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Plea landed in FCC seeking ban on social media access for children under 16 <br> A plea was filed in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) seeking directions to the government to restrict social media access for children below 16 years of age, introduce a mandatory age-verification mechanism, and take measures to shield minors from cyberbullying, sexualised content, addiction, and other harmful material. Last week, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution recommending measures to restrict social media access for children under the age of 16 and ensure their safety in the digital environment.&nbsp;The resolution recommended measures to protect children from cyber harassment, online sexual exploitation and inappropriate content. It also called for an effective age-verification mechanism on social media platforms to identify underage users. The plea sought directions to the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to strictly enforce its Code of ...

Director Gibney says fear shadowed making of Elon Musk documentary <br> Many people were too frightened to speak publicly about Elon Musk, director Alex Gibney said on Tuesday, ​as he unveiled his marathon documentary about the billionaire entrepreneur at the Venice Film Festival. The nearly four-hour movie charts &zwnj;Musk&#39;s rise from the dotcom era to become one of the world&#39;s most influential figures, questioning how an unelected tech titan came to wield such sway over politics and public debate. &quot;There was a tremendous sense of fear of talking, really almost existential fear, both among people who were his ​critics, people who were his business colleagues and people who are his friends,&quot; Gibney said ahead of the screening of &quot;Musk&quot;. &quot;I ​talked to many, many, many, many people who, except for some of the brave people who ⁠are here, declined to speak.&quot; The Tesla and SpaceX chief has dismissed th...

Europe's largest carbon capture facility opens in Netherlands <br> Europe&#39;s largest carbon capture facility opened in the Netherlands on Monday, developed by Norwegian fertiliser company Yara International. The carbon capture and storage (CCS) facility in Sluiskil, in the southern Dutch province of Zeeland, will cut emissions at one of Europe&#39;s largest fertiliser production sites and transport captured carbon to Norway, Yara said. From 2026, Yara Sluiskil will capture and liquefy up to 800,000 metric tons of CO2 a year. The carbon will be transported and stored 2.6 km (1.6 miles) beneath the seabed on the Norwegian continental shelf by transport and storage operator Northern Lights. Over 15 years, Yara expects to remove about 12 million tons of CO2 from the site. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said the Sluiskil project offers a solution that is both scientifically advanced and commercially viable. Read More: Failed climate goal &quot...

Huawei, Xiaomi launch new foldable smartphones ahead of Apple event <br> Huawei and Xiaomi launched new flagship foldable smartphones on Monday, &zwnj;stepping up competition in China&#39;s premium handset market ahead of Apple&#39;s product launch later this week. Huawei&#39;s new Mate XT2 series, which fold out twice into a tablet-sized screen, features its Kirin 9050 Pro chip, a redesigned hinge, improved water resistance and a privacy screen that prevents nearby people from ​viewing the display. The devices are priced from 19,999 yuan ($2,980), with the top-end version costing 24,999 yuan ($3,725). Sales begin ​on September 12. &quot;Pricing right now is a real challenge, because memory costs have risen sharply. We ⁠adopted a lot of new technology, and the cost pressure has been enormous,&quot; Huawei Executive Director Richard Yu told a press ​conference. Huawei said the new chip design delivers greater computing power while using less electr...

China steps up satellite-based meteorological support for Nepal <br> China is stepping up meteorological support for Nepal following last week&#39;s mudslide disaster, providing satellite data and meteorological services to assist cross-border disaster monitoring and emergency response, according to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA). The administration has been providing Nepal with a range of meteorological products through MAZU, China&#39;s AI-powered meteorological early warning solution, including multi-source satellite data and products from the Fengyun-3 and Fengyun-4 meteorological satellite series. On Aug. 26, a severe mudslide struck the Gyirong-Rasuwa border crossing between China and Nepal. China&#39;s National Satellite Meteorological Center has continued to monitor precipitation and weather changes in the disaster-affected areas. China has also used high-resolution satellite data to track upstream ice-rock avalanche areas and river chan...

German space rocket reaches orbit in Europe's first commercial launch <br> German startup Isar Aerospace on Sunday said it would rapidly expand satellite deployments after the first &zwnj;orbital launch of its Spectrum rocket from Arctic Norway, a milestone for Europe&#39;s efforts to secure independent access to space. The uncrewed Spectrum became the first commercial rocket to reach orbit from continental Europe, marking a breakthrough for a region where several countries are seeking a foothold in the fast-growing market for ​satellite launches. &quot;Launch capability is right now the biggest bottleneck in the entire industry,&quot; Isar co-founder and CEO Daniel Metzler ​told reporters. He said privately owned Isar remains well-funded and that an initial public offering &quot;is not on the ⁠table&quot;. German Chancellor&nbsp;Friedrich Merz&nbsp;hailed Saturday&#39;s launch in a statement, calling it &quot;the beginning of ...