Iran says above 100 people arrested over schoolgirl poisonings
Iran has announced over 100 arrests nationwide over the mystery poisonings of thousands of schoolgirls, charging that the unidentified alleged perpetrators may have links with “hostile” groups. In the wave of cases since late November, schoolgirls have suffered fainting, nausea, shortness of breath and other symptoms after reporting “unpleasant” odours on school premises, with some […]
Blast in Afghanistan’s Balkh province kills one, injures 5
A blast hit the capital of Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province on Saturday, police said, killing one person and wounding five a few days after the death of the province’s governor in an explosion claimed by the militant group Islamic State. “A blast has taken place in the second police district of Balkh,” said Mohamad Asif […]
BJP launches fresh attack on Rahul for remarks in UK
New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday mounted a fresh attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his reported comments in the UK as to why Europe and the US, the defenders of democracies, were oblivious to how a huge chunk of democracy in India had come undone. The saffron party fielded senior leader Ravi Shankar […]
Turkiye quake damage estimated to exceed $100bn: UN
Damage from the catastrophic earthquake that struck Turkiye and Syria last month has been estimated at over $100 billion for Turkiye alone, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “Already it is clear that just the damages alone will amount to more than $100bn,” Louisa Vinton of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) told reporters via video […]
Kejriwal extends support to Kapil Sibal’s new platform Insaaf
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday exhorted everyone to join lawyer and MP Kapil Sibal’s newly launched platform Insaaf to fight injustice. Sibal, an independent Rajya Sabha member, announced on Saturday he was setting up a new platform called Insaaf to fight “injustice” prevailing in the country, and sought support of the […]
China beating West in race for critical technologies, report says
Canberra: China leads the world in 37 out of 44 critical technologies, with Western democracies falling behind in the race for scientific and research breakthroughs, a report by an Australian think tank has found. China is in a position to become the world’s top technology superpower, with its dominance already spanning defence, space, robotics, energy, […]
High fever, long-lasting cough: Delhi under the grip of H3N2 virus
New Delhi: India is witnessing a bad bout of influenza, with patients showing high-grade fever and persistent cough lasting for about two weeks. Reports from various cities, especially the national capital region, show that the flu is aggressive and long-lasting with severe congestion. According to experts, the cases pertain to the H3N2 variant of the […]
FBI director says China lab leak likely caused Covid pandemic
Washington: FBI Director Christopher Wray has said the agency has assessed that a leak from a laboratory in Wuhan, China, likely caused the Covid-19 pandemic. “The FBI has for quite some time now assessed that the origins of the pandemic are most likely a potential lab incident in Wuhan,” Wray told Fox News. His comments […]
Syria landmine blasts kill 10 truffle hunters
DAMASCUS: Landmines planted by jihadists killed 10 civilians in central Syria on Monday, state media reported, in the latest in a wave of deadly incidents involving truffle hunters. “Nine citizens were killed and two others injured” when a landmine left by the militant Islamic State group blew up, the official SANA news agency said. It […]
Putin casts Ukraine war as a battle for Russia’s survival
President Vladimir Putin has cast the confrontation with the West over the Ukraine war as an existential battle for the survival of Russia and the Russian people — and said he is forced to take into account Nato’s nuclear capabilities. A year since ordering the invasion of Ukraine, Putin is increasingly presenting the war as […]