Al-Khobar, Sep 8 The fifth international conference on diabetes and obesity updates (Saudi Endo 2025), organized by the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrine Association, has concluded in Al-Khobar.
The event was held under the patronage of Deputy Governor of the Eastern Region Prince Saud bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, featuring the participation of more than 60 doctors, consultants, and specialists from six Arab and foreign countries.
Discussing updates on diabetes and obesity, Saudi Endo 2025 culminated in seven key recommendations aimed at raising awareness, enhancing prevention and treatment, and improving individuals’ healthy lifestyles.
The recommendations emphasized boosting awareness and prevention efforts, intensifying early screening, and adopting the latest therapeutic technologies.
They also focused on continuous medical education and scientific research. They called for providing comprehensive patient care and supporting health policies that improve the quality of life and reduce the disease burden.

Tokyo, Sept 8 A former top diplomat dubbed the “Trump Whisperer” was the first candidate Monday to join the race to be Japan’s next leader, a day after premier Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation.
Former foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi is angling to lead the world’s fourth-largest economy as it faces fresh turbulence stemming from rising food prices and fallout from US tariffs on its crucial auto sector.
The long-dominant Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will elect its new chief, reportedly in early October, after Ishiba said Sunday he would step down after his party faired terribly in two elections.
“We have to move Japan forward, resolving difficult issues at home and abroad,” party heavyweight Motegi told reporters. “I have made up my mind to run.”
During a turbulent 11 months at the helm, Ishiba — initially seen as a safe pair of hands — lost his majority in both houses of parliament, dealing a major blow to the LDP that has governed almost continuously since 1955.
Repeated calls for him to take responsibility for the losses made his position untenable, reports said.
Motegi, a 69-year-old former LDP secretary general who was also trade minister, is among a clutch of contenders likely to emerge in the coming days.
With strong English, the Harvard-educated politician was dubbed the “Trump whisperer” for his deft handling of tricky US-Japan trade talks.
Another candidate is Sanae Takaichi, a 64-year-old hardline nationalist and one-time heavy metal drummer who lost out to Ishiba in 2024. She would be Japan’s first woman premier.
Shinjiro Koizumi, 44, the telegenic, surfing son of an ex-premier who was recently tasked with lowering rice prices as Ishiba’s farm minister, could also run.
Other hopefuls could include Yoshimasa Hayashi, Ishiba’s top government spokesman, and Takayuki Kobayashi, former economic security minister.

WASHINGTON, Sep 08 Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, has underscored the significance of Pakistan’s Defence Day and the enduring spirit of ‘Operation Bunyan-ul-Marsoos’, which, he said, symbolized the resilience of the South Asian nation and the valour of its armed forces.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Consul General of Pakistan in Chicago, Tariq Karim, he also drew attention Pakistan’s key strengths and achievements, including its strategic geographic location, abundant human and natural resources, demographic dividend, and a growing tech ecosystem.

The event, held at the Consulate General in Chicago, brought together prominent community members and senior elected officials, including Congressman Jonathan Jackson and Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, according to a press release issued by the Pakistani embassy.

The Ambassador spoke about various dimensions of the Pakistan–U.S. relationship, highlighting its strength and potential—particularly in the areas of economic cooperation, trade, and investment.

Emphasizing the role of the Pakistani-American community as a bridge between the two countries, he praised their contributions to strengthening bilateral ties and encouraged them to remain engaged, renew their commitment to Pakistan’s development, and explore and exploit opportunities to invest in its future and promote a positive image of the country.

The Ambassador also commended the services of Consul General Tariq Karim.

Earlier, the consul general welcomed the Ambassador, outlining the Consulate General’s key priorities and recent achievements. He highlighted the growing partnership between Pakistan and the U.S. Midwest, marked by increased trade, investment, and people-to-people connections.

At another event, the Pakistani-American Chicago Chamber of Commerce (PACCC) hosted a business roundtable for the ambassador for the Pakistani envoy.

The event was attended by members of the Pakistani-American business community and industry leaders from diverse sectors, including textiles and apparel, technology, energy, healthcare and venture capital.

In his remarks, Ambassador Sheikh emphasized the significance of the Pakistan–U.S. trade and investment partnership, noting that the United States formed Pakistan’s largest export destination. He reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to expanding bilateral trade in the coming years for the mutual benefit of both countries.

The Ambassador highlighted Pakistan’s investment environment that ensures competitive incentives, a skilled young workforce, and expanding infrastructure. He also noted Pakistan’s strategic geographic location as a natural hub for regional trade and connectivity, linking South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East.

He also briefed the participants on the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as a single-window operation for foreign investors and institutional underwriter of policy continuity. He invited American businesses to explore emerging opportunities in IT, trade, agriculture, energy, healthcare, mining, and minerals.

Ambassador Sheikh said that the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C., along with the Consulate General in Chicago remained fully committed to advancing economic diplomacy geared to positioning Pakistan as a reliable, long-term partner for U.S. investors and traders.

The PACCC top leaders include Naveed Anwar and Dr. Tariq Butt, outlined the chamber’s vision and objectives, noted that since April 2025 when the organization was launched it has worked closely with the Consul General to promote economic collaboration and diaspora-led entrepreneurship.

Participants discussed ways to improve access to U.S. markets, strengthen institutional linkages with Pakistani industry and foster greater business-to-business engagement, the press release said.

Consul General Tariq Karim, who also attended the meeting, thanked the PACCC leadership for turning the chamber’s vision into reality and appreciated efforts to connect business communities in both countries. He said that Pakistan’s trade and investment engagement with the U.S. Midwest is rapidly growing, and reaffirmed the Consulate General’s commitment to supporting diaspora entrepreneurs and fostering connections with credible partners in Pakistan.

Brussels, Belgium, Sept 8 Asylum applications to the European Union fell by 23 percent in the first six months of 2025, driven by a massive drop in Syrians seeking protection, the EU’s asylum agency said Monday.
Data from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) showed Syrians lodged around 25,000 requests in the 27-nation bloc plus Switzerland and Norway (EU+), down 66 percent on the same period last year.
“This remarkable reduction is hardly due to policy changes in the EU+,” EUAA said in a report, crediting instead the ouster of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.
“With the new Syrian authorities advocating for stability and reconstruction, many displaced Syrians have evidently become more hopeful about returning to rebuild their communities”.
Syrians, who long accounted for the most applicants, were now the third largest group, behind Venezuelans and Afghans.
In turn Germany was overtaken by France and Spain as the leading destinations for asylum seekers.
In total EU+ countries received 399,000 asylum applications in the first six months of the year.
Beset by economic and political turmoil at home, Venezuelans accounted for 49,000 of them.
The overall decrease will be welcomed in Brussels, as the EU has been under pressure to clamp down on migration, following a souring of public opinion that has fuelled hard-right electoral gains in several member states.
Earlier this year, the European Commission unveiled plans to make it easier to turn away asylum seekers and boost deportations.

TOKYO, Sep 8 :A total lunar eclipse was observed across Japan early Monday for the first time in about three years, delighting people with a rare celestial show.

A partial eclipse began around 1:30 a.m., followed by a total eclipse showing a dark red full moon that was visible from about 2:30 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. It was seen higher up in the sky in western Japan.

In front of Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome, people recorded the spectacle with cameras and smartphones. Cheers broke out and camera shutters clicked when the blood moon, known for its deep red hue, appeared through a break in the clouds.

“It was cloudy but I was able to capture some nice photos so it was all worth it,” said a man from nearby Higashihiroshima, though he had to go to work later in the morning.

A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking the Sun’s rays from directly reaching the natural satellite. The next such event visible in Japan will be on March 3, 2026, according to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.

Toronto, Canada, Sept 8When Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao first studied Shakespeare at her British boarding school, the young Chinese pupil did not even speak English.
So it has been a long journey to her latest film “Hamnet,” a poetic period drama that speculates on the life story of William Shakespeare himself, and is an early Academy Award frontrunner.
“It was so hard,” she told AFP, of her school days.
Zhao’s English teacher, Mr Robinson, would put classic texts in front of her and say, “Just stay after class every day. I’ll page-by-page help you,” she recalled.
The hard work appears to have paid off.
Premiering Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, Zhao’s “Hamnet” colors in the gaps of the little we know about William, his wife Agnes, their family and a tragedy that inspired arguably his greatest work.
It is based on the novel by Maggie O’Farrell, which drew on evidence that the Shakespeares had a son called Hamnet — a name that scholars say would have sounded indistinguishable from “Hamlet” in Elizabethan-era England.
Novel and film speculate that Agnes encouraged William to move to London solo and pursue his dreams in the theater, confident that their love was strong enough to endure the separation.
But in a time when death and heartbreak lurked around every corner, particularly from childbirth and plague, the marriage grows emotionally as well as physically distant.
“Maggie’s novel, it was like a poem,” Zhao told AFP.
“To see them fall in love and come together, be torn apart… it’s an inner civil war that we all battle with as we grow and mature.”
Zhao’s interpretation takes a more chronological approach than the novel, and does not skimp on harrowing depictions of grief, leaving many in the Toronto audience in tears.
It is the culmination of an astonishing journey for the director, from a self-described “weird exchange student” at England’s Brighton College to the top echelons of global cinema.
Zhao earned early acclaim with US indie hits like “The Rider” before 2020’s “Nomadland,” a semi-fictional drama about the road-dwellers of the American West that won three Oscars including best picture and best director.
After an ill-fated blockbuster detour with Marvel superhero flop “Eternals,” “Hamnet” marks a decisive return to more intimate, high-brow filmmaking for Zhao.
Zhao, 43, told the Toronto premiere audience she had spent her thirties making “horizon and sunset-chasing films” that were “very wide and expansive.”
Now “in my 40s, when I go through some difficult midlife crisis, I realized I was running away from myself, very similar to Will in the film,” she said.
Still, it seems that Mr Robinson’s diligent tuition has continued to shape Zhao’s identity as a director.
Noah Jupe, who plays an actor performing as Hamlet on stage at The Globe, said his character’s role was still being re-written and re-worked well into production.
Nonetheless, Zhao insisted that he memorize “every single speech” from the play, just in case required.
“It was a big burden, but I was excited and happy,” he told AFP.