Author: Rahul M

Ukraine’s president and European leaders on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of stalling for time in diplomatic efforts to bring his invasion of Ukraine to an end and opposed any move to make Kyiv surrender land captured by Russian forces in return for peace, as U.S. President Donald Trump has on occasion suggested.Eight European leaders as well as senior European Union officials said in a joint statement they intend to go ahead with plans to use Moscow’s billions of dollars (euros) of frozen assets abroad to help Kyiv win the war, despite some misgivings about the legality and consequences…

TOKYO (AP) — Sanae Takaichi, a star of ultraconservative Japanese politics and a rare woman to rise in its male-dominated hierarchy, has been elected the country’s first female prime minister. Takaichi, 64, is also the first woman to lead the Liberal Democratic Party that has dominated Japan’s postwar politics almost without interruption.She admires former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and is a proponent of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s conservative vision for Japan. A China hawk, she is a regular at Yasukuni Shrine, seen by China, the two Koreas and other Asian victims of Japan’s World War II aggression as…

A rare political standoff has emerged in Bihar’s Gaura Bauram constituency, where Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav is set to campaign against a candidate contesting under his own party’s symbol. The unusual scenario arises from unresolved seat-sharing tensions within the Mahagathbandhan alliance, leading to what insiders are calling “friendly fights” across several constituencies. The Gaura Bauram Dilemma The confusion began when RJD initially declared Afzal Ali Khan as its candidate, issuing him the party’s lantern symbol and official documentation. Eager to begin his campaign, Afzal traveled from Patna to his constituency, unaware that a last-minute alliance deal between…

PRAGUE (AP) — A court in Slovakia on Tuesday convicted the man in last year’s attempted assassination of the country’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison.The shooting and the trial have shaken this small, European Union and NATO-member country where Fico has long been a divisive figure, criticized for straying from Slovakia’s pro-Western path and aligning it closer to Russia.Juraj Cintula opened fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlová, about 140 kilometers (85 miles)…

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate Satendra Sah was arrested immediately after submitting his nomination papers from the Sasaram constituency, officials confirmed on Monday. Sah was taken into custody by the Jharkhand Police, who arrived at the nomination centre to execute a non-bailable warrant (NBW) pending against him. His arrest came moments after he completed formalities to contest the election, news agency PTI reported, citing police sources. A senior officer from Rohtas district said, “As Sah reached the office of the circle officer concerned on Monday to file his nomination papers from the Sasaram seat, the Jharkhand Police officers arrived there…

KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other envoys projected optimism Tuesday about Gaza ‘s fragile ceasefire agreement, calling progress better than anticipated as they visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation.Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire is going “better than I expected” after two years of war between Israel and Hamas. Envoy Steve Witkoff added that “we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time.”They are in Israel as questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, such as whether Hamas will…

PARIS (AP) — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy heads to prison Tuesday to serve time for a criminal conspiracy to finance his 2007 election campaign with funds from Libya.The first ex-leader of modern France to be imprisoned, Sarkozy contests both the conviction and a judge’s unusual decision to incarcerate him pending appeal. His journey from the presidential Elysée Palace to the notorious La Santé prison in Paris has captivated France.One of Sarkozy’s sons, Louis, called for a rally Tuesday morning in support of his father in the high-end Paris neighborhood where Sarkozy lives with his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. The supermodel-turned-singer…

LONDON (AP) — The British royal family is once again under intense scrutiny as a memoir by Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken accusers of Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein, hits bookstores Tuesday.“Nobody’s Girl” is being published posthumously after Giuffre died by suicide in April.Giuffre had for years accused Andrew of sexually abusing her on multiple occasions when she was under 18 years old and a victim of sexual trafficking by convicted sex offender Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.While her book doesn’t break new ground, it has thrown fuel on a series of new accusations against Andrew,…

Once a humble grain of the past, millets have now become a global superfood, and for good reason. Packed with essential nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber, these tiny grains offer a powerhouse of health benefits that go far beyond basic nutrition. Ajay Kangralkar, Founder of SkyRoots Ventures LLP, highlights that while millets have been consumed for centuries, their lesser-known advantages make them a must-have in modern diets. He says, “Small they may be in size, but never in their attributes and the nutrients in them, so much so, that people across the world have accepted them as staples for centuries. As…

On Wednesday evening, Allavaru along with Congress state president Rajesh Ram and legislature party leader Shakeel Ahmad Khan faced protests at Patna airport when party workers clashed over allegations of favouritism and ticket sales.“Several issues led to the tussle, and Allavaru refused to compromise. The RJD was willing to offer 55 seats to the Congress, but Allavaru insisted on 61,” a senior Bihar leader involved in seat negotiations told ThePrint.“Lalganj, Vaishali, Bachhwara, Rosera, Bihar Sharif, and Gaura Bauram are the seats where the Congress wants to contest, even though the RJD is either fielding its candidates or leaving them for…