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Showing posts from March, 2024

Russia Demands Ukraine Hand Over Head Of Security Service, Others

Russia is demanding that Ukraine hand over all persons connected with terrorist acts committed in Russia, including the head of the country's SBU Security Service, the foreign ministry said on Sunday. "Russia has turned over to Ukrainian authorities its demands...for the immediate arrest and extradition of all those connected to the terrorist acts in question," a ministry statement said, after listing a number of violent incidents in the country. The ministry statement said those to be handed over included SBU head Vasyl Maliuk, who has acknowledged his service was behind attacks on the bridge linking Crimea to the Russian mainland since the Kremlin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (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/SVPtz7F

Trump Posts Video Showing Biden 'Hog-Tied' On Pickup Truck, Draws Criticism

Donald Trump drew criticism Saturday for a video on his Truth Social platform that featured an image of President Joe Biden "hog-tied," as if he were being kidnapped. The video, posted Friday afternoon, shows two pickup trucks driving down a highway, each displaying multiple pro-Trump signs and flags. On the tailgate of the second truck is an image of a prone Biden tied with his hands behind him. Biden's reelection campaign said the post by Republican candidate Trump -- whose language has become increasingly caustic as he campaigns against Biden for the presidency -- could lead to violence. "This image from Donald Trump is the type of crap you post when you're calling for a bloodbath or when you tell the Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by,' Biden spokesman Michael Tyler told AFP, referring to the far-right militia involved in the January 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol by Trump supporters. He went on: "Trump is regularly inciting political

Rescue Workers To Lift First Piece Of Collapsed US Bridge That Killed 6

Salvage crews were set to lift the first piece of Baltimore's collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge from the water on Saturday to allow barges and tugboats to access the disaster site, Maryland and U.S. officials said, the first step in a complex effort to reopen the city's blocked port. The steel truss bridge collapsed early on Tuesday morning, killing six road workers, when a massive container ship lost power and crashed into a support pylon, sending much of the span crashing into the Patapsco River, blocking the Port of Baltimore's shipping channel. Maryland Governor Wes Moore told a news conference that a section of the bridge's steel superstructure north of the crash site would be cut into a piece that could be lifted by crane onto a barge and brought to the nearby Tradepoint Atlantic site at Sparrows Point. "This will eventually allow us to open up a temporary restricted channel that will help us to get more vessels in the water around the site of the collaps

US Has Agreed To Send More Bombs, Warplanes To Israel: Report

The US in recent days authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, two sources familiar with the effort said on Friday, even as Washington publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated Israeli military offensive in Rafah. The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, said the sources, who confirmed a report in the Washington Post. Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The package comes as Israel faces strong international criticism over its continued bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza and as some members of President Joe Biden's party call for him to cut US military aid. The United States has been rushing air defenses and munitions to Israel, but some Democrats and Arab American groups have criticized the Biden administration's steadfast support of Israel, which they say provides it with a sense of impunity. Bid

Russia Detains Another Suspect Over Concert Hall Attack That Killed 144

A Russian court on Friday ordered another suspect charged with "terrorism" over the deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall to be held in pre-trial detention. Russia has detained 12 people in connection with the massacre. They include the four men accused of having shot dozens of concert-goers and then set the Crocus City Hall venue on fire last week in the deadliest attack in Russia for two decades. The Basmanny district court in Moscow said Friday it had ordered Nazrimad Lutfulloi, a Tajik citizen, to be held in pre-trial detention until 22 May. Nine of the 12 people arrested by the Russian authorities have been sent to pre-trial detention. There has been no update on the other three. The suspects face life in prison. The Islamic State (IS) group has repeatedly claimed responsibility for the attack, its deadliest on European soil. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has alleged a Ukrainian and Western connection. Russia's Investigative Committee has said it has

China Joins Probe Into Pak Suicide Attack That Killed 5 Chinese Nationals

Chinese investigators arrived in Pakistan on Friday to join a probe into the killing of five Chinese nationals in a suicide attack, Pakistan's interior ministry said, seeking to stem assaults threatening Islamabad's drive to modernise the economy. Tuesday's incident was the third major attack in little over a week on China's interests in the South Asian nation, where Beijing has invested more than $65 billion in infrastructure projects as part of its wider Belt and Road initiative. Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met the Chinese team of investigators at Beijing's embassy and briefed them on the investigation so far, the statement said. In late 2022, the two allied countries started a joint investigation into an attack that year on China's nationals and its interests, which have seen a rise in recent months. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack, in which a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle into a convoy of Chinese e

Lufthansa Ground Staff Wins Pay Rise Of 12.5% After Several Strikes

Lufthansa's ground staff will get average pay rises of 12.5 percent under a deal reached after a series of crippling strikes, the German airline giant said Thursday. The carrier and union Verdi, which represents some 25,000 ground staff, finally reached an agreement Wednesday, averting the threat of fresh walkouts over the Easter break. The 12.5-percent increase was in line with Verdi's demands, and will be implemented in two stages over two years. Employees will also receive bonuses to help combat high inflation of 3,000 euros, and improvements in other areas including extra holiday pay and flexible working hours. Several rounds of direct talks between Lufthansa and Verdi had failed, but they finally achieved a breakthrough after agreeing to outside arbitration. "We fought hard for this compromise and we can now be very satisfied," Verdi negotiator Marvin Reschinsky said. "We have achieved real increases in real wages, which will make up for the shortfall

Nearly 100 Still Missing After Moscow Attack: Report

As many as 95 people are still missing after last week's attack near Moscow when gunmen sprayed concertgoers with automatic weapons and set the venue on fire, a Russian news outlet reported on Wednesday. The official toll from the attack on Crocus City Hall now stands at 140 dead and 182 wounded. But the Baza news service, which has good contacts in Russian security and law enforcement, said 95 more people appeared in lists compiled by the emergency services based on appeals from people about missing relatives. "These lists include people with whom relatives have not been able to get in touch since the terrorist attack, but who are not on the lists of wounded and dead," Baza said. "Some of these people died, but have not yet been identified." Russian investigators said the attack was carried out by four shooters using Kalashnikov automatic weapons. More than 500 rounds were found at the scene. The shooting began shortly before the Soviet-era rock group "

"Palestinians Have Been Denied Their Homeland": S Jaishankar

In a strong statement on the Israel-Palestine issue, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that whatever the rights and wrongs in the whole conflict between Israel and Palestine, the underlying fact is that the Palestinians have been denied their rights and homeland. He stated that what transpired on October 7 was a 'terrorist attack' but also acknowledged, in reference to the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza, that every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law. Mr Jaishankar, who is on a visit to Malaysia, was interacting with the Indian community during an event. "How different pulls and pressures can be. On one hand, what happened on October 7 was terrorism. On the other hand, nobody would countenance the death of innocent civilians. Countries may be justified in their own minds in responding, but you cannot have a response that...every response must take into account something called international humanitarian law,"

"Terrible Accident": Joe Biden On Baltimore Bridge Collapse

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday called the collapse of a Baltimore bridge a "terrible accident," and pledged to get the major East Coast port up and running as soon as possible after a cargo ship struck one of the span's support pylons. Biden said he would send "all the federal resources" needed to handle the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday. Six people -- all of them construction workers repairing the Francis Scott Key Bridge -- were missing, authorities said.  "I'm directing my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as humanly possible," Biden said in a brief address from the White House, while acknowledging: "This is going to take some time."   (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/W4id50g

UK Blames China For "Malicious" Cyber-Attack On Voter Data

The UK on Monday accused China state-affiliated cyber organisations of at least two “malicious” and “reprehensible” cyber campaigns targeting Britain's voter data and parliamentarians. In a statement in the House of Commons, the government revealed that the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of its Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), concluded that the country's Electoral Commission systems were “highly likely” compromised by a Chinese entity between 2021 and 2022. The NCSC also claims that it is “almost certain” that the China state-affiliated APT31 conducted reconnaissance activity against British parliamentarians during a separate campaign in 2021. All such attacks to interfere with UK democracy and politics are said to have been unsuccessful, but it has led to two individuals and one company linked to APT31 being sanctioned. “The UK will not tolerate malicious cyber activity targeting our democratic institutions. It is an absolute priority

"TikTok Taoiseach": Simon Harris Set To Become Ireland's Youngest PM

Simon Harris, who is set to become Ireland's youngest ever prime minister after being appointed party leader on Sunday, will be hoping his social media skills and fresh face can save his party's flagging fortunes as elections loom. The 37-year-old, who the media has already dubbed the "TikTok Taoiseach" -- the name for the Irish prime minister, pronounced "Tee-shock" -- beats the previous record holder, his predecessor Leo Varadkar, who was 38 when he took the top job in 2017. After Varadkar's shock resignation Wednesday, Harris jumped into the race to lead the centre-right Fine Gael party and become prime minister by default. By Thursday lunchtime he had secured the endorsements of a majority of his party colleagues, prompting all other rivals to rule themselves out, and his coronation was confirmed on Sunday. Harris told party members that he would repay their faith with "hard work, with blood, sweat and tears, day in and day out with responsi

"Your Abysmal Track Record On Democracy Laughable": India Hits Out At Pak

India on Sunday hit out at Pakistan at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), saying lectures by a country with an abysmal track record of democracy is laughable and advised it to stop its terror factories from launching cross-border terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir. Using his right of reply against Pakistan during the 148th Assembly of the IPU in Geneva, Switzerland, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh said India is the largest democracy in the world and many consider it a model to be emulated. "Lectures by a country which has an abysmal track record of democracy is laughable, to say the least. It would have been better if Pakistan did not undermine the importance of a platform like IPU by such absurd allegations and false narratives," he said. Referring to allegations made by Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir, the Rajya Sabha deputy chair said the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have been and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of Ind

2 Russian Military Ships Hit In Overnight Strikes On Crimea, Says Ukraine

Ukraine claimed Sunday to have hit two Russian military ships stationed at the annexed peninsula of Crimea in overnight strikes, as it suffered another night of "massive" Russian aerial attacks. Ukraine's ally and neighbour Poland said a Russian cruise missile headed for western Ukraine breached its airspace overnight, after it had put its armed forces on high alert amid intense Russian aviation activity. "The Ukrainian Armed Forces successfully struck the amphibious landing ships Yamal and Azov, a communications centre, and a number of the Black Sea Fleet's infrastructure sites," the Ukrainian armed forces' strategic communications centre said Sunday. Moscow-installed officials on the peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014, said their forces had repelled a major Ukrainian aerial attack late Saturday night. "It was the most massive attack in recent times," the Russian-appointed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said in a Telegram

Stop Being "Stubborn": Maldives President Told To Fix India Ties

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu must stop being "stubborn" and seek dialogue with neighbours to overcome the financial challenges, his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said. Solih made these remarks days after Muizzu, widely seen as a pro-China leader, urged India to provide debt relief to the archipelago nation. Muizzu, 45, defeated Solih, 62, in the presidential election held in September last year. Speaking at an event in Male' to rally support for Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary candidates contesting four constituencies in Maafannu, Solih said he had seen media reports that suggest Muizzu wants to talk to India for debt restructuring. But the financial challenges are not caused by Indian loans, Solih was quoted as saying by Adhadhu.com news portal. Maldives has a debt of MVR 18 billion owed to China compared to MVR 8 billion owed to India, Solih said, adding that the repayment period is 25 years. "However, I am confident that our neighb

Oil Tanker Hit By Projectile Off Yemen, None Hurt: UK Maritime Agency

A Panama-flagged crude oil tanker caught fire after being struck by an unidentified projectile off Yemen on Saturday, in the latest attack on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The incident happened 23 nautical miles northwest of the Red Sea port of al-Mukha, British maritime security firm Ambrey said. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency also reported the incident, saying the fire was extinguished by the crew. "Vessel and crew reported safe. Vessel continuing to next port of call," UKMTO added in an advisory note. Ambrey said the tanker was registered under Union Maritime Ltd, a UK company, in 2019 before changing its registration details, including name and operator, last month. "At the time of writing, she had changed course to starboard and continued on her journey to New Mangalore, India," the Ambrey statement said. Months of attacks in the Red Sea by Yemen's Houthi operatives following the Israel-Hamas war have disrupted globa

Russian Spacecraft Launches For ISS, 2 Days After Last Minute Glitch

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian, a Belarusian and an American en route to the International Space Station (ISS) was launched on Saturday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, live footage showed. The original planned launch was aborted seconds before takeoff on Thursday because of a problem with a chemical power source. The Soyuz, carrying Russian Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya and American Tracy Dyson, is due to dock with the ISS at 1510 GMT on Monday. Space is one of the last remaining areas where the United States and Russia continue to collaborate despite the dire state of their relations as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. Novitsky and Vasilevskaya will return to Earth on April 6 with Loral O'Hara, a US astronaut currently aboard the orbital station. (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/aEGtRhu

Canadian Tourist, 24, Dies After Falling From Moving Train In Thailand

A Canadian tourist in Thailand died on Wednesday after falling from a moving train en route to "Death Island". According to The Independent , 24-year-old Ryan Joseph Ralph was travelling with his British girlfriend Shona Morgan, 22, when he fell from the overnight locomotive from Bangkok on March 20. Ms Morgan had flown to Thailand to be with his boyfriend, who had been travelling in the country for just over a month, to celebrate his birthday. The couple were trying to reach Koh Tao island in the south of Thailand when the tragedy struck.  A couple of hours into the journey, Mr Ralph had left his girlfriend sleeping while he went for a cigarette at the end of the carriage, many of which have no doors or barriers. As per The Independent , the tourist is believed to have been injured after falling off the train before being pulled briefly along the tracks.  Ms Morgan said she raised the alarm when she woke up an hour later and he was missing. Nearly 200 police officers and r

"A Huge Shock": Kate's Statement On Cancer Discovery

Kate, Britain's Princess of Wales, said on Friday that tests taken after a surgery she had in January had revealed cancer had been present and she was now undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy. Below is the full transcript of Kate's video message: "I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery. "It has been an incredibly tough couple of months for our entire family, but I've had a fantastic medical team who have taken great care of me, for which I am so grateful. "In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that tre

Several Injured As Blast, Shooting Reported At Concert Hall Near Moscow

Shooting broke out at a large concert hall near Moscow on Friday, Russian news agencies quoted emergency services as saying. RIA news agency said at least three people in camouflage clothing had opened fire at the Crocus City Hall, and that some people had been wounded. Police had arrived at the scene, RIA said. Video footage published on Russian social media channels showed chaotic scenes, with a large crowd of concertgoers attempting to flee the hall, followed by gunshots. Other video footage showed a number of people lying motionless in pools of blood outside the hall. Reuters was unable immediately to verify the footage. TASS news agency reported an explosion and a fire in the building where the shooting took place. The Kommersant newspaper posted footage online showing smoke billowing from what it said was the concert venue building. (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

"Sorry, Donald": Biden Takes Jibe At Trump Over Campaign Cash Lead

Joe Biden may be struggling against Donald Trump in the polls ahead of November's US presidential election but his numbers are looking good in one department: campaign cash. The Democrat holds a widening lead over his Republican rival in the fundraising stakes, while Trump is burning through legal fees as he battles multiple criminal and civil cases. The cash crunch has also given 81-year-old Biden a new line of attack on the campaign trail, as he mocks the self-proclaimed billionaire tycoon for his mounting financial woes. "Just the other day, a defeated-looking guy came up to me and said, 'Mr President, I need your help, I'm being crushed with debt, I'm completely wiped out,'" he told a fundraising event in Dallas, Texas on Wednesday. "Donald, I'm sorry, I can't help you," Biden said he responded, in a punchline that drew laughs and applause from an audience of supporters. Biden's financial advantage may help calm Democratic ne

US Attorney General's Full Speech On Suit Against Apple For iPhone Monopoly

The US Department of Justice on Thursday sued Apple for illegally maintaining a monopoly for its iPhone by stifling competition and imposing exorbitant costs on consumers. The lawsuit, which was also brought by multiple US states, attacked the iPhone for raking in hundreds of billions of dollars by making it difficult for consumers to switch away to cheaper smartphones and devices. Apple joins Amazon, Google and Facebook-owner Meta which are also facing antitrust lawsuits in the US. What US Attorney General Merrick Garland Said On Lawsuit Against Apple Earlier today, the Department of Justice, joined by 15 states and the District of Columbia sue Apple in the U.S. District Count for the District of New Jersey for violating Section 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act. Over the last two decades, Apple has become one of the most valuable public companies in the world. Today, its net income exceeds the individual Gross Domestic Product of more than 100 countries. That is in large part due t

Queen Camilla Gives Update On King Charles' Health Amid Silence On Kate

Britain's Queen Camilla said her husband King Charles who is being treated for cancer was doing "very well", as she greeted crowds on a visit to Northern Ireland on Thursday. Charles has been absent from public duties since January while he undergoes treatment for an unspecified form of cancer, leaving Camilla and heir-to-the-throne Prince William to be the public face of the royal family. Camilla, 76, joked with members of the public in Belfast, telling workers in a bakery that a smartly dressed small boy there was "a natural for the cameras" as he stole the limelight. Handed a card by a schoolgirl outside a shop to wish her husband well, Camilla said: "Thank you. He'll be delighted." Camilla and William have been out and about this week, meeting people and carrying out charity, holding the fort for the royal family while another of its star players, Kate Middleton , the Princess of Wales, also recuperates from a health problem. Kate is not e

Nepal's Only Billionaire Investigated In Alleged Land Grab Case

Nepal's only billionaire, Binod Chaudhary, is under the lens of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in connection with a government land-grab case. The matter came to light after CIB wrote a letter to Nepal's House Speaker, informing him of their ongoing investigation. Mr Chaudhary, a lawmaker from the Nepali Congress in the lower house of the Nepal Federal Parliament, is being investigated for allegedly privatizing land belonging to the Bansbari Shoe Factory, a government entity. Hobindra Bogati, a senior officer at CIB, submitted a letter at the Parliament Secretariat informing House Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire about the investigation against the lawmaker in the land embezzlement case. The CIB has also given Mr Chaudhary a deadline until Thursday morning to provide an explanation of the case to the investigating authority, otherwise he might face arrest. Mr Chaudhary is accused of illegally acquiring 10 ropani (54758.621 square feet) of land from the Bansbari Leather Shoe

Study Of "Twin" Stars Finds Evidence Of Planetary Ingestion

The planetary system that includes Earth and its sibling planets orbiting the sun has been remarkably stable during its roughly 4.5 billion years of existence. But not all planetary systems are so lucky, as shown in a new study involving "twin" stars. An examination of 91 pairs of stars with matching sizes and chemical compositions showed that a surprising number exhibited signs of having ingested a planet, scientists said on Wednesday, likely after the planet was sent hurtling out of a stable orbit for any number of reasons. The study looked at pairs of stars that formed within the same interstellar cloud of gas and dust - so-called co-natal stars - giving them the same chemical makeup, and were of roughly equal mass and age. These are the "twins." While the pairs are moving together in the same direction within our Milky Way galaxy, they are not binary systems of two stars gravitationally bound to each other. A star's chemical composition changes when it en

Gaza Hunger Warnings Grow Amid Ceasefire Talks

Tensions surged as Hamas's chief accused Israel on Tuesday of sabotaging talks for a Gaza truce after it raided the devastated Palestinian territory's largest hospital for a second time. Months of war have pushed hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged territory to the brink of famine, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying everyone in Gaza was now in need of humanitarian aid. A UN-backed assessment meanwhile said 300,000 people in the territory's north would face famine by May without a surge of aid. UN rights chief Volker Turk said Israel was blocking aid and conducting the conflict in a way that "may amount to the use of starvation as a method of war". Israeli troops on Tuesday were pressing an assault on Gaza's biggest hospital, which they allege is being used for military purposes, saying more than 50 fighters had been killed and around 300 suspects arrested and taken for questioning. In response, Hamas's Qatar-based chief

Presidential Immunity Invoked For Pak President In Corruption Case

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's counsels on Tuesday invoked presidential immunity for him in a corruption case, commonly known as the Park Lane reference, in which he is accused of influencing authorities to release loans to front companies. Judge Nasir Javed Rana of an Islamabad-based accountability court presided over the hearing in the Park Lane case. The case is based on the allegation that Zardari influenced relevant authorities during his previous term as the president - from 2008 to 2013 - to release loans for his front companies. During the hearing, Zardari's lawyers contended that after becoming the president, he enjoyed presidential immunity against court cases, and any proceedings against him could not continue. Zardari was elected president of Pakistan for the second time on March 9. Zardari, 68, his sister and several of their alleged business associates were being probed as part of the 2015 case involving fake accounts and fictitious transactions. On b

2023 Broke Every Single Climate Indicator: UN Weather Agency

Greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, and sea level rise all reached record highs in 2023, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released on Tuesday. The report, titled "State of the Global Climate 2023", confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year in the 174-year observational record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial baseline (1850-1900). "Sirens are blaring across all major indicators... Some records are not just chart-topping, they are chart-busting. And changes are speeding up," said United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Never have we been so close - albeit on a temporary basis at the moment - to the 1.5 degrees Celsius lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The WMO community is sounding the red alert to the world... The climate crisis is the defining challenge that humanity faces," WMO Se

Afghanistan Retaliates Against Pak After Air Strikes Kill 8

Eight civilians were killed Monday in "reckless" air strikes by Pakistan's military in the border regions of Afghanistan, prompting Afghan forces to retaliate against Pakistani military outposts, Taliban officials said. Border tensions between the two countries have steadily escalated since the Taliban government seized power in 2021, with Islamabad claiming militant groups are carrying out regular attacks from Afghanistan. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani aircraft "bombed civilian homes" in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan at around 3:00 am (2230 GMT Sunday), adding that all of the dead were women and children. Afghanistan's defence ministry said its border forces retaliated in response to the airstrikes, targeting Pakistan's military posts along the disputed border with "heavy weapons". Cross-border skirmishes in the region were reported by both sides on Monday, the latest in a string of inciden

Apple In Talks To Bring Google's Gemini AI To iPhone, Says Report

Apple is in advanced negotiations with Google to adopt its powerful Gemini AI models for the iPhone, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The move, if confirmed and resulting in a deal, would answer one of the big questions about the iPhone-maker's AI strategy, which has been criticized as lagging its tech giant rivals. Google's share price soared by well over six percent on the news. Apple's was up by as much as 2.5 percent. According to Bloomberg, Apple is seeking to partner with Google for its next iOS operating system release and will likely feature on its next iPhone, expected later this year. Apple and Google are already locked in a search engine partnership that sees Google pay Apple tens of billions of dollars every year to give the search engine a prominent place on the iPhone. That long-running search engine deal is facing a historic lawsuit from the US Department of Justice for alleged violations of antitrust law. Bloomberg reported that Apple had also held talks

Putin Wins Russia Presidential Polls With 88% Votes: 1st Official Results

President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his grip on power though thousands of opponents staged a noon protest at polling stations and the United States said the vote was neither free nor fair. For Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, the result is intended to underscore to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more years to come. The early result means Putin, 71, will easily secure a new six-year term that would enable him to overtake Josef Stalin and become Russia's longest-serving leader for more than 200 years. Putin won 87.8% of the vote, the highest-ever result in Russia's post-Soviet history, according to an exit poll by pollster the Public Opinion Foundation (FOM). The Russian Public Opinion Research Centre (VCIOM) put Putin on 87%. The first official results indicated the polls were accurate. &qu

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Thanks Indian Navy For Rescuing Hijacked Vessel

Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Mariya Gabriel on Sunday expressed gratitude to the Indian Navy for successfully carrying out a rescue operation to take back control of a hijacked merchant vessel and its 17 crew members including seven Bulgarian nationals in the Arabian Sea. She thanked the Indian Navy for the support and reaffirmed cooperation to protect the lives of the crew. Taking to X, Bulgerian Foreign Minister said, "I express my gratitude to the Indian navy for the successful operation to rescue the hijacked vessel Ruen & its crew members, including 7 BG nationals Thank you for support & great effort. We continue to work together to protect lives of the crew." On Saturday, the C-17 aircraft of the Indian Air Force executed a precision air-born drop of two boats along with Indian Navy MARCOS in the Arabian Sea in support of ongoing anti-piracy 'Operation Sankalp'. The operation was carried out to rescue the crew of the bulk carrier vessel MV Ruen which