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Blast near Sufi Shrine in Pakistan’s Lahore kills 4

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Blast near Sufi Shrine in Pakistan's Lahore kills 4

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A blast at one of Pakistan’s oldest and most popular Sufi shrines killed at least four people and wounded 24 in the eastern city of Lahore today (Wednesday, May 8) police said, as the country marks the fasting month of Ramadan.

Police have said they are still investigating the nature of the blast, which occurred near the entrance gate for female visitors to the 11th-century Data Darbar shrine, one of the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia.

State TV aired footage showing damaged vehicles and emergency personnel at the scene.

The shrine has been targeted previously – a 2010 suicide attack there killed more than 40 people – and is guarded by heavy security.

Sufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have frequently been the target of bloody attacks in Pakistan by Islamist terrorists – including the Islamic State group – who consider Sufi beliefs and rituals at the graves of Muslim saints as heresy.

Senior police official Muhammad Ashfaq told a press conference that the security personnel at the shrine were targeted, but stressed that the cause of the blast remains under investigation.

Three police officials and a civilian were killed, he added.

The blast may have been ‘a suicide attack’ on a security vehicle, added police official Muhammad Kashif.

Pakistan’s push against extremism was stepped up after the country’s deadliest ever attack, an assault on a school in Peshawar in 2014 that left more than 150 people dead -mostly children.

Since then, security has dramatically improved but terrorists retain the ability to carry out dramatic attacks.

Major urban centres such as Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and the provincial capital of its wealthiest province, Punjab, are not immune.

An attack in the city in March last year left nine people dead, while a major blast targeting Christians celebrating Easter in a park in 2016 killed more than 70 people.

Critics have long argued the military and government crackdown has not addressed the root causes of extremism in Pakistan, where hardline Muslim groups often target religious minorities.

The Data Darbar complex contains the shrine of Saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al-Hajvery, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh. Originally from Afghanistan, he was one of the most popular Sufi preachers on the subcontinent.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine each spring to mark his death anniversary, while it is also crowded weekly with worshippers listening to qawwali, a traditional form of Islamic devotional music.

(With AFP Inputs)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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ChatGPT outage affects thousands of users globally, OpenAI reacts

OpenAI swiftly acknowledged the outage, publishing updates on their dedicated status page. This transparency, while offering little in the way of immediate solutions, served to reassure users that the company was actively addressing the situation.

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On January 23, OpenAI’s popular AI chatbot, ChatGPT, suffered a significant global outage, leaving millions of users unable to access the service. The disruption affected multiple access points, including the web interface, the mobile application, and even integrations on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). This widespread failure quickly drew significant attention, with reports flooding in from users worldwide.

The outage tracking website, Downdetector, registered a surge in user reports, exceeding a thousand complaints within a short period. This volume underscored the scale of the disruption and the significant impact on ChatGPT’s user base.

The majority of these reports indicated a complete inability to use the chatbot, highlighting the severity of the problem. A smaller percentage of users reported encountering difficulties with the website or API, suggesting a less comprehensive but still noticeable impact.

OpenAI swiftly acknowledged the outage, publishing updates on their dedicated status page. This transparency, while offering little in the way of immediate solutions, served to reassure users that the company was actively addressing the situation.

The official statements consistently described the problem as “degraded performance” and “elevated error rates” within the API, hinting at underlying technical issues that required investigation. However, specific details regarding the root cause remained undisclosed, pending a more thorough examination.

According to reports, the outage commenced around 5 PM IST and persisted for several hours. The lack of a definitive timeline and the ongoing nature of the disruption underlined the complexity of the problem and the challenges faced by OpenAI’s engineering teams in resolving the issue.

As of the latest updates, the exact cause of the outage remains under investigation by OpenAI. The company is actively working to restore full functionality and provide a more comprehensive explanation once the underlying problem has been identified and rectified.

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Prince Harry, Rupert Murdoch’s UK group reach settlement in surveillance case

The relentless media attention, he has claimed, also contributed to the intense pressure that led him and his wife, Meghan Markle, to step back from royal duties and relocate to the United States in 2020.

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Prince Harry has reached a settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), bringing an abrupt end to a high-profile lawsuit alleging widespread phone hacking and unlawful surveillance.

The settlement, announced just as the trial was about to commence, includes substantial financial compensation for the Duke of Sussex and a formal, unequivocal apology from NGN. This marks a significant victory for Harry, who had accused the media giant of years of intrusive and illegal activities targeting his private life.

The apology, issued directly to Harry’s legal team, explicitly acknowledged the serious breach of privacy inflicted by both The Sun and the defunct News of the World. It detailed unlawful actions perpetrated between 1996 and 2011, including phone hacking, surveillance, and the use of private investigators to obtain sensitive information.

The statement specifically addressed the intrusive activities carried out by private investigators employed by The Sun, emphasizing the severity of the intrusion into Harry’s private life during his formative years. The apology extended to the distress caused to his late mother, Princess Diana, highlighting the impact of the media’s actions on the young prince.

This settlement represents one of three lawsuits filed by Harry against British media outlets, all stemming from accusations of privacy violations. He has consistently blamed the media for the relentless pursuit of his mother, Princess Diana, ultimately leading to her tragic death in a car crash in Paris while being chased by paparazzi.

The relentless media attention, he has claimed, also contributed to the intense pressure that led him and his wife, Meghan Markle, to step back from royal duties and relocate to the United States in 2020.

The case underscores the wider issue of phone hacking and media intrusion, exemplified by the notorious scandal that forced the closure of News of the World in 2011. The hacking of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler’s phone, during the police investigation into her disappearance, remains a particularly egregious example of the unethical practices employed by some sections of the British press.

Harry’s legal battle has brought renewed focus to this issue and the need for greater accountability within the media industry. The settlement, while ending this particular legal chapter, leaves a lasting legacy concerning media responsibility and the rights of public figures to privacy.

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China reacts to Donald Trump’s 10% tariff remarks, says it would protect its national interest

While acknowledging a willingness to maintain open communication channels and collaborative efforts with the U.S., China firmly rejected the notion of a trade war, emphasizing that such conflicts ultimately yield no winners.

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China has issued a firm response to US President Donald Trump’s renewed threat to impose a 10% tariff on Chinese imports, beginning February 1. The statement, released by the Chinese foreign ministry, underscores Beijing’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding its national interests amidst escalating trade tensions with the United States.

While acknowledging a willingness to maintain open communication channels and collaborative efforts with the U.S., China firmly rejected the notion of a trade war, emphasizing that such conflicts ultimately yield no winners.

The statement directly addresses Trump’s justification for the proposed tariffs, citing the flow of fentanyl from China through Mexico and Canada into the United States. This latest escalation marks a significant development in the long-standing trade dispute between the two economic giants.

The proposed tariffs, scheduled for implementation on February 1st, echo a similar threat made by Trump earlier, targeting Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs over concerns about illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking.

This consistent pattern of utilizing tariffs as a tool to address broader geopolitical concerns highlights the complex and multifaceted nature of the relationship between the United States and its major trading partners.

China’s economy, heavily reliant on exports to sustain its economic growth, faces significant vulnerability to such protectionist measures. Despite ongoing efforts to diversify its economy and boost domestic consumption, exports remain a crucial pillar of China’s economic engine. The potential impact of a 10% tariff on Chinese goods entering the U.S. market could trigger substantial ripple effects throughout the global economy.

The current trade tensions represent a continuation of a protracted struggle dating back to the Trump administration’s first term, marked by the imposition of substantial tariffs on Chinese imports over alleged unfair trade practices.

These actions were further reinforced by the subsequent Biden administration, which implemented sweeping measures aimed at restricting Chinese access to critical high-tech components.

Trump’s recent pronouncements signal a potential further escalation of these long-standing trade disputes. China’s response clearly indicates its readiness to defend its economic interests and navigate the complex landscape of international trade relations.

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