LOCAL NEWS

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law a treaty on the country’s strategic partnership with North Korea which includes a mutual defence provision, according to a decree published on Saturday. The accord, signed by Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in June after a summit in Pyongyang, calls on each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack. Russia’s upper house ratified the treaty this week, while the lower house endorsed it last month. Putin signed a decree on that ratification that appeared on Saturday on a government website outlining legislative procedures. The treaty galvanises closer ties between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of… Read More »Putin Signs Into Law Mutual Defence Treaty With North Korea

Israeli protesters expressed concern for hostages in Gaza Saturday, after Qatar said it was pulling back as a key mediator for a ceasefire that would help bring the captives home. Thousands of people rallied in Tel Aviv holding signs reading “400”, the number of days since the hostages were taken when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on October 7 last year. Efforts to broker a truce in the ensuing war between Hamas and Israel have proven fruitless, and on Saturday Qatar put its mediation on hold until the two sides showed “willingness and seriousness” in talks. Protester Ruti Lior said she was unsure how much sway Qatar had, but was still “very, very worried” by… Read More »Israelis Fear For Hostages As Qatar Halts Gaza Mediation

An Afghan delegation will attend the upcoming UN climate change summit in Azerbaijan, the foreign ministry spokesman told AFP on Saturday, marking a first since the Taliban government came to power. Afghanistan is ranked as the country sixth most vulnerable to climate change and Taliban authorities have pushed to participate in COP summits, saying their political isolation shouldn’t bar them from international climate talks. Having tried and failed to attend UN climate change summits in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, this year an invitation from COP29 hosts Azerbaijan came through. “A delegation of the Afghan government will be in Baku” for the summit, which opens on Monday in the Azerbaijani capital, said foreign ministry… Read More »In A First Since Taliban Rule, Afghanistan Says To Attend UN Climate Talks

A lack of coordination between two rail employees during a shunting operation led to one of them getting stuck in the buffers of the engine and a power car, causing his death in the Barauni Junction of Bihar on Saturday, a preliminary inquiry has found. The joint report, signed by five rail officials, said the two pointsmen — Amar Kumar and Mohd Suleman — failed to properly coordinate with each other due to which Suleman gave the wrong signal to the loco driver, resulting in 25-year-old Kumar’s death. A clip of the body stuck between the buffers has become widely circulated on social media. A pointsman’s job is to detach train engines from coaches. The… Read More »Coordination Gap With Colleague Caused Railway Employees’ Death, Says Probe

A lack of coordination between two rail employees during a shunting operation led to one of them getting stuck in the buffers of the engine and a power car, causing his death in the Barauni Junction of Bihar on Saturday, a preliminary inquiry has found. The joint report, signed by five rail officials, said the two pointsmen — Amar Kumar and Mohd Suleman — failed to properly coordinate with each other due to which Suleman gave the wrong signal to the loco driver, resulting in 25-year-old Kumar’s death. A clip of the body stuck between the buffers has become widely circulated on social media. A pointsman’s job is to detach train engines from coaches. The… Read More »Coordination Gap With Colleague Caused Railway Employees’ Death, Says Probe