When iOS users are sharing a post through the X app on their iPhone or iPad, x.com is appearing in the URL. Earlier, twitter.com appeared in the URL. As per The Verge report, the change will soon be visible across all platforms (Android and web).

Elon Musk Changed The Name And Logo On July 24

Company owner Elon Musk changed the name and logo of the social media platform ‘Twitter’ to X on 24 July. After this, on July 26, a small change was made in the design of the logo. Musk made the X logo bold and sharp.

Musk had said the logo will evolve over time. “Twitter will provide all kinds of financial services in the coming months. In such a situation, the name Twitter has no meaning.”

Elon Musk Wants To Make X An ‘Everything App’

Elon Musk wants to make X an “everything app” to which he is going to add other features including payment service. Soon the feature of video and audio calling is going to be added to it. Through this, users will be able to talk to people anywhere in the world without exchanging their numbers.

Elon Musk’s Fascination With Letter X Since 1999

Elon Musk’s association with X letter dates to 1999. Then he created X.com, an online banking company. It later merged with another company to become PayPal. In 2017, Musk repurchased the URL “X.com” from PayPal.

He has said that the domain has “great sentimental value” to him. X is also visible in his other company SpaceX.

Major Changes Made By Elon Musk After Taking Over Twitter

Elon Musk bought Twitter, now X, on 27 October 2022 for $ 44 billion. After this, Musk made many big changes to the microblogging website.

Laid Off More Than Half The Employees

After buying X, Musk first fired four top officials of the company. These included CEO Parag Agarwal, finance chief Ned Segal, legal executives Vijaya Gadde and Sean Edgett. When Musk took charge of X, it had around 7500 employees, but now only around 2500 are left.

Unblocked Multiple Blocked Accounts

In November 2022, Musk unblocked several blocked accounts including former US President Donald Trump. He conducted a poll on X about Trump’s return where he asked whether President Trump’s account should be restored, yes or no! More than 15 million users took part in the voting and 52% answered yes.

Blue Subscription Service Launched

Elon Musk has launched Blue Subscription worldwide. The Blue subscription cost for web users in India is Rs 650. The subscription charge for mobile is Rs 900 per month. Many features are available in it including blue tick and long video post.

Character Limit Increased

Musk has increased the character limit of posts from 280 to 25,000. Post reading limit has also been applied. Verified users can read only 10,000 posts in a day. Unverified users can read one thousand posts, while new unverified users can read only 500 posts daily.

In July 2023, Elon Musk announced that the iconic blue bird logo will be replaced by an “X” logo.

Elon Musk’s Vision

Under Musk’s tumultuous tenure since he bought Twitter, the company has changed its business name to X Corp, reflecting the billionaire’s vision to create a “super app” like China’s WeChat. In April, Twitter’s legacy blue bird logo was temporarily replaced by Dogecoin’s Shiba Inu dog, helping drive a surge in the cryptocurrency’s market value.

Elon Musk on July 12 launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) company called xAI that aims to “understand the true nature of the universe”. The team is headed up by Musk and includes team members that have worked at other big names in AI, including OpenAI, Google Research, Microsoft Research, and Google’s DeepMind.

Some anesthesiologists in the U.S. and Canada say they’ve seen growing numbers of patients on the weight-loss drugs who inhaled food and liquid into their lungs while sedated because their stomachs were still full — even after following standard instructions to stop eating for six to eight hours in advance.

The drugs can slow digestion so much that it puts patients at increased risk for the problem, called pulmonary aspiration, which can cause dangerous lung damage, infections and even death, said Dr. Ion Hobai, an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

“This is such a serious sort of potential complication that everybody who takes this drug should know about it,” said Hobai, who was among the first to flag the issue.

Nearly 6 million prescriptions for the class of drugs that include Wegovy and Ozempic were written between January and May in the U.S. for people who don’t have diabetes, according to Komodo Health, a health care technology company. The drugs induce weight loss by mimicking the actions of hormones, found primarily in the gut, that kick in after people eat. They also target signals between the gut and the brain that control appetite and feelings of fullness, and by slowing how fast the stomach empties.

In June, the American Society of Anesthesiologists issued guidance advising patients to skip daily weight-loss medications on the day of surgery and hold off on weekly injections for a week before any sedation procedures. Dr. Michael Champeau, the group’s president, said the action was based on anecdotal reports of problems — including aspiration — from around the country.

It’s not clear how many patients taking the anti-obesity drugs may be affected by the issue. But because the consequences can be so dire, Hobai and a group of colleagues decided to speak out. Writing in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia, they called for the drug to be stopped for even longer — about three weeks before sedation.

That accounts for how long semaglutide, the active medication in Wegovy, remains in the body, said Dr. Philip Jones, a Mayo Clinic anesthesiologist who is also deputy editor-in-chief of the journal.

“When 90% of it is gone, which is after three weeks, hopefully everything should go back to normal,” Jones said.

Champeau and Jones both acknowledged there’s not enough evidence to say for certain how long semaglutide should be held to make anesthesia safe. Many patients won’t see providers far enough in advance to stop the drug three weeks before procedures, Champeau noted.

Aspiration occurs in one of every 2,000 to 3,000 operations that require sedation, and almost half of patients who aspirate during surgery develop a related lung injury. But case reports show recent patients on semaglutide had problems even when they stopped food as long as 20 hours before their procedures.

“There’s nothing that says if you fast twice as long, it will be OK,” Champeau said.

Among the several reports detailing potentially serious problems was one of Hobai’s patients, a 42-year-old man in Boston who recently began taking Wegovy, had to be intubated and suffered respiratory failure that put him in intensive care. He aspirated food that remained in his stomach despite fasting for 18 hours.

In Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a 31-year-old-woman on a low dose of Ozempic had fasted for 10 hours before a routine endoscopy prior to bariatric surgery last fall. The procedure had to be stopped because solid food remained in her stomach and she was at high risk for aspiration, the report said.

Since then, doctors have seen dozens of similar cases as use of the weight-loss medication has grown, said Dr. Elisa Lund, an anesthesiologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine. “It has exponentially increased,” she said.

Hobai is completing a retrospective study of almost 200 patients taking semaglutide. While it’ll be published later this year, the work so far appears to confirm a small study from Brazil, he said. In that study, about a quarter of patients taking semaglutide had residual food in their stomachs during procedures requiring sedation — even after stopping the drug for 10 days.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists advises doctors who are in doubt to treat patients who haven’t paused the drug as if they have full stomachs, which can mean using different types of sedation protocols or delaying procedures, if possible. Jones added that research is urgently needed to update guidelines for doctors and patients.

Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic, Wegovy and similar drugs, said the firm’s clinical trial and post-marketing safety data did not show that the medications led to aspiration. But the drugmaker noted that the medications are known to cause delayed emptying of the stomach and that the labels warn of possible gastrointestinal side effects.

Stopping the medications for three weeks can cause problems, too. Patients with diabetes will need another way to control their blood sugar and those seeking to lose weight may regain some, Hobai said.

Hobai suggests that people using Wegovy and similar drugs tell their doctors before sedation and discuss the risks and benefits.

“If you’re taking this drug and you need an operation, you will need to have some extra precautions,” he said.

Narrating the traumatic experience, Harrison Hove, a passenger on the flight and a professor at the University of Florida, said the incident was “terrifying” and “photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops”.

I’ve flown a lot. This was scary. Kudos to our amazing flight crew- cabin staff and pilots on @AmericanAir 5916. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops. Good to be on the ground. #AA5916 #CLT #GNV pic.twitter.com/P8pPrvOQDQ

— Harrison Hove (@HarrisonHove) August 10, 2023

Hove took to X to share his ordeal. He also posted a few pictures where oxygen masks can be seen hanging in the plane with many passengers, including him, trying to breathe with its help.

“I’ve flown a lot. This was scary. Kudos to our amazing flight crew- cabin staff and pilots on @AmericanAir 5916. The photos cannot capture the burning smell, loud bang or ear pops. Good to be on the ground,” he said in the caption.

In another tweet, Hove said, “Something failed midflight and depressurized the cabin. The burning smell can apparently be attributed to using the oxygen canisters.”

He stated that the “wing flaps came out to immediately lower our altitude so there would be more oxygen.” He added, “It was terrifying but turned out ok.”

In a statement, American Airlines said Fox News that the cabin crew decided to safely descend at a lower altitude because of the pressurisation issue. “American Eagle flight 5916, operated by Piedmont Airlines, from Charlotte (CLT) to Gainesville, Florida (GNV) landed safely in GNV on Thursday, August 10. While in flight, the crew received an indication of a possible pressurisation issue and immediately and safely descended to a lower altitude. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience and thank our team for their professionalism,” a spokesperson said.

The Pakistani government has condemned the attack and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice. The Chinese government has also condemned the attack and demanded that Pakistan take action to protect its citizens, news agency ANI said.

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC): A Major Concern In The Region

The attack has raised concerns about the security of Chinese nationals working in Pakistan. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a major project that is bringing billions of dollars of investment to Pakistan. However, the project has also been criticized for increasing Chinese influence in the country.

The van which was part of the convoy was shot at creating cracks in the glass. Last week, at least seven people, including a chairman of a Union Council (UC), were killed in a landmine blast targeting a vehicle in Balochistan’s Panjgur district.

“Miscreants had planted a remote explosive device to target a vehicle carrying Balgatar UC Chairman Ishtiaq Yaqoob and others who were returning from a wedding ceremony,” the Dawn quoted Amjad Somro, deputy commissioner of Panjgur, as saying.  With the increase in terrorism incidents in the country, the Punjab Home Department has directed the Chinese nationals living in the province or working with private companies to hire private security companies of ‘A’ category for their security, the Dawn reported.

Continuous Attack On Chinese Officers and Workers

The home department and police held a meeting in the month of February this year to review the security of the Chinese nationals working on government and private projects in the province.
In 2014, the Punjab government had established the Special Protection Unit (SPU) as a dedicated unit for the security of foreigners working at different projects of national importance.

As many as 3,336 security constables, 187 drivers, 20 wireless operators, 244 former army personnel in the rank of senior security constable to chief security officer and seven former army officers in the rank of additional director & deputy director were recruited in the SPU, the Dawn reported.

Keeping in view the job requirement, the personnel were imparted six months rigorous training at four police training schools by the professional trainers.

Presently, 3,829 officers and personnel of the SPU along with 2,552 attached personnel from districts are providing security to 7,567 Chinese working at four CPEC and 27 non-CPEC projects in the province. They are also providing security to the Chinese residing at 70 residences and 24 camps in the province, the Dawn reported.

With renewed attention after the horrific Karachi university incident which took the lives of several Chinese nationals, the Pakistani government has decided to bear the security costs of non-CPEC projects as well, media reports said citing sources

(With inputs from agencies)

Adjusting To Survive

I was in grade five and for the first time appeared for the handwriting contest held for the entire class. No shame to acknowledge that not only did I perform miserably but was also chided for having horrible handwriting. Oh yeah, every move for the next letter had smudged the ink* making the handwriting contest more like a contest for abstract art. All this happened because I wrote the test with my left hand, being born a left-hander. Even years after this incident, I live with the pain and struggle of trying to “survive in the right-hander’s world”.

*I belong to the old school

As a lefty who has been forced to use right-handed desks, it can only be imagined the extra effort and strength we lefties put in as we jot down notes while trying to maintain the balance to stay seated and decently at the desk.

We manage to adjust to the right-handed desk but there is another ordeal waiting for us. Those who used ink pens years back (ink pens are almost extinct) will agree that we had an uncanny knack for attracting the colourful liquid. Maybe it was a disgruntled lefty who invented the gel pen.

Not Many For Armed Forces, Killing The Hobby

Somehow, I spent a good number of sessions at the combat ranch and scored well as I practiced several firearms, small to big ones, and all of them are still designed for the right-handers as far as I am aware. And fewer people who are left-handed make it to the armed forces or other forces for the same reason.

Then back at home, it is the pair of scissors and peelers that are not friendly to left-handed people. Again, they are designed for the benefit of the righties.

I simply love music and always wanted to, and still want to be an ace guitarist like my heroes Steve Stevens, Jimmy Page, and David Gilmour. I did not and do not have the patience to do a Jimi Hendrix or Sir Paul McCartney kind of modification to the six strings. But I had to settle for being the lead vocalist because most musical instruments, guitars too, are designed for right-handers.

Left Handedness Facts

• Hardly 10 per cent or less than 10 per cent of the world’s population is left-handed
• Several extensive studies by neuroscientists believe that left-handed people have a wider scope of thinking and point to the disproportionately high number of Nobel Prize winners, writers, and painters who are left-handed
• More likely to have allergies
• More prone to migraines
• More likely to suffer sleep deprivation
• Left-Handed people use the right side of the brain the most
• More likely to be alcoholics
• Left-Handed people are smarter
• Left-Handed people are more likely to have higher IQs
• Tend to reach puberty 4 to 5 months later than right-handers
• More likely to suffer language problems
• More likely to be male
• Better at multitasking
• Live on average 9 years less than righties
• Advantageous hand at sports
• More intelligent than right-handers
• More artistic

World’s Famous Left-Handed Personalities

• Albert Einstein
• Amitabh Bachchan
• Sachin Tendulkar
• Barack Obama
• Bill Gates
• Julia Roberts
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Lady Gaga
• Oprah Winfrey
• Paul McCartney
• Neil Armstrong
• Marie Curie
• Henry Ford
• Aristotle
• Mozart
• Michelangelo
• Leonardo da Vinci
• Charlie Chaplin
• Jim Carrey
• Tom Cruise
• Robert De Niro
• Matt Dillon
• Morgan Freeman
• Angelina Jolie
• Marilyn Monroe
• Brad Pitt
• Keanu Reeves
• Sylvester Stallone
• David Bowie
• Celine Dion
• Eminem
• Kurt Cobain
• Bob Geldof
• Ricky Martin
• Sting
• Napoleon Bonaparte
• Julius Caesar
• Aristotle
• Keanu Reeves
• Bill Gates
• Steve Jobs
• Jimi Hendrix

August 13 has been designated International Left-Handers Day by Lefthanders International with the first one being observed on August 13, 1976. Left-handers Day Was Declared by The Left-Hander’s Day Club On August 13, 1997.

In the pictures, one can see the mountains with clouds over them. The magnificent view has delighted everyone on the internet. He captioned the post as, “The Himalayas from space. Home to the Everest summit, the highest point above sea level on earth, these mountains are one of the iconic landmarks of our planet’s rich nature.

The Himalayas from space

Home to the Everest summit, the highest point above sea level on earth, these mountains are one of the iconic landmarks of our planet’s rich nature. pic.twitter.com/DiQqz0L95b

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) August 12, 2023

The pictures have gone viral on social media. Since being shared on the platform yesterday, the post has amassed over 44,000 views and over six hundred likes.

Few Reactions on X

“Nature’s grand masterpiece on full display,” said a user.

“Amazing brother. Thanks so much for continuing to send us these gorgeous photos of our blue giant sphere of life,” said another user.

“That is what I see in you sultan the highest level of intelligence like the height of the Everest summit,” remarked a person

A fourth user said, “These are truly grand photographs!”

ISRO Successfully Conducts Parachute Deployment Tests for Gaganyaan Mission

ISRO has successfully conducted a series of tests on drogue parachutes, which would play a pivotal role in stabilising the crew module and reducing its velocity to a safe level during re-entry in the planned Gaganyaan human space flight mission.

The Gaganyaan mission hopes to safely transport astronauts to Space and back. Drogue parachutes are deployed to decrease speed and stabilise rapidly moving objects. ISRO’s Thiruvananthapuram-based Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) successfully conducted a series of Drogue Parachute Deployment Tests at the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory in Chandigarh during August 8-10, the national space agency said in a statement here on Friday.

The tests were conducted in collaboration with Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE)/DRDO. The drogue parachutes, packed within pyro-based devices known as mortars, are cleverly designed to eject the parachutes into the air upon command.

These conical ribbon-type parachutes, boasting a diameter of 5.8 metres, employ a single-stage reefing mechanism, ingeniously minimising canopy area and mitigating opening shock, ensuring a smooth and controlled descent, the ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) explained.

A similar warning went out to shippers earlier this year ahead of Iran seizing two tankers traveling near the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.

While Iran and the U.S. now near an apparent deal that would see billions of Iranian assets held in South Korea unfrozen in exchange for the release of five Iranian-Americans detained in Tehran, the warning shows that the tensions remain high at sea. Already, the U.S. is exploring plans to put armed troops on commercial ships in the strait to deter Iran amid a buildup of troops, ships and aircraft in the region.

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Timothy Hawkins, a spokesman for the Mideast-based 5th Fleet, acknowledged the warning had been given, but declined to discuss specifics about it.

A U.S.-backed maritime group called the International Maritime Security Construct “is notifying regional mariners of appropriate precautions to minimize the risk of seizure based on current regional tensions, which we seek to de-escalate,” Hawkins said. “Vessels are being advised to transit as far away from Iranian territorial waters as possible.”

Separately, a European Union-led maritime organization watching shipping in the strait has “warned of a possibility of an attack on a merchant vessel of unknown flag in the Strait of Hormuz in the next 12 to 72 hours,” said private intelligence firm Ambrey.

“Previously, after a similar warning was issued, a merchant vessel was seized by Iranian authorities under a false pretext,” the firm warned.

The EU-led mission, called the European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Iran through its state media did not acknowledge any new plans to interdict vessels in the strait. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Strait of Hormuz is in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman, which at its narrowest point is just 33 kilometers (21 miles) wide. The width of the shipping lane in either direction is only 3 kilometers (2 miles). Anything affecting it ripples through global energy markets, potentially raising the price of crude oil. That then trickles down to consumers through what they pay for gasoline and other oil products.

There has been a wave of attacks on ships attributed to Iran since 2019, following the Trump administration unilaterally withdrawing America from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and re-imposing crushing sanctions on Tehran.

Those assaults resumed in late April, when Iran seized a ship carrying oil for Chevron Corp. and another tanker called the Niovi in May.

The taking of the two tankers in under a week comes as the Marshall Island-flagged Suez Rajan sits off Houston, likely waiting to offload sanctioned Iranian oil apparently seized by the U.S.

Those seizures led the U.S. military to launch a major deployment in the region, including thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall, a landing ship. Images released by the Navy showed the Bataan and Carter Hall in the Red Sea on Tuesday.

An MEA advisory on Friday asked all Indians living in Niger to depart from that country as soon as possible and also urged those planning to travel to travel to the African country to reconsider their plans until the situation normalises.

At his weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India is closely monitoring the ongoing developments in Niger. “In light of the prevailing situation, Indian nationals whose presence is not essential are advised to leave the country as soon as possible,” he said.

“They may bear in mind that air space is currently closed. When departing through a land border, utmost precautions may be taken to ensure safety and security,” he added, reading out the advisory.

“All those Indian nationals who have not registered with the Indian Embassy in Niamey are strongly advised to do so expeditiously. Indian nationals can reach emergency contact in the Embassy of India, Niamey (+ 227 9975 9975) for any assistance,” he said.

Bagchi said the Indian embassy in Niamey is in touch with the Indian community and that it is looking at facilitating the exit of the Indians from the country.

“We have been told that the Indians (there) are safe,” he added.

On July 26, Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani seized power in Niger overthrowing President Mohamed Bazoum by staging a coup. Following the coup, 62-year-old Gen Tchiani declared himself as the head of the ‘National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland’.

The coup triggered widespread protests and violence in the country following which several European nations evacuated their citizens from Niger and also issued travel advisories for their nationals.

(With PTI inputs)

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Riaz said: “We decided that the interim prime minister would be from a smaller province”. This decision came after President Arif Alvi on Wednesday night dissolved the National Assembly following a summary forwarded to him by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calling for dissolution of the lower house of the Parliament, news agency ANI reported.

Anwarul Haq Kakar: Background In Balochistan

Anwarul Haq Kakar is a politician who has been active in Balochistan politics since 2008. He was elected to the Senate of Pakistan in 2018 as an independent candidate and is currently the parliamentary leader of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP). He has also served as the chairperson of the Committee of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development and as a member of other committees, including the Business Advisory Committee, Finance and Revenue, Foreign Affairs, and Science and Technology, as per a report in Pakistan Observer.

Member of the Senate of Pakistan Since March 2018

Anwarul Haq Kakar has been a member of the Senate of Pakistan since March 2018. He was elected as an independent candidate from Balochistan and is currently the parliamentary leader of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in the Senate. Kakar is not a very well-known politician in Pakistan, but his province Balochistan holds significance because of insurgency. The BAP is widely considered to be close to the country’s powerful military, and Kakar’s appointment as caretaker prime minister is seen as a move by the military to try to maintain stability in Balochistan ahead of the upcoming elections.

What Does Pakistan Law Say On This

According to the country’s Constitution, a caretaker prime minister is appointed if the prime minister and the head of the NA opposition cannot agree on a person within three days. According to the law, the parliamentary delegation will receive the preferences of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition for the coveted job. After then, the parliamentary committee will have three days to decide on the temporary prime minister’s name.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will choose the caretaker prime minister from the names put forth by the opposition and the government within two days, according to Geo News, if the committee is unable to agree on a choice.

(With inputs from agencies)

According to SETE, the company in charge of managing the building, police and bomb-disposal experts were searching the area, including a restaurant that is located on one of the levels. Although the situation is unusual, conventional procedure is being followed, said a spokeswoman. Soon after 1:30 pm (1130 GMT), visitors were removed from the monument’s three stories as well as the surrounding square, a report in NDTV said.

The WHO warned that the real figure could be much higher because, at the time of Corona, more testing and monitoring were being done in all the countries, but now it is not the same. Due to less testing, the recorded cases of Corona may also decrease.

Western Pacific Witnesses 137% Increase In Corona Cases

According to WHO, there has been a 137% increase in cases of Corona infection in the Western Pacific region countries like Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, and New Zealand. In the countries of the Northern Hemisphere such as America, Britain, France, and Japan, the number of cases has increased due to the heatwave.

Recently, WHO also confirmed the discovery of new variants of Omicron. According to experts, cases are likely to increase due to negligence in taking precautions, increasing heat, tourism, and less testing.

Eris Declared ‘Variant of Interest’

On Wednesday, the WHO had declared Omicron’s sub-variant EG.5 or Eris as a ‘variant of interest’ in view of the increasing cases. Of the Corona cases found in mid-July, 17% were of this variant. These were 7.6% more than in June. One case of the Eris variant was found in the United Kingdom on 31 July. Most cases of this variant are found in America, China, and Britain only.

Maharashtra Reports One Case Of Eris Variant

A few days ago, a case of this variant was also found in Maharashtra. According to the data of the state health department, the number of active cases of Covid increased from 70 at the end of July to 115 on 6 August. At the same time, according to the UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA), there have been 7 such cases of coronavirus that are linked to the Eris variant.

According to the data, 14% of the total cases of Covid are related to the Eris variant only. UKHSA says that Corona cases have spread more rapidly this week than last week.

Eris Variant Much More Dangerous

UKHSA said “we got an indication of the danger we could face from the EG.5.1 variant during Horizon Scanning on 3 July 2023 itself. Since then, we started keeping an eye on it”.

On 3 July it was seen as a monitoring signal, but due to the increasing number of genomes in the UK and its increasing speed in all countries, it was classified as Variant V-23JUL-01 on 31 July 2023. However, its symptoms have not been told yet.

Corona Was Removed From ‘Global Emergency’ In May

Corona was removed from the Global Emergency by the WHO in May this year. However, WHO Governor General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus had said that even though Corona is no longer a global emergency, it does not mean that it is no longer a threat. The next pandemic will definitely come in the world and it can be more dangerous than Covid-19. In such a situation, we have to start preparations to tackle it right now.

Kakar, a lawmaker from Balochistan was named as caretaker prime minister to oversee national elections following a meeting between outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz, the prime minister’s office said on Saturday.

“We first agreed that whoever should be prime minister, he should be from a smaller province so smaller provinces’ grievances should be addressed,” said Raja Riaz Ahmad after a meeting with outgoing premier Shehbaz Sharif.

Pakistan’s parliament was dissolved on Wednesday and by law an election should be held within 90 days, but the results of the latest census released last week means more time will likely be needed to redraw constituencies.

“We decided that the interim prime minister would be from a smaller province,” said opposition leader Raja Riaz while speaking to the media after the meeting.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi had on Wednesday night dissolved the National Assembly after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif forwarded a summary to him for dissolution of the lower house of the Parliament.

Before the meeting, President Alvi wrote a letter to the PM, reminding him and the opposition leader to suggest a “suitable person” for the interim premier by August 12 (Saturday), according to Geo News.

In a letter to both PM Shehbaz and Riaz, the president informed them that under Article 224A they are supposed to propose a name for interim prime minister within three days of the dissolution of the National Assembly.

As per the country’s Constitution, if the prime minister and the NA opposition leader fail to agree on the name within three days, the matter goes to the parliamentary committee for the appointment of a caretaker PM.

As per the law, the premier and the opposition leader will send their respective preferences for the coveted post to the parliamentary delegation, as per Geo News.

The parliamentary committee will then have to finalise the name of the caretaker prime minister within three days.

However, if the committee also fails to reach a consensus on the name, then the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will pick the caretaker prime minister within two days from the names proposed by the opposition and the government, Geo News reported.

(With agency inputs)

Planted in front of the Lahaina Courthouse and Lahaina Harbour on 1873, this sprawling tree — one of the largest banyan trees in the United States — along Front Street is the size of an entire city block and stands more than 60 feet high, online portal gohawaii.com states.

The banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui was planted in 1873 and was not only the largest in the Hawaii but also in the United States.

Still standing, but seriously damaged by the wildfires from August 8–9.

Disaster recovery efforts are underwaypic.twitter.com/yQaKSlTjhb

— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 11, 2023

Widespread Destruction in Lahaina

As per a report by CNN, there was widespread destruction in the historic town of Lahaina. Anything in the town centre is just completely devastated. The fires have left little to no vegetation on the precious and sprawling banyan tree.

What was interesting was that the banyan tree celebrated its 150th birthday in April this year. While its condition is unclear, images suggest that the tree has been burned but remains standing. A report suggested the tree would recover, saying that “if the roots are healthy, it will likely grow back”.

“I tend to believe it’ll be fine. It’s really very hard to kill a banyan tree,” Theo Morrison, the executive director of the Lahaina Restoration Foundation, told the BBC.

Banyan Tree: A Major Landmark in Lahaina

Considered a major landmark in Lahaina, the banyan tree has provided cooling shade to generations of locals and visitors beneath its massive, sweepy branches and dangling vines, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

The tree has 46 major trunks in addition to its massive original one and shades nearly two-thirds of an acre, according to the Lahaina Restoration Foundation. The health and shape of the tree are maintained by the Maui County Arborist Committee, the CNN report said.

Wildfire in Maui Claims 67 Lives

The devastating wildfires in Maui have so far claimed at least 67 lives and many have been displaced. The government in the statement said, “The Lahaina fire is not yet contained.” Earlier, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that the death toll from the wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii reaches 59.

Speaking to CNN, Green said that all those deaths occurred in the open and not in buildings, “as people were trying to escape the fire.” He said that there will be more fatalities. Josh Green said, “Without a doubt, there will be more fatalities. We do not know, ultimately, how many will have occurred.”

Biden Speaks to Hawaii Governor

In the meantime, US President Joe Biden spoke to Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Friday after the latter completed a survey of destruction across Maui.

White House in a statement said, “The Governor provided the President with a firsthand update and assessment of Hawaii’s latest needs, and thanked the President for the support of FEMA and other federal agencies,” CNN reported.

Hawaii’s Governor ordered a comprehensive review of the state’s actions in the hours after the wildfires erupted on the islands, earlier this week, including why warning sirens were not utilised to alert people on Maui.

(With inputs from agencies)

Associated Press journalists witnessed the devastation, with nearly every building flattened to debris on Front Street, the heart of the Maui community and the economic hub of the island. The roosters known to roam Hawaii streets meandered through the ashes of what was left, including an eerie traffic jam of the charred remains of dozens of cars that didn’t make it out of the inferno.

Incinerated cars crushed by downed telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testaments to the burned-down apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal-colored water. Trampolines and children’s scooters mangled by the extreme heat. “It hit so quick, it was incredible,” Lahaina resident Kyle Scharnhorst said as he surveyed his apartment complex’s damage in the morning. “It was like a war zone.”

The wildfires are the state’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people. An even deadlier tsunami in 1946, which killed more than 150 on the Big Island, prompted the development of the territory-wide emergency system that includes sirens, which are sounded monthly to test their readiness.

But many fire survivors said in interviews that they didn’t hear any sirens or receive a warning that gave them enough time to prepare, realizing they were in danger only when they saw flames or heard explosions nearby.

“There was no warning. There was absolutely none. Nobody came around. We didn’t see a fire truck or anybody,” said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home in the fire.

Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens sounded before people had to run for their lives. Instead, officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations — but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.

Gov. Josh Green warned that the death toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue. He also said that Lahaina residents would be allowed to return Friday to check on their property and that people would be able to get out, too, to get water and access other services. Authorities set a curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday.

“The recovery’s going to be extraordinarily complicated, but we do want people to get back to their homes and just do what they can to assess safely, because it’s pretty dangerous,” Green told Hawaii News Now.

Officials warned residents in Kula and Lahaina who have running water that it may be contaminated and that they should not drink it and take only short, lukewarm showers “in a well-ventilated room” to avoid exposure to possible chemical vapors.

Until further notice, people should not drink the water even after boiling it, as hundreds of pipes have been damaged, Maui County water agency director John Stufflebean told AP.

Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, at least three wildfires erupted on Maui this week, racing through parched brush covering the island.

The most serious one swept into Lahaina on Tuesday and left it a grid of gray rubble wedged between the blue ocean and lush green slopes. Skeletal remains of buildings bowed under roofs that pancaked in the blaze. Palm trees were torched, boats in the harbor were scorched and the stench of burning lingered.

The wildfire is already projected to be the second-costliest disaster in Hawaii history, behind only Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a prominent disaster and risk modeling company.

Summer and Gilles Gerling sought to salvage family keepsakes from the ashes of their home. But all they could find was the piggy bank Summer Gerling’s father gave her as a child, their daughter’s jade bracelet and the watches they gifted each other for their wedding.

Their wedding rings were gone.

They described their fear as the strong wind whipped and the smoke and flames moved closer. But they said they were just happy that they and their two children made it out alive.

“It is what it is,” Gilles Gerling said. “Safety was the main concern. These are all material things.”

Cadaver-sniffing dogs were brought in Friday to assist the search for the dead, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said.

The wildfire is the deadliest in the U.S. since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and laid waste to the town of Paradise.

Lahaina’s wildfire risk is well known. Maui County’s hazard mitigation plan, last updated in 2020, identified Lahaina and other West Maui communities as having frequent wildfires and a large number of buildings at risk of wildfire damage.

The report also noted that West Maui had the island’s second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.

“This may limit the population’s ability to receive, understand and take expedient action during hazard events,” the plan noted.

Maui’s firefighting efforts may also have been hampered by a small staff, said Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association. There are a maximum of 65 firefighters working at any given time in the county, and they are responsible for three islands — Maui, Molokai and Lanai — he said.

Those crews have about 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, but the department does not have any off-road vehicles, he said. That means crews can’t attack brush fires thoroughly before they reach roads or populated areas.

Lahaina resident Lana Vierra was eager to return even though she knows the home she raised five children in is no longer there.

“To actually stand there on your burnt grounds and get your wheels turning on how to move forward — I think it will give families that peace,” she said.

When she fled Tuesday, she thought it would be temporary. She spent Friday morning filling out FEMA assistance forms at a relative’s house in Haiku.

She was eager to see Lahaina but unsure how she would feel once there, thinking about the sheds in the back that housed family mementos.

“My kids’ yearbooks and all that kind of stuff. Their baby pictures,” Vierra said. “That’s what hurts a mother the most.”

Employers who are eligible for the Regional Express Entry Pilot (REP) will be designated on Job Bank, a government website, to show their status to potential workers.

The Job Bank allows you to search for jobs from Canadian employers who are looking to hire temporary foreign workers. These employers have already received or applied for a labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is a document that shows there is a need for foreign workers to fill the job. The Job Bank currently has over 10,000 jobs listed for foreigners who want to work in Canada.

What Is The New Recognized Employer Pilot Program?

The Recognized Employer Pilot (REP) is a new program that will make it easier for employers who have a history of complying with the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) to hire temporary foreign workers.

Employers who participate in the REP will be able to obtain a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) that is valid for up to 36 months, rather than the usual 12 months. This will give employers more flexibility in hiring temporary foreign workers and help reduce the administrative burden.

Canada’s REP Program: Application Process

Here are the two ways to apply for a labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA):

• LMIA Online Portal: This is a secure and reliable platform where employers can complete and submit an online application to Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).
  • To use the LMIA Online Portal, employers must create a Job Bank account and have a valid credit card.
  • The LMIA Online Portal is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Email: Employers who have a legitimate exemption from using the LMIA Online Portal can email a PDF application form to ESDC.
  • To find out if you are eligible for an exemption, you can contact ESDC.
  • The PDF application form can be found on the ESDC website.
  • Once you have completed the PDF application form, you must email it to ESDC.

Canada’s REP Program: Eligibility

Employers who are eligible for the Regional Express Entry Pilot (REP) will be designated on Job Bank, a government website, to show their status to potential workers.

The Job Bank allows you to search for jobs from Canadian employers who are looking to hire temporary foreign workers. These employers have already received or applied for a labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), which is a document that shows there is a need for foreign workers to fill the job. The Job Bank currently has over 10,000 jobs listed for foreigners who want to work in Canada.

Employers who want to be recognized by ESDC as REPs will be assessed based on their history of engagement with the TFWP. If an employer is not recognized, they can still use the TFWP, but their LMIA assessment will be conducted in the usual way.

Some of the students had already arrived in Canada when they were informed their offers had been withdrawn, CBC News reported. According to the report, over 500 international students recently received an email from the college informing them that their admission for the coming school year has been revoked.

One of the students, Ashley from Punjab, India, had already booked her flight from Punjab to Toronto and also paid her registration fees. However, over a week ago, Ashley received an email from the Northern College in Ontario, informing her that she was no longer accepted at the school.

“It was very heartbreaking for me. It had a huge impact on my lifestyle,” Ashley said, according to the report.

Ashley, who doesn’t have a last name, received her acceptance letter in February to study healthcare administration at Scarborough’s Pures College of Technology, which is an affiliate of Northern College. She had already applied for a student visa, quit her job in healthcare and booked a one-way ticket to Toronto, news agency PTI reported.

However, following the heartbreaking news, Ashley now remains in India and looks for a solution to her situation. “It was not a normal process for us as international students who have used all the savings that we have had,” Ashley said.

Pures College said it was “ready, willing and able to accept all international students who received letters of admission,” but that its affiliate, Northern College, decided against doing so. As a private college in partnership with a public college, Pures said it doesn’t have the authority to make final decisions on the admissions process.

Northern College says the problem was caused by Canada approving more visas for international students than expected.

Students will be refunded or transferred to different schools, the college said. But some could still be on the hook for cancelled flights and accommodation.

This isn’t the first time international students have been left in limbo by a Toronto school. Last May, hundreds of students said their enrollment was unilaterally suspended by Alpha College of Business and Technology, an affiliate of St. Lawrence College in Ontario.

Meanwhile, Jaspreet Singh, president of the International Sikh Student Association and a member of the World Sikh Organisation, says these situations are indicative of a bigger problem.

“The system is exploiting students,” he said, adding that situations like these aren’t uncommon in Canada.

“The same thing is happening every year…every semester,” CBS News quoted Singh as saying.

An international student is granted permission to study in Canada based on their acceptance to a designated learning institution. International students must present their acceptance letter upon arrival to clear immigration and receive a permit to stay in the country to complete their education.

(With PTI inputs)

There were no immediate reports of storm-related deaths or injuries as of 11 a.m., according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. More than 10,000 people, mostly in southern coastal areas, were forced to evacuate from their homes and the number was expected to grow.

Officials shut down hundreds of motorways, streets and public parks and broadcast text alerts warning about the perils posed by the storm, Khanun, which came just weeks after torrential rains caused flash floods and landslides that killed at least 47 people.

More than 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain has fallen already in southern parts of the mainland and emergency workers were responding to a growing number of floods and landslides as of Thursday afternoon.

After making landfall around 9:30 am near the southeastern port city of Geoje, Khanun headed toward the southeastern inland city of Daegu as of 12:30 p.m., showing slightly diminished strength, with its with maximum winds blowing at 104 kph (64 mph) while moving at 38 kph (23 mph).

Forecasters say Khanun will pound the country with intense rains and winds while slowly plowing through the Korean Peninsula for hours, with its eye brushing the densely populated Seoul metropolitan area where half of South Korea’s 51 million people live. The storm’s strength is expected to be diminished when it moves on to North Korea early Friday, but forecasters said the greater Seoul area would still feel its force until Friday afternoon.

Since Wednesday, the storm dumped nearly 35 centimeters (14 inches) of rain in the southern mainland cities of Changwon and Yangsan.

In Changwon, emergency workers used ropes to rescue pedestrians trapped in huge zones of flooded roads, and responded to landslides that spilled dirt and other debris over motorways. Residents and shop owners blocked their doors with sandbags while workers established flood shields to protect a major seafood market. In Geoje, emergency workers in helmets examined a parking lot where vehicles were smashed or damaged by bricks and other debris apparently flown by forceful winds.

In coastal Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, winds were blowing at 126 kph (78 mph) and several motorways were closed because of flooding. Emergency workers dressed in orange rain gear cleared uprooted trees that collapsed over roads and responding to destroyed walls and fences, broken windows, and other damage. A low-lying public park in the city’s Yeonje district was entirely submerged in water.

The neighboring cities of Ulsan, Pohang and Gimcheon issued flood warnings for areas near rivers and streams that flow through its urban districts.

More than 350 flights were grounded and nearly 500 motorways were shut. Ferry services were halted while more than 60,000 fishing vessels evacuated to port. Authorities advised schools to take the day off or delay their opening hours, and warned of potential flooding, landslides and huge waves.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min ordered officials to tightly restrict access to riverside trails, low-lying coastal roads and underpass tunnels, and to swiftly evacuate basement-level homes or houses near mountains in at-risk areas.

“If the storm penetrates the country as forecasters predict, not one region will be safe,” Lee said.

Khanun meandered around southern Japanese islands for more than a week, causing injuries on Okinawa and Kyushu islands, knocking out power and disrupting transit.

Up to 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rainfall is expected in Kyushu and the nearby island of Shikoku through Thursday evening, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which warned residents of mudslides, flooding and high winds.

Criminal defendants routinely try to have their cases moved to increase their chances of getting a favorable jury. Trump and his attorney say they’re eying West Virginia, which Trump easily won in 2020.

But there’s a notoriously high bar for proving the jury pool is so biased or tainted by pretrial publicity that the trial must be moved. Such efforts have failed in some of the most high-profile American trials in recent memory. And judges appointed by presidents of both political parties in Washington’s federal court — including the judge overseeing Trump’s trial — have repeatedly rejected similar attempts by many of the more than 1,000 Trump supporters charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

“Jurors’ political leanings are not, by themselves, evidence that those jurors cannot fairly and impartially consider the evidence presented and apply the law as instructed by the court,” U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, the judge appointed to Trump’s case, wrote last year in denying one Jan. 6 defendant’s bid to change venue.

Trump’s defense team has yet to formally make such a request in the case accusing Trump of conspiring with allies to overturn his 2020 presidential election defeat. But Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro, said on CBS News on Sunday that it “absolutely” plans to do so.

“The president, like everyone sitting in this room, is entitled to a fair trial, and we’re going to get that,” Lauro said.

Trump faces charges including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and obstruction of Congress in the first case that seeks to hold the former president criminally responsible for his efforts to cling to power after he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. He has denied any wrongdoing, and he claims that special counsel Jack Smith is targeting him in an effort to hurt his 2024 campaign.

If Trump’s case stays in Washington, his trial will take place less than a mile (1.6 kilometers) from where the Capitol was attacked on Jan. 6 by an angry mob whipped up by his election lies and intent on stopping the certification of Biden’s electoral victory. The courthouse, which has a view of the Capitol dome from its windows, has already been the site of several high-profile Jan. 6 trials, including the seditious conspiracy cases against leaders of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers extremist groups.

Even in some of the most intensely publicized and politically charged cases in U.S. history, judges have ruled that fair and impartial jurors can be found — with proper questioning — in the communities where the alleged crimes occurred.

Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was tried about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from where he and his brother placed bombs near the finish line. Zacharias Moussaoui, the only man convicted in a U.S. court for a role in the Sept. 11 attacks, was tried in Virginia, not far from the Pentagon. Those charged in the Watergate scandal were tried in Washington.

One of the rare federal defendants who had a trial relocated was Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The trial was moved to Colorado after the judge ruled it was impossible for McVeigh to get a fair trial anywhere in Oklahoma. He was ultimately put to death in 2001 for the bombing, which killed 168 people and injured hundreds more.

Changes of venue can make sense in cases that are particularly notorious in a community, but Trump’s fame or infamy is hardly limited to the District of Columbia, said Vida Johnson, a Georgetown University law professor who previously worked as a public defender in D.C. Superior Court.

“There’s just no real basis for it,” she said of Trump’s suggestions to move the trial. “You’re looking for an unbiased jury, but he’s just as well known in any place.”

A slew of Jan. 6 rioters who have unsuccessfully tried to get their cases relocated have claimed they can’t get a fair trial in a district where 92% of voters cast ballots for Biden in 2020. In trying to make the case his trial should be moved to Virginia, a lawyer for an Oath Keepers associate claimed that D.C. residents “have shown that their powers of intelligent, rational thinking are suspended when Trump is involved.

Chutkan — an appointee of President Barack Obama who has a reputation for being one of the toughest punishers of Jan. 6 defendants — last year rejected claims by Capitol riot defendant Russell Dean Alford that an impartial jury can’t be empaneled in Washington. Careful questioning of prospective jurors can root out any biases, Chutkan said, citing a 1976 ruling that found no basis for moving a Watergate-related case out of Washington.

Even so, Chutkan agreed to send a written questionnaire to prospective jurors before Alford’s trial to “screen for prejudice.” On the first day of his trial, Alford’s lawyers again pressed to move the proceedings elsewhere, citing the jury pool’s answers to the questionnaire. But Chutkan said there’s no evidence “people wouldn’t have equally strong views” in another district.

“What we’re looking for is not people without opinions,” she said. “What we’re looking for is people who are able to put aside their opinion and focus their decision solely on the evidence presented in this courtroom.”

In the Justice Department’s massive prosecution of the Jan. 6 attack, only two defendants so far have been fully acquitted of all charges. And those were bench trials decided by judges, not juries.

But prosecutors don’t have an unblemished trial record. Juries or judges have acquitted at least 39 riot defendants of one or more charges, according to an Associated Press review of court records. In one of the most high-profile Jan. 6 trials yet — against Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and associates — only two of five defendants were convicted of seditious conspiracy, even though all were found guilty of serious charges.

Johnson, who tried dozens of cases in front of D.C. juries, said the high number of well-educated jurors with college degrees and advanced degrees in Washington can actually help defendants.

“I think you’re more likely to find jurors that actually really understand the legal concepts that would benefit a defendant in a criminal trial, like the burden of proof, the concept of reasonable doubt,” she said. “So I actually think that, in some ways, this is a better place for a defendant to get a fair trial.”

The blast occurred at a warehouse storing fireworks, though it was on the grounds of the Zagorsk optics manufacturing plant, according to Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital.

Vorobyov said the company had rented out the warehouse for storage, but later claimed the plant itself was mostly producing pyrotechnics. He said the facility “has had nothing to do with optics or mechanics for a long time,” even though the company’s website says it still manufactures those products, as well as medical apparatus.

Whatever the cause, the explosion produced a tall plume of black smoke and added to Russian jitters over nighttime drone attacks on Moscow, as well as alarm about smoke over the port of Sevastopol in Crimea on Wednesday.

The Zagorsk plant explosion blew out windows in nearby apartment buildings and prompted the evacuation of the surrounding area, the regional governor said. Five people were feared trapped under rubble.

Some Russian media reported that the blast was caused by a drone attack, but multiple Russian officials — including Vorobyov and Russia’s Investigative Committee — denied that. The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law enforcement agency, said in a statement it has launched a criminal inquiry on charges of violating industrial safety requirements at hazardous production facilities.

A 1995 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce described the factory as “a producer of precision optical equipment for the military.”

Earlier, officials said Russian air defenses shot down two drones aimed at Moscow overnight, in what they described as Ukraine’s latest attempt to strike the Russian capital in an apparent campaign to unnerve Muscovites and take the war to Russia.

The drones were intercepted on their approach to Moscow and there were no casualties, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. The Russian Defense Ministry described the incident as a “terrorist attack.”

One of the drones came down in the Domodedovo district south of Moscow, and the other fell near the Minsk highway west of the city, according to Sobyanin. Domodedovo airport is one of Moscow’s busiest.

It wasn’t clear where the drones were launched, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment. Ukraine usually neither confirms nor denies such attacks.

Flights were briefly halted at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on July 30 and Aug. 1, when drones smashed into Moscow’s business district after being jammed by air defenses in two separate incidents.

In May, Russian authorities accused Ukraine of attempting to attack the Kremlin with two drones in an effort to assassinate President Vladimir Putin. Recent drone attacks have aimed at targets from the Russian capital to the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula.

In another incident that caused alarm, Ukrainian media reported social media blogs as saying that a thick plume of smoke billowed over Sevastopol.

The Moscow-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozzhayev, said the smoke came from a “fleet training exercise” and urged local residents not to worry.

“Yes, the smell is unpleasant, but it is absolutely safe,” he said on Telegram. “Everything is calm in the city.”

Those incidents occurred against the backdrop of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, which Ukrainian and Western officials have warned will be a long slog against the Kremlin’s deeply entrenched forces.

Russia is pushing back against the Ukrainians in eastern areas, where tough battles are taking place, Hanna Maliar, Ukraine’s deputy defense minister, said Wednesday on her official Telegram channel.

“In some parts of the front-line multiple changes in position take place within a day,” she said.

She claimed that Ukraine’s efforts had achieved “partial success” in the south. She gave no details.

It wasn’t possible to independently verify either side’s claims.

What The Specialist Say?

Reptile ecologist Aviad Bar from the Nature and Parks Authority visited the park and determined that the snake, a non-venomous black whip snake, had attempted to consume the porcupine.

“From an analysis of the situation, it can be assumed that the snake tried to devour the porcupine and as soon as it decided to abandon its unusual meal, it realized the magnitude of its mistake,” the Jerusalem Post quoted Aviad Bar.

Bar further stated that the porcupine’s quills did not allow the giant reptile to spit out the animal.

“The one-way direction of the porcupine’s quills did not allow the snake to spit out the porcupine and in the end both the porcupine and the snake met their deaths in the tragic encounter.”

It is worth noting that Israel is home to three species of porcupines and the diet of the animal includes small mammals, insects, birds, and reptiles – including snakes.

Snakes – The misunderstood creatures

According to the English Nature and Parks Authority, the black whip snake is a common snake in Israel. It’s also the longest non-venomous reptile there. Because it’s not venomous, it’s helpful in controlling the rodent population.

Israel is home to about 41 snake species, and most of them aren’t harmful to humans. Only nine species are venomous. Venomous snakes use their venom to catch prey and defend themselves, while non-venomous snakes either swallow their prey whole or squeeze them to death.

Despite some negative perceptions, snakes play an important role in their ecosystems. They help maintain balance and control pests like rodents. Snakes and porcupines are protected in Israel. If you come across a distressed animal, you can report it to the Parks and Nature authority by calling *3639, and they’ll take care of it.