Author: News Desk

Patna, Bihar: Supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are celebrating a record-breaking win in Bihar, as the party-led alliance secured 202 out of 243 seats in the northern state’s assembly elections. Modi described the result as a victory not just for his coalition, but ‘for democracy itself.’ The elections were conducted on November 6 and 11, 2025, following a controversial revision of voter lists, which the opposition alleged would exclude genuine voters and favor the BJP. The party and the Election Commission of India denied these claims. Bihar recorded a 66.91 percent voter turnout, the…

Havana, Cuba: Cuba is grappling with a major public health emergency as mosquito-borne diseases surge across the island, with the nation’s top epidemiologist warning that almost one-third of Cubans have been affected, and large numbers of workers are falling ill. Fumigation teams have moved through Havana’s tightly packed neighbourhoods, among the most heavily impacted areas, saturating streets and apartment blocks with insecticide to curb the spread of dengue, chikungunya, and other mosquito-driven infections. Francisco Durán, the national director of epidemiology at the Ministry of Public Health, described the situation as ‘acute,’ noting that Cuban health authorities are responding with intense…

Karnataka, India: Karnataka has become the first state in India to introduce paid menstrual leave for all women working in the formal sector, including roles across both government and private companies. Under the policy, women aged 18 to 52 are entitled to one fully paid day of menstrual leave each month without needing to provide a medical certificate. While this new measure benefits an estimated 350,000 to 400,000 women, it does not cover the nearly six million women in the informal sector, such as domestic helpers, daily-wage earners, and gig workers, prompting experts to call for broader inclusion. Despite these…

London: The upcoming UEFA Euro 2028 tournament, jointly hosted by England, Wales, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland, will be staged across nine major stadiums, including Wembley and Hampden Park. Organisers have announced that tickets for the championship will not be sold through dynamic pricing, a system that adjusts ticket prices based on demand, following widespread criticism of its use by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup in the US. Football Association Chair Debbie Hewitt, unveiling the official tournament schedule, confirmed that UEFA had agreed to keep prices stable to ensure accessibility for all fans. “We’re not a fan of…

London: Online grooming crimes in the United Kingdom have nearly doubled since 2017, reaching their highest level on record, according to new figures from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). The charity described the eight-year rise as ‘deeply alarming,’ warning that children as young as four have fallen victim to online predators. In the year leading up to March 2024, police recorded 7,263 online grooming offences, compared to 3,728 offences in the 12 months ending March 2018. The findings are based on data gathered through freedom of information requests sent to police forces across England,…

Sydney: Skywatchers across Australia are in for a rare celestial spectacle as a severe solar storm, one of the most powerful in recent years, could make the aurora australis, or southern lights, visible as far north as Sydney and Perth on November 12. According to the Bureau of Meteorology’s Space Weather Forecasting Centre, the geomagnetic storm, classified as G4, one level below the maximum intensity, was triggered by multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs), or massive bursts of plasma from the Sun. The agency has issued an aurora alert for ‘mid to southern parts of Australia,’ indicating potential visibility far beyond…

Cornwall, England: A team of animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter has found that shouting, rather than flapping hands or running away, is the most effective way to deter herring gulls from stealing food such as chips or Cornish pasties at British seaside towns. Their research reveals that gulls respond more strongly to the tone and intensity of human voices than to volume or physical gestures, offering new insight into how wild animals interpret human vocal cues. To test the gulls’ reactions, the researchers set up an experiment by placing a portion of chips in areas where gulls were…

London: The UK government has announced a comprehensive strategy to accelerate the phase-out of animal testing in scientific research through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), 3D bioprinted human tissues, and advanced non-animal methods. Unveiled by Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance, the roadmap aims to replace animal experiments used to ensure the safety of products such as vaccines and to assess the environmental impact of pesticides, with innovative technologies that maintain human safety standards. The strategy emphasizes that animal testing can only be fully phased out when alternative methods are proven to deliver the same reliability and safety outcomes. To…

London: Winter’s arrival often brings shorter days and darker evenings, leaving many people commuting in the dark and feeling more tired or low in mood. As daylight decreases, energy levels and concentration can drop, leading to what’s known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), or ‘winter depression.’ While the NHS advises anyone struggling to maintain daily routines to consult their GP, there are effective ways to manage mild symptoms and even embrace the season. Here are three ways to lift your spirits and make the most of the darker months: Focus on what you can do Psychologist Kari Leibowitz recalls that…

New Delhi: The Capital city, New Delhi witnessed rare public demonstrations as residents gathered at the iconic India Gate, demanding immediate government action to combat the city’s worsening air pollution crisis. The Indian capital once again found itself blanketed in a dense layer of smog on November 110, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) soaring beyond 350, classified as ‘very poor’ by India’s Central Pollution Control Board, while several areas crossed the 400 mark, entering the ‘severe’ category. Police detained several protesters who carried banners reading ‘Clean air is our right’ and ‘Breathing is killing us,’ as they chanted slogans…