86-year-old grandmother’s rape shocks India

The 86-year-old grandmother was raped in Delhi. Tens of thousands of rapes are reported in India every year, but some stand out for being deeply disturbing. In one particularly shocking case, police in the capital, Delhi, have arrested a man in his 30s for the rape and assault of an 86-year-old grandmother. “The woman was […]

Russian, Chinese hackers all targeting 2020 election, Microsoft says

WASHINGTON: Microsoft said Thursday it prevented cyberattacks from China, Russia, and Iran aimed at both Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns, as technology giants scrambled to protect election security less than two months ahead of the US vote. The announcement came as Twitter said it would implement a policy next week to remove “false or misleading […]

Bollywood Sushant Singh Rajput case: After a star’s suicide, a TV ‘witch hunt’

MUMBAI (AFP) – India has more than four million coronavirus cases and an explosive border stand-off with China, but the story dominating television news for months is how a Bollywood actress supposedly drove her ex-boyfriend to suicide with pot and black magic. Faced with a seemingly endless pandemic lockdown and an economy in free fall, […]

Dozens arrested at Melbourne anti-lockdown protest

Authorities in Melbourne arrested more than 70 people for flouting stay-at-home orders to protest against lockdown restrictions on Sunday (Sep 13), with some demonstrators clashing with riot police at a market in the city. About 250 people attended the illegal protest — the second in as many days in the city — promoted by coronavirus […]

Facebook removes posts linking Oregon wildfires to activist groups

Facebook has started removing false claims that the deadly wildfires in Oregon were started by various left-wing and right-wing groups, a spokesman for the social media company said on Saturday, after the rumors left state officials inundated with queries for information. Since early this week, state officials have been attempting to debunk misinformation on social […]

India coronavirus cases surge to 4.85 million

MUMBAI (Reuters) – India has recorded 92,071 new cases of the coronavirus, taking total cases to 4.85 million, the federal health ministry said on Monday. The world’s second-most populous country lags only the United States globally in the overall number of infections, but it has been reporting more daily cases than the United States since […]

Saudi Arabia to lift some international flight restrictions on Sept 15

Saudi Arabia will partially lift its suspension of international flights as of Sept. 15 to allow “exceptional categories” of citizens and residents to travel, the state news agency SPA said on Sunday. The kingdom will lift all travel restrictions for citizens on Jan 1, 2021, it added. The exceptional categories include public and military sector […]

US Eases China Travel Warning, Citing Virus Progress

WASHINGTON: Citing “improved conditions”, the US State Department on Monday eased a travel advisory for Americans considering travel to China or Hong Kong from “Do Not Travel” to “Reconsider Travel”. The new “Level 3” warning reflects the “arbitrary enforcement” of local laws, said the department, which had issued its highest “Do Not Travel” Level 4 […]

Trump says coronavirus vaccine could be ready in a month

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a coronavirus vaccine may be available within a month – an acceleration of even his own surprisingly optimistic predictions but added that the pandemic could go away by itself. Trump, speaking at a town hall hosted by ABC News in Philadelphia, defended his handling of the coronavirus crisis, and said a […]

Hurricane Sally bringing “historic and catastrophic” flooding as it hits Gulf Coast

Hurricane Sally is heading towards the US, it has brought “historic and catastrophic flooding” to the southern US as it inches ashore. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported flooding from Tallahassee, Florida to Mobile Bay in Alabama. According to the international news agency, the center has cautioned of a “life-threatening” storm surge and river flooding inland […]