BEIJING, Aug. 20 — Troops participating in the upcoming V-Day parade will line up in formations along Chang’an Avenue in Beijing, and they will be reviewed by President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
A total of 45 formations and echelons will be involved in the grand parade, which will last for approximately 70 minutes, said Wu Zeke, a senior officer of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission, at a press conference on Wednesday to outline preparations for the parade on Sept. 3.
During the parade march-past, airborne flag-guarding echelons, foot formations, battle flag formations, armament columns and aerial echelons will pass through or fly across Tian’anmen Square in order, according to Wu.
Currently, all parade preparations have been basically completed, the military officer said.
South Park has not missed any opportunity to take jabs at Donald Trump since their return to Comedy Central with Season 27.
The trailer for Episode 3, titled “Sickofance,” dropped, and it shows the return of Towelie as they travel to D.C. amid a militarized environment.
“Wow! Washington D.C.,” Towelie is heard saying as they look out a bus window, where you can see a reflection of the emblematic buildings.
RELATED: ‘South Park’ Season 27 Audience Grows As Trey Parker & Matt Stone Take More Digs At Trump Administration
The visuals of D.C. are of a militarized state as the National Guard patrols the areas with troops holding rifles and army tanks run across buildings like the White House.
“This seems like the perfect place for a towel,” Towelie adds.
Towelie, voiced by Vernohn Chatman, a stoner towel, first made an appearance in Season 5, Episode 8.
RELATED: The ‘South Park’ Guys Share Alternate Ending For Kristi Noem Episode
Towelie’s return comes as South Park has consistently targeted Donald Trump and his administration. The second episode of Season 27, titled “Got A Nut,” parodied Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem amid the ICE raids terrorizing undocumented immigrants across the country.
Noem was not a fan of her portrayal on the long-running animated series and during an interview on Glenn Beck’s podcast, said, “It never ends, but it’s so lazy, to make fun of women and how they look. Only the liberals and the extremists do that. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that. But clearly they can’t. They pick something petty like that.”
RELATED: ‘South Park’ Trolls Kristi Noem Changing PFP After DHS Secretary Called Parody “Lazy”
The digs at Donald Trump’s administration that South Park has been taking have resulted in their audience growing. Deadline recently reported that the second episode of Season 27 drew 6.2M global multi-platform viewers across Comedy Central and Paramount+ in its first three days. That number was slightly higher than the premiere episode, which reached nearly 6M viewers in the same time frame.
South Park’s latest episode comes amid Donald Trump deploying the National Guard in D.C., saying that the city was “becoming a situation of complete and total lawlessness,” despite data suggesting violent crime was down 26%.
South Park Season 27, Episode 3 is set to air on Wednesday, August 19 at 10 p.m. ET on Comedy Central.
Watch a preview for South Park’s Season 27, Episode 3 below.
RELATED: ‘South Park’ Takes Shot At Kristi Noem In Season 27 Episode Titled “Got A Nut” Amid Trump’s DHS Embracing Parody
Scroll through the photo gallery below for the preview of South Park’s “Sickofancy” episode.
The United States has accused India of cashing in on discounted Russian oil during the Ukraine war, alleging that New Delhi has been buying crude at knockdown prices and reselling refined products to sanctioning regions, a practice Washington has branded as “arbitrage”.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC’s Squawk Box on Tuesday that India was “profiteering” from the conflict. “They are just profiteering. They are reselling,” he said.
“This is what I would call the Indian arbitrage — buying cheap Russian oil, reselling it as product.”
Bessent claimed that the move had lined the pockets of “some of the richest families in India,” alleging they had made “$16 billion in excess profits.”
Asked why Beijing had not faced similar penalties, Bessent intimated that China’s continued imports were viewed as less problematic because it had been a major buyer even before Russia’s invasion.
However, energy expert Bob McNally, president of Rapidan Energy and a former advisor to President George W Bush, said India’s decision to lean on Russian oil were due to US’ encouragement immediately after the invasion.
According to him, the Biden administration had asked India to buy Russian crude when other buyers walked away, to prevent a dramatic oil price spike that could have hit American motorists hard.
“India played a key role in the price cap sanction mechanism designed by the US and its European allies to ensure Russian oil still flowed while trying to crimp the revenue Moscow earned,” McNally told CNBC.
According to oil market analyst Matt Smith at Kpler, in his comments to CNBC, India buys Russian crude at a discount due to sanctions, refines it into petrol and diesel, and then “sells the product back to regions that have sanctioned Moscow such as Europe.”
India’s imports of Russian oil have soared since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Prior to that, New Delhi imported only a trickle of Russian crude. Now, India purchases 1.5 million barrels per day, making it Russia’s largest client, according to Kpler data.
China is close behind at 1 million barrels per day.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump doubled down by ordering an additional 25% tariff on Indian exports to the United States as punishment for buying Russian oil, a levy set to take effect next week.
Trump is also threatening “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil buyers like India in an effort to force the Kremlin into a negotiated settlement over Ukraine, though China has thus far been spared such measures.
Researchers from Schmidt Ocean Institute were amazed when a crab they were watching suddenly pulled a fish out of thin air.
“Wait, he just caught a fish, and now he’s eating it,” says one of the researchers in the video.
“I’m hitting the OMG button!” says another. “Are you kidding?”
See the ghostly-looking crabs tussling over their dinner. Credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute
The crab appeared to conjure a fish from nowhere, leaving the scientists baffled. As they puzzle over what just happened, they realise the little crab had pulled the fish from the other side of the coral – and that another crab nearby may have stashed it there for later.
“So, he just stole somebody else’s fish?” the second researcher asks. Seconds later, the crab starts scuttling away as its companion tries to get its snack back.
Image and video credit: Schmidt Ocean Institute | creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
More amazing wildlife stories from around the world
Pakistan approves $20.8 million flood aid as nearly 400 dead in latest monsoon spell
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top economic body on Tuesday approved a relief package worth Rs5.8 billion ($20.8 million) to support people affected by recent rains and flash floods in the country’s northwest, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
The announcement comes as nearly 400 people have been killed during the latest spell of monsoon rains in northern Pakistan that began late last week. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reported that of the 400 deaths since Friday, 356 were in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which has been lashed by cloudbursts, flash floods, lightning strikes and landslides in the deadliest downpour of this year’s monsoon season.
In total, 707 Pakistanis have died in monsoon rains since June 26, according to the NDMA.
“Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet has approved a relief package worth 5.8 billion rupees as federal assistance for the rain and flood affected people,” Radio Pakistan said in a report after a meeting of the ECC was held in Islamabad with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb in the chair.
“The ECC directed the Finance Division to immediately release 4 billion rupees of the approved package to mitigate the sufferings of affected people.”
Earlier in the day, while addressing a joint news conference on Tuesday, Pakistan’s army and government spokesmen and the chief of the NDMA said coordinated relief and rescue operations had been stepped up in affected parts of KP and the mountainous Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
“Currently, there are eight units of the infantry and eight units of the FC [frontier constabulary] directly involved in search and rescue and flood relief operations,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told reporters in Islamabad.
“In the search and rescue work, 6,903 of children and adults have been rescued by the army units,” the army spokesman said, adding that over 6,300 people had also received medical treatment.
Chaudhry said logistics bases had been set up in Kanju and Daggar to supply food, tents and medicines, while helicopters were flying emergency aid to remote areas.
Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said 70 percent of the region’s power supply had also been restored, including in districts like Buner, Shangla, Swat and Bajaur, where electrical grids, poles and transformers were destroyed.
He said ministers for energy, communications and Kashmir affairs were deployed in the field to monitor relief operations.
“In Malakand division, the N-90 highway has been fully reopened after clearing all blockades,” Tarar added.
More than 1,200 tents, 3,000 kilograms of medicines and 40 tons of food rations have been dispatched to the flood-hit regions, with over 500 medical camps operational in the area.
Volunteers walks with umbrellas to avoid rain as they survey the damaged areas, following a storm that caused heavy rains and flooding in Bayshonai Kalay, in Buner district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on August 18, 2025. (REUTERS)
Chairman of the NDMA, Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik, who also addressed the news conference, said at least 25,000 people had been rescued in total in the last four days.
He warned of continued risks from localized flooding and cloudbursts in KP, GB, and northern Punjab, with a new monsoon spell expected in the last week of August.
“A complete survey has been launched, which has been started to assess the damage of houses and public infrastructure,” Malik said, adding that its findings would be ready by early September.
Malik said more than 50 percent of landslides had been cleared and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved a special ration package for affected districts.
Aid convoys to Swabi, Buner, Malakand, Bajaur, Shangla and Swat were also underway, with support from military formations and non-governmental organizations
“All arms of the state are mobilized in this national response,” he added.
TRAVEL ADVISORY
Separately, the NDMA issued a travel advisory on Tuesday warning of road closures and damage in the country’s north due to floods and landslides.
According to the advisory, tourists have been told to avoid travel on vulnerable stretches of the Karakoram Highway and connecting routes, including Torghar, Batagram, Shangla, Lower Kohistan, Tattapani, Gilgit and Hunza.
Road blockages due to floods and landslides were reported at several points on the Karakoram Highway, as well as at multiple locations along the Mingora–Swat road.
The NDMA also listed a number of damaged or closed bridges and roads in Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu, Ghizer, Hunza and Astore.
Men retrieve a motorbike from a thick layer of mud, following a storm that caused heavy rains and flooding in Pacha Kalay Bazar, in Buner district, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, on August 18, 2025. (REUTERS)
“Surmo Bridge, Ghanche: damaged; no alternate … Baghecha, Skardu: damaged; alternate: temporary causeway but unsafe,” the advisory said.
It added that the Astak Bridge on the Jaglot–Skardu road was partially open, while major routes such as Shandur, Ishkoman, Gulmit in Gojal, Hoper in Nagar, and the Skardu–Kargil road in Kharmang district were closed with no alternate routes available.
The advisory urged travelers to check updates regularly and avoid unnecessary movement in the affected areas until roads are cleared and safe for traffic.
PUNJAB ALERT
The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Tuesday also issued a fresh alert for heavy monsoon rains across much of the province from Aug. 19–22.
“Severe thunderstorms are forecast in most districts, including Rawalpindi, Murree, Galiyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Gujranwala, Lahore, Gujrat and Sialkot,” the PDMA spokesperson said, adding that downpours were also expected in Dera Ghazi Khan, Multan and Rajanpur.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said all commissioners and deputy commissioners had been directed to remain on alert in line with instructions from Punjab’s chief minister. He warned of rising water levels in rivers and streams, flash flooding in hill torrents, and the risk of urban flooding in major cities.
In this aerial picture, volunteers remove debris from a resident’s home, after flash floods hit Buner district in northern Pakistan’s mountainous Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on August 18, 2025. (AFP)
“Citizens are urged to adopt precautionary measures during bad weather,” Kathia said. “Stay in safe places during storms, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep children away from low-lying areas and electricity poles and wires.”
The DG added that health, irrigation, communications, local government and livestock departments had all been placed on high alert. In case of emergency, people were advised to call the PDMA helpline at 1129.
A groundbreaking study of a child’s skull found in a northern Israeli cave has found that the world’s first incidence of sex between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals took place at least 100,000 years before scientists previously thought.
Research teams from Tel Aviv University and the French National Center for Scientific Research applied new research techniques to the 140,000-year-old skull of a five-year-old child discovered 90 years ago in the Skhul Cave on Mount Carmel, in northern Israel.
They discovered that the skull — initially thought to belong to a Homo sapiens child — bore physical characteristics of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthals.
Until that point, the earliest evidence of such morphological mingling anywhere in the world was found in a skull dated to some 40,000 years in a Romanian cave.
Genetic analysis had also suggested interaction for a short period between 40,000 and 50,000 years ago.
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The new study was led by Prof. Israel Hershkovitz of the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University and Anne Dambricourt-Malassé of the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
The skull of the so-called Skhul I child shows cranial curvature typical of Homo sapiens. (Tel Aviv University)
It involved scanning the skull and jaw using micro-CT technology at the Shmunis Family Anthropology Institute at Tel Aviv University.
This created an accurate three-dimensional model from the scans and enabled the researchers to perform a complex morphological analysis of the anatomical structures (including non-visible structures such as the inner ear) and compare them to various hominid populations.
To study the structure of the blood vessels surrounding the brain, they also created an accurate 3D reconstruction of the inside of the skull.
The lower jaw of Skhul I child showing features characteristics of Neanderthals. (Tel Aviv University)
“The fossil we studied [provides] the earliest known physical evidence of mating between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens,” said Hershkovitz, explaining that “the child’s skull, which in its overall shape resembles that of Homo sapiens — especially in the curvature of the skull vault — has an intracranial blood supply system, a lower jaw, and an inner ear structure typical of Neanderthals.”
He added, “Traditionally, anthropologists have attributed the fossils discovered in the Skhul Cave, along with fossils from the Qafzeh Cave near Nazareth, to an early group of Homo sapiens. The current study reveals that at least some of the fossils from the Skhul Cave are the result of continuous genetic infiltration from the local, and older, Neanderthal population into the Homo sapiens population.”
Prof. Israel Hershkovitz. (Tel Aviv University
Hershkovitz believes that contrary to previous assumptions, it was the earliest waves of Homo sapiens who interbred with Neanderthals already living in the area after leaving Africa and entering the land bridge Israel provided to Europe.
In a phone conversation with The Times of Israel, he elaborated that according to his previous research on fossils from various Israeli caves, Neanderthals arrived in the Land of Israel some 400,000 years ago and were still in the area 50,000 years ago.
It was some 200,000 years ago that Homo sapiens arrived in the Land of Israel from Africa, he went on. From that point, the two “sister populations” (who belong to the same species) would likely have mixed, exchanging technology and hunting techniques. The new findings confirmed they were interbreeding from as early as 140,000 years ago.
Given the lack of evidence of violent encounters, Hershkovitz said he believed that the Neanderthals, who went globally extinct 40,000 years ago, were not overpowered by Homo sapiens, but were absorbed into them, gradually diminishing as a distinct population. Today’s human genes still carry traces of Neanderthal origins, he noted.
The findings of the latest discovery were published in the journal L’Anthropologie.
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Kylian Mbappe got off to a scoring start in his second season with Real Madrid, leading the team to a 1-0 victory over Osasuna in their Spanish league opener Tuesday.
Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates scoring their first goal(REUTERS)
Mbappé, the leading scorer in his debut with Madrid last season, converted a 51st-minute penalty kick to give the hosts the victory. A nice run by Mbappé through the right side of the area, followed by a neat cutback move, prompted the foul.
The goal gave new coach Xabi Alonso a winning debut in his first full season with the club. The former Madrid player arrived before the Club World Cup to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who left to take the Brazil job.
“It was special to be back here as a coach, unforgettable,” Alonso said. “Hopefully it was the first of many victories celebrated here.”
Alonso started the match with three of the club’s new signings for the season — left back Álvaro Carreras, right back Trent Alexander-Arnold and central defender Dean Huijsen. Teenage forward Franco Mastantuono came off the bench to replace Brahim Díaz in the 68th, being loudly cheered by the crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Some fans had not been happy after the former River Plate player praised Lionel Messi — the fellow Argentine who was a star at rival Barcelona — during his introductory news conference.
The 18-year-old Mastantuono had a chance to score in the 89th, but his shot from inside the area was saved by the Osasuna goalkeeper.
“They all did well,” Alonso said of the newcomers. “They are players who will be helping us for years. None of them felt the pressure of the Madrid jersey or of the Bernabeu.”
Osasuna defender Abel Bretones was sent off in stoppage time with a straight red card for a high arm to block Madrid forward Gonzalo García.
“They dominated, we knew it was going to be like that,” Osasuna midfielder Rubén García said. “We played a good game but couldn’t get too close to their goal. In the end, they deserved the victory.”
Madrid forward Rodrygo stayed on the bench the whole match, intensifying speculation of a possible transfer. Alonso downplayed Rodrygo’s lack of minutes, saying he still counts on the Brazil international for now.
“It was only a match,” he said. “If in three months he still isn’t getting these minutes, then it’s different.”
The game was played Tuesday instead of last weekend along with the rest of opening matches because Madrid’s players needed more rest following the team’s participation at the Club World Cup. Madrid’s attempt to delay its debut even further was denied by the league.
Madrid controlled possession — more than 70% — but struggled to break through the tight Osasuna defense early, threatening with a few long-range shots.
“There were positives, beginning with the result,” Alonso said. “We still need a few things that will give us stability to keep progressing.”
Mbappé, with the No. 10 jersey this season, had one of Madrid’s best first-half chances with a curling shot from inside the area that just missed the top corner, but finally broke through with the winner early in the second half as Madrid continued to press forward. He sent a low shot from the spot into the right side of the net as the goalkeeper dived the other way.
“You can tell that Mbappé wants more,” Alonso said.
Barcelona began its title defense with a comfortable 3-0 win at nine-man Mallorca on Saturday, while Atletico Madrid squandered a late lead in a 2-1 loss at Espanyol on Sunday.
Madrid was runner-up to Barcelona in the Spanish league last season. Osasuna finished ninth.
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a detailed advisory urging citizens to adopt stronger password practices to safeguard their personal data and online accounts.
The advisory emphasizes the importance of password security, particularly for financial services and email accounts, which are prime targets of cyberattacks.
According to the guidelines, users should create complex passwords that include upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. PTA stressed the need for enabling two-factor authentication (2FA) on all critical accounts to add an extra layer of protection against cyber threats.
The authority advised users to avoid reusing the same password across multiple applications and to change their passwords regularly. Citizens were further cautioned against using easily guessable passwords, such as dictionary words or personal information like birth dates, which make accounts more vulnerable to hacking attempts.
PTA also recommended prioritizing biometric or facial recognition features for financial services and applications, highlighting that traditional passwords can often be compromised. The advisory noted that biometrics provide a stronger level of authentication compared to text-based passwords.
The authority reiterated that a password is the first line of defense against cyber threats, and strengthening it is crucial for digital safety. By following these guidelines, users can better protect their personal data, financial transactions, and online communications from unauthorized access.
People experience wake-up calls at various stages in their lives. For Derry Ainsworth, his big one came in 2024 while lying alone in pain in a Hong Kong hospital bed surrounded by the screams of sick and dying patients.
The Hong Kong-based British photographer’s health nightmare started on July 24, 2024, when he woke up with what he thought was a mild hangover. Then severe abdominal pain took over.
He called an ambulance and, in hospital, spent the first few hours crying in pain on a toilet floor until a nurse rushed him for a CAT scan and gave him morphine.
The diagnosis was severe acute pancreatitis (SAP), a serious condition in which the pancreas – a gland behind the stomach that plays a vital role in both digestion and blood sugar regulation – becomes severely inflamed. This can lead to organ failure and even death.
Derry Ainsworth in hospital in July 2024 after being diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis. Photo: Derry Ainsworth
While gallstones and alcohol abuse are common causes of acute pancreatitis, many factors can lead to SAP. Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Ainsworth, who was 34 at the time, was told that the situation would have been much worse if the infection had entered his bloodstream or shut down his surrounding organs.
The United Nations took aim Tuesday at Israel’s months-long block on bringing tents into the Gaza Strip, despite continual displacement orders being issued to civilians in the devastated territory.
Jens Laerke, spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said shelter items had been banned from entering Gaza for about five months — a period in which more than 700,000 people had been displaced or re-displaced.
“They may have been provided with a tent, and then they are displaced again and they have no possibility of taking the tent with them,” he told a press briefing in Geneva.
He said Israel had classified tents as “dual use” because they considered tent poles could potentially be used for a military purpose.
He decried “layers of bureaucracy which seem designed not to facilitate fast entry of anything but rather the opposite”.
Israel announced earlier this month that it intended to take over Gaza City and issued another displacement order to residents on Saturday.
Laerke said tents were still not being allowed into the territory.
The UN human rights office meanwhile said the Gaza City takeover plans bore “huge risks for civilians”.
“There are risks of mass displacement and more and more killings and more misery,” said spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan.
He accused Israel of displacing Palestinians to areas where strikes were continuing.
Kheetan said “hundreds of thousands” were being told to go south to Al-Mawasi, which he said was still under bombardment.
He said Palestinians in Al-Mawasi had “little or no access to essential services and supplies, including food, water, electricity and tents”.
Across the Gaza Strip, Kheetan said the risk of starvation was “everywhere”.
