Author: News Desk

Paris: Global online retailer Shein has announced a worldwide ban on the sale of all sex dolls after facing backlash for featuring items with what officials described as ‘childlike appearances.’ The move follows a warning from France’s consumer watchdog, which raised serious concerns over the way the dolls were described and categorised, saying it left “little doubt as to the child pornography nature of the content.” In response, Shein stated that it has permanently banned all seller accounts associated with illegal or non-compliant sex-doll products and temporarily suspended its adult products category as a precautionary measure. The company confirmed that…

Paris: Italy’s Jannik Sinner produced a commanding performance to capture his first-ever Paris Masters title, defeating Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 7-6(4) in the finals. The win catapulted the 24-year-old back to the top of the men’s world rankings ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin. Sinner, the tournament’s second seed, knew only victory would be enough to reclaim the No.1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz, and he delivered emphatically. His triumph made him just the fourth player in the tournament’s history to win the Paris Masters without dropping a set. For Auger-Aliassime, the stakes were equally high but the outcome heartbreaking.…

Cape Town: In South Africa, a country long plagued by some of the world’s highest rates of gender-based violence (GBV), a horrific family tragedy led Leonora Tima to create an innovative digital tool, ‘Grit,’ to help victims find support and justice. The attackers were never caught, and that silence became the catalyst for her to build Gender Rights in Tech (Grit), a mobile app featuring an AI chatbot called Zuzi, aimed at providing safe spaces for people, particularly women, to report, track, and talk about abuse. Developed as one of the first AI-powered African-led tools to combat gender-based violence, Grit represents…

Giza: The long-awaited Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) has opened its doors in Giza, with world leaders, monarchs, and dignitaries attending the grand inauguration of what is now the world’s largest museum dedicated to an ancient civilization. The monumental $1 billion project, spanning 500,000 square meters, showcases over 50,000 artifacts that bring ancient Egypt’s rich history to life through cutting-edge exhibitions, immersive technology, and virtual-reality experiences. The opening ceremony commenced with an official group photograph of the attending delegations, followed by a captivating orchestral performance by a world-renowned symphony. The event also featured a breathtaking drone and light show that highlighted…

Cambridge, England: Nine people are being treated for life-threatening injuries following a stabbing attack aboard a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train near Cambridge in eastern England. The stabbing attack prompted a massive emergency response, with police later confirming two arrests. According to British Transport Police (BTP), counterterrorism officers are assisting in the investigation as authorities work to establish the full circumstances and motivation behind the incident. Initially, police activated the ‘Plato’ protocol, a national code word used during potential ‘marauding terror attacks.’ However, it was later rescinded after further assessment, and no motive has yet been disclosed. https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/1984743058856869942 Chief…

New Delhi: Earlier this year, a viral video sparked debate over the limited travel freedom of Indian passport holders, drawing attention to how difficult it remains for Indians to secure visas for most Western and European destinations. The clip compared India’s restricted access with the more open travel policies of neighboring countries such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka, reigniting discussions about the country’s global mobility challenges. This frustration mirrors findings from the 2025 Henley Passport Index, which ranks global passports based on visa-free access. India’s passport slipped five places from last year to 85th out of 199 countries, even as…

Washington: Nearly half of the 30 busiest airports in the United States are facing significant air traffic controller shortages, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) confirmed, as the US shutdown stretched into its 31st day, triggering widespread flight delays and cancellations nationwide. According to the FAA, this marks the most extensive controller absence since the shutdown began on October 1. The New York region has been particularly hard hit, with 80 percent of air traffic controllers unavailable, the agency said. At least 35 FAA facilities, including several at the nation’s largest airports, have reported staffing problems. Affected airports include those in…

Washington DC: US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., serving under President Donald Trump, stated that while there is no conclusive evidence proving that Kenvue’s Tylenol (acetaminophen) causes autism, research findings are ‘very suggestive’ and warrant cautious use, particularly during pregnancy. His remarks come about a month after President Trump announced that US health officials would recommend limiting Tylenol use, despite lacking scientific evidence to support such claims. Kennedy elaborated that studies conducted on animals, blood samples, and human observations indicate a potential link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism, though the data remains insufficient to establish a definitive…

London: Websites for Heathrow Airport, NatWest Bank, and Minecraft were restored late on October 29, after a major global Microsoft outage disrupted access to numerous websites across several countries. According to outage tracker Downdetector, thousands of users reported problems accessing multiple websites for several hours. The disruptions were linked to Microsoft’s systems, particularly its Microsoft 365 and Azure cloud computing platform, which underpins vast portions of the internet’s infrastructure. Microsoft acknowledged that some users of Microsoft 365 experienced delays with Outlook and other services. By 21:00 GMT, however, many of the affected websites were once again accessible after the company…

Kathmandu, Nepal: Both the Nepali and Chinese sides of the Everest region were closed to tourism after unseasonally heavy snowfall blanketed the Himalayas, while a helicopter attempting to rescue stranded trekkers crashed in deep snowdrifts near the Everest Base Camp. The Everest region, a major destination for thousands of climbers and trekkers each year, has been covered by heavy snow. The severe weather was caused by a cyclone originating in the Bay of Bengal that swept across India, marking the second major bout of snowfall in the Himalayas this month. In Nepal, authorities suspended trekking activities on numerous routes due…