Month: April 2025

[ad_1] AI generated image of Nuclear bomb test (left), and Kim Yo Jong. (AP image) North Korea’s position as a nuclear weapons state cannot be reversed, no matter how much the United States and its Asian partners demand it, according to a statement by the sister of North Korea’s top leader Kim Jong-un, reported by state media on Wednesday. The remarks were likely a reply to a joint statement made by the foreign ministers of South Korea, Japan, and the United States during a Nato meeting last week. The three ministers repeated their "commitment to the complete denuclearization" of North Korea, according to the statement. North Korea’s nuclear weapons status, along with its "substantial and very strong nuclear deterrent," is a result of outside threats and "it does not change no matter how desperately anyone denies," said Kim Yo Jong, […]

[ad_1] AMRITSAR : With more than 6,500 visas issued to Indian Sikh pilgrims aspiring to participate in the Vaisakhi festival, the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Punjab government of Pakistan have revised their logistical arrangements. This is to ensure smooth facilitation to accommodate the large influx of devotees. The authorities have devised two separate programmes, with both groups celebrating the main Vaisakhi ceremony together at Nankana Sahib on April 14.Last year, the Pakistan High Commission (PHC) issued 2,250 visas for the Vaisakhi celebrations. In previous years, the number typically ranged between 2,500 and 3,000. This year, however, marks the highest number of visas issued by the PHC for Vaisakhi to date, with over 6,500 pilgrims granted permission to attend.Saad Ahmad Warraich, Charge d'Affaires PHC, said, "The large number of visas issued by the govt of Pakistan is […]

[ad_1] China’s second-highest leader Li Qiang said on Tuesday that the country has the necessary tools to handle economic challenges, following widespread tariffs imposed by the United States, China’s main trading partner. "China's macroeconomic policy this year takes full account of various uncertainties and has a sufficient reserve of policy tools," Premier Li Qiang told European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen during a phone call, according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua. "China can fully hedge against adverse external effects, and is fully confident of maintaining sustained and healthy economic development." The comments were made during a phone call on Tuesday, in which both sides discussed ways to bring "stability and predictability" to the global economy after the disruption caused by US tariffs. "The resolute measures taken by China are not only to safeguard its own sovereignty, security and […]

[ad_1] CHENNAI: Former Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) President Kumari Ananthan passed away at the age of 93 after a brief illness.Kumari Ananthan fell ill recently, which led Tamilisai to cut short Prime Minister Narendra Modi's programme in Rameswaram when he came to inaugurate the newly constructed Pamban Bridge. Kumari Ananthan's body is kept at Tamilisai's residence in Saligramam for people to pay their respects.Kumari Ananthan's entire family was involved in politics. He was the father of former Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan . His nephew Vijay Vasanth is the incumbent MP of the Kanyakumari constituency. His younger brother Vasanthakumar was also the MP of the Kanyakumari constituency.Kumari Ananthan served as both MP and MLA. He was first elected as MP from the Nagercoil constituency in 1977 and as MLA from the Thiruvottiyur constituency in 1980.A staunch Gandhian by principle, Kumari […]

[ad_1] This is a representational AI image At least 20 people have died in a devastating fire at a nursing home in northern China, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.The blaze broke out around 9.00 pm local time on Tuesday at a care facility in Longhua County, located in Hebei province—about 180 kilometres from the capital, Beijing. According to authorities, the fire was brought under control, but not before claiming multiple lives.By 3.00 am on Wednesday, 20 fatalities had been confirmed.Several other elderly residents were moved to nearby hospitals for medical evaluation and treatment, Xinhua said, adding that their conditions were being closely monitored.Officials have yet to determine what caused the fire. An investigation is currently underway. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] CHANDIGARH: Gurmeet Ram Rahim, a convict in rape and murder cases and the head of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) Sirsa, was released by the Haryana government on Wednesday morning on a 21-day parole. Earlier in January, the state government had granted him a 30-day parole. With this, the controversial preacher has been released for a total of 142 days by the BJP government in the past one year, since January 20, 2024. This amounts to more than four months of release over a one-year period. With Wednesday's release, he has been granted parole/furlough five times since January 2024, and a total of 13 times — adding up to 326 days — since October 24, 2020, when he first began receiving parole/furlough. He was released from Sunaria jail in Rohtak on Wednesday and immediately left for his Dera headquarters in […]

[ad_1] A 5.0-magnitude earthquake struck northeastern Taiwan on Wednesday, shaking buildings in the capital Taipei but causing no immediate damage or injuries, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). The quake hit at a depth of nearly 70 kilometres in Yilan County, east of Taipei. An official at the Yilan Fire Bureau told AFP, “I felt the building shaking briefly when the quake hit.” However, local authorities and the National Fire Agency confirmed there were no reports of injuries or structural damage. Taipei’s metro briefly slowed its train speeds as a precaution, though all rail services, including high-speed trains, continued without disruption. Taiwan, located on the seismically active Pacific Ring of Fire, frequently experiences earthquakes. The island’s most recent major tremor occurred in April 2024, a deadly 7.4-magnitude quake that killed at least 17 people and caused widespread destruction in […]