Who is Kerala’s self-styled preacher and YouTuber Sirajudheen, arrested after wife died during childbirth at home
The husband, Sirajudheen, has also been booked for attempting to destroy the evidence by taking his deceased wife’s body to his home in Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, police said. He was arrested on Monday night, police added.
Who is Dr. RK Nair? Anand Mahindra spotlights story of India’s ‘green hero’ who has built world’s largest Miyawaki forest
Mahindra — the billionaire chairman of the Mahindra Group — lauded Dr. Nair’s work in a post on X. “At a time when the U.S has taken sustainability off its priority list I am just grateful that we have such heroes amongst us.”
Pope Francis meets King Charles, Queen Camilla during Vatican convalescence
Charles tells Italy’s parliament that peace is ‘never to be taken for granted’ before a surprise visit to Pope Francis. Pope Francis met privately with King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the Vatican during the royal couple’s four-day state visit to Italy and on the occasion of their 20th wedding anniversary, the Vatican has announced. The British royals’ visit on Wednesday was the pope’s first known meeting since his return to the Vatican after five weeks in hospital for life-threatening double pneumonia. Francis had planned to have an audience with Charles, but the official state visit to the Vatican was postponed due to the pope’s health. The pope issued a new invitation for a private audience, but it was subject to his health and only confirmed on Wednesday morning. The mid-afternoon visit lasted about 20 minutes and included a private exchange of gifts. The Vatican statement said the pope wished Charles and Camilla a happy anniversary, and the king and queen in return wished the pope a speedy recovery. Buckingham Palace said “their majesties were delighted the pope was well enough to host them, and to have had the opportunity to share their best wishes in person’”. Advertisement The pope has been convalescing at the Vatican since March 23 and made an appearance to the faithful in St Peter’s Square on Sunday. He was pushed in a wheelchair, wearing nasal tubes for supplemental oxygen, and wished the crowd a good Sunday from the front of the altar before being greeted by participants in the Mass, some of whom leaned to kiss his hands. Charles, meanwhile, was on his first trip abroad this year after being taken to hospital over side effects related to his ongoing cancer treatment. Earlier on Wednesday, Charles became the first British monarch and fourth foreign leader to address a joint session of the Italian parliament. In his speech, he stressed the need for close ties between Italy and the United Kingdom, calling for unity in defence of common values at a time of war in Europe. “Our countries have both stood by Ukraine in her hour of need and welcomed many thousands of Ukrainians requiring shelter,” he said, referring to the Russia-Ukraine war and warning that images of wars were now reverberating again across the continent. “Our younger generations can see in the news every day on their smartphones and tablets that peace is never to be taken for granted.” Charles added that Italian and British armed forces “stand side by side” as part of the NATO alliance, noting the two countries’ joint plans to develop with Japan a new fighter jet. “It will generate thousands of jobs in our countries and speaks volumes about the trust we place in each other,” he said. Advertisement Charles also spoke passionately in his address about threats facing the planet, recalling another speech he gave in Italy 16 years ago and how the “warnings” he made at the time about the urgency of the climate challenge were “depressingly being borne out by events”. Earlier on Wednesday, Charles had a short private meeting with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the leader of Italy’s hard-right government, at the historic Villa Doria Pamphili. The king was then whisked in his Bentley to Rome’s working-class neighbourhood of Testaccio, where its converted slaughterhouses now hold cultural events, to meet with drama students who performed a portion of Shakespeare’s Othello in Italian. A few dozen curious residents milled about outside, but most appeared nonplussed, such as Carlotta, a 70-year-old woman who declined to give her last name. “I don’t give a damn about the king but they’ve spent three days cleaning the neighbourhood, scrubbing the pavements, clearing up dog poo, so he can come every week if he likes,” she told the AFP news agency. Another woman, 66-year-old Ninetta, quipped: “Rome has seen emperors, how impressive is a king? I couldn’t care less.” Adblock test (Why?)
Macron says France could recognise Palestinian state
‘We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,’ French president says. President Emmanuel Macron says France could recognise a Palestinian state “in the coming months”. Macron told France 5 television on Wednesday that he aimed to finalise the move at a United Nations conference on the Israel-Palestine conflict, which his country will co-chair with Saudi Arabia in June. “We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months,” Macron said. “I’m not doing it to please anyone. I’ll do it because at some point it will be right,” he said. Palestine’s minister of state for foreign affairs, Varsen Aghabekian Shahin, told the news agency AFP that France’s recognition would be “a step in the right direction in line with safeguarding the rights of the Palestinian people and the two-state solution”. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said any “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state would be a “boost for Hamas”. “A ‘unilateral recognition’ of a fictional Palestinian state, by any country, in the reality that we all know, will be a prize for terror and a boost for Hamas,” he wrote on X. Advertisement “These kind of actions will not bring peace, security and stability in our region closer – but the opposite: they only push them further away,” he said. Palestine has been recognised as a sovereign state by 146 out of 193 UN members so far, with Armenia, Slovenia, Ireland, Norway, Spain, the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Barbados joining their ranks last year. However, despite growing international support for Palestinian statehood, several major Western countries like the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom and Germany have withheld recognition. Macron said that he foresaw a “collective dynamic”, enabling some countries in the Middle East to recognise the Israeli state in turn. Countries that do not recognise Israel include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Macron said that recognising Palestine as a state would allow France “to be clear in our fight against those who deny Israel’s right to exist, which is the case with Iran, and to commit ourselves to collective security in the region”. France has long championed a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, continuing its policy after the October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian armed group Hamas on Israel. But formal recognition by Paris of a Palestinian state would mark a major policy switch and could antagonise Israel, which insists such moves by foreign states are premature. On a recent trip to Egypt, Macron held talks with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, making it clear he was strongly opposed to any displacement or annexation in Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Advertisement Adblock test (Why?)
Barcelona hit Dortmund for four in Champions League quarterfinal
Barcelona set sights on Champions League progress with 4-0 home win in quarterfinal first leg against Borussia Dortmund. Barcelona claimed a commanding 4-0 home win over Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Robert Lewandowski scored twice and Raphinha recorded a goal and an assist on Wednesday, leaving the Catalan club in a strong position to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2019. Lamine Yamal also scored as Barcelona dealt a hammer blow to the German side’s hopes of advancing. The return match is next Tuesday at Dortmund, who were last year’s runners-up in the final against Barcelona’s fierce rivals, Real Madrid. “We played very well, but we can’t be thinking about the semifinals yet,” Lewandowski said. “We scored four goals at home, but we still have the return leg to play.” Raphinha of Barcelona heads the ball across the goal before his teammate Robert Lewandowski scores his team’s second goal [Pedro Salado/Getty Images] Raphinha added to his Champions League-leading tally by poking the ball into the open net in the 25th minute for his 12th goal in the competition this season. He then helped set up Lewandowski’s first goal of the night in the 48th. Advertisement Lewandowski scored his 11th Champions League goal with a one-timer in the 66th before Yamal closed the scoring in the 77th. The 36-year-old Lewandowski has scored 14 Champions League goals after the age of 35, two more than Cristiano Ronaldo. Lewandowski had scored 17 of his 105 career goals in the Champions League for Dortmund over three seasons, from 2011-14. The Polish striker, who is also the Spanish league’s leading scorer this season with 25 goals, has 40 goals this season. “In my head, I always want to be helping the team with my quality and my goals,” Lewandowski said. “A striker always needs to be thinking about scoring goals, and when the team plays well, it becomes easier for me.” Raphinha of Barcelona scores his team’s first goal [David Ramos/Getty Images] Raphinha has scored in each of Barcelona’s last four Champions League knockout stage matches, with seven goals in that span. He entered the match with 11 goals, one more than Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy and Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane. Also Wednesday in the quarterfinals, a wonder goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia upstaged a brilliant curling shot from teammate Desire Doue as Paris Saint-Germain beat Aston Villa 3-1. Adblock test (Why?)
Varanasi-Howrah bullet train to reduce travel time to 2 hrs, 760-km corridor to connect UP and West Bengal, top speed to be…
According to details, the proposed 760-kilometer-long bullet train project will pass through major cities, including Buxar, Ara, Patna, Gaya, Dhanbad, Asansol, Durgapur, and Burdwan, covering the distance in just two hours.
SHOCKING! Woman in Gujarat kills three-month-old baby by throwing him into tank due to THIS reason
Karishma Baghel claimed last Saturday that her three-month-old son Khayal was nowhere to be found, said DB Basiya, inspector of Meghaninagar police station. Her husband Dilip then lodged a police complaint.
Tim Walz says Dems ‘should demonize’ people like Elon Musk during Ohio town hall
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO and leader of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should be demonized, in an apparent escalation of their feud. Walz was speaking at a town hall in Youngstown, Ohio, when he laid into Musk, whom he has sharply criticized before. He was talking about social media and the Democratic Party’s view on success when he brought up the billionaire tech mogul. “We’re creating a false narrative for them that everybody is super rich and has Lamborghinis and life is easy,” Walz told the crowd. “But that’s what we’re going to have to figure out in our society about social media and all those things.” SUSPECTED TESLA ARSONISTS HIT WITH FEDERAL CHARGES IN ACTS OF ‘DOMESTIC TERRORISM’: AG “But I don’t think we should be the party that demonizes someone because they’re able to afford something,” he added. “What we should demonize is someone like Elon Musk and those people that do that. That’s different.” Earlier, Walz said Democrats should be conveying a message that it’s “OK to be successful” and that success should be celebrated. “What my beef is, once you get successful, don’t be a greedy bastard and not pay your taxes,” he said. Walz, the former 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, and Musk have traded bards in recent weeks. The feud began last month when Walz joked that he regularly checks Tesla stock, which was down amid a string of vandalism incidents targeting the electric vehicle company. ELON MUSK IN ‘SHOCK’ OVER DEMS’ ALLEGED ‘HATRED AND VIOLENCE,’ LAMENTS ‘DERANGED’ ATTACKS ON TESLA PLANTS “On the iPhone, they’ve got that little stock app. I added Tesla to it to give me a little boost during the day,” Walz said, referencing Tesla’s stock slump as he held up his iPhone during a Wisconsin town hall titled, “The People vs Musk.” Musk responded by turning the tables on the Democratic governor with a diss about his 2024 election loss. “Sometimes when I need a little boost, I look at the @JDVance portrait in the White House and thank the Lord,” Musk wrote in response to Walz’s remark. The White House joined in on hitting back at Walz’s comment regarding the billionaire’s company. “When we need a little boost during the day at the White House, we walk around the corner from our office and admire these beautiful portraits,” Trump’s Rapid Response team wrote in a social media post. Fox News Digital’s Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.
53 international students’ immigration statuses revoked at four more Texas universities
Nineteen students at the University of Texas at Dallas, 27 at the University of North Texas and others now face uncertainty about their ability to stay in the U.S.
The Speaker’s Lobby: ‘Whose throat do I get to choke?’
It was a split screen Tuesday morning on Capitol Hill. One eye on the markets. The other eye on the Senate testimony of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. “Do you think your remarks will alter the markets in any way?” yours truly asked Greer as he walked to the hearing room in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. “I’m just going to respond to the senators. Be candid as I can be,” replied Greer. TRUMP TRADE REP TAKES BIPARTISAN FIRE OVER TARIFFS AS DEM LAUNCHES BID TO HALT THEM The public has heard a lot about tariffs from Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. They’ve heard a lot about tariffs from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They’ve heard even more about tariffs from White House advisor Peter Navarro. But until Tuesday morning, there was little said about tariffs from the man in charge of the administration’s trade policy: Jamieson Greer. “The president’s strategy is already bearing fruit,” Greer testified. “Nearly 50 countries have approached me personally to discuss the president’s new policy and explore how to achieve reciprocity.” Democrats were dubious about Greer’s suggestion. Yes, nations may be willing to negotiate. But carving out sophisticated trade agreements with nations just sanctioned by the U.S. takes time. “You’re telling us you have nearly 50 countries coming to you, approaching you to enter into negotiation, and you think that you can do that overnight?” asked Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev. “You’re pretty superhuman here, if that’s the case.” TRUMP TRADE CHIEF FACES HOUSE GRILLING ON TARIFFS Greer tangled with Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H. “Even if inflation hits Americans’ pocketbooks at 10% because of these tariffs, then the Trump administration is still going to go charging ahead?” asked Hassan. “Senator, your hypotheticals are not consistent with the history we have seen with tariffs,” Greer replied. “My hypotheticals are based on the fact that a lot of Americans are looking at their 401(k)’s today and wondering how much of a lifestyle change they are going to have to have or whether they’re going to be able to retire when they plan to,” Hassan shot back. “This has been a haphazard, incompetent effort. And it’s showing.” After rough showings, the markets actually shot up at the opening bell Tuesday before Greer spoke. It didn’t appear that anything Greer told senators resonated positively or negatively on Wall Street. But lawmakers were well attuned to the market fluctuations. Especially as they started to hear from constituents. TRUMP SAYS HE’LL ‘TAKE A LOOK’ AT EXEMPTING SOME LARGER US COMPANIES HIT ESPECIALLY HARD BY TARIFFS Outside the hearing room, Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., offered one of his signature Bayou homilies to characterize the unfolding trade war. “God created the world. But everything else is made in China,” said Kennedy. “But senator, isn’t the bigger issue here the question of the uncertainty in the markets and rattling around?” I asked Kennedy. “Well, there’s always uncertainty,” answered Kennedy. “But this is a different type of uncertainty, though, Senator,” I countered. “Is it going to have to have an impact on your capital markets? Well, yes. Duh. And it’s not fun. It’s very, very painful. Whether this will have a happy ending or a sad ending depends in large part what President Trump does next,” said Kennedy. And that’s the key to the entire enterprise. It doesn’t matter what Lutnick does. Or Bessent. Or Navarro. And not Greer. For better or worse, this is President Trump’s baby. Only he can move markets. And potentially trade deals. And that’s certainly what unfolded in recent days. Democrats — and some Republicans — excoriated the president for unilaterally imposing the tariffs. Lawmakers asked the reasoning for imposing the tariffs. And they argued that the tariffs should have been an issue which came to Capitol Hill. “Where was the consultation with Congress about this? Where is the homework? You know, Greek and Roman letters thrown on a plaque doesn’t mean a strategy that you’ve informed Congress on,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, asked. “And part of the question is, where’s the homework done by the administration to not misconstrue the authority that was given?” SCHUMER SAYS TRUMP ‘FEELING THE HEAT’ AFTER RECIPROCAL TARIFF PAUSE Cantwell may not have received a sufficient answer from the Trump administration on the rationale. But Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., answered the other part of the question about why the President cut Congress out of the loop. “Let’s not pretend that this is anything other than the president exercising the statutory authority Congress has given him for decades,” said Hawley. “Because Congress didn’t want to do tariffs, they didn’t want to do trade, it was too hot. They wanted the president to hold the hot potato. So now you’ve got a President who’s happy to do that.” Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution declares that Congress has the “Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.” The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative says the U.S. is a signatory to more than 14 total trade pacts. Congress has ratified several of those in recent years. That includes the USMCA. That’s a trade pact President Trump pushed – alongside former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in 2020 for the U.S., Mexico and Canada. That deal replaced NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, approved by Congress in 1993. Congress also greenlighted “CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement, in 2005. So, Congress has engaged in trade somewhat in recent decades. But maybe not as much as it should have. Greer appeared for a second time on Capitol Hill Wednesday, testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee. TRUMP PUSHES BACK ON ‘REBEL’ REPUBLICANS OVER TARIFFS: ‘YOU DON’T NEGOTIATE LIKE I NEGOTIATE’ “Any deal that you do, are you going to bring that to Congress for a vote?” asked Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., “We’ll do what the law requires. Some