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The EU on Tuesday launched an investigation into Meta's Facebook and Instagram over concerns the platforms are failing to counter disinformation ahead of EU elections in June. The probe is under the EU's new Digital Services Act, a landmark law that cracks down on illegal content online and forces the world's biggest tech companies to do more to protect users online. The European Commission said it suspected Meta's moderation of adverts was "insufficient" and that an increase in paid spots in those conditions could harm "electoral processes and fundamental rights, including consumer protection rights". EU leaders are especially worried about Russian attempts to manipulate public opinion and undermine European democracy. The probe seeks "to make sure that effective actions are taken in particular to prevent that Instagram's and Facebook's vulnerabilities are exploited by foreign interference," EU internal market commissioner Thie

Singapore Airlines has been ordered to pay more than 2,040 pounds (INR 213,585) to an Indian couple who said their business-class seats malfunctioned, New York Post  reported. Ravi Gupta, a police chief from Telangana, was flying with his wife on a flight from Hyderabad to Australia, which transited through Singapore. They paid 66,750 rupees (about $800) for each business-class seat. Notably, the incident happened last year in May.  The couple complained that their seats' automatic recline feature didn't work. Instead, the seats could only be manually reclined, leaving them frustrated during their five-hour trip. When they complained, they were offered 10,000 frequent flyer miles or loyalty points each. However, they declined the offer and sued Singapore Airlines. In court documents, the Guptas accused Singapore Airlines of making them feel like lowly ''economy-class passengers'' despite them paying for spacious business-class accommodation. They also said the

Multiple law enforcement officers have been shot in Charlotte, North Carolina, local police said on Monday, in what they described as an "active" scene. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said in a written statement that the shooting began in northeast Charlotte as officers from a U.S. Marshall's Task Force, comprised of officers from multiple agencies, were carrying out an investigation. "Multiple law enforcement officers have been struck by the gunfire and are being transported to the hospital," the police department said on social media. There was no official word on the injuries, though some local news outlets, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, were reporting that at least one officer had died. The police statement said a SWAT team "is currently working on the scene." Police said they would hold a news conference "as soon as the situation stabilizes." (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV st

The U.S. State Department found five units of the Israeli military responsible for gross violations of human rights in incidents that took place outside of Gaza before conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas in October, the State Department said on Monday. Four of the units have effectively remediated the violations, while Israel has submitted additional information regarding the fifth unit and the U.S. is continuing conversations with the government, State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters. U.S. weapons sales to the units will not be affected, Patel said. He declined to offer specifics on what violations of human rights were committed, which units were involved or what remediation steps were taken. "After a careful process, we found five Israeli units responsible for individual incidents of gross violations of human rights. All of these were incidents much before October 7th and none took place in Gaza," Patel said. "Four of these units

The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by Elon Musk of a settlement that requires the billionaire to have some of his social media posts about Tesla pre-approved by a company lawyer. The nation's highest court rejected the Tesla and X owner's appeal without comment. Musk was seeking to overturn restrictions imposed on him by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) following a 2018 post on Twitter, now X. In the tweet, Musk said he had acquired funding to take Tesla private, which caused a spike in the company's stock price, but he did not provide any proof or file paperwork with the SEC. The tweet was ruled to be "false and misleading" and shareholders accused Tesla of securities fraud. The SEC ordered Musk to step down as chair of Tesla's board of directors and pay a $20 million fine. The government agency also required that Musk's social media posts directly related to the business of the electric vehicle company be vetted b

Famed for its blue seas, breathtaking views and cove-studded coastline, the Mediterranean island of Capri has been a tourist haven since the early years of the Roman Empire. Unlike in the imperial heyday, when emperors made it their exclusive playground, Capri now attracts visitors from around the world, clogging its narrow alleys, packing the piazzas and blocking the beaches during the hot summer months. As many as 16,000 tourists a day pour onto the rocky isle in peak season, outnumbering the 12,900 residents. Most are day trippers, but increasing numbers stay the night as ever more homes are given over to holiday lets, bringing its own problems. "Capri is becoming a dormitory for tourists," said Teodorico Boniello, head of the local consumers' association. "There are more people coming than we can cope with and families can't set down roots because they can't afford to stay." Capri is a microcosm of many European holiday hotspots. Locals depend on

The White House insisted Sunday that pro-Palestinian protests that have rocked US universities in recent weeks must remain peaceful, after police arrested around 275 people on four separate campuses over the weekend. "We certainly respect the right of peaceful protests," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told ABC's "This Week." But, he added, "we absolutely condemn the anti-Semitism language that we've heard of late and certainly condemn all the hate speech and the threats of violence out there." The wave of demonstrations began at Columbia University in New York but they have since spread rapidly across the country. While peace has prevailed in many campuses, the number of protesters detained -- at times by police in riot gear using chemical irritants and tasers -- is rising fast. They include 100 at Northeastern University in Boston, 80 at Washington University in St Louis, 72 at Arizona State University and 23 at Indiana Univer

Israel's foreign minister said on Saturday that a planned incursion into the southern Gaza city of Rafah could be suspended should a deal emerge to secure the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. The comments came as international mediators push for a deal to achieve a ceasefire in the six months of devastating fighting in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages taken during Hamas' Oct. 7 assault that sparked the war. "The release of the hostages is the top priority for us," Foreign Minister Israel Katz said during an interview with local Channel 12 television. Asked if that included putting off a planned operation to eliminate Hamas battalions in the city of Rafah, Katz answered, "Yes." He went on to say: "If there will be a deal, we will suspend the operation." Though Katz is a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, he is not a member of the narrow-forum war cabinet overseeing the Gaza offensive. Israel,

Two people were killed after an aircraft crashed in Mount Beauty in the Australian state of Victoria on Saturday, police said. Located in the state's northeastern, Mount Beauty is a small town surrounded by the Alpine National Park, which features lakes, forests and snowfields, Xinhua news agency reported. It is believed that the pair were flying over Embankment Drive when the aircraft went down at about 1:45 p.m. local time. Both the pilot and the passenger died at the scene, whose identities remain to be formally confirmed. According to Victoria Police, they were the only occupants of the aircraft, and a report would be prepared for the Coroner. A statement from the state's Country Fire Authority (CFA) indicated that the crashed plane was a "powered glider." "Incident deemed under control at 2:13 p.m. and safe at 3:34 p.m. Emergency service crews will remain on scene for quite some time," said the CFA. (Except for the headline, this story has not bee

A tornado that struck the city of Guangzhou in southern China killed five people and left 33 injured, state news agency Xinhua said on Saturday, citing local authorities. The tornado hit the city's Baiyun district on Saturday afternoon, the report said, adding it had damaged 141 factory buildings but no residential houses had collapsed, the report added. Rescuers from the city's emergency management, weather, fire, waterworks and health departments, as well as local residents, were sent to the area, Xinhua said, adding that search and rescue work was completed there. Last year, China's Jiangsu was hit by a violent tornado which killed 10 people after torrential rain lashed China's southeast, causing massive evacuations and landslides in the wake of unrelenting storms brought on by the remnants of Typhoon Haikui. (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

U.S. Secretary for State Antony Blinken will visit Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday to meet with regional partners and discuss efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages, the State Department said on Saturday. "He will discuss the recent increase in humanitarian assistance being delivered to Gaza and underscore the importance of ensuring that increase is sustained," the State Department said in a statement. "The Secretary will also emphasize the importance of preventing the conflict from spreading and discuss ongoing efforts to achieve lasting peace and security in the region, including through a pathway to an independent Palestinian state with security guarantees for Israel."   (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/hLjDMYo

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, while closing his three-day trip to China, said that the US has seen evidence of Chinese attempts to "influence and arguably interfere" with the upcoming US elections, despite Chinese President Xi Jinping's earlier commitment to not do so, reported CNN. Blinken made the comments in an interview with CNN on Friday while ending his visit to China, where the top American diplomat spent hours meeting with top Chinese officials, including Xi, as the two countries navigated a raft of contentious issues, from US tech controls to Beijing's support for Moscow. Blinken said he reiterated President Joe Biden's message, which he gave to Xi Jinping during their summit in San Francisco last November, to not interfere in the 2024 US presidential elections. Following which, Xi pledged that China would not do so, according to CNN. "We have seen, generally speaking, evidence of attempts to influence and arguably interfere, and we want

Erich Andersen, general counsel for TikTok and Chinese parent company ByteDance, said on Friday he will step down from the role in June, according to a company statement. Andersen will become special counsel to the company to focus on helping lead TikTok's effort to overturn legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden on Wednesday that gives ByteDance 270 days to divest short-video app TikTok in the United States or face a ban. TikTok said this week it plans to file a lawsuit to challenge the legislation, but has declined to say when it plans to do so. (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/8ETW6el

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck just off Taiwan's eastern county of Hualien on Saturday, the island's weather administration said, with no immediate reports of damage. The quake shook buildings in the capital, Taipei. The quake had a depth of 24.9 km (15.5 miles), the weather administration said. Taiwan has been hit by more than 1,000 aftershocks since a 7.2 magnitude quake struck Hualien earlier this month, killing 17 people. (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/v4nYLwA

China is willing to cooperate with the United States, but the cooperation should be a "two-way street", Chinese President Xi Jinping told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the meeting in Beijing on Friday. Stating that the multiplicity and complexity of the challenges globally require the US and China to work together, President Xi affirmed that Beijing and Washington should be partners rather than rivals. "China is willing to cooperate, but cooperation should be a two-way street. China is not afraid of competition, but competition should be about progressing together instead of playing a zero-sum game. China is committed to non-alliance, and the US should not create small blocs. While each side can have its friends and partners, it should not target, oppose or harm the other," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. China welcomes a confident, open, prosperous and thriving US, and hopes the US will also look at China's development in a po

India has congratulated Maldives for the successful conduct of parliamentary elections and expressed hope that the two nations will continue their exchanges at parliamentary level in the coming days, the Ministry of External Affairs said. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that New Delhi and Male have had historical ties and India has a development cooperation program with Maldives. Addressing the weekly media briefing, Mr Jaiswal said, "We have old historical ties with Maldives. We have a development cooperation programme with the Maldives and one programme is ongoing. Recently, Maldives held parliamentary/ Majlis elections. We congratulate Maldives on its successful parliamentary elections. We (India) and Maldives have many exchanges with each other at the parliament level. We hope to continue these exchanges with the new Majlis in the coming days." In response to another query about Bangladesh, China planning to hold joint military exercise in May, he said, "You

An upcoming film titled 'Putin' has grabbed attention for its promise to delve deep into the life and personality of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Using advanced AI technology, the movie aims to portray Putin's character over six decades, including moments from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Scheduled for release in September, the trailer shows Putin in unusual situations, like wearing a soiled diaper and practicing karate. Directed by Polish filmmaker Besaleel, also known as Patryk Vega, the film is described as a "psychological thriller" that aims to uncover the mysteries surrounding Putin's personality. Vega highlights the extensive three-year process of filming, advanced AI techniques, and careful storytelling used to explore the motives and actions of one of today's most talked-about political figures. The producers are dedicated to presenting a detailed and realistic depiction of Putin's story, utilising cutting-edge AI to achieve this.

More than 130 people were arrested overnight during pro-Palestinian protests at the New York University campus, as student demonstrations gather pace in the United States over the Israel-Hamas war. Some of America's most prestigious universities have been rocked by protests in recent weeks as students and other agitators take over quads and disrupt campus activities. The demonstrations come amid sweeping debates over Israel's assault on Gaza, following Hamas's deadly invasion on October 7. Such bastions of higher education -- Harvard, Yale, Columbia and others -- are grappling for a balance between students demanding free speech rights and others who argue that campuses are encouraging intimidation and hate speech. On Tuesday, the New York Police Department told AFP that 133 people had been arrested at NYU and released after being issued with court summons, as protests also intensify at Yale, Columbia University and other campuses. As the holiday of Passover began Mond

The 240-meter television tower in Ukraine's city of Kharkiv broke in half and fell to the ground on Monday, footage obtained by Reuters showed, after what local officials said was likely a Russian missile attack on television infrastructure. The broadcasting signal was disrupted to Ukraine's second-largest city, which has been pounded by Russian missile and drone strikes in recent weeks. "At the moment there are interruptions to the digital television signal," regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said. There were no casualties because workers were in shelters, he added. Footage from the scene showed the main mast of the tower breaking off and falling as a cloud of smoke rose into the sky. It was not clear from the footage what had hit the mast, but Kharkiv prosecutors said Russia had likely used a cruise Kh-59 missile in the attack. The video was verified by corroborating video from another angle showing the same moment the top of the tower collapsed. Russia first

The voting for 21 national and provincial seats ended amid the temporary suspension of cellular services in "specific districts" of Punjab and Balochistan provinces, which authorities claim were steps to "safeguard" the electoral process, Dawn reported on Sunday. Elections were held for five seats in the National Assembly, twelve seats in the Punjab Assembly, two seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, and two seats in the Balochistan Assembly, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan. According to the Pakistan-based news website, the by-elections were held under the umbrella of violence and disruption in the network services across the polling stations. In Sheikhupura's PP-139, the polling process was temporarily stopped after a "firing incident". In a statement, the Punjab election commissioner's office said that due to a "firing incident" at a polling station (Government Primary School Nizampura), the polling process had

The party of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu won control of parliament in a Sunday election landslide, results showed, with voters backing his tilt towards China and away from regional powerhouse and traditional benefactor India. Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC) won 66 of the first 86 seats declared, according to the Elections Commission of Maldives results, already more than enough for a super-majority in the 93-member majlis, or parliament. The vote was seen as a crucial test for Muizzu's plan to press ahead with closer economic cooperation with China, including building thousands of apartments on controversially reclaimed land. The PNC and its allies had only eight seats in the outgoing parliament, with the lack of a majority stymieing Muizzu after his presidential election victory in September. The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) -- which had previously had a super-majority of its own -- was headed for a humiliating defeat with just a do

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Saturday at least 14 people had been killed in an Israeli raid on Nur Shams refugee camp in the north of the occupied West Bank. The Israeli army said troops had killed 10 militants during the operation, which it said started on Thursday. AFP journalists saw bodies in the streets and houses hit by blasts as Israeli drones flew overhead and armoured vehicles moved through the camp. Since early last year, violence has flared in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967. It has escalated further since war broke out in Gaza on October 7. "So far, our crews have evacuated 14 martyrs from Nur Shams camp to the hospital," the Palestinian Red Crescent said. Earlier, the Palestinian health ministry said it had confirmed 11 injured in the Israeli raid, seven of them "wounded by live gunshots". Among them was a paramedic shot while trying to get to the wounded, it added. Medics had been alerted to "a number of killed and i

The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Saturday passed the first in a series of bills in a $95 billion legislative package providing security assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, over bitter objections from party hardliners. More than two months have passed since the Democratic-majority Senate passed a similar measure and U.S. leaders from Democratic President Joe Biden to top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell have been urging embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it up for a vote. Johnson this week chose to ignore ouster threats by hardline members of his fractious 218-213 majority and push forward the measure that includes some $60.84 billion for Ukraine as it struggles to fight off a two-year Russian invasion. The unusual four-bill package also includes funds for Israel, security assistance for Taiwan and allies in the Indo-Pacific and a measure that includes sanctions, a threat to ban the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok and the potential tran

At least 58 people going to a funeral died after their overloaded boat capsized in the Central African Republic's capital Bangui, the head of civil protection said on Saturday.  "We were able to extract 58 lifeless bodies. We don't know the total number of people who are underwater," Thomas Djimasse told Radio Guira.  According to witnesses and videos on social media, the boat was carrying more than 300 people -- some standing and others perched on wooden structures -- when it overturned on the Mpoko river on Friday.  The vessel was heading to the funeral of a village chief but capsized shortly after setting off, with rescuers arriving 40 minutes after the disaster.  Maurice Kapenya, who followed the boat in a canoe because there was no space on board, said he collected the bodies of some of the victims, including his own sister, with the help of fishermen and residents.  Families were seen near the river on Saturday looking for their loved ones who were still mi

A leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Istanbul Friday evening for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the death toll in Gaza passed 34,000. A statement from Hamas Friday said Erdogan and Haniyeh would discuss the conflict in Gaza, adding that the head of the group's political bureau was accompanied by a delegation. Middle East tensions are at a high after Israel's reported attack on Iran and Gaza bracing for a new Israeli offensive. Erdogan insisted on Wednesday that he would continue "to defend the Palestinian struggle and to be the voice of the oppressed Palestinian people". But talking to journalists on Friday, he refused to be drawn on the details on the meeting. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was in Qatar Wednesday and said he spent three hours with Haniyeh and his aides for "a wide exchange of views in particular about negotiations for a ceasefire". Qatar, a mediator between Israel and Ham

Pakistan's Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's motorcade allegedly killed a motorcyclist when she was travelling from Narowal to Kartarpur for the three-day celebrations of the Baisakhi festival, reported Dawn. Her motorcade was going from Narowal to Kartarpur when the Elite Force vehicle hit the motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction at the Chandowal Stop on the Shakargarh Road on Thursday. The motorcyclist, identified as 23-year-old Abubakar, a resident of Jassar town, died on the spot, Dawn reported. Despite the accident, the CM's motorcade did not stop to take the injured to the hospital. Ali Rizwan, a cousin of the deceased, said that Abubakar was going from home to a filling station where he was employed. He further said that no official stopped their car to help the injured Abubakar and neither of them picked him up or even called Rescue 1122. Instead, he lamented, that the police officers came to the spot after the incident and washed the blood from

A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place, witnesses said. A witness on the scene said he first heard the man throwing pamphlets into the air, then saw him douse himself from a can and light himself on fire. "At that point, I said, 'Oh shoot, what am I going to see?'" the witness told Reuters. The witness, who declined to give his name, said the man burned for several minutes. CNN reporters said they saw a man engulfed in flames for more than three minutes. "I see a totally charred human being," one of them said on air. The shocking development came shortly after jury selection for the trial was completed, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense attorneys to make opening statements next week in a case stemming from hush money paid to a porn star. The downtown Manhattan courthouse, heavily guarded by police, drew a throng of protesters and onlookers on Mond

The jury for Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was completed on Friday, clearing the way for prosecutors and defense attorneys to make opening statements next week in a case stemming from hush money paid to a porn star. The 12 jurors, along with six alternates, will consider evidence in a first-ever trial to determine whether a former US president broke the law. The jury consists of seven men and five women, mostly employed in white-collar professions: two corporate lawyers, a software engineer, a speech therapist and an English teacher. Most are not native New Yorkers, hailing from across the United States and countries like Ireland and Lebanon. Trump is accused of covering up a $130,000 payment his former lawyer Michael Cohen made to porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election to keep quiet about a sexual encounter she says they had a decade earlier. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records brought by Manhattan District Attorney Al

Myanmar's detained former leader and Aung San Suu Kyi was moved from prison to house arrest possibly to be used by the Southeast Asian nation's ruling junta as a human shield in its conflict with resistance fighters, her son said on Thursday. Suu Kyi has been detained by the Myanmar military since it overthrew her government in a 2021 coup. The 78-year-old Nobel laureate was held under house arrest for a total of 15 years under a previous junta. A spokesperson for the junta said this week that Suu Kyi had been moved to house arrest as a step to protect her and other elderly prisoners from the hot weather. It was not clear where exactly she had been moved to. Her son, Kim Aris, who lives in London, told Reuters that he had heard Suu Kyi was suffering from the heat, but that the junta's official reason for moving her was "not very likely". "I think they have their own reasons for moving her, namely that they'd like to use her as a human shield or a barg

A man suspected of aiding a plot by Russian intelligence services to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been arrested in Poland, Polish and Ukrainian prosecutors said Thursday. The Polish national, named only as Pawel K., is suspected of supplying information to Russian military intelligence and "helping the Russian special forces to plan a possible assassination attempt" against Zelensky, said a statement from Polish prosecutors. It said the suspect had stated he was "ready to act on behalf of the military intelligence services of the Russian Federation and established contact with Russian citizens directly involved in the war in Ukraine". Ukrainian prosecutors had informed Poland about the activities, which had enabled them to gather "essential evidence" against the suspect, the statement added. Ukraine's chief prosecutor Andriy Kostin said the suspect had been tasked with "gathering and transmitting to the aggressor stat

Ahead of the parliamentary polls in the Maldives, the opposition parties have demanded a probe and impeachment of President Mohamed Muizzu following the leaked report of his alleged corruption from 2018, a charge dismissed by him. Elections to the Majlis are to be held on Sunday and the atmosphere has been vitiated by the trading of charges between the main opposition the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Muizzu's People's National Congress (PNC). Local media reports have highlighted that the political storm started on Monday with an anonymous handle 'Hassan Kurusee' posting on social media X leaked intelligence reports, including documents prepared by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Maldives Monetary Authority and the Maldives Police Service that allegedly linked President Muizzu to corruption. "These reports, dated circa 2018, claim irregularities in money transfers to President Muizzu's personal bank account, highlighting 10 critical r

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday alleged that Army chief General Asim Munir was directly responsible for the imprisonment of his wife Bushra Bibi. Bushra Bibi, 49, was convicted in a corruption case as well as in the case of illegal marriage with Mr Khan, 71, and is currently held in detention at their Bani Gala residence in the suburbs of Islamabad. The PTI leader in a conversation with journalists at Adiala Jail where he is currently incarcerated hurled allegations on the army chief, according to a long post uploaded on Mr Khan's official X account. "General Asim Munir is directly involved in the sentence awarded to my wife," Mr Khan said, adding that the judge who convicted her said that he was forced to make the decision. "If anything happens to my wife, I will not leave Asim Munir, I will not leave Asim Munir as long as I am alive. I will expose his unconstitutional and illegal steps," he threaten

The US has encouraged India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday. Asked whether the Biden administration is concerned about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's remarks that India will not hesitate to kill terrorists in their homes, Miller said, "As I have said before, the United States is not going to get into the middle of this. But we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue." Miller, while addressing a press briefing, said that he will never preview any sanction actions and that the "US does not discuss sanctions openly." When asked why the US has not imposed any sanctions on India over the alleged assassination plot of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Miller, said, "I am never going to preview any sanction actions, which is not to say that there are any co

A United Nations Security Council committee considering an application by the Palestinian Authority to become a full U.N. member "was unable to make a unanimous recommendation" on whether it met the criteria, according to the committee report seen by Reuters on Tuesday. The Palestinian Authority is still expected to push the 15-member Security Council to vote - as early as this week - on a draft resolution recommending it become a full member of the world body, diplomats said. Such membership would effectively recognize a Palestinian state. The Palestinians are currently a non-member observer state, a de facto recognition of statehood that was granted by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly in 2012. But an application to become a full U.N. member needs to be approved by the Security Council, where Israel ally the United States can block it, and then at least two-thirds of the General Assembly. The United States said earlier this month that establishing an independent Pal

The UK parliament on Tuesday kicked off its first debate on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's planned flagship legislation to prevent young people from smoking, despite opposition from many in his own Conservative Party. The law would ban the selling of tobacco products to anyone born after January 1, 2009 - effectively raising the smoking age by a year each year until it applies to the whole population. "This has the potential to phase out smoking in young people almost completely as early as 2040," the government said when it unveiled the plan, calling the move "historic". While the law looks set to pass thanks to support from opposition parties -- including Labour, which is expected to win a general election due this year -- Sunak faces the prospect of a rebellion from backbench Tory MPs. The beleaguered leader has little political capital to expend within his fractured party as he struggles to revive its fortunes following months of dire polling. Smoking is

The Israeli Embassy on Tuesday hit back at the hate speech against Indians and urged people to fact-check before falling for any fake news and propoganda, as incidents of hate speech are on the rise after the conflict in the Gaza Strip and Iran-Israel tension. Calling the viral video of an Indian YouTuber, showing that he was denied entry into an Israeli bar "fake news" and "propoganda," the Israeli Embassy in India urged people to fact-check, stressing that Israel loves its Indian brothers and and sisters and will not listen to hate speech. Taking on their social media X, the Israeli Embassy in India said on Tuesday that the YouTuber Shubham Kumar was exploring Israel and enjoying the nightlife. "In times when social media is flooded with fake news, we urge people to fact-check. Youtuber Shubham Kumar was exploring Israel and enjoying the nightlife, as evident in the video he uploaded. Some bars were full or had reserved spaces," the embassy stated on

Tesla plans to lay off more than 10 percent of its global workforce, news site Electrek reported Monday, publishing an email from Chief Executive Elon Musk announcing the cuts. The job reductions are needed after rapid growth that has led to duplication of roles, Musk said in the email to staff, according to Electrek, an online news site focused on electric vehicles (EV). "There is nothing I hate more, but it must be done," Musk said. "This will enable us to be lean, innovative and hungry for the next growth phase cycle." The move comes about 10 days after Tesla reported a drop in first-quarter auto deliveries in a report that disappointed investors. Musk's company has also undertaken a series of price cuts on EV's in response to rising competition among producers and slowing demand growth in some markets. While Tesla is being proactive about cost cutting given "disastrous" first quarter deliveries and overall pressure on the business, "t

All eyes are on Israel after Iran's unprecedented attack, but its war cabinet has not signalled any preference for the course to follow, while allies who helped thwart the strike call for caution. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, less vocal than usual, has yet to define any shape, form, or timing for a response to the first direct Iranian attack on Israeli soil. It came in the form of over 300 drones and missiles launched from Iran on Saturday in response to an April 1 strike on the Islamic republic's consulate in Damascus, largely attributed to Israel. Faced with allies urging caution on one side, and some politicians at home calling for a hard response on the other, Netanyahu has met with his war cabinet twice, and called US President Joe Biden. But he has not spoken publicly of the matter since Sunday, when he praised the Israeli defence in a short post on X. Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi on Monday told soldiers Iran's attack would be "met with a response&q