International
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Jan- 2025 -15 January
Spain to levy 100% tax on houses bought by non-Europeans
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the plan this week to tackle housing affordability and high rents in the Southern European nation MADRID: Spain is planning a raft of measures to address its brewing housing crisis, including an up to 100% tax on properties bought by people who are neither citizens nor residents of the European Union. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the plan this week to tackle housing affordability and high rents in the Southern European nation. He said that the overall goal was to provide “more housing, better regulation and greater aid.” “The West faces a decisive challenge: To not become a society divided into two classes, the rich landlords and the poor tenants,” Sánchez said as he…
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15 January
Indian national among three arrested for abducting boy in Nepal’s Sarlahi
Accused have been identified as Ramji Sah, 68, and Bikram Paswan, 19, both residents of Bramhapuri rural municipality of Sarlahi district, and Pravachan Sah, 27, from Bihar’s Sitamarhi district Kathmandu: Police have arrested three people, including an Indian national, in connection with the abduction of a 15-year-old boy from southern Nepal’s Sarlahi district. The accused have been identified as Ramji Sah, 68, and Bikram Paswan, 19, both residents of Bramhapuri rural municipality of Sarlahi district, and Pravachan Sah, 27, from Bihar’s Sitamarhi district, according to Nepal Police news bulletin. A police team raided the house of Ramji Sah at Bramhapuri where the child was kept as hostage and safely rescued him. The three people, including the Indian national, were arrested from…
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15 January
Hamas accepts draft agreement for hostage release and Gaza ceasefire deal, say officials
Israel and Palestinian militant group at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that would bring them a step closer to ending the war, says mediator Qatar Cairo: Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, two officials involved in the talks said on Tuesday. Mediator Qatar said Israel and the Palestinian militant group were at the “closest point” yet to sealing a deal that would bring them a step closer to ending the war. An Israeli official said progress has been made, but the details are being finalized. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the talks. “I believe we will get a ceasefire,”…
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15 January
Britain’s Princess of Wales Kate Middleton says her cancer is in remission
In a statement on social media, the princess offers her heartfelt thanks to those who helped her and her husband Prince William London: The Princess of Wales said that her cancer is in remission Tuesday, following a visit to hospital where she received treatment earlier this year. In a statement on social media, the princess offered her heartfelt thanks to those who helped her and her husband Prince William. “We couldn’t have asked for more,’’ she wrote. “The care and advice we have received throughout my time as a patient has been exceptional.’ ’Kate, as she is commonly known, conducted the solo engagement at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, a world-leading state-of-the art cancer center known for its pioneering research.…
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14 January
Japan Meteorological Agency reports a 6.9 magnitude quake in southwestern Japan and issues a tsunami warning
Tokya: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has hit southwestern Japan, the country’s Meteorological Agency said Monday, while warning the public to stay away from coastal areas because of a tsunami threat. Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the quake was centered, in the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well […] Tokya: A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 has hit southwestern Japan, the country’s Meteorological Agency said Monday, while warning the public to stay away from coastal areas because of a tsunami threat. Tsunami advisories were issued for Miyazaki Prefecture, where the quake was centered, in the southwestern island of Kyushu, as well as nearby Kochi Prefecture, in Shikoku island, shortly after the quake struck at 9:19 pm local time, according to the…
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14 January
India summons Bangladesh envoy over border fencing
This comes a day after Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma was called in by the neighbouring country’s Foreign Ministry to express its “deep concern” over “activities” of Border Security Force New Delhi: India on Monday summoned Bangladesh‘s acting High Commissioner Nural Islam and conveyed to him that New Delhi has followed all laid down protocols in the construction of fencing along the border between the two neighbours. India’s action came a day after Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Verma was called in by the neighbouring country’s Foreign Ministry to express its “deep concern” over the “activities” of the Border Security Force. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was conveyed to Islam that India observed all protocols and agreements between…
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14 January
Melania Trump all packed, ready to move back into White House
Also says upcoming documentary on her life, which is set to be distributed by Amazon Prime Video later this year, was her idea based on the reception to the memoir she released last year West Palm Beach: Incoming first lady Melania Trump says she’s packed and ready to move back into the White House, where son Barron will have a bedroom, and she plans to revive her Be Best children’s initiative. Trump also said in a taped interview broadcast Monday on Fox News’ Fox & Friends that an upcoming documentary on her life that is set to be distributed by Amazon Prime Video later this year was her idea based on the reception to the memoir she released last year. “So I had an idea to,…
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14 January
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin aborts debut launch of massive new rocket due to last-minute glitch
The 320-ft New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn, but launch controllers had to deal with an unspecified rocket issue in the final minutes of the countdown Cape Canaveral: Blue Origin called off the debut launch of its massive new rocket early on Monday because of technical trouble. The 320-ft New Glenn rocket was supposed to blast off before dawn with a prototype satellite from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. But launch controllers had to deal with an unspecified rocket issue in the final minutes of the countdown and ran out of time. Once the countdown clock was halted, they immediately began draining all the fuel from the rocket. Blue Origin did not immediately set a new launch…
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14 January
Hungary reports record-breaking tourism growth in 2024
Domestic and international tourists contributed equally to the 44.2 million guest nights recorded, reflecting a balanced distribution, Xinhua news agency reported. Budapest: Hungarian tourism achieved record-breaking results in 2024, with unprecedented numbers of international visitors, a surge in domestic travel, and the highest-ever revenue generated by accommodations, Zoltan Guller, president of the Hungarian Tourism Agency (MTU), announced. Speaking at a press conference, Guller said on Monday that Hungarian accommodations welcomed over 18 million tourists last year, an 11 per cent increase compared to 2023. This included 9.3 million domestic and 8.7 million international guests. He highlighted that the growth in guest nights in Hungary “exceeded the European Union (EU) average by 150 per cent.” Domestic and international tourists contributed equally…
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13 January
Panama Canal will remain in Panamanian hands, says it’s administrator
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested the US should take back control of the canal and said he would not rule out using military might to do so Panama City: The administrator of the Panama Canal said on Friday that the vital waterway will remain in Panamanian hands and open to commerce from all countries, rejecting claims by President-elect Donald Trump that the United States should take it over. In an interview with The Associated Press, Ricaurte Vásquez denied Trump’s claims that China was controlling the canal’s operations, and said making exceptions to current rules concerning its operation would lead to “chaos.” He said Chinese companies operating in the ports on either end of the canal were part of a Hong Kong consortium that…
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