Mali, known by activists as one of the world's 'saddest' elephants living in the Philippines, has died at Manila Zoo after spending years in solitude there. Mali, whose full name is Vishwa Ma'ali, was the main attraction at the zoo for more than four decades and her passing triggered an outpouring of tribute by many people, according to BBC.Major producer Brazil will join OPEC+ from next year, the oil cartel announced on Thursday.
Brazil is among the world's top 10 producers and has been the largest oil producer in Latin America since 2016.
Its crude production hit a record 3.7 million barrels per day in September, a near 17 percent increase from the same month last year and a 6.1 percent hike from August, according to pricing agency Argus Media.
Ministers of the 13-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) headed by Saudi Arabia and its 10 partners led by Russia were meeting to discuss further output cuts to boost prices.
"The meeting welcomed Alexandre Silveira de Oliveira, Minister of Mines and Energy of the Federative Republic of Brazil, which will join the OPEC+... starting January 2024," OPEC said in a press release.
OPEC+ was born in late 2016 when Russia and nine others joined forces with the Saudi-led OPEC to prop up falling prices.
"Considering that Brazil is a large oil producer and is driving oil production growth it is important to have them on board, but it seems that they are not cutting production like Mexico, so would conclude with: good for OPEC+, less relevant for oil market balances," UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo said.
The 23-member OPEC+ is a motley crew of countries: Saudi Arabia and Iran are bitter rivals, South Sudan and Libya have been wracked by civil wars and others such as Venezuela are mired in economic crises.
The cartel faced its biggest crisis in 2020 as countries locked down due to the Covid pandemic, sending oil demand plunging.
The group agreed in April 2020 to slash output by 9.7 million barrels per day in order to boost sagging prices.
It began to raise production again in 2021 as the market improved.
In the most recent meetings amid plunging prices, OPEC+ members have announced voluntary cuts to boost prices.
Since the end of 2022, the alliance has implemented supply cuts of about five million barrels per day (bpd) with Saudi Arabia taking the lead.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Former US President Jimmy Carter, aged 99, made a rare public appearance by leaving hospice care to join current President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to attend his wife Rosalynn Carter's memorial service in Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta. Rosalynn, a mental health advocate and humanitarian, passed away on November 19 at the age of 96 in her home in Georgia.Hamas said Wednesday it had released two women hostages with Russian citizenship in the Gaza Strip, as a truce held between Israel and the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territory.
The women were handed over to the Red Cross by the armed wing of Hamas, the movement said in a statement, "after the efforts of the Russian president".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The ruling Junta in Myanmar has been losing vital military locations and border towns to well-armed ethnic militias that have collaborated with resistance forces to launch massive new offensives in recent weeks, CNN reported. This is a development that has not been seen in decades when it comes to Junta in Myanmar.
"The junta is actively collapsing right now and that's only become possible because there is this wider effort across the country," an independent Myanmar analyst, Matthew Arnold said, according to CNN.
Arnold described the situation as a "military existential moment" and stated that the opposition is "now focused on taking major towns to fundamentally defeat the junta."
It appears well-armed ethnic militias are attempting to overthrow the military government that has controlled the country since a 2021 coup ousted the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD).
For decades, there has been a civil war raging in Myanmar between the ethnic armies and the various military regimes.
However, the nation's opposition to army leader Min Aung Hlaing's February 2021 coup, which toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's democratically elected government, is what led to the most recent uptick in hostilities.
In Myanmar's rural and urban centres, people took up guns to protect their towns and villages when the military used force against peaceful protestors following the coup, and documented crimes against civilians further incited anger.
Ever since, daily skirmishes have broken out between the military and resistance organisations supporting the National Unity Government in exile, which opposed the junta.
Though it hasn't yet reached large towns like Mandalay, Naypyidaw, or Yangon, the most recent conflict escalation after October 27 is a turning point in that resistance.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that since the coup, armed conflicts have reached their largest and most widespread levels to date.
Up to now, hundreds of civilians, including children, have died as a result of Junta bombings and ground assaults on locations that the Myanmar military designates as "terrorists," and almost two million people have been displaced, CNN reported.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance, comprising the Arakan Army (AA), Kokang's Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and allied peoples defence forces, announced its October offensive and said it was "dedicated to eradicating the oppressive military dictatorship."
Additionally, the alliance pledged to fight "the widespread online gambling fraud that has plagued Myanmar, particularly along the border between China and Myanmar."
According to CNN, Chinese-run compounds have proliferated in several of the villages dotting the boundaries between China and Thailand in recent years. They are said to be hubs for widespread internet fraud and illicit gambling, run by junta militias, and they have ensnared and trafficked thousands of individuals to become online scammers.
In November, Myanmar's military government lost control of Chinshwehaw, an important town on the border with China, following days of fighting with armed groups. In a significant setback for the military leaders who seized power from Myanmar's elected government in February 2021, they have struggled to quell opposition to their rule.
Chinshwehaw, a town bordering China's Yunnan province, holds vital importance in facilitating trade between Myanmar and China. State media reported that more than 25 percent of Myanmar's USD 1.8 billion border trade with China passed through Chinshwehaw from April to September, citing the Ministry of Commerce.
This development was followed by days of conflict in Myanmar's northern Shan state, where the army has been engaged in battles with a coalition of three ethnic rebel groups known as the Brotherhood Alliance, Al Jazeera reported.
The United Nations has expressed deep concern over the displacement of thousands of individuals due to the ongoing conflict, with some seeking refuge across the border in China. In response, the UN has issued a call for an immediate ceasefire.
Following the military's takeover, Myanmar descended into a state of crisis, as the generals responded to widespread protests against their power grab with severe measures. In response, opposition groups aligned themselves with fighters from well-established ethnic armed organizations in an effort to restore civilian rule, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Ethnic groups in Myanmar's jungles and mountains have endured years of struggle, during which they have observed and experienced crimes such as killings, rape and other sexual abuse, torture, forced labour, and forced relocation by the military forces, in addition to state-sanctioned discrimination.
A 10-year phase of transition that momentarily brought in more extensive democratic and economic changes was abruptly terminated by a coup. However, the military continued to have a significant impact, according to CNN.
According to some analysts, Myanmar is now more likely than ever to succeed in overthrowing the regime.
"The important thing to be clear about is that a genocidal military can be defeated outright... That there's not a need to have another 10 years of a so-called transition that is fundamentally premised or corrupted by the idea that you have to negotiate and accommodate a genocidal military," said Arnold.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday greeted Sikhs in Canada and around the world on the occasion of Guru Nanak Dev's birth anniversary, saying his teachings of equality, and the values of unity, selflessness, and compassion can serve as an inspiration for all Canadians to build a better future for all.
"On behalf of all Canadians, I offer my warmest wishes to everyone celebrating the anniversary of the birth of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Happy Gurpurab!" Prime Minister Trudeau said in a statement.
A large number of devotees thronged gurdwaras across the country to mark the 554th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism.
"On this important occasion, families and friends will gather to reflect on Guru Nanak Dev Ji's teachings of equality, and the values of unity, selflessness, and compassion that he upheld. These important values continue to guide Sikh Canadians today, and can serve as an inspiration for all Canadians as we strive to build a better future for all," he said.
Noting that Canada is home to one of the largest Sikh communities across the world, he said: "Guru Nanak's birth anniversary is an opportunity for all of us to recognise the many contributions of Sikh Canadians to Canada's culture, community, and economy, making our country stronger and more vibrant."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A total of 39 Palestinians held by Israel are to be released from prison on Sunday, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said, on the third day of a prisoner-hostage exchange.
Qatar, with the support of the United States and Egypt, engaged in weeks of intense negotiations to secure the four-day truce between Israel and Hamas militants, which began Friday in Gaza after nearly seven weeks of war that left thousands dead.
As part of agreed commitments, "39 Palestinian civilians will be released today in exchange for the release of 13 Israeli detainees from Gaza, in addition to a detainee holding Russian citizenship and 3 Thais," Majed Al-Ansari said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Israel's army separately said 13 of the released hostages were back on Israeli territory, and another four were on their way to Egypt.
Over the course of the four-day truce a total 50 civilian hostages are expected to be freed by Hamas.
In exchange, 150 Palestinian prisoners are to be released, and humanitarian aid has been entering Gaza.
Prior to Sunday evening the truce had seen 26 Israeli hostages freed by Hamas in exchange for 78 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
As a result of parallel negotiations led by Qatar, 14 Thais and one Filipino were also freed by the Palestinian militants.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Nine-year-old Ohad Munder was among four children freed from Hamas' captivity on Friday. He was released along with his mother and grandmother after 49 days in Hamas' captivity on the first day of a planned four-day truce and prisoner exchange.
Israel today released footage on their social media platforms showing a conversation between Munder and an Israel Air Force (IAF) helicopter pilot during his first moments of "regained freedom".
In the 25-second-long video, he can be heard asking the pilot "Where are we flying".
"We are now flying to a hospital," the woman pilot told him.
Ohad was also asked if he had been on a plane before, to which he could be heard saying "Not an army one".
9-year-old Ohad, his mother and grandmother, were released after 49 days in Hamas' captivity on Friday, November 24.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 26, 2023
Listen to Ohad's conversation with an IAF helicopter pilot during his first moments of regained freedom. pic.twitter.com/CcRNzNzsVi
While Ohad, his mother Keren, 54, and grandmother Ruth, 78, were all freed, his grandfather, 78-year-old Avraham Munder, remained in captivity in Gaza.
The 13 Israeli hostages released by Hamas on Friday included sisters aged 2 and 4 and their mother, a 5-year-old girl and her mother, as well as elderly women.
They were among around 240 people taken hostage by Hamas during their surprise attack on Israel on October 7.
Meanwhile, Hamas today said it had handed over 13 more Israeli hostages, three Thai nationals and a person with Russian citizenship who had been held in the Gaza Strip to the Red Cross.
The four-day truce is the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed about 1,200 people on October 7. In response to that attack, Israel has vowed to "crush" Hamas and has bombarded Gaza and mounted a ground offensive in the north.
According to Gaza health authorities, about 14,800 Palestinians have so far been killed in the Israeli offensive, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
(With agency inputs)
In a whirlwind US trip this week, Chinese President Xi Jinping held long talks with President Joe Biden, got a standing ovation from top business leaders, and even hinted there could be more pandas on the way to the United States.
The high-profile welcome for Xi in San Francisco, coupled with the summit where he and Biden agreed to restore suspended US-Chinese military communications, add up to a successful visit, analysts say.
But in the face of heightened business risks and enduring national security concerns, experts say the rhetoric needs now to be backed up by action if it is to produce meaningful long-term results for the Chinese leader, whose slowing economy needs to reverse the flight of foreign capital.
"For China, Xi's ability to gain a prominent platform in San Francisco (and) to speak with US business leaders was a success in and of itself," said Nathaniel Sher, senior research analyst at Carnegie China.
At a dinner Wednesday attended by executives like Apple CEO Tim Cook and BlackRock's Larry Fink, Xi said China was ready to be a "partner and friend" of the United States. He hinted Beijing could send more panda bears -- always a huge hit at US zoos -- as "envoys of friendship."
The world's richest person, Tesla and SpaceX tycoon Elon Musk, also met Xi before the dinner with other representatives, said Tesla in a Chinese social media post.
Xi's appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in San Francisco marked a rare chance for him to interact with foreign business leaders, noted Trivium China in a newsletter, offering the opportunity to challenge the idea that China is inhospitable to foreign firms.
He did not show up in person to the APEC CEO summit -- and China did not offer an explanation for the no-show -- offering instead a written speech inviting firms to invest and deepen their footprint, promising "heart-warming" measures "to make it easier for foreign companies to invest and operate in China."
But beyond the warm words, US investors will be watching Xi's actions, as the world's number two economy slows and business confidence weakens.
China's anti-espionage law, cybersecurity investigations, raids on multinationals, wrongful detentions, and non-market practices "all have chilling effects on foreign investment," Sher told AFP.
"Above all, multinationals want more legal and regulatory predictability in China, not more hollow statements about China's commitment to win-win development," he added.
On the political front, the sit-down with Biden could be said to have been a qualified success, observers said.
The United States and China have a common goal of stabilization of their relations after a rough few years, said Australian ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd.
"It means reopening former lines -- political, diplomatic and now military communication," he told reporters on the sidelines of the APEC summit.
"This is not just a term, it actually has machinery of government around it," said the former Australian prime minister.
"The bottom line with all the above is the proof of the pudding will lie in the eating. The framework is there, they're measurable. What will now happen in practice?"
For now, the restoration of military-to-military communications is "just the first step," he said.
It remains unclear if China has changed its own strategic timetable surrounding Taiwan -- the self-ruled island Beijing claims as its own -- or if the latest talks will change its military's behavior.
To Seton Hall University professor Zheng Wang, Xi's first US visit in six years and the Biden-Xi summit symbolize "a potential turning point" in bilateral ties after the hostility of recent years.
"We've witnessed a trade war, technology conflicts, and the far-reaching impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic," he said.
And now Biden will be managing his reelection campaign while monitoring war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, while Xi navigates China's economic challenges and the perpetual intrigue of politics at the top of the Communist Party. A former foreign minister has gone missing and the whereabouts of the defense minister remain unclear.
"Stable and constructive US-China relations are therefore needed for both sides," Wang said.
Yet, Xi could have gone "much further" to reassure the United States and the global community of China's benign intentions, Sher said.
"If the 'rejuvenation' of China entails a rejection of the existing international order, nothing that Chinese leaders say in international fora will prevent the US and its partners from seeking to impede Beijing's rise," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
In the latest development, Qatar on Friday accepted India's appeal against the death penalty to 8 Navy veterans, sources said. An appeal was filed against the death sentence handed down to eight former Indian Navy personnel by a Qatari court last month, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said the Indian embassy in Doha received another consular access to the detained Indians on Tuesday and that New Delhi will continue to extend all legal and consular support to them.An India-EU Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on semiconductors was signed on Friday, ahead of the Trade and Technology Council meeting in New Delhi, according to the Ministry of External Affairs press release.
The MoU was signed by Minister of Electronics, IT and Communications Ashwini Vaishnaw and the European Commissioner for Internal Markets Thierry Breton.
The MoU aims at increasing the resilience of the semiconductor value chain in India and the EU and covers cooperation in wide areas covering research and innovation, talent development, partnerships and exchange of market information, as per the release.
The MoU symbolizes the strong commitment between India and the EU to work towards building robust semiconductor supply chains and work together on innovation.
Meanwhile, a virtual meeting of the India-EU Trade and Technology Council (TTC) was held in New Delhi on Friday.
The Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar, Minister of Commerce and Industry (CIM) Piyush Goyal and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The EU delegation was led by Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis and Vice-President Vera Jourova.
The TTC was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the latter's visit to India in April 2022.
The inaugural ministerial meeting of TTC was held in Brussels on May 16, 2023, where all three working groups under TTC set out their cooperation on a wide range of issues including semiconductors, high-performance computing, digital public infrastructures, clean energy technologies, supply chain resilience and trade issues.
During the virtual meeting, the co-chairs reviewed the progress achieved in the working groups since the first ministerial meeting and also discussed the future action plans of these working groups, as per the release.
The co-chairs provided strategic guidance to the working groups on strategic technologies and digital connectivity; clean and green energy technologies; and trade, Investment and resilient supply chains towards achieving the objectives set out for TTC during its establishment at the highest levels.
They expressed satisfaction at the progress achieved in the working groups till date, particularly in the areas of semiconductors, high-performance computing, digital public infrastructure, EV batteries and its recycling, waste to energy, resilient supply chains and FDI screening.
They also stressed taking the collaboration through research and innovation to the next phase of implementation in terms of practical outcomes/projects, through more intensive stakeholder consultations before the next TTC meeting and India-EU Summit.
Both sides agreed to hold the next meeting of the TTC in India back-to-back with the India-EU Summit at a mutually convenient date early next year.
EAM Jaishankar wrote on X: "Co-chaired the India-EU Trade & Technology Council (TTC) virtually along with my colleagues @PiyushGoyal & @AshwiniVaishnaw. Thank our EU counterparts @VDombrovskis & @VeraJourova for their partnership."
Co-chaired the India-EU Trade & Technology Council (TTC) virtually along with my colleagues @PiyushGoyal & @AshwiniVaishnaw .
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 24, 2023
Thank our EU counterparts @VDombrovskis & @VeraJourova for their partnership.
Noted the progress since our first meeting in May 2023 in digital and… pic.twitter.com/XFV2Fq8etN
"Noted the progress since our first meeting in May 2023 in digital and strategic technologies; clean energy and green technologies; and trade and investment and resilient value chains. Committed to promoting more engagements, bringing in practical initiatives and ensuring economic security," the EAM wrote.
EU Ambassador to India Herve Delphin said: "The #EU- #India MoU on Semiconductors signed !! Paving the way for closer cooperation in this strategic sector. An important deliverable of the EU-India Trade and Technology Council #TTC."
Meanwhile, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday discussed progress in India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations with European Commission's Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis.
"Discussed progress of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement negotiations with my friend @VDombrovskis, Executive Vice President of the European Commission," the Union Commerce Minister wrote on 'X'.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
New York City mayor Eric Adams has been accused of sexually assaulting a female coworker 30 years ago, US media reported Thursday, as the northern state sees a flurry of such suits filed ahead of a statute of limitations deadline.
The Democratic mayor "vigorously" denies the claim, his office said, arguing he does not know the complainant and would never cause anyone physical harm.
The civil suit, first reported by The Messenger news site, alleges the complainant "was sexually assaulted by Defendant Eric Adams in New York, New York in 1993 while they both worked for the City of New York."
In the filing, the woman whose name has not been revealed, is seeking a trial and at least $5 million in relief, according to The Messenger.
"The mayor does not know who this person is. If they ever met, he doesn't recall it," a City hall spokesperson said in a statement.
"But he would never do anything to physically harm another person and vigorously denies any such claim."
The suit was submitted under the New York Adult Survivors Act, a law passed last year that opened a one-year window for sexual assault claims to be filed that otherwise happened too far in the past to litigate. That window expires Friday.
Sexual assault lawsuits were also filed Wednesday against US actor Jamie Foxx and Guns N' Roses front man Axl Rose.
Wednesday's suits follow a rape complaint against rapper Sean Combs, filed last week by R&B singer Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura.
A day after that filing, the parties said they had agreed to resolve the case, but did not disclose the settlement terms.
Former US president Donald Trump was also sued under the law by former magazine columnist E. Jean Carroll, whom a jury awarded $2 million in May.
Adams, a former police officer who took office in January 2022 as New York's second Black mayor in history, also faces a corruption investigation into campaign financing. Federal investigators are probing whether Adams's 2021 campaign conspired with Turkey's government and other actors.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The head of the United Nations children's agency on Wednesday called the besieged Gaza Strip "the most dangerous place in the world to be a child," and said that the hard-won truce deal between Israel and Hamas was not enough to save their lives.
UNICEF's executive director Catherine Russell told the UN Security Council that over 5,300 children have reportedly been killed in Gaza since Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, accounting for 40 percent of the deaths.
"This is unprecedented," said Russell, who had just returned from a trip to southern Gaza. "I am haunted by what I saw and heard."
Russell welcomed a deal reached Wednesday by Israel and Hamas to free hostages and pause ferocious fighting and bombardment in Gaza.
Some 240 people -- ranging from infants to the elderly -- were taken captive during the October 7 attack by Hamas militants that killed about 1,200 in Israel, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.
But Russell said that a pause is not enough and called for "an urgent humanitarian ceasefire to immediately put a stop to this carnage."
"For children to survive..., for humanitarian workers to stay and effectively deliver..., humanitarian pauses are simply not enough," she said.
Russell said that an additional 1,200 children are believed to remain under the rubble of bombed-out buildings or are otherwise unaccounted for.
"In addition to bombs, rockets, and gunfire, Gaza's children are at extreme risk from catastrophic living conditions," Russell added.
"One million children -- or all children inside the territory -- are now food insecure, facing what could soon become a catastrophic nutrition crisis."
UNICEF estimates that acute malnutrition in children could increase by nearly 30 per cent in Gaza over the next months.
Also addressing the Security Council, the head of the United Nations Population Fund, Natalia Kanem, drew attention to the plight of Gaza's pregnant women, with some 5,500 expected to deliver babies under appalling conditions in the coming month.
"At a moment when new life is beginning, what should be a moment of joy is overshadowed by death and destruction, horror and fear," said Kanem.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
After more than a thousand of its workers went to fight Russia's invasion, a coal mining enterprise in eastern Ukraine suffered a huge staff shortage. Its answer was to allow women to work underground for the first time in its history.
Over a hundred took up the offer.
"I took this job because the war started and there were no other jobs," 22-year-old Krystyna said candidly.
For five months, she has worked as a technician 470 metres below ground, servicing the small electric trains which haul workers more than four kilometres from the lift shaft where they descend to the seams of coal.
The mine, a vast tower with shafts running more than 600 metres under the surface, juts out against the flat landscape and the grey November weather.
Reuters was asked by the mine's management not to name it or give the surnames of those interviewed.
Krystyna only resolved to take the job after overcoming her fear of leaving her four-year-old son, Denys, at home with her mother. Her hometown of Pavlohrad is 100 km (62 miles) from the front, but is often hit by Russian missiles.
The work is interesting but difficult, she said: the battery lids are heavy and the steam can be unpleasant. The pay is good, however, and she feels a sense of duty to stay and do her bit for those who have gone to fight.
Her beloved older brother worked in the same mine. He joined the army two weeks after the start of the full-scale invasion, Krystyna said, adding that she worries greatly about him.
"Our boys were taken to the front, and now we need to support them: there is no-one else to work in the mine now."
Ukraine's coal industry, once one of the largest in Europe, has suffered decades of decline since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The centrally-managed internal market which it supplied suddenly ceased to exist.
Russia-backed militias in eastern Ukraine took over many coal-rich regions in 2014. After the 2022 invasion, Russia occupied even more mines.
DTEK, the mine's owner and Ukraine's largest private energy company, says nearly 3,000 of its 20,000 mineworkers are fighting.
Of the thousand miners at this mine and its nearby twin enterprise who went to fight, 42 have been killed.
Although some women worked in the mines before the war, they were barred from doing jobs underground by the government, which considered the work too physically demanding, a policy in place since the Soviet era.
After the wartime repeal of that ban, about 400 women now work underground at DTEK's mines -- although that is only 2.5% of the total subterranean workforce.
"We do everything on the same level as the men-- unless its something very heavy that we can't lift," 43-year-old Natalia, who also works as a technician inspecting the trains, said.
She used to work in a shop selling electronics until she lost that job when Ukrainian businesses closed their doors during the initial shock of the invasion.
When Natalia decided to work in the mine, her 19-year-old son had already worked in a neighbouring mine for a year.
"Actually I had been convincing him not to go and work there," she recalled, but she said she was now happily working in the mine and planned to stay, even after the war.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
North Korea claimed Wednesday to have successfully put its first military surveillance satellite into orbit, with the South also preparing to send up its first spy satellite later this month.
The two launch attempts, set to come in such quick succession, appear to be the beginnings of a space race on the Korean peninsula.
Here, AFP takes a look at what we know about the new competition between the North and South:
Why does North Korea want the satellite?
North Korea first tried -- and failed -- to launch a satellite in 1998. In 2021, leader Kim Jong Un made developing a military spy satellite a key regime goal.
Pyongyang wants to monitor areas of strategic interest, including South Korea and Guam, experts say.
Real-time monitoring capacity "effectively means the advancement of preemptive strike capabilities", said Lim Eul-chul, associate professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies.
Seoul and Washington have called the launches veiled ballistic missile tests, as space launch rockets and ballistic missiles have significant technological overlap, but different payloads.
However, if the North keeps launching satellites -- potentially even seeking Moscow's help to send some skyward from Russian spaceports -- it would indicate Kim is genuinely interested in space, said Cha Du-hyeogn, an analyst at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies.
"If North Korea repeats failures again and again, insisting only on domestic launches, that would suggest its main purpose is to improve ballistic missile performance," Cha added.
Did the launch work?
While Japanese officials have warned there is no evidence that Pyongyang's Tuesday night launch was indeed a success, North Korean state media claimed on Wednesday that Kim had reviewed images taken by the satellite of a US Air Force base in Guam.
"State-controlled media claims of a successful launch do not mean the satellite will actually perform meaningful reconnaissance functions," said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
South Korea, which recovered debris from North Korea's previous failed satellite launches earlier this year, said they had no military value.
But Tuesday night's launch comes after a September meeting between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who suggested Moscow could help.
And Pyongyang has clearly improved since its last attempt, securing the engine thrust to stably lift a 300 kilogram payload into orbit, said Cha of the Asan Institute.
This can translate into direct military gains, giving the North "the capability to load nuclear warheads without excessive miniaturisation", he added.
So did Russia help?
Seoul has warned Russia is providing Kim with technical advice, in exchange for arms transfers for use in Ukraine.
Analysts say Russia's role appears to be mainly in the "software", given the short time span from the Kim-Putin summit to the third launch.
"If there had been a serious error to fix, such as a hardware change or a design change, a launch in November would have been physically impossible," said Chang Young-keun, a professor at Korea Aerospace University.
Cha of the Asan Institute added that if Russian engineers were involved, they would have helped with the launch coordinates, the stage separation point and know-how on assembling major parts.
"This proves that North Korea still has software problems -- in addition to hardware problems -- with its major weapon systems," he said.
What about South Korea?
South Korea does not have its own military reconnaissance satellites and relies on the United States to help it monitor North Korea's activities.
Seoul's finalised plan to put its own domestically built spy satellite into orbit was recently unveiled, with a launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket set for November 30.
If it works, it will be a huge boon for Seoul, experts say.
"Seoul will be able to independently obtain intelligence on North Korea's military trends that it previously obtained from the US and Japan," Ahn Chan-il, a defector-turned-researcher who runs the World Institute for North Korea Studies, told AFP.
Up until now, it has been "quite difficult" for the South to monitor North Korea "24 hours a day with US military assets alone", military analyst Shin Jong-woo told local media.
Experts say that having its own military spy satellite holds significant importance for Seoul, especially considering that North Korea enshrined in law the right to preemptively use nuclear weapons last year.
Is this a new 'space power era'?
South Korea sent up its first lunar orbiter, Danuri, last year on a SpaceX rocket. It also became one of a handful of countries to successfully launch a one-tonne payload using its own rocket last year.
The November 30 launch of Seoul's first homegrown military spy satellite from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base would "lay the foundation for opening a full-fledged space power era" for the country, Minister of Defense Acquisition Program Administration Eom Dong-hwan said in October.
The upcoming launch is part of Seoul's ambitious billion-dollar "425 Project", which aims to deploy five high-resolution medium- to large-sized military satellites into orbit by 2025.
North Korea, for its part, has also vowed to launch more satellites "in a short span of time" to step up its surveillance of South Korea, state media said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian diaspora panel has sought to include Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on the no-fly list over his recent threat towards the Indian government and Air India to blow up the flight on November 19.The Israeli Cabinet will meet at 8 pm (Israeli local time) on Tuesday to approve a deal for the release of dozens of hostages from Gaza, The Times of Israel reported.
Some 50 children, mothers, and other women are reported to be freed by Hamas over 4-5 days, the report stated.
Further, according to Israeli media, the agreement is focused on Israeli hostages, mainly women and children, with talks on releasing foreign hostages not currently on the table.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office stated in a release, "In light of developments on the issue of the release of our hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will, this evening, convene the War Cabinet at 18:00, the Security Cabinet at 19:00, and the Government at 20:00."
Hamas and other terror factions in Gaza abducted some 240 people from Israel during the October 7 attacks, including about 40 children, elderly people and dozens of Thai and Nepali nationals.
The hostage deal will include the release of some 150 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, among them female and minor prisoners, The Times of Israel reported citing Channel 12.
Channel 12 stated further that the hostage releases could begin on Thursday or Friday. The report says the ceasefire could be extended to allow the release of more hostages following the initial 50 or so.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said his country will need to make "difficult decisions" with regard to the hostages held by the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip.
"We are moving step by step towards the total defeat of Hamas and getting closer to bringing the hostages home," Gallant said following an assessment with military officials at the Gaza Division base in southern Israel.
"I think we will all have to make difficult, important decisions in the coming days," he says. "There is not a moment throughout this campaign--45 days--that I don't think about the hostages," Gallant added.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Tuesday morning posted a video on X, depicting the reasons behind Hamas supposedly using the Shifa Hospital as a place to hold hostages.
Along with the shared video was a text that read, "This is WHY Hamas brought hostages to the Shifa Hospital after the October 7 massacre. Why is Hamas still holding over 200 civilians hostage 44 days later?"
The military wing of the state of Israel declared, "This is the question the world should be asking."
On October 7, Hamas conducted an offensive operation into Israel, reportedly rebelling against the Israeli regime. In the process, the group took over 200 people hostage, transporting them into the Gaza Strip.
In the video, the IDF stated, "Thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, amidst their massacre, they abducted over 200 innocent people and brought them into Gaza by brute force."
On World Children's Day, Israel shared pictures of children held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, stressing that there are more than 30 children, including babies and toddlers.
They further urged the international community to take action to bring them home.
"While your children are at school, there are currently more than 30 Israeli babies, toddlers and children being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. On #WorldChildrensDay we demand action from the international community. BRING OUR CHILDREN HOME!," Israel shared the post on X.
In another post, they shared the images of these children and emphasised that these children should be with their families and not in a dark room in Gaza.
"Look at each and every one of their faces. These are the babies, toddlers and children being held hostage by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. They should be with their families. Not in a dark room somewhere in Gaza. BRING THEM HOME!" the post read.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Sam Altman and OpenAI's board have opened discussions with the aim of bringing back the former CEO of the artificial intelligence startup, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Discussions are happening between Altman and at least one board member, Adam D'Angelo, the report said, adding that the former CEO could return as a director on a transitional board.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said on a CNBC interview on Monday that he was open to staff staying at OpenAI or coming to the Windows maker. He said governance at the ChatGPT maker needed to change no matter where Altman ended up.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
At first, the young mother couldn't find her newborn son, Anas, among the 31 tiny babies who had just arrived in southern Gaza after being evacuated from Gaza City's devastated Al Shifa Hospital. She hadn't seen him for 45 days.
"I was losing hope to see my baby alive," said Warda Sbeta in an interview with Reuters TV on Tuesday.
She and her husband frantically checked the list of names provided by the head of the neonatal unit where the babies were being cared for, at a hospital in Rafah, and there it was, Anas's name in black and white.
"I felt alive again, grateful to God that we now have our baby safely in our care," said Sbeta, speaking at the hospital as she watched over her sleeping son, whom she had dressed in a light blue sleepsuit and matching hat.
Sbeta smiled as she held him in her hands and her husband helped her to wrap him in a white swaddling blanket with pink ribbons and a hood. Once he was bundled up, she cradled him against her chest.
Sbeta, 32, has seven older children and the family, whose home was in Gaza City before the war, are now living in a school in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, that has become a shelter for hundreds of people displaced from the north of the strip.
Sbeta was offered the option of being evacuated to Egypt with Anas so he could receive further medical care, but she did not want to leave her husband and her other children.
"I can't leave them with only their father. He won't be able to look after them. So I was obliged to refuse this offer," she said.
Anas was one of only three out of the 31 premature babies rescued from Al Shifa who stayed behind in Gaza. Of the other two, one was unidentified, according to doctors at the Rafah hospital. They did not give information about the third baby.
When doctors at Al Shifa first raised the alarm nine days ago about the premature babies in their care, 39 of the infants were alive, but eight died because of the dire conditions before the evacuation to Rafah and Egypt could be organised.
A World Health Organization official said on Tuesday that two of the eight had died the night before the evacuation.
'IS HE ALIVE?'
Out of the 31 who were transported to Rafah on Sunday, 28 were evacuated to Egypt on Monday. UNICEF spokesman James Elder said on Tuesday that 20 of them were unaccompanied and eight were with their mothers. There were seven mothers as two of the infants were twins.
Elder said some of the 20 unaccompanied babies were orphans, while for others there was no information about their families. "It all underlines the horrific situation for families in Gaza," he said.
For Anas, the safety of Egypt was out of reach, but the separation from his family was over.
Sbeta said that Anas was being treated at Al Shifa when war broke out on Oct. 7, the day when Hamas militants rampaged through southern Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping 240, according to Israeli figures.
Israel responded with a military assault on Gaza that has killed some 13,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in the Hamas-controlled enclave, and has made three quarters of the population homeless, according to U.N. data.
Like hundreds of thousands of others in the northern Gaza Strip, Sbeta and the rest of the family fled their home for southern Gaza, while Anas stayed behind at Al Shifa as the hospital gradually ran out of power, water, food and medicines.
"They called us from Al Shifa to come and take the baby but it was hard for us to return. The route out of Gaza City was open, but the way back was closed," she said.
The anguish of separation worsened when Israeli forces last week entered Al Shifa, which Israel says has been used by Hamas as a base for its operations - an assertion denied by Hamas - and the family lost communication with the hospital.
"We completely lost any news about the baby. We were not able to know anything about him. Is he alive? Is he dead? Is someone giving him milk?" said Sbeta.
With communications patchy at the shelter in Khan Younis, the parents were struggling to get any solid information, until other displaced people living in the school told them they had heard the babies were being moved south.
The parents rushed to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, but were told they had to go to the maternity hospital in Rafah, where they were finally reunited with Anas.
On Tuesday, he was well enough to leave the hospital. His parents were taking him to the school in Khan Younis, their wartime refuge, to start a new life with his seven brothers and sisters.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish rescuers recovered the body of a crew member of a cargo ship that sank off Turkiye's Black Sea coast in severe storms, officials said on Sunday. Eleven other crew were reported missing. The Turkish-flagged Kafkametler sank on Sunday after hitting a breakwater outside the harbour of the town of Eregli, some 200 kilometres east of Istanbul.A UN protectorate in Gaza would not solve the conflict there, the body's Secretary-General said Monday, calling instead for a "transition period" involving Arab nations and the United States and leading to a two-state solution.
Antonio Guterres said it was "important to be able to transform this tragedy into an opportunity" -- which, for him, meant moving "in a determined and irreversible way to a two-state solution."
This means, after the current war between Israel and Hamas fighters in Gaza ends, "a strengthened Palestinian Authority, assuming responsibilities in Gaza," he said.
But the Palestinian Authority cannot go into Gaza backed by Israeli tanks, he added -- meaning the "international community needs to look into a transition period."
"I do not think that a UN protectorate in Gaza is a solution," however, Guterres said.
Instead, he called for a "multi-stakeholder approach" that would see the US act as the "main guarantor" of Israel's security, while Arab nations are "essential" to support Palestinians.
"Everybody needs to come together to create the conditions for the transition, allowing for a strengthened Palestinian Authority to assume responsibilities in Gaza," and from there to a two-state solution, he said.
Guterres also again denounced the killing of civilians -- especially children -- in Gaza as Israel wages a relentless air and ground campaign in retaliation for the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
For seven years now he has published a "list of shame" of parties to armed conflict who commit grave violations against children. Israel's absence from the list has previously been criticized by human rights organizations.
Without saying whether that may change this year, Guterres put the number of children killed in Gaza into stark context.
In the "shame" reports, the highest number of children killed in one year by one actor was the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2017-2018, followed by the Syrian government and its allies before 2020. Both times the tally was in the hundreds.
"Without entering into discussing the accuracy of the numbers that were published by de facto authorities in Gaza, what is clear is that we have had in a few weeks thousands of children killed," Guterres told reporters.
"We are witnessing a killing of civilians that is unparalleled and unprecedented in any conflict since I am Secretary-General."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A deal to secure the release of some of the hostages held in Gaza by Hamas operatives is closer than ever in the Islamist group's war with Israel, a White House official said on Sunday.
White House deputy national security adviser Jon Finer said an agreement to free "considerably more than 12" hostages would also likely include an extended pause in the fighting and allow for the distribution of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
Fighting raged on Sunday, with Hamas operatives battling Israeli forces trying to push into Gaza's largest refugee camp, the day after Israeli and US officials denied a Washington Post report that a deal had been reached.
"What I can say at this point is that some of the outstanding areas of disagreement, in a very complicated, very sensitive negotiation, have been narrowed," Finer told NBC's "Meet the Press" program.
"I believe we are closer than we have been in quite some time, maybe closer than we have been since the beginning of this process, to getting this deal done," he added.
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog also said in an interview on ABC's "This Week" that Israel is hopeful a significant number of hostages could be released by Hamas "in coming days."
But Finer cautioned: "Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. Sensitive negotiations like this can fall apart at the last minute."
Hamas took about 240 hostages during its deadly cross-border rampage into Israeli communities on Oct. 7, which prompted Israel to lay siege to Gaza and invade the Palestinian territory to eradicate its ruling Islamist group.
"We're talking about considerably more than 12 (hostages)," Finer told NBC.
"This could and would likely include an extended period of a pause in the fighting, a multiple-day period," he added. "It would enable us, we believe, to get more humanitarian assistance into Gaza. That's a priority under any circumstances."
Finer also said Israel should not conduct combat operations against Hamas in the south of Gaza until military planners have taken into account the safety of fleeing Palestinian civilians.
"In the event that Israel is likely to embark on combat operations, including in the south, we believe ... that they have the right to do that," Finer told CBS' Face the Nation program in a separate interview.
"We think that their operations should not go forward until those people, those additional civilians, have been accounted for in their military planning," he said.
Israel's blitz has reduced swaths of the north to rubble, while some two-thirds of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have been displaced to the south.
Gaza's Health Ministry has raised its death count from Israeli bombardment to 12,300, including 5,000 children.
Finer urged Israel to draw lessons from its military operations in the north of Gaza and provide enhanced protections for civilians by narrowing the area of active combat and by specifying where civilians can seek refuge.
On Saturday, Israel warned civilians in parts of southern Gaza to relocate as it girds for an offensive from the north.
The south has been repeatedly bombarded by Israel, rendering Israeli promises of safety absurd, Palestinians say.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy opened up about his 'Hindu' faith, emphasizing that it provides him with freedom and has motivated him to undertake this presidential campaign as a moral obligation.
Speaking at 'The Family Leader' forum organized by The Daily Signal platform on Saturday, the Indian-American entrepreneur drew parallels between the teachings of Hinduism and Christianity, expressing his intention to promote shared values for the benefit of the next generation.
Mr Ramaswamy said, "My faith is what gives me my freedom. My faith is what led me to this presidential campaign...I am a Hindu. I believe there is one true God. I believe god put each of us here for a purpose. My faith teaches us that we have a duty, a moral duty to realise that purpose. Those are God's instruments that work through us in different ways, but we are still equal because God resides in each of us. That's the core of my faith".
Speaking about his upbringing, he said that he was instilled with values surrounding family, marriage, and respect for parents.
"I grew up in a traditional household. My parents taught me family is the foundation. Respect your parents. Marriage is sacred. Abstinence before marriage is the way to go. Adultery is wrong. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Divorce is not just some preference you opt for...you get married before God and you make an oath to God and your family," Mr Ramaswamy said.
The Ohio-based bio-tech entrepreneur also drew parallels between Hindu and Christian faiths and said that these are the 'shared values' of God, and he will stand for those shared values.
"I went to Christian High School. What do we learn? We learned the 10 commandments. We read the Bible. Scriptures class. God is real. There is one true God. Don't take his name in vain. Respect your parents. Don't lie. Don't steal. Don't commit adultery. What I learned at that time, is that these values are familiar to me. They don't belong to Hindus. But, they don't belong to Christians either. They belong to God actually. And I think these are the values that undergird this country," Mr Ramaswamy said.
He added, "Can I be a President who can promote Christianity across the country? I can't...I don't think that's what we should want a US President to do either...but will I stand for those shared values? Will I promote them in the examples that we set for the next generations? You are damn right, I will! Because that's my duty".
The Republican leader further said that as a president it will be his responsibility to make faith, family, hard work, patriotism, and faith "cool" again in the US.
"One of the teachings is that we don't choose who God chooses to work through. That's not our choice, that belongs to God...so yes are founded on Judai-Christian values and these are values that I deeply share....as a president, it is my duty to make faith and family and hard work and patriotism, but faith includes, cool again in this country for the next generation.
Notably, 38-year-old Vivek Ramaswamy is a native of southwest Ohio. His mother was a geriatric psychiatrist and his father worked as an engineer at General Electric. His parents migrated to the US from Kerala.
Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign has gained attention, and he has risen in GOP primary polls, although he still trails behind Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in support.
The next US presidential election is scheduled for November 5, 2024.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US Republicans on Wednesday (November 15) launched a Congressional Hindu Caucus in order to advocate the concerns and issues of the Hindu-American community. This came after Democrat Shrinivas Thanedar launched a Congressional Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain American Caucus in the month of September. The Policy Advisor of Congressional Hindu Caucus, Shalabh “Shalli” Kumar addressed the gathering at the grand inauguration event in Washington DC at Hyatt Regency on November 15. The event was attended by 18 members of US Congress along with Chairwoman Elise Stefanik. Shalabh Kumar said, "Let me begin by thanking Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and Congressman Pete Sessions for forming the Congressional Hindu Caucus and all the members of Congress who are on the stage who have joined the caucus. I would also like to thank President Trump who as a candidate for President of the United States, for the first time recognized the relevance of Hindu community on October 15, 2016 by attending a Hindu American rally and speaking the now famous words “We love Hindus” and “We love India”. He also recorded a phrase in Hindi “Ab Ki Baar Trump Sarkar” that went viral with 1.2 billion views worldwide." {embedvidgyor:2023/11/w02grk7u} By the way, President Trump is not done yet recording Hindi phrases. Last year in 2022 he said, “Bharat and America, Sabse Acche Dost”, that is India and the US are best of all friends. He also endorsed the idea of the Congressional Hindu Caucus at last year's celebration of Diwali at Mar-a-Lago. Know more about Congressional Hindu Caucus: More than 150 members of the US House of Representatives have committed to becoming members of the Congressional Hindu Caucus, making it one of the largest caucuses in the US Congress that would be actively engaged in enacting legislation and passing resolutions important to the Hindu American community. So who is a Hindu? As a starter, Hinduism is not a religion. I will repeat it again, Hinduism is not a religion. Let me spend a few moments enlightening this distinguished gathering of more than 20 members of US Congress and also many of the 800 plus Hindus from across the United States as to who is a Hindu. The White House on Friday condemned the owner of social media platform X and the world's richest person, Elon Musk, for "abhorrent promotion" of anti-Semitism.
Referring to Elon Musk's post on X, formerly called Twitter, in which he endorsed an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said it was "unacceptable" to repeat such a "hideous lie."
"We condemn this abhorrent promotion of anti-Semitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans," Bates said. "We all have a responsibility to bring people together against hate, and an obligation to speak out against anyone who attacks the dignity of their fellow Americans and compromises the safety of our communities."
The White House was reacting to a post by Elon Musk in which the controversial Tesla and SpaceX tycoon replied to an anti-Semitic post on X with the words: "You have said the actual truth."
The original post has been perceived by the White House and the US media as a reference to a longtime conspiracy theory among White supremacists that Jews have a secret plan to bring in illegal immigrants to weaken white majorities.
Most notoriously, the idea was promoted by the man who carried out a mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in 2018, killing 11 people.
"It is unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of anti-Semitism in American history at any time, let alone one month after the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," Bates said, referring to the October 7 assault by Palestinian group Hamas on Israel.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner on Wednesday announced that the next parliamentary elections will be held on January 7 next year, amid increased political tensions following the opposition's campaign demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation to allow an interim government to conduct the polls.Amazon has announced that employees who do not show up for work three times a week will be blocked from promotions, as per a report in the Independent. The company told managers that a higher office-to-home ratio is a must for employees who wish to advance in their careers. If they do not adhere to the same, employees would need approval from the Vice President.
"Managers own the promotion process, which means it is their responsibility to support your growth through regular conversations and stretch assignments, and to complete all required inputs for a promotion. If your role is expected to work from the office 3+ days a week and you are not in compliance, your manager will be made aware and VP approval will be required," the internal memo stated.
This comes after the e-commerce company implemented a policy in February this year requiring workers to report to work three days a week starting in May. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the workplace, with companies sending employees home to work remotely. Even as lockdowns eased around the world, a large population of employees remained remote or in a hybrid environment. In a message that was posted on Amazon's blog, CEO Andy Jassy wrote the decision was taken at a meeting and that the move would make it easier to learn and collaborate. The company added there would be some exceptions to the rule - customer support roles and salespeople would have the option of working remotely.
Many staff members resisted the policy and around 30,000 employees petitioned Amazon to do away with its office rules in March 2023. At a protest at the company's Seattle headquarters in May, hundreds of Amazon employees voiced their opposition to the new policy.
Later in August, the CEO told staff, "It's past the time to disagree and commit. If you can't disagree and commit, it's probably not going to work out for you at Amazon because we are going back to the office at least three days a week."
Meanwhile, Amazon.com cut around 180 jobs in its games division, at least the second round of layoffs in under a week by the online retailer and digital streaming provider in a broader restructuring, an email viewed on Monday by Reuters showed. "After our initial restructuring in April, it became clear that we needed to focus our resources even more on the areas that are growing with the highest potential to drive our business forward," said Christoph Hartmann, Vice President of Amazon Games.
Ahead of a key meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in San Francisco, US President Joe Biden on Tuesday implied that he hopes to get back on a "normal course of corresponding" to the extent that both leaders would pick the phone and talk to each other in case of a crisis.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on Wednesday said that it has launched a "targeted military operation" against Hamas inside al-Shifa, Gaza's largest hospital, where thousands of Palestinians are believed to have taken shelter as the war entered its 40th day.
In a tragic incident, two persons were killed and a third sustained injury when a small plane crashed in the mountains south of Salt Lake City in the United States. Addressing a press conference, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said that the two apparently lost their lives on impact and the third was walking around when rescuers arrived in the area east of Provo on Tuesday afternoon (local time). Elon Musk on Wednesday denied a report that his rocket company SpaceX was discussing an initial public offering (IPO) for its satellite internet business, Starlink, as soon as 2024.
He called it "false" in a reply to a post on social media platform X that shared a Bloomberg News report saying SpaceX had been moving the unit's assets to a wholly owned unit that would ultimately be spun off.
The billionaire entrepreneur has previously said he intended to list Starlink when revenue growth and cash flow became smooth and predictable. Earlier this month, he said Starlink had achieved cash-flow breakeven.
SpaceX has an estimated value of $150 billion and was the first private company to send humans into orbit. Its breakthroughs have left rivals, including Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin scrambling to keep pace as reusable rockets significantly reduce launch costs.
The Starlink unit is the world's largest satellite operator. On Wednesday, it obtained a contract to offer free internet in Mexico until the end of 2026.
"I believe he (Musk) will take Starlink out, not next year, but maybe 2025, 2026. He's waiting for a level of stability or predictability in revenue," said Justus Parmar, founder and CEO of venture capital firm Fortuna Investments.
When the IPO happens, it will "be an extremely strong catalyst for everything space related", Parmar said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A prominent Mexican magistrate who was the country's first citizen to be granted a non-binary passport was found dead on Monday, authorities said.
The body of Jesus Ociel Baena, an "activist of the LGBTIQ+ community and that of another person were found in a house in Aguascalientes", the state prosecutor's office said.
The death could be related to a "personal matter", prosecutors said, ruling out the possibility of a third person at the scene.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of both deaths, officials said.
Baena, 38, became Mexico's first non-binary magistrate to serve on an electoral tribunal in October 2022.
Baena received the country's first passport that did not mention the holder's gender on May 17, with Mexico's former foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard hailing it a "historic day".
At the end of July, authorities granted Baena protection following "multiple attacks" and social media "death threats", Baena said.
The death sparked protests by the LGBTQ community in the Latin American country.
In Mexico City, dozens of people carrying candles and multi-coloured flags gathered to call for justice following Baena's death.
Rights advocacy group Letra S took to X, formerly Twitter, to urge Mexican authorities to investigate "thoroughly and without prejudice what happened".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Hours after it was reported that British-Indian Home Secretary Suella Braverman was sacked over her controversial remarks, local media claimed James Cleverly has just been announced as her successor. According to a report by Sky News, Cleverly, who has served as foreign secretary since September last year, will now take on the Home Office after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak fired his prominent member from his cabinet this morning.Israel has raised about 30 billion shekels ($7.8 billion) in debt since the start of the war with Hamas militants, the Finance Ministry said on Monday.
Slightly more than half of that - 16 billion shekels - was dollar-denominated debt raised in issuances in international markets, it said.
The ministry on Monday raised another 3.7 billion shekels in the local market in its weekly bond auction.
"The financing capabilities of the State of Israel allow the government to fully and optimally finance all its needs," the ministry's accountant-general division said.
The war that began on Oct. 7 when Hamas gunmen rampaged through Israeli towns has sharply boosted Israel's expenses to fund the military as well as to compensate businesses near the border and families of victims and hostages taken by Hamas. At the same time, tax income has slowed.
As a result, Israel recorded a budget deficit of 22.9 billion shekels in October, a leap from 4.6 billion in September and pushing up the deficit over the prior 12 months to 2.6%.
The ministry said it would continue to operate "in all channels in order to finance the government's activities, including all the needs arising from the ... war and the economic and civil aid to the home front."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to "open the taps" to help those impacted by the war, which economists believe will sharply push up the deficit and debt to GDP ratio through 2024.
But Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron has said the government needs to balance "supporting the economy and maintaining a sound fiscal position."
Credit rating agencies have already warned they could cut Israel's ratings if debt metrics deteriorate.
The accountant general denied an Israeli media report that the state would apply for a loan from the Bank of Israel for the first time since 1986.
($1 = 3.8635 shekels)
(Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
A US military aircraft crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea, US European Command said on Saturday (November 11). The command said in a statement that the aircraft went down while conducting training operations. The cause for the crash is under investigation, however, there are no indications of any hostile activity involved, it said.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Wednesday in California for talks on trade, Taiwan and managing fraught US-Chinese relations in the first engagement between the leaders of the world's two biggest economies in nearly a year, Biden administration officials said.Dr Ruth Westheimer, a well-known media figure and sex therapist, has been appointed as New York state's honorary ambassador to loneliness, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday. According to a press release, this development is intended to assist an underserved mental health need. Dr Westheimer is aiming to help New Yorkers with social isolation, which is associated with physical and mental health issues such as cardiovascular disease, depression and premature death.
"As New York works to fight the loneliness epidemic, some help from honorary Ambassador Ruth Westheimer may be just what the doctor ordered," Governor Hochul said in a statement. "Studies show individuals experiencing loneliness had a 32 percent higher risk of dying early and we need leaders like Dr. Ruth to help address this critical component of our mental health crisis," she added.
As per the press note, Dr Westheimer is a survivor orphaned by the Holocaust. She rose to prominence as a sex therapist and syndicated talk show host on both radio and television during the 1980s and 1990s. It was last year, the 95-year-old suggested the idea of becoming an 'ambassador' for the state in a bid to provide fellow New Yorkers will advice on how to address loneliness and isolation, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Hallelujah!" Dr Westheimer said in a news release. "I am deeply honored and promised the Governor that I will work day and night to help New Yorkers feel less lonely," she added.
Also Read | Meet 'Mika', The World's First Ever AI Humanoid Robot CEO
Loneliness is defined as the feeling of being alone, regardless of the amount of social contact, while social isolation refers to a lack of social connections, as per the press release. More than a third of adults 45 or older experience loneliness, while nearly a quarter of adults 65 and older are considered socially isolated, a study by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine found.
Therefore, under Ms Hochul's leadership, New York is working to create "age-friendly communities and build a more robust system of mental health care," according to the news release. Last year, Governor Hochul also signed an executive order to create the state's first-ever Master Plan for Aging to ensure older New Yorkers can live healthy, fulfilling lives while ageing with dignity and independence.
Notably, Dr Westheimer's honorary appointment underlines Ms Hochul's recent emphasis on ageing and social needs.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday decided to hear an appeal by now-dead former military dictator Pervez Musharraf against the special court majority judgment that handed him a death sentence on treason charges in 2019.
Pervez Musharraf, who died on February 5 this year, had filed the appeal four years ago.
"A four-member larger bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faiz Isa, heard the appeal against a decision to dissolve the special court that was previously hearing the Pervez Musharraf treason case," The Express Tribune newspaper reported.
The bench - the other three judges are Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Aminud Din Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah - entertained different bars and lawyers' petitions against the Lahore High Court's (LHC) judgment that had declared Pervez Musharraf's trial as void.
A three-judge special court of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth, Justice Nazar Akbar, and Justice Shahid Karim in the 2-1 split verdict on December 17, 2019, had found Pervez Musharraf guilty of high treason under Article 6 for violation of the Constitution and sentenced him to death in absentia.
The judgment angered the country's powerful army that has ruled over Pakistan for most of the period during its 75-plus years of existence. It was the first time a former top military official had faced such a sentence for treason in Pakistan.
The death sentence was later annulled by the Lahore High Court.
On Friday, hearing the petition nine months after Pervez Musharraf's death, the top court inquired why the appeal had not been fixed for a hearing for the past four years, and lamented that it is unfortunate that despite one judge's order in the chamber, the appeal was not fixed for the last four years, the newspaper said.
"If we are not accountable to our system, then how will we be accountable to others," the paper quoted Chief Justice Isa as saying.
Pervez Musharraf's counsel, advocate Salman Safdar stated that in February 2020, Justice Umar Ata Bandial had ordered the office to fix the former military dictator's appeal against the Registrar's objections before the larger bench but the case was not listed for the last four years.
The counsel stated that the appeal is a continuity of trial and this should have been heard. Pervez Musharraf, through Safdar, had filed the plea to set aside the conviction by saying that the trial was conducted and completed "in sheer violation of the Constitution as well as the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1898 as well as the suspension of the judgment in the interest of justice and fair play." "Subsequently, the hearing of the case was adjourned till November 21," The Express Tribune said.
Pervez Musharraf, the architect of the Kargil War in 1999, died in Dubai after a prolonged illness in February 2023. The 79-year-old former military ruler, who had been in the UAE since 2016, was undergoing treatment for amyloidosis at a hospital in Dubai.
The charges against Pervez Musharraf - who was sentenced in absentia by the special court - stemmed from his imposition of a state of emergency in 2007, after which dozens of judges were placed under house arrest or sacked, sparking widespread street protests by lawyers.
Pervez Musharraf was booked in the high treason case in December 2013 when his old rival, Nawaz Sharif, was in power. He was indicted on March 31, 2014, but the trial was delayed and he left for Dubai two years later to seek treatment.
Pervez Musharraf's trial and conviction was the first of its kind for violating Article 6 of the Constitution, which states, "Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance the Constitution by use of force or show force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason."
It would be interesting to note the proceedings as Pervez Musharraf died this year and the Special Court verdict to hang him even after his death for violating the Constitution was not implemented. Pervez Musharraf was in the UAE at the time of the decision by the court and never returned until his death when his body was flown and he was buried in Karachi.
"We direct the law enforcement agencies to strive their level best to apprehend the fugitive/convict and to ensure that the punishment is inflicted as per law and if found dead, his corpse be dragged to the D-Chowk, Islamabad, Pakistan (a large public square near Pakistan's parliament, presidency, and Supreme Court) and be hanged for 03 days," the verdict read.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Fighting raged in Gaza on Thursday more than a month after Hamas's shock October 7 attack triggered a furious response from Israel aimed at destroying the Islamist group.
More than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel in the attack, according to Israeli officials.
In Gaza, upwards of 10,500 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed in the war, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory has said.
Here are five key developments from the past 24 hours:
Israeli and Hamas forces are locked in heavy, close-quarters fighting in Gaza, with Israel saying a 10-hour battle had toppled a Hamas "stronghold".
The army said it had secured the military position in Jabalia after fighting both above ground and in Hamas's tunnel network.
It said it had killed dozens of operatives, while the overall death number for Israel's troops in the offensive has risen to 34.
Tens of thousands of Gazans have fled south to escape the violence, with 50,000 leaving in the past day alone, the army said.
French President Emmanuel Macron called for a Gaza ceasefire as he opened a conference on aid for the besieged territory.
"In the immediate term, we need to work on protecting civilians. To do that, we need a humanitarian pause very quickly and we must work towards a ceasefire," Macron told delegates in Paris.
Israel is not attending the talks and has opposed calls for a ceasefire without all hostages being released.
An Israeli military official has denied there is a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"We know the civil situation in the Gaza Strip is not an easy one," said Colonel Moshe Tetro, head of coordination and liaison at COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body handling civil affairs in the Palestinian territory.
"But I can say that there is no humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip," he added.
Tetro said the military was facilitating the transfer to Gaza of "water, food, medical supplies and humanitarian aid for shelters".
Only the second delivery of medical aid since the war began has arrived at Al-Shifa hospital, the UN said, calling it "far from sufficient".
Italy has said it is sending a hospital ship and field hospital to help Gaza, with the "Vulcano" ship heading initially for Cyprus.
The evacuation of foreigners and wounded Palestinians through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, the only exit point from Gaza not controlled by Israel, has stalled.
Efforts are underway to resume crossings, but without a breakthrough so far.
Moscow expressed shock after being told by Israel it could take two weeks for Russians to be evacuated.
There are currently 7,000 people waiting to depart via Rafah, but only 500-600 are crossing each day the border is open.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again rejected any talk of a ceasefire without the release of hostages.
His comments came after a source close to Hamas said talks were underway for the release of a dozen hostages in Gaza, including six US citizens, in return for a humanitarian pause.
Earlier a source briefed on the process told AFP that Qatar was mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas for the release of hostages.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The Rafah border crossing into Gaza was closed on Wednesday due to an unspecified "security circumstance," US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said.
The United States expects the Egypt-controlled crossing will be reopened at "regular intervals" so that aid can enter the Gaza Strip and foreign nationals can continue to depart, Patel said during a regular press briefing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday strongly called for the resumption of free and unimpeded trade with China in a meeting with his counterpart Li Qiang on his 'historic' visit to Beijing, his first after seven years.An Australian woman wanted to lose weight for her daughter's wedding. Trish Webster, 56, was prescribed Ozempic, a medication primarily used to treat Type 2 diabetes and weight loss. However, her story took a horrific turn after she died from gastrointestinal illness. Her husband is now warning that the popular weight loss drug is "not worth it at all."
Ozempic has become a popular weight-loss drug around the world. According to the New York Post, the drug works by mimicking a natural hormone, GLP-1, which slows down the passage of food through the stomach and intestines, making people feel full longer.
However, it can also lead to problems if the drug slows down the stomach too much or blocks the intestines. Mrs Webster took Ozempic along with the prescription injection Saxenda and lost around 15 kg in five months. The medication initially helped Mrs Webster lose weight quickly, but it soon made her sick.
On January 16, a few months before her daughter's wedding, Mrs Webster's husband found her unconscious with a brown liquid coming out of her mouth.
"She had a little bit of brown stuff coming out of her mouth, and I realized she wasn't breathing and started doing CPR," Roy Webster told 60 Minutes Australia.
"It was just pouring out, and I turned her onto the side because she couldn't breathe."
Mrs Webster died that night and the cause of her death was listed as acute gastrointestinal illness.
"If I knew that could happen, she wouldn't have been taking it," the grieving husband told the media outlet. "I never thought you could die from it."
While doctors have not linked Mrs Webster's death to her Ozempic and Saxenda usage, her husband believes the drugs were the culprits.
"She shouldn't be gone, you know," Roy said. "It's just not worth it, it's not worth it at all."
In a statement, the manufacturer of Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, said the recurring stomach complication ileus was only reported after what it calls its "post-marketing setting", suggesting they only became aware of the problem after the drug was released and became a pharmaceutical blockbuster.
Images of Muslim travellers in collective prayer at a French airport have caused controversy, with the government on Monday vowing 'firmness' and the airport operator describing the incident as regrettable.
The pictures shared virally on Sunday through social media showed several dozen travellers in the departures hall of Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris praying together ahead of a flight to Jordan.
The controversy sparked by the images comes as tensions rise in France over the war between Palestinian group Hamas and Israel.
France is home to large Muslim and Jewish communities.
Transport Minister Clement Beaune wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that airport authorities were fully committed to implementing rules and vowed "firmness".
The prayer at terminal 2B of France's largest airport, in which around 30 travellers took part, lasted around 10 minutes, an airport source who asked not to be named told AFP.
Special closed areas are set aside at the airport for people of all faiths to pray in private.
France is strictly secular and there are limits on displays of religious belief in public spaces such as schools and public buildings including airports.
"This is a regrettable first," the chief executive of operator Aeroports de Paris (ADP), Augustin de Romanet, wrote on X.
"Dedicated places of worship exist," he added.
"The border police have been instructed to prohibit this and will increase their vigilance."
De Romanet also warned against exaggerating the incident "at this time", in an apparent allusion to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The picture was notably shared on social media by Noelle Lenoir, a former European affairs minister under right-wing president Jacques Chirac.
"What does the CEO of Aeroports de Paris do when his airport is transformed into a mosque? Is the change in status official?" she asked sarcastically.
"There are specially dedicated places of worship at the airport," said ruling party MP Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, adding that the authorities had to implement "the rules that prevail in France, including at the airports".
However Luc Carvounas, the Socialist mayor of Alfortville outside Paris accused Panosyan-Bouvet of "clumsy comments that could be compared to Islamophobia" and called on her to "clarify her remarks or even apologise".
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian on Sunday to discuss the raging Israel-Hamas war. The two leaders underscored the importance of preventing further escalation in the region and providing crucial humanitarian support.
They also agreed to maintain communication to address the evolving situation in West Asia.
"Spoke today with Iranian Foreign Minister @Amirabdolahian. Discussed the grave situation in West Asia and the concern of the international community. Conveyed the importance of preventing escalation and providing humanitarian support. Agreed to stay in touch," posted EAM S Jaishankar on X.
Spoke today with Iranian Foreign Minister @Amirabdolahian.
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) November 5, 2023
Discussed the grave situation in West Asia and the concern of the international community.
Conveyed the importance of preventing escalation and providing humanitarian support.
Agreed to stay in touch.
Notably, Israel has continuously alleged that there is an "Iranian hand" in the attack; however, Iran has time and again said that Tehran was not involved in the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel.
As Israel continues to retaliate against the Hamas terror attack by attacking Gaza, the Iranian Ambassador to India, Iraj Elahi, stressed earlier on Thursday that even if Israel successfully weakens Hamas, it cannot erase the idea of resistance against occupation and apartheid, rooted in the hearts of Palestinians.
Iraj Elahi, in an exclusive interview with ANI, said that if this continues, even more Palestinians will join and raise weapons to defend their families.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, a week after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar and agreed to cooperate in "fully achieving" the goals of Hamas and the Palestinian people the Jerusalem Post reported.
This was Haniyeh's first official meeting with Iranian officials since Hamas's assault on southern Israel.
During the meeting, the two agreed to "continue cooperation to fully achieve the goals of Hamas and the Palestinian people," The Jerusalem Post reported, citing a press release by Hamas.
Haniyeh stated that "what comes after this battle is a new history that will not be at all the same as it was before it."
Hossein Amirabdollahian also called Hamas's murder and kidnapping of civilians and soldiers in southern Israel "glorious", as per The Jerusalem Post.
The Israeli Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, said that Iran was involved in the barbaric attack and claimed that Iran supported Hamas in terms of force building and training.
"For us, it is very clear that Iran is involved. We are not sure about the planning, but sure about equipping them for a very long time with building the force and also training them," he said.
Earlier, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei claimed that Israel's "Zionist regime" has "suffered an irrevocable defeat both in terms of military and intelligence," Iranian News Agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)