Pakistan shuts primary schools for a week in Lahore due to dangerous air quality

Pakistan shuts primary schools for a week in Lahore due to dangerous air quality
Air pollution in Pakistan's second biggest city Lahore soared on November 2, with an official calling it a record high for the smog-choked mega city. (AFP)
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Updated 05 November 2024
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Pakistan shuts primary schools for a week in Lahore due to dangerous air quality

Pakistan shuts primary schools for a week in Lahore due to dangerous air quality
  • Some wooden houses caught fire, and the ground was pockmarked with holes caused by flying molten rocks

East Flores: A volcano in eastern Indonesia erupted overnight killing at least six people as it spewed fireballs and ash on surrounding villages, officials said Monday, as they raised its alert status to the highest level.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-feet) twin volcano located on the popular tourist island of Flores, first erupted shortly before midnight, forcing authorities to evacuate several villages.
“Six fatalities have been confirmed,” Abdul Muhari, spokesman of the country’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB), told Kompas TV.
Footage received by AFP showed villages near the volcano covered by thick ash, with some areas on fire.
An AFP journalist near the volcano said five villages evacuated, affecting thousands of residents.
Some wooden houses caught fire, and the ground was pockmarked with holes caused by flying molten rocks.
The crater erupted just before midnight and then again at 1:27 am (1727 GMT Sunday) and 2:48 am, the country’s volcanology agency said.
It raised the alert level to the highest and told locals and tourists not to carry out activities within a seven-kilometer (4.3-mile) radius of the crater.
“There has been a significant increase in volcanic activity on Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki,” it said in a press release Monday.
It released images that showed the roofs of houses collapsed after they were hit by volcanic rocks, and locals sheltering in communal buildings.
The volcanology agency warned there was a potential for rain-induced lava floods and told locals to wear masks to avoid the effects of volcanic ash.
There were a series of eruptions at the volcano last week, the biggest on Thursday, sending a column of ash 2,000 meters (6,500 feet) into the sky.
The mountain had several major eruptions in January, prompting authorities at the time to raise the alert status to the highest level and evacuate at least 2,000 residents.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent eruptions due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an area of intense volcanic and seismic activity.
In December last year, an eruption at one of the country’s most active volcanoes, Mount Marapi in West Sumatra, killed at least 24 climbers, most of them university students.
And in May, more than 60 people died after heavy rains washed volcanic material from Marapi into residential areas, sweeping away homes.
That month Mount Ruang in North Sulawesi province erupted more than half a dozen times, forcing thousands of residents of nearby islands to evacuate.


Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit

Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit
Updated 5 sec ago
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Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit

Taiwan’s President Lai in Marshall Islands on first overseas state visit
  • Taiwan president referred to Taiwan’s indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands’ first settlers
  • Lai Ching-te: ‘We are like family. We are also close partners who support each other’
Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies.
China, which views Taiwan as its own territory and opposes any foreign interactions or visits by the island’s leaders, has been stepping up military pressure against Taiwan, including two rounds of war games this year.
Arriving in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro, Lai referred to Taiwan’s indigenous inhabitants as sharing a culture with the Pacific Islands’ first settlers.
“Taiwan and the Marshall Islands share a traditional Austronesia culture as well as the values of freedom and democracy,” he said, in livestreamed remarks as he met President Hilda Heine.
“We are like family. We are also close partners who support each other,” he added.
Austronesian tribes farmed on Taiwan thousands of years before Han settlers from China arrived in the 17th century.
Heine said the Pacific Island nation, which has a defense and funding compact with the United States, and receives significant aid for climate change projects and infrastructure from Taiwan, would deepen ties.
“Your government and people are very close and dear to our hearts,” she said.
“Your state visit also signifies a bilateral relationship that is mature, one that has withstood the test of time and one that I am confident will continue to grow,” she added.
Later addressing parliament, Lai offered financial support for the national airline to upgrade its aging fleet.
“Taiwan will be happy to provide preferential loans to the Marshall Islands to purchase new aircraft for Air Marshall Islands to improve local air services,” he said.
Lai had a two-day US stopover in Hawaii which started on Saturday.
From the Marshall Islands he goes to Tuvalu for a brief trip, then a one-night stopover in the US territory of Guam before going to Palau.
Lai arrives back in Taipei late on Friday.

Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case

Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case
Updated 5 min 42 sec ago
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Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case

Vietnam court upholds death sentence for tycoon in $12 billion fraud case
  • Property developer Truong My Lan was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion

HANOI: A court in Vietnam on Tuesday upheld a death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan after rejecting her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement and bribery, state media reported.

Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, was sentenced to death in April for her role in a financial fraud worth more than $12 billion, Vietnam’s biggest on record.

She was convicted earlier this year of embezzling money from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) — which prosecutors said she controlled — and condemned to die for fraud totaling $27 billion.

In her official handwritten appeal of more than five pages seen by AFP, Lan said the death sentence was “too severe and harsh,” asking the court to consider a more “lenient and humane approach.”

On Tuesday, Lan sat in the front row of the courtroom, waiting to hear if her life would be spared. Next to her was her husband, who is appealing a nine-year sentence for violating banking regulations.

The month-long appeal was attended by more 100 lawyers, according to state media.

Tens of thousands of people who invested their savings in SCB lost money, shocking the communist nation and prompting rare protests from the victims.

According to Vietnamese law, Lan could escape the death penalty if she proactively returns three-quarters of the embezzled assets and is judged to have cooperated sufficiently with authorities.

But prosecutors have argued she has not met the conditions, and emphasized her crime’s consequences were “huge and without precedent.”

Lan, who founded real estate development group Van Thinh Phat, told the court in Ho Chi Minh City “the quickest way” to repay the stolen funds would be “to liquidate SCB, and sell our assets to repay SBV (State Bank of Vietnam) and the people.”

“I feel pained due to the waste of national resources,” Lan said last week, adding she felt “very embarrassed to be charged with this crime.”

Lan owned just five percent of shares in SCB on paper, but at her trial, the court concluded that she effectively controlled more than 90 percent through family, friends and staff.

The State Bank said in April that it pumped funds into SCB to stabilize it, without revealing how much.

Among the assets that Lan and Van Thinh Phat own are a shopping mall, a harbor and luxurious housing complexes in business hub Ho Chi Minh City.

During her first trial in April, Lan was found guilty of embezzling $12.5 billion, but prosecutors said the total damages caused by the scam amounted to $27 billion — equivalent to around six percent of the country’s 2023 GDP.

Lan and dozens of defendants, including senior central bank officials were arrested as part of a national corruption crackdown dubbed the “burning furnace” that has swept up numerous officials and members of Vietnam’s business elite.

A total of 47 other defendants have requested reduced sentences at the appeal.

Last month, Lan was convicted of money laundering and jailed for life in a separate case.


Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
Updated 03 December 2024
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Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake

Uber launches boat hailing service on Kashmir’s scenic Dal Lake
  • Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists
  • The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India

SRINAGAR: Uber launched a water transport hailing service on scenic Dal Lake in the Indian-administered Kashmir region on Monday, offering rides on boats popular with tourists.
Users of the service can book trips on the lake’s traditional wooden Shikara boats if they make reservations at least 12 hours and up to 15 days in advance, Uber officials said.
The ride-hailing app already offers water transport services in London and some other cities but this is its first in India.
Around 4,000 Shikaras, often ornately decorated and canopied, operate on Dal Lake and are popular among locals as well as tourists.
Uber will match customers with Shikara operators but will not charge a fee on rides booked through its app. All of the boat ticket paid by passengers would go to the Shikara operator, it said.
“Uber Shikara is our humble attempt to blend technology and tradition to give a seamless experience to travelers for their Shikara ride,” said Prabhjeet Singh, president, Uber India and South Asia.
Shikara operators were divided on Uber’s entry to their sector, with some saying it would boost their business now that tourists can book rides well in advance, while others insisted it would make little difference.
“It will boost our business. There will be fixed rates, no cheating, and no scope for bargaining,” said Wali Mohammad Bhatt, president of the Shikara Owners Association.
Shikara operator Shabir Ahmed was skeptical, saying operators would not be impacted.
“We have our own customer base,” he said.
Kashmir is claimed in full but ruled in part by India and Pakistan. The part under India’s control — the country’s only Muslim-majority region — has been roiled by violence for decades as militants have fought security forces. 
However, violence has fallen in recent years and the Kashmir Valley — called the Switzerland of India — has seen a gradual rise in the number of tourists.


UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
Updated 03 December 2024
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UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns

UK facing increased hostile activity in cyberspace, security official warns
  • The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement

LONDON: Britain’s cybersecurity chief warned on Tuesday of a rise in hostile activity in the country’s cyberspace, with the number of incidents handled by officials rising by 16 percent in 2024 compared to a year ago.
“Hostile activity in UK cyberspace has increased in frequency, sophistication and intensity,” the National Cyber Security Center’s Richard Horne will say in a speech later on Tuesday, according to a statement released by the government agency.
“Actors are increasingly using our technology dependence against us, seeking to cause maximum disruption and destruction.”
The incident management team at the NCSC handled 430 incidents in 2024, compared to 371 the previous year, the agency said in the statement.
Of those, 347 involved some level of data exfiltration — the intentional, unauthorized, covert transfer of data from a computer or other device — while 20 involved ransomware, said the NCSC, which is part of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency.
The team issued 542 bespoke notifications informing organizations of a cyber incident impacting them and providing advice on mitigation, more than double the 258 notifications issued last year.
In its annual review published alongside the statement, the NCSC said ransomware attacks posed “the most immediate and disruptive” threat to critical infrastructure like energy, water, transportation, health and telecommunications.
The review also warned of the potential of hackers to exploit AI to create more advanced cyberattacks.
“We believe the severity of the risk facing the UK is being widely underestimated,” Horne is set to say in his speech.
“There is no room for complacency about the severity of state-led threats or the volume of the threat posed by cyber criminals.”


Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
Updated 03 December 2024
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Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain

Trump names billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain
  • Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France

WASHINGTON: President-elect Donald Trump has named billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens as his envoy to Britain, a prestigious posting for the Republican donor whose contributions this year included $2 million to a Trump-backing super PAC.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social site Monday evening, announced he was selecting Stephens to be the US ambassador to the Court of Saint James. The Senate is required to confirm the choice.
“Warren has always dreamed of serving the United States full time. I am thrilled that he will now have that opportunity as the top Diplomat, representing the USA. to one of America’s most cherished and beloved Allies,” Trump said in in his post.
Stephens is the chairman, president and CEO of Little Rock, Arkansas-based financial services firm Stephens Inc., having taken over the firm from his father.
Trump has already named many of his nominees for his Cabinet and high-profile diplomatic posts, assembling a roster of staunch loyalists. Over the weekend, Trump announced he intends to nominate real estate developer Charles Kushner, father of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France.
During his first term, Trump selected Robert “Woody” Johnson, a contributor to his campaign and the owner of the New York Jets football team, as his representative to the United Kingdom.