The IMF’s projections place India ahead of other major economies, including China, the United States, Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom.

China’s economy is forecast to grow by 4.5% in 2026, while the United States is expected to record growth of 2.3%.

Germany and the United Kingdom are projected to expand by 1.3% each, while Japan’s growth is forecast at 0.7%.

India is also expected to maintain its 7.0% growth rate in 2027, while China’s growth is projected to slow to 4.0%.

Meanwhile, the IMF forecasts global economic growth to decline from 3.5% in 2025 to 3.1% in 2026 before recovering to 3.4% in 2027.

Advanced economies are projected to grow by 2.1% in 2026, compared with 3.7% for emerging market and developing economies.

Emerging and developing Asia is expected to remain a major contributor to global growth, with the region projected to expand by 5.1% in 2026.

The IMF’s figures also indicate significant economic challenges in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia’s economy projected to contract by 3.3% in 2026 before rebounding by 7.9% in 2027. (Newswire)

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Amnesty International has warned Pakistani authorities against using the declaration of a state of emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as a pretext to suppress human rights, silence dissent or concentrate political power.

In a statement, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South Asia, Babu Ram Pant, expressed serious concerns over reports of arbitrary detentions of key political leaders, including the provincial chief minister, internet disruptions and the deployment of armed forces following the imposition of emergency rule.

He stressed that although governments may introduce exceptional measures during national emergencies under strictly limited circumstances, such measures must not be used to undermine fundamental rights.

“Emergency measures are not a blank cheque to crack down on human rights, silence dissent, or concentrate power,” Pant said.

The statement follows the decision by Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on October 11 to approve recommendations by the federal cabinet to impose a state of emergency and governor rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution.

According to the authorities, the decision was prompted by an unprecedented escalation in violent terrorist attacks and an alleged breakdown of constitutional machinery in the province.

Under the emergency declaration, Pakistan’s federal legislature, comprising the National Assembly and Senate, has been granted powers to legislate on matters concerning the province. The federal government is also empowered to suspend certain fundamental rights, including freedoms of assembly, association and expression.

The presidential notification further stated that the powers of the provincial assembly would be exercised by the federal parliament, while the provincial chief minister, ministers, advisers, special assistants and advocate general would cease to hold office.

Separately, the federal government ordered the deployment of Pakistan’s military in the province under Article 245 of the Constitution to assist civilian authorities.

Amnesty International raised concerns that the deployment could further militarise the province and increase the risk of human rights violations.

Referring to Pakistan’s history of alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions during counterterrorism operations, Pant warned that the involvement of armed forces could create conditions for the unlawful use of force.

He urged Pakistani authorities to avoid assigning ordinary policing responsibilities to military personnel and to ensure that all military operations remain subject to accountability and international human rights standards.

The organisation also questioned the necessity and proportionality of the emergency measures, particularly in light of reported political detentions and disruptions to internet services.

Pant called on Pakistan’s federal authorities to establish independent oversight of all actions carried out under the emergency framework.

“At this critical juncture, the federal authorities must ensure independent oversight of all actions taken under the emergency framework, and guarantee that any emergency measure is strictly necessary and proportionate to the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been governed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party since 2013.

The PTI secured a two-thirds majority in the provincial assembly following the 2024 general election, enabling it to form its latest provincial government.

Amnesty International reiterated that Pakistan’s response to security threats must remain consistent with its international human rights obligations, stressing that emergency powers should not be used to justify arbitrary detentions, restrictions on civil liberties or the suppression of political dissent. (Newswire)

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Saudi Arabia has extended the closure of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh until October 17 following a series of deadly attacks by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

According to Reuters, a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) issued on Monday (October 12) confirmed that the airport would remain closed until 9 p.m. GMT on October 17, equivalent to midnight on October 18 in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said the suspension was extended to allow authorities to complete safety inspections and ensure that airport facilities were ready to resume operations.

The airport has remained closed since Saturday (October 10), when an attack killed 13 people and injured more than 300 others.

A second attack on Sunday killed another person and injured nearly a dozen others, further raising concerns over aviation safety in the region.

The closure has caused major disruptions to international air travel, with several airlines suspending flights to and from the Saudi capital.

Flight-tracking data showed aircraft largely avoiding Riyadh, although flights continued operating through other Saudi airports, including Jeddah.

According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, flight cancellations across Saudi airports reached 46.4%, highlighting the wider impact of the attacks on regional aviation. (Newswire)

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New CCTV footage has emerged showing the moment a Houthi missile struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday, Oct. 10, killing at least 13 people and injuring more than 300.

The footage, released by Al Arabiya, captures passengers, including Umrah pilgrims preparing to board flights, as an explosion strikes the airport terminal.

The video shows a sudden flash, followed by falling debris and passengers running for safety.

Saudi authorities initially reported 12 deaths and 309 injuries, with the death toll subsequently rising to 13 after an Indian national died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Yemen’s Houthi movement claimed responsibility for the strike, which forced the suspension of airport operations and disrupted international flights.

The airport was targeted again on Sunday, resulting in another death and 11 injuries, according to Saudi authorities. (Newswire)

Viewer discretion advised: The CCTV footage contains scenes that may be distressing tosome viewers.

This video may be distressing to some viewers.

CCTV footage released by Al Arabiya shows the moment of a Houthi strike on Riyadh’s international airport on Saturday.

The attack killed at least 12 people and injured more than 300. pic.twitter.com/JIp4SMIgH3

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) October 11, 2026

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Iran has sharpened its criticism of a Saudi Arabia-Pakistan-Turkey defense pact after it became operational, warning against intervention in Yemen and questioning Pakistan’s role as a mediator between Tehran and Washington.

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Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has suspended the provincial government led by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, declaring a state of emergency and imposing governor’s rule on Sunday (Oct. 11).

The decision follows recommendations from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s federal Cabinet, which accused the provincial administration of failing to effectively combat terrorism and maintain law and order.

According to the President’s Office, the emergency measures were approved under Articles 232 and 234 of Pakistan’s Constitution, effectively stripping the elected provincial government of its administrative powers.

The move places the northwestern province, which borders Afghanistan, under the authority of the federally appointed governor.

The decision comes amid escalating political tensions between the federal government and Khan’s PTI party, whose supporters have been holding protests demanding his release from prison.

PTI supporters have also been preparing for a major march towards Islamabad, increasing pressure on the government.

The federal government defended the emergency measures, citing growing security threats and accusing the provincial administration of failing to cooperate adequately in counterterrorism efforts.

However, PTI strongly condemned the decision, describing it as an attack on democracy and the mandate of the province’s elected government.

Khan’s spokesperson, Zulfikar Bukhari, warned that the decision could lead to further instability and violence.

Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023, remains a central figure in Pakistan’s opposition politics.

The suspension of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government marks a significant escalation in the confrontation between Khan’s party and the federal administration. (Newswire)

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India has strongly rejected concerns raised by the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) over events in New Delhi, describing the criticism as unwarranted interference in its internal affairs.

In a statement dated October 11, India’s Ministry of External Affairs defended the country’s democratic institutions and the constitutional right to peaceful assembly.

India said the right to peaceful protest was guaranteed under its Constitution but remained subject to the maintenance of public order and safety.

The ministry maintained that law enforcement authorities act in accordance with the law and that citizens have access to an independent judiciary to address grievances.

India also accused the UN human rights office of applying double standards, alleging that it had failed to comment on violent responses to protests in neighbouring countries and law enforcement actions elsewhere.

The statement said such selective criticism undermined the credibility of international institutions and weakened confidence in multilateralism.

The diplomatic dispute followed large-scale protests in New Delhi on October 10, during which more than 2,000 people were reportedly detained as authorities moved to prevent demonstrations demanding the resignation of India’s Chief Election Commissioner, Gyanesh Kumar.

The UN Human Rights Office expressed concern over reports of mass detentions involving protesters, civil society representatives, lawyers and journalists. It called for respect for peaceful assembly and the release of those arbitrarily detained.

India’s response was also issued through its Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, which described the UN’s concerns as misplaced and urged the organisation to apply its standards impartially. (Newswire)

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Indian police have launched a major crackdown on the “Cockroach” protest movement in New Delhi, with its leaders and hundreds of supporters reportedly detained as authorities moved to prevent a planned demonstration, according to the BBC.

The BBC reported that tens of thousands of security personnel had been deployed across Delhi on Saturday, with roads barricaded and access to the planned protest site at Jantar Mantar heavily restricted.

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) said its founder Abhijeet Dipke and two other leaders were detained after arriving in Delhi from Mumbai. Delhi Police had not confirmed details of their detention at the time of the BBC report.

The movement, which began in May following controversy over remarks by India’s Chief Justice Surya Kant referring to unemployed young people as “cockroaches,” has since grown into a broader youth-led protest movement focusing on unemployment, examination paper leaks and government accountability.

The latest demonstration is demanding electoral reforms and the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in electoral rolls. The Election Commission has denied allegations of favouritism or wrongdoing.

The BBC’s correspondent at Jantar Mantar reported heavy security, including metal barricades, drones and police forming human chains to restrict access to the area.

Several journalists covering the demonstrations were also reportedly detained, although three journalists from Indian news outlet Newslaundry were later released.

The latest confrontation follows a major CJP protest in July that saw clashes with police and was followed by the resignation of India’s education minister. (Newswire)

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Apple (AAPL.O) has told some suppliers to cut production of components for its newly launched iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, as soaring memory chip costs ‌and price increases have dampened consumer demand, Nikkei Asia reported on Friday.

The iPhone maker has turned more conservative on shipments since early September, with component orders for October being slashed by at least 15% compared with what was originally requested, Nikkei reported, citing multiple people ⁠familiar with the matter.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular business hours.

Tech companies have been scooping up advanced chip-making capacity and memory chips to power AI data centers, sparking shortages and price increases that are expected to shrink both the personal computer and smartphone markets this year.

Apple raised iPad and MacBook prices in June, saying it could no longer shield customers from ‌soaring ⁠memory and storage chip costs driven by the AI industry’s data center buildout.

Demand for devices has been softer from late August into October, but that could be related to Apple changing its launch schedule for iPhone models, Nikkei reported.

Apple last ⁠month unveiled the latest generation of its flagship smartphone, with iPhone 18 Pro and the 18 Pro Max handsets, alongside its foldable phone Duo.

The iPhone 18 Pro and ⁠Pro Max start at $1,199 and $1,299, up $100 from the starting prices of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.

As more AI features are added to ⁠iPhones and other products, Apple’s demand for high-performance memory has increased, elevating the strategic role of suppliers amid a global shortage. (Reuters)

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Thousands of supporters of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan have joined a protest march led by a provincial chief minister, demanding his release from prison.

The march, organised by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, entered the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday (October 8), marking the fifth consecutive day of demonstrations.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is leading the march, which began in Lakki Marwat on October 4 and has travelled through several districts.

Addressing supporters in Peshawar, Afridi urged them to remain determined in their campaign for what he described as “true freedom”.

“There might be some discomfort, but this pain is not greater than the pain Imran Khan sahib is enduring in jail for us,” he told the crowd.

The PTI initially announced plans to march towards Islamabad, but the party has since revised its route several times. Afridi said the next phase of the protest would be announced when the convoy reaches Swabi.

The federal government has warned the opposition party against holding protests or gatherings in Islamabad.

The demonstrations follow the breakdown of talks between the PTI and the federal government, with disagreements over counterterrorism policy among the main issues.

Meanwhile, mobile phone and internet services were temporarily suspended in parts of Peshawar as the march approached the city.

An official from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority confirmed to Dawn that the suspension had been ordered by higher authorities as a security precaution.

Several private schools in Peshawar also remained closed, although education authorities said they had not ordered the closures.

The protests have also triggered a legal challenge against Afridi.

The Peshawar High Court has sought a response from the chief minister over allegations that he used a government helicopter to travel to the starting point of the march, potentially violating an earlier court order prohibiting the use of public resources for political activities.

Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the party remained open to dialogue with the government and called for political disputes to be resolved through constitutional and democratic means.

He also raised concerns about the alleged disappearances of party members and rejected suggestions that emergency powers or governor’s rule should be imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his removal through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, has been imprisoned since August 2023.

His party has repeatedly demanded his release and challenged the legal proceedings against him.

The PTI has announced further gatherings in Mardan on October 10 and Swabi on October 11, where party leaders are expected to decide the next phase of their campaign.

Source: Dawn, October 8, 2026.

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Unsealed court documents in a lawsuit brought by New York state allege that TikTok subjected thousands of account holders attempting to enable a safety setting to placebo versions of the tool that did not actually work.

During these “ghost” or placebo tests, the social media platform targeted thousands of individuals, among them teenagers and children.

These account holders had chosen to activate safety controls such as “Algo Refresh,” a setting designed to reset content recommendations for those seeking to remove unwanted or hazardous material.

While users believed the tool was working, their feeds remained unchanged, unlike those provided with the fully functional version, according to the suit.

The newly disclosed allegations form part of legal action led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

It is one of more than two dozen state lawsuits charging TikTok with engineering its platform to foster addiction among children and misleading the public regarding safety measures.

Numerous filings across these state cases have remained sealed or heavily redacted following efforts by TikTok to conceal operational details from public view.

Legal filings contend that while TikTok publicly asserts safety is a paramount concern and that the application is suitable for young people, it deliberately blocked certain groups from accessing safety tools—even when users explicitly sought to avoid harmful content.

A spokesperson for TikTok stated: “We continuously make improvements to our platform which means that, like most companies, we regularly test new products and features to validate the experience and understand how they work in the real world.

In court filings, the platform has largely rejected the claims made by New York, maintaining that protecting younger users remains a core focus. (TheIndependent)

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Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis say they have struck Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh ⁠airport with a ballistic missile, badly damaging a plane and leading some airlines to suspend flights to the capital.

The group provided no evidence, and Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim.

However, three people briefed on the matter told Reuters that shrapnel from an interception or another projectile left a Saudia Airlines commercial plane heavily damaged after catching fire while parked at a terminal on Thursday.
They said no passengers were believed to have been on the plane at the ⁠time but they could not rule out any injuries.

Witnesses heard explosions in Riyadh, including a large blast at the King Khalid international airport. One witness told the Associated Press that fire and ambulance crews were deployed. A thick black column of smoke and flames were shown rising from the airport in a video verified by Reuters.

The witness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that outgoing flights were halted, and that passengers were instructed to evacuate the airport.

Lufthansa and Air India confirmed they were ⁠suspending flights to Riyadh. According to data compiled by aviation analytics company Cirium, almost half of departures from the airport had been cancelled by 1500 GMT on Thursday, with 31 more cancellations expected for Friday in all Saudi airports.

It comes after Saudi authorities said on Wednesday that three people had been killed this week in strikes on Riyadh airport and Abha airport, in the country’s southwest.

The Houthis escalated their campaign of strikes against Saudi Arabia on Thursday, attempting to shut down the kingdom’s airspace and warning workers to stay away from ⁠energy plants, which would be targeted.

Separately, Saudi officials said debris from an intercepted missile had hit a kindergarten and medical complex in Riyadh.

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1,109 hospitalized in 24 hours, including 82 confirmed measles cases; no confirmed measles deaths reported during the period

The death toll from the measles outbreak has reached 1,122 after eight more people died from measles-like symptoms in the last 24 hours.

During the period, 1,109 people were hospitalized with measles-like symptoms, including 82 confirmed measles cases. However, no one died from confirmed measles during the period.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) disclosed the information in a press release on the measles situation on Saturday.

According to the release, a total of 21,666 people have been confirmed to have measles since March 15, while 195,197 suspected measles cases have been reported.

So far, 173,024 people have been hospitalized, of whom 167,756 have recovered and returned home.

Of the 1,122 deaths recorded so far, 102 were confirmed measles deaths and 1,020 were suspected measles deaths. (Dhaka Tribune)

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The World Bank raised its ​growth forecast for South Asia, citing resilient consumer demand despite an energy shock, but warned ‌that persistently high oil prices, a severe weather shock and a global market correction could threaten the region’s outlook.

The Bank now expects the region to grow 6.9% in 2026, 60 basis points (bps) higher than its previous forecast and 10 basis points ​above its estimate a year ago as “higher energy prices have not interrupted momentum in consumption growth.”

“This ​is because government measures to shield consumers, strong remittances and resilient domestic demand have ⁠helped cushion the impact,” World Bank Chief Asia Economist Franziska Ohnsorge said in an interview with Reuters ​on Monday.

The region, heavily dependent on energy imports, has so far proved more resilient than expected to supply disruptions from ​the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The Bank predicted India, the largest economy in the region, will grow 7.1% in 2026/27, up from the 6.6% it predicted in June but significantly lower than the 8.6% recorded in 2025/26.

Growth has held up even as higher ​inflation has eroded consumer purchasing power, a decoupling that has been “quite striking”, Ohnsorge said.

“Inflation is expected to ​remain elevated into 2027,” she said, adding it could take time for higher inflation to affect growth. “In emerging markets, the ‌normal lag ⁠between such shocks and their effect on economic activity is around 18 months.”

The Bank has not given a specific aggregate South Asia inflation forecast for 2026 but does provide country-level forecasts.

India’s central bank expects inflation to average 5% in the current financial year and is expected to raise interest rates by 25 basis points on ​October 7, its first increase ​since 2023, with another ⁠hike likely in December, according to a majority of economists polled by Reuters.

A strong El Niño could pose another risk, particularly for India, where agriculture is key ​for rural demand and inflation, Ohnsorge said. India last experienced El Niño conditions ​in 2023, ⁠when monsoon rainfall was 95% of the long-period average.

The World Bank urged countries to adopt AI to maintain growth momentum over the medium term.

“One promising avenue for creating more, better jobs is the widespread deployment of AI. AI ⁠adoption in ​South Asia remains well behind that in advanced economies, but ​is catching up fast,” the report said.

In India, which accounts for a large share of the region’s economic expansion, some 23% of firms ​report using AI, against 43% of US firms. (Reuters)

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Three civilians have been killed and 36 injured in Houthi-claimed attacks on two airports in Saudi Arabia, according to a statement from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA).

Abha International Airport and King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh were targeted in two separate attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The attack on Abha International Airport killed two female residents, a Moroccan and an Algerian, and injured 28 others, GACA reported.

The attack on King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh killed a Sudanese citizen and injured eight residents, including five Saudi citizens.

GACA said it is working “in full integration and continuous coordination with the relevant security authorities” to assess the damage and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of passengers and workers.

The spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, Major-General Turki al-Maliki, said forces intercepted a ballistic missile north of Riyadh and destroyed a platform in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, that had been used to launch attacks on the Saudi capital.

Previous attacks on Saudi airports

New cage-like fences have been erected this week around fuel tanks and other equipment of the Saudi state-run Aramco oil company near the Riyadh airport.

On September 18, Saudi-led coalition forces said they intercepted and destroyed a suspected Houthi ballistic missile fired towards the airport in Riyadh from Yemen.

A day later, on September 19, at least one explosion was heard near the airport in Riyadh, and a large plume of black smoke was seen rising from a fuel storage area at King Khalid International Airport.

Saudi-backed Yemeni forces from the country’s internationally recognised government are locked in escalating combat with Iran-aligned Houthi forces who seized a broad swathe of territory astride the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

Yemen’s internationally recognised government said the Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones against Aden airport early on Wednesday. No casualties were reported.

Meanwhile, the United States embassy in Riyadh has issued another security alert for Americans in Saudi Arabia due to the ongoing security situation, reminding “all US citizens to exercise heightened vigilance”. (Al Jazeera)

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The Canadian family that once owned Selfridges department store has bought the UK pharmacy and beauty retailer Boots for $8.9bn (£6.74bn).

Wittington Investments, the holding company of the Weston family that controls the Loblaws grocery chain and Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy outlets in Canada, will own Boots’ UK and Irish retail operations and opticians chain, the No7 beauty brand and a franchise arm in Thailand.

The acquisition of the Nottingham-headquartered chain, which has 1,800 stores across the UK and employs 50,000 people, is also being backed by the investment firm Fairfax, which owns The Sporting Life Group and Sleep Country, Canada’s largest mattress retailer, which owns Simba Sleep in the UK.

Galen Weston, the chair of Wittington, who is likely to become chair of Boots, said: “Boots is one of Britain’s most enduring businesses, with a rich heritage, a trusted name and a vital role in everyday life across the UK and Ireland.

“We see a meaningful opportunity to make a great business even better through stable long-term ownership, further capital investment, and the renewed operating focus required to serve customers with excellence for generations to come.”

The transaction, which sees the exit of Boots’ long-term backer Stefano Pessina and his latest backer, the financial firm Sycamore Partners, is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2027.

In 2022, the US pharmacy group Walgreens put Boots up for sale with a suggested price tag of up to £10bn, but it later dropped the plans as potential buyers, including Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries, the US private equity investor Apollo Global Management and Asda’s owners TDR Capital, struggled to raise funds. A plan to float the business at a valuation of about £7bn was dropped in 2024.

“Boots is an iconic brand and a British institution,” said Pessina, who took Boots private with the backing of the investment firm KKR in 2007. He has since kept a stake under different private equity owners and merged and demerged it from Walgreens.

“It has been one of the privileges of my and [my wife] Ornella’s life to have been so closely associated with Boots over the last 20 years. We are delighted to be passing on a thriving Boots to strong and reliable owners who understand the value of its great heritage.”

Pessina will retain ownership of Boots’ interests in the Farmacias Benavides pharmacy chain in Mexico and the Alliance Healthcare Deutschland, a German drug distributor.

The acquisition of Boots marks the return of the Weston family’s Canadian branch to the UK high street, after the family sold off the Selfridges department store chain for £4bn in 2022.

The separate UK branch of the family’s company is known for holding a majority stake in Primark through the parent company Associated British Foods, which is led by family member George Weston.

Richard Hyman, the veteran retail analyst, said the Weston family were “the most encouraging ownership of Boots for many, many years”.

He said: “For years, watching Boots has been a bit like watching corporate pass the parcel. Its ownership has changed with extraordinary frequency and each owner has stripped a bit more out of it.”

Hyman said Boots had an opportunity to make more of its vast loyalty scheme and to offer more services through its network of stores across the UK, many of which had seen little modernisation in recent decades.

Boots has closed more than 300 outlets in recent years. It is unclear whether its new owners plan to close more shops, but they are likely to take a close look given the rising costs of high street retail, the shift of trade to online, and competition from discounters such as Savers, Lidl and Home Bargains.

Hyman said: “Boots needs and deserves owners that will show it a bit of love, and history shows the Westons take a longer view.” (The Guardian)

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Artificial intelligence is creating new employment opportunities for women in Kerala, India, as demand grows for workers to label and annotate the vast amounts of data needed to train AI systems, although concerns remain over limited alternative employment opportunities for some rural workers.

For Roshni M, working in data annotation has provided not only a source of income but also a greater sense of financial independence.

Following the death of her father, Roshni took up employment to help support her family. She is now among hundreds of employees at Infolks, a Kerala-based technology company that collects and labels data used to train artificial intelligence systems.

“I feel like an individual. I’m earning now, I’m self-dependent, and I have freedom,” Roshni said. “Financial freedom is something different.”

Founded by Mujeeb Kolasseri in 2016, Infolks is part of Kerala’s growing technology sector, which is creating employment opportunities outside India’s traditional urban technology hubs.

Data annotation plays a key role in the development of AI systems by teaching machines to identify and distinguish objects and other information.

For instance, autonomous vehicles need to recognise roads, other vehicles, pedestrians and various objects in their surroundings. Data annotation workers label these elements in images and other datasets, allowing AI systems to learn how to recognise them.

The industry has also provided opportunities for educated women who may otherwise have limited avenues to enter the technology workforce.

Roshni said attitudes towards women pursuing education and employment have changed significantly compared with the experiences of previous generations.

“When we look at the stories of our mothers or any women related to our family and friends, we can see that they have struggled a lot just to learn or to go to work,” she said. “But the infrastructure has changed a lot and people’s mentality has also changed.”

However, employment opportunities and working conditions remain limited for some women in rural areas. Workers with few alternative employment options may also be reluctant to raise concerns about salaries or workplace conditions due to fears of losing their jobs. (Newswire)

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A Pakistani national has been charged in the United States over an alleged counterfeit postage operation involving more than five million fake shipping labels and losses exceeding US$126 million to the U.S. Postal Service.

Faheem Akram is accused of operating an unauthorised website through which counterfeit U.S. Postal Service (USPS) postage labels were allegedly sold online at heavily discounted fixed prices, according to information released by United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Quiñones.

U.S. authorities allege that the scheme involved more than 5.1 million counterfeit postage labels and resulted in losses of more than US$126 million.

According to the U.S. Attorney, counterfeit postage was allegedly sold for as little as US$2 per label, regardless of the weight, size or destination of the package, allowing customers to avoid legitimate USPS postage charges.

“The alleged scheme was simple but massive,” Quiñones said, adding that the indictment alleges more than 5.1 million counterfeit labels and over US$126 million in losses.

The website allegedly used to carry out the operation has since been shut down and its domain seized by U.S. authorities.

A seizure notice states that the domain was taken over by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida pursuant to a seizure warrant issued by a U.S. District Court.

Authorities said federal charges have been filed against Akram, but he remains wanted.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is now offering a reward of up to US$100,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.

Anyone with information regarding Akram’s whereabouts has been asked to contact U.S. Postal Inspectors at 1-877-876-2455 and say “Law Enforcement.”

Authorities have also warned members of the public not to attempt to apprehend him themselves. (Newswire)

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Millions of new cancer cases around the world may be caused by infections that are either treatable or preventable, suggesting that the cancer could have been avoided altogether.

That’s according to new research published in the journal The Lancet Oncology, which found that roughly 1 in 8 cancer cases around the world may be linked to infections – many of which can be prevented through vaccines, screening or relatively straightforward treatments.

“We can intervene before it gets anywhere near cancer,” said Gary Clifford, the study’s senior author and an epidemiologist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

“We just need the politics and the finances and the buy-in from the public and the communication to get the programs implemented. Prevention works,” Clifford said. “It’s an awareness-raising issue.” 

About 2.3 million new cancer cases were attributable to infections globally in 2024, which is equivalent to 12% of all cancer diagnoses, the new study found. And two infections stood out in particular: Helicobacter pylori, commonly known as H. pylori, which was mostly associated with gastric cancers and human papillomavirus, or HPV, which was predominantly associated with cervical cancer. Together, researchers estimate that these two infections accounted for more than 1.5 million cancer cases in 2024.

Other infections contributed substantially as well:

• Hepatitis B or HBV was linked to an estimated 360,000 cancer cases, which were mostly liver cancers.
• The Epstein-Barr virus or EBV was associated with about 260,000 cancer cases, of which a head and neck cancer starting in the nasopharynx was the main driver.
• Hepatitis C or HCV was tied to 160,000 cancer cases, mostly liver cancers.

“Some infection-related cancers, such as liver and gastric cancer, generally have poor prognosis, meaning that a similar proportion of deaths from these cancers are likely attributable to infection. For other cancers, including cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma, infection is necessary for cancer development,” Harriet Rumgay, epidemiologist at the International Agency for Research on Cancer and an author of the study, said in an email. 

“However, highly effective prevention measures already exist for four of the five leading infectious causes of cancer, as well as for HIV,” Rumgay said, referring to the human immunodeficiency virus. The four infections include HPV and hepatitis B, for which vaccines are available, as well as H. pylori and hepatitis C, for which testing and treatments are available. 

Clifford, Rumgay and their colleagues analyzed data from the Global Cancer Observatory’s Cancer Today database to estimate the incidence of cancer around the world in 2024. They examined how many of those cancer cases could be attributable to infections and then analyzed each infection-cancer pair in their data set.

The new analysis builds on earlier work published in 2018, but the researchers now have a better understanding of the relationships between certain infections and cancer. The new study incorporated 16 additional infection-cancer pairs compared with the previous 2018 global analysis, including some cancers paired with EBV.

“EBV is one of these agents for which we knew it was related to some cancers. In fact, EBV was the first ever cancer-causing agent of infection to be discovered in Burkitt lymphoma,” Clifford said.

“That was like 60 years ago almost, and that was the first realization that a virus could cause cancer. And since then, we’ve identified it in other cancers, particularly nasopharyngeal carcinomas,” he said. “We were already clear about the link with EBV, even back in that 2018 data. So, it was there, but it wasn’t really fully addressed because we didn’t understand the full extent of the cancer burden that it was causing.”

Where the infection-related cancer burden is greatest

The new research also reveals that the burden of infection-related cancers isn’t evenly distributed around the world. Low-income and middle-income countries accounted for 77% of all infection-attributable cancer cases, reflecting differences in the prevalence of cancer-causing infections as well as access to vaccines, screening, testing and treatment.

But if health officials know which infections are contributing to cancer, and where those infections are most common, they can focus resources on the strategies that have the potential to save lives. 

“Even within the United States, the burden of infection-related cancer is not evenly distributed, and some populations have higher rates of infections such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HPV or H. pylori, while others have less access to vaccination, screening or treatment. And these differences can translate into disparities in cancer incidence many years later,” said Veronika Fedirko, professor of epidemiology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who was not involved in the new study.

“Infection-related cancers are certainly an important issue in the United States,” she said, referring to a separate analysis from the American Cancer Society that found in 2019, 3.4% of all cancers among adults 30 and older – which was about 60,310 cases – were attributable to seven infections evaluated: EBV, H. pylori, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, HIV and, the largest contributor, HPV.

“Having a cancer-causing infection does not mean that a person will develop cancer. These infections increase the risk of certain cancers, but most people who are infected will never develop cancer,” Fedirko said. “Cancer usually develops only in a small proportion of people, often when an infection persists for many years and together with other factors such as age, immune function, smoking, genetics or other exposures.”

How to ‘take away’ the risk

Cancer is an enormously complicated group of diseases with many different causes and risk factors, including genetics, environmental exposures, aging and lifestyle factors. But the new findings show that infections represent an area where prevention can make a meaningful difference.

Prevention efforts can include vaccination and, when appropriate, testing for and treating infections that increase cancer risk. For some cancers, screening can also identify precancerous changes so they can be treated before invasive cancer develops.

Getting tested and following up with a doctor “almost takes away any cancer risk,” Clifford said. 

Once infections get diagnosed, “we know how to manage them,” he said. “The large majority of these infections will not cause cancer. Some of them will, and we’re learning more about which ones, but that’s a work in progress. The point is: It doesn’t mean that you’ve got a cancer just because you have the infection.”

For instance, people can be screened for hepatitis C and treated if they are infected, thus helping to prevent cancer from developing down the road.

The same is true for H. pylori. The bacterium is relatively common, and many people who carry it may not immediately realize they have an infection. But H. pylori can cause chronic inflammation in the stomach and become a major risk factor for stomach cancer. Treating the infection with antibiotics can reduce that risk, giving doctors another opportunity to intervene before cancer may develop.

Additionally, HPV and hepatitis B are examples of how vaccination can help prevent cancer. Hepatitis B infection can damage the liver over time and increase the risk of liver cancer, but there is a vaccine available that can help prevent the viral infection. 

HPV is a group of more than 200 related viruses, which can spread through sexual contact. In some cases, HPV infection can lead to six types of cancer: cervical, anal, penile, vaginal, vulvar and oropharyngeal (mouth and throat). But the vaccine can protect against those cancers since it works by preventing HPV infection.

The new research “teaches us the importance of vaccination and how that can prevent different types of cancer,” Dr. Nancy Lee, a radiation oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center who was not involved in the new study, said in an email.

“This is no different than getting your flu shot to prevent the flu. The public needs to be made aware and vaccination should be reinforced,” Lee said. “Many different types of cancers are caused by infection and if we prevent the infection, the incidence of cancer should be lower.”

Other prevention measures that reduce transmission of various cancer-attributable infections include “safe injection practices, condom use, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis,” Rumgay said. “If implemented widely and equitably, these strategies could prevent hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of future cancer cases worldwide.” (CNN)

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Extreme heat is putting pregnant mothers and their newborns at increasing risk, United Nations climate chief Simon Stiell will warn on Monday (Oct 5).

Speaking at the “pre-COP” summit in Fiji, Stiell will cite a new survey showing more than two-thirds of health professionals across five continents had seen complications caused by intense heat in the past five years.

“Rising temperatures mean rising danger in pregnancy,” he is expected to say.

“Climate-driven extreme heat during pregnancy is increasingly linked to premature birth, stillbirth, low birth weight, and maternal complications.”

“The picture is clear and very disturbing: as extreme heat worsens, pregnancy and birth are now a new fault line in the global climate crisis, and one which is potentially fatal,” Stiell will say.

“This fault line must not become another deep chasm of climate-driven suffering, inequality and injustice.”

Scientists warn that climate change is making extreme weather events more intense and resulting in heat records tumbling more often.

Around 33 countries, spanning from western Europe to the Sahel and central America, recorded their hottest July since records began this year, according to AFP analysis of data from the European Union’s Copernicus climate observatory. 

The survey of 1000 midwives and doctors in the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Brazil and Zimbabwe was commissioned by charitable foundation Wellcome.

Its chairwoman, Australian former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, said in a statement that mothers and babies are being put at increasing risk as a result of climate change.

“Extreme heat is an invisible killer, but pregnant women must not be invisible. Leaders have the evidence and solutions they need — now they must act,” Gillard said.

The survey found nearly all midwives and doctors had cared for mothers or babies suffering the effects of extreme heat.

About a third of respondents said they had seen cases of low birth weight or restricted growth, feeding difficulties, and dehydration or heat-related illness, all resulting from what they believed was extreme heat.

Stiell will tell pre-COP delegates that “pregnancy should be a time of hope”.

“But for millions, it is becoming a time of anxiety, as climate impacts fill everyday life with risk.”

The pre-COP31 summit in Fiji and the remote coral atoll Tuvalu is seen by Pacific leaders as a chance to draw attention to life on the frontline of climate change.

They are a precursor to the larger UN-sponsored global climate summit – known as COP31 – to be held next month in Türkiye. (CNA/ AFP)

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