Good morning. It's Tuesday, Aug. 23, and we're covering charges against a former Pakistani prime minister, the looming departure of one of the country's top medical advisers, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at [email protected].
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Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been charged under antiterrorism laws for threatening a judge and senior police officials in a speech Saturday evening, officials announced yesterday. Khan accused police of allegedly torturing his aide Shahbaz Gill, who is facing sedition charges, saying he would take action against the officials.
The arrest comes after the former leader's removal from office in a no-confidence vote in April. The opposition bloc then appointed Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister; Khan has been an active vocal critic of Sharif's government and has pushed for new elections. Khan's live speeches have been banned from television and temporarily blocked on YouTube by the government. Despite the news, the former leader retains a base of support, with hundreds gathering outside his home over the weekend.
Khan has been granted protective bail, halting his arrest until at least Thursday when he must appear before the antiterrorism court. If convicted, he could face several years in prison.
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Fauci Announces Departure
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Dr. Anthony Fauci announced Monday he would step down as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases by the end of this year. The 81-year-old Fauci expressed a desire to continue advocating for public health while traveling and completing a memoir.
Fauci has served as a federal public health scientist for over five decades, advising seven presidents in public health responses to HIV/AIDS, SARS, Ebola, Zika, and MERS, as well as the coronavirus pandemic. In early 2020, he rose to public prominence when he appeared in daily briefings with the White House Coronavirus Task Force as the COVID-19 pandemic progressed.
Fauci said his proudest achievement was helping to establish PEPFAR, a worldwide program to combat HIV/AIDS, which has saved an estimated 20 million lives and secured close to $100B in funding since 2003. Watch the trailer of a feature-length documentary on his career here.
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A cap delivering small electric currents to the brains of adults aged 65 and older has been found to boost memory for at least one month, according to an early study published yesterday.
In the study, Boston University researchers targeted specific areas of the brain with unique frequencies—a method known as transcranial alternating current stimulation or tACS (see 101)—while asking participants to recall five lists of 20 words. The tests, conducted for 20 minutes per day for four consecutive days, showed word recall improved by approximately 50% to 65%, or about four to six more words, during the trial and one month after treatment ended. Participants did not have diagnosed neurological diseases.
Such a cap could one day be used as an at-home intervention for people at risk of dementia, researchers say, though larger studies will be needed to see if the same results can enhance memory in people with neurodegenerative diseases and if the results can last for longer periods of time.
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
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> MoviePass, movie theater subscription service that shut down in 2019, to relaunch Sept. 5 with three monthly paid tiers (More) | Netflix's "Knives Out" sequel tapped for Dec. 23 release date (More)
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> US State Department discourages former NBA player Dennis Rodman from traveling to Russia in attempt to free Brittney Griner (More)
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> Alfalfa successfully grown in lab experiments mimicking the Martian soil; results suggest the crop could be the first to sustain a potential human colony on Mars (More)
> Medical researchers identify markers signaling the difference between beneficial and harmful inflammatory responses following severe illness; findings may allow doctors to intervene earlier when the immune system goes awry (More)
> Ancient insect specimen found trapped in 100-million-year-old amber represents the oldest physogastric insect, or bug whose abdomen can enlarge and elongate, researchers say (More)
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> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -2.1%, Dow -1.9%, Nasdaq -2.6%); Dow posts worst day since June (More)
> Elon Musk subpoenas former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey for information on Twitter’s spam accounts and users amid legal battle to end proposed $44B acquisition (More)
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> New York holds primaries today, with notable races including Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D, NY-10) and Carolyn Maloney (D, NY-12) facing off for the same seat following redistricting (More) | Florida also holds primary elections; more than 2 million early votes cast (More)
> Federal judge says proposed Justice Department redactions of search warrant used in search of former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence may be too extensive; deadline for proposed redactions is Thursday (More)
> The US, South Korea launch largest joint military drills since 2017; coordination was paused during Trump administration amid denuclearization talks with North Korea (More)
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Truly*Adventurous | Jason Boog. The tale of the original Pyramid Scheme, or an investment play based on a time traveler's insider information. (Read)
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Ars Technica | Timothy B. Lee. Blockchain network Ethereum is undergoing one of the most significant technological upgrades in the cryptocurrency world to slash energy consumption—and possibly open the door for regulation. (Read)
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