Capital Development Authority prepares to launch Shahdara Dam construction project

Kristalina Georgieva announced that Deputy Managing Director Bo Li will conclude his term at the International Monetary Fund on 30 November. Min Liao, who currently serves as China's Vice Minister of Finance, will take over the role on 1 December 2026.

Georgieva stated that Li leaves a lasting legacy and will be missed by the institution. The Managing Director added that his experience will be a tremendous asset to the IMF and our members.

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Russian doctors performed a world-first spinal cord transplant this month. The operation required removing a segment of the spinal cord from a patient with a complete injury and gluing in a replacement piece from a donor.

Synthetic organ transplants have previously allowed for the replacement of tracheas with plastic tubes. The surgeon who fitted those tubes stated they "didn't have the time".

Pig kidney transplants are currently undergoing trials under compassionate-use protocols. Jonas Salk tested his polio vaccine on monkeys, cells, and children who had already suffered from the disease.

Salk also tested the vaccine on his own children and his wife. Salk said, "hope lies in dreams, in imagination and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality".

A five-member French delegation met with National Grid-Pakistan Managing Director Engr. Altaf Hussain Malik on 28 October at WAPDA House in Lahore. French companies are eager to provide capital for transmission infrastructure and the production of sector-specific equipment, the French ambassador said.

Malik stated that National Grid is currently strengthening its network to incorporate renewable energy sources as part of the Indicative Generation Capacity Expansion Plan. The organisation is also fast-tracking plans to integrate Battery Energy Storage Systems into the national framework.

Commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment remains a priority for the utility, according to Malik. To support these goals, National Grid-Pakistan created a dedicated gender diversity network and the Awaaz (Voice) forum.

The company has also launched total rewards programmes that include comprehensive benefits and compensation packages for its staff.

New Scientist has launched a new series titled Last Word where readers provide scientific answers to one another's questions. Participants must submit scientific enquiries regarding everyday phenomena as their primary questions.

Both the questions and the corresponding answers are required to be concise. The publication forbids the use of AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Claude, to write any part of the submission.

Any entries discovered to have been produced by artificial intelligence will be withdrawn from the series.

The King's Observatory in Old Deer Park, London, is currently for sale for an asking price of £18 million. Construction of the observatory began in the 1760s.

King George III and Queen Charlotte commissioned the building to observe the transit of Venus in 1769. Following the transit, the site served as a location to verify instrument accuracy and measure atmospheric electricity.

The property transitioned into office space during the 1980s before being converted into a private home in the 21st century. Situated in the middle of a golf course, the site represents a significant piece of London's scientific history.

Sri Lanka won by two wickets against England on 22 October to secure a place in the ODI tri-series final. The hosts successfully chased a target of 430 runs, which stands as the second-highest chase in the history of One Day Internationals.

Harry Brook scored 202 runs during the match. England suffered three successive defeats in the tournament, including an 87-run loss to Pakistan in Rawalpindi and a one-wicket loss to Pakistan in Lahore on Sunday.

Shadab Khan completed his maiden ODI century while sharing an unbroken 89-run tenth-wicket stand with a partner during the Lahore match. Dilshan Madushanka took five wickets for 34 runs against Pakistan on Tuesday, helping Lanka win by eight wickets.

England previously beat Lanka in two series, winning each 2-1. Lanka may rest some key players for the final on Saturday.

Mamya Shajaffar attended Paris Fashion Week while managing a chronic lupus condition. Shajaffar described October as a sweet month for her personal milestones.

The actress expressed a desire to move beyond her wheelchair and value her life more fully. Shajaffar noted that her commitment to fashion and glamour stems from a drive to live life to the fullest.

She observed that individuals with chronic diseases often learn to present their pain with grace because society reacts more positively to visible suffering. Sarmad Khoosat produced the film Lali, which is scheduled to debut at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.

Cynthia Erivo addressed the intense public attention surrounding her friendship with Ariana Grande during a recent press tour. The two actresses are currently promoting the musical film Wicked and its upcoming sequel.

Viral clips of the co-stars hugging, crying, and pinching each other's pointer fingers sparked significant online commentary. Erivo questioned the nature of the backlash, asking, "Why are they showing emotion? How dare they cry? And how dare they laugh? And how dare they be emotive and alive?"

The Invite is scheduled to receive the Vanguard Award at the Palm Springs International Film Awards on 7 January 2027. The ceremony will take place at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

From 7 to 18 January 2027, the festival will host various screenings and events. Will McCormack and Rashida Jones penned the screenplay for the production.

The film serves as an adaptation of the 2020 Spanish movie The People Upstairs. An ensemble cast including Wilde, Rogen, Cruz, and Norton stars in the project.

The US government will ban all future foreign drones unless companies secure a waiver starting 1 December 2025. Federal Communications Commission officials also prohibited the sale and marketing of foreign routers and robot vacuums.

These measures aim to prevent Chinese-made drones, routers, and Roombas from entering the United States. For over a decade, the US government has expressed distrust toward Chinese telecommunications equipment providers Huawei and ZTE.

Authorities previously mandated that telecom providers perform a "rip and replace" of all Huawei and ZTE hardware. An "Entity List" was established to identify specific companies whose equipment is barred from import, marketing, and sale.

The government claims that these gadgets pose an unacceptable threat to national security. Critics note that the US has provided zero public evidence of such a threat.

Microsoft is terminating support for Copilot functionality on all smart TVs, including the specific features integrated into LG models. The company scheduled the discontinuation of the Copilot feature to occur during 2026.

LG and Samsung previously announced that their smart TVs would incorporate Microsoft Copilot during CES 2025. In December 2024, LG included an unremovable Microsoft Copilot shortcut within its webOS system.

LG later chose to permit users to delete the Copilot shortcut from their interface. Earlier this year, Microsoft launched a new Copilot super app.

The AI served as a companion for users of Samsung and LG smart TVs before the support ended. "Microsoft has recently decided to end support for Copilot functionality on all TVs, including the Copilot-enabled feature available on our LG TVs. As a result, the Copilot-enabled feature on your TV is no longer available and may stop functioning shortly," an on-screen notification stated.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority granted China Airlines and EVA Air permission to fly through Pakistani airspace starting 28 October 2026. This authorization remains valid until 27 March 2027.

Khawaja Asif confirmed that the aviation division followed these rules to ensure only mainland Chinese airlines were permitted to fly over Pakistan. Taiwanese airlines operated 14 flights over Pakistan on 24 October 2026 before the previous restrictions took effect.

China Airlines and EVA Air ceased flying over the country on the morning of 25 October 2026. At least 12 flights traveling between Asia and Europe were rerouted over Russia during this period.

Pakistan continues to keep its airspace closed to Indian airlines, with the current ban extended until 24 November 2026.

Akai is providing early access to the MPC Sample Key to hackers and custom firmware developers. The device features open-source firmware and lacks pads, instead allowing users to play back samples using the keys.

On Instagram Reels, Akai showcased vibe-coded modifications that integrate synthesizers, such as Native Instruments Massive, into the hardware. One specific modification demonstrated on the platform operates on a completely custom operating system containing multiple different synthesizers.

The standard MPC Sample was also shown running vibe-coded synths created by Claude. The company's strategy involves supplying a software development kit and open-sourcing portions of the software.

Akai may eventually open-source the entire MPC Sample platform, though this remains unconfirmed.

Austria will initiate a parliamentary inquiry to investigate the use of smart glasses. Alexander Proll proposed a three-stage regulatory model to govern the technology.

These wearable devices often contain integrated microphones, cameras, and artificial intelligence capabilities. Prohibited recording zones would include schools, kindergartens, prisons, courts, toilets, changing rooms, and military or police facilities.

Recording in public areas would require that the activity be clearly visible to other people. Manufacturers would be expected to include acoustic signals or visible lights to identify when a recording is active.

Nearly 25,000 individuals have already signed a petition demanding a total ban on smart glasses. Last week, the Vienna city government requested that federal authorities consider banning the devices in schools, government offices, and public transport.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri told the Colin and Samir podcast that the platform faces a growing challenge with artificial intelligence content. Instagram is currently developing strategies to address AI fakes, according to Mosseri.

Earlier this month, the company began actively determining its response to these synthetic media issues. The company launched a specific label for AI accounts at the start of this year.

In August, the platform initiated a crackdown on profiles generated by artificial intelligence. Instagram is now moving to require accounts using AI to identify themselves as such.

Mosseri explained that the company believes it is vital for users to distinguish between real and fake content. He added, "I don’t think it’s practical for us to try and ban AI content from the platform."

The app also recently introduced support for long-form and widescreen video formats.

JB Smoove will deliver the keynote address at Variety’s annual Business Managers Breakfast on 12 November in Los Angeles. City National Bank is the presenter for the industry gathering.

Arnie Herrmann of Citrin Cooperman Advisors LLC is scheduled to receive the Variety Business Manager Elite Award. Candice Bergen will present the honour to Herrmann during the ceremony.

Evan Shapiro will join Cynthia Littleton to discuss the influence of the creator economy on the entertainment sector. Supporting partners for the breakfast include Citrin Cooperman, Content Partners, Venable LLP, and Willkie.

The Greenville Police Department concluded its investigation into the death of Hayden Panettiere, ruling the incident accidental. Panettiere, who was 36 years old, died in August after being found unresponsive in a South Carolina home on 16 August 2026.

The Greenville County Coroner's Office confirmed the actress died from an accidental drug overdose. Medical examiners identified methocarbamol and quetiapine in the system of the deceased.

Emergency crews initially treated a woman in cardiac arrest at the scene. An autopsy revealed no signs of trauma contributed to the death.

Brian Hickerson and Zack Hickerson were present with Panettiere when emergency services arrived. The US Drug Enforcement Agency joined the local police probe into the matter.

Barbara Barrie died on 28 October in Manhattan at the age of 95. The actress underwent medically assisted death after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Born in Chicago on 23 May 1931, Barrie spent her youth in Texas. She graduated from the University of Texas in 1952 with a major in drama.

The writer authored "Second Act" in 1997 and "Don’t Die of Embarrassment" in 1999. In 2014, she disclosed that she had idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Barrie is survived by her son, Aaron Harnick, and three granddaughters. Her husband, Jay Harnick, passed away in 2007.

The breach includes staff from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Approximately 21,000 records belong to CBP employees, while nearly 7,000 records pertain to ICE staff.

The stolen data also contains records from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). An individual known as “Department of Peace” gained access to the data through Okta.

“They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs,” the Department of Peace said. Maia arson crimew shared the information with Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), which is hosting the leaked “Icepick” dataset.

The leak includes information about DHS groups that have access to the facial recognition app Mobile Fortify and PenLink. PenLink can collect and analyze data from phones and online services.

The data linked the agencies to specific surveillance tools.

“They have our information, so it’s only fair that we have theirs,” said Department of Peace.

Department of Peace

Punjab Police officers offered prayers and salutes at the graves of martyrs who died today in the line of duty. The deceased personnel belonged to the Rawalpindi Police and Chakwal District.

Inspector General Punjab Abdul Karim ordered the tribute sequence to honour those who sacrificed their lives for the country. Officials stated that these police martyrs are a source of pride whose eternal sacrifice will remain immortal in the pages of history.

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Four researchers from Sindh Agriculture University (SAU) were named in the Stanford–Elsevier list of the world’s top 2pc scientists. The global list features Dr Asghar Ali Kamboh from the Department of Veterinary Microbiology.

Dr Liaquat Ali Lund of the Department of Basic and Agribusiness Management at Khairpur College of Agriculture and Management Sciences also appears on the ranking. Engr Dr Imran Ali Lakhiar from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage and Dr Fazal Nabi Shar of the Department of Poultry Science were also included.

Dr Ghulam Hussain Wagan, Director of University Advancement and Financial Assistance, delivered a presentation outlining the specific achievements of these researchers. A shield was also awarded to Dr Habibullah Magsi of the Department of Agricultural Economics, who previously received the Best Teacher Award from the Higher Education Commission in Islamabad.

A screenwriter has filed a lawsuit against director Alexander Payne, alleging that the script for the film The Holdovers was based on an unproduced screenplay set in a children’s hospital. The legal action names David Hemingson as a defendant in the case.

The plaintiff contends that the plots of the two scripts share 46 matched incidents. The original script, titled Frisco, follows a discouraged doctor who cares for a precocious teenage patient at a hospital.

In Frisco, the characters form a friendship during a journey to San Francisco before the doctor chooses to resign and begin a cross-country trek. The lawsuit alleges that elements from Frisco were incorporated into drafts of The Holdovers through Payne's input to Hemingson.

Drawing on his own experiences as a pediatrician, the writer produced Frisco, which eventually ranked third on the Black List.

Pakistan’s climate-friendly initiatives are capable of drawing up to 120 million dollars in investment over the next three years. A two-day Investor Roadshow and Policy Dialogue took place in Karachi on 28 October.

Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) Pakistan hosted the event with assistance from the British government. Ten Pakistani companies from five different sectors showcased projects focused on environmental sustainability.

Sindh Environment Secretary Faisal Ahmed Uqaili participated in the dialogue. Sindh has endorsed 13 projects intended for the creation of carbon markets.

These 13 projects are projected to lower carbon emissions by approximately 330.13 million tonnes. The provincial government drafted proposals for six priority climate projects with a total estimated cost of 62.15 million dollars.

Proposed initiatives include the introduction of biogas projects across five districts in Sindh. Officials are developing a digital dashboard and a climate registry to track carbon emissions.

The Federal Minister for Water Resources Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo visited the Diamer Basha Dam and Dasu Hydropower Project sites on Wednesday. Wapda Lieutenant General Muhammad Saeed (Retd) accompanied the minister during the inspection.

Mian Muhammad Moeen Wattoo inaugurated the Barseen Bridge, an arch RCC structure measuring 225 metres in length. This bridge is situated on the Relocated Karakorum Highway (RKKH-1), which spans 20.4 kilometres and is being built to CPEC standards as part of the Dasu Hydropower Project.

The RKKH-1 is expected to open for traffic by 1 February 2027. Diamer Basha Dam is designed to store 8.1 MAF of water and generate 4,500MW of electricity.

The Dasu Hydropower Project will produce 4,320MW of electricity in two stages of 2,160MW each. Wapda headquarters issued a statement regarding the briefing.

The Businessmen Panel (BMP) will run in the upcoming Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) election after the United Business Group (UBG) breached their existing agreement. Mian Anjum Nisar, Chairman, announced the decision during a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club.

General Haji Ghulam Ali, Secretary, and Sultan Chawla attended the briefing. The BMP leaders stated that Sindh faces discriminatory treatment whenever the province's representation is discussed.

BMP leaders said, "We will never tolerate violation of the rights of Sindh and the written agreement between UBG and BMP, nor will there be any compromise on the rights of Sindh and democratic traditions and transparency should be maintained in the FPCCI." The group also expressed its backing for the economic vision of Field Marshal Hafiz Asim Munir.

Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Al Busaidi by telephone on 28 October. The two officials pledged to pursue agreements intended to enhance cooperation in investment, trade, and energy sectors.

Dar and Al Busaidi discussed various regional developments during the call. Both ministers reaffirmed their mutual dedication to maintaining peace and stability across the region.

They also emphasised that regular high-level interactions are necessary to keep bilateral relations moving forward.

President Asif Ali Zardari called for a transparent investigation into an oxygen cylinder explosion that occurred inside an ambulance in Tharparkar. On 29 October, Zardari expressed deep grief over the incident and offered heartfelt condolences to the affected families.

The president prayed for the rapid and complete recovery of those who sustained injuries during the blast.

Sindh reported a new case of mpox after a woman tested positive for the virus. Medical staff shifted the patient to the intensive care unit of the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital at Nipa.

Samples for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were collected two days before the official report. Seven mpox patients are currently receiving treatment at the Sindh Infectious Diseases Hospital at Nipa.

Health Department figures show the province has recorded 98 mpox cases so far this year. The cumulative number of mpox infections reported during the year has now exceeded 100.

Twelve deaths from mpox have been reported in Sindh since the start of the year. The director general Health Services Sindh chaired the meeting.

Professor Dr Saeed Khan attended the meeting. Dr Asif Syed, Additional Director of the Provincial Disease Surveillance and Response Unit (PDSRU) Sindh, also participated in the meeting.

Gulrez Tabassum died at a local hospital in Peshawar on 28 October at the age of 77. The singer was buried in Kakakhel Town, Peshawar.

Born in Mardan in 1950, Tabassum first launched his musical career through Radio Pakistan Peshawar. He later grew his audience by performing through the PTV Peshawar Centre.

Health concerns forced Tabassum to stop singing more than 10 years ago. During his final years, the artist remained bedridden.