Author: Leo Luther Alvarez

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police has concluded that a total of 360.778 kilograms of gold was smuggled to Nepal concealed in brake shoes. Following an investigation into the 60.716 kilograms of gold seized on July 19, the CIB has submitted a report to the public prosecutor’s office, concluding that an additional 302.06 kilograms was smuggled concealed in brake shoes. This takes the estimated total of gold smuggled to 360.778 kilograms of gold, which was concealed in brake shoes. Additionally, CIB chief Kiran Bajracharya stated that it is further investigating the case after finding out gold was also smuggled into Nepal through…

Israel has not only been the victim of a vicious and despicable terrorist attack. It is also the victim of a brazenly cynical move to disrupt the international stage and subvert tranquility in the Middle East. The Israeli-Palestinian powder keg conveniently served to add yet another full scale crisis putting even further pressure on a global order already strained to breaking point. Although no concrete evidence exists of any involvement in the attacks, Russia stands to gain the most from this extra flash point on the world map, as violence and war in the Middle East distracts from Putin’s unjustified…

WASHINGTON / ISLAMABAD: The United States on Monday offered to work with Pakistan on strategies that can better assist the country’s efforts to counter all forms of violent extremism. Asked to comment on recent terrorist attacks that killed scores of people across Pakistan, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller noted that both countries have continued to face various acts of terrorism, targeting innocent civilians. Extending “deepest sympathies” for those killed and injured in those attacks, the US official noted that Pakistanis had suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks. “They deserve to practice their faith without fear. We, of course, offer condolences to families who lost loved ones…

Vienna, Brussels (26/9 – 36) David McCallum – the British actor who played as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard, a pathologist on hit CBS TV program NCIS, has died aged 90 on Monday (25/09/2023). McCallum died on Monday of natural causes, surrounded by his family, at New York Presbyterian Hospital, CBS said in a statement. NCIS executive producers Steven D. Binder and David North shared their memories of working with McCallum. “For over twenty years, David McCallum endeared himself to audiences around the world playing the wise, quirky, and sometimes enigmatic, Dr. Donald ‘Ducky’ Mallard,” they shared in a statement. “But…

The heads of some of the biggest tech companies, including X, Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet and OpenAI, gathered to discuss AI policy in Washington DC. Tesla CEO Elon Musk called on Wednesday for a US “referee” for artificial intelligence after he, Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai met with lawmakers at Capitol Hill behind closed doors at for a forum on regulating AI. Lawmakers are seeking ways to mitigate dangers of the emerging technology, which has boomed in investment and consumer popularity since the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. Musk said it was need for a regulator to…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Railways is set to procure 230 passenger coaches and 820 High Capacity Wagons under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) aiming help to improve the speed of the trains and ensure adherence to fixed timings. “Out of the total, around 46 Completely-Built-Up (CBU) passenger coaches have been procured up till now while the remaining 184 would be manufactured in the country and the couches would be able to travel at the speed of 160km/h,” said an official in the Ministry of Railways. “Pakistan Railways is putting maximum efforts to complete rehabilitation and reconstruction work on the railway track,…

India trails neighbours like Bhutan, Bangladesh and even Nepal on internet resilience, a report by a global non-profit said on Tuesday. A resilient internet connection is one that maintains an acceptable level of service in the face of faults and challenges to normal operation, the Internet Society said, adding connectivity is essential for a country’s economy. India achieved an overall score of 43 per cent and is ranked sixth in South Asia behind Bhutan (58 per cent), Bangladesh (51 per cent), Maldives (50 per cent), Sri Lanka (47 per cent) and Nepal (43 per cent), the report said. However, the…

French President Emmanuel Macron made a short but historic visit to Sri Lanka on July 28-29, the first by a French president to the Indian Ocean island nation. The timing was auspicious: 2023 marks 75 years of bilateral relations between France and Sri Lanka. Following Macron’s visit, the Sri Lankan President’s Office noted in a statement, “The main objective was to enhance and elevate the existing relations between Sri Lanka and France, especially considering the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic ties being celebrated this year.” But Macron’s visit to Sri Lanka not only carries symbolic value but also strategic salience. Macron’s visit…

Bangladesh is considered one of the most vulnerable countries to climate-induced risks and ranks seventh among the extreme disaster risk-prone countries. The Climate Risk Index 2021 states that climate change has caused grave humanitarian losses with casualties counted at 11,450 people. Bangladesh endured economic losses amounting to USD $3.72 billion and witnessed 185 extreme weather events from 2000 to 2019 as a result of climate change. The country faces extreme climatic threats and hazards including tropical cyclones, floods, riverbank and coastal erosion, droughts, and landslides.   To address the deteriorating global climate, Dhaka introduced a new strategy focused on forging vibrant ‘green partnerships.’ Through diplomatic…

India’s greenhouse gas emissions rate fell by one-third in 14 years, sources reveal. India’s greenhouse emissions rate dropped by 33 per cent in 14 years, officials report. This drop is faster than expected and is down to a rise in renewable energy generation and forest cover, according to two officials who have seen the latest assessment made for submission to the United Nations. The report’s findings showed India well on the way to meeting a commitment to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to reduce emissions intensity by 45 per cent from the 2005 level by 2030. India’s rate of…