Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Flood waters reach boundary wall of Taj Mahal, raising fears of damage to iconic building

    Flood waters reach boundary wall of Taj Mahal, raising fears of damage to iconic building

    Flood waters from Yamuna river have reached the boundary wall of the Taj Mahal, raising fears of damage to the most famous building in India.

    Water levels in Yamuna have risen steadily since June when unusually heavy rains hit north India including Uttar Pradesh, home to the iconic Taj. According to India’s Central Water Commission (CWC), the portion of the river flowing alongside the Taj Mahal rose to 152m on Tuesday evening, well above the warning level for potential danger of 151.4m. The level considered dangerous is 152.4 metres.

    The last time flood waters hit the boundary wall was in 1978, exactly 45 years ago.

    The mausoleum, where Mughal emperor Shah Jehan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal are buried, remains untouched by the water as of now.

    However, the red walls of the compound appear submerged in photographs shared by Indian news outlets.

  • Swiss radio station lets Artificial Intelligence run the show for one day

    Swiss radio station lets Artificial Intelligence run the show for one day

    In a groundbreaking experiment, Swiss public radio station Couleur 3 introduced a one-day programming event that showcased the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Over the course of thirteen hours, the station’s airwaves were controlled entirely by AI, featuring cloned voices of five real human presenters and music composed predominantly by computers, marking a world-first endeavor.

    With voices resembling well-known personalities, music filled with trendy dance beats and hip-hop syncopations, and contagious jokes and laughter, the AI-led broadcast aimed to blur the boundaries between human and machine. Regular reminders reiterated the AI’s control over the programming, emphasising its presence throughout the day.

    Despite concerns about the potential long-term economic, cultural, social, and political consequences of AI and generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Couleur 3 embraced the experiment as a means to confront and demystify AI. Antoine Multone, the station’s chief, defended the project as a valuable lesson on coexisting with AI, rather than fearing its inevitable integration into society.

    To achieve the lifelike voices of presenters, Couleur 3 collaborated with software company Respeecher, which has experience working with Hollywood studios. Training the AI to understand the station’s unique and offbeat vibe took three months of preparation. The tracks aired during the day were partly or entirely composed by AI, a notable feat in the world of radio.

    To ensure clarity between real and synthetic news, the AI-delivered top-of-the-hour news flashes presented futuristic scenarios set in the year 2070. This approach aimed to avoid confusion with current real-world news.

    Feedback from listeners flooded the station, with mixed reactions. While some found the experiment intriguing, many expressed a desire for the return of human presenters. The discussion around the experiment continued, with plans for an on-air discussion led by real people to address the audience’s perspectives.

    Ultimately, Couleur 3’s bold experiment showcased the potential of AI in the broadcasting realm while raising important questions about the future of human involvement in media and the need to understand and harness AI technology responsibly.

  • Khan says won’t believe Azam called US cypher ‘Khan’s conspiracy’ until he hears Azam say it himself

    Khan says won’t believe Azam called US cypher ‘Khan’s conspiracy’ until he hears Azam say it himself

    Azam Khan, the former principal secretary of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief’s “cypher drama” was a preplanned conspiracy, Geo News has reported.

    Azam Khan has been ‘missing’ since last month, however, he recorded a statement under CrPC 164 before a magistrate on Wednesday, damaging Imran’s claims that he was ousted through a US orchestrated by Donald Lu, a senior officer of the Biden administration.

    PTI’s government was removed via a vote of no confidence last year in April. The then Prime Minister alleged on March 27, 2022, that Washington planned the movement to remove him from office and used the so-called cypher to back his claims. The US has repeated denied his accusations.

    Later, Khan changed his story, accusing former Chief of Army Staff, General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa of conspiring to remove him.

    Azam Khan also confessed that when he provided Imran with the cypher, he was very happy and labelled the language a “US blunder”.

    The ex-prime minister then said, according to Azam, that the cable could be used for “creating a narrative against the establishment and opposition”.

    It is also mentioned in the confession that Imran Khan told his principal secretary that the cypher could be used to divert the public’s attention towards “foreign involvement” in the no-confidence motion.

    Azam Khan states that when he told Imran Khan that the cypher had secret content and could not be disclosed in a public gathering, the former prime minister suggested a strategy.

    He said that Imran called a meeting, which included then-foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and then-foreign secretary Sohail Mahmood, who would tell him the minutes of the meeting as the PTI chief had lost the original copy of the cable.


    Reacting to the sensational disclosure of his once most trusted officer, Imran Khan said on Wednesday that Azam Khan is an honest man and he will not believe any statement until he hears everything from Azam himself.

  • TW: Brother confesses to murder of three young sisters by decapitation, says did it because of mental stress

    TW: Brother confesses to murder of three young sisters by decapitation, says did it because of mental stress

    On Monday, three young girls were found dead in their house in Muzaffargarh district, Punjab. They were first reported missing when during the evening 11-year-old Areesha went out to search for her sisters, Fatima, 7, and Zahrah, 8, after they didn’t come back home. Areesha then didn’t return herself.
    The family reported the missing girls to the police, who found the girls’ decapitated bodies in a deserted government quarter located in the same colony.

    Punjab Inspector General of Police, Dr Usman Anwar, announced that the police was taking immediate action to arrest the ones responsible.

    According to the District Police Officer Hasnain Haider, the police have arrested the three elder brothers of the slain sisters for being the perpetuators of the crime. One of the brothers, Basit, has confessed to the killing, saying that he had taken the girls to an empty house where he slaughtered them.

    Basit cited his mental health as the motivation behind the grisly murders, as Haider revealed to the media that the killer was under stress to repay loans that he had taken from some people.

    According to news sources, the police revealed they had recovered the murder weapon, a long knife, from the killer.

    The DPO further told a news channel that police were interrogating the entire family.

  • Gulistan-e-BTS: Karachi K-pop fan plasters neighborhood with Jung Kook pictures

    Gulistan-e-BTS: Karachi K-pop fan plasters neighborhood with Jung Kook pictures

    BTS army ftw!

    It warms our hearts to see kay aaj kal kay tidday kitnay jazbay say apnay shauq dikhatay hain. Particularly how popular Korean bands are among them.

    A BTS fan Alina, took her love for the Korean musicians to the streets when she promoted Jung Kook’s single ‘Seven’ across the streets of Karachi by posting images everywhere, and we must say this is the kind of planning and task execution even senior officials cannot show!

    Alina, whose Twitter account goes by kimtnam, shared pictures of the posters she had plastered in different areas of Karachi like Dar ul Sehat, Rufi Lake Drive Gate and Pedestal Bridge opposite Karachi University.

    Honestly we love how Twitter users are supporting Alina in expressing her love for Jung Kook rather than shutting her down.

    There was also a rickshaw in Lahore which was promoting Jung Kook’s single, we love how creative this fandom is!

    We love watching this kind of dedication, just as much as we’re loving ‘Seven’!

  • Fawad Chaudhry’s 2019 video misrepresented by Indian media as response to Chandrayaan-3

    Fawad Chaudhry’s 2019 video misrepresented by Indian media as response to Chandrayaan-3

    A video of former information minister, Fawad Chaudhry, has been circulating on Indian media, purportedly showing him responding to India’s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission. In the video, Fawad is heard saying that Pakistan did not feel the need to work hard and send a moon mission, which has led to ridicule from Indian social media users.

    However, it is important to clarify the context of this video. The video is dated back to May 26, 2019, during which Fawad Chaudhry served as the Minister of Science and Technology in Pakistan. He was discussing disputes over sighting the Ramzan and Eid moons and announcing the release of a 5-year lunar calendar with the assistance of the science ministry. His statement was related to the moon sighting for the Islamic festivals and was not a direct response to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission.

    During the TV show in May 2019, Chaudhry was referring to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s viewpoint on the sighting of the Eid moon. He stated, “We have a point of view in the Ministry of Science and Technology. Wherever the moon is, it is visible. Its location is known. It is known when the moon birth is taking place. Where it will be at what altitude, it is known exactly.” This statement had no connection to Chandrayaan-3, as it predates the mission by more than 4 years.

    Unfortunately, some Indian media outlets published this old video without proper research and presented it as a recent interview related to the Chandrayaan-3 mission. This led to misinterpretation and ridicule of Fawad Chaudhry on Indian social media platforms.

    In summary, the viral video of Fawad Chaudhry is not related to India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission, but rather pertains to moon sighting for Islamic festivals and dates back to May 2019. The claims of his recent mocking of the Chandrayaan-3 mission are not accurate and should be treated with caution to avoid misrepresentation.

  • Wall collapse claims 11 lives amid heavy monsoon rains in Islamabad

    Wall collapse claims 11 lives amid heavy monsoon rains in Islamabad

    Islamabad’s Peshawar Road witnessed a devastating incident after heavy monsoon rains led to the collapse of a building’s wall, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of at least 11 individuals on Wednesday, reports Dawn.

    Rescue and police officials said six others were injured in the incident. The bodies of the deceased, believed to be laborers, were recovered from the rubble with the assistance of machinery.

    The bodies were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims), while the injured individuals, one of whom was discharged after receiving first aid, were also brought to the hospital for treatment.

    Heavy rainfall in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has caused waterlogging in low-lying areas, causing disruptions and posing hazards to residents.

    According to an official statement by Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, the collapse occurred when the building’s wall fell onto a tent that the laborers had set up. Efforts were underway to rescue any individuals still trapped in the debris.

    As per details, the laborers were involved in the construction of an underpass on the Grand Trunk Road in the city, as instructed by the National Highway Authority (NHA). However, the NHA issued an official statement denying reports that the collapsed wall was part of the underpass structure.

    The NHA asserted that the underpass walls and construction site were safe and secure, expressing sorrow over the incident and offering prayers for the deceased and their families.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed deep grief and sorrow over the incident and extended prayers for the departed souls. He directed the district administration to remain vigilant in light of the heavy rains.

  • Pakistani passport is 4th weakest in the world

    Pakistani passport is 4th weakest in the world

    According to Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residence advisory company, the Pakistani passport is the fourth weakest passport in the world.

    Pakistan is at the 100th position among the 227 countries assessed on the index. The determination is based on the number of destinations where Pakistani citizens can visit without a visa.

    According to the report, Pakistani residents had access to 35 countries with an on-arrival visa until January this year. Now the number has decreased, and Pakistanis can visit only 33 countries with an on-arrival visa.

    On the other hand, Singapore has the most-coveted passport in the world, with Singaporeans being able to visit 193 destinations out of 227 with an on-arrival visa.

    Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria are the countries with the least travel privileges; the citizens of these countries can travel to 27, 29, and 30 destinations, respectively.

  • Imran apologises to court for threatening Judge Zeba

    Imran apologises to court for threatening Judge Zeba

    Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has apologised to the court for threatening Additional Sessions Judge Zeba Chaudhry in 2022 during a rally, Capital TV has reported.

    “If I have crossed a line, then I apologise,” the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said in the court where he was present in person for the hearing.

    Recalling that he went to Zeba Chaudhary’s court to apologise, Imran Khan said, “I got carried away during the speech and talked of initiating legal proceedings. I told the court that if my comments have hurt anyone, then I apologise.”

  • Buzzfeed’s AI-generated Barbie Dolls article faces backlash for racial stereotypes

    Buzzfeed’s AI-generated Barbie Dolls article faces backlash for racial stereotypes

    Popular website Buzzfeed published an article featuring AI-generated images of Barbie Dolls from every country around the world. The piece has received extreme backlash for promoting racist micro-aggressions and cultural inaccuracies, which prompted the website to delete the article from all of their social media pages.

    Buzzfeed had given a brief disclaimer before the article that they acknowledged the biases and stereotypes demonstrated by AI models, clarifiying that these depictions should not be seen as accurate or comprehensive portrayals of human experiences.

    The article featured Barbies from all around the world, including one from Pakistan, who looked more like she stepped out of an Arabian fantasy book rather than from the streets of Lahore or Karachi.

    And the Barbie from India looks a lot more like subcontinent’s colonial masters than Deepika Padukone, the ACTUAL Barbie.

    And don’t even get me started on what the Afghanistan Barbie looks like. It’s a shame how a vibrant culture is reduced to burqas by racist algorithms

    A lot of the dolls featured in the article from Asian countries like Vietnam and Korea were wearing inaccurate clothing along with white-washed features.

    A Barbie from South Sudan was seen carrying a gun, drawing outrage from users.

    https://twitter.com/wagatwe/status/1677690070445309952?s=20