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A 1,700-piece private collection of Chinese ceramics with an estimated value of £1 billion ($1.27 billion) has been donated to the British Museum -- a record for any UK institution. The central London museum announced late on Wednesday that the Trustees of The Sir Percival David Foundation had gifted the collection permanently to go on public display. David, who died in 1964, was a British businessman and Sinophile who collected ceramics from Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China. His collection had been on loan to the museum since 2009. Museum chair George Osborne said he was "thrilled by this blockbuster decision" to make the loan permanent, calling it "the largest bequest to the British Museum in our long history". Colin Sheaf, chair of The Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, said the donation coincided with the centenary of the businessman's first trip to China, which inspired his love of its art and culture. He said he hoped it would continue t

The Iranian state is planning to open a treatment clinic for women who flout the mandatory hijab laws that require them to cover their heads in public. Announcing the opening of a "hijab removal treatment clinic", Mehri Talebi Darestani, the head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the establishment will offer "scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal". "The establishment of this center will be for the scientific and psychological treatment of removing the hijab, specifically for the teenage generation, young adults, and women seeking social and Islamic identity and visiting this center is optional," a report by Iran International quoted Talebi as saying. Notably, the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice falls under the direct authority of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The body i

South Korean police have arrested 215 people on suspicion of stealing 320 billion won ($228.4 million) in the biggest cryptocurrency investment scam in the country. Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police said on Wednesday the arrests included the alleged mastermind of the organised crime group accused of selling 28 types of virtual tokens to about 15,000 people by promising high returns. Police said the group had issued six of the 28 tokens on overseas crypto exchanges and were managing a team of market makers to push up prices. Police described the tokens as "worthless". The group had set up investment consulting companies and sales teams to sell the virtual assets to people who had subscribed to a YouTube channel, the police statement said. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/LuARgqo

The planet Uranus and its five largest moons may not be the cold, lifeless worlds scientists once believed. Instead, they could have hidden oceans and even the potential to support life, according to new research. Most of our knowledge of Uranus comes from NASA's Voyager 2 mission, which visited nearly 40 years ago. However, a recent analysis reveals that Voyager's encounter occurred during an intense solar storm, potentially skewing our perception of the Uranian system, the BBC reported. Uranus, an icy, ringed planet at the solar system's edge, is one of the coldest and most unusual planets due to its extreme tilt, making it appear as if it had been tipped over. The latest findings reveal that Voyager 2's visit coincided with severe solar activity, which may have temporarily disrupted the planet's magnetic field and swept away atmospheric material. For decades, this led scientists to a possibly inaccurate view of Uranus and its moons, explained Dr William Dunn

The UK will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81 percent on 1990 levels by 2035, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, as his government ramps up its ambitions on climate change. The previous government in London committed in 2021 to curb such emissions by 78 percent over the same period compared to 1990. Starmer unveiled the new target as he attended the beginning of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he is one of the only G20 leaders to show up. The summit's start has been overshadowed by the re-election in the US of longtime climate change sceptic Donald Trump, as well as new warnings that 2024 is on track to break temperature records. UK Labour party leader Starmer, who took power in July, told a press conference that Britain was "building on our reputation as a climate leader". "I've had a series of meetings here at COP this week because this government recognises that the world stands at a critical juncture in the

The year 2024 is on course to become the hottest year ever recorded, with global temperatures reaching unprecedented levels, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned. According to a report released on the opening day of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) here, the January-September global mean surface temperature was 1.54 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. This alarming surge, driven by an intense El Nino event and rising greenhouse gas concentrations, marks a critical threshold for climate change impacts worldwide. The report titled "State of the Climate 2024" highlights the accelerating risks posed by global warming, particularly for vulnerable communities. "Climate catastrophe is hammering health, widening inequalities, harming sustainable development, and rocking the foundations of peace," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Guterres emphasised the urgent need for climate action to protect those most affected by these change

US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post reported Sunday. Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the report said. The president-elect's representatives did not immediately respond when asked by AFP for comment. The Post, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump had reminded Putin of America's sizable military presence in Europe. They said he also expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss "the resolution of Ukraine's war soon." Trump's election is seen as carrying the potential to upend the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington's multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv. Ukrainian Preside

Two powerful earthquakes rocked southern Cuba in quick succession on Sunday, US geologists said, as authorities said no tsunami alert was issued and no deaths immediately reported. The US Geological Survey put the second, more powerful tremor at a magnitude of 6.8 and 14.6 miles (23.5 kilometers) deep, some 25 miles off the coast of Bartolome Maso, in southern Granma province. It came just an hour after a first tremor, which the USGS put at a magnitude of 5.9, with the epicenter some nine miles beneath the ocean roughly 22 miles off Bartolome Maso.  The state-run newspaper Granma said no deaths had been immediately reported, but that the quake had been felt throughout the Caribbean island nation. "Here people quickly took to the streets because the ground moved very strongly," Andres Perez, a 65-year-old retiree who lives in downtown Santiago de Cuba, told AFP via telephone of the first quake.  "It felt very strong really, my wife is a bundle of nerves," he add

The Israeli military on Saturday accused a group of soldiers of burning a Lebanese flag in southern Lebanon where they are fighting the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. The military spoke after a video circulated on social media showing around half a dozen people dressed in Israeli uniforms jumping and singing a religious maxim as one of them sets fire to the flag with a lighter. "We view the act of some soldiers burning the Lebanese flag in southern Lebanon as a violation of orders, inconsistent with the values of the defence forces, and misaligned with the goals of our military activities in Lebanon," said military spokesman Avichay Adraee. #هام منذ بدء الحرب على حزب الله، قلناها بوضوح: حربنا ليست ضد الشعب اللبناني، بل ضد من ينتهك أرض لبنان، ويحرق سيادته، ويدنس رموزه. حربنا ضد حزب الله الإرهابي، الذي لم يكن يومًا لبنانيًا لا في العقيدة، ولا الفكر، ولا الهوية. ومن هنا، نعتبر قيام بعض الجنود على حرق العلم اللبناني في… pic.twitter.com/A1KtAcyOcn — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdr

Britain's Princess Kate attended a Remembrance Day event in London on Saturday, in her latest public engagement after undergoing preventive treatment for cancer this year. Kate arrived for the Festival of Remembrance at London's Royal Albert Hall wearing a black dress adorned with a red poppy, which has become a symbol of respect for those who have lost their lives in conflict. She was accompanied by her husband Prince William and other members of the royal family and was followed shortly afterwards by King Charles, whose wife Queen Camilla has cancelled engagements as she recovers from a chest infection. The Princess of Wales said in September she had finished chemotherapy, but her path to full recovery would be long. At the time, the 42-year-old said she would be carrying out a handful of public engagements later in the year. Her last public appearance was in October when she met the bereaved families of three young girls who were murdered at a dance class in northwest En

Days after an attack on Hindus at a Brampton temple, Canadian MP Chandra Arya has come down heavily on politicians pitting Hindus and Sikhs on “opposing sides” and asserted that the Hindu-Canadians and the Sikhs are on one side and the Khalistanis on the other. Due to the deliberate actions of some politicians and the influence of Khalistanis, Canadians now mistakenly equate Khalistanis with Sikhs, Arya said in wake of several Canadian politician trying to portray the Brampton incident as a clash between the Canadian Hindu and Sikh communities. Protesters carrying Khalistani flags clashed with devotees at a Hindu Sabha temple and disrupted an event co-organised by the temple authorities and the Indian Consulate on November 3 at Brampton, a city in Ontario's Greater Toronto Area. “Politicians are deliberately avoiding recognising and mentioning Khalistanis as responsible for this attack or are shifting the blame to other entities. They are misleading Canadians by framing this as

The United States has charged an Iranian man in connection with an alleged plot ordered by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to assassinate president-elect Donald Trump, the Justice Department said on Friday. In a statement, the department said that Shakeri had informed law enforcement "that he was tasked on October 7, 2024, with providing a plan to kill" Trump, the department said. The department described Shakeri as an IRGC asset residing in Tehran. It said he immigrated to the U.S. as a child and was deported in or about 2008 following a robbery conviction. The department said it had charged two other individuals in connection with their alleged involvement in a plot to kill a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin in New York. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/KJ16vqc

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he was "ready" to hold discussions with Donald Trump, as he congratulated him on his victory in the US presidential election. "I take this opportunity to congratulate him," Putin said in remarks to the Valdai forum in Sochi. Asked whether he was open to holding talks with Trump, the Russian leader said: "Ready." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/GA97UoW

Now that Donald Trump and the GOP have claimed their fame to the White House, there is a chain of blame game happening that seems like a futile attempt of clutching at straws. The United States is still waiting for its first female president, with Kamala Harris's loss extending the country's 248-year streak of male leadership. In her concession speech, Harris urged Americans to remain hopeful and empowered, saying, "Don't ever stop trying to make the world a better place, you have power... Don't you ever listen when anyone tells you something is impossible because it has never been done before." Post-election analysis points to various factors contributing to Harris's defeat. Some Democrats blame the decision to replace Joe Biden with Harris, while others criticise Biden's delayed withdrawal from the race. Progressives argue that the Biden administration's stance on Israel and Harris's attempts to appeal to moderates and anti-Trump Republic

Iran's science minister, Hossein Simaei, on Wednesday described a female student's public act of stripping down to her underwear as "immoral and uncustomary". "She broke the norms, and her behaviour was not based on sharia, was immoral and uncustomary," Simaei said on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet meeting, adding she had not been expelled from her university. Footage circulated online Saturday showing a woman, identified as a student at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, sitting and briefly walking around campus and later on the street in her underwear. "Those who republished this footage spread prostitution," said Simaei, adding such incidents "should not be encouraged as they are neither morally nor religiously justified." Media outlets in Iran shared a blurred clip of the student. Amnesty International said she "was violently arrested after she removed her clothes in protest against abusive enforcement of compulsory v

Russia launched 55 satellites into orbit on Tuesday, including two privately built Iranian devices, amid deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran. A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia's Far East at 02:18 Moscow time (2318 GMT on Monday) carrying the satellites, Russia's Roscosmos space agency said. In total, Roscosmos said 51 Russian satellites, one Russian-Chinese device and a Russian-Zimbabwean satellite were put into orbit, as well as the two Iranian satellites. It said it was a "record number of Russian satellites simultaneously put into orbit." The two Iranian imaging and communications satellites -- Koswar and Hodhod -- were designed and built by Iran's Omid Faza Company, and are aimed to support environmental monitoring and communications in remote areas. Tehran said it was the first time Russia had launched privately built Iranian satellites. The two countries have deepened political, economic and military ties amid Russ

The Israeli military denied on Monday that it had hit a clinic in the northern Gaza Strip where health workers were carrying out polio vaccinations. On Saturday, the Gaza health ministry said Israeli fire had hit the Sheikh Radwan clinic as parents brought their children in to be vaccinated. It said four children had been wounded in the explosion, which took place during an agreed humanitarian pause to allow the campaign to go ahead. The military said it was aware of the reports but said an initial review showed its forces had not carried out any strikes when the incident took place. "Contrary to the claims, an initial review determined that the IDF did not strike in the area at the specified time," it said in a statement. The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the incident had taken place just after a WHO team was at the clinic and that it had endangered a vital health protection campaign. "These vital humanitarian-area-specific

The United States will on Tuesday witness one of the closest presidential elections in decades with Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic leader Kamala Harris making last ditch efforts to sway the remaining undecided voters in key battleground states. More than 75 million Americans have already cast their votes as of Sunday, according to the University of Florida's Election Lab that tracks early and mail-in voting across the US. With just two days left for the national election day, Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump are criss-crossing politically pivotal battleground states making closing arguments to drum up support. Various polls have predicted an exceptionally tight race between Harris and Trump. Political analysts say either of the two leaders wrestling at least four of the seven battleground states can take the reins at the White House in January. In questioning the counting process in the 2020 presidential election, Trump said at a rally in

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the transformation in India-Australia relations, attributing the progress to four key factors while reflecting on the evolution of the bilateral partnership between the two nations while addressing the Indian community at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, on Sunday. During his address, S Jaishankar stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Australian government, the global dynamics, and the contributions of the Indian community were the key factors for the evolution of the India-Australia relationship. Reflecting on the growth in ties between the two nations, S Jaishankar remarked that Australia would have featured among India's crucial partners a decade ago but that has changed significantly. "This is my fifth visit to Australia in the last three years... I first came to Australia when I was Foreign Secretary. Yesterday, before I boarded the flight, I launched a book in which they highlighted seven cr

The world's biggest nature conservation conference closed in Colombia on Saturday with no agreement on a roadmap to ramp up funding for species protection. The 16th Conference of Parties (COP16) to the UN's Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was suspended by its president Susana Muhamad as negotiations ran almost 12 hours longer than planned and delegates started leaving to catch flights. The exodus left the summit without a quorum for decision-making, but CBD spokesman David Ainsworth told AFP it will resume at a later date to consider outstanding issues. The conference, the biggest meeting of its kind yet, with around 23,000 registered delegates, was tasked with assessing, and ramping up, progress toward an agreement reached in Canada two years ago to halt humankind's rapacious destruction of nature's bounty. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that emerged from that meeting had set 23 targets to be met in just over five years from now. They

A U.S. judge on Friday denied Elon Musk's bid to move a Pennsylvania lawsuit over his $1 million voter prizes to federal court, moving the case back to state court. It was not immediately clear if the decision would affect the billionaire's plan to keep awarding money until the U.S. presidential election on Tuesday. The decision was issued by U.S. District Judge Gerald Pappert in Philadelphia federal court. Musk has been giving $1 million checks to randomly selected registered voters who sign a petition supporting free speech and gun rights. Musk's America PAC had awarded $1 million prizes to 14 people as of Friday and said the final prize will be given on Tuesday. Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner sued Musk and his political action committee, which backs Republican former President Donald Trump, on Oct. 28 in a state court to try to block the giveaway. Krasner called the program an illegal lottery. Two days later, Tesla CEO Musk and his Ameri

The Israeli military said on Friday it killed senior Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab, describing him as one of the last high-ranking members of Hamas responsible for coordinating with other groups in the Gaza Strip, in an airstrike in Khan Younis. The Palestinian group mourned the death of Kassab in a statement, adding that he was killed along with another Hamas official named Ayman Ayesh in an Israeli attack on their car in the enclave. Hamas sources told Reuters that Kassab was a local group official in Gaza but not a member of its decision-making political office. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/tmu2ybs

China will extend visa-free entry to citizens from nine additional countries, including South Korea, Norway and Finland, the foreign ministry said on Friday. Starting November 8, nationals from these countries, which also include Slovakia, Denmark, Iceland, Andorra, Monaco and Liechtenstein, will be allowed to enter China for business, tourism, family visits, or transit for up to 15 days without a visa, the ministry said. The policy will be in effect through December 31, 2025. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/HJVZS8C

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said that the United States' "great partnership" with India and "my good friend Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi" will be strengthened under his administration. In a post on X, Trump also extended his greetings on Diwali. "... Happy Diwali to All. I hope the Festival of Lights leads to the Victory of Good over Evil!," he posted. In the same post, the former President condemned the violence against Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. "I strongly condemn the barbaric violence against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities who are getting attacked and looted by mobs in Bangladesh, which remains in a total state of chaos," he said, adding that it would have "never happened" on his watch. Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden of ignoring Hindus across the world and in America. He also vowed to make "America Strong Agai

 Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two unidentified Israeli sources. The attack is expected to be carried out from Iraq using a large number of drones and ballistic missiles, the Axios report added. The report said that carrying out the attack through pro-Iran militias in Iraq could be an attempt by Tehran to avoid another Israeli attack against strategic targets in Iran. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/U0VhmiC

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky strongly suggested in a video released on Wednesday that Kyiv has requested supplies of long-range US Tomahawk missiles, as he made critical remarks about "confidential" information he said had been leaked. Tomahawk missiles have a range of 2,500 km (1,550 miles), far greater than any missile Ukraine currently has in its arsenal. Such a weapons delivery would almost certainly be seen by Russia as an escalation in its war in Ukraine. Zelensky travelled to the United States last month to pitch a "victory plan" to President Joe Biden, which he said could help pressure Moscow to negotiate an end to the war in good faith. The Ukrainian leader has since said the plan envisages a "non-nuclear deterrence package" that would only be used if Moscow does not end its full-scale invasion and continues to escalate the conflict. Some of the plan's details have been kept confidential, something Zelensky alluded to in remarks

An Arctic seed vault on Norway's Spitsbergen island received new samples last week from the largest number of depositors since 2020, reflecting fear about the threat of conflict and climate change to food security, a custodian of the facility said recently. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, set deep inside a mountain to withstand disasters from nuclear war to global warming, was launched in 2008 as a backup for the world's gene banks that store the genetic code for thousands of plant species. Billed as a doomsday vault protected by permafrost, the deposit has received samples from across the world, and played a leading role between 2015 and 2019 in rebuilding seed collections damaged during the war in Syria. "Climate change and conflict threaten infrastructure and impact food security for over 700 million people in more than 75 countries worldwide," Executive Director Stefan Schmitz of the Crop Trust said in a statement. Among the new desposits, Bolivia's first

Canada, once a country welcoming an inpour of immigration, on Thursday announced that it is expected to hack down on its annual permanent-resident (PR) target to 395,000 down 21% from half a million for next year, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. What are the implications for Indians? The number of Indians immigrating to Canada skyrocketed by 326% over the decade, increasing from 32,828 in 2013 to a staggering 139,715 in 2023, according to NFAP analysis. “In the tumultuous times as we emerged from the pandemic, between addressing labor needs and maintaining population growth, we didn't get the balance quite right," Trudeau said, as the permanent residency dream for Indians seems more and more improbable now. He said, that although immigration is essential for Canada's future it has to be controlled and sustainable. This change would mean stricter eligibility criteria for international students and temporary workers will be implemented to manage the influx of newcom

A man in the US is wanted in a murder case after he called the emergency number 911, claiming he had been chased by a bear and leading first responders to a dead body. According to a news release from the Monroe County Tennessee Sheriff's Office, 911 received a call about a "distressed hiker" on October 18 who claimed to be Brandon Andrade. He told the dispatcher that he had fallen off of a cliff while running from a bear and that he was injured and partially in the water. When officials conducted a search in Tellico Plains, the area where they received the call from, a body of a man was recovered with an identification of Brandon Kristopher Andrade.  After investigation, the officials found that Brandon Andrade was not the victim and that the identification had been "stolen and used" on multiple occasions. "A male that was using the stolen identification of Mr Andrade, was discovered to be a Nicholas Wayne Hamlett, who was wanted out of the State of Al

Egypt has proposed an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to exchange four Israeli hostages of Hamas for some Palestinian prisoners, Egypt's president said on Sunday as Israeli military strikes killed 45 Palestinians across the enclave. Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi made the announcement as efforts to defuse the devastating, more than year-long war resumed in Qatar with the directors of the CIA and Israel's Mossad intelligence agency taking part. Speaking alongside Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a press conference in Cairo, Sisi also said that talks should resume within 10 days of implementing the temporary ceasefire in efforts to reach a permanent one. There was no immediate comment from Israel or Hamas but a Palestinian official close to the mediation effort told Reuters: "I expect Hamas would listen to the new offers, but it remains determined that any agreement must end the war and get Israeli forces out of Gaza." Israel has said the war c

A cargo truck collided with a passenger bus in northern Mexico on Saturday, leaving at least 24 people dead and five others injured, local authorities said. "So far, the preliminary information available is that 24 passengers have died and five people are injured and are being treated," Rodrigo Reyes, a senior official in the government of Zacatecas state, said in a video on social media. The accident, on a highway that connects Zacatecas with the central state of Aguascalientes, occurred when a container filled with corn fell off the truck, causing the bus to overturn. The bus was traveling between the city of Tepic, in western Nayarit state, and Ciudad Juarez on the US border. The highway was closed to traffic, Reyes said, adding that army, National Guard and civil protection forces were deployed. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.) from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/xoTL0Ou

The case of Ariha Shah, a three-year-old Indian girl who has been in foster care in Germany, was raised during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz here on Friday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said. At a media briefing, the foreign secretary also said the chancellor has assured the Prime Minister that he is "very closely following" the issue. The girl has been in foster care in Germany for more than 36 months following allegations of minor physical abuse. Her parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, are residents of Mira Bhayander in Maharashtra's Thane district. "The case has been followed very, very closely by us.... Our embassy in Berlin has taken it up. When the external affairs minister was in Germany a few weeks ago, he had raised it very strongly with his counterpart," Mr Misri said. "Yes, I can confirm that it was raised during the meeting today as well. We have at all levels impressed upon the Ger

Alphabet's self-driving unit, Waymo, said on Friday it had closed a $5.6 billion funding round led by the Google parent, as it looks to expand its autonomous ride-hailing service. Automakers and technology companies are investing in autonomous ride-hailing services to capitalize on the technology to drive commercial success, even as it faces widespread skepticism and tight regulatory scrutiny. The investment round also saw participation from existing investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Perry Creek, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price, Waymo said. "With this latest investment, we will continue to welcome more riders into our Waymo One ride-hailing service in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, and in Austin and Atlanta through our expanded partnership with Uber," the company said. Alphabet had planned a $5 billion investment in Waymo over a multi-year period, finance chief Ruth Porat said in July. Waymo, which offers paid rides in autonomo

Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, was released from prison on Thursday, a day after she was granted bail in a case linked to the illegal sale of state gifts, ending about nine months of imprisonment. The release is the biggest legal relief for Imran Khan and his family since he was imprisoned in August last year. Bushra Bibi, who was arrested in January, was released from Adiala Jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Imran Khan still remains. Local television channels showed a small number of supporters throwing rose petals on two white SUVs escorting her from the jail. Bushra Bibi faces at least one other graft case linked to receiving land from a real estate developer. "Welcome back Bushra Bibi! You have faced extremely difficult times, disgusting campaign and character assassination attempts against your during your illegal time in jail," Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, said in a post on X. Imran Khan him

Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old victim of mass rape whose ordeal has shocked the world, told a trial in southern France on Wednesday that she was determined that making her case public should help other women and change society. Dominique Pelicot, her husband, has admitted to inviting dozens of strangers over nearly ten years to their house to rape her after he had drugged her. Fifty other men also stand trial, accused of raping her. Gisele Pelicot, her voice often shaking with emotion, told the court she was destroyed by what happened to her. She said how "unbelievably violent" it was for her that many of the accused in the trial, which started on Sept.2, said they thought she agreed to the rapes or was faking sleeping. "I've decided not to be ashamed, I've done nothing wrong," Gisele Pelicot, who has become a symbol of the fight against sexual violence, told the court in Avignon. She said she had insisted the trial be held publicly, and not behind clos

Bangladesh banned the student wing of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's party on Thursday, citing its involvement in violent attacks on demonstrations that toppled the autocratic leader. Sheikh Hasina fled the country in August as thousands marched on her official residence, ending a 15-year tenure that saw widespread human rights abuses. The student wing of her Awami League party was accused of propping up her iron-fisted rule, which saw the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. A government notice accused the party's youth wing, known as the Chhatra League, of involvement in "murders, persecution, torture... and many other activities that threaten public security". The statement added that the student group had been outlawed under anti-terrorism laws. Initially peaceful protests that began in July against Sheikh Hasina's government turned violent when Chhatra League activists attacked student demonstrators on university campuses

Lebanon's Hezbollah movement said on Tuesday there would be no negotiations while fighting continued with Israel and it claimed sole responsibility for a drone attack on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's holiday home. The group "takes full and sole responsibility" for targeting Netanyahu's house, Mohammad Afif, head of the Iranian-backed operator group's media office, told a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut. "If our hands didn't reach you the previous time, then days, nights and the battlefield are still between us," he said. Israel said a drone was launched at Netanyahu's holiday home on Saturday. Netanyahu was not there at the time, but he described it as an assassination attempt by "Iran's proxy Hezbollah" and called it a "grave mistake". Hezbollah also for the first time acknowledged that Israel had captured some of its fighters since it launched a ground offensive in south Lebanon,

Israel has announced steps to boost aid deliveries to Gaza, but UN figures show a huge drop in supplies getting through to the war-battered territory and humanitarian workers doubt much is reaching those who need it most. Aid workers and experts told AFP that there were still many obstacles to getting desperately needed supplies to Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip's north, where intense Israeli military operations since early October have left hundreds dead. Not only are there disputes over the actual volume of aid being allowed in, but agencies are often unable to reach people under constant bombardment, meaning it does not always make it where the dire humanitarian needs are greatest. How does aid enter Gaza?  Most trucks carrying humanitarian supplies enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing on the border between Israel and the southern Gaza Strip. The shipments are inspected by the Israeli military for security reasons, a process cited by humanitarian groups as the m

Israel said it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in its latest strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Sunday, while officials in Gaza said rescuers were still recovering people from the rubble after an Israeli strike that killed dozens. At least 87 people were dead or missing following the air strike on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza late on Saturday, the health ministry in the Palestinian territory said, one of the highest death counts for months from a single attack. Israel said it was investigating reports of the incident. It marked an intensification of Israel's offensives against Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, days after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar raised hopes of an opening for ceasefire negotiations to end more than a year of conflict in the Middle East. With US elections approaching, officials, diplomats and other sources in the region say Israel is seeking through military operations to try to shield its b