Japan

Indonesia unveils Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway with Chinese support

03 Oct 2023 09:38 AM IST

Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated Southeast Asia’s first high-speed railway on Monday as it was set to begin commercial operations, a key project under China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative that will drastically reduce the travel time between two key cities. The project has been beset with delays and increasing

UK treasury chief plans minimum wage hike amid high inflation

03 Oct 2023 09:36 AM IST

Britain’s Treasury chief is to announce a hike in the national minimum wage on Monday, as the governing Conservative Party tries to persuade voters it is on the side of those who are struggling financially. Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt has ruled out tax cuts, saying they would fuel

Sumatra Island engulfed in haze as fires blaze on, calls for urgent action

03 Oct 2023 09:36 AM IST

More than 300 forest and peatland fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island caused hazy skies across the region on Monday, prompting government officials to ask people to work from home.The military, police and local government were working together to extinguish the fires, which were burning in 316 places across South Sumatra

China’s next lunar mission to carry payload from Pakistan

03 Oct 2023 09:35 AM IST

China’s next lunar mission scheduled for 2024 will also carry a payload from Pakistan, the country’s space agency has said, as the two all-weather friends step up their cooperation in the space sector.The Chang’e-6 lunar mission is currently undergoing research and development work as planned, state-run news agency Xinhua reported

Biden urges swift Congressional action, says ‘Not Much Time’ to sustain aid to Ukraine

03 Oct 2023 09:35 AM IST

President Joe Biden said on Sunday that American aid to Ukraine will keep flowing for now as he sought to reassure allies of continued US financial support for the war effort. But time is running out, the president said in a warning to Congress. “We cannot under any circumstances allow

Azerbaijan’s control solidifies, Armenian exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh slows

03 Oct 2023 09:34 AM IST

The last bus carrying ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh left the region Monday, completing a gruelling weeklong exodus of over 100,000 people — more than 80 per cent of the residents — after Azerbaijan reclaimed the area in a lightning military operation. Gegham Stepanyan, Nagorno-Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman, said that the

Deadly blaze claims 13 victims in Spain’s Murcia nightclub horror

03 Oct 2023 09:33 AM IST

In a tragic incident on Sunday, a devastating fire erupted in the popular Theatre nightclub in the southeastern Spanish city of Murcia, claiming the lives of 13 individuals and leaving several others injured, as reported by Spain’s state news agency EFE. The incident unfolded around 6 a.m., with the fire

Tragedy strikes in North Mexico as church roof collapses, claiming nine lives

03 Oct 2023 09:33 AM IST

The roof of a church collapsed in northern Mexico during a Mass on Sunday, killing at least nine people and injuring around 50, authorities said as searchers probed in the wreckage late into the night looking for survivors and other victims. Approximately 30 parishioners were believed to have been trapped

Turkey targets suspected Kurdish Militants after Ankara blast

03 Oct 2023 09:32 AM IST

The Turkish defence ministry says its warplanes have carried out raids on suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq on Sunday following a suicide attack on a government building in the Turkish capital. A ministry statement said some 20 targets of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were “destroyed” in the

Pakistan SC to hear 1090 pleas against inflated power bills

02 Oct 2023 17:21 PM IST

According to a report by ARY News on Monday, the Pakistan Supreme Court has set a date for the hearing of 1090 petitions challenging inflated electricity bills, which is scheduled for October 16. The case was heard by a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, with Chief Justice of Pakistan

Record rainfall drenches New York City, subways and streets inundated

02 Oct 2023 09:33 AM IST

Rain walloped the New York Metropolitan area with a startling punch Friday, knocking out several subway and commuter rail lines, stranding drivers on highways, flooding basements and shuttering a terminal at LaGuardia Airport for hours in one of the city’s wettest days in decades. More than 7.25 inches (18.41 centimetres)

Contemporary retelling of ‘Mahabharata’ premieres on London stage

02 Oct 2023 09:32 AM IST

A new contemporary retelling of the ‘Mahabharata’ opens in London on Sunday, incorporating several Indian musical and dance art forms and bringing together a worldwide cast of characters. The UK premiere of the musical extravaganza, which runs at the Barbican Theatre until next weekend, follows a critically acclaimed world premiere