Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin on Friday launched the giant New Glenn rocket from Florida. This is the rocket’s debut mission, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and nailing the return landing of its reusable booster for the first time.
With Thursday’s launch, NASA’s twin EscaPADE spacecraft became the first science payload that Blue Origin has delivered to space for NASA or any customer.
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket launches on NASA’s EscaPADE mission (Photo: Reuters)
The powerful two-stage rocket’s first flight since its inaugural launch in January and the successful booster landing at sea represented key milestones for Blue Origin in its quest to compete on a more equal footing with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the world’s leading rocket-launch service.
A live Blue Origin webcast showed the rocket ascending from its launch tower through clear afternoon skies in a thunder of flames and billowing clouds of vapour moments after its seven BE-4 liquid-fueled engines roared to life.
The launch followed several days of delays due to cloudy skies and a geomagnetic storm.
Some 10 minutes after liftoff, the 17-story-tall New Glenn first-stage booster made a return landing on the deck of a barge, named Jacklyn in honour of Bezos’ mother, floating in the Atlantic, achieving for Blue Origin an important feat in reusability that was pioneered by SpaceX.
About 20 minutes later, mission control confirmed that New Glenn’s upper stage had achieved its primary mission, deployment of the EscaPADE spacecraft into outer space to embark on a 22-month voyage to Mars.
The rocket also carried a secondary payload from the satellite company Viasat that remained attached to its upper stage for a technical demonstration of an in-space relay of telemetry data above Earth. Blue Origin said the test was a success.
When the rocket made its debut flight in January, it carried Blue Origin’s own payload to space, a prototype for its manoeuvrable Blue Ring spacecraft that the company is developing for the Pentagon and commercial customers.
Despite the close contest predicted in some constituencies, the NDA appears confident and upbeat.
In Patna, preparations for laddus and a massive feast are underway.
As Bihar awaits the results of the Assembly elections, celebrations have already begun within the NDA camp, buoyed by exit polls projecting a victory for the ruling alliance.
In Patna, preparations for laddus and a massive feast are underway. BJP state executive committee member Krishna Singh Kallu has placed an order for 500 kilograms of laddus, which are being prepared with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar placed in front of the large cooking pan.
Workers say they have hung a lemon and the chilli nearby to ward off the evil eye, and in a considerate touch, have used less sugar to make the sweets suitable for diabetic supporters.
“Exit poll results are the reward for the hard work of the people of Bihar and our dedicated party workers,” Kallu said.
“This time too, the NDA will form the government once again,” he said.
Adding to the festive atmosphere, Anant Singh’s family members have announced plans to host a grand feast for 50,000 people in Patna.
Preparations are taking place at the residence of his wife, Neelam Devi, where workers are busy organising logistics for the massive gathering.
Reports suggest that five lakh rasgullas and gulab jamuns are being prepared for the occasion.
The Mokama Assembly team is also planning a special event on November 14, the day of vote counting, to which all NDA workers, supporters, and well-wishers have been invited.
Despite the close contest predicted in some constituencies, the NDA appears confident and upbeat.
The celebratory mood in Patna reflects the alliance’s belief that it will return to power when the results are declared.
TRUMP is set to ban obese foreigners from entry to the United States, as he cracks down on immigration visas.
Overweight immigrants will be denied US visas if embassies follow Donald Trump‘s latest immigration directive, which instructs consular officials to consider banning people who suffer from certain health conditions.
Preventing strain on public resources is at the core of the new immigration guidance for visa officers.Credit: AP
Obesity is among several chronic afflictions which could see immigrants rejected by the US, along with sleep apnea, high blood pressure and asthma.
In an attempt to avoid immigrants relying on public benefits paid by taxpayers, the directive issued by the state department last week urges embassy officials to consider applicant’s health and financial status when granting visas.
Consular officials will now have more authority to veto applicants experts say, widening criteria on health screenings that have long been part of visa applications.
The directive, obtained by KFF Health News, states: “Certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases and mental-health conditions — can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care.”
It goes on to pose the question: “Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalisation at government expense?”
Avoiding immigrants ending up in nursing-home stays, or other long-term institutions, which costs “hundreds of thousands of dollars per year” is also part of the crackdown.
Preventing strain on public resources appears to be at the core of the new guidance, with people of retirement age also having to prove they can support themselves.
“Self-sufficiency has been a long-standing principle of US immigration policy,” the directive read.
“And the public-charge ground of inadmissibility has been a part of our immigration law for more than 100 years.”
The fat ban directive came the same day President Trump announced a deal to cut the cost of weight-loss drugs.
Last week’s agreement will make oral and injectable versions of GLP-1s from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk cheaper and more readily available.
The report says 4 countries accounted for more than half of the global number of people estimated to have developed multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in 2024
Under the government’s flagship TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the treatment success rate rose to 90% in 2024, higher than the global average of 88%. Representational image
India has registered one of the steepest declines in tuberculosis (TB) incidence worldwide, reducing new cases by 21% between 2015 and 2024, according to the World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025.
It notes that TB incidence in India fell from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024, almost double the global average decline of 12%.
This decline places India among the best-performing high-burden countries, driven by an aggressive national response combining technological innovation, decentralised care, and extensive community engagement.
Despite this progress, India continues to account for a quarter (25%) of all global TB cases, the WHO report said. Together with Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh, India forms part of the eight countries responsible for two-thirds of global TB infections.
The WHO report also found that India accounted for 28% of global TB deaths and 32% of multidrug-resistant TB cases in 2024, highlighting the scale of the challenge the country continues to face. “Most of the people who develop TB disease each year are in 30 high TB burden countries: they accounted for 87% of the global total in 2024,” the report said.
It added, “The top eight (67% of the worldwide total) were India (25%), Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%), Pakistan (6.3%), Nigeria (4.8%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9%) and Bangladesh (3.6%).”
According to the report, four countries accounted for more than half of the global number of people estimated to have developed multidrug-resistant or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in 2024. This includes India (32%), China (7.1%), the Philippines (7.1%), and the Russian Federation (6.7%).
In 2024, the report said, 69% of the global number of deaths caused by TB among HIV-negative people occurred in the WHO African and South-East Asia regions. “India alone accounted for 28% of deaths globally. The WHO African and South-East Asia regions accounted for 71% of the combined total number of deaths caused by TB among people with and without HIV; India accounted for 25% of such deaths.”
India Leads in Case Detection and Treatment
India’s “innovative case-finding approach”—characterised by widespread use of molecular diagnostics, digital surveillance tools, and community-based screening—has significantly improved treatment coverage. According to the report, treatment coverage surged to over 92% in 2024, compared to 53% in 2015.
Out of an estimated 27 lakh TB cases in 2024, 26.18 lakh patients were diagnosed, marking a near-closure of the “missing cases” gap—from an estimated 15 lakh unreported cases in 2015 to less than one lakh last year.
Under the government’s flagship TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, the treatment success rate rose to 90% in 2024, higher than the global average of 88%.
Sustained Progress, But Challenges Remain
WHO commended India’s advancements in diagnosis and treatment coverage but cautioned that persistent social and economic barriers could slow progress towards the government’s TB elimination target.
The report highlighted that India’s “updated cause-of-death data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) for two years (2020 and 2022) were incorporated into the country-specific dynamic model that is used to produce TB incidence and mortality estimates, following their official publication in 2025″.
“The 2024 surveillance data met the coverage and quality criteria used by WHO to determine whether routine surveillance data can be used to estimate the incidence of RR-TB and were reported to WHO following extensive data validation by the country’s National TB Elimination Programme,” the report said.
DNA samples taken from members of his family in Kashmir’s Pulwama were later matched with human remains recovered from the car, confirming that Dr Umar was driving the Hyundai i20 when it exploded, sources said.
A DNA test has confirmed that the man who carried out the blast near Delhi’s Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi.
A DNA test has confirmed that the man who carried out the devastating blast near Delhi’s Red Fort was Dr Umar Un Nabi, a medical professional from Kashmir. His body was blown apart in the blast, leaving investigators unsure of his identity until now.
The November 10 explosion ripped through a busy street outside the historic monument, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more. The force of the blast shattered shopfronts and sent panic across the Old Delhi area, one of the most crowded parts of the capital.
Investigators had suspected early on that the bomber was Dr Umar, who had purchased the white Hyundai i20 used in the attack just 11 days before the explosion. DNA samples taken from members of his family in Kashmir’s Pulwama were later matched with human remains recovered from the car, confirming that Dr Umar was driving the Hyundai i20 when it exploded, sources said.
Officials now link Umar to a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) logistics module operating between Faridabad, Lucknow, and south Kashmir. The group allegedly included nine to 10 members, among them five to six doctors, who used their medical credentials to procure chemicals and materials for explosives.
DOCTORS, FAKE IDs, AND RADICAL LINKS
Police say Umar had been missing since November 9, a day after raids recovered nearly 2,900 kg of ammonium nitrate from a Faridabad warehouse. He is believed to have gone underground near Dhauj village, switching off five phones and skipping university duties since October 30.
The wider probe has since ensnared several others. Among them is Dr Shaheen Shahid, a former lecturer arrested from Faridabad, who investigators believe was going to head the India unit of Jamaat-ul-Mominat, the JeM terrorist group’s first-ever women’s wing,.
Two other doctors — Muzammil Ahmad Ganai and ajamul Ahmed Malik — were also detained for questioning about their alleged roles in the network.
Raids have also been carried out across south Kashmir, including at homes of Jamaat-e-Islami activists, following the arrest of Maulvi Irfan, said to have radicalised the doctor trio.
A QUIET MAN TURNED RADICAL
Back in Pulwama’s Koil village, relatives described Dr Umar as a quiet, introverted man who kept to himself and spent hours reading. “He rarely went out or socialised,” said one family member.
But police sources say Umar’s behaviour had changed in recent months. He began travelling frequently between Faridabad and Delhi, visiting mosques near Ramleela Maidan and Sunehri Masjid. CCTV footage from the day of the blast shows him parking near the mosque around 3 pm before driving toward Red Fort.
“He stayed there for around three hours before heading towards the Red Fort,” a senior officer said. A red Ford EcoSport car registered in Umar’s name was also seized in Faridabad. Police found the Delhi address listed on its documents to be fake.
During the investigation, it was found that key suspects Dr. Umar Nabi and Dr. Muzammil Ganaie — arrested after police busted the terror module based in Faridabad — had travelled to Turkey, where their handlers are suspected to be operating. The handlers were reportedly in contact with Nabi and other members of the so-called “doctor module,” officials said, according to PTI.
The passports of Nabi and Ganaie show travel to the country shortly after they joined certain Telegram groups. A handler instructed the doctor module to disperse across India, with target locations selected after the Turkey visit, the officials said.
Musk’s record-breaking pay deal was approved by Tesla shareholders after years of legal battles. It’s tied to Tesla’s robotic ambitions, but critics warn the new tech isn’t remotely ready.
Musk will only hit a $1 trillion in stock if Tesla realises the potential of humanoid robotsImage: CFOTO/imago
The future’s so bright for Elon Musk, even industrial-grade shades won’t block the glare from his $1 trillion (€862 billion) pay deal. That is, of course, if he manages to hit some truly mind-boggling goals for Tesla, the electric-vehicle company he founded and transformed into a tech juggernaut.
To unlock the full value of his compensation package, Musk must hit milestones that sound more like science fiction than corporate strategy. These include deploying one million robotaxis — autonomous vehicles that generate revenue without human drivers — and producing a million Optimus humanoid robots, powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Musk will only become the world’s first trillionaire, albeit in stock options, if Tesla reaches a market capitalization of $8.5 trillion, six times the current $1.43 trillion. Even if he misses the mark, Musk won’t be hurting for cash, but the real question is: Can he deliver?
Tesla fans put faith in Musk
Alexandra Merz, the Tesla shareholder known as TeslaBoomerMama and who voted for the deal, strongly believes Elon Musk is “the best executor there is on this planet.”
“I’m very confident that he will hit the milestones. He’s shown us before what is possible,” she told Bloomberg Television recently.
More than three-quarters of Tesla shareholders approved Musk’s pay deal last Thursday after a seven-year legal battle and despite opposition from some institutional investors, including CalPERS, the largest public pension fund in the United States.
CalPERS cited concerns about Musk’s expanding control of Tesla. Under the stock deal, he could secure up to 25% shareholder voting rights, from 13% today. Critics argue that if Musk owned a quarter of Tesla, he could wield outsized control, stifle dissent and steer the firm’s direction with minimal oversight.
Musk could hold too much power
Nell Minow, vice chair of ValueEdge Advisors, is one of the most vocal critics of Musk’s latest pay deal, arguing that it gives him too much control while diluting other shareholders.
“[It’s] more than an outrage, it is a fraud,” Minow told DW, noting how Musk moved Tesla from the business-friendly state of Delaware to Texas at huge expense after his previous $56 billion pay package was twice overturned by Delaware courts.
“Then, also at huge expense, he paid lobbyists, lawyers, and legislators to pass a new law severely limiting the ability of shareholders to challenge the pay plan,” which she said gives the board authority to award Musk’s compensation “at their discretion, even if those goals are not met.”
Worrying sign of extreme inequality
Others like Joanna Bryson, a professor in ethics and technology at Berlin’s Hertie School of Governance, think Musk’s pay deal is emblematic of a wider problem in US governance — how Big Tech’s growth and power are creating extreme inequality, which she says is “unsustainable.”
“There’s a big security problem when individuals have more power than countries,” she told DW.
Bryson gave the examples of World War I and the pre-1929 US stock market bubble as times when the world was as unequal as it is now.
“Anything that’s giving disproportionate large amounts of money to any one person is creating entropy [moving from order to chaos].”
An even bigger potential issue is key man risk. In Musk’s case, this would be the negative impact on Tesla if he were unable to perform his role due to departure, illness, distraction or death.
Tesla’s success is heavily tied to Musk’s leadership, vision and execution. The firm could be left vulnerable if he were to be preoccupied by his other ventures, like SpaceX or xAI.
Musk accused of too many distractions
Musk was already criticized for taking his eye off the ball earlier this year when he joined the Trump administration as the head of DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency — not the meme coin).
His brief stint at DOGE triggered a backlash that spilled into Tesla’s operations, with protests outside factories, calls for boycotts and even sabotage incidents that disrupted production and dented investor confidence.
Musk stepped down from DOGE after just 130 days, and in July launched his new political movement, the America Party, aiming to challenge the two-party system and reshape national discourse.
For some investors, the risk of distraction is no longer hypothetical — it’s unfolding in real time.
“If Musk is not sufficiently motivated by his current holdings, this [new pay deal] will not be enough to persuade him to ignore his many side hustles and stop the outrageous political comments that a recent Yale University study has shown have cost the company and the shareholders one million sales,” Minow told DW.
The board said the primary objective of the bumper share deal is to keep Musk’s attention on Tesla. He won’t be able to sell newly awarded stock for up to a decade after receiving it.
Doubts over robotics’ near-term potential
Even if he remains laser-focused, critics argue the goals themselves may be out of reach, especially the plan to produce a million Optimus humanoid robots per year. While Tesla has showcased Optimus prototypes performing basic tasks, many experts believe the technology is still in its infancy.
Australian roboticist Rodney Brooks wrote in an essay published in September that Optimus and other humanoid robots are doomed to failure due to a lack of agility.
“The general plan is that humanoid robots will be … able to step in and do the manual things that humans do at lower prices and just as well. In my opinion, believing that this will happen any time within decades is pure fantasy thinking,” Brooks wrote.
Other skeptics warn that setting such futuristic milestones may be a way to justify Musk’s eye-watering compensation while keeping the hype machine running. If Optimus fails to materialize at scale, it could undermine the credibility of the entire pay package.
While India’s ranking has shown marginal improvement in some recent annual indices, the long-term data serves as a critical warning
The sheer scale of the disaster profile showcases India’s multi-faceted exposure to climate hazards. Representational image
A new report, the Germanwatch Global Climate Risk Index (CRI), starkly highlights India’s immense vulnerability, placing the nation ninth globally among countries most impacted by climate disasters over the three-decade period spanning 1995 to 2024. This ranking underscores that India is one of the countries most affected by recurring extreme events, distinguishing it from those hit by rare, singular catastrophes.
The data reveals that the country has endured nearly 430 extreme weather events, resulting in the devastating loss of more than 80,000 lives and cumulative economic losses reaching an estimated $170 billion over the last thirty years.
The sheer scale of the disaster profile showcases India’s multi-faceted exposure to climate hazards. Major events like the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, the devastating 2013 Uttarakhand floods, and record-breaking heatwaves that claimed thousands of lives in years such as 1998, 2002, and 2015, contribute heavily to this grim toll. Storms and floods consistently account for a vast majority of the economic damage, with densely populated coastal areas and river basins facing existential threats. This recurring cycle of destruction means that recovery efforts barely keep pace with the onset of the next climate-driven shock, severely hindering sustainable development.
While India’s ranking has shown marginal improvement in some recent annual indices, the long-term data serves as a critical warning. The high human fatality count and massive economic losses, much of which remains uninsured, place an overwhelming fiscal burden directly onto the government and the most vulnerable communities.
A doctor by profession, Umar un-Nabi is believed to be the one driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Lal Quila metro station in Delhi on Monday,
Dr Umar un-Nabi is identified as the one likely behind the Hyundai i20 wheel near Red Fort on Monday.(HT_PRINT)
Described by his family as “quiet and studious,” 35-year-old Umar un-Nabi from Jammu and Kashmir, has emerged as a key suspect in the high-intensity blast case near Red Fort that left the national capital and the nation stunned.
A doctor by profession, Umar is believed to be the one driving the Hyundai i20 car that exploded near the Lal Quila metro station in Delhi on Monday, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others.
He is allegedly also tied to the massive raids in Faridabad a few days back that led to the recovery of nearly 3,000kg of ammonium nitrate. The operation, led by security agencies, unearthed a “white-collar terror network” and led to the arrest of seven people, including two doctors.
As probe into the explosion near Red Fort deepens, several big revelations on Umar un-Nabi have come to the fore:
How Umar was tied to the Faridabad raids
Umar had direct ties to two doctors linked to the terror module network busted in Faridabad before the blast near Red Fort this week.
One of those doctors was Adeel Ahmed Rather, whom Umar knew from Government Medical College (GMC), Anantnag, where both of them earlier worked as senior resident doctors.
Probe later revealed that Adeel had maintained ties with both Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH), a local offshoot advocating Sharia rule. He had allegedly been using the raided Faridabad site to store explosives, along with Muzammil Shakeel Ganaie, another Kashmir-based doctor.
Muzammil and Umar also had close ties, as they belonged to the same village in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama and had worked together at Al-Falah Medical College and Hospital in Faridabad.
“In Anantnag, Umar worked as a senior resident at GMC, where he met Dr Adeel. Later, in Faridabad, he and Dr Muzammil worked at Al-Falah University,” said a Delhi Police Special Cell officer. Together, the three doctors reportedly operated a terror logistics network stretching from Pulwama to NCR, linked to the JeM.
Umar tried to ‘destroy’ evidence after raids
After investigators uncovered a link between the blast near Red Fort and the terror network raids, they also found out that Umar likely “panicked” after the searches in Faridabad.
Cops also suspect that he tried to relocate or destroy evidence linked to the crackdown, and drove into Delhi with ammonium nitrate fuel oil and a detonator.
While his associates were detained in Faridabad and Jammu and Kashmir as part of the major crackdown, Umar had escaped. However, he acted “hastily” fearing cops could narrow down on him.
“Raids by security agencies across multiple locations in Delhi-NCR and Pulwama, recovery of significant quantities of explosives, are believed to have led the suspect to act hastily under mounting pressure,” an officer told HT, requesting anonymity.
‘Bomb premature, not fully developed’
The bomb allegedly used by Umar in the Red Fort explosion was “premature” as he had been acting under “panic and desperation”, the officer said.
“The explosion was caused by panic and desperation due to raids carried out by the security agencies to nab them. The bomb was premature and not fully developed, thus limiting the impact,” the officer added.
Police have established that Umar was the one driving the Hyundai i20 car that later exploded near Red Fort, further discovering that the explosives used in the bomb in this case was from the same consignment recovered by agencies in Faridabad.
“In a state of panic and desperation following the agencies’ success, he moved towards Red Fort…. However, it is certain that this event was an integral part of the same chain of incidents that led to the exposure of a major terror network and the recovery of large quantities of explosives,” an officer told HT.
Umar carried ammonium nitrate fuel oil to Delhi
Umar un-Nabi had long been panicking, as per investigators. He used five mobile numbers, all switched off after October 30. He had not been attending to his medical duties since then and even went under hiding after the November 9 raids in Faridabad led to the recovery of 2,900kg of ammonium nitrate, detonators, timers, and rifles.
“He was under pressure and knew the circle was closing in,” said a senior officer. “When the ammonium nitrate seizures became public, he fled to Delhi with ammonium nitrate fuel oil and a detonator”.
Umar seen driving same i20 earlier
A day after the high-intensity blast killed 10 near Red Fort, a CCTV footage emerged, showing Umar behind the wheels of the Hyundai i20 car minutes before the explosion.
DONALD Trump welcomed the Syrian President and ex-Jihadi fighter at the White House today as the pair pledged to fight ISIS.
President Ahmad al-Sharaa will join the international coalition after a historic meeting during which the US leader sang the former terrorist’s praises.
Donald Trump at the White House with Syria’s President Ahmed al-SharaaCredit: AFP
The US-led group, formed after ISIS invaded the Iraqi city of Mosul, counts France and the UK among its members.
Together, they share military intelligence to fight ISIS.
Officials said the exact terms of Syria‘s role in the coalition were yet to be determined but insisted the move will significantly bolster the war against the terror group.
The Syrian information minister confirmed the development on X, saying Syria recently signed a political cooperation declaration with the U.S.-led “Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the visit was part of the President’s ongoing efforts to broker peace across the world.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office after the meeting, Trump said that “we want to see Syria become a country that’s very successful”.
“And I think this leader can do it. I really do,” he added.
The President teased more “announcements” would be made in due course but didn’t indicate when.
While it’s the third meeting between the two leaders, the White House visit has been described as a “turning page” in US policy.
Trump expressed strong support for the Syrian leader, who until last week, was a proscribed terrorist in the US due to his ties with Al-Qaeda.
Trump said: “He has had a rough past. And I think, frankly, if you didn’t have a rough past, you wouldn’t have a chance.”
In an interview with Fox earlier this evening, al-Sharaa insisted his association with the militant group was “a matter of the past and was not discussed in Monday’s meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.”
Until this year, the Syrian head led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of the terror group behind 9/11, and had a $10 million bounty on his head.
It was only four months ago that the US removed the group’s terrorist designation.
As well as ramping up the fight against ISIS, the announcement marks a huge shift in relations between the two countries – and pulls Syria closer into the US’s geopolitical orbit.
Since al-Sharaa cemented his leadership earlier this year he’s worked quickly to distance the country from ex-President Bashar al-Assad‘s allies including Iran, Russia and Turkey.
By contrast, cosying up with the likes of Washington has been top of the agenda.
The US also has hundreds of troops stationed in Syria and this is not set to change.
Trump and al-Sharaa even discussed a pathway to reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, a U.S. official said.
Meanwhile, Dareen Khalifa, a senior adviser at the International Crisis Group, noted that even receiving the ex-Al Qaeda operative in the White House was “unimaginable”.
She told the Wall Street Journal: “I think it is turning a page on a U.S. policy that just hasn’t been working for decades.”
It comes as Trump lifted sanctions against the country in June, which he vowed would help support Syria’s “path to stability and peace”.
The pair first met in May in Saudi Arabia, after which Trump described al-Sharaa as a “young, attractive guy. Tough guy. Strong past, very strong past. Fighter.”
TRANSGENDER women are set to be banned from all female Olympic events from next year.
International Olympic Committee bosses launched a scientific probe of the issue last year.
Olympic chiefs are set to ban transgender women from female events from next year after controversy over Imane KhelifCredit: Reuters
That came after the Paris 2024 Games were hijacked by the row over gold medal winning boxers Imane Khelif of Algeria and Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting.
According to the Times, IOC members were shown a presentation by medical and scientific director Dr Jane Thornton.
A source said the presentation by former Canadian Olympic rower Thornton featured scientific research that showed there were “physical advantages to being born male that remained with athletes”.
It added that those advantages also applied to those who had undergone treatment to lower their testosterone levels.
Until now, the IOC has ruled that transgender women can compete with reduced testosterone levels if that is approved by their individual sports.
World Athletics, led by Seb Coe, has led the clampdown on trans women competing.
And new IOC head, former Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry, is ready to order the new approach to come into effect for the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortino in February.
After Coventry became the organisation’s new president in June, she vowed to protect the female category in future competitions.
She had put together a taskforce of scientists and federations to produce a new policy amid recent controversies at Olympic events.
The review was based on research into the advantages of transgender athletes and those with differences of sexual development (DSD) – including Khelif.
Khelif, 26, has insisted she was born and raised as a girl.
People with differences in sex development (DSD) have biological components of both sexes.
The IOC’s initial policy was based on recommendations and guidance, but hadn’t actually been part of its eligibility regulations.
Previously, Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand had been allowed to compete at Tokyo 2020, becoming the first transgender athlete to appear at an Olympics.
According to the BBC, the IOC said: “The working group is continuing its discussions on this topic and no decisions have been taken yet”.
It came after Coventry’s strong stance on protecting women in Olympic competition as she laid out her plans earlier this year.
She said: “There was overwhelming support that we should protect the female category. And with that, we will set up a working group made up of experts and international federations.
“It was agreed by the members that the IOC should take a leading role in this.
“And that we should be the ones to bring together the experts and the international federations and ensure that we find consensus.
“We understand that there will be differences depending on the sports. But it was fully agreed that as members that, as the IOC, we should make the effort to place emphasis on protection of the female category.”
She reiterated that the IOC would not take retrospective action to change the results of previous Games.
What began with Jaish posters in Srinagar led to eight arrests and the recovery of 2,900 kg of explosives in a multi-state operation stretching to Delhi’s outskirts
Faridabad recovery followed revelations made by Dr Adil Ahmad Rather during questioning.
In one of the biggest recent counter-terror operations, the Jammu and Kashmir Police have uncovered a transnational terror module linked to proscribed outfits Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH). The crackdown, which spanned multiple states, has led to the arrest of seven accused, the seizure of explosives, arms, and encrypted communication tools, and the exposure of what the J&K Police described as a “white-collar terror ecosystem”.
Inter-state terror module linked with terrorists organisations Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind (AGuH) busted. pic.twitter.com/TNSd8PGV7g
Here’s how the case unfolded and what has been found so far.
How It Started: Posters In Srinagar
The investigation began on 19 October 2025, when posters bearing the name of Jaish-e-Mohammad appeared across Bunpora Nowgam in Srinagar, threatening police and security forces. A First Information Report (FIR No. 162/2025) was registered at Police Station Nowgam under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Explosive Substances Act, and the Arms Act.
CCTV footage from the area helped police trace one of the individuals who put up the posters to Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. He was identified as Dr Adeel, a Kashmiri-origin doctor. Upon his arrest and questioning, he revealed links with three other medics in the Valley — including Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie of Pulwama.
Information from his interrogation led the police to Dr Muzammil’s rented accommodation in Faridabad, Haryana, the site of the first explosives haul.
The Faridabad Recoveries
Acting on inputs from Dr Adeel’s interrogation, J&K Police and Haryana Police carried out coordinated searches in Faridabad, near Delhi.
The first raid on a rented accommodation linked to Dr Muzammil yielded about 360 kg of explosive material.
After sustained questioning of an imam associated with the group, investigators found another 2,583 kg of explosives at his residence in the same area.
A pickup van was called to move the recovered material.
Together, the two seizures make up the 2,900 kg of IED-making material officially confirmed by the J&K Police.
Multiple raids are continuing in Dhaouj village and adjoining areas, which police say were being used for safe-houses and storage due to their proximity to Delhi yet relative isolation.
A White-Collar Terror Network
According to the J&K Police, the group allegedly involved radicalised professionals and students who were in contact with foreign handlers based in Pakistan and other countries.
All day today, I have been asked to comment on the Kashmiri doctor, Muzammil, who was found with 360 kg of RDX. We have seen this pattern repeatedly: radicalisation does not distinguish between backgrounds. One may be a postgraduate doctor, a celebrated public figure, or even a…
The operatives are accused of using encrypted communication channels to plan logistics, coordinate fund transfers, and communicate securely with handlers. Funds were reportedly raised through professional and academic networks, under the guise of social or charitable causes, and diverted to purchase arms and IED-making material.
Investigations show that the network’s radicalisation efforts began in 2021-22, initially under the guidance of an individual named Hashim and later reorganised under a new lead, Dr Omar in the Valley.
The gang’s objective, according to police disclosures, was to manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and execute terror attacks across the country. They also intended to establish their own militant ‘tanzim’ (organisation) aligned with the likes of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in the future.
New Arrest In Lucknow
In a fresh development, the J&K Police have arrested Dr Shaheena from Lucknow, who was part of Al-Falah University and known to be closely associated with Dr Muzammil.
According to officials, the car belonging to Dr Shaheena but used by Dr Muzammil had earlier been seized by police, and an AK-47 rifle along with live cartridges were recovered from it during searches linked to the Faridabad operation.
Investigators believe Shaheena may have aided Muzammil in his activities, and police are likely to seek her custodial interrogation to probe her role in the wider network.
Persons Arrested So Far
The police have arrested eight accused in the case, identified as:
Arif Nisar Dar alias Sahil, resident of Nowgam, Srinagar
Yasir-ul-Ashraf, resident of Nowgam, Srinagar
Maqsood Ahmad Dar alias Shahid, resident of Nowgam, Srinagar
Molvi Irfan Ahmad, Imam of a masjid, resident of Shopian
Zameer Ahmad Ahanger alias Mutlasha, resident of Wakura, Ganderbal
Dr Muzammil Ahmad Ganaie alias Musaib, resident of Koil, Pulwama
Dr Adeel, resident of Wanpora, Kulgam
Dr Shaheena, resident of Lucknow
The police said the role of a few more individuals has surfaced and further arrests are likely.
Inside The Explosives Haul
According to the police, the following items were recovered during the investigation:
One Chinese Star Pistol (along with ammunition)
One Beretta Pistol (along with ammunition)
One AK-56 Rifle (along with ammunition)
One AK Krinkov Rifle (along with ammunition)
2,900 kg of IED-making material, including explosives, chemicals, reagents, inflammable material, electronic circuits, batteries, wires, remote controls, timers and metal sheets.
The visit marks an important milestone in the deepening partnership between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the statement said.
India–Saudi Arabia held a bilateral meeting & signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement (Image: X)
India has signed a bilateral Haj agreement with Saudi Arabia in Jeddah, with the country’s quota for India confirmed at 175,025 for the pilgrimage in 2026. The agreement was signed by Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju in Jeddah.
Rijiju, who was on an official visit to Saudi Arabia from November 7 to 9, held a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al Rabiah, in Jeddah on Sunday. The discussions focused on improving facilities, transportation, accommodation, and health services to ensure a smooth and comfortable pilgrimage experience.
During the meeting, both ministers reviewed the ongoing Haj preparations, discussed measures to enhance coordination and logistical support, and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further streamline the pilgrimage process for Indian pilgrims, an official statement said.
A significant step in deepening the India–Saudi Arabia ties 🇮🇳🤝🇸🇦
Held a Bilateral Meeting & signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement with H.E. Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Hajj & Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Haj Quota of 175,025 has been secured for Indian Pilgrims… pic.twitter.com/Yonkj8U0LT
Following the meeting, the two sides signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Haj–2026 in Jeddah. The country quota for India was confirmed at 175,025, the statement said.
During the visit, Rijiju also held an internal review meeting with officials of the Embassy of India, Riyadh, and the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, to assess the ongoing preparations for Haj–2026.
He appreciated the efforts made by the Mission and the Consulate teams in close coordination with Saudi authorities to ensure the welfare and comfort of Indian pilgrims.
The minister also undertook field visits to key Haj and Umrah-related sites in Jeddah and Taif, including Terminal 1 and Haramain Station in Jeddah, to gain firsthand insight into the infrastructure and facilities available for pilgrims, the statement said.
He also interacted with some of the members of the Indian diaspora in Jeddah and Taif.
“A significant step in deepening the India–Saudi Arabia ties. Held a Bilateral Meeting & signed the Bilateral Haj Agreement with H.E. Dr. Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Hajj & Umrah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Haj Quota of 175,025 has been secured for Indian Pilgrims for 2026,” Rijiju said on X.
“Our discussions on Haj 2026 reaffirmed the shared commitment of both nations to ensure a safe, seamless & spiritually fulfilling journey for all Haj pilgrims,” he said.
The visit marks an important milestone in the deepening partnership between India and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the statement said.
It reflects the shared commitment of both nations to expand cooperation across diverse fields, particularly in cultural exchange, and community welfare.
The visit further reinforced the spirit of friendship, mutual respect, and collaboration that continues to guide India–Saudi Arabia relations, contributing positively to the welfare of pilgrims and the broader strengthening of bilateral ties.
Canada’s crackdown on student visa fraud has led to a record 74% rejection rate for Indian applicants in August 2025, sharply reducing student applications. Stricter financial and document checks have intensified scrutiny.
Canva
Canada used to be one of the most popular places for Indian students to study, but now applications are dropping fast as visa rejections are at an all-time high. According to a CTV News report that cited Reuters, nearly 74% of the study permit applications from India were rejected this August 2025. This is a big change from the same month last year, when only 32% were turned down.
Stricter visa policies and fraud concerns
The sharp increase in rejections follows Canada’s decision to reduce the number of international study permits for the second year in a row. The move is part of Ottawa’s broader effort to limit temporary migration and curb student visa fraud, which authorities say has grown significantly in recent years.
In 2023, immigration officials in Canada discovered more than 1,550 fraudulent study permit applications, many of them tied to phony college acceptance letters issued in India. To date, the government has tightened its vetting process, adding stricter document requirements and raising the financial proof threshold for foreign applicants. Officials also said Canada’s enhanced verification system flagged 14,000 potentially fraudulent documents last year across all visa categories.
Application numbers fall sharply
The impact has been immediate. According to data, there were only 4,515 applications for Indian students overall in August 2025, down from 20,900 in August 2023. Overall, about 40% of all study permits from international applicants were refused, while 24% of those from China were turned down.
Despite India remaining Canada’s largest source of international students for more than a decade, it now faces the highest visa refusal rate among countries with over 1,000 approved applications.
Indian Embassy and Canadian government respond
The Indian Embassy in Ottawa said it is aware of the increased rejection rate but noted that granting or refusing study permits remains Canada’s prerogative. “However, we would like to emphasise that some of the best quality students available in the world are from India, and Canadian institutions have in the past greatly benefited from their talent and academic excellence,” the embassy said in a statement.
Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand, during her visit to India in October, told Reuters that while her government is committed to protecting the integrity of its immigration system, it also wishes to “continue having Indian students in Canada.”
Students have been vocal about their disappointment. On condition of anoyomity, one of the Mumbai based graduate student said “I spent months preparing my SOP, paying for IELTS, and arranging funds, only to get a visa refusal with no clear reason. It’s heartbreaking to see so many genuine students being rejected. Canada was my dream, but now I’m rethinking everything,”
More than 1,400 flights to, from, or within the US were cancelled on Saturday after airlines were told this week to cut traffic during the federal government shutdown.
Nearly 6,000 flights were also delayed, down from over 7,000 delays on Friday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier in the week that it would be reducing air travel capacity by up to10% at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the shutdown, report fatigue.
Republicans and Democrats remain divided over how to end the impasse in Congress as the shutdown, which began 1 October, continues.
Travellers wait in a long line at a security checkpoint at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport on 6 November
Saturday marked the 39th day of the longest shutdown in history as Republicans and Democrats still have not agreed on a funding resolution to reopen the government.
Senators are in Washington over the weekend for bipartisan negotitations aimed at ending the shutdown, which is beginning to be felt by more and more Americans amid cuts to food aid payments and the flight disruptions.
In a statement on Saturday, American Airlines urged “leaders in Washington, D.C., to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown”.
New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport was experiencing some of the longest wait times. As of Saturday afternoon, arrivals to the airport were delayed by an average of more than four hours, while departures from the airport were delayed by an average of 1.5 hours, according to the FAA.
The airports with the most cancelled flights on Saturday, both to and from the location, were Charlotte/Douglas International, Newark Liberty International, and Chicago O’Hare International, according to FlightAware.
Departures to John F Kennedy International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, and La Guardia were delayed by nearly three hours, over 2.5 hours, and about an hour, respectively, the FAA reported as of Saturday afternoon.
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching on 27 November, it’s one of the busiest travel seasons of the year in the US.
It’s not just commercial flights that have been affected. Restrictions on private jets are also in place, Secretary Duffy said in a Saturday post on X.
“We’ve reduced their volume at high traffic airports — instead having private jets utilize smaller airports or airfields so busy controllers can focus on commercial aviation,” Duffy wrote. “That’s only fair.”
And things will likely get worse in the coming days as the FAA increases the percentage of cancelled flights.
On Thursday, the agency announced that the flight reductions would be gradual, starting at 4% of flights on Friday before rising to 6% by 11 November, 8% by 13 November, and the full 10% by 14 November.
The FAA said the cuts were necessary to maintain safety as air traffic controllers have been overworked during the shutdown.
As essential workers, the controllers are required to continue working without pay, and as a result, many have called out sick or taken on second jobs to afford necessities, unions say.
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan collapsed after Islamabad demanded Kabul take responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security, a condition the Taliban called “beyond capacity.”
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan collapsed after Islamabad demanded Kabul take responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security.
Peace talks between Afghanistan and Pakistan have collapsed, though a ceasefire between the two neighbours remains in place, the Taliban confirmed on Saturday.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said negotiations broke down because Islamabad demanded that Kabul take responsibility for Pakistan’s internal security, a condition he described as beyond Afghanistan’s “capacity.”
“The ceasefire that has been established has not been violated by us so far, and it will continue to be observed,” Mujahid added.
Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Friday said that the peace talks, held in Istanbul to prevent renewed border clashes, had failed. He noted that the ceasefire would continue as long as no attacks originated from Afghan territory.
The collapse of talks came a day after Afghan and Pakistani troops exchanged fire along their shared border, coinciding with the resumption of negotiations in Istanbul.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku on Saturday and expressed hope that the discussions would “yield results toward lasting stability.” He reiterated Turkey’s commitment to facilitating dialogue between the two sides, according to a statement from his office.
Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have escalated in recent months. Their militaries clashed last month, resulting in dozens of deaths, the worst violence since the Taliban took power in 2021.
The two countries signed a ceasefire in Doha in October, but the second round of talks in Istanbul ended without a long-term agreement. The deadlock reportedly stemmed from differences over militant groups operating inside Afghanistan that are hostile to Pakistan.
Videos of high-risk inmates using phones and watching TV at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara jail have triggered a probe into serious security lapses and preferential treatment.
Several inmates at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Jail were seen using mobile phones and watching television. (Photo: Screengrab)
Allegations of major security lapses and preferential treatment have surfaced at Bengaluru’s Parappana Agrahara Central Jail after videos showed notorious inmates using mobile phones and watching television inside the facility.
Among those seen using mobile phones inside the high-security prison are Telugu actor Tarun, a co-accused in the sensational gold smuggling case involving actor Ranya Rao; Juhad Hameed Shakeel Manna, a notorious recruiter for the terror group ISIS; and serial rapist and killer Umesh Reddy, who was also caught watching television inside his cell.
It has also been alleged that Shakeel Manna was in contact with his associates outside the jail.
After the undated videos, which recently surfaced on social media, triggered serious security concerns, the prison authorities said on Saturday that an internal inquiry has been launched to verify the authenticity of the footage and identify those responsible.
“Further action will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation,” sources told news agency PTI.
This is not the first time the Parappana Agrahara Central Jail, which houses several high-risk inmates, has faced scrutiny. In October, a video showing a notorious rowdy-sheeter, Srinivas, also known as Gubbachi Seena, celebrating his birthday behind bars went viral.
Accused in a murder case, Srinivas was seen cutting a cake and wearing an apple garland, surrounded by fellow inmates. Videos and photos of the celebration, reportedly recorded on mobile phones and later shared on social media, once again raised serious questions about security, oversight, and accountability within the prison system.
Last year, a photograph emerged showing Kannada actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, currently lodged in prison in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case, receiving VIP treatment inside the jail. Darshan was seen seated on a chair, holding a cigarette and a coffee mug, while chatting with fellow inmates, including history-sheeter Wilson Garden Naga.
HOME MINISTER PROMISES ACTION
Karnataka Home Minister G Parmeshwara said such violations cannot be tolerated and confirmed that he has already sought a detailed report on the matter. He added that a high-level meeting will soon be convened to address the serious issue.
“Such things cannot be tolerated. If this continues, it cannot be called a jail anymore. I will call a meeting of senior police officers and take this issue seriously. I have asked for a report, and if it is not satisfactory, I will form another committee. If the police report fails to bring clarity, we will conduct a separate investigation. No one, whether a terrorist or anyone else, should have access to a phone.
The fast-fashion retailer sparked outrage in France over a listing including “childlike” sex dolls. Legal proceedings against the company are still ongoing.
France launched investigations into the Shein online retailer after the firm failed to remove illegal listingsImage: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/picture alliance
Singapore-based online retailer Shein is not to be subject to a ban in France during a probe into the sale of illegal items, France’s government announced on Friday.
“The government has succeeded in getting Shein to remove all illegal products that were being sold on its platform,” Paris said in a statement.
The French government said that the firm remained “under close observation by state authorities.”
It stressed that legal proceedings initiated against the company are to continue.
The government’s assessment found that no illegal products such as child pornography, stabbing weapons or certain medicines were being sold on the platform.
The company was founded in Nanjing, China, in 2008 and moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2022.
Shein sparks outrage over ‘childlike’ sex doll
The platform caused an uproar in France after it was found to have been advertising “childlike” sex dolls. In response, Shein said it had sanctioned the seller and banned the sale of sex dolls on its platform, while also temporarily suspending all third-party listings.
France had also called upon the European Union to sanction the retailer over the listing of the dolls.
On Wednesday, France’s government took steps to ban Shein unless it complies with existing regulations.
On the same day, Shein opened its first permanent brick-and-morter shop in Paris’ iconic BHV Marais department store, which was met with a petition against the opening that garnered over 120,000 signatures.
Israel said Mexican authorities intervened to foil the alleged plot to kill Ambassador Einat Kranz Neiger.
Israel alleges Iran was planning to assassinate Ambassador Einat Kranz Neiger [FILE: October 22, 2023]Image: Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto/picture allianceThe US and Israel on Friday accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico.
Israel said that Mexican authorities intervened to stop the attempt to kill the ambassador, Einat Kranz-Neiger.
“We thank the security and law enforcement services in Mexico for thwarting a terrorist network directed by Iran that sought to attack Israel’s ambassador in Mexico,” an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement said.
Iran rejected the allegation, calling it a “great big lie” aimed at souring its relations with Mexico.
“It is a media invention, a great big lie, whose objective is to damage the friendly and historic relations between both countries (Mexico and Iran), which we categorically reject,” Tehran’s embassy in Mexico said in a post on X.
US says threat contained
Reuters news agency cited an anonymous US official as saying that the plot was initiated in late 2024 by the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC).
The US official said the plot had been “contained” and that there was no longer any threat.
Iran and Israel are bitter regional adversaries and have waged a proxy conflict spanning multiple decades.
A 12-day conflict between the two countries earlier this year ended with a ceasefire on June 25.
Iran has traditionally backed Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, as well as Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, all of which have engaged in conflict with Israel.
Crucially, the minister leveraged Afghanistan’s shared geography as a point of advantage, arguing that unlike the distant superpowers, Pakistan does not enjoy the benefit of geographical separation. Representational image
Tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban regime in Kabul have reached a critical new inflection point, moving beyond diplomatic rhetoric to open military threats. The Afghan Minister of Tribal and Border Affairs, Noorullah Noori, issued a direct and aggressive warning to Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, underscoring Kabul’s rising frustration with Pakistan’s cross-border strikes targeting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) positions inside Afghan territory.
Top intelligence sources confirmed to CNN-News18 that the open belligerence from the Taliban leadership signals a significant shift, suggesting that the ministries in Kabul are now willing to openly threaten Pakistan militarily. This shift is interpreted as a sign that the Taliban regime now feels increasingly independent of Pakistan’s influence and is ready to assert its sovereignty—a freedom that Islamabad is rapidly losing control over.
The core of the minister’s warning was a stark historical reminder and a geographical threat. By explicitly referencing the downfall of the Soviet Union and the United States in Afghanistan, the minister aimed to remind Pakistan that challenging Afghan resolve has historically led to catastrophic defeats for foreign powers. The message was clear: Afghanistan is the “graveyard of empires” and Pakistan should heed those historical lessons.
Crucially, the minister leveraged Afghanistan’s shared geography as a point of advantage, arguing that, unlike the distant superpowers, Pakistan does not enjoy the benefit of geographical separation. This focus on their shared border carries a potent implication of potential border militarisation and proxy escalation should tensions continue. The minister warned Pakistan against being “arrogant” about its military strength or attempting to “test the patience” of the Afghan nation.
Kalmaegi is the 13th storm to hit Vietnam this year.
A worker cleans broken glass at a hotel close to Quy Nhon beach as Typhoon Kalmaegi makes landfall in Gia Lai province in central Vietnam on Nov 6, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Nhac Nguyen)
Typhoon Kalmaegi slammed into Vietnam on Thursday (Nov 6), forcing authorities to cancel hundreds of flights and order people to stay indoors, two days after the storm started sweeping across the Philippines, killing at least 140 people.
Kalmaegi – packing winds of up to 149kmh, according to the national weather forecaster – blew roofs off houses and downed trees and telegraph poles. It whipped up waves as high as 10m as it hit the central region’s coast, the agency added.
Officials closed six airports, and the government said more than 260,000 people in Gia Lai province had been moved to safety. Kalmaegi is the 13th storm to hit Vietnam this year, and among the most powerful.
The government said it had placed more than 268,000 soldiers on standby for search and rescue operations. It warned of floods in low-lying areas and impacts on agriculture, including in the Central Highlands, the main coffee-growing region.
FARMERS FEAR FOR CROPS
As the storm approached, hotels and homes along Cua Dai beach near the ancient UNESCO-listed town of Hoi An were shuttered.
Near the coastal city of Hue, farmers were still recovering from floods this week that killed 47 people.
Rice farmer Nguyen Van Rin, 42, said the last floods had drowned his livestock and poultry.
“Kalmaegi will flood us for the fourth time, and I am afraid it will be quite bad,” he said after guiding his boat across a road as vehicles moved slowly through the water.
HOMES FLATTENED, VEHICLES OVERTURNED
In the Philippines, the scale of the Kalmaegi’s destruction became clearer on Thursday as floodwaters receded in its hardest-hit province of Cebu, revealing flattened homes, overturned vehicles and streets choked with debris.
There were 127 people still reported missing as of late on Thursday, and attempts to distribute aid and find bodies were hampered by the scale of the damage left by Kalmaegi, the 20th storm to hit the Philippines this year.
“The challenge now is debris clearing … These need to be cleared immediately, not only to account for the missing who may be among the debris or may have reached safe areas but also to allow relief operations to move forward,” Raffy Alejandro, a senior civil defence official, told DZBB radio.
The typhoon’s devastation in Cebu comes just over a month after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the holiday island, killing dozens and displacing thousands.
Forecasters were also tracking a brewing storm east of the Philippine island of Mindanao that could strengthen into a typhoon and hit the country early next week.
The event, which featured top pharmaceutical executives and administration officials, was intended to spotlight the administration’s new Most Favored Nations drug pricing initiative, a plan to make GLP-1 medications more affordable for millions of Americans.
Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay collapsed during an event about drug prices. (Photo: AP)
A pharmaceutical executive collapsed beside US President Donald Trump during his Oval Office announcement on new obesity drug price cuts, abruptly halting the live event.
The incident occurred just moments after Trump unveiled a landmark deal with drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to dramatically lower the price of popular GLP-1 weight-loss medications like Wegovy and Zepbound.
According to the Associated Press, the man — identified by witnesses as Novo Nordisk executive Gordon Findlay — lost his balance and fell to the ground. Dr. Mehmet Oz, who now heads the Centres for Medicare & Medicaid Services, rushed forward to assist, preventing the man from hitting his head.
“The room went silent. Secret Service and medics moved in instantly,” one reporter posted on social media. “Trump looked visibly concerned.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the incident, saying, “During the Most Favored Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The Press Conference will resume shortly.”
It was in November last year, on Amitabh Bachchan’s ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ show, that para-archer Sheetal Devi expressed a wish: To one day compete alongside able-bodied athletes. Exactly a year later, that dream is a reality. Born without arms, the world compound champion from Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday shattered another barrier by being picked in the Indian able-bodied junior team for the upcoming Asia Cup Stage 3 in Jeddah — the first para-athlete from India to achieve the feat. “When I started competing, I had a small dream — to one day compete alongside the able-bodied. I didn’t make it at first, but I kept going, learning from every setback. Today, that dream is one step closer,” Sheetal wrote on social media after the announcement.
Competing among more than 60 able-bodied archers under identical conditions at the national selection trials in Sonipat, the 18-year-old finished third overall after four days of competition.
She scored 703 points (352 351) in qualification, matching top qualifier Tejal Salve’s total.
In the final rankings, Tejal (15.75 points) and Vaidehi Jadhav (15) took the top two spots, while Sheetal edged out Maharashtra’s Dnyaneshwari Gadadhe (11.5) to claim third with 11.75 points.
Her journey to this point has been one of grit, re-invention, and quiet determination.
Sheetal, who earlier trained at the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board Sports Complex in Katra, has already etched her name in history as the first female armless world champion in para archery.
But the road after the Paris Paralympics, where she won a bronze medal in the mixed team event, was not easy.
Post-Paris, she shifted base to Patiala to train under coach Gaurav Sharma, who helped her rebuild her shooting stance following a rule change by World Archery that barred the heel from touching the bow.
The adjustment involved painful retraining to shoot using only the toe and front of the foot.
“She had to start from scratch,” Sharma told PTI.
“The new stance demanded immense control and stability. There were days her foot cramped in pain, but she never gave up. Her determination to perfect every detail made the difference.” In a social media post titled ‘Rising Above the Whispers’, she had written about how she shut out the noise during her difficult phase.
“Earlier this year, I hit a rough patch. I missed practice sessions, lost matches, and that’s when the whispers began: ‘one-time wonder’, ‘her time has passed’. The new rules forced me to start from the basics again,” she wrote.
“I shut out the noise – no social media, no distractions. My coach told me, ‘Hume kisi ko jawab nahi dena… humara arrow jawab dega.'” as she went on to become the para world compound champion in Gwangju in September.
Always sorted ========= Sharma said he was not surprised by her turnaround as they had begun their preparation about a year back.
“She’s always sorted, always focused. Honestly, I was in a daze when the final list came out. It’s unexpected and unreal — a para-athlete competing shoulder to shoulder with the country’s best able-bodied archers.” The coach said the next goal would be to balance her para and able-bodied campaigns.
“Next year, the Asian Para Games will be our main focus, no doubt. But we also plan to trial her for the able-bodied senior event and see how she performs.
“Expectation keeps growing with performance — if she wins a medal at the Asia Cup, it will be historic, the first time a para-athlete achieves that at international level.” He fondly recalled how Sheetal’s journey had come full circle.
“In Kaun Banega Crorepati, she had said her dream was to represent India in able-bodied events and compete with the ‘normal’ athletes. And in just one year, she’s done it. Jo maanga tha, woh mil gaya.” Sheetal drew early inspiration from Turkey’s Oznur Cure Girdi, the reigning Paralympic champion who has herself competed in able-bodied events at the World Cup and World Games, even reaching the pre=quarterfinals against some of the top names at Chengdu.
Shein is in the thick of controversy, as French authorities announced they would suspend the online platform a couple of hours after the clothing company opened the doors to its first-ever physical store in Paris.
French riot police monitored situation on the opening day of Shein’s first permanent store in the world in ParisImage: Abdul Saboor/REUTERS
Shein, the clothing company that has built a massive reputation online for fast fashion, opened its first physical store in Paris on Wednesday. But not without controversy.
The French Finance Ministry announced shortly afterward that it was moving to suspend Shein’s online platform until it complies with French laws and regulations.
Days earlier, Shein came under fire from French authorities for listing a “childlike” sex doll for sale.
“On the Prime Minister’s instructions, the government is initiating proceedings to suspend Shein for as long as necessary for the platform to demonstrate to the authorities that all of its content is finally in compliance with our laws and regulations,” the ministry said in a statement.
“An initial review will be conducted by ministers within the next 48 hours.”
Shein removes third-party listings in France
Shein said in a statement it was temporarily suspending listings by third-party sellers in France — a move the the company said it planned before the finance ministry’s statement.
“We acknowledge the announcement made today by the government. The safety of our customers and the integrity of our marketplace [a platform for third-party sellers] are our top priorities,” the company said.
The company said it wished “to engage in dialogue with French authorities as soon as possible.”
Why is Shein under scrutiny?
Earlier this week, the French consumer watchdog flagged the listing of “childlike” sex dolls for sale on Shein’s website. It said the product descriptions and categorization left little doubt as to their child-like pornographic nature of the sex dolls.
French Economy Minister Robert Lescure said at the time that “boundaries have been crossed” and authorities launched an investigation.
In response, Shein said it was banning all sex dolls from its website and was temporarily removing its adult products category as it reviews procedures.
The company is set to be questioned by lawmakers on the issue within two weeks, with the French economy minister having said earlier this week he would seek to ban Shein’s online store in France if such incidents were to occur again.
Protests outside Shein store in Paris
Shein set up shop in one of the city’s most iconic department stores, BHV Marais department store, which also sits right across from Paris City Hall.
The company has been a hit online but its move to a brick-and-mortar store to expand sales in the heart of the world’s fashion capital has not sat well with politicians and retailers alike.
Shein has long been criticized for poor environmental, labor and human rights practices.
Most of the deaths were reported in the central province of Cebu, which was pummelled by Kalmaegi on Tuesday, setting off flash floods and causing a river and other waterways to overflow.
Cars swept away after heavy flooding brought on by Typhoon Kalmaegi are piled up at a subdivision in Bacayan, Cebu City, Philippines, Nov 5, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Eloisa Lopez)
CEBU: Typhoon Kalmaegi killed at least 140 people, with 127 missing, after unleashing devastating flooding across the central Philippines, official figures showed on Thursday (Nov 6), as the storm headed towards Vietnam.
The national civil defence office confirmed 114 reported deaths, though that tally did not include an additional 28 recorded by Cebu provincial authorities.
Most of the deaths were reported in the central province of Cebu, which was pummelled by Kalmaegi on Tuesday, setting off flash floods and causing a river and other waterways to overflow, said Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense.
Kalmaegi moved away from western Palawan province into the South China Sea before noon Wednesday and was barreling toward Vietnam, according to forecasters.
Among the dead were six people who were killed when a Philippine air force helicopter crashed in the southern province of Agusan del Sur on Tuesday. The crew was on its way to provide humanitarian help to provinces battered by Kalmaegi, the military said. It did not give the cause of the crash.
CENTRAL PROVINCE HIT HARDEST
Provincial officials said Kalmaegi set off flash floods and caused a river and other waterways to swell. The resulting flooding engulfed residential communities, forcing residents to climb on their roofs, where they desperately pleaded to be rescued as the floodwaters rose, officials said.
At least 71 people died in Cebu, mostly due to drownings, 65 others were reported missing and 69 were injured, the Office of Civil Defense said.
It added that 62 others were reported missing in the central province of Negros Occidental, which is located near Cebu.
“We did everything we can for the typhoon but, you know, there are really some unexpected things like flash floods,” Cebu governor Pamela Baricuatro told The Associated Press by telephone.
Caloy Ramirez, a volunteer rescuer, said the massive flooding set off by the typhoon turned an upscale riverside residential community in Cebu city on Tuesday into an unrecognisable scene of tumbled SUVs and houses in disarray.
Residents said floodwater engulfed the first floors of their houses in just a few minutes, sending them scrambling to upper floors or roofs in panic.
“We always expect the worst and what I saw yesterday was the worst,” Ramirez told The AP. He described how the faces of desperate residents would light up when they realised they were being rescued.
CONCERNS OVER FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS
The problems may have been made worse by years of quarrying that caused clogging of nearby rivers, which overflowed, and substandard flood control projects in Cebu province, Baricuatro said.
A corruption scandal involving substandard or non-existent flood control projects across the Philippines has sparked public outrage and street protests in recent months.
Cebu, a bustling province of more than 2.4 million people, declared a state of calamity to allow authorities to disburse emergency funds more rapidly.
Cebu was still recovering from a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Sep 30 that left at least 79 people dead and displaced thousands when houses collapsed or were severely damaged.
Thousands of northern Cebu residents who were displaced by the earthquake were moved to sturdier evacuation shelters from flimsy tents before the typhoon struck, Baricuatro said. Northern towns devastated by the earthquake were mostly not hit by floods generated by Kalmaegi, she added.
Before Kalmaegi’s landfall, officials said more than 387,000 people had evacuated to safer ground in eastern and central Philippine provinces.
Ferries and fishing boats were prohibited from venturing out to increasingly rough seas, stranding more than 3,500 passengers and cargo truck drivers in nearly 100 seaports, the coast guard said. At least 186 domestic flights were cancelled.
The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and storms each year. The country is also often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Wednesday that he would order a 10% cut in flights at 40 major U.S. airports, citing air traffic control safety concerns as a government shutdown hit a record 36th day.
The drastic plan sent airlines scrambling to make significant reductions in flights in just 36 hours and passengers flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.
A commercial aircraft flies past the Washington Monument during a partial government shutdown in Washington, D.C., U.S., October 2, 2025. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights
Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agreed to reopen the government.
The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay.
The Trump administration has sought to ramp up pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown and has increasingly raised the specter of dramatic aviation disruptions to force them to vote to reopen the government. Democrats contend Republicans are to blame for refusing to negotiate over key health care subsidies. SHUTDOWN AMPLIFIES STAFFING SHORTAGES
Tens of thousands of flights have been delayed since the shutdown began because of widespread air traffic control shortages. Airlines say at least 3.2 million travelers have already been impacted by air traffic control shortages.
“We had a gut check of what is our job,” Duffy told reporters, citing a confidential safety assessment of the impact of the shutdown on controllers that raises concerns about their performance. “Our job is to make sure we make the hard decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe.”
Reuters earlier reported the plan.
In a call with major U.S. carriers, the FAA said capacity reductions at the airports would start at 4%, rising to 5% Saturday and 6% Sunday, before hitting 10% next week, industry sources told Reuters. The FAA also plans to exempt international flights from the cuts.
“When we see pressures building in these 40 markets, we just can’t ignore it,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference. “We can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating so the system is extremely safe today, will be extremely safe tomorrow.”
While the government did not name the 40 airports affected, the cuts were expected to hit the 30 busiest airports including those serving New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas. This would reduce as many as 1,800 flights and over 268,000 airline seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Government officials said nothing would be final until the FAA published an order on Thursday.
The move is aimed at taking pressure off air traffic controllers. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown. AIRLINES EVALUATE THE IMPACT
The FAA also warned that it could add more flight restrictions after Friday if further air traffic issues emerge.
United Airlines (UAL.O), opens new tab CEO Scott Kirby outlined the carrier’s strategy for flight reductions, assuring staff and customers that long-haul international and hub-to-hub operations will remain unchanged. The cuts will target regional flying and non-hub domestic routes instead.
Kirby emphasized a flexible refund policy, telling employees, “any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight isn’t impacted.”
American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab echoed a similar sentiment, indicating most of its customers would see minimal disruption.
Southwest, the largest domestic carrier, said it is evaluating how the cuts will affect its schedule and it will communicate with customers as soon as possible. It urged lawmakers to immediately resolve the impasse over government funding.
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 55,000 flight attendants at 20 airlines, called the shutdown “cruel attacks on all Americans.” “The false narrative that this shutdown is a choice of either paying federal workers or protecting affordable healthcare is outrageous when both crises were manufactured by the exact people who can fix it,” its President Sara Nelson said.
The federal government has mostly closed as Republicans and Democrats are locked in a standoff in Congress over a funding bill. Democrats have insisted they would not approve a plan that does not extend health insurance subsidies, while Republicans have rejected that.
President Donald Trump and Republicans have been trying to intensify pressure on Democrats by increasing the pain felt by average Americans from the government shutdown.
The Prince Group syndicate, run by Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, is accused of operating large-scale online “scam centres” that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world.
Hong Kong authorities said on Nov 4, 2025, that they had frozen assets worth US$354 million linked to a criminal syndicate that local media reports identified as Prince Group. (File photo: CNA/Jack Board)
Hong Kong authorities said on Tuesday (Nov 4) they had frozen assets worth HK$2.75 billion (US$354 million) linked to a criminal syndicate that local media reports identified as the Prince Group run by sanctioned Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi.
In October, Britain and the United States sanctioned the Southeast Asia-based multinational network, which is accused of operating large-scale online “scam centres” that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world.
Chen, 38, was indicted by a US court on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Reuters was not able to reach Chen or a representative for comment.
Footage shows the aircraft taking off from with its left wing in flames before it erupts into a fireball
The McDonnell Douglas MD-11 aircraft erupted into a fire ballCredit: X
A UPS cargo plane was carrying 38,000 gallons of jet fuel when it crashed into a petrol recycling plant.
Police and fire crews were called to the scene, near the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, at around 5pm.
Footage shows the aircraft taking off from the runway with its left wing in flames before it erupts into a fireball.
At least three people have been killed at least 11 more are injured.
Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a social media post the plane was carrying 280,000 pounds of fuel.
Experts later confirmed at a press conference this equated to 38,000 gallons on board.
“There are multiple injuries and the fire is still burning. There are many road closures in the area please avoid the scene,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said in a social media post shortly before 7 p.m. ET.
The aircraft was travelling such large quantities of fuel due to it’s 12-hour scheduled trip to Hawaii.
Two businesses near the airport, Kentucky Petroleum Recycling and Grade A Auto Parts, were impacted by the plane crash and its debris.
Grade A Auto Parts reported all its employees were accounted for, except two.
“We believe we have at least three fatalities. I believe that number is going to get larger,” Governor Andy Beshear said at a press briefing this evening.
“Anybody who has seen the images in the video know how violent this crash is.”
Fire Chief Brian O’Neill said emergency responders continue to search every building in the area for survivors trapped in rubble.
The authorities have warned local residents to stay away from the surrounding area as fire crews continue to battle the inferno.
Congressman Morgan McGarvey said at a press conference: “My heart breaks for the pilots, crew, and their families, and I’m praying for everyone impacted. I’m grateful for the bravery of our first responders as they continue their work throughout the night tonight to respond quickly and heroically to this horrific incident.”
Mayor Greenberg added: “Please join Rachel and me in praying for the crew of UPS flight 2976. This is an incredible tragedy that our community will never forget.
“We are so thankful for our brave first responders who have flooded the scene to help try and control the fire and provide support for any victims on the ground.”
Senator Mitch McConnell continued: “My team and I are closely monitoring developments around the Louisville airport and are in touch with local, state, and federal authorities. Thank you to the first responders on the scene. I encourage everyone in the area to follow emergency and law enforcement guidance.”
Meanwhile, a source has claimed to ABC News there was an engine issue during the plane’s take off which caused UPS Flight 2976 to crash.
Flames could be seen pouring from the left engine area, with the pilots seemingly unaware before it plummeted.
The plane appeared to tip upwards slightly, suggesting the wheels just leave the tarmac, before a colossal fireball mushroomed into the sky.
UPS said: “At approximately 5:20 PM ET tonight, UPS Flight 2976 from Louisville, KY, to Honolulu, an MD-11 with three crewmembers onboard, was involved in an accident in Louisville.
“At this time, we have not confirmed any injuries/casualties.
“UPS will release more facts as they become available, but the National Transportation Safety Board is in charge of the investigation and will be the primary source of information about the official investigation.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said: “The NTSB will lead the investigation and will provide all updates. This information is preliminary and subject to change.”
An SDF spokesperson confirmed the airfield has been closed an advised any passengers to check their journeys before travelling.
A shelter-in-place remains between Outer Loop and the Ohio River, while areas south of Outer Loop are now cleared.
A separate shelter-in-place is active in Jeffersonville, Indiana, from 10th Street to the Ohio River and east along the river to the Port of Indiana.
Louisville Metro Police said there’s still an active scene with “fire and debris.”
Spokesperson Matt Sanders that injuries have been reported, but there is no update on the condition of any victims.
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said: “Kentucky, we are aware of a reported plane crash near Louisville International Airport.
“First responders are onsite, and we will share more information as available.
“Please pray for the pilots, crew and everyone affected. We will share more soon.”
It’s not yet clear what caused the plane to fail so soon into its journey.
FAA records show the plane was 34 years old and Boeing, which shut down the MD-11 program after acquiring it in its merger with McDonnell Douglas, said it would provide technical support to the investigation.
Flightradar24 said the plane had travelled from Louisville to Baltimore earlier on Tuesday before returning to Louisville.
While taking off for the flight to Honolulu the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 175 feet and reached a speed of 184 knots before making a sharp descent, according to data from Flightradar24.
Explosives manufactured in Bihar’s proposed defence corridor will be used against these terrorists, he said.
Bihar will go to the polls in two phases on November 6 and November 11.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday warned Pakistan-sponsored terrorists to refrain from further attacking India, asserting that if they repeat the mistake, “goli ka jawab goley se diya jayega” (they will face cannons for bullets).
Explosives manufactured in Bihar’s proposed defence corridor will be used against these terrorists, he said.
“Terrorists from Pakistan attacked our citizens in Pahalgam. They wiped off Sindoor from the foreheads of our mothers and sisters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi avenged it by launching Operation Sindoor within 20 days. The Indian Army neutralised the terrorists on Pakistani land,” Shah said at a poll rally in Bihar.
He also said, “The PM is setting up a Defence Corridor in Bihar. If Pakistan-sponsored terrorists repeat their mistake, ‘goli ka jawab goley se diya jaega’ (they will face cannons for bullets).” The cannons to be used against terrorists will be ‘made-in-Bihar’, he said.
“Unlike the previous Congress regime, the government under Modi’s leadership is committed to the safety and security of the nation,” he alleged.
Shah launched a blistering attack on RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi Yadav for allegedly “raising slogans in the praise of gangster-turned-politician late Mohammad Shahabuddin, who unleashed terror in Siwan during the RJD’s 15-year rule in Bihar”.
“Lalu and his party raise slogans like ‘Shahabuddin amar rahe’, dream of ‘jungle raj’ but Bihar people won’t allow these,” he said.
Addressing back-to-back rallies in Darbhanga, Motihari and Bettiah, Shah urged voters in Bihar to press the EVM button with the BJP’s poll symbol ‘lotus’ to prevent the return of ‘jungle raj’ during the RJD rule that had “devastated” the state.
He promised that if the NDA returns to power, the government will spend Rs 26,000 crore to harness the Koshi river water for irrigation and to prevent floods.
“Press ‘lotus’ button to prevent return of ‘jungle raj’ that devastated Bihar during Lalu-Rabri’s 15-year rule…Murders, loots, kidnappings, and extortion will be common in the state again if you make a mistake on the November 6 voting day,” the union minister alleged.
Shah claimed that the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership could only lead Bihar to all-around development.
“Altogether, Rs 26,000 crore will be spent to harness the Koshi river water to irrigate ‘Mithilanchal’ and prevent floods in the area if the NDA is voted to power in Bihar…Water of the Ganga, Koshi and Gandak rivers will be utilised for irrigation and to prevent deluge in the state,” the former BJP president said.
If the NDA retains power in Bihar, people from Mithila, Koshi, and Tirhut will not be required to go to Patna or Delhi for treatment, as they will get quality medical facilities at AIIMS-Darbhanga, he said.
Shah claimed, “As many as 3.60 cr people have been covered with free health insurance up to Rs 5 lakh crore, while the IT park at Darbhanga will employ the youth.” He slammed the RJD for its complaint to the Election Commission, seeking a pause on the Rs 10,000 benefit for ‘Jeevika Didis’, alleging that “three generations of Lalu won’t be able to snatch funds transferred” to the self-help groups.
Reiterating that the RJD-Congress insulted ‘Chhathi Maiya’, the prime minister and his mother, Shah said people of Bihar will “avenge the insult by showing the exit door to such political parties” in the upcoming elections.
“Bihar people never forgive those who insult ‘Chhathi Maiya’. The RJD-Congress will be wiped out in the Bihar polls,” Shah claimed.
If NDA retains power in Bihar, each district will get one engineering, one medical college in the next 5 years, he promised.
Under a ceasefire deal brokered by Trump, Israel is to turn over 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.
Palestinians walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Nov 2, 2025. (Photo: Reuters/Mahmoud Issa)
Israel returned the bodies of 45 Palestinians to Gaza on Monday (Nov 3), bringing the total number handed over under the ceasefire deal to 270, the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory said.
Under a ceasefire deal brokered by US President Donald Trump, Israel was to turn over the bodies of 15 Palestinians for every deceased Israeli returned.
Following forensic identification, Israel confirmed on Monday that the remains handed over by Hamas the day before belonged to three hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the Oct 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.
The remains were those of American-Israeli Captain Omer Neutra, 21 years old at the time of his abduction, Corporal Oz Daniel, 19, and Colonel Assaf Hamami, 40, the highest-ranking officer killed by Hamas.
Hamas’ armed wing said it had found the remains earlier on Sunday “along the route of one of the tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip”.
Hamas had been holding 48 hostages in Gaza when the truce came into effect on Oct 10, including 20 who were alive.
Since the start of the truce, Hamas has released the 20 surviving hostages and begun handing over the remains of 28 deceased captives.
Of the latter, it has so far returned 20 – 18 Israelis, one Thai national, and one Nepali.
Israel has accused Hamas of dragging its feet in returning the bodies, while the Palestinian group says the process is slow because many remains are buried beneath Gaza’s rubble.
It has repeatedly called on mediators and the Red Cross to provide it with the necessary equipment and personnel to recover the bodies.
ISRAEL KILLS THREE PALESTINIANS
Israeli fire killed three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Monday, north of the southern city of Rafah, which remains under Israeli control, according to local health authorities, further testing the fragile US-backed ceasefire.
In a statement issued earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said forces identified “terrorists” who crossed the yellow line, which marks areas the army still occupies. It said they were advancing towards troops in southern Gaza, posing an immediate threat, before it struck them.
Medics said one of those killed was a woman. The identities of the two others were not immediately clear.
The incident follows days of Israeli strikes on the enclave, provoking mutual accusations between Hamas and Israel over violations of the tenuous ceasefire that halted two years of war.
Residents said Israeli forces continued to demolish houses in the eastern areas of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Gaza City, where forces continue to operate.
The ceasefire, which came into effect on Oct 10, has calmed most fighting, allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to return to the ruins of their homes in Gaza. Israel has withdrawn troops from positions in cities, and more aid has been allowed to enter.
Another worker was rushed to hospital and remains in a critical condition
THIS is the horrifying moment an ancient Roman tower near the Colosseum collapses, trapping a man beneath the rubble.
Shocking footage shows the Torre dei Conti Tower in Rome crumbling to the ground, leaving another person in a critical condition.
Part of the Torre dei Conti Tower caved in, sending rubble and dust into the streetsCredit: EPA
The tower, which was undergoing restoration work, collapsed in two stages over an hour apart.
Emergency services were first called to reports at around 11:30 this morning, trapping and injuring several workers.
Then, as emergency responders worked, the tower caved in some more at around 12:45pm – though nobody was further injured.
As of Monday evening, a 66-year-old Romanian man was still trapped beneath the rubble, and another Romanian man was in a critical condition in hospital with a head injury.
Both are believed to have been working at the site.
Lamberto Giannini, from the local fire department, said the team was working tirelessly but the “situation is complex because of the risk of further collapses”.
The trapped worker is conscious and communicating with the emergency responders.
His wife is also at the scene and talking to him.
Two other workers had to be rescued from the rubble but escaped with minor injuries.
USAR firefighters, who specialise in rescuing people from rubble, are on the scene to take charge of the operation.
The prosecutor’s office has said it is investigating whether negligence is at play.
Another worker, 67-year-old Ottaviano, was inside at the time of the collapse but escaped from a balcony uninjured.
He told AFP: “It was not safe. I just want to go home.”
Footage shows rubble gushing from a window of the enormous medieval tower crumbling, as huge clouds of dust erupt from inside.
The Torre dei Contei, in one of Rome‘s tourist hotspots, has been closed to the public for many years.
After the first collapse, firefighters “put up some protection” around the trapped worker, which “shielded him” from the second stone-fall, Giannini said.
The fire head added: “It will be a very long operation because we have to try to save the person, but we also have to try to mitigate… the enormous risks faced by the people trying to carry out the rescue.”
Queen Paglinawan, 27, was working at a nearby gelato parlour and heard two loud noises in rapid succession.
She said: “I was working and then I heard some like falling, and then I saw the tower collapse in a diagonal way.”
German student Viktoria Braeu was also at the scene.
IIIT Delhi will now require students to submit the AI prompts used in their assignments, ensuring greater transparency and accountability in AI-assisted academic work.
IIIT Delhi to assess students’ AI use in exams by requiring them to submit the prompts used.
The Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi (IIIT Delhi) is strengthening its focus on research, innovation and responsible technology use to prepare students for the future. In an exclusive interaction with News18, Director Prof. Ranjan Bose outlined how the institute is integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into learning, expanding research areas and offering one of the most competitive PhD fellowships in the country.
“IIIT Delhi has always aimed to be a research-led university, and our new initiatives are designed to attract bright minds who want to solve real-world problems through technology,” said Prof. Bose.
Responsible Use Of AI In Classrooms and Exams
With AI tools like ChatGPT becoming increasingly popular among students, IIIT Delhi has adopted a progressive approach toward their use. “We are not banning AI in any way,” said Prof. Bose. “Instead, we are teaching students how to use it responsibly. The goal is to help them become better creators, thinkers, and innovators rather than passive consumers of technology.”
The institute is now exploring ways to assess how students use AI tools during assignments and projects. This includes evaluating their interaction with AI — such as the prompts they use and how they refine responses. “We’re interested not just in the final output but also in the thinking process behind it. This is where real learning happens,” Prof. Bose explained.
To make AI use more transparent and accountable, students will now be required to submit the prompts they used along with their final answers. “This will help teachers understand how students are approaching problems and using AI to solve them. We’ll also make it mandatory for students to mention if they used any AI tool and take full responsibility for the final output,” he added.
Boost For Research And Doctoral Studies
The institute is offering PhD fellowships of up to Rs 60,000 per month to attract top research talent. Prof. Bose said the enhanced stipend is intended to make pursuing doctoral studies more appealing to students who might otherwise choose corporate roles.
“We realised that to retain talent within the academic and research ecosystem, we must make PhD programmes financially sustainable. The idea is to give students the freedom to focus entirely on their research without worrying about basic expenses,” he explained.
IIIT Delhi has also expanded its interdisciplinary research centres, covering emerging domains such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data science, and health informatics. These centres aim to bring together faculty and researchers from diverse backgrounds to work on socially relevant projects.
Focus On Innovation And Entrepreneurship
IIIT Delhi has built a strong innovation and incubation ecosystem, encouraging students and faculty to convert their ideas into tangible solutions. “We support start-ups through mentorship, incubation, and access to resources. Our aim is to ensure that innovation doesn’t stop at the lab but reaches the market and benefits society,” Prof. Bose said.
Trump warned of possible US military action in Nigeria over killings of Christians, while Abuja said it welcomes US help against insurgents if its sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.
US President Donald Trump. (Reuters Photo)
US President Donald Trump has warned that the United States could deploy troops or carry out air strikes in Nigeria to stop what he described as the killing of large numbers of Christians in the West African nation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening as he returned to Washington after a weekend in Florida, Trump said he had instructed the Defense Department, which he referred to as the “Department of War,” to prepare for possible “fast” military action.
“Could be. I mean, other things. I envisage a lot of things,” Trump said when asked whether he envisioned US troops on the ground or air strikes. “They’re killing record numbers of Christians in Nigeria … They’re killing the Christians and killing them in very large numbers. We’re not going to allow that to happen.”
Earlier on Friday, Trump threatened to halt aid to Nigeria and warned that the US could go in “guns-a-blazing” if Africa’s most populous country fails to protect its Christian population. “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria,” he said, blaming “radical Islamists” for widespread violence.
The warning came a day after Washington returned Nigeria to its list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” which identifies nations accused of violating religious freedoms. Others on the list include China, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Pakistan.
NIGERIA’S RESPONSE
In Abuja, the Nigerian government said it would welcome US assistance in combating Islamist insurgents — but only if the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected.
“We welcome US assistance as long as it recognises our territorial integrity,” said Daniel Bwala, an adviser to President Bola Tinubu.
Bwala sought to ease tensions, downplaying Trump’s remarks even as the US leader described Nigeria as a “disgraced country.”
A strong earthquake has shaken northern Afghanistan near Mazar-i-Sharif. Local authorities are reporting several deaths and dozens of injured.
Afghanistan’s Balkh province was shaken by a powerful earthquake overnightImage: Kawa Basharat/Xinhua/IMAGO
A powerful magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early on Monday near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province.
Reports of deaths and injuries from the region are now starting to trickle in.
A health department for the neighboring Samagan province said at least seven people had died and 150 were injured in the earthquake, Reuters news agency reported.
Afghanistan’s national disaster management agency said on X, posting in Pashto language, that five had died and reported a similar number of injuries.
Hurriyat Radio Pashto reported a higher death toll in Samagan, saying that 20 people had been killed there. The pro-Taliban radio said that another 19 people have been killed in Khulm district.
The death toll from the earthquake may increase further, as the injured are still being taken to health centers from the affected areas, Hurriyat Radio said in a post on X.
What else do we know about the earthquake?
The earthquake struck early Monday at a depth of 28 kilometers (17 miles) some 22 kilometers from Kholm, near Mazar-i-Sharif, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Kholm is home to around 65,000 people, while about 523,000 live in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan’s fifth-largest city.
In Mazar-i-Sharif, many people ran into the street in the middle of the night, fearing their homes might collapse, a correspondent for French news agency AFP reported.
USGS issued an orange alert on its automated PAGER system, which means “significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread.”
Monday’s earthquake comes just two months after a magnitude-6.0 quake struck in Afghanistan’s east, killing more than 2,200 people.
Why is Afghanistan so prone to earthquakes?
Earthquakes are common in Afghanistan, particularly along the Hindu Kush mountain range, near where the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates meet.
They kill about 560 people in Afghanistan on average each year, according to Reuters news agency, and cause annual damages estimated at $80 million (€69 million).
Studies indicate at least 355 earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5.0 have hit Afghanistan since 1990.
In addition, many modest Afghan homes are built of mud bricks. This makes them susceptible to earthquake damage.
This triumph will forever stand as a proud milestone in Indian sporting history, a triumph not just of talent, but of heart, determination, and dreams coming true.
Image: BCCI/X
India secured a historic moment in world cricket by defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 final at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, lifting their maiden World Cup trophy in front of a roaring home crowd. It was a night of emotion, dominance, and sheer belief as the Indian women rewrote history and etched their names among the greatest to ever play the sport.
Batting first in the high-pressure final, India showcased remarkable composure and intent, posting a formidable total of 298/7 in 50 overs. Young opener Shafali Verma once again stood tall on the grandest stage, smashing a brilliant 87 runs and setting the tone for India’s innings. Her fearless stroke play electrified the stadium and put South Africa immediately under pressure. Deepti Sharma continued her consistency in the middle order, adding a vital 58 runs and ensuring that India capitalized on their strong start. South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka was the pick of their bowlers, claiming three wickets for 58 runs in a valiant but ultimately unsuccessful effort to restrict the Indian lineup.
𝐂.𝐇.𝐀.𝐌.𝐏.𝐈.𝐎.𝐍.𝐒 🏆
Congratulations to #TeamIndia on winning their maiden ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 🇮🇳
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the two countries have agreed to promote “peace through strength, mutual respect and positive relations”
President Donald Trump (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shake hands after their US-China summit meeting at Gimhae International Airport Jinping in South Korea’s Busan on October 30. (Image: AP/Mark Schiefelbein)
The US and China have agreed to promote “peace” by establishing “militay-to-military channels”, said US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Sunday.
Hegseth said the aim was to “deconflict and de-escalate any problems that arise” between the United States and China.
His remarks come after he said he had a productive meeting with China’s Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia. It also follows US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC Summit in South Korea’s Busan on October 30.
I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree — the relationship between the United States and China has never been better. Following President Trump’s historic meeting with Chairman Xi in South Korea, I had an equally positive meeting with my counterpart, China’s Minister of…
“The Department of War will do the same – peace through strength, mutual respect, and positive relations. Admiral Dong and I also agreed that we should set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise. We have more meetings on that coming soon. God bless both China and the USA!” Hegseth wrote on X.
The US Secretary of War said the two sides have agreed to strengthen communication and maintain stability in bilateral ties.
“I just spoke to President Trump, and we agree – the relationship between the United States and China has never been better. Following President Trump’s historic meeting with Chairman Xi in South Korea, I had an equally positive meeting with my counterpart, China’s Minister of National Defense Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia. And we spoke again last night,” he said.
He said he and Dong agreed that “peace, stability, and good relations” are vital, adding Trump’s historic “G2 meeting” set the tone for lasting US-China peace and success.
“The Admiral and I agree that peace, stability, and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries. As President Trump said, his historic ‘G2 meeting’ set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the US and China,” he said.
Earlier, Trump said his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping was “a great one” and would bring lasting peace and success for both nations.
Beijing has unleashed a prototype missile that shapeshifts at speeds faster than Mach 5 – long considered impossible. Is the US watching?
China has unveiled a new hypersonic prototype, which uses retractable wings to change shape mid-flight at Mach 5. (Representative image)
China may have just broken the aerodynamics barrier. The Chinese military has unleashed a prototype missile that can “shapeshift” at speeds faster than Mach 5 – a capability long considered impossible.
A study published in Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica gives more details about the “morphing” hypersonic missile. As per a report by The South China Morning Post, the missile uses retractable wings that tuck inside the fuselage for maximum speed. These can then be deployed to further boost lift and manoeuverability.
The study, published on October 20, was carried out by a team led by Professor Wang Peng of the National University of Defence Technology (NUDT).
As per the report, the wings of missile don’t just work on an on/off function, but can be adjusted in real time, allowing the missile to alter its aerodynamic profile mid-flight.
The researchers described it as the “holy grail” of hypersonic flight.
“High-speed morphing vehicles represent a cutting-edge direction in next-generation aerospace platforms,” the authors wrote. By dynamically adjusting their structure, such vehicles “demonstrate exceptional adaptability across wide speed and altitude ranges,” allowing “dramatically improving manoeuvrability and mission flexibility”. How The ‘Shape-Shifting’ System Works
As per the report, the missile uses a complex control method that combines high-order system modelling and “super-twisting sliding mode control”. The algorithm ran successfully on embedded processors – the type used in real missiles – achieving tracking errors under one degree with “smooth, chatter-free actuator responses”.
In other words, the wings can move without shaking the missile apart – which has proved to be a major hurdle in morphing technology. Dual-Use Tech, But Challenges Remain
China says the tech could be used one day for civil hypersonic travel. But hurdles remain: visible gaps in the prototype raise questions about heat protection, structural stability and radar stealth.
At Mach 5 and above, airframe temperatures can exceed 2,000°C. Mechanisms that move in that environment often come with the risk of failure – or catastrophic plasma intrusion. Preventing “control chattering”, which can destroy the vehicle, remains the toughest task.
Federal immigration officers are using chemical irritants to disperse protesters in ways that violate American policing norms and are testing the boundaries of use-of-force laws, video footage from Chicago shows, in some cases hitting demonstrators directly with the munitions.
Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have deployed tear gas in cities around the country, but its use has been especially prevalent in Chicago, where the Trump administration launched “Operation Midway Blitz” in September as part of the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration.
Since then, federal officers have thrown chemical agents out of vehicles on city streets, creating a hazard for motorists. They have thrown tear-gas canisters near stores and schools, exposing children, pregnant women and older people to the noxious gas. And on numerous occasions federal officers have fired pepper balls directly at protesters — in one case, striking a pastor in the head.
The use of tear gas has persisted in recent days despite a court order forbidding officers from using chemical agents against demonstrators and journalists unless they pose a safety threat. Last week, Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol official leading the Chicago operation, was videotaped throwing a tear-gas canister into a crowd. In another incident, immigration officers deployed tear gas as families were walking to a Halloween parade.
“Generally, these kinds of crowd-control devices are reserved for truly dangerous situations,” said Kevin Fee, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, which is part of a legal coalition representing journalists and protesters in a lawsuit. “I cannot think of a good parallel for what the administration is doing right now.”
Department of Homeland Security officials argue chemical agents are a necessary tool to protect law enforcement and prevent clashes with protesters from escalating. A spokeswoman for the agency said Bovino had been struck in the head with a rock and that someone had also fired fireworks toward officers.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Bovino said officers “want a peaceful resolution” and are using “less lethal” devices like chemical agents to “create peace and to save lives.” The alternative, he said, is far darker. “Say God himself came down and took ’em all away,” he said, referring to the irritants. Officers would be left with “lethal devices.”
“Would you like that?” he asked. “I wouldn’t.”
The frequent use of chemical agents raises questions about training and tactics being used by ICE officers and Border Patrol agents. The latter are now heavily involved in immigration arrests far from the U.S.-Mexico border; most federal agents have scant experience dealing with protesters in urban areas. DHS says assaults against officers have risen significantly.
In Chicago, residents and local journalists have captured footage showing clouds of tear gas drifting toward homes, storefronts and schools. Some residents said the tear gas has aggravated their asthma. Others said they’ve experienced emotional distress.
Jennifer Crespo, who was at a protest as a legal observer when federal agents deployed tear gas, said she vomited from the exposure.
“It was like the world had just been flipped upside down,” she said. “Like somebody just takes the rug out from underneath you. It was surreal. I didn’t recognize my city.”
‘Virgin territory’
Chemical irritants like tear gas have been deployed by law enforcement officers to control crowds for decades, but experts said their use to disperse spontaneous protests is new.
Police deployed tear gas in Chicago and elsewhere during the 2020 protests against police brutality. But officers generally warned demonstrators that they were going to be exposed to fumes if they didn’t leave. They also formed lines and secured their flanks to make sure they wouldn’t be surrounded.
The protests emerging in Chicago today tend to be far more unpredictable. Residents and activists find out that ICE and Border Patrol are in their neighborhood and try to get as close as possible. Some start filming. Others yell aggressively. The protesters congregate from any and all directions.
In response, federal agents sometimes disperse tear gas and pepper balls with little or no warning.
“You’re sort of seeing more of a tactical use of tear gas rather than strategic use,” said Ian T. Adams, a former police officer and current assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina.
Immigration officers in Chicago and other cities have been recorded using both pepper balls — small projectiles fired from a gun that upon contact release a pepper mist — and canisters of CS gas, also known as tear gas. Nations including the United States that are signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention are barred from using tear gas during international war.
Both chemicals can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and lungs. The effects typically last a few minutes and can provoke coughing and shortness of breath. Studies have found direct or repeat exposure can aggravate conditions like asthma and put people at risk of developing chronic bronchitis. The canister itself can be dangerous and even fatal if someone is hit, and passersby can be injured by the fumes.
“The nature of tear gas is that you can’t target it toward a single rioter,” said Rohini Haar, an ER doctor and epidemiology professor at the University of California at Berkeley. “You’re going to hit people with respiratory vulnerabilities or asthma, and bystanders who have nothing to do with it.”
Federal law prohibits law enforcement from using excessive force, but U.S. courts are not in lockstep when it comes to interpreting what that means, particularly as police employ an ever-evolving array of less-lethal weapons.
The lawsuit filed by journalists and protesters alleges immigration officers are violating First and Fourth amendment rights protecting free expression, and prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures. DHS officials have argued that some demonstrators are committing crimes by assaulting, resisting or obstructing officers from executing their responsibilities.
Many American police lack adequate training in how to respond to spontaneous urban protests, said Thor Eells, executive director of the National Tactical Officers Association. He characterized the use of chemical irritants by immigration officers as “unorthodox” and questioned what training they have received. He also noted that courts have not yet established precedent on acceptable uses in circumstances like those immigration agents are encountering.
“It’s virgin territory,” Eells said. “This is a new, very kinetic and dynamic environment that these federal agents are working in.”
A DHS spokesperson declined to describe what training — if any — agents are receiving to handle unexpected protests. But Jason Owens, a former chief of Border Patrol, said agents are taught about tear gas and its effects as part of their basic training. He said Border Patrol mainly uses chemical agents when a crowd is “not complying with the lawful commands of the law enforcement officers” and that images of agents in gas masks show they have gotten training.
“You have to be trained how to don and doff those things. You have to be trained how to clear it and how to deal with contamination procedure in the heat of the moment,” he said. “Those are all things that are taught and reinforced, and the same is true for those munitions.”
But some former DHS officials also expressed concern that effectively managing an unruly crowd in a city goes beyond the mission of immigration agents — in particular for Border Patrol’s forces, who are more accustomed to encountering cartels than protesters.
“They come from an environment where much more aggressive law enforcement tactics are generally appropriate due to the threats they face doing Border Patrol work in the middle of the southwest desert — very isolated areas where you frequently encounter drug smugglers,” said John Sandweg, former acting ICE director under President Barack Obama. “But those tactics aren’t appropriate when you bring them up to civil immigration enforcement in a city like Chicago.”
The BJP had cornered Arvind Kejriwal for the alleged “extravagant spending” on the renovation of the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow, popularly known as ‘Sheesh Mahal’.
The BJP accused Kejriwal of getting himself allotted a “luxurious 7-star, two-acre government bungalow” in Chandigarh’s Sector 2. (Image: X/ BJP)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a fresh attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Friday, alleging that the party chief, Arvind Kejriwal, is having a luxury mansion for himself in Punjab, reviving the ‘Sheesh Mahal’ row.
The Delhi unit of the BJP alleged that Kejriwal is using government resources for personal luxury and accused him of preparing a “luxurious 7-star, two-acre government bungalow” in Chandigarh’s Sector 2 for himself.
“Big Breaking – The man who pretended to be the common man, Kejriwal, has had another grand Sheesh Mahal built. After the Delhi Sheesh Mahal was vacated, Punjab’s Super CM Arvind Kejriwal ji has had an even more splendid Sheesh Mahal built in Punjab than the one in Delhi,” the Delhi unit of BJP posted on X.
“In Chandigarh’s Sector 2, a luxurious 7-star government mansion of 2 acres on the CM quota has been allotted to Arvind Kejriwal ji,” the party alleged, sharing a photo.
‼️ Big Breaking – आम आदमी का ढोंग करने वाले केजरीवाल ने तैयार करवाया एक और भव्य शीशमहल
दिल्ली का शीश महल ख़ाली होने के बाद पंजाब के Super CM अरविंद केजरीवाल जी ने पंजाब में दिल्ली से भी शानदार शीश महल तैयार करवा लिया है 😳
The same photo was posted by Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal, whose relations with Kejriwal and the party became frosty following allegations in May last year. Maliwal has accused Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar of physically assaulting her.
“After vacating the Sheesh Mahal in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal ji has had an even more splendid Sheesh Mahal built in Punjab than the one in Delhi. In Chandigarh’s Sector 2, a luxurious 7-star government mansion of 2 acres under the CM quota has been allotted to Arvind Kejriwal ji. Yesterday, he boarded a government helicopter right from in front of his house for Ambala, and then from Ambala, the Punjab government’s private jet took him to Gujarat for party work. The entire Punjab government is engaged in serving one man,” Maliwal poated on X.
Neither Kejriwal nor the AAP have responded to the BJP’s claims.
The BJP had cornered Kejriwal for the renovation of the 6, Flagstaff Road bungalow and the expenditures incurred on its interiors during his tenure as the chief minister of Delhi.
It has been alleged that Kejriwal had “extravagant spending” on the renovation and interior decoration of the bungalow on 6, Flag Staff Road.
The UN’s human rights chief has condemned US military strikes on vessels allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific, saying the lethal attacks violate international law and amount to “extrajudicial killing”.
Volker Türk said on Friday that more than 60 people have reportedly been killed in US strikes since early September.
Calling the attacks “unacceptable”, he said Washington must halt them immediately and conduct prompt, independent and transparent investigations.
President Donald Trump has said the strikes are necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the US and he has the legal authority to continue bombing boats in international waters.
Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth has said strikes are being carried out on vessels operated by drug-trafficking groups designated as terrorist organisations by the US, saying this week that “the Western Hemisphere is no longer a safe haven for narco-terrorists bringing drugs to our shores to poison Americans”.
Türk, while acknowledging the challenges of tackling drug trafficking, said in a statement that the circumstances for the deadly strikes “find no justification in international law”.
“Countering the serious issue of illicit trafficking of drugs across international borders is – as has long been agreed among States – a law-enforcement matter, governed by the careful limits on lethal force set out in international human rights law.”
Under law, the intentional use of lethal force “is only permissible as a last resort against individuals who pose an imminent threat to life”, he said.
He added that based on “very sparse information provided publicly by the US authorities, none of the individuals on the targeted boats appeared to pose an imminent threat to lives of others”.
He called on the US to use law enforcement methods including intercepting boats and detaining suspects, and if necessary, prosecuting individuals.
Most strikes have taken place off the coast of South America in the Caribbean, though attacks in the Pacific this week killed at least 18 people, according to Hegseth.
In the Caribbean, the US has deployed troops, aircraft and naval vessels and last week ordered the world’s largest warship – the USS Gerald R Ford – to the area.
The strikes have drawn condemnation in the region and experts have questioned their legality. Members of US Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, have also raised concerns and questioned the president’s authority to order them.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her government does not “agree with these attacks” and has called for meetings with the US ambassador, insisting that “all international treaties be respected.”
The US actions have also heightened tensions between Washington and the governments of Colombia and Venezuela.
The US has placed sanctions on Colombian president Gustavo Petro, accusing him of failing to curb drug trafficking and allowing cartels to “flourish”. Petro has responded that he has been fighting drug trafficking “for decades”.
US lawmakers have urged President Donald Trump to withdraw his new H-1B visa order imposing a $100,000 fee, warning it would harm America’s tech leadership and strain ties with India.
US President Donald Trump, PM Narendra Modi
A group of US lawmakers have called on President Donald Trump to reconsider his recent proclamation on H-1B visas, warning that the new USD 100,000 fee and other restrictions would damage both America’s AI technological leadership and its strategic partnership with India.
In a letter sent on Thursday, Representatives Jimmy Panetta, Ami Bera, Salud Carbajal, and Julie Johnson urged Trump to suspend his September 19 order, titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers.” The proclamation introduced steep new fees and limits on H-1B petitions, a move that lawmakers say undermines America’s innovation ecosystem, the news agency PTI reported.
“As members of a recent delegation to India, we recognise the importance of the H-1B programme not just to the United States economy, national security, and competitive advantage, but also to our relationship with India,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter warned that the restrictions would discourage high-skilled talent, particularly from India, which accounted for 71 percent of all H-1B visa holders last year.
“Indian nationals, who make up the largest share of H-1B recipients, are central to US leadership in information technology and artificial intelligence,” the lawmakers said. “At a time when China is investing aggressively in AI and advanced technologies, we must continue to attract the world’s best talent.”
They described the H-1B programme as a “cornerstone of US competitiveness” in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), adding that H-1B professionals boost innovation, patent production, and business formation, complementing rather than displacing American workers, PTI reported.
Congressman Jimmy Panetta emphasised that the visa programme’s value goes far beyond labour needs.
“The H-1B visa programme is an important part of why the United States continues to lead in technological innovation, and is needed now more than ever with the recent sharp rise of artificial intelligence,” he said.
The lawmakers cautioned that the new USD 100,000 fee could restrict access to only large corporations, cutting out startups and research institutions that rely on global expertise.
“The programme should be enhanced and increased, not limited to a select number of corporations that can pay exorbitant amounts of money,” Panetta added.
The letter also stressed the broader diplomatic stakes, noting that a weakened visa policy could strain ties with India, one of America’s closest democratic allies in the Indo-Pacific.
“In the case of India, attracting this talent reinforces our strategic partnership with a key democratic partner,” the lawmakers wrote, underscoring that Indian-Americans and other H-1B holders enhance local economies, academic institutions, and civic life.
A statement from the Buckingham Palace said that Andrew’s brother and King Charles III has decided to strip him off all his royal titles and honours.
Andrew, left, and Britain’s King Charles III leave after the Requiem Mass service for the Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral in London.(AP/File)
Amid allegations linking him to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein Prince Andrew was stripped off his royal titles on Thursday, and had to leave his residence at the Windsor estate to move to a private establishment.
A statement from the Buckingham Palace said that Andrew’s brother and King Charles III has decided to strip him off all his royal titles and honours.
Read full statement:
His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.
Prince Andrew, who earlier held the Duke of York title, lived at the Royal Lodge with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. According to BBC report, the two will move to Sandringham Estate in Norfolk County from their Windsor estate residence.
The Sandringham Estate is also reportedly privately owned by King Charles III, and the king will fund his brother’s stay at the estate.
Notably, Prince Andrew had relinquished most of his titles just days earlier amid allegations linking him to Jeffrey Epstein. On October 17, he gave up his Duke of York title, citing the accusations against him, though he has continued to deny any wrongdoing.
“I will therefore no longer use the title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me,” he had said in a statement.
India Women vs Australia Women Highlights, Women’s WC 2nd Semi-Final: Jemimah Rodrigues scored an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls as India beat Australia by 5 wickets.
India vs Australia Highlights, ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Semi-Final: Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life, slamming a century for the ages as India pulled off a record chase to storm into the Women’s World Cup 2025 final with a five-wicket win over defending champions Australia in Navi Mumbai on Thursday. Rodrigues anchored the innings brilliantly with an unbeaten 127 off 134 balls, while skipper Harmanpreet Kaur made a crucial 89 off 88 deliveries as India successfully chased down 339 – the highest target in Women’s ODIs. Deepti Sharma (24) and Richa Ghosh (26) also chipped in with handy contributions as India overhauled the target with nine balls to spare. They will face South Africa in the final on Sunday, November 2. (Scorecard)
Earlier, opener Phoebe Litchfield’s 119 off 93 balls was the cornerstone of Australia’s massive total of 338 all out in 49.5 overs in the second semi-final. Apart from Litchfield, Ellyse Perry (77 off 88 balls) added stability during a 155-run stand for the second wicket, while Ashleigh Gardner provided late fireworks with 63 off 45 balls after Australia opted to bat first.
It was a tough day for the bowlers, as only young spinner Shree Charani (2/49 in 10 overs) managed to contain the flow of runs. Deepti Sharma (2/73) picked up a couple of wickets but proved expensive.
For Australia, Kim Garth (2/46) and Annabel Sutherland (2/69) were among the wickets.
India vs Australia Women’s World Cup 2025 Semi-Final Highlights –
India vs Australia Live: Harmanpreet full of praise for Jemimah!
“We wanted to finish it before the 50th over. She (Rodrigues) is someone who always wants to do well for the team. Always very calculative and wants to take responsibility. We always have that trust on her. Lots of credit to her, to hold her nerve and keep batting for the team,” said India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.
“Very proud. I don’t have words how to express myself. Feeling great, this time we have crossed that line which we have been working towards for so many years. Made few mistakes but we have been learning from our mistakes. Today, wanted everything to go in our favour in every situation, and kept telling ourselves to be there for the team, and that worked for us,” she added.
India vs Australia Live: “Feels like a dream,” says Jemimah Rodrigues
“I want to thank Jesus, could not do this on my own. I want to thank my mom, dad and coach and every single person who believed in me. It was really hard this last month, it feels like a dream and it still has not sunk in. (On when she was told she would bat at three) Did not know I was batting at three. Was taking a shower, just told them to let me know. Five minutes before entering in, I was told I was batting at three. Not about me, wanted to win this match for India, and wanted to take this through (having lost crunch matches before). Today was not about my fifty or my hundred, about making India win. Everything that happened so far, was a setup for this. Last year, I was dropped from this World Cup. I was in good form. But things kept happening back-to-back, and could not control anything. I have almost cried every day through this tour. Not doing well mentally, going through anxiety. I knew I had to show up, and God took care of everything,” said Jemimah in the post-match presentation.
The Indian government confirmed that 2,790 nationals were deported from the US in 2025 after verification. The announcement comes as illegal crossings by Indians into the US hit a four-year low.
The Indian government confirmed that 2,790 nationals were deported from the US in 2025 after verification.
Since the start of this year, 2,790 Indian nationals living illegally in the United States have returned home, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.
Sharing the figures at his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said these individuals “did not meet the criteria and were illegally staying there.”
“On deportation, since January of this year, we have had around 2,790-plus Indian nationals who did not meet the criteria. They were illegally staying there. We verified their credentials, their nationality. And they have returned,” Jaiswal said. “This is the status till yesterday, that is October 29.”
Jaiswal clarified that each case was verified to confirm the person’s Indian nationality before repatriation. “We verified their credentials and nationality before they returned,” he said, stressing that deportations followed established legal and diplomatic procedures between India and US authorities.
The MEA spokesperson also addressed questions about deportations from the United Kingdom, saying that around 100 Indian nationals had been sent back this year after due verification.
“From the UK side, this year we have had around 100 Indian nationals who have been deported after their nationality was duly verified by us,” Jaiswal said.
The numbers highlight ongoing efforts between India and its international partners to manage migration more effectively amid a global rise in illegal crossings and visa overstays.
India is cooperating with Thailand to return nearly 500 Indian nationals after fleeing a cybercrime hub in neighbouring Myanmar. The move follows a military raid that forced hundreds, including Indians, to cross into Thailand, where they are under detention.
Myanmar’s KK Park and other compounds nearby are run by Chinese criminal gangs and guarded by local militia groups aligned to Myanmar’s military. (Photo: Reuters/File)
India is working with Thailand to repatriate nearly 500 nationals detained in the country who fled Myanmar after they were tricked into working at a Chinese mafia-run cybercrime hub there. Thai PM Anutin Charnvirakul said India planned to send a plane to take back its citizens who entered the country from Myanmar.
Around 700 trafficked workers, including Indians, fled the Chinese mafia-run KK Park compound in Myanmar after the junta raided the facility last week. Hundreds, including Indians, were detained by Thai authorities after crossing the border.
In a statement, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the ministry was aware of the situation about the detained Indians in Thailand, and it’s working with authorities to bring them back home.
“We are aware of Indian nationals who have been detained by Thai authorities. They had crossed into Thailand from Myanmar over the past few days. Our mission in Thailand is working closely with Thai authorities to verify their nationality and to repatriate them, after necessary legal formalities are completed in Thailand,” Jaiswal said.
Earlier today, Thai PM Anutin said the Indian ambassador will meet with the head of immigration to discuss speeding up the legal verification process for the nearly 500 Indian nationals ahead of their flight back to India.
“India has asked for cooperation from Thailand. They don’t want this to burden us. They will send a plane to pick these victims up. The plane will land directly in Mae Sot,” he was quoted by news agency Reuters as saying.
JUNTA RAID ON MYANMAR’S KK PARK
Starting last week, the Myanmar military conducted a series of military operations against the KK Park cybercrime compound, driving a large number of people – mostly foreign nationals who worked there – into the Thai border town of Mae Sot.
More than 1,500 people from 28 countries have fled and are now being looked after in Thailand, according to a statement by local authorities.
HURRICANE Melissa has left a horrifying path of destruction in Jamaica – razing towns to the ground and decimating homes, aerial footage shows.
At least seven people have died on the island after the Category Five storm raged through neighbourhoods – uprooting trees and swamping the streets.
Jaw-dropping images showed the extent of the damage in JamaicaCredit: Reuters
Shocking footage shows the harrowing extent of the damage – with trees scattered across the flattened land and torn-off roofs blasted to bits.
Battered homes can be seen barely standing, some missing tiles and others completely torn to shreds.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness shared the heartbreaking clips on social media.
He said the region of St Elizabeth was hit worst – adding that its Black River town had been “totally destroyed”.
Holness said: “The damage is great, but we are going to devote all our energy to mount a strong recovery.”
The storm has killed more than 30 people across the Caribbean, with the Red Cross branding it a “disaster of unprecedented catastrophe”.
At least 23 people including 10 children died in Haiti during monstrous flash floods – with 17 injured and another 13 missing, authorities confirmed.
Melissa will go down as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record after dozens drowned amid the horror weather.
The storm first hit Jamaica with the country declaring a “disaster area” after the Category Five hurricane killed three people before it made landfall and then four more after reaching the island.
It then tore through Haiti and Cuba and is expected to arrive in the Bahamas in the early hours of Thursday local time.
Officials fear the death toll will continue to rise with reports of at least another 10 people still missing in Jamaica.
In Cuba more than 735,000 people were evacuated after forecasters said the storm would unleash catastrophic damage.
It has generated a storm surge of up to 12 feet in the region and up to 20 inches of rain.
It was downgraded to a Category Three hurricane as it ripped through Cuba but remained “extremely dangerous” as it crawled towards the Bahamas on Wednesday.
Dubbed “storm of the century”, the 185mph winds caused catastrophic flooding, widespread storm surges and scenes of destruction on Wednesday morning.
A tree fell on a baby in Jamaica, Abka Fitz-Henley, a state minister, told Nationwide News Network.
One person has also died in the Dominican Republic, with at least one other still missing.
Devastating footage showed a collapsed roof at Sangster International Airport after it was hit by the storm.
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were also reported.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area”.
US President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (not pictured) on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, Oct 29, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein)
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (Oct 30) ordered the US military to immediately resume testing nuclear weapons for the first time in 33 years, minutes before beginning a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Trump made the surprise announcement on Truth Social while he was aboard his Marine One helicopter flying to meet Xi for a trade negotiating session in Busan, South Korea. He said he was instructing the Pentagon to test the US nuclear arsenal on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers.
“Because of other countries’ testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis. That process will begin immediately,” Trump posted.
“Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.”
He did not elaborate and did not reply to a reporter’s shouted question about his post after his initial remarks to Xi. It was not immediately clear whether Trump was referring to nuclear-explosive testing, which would be carried out by the National Nuclear Safety Administration, or flight testing of nuclear-capable missiles.
CHINA MORE THAN DOUBLED NUCLEAR ARSENAL IN LAST 5 YEARS
Trump’s decision to restart nuclear weapons testing follows a rapid expansion by China of its nuclear stockpile in recent years, and came just after Russia announced what it called a successful test of a nuclear-powered and nuclear-capable cruise missile as well as a nuclear-powered torpedo.
Trump addressed the Russian moves aboard Air Force One earlier this week, telling reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin should be working to end the war in Ukraine “instead of testing missiles”.
Beijing has more than doubled the size of its arsenal to an estimated 600 nuclear weapons in 2025 from 300 weapons in 2020, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
It said US military officials estimate that China will have over 1,000 nuclear weapons by 2030. A Victory Day parade in September revealed five nuclear capabilities that can all reach the continental United States, CSIS said.
Putin said on Wednesday Russia had successfully tested a Poseidon nuclear-powered super torpedo that military analysts say is capable of devastating coastal regions by triggering vast radioactive ocean swells.
As Trump has toughened both his rhetoric and his stance on Russia, Putin has publicly flexed his nuclear muscles with the test of a new Burevestnik cruise missile on Oct 21 and nuclear launch drills on Oct 22.
In August, Trump said he had discussed nuclear arms control with Putin and wanted China to get involved. Beijing responded by saying it was “unreasonable and unrealistic” to ask the country to join in nuclear disarmament negotiations with the two countries, since its arsenal was much smaller.
The missile launches were a message to Pyongyang’s “enemies”, state media reported.
North Korea test-fired cruise missiles off its western coast in a message to Pyongyang’s “enemies”, state media announced on Wednesday (Oct 29) just hours before US President Donald Trump began a visit to South Korea.
The sea-to-surface missiles were launched vertically on Tuesday from the Yellow Sea and flew for more than two hours, state news agency KCNA said.
This picture taken on Oct 28, 2025 and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Oct 29, 2025 shows a test launch of a sea-to-surface strategic cruise missile conducted by the North Korean Missile General Administration at an unconfirmed location in North Korea. (Photo: STR/KCNA VIA KNS/AFP)
Top military official Pak Jong Chon oversaw the test and said “important successes” were being achieved in developing the North’s “nuclear forces” as a war deterrent, according to KCNA.
The test was aimed at assessing “the reliability of different strategic offensive means and impress their abilities upon the enemies”, Pak said.
“It is our responsible mission and duty to ceaselessly toughen the nuclear combat posture,” he added.
Notably absent from the test was leader Kim Jong Un, who typically oversees important missile launches.
Trump has said he would “love to meet” Kim this week as he makes his first visit to the Korean peninsula of his second term.
Kim has expressed openness to talks if the United States dropped its “delusional” demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons.
“The launch underscores Pyongyang’s nuclear deterrence ahead of Trump’s visit to the peninsula and again reinforces its message that denuclearisation is off the table,” Yang Moo-jin, a chair professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, told AFP.
The two leaders last met in 2019 at the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), the Cold War frontier that has separated North and South Korea for decades.
Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa pummeled the Caribbean island as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 185 mph (295 kph) winds near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”
Floodwaters trapped at least three families in their homes in the community of Black River in western Jamaica, and crews were unable to help them because of dangerous conditions, said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council.
“Roofs were flying off,” he said. “We are hoping and praying that the situation will ease so that some attempt can be made to get to those persons.”
He noted that extensive damage was reported in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth, which he said “is underwater.”
McKenzie stressed that it was too early to talk about the extent of the damage because the hurricane — the strongest to hit the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago — was still pummeling the country.
Rohan Brown, with Jamaica’s Meteorological Service, warned that as Melissa moves off the coast, its counterclockwise rotation would bring a heavy storm surge to northern Jamaica through the night. The storm was maintaining Category 4 strength as it moved toward Cuba, where it was expected to cross the eastern part of the island overnight.
Nearly 15,000 people were in shelters in Jamaica and some 540,000 customers, or 77%, were without power, officials said.
Jamaican officials had warned against going outside during Hurricane Melissa, but curiosity got the better of a few Jamaican teens who had never experienced the wrath of a Category 5 system.
“When the wind howls, it feels as if the world is falling apart,” 15-year-old Gavin Fuller said with a grin. “I wanted to know what it feels like to stand in the eye of something so powerful.”
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser, said most families were sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities. He was sheltering with his grandmother in Portmore, where everything went dark after a loud explosion.
“The noise is relentless,” he said. “People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes.”
Jamaica prepares for the aftermath of a record storm
On Tuesday night, Melissa had top sustained winds of 130 mph (215 kph) and was moving northeast at 9 mph (15 kph) according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.
Its 185 mph (295 kph) winds and 892 millibars of central pressure tied two records for the strongest Atlantic storm at landfall. The pressure — the key measurement meteorologists use — tied 1935’s Labor Day hurricane in Florida. The wind speed tied the 1935 hurricane and 2019’s Hurricane Dorian, said hurricane scientists Phil Klotzbach of Colorado State University and Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami.
“It’s been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm,” Klotzbach told The Associated Press.
With a life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) forecast, officials were concerned about hospitals along the coast. McKenzie said four main hospitals were damaged and one of those lost power, forcing officials to evacuate 75 patients.
One man called a radio station seeking urgent help for a woman in labor in western Jamaica as the hurricane neared landfall. The show’s host pleaded with listeners to let him know the safest hospital before an obstetrician called in to provide detailed directions on how to deliver a baby, if necessary.
In Kingston, officials warned people to watch out for crocodiles that might be displaced from their habitats by flooding.
McKenzie said the government was prepared for rescues immediately after the storm passes through: “We have boats, helicopters, you name it.”
The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Tuesday evening, officials huddled in meetings to determine how best to clear the debris after the storm and distribute emergency relief supplies to avoid bottlenecks at Jamaica’s ports, said Richard Thompson, acting general director for Jamaica’s emergency management office.
Officials hope to reopen the island’s airports by Thursday.
U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits had food, medicine and other essential supplies positioned as they awaited a distribution rush after the storm.
Melissa takes aim at Cuba
Melissa was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain was forecast in areas, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
In a televised address to the nation Tuesday, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel urged the population to not underestimate the power of the storm, “the strongest ever to hit national territory.”
In the eastern province of Santiago de Cuba, people streamed into the home of 83-year-old Eduviges Figueroa at the foot of the Sierra Maestra mountains to seek shelter after fleeing their homes by bus, truck and even horse-drawn carts.
“We’re helping as best we can,” she said. “Now I’m cooking for everyone.”
People in Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city with more than 1 million people, spent Tuesday frantically preparing. Few people were on the streets, while state television showed Cubans in rural areas rounding up animals and protecting crops.
The Indian Navy has launched an expanded maritime vision, transitioning from SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) to MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).
India’s Navy charts a new course from SAGAR to MAHASAGAR at IPRD-2025. Photo : Times Now
The Indian Navy has unveiled a broadened maritime vision that looks beyond regional waters to embrace a truly global outlook, as Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi inaugurated the seventh edition of the Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD-2025) in New Delhi on Monday.
Welcoming over thirty international delegates from friendly nations, the Navy Chief described the forum as “a vital expression of the Indian Navy’s strategic outreach” and a platform to shape the Indo-Pacific’s future “through dialogue, cooperation and mutual trust.” From SAGAR to MAHASAGAR: India’s Expanding Maritime Vision
Reaffirming India’s maritime leadership, the Admiral announced the evolution of the country’s oceanic strategy from SAGAR — Security and Growth for All in the Region — to MAHASAGAR, or Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.
“This evolution from Sea to Ocean,” he said, “signifies both expansion of scope and depth of purpose.” The Indian Navy, as the “principal manifestation of India’s maritime power,” remains at the forefront of operationalising this vision through cooperative engagement, capacity-building and regional partnerships.
This year’s IPRD, themed around “Holistic Maritime Security, Regional Capacity-Building and Capability Enhancement,” aims to strengthen the core pillars of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI). ‘Seas Have Always Been Humanity’s Oldest Highways’
Setting the tone for the conference, the CNS reflected on the enduring role of the seas as carriers of “commerce, culture, curiosity, and courage.”
Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he emphasised that “oceans are a shared heritage and the lifeline of international trade,” underscoring that peace and prosperity on the seas are inseparable. Maritime Security: A ‘Dynaxic’ Challenge
In a world of fluid alignments and fused challenges, maritime security, the Admiral said, must no longer be viewed through the narrow prism of threat containment but as a “Dynaxic Challenge” — one that is dynamic and complex.
He identified three defining currents shaping this new maritime order: 1. Commercial Disruption
Global seaborne trade is expected to plunge to 0.5% growth in 2025, from 2.2% last year — signalling strategic fragility.
“The Red Sea crisis has shown how one chokepoint can ripple across global freight indices, insurance premiums, and food prices,” the CNS noted. 2. Transnational Turbulence
The seas are witnessing a surge in Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy, arms and narcotics trafficking, and human smuggling.
According to the FAO, IUU fishing causes losses of 11 to 26 million tonnes of fish annually, valued between USD 10 to 23 billion.
“Smuggling networks are exploiting ungoverned maritime spaces to move arms, narcotics and sanctioned commodities — financing terror and fuelling instability,” he cautioned.
He also highlighted the compounded threat of rising sea levels, extreme weather and marine pollution, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 3. Technological Acceleration
Emerging technologies such as AI, autonomous systems and commercial satellites are reshaping maritime operations, but they also bring new vulnerabilities.
“Recent IFC-IOR assessments have recorded near-daily episodes of GPS jamming and electronic interference in the Indian Ocean Region,” the Admiral revealed.
“Maritime security and maritime growth are not parallel tracks,” he said. “They are twin propellers that drive our collective voyage towards peace and prosperity.” Building the Trinity: Security, Capacity, Capability Holistic Maritime Security
CNS called for viewing maritime security as “an interconnected web” that integrates deterrence, governance, law enforcement, environmental stewardship, and humanitarian response.
He cited the Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (AIKEYME) exercise with nine African nations and the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram as models of cooperative engagement.
The IFC-IOR, already hosting 15 International Liaison Officers, will expand to 50 by 2028, enhancing information-sharing and response coordination.
“Holistic maritime security must reconcile inclusivity with individuality,” he stressed. “Every nation, large or small, must contribute according to its capacity while drawing strength from collective purpose.” Regional Capacity-Building
Defining capacity as “tangibles expressed in hulls, airframes, ports and industrial ecosystems,” the CNS called for distributed and complementary regional capacities.
He highlighted the Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV)’s successful interoperability with foreign submarines during Exercise Pacific Reach, and the development of NISHAR-MITRA terminals for secure intelligence sharing among partner navies.
“True capacity is not what a nation accumulates,” he asserted, “but what a region aggregates.” Capability Enhancement
The Admiral emphasised that “capability resides not in assets alone, but in how they are employed.” He urged a shift from platform-centric to purpose-centric thinking, promoting doctrines that anticipate hybrid threats and training that fosters initiative and adaptability.
He cited the month-long IOS Sagar deployment to the Southwest Indian Ocean — crewed by 44 personnel from nine IOR nations — as a pioneering step in multinational naval cooperation.
Hourslong peace talks between Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan entered a third day Monday in Istanbul, officials from both sides said, but they were unable to reach an agreement by the end of the day.
The talks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to resolve the crisis between the two neighbors “very quickly” and as tensions along the border remained high following recent exchanges of fire that have killed dozens of soldiers and civilians on the both sides.
The clashes prompted Qatar to host a first round of negotiations that led to a ceasefire agreement on Oct. 19 between Islamabad and Kabul.
Afghan media on Monday quoted Zabihullah Mujahid, the chief spokesman for Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as saying the Istanbul discussions were still in progress, with no outcome announced yet. Pakistani officials also confirmed the talks are underway but the Afghan delegation was repeatedly consulting authorities in Kabul, and Pakistan was not getting an encouraging response.
The officials who have direct knowledge of the negotiations being hosted by Turkey’s government spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Pakistan’s army said Sunday it had killed 25 militants while “repelling two major infiltration attempts” along the border, even as delegations were talking in Istanbul. It also said five Pakistani soldiers had died during exchanges of fire.
It was not possible to verify the casualty figures as the area is remote and off-limits to the media.
Trump, speaking on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Malaysia on Sunday, said he had learned that Pakistan and Afghanistan had begun peace efforts, adding that he would “get that solved very quickly.”
Pakistan this year recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for helping defuse a crisis with neighboring India when the two nuclear-armed rivals were on the brink of a wider conflict. That standoff followed the killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir in April and ended after U.S.-led diplomatic efforts produced a truce, which Trump has repeatedly taken credit for.
The latest Istanbul talks, hosted by the Turkish government and facilitated by Qatar, are aimed at ensuring that the ceasefire remains intact and that the two sides reach a broader agreement.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers of allowing militants to use Afghan soil to launch attacks across the border — allegations Kabul strongly denies.
No Pakistani government spokesman was immediately available for comment on the latest round of talks, which were expected to conclude Friday. A joint statement was anticipated before midnight but it didn’t happen, the officials said.
According to two Pakistani security officials, the delegation from Islamabad presented its final position to the Afghan Taliban representatives, emphasizing that “patronage of terrorists is unacceptable” to Pakistan.
The officials said Pakistan also expects Kabul to take “concrete and verifiable” action against the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, or Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which has stepped up cross-border attacks and violence since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
The officials said Turkey, as host nation, is striving to keep the discussions “productive, fruitful and result oriented.” They said Pakistan had shared solid evidence with the Afghan side about the cross-border attacks by Pakistani Taliban from the Afghan soil.
Three people have already died in Jamaica as it braces for the world’s strongest storm this year – and possibly the strongest on record for the island – with US meteorologists warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening” conditions.
With wind speeds of up to 175mph (282km/h), Hurricane Melissa is a category five storm – the maximum strength. It is intensifying and expected to make landfall on the Caribbean island early on Tuesday.
It has been blamed for four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, in addition to the lives lost in Jamaica.
Experts warn that Melissa’s slow pace may mean prolonged torrential rain in some areas, increasing the risk of deadly flooding and landslides.
The latest data from the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) shows that in terms of maximum wind and low central pressure, Melissa is the world’s strongest storm so far this year.
At its current strength, it would be the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851, CBS, the BBC’s US news partner, reported.
Tropical storm conditions are already occurring in Jamaica, and “catastrophic and life-threatening hurricane-force wind conditions are expected to begin Tuesday morning,” the latest NHC public advisory update said at 23:00 ET (03:00 GMT) on Monday.
Three “storm-related deaths” were already reported in Jamaica Monday evening ahead of the hurricane’s landfall, Jamaica’s ministry of health and wellness said on X.
The NHC said Melissa was currently about 140 miles (240km) south-west of the capital Kingston, with sustained winds of 175mph, (280km/h). It was moving “north-northeast” at 2mph (4 km/h).
The update warned that within the eyewall – the inner part of the hurricane next to the eye, where wind speeds are typically the highest – “total structural failure is likely”.
It urged extra caution in Jamaica’s “higher elevation areas”, where wind speeds could be as much as 30% stronger.
NHC director Michael Brennan warned Jamaicans: “Do not venture outside with catastrophic life threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides expected through Tuesday.”
He advised not to “go out in the eye as it passes over your area. The forward speed of Melissa is going to increase and the eye is going to start to move very quickly across the island.”
Forty inches of rain (100cm) was possible in parts of Jamaica over the next four days, according to the NHC.
“This extreme rainfall potential, owing to the slow motion, is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica,” said NHC deputy director Jamie Rhome.
The Jamaican government has ordered evacuations for parts of Kingston. In a BBC interview, Jamaican Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon warned of an impending storm “the likes of which we have never seen”.
“We’ve been having rain all of October. So the ground is already very saturated. And then to take that much rain means we’re going to have flooding, extensive flooding and landslides in the mountainous areas,” she told BBC Newshour.
The minister added: “We have 881 shelters. We have activated all our shelters. All of them are free.”
A Hurricane Hunter aircraft, which collects data in severe storms and informs forecasts on the pathway and intensity of hurricanes, was forced to abort a mission after experiencing severe turbulence, a spokesperson for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told CBS.
Evadney Campbell, a Londoner currently visiting family on Jamaica’s north coast, told the BBC: “The house that I am in is hurricane proof. It is built with blocks and steel from top to bottom and is filled with concrete.
“We’re checking on neighbours to see if they are OK.
“I am worried about people who live on the lowlands in parts of the south-east. Many do not want to leave their homes as they are worried about looting their houses,” Ms Campbell said.
Damian Anderson, a 47-year-old teacher from the mountainous town of Hagley Gap in the south-east, said impassable roads already had cut off his community.
“We can’t move. We’re scared,” he was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered the immediate evacuation of several vulnerable communities across the island.
In a post on X, he urged “every Jamaican to prepare, stay indoors during the storm, and comply with evacuation orders”.
“We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger,” he wrote.
“You have been warned. It’s now up to you to use that information to make the right decision,” he said during a briefing, and told CNN, “I don’t believe there is any infrastructure within this region that could withstand a Category 5 storm, so there could be significant dislocation.”
In some rural areas, school buses were used to ferry vulnerable people to shelters and across the country.
Dozens of cases of bird flu have been reported across the country, especially in north-eastern regions. The virus isn’t particularly dangerous for humans, but could result in higher prices for poultry and eggs.
There have been 30 registered outbreaks of bird flu in German poultry batteries and another 73 outbreaks among wild birds.Image: Christophe Gateau/dpa/picture alliance
Over half a million hens, ducks, geese and turkeys have been culled in Germany since the start of September as a virulent strain of bird flu sweeps the country.
According to the Friedrich Loeffler Institute (FLI), the German government agency responsible for monitoring animal pestilence, there have been 30 registered outbreaks in poultry batteries and another 73 among wild birds.
“And we’re expecting more,” a spokesperson told the dpa news agency, explaining that another 23 suspected cases are currently being investigated.
According to the FLI, outbreaks of bird flu usually emerge at the start of November at the height of the migratory season, meaning that the current pestilence could yet to reach its peak.
In the south-western state of Rhineland-Palatinate, local authorities said new suspected cases were reaching them on a daily basis and spoke of an “unusual dynamic.”
Bird flu in Germany: where are the most affected areas?
The worst affected areas are the northern and eastern states of Lower Saxony (20 cases), Thuringia (19), Brandenburg (19) and Mecklenburg-West Pomerania (14). But cases have also been confirmed in the southern state of Bavaria (eight) and the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (five).
Cranes have reportedly been particularly badly affected, with emergency services in northern Brandenburg, just north of Berlin, having to dispose of thousands of infected, dead animals left strewn across fields.
According to the FLI, the outbreaks are being caused by the highly infectious H5N-1 strain of the HPAIV influenza virus – commonly known as bird flu.
Is bird flu dangerous for humans?
In high doses, the virus is theoretically transmissible to humans, but the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s federal agency for disease control and prevention, isn’t aware of any such cases.
Rather, the effect on humans could be more likely to be felt in the pocket, with Bavarian Poultry Union chairman Robert Schmack warning of a potential 40% increase in the price of eggs and a smaller choice of poultry products in supermarkets.
The president of the Central German Poultry Union, Hans-Peter Goldknick, however, disagrees, telling public broadcaster ZDF that he is “not expecting price explosions in the short term,” nor in the build-up to Christmas, not least because most geese in Germany are imported from Hungary and Poland.
Russia has successfully tested its nuclear-powered Burevestnik cruise missile, a nuclear-capable weapon Moscow says can pierce any defence shield, and will move towards deploying the weapon, President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.
The test, alongside a nuclear drill last week, sends a message that Russia, in Putin’s words, will never bow to pressure from the West over the war in Ukraine as U.S. President Donald Trump takes a tougher stance against Russia to push for a ceasefire.
Russia’s top general, Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia’s armed forces, told Putin that the missile travelled 14,000 km (8,700 miles) and was in the air for about 15 hours when it was tested on October 21.
Russia says the 9M730 Burevestnik (Storm Petrel) – dubbed the SSC-X-9 Skyfall by NATO – is “invincible” to current and future missile defences, with an almost unlimited range and unpredictable flight path.
“It is a unique ware which nobody else in the world has,” Putin, dressed in camouflage fatigues at a meeting with generals overseeing the war in Ukraine, said in remarks released by the Kremlin on Sunday.
Since first announcing the 9M730 Burevestnik in 2018, Putin has cast the weapon as a response to moves by the United States to build a missile defence shield after Washington in 2001 unilaterally withdrew from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, and to enlarge the NATO military alliance.
Putin said on Sunday that he had once been told by Russian specialists that the weapon was unlikely to ever be possible, but now, he said, its “crucial testing” had been concluded.
He told Gerasimov, a trusted wartime commander, that Russia needed to understand how to class the weapon and prepare infrastructure for deploying the Burevestnik.
But the timing of the missile test – and its announcement by Putin in fatigues at a meeting at a command point with generals in charge of the Ukraine war – sends a signal to the West and to Trump in particular.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Chief of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, as he visits the army command centre in the course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, in an unidentified location, in this still image taken from video released October 26, 2025. Kremlin.ru/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights
PUTIN SIGNALS TO WASHINGTON
For Trump, who has cast Russia as a “paper tiger” for failing to swiftly subdue Ukraine, the message is that Russia remains a global military competitor, especially on nuclear weapons, and that Moscow’s overtures on nuclear arms control should be acted on.
Putin’s message for the broader West, after the United States moved to provide Ukraine with intelligence on long-range energy infrastructure targets in Russia, is that Moscow can strike back if it wants to.
After The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration has lifted a key restriction on Ukraine’s use of some long-range missiles provided by Western allies, Putin said on Thursday that if Russia was attacked, the response would be “very serious, if not overwhelming.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov repeated that message to Russian state TV in remarks published on Sunday.
Gerasimov said that the Burevestnik missile had flown on nuclear power and that this test had been different because it flew for such a long distance, though the range was essentially unlimited. He said it could defeat any anti-missile defences.
Putin on Wednesday oversaw a test of Russia’s strategic nuclear forces on land, sea and air to rehearse their readiness and command structure. Gerasimov said that training launches of Yars and Sineva intercontinental ballistic missiles had been completed along with two Kh-102 air-launched cruise missiles.
ONE person has been killed and six others injured in a mass shooting that took place at a university in Pennsylvania, on Saturday night.
Lincoln University, located 45 miles southwest of Philadelphia, was hosting a homecoming event for students and alumni who had gathered in celebration when gunfire broke out around 9:30 pm.
Gunfire broke out at a homecoming celebration at Pennsylvania’s Lincoln University (stock)Credit: AP
Shots were fired in the parking lot of the International Cultural Center (ICC) building where tailgate celebrations were being held after a football game, University police chief Marc Partee told reporters on Sunday.
Chester County District Attorney Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe confirmed that one person died in the incident and at least six others were injured and taken to hospital.
He added that one person, who was carrying a firearm, has been detained.
No charges have been filed.
The campus was immediately placed under lock down which was later lifted when officials ruled no further active threat to the The Historically Black College and University (HBCU).
As the investigation continues into the tragic incident, officials say they are looking into the possibility of a second shooter being involved.
Officials revealed on Sunday morning that there was “viable evidence” of more then one gunman in the parking lot between the ICC and the football stadium.
It is currently unclear what the motive was for the shooting as authorities do not believe it was a planned attack.
“We don’t have a lot of answers about exactly what happened,” de Barrena-Sarobe told reporters.
“Today, we’re operating as if this is not an incident where someone came in with the design to inflict mass damage on a college campus.
“This mass shooting should never have happened. Never have happened.”
“This was to be a joyous occasion,” Partee added.
“Homecoming — when individuals come back, and they give back to their alma mater, and they live the good memories of their time at Lincoln University, which has helped them propel into life.
“This was interrupted by gunfire that should not have occurred.”
“We set this out to be a time to celebrate the legacy of Lincoln University, the first historically Black, HBCU in the country,” he continued.
“So, devastated, if there was another word to describe that, that’s more impactful, I would use it. but devastated is a start.”
Officials revealed that the shots immediately sparked chaos in the crowded area with attendees fleeing in every direction to escape the bullets.
Several people had to be treated for the injuries they sustained after being knocked to the ground and trampled in the rush to flee the area.
No further information has been given regarding the identities or conditions of the victims of the shooting.
Counselling sessions will be available at the campus from 10am today for help students and staff members impacted by the tragedy.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed he has been briefed on the matter and given his full support and resources to the university and local law enforcement.
In a post on X, he urged people to “avoid the area” and “continue to follow the guidance of local law enforcement.”
“Join Lori and me in praying for the Lincoln University community,” he added.
The investigation into the incident is being led by Chester County Detectives who “will not stop” in finding those responsible.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasises the US commitment to strengthening ties with both India and Pakistan without compromising historic relations. He highlights the strategic balance Washington seeks amid evolving regional dynamics.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assures India that US-Pakistan relations will not come at India’s expense.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington sees an opportunity to expand its strategic relationship with Pakistan, but it will not come at the expense of its historic and important ties with India.
Speaking to journalists ahead of his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kuala Lumpur on Monday for the Asean summit, Rubio said that the US maintains a “deep, historic, and important” friendship with India.
Rubio’s statement comes amid reports of the United States moving closer to Pakistan, a shift that has raised concerns among experts and caused an apparent unease in New Delhi, especially in light of recent strategic and economic deals under the Trump administration.
INDIA’S CONCERNS ADDRESSED
On queries about India’s concerns over US-Pakistan ties, Rubio said, “New Delhi is concerned for obvious reasons, but I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship with India.” He described India as “very mature when it comes to diplomacy” and stressed that the US must maintain relations with a variety of countries.
US-PAKISTAN RELATIONS ON UPSWING
Rubio’s remarks come amid an upswing in US-Pakistan relations over the past six months, particularly following US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir after the brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan in May this year. While India rejected Trump’s claims of brokering a ceasefire, Pakistan credited the US president for helping end hostilities.
Oleksandr Volobuev was one of many who rushed to rescue 48 children from a kindergarten after it was hit by a Russian drone
Although moving forward, Oleksandr Volobuev’s body is angled slightly away from the camera, as if bracing against the deadly air still swirling with falling debris and smoke.
His face in careful concentration, the Major-General from Ukraine’s Civil Protection Service clings tightly to a precious bundle, wrapped for protection in his coat – and out of which two small pink shoes protrude.
It is a striking image of a dramatic rescue from a nursery school in the eastern city of Kharkiv, following a devastating, direct hit by a Russian drone.
Unsurprisingly it has gone viral, capturing both the Ukrainian and the wider global public’s imagination.
With 48 children trapped in a shelter in the burning building, it was not the only act of bravery that day, not by a long way.
But few photographs better sum up the growing impact of Russia’s full-scale invasion on everyday life, with Ukraine’s most vulnerable now bearing the brunt, including children.
“We got the call that there had been an attack on the kindergarten,” Oleksandr Volobuev told me. “And, of course, knowing there would be children there, we set off in a state of some anxiety.”
Little did he expect that by the end of that day, as a result of carrying that little girl to safety, he would find himself being hailed as a national hero.
In a split-second moment caught on camera, the Ukrainian people saw not only the reality of Russia’s new strategy – its increasing attacks on civilian infrastructure – but also a stark depiction of their own resilience and defiance.
It’s impossible to know why the Honey Academy, based in a sturdy, two-storey brick building in Kharkiv’s Kholodnohirsky district, was hit by a Shahed drone.
The low, menacing hum of those Iranian-designed weapons, which carry a lethal 50kg payload, is now all too familiar, not only to soldiers on the front line, but to Ukrainians everywhere.
While they can be devastatingly accurate, the large volume being fired by Russia – with multiple waves of drones in each attack on cities across the country – means some inevitably malfunction.
Russia has regularly denied targeting residential areas, but maps of the city show no obvious military targets in the immediate vicinity of the kindergarten, and the Ukrainian government certainly spoke of it as deliberate.
“There is no justification for an attack on a kindergarten, nor can there ever be,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said shortly after the strike. “Clearly, Russia is growing more brazen.”
Fedir Uhnenko was also with one of the emergency teams rushing to respond to the strike.
Normally, as a press officer with the Civil Defence Service, he is not so closely involved in frontline work.
But this time, seeing the disaster unfolding in front of him, he knew he had to act.
“There’d been a huge explosion and there was horror in their eyes,” he told me, on finding the children huddled in the building’s basement.
Luckily, following the air raid warning that had sounded before the attack, the children had taken cover in the school’s shelter there.
But with the fire still burning, the roof destroyed and the building filling with smoke and dust, they were still in danger.
His colleagues, as well as members of the public who had come to help, stepped forward one by one to scoop up a child.
Like Oleksandr, his more senior commander, Fedir was pictured carrying a child to safety. In his case it was a young boy, through the rubble and smoke.
“I was reassuring him all the way that everything was fine, there was nothing to worry about,” he explained.
“When we came out of the building, there was a car on fire. Our boys were putting it out. And, you know, I was surprised the kid didn’t cry. There was certainly fear in his eyes.”
“I said to him, go ahead and hold me as tight as you like. I’m quite big myself and, as you can see in the photo, he grabbed me so tightly.”
In the end, he had fulfilled two roles: the rescue work and his day job too. His press officer’s helmet-camera rolled throughout, capturing many of the up-close photographs and videos that have since been beamed around the world.
The children were carried to an emergency reception point in a safe zone, a few hundred metres from the nursery school.
All were unharmed, but there can be little doubt about the danger they faced.
One adult working nearby was killed in the strike and nine others were wounded, one with serious burns and another a traumatic amputation of her leg.
For all the rescuers, Fedir told me, there was the constant awareness not only of the risks of fire, falling masonry and smoke, but of the possibility of another strike.
Russia has been known to hit the same target twice, which Ukrainians see as a deliberate strategy to kill emergency workers.
The day after the nursery school attack, one of these so called “double taps” killed a firefighter and wounded five of his colleagues in a village a short distance from Kharkiv.
More than 150 Hamas prisoners were photographed enjoying the good life in a ritzy, five-star hotel in Egypt after being freed as part of the Gaza peace deal — but have now apparently ditched their lush digs.
The Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel in Cairo had been the upscale landing spot for 154 terrorists recently released from Israeli confinement in the initial stages of President Trump’s historic 20-point Gaza peace deal, the Daily Mail reported.
The killers were photographed sipping cappuccinos, noshing on fine dining, and dabbling in the world-class amenities of the lavish hotel.
The Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel is a five-star establishment owned by Marriott. Renaissance Cairo Mirage City Hotel
But as of Saturday the ex-prisoners had left their luxury stay, Marriott officials confirmed to the Times of Israel.
Many of those militants at the hotel celebrated the wedding of Akram Abu Bakr — who is responsible for dozens of shootings and bombings, according to the Mail.
Some of the freed prisoners were notorious terrorists responsible for heinous acts of violence against Israelis.
Mahmoud Issa, 57, had been imprisoned since 1993 for abducting and murdering border police officer Nissim Toledano. Samir Abu Nima, 64, was jailed in 1983 for a bus bombing in Jerusalem that killed six people including an 11-year-old boy. And Muhammad Zawahara, 52, took part in a deadly 2024 shooting near a Jerusalem check-point area.
When the cadre of bad apples weren’t poolside, they made themselves at home amongst the resort’s other guests who were seemingly unaware that they were brushing shoulders with the Palestinian terrorists.
During Abu Bakr’s wedding, which was reportedly held on Oct. 18, a Christian couple was also getting married in a nearby room at the massive hotel — with ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” playing the background as the terrorists took family photos, the DailyMail reported.
The BJP government noted the swift action and arrest made in the case, and said it has ordered strict action against the accused.
The incident took place on Thursday night when the two cricketers were returning to their hotel from a cafe in Indore. (PTI)
The alleged stalking and molestation of two Australian women cricketers in Indore has drawn the ire of the opposition, who are blaming the BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government for failing to make the state safe for women.
However, the Bharatiya Janata Party hit back, saying that the government took swift action and arrested the accused, identified as Aqueel Sheikh.
The two Australian cricketers, in India for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, were returning to their hotel from a cafe at around 11 pm on Thursday when the accused began following them on a bike. He inappropriately touched one of the cricketers and fled the scene.
#WATCH | MP | Indore Police have arrested the accused, Aqueel, in connection with the alleged molestation of two members of the Australian women’s cricket team on 23rd October
The cricketers informed their security officer, Danny Simmons, about the incident, following which a complaint was lodged at the MIG road police station. An FIR was registered under sections 74 (outrage modesty of women) and 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Police arrested the accused, a resident of Azad Nagar, on the basis of CCTV footage of the spot. Sheikh reportedly has a criminal background. The accused confessed to the crime and told police that “he was just saying hello to them out of curiosity”.
The incident came ahead of the Women’s World Cup fifth match on Saturday at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.
‘Shameful, disgraceful’
While the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slammed the incident, a political slugfest broke out over the alleged molestation of the cricketers.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took to X and condemned the incident, saying, “Disgraceful. We boast about economic growth, but, we continue to fail providing safe spaces for women. What a shameful act.”
Congress’s state unit president Jitendra Patwari condemned the incident where a “deranged individual inappropriately” touched an Australian cricketer.
“This is the same #Indore whose law and order is personally overseen by @DrMohanYadav51 as chief minister, home minister, and the minister in charge of Indore! The filth spread in the country’s cleanest city cannot be ignored at any cost! This is shameful and reprehensible! Even after the announced tour, guests are not being provided security; this is yet another major and solid proof of the failure of @BJPMP’s government!” Patwari posted on X.
Later, Patwari also spoke to news agency PTI and said “no law and order” is left in Madhya Pradesh, calling on CM Mohan Yadav to take cognisance of the incident and fix responsibilities and punish those responsible.
Meanwhile, the Congress said that such an incident is a “proof of the failure of the BJP government”.
“This incident not only brings shame to the country but also tears apart the spirit of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (Guest is God),” the party said in a post on X. It added that the breach in the women cricketer’s security shows that law and order in Madhya Pradesh have collapsed.
“The BJP government talks about women’s honor and safety, but Narendra Modi and BJP leaders fall silent on such incidents. Shameful!,” Congress added.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) said that the incident has lowered the image of India before the world. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, “Two Australian women cricketers were molested in an ICC-organised world cricket championship in BJP-ruled Indore. Mind, this happens during the double-engine government rule. It has lowered our heads before the entire world.”
Ghosh said that while one person has been arrested in connection with the alleged molestation, “we do not know if the real perpetrator has been identified”. He demanded a fair investigation and punishment of the accused at the earliest.
TMC spokesperson Sudip Raha took a swipe at the Madhya Pradesh government and said that the incident shows the “reality of ‘Beti Bachap’ under BJP rule”. “Before raising fingers upon Bengal, @BJP4India’s zamindars must introspect, for it’s under their rule that India’s daughters and guests are unsafe. They have dragged our nation’s name through the mud before the entire world,” Raha said on X.
Congress leader Pawan Khera hit out at the BJP for “hyprocisy”, saying that the party only protests if such incidents occur in Congress-ruled states.
He called on leaders across party lines to raise voice against crimes against women. “Such incidents are on the rise, but unfortunately, the BJP only hits the roads when it happens in Congress-ruled states. This hypocrisy would not improve the situation of women’s safety. All the parties must raise their voices unitedly against crimes against women and work on policies to create a safe environment for women,” Khera told news agency ANI.
What BJP said?
Madhya Pradesh minister Kailash Vijayvargiya condemned the alleged molestation of the Australian women cricketers in Indore and said the government has ordered strict action against the accused.
He noted that the accused, Aqueel Sheikh, was arrested after an Intensive Strategic Operation.
“It is shameful for Indore and the country. We have ordered the relevant officers to take strict action against the accused. An example should be set by giving strict punishment to prevent such an incident,” Vijayvargiya said.
U.S. military senior leadership listen as President Donald Trump speaks at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025 in Quantico, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The Pentagon confirmed Friday that it has accepted an anonymous $130 million gift to help pay members of the military during the government shutdown, raising ethical questions after President Donald Trump had announced that a friend had offered the gift to defray any shortfalls.
While large and unusual, the gift amounts to a small contribution toward the billions needed to cover service member paychecks. The Trump administration told Congress last week that it used $6.5 billion to make payroll. The next payday is coming within the week, and it is unclear if the administration will again move money around to ensure the military does not go without compensation.
“That’s what I call a patriot,” Trump said during a White House event Thursday when he disclosed the payment from the donor.
The president declined to name the person, whom he called “a friend of mine,” saying the man didn’t want the recognition.
The Pentagon confirmed it had accepted the donation on Thursday “under its general gift acceptance authority.”
“The donation was made on the condition that it be used to offset the cost of Service members’ salaries and benefits,” said Sean Parnell, chief spokesman for the Pentagon. “We are grateful for this donor’s assistance after Democrats opted to withhold pay from troops.”
Congress is at a stalemate over the government shutdown, now on track to become one of the longest federal closures ever, in its 24th day. Neither Republicans, who have control of the House and Senate, nor Democrats, in the minority, are willing to budge in their broader standoff over health care funding.
Payment for service members is a key concern among lawmakers of both parties as well as a point of political leverage. The Trump administration shifted $8 billion from military research and development funds to make payroll last week, ensuring that military compensation did not lapse.
But it is unclear if the Trump administration will be willing — or able — to shift money again next week as tensions rise over the protracted shutdown.
While the $130 million is a hefty sum, it would cover just a fraction of the billions needed for military paychecks. Trump said the donation was to cover any “shortfall.”
What’s unclear, however, is the regulations around such a donation.
India and the United States (US) are “very close” to a trade deal, with both sides beginning to work on the proposed agreement’s legalese. After the conclusion of the previous round of talks in Washington last week, both sides are seeing convergence on most issues, a senior government official said, signalling that the long-pending deal could be finalised soon, but it is also subject to the final go-ahead at political level.
“Not much difference remains (between the two sides) … talks are progressing well. As far as the (previous) contentious issues such as agriculture are concerned, we are finding some common ground,” the official cited above said.
Meanwhile, referring to the proposed trade-deal talks with the US, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said there was an acceptance regarding the 50 per cent tariff by Washington on several Indian exports.
“We don’t do deals in a hurry, and we don’t deal with deadlines with a gun to our head. India looks long-term. India never takes decisions in a rush or on the pressure of the moment. If there is a tariff on us, it is there. We are looking at how to overcome that.
We are looking at newer markets. We are looking at a stronger demand impetus within the Indian economy,” Goyal said at the Berlin Dialogue in Germany.
In a blow to India, in August, the US administration imposed a 50 per cent tariff on several Indian goods, including a 25 per cent punitive tariff for purchasing Russian oil. India is bargaining hard with the US for substantial reduction in the additional tariff. That includes removing the 25 per cent punitive tariff and cutting the reciprocal tariff to at least 15 per cent or making it lower than that of its Asian competitors. Currently, the two countries are negotiating a resolution that addresses the pending issues in their trade deal and Washington’s concern over New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
The official cited above said issues related to certain non-tariff barriers were yet to be sorted out and were being discussed. For instance, the US has been flagging concern over India’s quality control orders acting as non-tariff barriers for American exporters. The official did not give any detail.
Both sides are communicating virtually. The date for the next round of in-person talks is yet to be scheduled.
Last week, a team of officials of the commerce department, including Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal, was in Washington, with a focus on reaching an early conclusion of the agreement. Talks concluded late last week and the team was back over the weekend.
Despite making progress in the recently concluded round, the two sides were not able to finalise an agreement, amid speculation that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and American President Donald Trump could hold a bilateral meeting at the 47th Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit next week.
At the UNSC Open Debate, India’s Permanent Representative, Parvathaneni Harish, reaffirmed Jammu and Kashmir’s status as an integral part of India, urging Pakistan to halt human rights abuses in the region.
Speaking at the open debate on ‘The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future’, Harish asserted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir ‘exercise their fundamental rights in accordance with India’s time-tested democratic traditions and constitutional framework,’ adding that such concepts are ‘alien to Pakistan.’ Photo : REUTERS
The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir “has been, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India”, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, said at the UNSC Open Debate, as he called upon Pakistan to end the “grave and ongoing human rights violations in the areas illegally occupied by it,” particularly in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at the open debate on ‘The United Nations Organization: Looking into the Future’, Harish asserted that the people of Jammu and Kashmir “exercise their fundamental rights in accordance with India’s time-tested democratic traditions and constitutional framework,” adding that such concepts are “alien to Pakistan.”
“Let me emphasise that the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has been, is, and will always be an integral and inalienable part of India. The people of Jammu and Kashmir exercise their fundamental rights in accordance with India’s time-tested democratic traditions and constitutional framework. We, of course, know that these are concepts alien to Pakistan,” he said.
Outlining India’s vision rooted in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam — the idea of the world as one family, he said the outlook not only that “anchors our worldview, but also the reason why India has consistently advocated for justice, dignity, opportunity and prosperity for all societies and peoples”.
“It is also the reason why India places its faith in multilateralism, international partnerships and cooperation,” he said.
The UN, he said, had become a “beacon of hope” for peace and decolonisation but now faces questions about its “relevance, legitimacy, credibility, and efficacy.”
“The theme of this debate gains great salience at a time when the world’s largest multilateral organisation – the United Nations – faces questions related to relevance, legitimacy, credibility, and efficacy,” he noted.
US President Donald Trump visited Israel after the ceasefire agreement in GazaImage: Evan Vucci/REUTERS
We’re pausing this blog for now
We’ll resume updates or have a fresh blog on the morning of October 24.
Warning sirens in Israel a ‘false identifcation’: IDF
Sirens that sounded in Israeli communities close to the border with Gaza early on Friday were a “false identification,” the Israeli military said in a statement on Telegram.
The IDF reported around 1 a.m. local time (22:00) that sirens had sounded in communities near the Mefalsim area in southern Israel that is less than 2km (1.2 miles) from the Gaza Strip.
Israel’s siren system warns of oncoming threats, such as rocket and missile attacks, giving people time to seek shelter.
Secretary of State Rubio arrives in Israel to discuss Gaza’s future
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyanhu, where the two discussed the implementation of US President Donald Trump’s plan for the region.
According to Rubio, his visit was to “reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security,” as well as “engage with partners” regarding Trump’s peace plan, which Rubio called “historic” on his X account.
Israeli media reported US and Israeli officials would discuss issue of the Gaza Strip’s transitional government during Rubio’s visit.
Arrived in Israel to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to Israel’s security and engage with partners to implement President Trump’s historic peace plan and build on the momentum towards durable peace and integration in the Middle East. pic.twitter.com/kwspzUCaFP
Hamas, Fatah hold meeting in Egypt regarding Gaza — report
Delegations from rival Palestinian factions Hamasand Fatah are holding a meeting in Egypt to discuss “arrangements after ending the war in Gaza” as part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan, according to Egyptian outlet Al-Qahera News.
The delegations were meeting “to discuss the national scene in general and arrangements after ending the war in Gaza,” according to the report.
Al-Qahera News is known to be close to the country’s intelligence services
The report also said Egypt is preparing to hold a conference on the reconstruction of Gaza in the second half of November.
WATCH: Grieving Gaza father searches for family buried under rubble
In Gaza, the bodies of thousands of Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrikes remain trapped under the rubble. Without heavy machinery, however, rescue efforts are stalled. DW accompanied a grieving father on his mission to retrieve the remains of his wife and children.
Israeli court orders government to present new position on journalists entering Gaza
Israel’s Supreme Court gave the government 30 days to present its position in regards to foreign journalists entering the Gaza Strip.
This comes in light of the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Israel has prevented reporters from entering the enclave since the war with Hamas started on October 7, 2023, resulting in Palestinian journalists being the only ones on the ground.
Some 200 Palestinian journalists have been killed by Israeli fire in the past two years, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Israeli minister apologizes for saying Saudis should ‘keep on riding camels’
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich apologized for saying Saudi Arabia should “keep on riding camels in the desert” if they make normalization with Israel dependent on the establishment of a Palestinian state.
“My quote was certainly unfortunate and I apologize for the insult it caused,” Smotrich posted on his X account.
The far-right Israeli politician also added that he “expects the Saudis not to hurt us and not deny the heritage, tradition and rights of the Jewish people” in the occupied West Bank.
The ultranationalist minister has long called for Israel to annex the Palestinian territory and has worked to expand Israeli settlements there.
Saudi Arabia has said that the establishment of a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for the kingdom’s normalization of ties with Israel.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting the memorial wall at a ceremony to award state commendations to the commander and combatants of the Korean People’s Army’s Overseas Operational Forces, who took part in military operations in Kursk Oblast of western Russia, at the headquarters building of the Central Committee of the The Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) in Pyongyang on Aug 22, 2025. (File photo: AFP/STR/KCNA/KNS)
North Korea has begun constructing a memorial for its soldiers killed fighting in Russia’s war with Ukraine, state media reported on Thursday (Oct 23), as leader Kim Jong Un hailed a “historic peak” in ties with Moscow.
The so-called Memorial Museum of Combat Feats will be built in the capital Pyongyang, where Kim and Russia’s ambassador to North Korea attended a groundbreaking ceremony, according to the Korean Central News Agency.
Kim, addressing Thursday’s event, said the museum “is a sacred sanctuary dedicated to the immortality of true patriots.”
North Korea, one of the world’s most insular nations, has become a key Russian ally since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
It has sent thousands of soldiers and container loads of weapons to help the Kremlin push Ukrainian forces out of western Russia.
At least 600 North Korean soldiers have been killed and thousands more wounded, according to estimates from South Korea.
In remarks carried by KCNA, Kim praised his country’s troops for helping Russia achieve a “decisive victory”.
“Our heroes destroyed the fiendish neo-Nazi invaders with their staunch spirit not to tolerate any aggression but to annihilate the aggressors,” Kim said.
North Korea and Russia’s relationship was “now rising to its historic peak”, he added.
Kim said the memorial would feature sculptures dedicated to the North Korean soldiers who have fought in Russia, as well as photos and artwork portraying the combat.
Moscow’s ambassador to North Korea, Aleksandr Matsegora, and other Russian embassy officials attended Thursday’s ceremony, KCNA reported.
Several North Korean government and military officials were also present, along with families of soldiers who have died in Russia.
Images released by state media showed Kim embracing visibly emotional soldiers at the ceremony in Pyongyang.
Russia and North Korea last year agreed to a strategic partnership agreement that obligates each side to provide “military and other assistance” should either of them be attacked.
Hidden inside plastic containers in her luggage, the haul included four baby anacondas, iguanas, bearded dragons, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and raccoons.
Baby Anacondas Among 154 Exotic Animals Confiscated (Photo: X)
Mumbai Customs officers intercepted a Thane-based woman at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for attempting to smuggle 154 exotic animals.
Hidden inside plastic containers in her luggage, the haul included four baby anacondas, iguanas, bearded dragons, tortoises, turtles, lizards, and raccoons. This marks the first time in at least five years that baby anacondas, a foreign snake species, have been seized at Mumbai Airport.
The seized species are protected under international laws, including CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), as well as the Indian Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. Following the seizure, wildlife rescue experts from the Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) were called in to safely handle, stabilise, and provide medical care to the animals.
Karpuri Gram in Bihar’s Samastipur district is poised to gain attention as Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the NDA’s election campaign there on October 24.
PM Modi’s choice of Karpuri Gram to kick off his campaign, experts believe, signals the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming November polls. (File photo)
Karpuri Gram, a modest village in Bihar’s Samastipur district, has come under political spotlight in the midst of campaigning for the Bihar elections. It is from this rural settlement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch his election campaign in support of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates on October 24.
PM Modi’s choice of Karpuri Gram to kick off his campaign, experts believe, signals the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming November polls.
Though Karpoori Gram may seem like any other rural settlement, it stands tall in the political memory of India. It is the birthplace of Jannayak Karpuri Thakur, the two-time Chief Minister of Bihar who was a highly revered political figure who devoted his life to championing the rights of Dalits and backward communities.
A committed socialist, Thakur served as Bihar’s Chief Minister first from 1970 to 1971 and again from 1977 to 1979. He stood firmly for social justice and the upliftment of the poor, ideals that earned him the enduring title of Jannayak or the people’s leader.
His son, Ramnath Thakur, a member of the JDU and currently Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said that the Prime Minister’s visit to Karpuri Gram on October 24 will energise political workers ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.
“Jannayak Karpuri Thakur’s activities, his intellect, his path of struggle, he has been fighting since 1952 and has been winning. And in today’s political parties, in order to hold on to that role, in order to give that momentum, it will be useful to give life to the workers after Prime Minister’s visit,”Ramnath Thakur said.
“There is very little to say about Mr. Thakur. He used to give very little to the village. But he used to say to the whole community, to the whole of Bihar, that if the whole of Bihar is fine, my village will also be fine. That’s why he used to take the whole of Bihar with him, not just his village,” Karpuri Thakur’s nephew, Nityanad Thakur, told PTI.
Locals remember Karpuri Thakur for leading a simple life and championing equality and fairness for all. Karpuri Thakur was a man who used to listen to everyone, who had risen from the ashes.
“Now, as far as I know about Jemni, especially after getting information from the people here, (3:08) the name of this village used to be Pitwohiya. Later, during the time of Lalu Prasadji, his name was changed to Pitwohiya, and it was named after Karpuri. He used to live in that village. He was a man of equal thinking. He was brought up in that society. That’s all I know about him,” said Jagdeo Ram, a local.
“Karpuri Thakur did a lot for the village. The elders of the village did a lot for the village. They didn’t do anything wrong. The village is still running in their name. From education to grassroots development, Karpuri Thakur’s work has left a lasting imprint on locals, many of whom still recall his visits and guidance fondly. He used to take the food and vegetables from us whenever he got a chance,” said another local.
After his first rally in Samastipur district, the birthplace of former Chief Minister of Bihar Karpoori Thakur, PM Modi will visit Karpoorigram, the ancestral home of the Bharat Ratna awardee.
The U.S. military killed five alleged drug smugglers in strikes against two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday, in an expansion of the Trump administration’s use of the armed forces in its counter-narcotics campaign.
On Wednesday afternoon, Hegseth said the military attacked a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean and killed two men on Tuesday. It was the first known U.S. military operation in the Pacific since President Donald Trump kicked off a new offensive against the drug trade.
Hours later, Hegseth said the military had struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific on Wednesday, killing three men.
The strikes came on top of at least seven others in the Caribbean in a campaign that has raised U.S. tensions with Venezuela and Colombia.
“The vessel was known by our intelligence to be involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, was transiting along a known narco-trafficking route and was carrying narcotics,” Hegseth said, without providing evidence, after the latest strike.
He posted videos of around 30 seconds in length of the two strikes on X; both appeared to show a vessel traveling in the water before exploding.
The strikes in the Caribbean have killed at least 32 people, but the Trump administration has provided few details, such as how many alleged drugs the targeted vessels were carrying or what specific evidence it had to suggest they were carrying drugs.
News of the Tuesday strike in the eastern Pacific was first reported by CBS News.
“The attack on another boat in the Pacific, we don’t know if it’s Ecuadorean or Colombian, killed people,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who is in the midst of a spat with Trump over the boat strikes and tariffs. “It is murder. Whether in the Caribbean or Pacific, the U.S. government strategy breaks the norms of international law.”
The Pentagon is seen from the air in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 3, 2022. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Colombia’s Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement the U.S. must halt the attacks.
Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa, who has declared war on gangs in his country, has expressed support for Trump’s anti-narcotics efforts.
Trump, asked about the strike by reporters in the Oval Office, said his administration had the legal authority to carry it out and that he believed each strike saved American lives.
Trump also reiterated plans to strike targets on the ground in Venezuela, which would be an escalation. He said if he takes this step, his administration likely would inform the U.S. Congress.
“We’ll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we’re doing when we come to the land,” Trump said. “We don’t have to do that, but I think … I’d like to do that.”
Legal experts have questioned why the U.S. military is carrying out the strikes, instead of the Coast Guard, which is the main U.S. maritime law enforcement agency, and why other efforts to halt the shipments are not made before resorting to deadly strikes.
President Trump on Wednesday appeared to rule out providing Ukraine with Tomahawk cruise missiles, arguing that the long-range weapons are too complex for Kyiv to deploy without substantial US training.
“The problem with the Tomahawk is – a lot of people don’t know – It’ll take a minimum of six months, usually a year, to learn how to use,” Trump told reporters during an Oval Office meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
“The only way a Tomahawk is going to be shot is if we shot it,” the president added.
President Donald Trump points to a reporter to ask a question as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House. AP
“And we’re not going to do that.”
Trump added there is a “tremendous learning curve” when it comes to using the “highly complex” weapons, and he signaled that he wouldn’t want the US military to train other nations on how to effectively fire the “very accurate” missiles.
“It takes a year of intense training to learn how to use it, and we know how to use it, and we’re not going to be teaching other people.”
With a range of more than 1,500 miles, Tomahawk missiles would enable Ukraine to hit critical military, logistical and energy targets deep inside Russia, severely limiting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ability to continue the 32-month-long war.
The US has more than 1,000 Tomahawks available, though some experts believe Washington wouldn’t sell more than 50 to Ukraine, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly lobbied Trump for access to the missiles, but returned to Kyiv empty-handed after a White House meeting Oct. 17.
Trump’s interest in providing Ukraine with Tomahawks faded rapidly after a call with Putin the day before his meeting with Zelensky.
Earlier this week, Zelensky argued that US-provided Tomahawks should be viewed as a “major investment in diplomacy,” arguing that Putin’s willingness to end the war fizzled out after it became clear that Trump would not be offering the weapon to Ukraine in the immediate future.
“The frontline can spark diplomacy. Instead, Russia continues to do everything to weasel out: as soon as the issue of long-range capabilities for Ukraine became less immediate, their interest in diplomacy faded,” Zelensky wrote on X Tuesday.
“This signals that deep strike capabilities may hold the key to peace.”
Arie Zalmanowicz and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar’s bodies have been returned by Hamas
Israel’s military says the bodies of two hostages returned by Hamas on Tuesday have been identified as Arie Zalmanowicz and Master Sergeant Tamir Adar.
Mr Zalmanovich, 85 at the time of his death, was abducted from his home in kibbutz Nir Oz and killed in captivity on 17 November 2023, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
Mr Adar, 38 when he died, was a member of Nir Oz’s community security squad and was killed while fighting Hamas gunmen during the 7 October attack.
The return of their remains means that Hamas has transferred 15 out of 28 deceased Israeli hostages under the first phase of a US-brokered ceasefire deal earlier this month.
Their coffins were handed over to troops in the Palestinian territory by the Red Cross, which had earlier received them from Hamas.
The IDF said the coffins – which were escorted by the military – had crossed into Israel and will be taken to be formally identified in Tel Aviv.
Hamas has handed over a Palestinian body in a previous hostage transfers, which it said was accidental due to difficulties locating the bodies.
All 20 living hostages were released shortly after the agreement was reached.
Before the latest remains were identified, the IDF stressed that “Hamas is required to uphold the agreement and take the necessary steps to return all the deceased hostages”.
There has been outrage in Israel that Hamas has not yet returned all the deceased hostages.
The Palestinian group says it is trying to do this but that it faces difficulty finding bodies under rubble of buildings bombed out by the IDF in Gaza.
Under the ceasefire and hostage release agreement, Israel has freed 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,718 detainees from Gaza, and returned 15 bodies of Palestinians for every Israeli hostage’s remains.
The first phase of the agreement has also seen an increase of aid into Gaza, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, and a halt in fighting – though deadly violence flared up over the weekend as both sides accused one another of breaching the terms of the deal.
The IDF launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which Hamas-led gunmen killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 251 others hostage.
More than 68,000 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, whose figures are seen by the UN as reliable.
Thousands in Bangladesh’s Chattogram held a massive rally demanding the implementation of the China-backed Teesta River Master Plan. However, experts say the plan involving Beijing, amid stalled water-sharing talks with India, could pose strategic risks for New Delhi due to its proximity to the sensitive Siliguri Corridor.
The Teesta Master Plan rally in Chattogram on Sunday follows torchlight demonstrations held at 11 places in the northern Rajshahi division on Friday. (Image: Social Media)
On the evening of October 19, hundreds of people formed a human chain near Chittagong University’s Shaheed Minar. They held placards and mashaal torches in their hands as they marched to the Minar. They demanded an immediate implementation of the Teesta Master Plan and Bangladesh’s “fair share” of Teesta water, reported news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).
Reportedly organised by students from Rangpur division, slogans were raised against water injustice and India’s alleged influence on Bangladesh’s water policies. Speakers said the Teesta plan could transform northern Bangladesh by boosting agriculture, creating jobs, and driving national growth.
The rally ended with a call to “protect national interests and ensure water justice for Teesta-dependent regions” in Bangladesh, reported the BSS.
The protest in Chattogram on Sunday came after a wave of torchlight rallies across Northern Bangladesh on Thursday evening, where thousands gathered in five districts of the Rangpur division demanding the immediate implementation of the Teesta River Master Plan, reported the Dhaka Tribune.
The Teesta Master Plan, backed by China, is being seen in Bangladesh as a workaround to the long-stalled Teesta water-sharing deal with India. Experts, meanwhile, view the plan with concern, especially due to its proximity to the strategic Chicken’s Neck and potential Chinese presence near the sensitive Siliguri Corridor, which is a 20-kilometre land route connecting the northeastern states to the rest of India.
WHY ARE TENSIONS RISING OVER TEESTA MASTER PLAN?
The demand now assumes importance because the Teesta Master Plan, a Chinese-backed initiative for river management, promises to address northern Bangladesh’s water scarcity amid stalled water-sharing talks with India. With the 1996 Ganga Water Sharing Treaty nearing its expiry in 2026, the urgency to implement the unilateral plan near the strategic Chicken’s Neck, with a third-party (China), the intense push for the plan’s implementation raises concerns of being detrimental to India’s water security and regional cooperation.
The Teesta River originates in the eastern Himalayas in the state of Sikkim, flows through West Bengal, and then enters Bangladesh, and joins the Brahmaputra (Jamuna). The river has long been at the centre of water-sharing negotiations between Bangladesh and India. Bangladesh alleges that during the lean season, when water levels are low, India restricts the flow of Teesta River water, causing severe shortages for agriculture and daily use. During the monsoon season, Bangladesh faces flooding and has demanded better management and equitable sharing to ensure sufficient water supply throughout the year.
However, a deal has not been reached yet between the two riparian states.
The protests across Bangladesh come months after its interim government chief, Muhammad Yunus, sought a 50-year river management master plan from Beijing in March, praising China as the “master of water management” and including the Teesta River in the proposal. In March after Yunus met Chinese President Xi Jinping, the joint statement issued said Bangladesh welcomed Chinese companies to participate in the Teesta River Comprehensive Management and Restoration Project (TRCMRP).
These protests also follow growing public pressure in Bangladesh, with many voices urging the government to move ahead with the Teesta Master Plan with Chinese cooperation. Bangladesh sought 6,700 crore taka in financial aid for the project’s first phase.
These protests also come amid growing public and political pressure in Bangladesh, with many urging the government to advance the Teesta Master Plan with Chinese support, especially as post-Hasina Dhaka has gravitated towards Beijing, and joined the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose de-facto chief and son of former PM Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, had voiced support for the plan, was also said to be backing it.
Senior department officials who were defense lawyers for the president and those in his orbit are now in jobs that typically must approve any such payout, underscoring potential ethical conflicts.
Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general; Attorney General Pam Bondi; and Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, with President Trump in the Oval Office last week.Credit…Doug Mills/The New York Times Devlin Barrett
President Trump is demanding that the Justice Department pay him about $230 million in compensation for the federal investigations into him, according to people familiar with the matter, who added that any settlement might ultimately be approved by senior department officials who defended him or those in his orbit.
The situation has no parallel in American history, as Mr. Trump, a presidential candidate, was pursued by federal law enforcement and eventually won the election, taking over the very government that must now review his claims. It is also the starkest example yet of potential ethical conflicts created by installing the president’s former lawyers atop the Justice Department.
Mr. Trump submitted complaints through an administrative claim process that often is the precursor to lawsuits. The first claim, lodged in late 2023, seeks damages for a number of purported violations of his rights, including the F.B.I. and special counsel investigation into Russian election tampering and possible connections to the 2016 Trump campaign, according to people familiar with the matter. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because the claim has not been made public.
The second complaint, filed in the summer of 2024, accuses the F.B.I. of violating Mr. Trump’s privacy by searching Mar-a-Lago, his club and residence in Florida, in 2022 for classified documents. It also accuses the Justice Department of malicious prosecution in charging him with mishandling sensitive records after he left office.
Asked about the issue at the White House after this article published, the president said, “I was damaged very greatly and any money I would get, I would give to charity.”
He added, “I’m the one that makes the decision and that decision would have to go across my desk and it’s awfully strange to make a decision where I’m paying myself.”
Lawyers said the nature of the president’s legal claims poses undeniable ethics challenges.
“What a travesty,” said Bennett L. Gershman, an ethics professor at Pace University. “The ethical conflict is just so basic and fundamental, you don’t need a law professor to explain it.”
He added: “And then to have people in the Justice Department decide whether his claim should be successful or not, and these are the people who serve him deciding whether he wins or loses. It’s bizarre and almost too outlandish to believe.”
The president also seemed to acknowledge that point in the Oval Office last week, when he alluded vaguely to the situation while standing next to the F.B.I. director, Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and her deputy, Todd Blanche. According to Justice Department regulations, the deputy attorney general — in this case, Mr. Blanche — is one of two people eligible to sign off on such a settlement.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is investigating claims Russian hackers stole hundreds of sensitive military documents and published them on the dark web.
The Mail on Sunday first reported the files on the dark web – an area of internet that can only be accessed through particular software – hold details of eight RAF and Royal Navy bases as well as MoD staff names and emails.
Maintenance and construction contractor Dodd Group confirmed it suffered a ransomware incident and it was taking the claims “extremely seriously”.
The MoD said in a statement it was “actively investigating the claims that information relating to the MoD has been published on the dark web”.
“To safeguard sensitive operational information, we will not comment any further on the details,” it added in a statement.
The Mail on Sunday reported the documents hold information about a number of sensitive RAF and Navy bases, including RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, where the US Air Force’s F-35 jets are based.
A Dodd Group spokesperson said: “We can confirm that the Dodd Group recently experienced a ransomware incident whereby an unauthorised third-party gained temporary access to part of our internal systems.
“We took immediate steps to contain the incident, swiftly secure our systems and engaged a specialist IT forensic firm to investigate what happened.
The leaders of Vietnam and Laos were among the foreign dignitaries attending the event marking the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party in PyongyangImage: KCNA/KNS/AFP
North Korea recently celebrated the 80th anniversary of the founding of its ruling Workers’ Party, rolling out the red carpet for high-ranking political figures from its allies like China and Russia who were invited to the event.
The leaders of Southeast Asian countries Vietnam and Laos were among the foreign dignitaries attending the huge parade, which involved tens of thousands of troops showcasing Pyongyang’s extensive arsenal of weapons.
The visit by To Lam, general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, marks the first time a Vietnamese leader has traveled to North Korea in 18 years.
As his party’s general secretary, Lam holds the equivalent position to the one held by North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in the North Korean Workers’ Party.
A diplomatic win for North Korea?
North Korean state media outlet KCNA later reported that Pyongyang and Hanoi had agreed to boost bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of defense and health care.
Mark S. Cogan, an associate professor of peace and conflict studies at the Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan, said Lam’s visit was a diplomatic victory for the heavily-sanctioned North Korea.
“It was a sign of legitimacy, as it was the first time a high-ranking Vietnamese official had been on North Korean soil in almost two decades,” he told DW.
“For both sides, the visit is a win-win, as they provide services to each other in a difficult environment. Vietnam has been the corridor for illegal goods from North Korea into the region, bypassing the heavy Western sanctions on the regime,” Cogan said.
Similar political ideology, different economic systems
North Korea and Vietnam are also celebrating the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2025.
Both countries are nominally communist and have similar ideologies on how to rule their population. However, they differ in their economic approaches, said Edward Howell, political scientist and lecturer at the University of Oxford.
“Vietnam and North Korea are not the same. Vietnam’s ideologically communist but economically capitalist system is something that Kim Jong Un does not want to emulate,” said Howell, who is also a Korea Foundation Fellow at think tank Chatham House.
“The fact that North Korea and Vietnam have pledged stronger cooperation in defense, health care and aviation highlights how at least on the surface, Pyongyang wants to find yet another source of material goods,” he underlined.
Pyongyang is still heavily dependent on Beijing, with China being the North’s top trading partner for more than two decades, accounting for roughly 98% of North Korea’s official total trade in 2023, according to a report by the Council on Foreign Relations.
For Hanoi, strengthening cooperation with Pyongyang could be a way to develop economic ties with the North, particularly in the agriculture and culture sectors, Howell said.
But with North Korea being one of the world’s poorest and most reclusive states, its small and centrally planned economy offers limited opportunities for trade.
South Korea’s central bank has estimated that the North’s economy was worth just $24.5 billion (€22.8 billion) in 2022, relying heavily on a few sectors such as mining, agriculture and its massive defense apparatus.
The defense sector is one of the largest employers in the highly centralized totalitarian state, with an estimated 2 million workers out of a population of 26 million.
Originally just a supplier to its own military, North Korea has found a few key overseas customers for its weapons and ammunition — mostly former Soviet countries or those in sub-Saharan Africa.
Deepening ties with Laos
Vietnam’s neighbor Laos was also represented at the Workers’ Party’s 80th anniversary celebrations in Pyongyang, with Thongloun Sisoulith, Laos’ president and general secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, attending the festivities.
North Korean state media reported that Pyongyang and Vientiane had also agreed to deepen their partnership. The two countries have maintained strong diplomatic ties for five decades, but bilateral trade remains negligible.
Still, Laos helps the North in ways other countries will not, Howell said.
“The bolstering of ties between Pyongyang and Vientiane serves to highlight how North Korea has yet another country willing to assist it in evading international sanctions,” he underlined.
Laos also reportedly allows North Korean IT and construction workers to be employed in the country despite international sanctions. The wages earned by these workers generate foreign revenue for the North Korean regime that is allegedly used to support Pyongyang’s military programs.
The incident occurred on October 16, during flight UA1093, which was carrying 140 passengers and crew.
United Airlines confirmed that no passengers were injured.
A United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight travelling from Denver to Los Angeles was forced to make an emergency landing after its windshield cracked midair, injuring one of the pilots.
The incident occurred on October 16, during flight UA1093, which was carrying 140 passengers and crew. The plane was flying at 36,000 feet when the damage was discovered.
According to reports, the aircraft descended to 26,000 feet before safely landing at Salt Lake City International Airport. Passengers were later rebooked on another aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 9, and reached Los Angeles after a six-hour delay.
Windshield SHATTERS on Boeing 737 MAX flying from Denver to LA
Windshield cracks, while rare, do happen in aviation. But details surrounding the cause and the pilots’ injuries make this case an unusual one.
Images shared online allegedly show burnt marks on the cracked windshield and bruising on one pilot’s arm. This means that it was not a routine structural crack.
The aircraft was around 322 kilometres southeast of Salt Lake City when the crew spotted the damage and decided to divert. The pilots quickly followed emergency procedures, descending and landing safely.
Aviation enthusiasts believe that space debris or a small meteorite might have caused the impact, based on the scorch marks and unusual damage pattern on the windshield.
Typically, aircraft windshields are designed to withstand bird strikes and major pressure changes, but an object travelling at high speeds could easily breach the threshold.
Beijing is standing firm in its trade dispute with Washington — and finding new partners along the way. The higher the tariffs, the more China’s confidence seems to grow.
Despite a recent truce in the US-China tariffs spat, many trade issues remain unresolvedImage: imago images/Dreamstime
A recent picture that’s gone viral in the United States captures the prevailing mood among Americans: a clear plastic bag containing an American flag, labeled “Made in China.”
For supporters of US President Donald Trump, it’s proof that something is deeply wrong with the US economy. They’ve called on “patriots” to boycott Chinese goods.
But can America really afford to cut ties? Is the free flow of mutually traded goods like rare earths, smartphones, soybeans and microchips at risk of becoming a victim of the fight for geopolitical dominance?
Deep economic ties
Were all trade between the two world powers to cease, experts say the US economy would struggle more than Chinese economy. Scott Kennedy of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) in Washington D.C. said the mutual dependence of both sides “remains quite high.”
“Despite economic security concerns, both sides still gain significantly from trade,” he told DW.
However, the US-China trade gap is quite significant. Over the past decade, the US trade deficit with China has widened from $295 billion (€252 billion) to $382 billion. In 2024, China exported goods worth $526 billion to the US — more than triple what it imported.
Chinese products are part of everyday life in America. Of those imports, $127 billion were smartphones and computers. Any new tariffs would hit US consumers directly.
Of tariffs and counter-tariffs
Trump’s 100% tariffs have angered Beijing, but unlike Europe, China is responding with defiance. Government officials in Beijing have vowed to “fight to the end” and urged Washington to “correct its approach,” warning in an October 13 statement on social media platform X that “threatening high tariffs is not the right way to deal with China.”
Beijing has already retaliated by imposing counter-tariffs and export restrictions, including on the rare-earth minerals critical to electric vehicles, semiconductors and defense technology. The US depends on imports for more than 90% of its rare earth supply — over 80% of which comes from China. Beijing controls about 60% of global rare-earth production and nearly 90% of refining capacity.
The US-China rift extends beyond minerals. Since May, China hasn’t bought a single soybean from the US, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Last year, those exports were worth nearly $13 billion. Now, China buys from Brazil and Argentina instead.
The soybean boycott and rare-earth restrictions are Beijing’s response to Washington’s tightening chip export controls, first imposed in 2022 to curb China’s access to advanced technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Christina Otte from the German state-run foreign investment agency, Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), argues the US is likely more dependent on China than the other way around.
“While the US remains a key market for Chinese goods, its importance has steadily declined since Trump’s first term,” she told DW.
New markets, new strategy
According to news agency Bloomberg, China has successfully redirected exports once bound for the US to other regions.
Between September 2024 and September 2025, shipments to Africa rose 56%, the agency reported — to Southeast Asia 16%, to the EU 14%, and to Latin America 15%.
“The US now ranks behind ASEAN [Southeast Asian trade bloc] and roughly on par with the EU,” said Otte. “In the first half of 2025, bilateral trade fell more than 10% year over year.”
Chinese firms are also “expanding production in countries like Vietnam and Malaysia to keep supplying the US market indirectly,” she added.
In addition, China is also cutting financial ties to the heavily indebted US. Its holdings of US Treasury securities have dropped from $1.3 trillion in 2013 to $765 billion this year, according to data from the US Federal Reserve. China now ranks behind Japan and the UK among foreign holders of US debt.
A noticeably frail Joe Biden was seen in public Saturday for the first time since news broke that he is undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer — attending evening Mass at St. Joseph on the Brandywine, the Roman Catholic church he has frequented for decades.
The 82-year-old former president was photographed leaving the hour-long service, walking slowly and holding onto a woman for support.
A large scar above his right eye — the result of recent skin cancer surgery — was still visible as he greeted parishioners outside the church following the 50-minute Mass.
Ex-President Joe Biden was seen in public for the first time since news broke of his receiving of radiation therapy for his prostate cancer. Mr Owl For NY Post
Biden, dressed in a dark suit, chatted quietly with several attendees for about 10 minutes before departing without his wife, Jill Biden, who did not accompany him to the service.
It marked his first public outing since it was disclosed last week that he had begun a five-week course of radiation and hormone therapy for Stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Representatives for the former president said the regimen is expected to last about five weeks.
Doctors have described his cancer as high-grade, with a Gleason score of nine, though hormone-sensitive — allowing for management through medication and radiation. The highest score on the Gleason scale is 10.
“High-grade” means the cancer cells differ greatly from normal cells, so they behave more aggressively and have a higher chance of spreading beyond the prostate.
Biden has been taking hormone pills and receiving care, according to reports.
The diagnosis came after Biden reported urinary issues earlier this year, leading doctors to detect a small nodule on his prostate.
In addition to the prostate cancer, he has twice undergone skin cancer procedures — most recently last month, when surgeons removed lesions from his forehead that left a visible scar.
In 2023, then-President Biden also had a cancerous growth removed from his chest. His physician previously said those earlier procedures were successful and required no further intervention.
Biden’s health and age became central to political debates during his final year in office.
Mounting concerns about his fitness — intensified after a faltering debate performance against Donald Trump — led him to end his re-election campaign in July 2024 and endorse then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who later lost to Trump.
Since leaving the White House in January, Biden has kept a low profile, surfacing mainly for medical updates and limited public appearances.
He said that BrahMos is not merely a missile but it is also a symbol of India’s capabilities.
In this image posted on Oct. 16, 2025, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the Consultative Committee meeting, in Pune. Credit: @SpokespersonMoD/X via PTI Photo
Lucknow/New Delhi: In yet another warning to the western neighbour, Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that the entire Pakistan was within the range of BrahMos missiles and what happened during Operation Sindoor was just a “trailer”.
“Every inch of the neighboring country is within the range of the BrahMos cruise missile…Operation Sindoor was just a trailer (of a film), which had made Pakistan realise that if India could give birth to Pakistan, then when time comes, it could also…I don’t need to explain it,” Rajnath said in Lucknow.
Rajnath and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath flagged off the dispatch of the first batch of the missiles manufactured at the new BrahMos Aerospace Unit in Uttar Pradesh capital.
Following the successful use of the missile during the Indo-Pak hostilities in May, Indian top political leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spoken multiple times on how BrahMos penetrated Pakistan’s air defence to strike at its key military assets.
“The missile features a traditional warhead and an advanced guided system and possesses the capability to strike long distances at supersonic speeds. This combination of speed, accuracy, and power makes BrahMos one of the best systems in the world. It has become the backbone of our armed forces,” Rajnath added.
The Defence Minister said India signed contracts worth Rs 4,000 crore to export BrahMos to two countries in the last one month, without disclosing the identity of the nations that would receive the made-in-India weapons.
India has exported BrahMos to the Philippines in two batches in accordance with a $375 million contract the two countries signed in 2022. While several other countries have shown interest, it is not immediately known which are the two countries with which New Delhi signed the new BrahMos deal.
The government has said it is “doing everything in our power” to overturn a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending a football match in Birmingham and is exploring what additional resources could be required.
On Thursday, Aston Villa said the city’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) decided that fans of the Israeli club should not be permitted to attend the Europa League fixture on 6 November over safety concerns.
Facing mounting pressure to resolve the situation, the government said it was working with police and exploring what additional resources are required.
A meeting of the SAG to discuss the match is expected next week, the Home Office said.
“No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are,” a government spokesperson said.
They added the government was working with police and other bodies to ensure the game could “safely go ahead with all fans present”.
After it was announced on Thursday, Sir Keir Starmer called the move to block fans attending “wrong”, adding “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”. There has also been criticism from other party leaders.
The SAG, which advises the council on whether to issue safety certificates, will review the decision if West Midlands Police changes its risk assessment for the match, Birmingham City Council said.
On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences” between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam in November 2024.
More than 60 people were arrested over the violence, which city officials described as a “toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism, and anger” over the war in Gaza, Israel and elsewhere in the Middle East.
The Home Office was briefed that restrictions on visiting fans might be imposed last week, but the BBC understands officials were not informed about the final decision until Thursday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the revelation left the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, with “serious questions to answer” about why her department did “nothing” to avert the ban.
She said: “This is a weak government that fails to act when required.”
A source close to Mahmood told the BBC that “this is categorically untrue”.
“The first time the home secretary knew that the fans were being banned was last night,” they added.
The decision has also been criticised by the Liberal Democrats and Reform UK, as well as Israeli government officials.
But the Green Party backed the decision, saying it was “irresponsible” for Starmer to question a local authority’s safety decision.
Ayoub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr who campaigned on a pro-Gaza platform in last year’s general election, said the decision to ban fans was a “moral question” and not just about public safety.
Speaking on BBC’s Politics Midlands, Khan said the rules applied to “Russian football teams which have been banned from European competitions because of their atrocities in Ukraine” should also “apply with Israeli football teams”.
Khan, who has also raised concerns about safety and public order, said that even if additional resources were provided to West Midlands Police, the fans should not be allowed to attend, citing last year’s violence in Amsterdam.
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli citizen who was held hostage in Gaza and released in January, said she was “shocked to my core with this outrageous decision”.
Ms Damari, who described herself as a “die-hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv”, said: “Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.”
On October 16, 1964, China conducted its first nuclear test at Lop Nur, marking its entry into the nuclear club. This event, termed Project 596, was portrayed as a symbol of national strength but resulted in severe consequences for the Uyghur and Kazakh populations of Xinjiang.
China’s First Bomb, Xinjiang’s Last Breath: The Human Fallout of Project 596 Photo : Times Now
On 16 October 1964, at 1500 China Standard Time, Lop Nur in Xinjiang shook when a uranium-235 implosion device exploded on top of a 102-metre tower. The 22-kiloton explosion put the People’s Republic of China into the very select nuclear club as a member number five. Beijing’s legend cast the test—designated Project 596—as evidence that China had “caught up with the superpowers.” But hidden beneath this mythology is a grimmer reality: China’s atomic success was founded on Xinjiang’s suffering, shouldered disproportionately by the region’s Uyghur and Kazakh people.
The Genesis of Nuclear Ambition
Project 596 came from China’s deteriorating relations with the Soviet Union. Originally started in the 1950s with a heavy Soviet contribution through the 1957 New Defence Technical Accord, China’s nuclear programme stalled with Nikita Khrushchev’s revocation of the accord on 20 June 1959. Moscow’s withdrawal of more than 1,400 advisers put China’s programme into shambles. Mao Zedong converted the reverse into an ideological call to action, sanctioning Project 596—named after June 1959—as a show that China would become nuclear in its own right.
The decision to speed up the programme timed in with the Great Leap Forward famine of 1958-1962, which accounted for an estimated 30 million deaths. While millions died of hunger, resources were being shifted towards uranium enrichment plants at Lanzhou and the building of Lop Nur. The Communist Party was more concerned with atomic prestige than with people’s belly needs, pouring meagre resources into weapons research as peasants died.
Xinjiang: The Sacrificial Geography
The choice of Lop Nur as a testing site for Chinese nuclear tests was put forward as utilitarian—a distant, “uninhabited” desert that was suitable for atomic tests. This was intentional deception. Uyghur pastoralists, Kazakh nomads, and other Turkic peoples had lived in the area for centuries. The creation of the test site, which later covered around 100,000 square kilometres, required mass displacement with limited compensation.
From 1964 to 1996, China detonated 45 nuclear tests at Lop Nur: 23 atmospheric and 22 underground. The atmospheric tests discharged vast amounts of radioactive material. Lop Nur discharged about six million times more poisonous radioactive material than Chernobyl. Between 1 and 1.48 million people were exposed to fallout, according to estimates, with Chinese officials allegedly synchronising detonations with westward wind patterns to maximise exposure in Uyghur-populated regions.
The Human Toll
The health impacts have been devastating. Japanese physicist Jun Takada’s research puts the number of people killed by radiation exposure at around 194,000. Cancer incidence in Xinjiang shot up to 30-35 per cent above China’s national rate. Doctors reported shocking trends: 90 per cent of cancer victims had blood or lymph cancers caused directly by radiation. The leakage of an estimated 48 kilogrammes of plutonium-239—where breathing in even a millionth of a gramme can cause cancer—was responsible for a public health disaster whose consequences linger on through generations.
Dr Enver Tohti, a Uyghur doctor who practised in cancer wards across Xinjiang, recorded instances of lymphomas and other cancers caused by radiation at levels hundreds of times higher than normal trends. Beijing has, however, always denied independent researchers access, shut down epidemiology studies, and refused to admit the link between nuclear testing and public health disasters.
India recovered the PL-15 E air-to-air missile as it does not have self-destruct features.
Chinese PL-15 E long-range air-to-air beyond visual range missile recovered by the Indian armed forces in Punjab during Operation Sindoor.
The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has decided to incorporate advanced features from the Chinese PL-15 air-to-air missile into its indigenous Astra Mark-2 programme, following a detailed technical analysis of an unexploded missile fired by a Pakistani jet during Operation Sindoor in May, people aware of the matter said.
The PL-15E missile was recovered fully intact in a field near Hoshiarpur, Punjab, on May 9, representing a rare intelligence opportunity for Indian defence scientists.
The export variant of China’s advanced beyond-visual-range missile, with a range of 145 kilometres, was found unexploded due to the weapon’s lack of a self-destruct mechanism, unlike all Indian air-to-air missiles, according to people aware of the matter who asked not to be named.
The recovery occurred during Operation Sindoor, India’s coordinated military response launched on May 7 to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians. The missile, believed to have been fired from a Pakistan Air Force JF-17 or J-10C fighter, failed to engage its target and fell approximately 100 kilometres inside Indian territory.
While DRDO remains tight-lipped about its analysis report submitted to the defence ministry, the examination has identified several superior features in the Chinese weapon, one of the people cited above said. These include a miniature active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with advanced propellant capable of maintaining speeds exceeding Mach 5, and sophisticated anti-jamming capabilities. All these advancements, particularly the radar technology, are being incorporated into India’s indigenous Astra missile development programme.
Another person aware of the matter said that Pakistan is seeking to enhance its arsenal following Operation Sindoor. The Pakistan Air Force is reportedly pursuing longer-range PL-17 missiles for wide-bodied aircraft from China, 2,000 YIHA kamikaze drones from Turkey, and has submitted a list of high-tech weapons requirements to the US.
One of the people cited above also explained that India’s own weapons performed effectively during the operation, with BrahMos, Rampage, and SCALP missiles demonstrating excellent results. However, Indian defence planners are moving to acquire additional Meteor missiles for Rafale fighters to ensure the Indian Air Force is not constrained by numbers in future engagements. A next-generation BrahMos missile with an 800-kilometre range is also being developed, ensuring coverage across nearly the entire breadth of Pakistan.
The evolving threat landscape, including Pakistan’s three to five Chinese HQ-9 air defence systems, has prompted a strategic shift. Future hostilities will likely see Indian fighters operating from outside enemy air defence envelopes, launching long-range supersonic missiles designed to defeat ground and airborne radar systems, the people cited above said.
Russia is mediating between Iran and Israel while Donald Trump tries to remake the Middle East with the US-backed Gaza peace plan. The new reality leaves the Iranian regime with few options — and even fewer friends.
Iran put this burnt ambulance on display in Tehran during the clashes with IsraelImage: IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire
Israel is committed to “regulating” its relationship with Iran, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a summit in Tajikistan last week, citing confidential contacts with Israeli leaders.
“We are getting signals from the Israeli leadership asking us to convey to our Iranian friends that Israel… is not interested in any kind of confrontation,” Putin said.
Tehran, according to the Russian president, also wants to “work toward peace.” Putin also made a point that the Iranian regime “must not possess nuclear weapons.”
It is not clear if this message from Israel is sincere, a ruse or simply voiced by Putin in service of Russia’s own interests, warns geopolitical analyst Arman Mahmoudian.
“Iranian media reports that Iran has purchased Russian Su-35 fighter jets. If Russia actually delivers them despite the war in Ukraine, it would be a signal of support for Tehran,” he told DW.
“It is possible that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu is attempting to convince Moscow not to send the jets and has therefore stated that he doesn’t want to attack Iran,” said Mahmoudian, who currently serves as a lecturer at the University of South Florida.
At the same time, Mahmoudian remains uncertain as to whether Netanyahu intends to “play tactical games” with the Kremlin chief.
“They’ve known each other for years, and Bibi himself, in his memoirs, says you should be direct when dealing with Putin,” he said, using a popular nickname for Netanyahu.
War with Israel exposed Iran’s weakness
Israel views Iran’s nuclear program as an existential threat. Tehran does not recognize Israel and regularly threatens to destroy it.
The 12-day war between the two countries this June has laid bare the weaknesses of the Iranian air force and its defenses as Israel reached numerous targets inside Iran. The fighting ended with the US bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Appearing in the Knesset — the Israeli parliament — this week, US President Donald Trump urged the Iranian regime to change course.
“There’s nothing that would do more good for this part of the world than for Iran’s leaders to renounce terrorists, stop threatening their neighbors, quit funding their militant proxies and finally recognize Israel’s right to exist,” he told Israeli lawmakers.
“I’m telling you, they want to make a deal,” he added.
Pakistan-Afghanistan Conflict: In first remarks on the conflict between Pakistan and the Taliban, India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories.
A Taliban fighter stands next to vehicles destroyed during an airstrike (Reuters)
India asserted that it was an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its internal failures, rejecting the Pakistani defence minister’s charge that the Afghan Taliban was “fighting a proxy war” on behalf of New Delhi.
In his weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India was closely monitoring the situation as a fragile ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan was reached on Wednesday. It came following several days of heavy border fighting and reported air strikes by Pakistan in Kabul and Kandahar that killed dozens on both sides.
In first remarks on the week-long conflict, India firmly backed Afghanistan, saying it had a right to exercise sovereignty over its own territories.
“We are closely monitoring the situation. Pakistan hosts terrorist organisations and sponsors terrorist activities. It is a old habit of Pakistan to put blame on neighbours,” Jaiswal said.
“Pakistan is infuriated with Afghanistan exercising sovereignty over its own territories. India remains fully committed to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of Afghanistan,” the MEA spokesperson further said.
India’s firm backing of Afghanistan comes as it resets ties with the Taliban, despite New Delhi yet to formally recognise the regime in Kabul. India, however, announced it would reopen its embassy in Kabul as Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made his maiden trip to New Delhi.
Jaiswal said the transition of India’s technical mission in Kabul to an embassy “will happen in the next few days”.
Police said in a statement that they responded to the crash around 5 pm and confirmed that three passengers on the plane were found dead.
A plane crashed in Bath Township.(X)
Three people died after a plane crashed in Bath Township, Michigan, near the intersection of Clark Road and Peacock Road on Thursday evening. Police said in a statement that they responded to the crash around 5 pm and confirmed that three passengers on the plane were found dead.
The cause of the crash is still unknown. Visuals circulating on social media showed the plane falling from the sky. HT.com couldn’t independently verify the veracity of these visuals.
WATCH: Plane seen falling from sky before crashing in Bath Township, Michigan, killing 3 people.
A thick cloud of smoke linked to the crash was seen rising from the area. Visuals also showed a large number of police at the spot, along with a helicopter circling above.
Michigan State Police, Bath Township police, and fire teams were present during the emergency response. More details related to the incident are awaited.
Crashes involving small planes have become common recently. On Monday, two people died after a small plane crashed on Route 195 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Police said the fixed-wing aircraft came down on the grassy median of Route 195 around 8:15 am and caught fire immediately.
US-India expert Ashley Tellis has been arrested for allegedly hoarding classified documents and meeting Chinese officials. The long-time adviser faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Indian-origin US analyst Ashley Tellis. (Photo: Getty Images)
A prominent US analyst of Indian origin and longtime adviser on South Asia policy has been arrested for allegedly hoarding classified documents and meeting Chinese government officials, according to court filings unsealed this week.
The Justice Department said Ashley Tellis, 64, unlawfully retained national defence information, including more than a thousand pages of top secret and secret documents found at his home in Vienna, Virginia.
Tellis, a respected voice on US-India relations who has served under multiple administrations, was arrested over the weekend and formally charged on Monday. He worked on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush and is listed in an FBI affidavit as an unpaid adviser to the State Department and a contractor with the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment.
He is also a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.
A State Department official confirmed the arrest but declined further comment. The Pentagon said it does not comment on ongoing cases. Carnegie and Tellis’s lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
WHO IS ASHLEY TELLIS
Tellis, a veteran policy strategist who joined the US government in 2001, has advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on India and South Asia. His arrest comes at a time when the Trump administration and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard have adopted a tough stance on the mishandling of classified material, pledging to prosecute offenders “without exception.”
Mumbai-born Tellis studied at St. Xavier’s College before earning a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He also holds an MA in political science from the University of Chicago. Over the years, Tellis became a fixture in the US-India-China policy circuit — a familiar face on panels and a respected voice whose writings were closely followed in Washington, New Delhi, and Beijing alike.
ALLEGED BREACH OF NATIONAL SECURITY
Court records allege that Tellis accessed, printed, and removed classified material from both Defense and State Department buildings in September and October 2025. Surveillance footage reportedly showed him leaving one facility with a leather briefcase after printing classified files related to US military aircraft capabilities.
A search warrant executed on October 11 uncovered secret papers stored across multiple spots in his home — including locked filing cabinets, a desk in his basement office, and even black trash bags in a storage room.
Investigators say Tellis cooperated during the search, unlocking a laptop with his fingerprint and providing keys to the filing cabinets.
According to the FBI affidavit, Tellis held a Top Secret security clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information due to his government roles.
MEETING WITH CHINESE OFFICIALS
The case has drawn further attention because Tellis allegedly met Chinese government officials several times over recent years.
One such meeting, according to the FBI, took place on September 15, 2025, at a restaurant in Fairfax, Virginia. Agents said Tellis was seen arriving with a manila envelope that he no longer appeared to have when he left.
Another dinner in April 2023, in the Washington, DC suburbs, was overheard by nearby patrons, who said Tellis and the Chinese officials discussed Iranian-Chinese relations and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.
Court filings also describe a September 2 meeting during which Tellis allegedly received a gift bag from Chinese officials.
In a statement, US Attorney Lindsey Halligan for the Eastern District of Virginia said: “We are fully focused on protecting the American people from all threats, foreign and domestic. The charges as alleged in this case represent a grave risk to the safety and security of our citizens.”
If convicted, Tellis faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, the Justice Department said.
Trump criticised BRICS as an attack on the dollar, announced tariffs on BRICS nations, targeted China over soybeans, and called ABC fake news during talks with Javier Milei.
US President Donald Trump during a meeting with his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, at the White House.
“I’m very strong on the dollar, and anybody that wants to deal in dollars, they have an advantage over people that aren’t… anybody that wants to be in BRICS, that’s fine, but we’re going to put tariffs on your nation… BRICS was an attack on the dollar,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with his Argentinian counterpart, Javier Milei, at the White House.
The US President has doubled down on his tariffs on BRICS countries, especially on India. Trump has called the group “anti the United States”.
He also addressed China’s recent decision to buy soybeans from Argentina instead of the United States, suggesting it was an attempt to weaken ties between Washington and Buenos Aires. “China likes to draw wedges. I guess that’s natural, but it’s not going to mean anything in the end,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social, he said: “I believe that China purposefully not buying our Soybeans, and causing difficulty for our Soybean Farmers, is an Economically Hostile Act. We are considering terminating business with China having to do with Cooking Oil, and other elements of Trade, as retribution. As an example, we can easily produce Cooking Oil ourselves, we don’t need to purchase it from China.”
According to a report by NBC News, US-China relations have been strained in Trump’s second term by an ongoing trade war, technological competition and differences over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
This came days after Beijing imposed fresh controls on the export of rare earth technologies and items.
During the Q&A session, Trump attacked US network ABC calling them “fake news”. BBC quoted him as saying that he will no longer take questions from them.
Bessent indicated that the US would not permit China to exploit its rare earth dominance and is coordinating with allies to respond collectively.
President Donald Trump shakes hands with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Oval Office [File/AP Photo]As tensions with China over rare earth minerals escalate, the United States appears to be turning a new leaf when it comes to its trade ties with India. In a recent interview, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accused Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government of taking “provocative economic actions” after Beijing tightened export controls on rare earths. He added that Washington had begun coordinating with allies, including India, Europe, and other Asian democracies, in response.
“This is China versus the rest of the world. They announced these export controls that are going to go into effect next month, and we have aggressively pushed back against them. We’re not sure where this came from, why the Chinese have decided to do it now,” Bessent told Fox Business on Monday.
He added that the US would not allow Beijing to weaponise its dominance in rare earths, that includes vital materials for industries like defense, electric vehicles, and electronics, saying, “They have pointed a bazooka at the supply chains and the industrial base of the entire free world. And, you know, we’re not going to have it. China is a command and control economy. They are neither going to command (nor) control us.”
“We are going to assert our sovereignty in various ways. We have already been in touch with the allies. We will be meeting with them this week and, you know, I expect that we will get substantial global support from the Europeans, from the Indians, from the democracies in Asia,” Bessent remarked.
The US has threatened to place an additional 100% tax on Chinese imports starting on November 1 or sooner. If this comes into effect, this would raise tariff rates close to levels that in April fanned fears of a global recession.
Providing updates on the ongoing probe, Gupta said that several key individuals linked to the case have appeared before the Special Investigation Team for questioning, and more are expected to join in the coming days. “In the next two days, additional persons will appear before the SIT. There is also a possibility that one individual from Singapore will arrive today,” he stated.
CID Special DGP and SIT Chief Munna Prasad Gupta |
CID Special DGP and SIT Chief Munna Prasad Gupta on Monday said the post-mortem report in connection with the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg will not be made public but will be submitted directly before the court.
“The SIT has already received the post-mortem report, but it will not be released at 4 PM tomorrow as speculated. It will be presented directly before the court,” Gupta clarified. He added that the investigation is progressing swiftly and in strict adherence to legal procedures.
VIDEO | Guwahati, Assam: “Three more NRIs arrived from Singapore today. In the next two days, more are expected to come and depose before the SIT,” says IPS officer Munna Prasad Gupta, Chief Investigating Officer of the SIT probing the Zubeen Garg death case.
Providing updates on the ongoing probe, Gupta said that several key individuals linked to the case have appeared before the Special Investigation Team for questioning, and more are expected to join in the coming days. “In the next two days, additional persons will appear before the SIT. There is also a possibility that one individual from Singapore will arrive today,” he stated.
The SIT has also sought permission to travel to Singapore to pursue leads connected to the investigation. “Investigations are being conducted in Singapore, and all relevant information has already been shared with the authorities there. Once formal approval is obtained, our team will visit Singapore for further investigation,” Gupta said.
On the issue of re-interrogation, Gupta clarified that individuals currently under 14-day judicial custody cannot be questioned again at this stage, in compliance with legal provisions. “The investigation is being carried out under the guidance of the expert committee to ensure every step aligns with due process,” he added.
Reassuring the public, Gupta emphasised that the probe is being handled with transparency and professionalism. “All developments will be communicated responsibly as the investigation progresses,” he said, adding that the SIT continues to piece together crucial evidence related to Garg’s death, which has drawn widespread public attention and emotional response across Assam and beyond.
Meanwhile, Garg’s wife, who visited the cremation ground at Kamarkuchi village on the outskirts of the city on Sunday night, gave a 10-day deadline to the state government to deliver justice in the case. Her call has received strong support from intellectuals and fans of the late singer.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched the 11th test flight of its Starship megarocket, which is part of the tech mogul’s ambitious vision to take humans to Mars.
A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off on its 11th test flight. (Reuters)
Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched the 11th test flight of its Starship megarocket, in a mission aimed for the rocket to travel halfway around the world before dropping into the Gulf of Mexico.
SpaceX planned to use Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, in its efforts to return astronauts to the Moon. The company also tried to defy critics who said its technology may not be enough to deliver NASA’s lunar projects, and also to fulfil Musk’s vision to take humans to Mars.
In its 11th test voyage, the enormous rocket took off Monday from SpaceX’s south Texas launch facilities just after 6:25 pm local time (2325 GMT), according to a live video feed. This test flight carried eight mock Starlink satellites. During the mission, SpaceX deployed its second cluster of dummy Starlink satellites in space.
The booster made a controlled entry into the Gulf of Mexico as planned, with the spacecraft skimming space before descending into the Indian Ocean. Nothing was recovered from the site.
“Hey, welcome back to Earth, Starship,” said SpaceX’s Dan Huot as other employees cheered on. “What a day.”
Why Is This Mission Important?
The latest Starship test flight assumes significance as it demonstrates the giant 403-foot vehicle’s design for carrying satellites and eventually taking humans to the moon and Mars.
Its last mission in August came as a success after a string of failures this year that raised concerns that Starship may not be able to carry astronauts to the Moon by the end of this decade as part of NASA’s Artemis programme.
The manned Artemis III mission is intended for mid-2027, but a NASA safety advisory panel has warned it could be “years late,” according to Space Policy Online, amid a rival effort from China that is gunning for its first crewed mission by 2030.
Previous Starship test flights have ended in failures, with explosions of the upper stage, including twice over the Caribbean and once after reaching space. However, SpaceX managed to deploy eight dummy Starlink internet satellites during August’s successful flight.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Aug. 18, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Oct. 13 that he plans to meet his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington later this week, with Trump later confirming the meeting.
The meeting, scheduled for Oct. 17, will follow two phone calls between the leaders regarding Ukraine’s air defenses and long-range capabilities in the wake of escalating Russian attacks.
Talking at a press conference alongside EU diplomacy chief Kaja Kallas, Zelensky said the phone calls “were not enough” to discuss all key topics.
The planned summit, which is said to take place at the invitation of Washington, will be the fifth meeting between Trump and Zelensky since the U.S. president returned to office in January. The leaders previously met in New York during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 23.
Zelensky also reminded that a Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko is already en route to the U.S.
“I think we need to discuss the sequence of steps that I want to propose to President (Trump),” Zelensky told journalists.
The president previously said that the delegation aims to negotiate the purchase of additional air defense systems, as well as HIMARS rocket systems, as part of a “Mega Deal” with Washington.
Trump later confirmed the planned meeting between the two leaders, speaking to journalists aboard Air Force One.
When asked if he would host Zelensky at the White House on Oct. 17, Trump replied, “I think so, yeah.”
Kyiv has been calling upon foreign partners to help strengthen Ukrainian air defenses as Moscow escalates aerial attacks against Ukraine’s energy grid. A mass strike on Oct. 10 temporarily knocked out the power supply in Kyiv and across Ukrainian regions.
Trump has also publicly floated the possibility of supplying Ukraine with Tomahawks, long-range cruise missiles capable of striking targets at a range of 1,600 to 2,500 kilometers (1,000 to 1,600 miles).
During her visit, Anand will India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar on Monday in Delhi, followed by a meeting with commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
Anita Anand’s visit to India comes after Canadian PM Mark Carney and PM Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada’s Kananaskis in June this year. (X/@MEAIndia)
Canada’s foreign minister Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for her first two-day official visit to India, during which, both the countries will seek to reset diplmatic ties.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that Anand’s visit to India will help “build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations.
Sharing a photo of Anita Anand after she landed in India, Jaiswal wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “ A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi. This visit will help build on the positive momentum in India-Canada relations by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring people-to-people ties that anchor our partnership.”
A warm welcome to FM @AnitaAnandMP of Canada on her first official visit to New Delhi.
This visit will help build on the positive momentum in 🇮🇳-🇨🇦 relations by revitalizing our bilateral mechanisms, deepening economic cooperation, and further strengthening the enduring… pic.twitter.com/PGcaIEfBFz
During her visit, Anand will India’s foreign minister S Jaishankar on Monday in Delhi, followed by a meeting with commerce minister Piyush Goyal.
What Canada’s foreign ministry said
Ahead of Anand’s visit to India, Canada’s foreign ministry said that the visit comes “as both countries move toward establishing a framework for strategic cooperation on issues such as trade diversification, energy transformation and security.”
Later, she will also visit Mumbai where she will meet Canadian and Indian firms working to support investment, job creation and economic opportunity in Canada and India, according to the statement.
Anand’s visit to India is crucial as it is a step towards resetting the ties between the two countries, particularly after Mark Carney became Canada’s Prime Minister by replacing Justin Trudeau. The diplomatic ties between India and Canada were strained during Trudeau’s term.
Anand visit also comes after Carney and PM Modi held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada’s Kananaskis in June this year.
Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked last week in London by two unidentified miscreants.
Indian-origin Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked by two men in London.
Malaysian businessman Vinod Sekhar was attacked last week in London by two unidentified miscreants. The chairman and chief executive of Petra Group suffered minor injuries in the attack, but fortunately emerged “relatively unscathed”.
Sekhar posted about the scary incident on Facebook, revealing that his wife jumped in to save him and fought off the attackers. He also compared the streets of London with the safety and security of Kuala Lumpur, where he is based.
The attack in London
In his Facebook post, the chairman of Petra Group revealed that he was attacked by two people outside his daughter Tara’s apartment in London. The family had returned to the apartment — located near Battersea Power Station — after a day spent at Oxford.
“But as I parked and stepped out of the car, two men suddenly appeared,” Sekhar said.
The men started attacking the Indian-origin Malaysian businessman and even managed to tear his watch off his wrist during the assault. He suffered minor bruising and bleeding in the attack.
“They rushed at me, smothered me, hit me a few times on the chest and thighs, and tore the watch off my wrist. I tried to hold on but couldn’t — my post transplant medication and health simply didn’t allow it,” wrote Sekhar, who had undergone a heart transplant in India last year.
Wife fights off attackers
Sekhar was accompanied by his wife, Winy Yeap, who jumped in to save him. According to the businessman, she swung her bag and shouted at the attackers, who — possibly deterred by this interruption — jumped on their bikes and drove off.
“And then, like the lioness she’s always been, my wife jumped in — swinging her bag, shouting at them, fearless and protective,” Sekhar revealed. “In that moment, the muggers fled on electric Lime bikes. I was bruised, bleeding lightly (thanks to the blood thinners it looked worse than it was), but relatively unscathed.”
When the London Metropolitan police arrived minutes later, one cop told Sekhar that he was a lucky man, because the attackers would have stabbed him if he had held on.
London vs Kuala Lumpur
He ended his post with a reflection on the safety of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
“And as I reflect on it all, I am deeply grateful for the city I call home — Kuala Lumpur. For all our noise, our chaos, and our politics, it remains one of the safest, warmest, most vibrant cities in the world. A place where kindness still outweighs cruelty, and where, despite our imperfections, we remain a nation of extraordinary people,” he said.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the “highly respected” President Xi Jinping just had a bad moment and he doesn’t want to put his country into depression.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that the United States “wants to help China, not hurt it,” striking a conciliatory tone days after threatening an additional 100% tariff on Beijing.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the “highly respected” President Xi Jinping just had a bad moment and he doesn’t want to put his country into (economic) depression.
“Don’t worry about China, it will all be fine! Highly respected President Xi just had a bad moment. He doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!”
His remarks came days after the US President accused Beijing of “extraordinarily aggressive” and “hostile” trade actions after China announced restrictions on exports of nearly all its products, particularly rare earth elements, to foreign entities and threatened to impose an additional 100% tariff on imports from China from next month.
In a post on social media, Trump said the US would also put export controls on critical software.
He had also threatened to pull out of a meeting with Jinping. He later said he had not cancelled it, but that he did not know “that we’re going to have it”.
US Vice President JD Vance has also warned of growing tensions with China, urging Beijing to “choose the path of reason” amid an escalating trade dispute between the two nations.
The announcement triggered market volatility, with economists warning of potential disruptions to global supply chains and rising prices for electronics, clean energy products, and other goods.
Meanwhile, China called Trump’s new tariffs on Chinese goods hypocritical and accused the United States of “double standards” as it defended its curbs on exports of rare earth elements and equipment, while stopping short of imposing additional duties on US imports.
China’s Ministry of Commerce criticised the US over its tariff threat, saying, “Willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China.” A spokesperson added, “Our position on the trade war is consistent. We do not want it, but we are not afraid of it.”
“If the United States insists on going the wrong way, China will surely take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests,” the statement added.
Rare earths have been a major sticking point in recent trade negotiations between the two superpowers. They are critical to manufacturing everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military hardware and renewable energy technology.
The rare phenomenon was spotted in the southwestern direction of Goddess Kalijai Temple, the presiding deity of Chilika lake.
A thin tail of tornado as seen from Odisha’s Chilika lake. (Screengrab)
Visitors at Odisha’s world-famous Chilika Lake were left stunned and terrified after witnessing a massive sky-high tornado swirling over the lake in a rare spectacle on Sunday. While Odisha, a coastal state, is prone to cyclones and typhoons around this time of the year, this is perhaps the first time a tornado has been witnessed anywhere in the state, making it a sight to behold.
The rare phenomenon, resembling a waterspout or massive whirlwind, was spotted in the southwestern direction of Goddess Kalijai Temple, the presiding deity of Chilika lake.
According to eyewitnesses, the tornado appeared suddenly while hundreds of tourists were enjoying boat rides and sightseeing at the tourist attraction.
The sudden shift in atmospheric pressure created a towering spiral of wind and water, triggering panic among visitors, many of whom screamed and ran for safety.
Taliban forces seized multiple Pakistani outposts along the Durand Line, killing 12 soldiers, in retaliatory cross-border clashes after a Pakistani airstrike in Kabul this week.
Clashes erupt between Pakistan Army and Afghan forces along the border. (Representative Photo)
In a sharp escalation of border tensions, firefights broke out along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border late on Saturday, with Taliban-led Afghan forces seizing multiple Pakistani Army outposts along the Durand Line, including in the volatile Kunar and Helmand provinces, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said.
“Taliban forces have captured several outposts from the Pakistani Army across the Durand Line in Kunar and Helmand provinces,” an Afghan Defense official said in a statement.
Sources told TOLOnews that at least 12 Pakistani soldiers were killed, and several others injured in the ongoing border clashes. Intense fighting has been reported in Bahramcha district’s Shakij, Bibi Jani, and Salehan areas, as well as across Paktia’s Aryub Zazi district.
Pakistani security officials said their forces were responding “with full force” to what they described as unprovoked firing from Afghanistan.
Enayatullah Khowarazmi, spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense, described the operation as a retaliatory measure in response to Pakistan’s violation of Afghan airspace. He said the clashes had concluded by midnight local time.
“If the opposing side again violates Afghanistan’s airspace, our armed forces are prepared to defend their airspace and will deliver a strong response,” Khowarazmi added.
Meanwhile, Qatar expressed concern over the escalating border tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, calling on both sides to exercise restraint and resolve their differences through dialogue.
With minorities excluded from elections, sectarian violence and change slow to come, a UN envoy has warned of a “Libyan scenario” for Syria. Could the country find itself divided among regional governments?
While the UN warns of Syria’s fragmentation, observers and people in the capital see a united Syria more likely despite domestic calls for autonomyImage: REUTERS
Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, recently told the Financial Times newspaper that Syria is on a “knife-edge” and “risks turning into Libya” should promised changes stall.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “needs to do what I call a course correction,” Pedersen told the FT. The president needs to convince the population that “this is a new beginning” in the aftermath of the dictatorship of Bashar Assad, he said, “not a new autocratic regime.”
The revolution in Libya, a country about 2,400 kilometers (1,450 miles) from Syria in North Africa, also began during the Arab Spring protests of 2011, but the initial war ended much sooner, with the help of the United States, Britain and France. Libya has now been divided since the NATO-backed revolt toppled and killed dictator Muammar Gadhafi in 2011. Three years later, the country split into two rival administrations that have since controlled the east and west.
There are significant differences between Libya and Syria, Nanar Hawach, senior Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, told DW. “The Syrian state never completely collapsed,” he said, pointing to December 2024, when a coalition of rebel groups led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia — who was headed by now President al-Sharaa — ousted Assad.
“While the country is partitioned into spheres of influence, local and international actors in Syria continue to operate in relation to this single central government,” Hawach said.
None of Syria’s neighbors, such as Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, nor invested powers like the United States and the Gulf countries, want the strategic nightmare of a truly failed state and the chaos it would unleash on their borders, he said.
Yet “the lack of trust and political common ground between al-Sharaa’s government and other Syrian communities is a serious issue for the new government,” Kelly Campa, Middle East deputy team lead at the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War, told DW.
Relations with Kurds
Hours before Pedersen’s warning about Syria’s fragmentation was published, a skirmish between governmental forces and Kurdish fighters in the northern city of Aleppo ended with a ceasefire.
Though the US-brokered deal seems to be holding, the clashes still highlight the increasing tension between Syria’s largest ethnic minority group, with its semiautonomous homeland in the northeast of the country, and the central government in Damascus.
Despite a widely celebrated agreement in March between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and al-Sharaa’s government, progress the integration of Kurdish institutions into the central government’s structures has stalled. One of the key obstacles remains the integration of the around 60,000 Kurdish forces into the newly founded unified Syrian army.
The about 2.5 million Kurds were excluded from Syria’s first postwar parliamentary vote in October. Damascus cited security concerns and absence of central control, but promised to keep the allocated seats in the Syrian parliament vacant until elections will be held. The same is true for the seats of the other excluded minority, Syria’s Druze population.
Integrating the Kurds, whose homeland encompasses about 30% of Syria, would mean not only increase the amount of territory under government control, but also give the government access to the region’s oil and gas reserves. These are key for the country’s reconstruction which is an urgent matter after 14 years of civil war that also ended in December 2024 with the ouster of Assad. The World Bank estimates that reconstruction costs are between $400 billion and $1 trillion (€940bn).
The Israeli military says it has partially withdrawn troops from parts of Gaza after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas came into effect on Friday morning.
Israeli forces said they had pulled back to an agreed position within the territory – though troops still occupy half of the Strip.
Footage shows thousands of Palestinians making their way to the north of Gaza, which has been heavily bombarded by Israeli forces in recent months.
The ceasefire came into effect after the Israeli government approved the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire and hostage return deal on Thursday. The next phases are still being negotiated.
Hundreds of Palestinians made their way up to the north of the Strip on foot
Under the deal, Hamas has until 12:00 local time (10:00 BST) on Monday to release all Israeli hostages – including 20 who are believed to be alive, and up to 28 hostages’ remains.
Israel should also release about 250 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences in Israeli jails. Israeli army radio said 100 would be released into the West Bank and five to East Jerusalem. More are expected to be deported.
A further 1,700 Palestinians from Gaza who have been detained should also be released.
Under the terms of the deal, aid lorries should also be allowed unrestricted into the Strip to bring desperately needed aid to Gaza’s population – many of whom have been repeatedly displaced during the two-year war.
Some 600 aid lorries are expected to enter Gaza daily from Friday, though details of the rollout remain unclear and it has not yet been confirmed whether any increased aid has reached people since the ceasefire began.
A famine was declared in part of the territory for the first time in August by UN-backed experts, who said more than 500,000 people were facing “catastrophic” conditions characterised by “starvation, destitution and death”.
Israel has repeatedly denied that there is starvation in the territory.
In a separate development, up to 200 US troops already based in the Middle East will be moved to Israel to help monitor the ceasefire in Gaza, according to US officials.
Eyewitnesses in Gaza said troops had pulled back from the north-western outskirts of Gaza City towards the east.
In the south, some Israeli troops were also reported to have pulled back from the Khan Younis area.
In a statement on social media, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its troops “began positioning themselves along the updated deployment lines” from 12:00 local time.
“IDF troops in the Southern Command are deployed in the area and will continue to remove any immediate threat,” the statement added.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff said US Central Command had confirmed IDF troops had “completed the first phase withdrawal” to what he referred to as the “yellow line”. The line was featured in a map released by the White House last week marking where troops would withdraw to during this phase of the ceasefire agreement, where it would control 53% of Gaza.
“The 72-hour period to release the hostages has begun,” Witkoff added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address he was “fulfilling” the promise to bring back all the hostages.
He added Israeli troops were still “surrounding Hamas from every direction”, adding the next stages of Trump’s plan are that “Hamas will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitarised”. Hamas has not made any pledge to disarm at this point.
Earlier on Friday, there was some confusion around the timings of when the ceasefire was implemented. Eyewitnesses told the BBC air strikes continued in Gaza into the early hours of Friday.
The Hamas-run health ministry said 17 people had been killed in the past 24 hours.
The IDF said it would continue to operate from its updated deployment lines “to remove any immediate threat”, and urged people to avoid entering areas still under Israeli military control.
In areas of Gaza City where the IDF had withdrawn, Hamas security forces were deployed on the streets. They were pictured wearing caps with the logo of the Hamas Internal Security agency rather than a regular police force.
On Friday, Hamas said it rejected any “foreign guardianship” of Gaza, adding that that governance of Gaza was purely an internal Palestinian matter.
Trump’s 20-point peace plan states that Hamas will have no future role in Gaza, which will be governed by a temporary transitional body of Palestinian technocrats supervised by a “Board of Peace” headed and chaired by Donald Trump and involving former UK prime minister Tony Blair.
Governance of the Strip would eventually be handed over to the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Hamas also expressed hopes that Gaza would benefit “from Arab and international participation in the areas of reconstruction, recovery, and development support”.
As troops partially withdrew, thousands of Palestinians were filmed travelling – many on foot – up Gaza’s coastal road to the north.
Many were travelling on foot for more than 20km (12 miles) carrying what remained of their belongings on their backs.
Along the damaged narrow roads, some waved Palestinian flags and flashed victory signs. But many also appeared weak and malnourished.
Khawaja Asif used a scathing address to the National Assembly to justify the ongoing mass deportation of Afghan nationals
The minister’s remarks are rooted in the belief that Pakistan’s decades of ‘too much hospitality’ towards Afghan refugees—estimated in the millions—have been betrayed. File pic/X
In a stark escalation of rhetoric, CNN-News18 has learnt that Pakistan’s Defence Minister, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, has effectively declared neighbouring Afghanistan as his country’s “number one enemy”, using a scathing address to the National Assembly to justify the ongoing mass deportation of Afghan nationals.
The minister’s remarks are rooted in the belief that Pakistan’s decades of “too much hospitality” towards Afghan refugees—estimated in the millions—have been betrayed. He alleged that Afghan nationals are “doing business in Pakistan” and even “ruling in Afghanistan”, while elements of the Afghan Taliban have “kept wives in Pakistan and are betraying Pakistan” by providing sanctuary to anti-Pakistan militant groups like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Asif’s core grievance focuses on the issue of loyalty, claiming that Afghan residents, despite building “big businesses” and enjoying Pakistani hospitality, “don’t chant Pakistan Zindabad”. He asserted that the massive refugee presence—many of whom are undocumented—is directly linked to a surge in cross-border terrorist attacks, which have dramatically increased since the Taliban regained power in Kabul in August 2021.
The remarks also came against the backdrop of recent alleged airstrikes and exchanges of fire along the Durand Line. Pakistan also views Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s “warm reception” in New Delhi this week as a major loss of “strategic control” over the Taliban.
This hardline stance provides the political and emotional context for Pakistan’s controversial deportation campaign, which began in October 2023. The government has stated that the expulsion of all foreign nationals without legal documents is a matter of national security, directly responding to the increasing militancy.
A one hundred Argentine peso bill sits on top of several one hundred U.S. dollar bills in this illustration picture taken October 17, 2022. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/Illustration Purchase Licensing Rights
The U.S. Treasury finalized a $20 billion currency swap framework with Argentina and bought pesos in the open market on Thursday, making good on President Donald Trump’s pledge to prop up the wobbling country and sending the peso and Argentine dollar bonds sharply higher.
“The U.S. Treasury is prepared, immediately, to take whatever exceptional measures are warranted to provide stability to markets,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in announcing the actions on X.
Argentina’s 2035 bond rose 4.5 cents to trade at 60.5 cents on the dollar, while the peso closed at 1,418 per dollar, up 0.8% on the day after falling 3% earlier.
Local stocks (.MERV), opens new tab rose 5.3% Thursday. Last month they touched a 2025 low, days before Bessent’s initial support pledge. Argentine stocks traded in U.S. exchanges (.BKAR), opens new tab rallied 13%.
Bessent issued his statement at the end of four days of meetings with Argentine Finance Minister Luis Caputo that also involved officials from the International Monetary Fund, which has a $20 billion loan program with Argentina.
IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva applauded the U.S. move in a post on X, saying the IMF was “fully aligned in support of the country’s strong economic program, anchored on fiscal discipline and a robust FX regime to facilitate reserve accumulation.”
A U.S. Treasury spokesperson declined to provide any further details, including on the amount of pesos purchased and how the $20 billion currency swap line would be structured.
Bessent had previously pledged, opens new tab support for Argentina from the Treasury’s $221 billion Exchange Stabilization Fund, and its majority holdings of IMF reserve assets known as Special Drawing Rights.
Speaking later on “The Ingraham Angle show” of Fox News Channel, Bessent insisted that the action was not a bailout, saying that no money was transferred to Buenos Aires and the ESF “has never lost money, it’s not going to lose money here.”
He added that the assistance provided strategic U.S. benefits, including pledges by Argentina’s right-wing president, Javier Milei, of “getting China out of Argentina” and its openness to allow U.S. companies to develop its rare earths and uranium resources.
