Day: December 17, 2024

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle issue second ‘secret’ Christmas card

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surprised the world on Monday as they shared a rare glimpse of their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3, in their Christmas card 2024. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared the card through a press release sent out to select reporters and news media to publish. Harry and Meghan, who are very protective of their children’s privacy, released six photo highlights and one of them was of the two children running to their parents. The sweet moment was captured from behind. Reportedly,…

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Syrian HTS leader says rebel factions will be ‘disbanded’

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DAMASCUS: The rebel factions in Syria will be “disbanded,” the head of the group that led the ouster of Bashar al-Assad has pledged, as the former president denounced the country’s new rulers as “terrorists”. Assad fled Syria on December 8, as rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) captured the capital Damascus, ending decades of brutal dictatorship and years of civil war. HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, now using his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa, has sought to reassure minorities at home and governments abroad that the country’s interim leaders will…

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US shuts down Vanuatu embassy after 7.3-magnitude quake rocks island

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The United States has closed its embassy in Vanuatu following a devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the Pacific island on Tuesday, the country’s embassy in Papua New Guinea said. The earthquake, which struck at a depth of 57 kilometres and 30km off the coast of Efate, Vanuatu’s main island, caused “considerable damage” to the building housing the embassy. “The US embassy in Port Vila has sustained considerable damage and is closed until further notice,” it said in a statement on social media. “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this earthquake.”…

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SBP governor says hike in inflation expected after 3-4 months

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State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed said on Monday that the inflation would stay low for the next three to four months due to some reasons including “end of base effect and some other things in pipeline”. Ahmed’s statement came after the central bank slashed the key policy rate by 200 basis points (bps) to 13%, marking its fifth consecutive cut as inflation continues to drop. Ahmed, speaking on Geo News programme “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath”, said that the central bank will have to closely monitor a factor of concern…

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PSX hits record 117,000 points, buoyed by SBP policy rate cut

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The stock market experienced a mixed trend on Tuesday surpassing the 117,000-point mark for the first time during intraday trading but saw fluctuations due to profit-taking by investors. The session observed a bullish note, with strong investor sentiment pushing the market higher following the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) policy rate cut. However, the upward momentum was tempered as traders opted to book profits, reflecting a natural correction after the strong rally seen over the past few sessions. The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index gained 869.76 points, or…

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TikTok asks Supreme Court to intervene as Jan 19 ban looms

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Fighting for its survival in the United States, TikTok has appealed to the Supreme Court to block a law that requires its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app by January 19 or face a ban. TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request to the justices for an injunction to halt the looming ban on the social media app used by about 170 million Americans while they appeal a lower court’s ruling that upheld the law. A group of US users of the app filed a similar request on…

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OpenAI turns up heat on Google with global launch of ChatGPT search

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OpenAI announced on Monday that it is rolling out ChatGPT-powered internet search to all users, intensifying competition with the existing search engine giant, Google. The San Francisco-based tech firm had beefed up its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot with search engine capabilities in late October, but made the feature available only to paying subscribers. According to OpenAI, with the help of the newly public feature, users can now receive “fast, timely answers” accompanied by links to web sources, a functionality that traditionally relied on standard search engines. The upgrade enables the…

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Fatalities rise to five, 35 Pakistanis remain missing in Greek boat tragedy

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GUJRANWALA: The death toll in the Greek boat tragedy has risen to five, all of them Pakistanis, whereas 35 are still missing after multiple boats capsized in Greek territorial waters on Saturday. Speaking at a press conference, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Greece Aamar Aftab Qureshi revealed that the boats, carrying more than 80 Pakistani nationals, also included minor passengers. “The rescue operation is underway. [However] prospects of survival of those missing are low,” said the diplomat while underscoring the dozens of Pakistanis — who were travelling illegally from Libya on multiple…

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US school shooting leaves three dead, including suspect

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A student opened fire at a school in Wisconsin on Monday, killing at least two people and injuring several others before apparently taking their own life, authorities said, BBC reported. Shon Barnes, the police chief of Madison, the state capital, confirmed at a press briefing that three people had died at Abundant Life Christian School, a private Christian institution with around 400 students. The deceased included a minor believed to be the shooter, though Barnes did not provide details on whether the victims were students, staff, or others. Seven people were taken…

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