President Droupadi Murmu appointed Dinesh Sharma as Lieutenant Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Announced in New Delhi through a late-night communique, the appointment takes effect when Sharma assumes office, succeeding Admiral D.K. Joshi (Retired). President Droupadi Murmu has appointed BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma as the next L

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked India for supporting efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war after meeting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Kyiv. Their talks covered possible paths to peace, Black Sea shipping security and wider India-Ukraine cooperation. Zelensky thanks India for Ukraine peace efforts Zelensky met Jaishankar in Kyiv on September 3 during what the Ukra

A major power outage across Washington County left tens of thousands of Southern Utah residents without electricity Thursday evening, forcing utilities to begin rolling blackouts while crews worked to restore the main transmission system. More than 40,000 residents were affected during the outage. By around 8 p.m., Dixie Power reported that approximately 33,000 of its customers were still without electricity. Utility officials said breakers serving Washington County had tripped at a

Firmus AI infrastructure funding has put a relatively little-known Australian company at the center of the global compute boom. A multibillion-dollar equity placement involving investors including Nvidia and Blackstone has valued Firmus at about A$15.5 billion, as investors pour increasingly large sums into the physical infrastructure required to run artificial intelligence.

Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche has formally rescinded the controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation fund as he seeks to overcome Republican opposition to his permanent confirmation. The decision also limits tax protections included in a settlement involving President Donald Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Senate vote approaches Blanche announced the reversal in a post on X

New Delhi: India has strongly condemned an attack on the commercial vessel MV Omorfi in the Black Sea that killed an Indian seafarer and placed other civilian crew members at risk. The Ministry of External Affairs said attacks on commercial shipping were unacceptable and called on all parties to protect maritime navigation and the uninterrupted movement of global trade. The incident has renewed concerns about the safety of Indian sailors w

A grain ship sinks near Odesa days after suffering major damage in a Russian missile attack, according to Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority. The strike on the Golden Leo killed 10 people and renewed concerns about Black Sea shipping, grain exports and global food security. Odesa ship attack damages Golden Leo The civilian cargo vessel Golden Leo sank in the Black Sea after being struck near Odesa

India has strongly raised concerns over the safety of its merchant seafarers after four Indian crew members were killed in a Russian missile strike on a cargo vessel in the Black Sea. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar discussed the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila. The discussion highlighted India's demand for better protection of civilian merchant mar

A boiler explosion at a private steel melting unit in Gummidipoondi SIPCOT killed Bihar worker Ravi Ranjan and injured seven migrant workers. Firefighters controlled the blaze, while police began investigating the cause of the industrial accident.   A 26-year-old worker was killed and seven others suffered severe burn injuries after a boiler exploded at a private steel melting unit in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvallur district early on Tuesday, July 1

A Fujian shoe factory fire in Jinjiang killed at least 28 people after flames spread through the Huiteng Shoes facility. Firefighters launched a major rescue operation as officials investigated the cause and reviewed safety risks tied to flammable shoe-making materials. A major fire at a shoe factory in Jinjiang, Fujian province, killed at least 28 people and triggered a large rescue operation in southeastern China on Thursday, July 9, 2026. Jinj

French President Emmanuel Macron was reported safe after explosions were heard in central Damascus during his visit to Syria on Tuesday, July 7. The blasts took place as Macron was in the capital for talks with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, turning a high-profile diplomatic visit into a major security concern. The explosions were reported near the Four Seasons Damascus area, where Macron was said to be staying during the trip. Smoke wa

Thiruvananthapuram, June 24: Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Pinarayi Vijayan, on Wednesday wrote to Chief Minister V D Satheesan, urging immediate steps to bring back the mortal remains of Arjun, a Keralite worker who died in an explosion at an industrial facility in Qatar. Arjun, a native of Kozhikode district, was working at the Barzan gas facility in Ras Laffan Industrial City when the incident occurre

Alibaba challenges Pentagon designation in US court Alibaba Group has filed a federal lawsuit in San Jose challenging its inclusion on a US Defense Department blacklist that labels it as a “Chinese military company.” The company argues that the designation is unfounded, lacks proper legal basis, and was issued without adequate due process. The case adds further pressure to already strained relations betw

Tick-bite emergency room visits are rising as Illinois tick season reaches one of its busiest periods. Federal health data shows weekly tick-bite ER visit rates in every U.S. region except the South Central states are at their highest level for this point in the year since 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois tick season brings several species into focus The Illinois Department of Public Health says

Thirteen people were killed and 66 others were injured in an explosion at a gas facility in Qatar’s Ras Laffan Industrial City on Sunday, June 21, 2026. According to preliminary information released by authorities, the people killed included Indian and Pakistani nationals. Officials have not disclosed how many victims were from India or provided a complete nationality-wise breakdown of the deaths. Indians Injured in Ras Laffan Gas Facility Explosion

Qatar factory blast triggers search operation An explosion at a factory in Qatar’s Ras Laffan industrial zone injured 54 people and left 18 others missing, the country’s interior ministry said Monday, June 22. Authorities described the blast as the result of a technical incident and said emergency teams were continuing search and response operations at the site. The ministry did not immediately provide further details on the condition of

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A federal judge has kept the Trump administration’s proposed $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund on hold after senior officials declined to provide sworn assurances that the program had been abandoned. U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema issued a preliminary injunction on Friday, June 12, 2026, barring the Justice and Treasury departments from creating, financing or operating the fund. The order

What is FATF, and why can its decisions affect governments, banks and investors worldwide? The Financial Action Task Force is the leading international body that sets standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and the financing of weapons proliferation. The organisation has received renewed attention after India was elected FAT

A sudden blaze tore through a beachfront resort in Bayahibe, Dominican Republic, turning a routine holiday setting into an emergency evacuation zone. The fire erupted inside the Viva Wyndham Dominicus Beach property and quickly spread across connected sections of the complex, forcing guests and staff to abandon rooms and move toward open safe zones. Wind conditions accelerate spread across structures Initial assessments from emergency officials suggest that strong coastal winds played a major role in accelerating the fire. Parts of the resort reportedly included lightweight roofing materials, which allowed flames to move rapidly between buildings. Smoke was visible across the shoreline within minutes, disrupting nearby tourist activity and prompting immediate containment efforts. Large-scale evacuation of guests and staff Authorities confirmed that nearly 1,700 people were evacuated from the resort and surrounding areas as a precaution. Evacuation procedures were carried out in phases, prioritizing guests in the most affected blocks before expanding to adjacent zones. Emergency teams coordinated movement toward designated safe areas while ensuring transport and crowd control across the property. Emergency response focused on containment and safety Firefighters and civil defense units deployed multiple teams to control the situation and prevent further structural damage. The priority initially remained evacuation due to the speed of spread and changing wind direction. Once the perimeter was secured, responders began targeted suppression efforts to stop the fire from reaching nearby hospitality properties along the coast. Fatality confirmed as investigation begins Officials confirmed that one woman died in the incident, marking the most serious impact of the fire. Authorities have launched a formal investigation into the cause, focusing on structural safety standards, fire prevention systems, and compliance within the resort complex. Early scrutiny is expected to examine whether existing safety protocols were sufficient for a high-occupancy coastal facility. Tourism impact and safety concerns under review The incident has raised fresh concerns over fire preparedness in high-density tourist resorts across the Caribbean region. Authorities are now reviewing whether additionalsafety audits or stricter building regulations are required to prevent similar emergencies. Further updates are expected as damage assessments continue and investigators reconstruct the sequence of events.

A criminal case in Nagpur has drawn serious attention after a woman, married to an Indian Air Force officer, accused a former classmate of luring her into a meeting under the guise of a property deal and later subjecting her to sexual assault and blackmail. As per the complaint, the accused contacted her in February 2025 and arranged a meeting at a hotel on Wardha Road, where she was allegedly given a spiked drink and assaulted while unconscious. The complaint further states that explicit videos and photographs were recorded without her consent and later used to threaten her into continued exploitation. Investigators say the case involves multiple allegations, including repeated coercion, financial extortion amounting to over ₹3 lakh, and sustained intimidation through the use of recorded content. The woman has also claimed that she was pressured into participating in activities presented as religious rituals and was misled about a forced conversion process. A video linked to the case, now part of the investigation, shows the victim in a distressed state, allegedly pleading for release while being restrained. Authorities are verifying the authenticity and context of this footage as part of the probe. Arrests made as police expand investigation across locations After the woman informed her husband and formally lodged a complaint at Sonegaon Police Station, police registered a case under charges including rape, extortion, criminal intimidation, and provisions related to unlawful coercion practices. Two accused individuals have been arrested and remanded to police custody, while a third suspect is currently being traced in connection with the case. Officials have confirmed that the investigation is examining financial transactions, communication records, and travel history linked to the accused and the complainant. The case is being treated as a multi-layered investigation involving allegations of sexual assault, cyber-enabled blackmail, and organized coercion. Police are also reviewing digital evidence and witness statements to establish the sequence of events and determine the extent of involvement of each accused person. Further legal action will depend on corroboration of evidence collected during ongoing investigation and forensic analysis of the material seized.