Author: News Desk

New Delhi: Indian authorities are investigating whether contaminated cough syrup caused the deaths of nine children under five years old in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan since late August. The federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ordered the probe on October 4, after a batch of the medication was found to contain dangerous levels of a toxic chemical. The ministry stated that samples of Coldrif cough syrup, manufactured by Sresan Pharma in Tamil Nadu, were tested by state authorities and found to contain diethylene glycol (DEG) exceeding permissible limits. DEG is a toxic substance used in industrial…

London: UK ministers are preparing to give police new powers to curb repeated protests, particularly demonstrations connected to Gaza, the Home Office has confirmed. The announcement comes the day after nearly 500 people were arrested in London for showing support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation. The new measures could allow police to order regular protests to take place at alternative locations. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will also review all anti-protest legislation, with the possibility of strengthening powers to ban certain protests outright. Mahmood said that there was ‘a gap in the law’ that required urgent attention, and she intends…

Sidoarjo: The death toll from the collapse of the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, Indonesia, has risen to 14, as rescuers continue efforts to recover dozens of students believed still buried under the rubble. Hundreds of students, mostly teenage boys, were inside the school when it collapsed, initially killing at least five and injuring around 100. BNPB (National Disaster Mitigation Agency) Chief Suharyanto told reporters that rescuers discovered nine additional bodies, raising the confirmed fatalities to 14. The Chief added that 49 people remain missing and could still be trapped beneath the debris. Heavy machinery is being…

San Francisco: OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, will soon introduce new features in its AI video-generating tool Sora that give copyright holders greater authority over how their characters are used. Chief Executive Sam Altman announced in a blog post that rights holders, including television and film studios, will gain ‘more granular control’ over character generation. These options will allow them to either block their content from appearing in Sora or permit its use under regulated terms. The decision comes during growing scrutiny of AI-generated content and its impact on intellectual property rights, as technology companies face increasing pressure to ensure…

Canterbury: Sarah Mullally has been named the Church of England’s first female Archbishop of Canterbury, Downing Street confirmed, nearly a year after Justin Welby stepped down following a safeguarding scandal. This appointment is historic, marking the first time a woman has been chosen for the role since the Church of England allowed women to become bishops in 2014. The Archbishop of Canterbury serves as the spiritual leader of the Anglican Church worldwide and holds a seat in the House of Lords. During the interim period, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, assumed most of the responsibilities of the office and…

Tokyo: Japan is confronting shortages of Asahi products, including beer and bottled tea, after a major cyber-attack disrupted the operations of the country’s leading beverage company. Most of Asahi Group’s factories in Japan have been at a standstill, as the attack affected its ordering and delivery systems, the company confirmed. Major Japanese retailers, including 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson, and Life Cooperation, have warned customers to expect limited availability of Asahi products. FamilyMart stated that orders and shipments of Asahi products have been temporarily suspended with ‘no prospect of resumption’ at present. The retailer highlighted that its Famimaru range of bottled teas,…

New Delhi: In an era when keyboards dominate writing, handwriting remains crucial, especially for doctors. The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently underscored that ‘legible medical prescriptions are a fundamental right,’ emphasizing that unreadable prescriptions can have life-or-death consequences. The order emerged during a bail hearing unrelated to handwriting, involving allegations of rape, cheating, and forgery. The case concerned a woman who accused a man of taking money under the promise of a government job, conducting fake interviews, and sexually exploiting her. The accused denied the allegations, claiming a consensual relationship and disputes over money. Justice Jasgurpreet Singh Puri, reviewing…

Bratislava, Slovakia: Slovakia’s recent constitutional amendments have sparked outrage from LGBTQ+ advocates, who described the changes as a ‘dark day’ for the country. The amendments, passed by parliament, legally recognize only male and female sexes and make adoption nearly impossible for same-sex couples, marking a significant rollback of human rights and rule of law in the central European nation. Since the vote, Iniciatíva Inakosť, Slovakia’s leading LGBTQ+ advocacy organisation, has received over 100 calls and emails from concerned citizens. Martin Macko, the organisation’s Executive Director, remarked that, “People are frightened, anxious, and feel powerless, as they have become hostages of…

Los Angeles: Nearly two decades after the first film, a sequel to The Simpsons Movie has officially been announced. 20th Century Studios confirmed that the new film is set to release on 23 July 2027. The announcement was accompanied by a poster shared on Instagram, showing a doughnut being grabbed and featuring the tagline: ‘Homer’s coming back for seconds.’ Created by Matt Groening in 1989, The Simpsons follows the daily lives of the Simpson family, Homer, Marge, and their three children, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show has aired 37 seasons and has been renewed through season 40, making it…

Mumbai, India: After years of delays, the long-awaited Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is set to be inaugurated soon, with operations expected to commence in the coming months. Arun Bansal, CEO of Adani Airport Holdings Limited, said that the airport will ‘significantly ease congestion’ in Mumbai. The current airport has reached its capacity of 55 million passengers per year, with demand exceeding by an additional 20 million, which NMIA is designed to accommodate. Spread over 1,100 hectares and located approximately 40 km (24 miles) from Mumbai’s commercial center, NMIA is connected to the city by India’s longest sea-bridge. It features…