World

Sabarimala, Aug 16 (UNI) The world-famous Lord Ayyappa temple here will open this evening for the five-day pujas of the Malayalam month of Chingam (August 17–21), coinciding with the Onam festival in Kerala. The sanctum sanctorum will be opened in the presence of Thantri Kandararu Mahesh Mohanaru, with Melshanthi Arun Kumar Namboothiri lighting the sacred…

Praia, Aug 16 (UNI) The death toll from floods caused by a storm on Cape Verde’s island of Sao Vicente has risen to nine, local authorities said Friday. Cape Verde’s government has declared two days of national mourning and a six-month state of emergency on three islands after the storm struck Monday night, leaving widespread…

Sao Paulo, Aug 16 (UNI) Brazilian Health Minister Alexandre Padilha on Friday called the U.S. government’s decision to revoke tourist visas for his wife and 10-year-old daughter “cowardly,” saying it was an attempt to intimidate those who refuse to bow to Washington. According to Padilha, the move was part of U.S. sanctions over Brazil’s continued…

Madrid, Aug 16 (UNI) Spain is at “extreme risk” of new wildfires, warned the country’s prime minister, even as firefighters continue to battle 14 major blazes. In a post on X, Pedro Sanchez said he expected Friday’s conditions to be “very tough again” as he posted a graphic from the national weather agency Aemet warning…

Jerusalem, Aug 16 (UNI) Israel’s far-right security minister Itamar Ben Gvir has posted a video footage of himself taunting the most high-profile Palestinian prisoner while visiting him in jail this week, in an encounter that has prompted outrage from supporters. In the video, Marwan Barghouti (66), who is serving five life sentences after being convicted…

Seoul, Aug 16 (UNI) South Korea’s birth rate has dropped throughout much of the past decade, spelling trouble for the military as regional threats and global conflicts simmer. A new report has found that the number of South Korean troops declined by 20% in the past six years, in large part because of the dwindling…

Ottawa, Aug 16 (UNI) A helicopter fighting wildfires in Canada’s southeastern province of Nova Scotia crashed into a lake Friday afternoon and the pilot was rescued, local media reported. Citing the provincial Department of Natural Resources, CBC News said the helicopter crashed into shallow water while fighting the blaze in Annapolis County. The pilot was…

Anchorage, Aug 15 (UNI) US President Donald Trump today said he will raise the issue of territories with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Alaska summit, but stressed that the final decision rests with Kyiv. “They will be discussed, but I have to let Ukraine make that decision, and I think they will make a…

Kyiv, Aug 15 (UNI) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking on the upcoming Alaska summit, said tKyiv will be “counting on America” to bring about a solution to ending the war, during the “high stakes” meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that it will pave the way for a trilateral…

Anchorage, United States, Aug 15 (UNI) US President Donald Trump on Thursday estimated that his upcoming meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the US state of Alaska has a 25 per cent chance of not being successful. In an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump said his meeting with Putin is like “a chess…