TWITTER POLL: Arab world should invest in space exploration

Above, an H-2A rocket carrying the Amal probe blasts off from Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan. (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/AFP)
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Updated 09 February 2021
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TWITTER POLL: Arab world should invest in space exploration

  • Mars probe ‘Hope’ launched from Japan last week on a seven-month voyage to Mars

DUBAI: A straw poll of Arab News readers has found that two-thirds believed the Arab world should invest more in space exploration.
The UAE’s Mars probe “Hope” launched from Japan last week on a seven-month voyage to Mars, the Arab world’s first venture into space.
Responding to the Arab News poll one reader said the “Arab world must prepare a large legend of scientists, engineers, doctors, global planners, desert cultivation agricultural agronomists.”

The 500 million-kilometer journey to the Red Planet, which will take more than 200 days, will start collecting information once it enters the Martian atmosphere.
The probe will study daily and seasonal weather changes and, during the course of a year, send information back to research laboratories for analysis.


Amal’s arrival in Mars’ orbit is expected to be in February 2021, which coincides with the 50th anniversary of the UAE’s formation.
The UAE is aiming to establish a Martian colony by 2117, and has already started designing its Mars Science City – a research center in the desert built to simulate the Martian environment.

Now take our new poll


Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028

Updated 49 min 22 sec ago
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Pakistan rover to join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore lunar surface in 2028

  • Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole, known for its challenging terrain, by China in 2028
  • Pakistan’s rover will conduct scientific experiments such as lunar soil study and conduct tests for human presence

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national space agency announced this week its rover will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission to explore the moon’s surface in 2028, describing the development as a “significant milestone” for the South Asian country. 

The Chang’E 8 mission is a robotic exploration of the lunar south pole by China, expected to launch in 2028. The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the country’s space program, said its rover will land on the lunar south pole in 2028 as part of the Chang’ E 8 mission. The south pole of the moon is known for its challenging terrain and potential scientific discoveries. 

In May, Pakistan launched its first lunar satellite aboard China’s Chang’e-6 probe, which was tasked with landing on the far side of the moon that perpetually faces away from the Earth. China was the first country to make such an ambitious attempt.

“SUPARCO’s rover, with an approximate weight of 35 kilograms, will join China’s Chang’E 8 mission, which is part of the larger International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) project,” SUPARCO said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s space program, as SUPARCO’s indigenous rover will be part of the mission to explore the lunar surface.”

SUPARCO said the mission would involve scientific experiments such as lunar soil study, lunar surface mapping and testing new technologies for human presence on the moon. It highlighted that the rover, equipped with state-of-the-art scientific instruments, would play a pivotal role in collecting data.

“This collaboration with China highlights the strong bilateral relations between the two countries and their shared vision for space exploration,” it concluded.


After ODI series win, Rizwan to lead Pakistan in first T20I against Australia today

Updated 26 min 6 sec ago
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After ODI series win, Rizwan to lead Pakistan in first T20I against Australia today

  • Pakistan to play three-match series against Australia on Nov. 14, 16 and 18 in Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart
  • Rizwan’s side defeated Australia 2-1 in three-match series last week to win first series in Australia since 2002

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan will lead his side for the first time against Australia in a T20I format at Brisbane today, Thursday, after steering the green shirts to their first ever ODI series victory against the 2023 world champions since 2022. 

Rizwan will become the 12th person to assume Pakistan’s T20 captaincy when he takes the field in Brisbane for the first T20I. Pakistan’s cricket team, encouraged by stellar performances from fast bowlers Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah, beat Australia 2-1 in the three-match series that concluded last week. 

After Thursday’s match, Pakistan will play against Australia in Sydney and Hobart on Nov. 16 and 18 respectively. Pakistani cricketers Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Sufiyan Moqim and Usman Khan joined the T20I squad in Brisbane on Nov. 11 after undergoing a five-day training camp in the southern port city of Karachi. 

“We are confident after beating Australia in the ODI series but international cricket is always challenging so we aim to do things as better as we can going into this T20I series against Australia,” Rizwan said a day before the match. 

“We have determined the roles of various players in the team and look forward to executing our best plans not just in this series but also in the upcoming white-ball fixtures against Zimbabwe and South Africa.”

The Pakistan captain said he wanted to keep all the players involved in the series motivated. 

“Of course, the conditions have helped the bowlers on this tour so far but we also want to prove our mettle as a batting unit and I look forward to an exciting contest in the three matches,” he said. 

Pakistan last faced Australia in a T20 contest in March 2022 when the two teams played a one-off T20I in Lahore, which Australia won. In Pakistan’s last T20I series in Australia in November 2019, the hosts won 2-0 after the opening match ended in a no result. 

Josh Inglis will lead Australia in the T20I series while Tim David and Nathan Ellis have joined Australia’s T20I squad. Josh Philippe, meanwhile, has replaced the injured Cooper Connolly.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (captain – wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Bin Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Usman Khan
 


Imran Khan forms committee to lead Nov. 24 protest to Islamabad, conduct negotiations

Updated 4 min 7 sec ago
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Imran Khan forms committee to lead Nov. 24 protest to Islamabad, conduct negotiations

  • PTI is protesting alleged rigging of elections, calling for release of political prisoners, independence of judiciary
  • Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment, election commission denies elections were rigged

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Wednesday he had formed a leadership committee to lead a planned protest in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 24 and conduct negotiations as his party prepares to launch an anti-government movement.

The jailed leader’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has announced a ‘long march’ to Islamabad over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary.

“I have formed a leadership committee to lead the protest and conduct negotiations,” Khan said in an X message from prison, urging his supporters to reach Islamabad for the protest and “not return until our demands are met.”

It was unclear who the committee would negotiate with, but in the past Khan has called for talks with the military, describing it as the “real decision-makers” as opposed to the “puppet government” led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. 

Regarding the Nov. 24 protest, the PTI’s first demand is a rollback of recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment that it says is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. The party is also calling for the release of all political prisoners, including Khan, and a return of “the public mandate” following what it believes was a rigged general election. 

Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment and its election commission denies the elections were rigged. The government also says the recent amendments related to the judiciary are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current PM Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics.

Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated.


Republicans win 218 US House seats, giving Donald Trump and the party control of government

Updated 22 min 4 sec ago
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Republicans win 218 US House seats, giving Donald Trump and the party control of government

  • A House Republican victory in Arizona and California gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. The GOP also controls the Senate
  • In 2016, the GOP also swept Congress, but many Republican leaders resisted Trump's policy ideas and the Supreme Court had a liberal majority. Not this time

WASHINGTON: Republicans have won enough seats to control the US House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on US government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. Republicans earlier gained control of the Senate from Democrats.
With hard-fought yet thin majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump’s vision for the country.
The incoming president has promised to carry out the country’s largest-ever deportation operation, extend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, seize control of the federal government’s most powerful tools and reshape the US economy. The GOP election victories ensure that Congress will be onboard for that agenda, and Democrats will be almost powerless to check it.
When Trump was elected president in 2016, Republicans also swept Congress, but he still encountered Republican leaders resistant to his policy ideas, as well as a Supreme Court with a liberal majority. Not this time.
When he returns to the White House, Trump will be working with a Republican Party that has been completely transformed by his “Make America Great Again” movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three that he appointed.
Trump rallied House Republicans at a Capitol Hill hotel Wednesday morning, marking his first return to Washington since the election.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,’” Trump said to the room full of lawmakers who laughed in response.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who with Trump’s endorsement won the Republican Conference’s nomination to stay on as speaker next year, has talked of taking a “blowtorch” to the federal government and its programs, eyeing ways to overhaul even popular programs championed by Democrats in recent years. The Louisiana Republican, an ardent conservative, has pulled the House Republican Conference closer to Trump during the campaign season as they prepare an “ambitious” 100-day agenda.
“Republicans in the House and Senate have a mandate,” Johnson said earlier this week. “The American people want us to implement and deliver that ‘America First’ agenda.”
Trump’s allies in the House are already signaling they will seek retribution for the legal troubles Trump faced while out of office. The incoming president on Wednesday said he would nominate Rep. Matt Gaetz, a fierce loyalist, for attorney general.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Jordan, the chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, has said GOP lawmakers are “not taking anything off the table” in their plans to investigate Special counsel Jack Smith, even as Smith is winding down two federal investigations into Trump for plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Still, with a few races still uncalled the Republicans may hold the majority by just a few seats as the new Congress begins. Trump’s decision to pull from the House for posts in his administration — Reps. Gaetz, Mike Waltz and Elize Stefanik so far — could complicate Johnson’s ability to maintain a majority in the early days of the new Congress.
Gaetz submitted his resignation Wednesday, effective immediately. Johnson said he hoped the seat could be filled by the time the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. Replacements for members of the House require special elections, and the congressional districts held by the three departing members have been held by Republicans for years.
With the thin majority, a highly functioning House is also far from guaranteed. The past two years of Republican House control were defined by infighting as hard-line conservative factions sought to gain influence and power by openly defying their party leadership. While Johnson — at times with Trump’s help — largely tamed open rebellions against his leadership, the right wing of the party is ascendant and ambitious on the heels of Trump’s election victory.
The Republican majority also depends on a small group of lawmakers who won tough elections by running as moderates. It remains to be seen whether they will stay onboard for some of the most extreme proposals championed by Trump and his allies.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, is trying to keep Democrats relevant to any legislation that passes Congress, an effort that will depend on Democratic leaders unifying over 200 members, even as the party undergoes a postmortem of its election losses.
In the Senate, GOP leaders, fresh off winning a convincing majority, are already working with Trump to confirm his Cabinet picks. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota won an internal election Wednesday to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longest serving party leader in Senate history.
Thune in the past has been critical of Trump, but praised the incoming president during his leadership election bid.
“This Republican team is united. We are on one team,” Thune said. “We are excited to reclaim the majority and to get to work with our colleagues in the House to enact President Trump’s agenda.”
The GOP’s Senate majority of 53 seats also ensures that Republicans will have breathing room when it comes to confirming Cabinet posts, or Supreme Court justices if there is a vacancy. Not all those confirmations are guaranteed. Republicans were incredulous Wednesday when the news hit Capitol Hill that Trump would nominate Gaetz as his attorney general. Even close Trump allies in the Senate distanced themselves from supporting Gaetz, who had been facing a House Ethics Committee investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.
Still, Trump on Sunday demanded that any Republican leader must allow him to make administration appointments without a vote while the Senate is in recess. Such a move would be a notable shift in power away from the Senate, yet all the leadership contenders quickly agreed to the idea. Democrats could potentially fight such a maneuver.
Meanwhile, Trump’s social media supporters, including Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, clamored against picking a traditional Republican to lead the Senate chamber. Thune worked as a top lieutenant to McConnell, who once called the former president a “despicable human being” in his private notes.
However, McConnell made it clear that on Capitol Hill the days of Republican resistance to Trump are over.


PM launches prevention program as over 33 million Pakistanis found to have diabetes

Updated 23 min 10 sec ago
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PM launches prevention program as over 33 million Pakistanis found to have diabetes

  • Additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance
  • Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday, National Diabetes Day, his government was launching a new program for the control and prevention of diabetes in a country where over 33 million people had the chronic disease. 

According to a new analysis in The Lancet journal released this week, the percentage of adults suffering from diabetes across the world has doubled over the past three decades, with the biggest rises coming in developing countries. 

The serious health condition affected around 14 percent of all adults worldwide in 2022, compared to seven percent in 1990, the Lancet study said. Taking into account the growing global population, the team of researchers estimated that more than 800 million people are now diabetic, compared to less than 200 million in 1990.

“At the Federal level, we will be launching the ‘Prime Minister’s Program for Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus’ under the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination,” Sharif said in a statement. 

“Objective of this program is controlling the disease in federal areas and improving capacities in all provinces for providing universal health coverage, diagnosis, and treatment for diabetic patients, along with raising awareness and behavioral change.”

With 33 million of its citizens having diabetes, Pakistan is on the list of countries with the largest diabetic populations. An additional 11 million adults in Pakistan have impaired glucose tolerance, while approximately 8 to 9 million with diabetes remain undiagnosed. 

“The major risk factors leading to diabetes in Pakistan are environmental and geographical reasons in addition to genetic variants, dietary, as well as inactive lifestyle,” Sharif said. 

“The Government of Pakistan is fully committed in controlling this escalation and delivering wellbeing to diabetic population.”

Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose.

Type 1 diabetes affects patients from a young age and is more difficult to treat because it is caused by an insulin deficiency. Type 2 mainly affects middle-aged or older people who lose their sensitivity to insulin.