US President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team has drafted executive orders and proclamations aimed at withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement and reducing the size of certain national monuments to permit increased drilling and mining, according to a report from the New York Times on Friday. Trump is also expected to end the pause on permitting new liquefied natural gas exports to big markets in Asia and Europe and revoke a waiver that allows California and other states to have tighter pollution standards, according to the report. Trump promised during his campaign to…
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OpenAI challenges Google’s dominance with new ChatGPT search engine
OpenAI, the tech firm behind the generative artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, has significantly enhanced its chatbot, integrating search engine capabilities to challenge tech giant Google’s long-standing dominance in web search. The company said that the latest upgrade allows users to receive “fast, timely answers” with direct links to relevant web sources, where they may access information that previously required traditional search engine. The revamped ChatGPT can now deliver real-time information on various topics, including weather forecasts, stock prices, sports scores and breaking news, the company said. These inlcude direct access…
Punjab govt announces closure of all educational institutes on Friday
LAHORE: The Punjab government announced the closure of all private and public schools, colleges and universities across the province today. According to a notification on Thursday, the government also imposed Section 144 in the province for the next two days — October 18 and 19. The notification said that all kinds of protests and rallies will be banned in the province. The government’s decision to impose Section 144 was made to maintain law and order and protect of human lives and property, said the notification. The development comes after the ongoing protests…
Zelenskiy wants Democrats to win US elections: Trump
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wanted the Democrats to win the 2024 US elections in which the former US president faces Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump also said if he wins the election, he will call Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy and urge them to reach a deal to end the Russia-Ukraine war. “I think Zelenskiy is the greatest salesman in history. Every time he comes into the country, he walks away with 60 billion dollars,” Trump said in a…
PM Shehbaz stresses need for political stability, continuity of policies
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stressed the need for political stability and continuity of policies in the country. The prime minister expressed these views while addressing a dinner hosted in the honor of parliamentarians from the coalition parties in Islamabad on Monday night. Speaking on the occassion, the PM strongly condemned the “inappropriate language” used at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) power show in Islamabad on Sunday. A day earlier, the Imran Khan-founded PTI staged a much-hyped power show featuring fiery speeches in Islamabad. During the rally, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister reportedly…
Turkey restores Instagram after nine days
Turkey, on Saturday, announced that it had restored access to Instagram after the platform agreed to cooperate with authorities to address the government’s concern, Reuters reported. Turkey had blocked Instagram on August 2 for not adhering to the country’s “laws and rules” and public sensitivities. A high-ranking Turkish official had accused Instagram of blocking posts expressing condolences for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas.
US elections: Trump and Harris to debate on September 10
In a major development, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic opponent Kamala Harris will debate on September 10 on ABC, setting up the first face-to-face matchup between the rivals in what polls show is an extremely close race. In a rambling news conference at his Palm Beach, Florida, residence, Trump said he wanted additional debates on September 4 and 25 that would air on Fox and NBC. Harris said in a post on X that she was looking forward to the September 10 debate after Trump “finally committed.” She told reporters…
Pakistan seeks more details about US-foiled assassination plot
ISLAMABAD: In response to queries regarding media reports of the alleged involvement of a Pakistani national in connection with a foiled assassination attempt in United States, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that they were in contact with the authorities in Washington and awaiting further details. In a statement, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said: “We have seen the media reports. We are in touch with the US authorities and await further details.” The spokesperson said that they have also noted the statements by US officials that this is…
More than 30 killed in Somalia beach attack
An Al-Shabaab suicide bomber and gunmen attacked a busy beach in the Somali capital Mogadishu, killing 32 people and wounding scores more, in one of the deadliest attacks in months, police said on Saturday. The Al-Qaeda-linked militants have been waging an insurgency against the internationally backed federal government for more than 17 years and have previously targeted the Lido beach area, popular with business people and officials. Unverified videos shared online in the immediate aftermath of the attack showed people scattering along a street, with a number of clips purporting…
BRT project development work prompts closure of roads in Karachi
KARACHI: Commuters of Karachi’s main University Road must brace themselves for some difficulties on the road as the traffic police of port city announced Monday that two tracks will remain closed for traffic. According to the traffic police, tracks of main University Road from Safura to Samama are closed for traffic. The closure of these roads comes amid development work that is underway for the Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service which will soon be available for more routes. However, for the convenience of commuters, alternative routes have also been…