Infinity Social Updates

It took me about an hour to produce a 50-page-long children’s book. All it required was a handful of prompts to ChatGPT. The task was simple: Write a children’s story about a journalist living in the age of artificial intelligence, set at The Korea Herald , with a main character named Jane. Here’s what I got. Both the book cover image and the title were created by ChatGPT. And here are a few pages from the book: Readers can decide for themselves if the result is convincing enough to pass as something written by a human. But this experiment shows just how quickly a book can be made with AI, something South Korea’s publishing industry is trying to cope with, for better or worse. Publishing in the AI era Some say AI’s rise in publishing represents a change far greater than e-publishing, even akin to the advent of movable type. Already, the industry is seeing a surge in published titles, as AI dramatically speeds up the production process. Last year, the National Library of...

Advocate Salman Safdar formally submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday a seven-page report regarding incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s living conditions at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, amid concern from his party over his treatment. The PTI lawyer, who was appointed amicus curaie to visit Adiala jail, told the media after submitting the report that he met the PTI founder and visited his cell. At the time, he refused to divulge details of the report to the media. A copy of the report, available with Dawn, detailed the conditions of Imran’s confinement, including the facilities provided during his incarceration. Daily routine and diet According to the report, Imran’s daily routine varies between summer and winter. “He takes breakfast at around 9:45am, followed by recitation of the Holy Qur’an from approximately 11:30am for about an hour,” the report said, adding that breakfast consisted of coffee, porridge and a few dates. “He then undertakes physical exercise using t...

In international cricket, principle is often loud, emotional and instantly gratifying. Strategy, on the other hand, is quieter, slower, and frequently misunderstood. Pakistan’s decision to eventually agree to play India on February 15 falls squarely in the latter category, and despite the initial optics, it is the right call. The dramatic boycott call did what it needed to do early on. It created noise, unsettled the International Cricket Council (ICC), and earned Pakistan something it has been desperately short of in recent years: an ally . Bangladesh’s open friction with the ICC and India over security, scheduling and governance issues suddenly aligned its interests with Pakistan’s. A meeting between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials taking place in Lahore on Feb 8, 2026. — Screengrab via PCB video The alignment may be situational for now, but in a cricketing ecosystem where Pakistan often finds itself isolated, even a tempora...

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday took notice of the recent changes made by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) regarding solar consumers and directed the Power Division to file a review appeal against it. The power regulator on Monday changed the terms of contracts for all existing and future net-metered solar consumers — known as prosumers — to contain rising solar energy penetration and protect an expensive and inefficient state-owned power network. The notification effectively terminated the existing net-metering regime and replaced it with net-billing for all. A statement from the PM Office (PMO) issued today said the premier had taken “immediate notice” of the matter. The development follows outcry from senators across the political spectrum, including the ruling ally, the PPP, and the opposition, the PTI, in opposition to the NEPRA move. The PMO quoted the prime minister as directing the Power Division to immediately file a rev...

Ramesh Chandra, 44, from Gopalganj district in Bangladesh’s southwest, 127 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, has been making sculptures for over two decades. He is a voter in the Gopalganj-3 constituency, from where former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was elected for eight consecutive terms. Chandra has long supported Hasina’s Awami League. But this time, the situation is different. Following the mass student-led uprising on August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled to India. On May 10, 2025, the interim government, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, banned the political activities of the Awami League and all its affiliates, under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, a domestic judicial body founded by Hasina in 2010, is currently prosecuting Awami League leaders for “genocide” and “crimes against humanity”, related to the 2024 movement. Ironically, the same tribunal sentenced Hasina to death for ordering a crackdown on the 2024 p...

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to withdraw orders issued under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance for the detention of PTI workers in Karachi and parts of Sindh last week. The order came in response to a petition filed against the detention. A day earlier, it emerged that the provincial government had decided to release nearly 300 PTI workers. Government sources told Dawn that the “documentary process” had already begun. “So it may take some time, and by Tuesday evening, we may see the workers being released from prison,” said a source. During today’s hearing, the SHC directed the Sindh government to withdraw the MPO orders, warning that “if the orders are not withdrawn, the court will issue orders against the authorities”. The defence counsel, Barrister Ali Tahir, informed the court that “over 187 families were being affected by illegal detention orders”. He alleged that the “police had illegally raided the homes of party workers”, and...

Around a million children were missed and 53,000 refusals were reported during the year’s first nationwide polio campaign . The largest share of refusals, i.e. 58 per cent, was reported from Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi. The campaign concluded on February 5 in most cities, while the campaign ran till February 8 in Sindh. During the campaign, polio drops were administered to more than 44.3 million children, marking a significant milestone in Pakistan’s continued efforts to eradicate polio. While the data shows that the polio programme achieved overall household coverage of 98pc, with 2pc children missed, the number of missed children is still huge and worrisome given Pakistan’s population. Overall, 0.95m children were reported as missed during the campaign. A large proportion of these (0.67m) were missed because children were not available at home at the time of vaccination. During the campaign, 2.5 million guest children were vaccinated, likely covering a substantial share of...

“This bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition… You cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration becomes the source of your subordination.” — Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada, at Davos 2026 “After the war, we gave Greenland back to Denmark. How stupid were we to do that? But we did it, but we gave it back. But how ungrateful are they now? And then after the war, which we won, we won it big — without us, right now, you’d all be speaking German and a little Japanese, perhaps.” — Donald Trump, US President, at Davos 2026 “If anyone thinks that the European Union, or Europe as a whole, can defend itself without the US, keep on dreaming. You can’t. We can’t.” — Mark Rutte, Secretary-General Nato, speaking at EU Parliament Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney went to the World Economic Forum at Davos and told the world that his country — by extrapolation, all US allies — had lived a “pleasant...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced on Sunday that Basant festivities in Lahore could continue till 5am on Monday, extending the previous deadline that was set to end today. Previously, the Punjab government had given the approval for Basant celebrations in the provincial capital for just three days, from February 6-8. But the provincial chief executive said in a post on social media platform X today: “Looking at the incredible energy, festivity, unity, and joy across Lahore, Punjab and Pakistan … I am pleased to announce that Basant celebrations timings are being extended till 5am tomorrow morning.” She said the extension was a “reward for the people of Lahore” for celebrating Basant with great discipline and for responsibly following all safety standard operating procedures. “Please continue to celebrate safely, stay away from electric wires, secure your rooftops, and follow all guidelines. Let’s make this historic Basant joyful, safe, and memorable for everyone.” ...

IN the mid-2010s when I went to visit my family in New York, they had installed an electric bidet on their toilet. It was a relief, not to mention kind of cool. The Tushy was created by Miki Agarwal, half Indian, half Japanese, because she saw a gap in the market. The product was well received by the media. Its sales surged during the pandemic, due to the shortage of toilet paper. One report said Tushy sales were 10 times the norm; it even earned $1 million in a day. Fast forward to a few weeks ago and Zohran Mamdani, NYC’s newly elected mayor, announced he wanted to instal bidets in the official mayoral residence. Within hours, American media treated this as if he had suggested replacing the Ameri­can flag with a bidet. Fox News called it an “elite luxury”. Social media went wild, albeit with some hilarious memes. One Democratic insider told a reporter that the socialist mayor thinks he’s “flush with cash” to buy bidets. I was surprised. We’re talking about bidets. Basic hygi...

A South Korean cryptocurrency exchange apologised on Saturday after mistakenly transferring more than $40 billion worth of bitcoin to users, which briefly prompted a selloff on the platform. Bithumb said it accidentally sent 620,000 bitcoins, currently worth more than $40bn, and blocked trading and withdrawals for the 695 affected users within 35 minutes after the error occurred on Friday. According to local reports, Bithumb was meant to send about 2,000 South Korean won ($1.37) to each customer as part of a promotion, but mistakenly transferred roughly 2,000 bitcoins per user. “We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers due to the confusion that occurred during the distribution process of this (promotional) event,” Bithumb said in a statement. The platform said it had recovered 99.7 per cent of the mistakenly sent bitcoins, and that it would use its own assets to fully cover the amount that was lost in the incident. It admitted the error briefly caused “...

The White House is planning the first leaders meeting for President Donald Trump’s so-called “Board of Peace” in relation to Gaza on February 19, Axios reported on Friday, citing a US official and diplomats from four countries that are on the board. The plans for the meeting, which would also be a fundraising conference for Gaza reconstruction, are in early stages and could still change, Axios reported. The meeting is planned to be held at the US Institute of Peace in Washington, the report added, noting that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Trump at the White House on February 18, a day before the planned meeting. The White House and the US State Department did not respond to requests for comment. In late January, Trump launched the board that he will chair and which he says will aim to resolve global conflicts, leading to many experts being concerned that such a board could undermine the United Nations. Governments around the world have react...

Pakistan captain Salman Agha defended off-spinner Usman Tariq’s unorthodox bowling action on Friday and called him the side’s “X factor” on the eve of their Twenty20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands in Colombo. Tariq, who has played three T20 Internationals since his debut against South Africa in November, has been reported twice for a suspect bowling action in the Pakistan Super League. His bowling style culminates in him pausing near the crease before firing the ball in with a side-arm sling-shot action. The 28-year-old claimed two wickets in his second T20 International, against Australia, and Australia batsman Cameron Green — one of his two victims in that match in Lahore — made a chucking gesture after being dismissed as he made his way off. “I don’t understand why we are talking about his action because in my opinion it is a fair action,” Salman told reporters. “He has been tested twice and he has been cleared,” he said. “I think there is no problem in his action. Ye...

At least 31 people were killed and another 169 were injured when an explosion ripped through an imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers. Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris and panicked worshippers. The attack was widely condemned by political leaders and foreign diplomats, who labelled the incident “abhorrent” and “a direct attack on humanity, religion and social values”. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal strongly condemned the “cowardly” attack, writing on X that his heart went out to the victims’ families. “Pakistan stands united against terrorism — we will bring the perpetrators to justice,” he added. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry strongly condemned the attack in a post on X, expressing grief over the loss of lives in the “cowardly act”. He extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the recovery of the injured. “Such acts of terrorism cannot...