World news
China’s divorce rates rise, govt mulls 30-day cooling-off period for couples

The Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver starring “Marriage Story” about their broken marriage and child custody fight has sparked heated online discussions in China even before its release here. Hardly surprising, it turns out, if the latest official data related to divorce in China is to be belie
Taliban target Afghan security forces, 26 dead

Kabul: The Taliban unleashed a new wave of attacks in northern Afghanistan, targeting members of the country’s security forces and killing at least 26, local officials said Wednesday. The insurgents quickly claimed responsibility for all the attack. The Taliban today hold sway over practically ha
"World's oldest Rhino" Fausta dies in Tanzania at 57

DAR ES SALAAM: A rhino believed to the world's oldest has died at the age of 57 in a Tanzanian conservation area, authorities said. Fausta, a female black rhino, died of natural causes in captivity on Friday in the Ngorongoro Crater, the state conservation body said. "Records show that Fausta
Chinese court sentences 'gene-editing' scientist to three years in prison

A Chinese court sentenced the scientist who created the world's first “gene-edited” babies to three years in prison on December 30, according to the official Xinhua media. He Jiankui, said in November 2018, that he had used gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 to change the genes of twin
NRC is India's internal affair, says Chief of Border Guards Bangladesh
New Delhi: The process of creation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is completely an "internal affair" of the Indian government and the cooperation between the border guarding forces of the two countries is very good, the chief of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) said here on Sunday. The
Musharraf challenges special court’s verdict in high treason case: Report
Pakistan’s former military dictator Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf on Friday filed a petition in a court against the special court’s verdict convicting him of high treason and sentencing him to death, according to media reports. Last week, the special court in Islamabad sentenced 76-year-old Musharr
Kazakh plane with 100 on board hits concrete wall after takeoff, 15 dead

A Bek Air plane with 95 passengers and five crew members on board crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on Friday shortly after taking off, killing at least 15 people, authorities in the Central Asian country said. The Fokker 100 aircraft was heading for the capital, Nur-Sultan, and “lost
Honest German returns backpack with over Rs 12 lakh and gifts forgotten under Christmas tree

Frankfurt am Main: A 63-year-old man in Germany had a very Merry Christmas indeed after an honest finder returned the backpack he had forgotten under a tree — filled with presents and 16,000 euros ($17,700, approximately Rs 12.6 lakh) in cash. The 51-year-old finder alerted police after stumbling
Typhoon Phanfone kills at least 16 in Philippines

A typhoon that swept across remote villages and popular tourist areas of the central Philippines on Christmas Day claimed at least 16 lives, authorities said Thursday. Typhoon Phanfone, with winds of 195 kilometres (120 miles) an hour, tore roofs off houses and toppled electric posts as it cut ac
Brazil President lost memory after fall that left him hospitalised

Sao Paulo: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro temporarily lost his memory after hitting his head in a fall at his official residence, he said in an interview on Tuesday. The 64-year-old slipped Monday night in a bathroom at the Alvorada Palace, the latest health scare for the Brazilian leader who
US man robs bank, throws stolen cash at people and wishes ‘Merry Christmas’

A white-bearded man robbed a bank two days before Christmas, but threw the stolen cash in the air and wished passers-by a merry Christmas, US media reported. Colorado police confirmed in a statement an “older white male” robbed the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs after threatening workers with a
Boeing CEO Muilenburg steps down amid 737 MAX crisis

Boeing has announced the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg and named Chairman David Calhoun as his successor. CEO Dennis Muilenburg has resigned from his position and current Chairman David Calhoun has been named by the Board of Directors as his successor, the US aircraft m
IMF says India in midst of significant economic slowdown, calls for urgent policy actions

Washington: India is now in the midst of a significant economic slowdown, the International Monetary Fund has said, urging the government to take urgent policy actions to address the current prolonged downturn. In its report released Monday, the IMF Directors noted that India's rapid economic exp
18 Indians kidnapped by pirates near Nigerian coast released

Eighteen Indians, kidnapped by pirates from a commercial vessel near the Nigerian coast on December 3, have been released, the Indian mission in Nigeria said on Sunday. The Indian nationals were kidnapped from a Hong Kong-flagged vessel off the Bonny island after a group of pirates took control o
Indian-origin head of S Africa's largest Independent TV news channel sacked over racist remarks

Johannesburg: An Indian-origin head of a news channel in South Africa has been sacked by the broadcaster following an uproar over his alleged racist remarks to a resigning employee. Kanthan Pillay, head of South Africa's largest independent TV news channel eNCA, had called journalist Samkelo Maseko,
Bill to promote Mahatma Gandhi's legacy introduced in US House of Representatives

Washington: America's legendary civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives to promote the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr and sought a budgetary allocation of USD 150 million for the next five years. Introduced to mark the 1
Pakistani academic Junaid Hafeez sentenced to death for blasphemy

Islamabad, Pakistan - A court in Pakistan has convicted a university lecturer of blasphemy and sentenced him to death in a case rights groups have long cited as emblematic of fair trial concerns in such prosecutions in the country. Junaid Hafeez, a lecturer at the Bahauddin Zakariya University in
UK govt unveils new rules for fast-track visas
The UK government on Thursday confirmed plans to introduce a new visa for qualified doctors and nurses from countries around the world, including India, to address workforce shortages in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS). Prime Minister Boris Johnson had made references to such a new