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  • Ahsan Iqbal urges AI push across key sectors in Pakistan

    Ahsan Iqbal urges AI push across key sectors in Pakistan

    Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday called for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Pakistan’s national development strategy, announcing a new national AI fund and sector-specific action plans.

    Chairing a meeting of the National Task Force on AI, Ahsan Iqbal said AI adoption must be guided by cross-sectoral collaboration and alignment with the country’s strategic priorities.

    “AI adoption cannot be advanced in isolation and must instead be guided by cross-sectoral collaboration, in alignment with national priorities, and effective coordination across all relevant institutions,” according to a statement by the Press Information Department (PID).

    “It’s time for Pakistan to move forward with clarity and purpose.”

    The task force, formed in April 2023, is working to finalise a 10-year roadmap to accelerate AI use across multiple fields.

    Read: Top AI models show alarming traits, including deceit and threats

    Twelve key sectors have been identified—including education, health, agriculture, climate, business and governance—where AI can deliver measurable national gains. Each sector will form a multi-stakeholder working group with representatives from government, academia and industry to draft tailored AI roadmaps with clear objectives and timelines.

    The initiative also includes the establishment of a national AI fund aimed at supporting innovative ideas and pilot projects. Ahsan Iqbal called for a nationwide mapping of AI expertise and research infrastructure to guide resource allocation and policy design.

    Moreover, the task force has been instructed to organise a national AI workshop in collaboration with the Pakistan IT Industry Association (P@SHA) and other relevant bodies. The workshop will serve as a platform to develop practical AI solutions aligned with Pakistan’s developmental needs.

    The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring Pakistan is not left behind in the global race for technological leadership.


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  • Pavlyuchenkova battles past Osaka in three sets to make Wimbledon last 16

    Pavlyuchenkova battles past Osaka in three sets to make Wimbledon last 16

    WIMBLEDON — Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova returned to the second week of Wimbledon for the first time in nine years, overcoming Naomi Osaka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 in a thrilling 2-hour, 3-minute third-round clash on No. 2 Court.

    Wimbledon: Scores | Order of play | Draws

    Pavlyuchenkova is making her 16th main-draw appearance at SW19 (compared to Osaka’s fifth), and reached the quarterfinals for the only time so far back in 2016. However, the World No. 50 is still hitting career milestones at the age of 34. Last week, she made her first career grass-court semifinal in Eastbourne.

    Having made her ninth Grand Slam quarterfinal at the Australian Open in January, Pavlyuchenkova has now reached the second week of multiple majors in a single season for just the third time in her career. In 2011, she was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros at the US Open, and in 2021 she was the Roland Garros runner-up and made the US Open fourth round.

    Pavlyuchenkova had to withstand 15 aces from Osaka, who also mounted charges from 3-0 down to 4-4 in both the second and third sets.

    More to come…

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  • China imposes anti-dumping duties on European brandy as trade tensions rise

    China imposes anti-dumping duties on European brandy as trade tensions rise

    BEIJING — China on Friday imposed anti-dumping duties on European brandy, most notably cognac produced in France, as trade tensions between Beijing and United States allies continue to rise.

    The tariffs, effective on Saturday, will range from 27.7% to 34.9%, China’s Commerce Ministry said. They are to be in place for five years and will not be applied retroactively.

    The announcement came during a European visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi aimed at ironing out trade differences. Wang was set to visit Paris after stops in Brussels and Berlin.

    The anti-dumping duties are the result of a probe China launched last year into European cognac, after the European Union undertook a probe into Chinese electric vehicles subsidies.

    “The investigative authority finally ruled that the dumping of related imported brandy from the EU has existed,” read a statement by China’s Commerce Ministry. “The domestic brandy industry faces a material threat of damage, and there is a causal relationship between the dumping and the substantial damage threat.”

    Besides cognac, China has also launched investigations into European pork and dairy products. The brandy probe was the first and targeted mainly French makers of cognac and similar spirits such as Armagnac.

    China initially announced provisional tariffs of 30.6% to 39% on French cognac producer Remy Martin and other European brandies after a majority of E.U. countries approved duties on electric vehicles made in China.

    Wang was set to meet his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, later Friday in Paris.

    His European tour comes ahead of a China-EU summit to be focused on trade later this month in Beijing.

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  • Understanding international travelers’ intentions to adopt protective behaviors against malaria during staying abroad: insights from a study of Chinese international travelers | Globalization and Health

    Understanding international travelers’ intentions to adopt protective behaviors against malaria during staying abroad: insights from a study of Chinese international travelers | Globalization and Health

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  • Pakistan keen to work with UNSC members to promote united action: FO – RADIO PAKISTAN

    1. Pakistan keen to work with UNSC members to promote united action: FO  RADIO PAKISTAN
    2. India faces diplomatic backlash as Pakistan secures key UN roles amidst rising tensions  Ptv.com.pk
    3. Pakistan assumes UN Security Council presidency  Dawn
    4. Kashmir issue echoes at United Nations  The Express Tribune
    5. Pakistan’s UNSC Presidency a ‘murder of global justice,’ says JSMM Chief Shafi Burfat  ANI News

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  • Police Arrest Lion Owner After Attack in Lahore – ProPakistani

    1. Police Arrest Lion Owner After Attack in Lahore  ProPakistani
    2. Escaped lion attacks woman and children in Lahore  Dawn
    3. Unlicensed lion owner arrested  The Express Tribune
    4. Pakistan’s wild chaos: Runaway pet lion attacks woman and children in Lahore, 3 arrested; watch video  Times of India
    5. Three injured as wild lion attacks in Lahore; owners arrested  Pakistan Today

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  • U.N. Pulls Nuclear Inspectors Out of Iran for Safety Reasons – WSJ

    1. U.N. Pulls Nuclear Inspectors Out of Iran for Safety Reasons  WSJ
    2. IAEA inspectors depart Tehran after US-Israel-Iran conflict  Al Jazeera
    3. Iran committed to NPT, says FM  Dawn
    4. Iran still committed to nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, says FM Araghchi  The Times of Israel
    5. Oil Updates — crude falls as Iran affirms commitment to nuclear treaty  Arab News

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  • dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever

    dengue, chikungunya, Zika and yellow fever

    Overview

    World Health Organization (WHO) has just released the Integrated Guidelines on the Clinical Management of Arboviral Diseases — a crucial step toward strengthening care for the millions of people affected by these viruses each year.

    Arboviral diseases, primarily transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, pose an increasing threat to global health, particularly in the context of climate change, urbanization, and growing human mobility. With over 5.6 billion people worldwide at risk of arboviral infection, it is essential that healthcare professionals have access to evidence-based recommendations to effectively manage these infections in patients.

    The new WHO guidelines provide clinical management recommendations for four of the most widespread arboviruses affecting humans: dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever.

    An integrated approach is vital, as these four diseases often present with similar symptoms, especially in the early stages of infection, and multiple arboviruses may circulate simultaneously in certain regions. This makes clinical differentiation challenging, particularly where diagnostic testing is not readily available.

     

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  • Lewis Hamilton sets the pace from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during first practice at Silverstone

    Lewis Hamilton sets the pace from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri during first practice at Silverstone

    Lewis Hamilton has topped the timesheets during Friday’s first practice session at the British Grand Prix, the seven-time World Champion leading the way from fellow Briton Lando Norris at his home event.

    There were two new names joining the action for FP1 at Silverstone; 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad had stepped in to Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull for his F1 weekend debut, while Alpine Reserve Driver Paul Aron was at the wheel of Nico Hulkenberg’s Kick Sauber, the rival teams having come to an agreement to share the 21-year-old’s driving services.

    Haas’ Esteban Ocon led the pack out in a busy start to the session, the majority of the field running the medium tyres while the Aston Martin and Williams cars had bolted on the hard compound.

    Liam Lawson, meanwhile, made an early complaint about traffic, the Racing Bulls man – whose car is running a special livery this weekend – saying “guy needs to check his mirrors” after encountering Lindblad on track.

    The opening segment of FP1 saw several home favourites top the timesheets, with Lewis Hamilton and Lando Norris each going fastest before George Russell set the quickest time to head the timesheets.

    Pierre Gasly, meanwhile, completed a 360-degree spin at Copse corner. The Alpine driver managed to continue running, albeit with some significant flat spots on his tyres.

    Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar had set the pace from Charles Leclerc as the session reached its halfway point, just as others started to switch to the soft tyres for some flying laps. Elsewhere there was trouble for Carlos Sainz, with the Williams up on the stands in the garage as the team seemingly checked the floor.

    The order quickly started to evolve as most of the pack started to embark on their soft-shod runs, with the times rapidly tumbling, while traffic increasingly became an issue. Meanwhile Gabriel Bortoleto became the next driver to spin around at Copse, the Kick Sauber briefly triggering the yellow flags before continuing on.

    As the session entered into its final 20 minutes, Norris had returned to the top of the order – only for Hamilton to surge through to displace his fellow Briton by two-hundredths, the Ferrari driver setting the pace on a 1m 26.892s.

    While more laps went on the board – and Sainz rejoined the pack slightly out of sequence on the hard tyres before later switching to the soft rubber – Hamilton’s benchmark ultimately remained unbeaten on a track where the 40-year-old has won a record nine times.

    Norris remained in second, with the other McLaren of Oscar Piastri going third quickest while Leclerc placed in fourth. Russell followed in fifth for Mercedes ahead of Hadjar, Williams’ Alex Albon, Lawson and the other Silver Arrows car of Kimi Antonelli.

    Max Verstappen rounded out the top 10 on a weekend in which the Red Bull driver has continued to face speculation over his future. The Aston Martin duo of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll claimed P11 and P12 from Lindblad (P13), Sainz (P14) and Ocon (P15).

    Meanwhile Alpine’s Franco Colapinto, Aron, Haas’ Ollie Bearman, Gasly and Bortoleto completed the order from 16th to 20th respectively.

    With the first hour of running now complete, the drivers and teams will examine their data and prepare for Friday’s second practice session, which is set to get underway at 1600 local time.

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  • Turkey battles deadly wildfires as Greece brings blaze in Crete under control

    Turkey battles deadly wildfires as Greece brings blaze in Crete under control

    ANKARA, Turkey — Firefighters in Turkey remained locked in a battle to contain flames tearing through forested hillsides in the west of the country on Friday, while similar wildfires in neighboring Greece were largely brought under control.

    Wildfires that broke out in at least five locations across Turkey’s Aegean coastal province of İzmir — fueled by soaring temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity — have killed two people, forced the evacuation of tens of thousands and damaged some 200 homes.

    Forestry Minister İbrahim Yumakli said Friday that firefighters, supported by water-dropping aircraft, remained on the ground battling a deadly wildfire near the town of Odemis for a third day. Elsewhere, emergency crews worked to halt the spread of a new blaze that broke out late Thursday near the district of Buca.

    The fire near Odemis claimed two lives — a forestry worker who died Thursday trying to contain the flames, and an 81-year-old resident who succumbed to smoke inhalation, according to authorities.

    “Our intense air and land fight to control the fires in Odemis and Buca,” continues, the minister said on X, without providing further details.

    Another wildfire that broke out Wednesday near the popular vacation destination of Cesme was contained Friday, Yumakli said. The fire prompted the evacuation of three neighborhoods and caused temporary road closures.

    In Greece, a coastal wildfire on Crete remained under control. But the fire service maintained a large deployment on the island as the authorities feared flare ups due to strong winds.

    More than 5,000 tourists, hotel workers and local residents were moved out of the area on Wednesday as the blaze threatened seaside resorts. Several areas of the country remain on alert due to the adverse weather conditions.

    Local authorities in Crete estimate that the wildfire has burned approximately 15 square kilometers (3,700 acres) of land.

    Turkish officials have not provided an estimate of the total land area consumed by the fires.

    Authorities said most of the fires Izmir were caused by faults on power lines. Yumakli blamed the blaze in Buca on sparks caused by construction workers using a grinder to cut through metal.

    Summer wildfires are common in both Greece and Turkey, where experts warn that climate change is intensifying conditions.

    __

    Gatopoulos reported from Athens.

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