More than 880,000 people displaced in Syria
United Nations, Dec 17 (IANS) More than 880,000 people have been displaced since the latest escalation of hostilities in Syria, UN humanitarians said. UN partners estimated that around 6 per cent of the displaced are living with at least one form of disability, Xinhua news agency reported. “Return movements remain dynamic, with partners recording more […]
Martial law commander arrested over alleged insurrection
Seoul, Dec 17 (IANS) South Korea’s Army Chief of Staff Gen. Park An-su, who served as the chief commander during President Yoon Suk Yeol’s short-lived imposition of martial law, was arrested on Tuesday, prosecutors said. Park was arrested on a court-issued warrant on charges of playing a key role in an insurrection and abuse of […]
Significant damage reported as 7.4 magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu
Sydney, Dec 17 (IANS) A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck South Pacific Ocean nation Vanuatu’s capital of Port Vila on Tuesday, causing ‘considerable damage’ to some buildings, including a shared diplomatic mission. The quake hit 30 km west of Port Vila, capital of Vanuatu, at 12:47 local time, with a depth of 43 km, the US Geological […]
Israeli military says killed three Hamas commanders in Gaza Strip
Jerusalem, Nov 22 (IANS) The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) killed five Hamas fighters in an airstrike, including three commanders, the IDF said in a statement on Friday. The IDF said that the attack was carried out by Israeli Air Force aircraft overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, with intelligence guidance […]
Lankan President Dissanayake assumes charge as Defence Minister
Colombo, Nov 22 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Friday held a meeting with the commanders of the country’s tri-forces and senior officials as he assumed duties as the Minister of Defence. Dissanayake stated that his government, as a political authority, has no other objective than to provide the political leadership necessary to […]
Philippines breaks ground on massive solar farm
Manila, Nov 21 (IANS) The Philippines started building its largest single-site solar and battery energy storage facility on Thursday, the Department of Energy said. The Meralco Terra solar project spans 3,500 hectares of land across the provinces of Nueva Ecija and Bulacan, north of Manila, Xinhua reported. Once operational, the project is expected to generate […]
38 killed in attack on passenger vehicles in Pakistan
Islamabad, Nov 21 (IANS) At least 38 people were killed and 11 others injured in firing on three passenger coaches in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Thursday. The incident happened in the tribal district of Kurram where the vehicles carrying Shiite Muslims were targeted, the official sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The passengers […]
Zimbabwe records 70 suspected cholera cases, one death amid new outbreak
Harare, Nov 19 (IANS) A total of 70 suspected cholera cases and one death have been recorded in the Kariba District of Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland West Province since a new outbreak began in early November, the Ministry of Health and Child Care said. As part of the response, 1,007 out of a targeted 2,553 people in […]
Onagawa nuclear reactor in Japan resumes power output after 13 years
Tokyo, Nov 16 (IANS) A reactor at the Onagawa nuclear plant in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, has resumed power generation for the first time since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, its operator said. Tohoku Electric Power Company said that the Onagawa No. 2 reactor restarted power generation at 6 p.m. local time on […]
I’m a fool essentially providing free funding to OpenAI
San Francisco, Nov 16 (IANS) An amended lawsuit, filed by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in the US against Sam Altman-run OpenAI for abandoning its non-profit stance, has revealed some interesting email exchanges between them. Musk was OpenAI’s largest financial backer. In 2016, He contributed over $15 million, and in 2017 he contributed nearly […]
Methane alert system issued 1,200 emission notifications, only 15 responded to
Baku, Nov 15 (IANS) A high-tech system that identifies major methane leaks has delivered 1,200 notifications to governments and companies over the last two years, yet just one per cent of notifications were responded to, new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) data said on Friday. Despite commitments under the Global Methane Pledge to slash emissions by […]
Australia’s unemployment rate steady at 4.1 pc in October
Canberra, Nov 15 (IANS) Australia’s unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1 per cent in October for the third consecutive month. According to the latest data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the official unemployment rate was 4.1 per cent in October, Xinhua news agency reported. “This was the third month in a row that […]
150 Afghan drug addicts reunite with families after rehabilitation
Kabul, Nov 15 (IANS) A total of 150 drug addicts have completed rehabilitation and reunited with their families in Afghanistan’s Logar province. The individuals underwent a three-month medical treatment and rehabilitation program, during which they also received professional and vocational training. Upon recovery, they were able to rejoin their families, Xinhua news agency reported quoting […]
Canada confirms first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 bird flu
Ottawa, Nov 14 (IANS) The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) confirmed the first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 avian influenza in Canada. A teenager in British Columbia was hospitalised and tested presumptive positive for H5 avian influenza on November 9, and was later confirmed to have been infected with the H5N1 virus on […]
South Korea inks MOU with Poland on financial cooperation
Seoul, Nov 13 (IANS) South Korea inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Wednesday with Poland on expanding financial cooperation and asked the Eastern European country to help South Korean banks venture into the country. The MOU was signed in Seoul between Financial Services Commission (FSC) chief Kim Byoung-hwan and Jacek Jastrzebski, the head of […]
Angry China wants to deploy own security personnel to protect its citizens in Pakistan
Islamabad, Nov 13 (IANS) China continues to vigorously push the proposal of deploying its own security staff for thousands of its citizens working in Pakistan following several deadly attacks carried against Chinese workers in the country which have severely jolted Islamabad’s relationship with Beijing in recent times. The development comes after October’s car bombing outside […]
Police discover drug, detain nine in Afghanistan
Kandahar, Nov 13 (IANS) The counter-narcotics police have discovered a huge quantity of illicit drugs, including heroin, and arrested nine alleged drug traffickers in southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, provincial police spokesman Mullah Asadullah Jamshid said on Wednesday. The contraband, which includes 3 kg heroin, 122 kg opium poppy, 2 kg hashish and more than two […]
Bangladesh launches lounge for millions of migrants at Dhaka airport
Dhaka, Nov 12 (IANS) The Bangladeshi government has launched a special lounge for the country’s millions of migrant workers at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the capital, Dhaka. Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus inaugurated the lounge on Monday, terming migrant workers “nation builders.” He expressed his hope that the lounge would make their travel easy, […]
Mossad warns Israelis in Thailand to increase vigilance, avoid mass gatherings
Jerusalem, Nov 12 (IANS) Israeli intelligence and security agencies on Tuesday called on the country’s citizens staying or visiting Thailand to increase vigilance and pay attention to updates following “recent information” and in light of the growing fear of harm to Israelis and Jews throughout Thailand. “For the past several months, a number of events […]
Ishiba’s minority govt on bumpy road despite reassuming Japan’s premiership
Tokyo, Nov 12 (IANS) Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba held onto his position in a rare runoff vote, marking the first such election in the House of Representatives in three decades and underscoring the difficulties facing his leadership as he moves forward with a minority government amid mounting obstacles. The first round of lower house […]