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DHAKA, Bangladesh, December 4, 2025 (AP) A special tribunal in Bangladeshs capital on Thursday issued an arrest warrant against Sajeeb Wazed, the son of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, over alleged crimes against humanity during last years mass uprising that ended his mothers 15-year rule. Wazed, who lives in the United States, was an adviser to Hasina. He is accused of shutting down internet access in much of Bangladesh during the protests and causing mass killings of protesters. A three-

Dec 4 (Reuters) British American Tobacco is looking to offload its stake in Indias ITC Hotels, it said on Thursday, through an accelerated bookbuild process. The tobacco group plans to sell between 7% and its entire 15.3% stake in ITC Hotels, with proceeds from the block trade earmarked for deleveraging its balance sheet. In May, BAT sld a $1.5 billion stake in ITC Ltd, the parent company from which ITC Hotels was spun off as a separate listed entity in January. As previously stated, a direct s

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) There is less than 1 per cent representation of persons with disabilities (PwDs) at organisations across the country even as there has been a discussion, advocacy and policy reform over the years, a report said on Thursday. The total number of corporate workers with disabilities remains below 1 per cent, and 37.9 per cent of the companies surveyed indicated that they do not have any permanently employed disabled individuals, according to Marching Sheep PwD Inclusion Index 202

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) The rupee rebounded from its all-time low levels and appreciated by 19 paise to close at 89.96 against the US dollar on Thursday, on softness in the US dollar index and on reports of the Reserve Bank of Indias supposed intervention. Forex traders said the greenback fell after ADP non-farm payroll data came in sharply below forecast, and the softness in the US dollar index supported the rupee at lower levels. The rupee opened weak earlier in the day and touched a fresh all-tim

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) Snapping the four-day losing run, benchmark Sensex climbed 158 points and Nifty settled above 26,000 on Thursday following buying in tech and IT shares. The 30-share BSE Sensex edged higher by 158.51 points or 0.19 per cent to settle at 85,265.32. During the day, it rose by 380.4 points or 0.44 per cent to 85,487.21. The 50-share NSE Nifty climbed 47.75 points or 0.18 per cent to 26,033.75. Sensex dropped around 613 points or 0.72 per cent while Nifty shed nearly 230 points o

New Delhi, Dec 4 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its insecurity. Gandhis remarks came hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putins two-day visit to India. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said it is a tradition that visiting foreign dignitaries meet the LoP but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs were not following this norm.

Eating a daily skin-roasted peanuts may help older adults improve blood flow to their brains and boost memory, according to a new study. The new study suggests that a simple, everyday eating skin-roasted peanuts can supercharge blood flow in your brain a vital function that tends to weaken as we get older. Researchers found that the boost not only sharpened memory but also improved participants heart health. In the study, researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands recruited 31 heal

Mumbai, Dec 4 (PTI) The rupee slumped 28 paise to an all-time low of 90.43 against the US dollar in early trade on Thursday, amid substantial foreign institutional investor outflows and restrained intervention from the Reserve Bank of India. Forex traders said that restrained central bank intervention ahead of the crucial Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision and significant dollar demand from importers have exerted persistent downward pressure on the local currency. At the interbank foreign

New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Gold prices climbed Rs 670 to Rs 1,32,200 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday, as firm global trends and a steep fall in the rupee supported the safe-haven demand, according to the All India Sarafa Association. On Tuesday, the precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity closed at Rs 1,31,530 per 10 grams. Traders said the rupees slide to an all-time low against the US dollar pushed up bullion prices. However, silver snapped a six-day winning streak by declining Rs

Previous research has found that the human brain reaches maturity sometime in the 20s, but a new study suggests that it never stops developing. Our brains rewire themselves completely five times over the course of our lifetimes, says a research team, whose insights suggest changes we can expect in these different phases of our lives. The turning points in neural networking occur at an average age of around 9, 32, 66 and 83, they say. The rewiring is accompanied by different ways of thinking as w

NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (Reuters) Indias government scrapped an order to smartphone makers on Wednesday to preload a state-run cybersecurity app Sanchar Saathi on all new devices after an outcry from politicians, privacy advocates and global tech companies over surveillance fears. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government had privately told companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi on November 28 to preload new phones with an app that cannot be deleted called Sanchar Saathi within 90 days, Reuters

Mumbai, Dec 3 (PTI) Stock market benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty ended lower in a largely range-bound trade on Wednesday amid persistent foreign fund outflows and profit-taking by investors. Falling for the fourth day in a row, the 30-share BSE Sensex dipped 31.46 points or 0.04 per cent to settle at 85,106.81. During the day, it dropped 374.63 points or 0.44 per cent to 84,763.64. The 50-share NSE Nifty skidded 46.20 points or 0.18 per cent to 25,986. From the Sensex firms, Bharat Electronic

NEW DELHI, December 3, 2025 (AP) Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in India this week for a summit aimed at deepening economic, defense and energy ties, a visit that will also test New Delhis efforts to balance relations with Moscow and Washington as the war in Ukraine grinds on. Putin is scheduled to arrive on the state visit Thursday and hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. They are expected to review progress on bilateral ties, discuss issues of mutual intere

NEW DELHI, December 2, 2025 (AP) Indias telecoms ministry has directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. The Ministry of Communications order issued Monday asked smartphone makers to pre-install the governments Sanchar Saathi app on all new devices within 90 days and to prevent users from deleting it.

NEW DELHI, Dec 2 (Reuters) Apple does not plan to comply with a mandate to preload its smartphones with a state-owned cyber safety app and will convey its concerns to New Delhi, three sources said, after the governments move sparked surveillance concerns and a political uproar. The Indian government has confidentially ordered companies including Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi to preload their phones with an app called Sanchar Saathi, or Communication Partner, within 90 days. The app is intended to t

New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) Gold prices plunged Rs 1,670 to Rs 1,31,530 per 10 grams in the national capital on Tuesday, amid weak trends in the international markets, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had settled at Rs 1,33,200 per 10 grams in the previous market session. Gold edged lower on Tuesday as traders booked profits after prices hit a multi-week high in the previous session, while a cautious approach adopted by traders before the impor

Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) The rupee hit the psychological 90-a-dollar level in intraday trade before settling 42 paise down at an all-time low of 89.95 (provisional) against the US dollar on Tuesday, largely owing to continued short-covering from speculators and sustained importer demand for the American currency. Forex traders said multiple pressures, like foreign fund outflows from equities and lingering uncertainty over the Indo-US trade deal, are keeping investor sentiment fragile. At the interban

Abdominal obesitythe phenomenon commonly known as beer bellyis associated with significant cardiovascular risks, according to new data being presented at RSNA 2025 in Chicago. Abdominal obesity, a high waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), is associated with more concerning cardiac remodeling patterns than high body mass index (BMI) alone, lead author Jennifer Erley, MD, a radiology resident at University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany, said in an RSNA statement. It appears to lead to a potenti

New Delhi, Dec 2 (PTI) The Congress on Tuesday attacked the Modi government over the filing of a fresh FIR in the National Herald case and said it is confident that the judiciary will see through this political vendetta and mindless attempts to hound. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said 12 years on, and suddenly, there is a new FIR in the old case on the Gandhi family targeting the Congress party. Simply because the Modi government and the ED have exhausted their supply of fresh smears. W

New Delhi, Dec 1 (PTI) Gold prices surged by Rs 3,040 to Rs 1,33,200 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday, tracking strong global trends and a weak US dollar, according to the All India Sarafa Association. Analysts said sustained jewellery demand amid the ongoing wedding season supported the precious metal. The precious metal of 99.5 per cent purity zoomed by Rs 3,040 to Rs 1,32,600 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). Gold is now inching closer to its all-time high of Rs 1,34,800 pe

DHAKA, Bangladesh, December 1, 2025 (AP) A court in Bangladeshs capital sentenced ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to five years in prison and her niece, British Labour Party lawmaker Tulip Siddiq, to two years in prison on Monday for corruption involving a government land project. Rabiul Alam, the judge of Dhakas Special Judges Court, said Hasina misused her power as prime minister while Siddiq was guilty of corruptly influencing her aunt in helping her mother and two siblings get a land pl

Mumbai, Dec 1 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed marginally lower after hitting their fresh all-time highs on Monday due to profit-taking at higher levels and foreign fund outflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex pared early gains and closed 64.77 points or 0.08 per cent lower at 85,641.90. During the day, the benchmark jumped 452.35 points or 0.52 per cent to hit a record intra-day high of 86,159.02. The 50-share NSE Nifty dipped 27.20 points or 0.10 per cent to settle at 26,175.75.

Washington, Dec 1 (The Conversation) The US government has caused massive food waste during President Donald Trumps second term. Policies such as immigration raids, tariff changes and temporary and permanent cuts to food assistance programmes have left farmers short of workers and money, food rotting in fields and warehouses, and millions of Americans hungry. And that doesnt even include the administrations actual destruction of edible food. The U.S. government estimates that more than 47 millio

Mumbai, Dec 1 (PTI) The rupee traded in a narrow range against the US dollar in early trade on Monday, as the support from positive domestic equities was negated by elevated crude oil prices and foreign fund outflows. Forex traders said significant dollar demand by importers has exerted persistent downward pressure on the local currency. Moreover, investors are adopting a cautious stance amid ongoing trade tensions with the US, with expectations of a settlement towards the end of the year. At th

A new study published in the Journal of Lipid Research suggests that soybean oil, the most widely consumed cooking oil in India, may play a direct role in promoting obesity, and the effect appears tied to how the body processes one of its main components. Researchers fed mice a diet rich in soybean oil and tracked how they metabolized linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid that makes up a large share of soybean oil. Linoleic acid is broken down in the body into molecules called oxylipins, and eati

JERUSALEM, December 1, 2025 (AP) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a pardon from the president during his trial on corruption charges that has long divided the country. The request was met with indignation Sunday by opposition politicians and government watchdogs, but some Israelis signaled support and indicated it is time to move on. The presidents office called the request extraordinary, with significant implications. At stake is the reputation of Israels justice system

WASHINGTON, December 1, 2025 (AP) President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would release the results of his MRI test that he received in October. If you want to have it released, Ill release it, the president said during an exchange with reporters as he traveled back to Washington from Florida. He said the results of the MRI were perfect. The White House has so far declined to detail why Trump had an MRI during his physical last month, or on what part of his body. The press secretary, Karolin

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., November 28, 2025 (AP) President Donald Trump says he wants to permanently pause migration from poorer nations and is promising to seek to expel millions of immigrants from the United States by revoking their legal status. He is blaming immigrants for problems from crime to housing shortages as part of social dysfunction in America and demanding REVERSE MIGRATION. His most severe social media post against immigration since returning to the Oval Office in January came afte

New Delhi, Nov 28 (PTI) Gold prices climbed Rs 700 to Rs 1,30,160 per 10 grams in the national capital on Friday tracking firm trends in the global markets and strong investor appetite, according to marketmen. The precious metal of 99.5 per cent purity jumped by Rs 700 to Rs 1,29,560 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). Gold edged highersupported by increasing expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut in December, Saumil Gandhi, Senior Analyst Commodities at HDFC Securities, said. He further

Mumbai, Nov 28 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty closed almost unchanged in a highly volatile trade on Friday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of key macroeconomic data announcements in post-market hours. Halting its two-day rally, the 30-share BSE Sensex slipped by 13.71 points or 0.02 per cent to settle at 85,706.67. During the day, it hit a high of 85,969.89 and a low of 85,577.82, gyrating 392.07 points. The 50-share NSE Nifty skidded 12.60 points or 0.05 per cent to 2

Washington, November 28, 2025 (AP) The man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington is one of about 76,000 Afghans brought to the United States after the chaotic withdrawal of the U.S. from their country as the Taliban took over, authorities said. The program, called Operation Allies Welcome, was created after the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan following 20 years of American intervention and billions of dollars of aid. Democratic President Joe Biden, who oversaw the with

Mumbai, Nov 28 (PTI) Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty advanced in early trade on Friday, after hitting record highs in the previous session, helped by buying in blue-chip Reliance Industries and rate cut optimism. The 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 103.96 points to 85,824.34 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty went up by 36.2 points to 26,251.75. From the Sensex firms, Mahindra & Mahindra, Reliance Industries, Hindustan Unilever, Titan, Tech Mahindra and Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles w

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, November 28, 2025 (AP) Sri Lanka closed government offices and schools Friday as the death toll from floods and landslides across the country rose to 56 while more than 600 houses were damaged, officials said. Sri Lanka began grappling with severe weather last week and the conditions worsened Thursday with heavy downpours that flooded homes, fields and roads, and triggered landslides across the country. More than 25 people were killed Thursday in landslides in the central mo

Drinking three to four cups of coffee a day can slow biological aging, a study suggests. Coffee drinkers could live five years longer than those who abstain from the hot beverage, the study has revealed. Drinking a maximum of four cups of coffee a day could slow biological ageing by lengthening telomeres structures that protect the ends of chromosomes. Shorter telomere length in these cells is associated with a higher risk of certain age-related diseases and is considered a marker for cellular

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla, November 27, 2025 (AP) President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he is barring South Africa from participating in the Group of 20 summit next year at his Miami-area club and will stop all payments and subsidies to the country over its treatment of a U.S. government representative at this years global meeting. Trump chose not to have an American government delegation attend last weekends summit hosted by South Africa, saying he did so because its white Afrikaners were bein

New Delhi, Nov 27 (PTI) Gold prices declined by Rs 640 to Rs 1,29,460 per 10 grams in the national capital on Thursday due to poor offtake by stockists and retailers amid weak global trends, according to the All India Sarafa Association. The precious metal of 99.5 per cent purity decreased by Rs 640 to Rs 1,28,860 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). Gold edged lower in range-bound trading on Thursday. Easing geopolitical tensions, driven by progress toward a potential Russia-Ukraine peace dea

Mumbai, Nov 27 (PTI) Benchmark stock indices Sensex and Nifty scaled fresh lifetime highs in intra-day trade on Thursday before paring some gains to close marginally higher amid positive global trends on growing hopes of a US Fed rate cut and foreign fund inflows. Rising for the second day, the 30-share BSE Sensex climbed 110.87 points or 0.13 per cent to settle at 85,720.38. During the day, it hit a record high of 86,055.86, reflecting a jump of 446.35 points or 0.52 per cent. However, profit-t

DHAKA, Bangladesh, November 27, 2025 (AP) Bangladeshs ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sentenced Thursday to 21 years in prison in three corruption cases related to allocations of land in a government project. She was sentenced to death earlier this month for crimes against humanity involving the crackdown on the mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule last year. She is in exile in India, and all of the trials have been conducted in absentia. The three verdicts found Hasina guilty of i

Gold Coast, Nov 27 (The Conversation) OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman perhaps the most prominent face of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom that accelerated with the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 loves scaling laws. These widely admired rules of thumb linking the size of an AI model with its capabilities inform much of the headlong rush among the AI industry to buy up powerful computer chips, build unimaginably large data centres, and re-open shuttered nuclear plants. As Altman argued in a bl

A major new study has found a notable connection between untreated sleep apnea and an increased risk of Parkinsons disease. A team of researchers from Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) studied more than 11 million veterans aged 40 and older who did not already have Parkinsons disease. Some of them had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. The researchers then tracked who went on to develop Parkinsons over a

Mumbai, Nov 27 (PTI) Stock market benchmark indices extended their previous days rally in early trade on Thursday, with the Nifty hitting its fresh record high amid favourable global trends on growing hopes of a US Fed rate cut and foreign fund inflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex advanced 313.38 points to 85,922.89 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty rallied 90.25 points to hit an all-time high of 26,295.55. The broader index had earlier scaled its record intra-day high of 26,277 on September 27

So, you want to grow an avocado tree from seed? Its not only a fun off-season activity, especially for kids, but its also very easy. Just know that since avocados are tropical plants, they wont survive winters outdoors in colder climates. Still, its possible to grow avocado plants indoors. They likely wont produce fruit, but they make lovely houseplants. When I was growing up, it wasnt uncommon for there to be a pit of some sort partially submerged in a glass of water, suspended by toothpicks, o

New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Gold prices surged Rs 1,200 to hit near a two-week high of Rs 1,30,100 per 10 grams in the national capital on Wednesday, tracking a rally in the international markets, according to the All India Sarafa Association. Analysts said the rise was mainly driven by renewed expectations of interest-rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve next month. The precious metal of 99.5 per cent purity also advanced by Rs 1,200 to Rs 1,29,500 per 10 grams (inclusive of all taxes). On November

Mumbai, Nov 26 (PTI) Snapping the three-day falling streak, benchmark Sensex rebounded by 1,022 points while Nifty reclaimed the 26,000 level on Wednesday on across-the-board buying aided by a rally in global peers amid growing hopes of a US Fed rate cut and fresh foreign fund inflows. The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 1,022.50 points or 1.21 per cent to settle at 85,609.51. During the day, it surged 1,057.18 points or 1.24 per cent to 85,644.19. The 50-share NSE Nifty zoomed 320.50 points or 1.24

New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the BJP-RSS of damaging institutions and disrespecting the Constitution, claiming their current reverence for it is a mere pretence and sham as they never made any contribution in its making. He also noted that justice, equality, freedom, mutual brotherhood and secularism, which are the hallmarks of India, are in danger today under the BJP rule. Today, Mr. Modi lectures us on the dangers of Colonisation, but these

GUWAHATI, India, November 26, 2025 (AP) Hansie Cronje was the South Africa captain in 2000-01 and Sachin Tendulkar led India the last time South Africa won a test series in India. On Wednesday, South Africa clinched its second series win in 25 years in India by beating the hosts by 408 runs. World Test Championship winner South Africa won the opening test at Kolkata by 30 runs. Off-spinner Simon Harmer took a career-best 6-37 and India crashed to be 140 all out in its second innings and lose th

NEW DELHI, November 26, 2025 (AP) Hours after police in Kashmir released shopkeeper Bilal Ahmed Wani but kept his son in custody in this months deadly New Delhi blast investigation, Wani set himself on fire, members of his family said. The 55-year-old dry fruit seller was treated at three hospitals but died a day later. His relatives, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they feared reprisals from authorities for talking to media, said stress and humiliation over the detentions drove him to s

Melbourne, Nov 26 (The Conversation) Ebooks have been popular for decades and audiobooks are increasingly so. But physical books are still the decided favourite: a survey of Australian publishers after last Christmas reported print books made up a comfortable majority of sales (ebooks were 418% and audiobooks 515%). This is despite regular warnings about the death of the book. Some critics of print books have even changed their tune. We need to get over books, wrote journalist Jeff Jarvis in a 2

New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Asserting that the Constitution is the protective shield of the poor, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday urged people to pledge that we will not allow any attack on the Constitution and said he will be the first to stand up against any assault on it. On Constitution Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stressed the need to protect the fundamental principles of the Constitution such as justice, equality, freedom, mutual brotherhood, secularism, and socialism.

Melbourne, Nov 26 (The Conversation) In the eyes of big AI companies such as OpenAI, the troves of data on the internet are highly valuable. They scrape photos, videos, books, blog posts, albums, painting, photographs and much more to train their products such as ChatGPT usually without any compensation to or consent from the creators. In fact, OpenAI and Google are arguing that a part of American copyright law, known as the fair use doctrine, legitimises this data theft. Ironically, OpenAI has