Author: Web Desk

Kathmandu: Nepal goes to the polls as citizens across the Himalayan nation participate in a crucial parliamentary election following months of unrest and youth-led demonstrations. The Nepal vote has drawn voters to thousands of polling stations across the country to choose a new parliament that will determine the country’s political direction. The Nepal election has taken place nearly six months after large youth-led protests shook the country’s political system and forced the resignation of former prime minister K.P. Sharma Oli. The demonstrations, which erupted after a government decision to ban a social media platform, escalated into nationwide protests that resulted…

Havana: A large power blackout has affected much of Cuba after a major electricity generation facility stopped operating unexpectedly, leaving several provinces without power. State electric utility Union Electrica UNE has said that the outage began after a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, located about 100 kilometres east of Havana. The plant is considered one of the country’s key power stations and its shutdown has disrupted electricity supply across wide parts of the island. Electricity has been cut from the western province of Pinar del Rio through the capital Havana and extending to Camaguey in central eastern Cuba.…

Manila: Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte has been ordered by lawmakers to respond to impeachment complaints after a congressional committee found substance in allegations against the senior political figure. The decision by the House of Representatives justice committee has moved the impeachment process forward following a review of multiple complaints. The case against Sara Duterte includes accusations of unexplained wealth, misuse of confidential government funds and public threats directed at President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Lawmakers have requested a formal response before deciding whether the case should advance to a full impeachment trial in the Senate. If convicted in a Senate…

Washington: OpenAI has been considering a potential contract with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to deploy artificial intelligence technology on the alliance’s unclassified networks, according to a source familiar with the discussions. The development has emerged days after OpenAI reached an agreement with the United States Department of Defense to place its technology within the Pentagon’s classified network. Reports have indicated that discussions are centred on using AI systems across NATO’s digital infrastructure that handles non-classified information. During an internal meeting, Chief Executive Sam Altman initially suggested that deployment could involve all NATO classified networks. A company spokeswoman later clarified…

Dubai: The United Arab Emirates has resumed limited UAE flights after days of severe disruption caused by escalating conflict across the Middle East. The partial restart has come as more than 11,000 flights in and out of the region have been cancelled since February 28, according to aviation data firm Cirium. Dubai Airports has authorised a small number of departures from Dubai International Airport and Dubai World Central. Passengers have been advised not to travel unless directly contacted by airlines with confirmed departure times. Emirates has announced the return of a limited number of services, prioritising customers with earlier bookings.…

New Delhi: India and Canada have reset relations with a landmark nuclear energy deal following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Mark Carney in New Delhi. The meeting has marked a significant step in repairing ties that had deteriorated sharply over diplomatic tensions in recent years. At the centre of the reset is a 10-year nuclear energy deal covering long-term uranium supply, alongside collaboration on small modular reactors and advanced nuclear technologies. Modi said that, the agreement in civil nuclear energy represents a major milestone, adding that both sides will deepen co-operation in technology and innovation. Beyond…

Dubai: Hundreds more flights have been cancelled as escalating conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has triggered the most severe disruption to global air travel since the Covid pandemic. Thousands of flights have already been grounded, leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded across multiple continents. By early March 2, 1,239 flights had already been cancelled, following 2,800 cancellations on February 28 and 3,156 on March 1, according to FlightAware. Major Middle Eastern hubs, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, have suspended operations for a third consecutive day, with airspace across Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Israel, Bahrain, the UAE…

Kolkata: India have secured a place in the T20 World Cup semi-finals after defeating West Indies by five wickets in a tense Super 8 encounter at Eden Gardens. The result has set up a semi-final showdown with England as India continue their defence of the T20 World Cup title. Chasing 196 in a winner-takes-all contest, India have relied on Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 97 from 50 balls. Samson’s innings, which included 12 fours and four sixes, anchored the chase and ensured India overhauled the target with four balls to spare. The knock has marked one of the defining moments of the…

Washington: OpenAI has detailed additional safeguards in its new agreement with the Pentagon to deploy artificial intelligence tools on the US defence department’s classified network. The OpenAI contract has included layered protections designed to restrict how its technology can be used within national security systems. The announcement has come a day after US President Donald Trump directed the government to stop working with rival AI firm Anthropic. The Pentagon has said it would designate Anthropic as a supply-chain risk, a move the company has stated it would challenge in court. Soon after that development, OpenAI confirmed its own defence agreement.…

Washington: Ali Khamenei has died at the age of 86, bringing to an end a 36-year rule that defined Iran’s political direction and its confrontational stance toward the United States and Israel. Iranian state media has reported that Ali Khamenei was killed in air strikes by Israel and the United States that destroyed his central compound in Tehran. Ali Khamenei assumed the role of supreme leader in 1989 following the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, founder of the Islamic Republic. Initially viewed by some observers as an unlikely successor, Khamenei consolidated power over time and established firm control over Iran’s…