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  • Raphael Graven’s online death wasn’t result of trauma: prosecutor

    Raphael Graven’s online death wasn’t result of trauma: prosecutor

    PARIS: A French video streamer who died during a livestream after days of abuse by other streamers did not die as a result of trauma or the intervention of a third party, court authorities said.

    France has been rocked by the death of 46-year-old Raphael Graven, known online as Jean Pormanove, who died during a livestream on Monday after enduring several days of violence and humiliation broadcast on platform Kick.

    The prosecutor of Nice in southern France, near where Graven died, said an autopsy showed no trace of traumatic injuries that could explain the death, and that the probable causes of death therefore appeared to be medical or toxicological in origin.

    Further analyses have been ordered to determine these causes, the prosecutor said, adding that Graven had cardiac issues and that he was undergoing medical treatment for his thyroid gland.

    In an interview with broadcaster franceinfo on Friday, Clara Chappaz, a junior minister for AI and digital technology, said that during some of the videos Graven can be heard saying that he wants the abuse to stop and that he wants to call the police.

    “The entire country is in shock about what has happened … We live in a world where reality has surpassed fiction, where we can see someone dying on a TV channel and people can watch this type of video with hours and hours of humiliation,” she said.

    She denounced what she called a “digital Wild West” and lashed out at Australian-owned Kick for insufficient content moderation.

    “This three-year-old platform is clearly very disconnected with what is really going on,” she said, adding that if inquiries show Kick fell short of online content standards, there would be “sanctions”, which she did not specify.

    Kick Francais has said it will cooperate with authorities and is undertaking a review of its French content.

    Chappaz said that French digital and audiovisual communication regulator Arcom had launched an investigation into the case and if it became clear that France’s regulatory framework was insufficient, regulations would be tightened.

    On Friday, Arcom said Kick had lifted the block on the channel “jeanpormanove” that the platform put in place after Graven died, saying it had done so to access its contents.

    The regulator condemned the move, which also allows the public to see videos on the channel again, and warned Kick it would consider taking action if the block was not reinstated.

    Read More: Raphael Graven: French Influencer Dies After Torture on Live Stream

    “Making the recordings on the ‘jeanpormanove’ channel available to the authorities does not justify lifting the channel’s block for the entire public,” Arcom said.

    Kick confirmed that the channel has been unblocked and that it was now available, with the exception of the final livestream, which Kick said it had provided to law enforcement separately.

    The output of the people who were livestreaming with Graven when he died remained banned, it added.

     

     

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  • Adidas visits small town to apologize for sandal design

    Adidas visits small town to apologize for sandal design

    VILLA HIDALGO YALALAG, Mexico: Adidas executives visited a small Indigenous town in the mountains of southern Mexico on Thursday to offer an apology over a sandal-inspired shoe design that Mexico’s government had blasted as cultural appropriation.

    The German sportswear company sent representatives from its Mexican unit to Villa Hidalgo Yalalag, a town in Oaxaca state, to deliver the comments in person after issuing a written apology last week.

    The issue related to the “Oaxaca Slip On,” designed by Mexican-American designer Willy Chavarria, which locals say closely resembles their traditional handmade huarache sandals.

    “We understand this situation may have caused discomfort, and for that reason, we offer a public apology,” Karen Gonzalez, head of Legal and Compliance at Adidas Mexico, told a few dozen people gathered at an outdoor sports field.

    The event included traditional music and attendees in Indigenous attire.

    Read More Eenie Meanie Movie Review: A Hidden Streaming Gem That Deserves Your Friday Night

    Gonzalez said Adidas would in future seek collaboration with Villa Hidalgo Yalalag to ensure respect for its cultural heritage. The community is home to fewer than 2,000 people.

    “Thank you very much for keeping your word,” said Mayor Eric Fabian. “(Our cultural heritage) is something we safeguard very carefully. Yalalag lives from its crafts,” he added.

    The controversy drew national attention earlier this month when Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum criticized Adidas and announced plans to explore legal avenues to protect Indigenous communities from alleged cultural appropriation by big companies.

    Mexico has previously accused other big-name global fashion players of exploiting Indigenous designs without consent.

     

  • UK government to take over Liberty Steel division after collapse

    UK government to take over Liberty Steel division after collapse

    LONDON: The British government said it will take control of a part of Liberty Steel, owned by commodities tycoon Sanjeev Gupta, after the business was placed into liquidation following a petition from its creditors on Thursday.

    A judge at London’s High Court approved the petition for Yorkshire-based Speciality Steel UK, one of Britain’s largest steelworks, to be placed into compulsory liquidation, describing the business as “hopelessly insolvent”, the BBC reported.

    The government would cover the ongoing costs of the business while it tries to find a buyer, the report added.

    The business, which employs 1,450 people and produces steel used in aerospace, defence and power generation, will be placed under a government-appointed liquidator and managers from consultancy Teneo, the government’s Insolvency Service said.

    The government’s takeover of the business marks its second intervention in the industry following its move to take control of British Steel’s loss-making Scunthorpe plant in April.

    Liberty Steel is part of Gupta’s family conglomerate, GFG Alliance, which has been refinancing its businesses in steel, aluminium and energy after its backer, supply chain finance firm Greensill, filed for insolvency in 2021. It also has operations in other parts of Europe, Australia and the United States.

    The company said the court’s decision was “irrational” and that the plan it had presented would have secured new investment into the steel industry.

    “Liquidation will now impose prolonged uncertainty and significant costs on UK taxpayers,” Liberty Steel Chief Transformation Officer Jeffrey Kabel said in an emailed statement.

    The government said it was committed to supporting the steel industry.

    “We know this will be a deeply worrying time for staff and their families, but we remain committed to a bright and sustainable future for steelmaking and steel making jobs in the UK,” a government spokesperson said.

    UK government take over liberty steel division after collapse
    uk-government-take-over-liberty-steel-division-after-collapse-2025-08-21/

  • INR to USD: Indian Rupee Rate against US Dollar Today

    INR to USD: Indian Rupee Rate against US Dollar Today

    MUMBAI: The Indian rupee weakened further on Friday against a stronger dollar ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, capping a volatile week for the Asian currency that has been pressured by U.S. tariff-related uncertainties.

    Currency Rates in Pakistan Today- Latest Updates

    The currency closed 0.3% lower on Friday at 87.5300, against its close of 87.27 in the previous session. It was down 0.02% for the week.

    The local unit, which opened at 87.4575 on Monday, saw sharp swings through the week due to domestic and geopolitical developments.

    Talks between the U.S. President Donald Trump and the Russian and Ukrainian presidents, coupled with the Indian government’s proposed tax cuts, pushed the rupee above the 87 handle for the first time this month on Tuesday.

    However, concerns over tariffs on Indian goods, which are set to take effect on August 27, and importers’ demand for the greenback weighed on the currency on Thursday when it posted its biggest single-day decline in a month.

    “Looming U.S. tariffs on Indian goods and criticism over Russian oil purchases kept sentiment weak, with continued downside risk (expected in) the rupee through September,” said Jigar Trivedi, senior currency analyst at Reliance Securities.

    Meanwhile, the dollar index was up 0.14% at 98.742, as of 3:37 p.m. IST, and inched towards the 99-mark ahead of Powell’s speech at the Jackson Hole symposium later in the day.

    His comments will be scrutinised for clues on a September rate cut and the policy trajectory for the rest of the year.

    Investors are pricing in an over 80% chance of a cut next month, but the question is whether Powell will push back against such aggressive expectations.

    While his recent comments have leaned hawkish, they came before the weaker July jobs report.

    Most Asian currencies traded lower on Friday, with the Taiwan dollar and Indonesian rupiah falling sharply against the dollar and leading losses, while the Korean won and Philippine peso climbed in intraday trade.

    DOLLAR RATE TODAY IN PAKISTAN- LIVE

  • FBI agents search ex-Trump adviser John Bolton’s home, source says

    FBI agents search ex-Trump adviser John Bolton’s home, source says

    WASHINGTON: FBI agents searched the home of John Bolton, a former adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump turned persistent critic, on Friday as part of a national security probe, a source briefed on the matter said.

    Federal Bureau of Investigation agents began searching his house in the Washington suburb of Bethesda, Maryland, at 7 a.m. as part of a probe ordered by FBI Director Kash Patel, according to the New York Post, which first reported the raid.

    An FBI spokesperson confirmed “court authorized activity” in the area of Bolton’s home.
    “NO ONE is above the law… @FBI agents on mission,” Patel wrote, without mentioning Bolton, in an X post shortly after 7 a.m.

    Bolton could not immediately be reached for comment. CNN reported that he said he was unaware of the law enforcement activity and was looking into it further.

    Bolton served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and as the White House national security adviser during Trump’s first term in office.

    He has since become a critic of the Republican president, calling him unfit to serve and writing a scathing book about his time in Trump’s first administration.

    Trump has repeatedly moved to wield the levers of presidential power against his perceived enemies since taking office in January, following his campaign promise of political retribution.

    It was not immediately clear why the FBI was searching the property.

    The Justice Department during Trump’s first term sued and started a criminal investigation into Bolton over allegations that the book, “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” contained classified information.

    A judge rejected the administration’s bid to block publication of the book in 2020. Both the criminal investigation and lawsuit were dropped in 2021 during the Biden administration.

    The president previously stripped Bolton of protective Secret Service detail that had been assigned after the U.S. Justice Department said Iran had threatened his life.

    Bolton has continued his criticism of Trump since he returned to office. After Trump’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, Bolton told CNN that Putin “clearly won” the summit and while Trump “did not lose” he looked “very tired” and there was no meaningful progress on ending the war in Ukraine.

    Bolton has also been critical of Trump-nominated FBI Director Kash Patel, telling NBC’s “Meet The Press” in December that the Senate should reject his nomination “100-0.” Patel was later confirmed.

  • Gaza City officially in famine, says global hunger monitor

    Gaza City officially in famine, says global hunger monitor

    UNITED NATIONS: Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, a global hunger monitor determined on Friday, an assessment that will escalate pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian enclave.

    The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system said 514,000 people – nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza – are experiencing famine, with the number due to rise to 641,000 by the end of September.

    Some 280,000 of those people are in a northern region covering Gaza City – known as Gaza governorate – which the IPC said was in famine following nearly two years of war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.

    It was the first time the IPC has recorded famine outside of Africa, and the global group predicted that famine conditions would spread to the central and southern areas of Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of next month.

    It added that the situation further north could be even worse than in Gaza City, but said limited data prevented any precise classification.

    Israel dismissed the report as false and biased, saying the IPC had based its survey on partial data largely provided by Hamas, which did not take into account a recent influx of food.

    “There is no famine in Gaza,” the Israeli foreign ministry said in a statement.

    For a region to be classified as in famine at least 20% of people must be suffering extreme food shortages, with one in three children acutely malnourished and two people out of every 10,000 dying daily from starvation or malnutrition and disease.

    Previously, the IPC has only registered famines in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.

    Even if a region has not yet been classified as in famine because those thresholds have not been met, the IPC can determine that households there are suffering famine conditions, which it describes as starvation, destitution and death.

    U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that the Gaza famine was a “man-made disaster, a moral indictment, and a failure of humanity itself”.

    He called for an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages still held by Hamas and unfettered humanitarian access.

    “People are starving. Children are dying. And those with the duty to act are failing … We cannot allow this situation to continue with impunity.”

    U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said that famine in Gaza was the direct result of Israeli government actions, and warned that deaths from starvation could amount to a war crime.

    The IPC analysis comes after Britain, Canada, Australia and many European states said the humanitarian crisis had reached “unimaginable levels”.

    U.S. President Donald Trump last month said many people there were starving, putting him at odds with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly said there was no starvation and blamed Hamas for creating food shortages.

    Israel controls all access to Gaza. COGAT, the arm of the Israeli military that oversees aid flows, said the IPC report ignored Israeli data on aid deliveries and was part of an international campaign aimed at denigrating Israel.

    “The IPC report is not only biased but also serves Hamas’ propaganda campaign,” the agency said.

    The U.N. has long complained of obstacles to getting aid into Gaza and distributing it throughout the war zone, blaming impediments on Israel and lawlessness.

    Israel has been critical of the U.N.-led operation and accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the militants deny.

    The IPC said the analysis released on Friday only covered people living in Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis governorates.

    It was unable to classify North Gaza governorate due to access restrictions and a lack of data and it excluded any remaining population in the southern Rafah region as it is largely uninhabited.

    It is the fifth time in the past 14 years that a famine has been determined by the IPC – an initiative involving 21 aid groups, United Nations agencies and regional organizations that is funded by the European Union, Germany, Britain and Canada.

    The IPC has previously assessed that there was famine in areas of Somalia in 2011, South Sudan in 2017 and 2020, and Sudan in 2024. The IPC says it does not declare famine, but instead provides analysis for governments and others to do so.

    A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week found that 65% of Americans believe the U.S. should help those starving in Gaza.

    Israel has long counted on the U.S., its most powerful ally, for military aid and diplomatic support. An erosion of U.S. public support would be a worrisome sign for Israel as it faces not only Hamas militants in Gaza but unresolved conflict with Iran, its regional arch-foe.

    The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

    The United States, Qatar and Egypt have been trying to brokeran an end to the conflict.

     

  • Helen Mirren says it’s great to see older people’s life experiences in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’

    Helen Mirren says it’s great to see older people’s life experiences in ‘The Thursday Murder Club’

    LONDON: Actor Helen Mirren, one of the stars of ‘The Thursday Murder Club,’ a movie about a group of retirees who enjoy cracking unresolved murder cases, said it’s great to see older people’s life experiences celebrated on screen.

    Eighty-year-old Mirren plays former spy Elizabeth Best in the new Netflix mystery, who along with her other impressive retired friends – played by Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie – find themselves with a real murder to solve.

    “We underestimate older people. I did it when I was 25,” Helen Mirren said at the film’s premiere in London on Thursday.

    “It’s absolutely right that young people feel as if the world is theirs and nobody’s ever done what they’re doing before, you know, but the reality is, of course, every generation has done everything that they’re doing.”

    Directed by Chris Columbus, ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ is based on Richard Osman’s 2020 best-selling novel by the same name.

    “I don’t plot at all,” Osman said of his writing process. “I literally have a rough idea of what might happen. I have a little twist somewhere, but I literally write a chapter at a time and see what happens,” he said.

    Read more: Helen Mirren reveals why she believes next James Bond should be male

    Describing the movie, one of the screenplay writers, Katy Brand, said it mixes “serious, heartfelt warmth” and moments of silliness, humour and satire.

    “This whole sort of genre that we have in this country of the sort of Sunday night crime drama … where amateur sleuthing goes on but it’s also got mischief to it.”

    As for the future, with three more novels in the series already out and a fifth instalment from Osman planned for autumn, he hopes there will be more films.

    “Certainly if it does well,” he said. “I think the cast had such an amazing time last summer filming this. So I think they’d like to spend next summer filming another one as well. Fingers crossed.” Osman said.

    Netflix will begin streaming ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ on August 28.

  • India’s top court revises stray dog policy after public outcry

    India’s top court revises stray dog policy after public outcry

    NEW DELHI: India’s Supreme Court modified its order on stray dogs on Friday, directing that those picked up from streets in and around Delhi be released after sterilisation and immunisation, after a storm of protests from animal lovers.

    Earlier this month, the court ruled that all stray dogs in Delhi and its suburbs be moved to shelters following a surge in dog bites and cases of rabies.

    Critics of the ruling had said it could not be implemented because there were not enough shelters.

    Many animal lovers took to the streets to protest against the order. Animal rights activists signed online petitions asking the court to revoke its decision.

    The court ruling also drew criticism from politicians and celebrities. India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called it a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”.

    On Friday, the court said that dogs picked up in the past few weeks in Delhi and its suburbs would be released after sterilisation and immunisation, barring those showing aggressive behaviour or signs of rabies infection.

    Former federal minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi told ANI news agency that she was happy with the “scientific decision” of relocating dogs back to their area.

    The court has not clarified what “an aggressive dog” is and this remains a grey area, she added.

    In April, the government said nearly 430,000 cases of dog bites were reported nationwide in January, against 3.7 million cases in all of 2024.

    India has 52.5 million stray dogs, a survey of homeless pets by Mars Petcare has shown, with 8 million canines in shelters.

    Media reports suggest Delhi alone has 1 million stray dogs. Reuters could not independently verify the figure.
    To curb public feeding of stray dogs, the court also directed the setting-up of designated zones.

    A three-judge panel of the court said the scope of the case would be expanded across India and the court would formulate a uniform policy for all stray dogs soon.

    “On behalf of the community dogs we serve, we thank the three-judge bench for its decision,” animal rights group PETA India said on Friday, urging people to adopt dogs and support sterilisation efforts.

  • South Africa clinch ODI series after Ngidi wrecks Australia

    South Africa clinch ODI series after Ngidi wrecks Australia

    South Africa grabbed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series against world champions Australia after Lungi Ngidi’s five-wicket haul secured their 84-run victory in the second one day international in Mackay on Friday.

    Electing to bat, South Africa posted 277 before being all out with five deliveries left in their innings.

    Matthew Breetzke (88) and Tristan Stubbs (74) smashed half-centuries and South Africa looked poised to cross the 300-mark at one stage.

    Not that it really mattered as Lungi Ngidi (5-42) and his bowling colleagues bundled out Australia for 193 in 37.4 overs to clinch the series with a match to spare.

    Josh Inglis made 87 for Australia, who folded for a sub-200 total for the fourth time in a row in home ODIs.

    Earlier, South Africa captain Temba Bavuma was rested as part of his workload management since a hamstring strain in June.

    Read more: Australia win T20 series against South Africa after Maxwell heroics

    Aiden Markram took over the captaincy but could not lead by example and fell for a duck in the second over after electing to bat first.

    Xavier Bartlett claimed a second wicket when he had Ryan Rickelton caught behind in the sixth over.

    Breetzke hit Aaron Hardie for two sixes and a four in the bowler’s first over and added 67 runs with Tony de Zorzi (38) to steady the innings.

    Adam Zampa (3-63) broke the stand in the 16th over when the spinner took a return catch from de Zorzi.

    Nathan Ellis dismissed Breetzke and Dewald Brevis but South Africa, at 233-5 in 40 overs and with two set batters in the middle, still looked in a perfect position for a late flourish.

    Australia fought back superbly in the final 10 overs, claiming the last five wickets conceding only 44 runs.

    Cameron Green equalled an Australia ODI record for a non-wicketkeeper taking four catches.

    Australia, who won the preceding T20 series between the sides, lost opener Travis Head and number three Marnus Labuschagne inside four overs.

    It could have been even worse for them but Stubbs spilled Green in the slips and Australia captain Mitchell Marsh at cover.

    Marsh could not make the most of the reprieve though and fell for 18 but Green (35) and Inglis soldiered on.

    Senuran Muthusamy took a return catch from Green to break the partnership and Lungi Ngidi effectively sealed the match when he had Inglis caught behind in the 36th over.

    The teams stay put in Mackay for Sunday’s dead rubber.

  • Putin prepared to meet Zelenskiy but legitimacy an issue, Lavrov says

    Putin prepared to meet Zelenskiy but legitimacy an issue, Lavrov says

    Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy but all issues must be worked through first and there’s a question about Zelenskiy’s authority to sign a peace deal, Putin’s foreign minister said on Thursday.

    Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump met on Friday in Alaska for the first Russia-U.S. summit in more than four years and the two leaders discussed how to end the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two.

    After his summit talks in Alaska, Trump said on Monday he had begun arranging a meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, to be followed by a trilateral summit with the U.S. president.

    Asked by reporters if Putin was willing to meet Zelenskiy, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: “Our president has repeatedly said that he is ready to meet, including with Mr. Zelenskiy”.

    Lavrov, though, added a caveat: “With the understanding that all issues that require consideration at the highest level will be well worked out, and experts and ministers will prepare appropriate recommendations.

    “And, of course, with the understanding that when and if – hopefully, when – it comes to signing future agreements, the issue of the legitimacy of the person who signs these agreements from the Ukrainian side will be resolved,” Lavrov said.

    Putin has repeatedly raised doubts about Zelenskiy’s legitimacy as his term in office was due to expire in May 2024 but the war means no new presidential election has yet been held. Kyiv says Zelenskiy remains the legitimate president.

    Russian officials say they are worried that if Zelenskiy signs the deal then a future leader of Ukraine could contest it on the basis that Zelenskiy’s term had technically expired.

    Zelenskiy said this week Kyiv would like a “strong reaction” from Washington if Putin were not willing to sit down for a bilateral meeting with him.

    WAR OR PEACE?

    European leaders say they are sceptical that Putin is really interested in peace, but are searching for a credible way to ensure Ukraine’s security as part of a potential peace deal with minimal U.S. involvement.

    Lavrov said it was clear that neither Ukraine nor European leaders wanted peace. He accused the so-called “coalition of the willing” – which includes major European powers such as Britain, France, Germany and Italy – of trying to undermine the progress made in Alaska.

    “They are not interested in a sustainable, fair, long-term settlement,” Lavrov said of Ukraine. He said the Europeans were interested in achieving the strategic defeat of Russia.

    “European countries followed Mr. Zelenskiy to Washington and tried to advance their agenda there, which aims to ensure that security guarantees are based on the logic of isolating Russia,” Lavrov said, referring to Monday’s gathering of Trump, Zelenskiy and the leaders of major European powers at the White House.

    Lavrov said the best option for a security guarantee for Ukraine would be based on discussions that took place between Moscow and Kyiv in Istanbul in 2022.

    Under a draft of that document which Reuters has seen, Ukraine was asked to agree to permanent neutrality in return for international security guarantees from the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council: Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.

    Any attempts to depart from the failed Istanbul discussions would be hopeless, Lavrov said.

    At the time, Kyiv rejected that proposal on the grounds that Moscow would have held effective veto power over any military response to come to its aid.