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☆ World’s worst polluted cities are in Asia - India’s Begusarai topping IQAir report
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“We see that in every part of our lives that air pollution has an impact,” said IQAir Global CEO Frank Hammes. “And it typically, in some of the most polluted countries, is likely shaving off anywhere between three to six years of people’s lives. Central and South Asia were the worst performing regions globally, home to all four of the most polluted countries last year: Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan. South Asia is of particular concern, with 29 of the 30 most polluted cities in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. One bright spot is increasing pressure and civic engagement from communities, NGOs, companies, and scientists to monitor air quality.

Persons: ”, Frank Hammes, Hammes, “ What’s, IQAir, Chiang Mai, that’s, ” Hammes Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Health, IQAir, WHO, Dhaka, CNN, America, Reuters Locations: Hong Kong, Asia, India, India’s Bihar, Guwahati, Assam, Delhi, Mullanpur, Punjab, South Asia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Lahore, New Delhi, Finland, Estonia, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, French Polynesia, Canada, Alberta, United States, Minneapolis, Detroit, Columbus , Ohio, Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, China, Beijing, Hotan, Southeast Asia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Bangkok, Africa, South America, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Chad

☆ Singapore claims to have world-class talent. One executive living and working here for 17 years shares why this is true.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Sponsor Post | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Darul Kisai, director of manufacturing and supply network operations, has dedicated 17 years to Procter & Gamble's Singapore plant. P&G benefits from the contributions of dedicated, top-tier talents like Kisai, who chose Singapore to pursue a meaningful career. Darul Kisai, manufacturing and supply network operations director, P&G, Singapore. "Singapore and P&G serve as magnets for top talent because they offer a platform where individuals can contribute significantly both professionally and personally." Here to stayFor those contemplating a move to Singapore, Kisai suggests conducting thorough research on potential employers and the country itself.

Persons: Kisai, Kris LeBoutillier, he's, I've, Darul Kisai, — Organizations: Singapore, Procter, Gamble's, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, Procter & Gamble, Insider Studios, Singapore Economic Development Board Locations: Gamble's Singapore, Singapore, Asia, Malaysia, US, Darul Kisai, Darul, New York City, Pakistan

☆ EU to Bolster Egypt Ties With Billions in Funding
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( March | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The agreement is designed to enhance cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade, and security while delivering grants, loans and other funding over the next three years to support Egypt's faltering economy. War in Israel and Gaza View All 222 ImagesInflation has been running close to record highs and many Egyptians say they struggle to get by. Of that, funding from the European Union is expected to total $5-6 billion, Finance Minister Mohamed Maait told Asharq Business. Egyptian officials say Egypt deserves recognition for hosting an estimated nine million foreign residents and largely shutting off irregular migration from its north coast since 2016. CROSSINGS VIA LIBYABut there has been a surge in Egyptians trying to cross to Europe via Libya, and the European Union is already providing funding aimed at reducing those flows.

Persons: Ursula von der, Mohamed Maait, Abdel Fattah al, Egypt's, Patrick Werr, Philip Blenkinsop, Renee Maltezou, Aidan Lewis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: IMF, Diplomats, Cypriot, European, Asharq Business, Rights Watch Locations: CAIRO, Egypt, Cairo, Israel, Gaza, Sudan, Qatar, United States, European Union, LIBYA, Europe, Libya, Crete, Gavdos, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tunisia, Mauritania, U.S

☆ Asia is entering a deepfake era in an election year — can it handle misinformation campaigns?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Chelsea Ong | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The AI-generated deepfake video that cloned his face and voice racked up 4.7 million views on X alone. In Pakistan, a deepfake of former prime minister Imran Khan emerged around the national elections, announcing his party was boycotting them. Deepfakes of politicians are becoming increasingly common, especially with 2024 set up to be the biggest global election year in history. With tech companies adopting different measures across their platforms, a multi-prong approach is needed, she said. watch now"We should not just be relying on the good intentions of these companies," Chesterman added.

Persons: Suharto, Imran Khan, Joe Biden's, deepfakes, Simon Chesterman, Crowdstrike, — that's, Carol, Chesterman, Taylor Swift, Adam Meyers, X, OpenAI, “, I’m, we’re, Sam Altman Organizations: Istock, , New Hampshire voters, Singapore, Institute of Policy Studies, Microsoft, Meta, Google, IBM, Tech, Adobe, Intel Locations: deepfakes, Pakistan, U.S, , New Hampshire, Asia, China, Russia, Iran, Singapore, CrowdStrike, they're

☆ India joins select group of nations able to fire multiple warheads on a single ICBM
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Brad Lendon | Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Delhi CNN —India said Monday it had joined the world’s top nuclear powers by mastering the ability to put multiple warheads atop a single intercontinental ballistic missile. The successful test of multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) technology on the indigenously developed Agni-V ICBM puts India in a club that includes the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Neighboring Pakistan has also claimed to have MIRV technology, but experts say the claim is unverified. “Various Telemetry and radar stations tracked and monitored multiple re-entry vehicles. India did not give an exact number of reentry vehicles released during the Agni-V test, but MIRVed missiles can carry a dozen or possibly more MIRV warheads.

Persons: Narendra Modi, “, ” Modi, X, Rajnath Singh, ”, Amit Shah Organizations: Delhi CNN, DRDO, Defence Research, Development Organisation, Mission, Defense Ministry, Indian Defense, ., Center for Arms Control, Center for Strategic, International Studies Missile Defense, United States, Minuteman, National Museum of, US Air Force, US, Union of Concerned, US Defense Locations: Delhi, India, United States, Russia, China, France, United Kingdom, Neighboring Pakistan, Bay, Bengal, Bharat, Pakistan, Beijing

CNN —India has announced rules that would allow it to implement a controversial citizenship bill that excludes Muslims. The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides a fast-track to citizenship for immigrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan – provided they are not Muslim. The controversial law would apply to religious minorities persecuted on religious grounds, including Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians. Members of the United Opposition Forum protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in Nagaon District, Assam, India, on March 8, 2024. The BJP has its roots in India’s Hindu right-wing movement, many followers of which see India as a Hindu nation.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Pakistan –, Modi, Amit Shah, “, Anuwar Organizations: CNN, Indian Ministry of Home Affairs, Indian, United Opposition, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP Locations: India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nagaon District, Assam, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ayodhya

NEW DELHI (AP) — India has successfully conducted its first test flight of a domestically developed missile that can carry multiple warheads, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Monday. The missile is equipped with multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles, Modi said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. India has been developing its medium- and long-range missile systems since the 1990s as its strategic competition with China grows. In 2021, India successfully tested Agni-5, a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 kilometers (3,125 miles) that is believed to be capable of targeting nearly all of China. Agni missiles are long-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi Organizations: DELHI, —, Twitter, Associated Press Locations: — India, India, China, Pakistan, British

☆ Opinion: The world’s dangerous place has only gotten more dangerous
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Fareed Zakaria | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: Fareed Zakaria is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS, airing at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. ET and PT tonight on CNN, Fareed’s latest special report, “Taiwan: Unfinished Business,” will examine the complicated history and present dangers surrounding Taiwan. The backdrop to the tensions over Taiwan is, of course, the expanding geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. Washington has been willing to accept China’s claims on Taiwan as long as it did not use coercion to achieve them. This is one place on Earth where there should be little room for macho rhetoric and provocative actions.

Persons: Fareed Zakaria, Fareed, Read, Fareed’s, ”, —, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Graham Allison, “, Joe Biden, Brendan Smialowski, Mao Zedong Organizations: CNN, Fareed’s, Unfinished, Harvard, Economic Cooperation, APEC, Getty, America Locations: Taiwan, China, United States, Soviet, Asia, Woodside , Calif, AFP, Soviet Union, Pakistan, India, People’s Republic of China, Communist China, Washington, Beijing

☆ A traditional Russian ally snubbed Moscow's latest fighter jets for competitors from Pakistan and Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Azerbaijan's biggest arms supplier has been Russia but it will likely acquire jets from elsewhere. AdvertisementThe small, oil-rich South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has big plans to upgrade its modest fleet of fighter jets over the next decade. However, rather than turn to Russia, its traditional arms supplier for decades, Baku will likely acquire modern fighters from Pakistan and Turkey. "Neither Russia nor Western democracies are ideal suppliers, even though Russia has historically sold arms to Azerbaijan," Roblin told Insider. Turkey provided training and arms that enabled Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia's armed forces in the 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Persons: —, Frederico Borsari, Borsari, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, Armenia's, Sukhoi Su, Tatyana Makeyeva Azerbaijan's, China's, Armenian Su Organizations: Service, Thunder, Turkey's TF, Center for, Business, Azerbaijan, Russian, Pakistan Aeronautical, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, REUTERS, Armenia, Azerbaijan's MiG Locations: Russia, Moscow, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Baku, Pakistan, Turkey, Pakistani, Ukraine, China, Armenia, Ankara, Nagorno, Karabakh, Zhukovsky, Soviet

☆ Not Your Grandpa’s Military Surplus
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Charles W. Mcfarlane | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

On a chilly afternoon in February, Logan McGrath and Mack Fritz were preparing to shoot a video advertising the green Austrian army fatigue shirts they were selling on Americana Pipedream Apparel, the online military surplus store Mr. McGrath started out of his parents’ basement in Appleton, Wis., three years ago. Tall laundry bins held hundreds of American military canteens and current-issue British camouflage uniforms and equipment. They collected Greek camouflage jackets, West German military patches and packages of vanilla poundcakes from American military rations, assembling them for orders. In the back of the warehouse, they sorted through pallets of surplus that had arrived from as far as Indonesia and Pakistan, including about 1,500 grayish-green Austrian KAZ-75 field shirts. Nearby Mr. McGrath and Mr. Fritz, both 21, worked on a video to market the shirts on their popular Instagram page.

Persons: Logan McGrath, Mack Fritz, McGrath, Post Malone, McGrath’s, Austrian KAZ, Fritz Organizations: Pipedream Apparel Locations: Appleton , Wis, German, Indonesia, Pakistan, Austrian

☆ Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistan's prime minister for second term
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Pakistan's newly formed parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday as prime minister for a second time, three weeks after uncertain national elections caused delays in the formation of a coalition government. Pakistan's newly formed parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday as prime minister for a second time, three weeks after uncertain national elections caused delays in the formation of a coalition government. He beat Omar Ayub, the candidate backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who secured 92 votes. Sharif returns to the role he held until August when parliament was dissolved ahead of the elections and a caretaker government took over. "Shehbaz Sharif is declared to have been elected the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said, after announcing Sharif had secured 201 votes, above the required 169 votes in the house.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Omar Ayub, Imran Khan, Sharif, Ayaz Sadiq, Khan Organizations: Sunni Ittehad Council, SIC Locations: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

☆ Shehbaz Sharif: Pakistani legislators elect new prime minister to head coalition
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Azaz Syed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Islamabad CNN —Pakistani legislators on Sunday elected Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister nearly a month after a general election marred by delays and widespread allegations of vote-rigging. The official results from the February 8 poll had independent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party securing the most seats in parliament, with 102. The Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz party (PMLN), headed by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is also the older brother of Shehbaz Sharif, came in second with 73 seats, and their long-term rivals the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) won 54 seats. Shehbaz Sharif will become prime minister for the second time, leading a coalition government with the PMLN. Following the vote in the lower house of parliament, opposition party members began chanting at Sharif as he addressed parliamentarians, calling him a thief.

Persons: Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan’s, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz, Sharif Organizations: Islamabad CNN, Sunday, Pakistan Muslim League, Pakistan People’s Party Locations: Islamabad, Imran Khan’s Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif

☆ Mark Cuban shares 1 thing he wishes he'd done differently: 'That's not being old. That's being wise'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Tom Huddleston Jr. | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The 65-year-old billionaire says he now regrets stressing about his age every time he hit a big numerical milestone. Just one thing: I wish I hadn't thought I was getting old at every milestone [birthday]… 30,40,50," Cuban wrote in a recent post on Threads. You may need to change your habits as you age to stay healthy, Cuban noted. Rather than getting frustrated about those changes, embrace them, Cuban wrote on Threads. Disclosure: CNBC owns the exclusive off-network cable rights to "Shark Tank," which features Mark Cuban as a panelist.

Persons: Mark Cuban, …, Cuban, Becca Levy, Cuban's, Steve Kamb, Yoav Bergman, Bergman, he's, Recode, That's Organizations: Dallas Mavericks, Yale University, Foundation University Islamabad, CNBC Locations: Pakistan, Cuban

☆ 37-year-old built a $50 million bionic hand company—and landed a $1 million 'Shark Tank' offer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Three decades later, he's making bionic prosthetic hands — and his invention drew a $1 million investment offer on a recent episode of ABC's "Shark Tank." The device is manufactured by San Francisco-based startup Psyonic, which Akhtar founded in 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile. "You can control [the bionic hand] with your muscles," said Akhtar, the company's CEO. Organizations like Meta and NASA have used the Ability Hand on robots to help them mimic body movements, Psyonic noted in 2022. Each bionic hand cost $15,000 to make, making it difficult to create inventory at scale, he said.

Persons: Aadeel Akhtar, —, Akhtar, Psyonic Organizations: Meta, NASA Locations: Pakistan, San Francisco

☆ Angry farmers once forced India’s hardline leader into a rare retreat. As the election looms, they’re back
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Rhea Mogul | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Modi promised “a fresh start,” agreeing to meet the farmers’ demands and work with them to move forward. Police fire teargas to disperse farmers marching towards New Delhi during a protest at the Haryana-Punjab state border on February 21, 2024. It was a massive victory for the farmers, who pushed the Indian leader into a rare and uncharacteristic climbdown. The abject poverty and debt faced by many of India’s farmers has forced some to take extreme measures. “About 86% of Indian farmers are dependent on the markets.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Modi, “, ”, Narinder Nanu, Devinder Sharma, Gurpreet, Prakash Singh, Arjun Munda, Sharma, ” Sharma, ’ Modi, Arati Jerath, Jerath, ” X Organizations: CNN, Police, Getty, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rapid Action Force, Bloomberg, Agriculture, India Brand Equity Foundation, country’s Department of Commerce, Farmers, “ Farmers, Roads Locations: New Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, AFP, Uttar Pradesh, China, India, Brazil, BJP, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Shambhu, Patiala district

Sal Khan, 31, earns $220,000 a year and lives with his parents in Houston. "I do think my relationship now has been the best with my parents than it has been before," Khan tells CNBC Make It. But that won't be the end of his living arrangement with this parents: Khan hopes to move his parents to his new home, too. The bulk of his savings are earmarked for more down payments on properties, Khan says. Sal Khan hopes that sharing his story will dispel the stigma about living with parents as an adult.

Persons: Sal Khan, Khan, Erik Mauck, that's, it's, Khan's, Nina Nguyen, Krishnan, Khan didn't Organizations: CNBC, Ohio State University, Bay Area, Costco, Gas, Wealthfront Locations: Houston, Pakistan, U.S, Bay, Chicago, Texas, California, Arizona, Florida

☆ I've made over $3,500 editing ChatGPT-generated content. Here are 4 tips on how to make AI's writing sound more human.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-25 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Now I make thousands of dollars editing AI-generated text so nobody could tell a machine made it. My journey into AI content editing began a little after ChatGPT came out. Interested in writing, I decided to offer AI content editing services through the freelance gig platform Fiverr. So far, I've made more than $3,500 from my AI content editing services through Fiverr. Artificial intelligence is still new, and the demand for AI content editors will only continue to grow, especially among lazy or busy people.

Persons: Sultan Ali, ChatGPT, I've, that's Organizations: Business Locations: Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Europe, Grammarly, Fiverr

☆ Iran has the largest ballistic missile arsenal in the Middle East. Now it's sending them to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Iran presents its first hypersonic ballistic missile 'Fattah' (Conqueror) in an event attended by President Ebrahim Raisi and other government officials in Tehran, Iran on June 06, 2023. Reuters reported that Iran delivered at least 400 of its short-range Fateh-110 ballistic missiles to Russia in January of this year, and that figure is likely to rise. "It was always a matter of when, not if, Iran would transfer ballistic missiles to Russia," Behnam ben Taleblu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told CNBC. Ballistic missiles will keep him in that fight for longer now." In 2022, U.S. Central Command estimated that Iran had over 3,000 ballistic missiles in its arsenal.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Vladimir Putin, Behnam ben Taleblu, Putin Organizations: Reuters, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, CNBC, U.S . Central Command Locations: Iran, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan

☆ My geologist dad named me after a rock. It's unique and I love it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Lajward Zahra | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It is no one's fault except perhaps my father, the geologist, who named his firstborn after a rock. I have run into a couple of Rubys and even Sapphires, but I have never even run into a "Lapis" or "Lapis Lazuli." Now, I introduce myself as Lajward Zahra — no middle name and no family name. It is incredible that when you google "Lajward Zahra," I make up all the top results despite having a relatively low profile. Either way, I love reminding myself that I am Lajward Zahra when the end of a bad day or the beginning of a long one.

Persons: I'm, Zahra, Lajward Zahra, would've Locations: Pakistan

☆ Opinion: A Sydney ‘copshop’ with a dark history. And the gay community reclaiming it
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Opinion Gary Nunn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Police arrest a protester during a gay rights demonstration, which would become known as the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, June 1978. A permanent place to learn and healThere’s never been a more crucial time to record and display the stories and history of my LGBTQI community. LGBTQ+ activists demonstrate in what would evolve into the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, 1978. Many arrested gay men were sent to Cooma — the world’s only known jail for gay men — also in New South Wales. My gay community finally gets to tell their own history in a venue that imprisoned and beat us for simply being ourselves.

Persons: Gary Nunn, Read, Gary Nunn Qtopia, Sydney’s, Anthony Albanese, “ ‘, ”, Darlo copshop, Steve Warren, Peter Murphy, Murphy, Qtopia, They’ve, videographers, There’s, —, David Polson, wasn’t, “, Cooma, David hasn’t, He’s Organizations: Sydney CNN, Darlinghurst Police, “ ‘ 78ers, ‘ 78ers, 78ers, Police, Sydney Gay, Mardi Gras, Sydney Morning Herald, Fairfax Media, Getty, Warren, Mardi, South Wales, Gay, NSW police, Goliath Locations: Sydney, Australia, Darlinghurst, San Francisco, London, South, Qtopia, New South Wales, Uganda, Malaysia, Guyana, Dominica, Nigeria, Pakistan

☆ Elon Musk's X suspends some India accounts after order from Modi government
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Charmaine Jacob | In Charmainemariajacob | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's social media platform X said Thursday it will block certain accounts and posts from India in response to executive orders by the government. X said it did not agree with the order but failure to comply would subject the company to "potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment." Tens of thousands of Indian farmers — mostly from the northern state of Punjab — have been protesting since mid-February in renewed calls for better crop prices which were promised to them in 2021. In October, the Modi government warned Musk that X would have to comply to country's new and upcoming IT rules. However, it has written an appeal challenging the Indian government with accounts that are pending to be blocked, the company said.

Persons: Elon, X, Jack Dorsey —, Musk —, Narendra Modi's, Modi, Musk, Naman Tandon Organizations: Global Government Affairs, CNBC, country's Ministry of Information, Broadcasting, Reuters, Twitter Locations: Punjab, Haryana, Ambala, India, New Delhi, Delhi, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) announced the coalition late Tuesday, naming former premier Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister and Asif Ali Zardari as president. Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty ImagesIndependent candidates affiliated with former Prime Minister Khan’s Pakistan Tehereek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured the most parliamentary seats, in a stunning victory for the jailed cricket icon. But none of the three major parties that contested won the necessary seats to declare a majority in parliament. Shortly after the coalition announcement, the PTI accused the PMLN and PPP of stealing their mandate to govern. Sharif is on course to become prime minister for the second time, with Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of Pakistan’s slain former leader Benazir Bhutto, by his side.

Persons: Imran Khan, Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, “, ” Sharif, Aamir Qureshi, Khan’s, ”, Khan, Nawaz Sharif, Asim Hafeez, Sharif, Pakistan’s, Benazir Bhutto Organizations: Pakistan CNN —, Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz, Pakistan People’s Party, Getty, PTI, Pakistan People's Party, Bloomberg Locations: Islamabad, Pakistan, Kasur, Punjab, Khan’s Pakistan, Karachi

☆ An Election Shatters the Image of Pakistan’s Mightiest Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Christina Goldbaum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The intimidating myth of an all-powerful military in Pakistan has been smashed in public view. Now comes another searing rebuke: Voters turned out in droves this month for candidates aligned with the expelled leader, Imran Khan, despite a military crackdown on his party. The political jockeying and unrest have left Pakistan, already reeling from an economic crisis, in a turbulent muddle. But one thing is clear: The military — long respected and feared as the ultimate authority in this nuclear-armed country of 240 million people — is facing a crisis. Its rumblings can be heard in once unthinkable ways, out in the open, among a public that long spoke of the military establishment only in coded language.

Persons: Imran Khan, Khan’s, ’ Locations: Pakistan

☆ Gulmarg: Snow has returned to Asia’s highest ski resort. Here’s what visitors going there now can expect
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Ramaa Reddy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —In early January, anyone who visited the ski resort village of Gulmarg in Indian-administered Kashmir with hopes of actually skiing was out of luck. A severe snow shortage, blamed on dry weather, threatened to derail the entire winter season, leaving both travelers and tourism operators disappointed. Regardless of whether you’re a full-time athlete or someone who enjoys skiing and snowboarding for fun, Gulmarg offers a winter experience like no other. Today, travelers headed for Asia’s highest ski resort can enjoy over 1,330 vertical meters (4,363 feet) of skiable terrain, with lifts offering access to four separate skiing zones on Mount Apharwat. Many of those visitors don’t ski but just ride up the gondola to play in the snow and take in the views at the top.

Persons: Mukhtar Ahmad, Nanga Parbat, ”, Brian Newman, Newman, “, ” Mehmood Ahmad Lone, –, nans, Kababs, Rogan Josh, Kati, It’s, Mount Apharwat, Colonel Mirza Zahid Baig, Gulmarg, Javedh Ahmad Reshi Organizations: CNN, El, El Nino, Adventure, Hindustan Times, Newman’s, US Department of State, Warfare, USA Locations: Gulmarg, Kashmir, India, Mount Apharwat, British, Apharwat, Nanga, Colorado, Europe, North America, Pakistan, Khyber, Highland, Hilltop, Kashmir’s, Srinagar, Mount

☆ Alibaba bets on overseas e-commerce unit amid sluggish growth in China
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-20 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Costfoto | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesChinese tech giant Alibaba Group is betting on its overseas businesses while domestic consumption growth remains sluggish. James Dong, CEO of Southeast Asian e-commerce giant Lazada Group, was named as Daraz's acting CEO. Dong took over as Lazada Group CEO from Chun Li in June 2022, after running the company's Thailand and Vietnam operations. Intense competitionThe e-commerce business that once propelled Alibaba to success has run into challenges with upstart competitors such as PDD, while consumption growth in China remains sluggish. Alibaba posted 9% year-on-year revenue growth in the third quarter to about $31 billion.

Persons: Eddie Wu, Yinglan Tan, AliExpress, Bjarke Mikkelsen, Jan, James Dong, Lazada, Tan, Alibaba, Zhang, Dong, Chun Li, Li, Pierre, Lucy Peng, PDD Organizations: Nurphoto, Getty, Digital Commerce, Tmall, Tmall Group, Alibaba, Ventures, Lazada, CNBC, Ventures Partners, Alibaba Group, PDD Holdings, Hong Kong, HK Locations: Huangpu District, Shanghai, Taobao, monetization, Alibaba, Pakistan, Asia, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong

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