Author: Web Desk

WASHINGTON: Users of three of the world’s biggest artificial intelligence platforms were hit by an unusual disruption on Thursday after ChatGPT, Claude and Grok became unavailable at roughly the same time. The outages affected OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and Elon Musk’s Grok, temporarily cutting millions of users off from tools that have become part of everyday work, research and communication. Some users also reported difficulties with Google’s Gemini, although Google did not confirm a major service disruption. The simultaneous nature of the incidents quickly attracted attention because outages involving individual AI platforms are relatively common, while several major competitors experiencing…

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Lahore : Jamaat-e-Islami’s (JI) nationwide shutter-down strike against the petroleum levy, rising fuel prices and inflation received a mixed response on Thursday, with businesses closing in several cities while commercial activity continued in others. In Karachi, many shops remained closed in areas including Federal B Area, Water Pump, Liaquatabad and Teen Hatti. JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar claimed that more than 300 small and large markets had shut in response to the strike. In Lahore, tensions were reported on Mall Road, where JI workers and members of the business community reportedly exchanged heated words and engaged in a scuffle. Meanwhile,…

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LAHORE: Pakistani actress Momina Iqbal has said she will continue to speak out over what she describes as alleged harassment and mistreatment, declaring that she is standing up for women across Pakistan. Speaking to reporters outside a court, Iqbal said no one should be allowed to target the dignity of women without being held accountable. She alleged that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had changed the direction of the investigation through what she described as alleged collusion, adding that she was not informed about the change. In the latest development, the NCCIA submitted a report in the case…

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AMSTERDAM: Pro-Palestinian groups across the Netherlands are planning kite-flying events on September 5 to draw attention to the situation of children in Gaza and express solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict. The campaign, organised by the Plant an Olive Tree community and local solidarity groups, will see participants gather at several locations across the country. Organisers are calling on people to fly kites, distribute informational leaflets and raise public awareness about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. In Zandvoort, participants are scheduled to gather near the Juttersmuzeeum on the Strandweg from 1:30 p.m. Kite flying is planned from 2 p.m.…

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WASHINGTON: The United States has begun releasing a new $1 coin featuring President Donald Trump, reviving debate over the country’s longstanding practice of keeping living presidents off its currency. Trump’s portrait dominates the front of the newly issued coin, which has been produced as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Although the coin has a gold-like appearance, it is not made of gold and instead uses a combination of metals including zinc, manganese, nickel and copper. The US Mint is selling rolls containing 25 coins for $61, while bags of 100 coins are priced at $154.50.…

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LAHORE: Police have arrested a man accused of blackmailing and sexually assaulting a schoolgirl in the Kahna area of Lahore with the help of human intelligence, according to police officials. SP Model Town Asad Ali said the suspect allegedly befriended the girl after luring her into a relationship and took her photographs. He allegedly later used the photographs to blackmail her and sexually assault her. According to police, the girl had left home for school when the suspect allegedly blackmailed her and took her to a house on Shahzada Road, where the alleged assault took place. SP Asad Ali said…

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MANSEHRA: The body of an Irish citizen who went missing while returning from Musa Ka Musalla, a mountain peak rising more than 4,000 metres above sea level in Pakistan’s Mansehra district, has been recovered from a deep ravine after a four-day search operation. Alexander Mark Harris, who was living in Islamabad and working with an international consultancy, disappeared on August 29 while trekking in the Siran Valley with his British companion, Allen David Cooper Cleadon. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said the body was being shifted to Jajja after rescuers recovered it from a difficult mountainous area. Mansehra police…

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Amar Guriro Badin: Standing on the exposed bed of Nareri Lagoon in Badin district, close to the Pakistan-India border, it is difficult to imagine that this landscape has long been an important wetland for migratory waterbirds. Nareri, also known as Nareri Lagoon, is part of the lower Indus Delta and is recognised internationally as a wetland of importance under the Ramsar Convention. It was designated a Ramsar Site in 2001. Nareri is located in the coastal belt of Badin and forms part of the wider wetland system of the Indus Delta, where lagoons, creeks, mudflats and other coastal habitats are…

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LAHORE: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Lahore has announced the results of the Class 9 annual examinations, with the performance of students from government schools raising concerns over educational standards. According to the Lahore Board, only 39 per cent of students from government schools passed the examination, while 61 per cent failed, highlighting a significant gap in academic performance. The results also revealed a notable gender disparity among government school students. As many as 72 per cent of boys failed the Class 9 examination, compared with 52 per cent of girls. The performance of private school students…

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London: Behind the image of discipline, success and achievement, some high performers are fighting a private battle that few people ever see: compulsive pornography use. Freddy Woodward, a former Team GB diver who competed at the Olympic Games, says he experienced that contradiction throughout his sporting career. While training up to six hours a day and competing at the highest level, he says pornography became a coping mechanism for stress, pressure and difficult emotions. His experience, he argues, exposes a problem often overlooked among high achievers: being successful does not necessarily mean being psychologically free. When Success Hides the Problem…

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