Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Watch Live

logo-black

Download App

Watch Live

Qurat ul Ain Khan Qurat ul Ain

Kazakhstan no longer allows Russians to stay indefinitely

by
Kazakhstan
  • Kazakhstan would no longer permit Russian nationals to enter.
  • The measure was suggested by the Interior Ministry.
  • Russian emigrated to Kazakhstan last year.

A government decree released this week states that Kazakhstan would no longer permit Russian nationals to enter the Central Asian nation indefinitely by performing so-called visa runs every three months.

From January 26, the Astana government will forbid the practice, requiring Russians and citizens of other post-Soviet bloc nations to depart the country for at least 90 days following the allowed three-month stay.

The measure was suggested by the Interior Ministry, which said it would provide the government with more control over immigration.

Tens of thousands of Russians, largely young and middle-aged males, emigrated to Kazakhstan last year when Moscow began its first conscription drive since World War Two due to its involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

Given that Kazakhstan and Russia have the world’s longest continuous land border and that Russian is a widely spoken language there, Russians avoiding the draught frequently choose Kazakhstan.

The ability to stay in the country de facto indefinitely – by leaving it and reentering every 90 days – has been another important factor.

However, the nation has had a difficult time adjusting to the inflow of Russians. Authorities in Kazakhstan claim that the exceptionally huge inflows were a factor in the country’s record-high inflation rate of more than 20% last year.

The conflict in Ukraine has also strained relations between Moscow and Astana since the latter has sided with peace advocates rather than its former Soviet master.

[embedpost slug=”/tennis-star-sania-mirza-intends-to-retire-after-wta-1000-in-dubai/”]

Read more

Philippines: Maria Ressa was found not guilty of tax evasion

by
Ressa
  • She was found guilty of the four tax evasion offenses.
  • She has been characterized as part of a pattern of harassment.
  • She would have been sentenced to 34 years in prison.

Maria Ressa, a Nobel laureate from the Philippines, has been cleared of tax evasion charges.

Ressa won after an appellate court’s decision on Wednesday, which she has characterized as part of a pattern of harassment by the administration of the late President Rodrigo Duterte to stifle critical reporting.

She would have been sentenced to 34 years in prison if found guilty of the four tax evasion offenses.

“Today, facts win. Truth wins. Justice wins,” an emotional Ressa said after Wednesday’s ruling.

“These charges as you know were politically motivated, they were a brazen abuse of power and meant to stop journalists from doing their jobs,” she told reporters.

“These cases are where capital markets, where rule of law, where press freedom meet. So this acquittal is not just for Rappler. It is for every Filipino who has ever been unjustly accused.”

Head of Rappler and co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 with Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, 53-year-old Ressa is known for its in-depth reporting and incisive examination of Duterte’s “war on drugs.” Official statistics show that more than 6,200 individuals died in police anti-drug operations, but human rights organizations believe that the number of fatalities was much higher.

The International Criminal Court opened an inquiry into drug killings as a potential crime against humanity.

Since then, Ressa and Rappler have endured what press freedom advocates say was a grinding series of criminal charges, probes, and online attacks.

[embedpost slug=”/journalists-maria-ressa-dmitry-muratov-win-nobel-peace-prize/”]

Read more

 Top US, Ukraine military leaders meet over ‘pressing needs’

by
Ukraine
  • US military official met face-to-face with his Ukrainian counterpart.
  • Soldiers’ immediate needs were discussed.
  • The conference comes as the international community increases military aid to Ukraine.

The two will meet for the first time in person as the international community increases military aid to Ukraine, including tanks and air defence systems.

As Russia’s war on Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, the senior US military official traveled to Poland and met face-to-face with his Ukrainian counterpart for the first time.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Ukraine’s top military leader, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, at an undisclosed location in southeastern Poland near the Ukrainian border.

Zaluzhnyi stated that he discussed his soldiers’ “immediate needs” with Milley on Tuesday.

Over the past year, the two leaders have spoken regularly about Ukraine’s military needs and the situation of the war, but they have never met.

The conference comes as the international community increases military aid to Ukraine, including the provision of a Patriot missile battery, tanks, and strengthened air defence and other weapons systems by the US and a coalition of European and other nations.

It also marked a significant milestone in the battle. Ukraine’s army is engaged in severe warfare in the eastern Donetsk province, where Russian forces backed up by thousands of private Wagner Group contractors are attempting to turn the tide following a string of battlefield setbacks in recent months.

Looking each other in the eyes

Milley’s spokesperson, Army Colonel Dave Butler, said the two generals felt it was vital to meet in person.

“These men have been chatting on a regular basis for over a year now, and they’ve gotten to know each other,” Butler explained.

“They’ve talked in length about the defense that Ukraine is trying to conduct against Russia’s assault. And it’s significant – there is a difference when two military personnel look each other in the eyes and discuss very, very important subjects.”

Butler stated that there was some hope that Zaluzhnyi would fly to Brussels this week for a meeting of NATO and other defense chiefs. When it became evident on Monday that it would not happen, Milley and Zaluzhnyi decided to meet along the border in Poland.

While various US civilian leaders have visited Ukraine, US President Joe Biden’s administration has made it plain that no uniformed military servicemen would enter Ukraine other than those associated with the embassy in Kyiv. Butler stated that only Milley and six of his top staff members drove to the meeting.

He stated that the meeting will allow Milley to transmit Zaluzhnyi’s concerns and information to the other NATO military leaders during the NATO summit.

Milley will be able to “explain the tactical and operational situations on the battlefield and what the military needs for that, and the way he does that is one by understanding it personally but also by talking to Zaluzhnyi on a regular basis,” he said.

Milley will also be able to detail the latest US training of the Ukrainian military at Grafenwoehr in Germany. Over 600 Ukrainian troops have started the enhanced training program.

Sending a message

This week’s meetings between Milley and Zaluzhnyi are the first in a series of high-level gatherings of military and defense leaders. Milley and the other defense chiefs will meet in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday. The Ukraine Defense Contact Group will then meet on Thursday and Friday at Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

The sessions are anticipated to focus on Ukraine’s current and future military requirements, as the hard-packed terrain of the winter months gives way to muddy roads and fields in the spring.

Zaluzhnyi estimated that Ukraine would require 300 tanks, 600-700 infantry fighting vehicles, and 500 howitzers to repel the invasion.

Over the weekend, the United Kingdom broke the taboo on heavy tanks by pledging a squadron of Challengers. However, it is insufficient to establish the foundation of the Ukrainian military. The US Abrams tanks have turbine engines, which are thought to consume too much fuel for Ukraine to field in sufficient numbers.

That leaves the Leopards, which Germany produced in large numbers during the Cold War and are currently used by militaries all over Europe. Poland and Finland have already stated that they will provide Leopards if Berlin grants re-export permission.

“We hope a few partners, allies would supply tanks to Ukraine,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday.

[embedpost slug=”/ukraine-mourns-the-dnipro-attack-victims-with-heavy-hearts/”]

Read more

Bodies returned to mourning families after Nepal plane tragedy

by
tragedy

Hospitals started the gruesome process of giving the bodies. Six children and 15 foreigners were among the passengers. Drones were being employed in the hunt for the two remaining bodies. Nepali hospitals started the gruesome process of giving the bodies of the victims of the plane tragedy to their bereaved families. As it reached Pokhara, … Read more

Nepal plane crash: Details about the victims

by
Nepal
  • The plane crashed near the airport in Pokhara.
  • According to officials, 53 of the passengers were on board.
  • It is unclear what caused the crash.

The Nepal plane crash, the country’s biggest flying disaster in three decades, is believed to have killed 72 people.

According to officials, 53 of the passengers were Nepalese, five Indians, four Russians, and two Koreans. Other passengers on board are said to have come from the United Kingdom, Australia, Argentina, and France.

The plane crashed near the airport in Pokhara, a tourist destination. It is unclear what caused the crash.

Here are some of those on board who lost their lives.

Australian Myron Love

Authorities in Australia have verified that Myron Love, a 29-year-old Sydney teacher, was among those killed.

Friends have paid homage the enthusiastic biker and surfer as a “really lovely, happy, vibrant man”, with one telling local media he had “never met a more honest bloke in my life”.

His family claimed in a statement that Myron was their rock.

“He has packed so much into his brief existence that most of us could not squeeze into our entire lives.”

A soldier from South Korea and his son

The father, Yoo, 45, was a sergeant in the South Korean army. During his 14-year-old son’s winter break from school, he was on vacation with him.

On January 14, the two left South Korea for a hiking excursion in the Himalayas. They had been messaging their families on the day of the event, but the families had not heard from them after the flight’s scheduled arrival time had passed, according to South Korean media.

They informed their relatives that they had travelled from India to Nepal on that particular day. According to sources, they intended to visit many locations in Nepal.

Sonu Jaiswal, Anil Rajbhar, Abhishek Kushwaha, and Vishal Sharma

The four men, all thought to be in their 20s or early 30s, were from Ghazipur in India’s Uttar Pradesh state. They were among five Indians on board.

Locals in Ghazipur said they had gone to Nepal on 13 January to visit the Pashupatinath temple, a grand shrine on the outskirts of Kathmandu which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

The trip was reportedly Jaiswal’s idea – a father of three, he wanted to pray at the temple for another son.

They planned to go paragliding in Pokhara. Jaiswal was livestreaming as the plane came in to land.

[embedpost slug=”/nepal-an-indian-passengers-video-captured-the-planes/”]

Singer Nira Chhantyal

Nira was a singer who frequently travelled with Yeti Airlines. Low-cost air travel has become a popular and cheap means for Nepal’s middle class to traverse the mountainous country.

Nira, who had recently relocated to Kathmandu, was on her way to play at a music festival in Pokhara.

“She was a very talented artist, and used to sing folk songs. She would often sing spontaneously,” her friend Bhimsen told

“I have no words to describe the loss.”

Anju Khatiwada, co-pilot

Yeti Airlines flight 691 was co-piloted by Anju Khatiwada. Anju was a trailblazer, one of only six female pilots hired by the airline, and she had flown nearly 6,400 hours.

 

“She was a full captain at the airline who had done solo flights,” Yeti Airlines’ Sudarshan Bartaula said. “She was a brave woman.”

Her husband Dipak Pokhrel was also co-piloting a Yeti Airlines flight when it crashed in 2006, and his death inspired Anju to seek a career in aviation.

[embedpost slug=”/nepal-plane-crashed-anju-khatiwadas-husband-also-died-in-a-plane-crash-16-years-ago/”]

Read more

Germany: Greta Thunberg had not been arrested

by
Greta
  • Greta Thunberg was temporarily held by police at a rally.
  • She had been released after an ID check.
  • Police clarified that Ms. Thunberg had not been arrested.

Greta Thunberg, a climate activist, was temporarily held by police at a rally in western Germany.

She was demonstrating with campaigners to prevent the demolition of the abandoned community of Lützerath for the construction of a coal mine.

Police clarified that Ms. Thunberg had not been arrested, and later said she had been released after an ID check.

According to police, the Swedish activist was apprehended as a group “rushed towards the ledge” of the Garzweiler 2 mine.

Activists claim that coal combustion hampers Germany’s efforts to minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

The administration has promised to move the phase-out of coal in North Rhine-Westphalia, the state where the mine is located, to 2030. The national goal is 2038.

The dirtiest type of coal is lignite, and the area around Lützerath produces 25 million tonnes of it each year.

The government claims that expanding the mine is necessary to meet German energy demand while dealing with the disruption of Russian gas.

Protest organizers estimated that 35,000 people showed up on Saturday, while police estimated that the number was closer to 15,000 people.

Over the weekend, police reported they were able to remove all activists from the town.

[embedpost slug=”/1890s-pic-disclosure-some-say-greta-thunberg-is-a-time-traveller/”]

Read more

Elon Musk trial: Prospective jurors name him as narcissistic, smart

by
Elon
  • The case revolves around his 2018 tweet announcing his intention to take Tesla private.
  • Mr. Musk is being sued by Tesla shareholders.
  • Mr. Musk might be ordered to pay billions of dollars in damages.

Prospective jurors in a civil action against Elon Musk have voiced conflicting views of the Tesla leader, with some calling him smart and others suggesting he is “off his rocker”.

Mr. Musk is being sued by Tesla shareholders for allegedly manipulating the Tesla share price.

The case revolves around his 2018 tweet announcing his intention to take Tesla private.

Because of this position, US regulators ousted Mr. Musk as Tesla chairman.

On 7 August 2018, he tweeted that he had “funding secured” to take the carmaker private in what would be a $72bn (£58.7bn) buyout. No such deal went ahead.

Shareholders claim the tweet lost them billions of dollars after the stock price crashed.

The Tesla CEO, on the other hand, said that he thought he had secured finance from Saudi Arabia’s Investment Fund and thus did not commit securities fraud.

The case revolves around his 2018 tweet announcing his intention to take Tesla private.

Because of this position, US regulators ousted Mr. Musk as Tesla chairman.

“On a personal level, I think he’s a touch off his rocker,” one potential juror remarked on a form questioning if they could be impartial.

“I truly believe you can’t judge a person until you walk in their shoes,” said another possible juror, who added that Mr. Musk seemed “narcissistic”.

Another person said Mr. Musk had a “mercenary” demeanor since he’s “ready to take risks… that’s my view of him”.

Another termed him a “fast-rising business guy”, while yet another said he was a “clever, successful pioneer”.

Elon Musk trial

When the judge inquired if she would be biased against him, the woman replied, “A lot of individuals are not always likable people…. sometimes I don’t like my husband.”

A jury of nine members was eventually chosen, and opening arguments are scheduled to begin on Wednesday.

Mr. Musk had requested that the trial be transferred to Texas, claiming that a fair jury could not be found in San Francisco.

He said that major layoffs at Twitter, which he purchased last year, impacted many employees in the California city.

Mr. Musk’s lawyers contended that a significant majority of potential jurors had a negative opinion of the billionaire.

However, the judge said on Friday that the trial would take place in California.

If a jury in San Francisco judges in favor of the shareholders, Mr. Musk might be ordered to pay billions of dollars in damages.

He has already paid the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) $20 million for the tweet, and Tesla must pay a further $20 million.

His tweet has become famous in Silicon Valley, demonstrating the tremendous power of 140 characters on Twitter.

Legal experts believe Mr. Musk’s challenge will be tough to win, and that the punishment he paid to the SEC will be used against him in the case. Jury trials in cases of fraud, on the other hand, are notoriously difficult to predict.

Mr. Musk may be called to testify under oath in the case. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and media magnate James Murdoch are among the witnesses.

It is projected to last approximately three weeks.

[embedpost slug=”/elon-musks-trial-started-which-cost-him-over-20-million-dollar-after-tesla-tweet/”]

Read more

Former EU Member Pier Antonio Panzeri Agrees To ‘tell All’

by
EU
  • The former European Parliament member is one of four suspects being arrested in Belgium.
  • They are suspected of accepting bribes from Qatar and Morocco
  • A criminal network implicated in an EU corruption scandal has volunteered to expose it.

An alleged leader of a criminal network implicated in an EU corruption scandal has volunteered to expose the countries involved and how the network operates.

Pier Antonio Panzeri’s lawyer said his client promised to “tell all” after reaching an agreement with prosecutors.

The former European Parliament member is one of four suspects being arrested in Belgium.

They are suspected of accepting bribes from Qatar and Morocco in exchange for influencing the Brussels Parliament.

Qatar has categorically denied using gifts and money to gain influence, while Morocco has categorically denied using gifts and money to gain influence on issues such as fishing rights and the disputed status of the Western Sahara.

The four suspects were charged last month after police confiscated approximately €1.5 million (£1.3 million) in cash during raids on a flat, a house, and a hotel. Police shared images of stashes of €200, €50, €20, and €10-denomination notes, as well as a suitcase recovered in the hotel that was loaded with cash.

Prosecutors said Mr. Panzeri accepted the plea offer under Belgian informant legislation that had only been used once before.

“It is crucial to remember that this is a man who is destroyed and he doesn’t have much of a life left,” his lawyer Marc Uyttendaele said.

However, his client sought to “protect his status” by committing to “explain whatever he knows about the matter,” Mr. Uyttendaele added.

After leaving Parliament, Mr. Panzeri, 67, founded the Fight Impunity lobbying group. Mr. Figà-Talamanca worked for a different NGO from the same building in Brussels.

According to a statement from Belgium’s federal prosecutor, the former MEP agreed to the plea bargain under a law modeled after an Italian provision that allows repentant mafia members, known as “pentiti,” to testify against the state.

According to a spokeswoman, he faces a year in prison rather than a “far longer prison sentence,” as well as a fine and the forfeiture of €1 million in assets.

In return he would be needed to reveal details of how the network operated, what the financial arrangements were with the countries concerned, and “the involvement of known and unknown personnel inside the inquiry, including the identity of the persons he admits to having bribed”.

The plea agreement was announced the same day that an Italian court agreed to extradite the ex-daughter, MEP’s Silvia Panzeri, 38, on suspicion of involvement in the affair.

The same court in the northern city of Brescia ruled last month that Mr. Panzeri’s wife, Maria Colleoni, may also be extradited, but their case will be decided by Italy’s top appeal court. The two women are currently under house arrest and deny any wrongdoing or money laundering.

Eva Kaili, a Greek MEP who likewise denies any involvement in the affair, is accused, along with the others, of accepting bribes from Qatar in exchange for influencing EU policy-making.

Her lover, Francesco Giorgi, was said to have admitted to his role in the affair last month.

However, a mention of “unknown” people within the probe hints that further discoveries are on the way.

Prosecutors have also requested that two additional center-left MEPs, Belgian Marc Tarabella and Italian Andrea Cozzolino, be granted immunity.

Both MEPs’ lawyers have denied any involvement in the incident, but the request is being considered by Parliament’s legal affairs committee.

[embedpost slug=”/european-union-to-add-aid-for-ukraine-in-2023-budget/”]

Read more

India: Emergency exit door opened by passenger on flight, DGCA orders investigation

by
door
  • The Directorate General of Civil Aviation requested an investigation.
  • A passenger on an Indigo flight unlocked the emergency exit gate.
  • Soon after the pressurization checks, the airplane took off.

On December 10, 2022, a passenger on an Indigo flight scared and alarmed other passengers when he unlocked the emergency door. The aircraft was flying from Chennai to Trivandrum at the time.

After a passenger on an Indigo flight unlocked the emergency exit gate, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation requested an investigation.

The DGCA is looking into the situation, according to a senior official.

“On December 10, an incident occurred on board Indigo flight 6E-7339 between Chennai and Trivandrum. A passenger on IndiGo 6E flight 6E-7339 from Chennai to Trivandrum opened an emergency door. Soon after the pressurization checks, the airplane took off. Passengers were shaken up by the incident, but the aircraft continued following a safety check “the DGCA spokesman said.

Prior to this, on November 26, 2016, a guy by the name of Shankar Mishra is accused of peeing on a 70-year-old woman when she was intoxicated in business class on an Air India aircraft.

In response to a complaint made by the woman to Air India under sections 354, 509, and 510 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 23 of the Indian Aircraft Act, Delhi Police had filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him on January 4. The victim and the accused are both from locations other than Delhi.

The American financial services firm Wells Fargo also let Shankar Mishra leave.

Shankar Mishra said in his bail appeal that he will help with the police going forward and in whatever way possible during the inquiry.

[embedpost slug=”/two-drunk-passengers-caused-disturbance-on-an-indigo-flight/”]

Read more

London court permits appeal over UK’s Rwanda migrant plan

by
appeal
  • High Court in London granted permission to a group of asylum seekers.
  • The idea will prevent people smugglers.
  • Permission was also granted to consider whether the Home Office could rely on Rwanda’s assurances.

London’s High Court on Monday granted permission to a group of asylum seekers to appeal against a ruling that Britain’s plan to send migrants to Rwanda is lawful.

The British interior ministry said it will defend its policy, which is a key component of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to deal with the high number of migrants arriving in small boats.

The administration claims the idea will prevent people smugglers, but it has been condemned by human rights organizations and even King Charles since its announcement in April.

The first planned deportation flight was halted last June by a last-minute judgment by the European Court of Human Rights, which imposed an injunction barring any deportations until the conclusion of legal proceedings in the United Kingdom.

The High Court concluded last month that it was legal for Britain to establish arrangements with the Rwandan government to transport asylum seekers there, but it upheld eight individual asylum seekers’ legal challenges.

Now those asylum seekers plus one other have been granted permission to appeal on several grounds, including that the High Court was mistaken to find the Rwanda removal policy was not “systematically discriminatory”.

Permission was also granted to consider whether the Home Office could rely on Rwanda’s assurances about the conditions for asylum seekers moved to the nation.

[embedpost slug=”/uk-and-japan-sign-deal-in-london-as-japan-seeks-to-bolster-ties/”]

Read more

Colombia president backs defence minister accused by Guatemala

by
President
  • Rafael Curruchiche, the head of Guatemala’s Special Prosecutor will launch legal procedures against Defense Minister.
  • Velasquez will be held accountable for illegal, arbitrary, and abusive activities.
  • The Colombian President would not accept any arrest warrant for his defence minister.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Monday that he would not accept any “arrest warrant” for his defence minister after a Guatemalan prosecutor accused him of criminal behavior.

Earlier on Monday, Rafael Curruchiche, the head of Guatemala’s Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity, announced his office will launch “legal procedures” against Defense Minister Ivan Velasquez, a former UN anti-corruption investigator in Guatemala.

While Curruchiche announced arrest warrants for several people, including Guatemala‘s former Attorney General Thelma Aldana, he did not include Velasquez.

Instead, the prosecutor stated that Velasquez will be held accountable for “illegal, arbitrary, and abusive activities” in connection with an investigation into alleged bribery involving the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht.

Velasquez, 67, oversaw Guatemala’s UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity from 2013 to 2019, attracting international notoriety in 2015 for the body’s investigations into a criminal network that involved Guatemala’s then-president, who resigned and was jailed.

Velasquez “showed how to fight corruption, and we will not allow corruption to come after him,” Petro said on Twitter, adding that he had summoned Colombia’s ambassador in Guatemala to discuss the situation.

Velasquez published a statement on the “supposed probe” on Monday, stating he had not been alerted of any requests from Guatemalan authorities regarding him.

“I have complete confidence that the work done in the Central American country was done in complete openness and within the legal framework that allowed CICIG’s operations,” Velasquez said in a statement.

[embedpost slug=”/colombia-peace-talks-with-eln-rebel-group-have-reached-on-the-first-agreement/”]

Read more

Madagascar solar company receives financing to connect 50,000 homes

by
Madagascar
  • They aim at 90% of the country’s rural population that lacks access to electricity.
  • Off-grid solar power can economically supply clean energy.
  • WeLight enables consumers to prepay for their electricity through mobile banking.

WeLight, an off-grid solar firm based in Madagascar, announced on Tuesday that it has received 19 million euros ($20.57 million) to power 50,000 homes over the next two years.

Off-grid solar power, promoted by several start-ups, has grown in popularity in Africa because it can economically supply clean energy to millions of homes that are not connected to traditional electricity grids.

WeLight, which enables consumers to prepay for their electricity through mobile banking, is aimed at the 90% of the country’s rural population that lacks access to electricity, according to the company.

The European Investment Bank (EBI), EDFI ElectriFI, and Triodos Investment Management are providing funding for the project. In a joint statement, WeLight stated.

Axian Group of Madagascar, Norfund, and Sagemcom own the solar energy company WeLight, which already supplies 9,000 rural Malagasy families with electricity.

The company claimed it tested five mini-grids in Mali in 2021 and is looking into the potential in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Madagascar has a population of 29 million.

The most recent Madagascar expansion will include 120 new settlements and will cost a total of 27 million euros thanks to additional funding supplied in the form of loans from shareholders.

According to Maud Watelet, a senior investment officer of EDFI, one of the financiers, the fresh round of funding will assist the company in continuing to grow its activities.

[embedpost slug=”/billionaire-calls-for-revisions-to-the-failed-australia-asia-solar/”]

Read more

Ukraine mourns the Dnipro attack victims with heavy hearts

by
Ukraine Russia
  • At least 40 people were killed in a Russian missile strike.
  • Tearful neighbors and locals put flowers and cuddly toys.
  • Others suppressed sobs as they stood behind.

At a temporary monument near an apartment building in the city of Dnipro, where Ukrainian officials claim at least 40 people were killed in a Russian missile strike, tearful neighbors and locals put flowers and cuddly toys on Monday.

After placing flowers on the seat of a transit shelter that had been converted into a temporary memorial for the attack victims on Saturday, a soldier limped away while wiping away tears.

The rising stack of toys and bouquets had a candle burning next to them.

Others suppressed sobs as they stood behind the impromptu monument and looked up at the collapsed apartment building where workmen were clearing the debris.

“We arrived here to take a look and pay our respects. The loss of lives makes it extremely difficult “Viktoria, age 63, stated.

“I want to say “Rest in Peace” to everyone who passed away and “stay strong” to everyone who is still alive. It is really tragic that lives were lost. Any one of us may have gone.”

Another local resident, 28-year-old Polina, came to lay flowers with her boyfriend and show solidarity.

Another neighbor, Lidia, 73, claimed that her son-in-law had offered to clear the debris when he arrived at the bomb site on Saturday but had been prohibited from doing so.

“They told him there were enough people. After some while, they departed “She spoke.

[embedpost slug=”/ukraine-more-dnipro-strike-survivors-are-unlikely-says-the-mayor/”]

Read more

France’s transport minister provides assurances about petrol supplies

by
Petrol
  • Clement Beaune stated on Tuesday that there was enough petrol in the country.
  • All unions have scheduled a nationwide day of strike action on Thursday.
  • Public transportation, air travel, and schools have said they will participate.

French Transport Minister Clement Beaune stated on Tuesday that there was enough petrol in the country as a national strike loomed this week.

“As of today, there are petrol stocks,” Beaune said.

All unions have scheduled a nationwide day of strike action on Thursday, and workers in critical sectors like as electricity, public transportation, air travel, and schools have said they will participate.

Last week, France‘s CGT trade union called for refinery strikes in protest of plans to make employees work longer before they can retire, while Paris metro unions warned they would do “all in their power” to stop the pension reform.

[embedpost slug=”/hockey-world-cup-france-defeated-south-africa-in-pool-a-match/”]

Read more

Erdogan: Sweden and Finland must hand over 130 “terrorists” to Türkiye

by
Sweden
  • Erdogan said to hand over more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us.
  • Erdogan’s demand was an angry reaction to an incident last week in Stockholm.
  •  Türkiye canceled the Swedish speaker of parliament’s visit.

Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 “terrorists” to Türkiye before the Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join NATO, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the two Nordic countries asked to join NATO last year, but their bids must be accepted by all 30 NATO member states. The applications have yet to be approved by Türkiye and Hungary.

Türkiye has stated that Sweden, in particular, must first take a firmer position against what it considers terrorists, primarily Kurdish militants, whom it holds responsible for a 2016 coup attempt.

“We said, look, if you don’t hand over your terrorists to us, we can’t push it (NATO application approval) through the parliament anyway,” Erdogan stated late Sunday, alluding to a joint press conference he held with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last November.

“For this to pass the parliament, first of all, you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these terrorists to us,” Erdogan said.

“This must have been a reaction, I believe, to the events of the past days,” Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto told public broadcasters.

In response to the incident in Stockholm, Türkiye canceled the Swedish speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen’s, planned visit to Ankara, instead sending him to Helsinki on Monday.

“We stress that in Finland and in Sweden we have freedom of expression. We cannot control it,” the speaker of the Finnish parliament, Matti Vanhanen, told reporters at a joint news conference with Norlen.

[embedpost slug=”/turkey-summons-swedens-ambassador-in-response-to-the-erdogan-effigy-protest/”]

Read more

Japan and India conduct the first combined fighter jet exercise

by
Japan
  • India and Japan conducted their first combined fighter aircraft exercise.
  • Around 150 Indian Air Force troops are participating in the drill.
  • The two countries agreed to the practice during meetings.

Tokyo: Japan and India conducted their first combined fighter aircraft exercise near Tokyo on Monday as the countries strengthen their defence and security ties.

The 11-day bilateral exercise will feature eight Japanese fighter airplanes and four Indian fighters, two transport planes, and an aerial refueling tanker, according to Japan’s defence ministry.

Around 150 Indian Air Force troops are participating in the drill at the Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki prefecture, northeast of Tokyo.

The two countries agreed to the practice during meetings between Japanese and Indian defense and foreign ministers in 2019, but it was postponed because of the pandemic.

Japan and India, along with Australia and the United States, form the “Quad” alliance, a grouping of regional nations concerned about China’s military and economic clout.

In recent months, Tokyo has undertaken a series of joint military drills, as well as revamping its defence and security strategy and clearly voicing its concerns about China.

In December, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s administration pledged to double defense spending to 2% of GDP by 2027, labeling China the “biggest strategic challenge ever” to Japan’s security.

Last week, Japan signed a new defence treaty with the United Kingdom and agreed to broaden its mutual defence treaty with the United States to include space-based threats.

[embedpost slug=”/nepal-an-indian-passengers-video-captured-the-planes/”]

Read more

India: One dead, dozens injured at bull-taming contest

by
at
  • Jallikattu is one of the world’s oldest sports activities, dating back more than 2,000 years.
  • A total of 31 people were wounded at the event.
  • The sport was banned by India’s Supreme Court in 2014.

Officials in Bengaluru stated Monday that at least one person was gored to death and dozens more were injured during Jallikattu, a contentious bull-taming tournament in India.

The dead person, in his twenties, was a contestant who died as a result of injuries sustained during the competition in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu’s southernmost state.

A total of 31 people were wounded at the event, according to district police officials.

According to local reports in India, at least another 15 people were injured over the weekend at a second bull-taming event in neighboring Andhra Pradesh.

Jallikattu is one of the world’s oldest sports activities, dating back more than 2,000 years.

The goal of bull-taming events, which mark the start of India’s yearly winter harvest, is not to kill the animal.

Bulls are decorated, and contestants demonstrate their talents by attempting to halt the beasts or take flags from their horns.

Hundreds of individuals, both tamers, and spectators have been hurt while participating over the years.

The sport was banned by India’s Supreme Court in 2014, however, the state government of Tamil Nadu was able to lift the restriction in 2017.

The Supreme Court‘s judgment provoked outrage across Tamil Nadu, where it has a devoted following.

Activists say the sport is cruel and that the bulls are fed liquor before being released from a holding pen.

[embedpost slug=”/nepal-an-indian-passengers-video-captured-the-planes/”]

Read more

Venezuela: Teachers march for better wages as inflation soars

by
Teachers
  • Venezuela’s inflation is reported to have reached 305 percent last year.
  • Teachers marched in Zulia and Lara.
  • A public school teacher’s minimum monthly salary is around $10.

Teachers, retirees, and labor unions have marched in at least six Venezuelan cities to demand better wages as President Nicolas Maduro’s government faces new obstacles in its bid to combat inflation.

According to a voluntary group of economists who analyze indices in the absence of official statistics, Venezuela’s inflation is reported to have reached 305 percent last year.

Since March of last year, the government has not altered the salaries of public-sector employees as part of measures to decrease spending and raise taxes, allowing Venezuela to escape from hyperinflation.

However, in the second half of last year, demand for foreign currency outstripped the central bank’s weekly supply of dollars, causing the Venezuelan bolivar to devalue even further.

A public school teacher’s minimum monthly salary is around $10, whereas university professors receive between $60 and $80.

“Our salaries are peanuts.”

“I earn 460 bolivars [about $23] every month,” said Odalis Aguilar, a 50-year-old teacher who marched in Maracay on Monday. “We require a living wage.”

Teachers and public sector workers in the central state of Carabobo also demonstrated, claiming that their incomes do not cover the cost of food and medicine.

“Our food is carbohydrates, little protein, few veggies, it is extremely basic,” said Reina Sequera, a lecturer at the University of Carabobo and the primary breadwinner for her three-person family. “We can’t even afford aspirin.”

Economic instability is caused by US sanctions imposed on the government, claimed governing party Vice President Diosdado Cabello in remarks broadcast on state television.

Teachers marched in Zulia and Lara, two western states.

Over the weekend, the government awarded a bonus of $29.80 to public employees.

The bonus “does not reach $30. Is that what Maduro lives on? You’re throwing us crumbs,” said Gladys Chacon, president of the Tachira College of Teachers.

[embedpost slug=”/venezuelan-opposition-eliminates-juan-guaido-of-his-presidential-role/”]

Read more

Menu

Latest

Entertainment

Lifestyle