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WASHINGTON: A senior White House official on Thursday said nuclear-armed Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missile capabilities that eventually could allow it to strike targets outside of South Asia, including the United States. Deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said Islamabad's conduct raised "real questions" about its intentions. "Candidly, it's hard for us to see Pakistan's actions as anything other than an emerging threat to the United States," Finer said in a speech to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. The latest statement comes only a day after the US State Department said it was imposing additional sanctions related to Pakistan's ballistic missile programme, targeting four entities that it said were contributing to the proliferation or delivery of such weapons. The statement, issued on the State Department's website, said that the decision was taken “in light of the continuing proliferation threat of Pakistan’s long-range missile development”. It added that the four entities were being designated for sanctions pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 13382, which targeted proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. "Pakistan’s National Development Complex – which is responsible for Pakistan’s ballistic missile program and has worked to acquire items to advance Pakistan’s long range ballistic missile program – and Affiliates International, Akhtar and Sons Private Limited, and Rockside Enterprise – which have worked to supply equipment and missile‐applicable items to Pakistan’s ballistic missile program, including its long range missile program – are being designated pursuant to E.O. 13382 Section 1(a)(ii) for having engaged, or attempted to engage, in activities or transactions that have materially contributed to, or pose a risk of materially contributing to, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or their means of delivery (including missiles capable of delivering such weapons), including any efforts to manufacture, acquire, possess, develop, transport, transfer, or use such items, by Pakistan," read the statement. However, Islamabad reacted strongly to the development, terming the the decision as "biased" and stressing that the step from the US has "dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond". "Pakistan’s strategic capabilities are meant to defend its sovereignty and preserve peace and stability in South Asia. The latest installment of sanctions defies the objective of peace and security by aiming to accentuate military asymmetries. Such policies have dangerous implications for strategic stability of our region and beyond," Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. The Foreign Office stressed that the county's strategic programme is a sacred trust bestowed by 240 million people upon its leadership, adding that the sanctity of this trust, held in the highest esteem across the entire political spectrum, cannot be compromised. In September this year, Washington targeted five entities and one individual with sanctions, which were involved in the expansion of ballistic missiles and controlling missile equipment and technology to Pakistan. Department spokesperson Matthew Miller alleged that the Beijing Research Institute of Automation for Machine Building Industry had worked with Pakistan to procure equipment for testing rocket motors for the Shaheen-3 and Ababeel systems and potentially for larger systems. However, Pakistan categorically dismissed "unilateral" US sanctions on technology companies allegedly linked to the country's ballistic missile programme, calling them "unfair, unfounded, and uncalled-for". "Pakistan considers this action as biased and politically-motivated. Similar listings of commercial entities in the past were based on mere suspicion; involved items not listed under any export control regime and yet were considered sensitive under broad, catch-all provisions," said Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) had said. Similarly, the US — in October 2023 — imposed sanctions on three Chinese companies for supplying missile-applicable items to Pakistan. The sanctions also affected China-based firms Hubei Huachangda Intelligent Equipment Co, Universal Enterprise, and Xi’an Longde Technology Development Co. Pakistan-based Innovative Equipment and a Chinese national were sanctioned for knowingly transferring equipment under missile technology restrictions.
As the AI market prepares for a surge in 2025, IBM is emerging as an unexpected standout. Despite a recent stock price increase of 37% this year, or 44% when dividends are factored in, IBM remains an undervalued gem in the tech space. At first glance, IBM’s recent performance may seem underwhelming. Their sales grew by a modest 2% year-over-year in the third quarter, with earnings per share getting a slight uplift due to a lower tax burden. But a deeper look reveals a compelling narrative masked by cyclical market factors and strategic long-term planning. The infrastructure segment showed a 7% decline, primarily driven by a lull in IBM Z mainframe sales. This cycle, however, is expected to turn with the 2025 launch of AI-augmented System Z mainframes, which will feature IBM-developed AI chips. IBM’s strength lies in its strategic focus on long-term AI contracts rather than immediate sales spikes. Launched in 2023, IBM’s generative AI platform, watsonx, has already secured over $3 billion in multi-year contracts. This steady accumulation indicates a tipping point, as IBM is set to transform these agreements into significant revenue streams. Looking forward to 2025, CEO Arvind Krishna anticipates a notable growth in IBM’s portfolio, hinting subtly at a record-breaking performance. With IBM’s stock priced relatively low compared to other AI giants, the company offers a lucrative investment opportunity. As IBM continues to secure long-term contracts and gears up for a new mainframe cycle, savvy investors might find a golden opportunity in Big Blue. Why IBM Could Be the Next Big Player in AI by 2025 In the burgeoning landscape of artificial intelligence (AI), IBM is positioned as a frontrunner to watch closely, especially as the market is poised for a substantial boom in 2025. Amidst its evolving strategies, IBM presents intriguing developments that may place it ahead of its competitors in the AI domain. Capitalizing on Long-Term AI Contracts One of IBM’s most promising strategies is its focus on securing long-term AI contracts rather than prioritizing short-term gains. The introduction of the generative AI platform, watsonx, in 2023 is a cornerstone of this approach. This platform has already garnered over $3 billion in multi-year agreements, reflecting trust and anticipation from clients in IBM’s capabilities. These contracts are not merely symbolic but are poised to mature into robust revenue streams as they are fulfilled over time. Innovative AI Augmentation in Infrastructure The anticipated launch of AI-augmented System Z mainframes in 2025 is another strategic move by IBM that merits attention. These new mainframes will incorporate IBM-developed AI chips, promising enhancements in performance and capabilities that are aligned with cutting-edge AI technologies. This innovation is expected to invigorate IBM’s infrastructure sales, which saw a dip partly due to the existing mainframe sales cycle slowdown. Strategic Market Positioning and Future Insights While IBM’s current market performance shows modest sales growth, its underlying strategic positioning reveals a future of potential. CEO Arvind Krishna’s vision for 2025 suggests the possibility of record-breaking achievements for IBM’s portfolio. With the company’s shares currently undervalued in comparison to other AI titans, IBM presents a unique investment opportunity that could yield high returns as its strategic plans come to fruition. Market Analysis and Predictions Industry analysts predict that IBM’s foresight and calculated initiatives in AI might serve as key differentiators in the tech market. As the AI landscape continues to evolve, IBM’s integration of AI within its products and services is predicted to drive substantial growth, making it a firm to watch closely in the coming years. Conclusion In conclusion, amid the accelerating AI market, IBM’s strategic initiatives, including its focus on long-term contracts and innovation in AI-augmented infrastructure, solidify its potential as a leading force. Investors seeking a promising opportunity in the tech sector should closely monitor IBM as it strides towards what could be a breakthrough period in 2025. As the AI wave progresses, IBM stands out as a company combining visionary leadership with actionable strategies.
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Asia markets set to begin Christmas week higher; Nissan-Honda merger deal in focusUCF researchers used the James Webb Space Telescope to reveal one-of-a-kind attributes of (2060) Chiron, a distant “centaur” in space sharing properties of both a comet and an asteroid, giving clues to our Solar System’s origins in a newly published study. Although our Solar System is billions of years old, we’ve only recently become better acquainted with one of its more dynamic and captivating inhabitants known as (2060) Chiron. Chiron belongs to the class of objects that astronomers call “Centaurs.” Centaurs are space objects that orbit the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune. They are akin to the mythological creature they borrow their name from in that they are hybrid, possessing characteristics of both asteroids and comets. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, UCF Florida Space Institute (FSI) scientists recently led a team that found, for the first time, that Chiron has surface chemistry unlike other centaurs. Its surface it has both carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide ice along with carbon dioxide and methane gases in its coma, the cloud-like envelope of dust and gas surrounding it. The researchers’ results were in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. UCF FSI Associate Scientist Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, who now works at the University of Oviedo in Spain, and Assistant Scientist Charles Schambeau led the research. The new findings build upon prior discoveries from Pinilla-Alonso and colleagues that ) for the first time earlier this year. Those observations, paired with ones of Chiron, are creating foundational knowledge for understanding the creation of our Solar System, as these objects have largely remained unchanged since the Solar System was formed, Pinilla-Alonso says. “All the small bodies in the Solar System talk to us about how it was back in time, which is a period of time we can’t really observe anymore,” she says. “But active centaurs tell us much more. They are undergoing transformation driven by solar heating and they provide a unique opportunity to learn about the surface and subsurface layers.” Since Chiron possesses characteristics of both an asteroid and a comet, it makes it rich for studying many processes that could assist in understanding them, she says. “What is unique about Chiron is that we can observe both the surface, where most of the ices can be found, and the coma, where we see gases that are originating from the surface or just below it,” Pinilla-Alonso says. “TNOs don’t have this kind of activity because they’re too far and too cold. Asteroids don’t have this kind of activity because they don’t have ice on them. Comets, on the other hand, show activity like centaurs, but they are typically observed closer to the Sun, and their comas are so thick that they complicate the interpretations of observations of the ices on the surface. Discovering which gases are part of the coma and their different relationships with the ices on the surface help us learn the physical and chemical properties, such as the thickness and the porosity of the ice layer, its composition, and how irradiation is affecting it.” . — The discovery of these ices and gases on an object as distant as Chiron – observed near its farthest point from the Sun – is exciting because it could help contextualize other centaurs and provide insight into the earliest era of our Solar System, Schambeau says. “These results are like nothing we’ve seen before,” he says. “Detecting gas comae around objects as far away from the Sun as Chiron is very challenging, but JWST has made it accessible. These detections enhance our understanding of Chiron’s interior composition and how that material produces the unique behaviors as we observe Chiron.” Schambeau specializes in studying centaurs, comets and other space objects. He analyzed the methane gas coma and determined that the outflowing gas detected was consistent with it being sourced from a surface area that was exposed to the most heating from the Sun. Chiron, first discovered in 1977, is characterized much better than most centaurs and comparatively is unique, Schambeau says. The newly analyzed information helps scientists better understand the thermophysical process going on in Chiron that produces methane gas, he says. “It’s an oddball when compared to the majority of other Centaurs,” Schambeau says. “It has periods where it behaves like a comet, it has rings of material around it, and potentially a debris field of small dust or rocky material orbiting around it. So, many questions arise about Chiron’s properties that allow these unique behaviors.” The researchers concluded that the coexistence of the molecules in various states adds another layer of intrigue for studying comets and centaurs. The study also highlighted the presence of irradiated byproducts of methane, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide that will require further research and could help scientists further reveal the unique processes producing Chiron’s surface composition. Chiron originated from the TNO region and has traveled around our Solar System since its creation, says Pinilla-Alonso. The orbits of Chiron and many other large non-planetary objects occasionally experience close encounters with one of the giant planets where the gravitational pull from the planet changes the smaller object’s orbit, taking them all over our Solar System and exposing them to many different environments, she says. “We know it has been ejected from the TNO population and is only now transiting through the region of the giant planets, where it will not stay for too long,” Pinilla-Alonso says. “After about 1 million years, centaurs like Chiron typically are ejected from the giant planets region, where they may end their lives as Jupiter Family comets or they may return to the TNOs region.” Pinilla-Alonso notes that the JWST’s spectra showed for the first time Chiron’s plethora of ices with different volatilities and their formation processes, she says. Some of these ices, such as methane, carbon dioxide, and water ice, may be primordial components of Chiron inherited from the pre-solar nebula. Others, such as acetylene, propane, ethane, and carbon oxide, could have formed on the surface because of reduction and oxidation processes, she says. “Based on our new JWST data, I’m not so sure we have a standard centaur,” Pinilla-Alonso says. “Every active centaur that we are observing with JWST shows some peculiarity. But they cannot be all outliers. There must be something that explains why they appear to all behave differently or something that is common between them all that we cannot yet see.” The analysis of Chiron’s gases and ices opens new frontiers and opportunities for exciting research, she says. “We’re going to follow up with Chiron,” Pinilla-Alonso says. “It will come closer to us, and if we can study it at nearer distances and get better reads on the quantities and nature of the ices, silicates, and organics, we will be able to better understand how seasonal insolation variations and different illumination patterns can affect its behavior and its ice reservoir.” The JWST is the world’s premier space science observatory, and it is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe. The JWST is an international collaboration led by NASA with its partners the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. Pinilla-Alonso was a professor at FSI who joined UCF in 2015. Most of her work on this project was conducted while she was at UCF. Pinilla-Alonso also holds a joint appointment as a research professor in UCF’s Department of Physics and has led numerous international observational campaigns in support of NASA missions, such as New Horizons, OSIRIS-REx and Lucy. Pinilla-Alonso is a distinguished professor at the Institute for Space Sciences and Technologies in Asturias, within the Universidad de Oviedo. She received her doctoral degree in astrophysics and planetary sciences from the Universidad de La Laguna in Spain. Schambeau is an assistant scientist who received his doctoral degree in physics with a concentration in planetary sciences in 2018 from UCF. He subsequently joined FSI where he expanded upon his work examining comets and centaurs as part of UCF’s Preeminent Postdoctoral Program. Astrobiology, Astrochemistry,Netherton Syndrome Treatment Market Size Was The Highest In The US Among The 7MM Was ~USD 16.02 Million In 2022, Is Expected To Increase By 2032
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Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College will get the city’s second-largest auditorium by March 2025. The auditorium, with a seating capacity of 1,000, aims to meet National Medical Commissioner (NMC) norms and enhance the college’s infrastructure Dean-in-charge Dr Nilesh Dalal inspected the construction site on Sunday, located near the MGM Medical College hostel, and held discussions with the Bangalore-based contractor overseeing the project. At present, Indore’s largest auditorium is the Lata Mangeshkar Auditorium, built by IDA, with a seating capacity of 1,200. MGM's upcoming auditorium, estimated to cost Rs 20 crore, was initiated in 2016 but faced delays after MCI (now NMC) removed the mandatory requirement. Construction resumed last year under the PG Upgradation Project after receiving Rs 192 crore, with Rs 11 crore allocated to revive the project. Dr Dalal said that the auditorium will feature state-of-the-art technologies and vehicle parking facilities. Later, the in-charge dean also conducted a surprise inspection of the boys’ and girls’ hostels. He expressed satisfaction with the progress of ongoing work but raised concerns about accumulated garbage due to cleaning staff holidays. Dr Dalal also ate in the hostel mess, inspected food quality, and assured students that requests for additional water coolers and furniture would be expedited through a government reminder.Michigan defensive lineman Kenneth Grant declares for NFL draft
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