International

NZ PM caught on hot mic calling Oppn leader an ‘arrogant prick’


New York: New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern became the latest leader to fall victim to a hot microphone, after her comment that the leader of a minor opposition party was an “arrogant prick” was picked up and broadcast on parliament television. During question time, the leader of the libertarian Act party, David Seymour, asked Jacinda...

Canada’s immigration backlog shrinks to 2.2 mn: IRCC


Ottawa: Canada's immigration backlog came down to just over 2.2 million from last month's 2.4 million, according to new data revealed by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). With this, the citizenship inventory stands at 3,14,630 applicants as of November 30, compared to 3,31,401 on October 31, CIC News reported. The permanent residence inventory stands at...

Russia beating its own soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine: Report


New York: Russia is locking up its own soldiers who refuse to fight in Ukraine and even subjecting them to physical harm, a report claimed. Russian soldiers and their families also described lack of preparedness and even a plan on Moscow's side, BBC reported. Soldiers are reportedly being ordered to march on with little information...

UK PM unveils 5-step crackdown on illegal immigration


London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak set out a new five-step strategy to clamp down on illegal immigration, with a promise to end the government's backlog of asylum applications by the end of next year. Hundreds of additional staff will be deployed to a new unit to monitor small boats crossing the English Channel as well...

Tata Group to open 100 exclusive Apple stores across India


Indian salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Group plans to open 100 stores across the country that will only sell Apple Inc products, the Economic Times newspaper reported on Monday, citing two people aware of the matter.  Tata Group's Infiniti Retail, which runs the consumer electronics store chain Croma, will be an Apple-authorized reseller and set up stores...

UK: Indian student’s street cleaning missions inspire ‘plogging’ trend


An Indian student and award-winning environmentalist from the University of Bristol in southwest England has inspired a trend of plogging, or jogging combined with litter picking, across various cities of the UK.  Vivek Gurav, originally from Pune, was inspired by the Swedish concept of "plogging" - which combines "jogga" (jogging) with "plocka upp" (a pick-up)...

UK university launches new Jainism program


The University of Birmingham on Wednesday announced the launch of a new teaching and research program in Jainism, which will open for enrollment from January 2023.  A group of Indian-origin philanthropists belonging to the Jain community, including Dr. Jasvant Modi representing US donors and Nemu Chandaria representing UK donors, made a gift of USD 1.5...

Man who threw egg at King Charles arrested: UK Police


New York: The UK police said they had arrested a 20-year-old man on suspicion of common assault, after an egg was allegedly thrown towards King Charles III recently. The arrest in Luton, north of London, came less than a month after the monarch narrowly avoided being hit by eggs lobbed in his direction during a...

Two North Korean teens executed for watching K-drama: Report


New York: North Korea executed two high school students for watching South Korean and American movies, a report said. Viewing or distributing Korean dramas, popularly known as K-dramas, is strictly forbidden in North Korea. The two boys, 16 and 17, met in October at a school in North Korea's Ryanggang Province and watched several South Korean...