ISTANBUL: Estonian slackliner Jaan Roose made history on September 15, 2024, by becoming the first person to walk from Asia to Europe on a tightrope stretched across Istanbul’s iconic July 15 Martyrs Bridge. Roose, a Red Bull athlete, completed the daring feat in 47 minutes, covering a distance of 1,074 metres while suspended 165 metres above the Bosphorus. The event, titled “Continental Pass,” was supported by Turkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry and the General Directorate of Highways. Roose’s walk began on the Asian side of the bridge at 6:00pm, with the tightrope’s considerable sag and shifting tension presenting a significant…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
A Taiwanese company, Gold Apollo, revealed on Wednesday that while its brand was authorised for the pagers involved in recent explosions in Lebanon and Syria, the actual manufacturing was done by a Budapest-based firm. The pagers, used by the militant group Hezbollah, detonated almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday, resulting in at least nine deaths, including an 8-year-old girl, and injuring over 2,000 people. Hezbollah and Lebanese authorities have accused Israel of orchestrating a sophisticated remote attack. According to Gold Apollo, the AR-924 pagers, which were branded with their logo, were produced by BAC Consulting KFT in Budapest.…
A Pakistani man accused of plotting to attack a New York City Jewish centre in support of Da’ish will contest his extradition hearing to the United States, his lawyer told Reuters. Muhammad Shahzeb Khan, 20, was arrested in Canada earlier this month as he allegedly tried to enter the US. He was charged with attempting to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation, namely Da’ish. The United States wants to extradite him. “I have the mandate to contest the extradition hearing,” Khan’s lawyer, Gaetan Bourassa, told Reuters. “He is a young person, arrested, and we will see what…
The United Nations General Assembly is set to vote on a Palestinian-drafted resolution demanding Israel withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months. The resolution, expected to be adopted, calls for an end to Israel’s “unlawful presence” in the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem, areas it has controlled since the 1967 war. This resolution follows a July advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which declared Israel’s occupation illegal and urged an end to settlement expansion. The draft text aligns with the ICJ’s recommendation, though it allows Israel a one-year timeline to withdraw. While non-binding, the…
On Tuesday, the US Senate failed to advance a bill that would protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF), marking another partisan clash over reproductive rights during the 2024 presidential election cycle. The “Right to IVF Act” fell short of the 60 votes needed to pass, with a 51-44 tally, as Democrats aimed to place Republican opposition on record. The bill would prevent state-level restrictions on IVF and mandate insurance coverage for the procedure. Despite the bill’s defeat, two Republicans, Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, crossed party lines to support it, as they had in…
SpaceX has successfully launched two Galileo navigation satellites for the European Union from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the satellites lifted off at 6:50 p.m. EDT (2250 UTC), marking a significant step in expanding the Galileo satellite constellation, Europe’s equivalent to the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The launch, dubbed the Galileo L13 mission, is the second time Galileo satellites have been sent into orbit from US soil, following the L12 mission in April 2024. Both missions were conducted using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The Galileo satellites, designated FOC FM26 and FM32, are part…
HARARE: Zimbabwe plans to cull 200 elephants in response to severe hunger affecting communities due to the worst drought in 40 years, wildlife authorities announced on Tuesday. The drought, caused by El Nino, has devastated crops across southern Africa, leaving 68 million people facing food shortages. Tinashe Farawo, spokesperson for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks), confirmed that the cull is intended to provide elephant meat to communities impacted by the drought. He added that the details of the operation are still being finalised. This will be Zimbabwe’s first elephant cull since 1988 and will occur in the Hwange, Mbire,…
Indian Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera has announced that the Congress-National Conference alliance is committed to restoring Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) statehood. This statement comes as the Election Commission of India (ECI) has scheduled assembly elections in the region from September 18 to October 1, marking the first major electoral event since its status change in August 2019. The timing of the election announcement follows a recent expansion of powers granted to the IIOJK lieutenant governor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. These expanded powers now include authority over postings and prosecution sanctions, leading to opposition criticism that…
Hindu extremists attacked a Milad-un-Nabi procession in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, blocking roads and vandalising Muslim shops in an escalation of communal violence. According to Indian media reports, the incident took place in Bareilly, where a procession marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was set to take place as it does every year, with official permission granted. However, hours before the event, local authorities informed the organisers of complaints from residents, urging them to change the route of the procession. Following negotiations, it was agreed that the Milad-un-Nabi procession would pass through Jogin Wada’s Maurya Gali.…
Gaza’s Health Ministry has disclosed a detailed record of 34,344 Palestinians who have died as a result of the ongoing conflict with Israel. The extensive document, running 649 pages, provides a comprehensive list of names, ages, genders, and identification numbers, representing over 80% of the total reported fatalities. This release includes tragic details such as 169 infants born since the conflict began on October 7 and a centenarian who had survived over a century of conflict. The overall death toll reported by Gaza’s health authorities now exceeds 41,000. Among these, 7,613 bodies have been recovered but remain unidentified due to…
