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  • Apple drops WhatsApp, Threads from China app store on official order: report

    Apple drops WhatsApp, Threads from China app store on official order: report

    Beijing (AFP) – Apple has removed the Meta-owned WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China following an order from the country’s top internet regulator, Bloomberg reported Friday citing the tech giant.

    Beijing engages in some of the world’s most extensive internet censorship, with web users in mainland China unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without using a virtual private network.

    “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” said Apple in a statement, according to Bloomberg.

    “The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns,” said Apple, referring to China’s internet regulator.

    “These apps remain available for download on all other storefronts where they appear.”

    A Meta spokesperson referred AFP to Apple, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The CAC and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology — another top Chinese internet regulatory body — also did not immediately respond.

    China is a key market for Apple, which last year topped the country’s smartphone market for the first time.

    But thorny issues of censorship and national security have long hounded the US-based firm’s operations in China as Beijing and Washington engage in a fierce battle for technological supremacy.

    In January, China said it had cracked Apple’s encrypted AirDrop communication service, which had once given protesters a vital channel for sharing information during the major 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.

    State-backed experts said in January that they had devised a way to reveal an iPhone’s encrypted device log, allowing them to then identify an AirDrop user’s phone number and email accounts.

    Many online platforms that are popular in much of the world — including Google, Facebook, X, WhatsApp and TikTok — are blocked in mainland China.

    But savvy iPhone users in China have still been able to download banned platforms through Apple’s app store, then use a VPN to get around the restrictions.

    Removing WhatsApp and Threads from the Chinese app store will greatly complicate the ability of new iPhone users to access the apps.

    The latest development comes a day before a scheduled vote in the US House of Representatives to force the wildly popular video app TikTok to sever all links with its Chinese parent ByteDance.

    US officials have raised concerns in recent years over potential national security and privacy threats posed by TikTok, despite repeated assurances by the firm that it presents no risks to the American public.

    Beijing has frequently lashed out against US restrictions on Chinese tech, claiming they are a pretext to contain the country’s economic rise.

  • Former Australian batsman Stuart Law appointed US cricket team coach

    Former Australian batsman Stuart Law appointed US cricket team coach

    Former Australian batsman Stuart Law has been appointed as the head coach of the United States cricket team.

    Stuart has been appointed as the coach for the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup.

    Stuart has represented Australia in one Test and 54 ODI matches. Law has played first-class cricket for Queensland, and in England.

    Law said in a statement that he is very excited to be selected for USA Cricket.

    On the other hand, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell will also play American Major League Cricket, joining Washington Freedom along with Glenn Maxwell, Travis Head and Steve Smith.

    Major League Cricket will start on July 4 after the T20 World Cup, while Glenn Maxwell has taken a break from the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to mental and physical fatigue.

  • Terrorist attack on Japanese citizens in Karachi; all foreign nationals safe

    Terrorist attack on Japanese citizens in Karachi; all foreign nationals safe

    A terrorist attack targeted Japanese citizens after their vehicle was attacked by a suicide bomber in Karachi’s Landhi area. The foreign nationals remained safe while two terrorists involved in the barbaric attack were killed, according to the police.

    Deputy Inspector General (DIG) East Azfar Mahesar told Dawn that the incident took place near Murtaza Chorangi in Landhi, adding that the five foreign nations were travelling in a Hiace van.

    “All five Japanese remained safe. However, the private security guard with them was injured,” he said, adding that one terrorist was killed.

    “The Japanese nationals were on the way to Export Processing Zone from their residence in Zamzama, Clifton,” he said.

    There was another suicide bomber who was there for ‘backup’. He was gunned down by the Sharafi Goth police party patrolling the area.

    Some users on X (formerly Twitter) pointed out that the Japanese nationals might have been mistaken as Chinese since terrorists in Pakistan have been increasingly targeting Chinese nationals, most recently in Shangla where five Chinese nationals lost their lives.

    “No one has claimed responsibility so far,” the DIG said, adding that the vehicle carrying the Japanese nationals was bullet-proof.

  • Former Pakistani cricketers got stuck in Dubai after devastating rains

    Former Pakistani cricketers got stuck in Dubai after devastating rains

    Former Pakistan cricketers including Kamran Akmal, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq got stuck at the Dubai airport after flight operations were severely affected due to devastating rains in the Gulf metropolis.

    The flight supposed to carry Pakistan’s former cricketers had been further delayed.

    The four former Pakistani players have been at Dubai Airport since 1 pm Wednesday. All the passengers including the players have now been told to take a flight tomorrow morning.

    According to the schedule, the players were to leave Dubai for Houston at four o’clock in the evening on Wednesday.

    Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, Misbah-ul-Haq, was angry with the attitude of Emirates Airlines and wrote on X, “It’s strange that you @emirates start boarding process and after two hours suddenly tells everyone to go back as the flight iscancelled. People are made to stand in lines with children for hours and hours for nothing at the end. Worst behaviour of an airline ever in my life.”

    “First we were asked to board, then after two hours the flight was canceled, people were standing in queues with children for hours, waiting for us for 30 hours. The situation is understood, but if an honest answer is not given, then anger comes.”

    Kamran Akmal retweeted the tweet and wrote, “Disappointing service by @Emirates at DXB.”

    A 75-years-old has been broken due to torrential rains in the states of UAE including Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

  • Google fires 28 workers protesting contracts with Israel

    Google fires 28 workers protesting contracts with Israel

    New York, United States – Google fired 28 employees following a sit-down protest over the tech giant’s contract with the Israeli government, a Google spokesperson said Thursday.

    The Tuesday demonstration was organized by the group “No Tech for Apartheid,” which has long opposed “Project Nimbus,” Google’s joint $1.2 billion contract with Amazon to provide cloud services to the government of Israel.

    Video of the demonstration showed police arresting Google workers in Sunnyvale, California, in the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian’s, according to a post by the advocacy group on X, formerly Twitter.

    Kurian’s office was occupied for 10 hours, the advocacy group said.

    Workers held signs including “Googlers against Genocide,” a reference to accusations surrounding Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

    “No Tech for Apartheid,” which also held protests in New York and Seattle, pointed to an April 12 Time magazine article reporting a draft contract of Google billing the Israeli Ministry of Defense more than $1 million for consulting services.

    A “small number” of employees “disrupted” a few Google locations, but the protests are “part of a longstanding campaign by a group of organizations and people who largely don’t work at Google,” a Google spokesperson said.

    “After refusing multiple requests to leave the premises, law enforcement was engaged to remove them to ensure office safety,” the Google spokesperson said. “We have so far concluded individual investigations that resulted in the termination of employment for 28 employees, and will continue to investigate and take action as needed.”

    Israel is one of “numerous” governments for which Google provides cloud computing services, the Google spokesperson said.

    “This work is not directed at highly sensitive, classified, or military workloads relevant to weapons or intelligence services,” the Google spokesperson said.

    jmb/nro

    © Agence France-Presse

  • Esports World Cup announces huge prize pool of Rs. 1650+ crore

    Esports World Cup announces huge prize pool of Rs. 1650+ crore

    The Esports World Cup (ECW) has announced a huge prize pool of $60 million (Pkr 1650+ crore). This is a big jump from the $45 million prize pool at the Gamers8 event in 2023. It shows that esports tournaments are getting bigger and more important worldwide. With such a big prize, the competition is going to be tough as players and teams compete for their share of the money.

    The Esports World Cup is getting ready for a big event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this summer. Organizers from the Esports World Cup Foundation have announced big plans for an eight-week gaming tournament, aiming to make it the biggest esports event ever.

    The EWC will bring gamers, publishers, and fans together worldwide for intense competition in 19 esports games. From Apex Legends to Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2 to Fortnite, League of Legends to TEKKEN 8 and PUBG mobile top clubs will compete in Riyadh for the biggest prize pool in esports history.

    The Esports World Cup will hold 20 separate tournaments, each with its own rules and format, over eight weeks. These tournaments make up the Club Championship, where organizations will compete for the title of Club Champion. With each club’s performance in various games being crucial, the competition will be intense and diverse, showcasing skills and strategies across esports.

    The prize pool distribution for the Esports World Cup is as follows:

    Over $33 million allocated across the 20 individual game tournaments.
    Half of the total prize pool will be distributed among the teams competing in individual tournaments.
    $1.1 million reserved for MVP awards, recognizing standout participants in each tournament.
    A $50,000 MVP award will be granted to an outstanding participant in each tournament.
    Additionally, $7.6 million will be awarded to teams and players who successfully qualify for tournaments at the ESWC.
    $20 million will be allocated to the top 16 teams participating in the Club Championship.

  • Terrorist threats on Adiala Jail; Interior Ministry tells SHC

    Terrorist threats on Adiala Jail; Interior Ministry tells SHC

    The Ministry of Interior has told the Sindh High Court that there are dangers of terrorist attacks on Adiala Jail, citing an intelligence report.

    The Ministry said this in a report it submitted to the court in the case regarding security measures being provided to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan in Adiala Jail.

    The report said that military installations in Rawalpindi are on terrorists’ target list.

    “The terrorism is a plan hatched by agencies of hostile countries and banned groups,” said the ministry claiming that hostile agencies and anti-Pakistan elements wanted to spread political chaos in the country.

    The Court directed authorities to beef up security protocols and arrangements for incarcerated Imran Khan and other prisoners in Adiala Jail.

    The Chief Justice stated, “Since there is a threat of attack from the outside, the federal government will have to look into this matter,” the court declared, adding that it had sought a report considering the seriousness of the matter.

  • Nawaz ‘was not’ ready to become prime minister for fourth time, says senior PML-N leader

    Nawaz ‘was not’ ready to become prime minister for fourth time, says senior PML-N leader

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui has said that former prime minister and party supremo Nawaz Sharif wasn’t ready to become prime minister for the fourth time.  

    “It was Nawaz’s own decision to not become the prime minister,” Siddiqui said while speaking on Geo News’ programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Wednesday.

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif became the country’s prime minister for the second time following the party’s nomination after Nawaz decided against running for the coveted post after returning to the country following a four-year self-imposed exile from London.

    The party eagerly awaited the veteran politician’s return and built its election campaign around him. They portrayed him as a saviour who could tackle the country’s problems and guide it to prosperity.

    After the February 8 polls, where major political parties like PML-N, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed independent candidates, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) didn’t win enough seats for a clear majority in the National Assembly, PML-N chose Shehbaz as their candidate for prime minister.

  • Yashma Gill defends game nights, exercise in Ramzan, urges personal worship

    Yashma Gill defends game nights, exercise in Ramzan, urges personal worship

    Yashma Gill defends game nights, exercise in Ramzan, urges personal worship
    During Ramzan, the trend of game nights became increasingly popular among celebrities. Some engaged in physical sports such as badminton and tennis, while others played board games before Sehri.

    This trend gained momentum rapidly, with game nights being organised at what seemed to be, a regular basis.
    Actor Yashma Gill attended these game nights and even hosted one during the Ramzan. After she was criticised for being a part of these events, Yashma has now responded to comments.


    Gill said, “During Ramzan, we stay up until Sehri and also engage in worship, so game nights are a good idea. Physical activity is important for health. People who criticize us should focus on their own worship instead of commenting on our activities. We also engage in worship, but along with that, there’s a bit of physical activity. We have more time, so we adjust our shooting schedules accordingly.”

  • Finance Minister Aurangzeb meets Donald Lu in Washington DC

    Finance Minister Aurangzeb meets Donald Lu in Washington DC

    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held a high-level meeting with the United States State Department Assistant Secretary Donald Lu at World Bank headquarters in Washington to discuss financial reforms that Pakistan is planning to implement.

    The meeting was held in the background of the Finance Minister’s visit to Washington in order to finalize talks about the latest International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package.

    Aurangzeb and the US official focused on upgrading economic partnerships, with emphasis on alternate energy, agriculture, climate resilience and technology.

    Aurangzeb was positive about the investment opportunities by America in information technology, renewables, agriculture and minerals extraction.

    He also pledged close collaboration with the US International Development Finance Corporation and Exim Bank for mutual development.

    Aurangzeb has been conducting high-level meetings with top officials in the US on the sidelines.