Protests erupt in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh

Protests erupted in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh locality yesterday, which was a key centre of a prolonged agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019-20, as hundreds of people, including women, opposed the local civic body’s anti-encroachment drive with bulldozers in the presence of heavy police deployment.
9 May 2022

Dictator Marcos’ son in lead for Philippines presidency with huge margin

Ferdinand Marcos Jr looked on course for a huge victory in the Philippines presidential election on Monday, after an unofficial tally of two thirds of the votes showed the son of the notorious late dictator surging ahead of his nearest rival.
9 May 2022

Sri Lankan MP takes own life during clashes in Colombo

Two people including an MP from the ruling party died and at least 139 were injured on Monday in a day of violence in Sri Lanka, police and hospital officials said.
9 May 2022

BJP leader wants to open Taj Mahal rooms to look for 'Hindu idols'

A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader has filed a petition in India's Allahabad High Court to open 22 closed rooms of the Taj Mahal to ascertain reports of “hidden” idols of Hindu deities.
9 May 2022

Musk tweet on Japan's 'potential doom' sets off flood of sarcasm, anger

An Elon Musk tweet saying Japan would "eventually cease to exist" without a higher birthrate set off a flood of sarcasm and anger on Monday - though much of the angst was aimed at a Japanese government many said did little to address the issue.
9 May 2022

Rajapaksa steps down as Sri Lanka PM

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa today stepped down following nationwide protests, amid an unprecedented economic crisis the nation is facing, reports Deccan Herald citing local media and agencies.
9 May 2022

‘AAP supporting Rohingyas and Bangladeshis’ says Delhi BJP Chief

Protests today erupted in Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh area, which was a key centre of a prolonged agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act in 2019-20, as hundreds of people opposed the local civic body’s anti-encroachment drive armed with bulldozers in presence of heavy police deployment.
9 May 2022

Sri Lanka running out of gas as foreign exchange crisis worsens

Sri Lankan energy companies said on Monday they were running low on stocks of liquid petroleum gas mainly used in cooking, as shortages of foreign exchange put renewed pressure on the island nation.
9 May 2022

Afghan women express defiance

Women in Afghanistan yesterday expressed defiance after the Taliban issued a directive ordering them to cover fully in public, including their faces, or stay indoors, saying the change would effectively leave them “imprisoned”.
8 May 2022

Ex-security chief anointed HK’s next leader

A former security chief who oversaw the crackdown on Hong Kong’s democracy movement was anointed the business hub’s new leader yesterday by a small committee of Beijing loyalists. John Lee, 64, was the only candidate in the Beijing-backed race to succeed outgoing leader Carrie Lam.
8 May 2022

Crowds jeer Lankan PM on rare outing

Boos and heckles greeted Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday on his first public outing since nationwide protests erupted demanding his ruling family resign over the worsening economic crisis.
8 May 2022

Mosques in Mumbai turn down volume for azaan after Raj Thackeray's demands

Sitting in an office lined with books overlooking a giant prayer hall, Mohammed Ashfaq Kazi, the main preacher at the largest mosque in Mumbai, checked a decibel meter attached to the loudspeakers before he gave the call to worship.
8 May 2022

Indian start-up allows 30-min power nap break for employees

A start-up company in India’s IT city Bengaluru has allowed half-an-hour for power nap for its employees in office, in the latest of novel moves by such firms to be staff-friendly amidst rising attrition post-Covid-19 pandemic.
8 May 2022

Nepali climber scales Mt Everest for record 26th time

A Nepali sherpa scaled Mount Everest for a record 26th time, beating his own previous record set last year, a government official said on Sunday.
8 May 2022

Tagore’s 161st birthday today

The 161st anniversary of the birth of Rabindranath Tagore is being observed in the country today after muted celebrations in the last two years due to the pandemic.
7 May 2022

Worst is yet to come

The devastating heatwave that gripped India and Pakistan over the last two months is unprecedented, but worse -- perhaps far worse -- is on the horizon as climate change continues apace, top climate scientists told AFP.
7 May 2022

North Korea nuke test ‘imminent’

North Korea fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile yesterday, Seoul said, its second missile launch in three days, after the United States warned Pyongyang could be preparing for a nuclear test.
7 May 2022

Colombo calm after protests

Streets in Sri Lanka’s commercial capital Colombo were calm yesterday after the president declared a state of emergency following escalating anti-government protests.
7 May 2022

‘Better they stay at home’

The Taliban yesterday imposed one of the harshest restrictions on Afghanistan’s women since seizing power, ordering them to wear the all-covering burqa in public.
7 May 2022

Ex-warlord’s son launches offensive against Taliban rule

An Afghan insurgent group led by the son of late anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud yesterday claimed to have seized three northern districts from the hardline Islamists, after announcing a wide military offensive.
7 May 2022