about him.

    “I have 67 stitches between my eyebrows. We were on the Hannah Montana tour. We were filming. Part of the video was me running through a wall and being like, ‘Guys, I can run through walls. You gotta come see this.’”


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  • 'Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 4' revealed, with a new developer promising a return to 'mass-battle, base-building roots' (video) – Space

    1. ‘Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 4’ revealed, with a new developer promising a return to ‘mass-battle, base-building roots’ (video)  Space
    2. I went hands-on with Warhammer 40k Dawn of War 4, and it puts the RTS series back on track after disaster  PCGamesN
    3. Dawn of War 4 is returning to Kronus with 4 playable factions, 4 campaigns, more than 70 missions and lots of base building  PC Gamer
    4. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War IV Reignites The Flames Of Battle Next Year  Game Informer
    5. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War 4 announced, delivers Ork screamy RTSness next year  Rock Paper Shotgun

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  • Alfreda Fisher’s World Cup Diary

    Alfreda Fisher’s World Cup Diary

    ‘You all gonna watch me play’

    I remember the last World Cup. I watched all the games on television. The game that they (Fiji) won against South Africa (Fiji’s first ever RWC win, recorded in the pool stage) Fiji was happy, Fiji was proud. 

    I was watching with my family and my father was telling my siblings, ‘One day I am going to watch you playing there’. He meant it for the boys but I was like, ‘One day I’m gonna play there, and you all gonna watch me play’.

    That’s been my biggest motivation. My dad said that to the boys, not us girls, because, no gender equality, girls stuff was for the girls.

    So, I joined the Navy, the Fiji Navy, and and I started playing with them.

    And last year I made the promise (again) to my dad that he’ll watch me on the TV here. 

    He’s told me to enjoy the tournament and make Fiji proud. He’ll be telling all the villages, ‘My daughter is playing, so you have to watch’. 

    People in Fiji are excited. They are fully, fully supporting us girls, and yeah, they are the backbone of this squad.

    My brothers, yeah, they are they are jealous. They play volleyball now. 

    Being Fiji’s youngest ever captain

    It’s really hard for me, because I just joined the national side last year. Playing the Wallaroos (Australia on 3 May 2025) was my first lineup as captain. It was really tough starting the game and leading the girls. 

    I was shocked and speechless (when asked to be captain) because I was expecting other old players, Olympic medalists and yeah the other old players in the team to be named. I was asking them, ‘Why me?’. I had just joined the team.

    My family, my mum and my dad have been fully supporting me and encouraging me, day by day. The way they raised me, I have a lot of learnings and I have been showing that to the other girls, the dos and don’ts. 

    YORK, ENGLAND – AUGUST 17: Alfreda Fisher, Captain of Fiji poses for a portrait during the Women’s Rugby World Cup opening ceremony at York Museum Gardens on August 17, 2025 in York, England. (Photo by Jack Thomas – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty Images)

    Gearing up for first RWC match

    England is nice, but it’s cold. We’re just trying to adjust. The food is really nice. Back at home we only have certain kinds of food to eat, lots of fish and chicken soup. Here we have so much to choose from. 

    We’ve been training hard, training at the best of our ability to perform and have a good match with Canada (Saturday, 17:30 at York Community Stadium). We are excited and we are up for that match. 

    Nothing is impossible. I feel pressure but I am positive that we can out out a good performance. 

    I am nervous because I just had my first big crowd, in the US (19 July). That was really big. But we won’t play on the crowd, we will just play to the best of ability. We know Fiji is watching. 

    We will play Fijian rugby. We will play freestyle rugby. We don’t play by books or structure. It helps us to be ourselves. 

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  • Somatic mutations drive vascular aging and muscle weakness over time

    Somatic mutations drive vascular aging and muscle weakness over time

    Two new studies from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have investigated how mutations that occur in muscles and blood vessels over time can affect aging. The studies, which are published in Nature Aging, show that such mutations can reduce muscle strength and accelerate blood vessel aging. The results can be of significance to the treatment of age-related diseases.

    Somatic mutations are non-hereditary genetic changes in cells and occur during a lifetime as a result of environmental factors or through random errors when a cell copies its DNA before dividing. The mutations can give rise to cancer, but otherwise their effect has been disputed.

    We’ve discovered that mutations that accumulate in muscle cells and blood vessels can affect the tissue’s function and ability to regenerate – i.e. to replace damaged tissue with new healthy cells – an ability that also declines with age.”

    Maria Eriksson, principal investigator, professor, Department of Medicine in Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet

    The same mutation as in progeria

    In 2003, Professor Eriksson discovered the genetic cause of progeria, an inherited and extremely rare disease in children characterised by rapid aging and cardiovascular complications. The child carries a mutation that leads to the formation of a pathogenic protein called progerin. Her research group has now been able to demonstrate the presence of the same mutation and protein in the blood vessels of some patients with chronic kidney disease.

    “A somatic mutation has occurred in the patients’ vascular walls and we suspect that it’s related to the vascular damage that often accompanies kidney disease,” says the study’s first author Gwladys Revêchon, postdoc in Professor Eriksson’s group.

    In complementary experiments in mice, the researchers discovered that cells that form progerin can propagate and cluster into groups of mutated cells that spread along the vascular walls, which can contribute to tissue damage and early vascular aging.

    The study combines basic and clinical research and was conducted in collaboration with Peter Stenvinkel, professor of nephrology at the Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology at Karolinska Institutet and consultant at Karolinska University Hospital. He has established a large biobank of well-characterised material from patients, which has been crucial to the study.

    “I’m very happy that we can now learn more about why people with kidney disease so easily become vascular compromised,” says Professor Stenvinkel.

    Mutations affect muscle strength

    In the second study, Professor Eriksson and her doctoral student Lara G. Merino and former postdoc Peter Vrtačnik used a mouse model to study how somatic mutations in muscles affect muscle strength. Such mutations accumulate during muscle regeneration, which is to say when muscles are rebuilt after having been damaged or strained.

    An accumulation of somatic mutations in the muscles of mice led to impaired muscle regeneration, smaller muscle cells, lower muscle mass and reduced grip strength.

    The results from both studies indicate that somatic mutations can reduce muscle strength and accelerate the aging of the blood vessels.

    “A better understanding of how somatic mutations affect the function of different tissues can help us develop new biomarkers and treatments for age-related diseases,” says Professor Eriksson. “Our findings also demonstrate the value of studying rare diseases since it can provide new approaches to more common conditions.”

    The studies were primarily financed by grants from the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, the European Research Council (ERC), the Center for Innovative Medicine (CIMED), the Loo and Hans Osterman Foundation for Medical Research and the Erik Rönnberg Award for Scientific Studies of aging and Age-related diseases. 

    Source:

    Journal references:

    1. Revêchon, et al. (2025). Recurrent somatic mutation and progerin expression in early vascular aging of chronic kidney disease. Nature Aging. doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00882-6.
    2. Vrtačnik, P., et al. (2025) Induced somatic mutation accumulation during skeletal muscle regeneration reduces muscle strength. Nature Aging. doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00941-y

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  • 57-year-old woman ignored headaches for months until her Apple Watch alert led to shocking brain tumour diagnosis | Health

    57-year-old woman ignored headaches for months until her Apple Watch alert led to shocking brain tumour diagnosis | Health

    After enduring one heartbreak after another, 57-year-old Sam Adams thought she had already faced the worst life could throw at her. Within months, she had lost her father, her beloved dog, and seen her marriage fall apart. But just as she began to rebuild, an unexpected health scare revealed a condition that would change everything. (Also read: 29-year-old woman with ‘healthiest diet’ shares she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer: ‘My body started giving signs’ )

    Facing a series of personal tragedies, Sam Adams experienced a health crisis that revealed a brain tumour.(Instagram/@samadamscoach)

    Sam, from near Brighton, East Sussex, recalls how 2020 was the year that broke her. She cared for her father in his final weeks, mourned the sudden death of her dog, and tried to cope with a collapsing marriage. “The grief was unbearable. It shook my sense of who I was and left me paralysed,” she explains. “I felt like I was drowning emotionally. Depression set in, and I hit rock bottom,” she told The Sun.

    After spending 2021 slowly piecing herself back together, Sam decided on a solo trip to Costa Rica in 2022, a journey she describes as a turning point. Immersing herself in nature and practising daily breathwork helped her reset. “I fell in love with the trees, with being outdoors. That trip gave me back a sense of peace and clarity,” she says.

    How did a simple watch warning change everything?

    But just two weeks after returning home, things took a turn. She had bumped her head abroad and brushed off the dizziness and fatigue that followed as jet lag. “I had no energy, my head ached, and my Apple Watch kept warning that my heart rate was too low,” she recalls. Initially dismissing it, Sam finally went to a pharmacist for a blood pressure check. Within hours, her GP called, warning her to avoid exertion and to dial 999 if she experienced chest, shoulder, or jaw pain.

    The following day, an ECG revealed her heart was producing extra beats, a condition called cardiac ectopy. Usually harmless, it can occasionally become dangerous. Doctors ordered further tests, including a CT scan, to rule out other issues.

    How did she discover brain tumour

    That scan uncovered something Sam could never have expected: a brain tumour. “It was earth-shattering,” she says. “I sat on my sofa in shock and phoned my sister. I was suddenly face-to-face with my own mortality. I was terrified to go to sleep in case I wouldn’t wake up.”

    Doctors reassured Sam that the tumour was likely benign but inoperable because of its location. It would need lifelong monitoring, along with daily aspirin to reduce risk. Her heart, meanwhile, required treatment. In August 2022, she underwent an ablation procedure to correct the strain on her heart. The ordeal, performed without sedation, was “horrific,” Sam recalls.

    How is she living with ‘Timmy’ today

    Today, Sam refers to her tumour as “Timmy,” though she admits it is a constant source of worry. “If I lose balance, I panic. I’ve coined the term ‘scanxiety’ for the fear I feel before and after every hospital check-up.” She also battles fatigue, weight gain, and reduced energy, but she tries to focus on the positives. “I’ve been through hell, but I’m still here,” she says.

    Looking back, Sam believes that years of unprocessed stress played a role in her health collapse. “In 2020, I carried so much trauma without realising what it was doing to my body. Breathwork became my way out. It helped me regulate my nervous system, release stress, and reconnect with myself,” she explains. That realisation inspired her to train as a life coach and breathwork facilitator. Now, she helps others facing emotional overload, burnout, and loss to find clarity and resilience.

    “My watch may have sounded the alarm, but breathwork gave me back my life,” she says. “Costa Rica reminded me what truly matters. I came home braver, calmer, and more connected than I’d been in years.” Though her tumour remains, Sam focuses on living fully: “I can’t change what’s happened, but I can use it to help others heal before their bodies scream at them like mine did.”

    Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.

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  • Club World Cup: Trophy on display in US President Donald Trump’s Oval Office

    Club World Cup: Trophy on display in US President Donald Trump’s Oval Office

    When the White House posted a picture of US President Donald Trump meeting with world leaders in the Oval Office at the White House this week, eagle-eyed football fans spotted an unlikely piece of silverware in pride of place.

    The Club World Cup trophy, which Chelsea beat Paris St-Germain to win in July in New Jersey, can be seen on display in the president’s office in Washington DC.

    The image led many on social media to question why ‘Chelsea’s trophy’ resides in one of the most important offices in the world weeks after Enzo Maresca’s side lifted it at Metlife Stadium.

    Following the final in July, President Trump said he was told he could keep the trophy in recognition of the United States hosting the month-long tournament.

    “I said, ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy?’ [They said] ‘We’re never going to pick it up. You can have it forever in the Oval Office, we’re making a new one’,” he said in an interview with DAZN.

    “And they actually made a new one. So that was quite exciting, but it is in the Oval [Office] right now.”

    But, according to Fifa, that is not quite the case. There are in fact three Club World Cup trophies in existence.

    The original engraved version is in Zurich, Switzerland, at Fifa’s headquarters, as is the custom with all Fifa trophies – including the World Cup.

    One replica belongs to Chelsea and the holders paraded it during a pre-season friendly against AC Milan.

    It is the third version that lives in the Oval Office in “recognition of the 2025 tournament’s exceptional hosts”, Fifa told BBC Sport.


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  • ‘Let’s not go below the belt’: Wasim Akram warns after India avoid burning Pakistan Asia Cup question

    ‘Let’s not go below the belt’: Wasim Akram warns after India avoid burning Pakistan Asia Cup question

    The legendary Wasim Akram reacted on Wednesday to the ongoing backlash over the scheduled India versus Pakistan clash in the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE, insisting that the “game must go on” regardless of whether the blockbuster encounter takes place. The two arch-rivals are slated to face each other on September 14 at the Dubai International Stadium in a Group A fixture.

    Wasim Akram had his say on the scheduled India vs Pakistan Asia Cup fixture

    Ever since the schedule was confirmed last month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has faced significant criticism for agreeing to play against Pakistan. The controversy was heightened by the Pahalgam terror attack earlier this April, which further strained the already fragile political situation between the two countries. At one point, speculation was rife that the Asia Cup could even be cancelled if India withdrew, before the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) ended the uncertainty with an official announcement in late July.

    The criticism intensified after the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions side withdrew from facing Pakistan twice in the World Championship of Legends last month, including the semifinal.

    More recently, at a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday, India captain Suryakumar Yadav was asked whether his team would participate in the September 14 clash. The Indian media manager swiftly intervened, instructing reporters to restrict questions to team selection.

    Speaking on the Stick With Cricket podcast, Akram urged calm, stressing the importance of keeping politics away from sport.

    “Asia Cup schedule is out, there is backlash. But we in Pakistan are calm. We will be fine whether we play or don’t play. The game must go on,” he said.

    “Politics apart, I am not a politician. They are patriotic about their country, we are patriotic about ours. Let’s not go below the belt. Talk about the triumphs of your country; the same goes for Pakistan, and the same goes for India. It is easier said than done.”

    Akram added that while he respected the sensitivities around the rivalry, he still hoped to see India and Pakistan contest at least one bilateral Test series in his lifetime. The two neighbours have not played a bilateral series since 2012.

    “I hope to see a Test series between India and Pakistan in my lifetime.”

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