Author: News Desk

Sydney: Australia’s Senate has censured Indigenous lawmaker Lidia Thorpe after she interrupted a visit by King Charles III to Parliament last month. The motion, led by the governing Labor Party, passed with 46 votes in favour and six against. Lidia Thorpe, a Gunnai, Gunditjmara, and Djab-Wurrung woman representing Victoria, released a statement before the vote, declaring that she would not be silenced. Thorpe emphasized that the Senate’s censure was symbolic, as it has no legal power to remove senators and that, “I will not be silent. The truth is, this colony is built on stolen land, stolen wealth, and stolen…

New Delhi: Authorities in India’s capital have implemented drastic measures, including school closures, halting construction, and banning non-essential trucks, after air pollution levels reached their worst this season. A toxic smog engulfed much of northern India on November 18, worsened by dense fog, with air quality in parts of Delhi’s National Capital Territory (NCT) reaching a hazardous new high of 1,081, according to IQAir’s live rankings. India’s pollution control authority reported a 24-hour AQI of 484 in Delhi, classified as “severe plus,” marking the highest reading this year. Experts note that Air Quality Index (AQI) scores may vary across countries…

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has reappointed Harini Amarasuriya as Prime Minister. The significant move signals commitment to continuity in leadership as the island nation begins to recover from a severe economic crisis. Dissanayake, whose leftist coalition won a commanding 159 out of 225 parliamentary seats in the general election, also reappointed veteran lawmaker Vijitha Herath to head the Foreign Affairs ministry. The president’s decision to retain the finance portfolio for himself marks a continuation of leadership approach since September, following his presidential victory. Sri Lanka’s President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today appointed a Prime Minister and Cabinet following…

London: Britain will seek support from United Nations Security Council members on Monday for its call to end hostilities in Sudan and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid, the British Foreign Ministry announced. As the UK currently holds the rotating presidency of the Security Council, Foreign Minister David Lammy is set to chair a vote on a draft resolution co-sponsored by the UK and Sierra Leone. The resolution urges an immediate cessation of violence and emphasises the protection of civilians in Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023. The war, sparked by a power struggle between the…

Kyiv, Ukraine: Russia launched one of its largest air attacks on Ukraine overnight, using a combination of missiles and drones. The coordinated assault targeted “peaceful cities, sleeping civilians,” and critical infrastructure, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the attack, stating that Russia launched around 120 missiles and 90 drones in a “massive combined strike on all regions of Ukraine,” with energy infrastructure as the primary target. The attack has led to widespread power outages, with efforts underway to restore electricity. In Mykolaiv, a southern city among the hardest hit, two women were killed, and six people,…

England: A cold weather alert has been issued for most of England as an Arctic chill is expected to sweep across the UK. The alert, from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), takes effect from 9am on November 17th until 9am on November 21st. The Met Office has issued two yellow warnings for snow and ice. The first is for northern Scotland, from 4pm on Sunday to 11am on November 18th, with up to 10cm (4 inches) of snow possible on higher ground. The second warning, covering northern England and southern Scotland, is in effect from 10am November 18th for…

Jhansi: A heart-wrenching tragedy unfolded in northern India on Friday night as a devastating fire ripped through the neonatal ward of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College Hospital in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, claiming the lives of at least 10 newborns. The blaze has left the community in shock, with anguished parents gathered outside the hospital, searching for answers in the aftermath of their unimaginable loss. The fire broke out in the intensive care unit of the infants’ ward around 10:30 PM local time, trapping vulnerable newborns in their cribs. Despite the quick action of hospital staff, who managed to rescue 44…

The Hague: Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s right-wing government narrowly avoided a political crisis when junior minister Nora Achahbar resigned after alleged racist comments made by cabinet colleagues. Despite this setback, Schoof confirmed that the coalition government would remain intact, quelling fears of a collapse just five months into its tenure. Achahbar, the deputy finance minister of Moroccan descent, handed in her resignation following a tense cabinet meeting regarding the political fallout from last week’s violent attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam. The violence occurred after a match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which sparked widespread condemnation. The…

Tehran, Iran: The Iranian government has announced plans to open a clinic aimed at treating women who defy the country’s mandatory hijab laws, which require women to cover their heads in public. Mehri Talebi Darestani, head of the Women and Family Department of Tehran’s Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, revealed that the “hijab removal treatment clinic” would offer “scientific and psychological treatment” for women who do not comply with the law. This move has sparked outrage among Iranian women and human rights organizations and the news has fueled protests among the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and female student…

New Delhi: Delhi has ordered all primary schools to switch to online classes due to worsening pollution, with the smog so dense that it obscured the Taj Mahal, located over 100 miles away. The city, home to more than 30 million people, consistently ranks among the world’s most polluted during winter, with air quality so poor it’s estimated to shorten life expectancy by up to seven years. Despite various government initiatives, the pollution crisis remains unresolved and continues to disrupt daily life. Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi announced on social media that all primary schools would be moving to online classes…