Author: Rahul M

Ulf Andersen/Getty Images When it comes to great horror, few legends of the 20th or 21st centuries compare to the masterful storytelling of Stephen King, a man whose legend continues with the recent release of HBO’s 2025 “It” prequel series. While it’s already clear from the meaning-laden opening credits of “It – Welcome to Derry” that this is going to be one of the best and most terrifying recent Stephen King adaptations, longtime King fans know there’s no shortage of great stuff in the Stephen King multiverse. From Paul Sheldon’s (James…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Trump administration’s blueprint to secure and govern Gaza won strong approval at the United Nations on Monday, a crucial step that provides international support for U.S. efforts to move the devastated territory toward peace following two years of war.The U.S. resolution that passed the U.N. Security Council authorizes an international stabilization force to provide security in Gaza, approves a transitional authority to be overseen by President Donald Trump and envisions a possible future path to an independent Palestinian state.“This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations,…

Warner Bros. World-famous horror novelist Stephen King once raved about the Ben Affleck-helmed film “The Town,” a 2010 Boston-set neo-noir crime thriller. King labeled it his second favorite film of 2010 in a year-end round up for Entertainment Weekly at the time, even ranking it above other acclaimed titles like “Inception” and “The Social Network.” “Bad title, fantastic movie,” said King. “Affleck understands the sad and seedy underclass of Boston … in a special way.” The film, which Affleck directed, co-wrote, and starred in, revolves around a group of bank robbers…

Majority of US colleges see decline in Indian student enrollment in 2025 Washington, Nov 17 (IANS) US universities have reported a 10 per cent drop in graduate enrollment from India in 2024-25, alongside a sharper 17 per cent decline in international students in the fall of 2025, according to a new US State Department-funded report. The “Open Doors” report by the Institute of International Education, released on Monday, showed that over 61 per cent of the total schools have reported a drop in enrollment of Indian students in the fall of 2025. The data, based on a survey of 825…

PARIS — The Louvre Museum in Paris said Monday it is temporarily closing some employees’ offices and one public gallery because of structural fragility.The announcement came as the world’s most visited museum, housed in a former medieval palace, is preparing for ambitious renovations announced earlier this year. The Louvre is also still reeling from last month’s heist of crown jewels worth more than $100 million.The museum said in a statement that a technical report submitted Friday flagged “particular fragility of certain beams holding up the floors” of the second level of the southern wing of the Louvre’s Sully wing because…

Auditioning for a film role isn’t always about standing in front of a casting director and reading some lines. There have been some truly bizarre movie auditions that have sprung to light over the past few years, but none of them hold a candle to what the actor behind Dek from “Predator: Badlands” had to do to land his role. You can check out Looper’s video above to learn more about the process, which illuminates just how dedicated Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi is to the craft.  For starters, the actor didn’t even know what…

Earth’s rotation is not perfectly stable, and scientists have long known that mass redistribution—like melting glaciers—can affect the way our planet spins. But a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters has pinpointed a more immediate trigger: the enormous volumes of groundwater being removed for irrigation and urban use, especially in certain midlatitude regions. Between 1993 and 2010, an estimated 2,150 gigatons of groundwater were pumped, eventually making their way into the oceans. The consequences are twofold: not only does this contribute to global sea-level rise—about 0.24 inches over the period studied—but it also alters the Earth’s rotational pole, the…

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s estranged sister, a senator, publicly accused him Monday of being a longtime drug addict whose alleged cocaine dependence has led to problems in his governance, including corruption, allegations that his spokesperson said was a recycled issue that has long been disproven.Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Sen. Imee Marcos’ baseless accusations against her own brother may have been a desperate attempt to distract from ongoing investigations into a corruption scandal involving flood control projects that may implicate her allies in the Senate.“Sen. Imee, I hope you’ll be a patriot and help in…

VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV could soon accept the resignation of an ailing Spanish bishop who is under church investigation for allegedly sexually abusing a young seminarian in the 1990s, the head of the Spanish Catholic bishops conference said Monday.Archbishop Luis Javier Argüello García told reporters in St. Peter’s Square that the conference hierarchy had discussed the case with Leo during an audience Monday.Argüello confirmed a report in El País newspaper that a canonical investigation into Cádiz Bishop Rafael Zornoza, 76, had been opened two weeks ago. It is believed to be the first publicly known church investigation…

New York, Nov 17 (IANS) Facing a rising revolt in the Republican Party, US President Donald Trump has reversed course very publicly on one of his hardline positions, telling the party members of Congress to vote for the release of files relating to a convicted billionaire pedophile, Jeffrey Epstein. After threatening members of his party who wanted the files opened to Congress and even calling one of them “a traitor”, Trump said on Sunday, “We have nothing to hide”, and told his party’s legislators to go ahead with the vote set for Tuesday. This was the second time in a…