News & Current Events

[ad_1] Swiss village buried in ice-mud deluge, one person missing At least one person went missing after Birch Glacier catastrophically collapsed in the Swiss Alps, wiping off 90% of the mountain village of Blatten, which is home to 300 people. The incident took place at around 3:30 pm (local time) on Wednesday, when a large chunk of ice broke off from Birch Glacier in Switzerland's southern Wallis region. It caused a massive deluge of ice, mud, and rock that buried the village in the Lotschental valley.The officials announced the evacuation of the village the previous week due to an impending danger of a landslide, but still, some didn't leave their homes. The missing person, a 64-year-old man, was among the residents not evacuated.Drone footage broadcast by Swiss national broadcaster SRF revealed a vast expanse of mud and debris engulfing homes, […]

[ad_1] Chinese students call measure 'Chinese Exclusion Act' after Rubio vows to revoke visas (Photo: AP) Chinese students studying in the US are scrambling to figure out their futures after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Wednesday that some students would have their visas revoked. The US will begin revoking the visas of some Chinese students, including those studying in "critical fields", and those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party," according to the announcement. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the United States, behind only India. In the 2023-2024 school year, more than 270,000 international students were from China, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the US. This is a "new version of Chinese Exclusion Act," said Linqin, a Chinese student at Johns Hopkins University, who asked to be […]

[ad_1] Iranian cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian (Image credit: X/InfoSudLiban) Iranian cleric Gholamreza Ghasemian, who was arrested for his controversial 'obscene concerts' remarks, was freed by the Saudi government on Thursday, ISNA reported. Saudi authorities arrested Ghasemian on Monday while he was performing rituals of the hajj in Mecca after a video went viral. In a veiled attack on the Saudi government, Ghasemian, dressed in a white pilgrimage robe, had accused them of turning the Qibla -– the direction Muslims face in prayer -– into "a place for gambling houses, centres of debauchery, and obscene concerts".His comments referred to the social changes made in recent years by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto leader.ISNA confirmed that Gholamreza Ghasemian is currently on his way back to Iran, following efforts by Iranian officials to secure his release.'Obscene...': Iranian Cleric's Viral Video […]

[ad_1] Jeju Air, South Korea’s top low-cost airline, faced another safety scare when one of its planes ran into minor trouble while landing at Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam, local news reported on Wednesday.Jeju Air Flight 2217 from Incheonbriefly went off course while landing at the airport at around 12.50 AM (1.50 AM Singapore time) on Tuesday. The plane, which had 183 passengers on board, quickly got back on track and landed safely. No one was hurt, but the landing gear tyres were damaged.The airline replaced the tires in Da Nang and deployed a replacement plane of the same type, Boeing 737-800, for the return flight. The return flight took off at 4.08 PM on the same day from Da Nang International Airport, 14 hours and 38 minutes later than the initially scheduled time.Jeju Air’s fleet comprises mostly Boeing […]

[ad_1] The above-ground entrance to a public shelter, which can fit around 450 people in case of crisis or war, is seen in Kongsberg, Norway (Image credit: AP) In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a factory making cannons for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II. More than 80 years later, the municipality could once again be a target for sabotage and is preparing for war. The local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces in case of conflict. "The lesson we learned from Ukraine is that everybody pitched in," said Odd John Resser, Kongsberg's Emergency Planning Officer, noting breweries that pivoted to making Molotov cocktails, local authorities that built schools […]

[ad_1] A prison escape, a fake uniform, and 2,000 caves: Inside the hunt for Grant Hardin The hunt for escaped killer and ex-cop Grant Hardin is in its fourth day as law enforcement officers face several obstacles in the rugged wilderness of the Ozark Mountains. With thick forests, abandoned cabins, and one of the highest concentrations of caves in Arkansas, the terrain is proving ideal for a fugitive dubbed “The Devil in the Ozarks.”Hardin, 56, escaped from the North Central Unit at Calico Rock on Sunday by impersonating a law enforcement officer, a lapse prison officials have called a serious failure in protocol. By the time his absence was noticed, Hardin had a 30-minute head start on foot in a region filled with natural cover and hidden hideouts.Hardin’s knowledge of the region poses key obstacle“He knows where the caves are,” […]

[ad_1] Federal court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law (ANI) WASHINGTON: A federal court on Wednesday blocked US President Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs on imports under an emergency-powers law, swiftly throwing into doubt Trump's signature set of economic policies that have rattled global financial markets, frustrated trade partners and raised broader fears about inflation intensifying and the economy slumping.The ruling from a three-judge panel at the New York-based US Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump has exceeded his authority and left the country's trade policy dependent on his whims.Trump has repeatedly said the tariffs would force manufacturers to bring back factory jobs to the US and generate enough revenue to reduce federal budget deficits.He used the tariffs as a negotiating cudgel in hopes of forcing other nations to negotiate agreements […]

[ad_1] A US Marine shared a moment he wrestled a disruptive passenger to the ground to prevent him from opening a plane’s emergency exit mid-air. Sgt Maj Jody Armentrout, 50, said his instincts kicked in when a man began behaving oddly on Saturday morning’s All Nippon Airways flight from Japan to Texas. The long-serving Marine, who has spent more than two decades in the US Marine Corps, said he first noticed the passenger wandering aimlessly between bathrooms. “He came out of that one and began pacing up and down the aisle, so that just threw my radar on,” Armentrout told NBC News. “His eyes — you could definitely tell there was something going on.” When the passenger began tampering with an emergency exit, Armentrout jumped into action. “He grabbed a strap around the door, pulled it off, and about that […]

[ad_1] Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy Russia and Ukraine are gearing up for a new round of direct peace talks in Istanbul next Monday, amid growing international pressure and rising scepticism about Moscow’s intentions.Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov informed US state secretary Marco Rubio during a phone call that Moscow was finalising its proposals for the meeting. “Our delegation, led by Vladimir Medinsky, is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Monday, June 2,” Lavrov said in a video statement released by the foreign ministry.Kyiv, while open to talks, is demanding that Russia submit its peace terms in advance to avoid another fruitless encounter. “We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their memorandum,” said Ukrainian defence minister […]

[ad_1] AHMEDABAD: A US court on Wednesday sentenced Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, a resident of Dingucha village in Gujarat, to 10 years in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation that led to the deaths of four Indian migrants in 2022. The victims were also from Dingucha.Patel was convicted in a Minnesota federal court last November. On Wednesday, the judge handed him a 10-year sentence for organizing an illegal border crossing that ended in the deaths of Jagdish Patel (39), his wife Vaishaliben, their 11-year-old daughter Vihangi, and 3-year-old son Dharmik. The family froze to death while attempting to walk from Canada into the US in extreme winter conditions.The incident occurred on January 19, 2022. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police found the bodies just north of the US-Canada border near Manitoba. The family had travelled to Canada on a […]