In Bid for TikTok, Microsoft Flexes Its Power in Washington


By BY KAREN WEISE AND DAVID MCCABE from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2EHqxQG

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Six more die in rain-related incidents in Karachi

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At least six people lost their lives in rain-related incidents on Friday as heavy rainfall wreaked havoc in Karachi, bringing up the toll in three days to 14. Following a rain forecast, different areas of the port city continued to receive moderate to heavy showers under the influence of a monsoon system that is present over Karachi. The most rain was recorded in the Gulshan-e-Hadeed neighbourhood, which received 94.7mm of rain during two spells. The Shah Latif police said Ruqayya Mubeen Shah, 38, was working at home in Bhains Colony when she got an electric shock and died, adding that her body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. Similarly, Sawera Ghulam Mustafa was at home in Baldia Town’s Mawach Goth when she got electrocuted, according to the local police, who said her body was taken to the Dr Ruth KM Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK). In Manghopir, Raqeebullah Sardar Khan, 23, got an electric shock from a wire at home, said the police, adding that his body w...
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Joint Opposition to move no-confidence motion against NA Speaker Asad Qaiser

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The Opposition has decided to jointly move a no-confidence motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, sources said Wednesday, after two days of ruckus in the Lower House. The development came during a meeting of Opposition party leaders in Islamabad, where they decided to form a committee that would draft a plan of action to move the no-confidence motion. Yesterday's proceedings in the NA marked the "darkest day for democracy in Pakistan's history," the Opposition leaders observed, according to the sources. "The Speaker has failed to fulfil his constitutional, legal, democratic, and parliamentary responsibilities [...] he is the protector of every parliament member, but [he has failed in his duties] and is not qualified to hold office anymore," they said. The leaders demanded that a parliamentary committee be established with equal representation — from treasury and Opposition benches — to probe the ruckus that had transpired in parliament. ...
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PTI working on development as it considers Karachi its own unlike PPP's Sindh govt: Asad

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The PTI-led federal government is working on development projects in Pakistan's southern port city as it considers the metropolis "its own", Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar said Sunday, claiming that its counterpart under the PPP in Sindh did not have the same views. Speaking at the inauguration of the PTI's regional office in Shah Faisal Colony, Asad Umar said the ruling party "considers Karachi as [its] own and [the PPP] does not; therefore, the PTI is working on various development projects in the city. Umar was accompanied by members of the Sindh Assembly, including PTI lawmakers Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Jamal Ahmed, and Adeel Ahmed. "You don't consider Karachi as your own but we will continue to work here. When the federal government tries to work in Sindh, obstacles are put in its way. "The local government system in Sindh does not meet the spirit of the Constitution. The local government should have all the powers but that'...
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What Do You Want to Know About Cancer?

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Cancer is an umbrella term for a large group of diseases caused when abnormal cells divide rapidly, and spread to other tissue and organs. Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Cancer Growth and Metastasis In a healthy body, the trillions of cells it’s made of grow and divide, as the body needs them to function daily. Healthy cells have a specific life cycle, reproducing and dying off in a way that is determined by the type of cell. New cells take the place of old or damaged cells as they die. Cancer disrupts this process and leads to abnormal growth in cells. It’s caused by changes or mutations in DNA. DNA exists in the individual genes of every cell. It has instructions that tell the cell what functions to perform and how to grow and divide. Mutations occur frequently in DNA, but usually cells correct these mistakes. When a mistake is not corrected, a cell can become cancerous. Mutations can cause cells that should be replaced to survive instead of die, an...
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Low payments by fed govt hampered development in Sindh, CM Murad tells Bilawal Bhutto

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Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a meeting on Monday at the Bilawal House in Karachi. According to the Bilawal House spokesperson, the chief minister informed Bilawal Bhutto of the COVID-19 situation in the province along with measures taken by the Sindh Health Department to contain the virus. Speaking about the pace of development in the province, CM Murad Ali Shah told Bilawal Bhutto that progress has been largely hampered because of low payments made by the Federal government against Sindh's rightful share. Shedding light on areas where improvements were witnessed, the CM said that the Sindh government has surpassed its own tax collection targets this time. During the meeting, PPP Chairman said that he had instructed the Sindh government to start a recruitment drive for filling vacant positions, adding that all appointments must be made on the basis of merit so that the unemployed youth can benefit from the move. He also...
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CPEC extend to Afghanistan says China

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Beijing welcomes Afghanistan’s active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure plan proposed by China, and is willing to push for extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corri­dor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday as he made a surprise visit to Kabul. Wang met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss political and economic ties, including starting work in the mining sector and Afghanistan’s possible role in China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, according to a statement from an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman. Read more:  Ukraine pleads for help as Joe Biden heads to summit China was willing to promote the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan, making the latter a bridge for regional connectivity, Wang said on Thursday . He also said China hoped Afghanistan would fulfil its commitment of not allowing any external forces to use its territory as a tool to oppose neighbours, or harm the ...
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President Alvi hopes Ali Sadpara, other K2 climbers are safe

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President Arif Alvi hoped that mountaineer Muhammad Ali Sadpara and other climbers who were part of an expedition to ascend the second highest peak of the globe, K2, without oxygen would be fine. “I hope that Ali Sadpara and other fellow climbers will be fine,” he said in a message posted from his personal Twitter account. مجھے امید ہے کہ علی سدپارہ اور ان کے ساتھی کوہ پیما خیریت سے ہوں۔ یہ بہت بہادر کوہ پیما ہیں۔ ہم ان کی سلامتی کے لئے دعا کرتے ہیں۔ آپ کے اس تھریڈمیں اچھی معلومات ہیں https://t.co/1dsXM3T6HH — Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) February 6, 2021 He lauded the courageousness of these mountaineers and said that all of them would pray for their safe return. A Twitter message from the official account of the Government of Pakistan also prayed for the safe return of Muhammad Ali Sadpara and other fellow mountaineers. Prayers for safe return of our hero Muhammad Ali Sadpara and his fellow mountaineers! — Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 6, 2021 Earlier in ...
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Former PM's close aide Shahzad Akbar's name placed on ECL

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The federal cabinet amended the Exit Control List (ECL) on Tuesday on the recommendation of the Interior Ministry, removing 22 names from the no-fly list and adding 10 people to it, while giving a one-time permission to three people to leave the country. Those added to the ECL included Shahzad Akbar, who served as adviser on interior and accountability to former prime minister Imran Khan, and Ziaul Mustafa Naseem. Both names were included in the ECL based on cases pertaining to a private housing scheme. The cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, received a briefing from the Climate Change Ministry on the effects of climate change in the country. The ministers were informed that Pakistan was among the top-eight worst affected countries because of the climate change. It was underlined in the briefing that there was a dire need for immediate implementation of ‘Mitigation and Adaptation” mechanism. It was suggested that a documentary about the issues confronting Pa...
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Pakistan coping with increase in critical Covid patients, next few weeks crucial: Asad

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Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that Pakistan has so far managed to cope with the increase in critical care Covid-19 patients by proactively building the capacity of the entire system. In a series of tweets, the federal minister said that the total number of critical care patients who were being provided oxygen had reached 5,360 on Thursday. "This is a 57 per cent more than the peak in June 2020," he said, adding that so far this increase had been handled due to "proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds". "Total oxygen production operational capacity in Pakistan last year was 487 tonnes per day. It has been increased to 798 tonnes," said Umar, adding that actual production had increased from 465 tonnes last June to 725 tonnes currently. "We also imported 19,200 oxygen cylinders last year to ensure distribution." He stated that because of th...
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New on Sports Illustrated: Forde-Yard Dash: The SEC is Unrecognizable as Defenses Underwhelm

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The SEC is known for its historically dominant defenses but teams' performances thus far have been anything but. Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (autographed pictures of bird-flipping Texas fans sold separately):  MORE DASH: Texas Flop |  Looking at New Coaches   | Signs of Effective Teams FIRST QUARTER: THE SEC IS UNRECOGNIZABLE Last week, The Dash touched upon the early-season transformation of the Southeastern Conference into a free-wheeling passing league . But things escalated significantly Saturday, to the point that a historically dominant defensive conference now looks like what it once disdained—2010s Era Big 12, but with bigger bodies. Simply put, it was the highest-scoring Saturday in the history of the conference. Updating last week’s stat, four of the top five passing offenses in the nation are in the SEC: No. 1 Mississippi State, No. 2 Alabama, No. 4 Mississippi and No. 5 Florida. The SEC now has none of the t...
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