International

    Opinion: Falsehood trumps limping truth

    Monopolisation of social media and other digital platforms is empowering right-wing forces to control the world Propaganda, misinformation and fake news are nothing new in our society. It can be traced back to the time of Mahabharata when Yudhisthir, known for his unwavering truthfulness, misled Drona by declaring that Ashwathama was killed but murmured the latter part, “I do not know if it is a man or an elephant,” so softly that Drona could not hear it clearly. Believing Yudhisthir that his warrior son Ashwathama was killed, Drona bowed his head and was beheaded. Drona was one of the epical victims of fake news or disinformation. Propaganda and misinformation have taken a new turn now with the widespread availability of sophisticated methods of information and communication technology. The sharing of text, images, videos or links online often allows information to go viral within no time. Merriam-Webster defines misinformation as false…
    International

    Indian woman found murdered in car boot in UK, Police hunting for Indian-origin husband

    Harshita Brella, an Indian was found murdered and her body left in a car boot in Ilford area of London. Police are u=hunting for her Indian-origin husband London: The UK police investigating the murder of 24-year-old Harshita Brella, whose body was recovered from a car boot in east London, have launched a manhunt for her Indian-origin husband who they suspect fled the country after killing his wife earlier this month. In an updated statement from the Northamptonshire Police on Sunday, Chief Inspector Paul Cash said more than 60 detectives were working on the case as the force released an image of Pankaj Lamba, the accused husband, in an appeal for information. “Our inquiries lead us to suspect that Harshita was murdered in Northamptonshire earlier this month by her husband Pankaj Lamba,” Cash said. “We suspect Lamba transported Harshita’s body from Northamptonshire to Ilford by car. We believe he has now fled…
    International

    Number of Indian students applying to UK universities drops 20%, reveals report

    Student groups attribute trend to limited job prospects, safety concerns following recent anti-immigration riots in some cities London: Indian students are being put off applying to UK universities, adding to their financial woes at a time when education institutions are already coping with constrained budgets, a new report into the stability of the higher education sector in England has revealed. Based on UK Home Office data on confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) by UK providers from 2022-23 to 2023-24, an Office for Students (OfS) analysis shows a 20.4 per cent drop in Indian student numbers — down from 139,914 to 111,329. Indian student groups in the UK said the fall was to be expected amid limited job prospects and safety concerns following recent anti-immigration riots in some cities. “There has been a considerable decline in student visa applications from prospective non-UK students in some major source countries,” notes the report by OfS, a non-departmental…
    International

    Trump picks ‘Great’ Elon Musk, ‘Patriot’ Vivek Ramaswamy to lead Dept of Govt Efficiency

    Says they will help his administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, restructure federal agencies Washington: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Tesla owner Elon Musk and Indian-American entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). “I am pleased to announce that the Great Elon Musk, working in conjunction with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, will lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE),” Trump announced. Ramaswamy is the first Indian American to have been tapped by Trump into his administration beginning January 20 next year. “Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my administration to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement,” Trump said. “This will send shockwaves through the system and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” said Musk, as per the statement issued by Trump. The US President-elect…
    International

    21 killed, 46 injured in Pakistan railway station blast

    Preliminary reports indicate that explosion took place at Quetta railway station’s booking office just before Jaffer Express arrived at the platform Peshawar: At least 21 people were killed and 46 others injured in a bomb explosion at Quetta‘s railway station in Pakistan on Saturday, according to a media report. Preliminary reports indicate that the explosion took place at the railway station’s booking office just before the train arrived at the platform, Geo News reported. The Jaffer Express was scheduled to depart for Peshawar at 9 am, the report said, quoting railway officials. The officials said the train had not yet arrived at the platform when the explosion took place. Given the station’s usual crowd, there is a high risk of significant casualties, the report said.
    International

    Vivek Ramaswamy says Trump’s victory is hopefully US’ comeback

    A Trump win will result in the renewal of national self-confidence, says the Indian-American politician and close confidant of President-elect Washington: Donald Trump‘s victory in the US presidential election will renew national self-confidence, an Indian-American politician and a close confidant of the President-elect has said, expressing hope that his comeback will signify America’s comeback. In a historic election on Tuesday, Trump defeated his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris and was elected the 47th President of the United States, becoming only the second commander-in-chief in over a century to win two nonconsecutive presidential terms. “America has this great tradition. We believe in our own manifest destiny…We are born to be the greatest nation that sets an example for everybody else of what’s possible for human capacity,” Vivek Ramaswamy told the Tucker Carlson Show in an interview. “I think that that’s the kind of leader we need right now to bring that back. And that’s Donald Trump as a…
    International

    Indian Americans hail Donald Trump’s victory, say he is a ‘strong leader’

    Say the country needs a leader like him who will deliver on his promises to tame inflation and curtail illegal immigration New York: Members of the Indian-American community welcomed Donald Trump‘s victory in the US presidential election, saying the country needs a “strong leader” like him who will deliver on his promises to tame inflation and curtail illegal immigration. In a historic election, Trump defeated his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris and was elected the 47th President of the United States, becoming only the second commander-in-chief in over a century to win two nonconsecutive presidential terms. Before Trump, it was Grover Cleveland who had served two nonconsecutive terms as President from 1885-1889 and 1893-1897. With his electoral victory, Trump also became the first convicted felon and twice-impeached to be elected President. However, Trump’s criminal cases, his rhetoric or baggage from his previous tenure as President, including the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol, had little…
    International

    Australia proposes social media ban for children under 16

    Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced plans on Thursday to legislate a minimum social media age limit of 16. While Albanese had earlier committed to proposing age restriction legislation by the end of 2024, this is the first time a specific age limit has been confirmed. Canberra: Australian children younger than 16 will be banned from using social media under a proposal put forward by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland on Thursday pledged to legislate a minimum age limit of 16 years for social media access. The Prime Minister had previously announced an intention to introduce legislation to parliament for the age limit before the end of 2024 but had not committed to a specific cut-off age. He said on Thursday that the legislation would take responsibility for enforcing the minimum age limit on social media platforms, Xinhua news agency reported. “Social…
    International

    Cause for concern: 2024 likely to be the hottest year on record again!

    News of a likely second year of record heat comes a day after Republican Donald Trump, who called climate change a “hoax” and promised to boost oil drilling and production Chicago: For the second year in a row, Earth will almost certainly be the hottest it’s ever been. And for the first time, the globe this year reached more than 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming compared to the pre-industrial average, the European climate agency Copernicus said. “It’s this relentless nature of the warming that I think is is worrying,” said Carlo Buontempo, director of Copernicus. Buontempo said the data clearly shows the planet would not see such a long sequence of record-breaking temperatures without the constant increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere driving global warming. He cited other factors that contribute to exceptionally warm years like last year and this one. They include El Nino — the temporary warming of parts of…
    International

    Will concede defeat, but not the fight, says Harris in her concession speech

    Says she spoke to President-elect Donald Trump and congratulated him on his victory, noting that her administration would facilitate a peaceful transfer of power Washington: US Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has delivered a concession speech at Howard University in Washington, DC, saying that she is proud of the campaign and stressing that “when we lose an election, we accept the results”. “I am so proud of the race we ran and the way we ran it. Over the 107 days of this campaign, we have been intentional about building community and building coalitions, bringing people together from every walk of life and background, united by the love of the country with enthusiasm and joy in our fight for America’s future. And we did it with the knowledge that we all have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said in the speech at her alma mater. “While I concede this election,…

    International

    • Jun- 2023 -
      7 June
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      Hong Kong moves to ban protest song mistaken for national anthem

      Government cites ‘national security’ as it moves to ban popular Glory to Hong Kong song, from the 2019 protests. Pro-democracy protesters gather to for a singing rally of Glory to Hong Kong at shopping mall in September 2019 Hong Kong has gone to court to ban the song Glory to Hong Kong, which became the unofficial anthem of the 2019 mass protests and has been played in error at several sporting events since instead of China’s national anthem. Hong Kong’s Department of Justice said it had applied for the court order to ban the performance, broadcast, sale or distribution of the song – including on the internet – on national security grounds because it had been “mistakenly presented” as the…

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    • 7 June
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      Two dead, five wounded in US high school graduation shooting

      Police say a 19-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the mass shooting and found in possession of four handguns. Law enforcement officers investigate the scene of a mass shooting after a high school graduation ceremony in Richmond, Virginia, US, on June 6, 2023 A man armed with four handguns killed two people and wounded five others when he fired into a crowd after a high school graduation ceremony in the United States city of Richmond, Virginia, police have said. Police said they arrested one suspect, a 19-year-old man, in relation to the shooting on Tuesday near a theatre where the graduation ceremony had taken place adjacent to the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University The suspect was likely to be charged…

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    • 7 June
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      Malaysia hails ‘victory’ in row with Sulu sultan’s Filipino heirs

      Malaysian government says new ruling by French court could overturn a $14.9bn arbitration award handed to Filipino heirs of the 19th century Sulu sultanate. Self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram, centre, and his supporters pray at a mosque in Manila on March 6, 2013 for his followers battling Malaysian forces in Sabah A court in France has handed Malaysia a “decisive victory” in a long-running dispute with the alleged heirs of a 19th-century sultanate who are seeking to seize state assets around the world to enforce a $14.9bn arbitration award they won against the Southeast Asian nation, according to officials. The Paris Court of Appeal’s judgement on Tuesday found that the arbitral tribunal that heard the petition filed by the…

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    • 7 June
      406

      Record 13m students sit China’s ‘gaokao’ college entrance exams

      The exams are known for being difficult and many students take additional tuition to help them through. A strong performance in the gaokao is necessary to get students into top universities A record number of Chinese students have begun sitting the country’s notoriously difficult college entrance examinations known as “gaokao”, the first since the authorities suddenly lifted zero-COVID rules that forced classes online for months on end. China’s education ministry says a record of nearly 13 million students have registered for the exams, which began on Wednesday. “I’ve been waking up at 4am every day, except on Sundays, to study for the past four years,” Jesse Rao, a 17-year-old high school student in the southern city of Shenzhen, told the AFP news…

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    • 7 June
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      Blinken starts Saudi Arabia visit aimed at steadying relations

      US Secretary of State says relations between Washington and Riyadh are ‘strengthened by progress on human rights’. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on June 7, 2023 United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken has held talks with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the start of a diplomatic mission aimed at steadying relations between Washington and the oil-rich kingdom after years of deepening disagreements on issues ranging from human rights to Iran and regional security to oil prices. Blinken spoke with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday and the two committed to “advance stability, security, and prosperity across the Middle East and beyond”,…

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    • 7 June
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      India is a Vibrant Democracy, Go to Delhi and See for Yourself: White House

      “India is a vibrant democracy. Anybody that, you know, happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves. And certainly, I would expect that strength and health of democratic institutions will be part of the discussion,” said John Kirby; Washington: India is a vibrant democracy and anybody who happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves, the White House said Monday, as it appeared to dismiss concerns about the health of democracy in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a state visit to the US later this month. “India is a vibrant democracy. Anybody that, you know, happens to go to New Delhi can see that for themselves. And certainly, I would expect…

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    • 7 June
      206

      OPINION

      Sunanda K. Datta-Ray | Rishi, Suella fuel outsider’ fears to remain in power? Prime Minister Rishi Sunak speaks during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons, London. It’s ironic that the muted tussle between Britain’s two top ethnic Indian leaders, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and home secretary Suella Braverman, may decide how deep the “coffee” is in the “coffee-coloured future” that may be the destiny (quoting The Times of London) of a nation on whose colonial empire the sun was once said never to set. The title Bloody Foreigners of a 2004 book on immigration to Britain by a veteran journalist, Robert Winder, captures the bigger irony. It rightly conveys native disapproval of outsiders, yet the reserved British welcome migrants more hospitably than any…

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    • 7 June
      388

      Apple empowers health and wellness with new software updates

      Assistive Access is a customisable interface that helps users with cognitive disabilities use iPhone with greater ease and independence. Cupertino: The last three years of the Covid-19 pandemic made millions realise how important it is to remain fit and healthy and Apple has taken another stride towards this with announcing key software updates — not only for the healthy people but also for those who need help. In iOS 17 that will be made available this fall, Assistive Access is a customisable interface that helps users with cognitive disabilities use iPhone with greater ease and independence. The ‘Live Speech’ gives non-speaking users the option to type and have their words spoken in person, or on phone and FaceTime calls. Personal Voice…

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    • 7 June
      408

      World’s first baby born from transplanted uterus using robot-assisted surgery

      The baby, measuring 49 centimetres and weighing 3kg and 100 grams, was delivered by planned caesarean section Stockholm: In a world first, a baby boy has been born following a uterus transplantation achieved solely by robot-assisted surgery on both donor and recipient. The baby, measuring 49 centimetres and weighing 3kg and 100 grams, was delivered by planned caesarean section last week, said the team from the Sahlgrenska University Hospital at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, in a statement. The child, the 35-year-old new mother, and the donor, who is a relative are all doing well, the doctors said. In the breakthrough surgery, the donor and recipient alike were operated on entirely by means of robot-assisted laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery — considered…

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    • 7 June
      371

      Emergency landing of Air India flight in Russia prompts close monitoring by US

      We are aware of a US-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely. Washington: The United States on Tuesday said it is closely monitoring the situation after a San Francisco-bound Air India flight made an emergency landing in Russia. Flight AI173 from Delhi was diverted to Magadan in Russia on Tuesday owing to an engine glitch, the Tata Group-owned private carrier said in a statement last evening. The flight, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew, landed safely. “We are aware of a US-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely. I’m not able to confirm how many US citizens…

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