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'I used maternity leave to launch my mug business'

EPR Properties Stock: Buy, Sell, or Hold?Amber Group's Subsidiary Amber DWM Holding Limited and Nasdaq-Listed iClick Interactive Asia Group Limited Enter into a Definitive Merger AgreementBERLIN (AP) — Harry Kane scored a hat trick including two penalties for Bayern Munich to beat Augsburg 3-0 in the Bundesliga on Friday. The win stretched Bayern’s lead to eight points ahead of the rest of the 11th round, and Kane took his goals tally to a league-leading 14. The England forward is the fastest player to 50 goals in the Bundesliga in what was his 43rd game. However, coach Vincent Kompany should be concerned by his team’s ongoing difficulty of scoring in matches it dominates. Bayern previously defeated St. Pauli and Benfica only 1-0. Kompany’s team had to wait until stoppage time before Kane sealed the result with his second penalty. Two minutes later, Kane scored with a header after controlling Leon Goretzka's cross with his first touch for a flattering scoreline. “We had to be patient,” Kane said. “And at halftime that’s what we said, to keep doing what we’re doing. We had a few chances in the first half and we just had to be a bit more clinical and obviously, thankfully, we got the penalty to kind of open the game up.” Mads Pedersen was penalized for handball following a VAR review and Kane duly broke the deadlock in the 63rd. Bayern continued as before with 80% possession, but had to wait for Keven Schlotterbeck to be penalized through VAR for a foul on Kane. Kane sealed the result in the third minute of stoppage time and there was still time for him to grab another. It’s Bayern’s sixth consecutive win without conceding a goal since it conceded four at Barcelona (4-1) on Oct. 23 in the Champions League. “You can see now that we have a solid defense and that's the basis, also in games like today's,” Bayern midfielder Joshua Kimmich said. “When it's a game of patience, then it's important for us to know that sometimes one goal will have to do. Like today we added two more before the finish, but in the end you only need to score one more than the opponent.” Bayern next hosts Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday, then Borussia Dortmund away in the Bundesliga next weekend, before defending champion Bayer Leverkusen visits in the third round of the German Cup. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Chaar Diwaari: ‘I Felt Like I Could Do Better’ on Scrapping His Previous EP

Wall Street stocks surged to fresh records Wednesday on hopes about easing US monetary policy, shrugging off political upheaval in South Korea and France. All three major US indices scored records, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average finishing above 45,000 for the first time. "The market at this point is looking for excuses to go up, and there's not really anything that might work against that narrative," said Steve Sosnick of Interactive Brokers. "Over the last couple of days, it's managed to ignore all sorts of inconvenient things and decided that the situation in France doesn't matter for them," Sosnick said of the stock market. "The situation in Korea doesn't matter." South Korea's stock market fell less than feared and the won rebounded from earlier losses after President Yoon Suk Yeol swiftly reversed a decision to impose martial law. In Europe, Paris stocks managed to advance as France's government faced looming no-confidence votes. Late Wednesday in Paris, French lawmakers voted to oust the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier after just three months in office, pushing the country further into political uncertainty. For the first time in over sixty years, the National Assembly lower house toppled the incumbent government, approving a no-confidence motion that had been proposed by the hard left but which crucially was backed by the far-right headed by Marine Le Pen. "Political turmoil in both France and South Korea provide a uncertain backdrop for global markets, with the likely removal of both Barnier and Yoon bringing the potential for both countries to find a fresh direction," said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets. Thomas Mathews, head of Asia-Pacific markets at Capital Economics, said the losses in Seoul could have been "much worse" had the president not aborted his plan. "Rarely does a combined sell-off in a country's stocks, bonds and currency feel like a relief rally," he said. Oil prices turned lower after surging around 2.5 percent Tuesday, mainly after the United States sanctioned 35 companies and ships it accused of involvement with Iran's "shadow fleet" illicitly selling Iranian oil to foreign markets. Major producers at the OPEC+ grouping led by Saudi Arabia and Russia were set to meet Thursday to discuss extending output limits. Back in New York, major indices were led by the Nasdaq, which piled on 1.3 percent to finish at a third straight record. Wednesday's gains came after payroll firm ADP said US private-sector hiring in November came in at a lower-than-expected 146,000 jobs, while a survey from the Institute for Supply Management showed weaker sentiment than expected in the services sector. But the lackluster data boosts expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates later this month. At a New York conference, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell refrained from tipping his hand, but he "didn't say anything that would scare the market," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. O'Hare noted that Wednesday's gains were led by large tech names such as Nvidia and Microsoft, which are major AI players. The boost followed strong results from Salesforce, which was the biggest gainer in the Dow with an 11 percent jump. New York - Dow: UP 0.7 percent at 45,014.04 (close) New York - S&P 500: UP 0.6 percent at 6,086.49 (close) New York - Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.3 percent at 19,735.12 (close) London - FTSE 100: DOWN 0.3 percent at 8,335.81 (close) Paris - CAC 40: UP 0.7 percent at 7,303.28 (close) Frankfurt - DAX: UP 1.1 percent at 20,232.14 (close) Seoul - Kospi Index: DOWN 1.4 percent at 2,464.00 (close) Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 0.1 percent at 39,276.39 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: FLAT at 19,742.46 (close) Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.4 percent at 3,364.65 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.0510 from $1.0509 on Tuesday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.2702 from $1.2673 Dollar/yen: UP at 150.56 yen from 149.60 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 82.71 from 82.92 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 1.8 percent at $72.31 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 2.0 percent at $68.54 per barrel burs-jmb/jgc

GM to stop funding development of Cruise robotaxisLNG Energy Group Reiterates Value Proposition and Announces Financing and Process to Review Strategic Initiatives

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By David Shepardson (Reuters) -General Motors said on Tuesday it will stop funding development of robotaxis at its majority-owned Cruise business, a blow to the automaker that had made the advanced technology unit a top priority. GM said it would not fund work on the robotaxis “given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market.” Last month, Cruise admitted to submitting a false report to influence a federal investigation and will pay a $500,000 criminal fine as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. The Justice Department said Cruise failed to disclose key details of an October 2023 crash to federal regulators in which one of its robotaxis in San Francisco struck and seriously injured a pedestrian. GM expects the restructuring will lower spending by more than $1 billion annually after the plan is completed by the end of June. (Reporting by David Shepardson and Manya Saini in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai and Chizu Nomiyama) Disclaimer: This report is auto generated from the Reuters news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content. var ytflag = 0;var myListener = function() {document.removeEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);lazyloadmyframes();};document.addEventListener('mousemove', myListener, false);window.addEventListener('scroll', function() {if (ytflag == 0) {lazyloadmyframes();ytflag = 1;}});function lazyloadmyframes() {var ytv = document.getElementsByClassName("klazyiframe");for (var i = 0; i < ytv.length; i++) {ytv[i].src = ytv[i].getAttribute('data-src');}} Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Wednesday to uphold Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The justices' decision, not expected for several months, could affect similar laws enacted by another 25 states and a range of other efforts to regulate the lives of transgender people, including which sports competitions they can join and which restrooms they can use. The case is being weighed by a conservative-dominated court after a presidential election in which Donald Trump and his allies promised to roll back protections for transgender people. The Biden administration's top Supreme Court lawyer warned a decision favorable to Tennessee also could be used to justify nationwide restrictions on transgender health care for minors. In arguments that lasted more than two hours, five of the six conservative justices voiced varying degrees of skepticism over arguments made by the administration and Chase Strangio, the ACLU lawyer for Tennessee families challenging the ban. Chief Justice John Roberts, who voted in the majority in a 2020 case in favor of transgender rights, questioned whether judges, rather than lawmakers, should weigh in on a question of regulating medical procedures, an area usually left to the states. "The Constitution leaves that question to the people's representatives, rather than to nine people, none of whom is a doctor," Roberts said in an exchange with Strangio. Justice Neil Gorsuch, who wrote the majority opinion in 2020, said nothing during the arguments. The court's three liberal justices seemed firmly on the side of the challengers, but it's not clear that any conservatives will go along. People attend a rally March 31, 2023, as part of a Transgender Day of Visibility, near the Capitol in Washington. Justice Sonia Sotomayor pushed back against the assertion that the democratic process would be the best way to address objections to the law. She cited a history of laws discriminating against others, noting that transgender people make up less than 1% of the U.S. population, according to studies. There are an estimated 1.3 million adults and 300,000 adolescents ages 13 to 17 who identify as transgender, according the UCLA law school's Williams Institute. "Blacks were a much larger part of the population and it didn't protect them. It didn't protect women for whole centuries," Sotomayor said in an exchange with Tennessee Solicitor General Matt Rice. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said she saw some troubling parallels between arguments made by Tennessee and those advanced by Virginia and rejected by a unanimous court, in the 1967 Loving decision that legalized interracial marriage nationwide. Quoting from that decision, Jackson noted that Virginia argued then that "the scientific evidence is substantially in doubt and, consequently, the court should defer to the wisdom of the state legislature." ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio, left, and plaintiff Joaquin Carcano address reporters after a June 25, 2018, hearing in Winston-Salem, N.C., on their lawsuit challenging the law that replaced North Carolina's "bathroom bill." Justice Samuel Alito repeatedly pressed Strangio, the first openly transgender lawyer to argue at the nation's highest court, about whether transgender people should be legally designated as a group that's susceptible to discrimination. Strangio answered that being transgender does fit that legal definition, though he acknowledged under Alito's questioning there are a small number of people who de-transition. "So it's not an immutable characteristic, is it?" Alito said. Strangio did not retreat from his view, though he said the court did not have to decide the issue to resolve the case in his clients' favor. There were dueling rallies outside the court in the hours before the arguments. Speeches and music filled the air on the sidewalk below the court's marble steps. Advocates of the ban bore signs like "Champion God's Design" and "Kids Health Matters," while the other side proclaimed "Fight like a Mother for Trans Rights" and "Freedom to be Ourselves." Four years ago, the court ruled in favor of Aimee Stephens, who was fired by a Michigan funeral home after she informed its owner she was a transgender woman. The court held that transgender people, as well as gay and lesbian people, are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. The Biden administration and the families and health care providers who challenged the Tennessee law urged the justices to apply the same sort of analysis that the majority, made up of liberal and conservative justices, embraced in the case four years ago when it found that "sex plays an unmistakable role" in employers' decisions to punish transgender people for traits and behavior they otherwise tolerate. Demonstrators against transgender rights protest Wednesday during a rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington. The issue in the Tennessee case is whether the law violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same. Tennessee's law bans puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors, but allows the same drugs to be used for other purposes. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, the administration's top Supreme Court lawyer, called the law sex-based line drawing to ban the use of drugs that have been safely prescribed for decades and said the state "decided to completely override the views of the patients, the parents, the doctors." She contrasted the Tennessee law with one enacted by West Virginia, which set conditions for the health care for transgender minors, but stopped short of an outright ban. Gender-affirming care for youth is supported by every major medical organization, including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Psychiatric Association. For many trans and nonbinary people, bathrooms can be complicated places to navigate — a fact highlighted by the death of 16-year-old Nex Benedict in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is far from an outlier when it comes to failing to provide safe and equitable bathrooms for transgender people. According to the Movement Advancement Project, which tracks LGBTQ+ policy, 13 states have a policy that prevents transgender people from safely or legally using public bathrooms. But data shows that even in states with trans-friendly policies, transgender and nonbinary people report high rates of harassment in public bathrooms. Advocates say everyday people can have a big impact in interrupting discrimination in gendered restrooms. The 19th shows how anyone can help prevent abuse. Sex-segregated restrooms have historically been a hostile space for Tat Bellamy-Walker, a Seattle-based journalist and Black gender-fluid trans person. In graduate school and at journalism internships, they had to go far out of their way to find all-gender single-stall restrooms they could use safely. "You never forget being told you don't belong in a restroom, you never forget not having a place to dispose of sanitary products if you're on your period in the men's bathroom," Bellamy-Walker said. "It's just clear you do not belong in public spaces." Allies can help tremendously by locating and pointing out gender-neutral bathrooms to friends or family who might need them. This is especially important for people planning events or parties. Make sure your space has safe bathrooms. Carrie Soto, a South Dakota parent of a transgender child, said she lives by the mantra "see something, say something." That means speaking up when there is bullying and harassment and volunteering to accompany a trans/nonbinary friend or family member when they have to head into a public bathroom. "Validate a trans person's fears and anxiety about the situation," Soto said. " If [my daughter] uses a gendered restroom and feels anxious, I go with." It may seem obvious, but transgender health advocate Jamison Green notes this step can really help trans people feel safe. Consider first that according to 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey , 59 percent of trans people avoided using a public restroom due to fear of harassment. Data from 2022 found that 6 percent of trans people said they were physically or verbally attacked while trying to use a bathroom, while 4 percent were denied access to a bathroom. "If you see someone who you clock as trans or nonbinary, just smile or pay them a non-provocative compliment. ... Wish them good day or good evening, and move on," Green said. "Of course that only goes for the women's room! In the men's room, talking is extremely rare." Green recommends that cisgender people offer a kind, silent nod. Twenty-two states and Washington, D.C., allow residents to opt for "X" gender markers on their IDs in addition to selecting "M" or "F." Still, in every state, regardless of laws, most bathrooms in government buildings, schools, businesses, places of worship and cultural institutions are gendered. Advocates say people can help change this by simply asking businesses and building owners for more options to accommodate all genders. "Advocacy is the most important part of the fight for transgender rights," Lambda Legal notes in its guide to restrooms. "And if employers adopt pro-trans policies proactively, instead of waiting for a transgender person to pave the way, there's much less chance of having problems down the line." The internet is full of rants not appropriate for a news article about people using the only single-stall gender-neutral bathrooms available not for safety but for ... well, pooping. As a result, gender-neutral bathrooms, especially in airports, are almost always occupied. There are many reasons why a cisgender person might need a single-occupancy bathroom (accessibility, illness, child care and, yes, even a little more privacy). Just like accessible stalls, it's a kindness to leave gender-neutral restrooms unoccupied when you don't need them. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Middle East latest: Israel bombs hundreds of sites across Syria as army pushes into border zone

Premier League issues two VAR statements on Liverpool's game with Newcastle - Liverpool.comOver the past decade, nearly 47 Chinese nationals have become the target of terrorism in Pakistan which left at least 30 Chinese dead and 17 wounded, primarily due to the perception that the development projects they are involved in are not align with the objectives of militant and separatist groups. This year alone, two suicide attacks and an armed clash with private security guards claimed the lives of seven Chinese nationals and left two others injured. The most audacious attack occurred at the Karachi airport on October 7, 2024, when a suicide bombing killed two Chinese nationals and wounded 11 Pakistanis. This incident took place just a week before the high-level Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took place in Islamabad. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group, claimed responsibility for this attack. This marked the second suicide attack this year and the seventh during the last six years which had targetted Chinese nationals in Pakistan. The first suicide attack this year occurred when a convoy of Chinese engineers, en-route to the Dasu Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla district, was attacked in the Besham area. Unlike the Karachi airport attack, no group claimed responsibility for the Dasu incident. However, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa implicated the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the attack. Both the TTP and the Afghan Taliban, however, denied involvement. Since China was the first country to formally appoint an ambassador to Kabul, and given the Taliban's expressed interest in joining the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the likelihood of the TTP, which has found refuge in Afghanistan, directly targeting Chinese nationals appears low. However, the unofficial alliance between the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the TTP raises concerns. This collaboration could incentivise the TTP to pursue actions aligned with the BLA’s broader objective: undermining the CPEC initiative and straining the Pakistan-China relationship. For the BLA, the CPEC program is incompatible with their separatist ideology, as they view it as an exploitation of Balochistan’s natural resources to benefit others. Who Benefits From Attacks On Chinese Nationals In Pakistan? In a move that may disappoint Baloch separatists, China and Pakistan recently announced plans to conduct their first joint anti-terrorism drill in five years, with Chinese troops expected to arrive in Pakistan by the end of the month. Additionally, China has reportedly sought the Afghan Taliban's cooperation in curbing the activities of Baloch separatists who use Afghanistan as a base for anti-China and anti-Pakistan operations. The history of targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan dates back to May 3, 2004, when a car bomb in Gwadar killed three Chinese engineers and injured 11 others. At the time, nearly 400 Chinese engineers and construction workers were involved in a $250 million project. This incident marked the first targeted attack on Chinese nationals in the country. According to data compiled by the Center for Research and Security Studies, by November 21, 2024, at least 19 terror attacks and street crimes targeting Chinese nationals had occurred in Pakistan Two days after the bombing, police apprehended 13 suspects believed to be involved in the attack. Former Home Secretary Abdul Rauf Khan confirmed that two of the suspects were Bengalis, one was from Gilgit, and the rest hailed from Turbat and Tando Adam. Timeline of attacks on Chinese nationals Data compiled by the Centre for Research and Security Studies by November 21, 2024, at least 19 terror attacks and street crimes targeting Chinese nationals had occurred in Pakistan. A detailed timeline of these incidents, along with information on the perpetrators involved, would provide a clearer understanding of the nature of these crimes and the groups responsible. On July 8, 2007, three Chinese workers were killed , and one was injured in an attack near Peshawar, Pakistan. Officials attributed the incident to terrorism linked to the Lal Masjid siege, though initial police reports suggested a possible robbery. Witnesses, however, stated that the masked assailants shouted religious slogans during the attack at a motorcycle factory in Khazana, 8 km from Peshawar. The victims were employed in the production of three-wheeled auto-rickshaws. Suicide Bombing Near Karachi Airport Kills Two Chinese Nationals On May 30, 2016, a remote-controlled explosion in Karachi's Gulshan-i-Hadeed area targeted a Chinese engineer but caused only minor injuries to the engineer's driver. A pamphlet from the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Party (SRA), opposing foreign control over Sindh's resources and projects like the CPEC, was found at the site. This was the first attack claimed by a Sindhi separatist group. The Chinese engineer, traveling without security, remained unharmed. Hundreds of Chinese workers were involved in projects like CPEC and the Thar coal power project in Pakistan. On December 15, 2016, a remote-controlled bomb exploded near a Chinese engineer’s convoy , escorted by the paramilitary Rangers, within the remits of Rohri’s Patni police station. Following the blast, police and Rangers detained around four dozen individuals during a combing operation. The detainees included activists from banned Sindhi nationalist groups Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) and Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (Bashir), as well as Bugti clansmen working at a Chinese-run crushing plant in Sukkur. On May 24, 2017, gunmen disguised as police officers abducted two Chinese nationals in Quetta's Jinnah Town, while a third escaped. The Islamic State (IS) later claimed responsibility for the incident and released a video on June 8 showing their alleged murder, which the government denied. Then-Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan revealed that the victims were Christian missionaries who had entered Pakistan on business visas but were reportedly preaching Christianity in Quetta under the guise of learning Urdu from a Korean national. The incident highlighted a significant security lapse. On December 30, 2017, in Islamabad, a robbery at a Chinese family's house in Sector G-10 in Islamabad escalated when the family resisted, leading to a Chinese woman being shot and injured . From Farm To Alarm: The Climate Crisis Facing Pakistan’s Agriculture On February 7, 2018, In Karachi's upscale Defence area, a Chinese national was critically injured in a gun attack by unknown assailants, with no group claiming responsibility. On August 11, 2018 in Quetta's Chagai district, a suicide bomber attacked a bus carrying Chinese engineers near Dalbandin, injuring six people, including three engineers. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility. This was the first suicide attack against Chinese nationals. On April 21, 2019, police recovered the body of a young Chinese man who had been missing for four days and was suspected to have been kidnapped. According to police, 29-year-old Li Jin Qiang had disappeared from the Jinnah Super Market area on April 15. His friend filed a missing person’s report, suspecting that Li had been kidnapped. On May 11, 2019, gunmen attacked the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar , Pakistan, killing five people, including a security guard, four hotel employees, and a Pakistan Navy soldier. The attackers, three armed men, were stopped while attempting to enter the hotel. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s independence, claimed responsibility. The group stated the attack targeted Chinese and other foreign investors staying at the hotel. On July 14, 2021, a suicide attack targeted a bus near the Dasu hydropower plant in Pakistan's Upper Kohistan district, killing 12 people, including nine Chinese engineers and two Frontier Corps personnel, and injuring several others. The attackers used an explosive-laden car to strike the bus. Pakistan initially blamed the attack on TTP, but the group denied involvement. Later, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister accused Indian and Afghan intelligence agencies of orchestrating the bombing. Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Celebrations Starts In Pakistan On July 28, 2021, a gun attack in Karachi injured a Chinese engineer working at a factory. Two masked assailants on a motorbike fired at a car carrying two Chinese nationals in the SITE area. One passenger sustained an arm injury, while the other Chinese national and their local driver escaped unharmed. The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), claimed responsibility for the attack. On August 21, 2021, a suicide bombing targeted a convoy carrying Chinese nationals on the Gwadar Expressway near a fishermen's colony. The attack failed to directly hit the convoy but resulted in the deaths of two children and injuries to three others, including a Chinese national. The bomber, a young boy, detonated the explosives approximately 15-20 meters from the convoy after being intercepted by plainclothes Pakistan Army soldiers providing security. On April 26, 2022, a suicide bombing outside Karachi University's Confucius Institute killed four people , including three Chinese nationals, and injured four others. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility, marking its first attack using a female suicide bomber. Shari Baloch, an MPhil student with two master’s degrees, carried out the attack. She was a member of the Baloch Students Organisation and came from a prominent family, with her husband a dentist and her father a government director[13]. On September 28, 2022, a shooting at a clinic in Karachi's Saddar area targeted a Chinese dentist couple and a Chinese cashier . A man posing as a patient, wearing a surgical mask, entered the clinic and opened fire, killing the cashier and critically wounding the couple. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack[14]. ‘Hum Saya’ Brings Attention To Plight Of Minor Girls Facing Forced Conversions On March 26, 2024, a suicide bombing targeted a convoy of Chinese engineers in Besham , Shangla District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. An explosive-laden vehicle struck a bus heading to the Dasu Hydropower Project, killing five Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver. Initially, the Afghan Taliban refuted Pakistan's claims of Afghan involvement, calling it an internal issue. Pakistan's military emphasised safeguarding 29,000 Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects. On April 30, 2024, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) confirmed that the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) orchestrated the attack, identifying Javed alias Sami as the mastermind and Gul Nisa as his facilitator. On October 7, 2024, A suicide bombing near Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport killed two Chinese nationals and injured at least 10 people. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted Chinese engineers working on a coal power plant project. The following table provides a summary of these events, highlighting the evolving trends and nature of violence against Chinese nationals over the years. It reflects a progression from the use of explosives to more targeted methods such as suicide attacks, carried out by various actors driven by their distinct ideologies and motivations. Attacks on Chinese infrastructure and investment projects in Pakistan In addition to incidents directly targeting Chinese nationals, several attacks have focused on Chinese infrastructures and investment projects in Pakistan. Facing Japanese Fury: A Baluch Batallion In The Malayan Campaign 1940-42 On November 23, 2018, an armed assault on the Chinese Consulate in Karachi’s Clifton area led to a prolonged shootout in which three attackers were killed. Two policemen and two Pakistani civilians sacrificed their lives defending the facility, successfully preventing any harm to Chinese nationals. No group claimed responsibility for the attack. On June 29, 2020, BLA targeted the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) due to China’s 40% ownership of the institution. The attack resulted in the deaths of three security guards and a police officer before the assailants were neutralised. Additionally, on April 16, 2023, a mob of Pakistani labourers at the Dasu Dam site attempted to lynch a Chinese engineer over alleged blasphemy. The incident reportedly stemmed from tensions after the engineer asked workers to expedite their tasks during the holy month of Ramadan, which they perceived as disrespectful to Islamic practices. While Pakistan has made multiple attempts to negotiate peace with Jihadi militants, separatist movements have been largely overlooked Noteworthy in these incidents are the regions, perpetrators, and the nature of the violence. These incidents were concentrated in four regions: Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and Sindh, while Punjab, the country’s most populous province, remained unaffected. The perpetrators came from diverse backgrounds, including Sindhi separatists, Baloch separatists, Jihadi militants, and religious extremists. These actors are byproducts of state policies shaped by the demands of global powers, which inadvertently created these "monsters." Over time, this menace has evolved into a Hydra, extending its tentacles in various forms and directions. To counter this colossal threat, Pakistan must go beyond conventional counter-terrorism strategies and critically reassess the policies that have fostered a societal inclination toward militancy over tolerance. All stakeholders must unite on a single platform and take decisive action against all forms of extremism in the country, avoiding the pitfalls of selective politics that condemn some forms of militancy while tolerating others. A selective approach will not achieve lasting peace. New Wave: How Chinese Pop Culture Is Shaping Global Trends And Diplomacy While Pakistan has made multiple attempts to negotiate peace with Jihadi militants, separatist movements have been largely overlooked. Even peaceful voices from Balochistan, such as the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) and the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), have faced indifference, despite their persistent and peaceful protests to highlight their grievances and appeal to the government for resolution.