- Power Division makes substantial progress in restoring electricity across flood-hit areas RADIO PAKISTAN
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- Power Division reports progress on electricity restoration in flood-hit areas Dialogue Pakistan
- Pakistan power minister warns solar net-metering may raise national costs Arab News
- Pesco restores 89 feeders in flood-hit areas Dawn
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Power Division makes substantial progress in restoring electricity across flood-hit areas – RADIO PAKISTAN
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East Grinstead filmmaker to screen Bristol to Beijing cycle film
A Sussex film-maker is holding a screening of his production which tells the story of a man with incurable cancer taking a 30,000km (18,641m) tandem cycle from Bristol to Beijing.
‘A Life in Tandem’ charts the journey of Luke Grenfell-Shaw, who embarked on the mammoth cycle after being diagnosed with stage four cancer in 2018 at just 24-years-old.
The production will be shown on Wednesday at the Atrium Cinema in East Grinstead, the home of creator Mike Rumsey.
Mr Rumsey says the process of making what he calls “a family drama, on a bike” was challenging, as Covid hit soon after he met Mr Grenfell-Shaw in January 2020.
He said: “It [Covid] certainly made cycling around the world a lot more complicated, and [made] trying to make a film about someone cycling around the world a lot more complicated.”
The filmmaker said that Mr Grenfell-Shaw, who hails from Bristol, is still in remission.
“The longer he lives, the longer he thinks he’s got really,” Mr Rumsey added.
The pair are currently making a film about Mr Grenfell-Shaw’s first season as a professional ultra-marathon runner.
The screening starts at 19:30 BST.
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A suicide bombing near a political rally in southwestern Pakistan kills 13 and wounds 30 – Arab News
- A suicide bombing near a political rally in southwestern Pakistan kills 13 and wounds 30 Arab News
- At least 11 killed in explosion at political rally in Pakistan’s Quetta Al Jazeera
- At least 5 dead, 29 injured in blast at BNP rally in Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium Dawn
- Bomb blast kills 11 at rally in southwestern Pakistan, officials say Reuters
- Balochistan National Party rally suicide bombing attack kills 13, injures 30 in Quetta, Pakistan The Hindu
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European markets on Weds Sept. 3: Stoxx 600, FTSE, DAX
Daniel Sorabji | AFP | Getty Images
LONDON — European stocks are expected to open broadly higher on Wednesday, reversing negative sentiment in the previous session that was driven by regional fiscal concerns.
The U.K.’s FTSE index is seen opening marginally higher, Germany’s DAX 0.3% higher, France’s CAC 40 up 0.4% and Italy’s FTSE MIB up 0.3%, according to data from IG.
The positive open predicted for regional bourses comes after European stocks tumbled on Tuesday as concerns over the fiscal outlook in major European economies drove bond yields higher.
The U.K.’s 30-year bond yield hit its highest level since 1998 as traders looked ahead to a contentious Autumn Budget. Meanwhile, France’s 30-year yield was at its highest since 2009 ahead of next week’s no confidence vote, which could see the government toppled over a fierce budget dispute.
Bond yields have been rising globally too, it should be noted, amid worries over President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs. U.S. Treasury yields jumped Tuesday after a federal appeals court on Friday ruled that most of his global trade duties are illegal. That raises the prospect of the government having to repay the money already brought in by the duties, putting more pressure on an already stressed U.S. fiscal situation.
Asia-Pacific markets traded mixed overnight as investors assessed the global bond market and the latest developments on the trade front, while U.S. stock futures edged higher after a federal court decision in an Alphabet antitrust case fueled optimism that the tech giants will be able to weather regulatory threats.
In Europe on Wednesday, earnings are set to come from Swiss Life Holding and Helvetia Holding. Data releases include the latest Turkish inflation print.
— CNBC’s Amala Balakrishner and Pia Singh contributed to this market report
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TV tonight: an optimistic new dating show for Married at First Sight fans | Television
Stranded on Honeymoon Island
9pm, BBC One
Davina McCall plays matchmaker in a dating series that isn’t a million miles away from Married at First Sight, except the pairs hook up at a speed-dating event and are sent to a tropical island with basic supplies and a composting loo (“I’ve never had ‘the poo chat’ with a man!” squirms one bride). We meet the first three couples – a refreshingly diverse mix of people with “sheer blind optimism” – and it all goes well until a bombshell drops. Hollie RichardsonThe Lost Neanderthals
8pm, BBC Four
It is amazing what a tooth can tell you. That is one of the main takeaways from this absorbing film about the Mandrin Cave in southern France, a natural shelter for humans since prehistoric times. The archaeological treasure trove is where the remains of a Neanderthal nicknamed Thorin were uncovered, revealing details about what life was like 50,000 years ago. Graeme VirtueNazis, U-boats and the Battle for the Atlantic
9pm, BBC Two
The first in a two-part documentary about one of the second world war’s most crucial campaigns features vivid footage of deep-sea wrecks off the coast of Ireland. We also hear from David Brew – he sadly grew up knowing little about his father, whose Royal Navy ship was torpedoed by a Nazi sub. Hannah J DaviesLong Lost Family: The Mother and Baby Home Scandal
9pm, ITV1
Emotional … Jean Byrne with her daughter, Cathy. Photograph: ITV Jean was sent to the Home of the Good Shepherd in Surrey when she was 16 – just one of the unmarried mothers caught in the scandal of mother and baby homes. Now she is looking for her long-lost daughter in a two-parter that will unlock the deepest emotions. HR
Mudtown
9pm, U&Alibi
The intensity ramps up in this drama about a magistrate, Claire (Erin Richards), who deals with a case too close to home. When her friend Beca (Lauren Morais) brings her son, Sonny (Lloyd Meredith), over for dinner, Claire reconsiders his involvement in the recent shooting. HRLimbs in the Loch: Catching a Killer
10pm, BBC Two
William Beggs was a “very normal, very engaging, very charming” member of the Young Conservatives. He also harboured dark thoughts and fantasies – and had a shadowy, horrific past. When teenager Barry Wallace was found dismembered and dumped in Loch Lomond in 1999, Beggs was the prime suspect but he had vanished. This deeply disturbing true-crime account continues. Ali CatterallContinue Reading
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Service supports patients with long-term radiotherapy side-effects
Annabelle MartinBBC News, Bristol
NHS University Hospitals Bristol and WestonThe service is based in Bristol and serves patients across the South West People who are still living with the long-term effects of radiotherapy are to continue receiving dedicated care.
The Radiotherapy Late Effects service, launched in 2022, has supported more than 1,000 patients with expert physical and emotional support.
NHS England in partnership with the Somerset, Wiltshire, Avon and Gloucestershire (SWAG) Cancer Alliance has recommissioned the service.
Graham Bloomfield, 59, from Bradley Stoke, said it has been a “huge relief” to speak with people who understand the pain he has a result of cancer treatment he received as a child.
The service ensures that anyone who has completed radiotherapy as part of their treatment can receive support for their symptoms including difficulty breathing, oral pain and mobility issues.
Zoe Walker, Therapeutic Radiographer at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, has personally supported more than 400 patients through this service.
“These patients have been dealing with persistent issues after radiotherapy and this service ensures consistent, specialist care across the South West,” she said.
NHS University Hospitals Bristol and WestonGraham Bloomfield, pictured aged 7, is now a software developer Graham Bloomfield from Bradley Stoke was diagnosed as a child with a rare form of cancer that originates in the area behind the nose and upper throat.
He received treatment which cleared the cancer but the side effects stayed with him.
“Over the years I’ve struggled with a number of physical problems caused by the radiotherapy, including reduced movement in my neck, dental pain, and breathing difficulties,” he explained.
He continues to receive the “life-changing” support from the service.
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Google Launches Gemini 2.5 Flash Image with Advanced Editing and Consistency Features
Google released Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (nicknamed nano-banana), its newest image generation and editing model. The system introduces several upgrades over earlier Flash models, including character consistency across prompts, multi-image fusion, precise prompt-based editing, and integration of world knowledge for semantic understanding.
The release is part of Google’s Gemini 2.5 family, which extends the Flash line of models beyond text and into image generation. Gemini 2.0 Flash was mainly recognized for its speed and efficiency, but its image generation features were limited in quality and editing precision. Gemini 2.5 Flash Image introduces improvements in these areas, adding tools that make it more practical for both quick experiments and structured creative workflows.
One technical focus of Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is character consistency, a common difficulty in generative models. It is designed to keep the same subject recognizable across multiple prompts or edits—for example, when moving a character between scenes, showing a product from different perspectives, or producing standardized visual assets.
The model also supports prompt-based image editing, where users can describe specific changes in natural language. Typical operations include background adjustments, object removal or replacement, or modifying details such as a subject’s pose. In addition, a multi-image fusion capability allows features from several inputs to be combined into a single result.
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image also benefits from world knowledge integration, giving it an edge in scenarios that require semantic reasoning. Google has demonstrated examples such as reading and interpreting hand-drawn diagrams, adapting templates for real estate listings, and assisting with educational tasks that combine visual and textual understanding.
Industrial designer Thomas Broen shared his first impressions after testing the model:
I found it interesting how good it was at editing your own images. Like adding features, editing the background/foreground, etc. But also that it was able to ‘go back to the original image’ when it was asked. Something I find that ChatGPT sometimes struggles with.
The model builds on the low latency and efficiency of Gemini 2.0 Flash, while directly incorporating community feedback for higher-quality outputs and stronger editing control. It is available now in preview through the Gemini API, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI, with full stability expected in the coming weeks. To make experimentation easier, Google has updated Google AI Studio’s build mode with new template applications.
Pricing has been confirmed at $30 per 1 million output tokens, with each image costing about $0.039. Other modalities follow Gemini 2.5 Flash pricing.
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Family call for awareness after son fatally swallowed rubber glove
Emily Coady-StempBBC News, South East and
Patrick BarlowBBC News, South East
Family HandoutCharlie Lander died in June 2022 after swallowing a plastic medical glove The family of a Surrey man with a rare eating disorder who died after he swallowed a plastic medical glove say better awareness is needed of severe learning disabilities in hospitals.
Charlie Lander, 48, from Virginia Water, died in hospital in June 2022 due to a small bowel obstruction having been admitted after swallowing the glove.
An inquest found that Mr Lander, who has Pica syndrome – which means people crave eating non-food items – died in a “medical misadventure contributed to by neglect”.
A report into the deaths of people with learning disabilities found people with learning disabilities were twice as likely to die an avoidable death than the general population.
Mr Lander’s mother, Rosalie, said better awareness about how people with severe learning disabilities present could help avoid further death, adding that her son’s death was “preventable”.
The mother, a retired GP from West Byfleet, said: “I didn’t realise how ill he was, and I don’t think the hospital did either.”
Alex, Mr Lander’s sister, added: “These people’s lives are important and we have a responsibility to protect people like Charlie as part of our society.”
Emily Coady-Stemp / BBCCharlie Lander’s mother, Rosalie, and sister, Alex, are calling for greater awareness An inquest in February heard that Mr Lander was rushed to St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey but was discharged on two occasions.
During his third admission, Mr Lander suffered a heart attack on his own while a hospital carer was on a break.
The coroner concluded that leading up to Mr Lander’s death, “the need for urgent surgery to relieve the obstruction which would have prevented his death was not undertaken”.
Dr Mark Roland, chief medical officer at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, apologised for failings in his care.
“Our thoughts remain with Mr Lander’s family and loved ones,” he said.
Dr Roland added that the trust was committed to reducing health inequalities for individuals with learning disabilities and had made significant improvements to care.
‘Unacceptable’
The latest Learning from Lives and Deaths Report (LeDeR), which shows data for 2023, found that on average, people with a learning disability die 19.5 years younger than the general population.
Nearly 60% of deaths covered in the report were for people who died before age of 65.
More than a third of the deaths were also classed as “avoidable” – nearly double the rate of the general population – but this fell by 4.2%, from 43% in 2022 to 38.8% in 2023.
The LeDeR programme was established in 2015 to review the deaths of people with a learning disability and autistic people in England.
Calling the findings of the report “unacceptable”, minister for care Stephen Kinnock said: “The number of deaths reviewed this year remains small, although the findings are very concerning.
“It is crucial we improve our understanding of deaths of autistic people.
“We expect that with increased awareness of the ability to report these deaths, we can then take specific action to address issues raised.”
St Peter’s Hospital was approached for comment.
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A suicide bombing near a political rally in southwestern Pakistan kills 13 and wounds 30 – The Washington Post
- A suicide bombing near a political rally in southwestern Pakistan kills 13 and wounds 30 The Washington Post
- At least 11 killed in explosion at political rally in Pakistan’s Quetta Al Jazeera
- At least 5 dead, 29 injured in blast at BNP rally in Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium Dawn
- Bomb blast kills 11 at rally in southwestern Pakistan, officials say Reuters
- Pakistan bombings kill dozens in political attacks in Quetta and Bannu Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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Bielsa eyes third World Cup spot with Messi set for home swansong
MONTEVIDEO:Charismatic veteran coach Marcelo Bielsa is on the brink of guiding a third team to World Cup qualification as Uruguay take on Peru on Thursday needing only a draw to secure their ticket to next year’s North American extravaganza.
Paraguay, who host Ecuador, also need only a draw to qualify, while Colombia can book their spot at World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico, by beating Bolivia.
Reigning champions Argentina, for whom the incomparable Lionel Messi will be playing his last home qualifier for the Celeste at the age of 38, have already qualified, alongside Brazil and Ecuador.
For Uruguay, a draw or more in front of 80,000 fans in a packed-out Estadio Monumental in Montevideo would be a fitting achievement for the 70-year-old Bielsa.
He guided his native Argentina to a shock group stage exit at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, but did better at the Chile helm in South Africa in 2010, reaching the knock-out stages before losing 3-0 to Brazil.
However, all has not been plain-sailing with the Albiceleste.
While Bielsa was met with supporter excitement — and even euphoria — when he took over the reins two years ago, an underwhelming campaign has dampened that enthusiasm.
“If I had to qualify my management, I would say that we should have got more than we did,” Bielsa said recently of his team, who have scored only 19 goals in 16 matches — a far cry from the swashbuckling attacking teams he usually puts out.
Qualification was always likely in a system that will see six of the 10 CONMEBOL sides qualify automatically, with one more heading into an inter-continental play-off.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde admitted as much, even though Uruguay have yet to book their ticket: “This qualification campaign was easier than the previous ones.”
Only Venezuela — on 18 points as they travel to Buenos Aires on Thursday for Messi’s emotionally-charged home swansong — could delay qualification for Uruguay and Paraguay (both on 24 points). They must both lose and Venezuela pull off a shock victory.
Messi said last week that the clash “will be a very special match for me, because it’s my last qualifier”, although he did not rule out playing in a future friendly.
He has not confirmed whether or not he will play in the World Cup, although it seems certain since he plies his club trade in Miami.
Even if Venezuela do not win on Thursday, the Vinotinto are still well-placed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, if only via the inter-continental play-offs.
They are the only one of the 10 South American sides never to have qualified for the global showpiece.
They are a point ahead of Bolivia (17 points) in the race for the play-off spot. Neither are expected to win away on Thursday but if Venezuela beat Colombia — who on 22 points should themselves have qualified by then — next Tuesday, that should be enough to pip Bolivia, who host Brazil next week.
Only rock-bottom Chile (10 points) have already been eliminated, with Peru (12 points) needing to win their final two matches and see both Venezuela and Bolivia slump dramatically to snatch a highly-unlikely place in the play-offs.
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