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Flush with outrage

IN the mid-2010s when I went to visit my family in New York, they had installed an electric bidet on their toilet. It was a relief, not to mention kind of cool. The Tushy was created by Miki Agarwal, half Indian, half Japanese, because she saw a gap in the market. The product was well received by the media. Its sales surged during the pandemic, due to the shortage of toilet paper. One report said Tushy sales were 10 times the norm; it even earned $1 million in a day. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and Zohran Mamdani, NYC’s newly elected mayor, announced he wanted to instal bidets in the official mayoral residence. Within hours, American media treated this as if he had suggested replacing the Ameri­can flag with a bidet. Fox News called it an “elite luxury”. Social media went wild, albeit with some hilarious memes. One Democratic insider told a reporter that the socialist mayor thinks he’s “flush with cash” to buy bidets. I was surprised. We’re talking about bidets. Basic hygi...
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Indian refiners avoid Russian oil in push for US trade deal: sources

Indian refiners are avoiding Russian oil purchases for delivery in April and are expected to stay away from such trades for longer, refining and trade sources said, a move that could help New Delhi seal a trade pact with Washington. The US and India moved closer to a trade pact on Friday, announcing a framework for a deal they hope to conclude by March that would lower tariffs and deepen economic cooperation. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Reliance Industries are not accepting offers from traders for Russian oil loading in March and April, said a trader who approached the refiners. These refiners, however, had already scheduled some deliveries of Russian oil in March, refining sources said. Most other refiners have stopped buying Russian crude. Trump says India ‘committed’ to halting purchases The three refiners and the oil ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The trade minister on Saturday referred questions about Russian oil to the foreign ministry. A foreign m...
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Police official martyred, constable injured during Nowshera raid

PESHAWAR: A police officer was martyred and a constable was injured during a raid in the Hakeemabad area of Nowshera district, according to police officials. The raid was conducted in connection with the ongoing investigation to arrest those involved in the Islamabad imambargah suicide bombing , according to the police sources. At least 36 people lost their lives, while scores more were injured after a suicide bomber ripped through the Friday congregation at the imambargah on the outskirts of Islamabad. An official of the Nowshera police said that during a late-night operation, following leads on possible facilitators of the Islamabad suicide bombing, an exchange of fire took place. The firefight was between personnel of law enforcement agencies and the suspected militants. “Yes, a raid was conducted in the district and an exchange of fire took place. An assistant sub-inspector was martyred and a constable sustained injuries in the crossfire,” the police official confirmed. The ...
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Pakistan, Canada stress cooperation in trade and investment in 6th round of bilateral consultations

Pakistan and Canada emphasised the importance of cooperation in trade and investment in the sixth round of Bilateral Political Consultations between the two countries held in Islamabad on Saturday. According to the Foreign Office (FO), United Nations Special Secretary Ambassador Nabeel Munir and the director general (Americas) participated in the consultations, while the Canadian side was represented by Assistant Deputy Minister (Indo-Pacific) from Global Affairs Canada, Ambassador Weldon Epp and High Commissioner Tarik Ali Khan. A press release by the FO said that the two sides expressed satisfaction over the steady growth of bilateral relations, marked by recent “substantive interactions ” between Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand. “They noted that these engagements had provided strategic guidance and momentum to the partnership and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepen these ties,” the FO statement said. ...
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From guardrails to gaslighting: How the Grok fiasco redefined AI accountability

If AI chatbots had a thug cousin, it would be Grok. Initially conceived as TruthGPT, a counter-punch to ChatGPT, Grok always had the makings of an outcast. Its founder, billionaire Elon Musk, described it as more ‘humorous’ and irreverent than its peers, a system less restrained by politeness or convention, and also marketed it as an AI chatbot willing to answer ‘spicier’ questions. When Grok was launched in 2024, it briefly carried the distinction of being the largest open-source language model — a technical milestone that gave it early credibility, even as other models quickly surpassed it in scale and performance. What Grok retained, however, was not technical supremacy but a badass attitude; it borrowed its swag by mixing bullying with bravado. As a result, some celebrated its political incorrectness as “the real troll”, while others found its ability to draw on X’s real-time public discourse strangely liberating, mistaking proximity to the social media platform’s chaos for auth...
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NBA Roundup: Brunson, Knicks outlast Nuggets in two OTs

NEW YORK — Jalen Brunson had 42 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, and the New York Knicks outlasted the Denver Nuggets 134-127 in two overtimes Wednesday night for their eighth straight victory. Karl-Anthony Towns added 24 points and 12 rebounds while playing with a bandage over his right eye after he was bloodied in a head-to-head collision in the first quarter. He fouled out in the first overtime, but Brunson took over with 10 points in the second extra period. Jamal Murray scored 39 points for the Nuggets, while Nikoka Jokic had 30 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double since returning from a knee injury last week. Denver lost its third straight, having fallen to conference leaders Oklahoma City and Detroit in his previous two games. The Knicks had won by an average of 24.7 points during their winning streak before Wednesday’s thriller in which neither team led by double digits. OG Anunoby scored 20 points.  The Nuggets lost starting forwards Pe...
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UN Security Council condemns ‘heinous and cowardly acts’ of terrorism in Balochistan

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has strongly condemned the series of terrorist attacks across multiple locations in Balochistan. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the UNSC said the attacks, which occurred on January 31, 2026, were carried out across the province and described them as “heinous and cowardly acts of terrorism”. The UNSC expressed its “deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims, as well as to the governor and people of Pakistan”. The council also wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured in the attacks. The statement reaffirmed that “terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”. It added that it was crucial to “hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers, and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice,” urging all states to cooperate with the government of Pakistan in accordance with interna...
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