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One person was killed and nine others including a baby were injured Sunday in a strike on a post office in Ukraine's second city Kharkiv, local authorities said. The head of Kharkiv's regional administration, Oleg Synegubov, said an eight-month-old baby was among those injured. "A man, a post office employee, was killed," he said on Telegram. The city of Kharkiv has been regularly targeted by Russian troops, who launched a major ground offensive in the region on May 10. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the offensive in Ukraine's northeast was intended to create a "buffer zone" to protect Russia's border Belgorod region from shelling. On Saturday, seven people were also killed and nearly 40 injured in a Russian strike on Vilniansk, close to the regional hub of Zaporizhzhia. (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/OZhA6U8 ...

Keir Starmer, the Labour Party leader, is currently in poll position to become the UK Prime Minister after the July 4 elections. While PM Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party faces an uphill battle to retain power, the return of Nigel Farage to front-line politics has only added to his woes. Leading the right-wing Reform UK, the pro-Brexit campaigner has been buoyed by a strong presence on TikTok. The 60-year-old leader has become an unlikely breakout star on the app, with a five-second clip of him lip-synching Eminem's "Guess Who's Back?" pulling in over eight million views.  Nigel Farage, the leader of the Reform UK (formerly the Brexit Party), taunts the British PM Rishi Sunak with Eminem's "Without Me". pic.twitter.com/Ym3uX0G2Vu — The Eminem Bible (@Shadyind) June 15, 2024 Mr Farage's TikTok account has twice the followers as Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats combined. The Reform UK's TikTok presence stands out amon...

Ukraine and Russia said Saturday that priests were among the dozens of captured soldiers and civilians they had exchanged earlier this week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests taken captive in Moscow-occupied Berdiansk were handed back to Ukraine thanks to the mediation of the Vatican. Meanwhile, Russia said a high-ranking Ukrainian Orthodox cleric was handed over to Moscow along with two other priests. Churches have been heavily affected by the war, with Kyiv's Orthodox church breaking ties with Moscow and Ukraine regularly accusing clerics of treason. Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 90 POWs and some civilians each earlier this week. Speaking at an event in Kyiv, Zelensky named the two released Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests as Bogdan Geleta and Ivan Levytskyi, and said they had been preaching in Berdiansk. Bediansk, on the Azov Sea, fell to Russian forces in the first days of their February 2022 invasion. The priests had been held b...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday 10 civilians, including a politician and two priests, taken prisoner in Russia and Belarus had been freed in a deal mediated by the Vatican. Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners throughout their two-year conflict, typically in one-for-one swaps, but the release of civilian prisoners is rarer. "We managed to return 10 more of our people from Russian captivity," Zelensky said in a post on Telegram. It was not immediately clear if the release was part of an exchange deal involving Russian prisoners held in Ukraine. Some of those released have been in prison since 2017, he said, arrested in Russian-controlled parts of eastern Ukraine that at the time were run by Moscow-backed separatists. Russia has since annexed four Ukrainian regions -- Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk and Zaporizhzhia -- alongside the Crimea peninsula which it seized in 2014. The list of those freed included Nariman Dzhelal, a senior Crimean T...

As many as 137 Indian nationals who were allegedly involved in a large-scale online financial scam across multiple locations in Sri Lanka have been arrested by police, according to a media report on Friday. They were arrested on Thursday from the Colombo suburbs of Madiwela and Battaramulla and the western coastal town of Negombo, said Police Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa was quoted as saying by Daily Mirror newspaper. He said the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) conducted simultaneous raids in these areas, leading to the seizure of 158 mobile phones, 16 laptops, and 60 desktop computers. In Negombo, 55 suspects were detained along with 55 mobile phones and 29 laptops. Similarly, in Kochchikade, authorities apprehended 53 individuals and confiscated 31 laptops and 58 mobile phones. The operation in Madiwela led to the arrest of 13 suspects and recovery of eight laptops and 38 mobile phones, while in Thalangama, 16 suspects were taken into custody with eight laptops and 38 m...

A temporary US aid pier has again been removed from the Gaza coast due to high seas and will be towed to an Israeli port, the Pentagon said on Friday. It is the third time the pier has been detached from the shore because of weather conditions since its initial installation in mid-May, and the effort is also facing difficulties with distribution of assistance once it reaches Gaza. "Due to high sea states expected this weekend, Central Command has removed the temporary pier from its anchored position in Gaza and will tow it back to Ashdod, Israel," Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told journalists, referring to the military command responsible for the Middle East. She said she does not have a date for the pier's reinstallation, and that "the commander will continue to assess the sea states over the weekend." The pier was first anchored to the Gaza coast in mid-May, but was damaged by bad weather later in the month and had to be removed for repair...

US President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump will meet on a debate stage on Thursday for the first of two televised face-offs that could prove critical in their tight rematch race to win the White House in November. Here is what you need to know: WHEN AND WHERE ARE THE DEBATES? The first debate will air at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday (0100 GMT on Friday) on CNN and be broadcast from an Atlanta studio without a live audience. It can also be viewed on CNN affiliates, without a cable login on CNN.com and is available for simulcast on other U.S. channels. More than four months ahead of the Nov. 5 vote, the CNN debate will be the earliest presidential debate in modern U.S. history. Television news channel ABC said it will host the second presidential debate on Sept. 10, also from an audience-free studio. WHO WILL MODERATE THE DEBATES? Anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will moderate CNN's debate. ABC's will be moderated by anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. WHO WILL ...

Joe Biden and Donald Trump prepared Wednesday for the biggest moment so far in the US election -- the first of two high-stakes debates that could upend the race. Thursday's showdown will raise the campaigning to boiling point, with both camps recently escalating their increasingly personal attacks. "I think I have been preparing for it for my whole life...We'll do very well," Trump told right-wing network Newsmax in an interview on his debate preparation. The 2024 election looks close, with Trump enjoying a slight polling advantage in the all-important swing states in an election likely to be decided by a few hundred thousand votes across a handful of battlegrounds. The rivals both step onstage for the 90-minute clash, hosted by CNN in the southern city of Atlanta, seeking to allay fears about serious political liabilities. Biden, 81, faces the most concern about his mental sharpness, with voters much more likely to bring up his age than Trump's, despite the ...

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Tuesday that Bangladesh would gauge proposals from both India and China to build a mega project on the cross-border Teesta River involving a reservoir and accept the better one for her country. PM Hasina, who visited India last week at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described her trip as "very fruitful" and said the outcome of her talks with India's top leadership will play a "pivotal role" in strengthening the existing bilateral relations and opening new avenues of cooperation. "We undertook the Teesta projects. China has proposed, and so has India. We will evaluate both proposals and accept the one that is most beneficial and acceptable in terms of the interests of our people," the 76-year-old leader said while addressing a press conference here. Asked which side she favoured more as far as India and China were concerned regarding the Teesta Project, PM Hasina said, "We maintain our friend...

Russia said on Tuesday it was banning access inside Russia to the broadcasts of 81 different media outlets from the European Union including Agence France-Presse and Politico in retaliation for a similar EU ban on several Russian media outlets. The European Union said in May it was suspending the distribution of what it described as four "Kremlin-linked propaganda networks," stripping them of their broadcasting rights in the bloc. It said at the time that the ban applied to Voice of Europe, to the RIA news agency and to the Izvestia and Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspapers. The Russian Foreign Ministry hit back on Tuesday, releasing a list of 81 media outlets from 25 EU member states, as well as pan-European outlets, whose broadcasts it said would no longer be available on Russian territory. It accused the outlets of "systematically distributing inaccurate information" about what Russia calls its special military operation in Ukraine. France's Agence France-Presse...

Britain's Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III, is in hospital after sustaining minor injuries and concussion after an incident in Bristol, Buckingham Palace said on Monday. The Princess Royal, 73, sustained the injuries at the Gatcombe Park estate on Sunday evening and remains in Bristol's Southmead Hospital as a “precautionary measure”. It is believed there were horses on the estate and the senior royal is likely to have sustained minor head wounds in an incident involving one of the horses. “The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening,” the palace statement said. “Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery. The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole royal family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery,” the state...

Saudi Arabia said Sunday that more than 1,300 faithful died during the hajj pilgrimage which took place during intense heat and that most of them who died did not have official permits. "Regrettably, the number of mortalities reached 1,301, with 83 percent being unauthorised to perform hajj and having walked long distances under direct sunlight, without adequate shelter or comfort," the official Saudi Press Agency reported. An AFP tally last week, based on official statements and reports from diplomats involved in their countries' responses, put the count at more than 1,100. The dead came from more than 10 countries stretching from the United States to Indonesia, and some governments are continuing to update their totals. Arab diplomats told AFP last week that Egyptians accounted for 658 deaths -- 630 of them unregistered pilgrims.  The diplomats said the cause of death in most cases was heat-related.  Temperatures in Mecca this year climbed as high as 51.8 degrees ...

Gunmen on Sunday attacked a synagogue and churches, killing a priest and six police officers in Russia's Caucasus region of Dagestan, the national counter-terrorism agency and police said. The attacks took place in Dagestan's largest city of Makhachkala and in the coastal city of Derbent. Russia's Investigative Committee said it had opened criminal probes over "acts of terror". Dagestan is a largely Muslim region of Russia bordering Georgia and Azerbaijan. "This evening in the cities of Derbent and Makhachkala armed attacks were carried out on two Orthodox churches, a synagogue and a police check-point," said the National Antiterrorism Committee in a statement to RIA Novosti news agency. "As a result of the terrorist attacks, according to preliminary information, a priest from the Russian Orthodox Church and police officers were killed." In all, six police officers had been killed and another 12 wounded in the attacks, the spokeswoman for...

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) recently discovered the world's oldest deep-sea shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea, 90 km off the coast of northern Israel. Dating back approximately 3,300 years to the Late Bronze Age, this remarkable find is redefining our understanding of ancient seafaring. Discovered at a depth of 1.8 km during a routine survey by a natural gas company, the vessel remains remarkably intact and is loaded with hundreds of amphorae – ancient pottery vessels used for transporting goods. According to Jacob Sharvit, head of the IAA marine unit, only two other shipwrecks from the Late Bronze Age with cargo have been discovered in the Mediterranean, both near the Turkish coast and in relatively shallow waters. The depth and preservation of this newly discovered vessel make it a unique and significant archaeological find.  “There is tremendous potential here for research,” he told the Times of Israel , adding the newly found ship is remarkably preserved at a ...

Iran's supreme court has overturned a death sentence against popular rapper Toomaj Salehi who was jailed for backing nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death, his lawyer said Saturday. "Salehi's death sentence was overturned," the rapper's lawyer Amir Raisian said in a post on X, adding that the Islamic republic's top court had ordered a retrial. In April, an Iranian court sentenced Salehi to death for the capital offence of "corruption on earth", Raisian said at the time. The rapper was also found guilty of "assistance in sedition, assembly and collusion, propaganda against the state and calling for riots", the lawyer said. Salehi, 33, was arrested in October 2022 after publicly backing demonstrations which had erupted a month earlier, triggered by Amini's death in police custody. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, was detained by the morality police in Tehran over an alleged breach of the Islamic republic's stri...

Restrictions on women's rights continue to prevent Afghanistan's "reintegration" into the international community, a senior UN official said Friday, noting the Taliban's participation in upcoming talks in Doha is not legitimization of the isolated government. Since their 2021 return to power, Taliban authorities have not been formally recognized by any nation and apply a rigorous interpretation of Islam, leading to suppression of women's freedoms that the United Nations has described as "gender apartheid." Restrictions on women and girls, particularly in education, "deprive the country of vital human capital" and lead to a brain drain that undermines the impoverished country's future, Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN mission in the country, UNAMA, told the Security Council. "By being deeply unpopular (the restrictions) undermine the de facto authorities' claims to legitimacy," she said. "And they continue to block ...

Hezbollah said it fired "dozens" of rockets into northern Israel on Thursday in retaliation for a deadly strike in south Lebanon, a day after a fiery speech from the group's leader. Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese movement allied with Hamas, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. Fears of a regional war surged after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned on Wednesday that "no place" in Israel would be spared in the event of all-out war against his group, and threatened the nearby island nation of Cyprus if it opened its airports to Israel. Hezbollah on Thursday said that "in response to the assassination that the Israeli enemy carried out in the village of Deir Kifa", fighters targeted an Israeli barracks "with dozens of Katyusha rockets". Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) had reported one dead after an "en...

Donald Sutherland, one of Canada's most versatile and gifted actors, who charmed and enthralled audiences in films such as "M*A*S*H," "Klute," "Ordinary People" and the "Hunger Games" films, has died at the age of 88. The Canadian actor, whose lengthy career spanned from the 1960s into the 2020s, died on Thursday, his son, actor Kiefer Sutherland, said on social media. With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away. I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad or ugly. He loved what he did and did what he loved, and one can never ask for more… pic.twitter.com/3EdJB03KKT — Kiefer Sutherland (@RealKiefer) June 20, 2024 The tall actor with a deep voice, piercing blue eyes and mischievous smile managed to switch effortlessly from character roles to romantic leads, opposite the likes of Jane Fonda and Julie Christie. He also played his share ...

A French-Chinese telescope satellite will blast off this weekend on a mission to hunt down gamma-ray bursts, the most powerful explosions in the universe. The light from these almighty blasts has travelled billions of light years to reach Earth, so scientists believe they could hold answers to some mysteries of the universe's youth. But these flashes are so brief they have proved difficult to observe. Aiming to learn more, the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is scheduled to blast off on a Chinese Long March 2C rocket from the Xichang launch site in China's Sichuan province on Saturday. The spacecraft, which has two Chinese and two French instruments on board, will then orbit 625 kilometres (390 miles) above Earth. Chen Lan, an analyst specialising in China's space programme, highlighted the "political significance" of the joint mission. During a "dark time" for relations between China and the West, the mission "shows that scientific coop...

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday warned "no place" in Israel would be spared in case of a full-blown war and threatened nearby Cyprus if it opened its airports and bases to Israel. "The enemy knows well that we have prepared ourselves for the worst... and that no place... will be spared our rockets," Nasrallah said in a televised address. Israel must expect "us on land, by sea and by air", he said. "The enemy really fears that the resistance will penetrate Galilee" in northern Israel, he said, adding that this was possible "in the context of a war that could be imposed on Lebanon". Israel and Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese movement allied with Hamas, have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel which triggered war in the Gaza Strip. The exchanges have escalated in recent weeks, and the Israeli military said Tuesday that "operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon wer...

A Pakistani journalist was gunned down on Tuesday by unknown gunmen in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the country's northwest, according to a tribal journalist association. Khalil Jibran, associated with Pashto News Channel 'Khyber News' was shot dead by shooters near his home in the Mazrina Sultankhel area of the Khyber district. Another person, identified as Sajid, was injured in the shooting. The attackers managed to flee from the scene after killing the journalist. Police contingents were on their way to the shooting site, according to sources. The Mazrina area of the tribal district is a hotbed of militants.  Family sources confirmed Jibran's killing, and a senior journalist alleged that it was a case of targeted killing. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur condemned the killing of the senior tribal journalist and ordered the immediate arrest of those involved. The Association of Electronic Media Editors condemned the killing and ...

An Iranian court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to a year in prison for "propaganda against the state", the jailed activist's lawyer said on Tuesday. Mohammadi, 52, has been jailed since November 2021 over several past convictions relating to her advocacy against the obligatory hijab for women and capital punishment in Iran. Lawyer Mostafa Nili said on social media platform X that "Mohammadi was sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the system." Nili said "the reasons for issuing this sentence" include calls to boycott parliamentary elections, letters to Swedish and Norwegian lawmakers and "comments about Mrs Dina Ghalibaf". Rights groups have said that Ghalibaf, a journalist and student, had been taken into custody after accusing security forces on social media of putting her in handcuffs and sexually assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station. Ghalibaf has since been released....

Nvidia edged ahead of other tech companies Tuesday to become the world's most valuable publicly traded company in the latest sign of the might of artificial intelligence. The chip company, which has enjoyed a monumental ascent over the last 18 months amid enthusiasm over generative AI, jumped 3.4 percent near 1725 GMT, giving it a market capitalization of about $3.3 trillion, slightly ahead of Microsoft and Apple. (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/7DnFarY

The United States is "concerned" about closer ties between Russia and North Korea, the White House said Monday, ahead of a rare state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang. "We're not concerned about the trip. What we are concerned about is the deepening relationship between these two countries," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. Kirby said this concern was "not just because of the impact it's going to have on the Ukrainian people, because we know North Korean ballistic missiles are still being used to hit Ukrainian targets, but because there could be some reciprocity here that could affect security on the Korean peninsula." (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/X30flca

Health officials in Japan are on high alert after close to 1,000 cases of a deadly infection were reported across the country. The disease, known as Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome (STSS), or ‘flesh-eating bacteria' , is spreading rapidly, resulting in deaths within a short period.  STSS cases have reached 977 by June 2 this year. This figure has already surpassed last year's total of 941 cases, according to the National Institute of Infectious Diseases. What is Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome? STSS is a rare but severe bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus bacteria. It occurs when these bacteria enter deep tissues and the bloodstream, releasing toxins that cause a rapid and dangerous response in the body, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While it is rare for someone with STSS to spread the infection to others directly, less severe infections with group A strep can progress to STSS if untreated. Symptoms STSS starts wit...

Thailand faces a critical week of court cases that could trigger a political crisis in Southeast Asia's second-largest economy, with the fate of the prime minister and the main opposition hanging in the balance. Four cases before the courts on Tuesday involve the country's most powerful politicians: Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, former prime leader Thaksin Shinawatra, the popular opposition Move Forward party and upper-house lawmakers. For decades, Thailand's politics has been shaped by a struggle between its conservative-royalist establishment, supported by the military, and populist parties such as those backed by Thaksin and the current opposition Move Forward party. "These cases highlight the fragility and complexity of Thailand's political climate," ANZ Research said in a note. "On the economic front, the immediate concerns are the potential for disruptive protests and delays to fiscal policy implementation." HOW IS THE PRIME MINISTER IN...

President Joe Biden used his Eid al-Adha message to Muslims to advocate a US-backed ceasefire deal in Gaza, saying Sunday it was the best way to help civilians suffering the "horrors of war between Hamas and Israel." "Too many innocent people have been killed, including thousands of children. Families have fled their homes and seen their communities destroyed. Their pain is immense," Biden said in a statement. "I strongly believe that the three-phase ceasefire proposal Israel has made to Hamas and that the UN Security Council has endorsed is the best way to end the violence in Gaza and ultimately end the war," he added. The United States has been pressing Israel and Hamas to formally accept the ceasefire deal greenlighted by Security Council members last week, which would allow an initial six-week pause to fighting. Eid al-Adha, which marks the prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son to God, saw a rare day of relative calm in Gaza after ...

In tents in the stifling heat and in bombed-out mosques, Gazans marked Sunday the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, devoid of the usual cheer as the Israel-Hamas war raged on. "There is no joy. We have been robbed of it," said Malakiya Salman, a 57-year-old displaced woman, now living in a tent in Khan Yunis city in the southern Gaza Strip. Gazans, like Muslims the world over, would usually slaughter sheep for the holiday -- whose Arabic name means "feast of the sacrifice" -- and share the meat with the needy. Parents would also gift children new clothes and money in celebration. But this year, after more than eight months of a devastating Israeli campaign that has flattened much of Gaza, displaced most of the besieged territory's 2.4 million people and sparked repeated warnings of famine, the Eid is a day of misery for many. "I hope the world will put pressure to end the war on us, because we are truly dying, and our children are broken,...

France's former Socialist president Francois Hollande on Saturday said he would run for parliament again, the latest political twist following his successor Emmanuel Macron's surprise decision to call snap legislative elections. Macron's dissolving of parliament after the French far right's victory in European parliamentary elections has swiftly redrawn the lines of French politics. A new left-wing alliance has emerged and the main right-wing party's leader has announced he is prepared to back an alliance with the far right, sparking in-fighting within his political family. On Saturday, police estimated that a quarter of a million people protested across France against the prospect of the far right coming to power. But the latest polls still put the far right comfortably in the lead. Hollande, France's president from 2012-2017, left office with record levels of unpopularity. He is hated by parts of the radical left and even the Socialist leadership regards ...

Three British opinion polls released late on Saturday presented a grim picture for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party, and one pollster warned that the party faced "electoral extinction" in July 4's election. The polls come just over halfway through the election campaign, after a week in which both the Conservatives and Labour set out their manifestos, and shortly before voters begin to receive postal ballots. Sunak surprised many in his own party by announcing an early election on May 22, against widespread expectations that he would wait until later in the year to allow more time for living standards to recover after the highest inflation in 40 years. Market research company Savanta found 46% support for Keir Starmer's Labour Party, up 2 points on the previous poll five days earlier, while support for the Conservatives dropped 4 points to 21%. The poll was conducted from June 12 to June 14 for the Sunday Telegraph. Labour's 25-point lead was...

US Vice President Kamala Harris pledged America's unwavering support for Ukraine and announced more than $1.5 billion in aid for the country's energy sector and its humanitarian situation as a result of Russia's 27-month invasion. Kamala Harris made the announcement at the Ukraine peace summit in Lucerne, Switzerland, where she met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. She is expected to address the summit's plenary session at 5.30 pm CEST/11.30 am EST. "This war remains an utter failure for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin," Kamala Harris said during a bilateral meeting with Zelenskiy. "It is in our interest to uphold international norms," she added, pledging U.S. support for the country. The $1.5 billion includes $500 million in new funding for energy assistance and the redirecting of $324 million in previously announced funds toward emergency energy infrastructure repair and other needs in Ukraine, the vice president's office said. ...

Indonesia is prepared to shut down social media platform X if it does not comply with a regulation barring adult content, the country's communications minister said on Friday. Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority country, has strict rules that ban the sharing online of content deemed obscene. Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters he had sent a warning letter to X related to this matter. "We will certainly shut its services down," he said, pointing to Indonesia's electronic information and transaction (ITE) law that can carry a six-year jail sentence if someone spreads pornographic content. His comments in an interview come after the social media platform recently updated its policies to permit consensually produced adult content. X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has not responded to Indonesia's warning letter, Budi said, adding the government would send more letters before deciding on a potential closure. X, formerly known as Twitter, did no...

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it fired waves of rockets and drones at the Israeli army on Thursday, after an Israeli strike killed one of its senior commanders. It was Hezbollah's largest simultaneous attack in near-daily cross-border fire between it and the Israeli army since its ally Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. Hezbollah fighters launched "an attack with rockets and drones, targeting six barracks and military sites" while simultaneously flying "squadrons of explosive-laden drones" at three other Israeli bases, the group said in a statement. One of the targets was an Israeli base that Hezbollah said housed an intelligence headquarters "responsible for the assassinations". Hezbollah, which announced more strikes into the evening, said the attacks were "part of the response to the assassination" of Hezbollah commander Taleb Abdallah on Tuesday. The Israeli army said about "40 projec...

Five medieval mummies preserved in the crypt of a Dublin church have likely been damaged beyond repair by a fire and water used to douse the flames, a church official said on Wednesday. The five sets of remains, preserved for hundreds of years in the crypt of the 11th century St. Michan's Church in central Dublin, include the remains of a crusader and are a tourist attraction in the city. An intruder broke into the crypt on Tuesday afternoon and started the fire and firefighters used water to put it out, the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, Michael Jackson, told RTE radio. "The combination of fire and water have done significant damage to the mummies... I honestly don't know exactly what the extent of that is, but my fear like that of others is that the damage is irreparable," Jackson said. The remains are due to be examined by experts from the National Museum of Ireland to see if anything can be salvaged, he said. The vicar of the church, David Pierpoint,...

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah demanded to probe the cause of the fire in Kuwait's Mangaf city which killed at least 49 persons and vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the tragedy. Kuwait's ambassador to India Meshal Mustafa J Alshemali expressed his condolences and sympathy to the victims of the fire incident, which led to the loss of at least 49 lives. On Wednesday, Kuwait's Interior Ministry revised the death toll up to 49, from 41 issued earlier, after forensic teams scoured the charred building, according to Al Jazeera. "My sincere condolences and deepest sympathy to the victims of the unfortunate fire accident that led to the death and injury of dozens this morning, in one of the Kuwaiti towns," Kuwait's ambassador said. "May God bless the victims with His vast mercy and forgiveness, and make them dwell in His spacious Paradise. And inspire their families and loved ones that the injured person recovers quickl...