Author: staff

At least 31 suspected Maoist rebels were killed in a battle with Indian soldiers in central India, police said on Saturday. The fighting erupted on Friday when counter-insurgency troops, acting on intelligence, cornered nearly 50 suspected rebels in the Abhujmaad forest area along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts in Chhattisgarh state, said state police Inspector General Pattilingam Sundarraj.Sundarraj said the operation was launched on Thursday, and the battle began the next day, lasting about nine hours. He said search operations were continuing in the area and that the troops had recovered some arms and ammunition, including automatic rifles.…

Here’s why under-the-radar Brno should be on your 2025 travel list. Midday is 11am in Brno, marked by the chiming astronomical clock which remains an enigma even to the locals. On the hour, this large, erect black granite structure releases a marble to one of three catch points – usually guarded by the hands of children.Every wonky piece of art and unusual sculpture here has a legacy or folk story that speaks of Brno citizens’ courage and lighthearted nature.Like many, I hadn’t heard of Czechia’s southern second city before. I associated the country with the busy capital and popular stag-do…

France views the mine as crucial for both its ecological transition and national sovereignty. A €1 billion lithium project due to become France’s largest mining operation in decades is provoking heated local debate.Five months of public discussions in Allier – a former industrial heartland in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region – show the local population’s divide over the plan.During 42 events organised by the nation’s commission for public debate (CNDP), residents have voiced their concerns over issues including potential water contamination, hefty energy consumption and chemicals used in the process to mine and process the materials.Some also challenged the necessity of the…

One of the Amazon River’s main tributaries has dropped to its lowest level ever recorded Brazil’s geological service said on Friday. The Negro river’s low level reflects has been caused by a severe drought that has devastated the Amazon rainforest and other parts of Brazil. The level of the river at the port of Manaus was at 12.66 metres on Friday, as compared with a normal level of about 21 metres. It is the lowest since measurements started 122 years ago. The previous record low level was recorded last year, but toward the end of October.The water level might drop…

Meanwhile tens of thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the widening conflict. Israel also struck a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.Israel’s attack on the Beddawi camp near Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli killed an official with Hamas’ military wing along with his wife and two young daughters, the Palestinian militant group said. Hamas later said another military wing member was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley.Israel’s military said it killed two senior officials with Hamas’ military wing…

The U.K. has suspended some arms sales to Israel, while the U.S. has stopped one arms shipment. Macron also criticized the failure of diplomatic efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza. “I think we are not being heard,” Macron said, calling the lack of a cease-fire “a mistake, including for the security of Israel tomorrow.” It will breed “resentment” and “hatred,” he added. As the risk of a regional war increases, Macron said the priority should be to “avoid escalation.” Following successive Israeli attacks in Lebanon, he said the Lebanese people should not be “sacrificed” and Lebanon should not become…

Asked by POLITICO whether Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is a green champion, Thunberg shook her head and replied “no.” Among the demonstrators gathering at a simultaneous demonstration outside the Parliament on the city’s Place du Luxembourg were Commission employees frustrated with the slow progress on climate action. “I worked directly on the trilogues of the environment action program, so I know how tricky it can be to get things done,” said one staffer, granted anonymity to speak freely. “There’s a lot of tools the institutions have now to fight climate change, but since the election there’s been a…

Meanwhile, Israel’s military gave its first evacuation warning in weeks, telling civilians in areas of central Gaza to leave ahead of strikes targeting Hamas fighters. Palestinian medical officials say Israeli strikes in northern and central Gaza early Saturday have killed at least nine people.One strike hit a group of people in the northern town of Beit Hanoun, killing at least five people, including two children, according to the Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency Service.Another strike hit a house in the northern part of Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least four people, the Awda hospital said. The strike also left several…

Kyiv will present its victory plan — outlining “clear, concrete steps” to end the war with Russia — at a meeting of allies next week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday. Ukraine will discuss the plan at an Oct. 12 meeting of its allies, led by U.S. President Joe Biden, at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Zelenskyy said in a post on the social media site Telegram. “We will present the Victory Plan, clear, concrete steps for a just end to the war. The determination of the partners and the strengthening of Ukraine is what can stop Russian aggression,” Zelenskyy…

By radically changing the rules, the Commission wants to address “strategic dependencies” on foreign countries and boost the kind of pan-European industrial revival championed by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in his landmark competitiveness report. The third and fourth pillars focus on enlargement and funding to foreign countries, and personnel costs, but there are few details on what could change in the near future. Overall, this model marks a dramatic shift from the EU’s current practice of funding local regions or national governments with fewer strings attached. “The Draghi report is setting the narrative for a power grab,” said…