As the Haj pilgrims clad in ihram, men in two-piece, unstitched white fabric and women in loose-fitting, modest clothing, exit from Haj terminals in Jeddah or Medina, the waiting luxury cars transfer them to the five-star hotels facing the Haram Sharif.Located at almost a whispering distance from the sacred sanctuaries in the two cities, the…
AGARTALA: Two suspected Bangladeshi smugglers were killed when BSF jawans fired at them in self-defence along the India-Bangladesh border in Tripura’s Sepahijala Friday night. The incident took place near Kamalasagar border outpost, an area known for smuggling activities allegedly aided by villagers on both sides of the border. According to sources, a BSF patrol spotted…
AMSTERDAM: Health experts raced to contain a potential spread of hantavirus as two suspected cases emerged on Friday far from the luxury cruise liner where the outbreak started.The latest reports involved a man who fell ill after leaving the ship and a woman who became sick after sitting near an infected cruise passenger on a…
A former visa officer shares dos and don’ts for visa interviews. Getting a US visa has gradually become a stroke of luck as the rate of denials is high. Sometimes there are legitimate reasons, sometimes the visa officers just doubt that the applicant may not return to their home countries, and sometimes, it is just…
Israel has expanded its control of Gazan territory and is considering more intense military action, further squeezing the war-torn enclave. The army advanced beyond the agreed temporary boundary and now controls 60% of Gaza, finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said this week. That figure was corroborated by another Israeli official and a foreign diplomat involved in…
ABBOTSFORD: Three Indian-origin men have been found guilty of first-degree murder by a Canada court for the killing of a couple in Abbotsford, according to CBC News. Arnold and Joanne De Jong were found dead in their residence in May 2022. British Columbia supreme court Justice Brenda Brown on Friday ruled that Gurkaran Singh, Abhijeet…
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican is sending new signals about how it intends to minister to LGBTQ+ Catholics in the Pope Leo XIV era, with signs of openness and limitations after Pope Francis ushered in a notable welcome during his 12-year pontificate.Catholic LGBTQ+ advocates cheered this week when a Vatican working group released a report featuring…
WASHINGTON/DENVER: A Frontier Airlines plane hit and killed a pedestrian on the Denver International Airport runway during takeoff, airport authorities said, spa-rking an engine fire and forcing passengers to evacuate.“DEN can confirm that the pedestrian jumped the perimeter fence and was hit just two minutes later while crossing the runway,” the statement said, adding, “The…
Even as adults, many of us would panic if we suddenly got lost. But a 5-year-old girl from Indonesia amused the internet with her chill and cheerful reaction while at the police station. The little girl was dancing and giving a cheeky salute on the camera as police officers filmed a video to reach her…
US and Iran could resume negotiations as early as next week in Islamabad, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal citing people familiar with the matter. The report said both sides are working through mediators on the one-page, 14-point MoU intended to establish the framework for a month-long negotiating process aimed at ending…