World

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been sentenced to death by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal.

The verdict relates to charges that she committed crimes against humanity during the fierce suppression of student-led protests that erupted last year.

According to the tribunal, she failed to take steps to prevent or punish the violence, and instead authorised a series of systematic offences — including the use of drones, helicopters, and lethal weapons to carry out attacks on civilians.

Hasina ruled Bangladesh for fifteen years. During the 2024 protests, the brutal crackdown she oversaw resulted in the deaths of more than 1,400 people. The country is yet to hold an election or establish a constitutionally recognised government following the unrest.

Nine people are dead and 20 injured after a blast in a car near Red Fort on Monday evening, officials said.

The blast took place in a Hyundai i20 car at 6.52 pm near the Red Fort Metro Station, leaving mangled bodies and damaged cars scattered in the busy area. A high alert has been sounded in Delhi. The Delhi Police have invoked UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) sections after forensic evidence and intelligence inputs pointed to possible terror links.

The blast came hours after Jammu and Kashmir Police recovered nearly 3,000 kg of explosives from two residential buildings in Faridabad in Haryana. Sources said that Dr Umar Mohammad, who owned the car, reportedly panicked and triggered the blast near the Red Fort after investigators arrested two key members of the module - Dr Mujammil Shakeel and Dr Adil Rather - and seized the explosives. Ammonium nitrate, which was found in Faridabad, was used in the blast, sources added.

The Many Victims Of Delhi Blast

https://www.ndtv.com/india

The deadly blast near Delhi's iconic Red Fort, which shattered the national capital's peace and set off alarm bells in India's security establishment, turned the world upside down for nine families who lost their own and must now pick up the pieces.

Pankaj Saini, originally from Bihar, was a cab driver who had just dropped off a passenger at Chandni Chowk. Noman from Uttar Pradesh's Shamli was in the area to pick up supplies for his cosmetic shop. And Ashok Kumar, who worked as a conductor with the Delhi Transport Corporation, was in the crowded area to meet another victim. It was just another day for them, till it wasn't. A white i20 car, probably driven by a suicide bomber, exploded, and death ripped through several other vehicles.

Pankaj Saini, 22, was his family's sole earner. "What do I say? Pankaj had just dropped off a passenger at Chandni Chowk when this happened. We demand justice from the government, we hope justice will be served," his father told the media at Delhi's Lok Nayak Hospital, where he came to collect his young son's body.

Ashok, too, was the only earning member of a family of eight. Originally from Amroha, he lived in Delhi's Jagatpur with his wife and four children. A Delhi Transport Corporation employee, he was in the area to meet Lokesh Kumar Gupta, also from Amroha, when tragedy struck.

Hours after the blast, Ashok's cousin saw his name on the list of the victims. "I read his name in the list and said, 'He is my cousin.' I called around to confirm. He also had a bike, which is missing."

"His mother, Somwati, lives in the village with her elder son, Subhash. Ashok single-handedly shouldered family responsibilities because Subhash is often unwell," Pappu said. Ashok also worked as a security guard at night for some extra income, he said.

A relative of Lokesh Gupta said he was supposed to meet Ashok at Chandni Chowk. "Lokesh Kumar Gupta is my relative. We left Sir Ganga Ram Hospital together. Lokesh boarded the metro to Chandni Chowk, where Ashok was to meet him," the elderly man said.

Also among the victims is Noman from Shamli, who went to the wholesale market in Chandni Chowk to buy cosmetics for his shop. The 22-year-old died on the spot, and his cousin Aman was injured.

Noman's uncle, Furqan, said his death has devastated the family. "The ones who died were hardworking people. We lost our son. The government should give such a response that they don't dare to do something like this," he said.

Outside the Lok Nayak hospital, an elderly man was seen howling. He is the father of Amar Kataria, a 34-year-old who owned a medicine shop and was returning home when the blast struck. Kataria's shop is at Bhagirath Palace, about 6 km from the Red Fort, and he lived in Sriniwaspuri.

Such was the intensity of the blast that many of the bodies have not been identified yet. Outside the Lok Nayak Hospital, there is an eerie silence punctuated by family members' wails as they try to make sense, in vain, of how their world was shattered.

(Source - NDTV)

At least 45 people, most of them from Hyderabad, were killed in a bus accident in Saudi Arabia, the city police chief said on Monday, citing preliminary information.

Addressing reporters here, Hyderabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar said a total of 54 people travelled to Jeddah from here on November 9. They were scheduled to return on November 23.

Of the 54, four people travelled separately by car to Madina on Sunday, while another four stayed back in Mecca.

According to the official, 46 people were travelling in the ill-fated bus, which collided with an oil tanker about 25 km from Madina.

Only one person survived the accident and is currently undergoing treatment at a hospital.

“We are getting information that 45 people died. They were supposed to return to Hyderabad on 23rd (of November),” he added.

AIMIM MLA Majid Hussain said, “We have received information that over 40 people died in the accident, and we are coordinating with the families.” The Consulate General of India in Jeddah, in a statement, said it and the Embassy in Riyadh are extending full support.

“Officials of the Embassy and the consulate are also in touch with the concerned officials of the state of Telangana to coordinate with the concerned families,” it said.

AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi expressed anguish over the report of deaths of several Hyderabad residents in the accident.

He urged External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to help bring back the bodies of those who died and provide treatment to those injured, the AIMIM said in a post on X.

( Source : adaderana.lk)

Social media was flooded with false reports of veteran actor Dharmendra’s death on Tuesday morning, sparking confusion and concern among fans. The 88-year-old star is currently admitted to Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, but family members have confirmed that he is alive, stable, and recovering.

The rumours began after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and writer Javed Akhtar mistakenly posted condolence messages on X (formerly Twitter), leading many to believe that the legendary actor had passed away. Both posts have since been widely shared and criticised for adding to the misinformation.

Setting the record straight, Esha Deol and Hema Malini issued statements dismissing the false claims.

“The media seems to be in overdrive and spreading false news. My father is stable and recovering. We request everyone to give our family privacy. Thank you for your prayers for Papa’s speedy recovery,” Esha Deol wrote.

Hema Malini also reassured fans in a post on Monday evening, saying,

“I thank everyone for their concern about Dharam ji who is in hospital for observation. He is being continuously monitored and we are all with him.  I request you all to pray for his welfare and speedy recovery.”

Dharmendra’s son Sunny Deol’s team released an official statement as well, urging the public not to believe or circulate unverified information.

“Mr. Dharmendra is stable and under observation. Kindly don’t indulge in spreading false rumours regarding his health. Request everyone to pray for his speedy recovery and respect the family’s right to privacy.”

The veteran actor, best known for his iconic roles in Sholay, Chupke Chupke, and Phool Aur Patthar, was last seen in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and Teri Baaton Mein Ulja Jiya. He will next appear in Sriram Raghavan’s upcoming film ‘Ikkis’, alongside Agastya Nanda and Jaideep Ahlawat.

Fans across India continue to send prayers and well wishes for the much-loved actor’s speedy recovery.

The BBC has apologised to US President Donald Trump for a Panorama episode that spliced parts of his 6 January 2021 speech together, but rejected his demands for compensation.

The corporation said the edit had given "the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action" and said it would not show the 2024 programme again.

Lawyers for Trump have threatened to sue the BBC for $1bn (£759m) in damages unless the corporation issues a retraction, apologises and compensates him.

The fallout from the scandal led to the resignations of BBC director general Tim Davie and head of news Deborah Turness on Sunday.

BBC News has approached the White House for comment.

The apology comes hours after a second similarly edited clip, broadcast on Newsnight in 2022, was revealed by the Daily Telegraph.

In its Corrections and Clarifications section, published on Thursday evening, the BBC said the Panorama programme had been reviewed after criticism of how Trump's speech had been edited.

"We accept that our edit unintentionally created the impression that we were showing a single continuous section of the speech, rather than excerpts from different points in the speech, and that this gave the mistaken impression that President Trump had made a direct call for violent action," it said.

Lawyers for the BBC have written to President Trump's legal team in response to a letter received on Sunday, a BBC spokesperson said.

"BBC chair Samir Shah has separately sent a personal letter to the White House making clear to President Trump that he and the corporation are sorry for the edit of the president's speech on 6 January 2021, which featured in the programme," they said.

They added: "While the BBC sincerely regrets the manner in which the video clip was edited, we strongly disagree there is a basis for a defamation claim."

In Trump's speech he said: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women."

More than 50 minutes later in the speech, he said: "And we fight. We fight like hell."

In the Panorama programme the clip shows him as saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell."

Speaking to Fox News, Trump said his speech had been "butchered" and the way it was presented had "defrauded" viewers.

The BBC received the letter from Trump's lawyers on Sunday. It demands a "full and fair retraction" of the documentary, an apology, and that the BBC "appropriately compensate President Trump for the harm caused".

It set a deadline of 22:00 GMT (17:00 EST) on Friday for the corporation to respond.

In its letter to Trump's legal team, the BBC sets out five main arguments for why it does not think it has a case to answer

First it says the BBC did not have the rights to, and did not, distribute the Panorama episode on its US channels.

When the documentary was available on BBC iPlayer, it was restricted to viewers in the UK.

Secondly, it says the documentary did not cause Trump harm, as he was re-elected shortly after.

Thirdly, it says the clip was not designed to mislead, but just to shorten a long speech, and that the edit was not done with malice.

Fourthly, it says the clip was never meant to be considered in isolation. Rather, it was 12 seconds within an hour-long programme, which also contained lots of voices in support of Trump.

Finally, an opinion on a matter of public concern and political speech is heavily protected under defamation laws in the US.

A BBC insider said that internally, there is a strong belief in the case the corporation has put forward, and in its defence.

Earlier on Thursday, the BBC was accused of another misleading edit of Trump's 6 January 2021 speech, two years before the Panorama sequence aired.

On a Newsnight programme from 2022, the edit is a little different from Panorama.

Trump is shown as saying: "We're going to walk down to the Capitol. And we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. And we fight. We fight like hell. And if you don't fight like hell, you're not gonna have a country anymore."

This was followed by a voiceover from presenter Kirsty Wark saying "and fight they did" over footage from the Capitol riots.

Responding to the clip on the same programme, former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who quit a diplomatic post and became a critic of Trump after describing the 6 January riots as an "attempted coup", said the video had "spliced together" Trump's speech.

"That line about 'we fight and fight like hell' is actually later in the speech and yet your video makes it look like those two things came together," he said.

In response to Thursday's story in the Telegraph, a BBC spokesperson said the BBC holds itself to the "highest editorial standards" and the matter was being looked into.

A spokesman for Trump's legal team told the Telegraph it was "now clear that BBC engaged in a pattern of defamation against President Trump".

Concerns over the Trump Panorama documentary emerged when a leaked internal memo, written by a former independent external adviser to the corporation's editorial standards committee, was published by the Telegraph newspaper. Among other things, the document also criticised the BBC's reporting of trans issues, and BBC Arabic's coverage of the Israel-Gaza war.

(Source - BBC)

Denmark’s government on Friday announced an agreement to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, ratcheting up pressure on Big Tech platforms as concerns grow that kids are getting too swept up in a digitized world of harmful content and commercial interests.

The move would give some parents — after a specific assessment — the right to let their children access social media from age 13. It wasn’t immediately clear how such a ban would be enforced: Many tech platforms already restrict pre-teens from signing up. Officials and experts say such restrictions don’t always work.

Such a measure would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European Union government to limit use of social media among teens and younger children, which has drawn concerns in many parts of an increasingly online world.

Speaking to The Associated Press, Caroline Stage, Denmark’s minister for digital affairs, said 94% of Danish children under age 13 have profiles on at least one social media platform, and more than half of those under 10 do.

“The amount of time they spend online — the amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to online — is simply too great a risk for our children,” she said, while praising tech giants as “the greatest companies that we have. They have an absurd amount of money available, but they’re simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children, invest in the safety of all of us.”

No rush to legislation, no loopholes for tech giants

Stage said a ban won’t take effect immediately. Allied lawmakers on the issue from across the political spectrum who make up a majority in parliament will likely take months to pass relevant legislation.

“I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won’t do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through,” Stage said. Her ministry said pressure from tech giants’ business models was “too massive.”

It follows a move in December in Australia, where parliament enacted the world’s first ban on social media for children — setting the minimum age at 16.

That made platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram subject to fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.

Officials in Denmark didn’t say how such a ban would be enforced in a world where millions of children have easy access to screens. But Stage noted that Denmark has a national electronic ID system — nearly all Danish citizens over age 13 have such an ID — and plans to set up an age-verification app. Several other EU countries are testing such apps.

“We cannot force the tech giants to use our app, but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they don’t, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6% of their global income.”

Aiming to shield kids from harmful content online

Many governments have been grappling with ways of limiting harmful fallout from online technologies, without overly squelching their promise. Stage said Denmark’s legislative push was “not about excluding children from everything digital” — but keeping them away from harmful content.

China — which manufacturers many of the world’s digital devices — has set limits on online game time and smart-phone time for kids.

Prosecutors in Paris this week announced an investigation into allegations that TikTok allows content promoting suicide and that its algorithms may encourage vulnerable young people to take their own lives.

“Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” the Danish ministry said. “This is a development that no parent, teacher or educator can stop alone.”

The EU’s Digital Services Act, which took effect two years ago, forbids children younger than 13 to hold accounts on social media like TikTok and Instagram, video sharing platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and sites like Reddit and Discord, as well as AI companions.

Many social media platforms have for years banned anyone 13 or under from signing up for their services. TikTok users can verify their ages by submitting a selfie that will be analyzed to estimate their age. Meta Platforms, parent of Instagram and Facebook, says it uses a similar system for video selfies and AI to help figure out a user’s age.

TikTok said in an email that it recognizes the importance of Denmark’s initiative.

“At TikTok, we have steadfastly created a robust trust and safety track record, with more than 50 preset safety features for teen accounts, as well as age appropriate experiences and tools for guardians such as Family Pairing,” a tool allowing parents, guardians, and teens to customize safety settings.

We look forward to working constructively on solutions that apply consistently across the industry,” it added.

Meta didn’t respond immediately to requests for comment from the AP.

“We’ve given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They haven’t done it,” said Stage, the Danish minister. “So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our children’s futures are safe.”

(Source - AP)

Spain's Agriculture Ministry ordered on Thursday to immediately lock down all poultry due to the risk of bird flu, it said in a statement. The decision expands on measures announced last week, when Spain ordered poultry in designated high-risk areas to be kept indoors to curb the spread of bird flu.

It follows a rise in bird flu outbreaks across Europe, with 139 cases reported since July, and 14 in Spain, half of them in the Castille and Leon region.

"The measure has been taken following an increased risk of the disease entering Spain in the last week," the ministry said in a statement. The new order extends to all farms, including organic and small-scale producers, to prevent contact with migratory birds that could spread the virus. It also bans keeping ducks and geese with other poultry, using untreated surface water, and holding bird fairs or exhibitions.

(Source - reuters)

A Chinese gym has recently launched a controversial weight-loss challenge, offering a luxury car as a reward to anyone who successfully loses 50kg in three months.

While the promotion has garnered significant online interest, it has also raised serious concerns among health experts regarding the dangers of extreme weight loss in a short time frame.

On October 23, a fitness training centre in Binzhou, Shandong province, northern China, announced the bold weight-loss challenge online, which quickly attracted major attention.

According to the promotional poster, the gym promised a luxury Porsche Panamera as a prize to anyone who can lose 50kg within three months. The latest Porsche model from this product line has an official starting price of around 1.1 million yuan (US$155,000) in mainland China.

A fitness coach, surnamed Wang, confirmed to Xiang Yang Video that the campaign is legitimate, stating: “The challenge is real and already underway, and registration will close once we reach 30 participants. So far, around seven or eight people have signed up.”

Wang noted that the registration fee is 10,000 yuan (US$1,400), which covers meals and accommodation in a fully enclosed training environment with shared rooms. However, the specific details of the training regimen, dietary plans and criteria for achieving the weight loss target remain undisclosed. Wang also mentioned that the Porsche being offered belongs to the gym owner and is a used 2020 model that he has driven for several years, not a new car.

The extreme weight-loss campaign has sparked medical concerns. A medical influencer known as “Dr Zeng, who performed the hernia surgery,” with nearly 3.5 million followers on Weibo, warned about the dangers of such rapid weight loss and emphasised the potential health risks associated with losing weight at that speed.

“Losing 0.5kg per day is far too fast,” he cautioned. “Unless someone is severely overweight, this pace leads to muscle loss rather than fat reduction, which can cause hormonal imbalances, hair loss, and even amenorrhoea in women. A safer target is losing around 0.5kg per week.”

Another expert, Pu Yansong, a gastrointestinal surgeon at Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital, also cautioned: “Losing weight at such a rapid pace can strain our organs and may even be life-threatening. Scientific weight loss should be gradual, allowing the brain, body fat, muscles, and organs to adapt to the new energy balance.”

The challenge has ignited a storm of online debate among Chinese netizens.

One person commented: “If I lose 50kg, I’ll only have 5kg left. Will I still be alive?”

Another wrote: “The point is, no one can actually achieve this. Losing 50kg in 3 months? You’ll lose the person, not just the weight. But with a 10,000-yuan registration fee, the organiser could buy a new car while still saving the used one. In the end, he makes a fortune. Such a smart marketing plan.”

(Source - scmp)

The shutdown, which started on 1 October, has disrupted the lives of millions of Americans as all non-essential parts of government have been frozen.

It came after Democrats and Republicans refused to budge in their stand-off over healthcare spending, causing the first shutdown in almost seven years as the parties failed to agree on a government funding bill.

But on Wednesday night in Washington DC, the House of Representatives voted through a deal to reopen the government after the Senate - the upper chamber of Congress - reached a deal on Monday.

It will now go to the desk of President Donald Trump, who the White House has said will sign it tonight.

What’s a federal government shutdown?

A shutdown of the federal government means that all non-essential functions of government are frozen, affecting everything from social security to air travel to national park access.

Federal agencies are dependent on funding being approved by Congress to allow the president to sign budget legislation for the fiscal year ahead.

If they cannot approve funding (because of political differences - and America is bitterly divided) then those agencies are forced to shut down.

This means that workers cannot do their jobs and are not paid.

(Source: adaderana.lk)

The Maldives has introduced a historic generational tobacco ban, making it illegal for anyone born after January 1, 2007, to smoke, buy, or sell tobacco. The measure, effective from Saturday, aims to protect public health and create a tobacco-free generation, according to the Ministry of Health.

Globally, smoking causes over seven million deaths annually, and a 2021 survey showed more than a quarter of Maldivian adults and nearly double that of teens aged 13–15 used tobacco.

The Maldives is the first nation to implement such a nationwide ban, though similar proposals have been debated in countries like New Zealand and the UK, with mixed results.

This move follows the Maldives’ ongoing anti-tobacco efforts, including a 2024 ban on electronic cigarettes. Authorities also plan to expand anti-smoking clinics and have proposed incentives, such as cash rewards, to eliminate smoking across islands.

Pokemon lovers, here’s some good news. The first-ever permanent outdoor Pokemon theme park, PokePark Kanto, will officially open its doors on Feb 5, 2026.

The park will be located within Yomiuriland amusement park in Tokyo, Japan, and spans a sprawling 2.6 hectares.

The park is divided into two themed zones: Sedge Town and the Pokemon Forest.

In the forest, visitors can watch Pokemon “in the wild” as they wander along a 500-metre nature trail, while Sedge Town offers the chance to experience an immersive town in the Pokemon universe. Fans can expect to encounter more than 600 Pokemon throughout the park.

Two ticket types will be offered at launch: The Ace Trainer’s Pass and the Trainer’s Pass.

The Ace Trainer’s Pass gives access to both Sedge Town and Pokemon Forest at any time of day, along with extra perks like meet-and-greets, priority attraction lanes, a reserved seat at the Sedge Gym Show, and exclusive merchandise.

The Trainer’s Pass allows unlimited entry to Sedge Town plus a single, timed entry to Pokemon Forest with no re-entry.

A third pass, the Town Pass, which will grant entry to Sedge Town only, is set to launch in summer 2026.

All tickets include admission to Yomiuriland.

For residents in Japan, tickets will be sold via a lottery system, with registration opening on the official PokePark Kanto website at 6pm (Japan time) on Nov 21, 2025 and ending on Dec 8. Results will be announced in late December.

Details for international ticket sales have not been released. Look out for updates on the park’s official ticket information page.

(Source - CNA)

A 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck near the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif early on Monday, killing at least 20 people, injuring hundreds and damaging the city's historic Blue Mosque, authorities said, with the death toll likely to rise.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit at a depth of 28 km (17.4 miles) near Mazar-e Sharif, which has a population of about 523,000.

At least 20 people were killed and around 320 were injured, Health Ministry spokesperson Sharfat Zaman said, but officials warned the toll could rise as rescue teams reached remote villages in the worst-hit provinces of Balkh and Samangan.

https://www.theguardian.com/

Videos shared on social media platform X showed emergency responders searching the rubble for survivors. One video showed rescuers pulling what appeared to be dead bodies from collapsed buildings. Reuters could not immediately verify the footage of rescue efforts.

"Our rescue and health teams have arrived in the area, and all nearby hospitals have been put on standby by the leadership to treat the injured," Zaman said.

BLUE MOSQUE

The earthquake damaged part of the Blue Mosque, the holiest shrine in Mazar-e Sharif, Balkh province spokesperson Haji Zaid said.

The mosque is considered one of the holiest sites in Afghanistan and is believed to be the burial site of the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad. The current structure was built in the 15th century.

Footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed broken masonry and tiles lying in the courtyard of the mosque, though the main structure remained standing.

The disaster is the latest challenge for war-torn Afghanistan's Taliban administration, already grappling with crises including an August quake that killed thousands, a sharp drop in foreign aid and mass deportations of Afghan refugees by neighbouring countries.

The quake disrupted power across the country including to the capital Kabul, national power supplier Da Afghanistan Breshna Company said in a statement.

The USGS said "significant casualties are likely and the disaster is potentially widespread".

https://www.reuters.com/

ACTIVE FAULTS

Afghanistan is particularly vulnerable to quakes as it lies on two active faults that have the potential to rupture and cause extensive damage.

More than 2,200 people were killed and thousands more injured after a quake and strong aftershocks in the southeast of the war-shattered Islamic country at the end of August.

Past events with this alert level have required a regional or national level response, the system's alert added.

(Source - reuters)