Microsoft is reportedly exiting Pakistan. The software giant is quitting Pakistan after 25 years. Microsoft is said to have been reducing its headcount and operations in the country over the last few years, and has now fully pulled out of Pakistan. Microsoft started its operations in Pakistan in June 2000. The news of Microsoft exiting Pakistan was revealed in a LinkedIn post by Jawwad Rehman, the founding head of Microsoft Pakistan. There has reportedly been no formal public announcement from the company itself. However, according to a report by Tech Radar, the move was all but confirmed already, with full operations shut down in Pakistan and only a liaison office with around five employees remaining.
‘End of an Era… Microsoft Pakistan’
In the post titled ‘End of an Era… Microsoft Pakistan’, Rehman wrote: “Today, I learned that Microsoft is officially closing its operations in Pakistan. The last few remaining employees were formally informed and just like that, an era ends… Exactly 25 years ago, in June 2000, I had the honor of launching and leading Microsoft Pakistan.”He added that Microsoft’s decision to quit Pakistan calls for reflection, “Today’s news forces reflection. This is more than a corporate exit. It’s a sobering signal of the environment our country has created.. one where even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay. It also reflects on what was done (or not done) with the strong foundation we left behind by the subsequent team and regional management of Microsoft.” He further said that it is time to ask what has changed about Pakistan that has made global corporations leave the country. “We must ask: What changed? What was lost? What happened to the values, leadership, and vision that once made it all possible?” he wrote. Reflection further, he said, “Allah grants honor and opportunity to whom He wills.. and takes it away from those who lose sight of it. But if your work leaves behind impact, integrity & inspiration.. then know that Allah’s favor was with you.” In another post, Rehman asked the Honourable Minister of IT and the Government of Pakistan to “actively engage Microsoft’s regional and global leadership” so that the company can maintain a presence within Pakistan.
Global food commodity prices edged higher in June, supported by higher meat, vegetable oil and dairy prices, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.
The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks monthly changes in a basket of internationally traded food commodities, averaged 128.0 points in June, up 0.5% from May. The index stood 5.8% higher than a year ago, but remained 20.1% below its record high in March 2022.
The cereal price index fell 1.5% to 107.4 points, now 6.8% below a year ago, as global maize prices dropped sharply for a second month.
Larger harvests and more export competition from Argentina and Brazil weighed on maize, while barley and sorghum also declined.
Wheat prices, however, rose due to weather concerns in Russia, the European Union, and the United States.
The vegetable oil price index rose 2.3% from May to 155.7 points, now 18.2% above its June 2024 level, led by higher palm, rapeseed, and soy oil prices. Palm oil climbed nearly 5% from May on strong import demand, while soy oil was supported by expectations of higher demand from the biofuel sector following announcements of supportive policy measures in Brazil and the United States.
Sugar prices dropped 5.2% from May to 103.7 points, the lowest since April 2021, reflecting improved supply prospects in Brazil, India, and Thailand. Meat prices rose to a record 126.0 points, now 6.7% above June 2024, with all categories rising except poultry.
Bovine meat set a new peak, reflecting tighter supplies from Brazil and strong demand from the United States.
A pharmacist checks the weight of Paracetamol, a common pain reliever also sold as acetaminophen, tablets inside a lab of a pharmaceutical company on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, March 4, 2020. — Reuters
Common bacteria can turn plastic waste into the over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen, researchers have discovered.
Acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol and also known as paracetamol in some countries, is usually made from fossil fuels.
The new method, developed with support from AstraZeneca, transforms a molecule from a widely used plastic known as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into Tylenol’s active ingredient, leaving virtually no carbon emissions, according to a report in Nature Chemistry.
The plastic is converted to the drug at room temperature in less than 24 hours, using a fermentation process similar to what is used in brewing beer, the researchers said.
PET, a strong, lightweight plastic used for water bottles and food packaging, accounts for more than 350 million tons of waste annually.
“This work demonstrates that PET plastic isn’t just waste or a material destined to become more plastic. It can be transformed by microorganisms into valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease,” study leader Stephen Wallace of the University of Edinburgh said in a statement.
More work is needed before PET can be used to produce acetaminophen at commercial levels, the researchers said.
Microplastics found in human reproductive fluids
The majority of men and women have microplastics in their reproductive fluids, according to the results of a small study reported at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Paris.
The presence of the microplastics raises important questions about their potential risks to fertility and reproductive health, researchers said.
The tiny contaminants – plastic particles under 5 millimetres in size – were present in the follicular fluid that encases developing eggs in the ovaries in 20 of 29 women, or 69%. Microplastics were found in seminal fluid in 12 of 22 men, or 55%.
Both types of fluid play critical roles in natural conception and assisted reproduction, the researchers said.
In both groups, the microplastic polymers included polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyamide, polypropylene and polyurethane.
In animals, microplastics can induce inflammation, damage to tissues and to DNA, and hormonal disruptions, study leader Emilio Gomez-Sanchez of Next Fertility Murcia in Spain said in a statement.
In a separate presentation at the meeting, Manel Boussabeh of Fattouma Bourguiba Hospital in Monastir, Tunisia, and colleagues reported that sperm exposed to microplastics in test tubes had impaired motility and damage to DNA.
Other researchers have previously found significant amounts of microplastics in the testicles of dogs and humans, and the canine data suggested the particles may contribute to impaired fertility.
Restoring a protein can turn off chronic inflammation
Researchers can turn off chronic inflammation while leaving intact the ability of cells to respond to short-term injuries and illnesses by targeting a newly identified protein, according to a report in Nature.
Chronic inflammation occurs when the immune system is stuck in overdrive, as with persistent conditions such as arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease or obesity. Acute inflammation – with pain, fever, swelling, and redness, for example – resolves relatively quickly.
Researchers found that a protein responsible for controlling inflammatory genes becomes degraded and is lost from cells during chronic inflammation.
In test tube experiments, restoring the protein called WSTF blocked chronic inflammation in human cells without interfering with acute inflammation, allowing appropriate immune responses to short-term threats.
The researchers then designed a medicine that protects WSTF from degradation and suppresses chronic inflammation by blocking the WSTF interaction with another protein in the cell nucleus.
The researchers have successfully tested the drug to treat mice with fatty liver disease or arthritis and to reduce inflammation in chronically inflamed knee cells obtained from patients undergoing joint replacement surgery.
Studying human tissue samples, the researchers found that WSTF is lost in the livers of patients with fatty liver disease but not in the livers of healthy people.
“Chronic inflammatory diseases cause a great deal of suffering and death, but we still have much to learn about what drives chronic inflammation and how to treat it,” study leader Zhixun Dou of Massachusetts General Hospital said in a statement.
“Our findings help us separate chronic and acute inflammation, as well as identify a new target for stopping chronic inflammation that results from ageing and disease.”
IN May 2025, a media panel in Bangkok delivered a stark observation: AI cannot be curious.
It has no heart. That chilling remark captures the growing unease within journalism circles. Today’s newsrooms—once animated by fieldwork and fact-checking—are becoming quiet and machine-assisted. Artificial Intelligence, particularly generative models, has started to influence how news is drafted, edited and shared. This slow transformation, which I term AIism, is quietly shifting the practice of journalism.
Across various newsrooms, journalists are relying more on digital tools to handle routine tasks. While these tools can assist with editing and information sorting, there is a concern that too much dependence could erode essential journalistic practices. Journalism’s core mission has always been to question, investigate, and verify—and those values must be upheld regardless of new technologies.
Editors now often expect quicker turnarounds, and journalists, facing time pressures, sometimes resort to shortcuts. The tradition of rigorous field reporting, following leads, and verifying facts remains essential. Journalists should continue to pursue firsthand accounts, build credible sources, and document events with clarity and integrity.
In many regions, particularly across the Global South, newsrooms face staffing and funding challenges. In such environments, digital tools are understandably attractive. But overuse or unquestioned use of such tools can lead to uniform and surface-level stories. Journalistic work should retain its distinct voice, regional context and critical analysis.
There’s also concern about how global news flows through centralized sources. In some cases, stories from different parts of the world are edited from afar, reducing the space for local nuance. It’s important that journalism reflect the diversity of the places and people it reports on. Stories need to be shaped not just by what’s convenient to publish, but by what’s essential to know.
Even in highly digitized environments, experienced reporters emphasize the value of field presence. The ability to read a room, interpret tone, and engage with communities cannot be replaced by screens or statistics. Journalism is, at its best, an act of bearing witness—something that requires presence, attention, and empathy.
Newsrooms and journalists must continue to value these skills. The power of a journalist lies in their ability to ask questions that matter and seek answers that serve the public interest. While tools can assist, they cannot replace the human insight and judgment required to understand complex realities.
There is nothing inherently wrong with using digital support in journalism. But those tools should serve journalists—not define their output. As the media landscape evolves, the responsibility to maintain standards, verify information, and uphold credibility remains with the journalist.
In the current environment, where content is produced quickly and circulated widely, the role of journalism becomes even more crucial. Authentic reporting, clarity of facts, and thoughtful storytelling are needed more than ever.
The rise of AIism in journalism is a reminder: while technologies may change, the mission of journalism does not. It remains grounded in truth, responsibility, and public trust.
—The writer is a senior media academic, former Dean of Mass Communication at Beaconhouse National University and University of Central Punjab, and currently a Professor at the University of Central Punjab.
China’s automakers are outpacing foreign rivals in their push for assisted-driving technology, eager to woo motorists hungry for rapid innovation.
Yet, Beijing has a nuanced message for its rising stars: move fast — but be careful.
Regulators this week have been finalizing new safety rules for driver-assistance systems as Beijing sharpens scrutiny of the technology following an accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March. That incident killed three occupants when their car crashed seconds after the driver took control from the assisted-driving system.
He has 20 years of experience in engineering and mining and joined the company in 2019, when he took over the Geotechnical Directorate, where he implemented significant advances in our dam and tailings management model.
A civil and geotechnical engineer, he graduated from the School of Mines at the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP) and holds MBAs from Fundação Getúlio Vargas and Fundação Dom Cabral. Throughout his career, he has held various positions in operations, projects, consulting, and auditing, both in Brazil and abroad. Over the past 10 years, he has dedicated himself to geotechnics and tailings management in mining. Before joining Vale, he was Senior Global Director at Yamana Gold.
With extensive global experience, Rafael is a strong organizational leader and author of several publications and technical presentations related to tailings disposal and risk management in tailings storage facilities.
Rafael is a strategic thinker who can adapt his approach according to local challenges while positively engaging and motivating teams to enable cultural change. He also demonstrates strong communication skills and change management capabilities and is proficient in articulating project strategy externally and internally at various levels of the organization.
PARIS: A strike by French air traffic controllers brought a second day of chaos to European skies on Friday, with flights for hundreds of thousands of people cancelled as the summer holiday season gathered pace.
More than 1,100 flights arriving or leaving France and hundreds that were to fly over the country were cancelled on Friday.
Paris airports were even more severely affected than on the first day of the strike on Thursday, which was called by two unions protesting against understaffing and “toxic management”.
The timing of the strike is particularly acute as Friday the was the final day of school in France before the summer holidays.
At Paris airports, passengers stared at departure boards loaded with cancellations to assess their options. Some travellers appeared distraught.
Sabrina Taristas, 42, was set to fly to the southern French city of Toulouse.
“We can’t go against the strike, but it’s true that it’s a real inconvenience for us travellers,” she said.
France’s civil aviation authority said 1,125 flights had been cancelled on Friday, compared to 933 on Thursday.French flag-carrier Air France said its long-haul flights were not affected. The travel disruption also affected hotels.
Many travellers cancelled hotel bookings, particularly in cities with large airports such as Nice and Paris.
“There’s a bit of panic among those arriving and those leaving, airlines are trying to rebook their customers, it’s complicated to manage and it’s going to cost them a lot,” Veronique Siegel of the UMIH union said.
In the Mediterranean city of Nice, the airport said 200 trips had been cancelled on Thursday, and 220 on Friday, affecting 50,000 passengers.The government condemned the strike.
“Choosing the day when everyone goes on holiday to go on strike at air traffic control is taking the French hostage,” Prime Minister Francois Bayrou told broadcaster BFMTV.
`Unacceptable’
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the strike was “unacceptable”.
“Yesterday and today, 272 people in our country will impact the well-being of more than 500,000 people,” he told broadcaster CNews, referring to the number of the workers on strike.
UNSA-ICNA, the second biggest labour group in the sector, launched the action to protest against “chronic understaffing”, the introduction of a clocking-in system, outdated equipment and “toxic management practices that are incompatible with the requirements of calm and safety”.
The third largest union, USAC-CGT, joined the strike but not the main SNCTA union.
The effects of the strike were not limited to France and the stoppage has triggered hundreds of cancellations of flights that fly over the country.
The European Airlines for Europe (A4E) association said 1,500 flights would be cancelled on Thursday and Friday in Europe, affecting 300,000 passengers.
A4E chief Ourania Georgoutsakou said “the actions of a minority of French air traffic control workers” would “needlessly disrupt the holiday plans of thousands of people in France and across Europe”.
