Five children lost their lives and 12 others were injured on Saturday when an old mortar shell exploded in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said.The tragic incident took place in Lakki Marwat district, where a group of children found an unexploded mortar shell in the nearby hills and brought it back to their village. According to police, the shell blasted while the children were playing with it, unaware of the fact that it was a bomb.Emergency teams reached the site and transported the bodies of injured and deceased to the nearby City Hospital, officials confirmed.A spokesperson for the hospital confirmed that most of the injured are children with several in critical condition.The explosion has triggered fear and panic among local residents.
Indian oil refineries will continue to buy oil from Russia, officials have said, before threatened US sanctions next week against Moscow’s trading partners over the war in Ukraine.
Media reports on Friday had suggested India, a big energy importer, would stop buying cheap Russian oil. Trump told reporters on Friday that such a move would be “a good step” if true.
“I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia,” he said. “That’s what I heard. I don’t know if that’s right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.”
However, official sources in India, quoted by the news agency ANI, rebutted Trump’s claim, saying Indian oil companies had not paused Russian imports and that supply decisions were based on “price, grade of crude, inventories, logistics and other economic factors”.
Trump’s remarks came a day after the White House announced tariffs of 25% on all Indian goods, along with a penalty for buying arms and energy from Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Trump has given an 8 August deadline for Vladimir Putin to stop the war or risk further sanctions on tariffs on countries that import Russian oil.
Earlier this week, Reuters reported that Indian state-owned refineries had suspended Russian oil purchases amid the tariff threats and narrowing price discounts.
But on Saturday the New York Times cited two unnamed senior Indian officials who said there had been no change in Indian government policy related to importing Russian oil. One said the government had “not given any direction to oil companies” to cease buying oil from Russia.
“These are long-term oil contracts,” one of the sources said. “It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight.”
The sources cited by ANI said Indian oil refineries operated in full compliance with international norms, and that Russian oil had never been directly sanctioned by the US or EU. “Instead, it was subjected to a G7-EU price-cap mechanism designed to limit revenue while ensuring global supplies continued to flow.”
They added: “India’s purchases have remained fully legitimate and within the framework of international norms.”
The sources also noted that if India had not “absorbed discounted Russian crude combined with Opec+ production cuts of 5.8 mb/d [millions of barrels a day], global oil prices could have surged well beyond the March 2022 peak of US$137/bbl [a barrel], intensifying inflationary pressures worldwide”.
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Russia is the top oil supplier to India, responsible for about 35% of the country’s supplies. India says that as a major energy importer it must find the cheapest supplies to protect its population against rising costs.
On Friday India’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, said: “We look at what is available in the markets, what is on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances.”
Jaiswal added that India had a “steady and time-tested partnership” with Russia.
This partnership has been a point of contention for the White House, with Trump posting on Truth Social on 30 July that while India was “our friend”, it had always bought most of its military equipment from Russia and was “Russia’s largest buyer of ENERGY, along with China, at a time when everyone wants Russia to STOP THE KILLING IN UKRAINE – ALL THINGS NOT GOOD!”
In a second post, Trump added: “I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care.”
Ukraine’s military said on Saturday it had hit oil facilities inside Russia, including a refinery in Ryazan, causing a fire on its premises. The strike also hit an oil storage facility, a military airfield for drones and an electronics factory.
The conditions were savagely difficult and led to a massive contrast, from the free-scoring wonder of Melbourne to a serious scrap in Sydney. Every inch was hard won, every collision brutal. The rain might have been a great leveller if it hadn’t been for the demonic intensity of the Wallabies.
Will Skelton typified it. While he’s been on the field in this series, the Lions have had no answer to him. How different things might have been deemed fit enough to play in the first Test in Brisbane. He was close.
Taniela Tupou was playing for the first time in this series and the prop was immense. They lost the series last week but if their spirit was broken by that late drama in Melbourne then nobody told the Wallabies. In the deluge, there was a battle and the hosts won it hands-down in a total grind of an opening half.
They scored after just five minutes when a Tom Wright grubber was carried over his own line by Hugo Keenan. Scrum, Australia. Phases, Australia. Try, Australia.
Joseph Suaalii’s work to hold the Lions defence – Freeman was caught in no-man’s land – before offloading to Pietsch was outstanding, the winger’s acrobatic finish quite brilliant in the conditions.
Pietsch, parachuted into the team after playing zero minutes in the series so far, was like a man possessed, hitting hard and often. All of the Wallabies were similarly driven.
When it wasn’t a kicking contest, it was attrition all the way. Aggravation was everywhere. A couple of melees broke out. An element of badness existed. Dead rubber? Some chance.
The Lions could get nothing going, their much-praised scrum getting pulverised now that Tupou was back in the front row. How Wallaby head coach Joe Schmidt must rue some of the selection decisions he has made in this series.
What was worse for the Lions was Itoje’s failed HIA and then Freeman’s failed HIA, with centre Huw Jones now switching to the wing. Australia fly-half Lynagh also failed an HIA and here there will be recriminations. Lynagh looked to have taken a shoulder to the head from Dan Sheehan, now the Lions captain in Itjoje’s absence.
Before he left, he kicked the Wallabies 8-0 ahead in a half of continuing dominance. Even when the Lions got decent field position, the power of the Wallabies snuffed them out. Tom Hooper ransacked Jack Conan in the Wallabies 22 and Stadium Australia went berserk in delight.
In May 2025, residents near lac rouge in Quebec made a startling discovery. A road close to the lake had been washed out, prompting investigations that revealed the lake had completely drained almost overnight. This extraordinary event, described by experts as extremely rare, was later confirmed by satellite imagery from Landsat 9, showing the lake reduced to an empty brown basin.
Sudden Disappearance Shocks Local Community
Located in the Lac-Walker region of Sept-Rivières in Quebec, lac rouge spans approximately 0.86 square miles (1.4 square kilometers). The lake has long been an important site for the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi, who used it for fishing, hunting, and trapping. The abrupt disappearance of this water body has left local residents and visitors deeply concerned about the impact on wildlife such as moose and sturgeon, species that depend on the lake’s ecosystem.
Field surveys quickly revealed that the ground beneath the lake had collapsed, creating an unexpected drainage pathway. This geological shift allowed water to flow backward from its usual outflow, channeling into smaller ponds and rivers before eventually reaching lac doda, roughly 6 miles (10 kilometers) away.
Satellite Imagery Confirms Timeline
Images captured by the NASA Earth Observatory, using data from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Landsat 9 satellite, provided the first clear view of the event. The photos highlighted the lake’s transformation from a vibrant body of water into a barren patch of land. Although the exact moment of the drainage remains uncertain, experts believe it occurred between April 29 and May 14, 2025.
This event underscores the value of Earth-observing satellites in tracking environmental changes. Designed to study the planet’s processes, Landsat 9 allowed scientists to document the lake’s sudden disappearance in unprecedented detail. As a result, the draining of lac rouge has become a striking example of how rapidly landscapes can transform.
Credit: NASA Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang
Possible Causes Remain A Mystery
While investigations are ongoing, the Cree First Nation of Waswanipi has stated that “the cause of the lake draining is still unknown.” Some researchers suggest that wildfires, heavy rainfall, or snowmelt could have triggered the collapse of the lakebed. Wildfires near the region in 2019 and 2023 may have weakened the soil structure, making it vulnerable to sudden failure.
This unusual case has drawn attention from both the scientific community and local residents, raising questions about whether similar events could happen elsewhere.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday ordered the establishment of separate immigration counters at all international airports to facilitate foreign passengers and boost tourism and investment.
A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said the decision was taken to “promote tourism in the country, ensure continuity of business activities and facilitate foreign investment”.
It added that the establishment of the counters would reduce the immigration processing time at the airports.
The statement also said that Pakistanis returning to the country would be able to complete their immigration process in a shorter time after the establishment of separate and designated counters for foreigners.
“The initiative is part of a strategy to make Pakistan more attractive and friendly for global tourists, investors, and business delegations,” the PMO said.
In February, Pakistan won the Best Partner Pavilion Award at the New York Travel and Adventure Show 2025. The two-day event is the largest US travel show organised annually for travel enthusiasts from across the world.
In January, Gilgit-Baltistan was included in CNN’s list of top 25 destinations to visit in 2025.
Competition in Israel’s browser security market is intensifying with a new player challenging established firms. LayerX, founded in 2022 by CEO Or Ashed and CTO David Weisbrod, has emerged as a strong contender aiming to disrupt the dominance of Island, a leading secure browser company valued at $5 billion.
Three years ago, Talon and Island led the race for secure browsers but Talon was acquired by Palo Alto Networks for $650 million while Island continued to grow rapidly. Now, LayerX claims it can capture market share from Island by integrating its cybersecurity technology directly into mainstream browsers like Google Chrome.
The shift gained momentum following Google’s recent announcement of a collaboration with LayerX. The partnership integrates LayerX’s security tools into Google Chrome Enterprise enhancing protection against malicious browser extensions for enterprise users.
“Browsers are the main attack surface for cyber threats,” said LayerX CEO Or Ashed. “Enterprises face serious risks from browser extensions that may access sensitive company data. Our technology embeds advanced security within Chrome itself offering consistent protection across browsers.”
Unlike Island and Talon which developed standalone secure browsers, LayerX focuses on securing existing browsers through extensions and deep integration. This approach aligns with emerging trends as artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities are rapidly being incorporated into browsers including forthcoming AI-powered browsers from OpenAI.
“As AI browsers enter the market, companies building independent secure browsers face challenges,” Ashed said. “Employees will choose AI browsers they prefer and organizations using LayerX’s integrated protection will have stronger security.”
LayerX has raised $45 million in funding including a recent $11 million round led by investors such as Dell Technologies Capital and Galil Capital. One of its customers Jump Capital also invested after endorsing the product.
Yair Shnir managing partner at Dell Technologies Capital highlighted the promise of LayerX’s technology. “The future belongs to next-generation browsers powered by AI agents. Securing these new platforms requires innovative solutions and LayerX is well-positioned to lead.”
Ashed predicts LayerX could become a market leader and a multibillion-dollar company. “Secure browsers are the next frontier in cybersecurity. We are confident we’ll be a unicorn within a few years and could reach a $10 billion valuation.”
Island meanwhile has not publicly responded to LayerX’s challenge continuing to hold significant market share.
Google’s partnership with LayerX also provides LayerX access to anonymized browsing data from Chrome’s extensive user base enabling ongoing improvements to its security technology.
With browsers increasingly central to workplace computing and growing cyber threats, the battle for browser security dominance is heating up and LayerX aims to be at the forefront.
All of the HID subsystem device driver updates have been merged for the Linux 6.17 merge window.
First up, the HID updates for Linux 6.17 include enabling support for the Touch Bars on x86-based Apple MacBook Pros. In prior kernels there have been a lot of recent work around Touch Bar support under Linux for input and display, including for the newer Apple Silicon MacBooks while now for Linux 6.17 the HID input support for the aging x86 MacBook Pro laptops is now wired up.
Linux 6.17 also is enabling support for the Apple Magic Keyboard USB-C model. There is also now third-party trackpad support for the Apple MacBook Pro 15,1 model.
Also new for Linux 6.17 on the HID side is enabling Wake-On-Touch for the Intel THC drivers. Intel THC in this context is for the Touch Host Controller for newer Core Ultra laptops.
Linux 6.17 is also now supporting the XP-PEN Artist 22R Pro tablet monitor. The XP-PEN Artist 22R Pro tablet monitor features a 1080p display, two dial wheels, 20 shortcut keys, 8192 level pressure sensitivity, and looks to be an all-around nice tablet monitor. Pricing on it is around $480 at Amazon (affiliate link).
The HID code for Linux 6.17 is also better protecting against buggy/malicious devices. There has been code hardening to the HID core parser, fixing a potential NULL pointer dereference in the Apple driver, and other code improvements.
More details on the HID changes merged to Linux 6.17 via this pull.
Laurent Mekies has shared his reaction to Max Verstappen confirming that he will remain at Red Bull in 2026, with the new Team Principal admitting that the news is “good for everyone to hear” following speculation over the Dutchman’s future.
Despite holding a contract to race for the squad through to the end of 2028, Verstappen had been linked to Mercedes in recent times – rumours that were heightened when George Russell suggested that the team had been having “conversations” with the World Champion.
Verstappen was tight-lipped about the speculation when faced with questions during the British Grand Prix weekend last month – but the 27-year-old shut down any further talk on Thursday’s media day in Hungary by stating: “I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours, and for me it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.”
Asked by Sky Sports F1 about Verstappen’s decision to confirm his future, Mekies – who took over as Team Principal at Red Bull following the immediate departure of Christian Horner earlier in July – responded: “I don’t think there was a real doubt, as far as the team is concerned.
“Max has been saying it over and over again, and we know what he wants – he wants the fast car. Now the fact that he said it a bit louder this time I guess is good for everyone to hear, but as far as we are concerned, he has always been a part and central to the team.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix weekend has not got off to the smoothest of starts for the Milton Keynes-based squad on the track, with Verstappen labelling Friday as “very tough” after struggling for grip at the wheel of the RB21.
Pushed on how vital Verstappen’s experience is when it comes to turning the situation around during the weekend, Mekies conceded: “It is essential, I have to say.
“He knows when the car has been working, he knows when the car has not been working, and especially in a situation like that when it’s not so much a balance issue, it’s really like we are struggling to find the level of grip that we should be having here, and he’s certainly a huge, huge help in these situations.”
While it is now clear that Verstappen will be racing for Red Bull in 2026, the identity of the team’s second driver is less certain.
Yuki Tsunoda currently fills the spot after being promoted to the squad earlier in the season, but the campaign has so far been a tricky one for the Japanese driver.
When quizzed on whether he has given much thought as to who will take the second seat at the squad next year, Mekies answered: “The priority is give Yuki what he needs to perform. With regards to the second seat, that’s where the priority is.
“It’s what the team is concentrated on, they’ve been trying that for a number of races now. We are trying to find ways to make a further step. Spa was very positive, certainly from that perspective.
“Here it’s a bit of a tricky weekend overall so it’s probably more difficult to judge, but there is no reason why Yuki’s performance cannot be what we have seen in the past and that’s what we are concentrated on right now.”
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE is back in the spotlight with a few specs leaks revealing key upgrades and changes. The phone features the Exynos 2400 SoC, replacing the older 2400e chip. It comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage. It sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with 1080×2340 resolution, a 120 Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.
The Galaxy S25 FE main camera is 50MP with an f/1.8 aperture and OIS. It also includes a 12MP ultrawide and an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom. For selfies, the device uses a 12MP front camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
The 4,500mAh battery supports 45W wired and 15W wireless charging, offering solid power management. It measures 161.3 x 76.6 x 7.4mm and weighs 190g. The phone is IP68-certified for dust and water resistance. It will ship with Android 16 and Samsung’s One UI 8.
Compared to the S24 FE, this model has a better chipset, a sharper selfie camera, and faster charging. However, the battery size is smaller than the S24 FE’s 4,700 mAh. This cutback might raise concerns among users who prioritize battery life.
According to leaks, Samsung may launch the S25 FE earlier than the S24 FE, which debuted in late September.
As previewed last November, Google Home for Android is giving the media controller a Material 3 redesign.
From the Favorites or Devices tab, select a smart display (Nest Hub), speaker, or Android/Google TV device.
This redesign starts with a now playing card that’s taken directly from the Pixel’s notification shade. What you’re watching or listening to is noted at the center with a play/pause button to the right. When Google showed this off last year (as seen above), there was “vibrant artwork” like Android media controls. As of today, we’re not seeing this live. However, it does show a Photo Frame preview.
A timeline scrubber appears at the bottom of the card, with previous and next flanking it. Below that is a volume slider that replaces the circular version.
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Old vs. new
Google TV devices get an “Open remote” shortcut, while you also get full-width buttons for “Stop casting” (or “Cast my screen”) and a button to open the responsible app. The Nest Hub Max lets you “View Nest Cam.” Active buttons are pill-shaped, while inactive controls are rounded rectangles and Dynamic Color is leveraged.
At the time, Google teased “faster performance” for this “easy-to-use interface.”
The Google Home release notes for version 3.35 refer to this as a “Cast controller refresh” that’s currently in the Public Preview for Android users: “Improves UI reliability and performance and aligns with the Google Home app’s latest design standards.”
We’re seeing this media controller redesign with Google Home 3.37 for Android on the Public Preview program. It’s not available on iOS yet.
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