Japan’s Moon lander has come back to life, the space agency said Monday, enabling the craft to proceed with its mission of investigating the lunar surface despite its rocky start.
Officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), smile in front of a screen showing an image taken by LEV-2 on the moon, after their press conference on SLIM’s moon landing mission, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters
The surprise announcement was a boost to Japan’s space programme, nine days after the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.
“Last evening we succeeded in establishing communication with SLIM, and resumed operations!” JAXA said on social media platform X, posting a grainy image of a lunar rock known as a “toy poodle”.
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is seen in this handout image. Reuters
“We immediately started scientific observations with MBC, and have successfully obtained first light for 10-band observation,” it said, referring to the lander’s multiband spectroscopic camera.
Terrifying minutes
SLIM’s January 20 touchdown made Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a “soft landing” on the Moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.
But on its descent, dubbed the “20 minutes of terror”, the craft suffered engine problems and ended up at a skewed angle, images released by JAXA showed.
This meant the solar panels were facing west instead of up, and it was uncertain if they would still get enough sunlight to function.
Last week JAXA said it had switched the elevator-sized SLIM off with 12 per cent power remaining, hoping that the craft would wake up this week.
A JAXA spokesman told the media on Monday that the SLIM operation resumed “presumably because power generation resumed in its solar battery as it received sunlight”.
“We will prioritise what we can do now — observing and collecting information — rather than adjusting SLIM’s position since adjusting the position could lead to a worse situation,” he said.
“The daytime (where SLIM is on the Moon) will last until around the end of January and it will be at night from around February,” he said.
Unknown men targeted the election offices of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the National Party (NP) in Balochistan on Sunday, ahead of the highly anticipated nationwide elections set to take place on February 8.
The two grenade blasts have sparked concerns about security measures leading up to next month’s general polls, while election campaigns of all political parties are underway throughout the country.
Unknown men lobbed a grenade at the NP election office in Mastung district, leaving two people wounded following its explosion at Muhammad Shahi Road, police said, noting that the attackers managed to flee from the scene.
The police quickly took the injured people to the hospital. The police force launched a search operation in the area to catch the culprits.
The NP spokesperson strongly condemned the “cowardly” grenade attack, stating that despite such “cowardly acts,” they will continue to push forward with campaign efforts at an accelerated pace.
On the other hand, unidentified miscreants threw a hand grenade at a PPP election office in the Qalat district, specifically in the Mangocher area. There were no reported casualties in this incident.
A Guatemala-bound flight from Mexico City faced an unusual twist when a passenger, frustrated by a lengthy delay and hot weather, opened the emergency door and walked onto the wing.
The Aeromexico flight, scheduled to depart at 8:30 am, was grounded on the tarmac for three hours due to a maintenance issue. With no air conditioning or water available, tempers flared high among passengers.
In a dramatic turn of events, one unidentified passenger took matters in his own hands, opening the emergency door and stepping onto the wing to register his protest. While the Mexico International Airport authorities confirmed no harm was caused, the man was detained by police.
The airport said in a statement, “Yesterday a passenger on a flight to Guatemala opened an emergency door on a plane while it was stationary at a remote position, stood on a wing, and then re-entered the cabin, without affecting the aircraft or anyone else.” The statement added that in line with international security regulations, this person turned himself over to the authorities.
Los pasajeros del vuelo 672 de Aeromexico fueron retenidos durante 4 horas, sin acceso a agua y con poca ventilacion, un pasajero abrió una puerta de emergencia y se paro sobre el ala del avion,La Guardia Nacional lo arrestro. pic.twitter.com/dJAO2wN7ds
However, dozens of passengers signed a written statement protesting the airport’s decision to turn the man over to the authorities. At least 77 passengers onboard the aircraft signed the statement demanding the passenger’s immediate release. They said the man’s outburst was ”to protect everyone, with the support of everyone.”
“He saved our lives,” the note declared, emphasizing the dangerous conditions caused by the delay and lack of air. The passengers expressed their support for the man’s actions, arguing they were taken for everyone’s protection.
A report on the incident said that a change of plane had become necessary after the passenger’s dramatic move. It was not clear whether the man was still in custody, or what charges he may face.
Social media is heavily flooded with election-related content as the country is heading towards poll in less than two weeks. All the major political parties and even independent candidates have released songs and campaigns on social media to impress the audience with catchy tunes.
For us, the Haqooq-e-Khalq Party takes the trophy. Ammar Ali Jan’s “Loudspeaker” is riveting and hits all the right chords. “Haqooq-e-Khalq hai awaz muzdooron aur kisanaon ki” ticks the boxes of aims and ambitions needed to be a part of a manifesto.
Ammar’s social media team is also venturing into using popular songs as they put famous Punjabi song like “Teer te taj” as a background score to appeal the voters of all backgrounds.
So proud of all the people who are participating in our grassroots campaign in PP160 and NA127. We will keep the red flag flying high! pic.twitter.com/NUkWiLjJDB
Haha. Not sure why social media team chose this song but they tell me I don’t understand tik tok. So I guess/hope they know what they are doing. https://t.co/hPGsNDCY1N
Following Ammar Jan’s effort is the PTI, the party without a symbol. Their campaign is screaming creativity as they have got their songs made separately for the symbols allotted to them be it a fork (kaanta) or a radio.
یار حد ہوگئی۔۔۔ ایسے بھی بھلا کوئی کیمپین کا سوچ سکتا تھا ؟ ریڈیو کیلئے ایسے بھی ووٹ مانگے جا سکتے تھے ؟ pic.twitter.com/1Rsx7PhvHp
Saif ur Rehman is a contesting election from NA 235. He incorporated a Bollywood song ‘Kaanta laga’ for his campaign. It is hilarious and attention-grabbing at the same time.
Usman Dar’s mother Rehana Dar is contesting on PTI’s ticket under the symbol of baby cot for which they have twisted Arif Lohar’s party song, “Aa tenon mouj karawan” seamlessly as “Maan tujhe Salam”.
Folk singer Malko’s ‘Nak da Koka’ went viral for his one verse about “Qaidi 804”. This prompted him to sing part two, titled ‘Murshid’, dedicating it to Imran Khan. This went on to create a spree of songs, all dedicated to PTI, acquiring millions of views.
The popularity of this song influenced PML-N to make a rip-off for their party’s election campaign.
https://youtu.be/sJGK1aPfmYs?si=kpnrImL1ANlPXIhk
‘Umeed se Yakeen Tak’ is slowly growing on the people.
Another rip-off of Malko’s ‘Chas Bari Aye Ae’ is groovy all thanks to the original song.
https://youtu.be/xiqx-wjnBaE?si=8N2-IjE_UnnkhMc-
N-League deserves the credit of having an integrated campaign as a YouTube channel is dedicated to songs but most are just rip-offs.
Pakistan People’s Party has recently released a newer version of their widely popular ‘Utho Utho’.
‘Chuno Nayi Soch Ko’ has all there needs to be to appeal to gen-z audience and all the elements of a catchy election campaign.
PPP is not using this song in jalsas anymore but we found a hidden gem with the name of ‘Jiyalay Teer Chala’ on YouTube. It is not just uber-cool but has all the potential for mass appeal.
In a nutshell, the campaigns are in full swing and all the parties are trying their best to have more reach but our observation says that the one that explores more mediums and does not hesitate in experimenting manages to gather more ears and eyeballs.
A pair of twin girls, taken from their mother right after birth and sold to different families, have been reunited dramatically thanks to TikTok.
Years after they were stolen at birth, Amy and Ano from Georgia have met again after watching a TikTok video, BBC reported.
As the two delved into their past, they realised they were among thousands of babies in Georgia stolen from hospitals and sold, some as recently as 2005.
The twins discovered each other when they were 12 years of age. This was when Amy was watching her favorite TV show Georgia’s Got Talent where Ano was performing as a young artist. She even got calls from acquaintances asking if she was the one performing with another name but the family brushed it off, thinking everyone has a doppelganger.
Amy (L) aged 12 and Ano (R) also aged 12 during her performance on Georgia’s Got Talent
Seven years later Ano was sent a TikTok video by a friend of Amy’s in a fresh haircut and eye-brows piercing. She thought the resemblance “cool” and the two got connected on Facebook.
Amy instantly knew Ano was the girl she had seen all those years ago on Georgia’s Got Talent.
“I have been looking for you for so long!” she messaged. “Me too,” replied Ano.
Over time, they discovered several commonalities between them but not all of it made sense. The biggest of all was that they had the same genetic disease, a bone disorder called dysplasia. Both were born in the same hospital but according to their birth certificates, they were born a few weeks apart.
It felt like they were unraveling a mystery together. “Every time I learned something new about Ano, things got stranger,” Amy relates.
They decided to meet and when they did it was like “looking in a mirror”.
Ano (L) and Amy (R) met for the first time at Rustaveli metro station – they have often chosen similar hairstyles
They confronted their families and found out they were adopted in 2002.
Unable to have children, Amy’s mother says a friend told her there was an unwanted baby at the local hospital. She would need to pay the doctors but she could take her home and raise her as her own.
Neither of the adoptive families knew the girls were twins and despite paying a lot of money to adopt their daughters, they say they hadn’t realised it was illegal. Georgia was going through a period of turmoil and as hospital staff were involved, they thought it was legitimate.
The two went online and posted their story in a Facebook group called Vedzeb, which means “I’m searching” in Georgian.
A girl from Germany replied to them stating her mother had given birth to twin girls in Kirtskhi Maternity Hospital in 2002 and that despite being told they had died, she now had some doubts.
DNA tests revealed that the girl from the Facebook group was their sister, and was living with their birth mother, Aza, in Germany. Sceptical, they met their birth mother in Leipzig, Germany. She explained to them how she went into a coma after giving birth and upon waking she was told that her children had died.
Ano (L), Aza (C) and Amy (R) meet for the first time in Leipzig, Germany where Aza now live
The group was made by journalist Tamuna Museridze in 2021 after she discovered she was adopted. She has helped to reunite hundreds of families, but has not yet tracked down her own.
Tamuna discovered a black market in adoption that stretched across Georgia and went on from the early 1950s to 2005. “The scale is unimaginable, up to 100,000 babies were stolen. It was systemic,” she says.
In 2022, the Georgian government launched an investigation into historic child trafficking, telling BBC that it has spoken to more than 40 people but the cases were “very old and historic data has been lost”. Journalist Tamuna Museridze says she has shared information but the government hasn’t said when it will release its report.
Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana is facing criticism on social media because of the emergence of a video where he’s seen singing Pakistan’s famous song ‘Dil Dil Pakistan.’ The video was widely shared online, showing Ayushmann singing the popular anthem during a performance.
The video appeared online after Ayushmann and other famous Bollywood stars attended the opening ceremony of the contentious Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. The event featured stars like Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, and Ayushmann Khurrana.
The clown @ayushmannk was singing “Dil Dil Pakistan” when Pakistanis were kiIIing our soldiers & innocent citizens.. No wonder he’s so upset to see #RamMandir.
The reason why I don’t trust most of these Bollywoodiyas. They can even sell their mothers for money… pic.twitter.com/pCqIgJt7r1
Right-wing extremists on social media criticized Ayushmann for singing a Pakistani song. Some users called it foolish and disrespectful.
However, Indian media investigated and found that the video is about seven years old, from a concert in Dubai in 2017. During the event, Ayushmann honored various states and regions of India before singing both ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ and ‘Chak De India,’ along with his brother Aparshakti Khurana. Even though the video is old, its reemergence on social media has caused controversy, especially in the context of the recent Ram Temple ceremony.
In a shocking incident of a domestic dispute, a man, accompanied by his brother, brutally murdered his wife and stepdaughter using an axe, reports The Express Tribune.
City Police Officer Captain (retd) Muhammad Ali Zia directed Superintendent Police (SP) Iqbal Town to provide a detailed report. He formed teams led by District Superintendent Police(DSP) Factory Area to apprehend the accused. Consequently, aids are being conducted actively.
The incident unfolded in Chak 133 GB Niwan of Dijkot police station, where Zulfiqar Ali found himself entangled in a land dispute with his 47-year-old wife, Rukhsana Bibi.
The dispute escalated into a violent quarrel, leading to Zulfiqar and his brother Iftikhar attacking Rukhsana and her 12-year-old stepdaughter, Iman Fatimah, with axes before fleeing the scene.
Both mother and daughter succumbed to their injuries, losing their lives on the spot. In response to the double murder, SP Iqbal Town Usman Munir Safi, DSP Factory Area Rana Attaur Rehman, SHO Dijkot Moazzam Gujjar, and other law enforcement officers reached the scene promptly. They took the bodies, transported them to the hospital, and initiated a thorough investigation.
DSP Factory Area, Rana Attaur Rahman, revealed that Rukhsana Bibi had been married to Zulfiqar for ten years, with two children from the union. Iman Fatima was the daughter of her ex-husband and fell victim to the axe attack by Zulfiqar and his brother Iftikhar. The couple had a history of frequent domestic disputes. The police are actively pursuing the accused in their efforts to bring them to justice.
Australia and Canada have suspended their funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel accused several employees of involvement in October 7 attacks by Hamas.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Saturday she was “deeply concerned” by the allegations against the agency, UNRWA.
“We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding,” she wrote on social media platform X.
Allegations UNRWA staff were involved in the abhorrent October 7 terror attacks are deeply concerning.
Australia welcomes UNRWA’s swift response and will engage closely on investigations.
We are speaking with partners and will temporarily pause disbursement of recent funding. pic.twitter.com/Havwserjh3
“We welcome UNRWA’s immediate response, including terminating contracts and launching an investigation, as well as its recent announcement of a full investigation into allegations against the organization,” she added.
Canada’s International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen on Friday announced that Ottawa had “temporarily paused any additional funding to UNRWA while it undertakes a thorough investigation into these allegations”.
“Canada is taking these reports extremely seriously and is engaging closely with UNRWA and other donors on this issue,” he wrote on X.
Canada unequivocally condemns the October 7th attack on Israel. I am deeply troubled by the allegations relating to some UNRWA employees. I have instructed Global Affairs Canada to pause all additional funding to UNRWA pending the outcome of the investigation. Read my statement: pic.twitter.com/YfEbwhKvzx
“Should the allegations prove to be accurate, Canada expects UNRWA to immediately act against those determined to have been involved in Hamas’s terrorist attacks.”
The moves come after the United States halted its funding to UNRWA on Friday, saying the allegations were against 12 employees who “may have been involved” in the Hamas attack that triggered the war in Gaza.
The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees says it has opened an investigation into some employees Israel alleges were involved in the October 7 attacks, and that it has severed ties with those staff members.
“The Israeli authorities have provided UNRWA with information about the alleged involvement of several UNRWA employees in the horrific attacks on Israel on October 7,” Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), said on Friday.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has pledged to conduct an “urgent and comprehensive independent review of UNRWA”.
Established in 1949 following the first Arab-Israeli war, the agency provides services including schooling, primary healthcare and humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
It is important to note that since the onset of the war on Gaza, Israeli authorities, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have accused it of fuelling anti-Israeli incitement – allegations it denies.
UNRWA says it has provided aid to desperate people in Gaza and used its facilities to shelter those fleeing Israeli attacks.
The agency’s shelters have also been repeatedly targeted by Israeli missiles during the war, despite pleas for safe passages to deliver humanitarian aid and assistance.
Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan has recently been discharged from a hospital after knee and shoulder surgery.
Saif Ali Khan had a fracture in both his knee and his shoulder, which were operated on at the Kokilabin Hospital in Mumbai. His wife, superstar Kareena Kapoor, was present with Saif in the hospital. Saif Ali Khan has said that he had been feeling pain in his hand since a long time, but he did not know how deep the injury was.
According to Saif Ali Khan, while doing an action scene for the film ‘Dewara’, he got injured, after which the intensity of the pain increased. An MRI scan found that the tricep tendon was badly torn. Saif Ali Khan revealed that if the surgery had not been done on time, he could have lost one of his hands. “II only had an injury on my hand, no back or shoulder surgery, it was not a serious surgery due to which I was discharged from the hospital soon.”
Our favourite character artist Asma Abbas is formidably talented, but did you know her expertise isn’t limited to acting? Abbas has revealed that she’s also a designer with an affordable brand.
Participating in a private TV channel’s comedy program, Asma responded to a question by stating that people should go for artificial beauty but not become Michael Jackson. “You should not spoil your face by doing injections and botox etc., you should look as you are,” she remarked.
Answering a question about expensive brands, the senior actress said, “I have my own small brand which I run for my hobby and everyone can afford to buy my brand of clothes.”
Asma Abbas said, “You have seen pictures of me sewing clothes on social media, I design and sew my own clothes, I have never worn designer clothes because I don’t want to wear clothes on demand. That’s why I make my own clothes, I’m my own designer and I love myself.”
