Category: World

Access to skills, increased awareness, and local leadership has changed the lives of Sarita Bhuriya, Nirmala and Reshma Ninama New Delhi: India has an estimated 378 million young people, nearly two-thirds of whom live in rural areas. Yet despite accounting for about 70 per cent of this population, rural India contributes only around 46 per cent to the national GDP. Nearly 80 per cent of the rural workforce remains dependent on agriculture and allied activities. According to the State of Rural Youth Employment 2024 report by Transform Rural India (TRI),…

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Kyoto: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is planning to dissolve the House of Representatives at the start of the regular Diet session on January 23, paving the way for a snap general election, local media reported citing sources familiar with the matter. According to reports, Takaichi has already conveyed her intention to senior members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The move comes at a time when her Cabinet approval ratings remain strong, prompting expectations within the ruling camp that an early election could help consolidate her leadership. The…

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Rabat: Morocco has officially declared the end of a prolonged seven-year drought following significantly above-average rainfall during the current winter season, Water Minister Nizar Baraka announced on Monday. Addressing members of parliament, Baraka said winter rainfall levels have surged 95 per cent compared to the same period last year and stand 17 per cent above the seasonal average. The improvement has led to a marked recovery in the country’s water reserves, with the average dam-filling rate rising to 46 per cent. Several major reservoirs have now reached full capacity, according…

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Caracas: Venezuela’s prominent opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado, has pledged to return to her homeland as soon as possible, declaring her readiness to contest a free election following the U.S. capture of President Nicolás Maduro. “I’m planning to go back to Venezuela as soon as possible,” Machado, 58, told Fox News. She praised former U.S. President Donald Trump for his role in Maduro’s arrest and said her movement is prepared to secure victory in free and fair elections, claiming they would win more than 90% of the vote. Machado, who…

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Victoria, Australia: Thousands of firefighters in Victoria are battling devastating bushfires that have destroyed homes, cut power to tens of thousands, and consumed hundreds of thousands of hectares of bushland. The fires, which ignited amid a severe heatwave midweek, have burned more than 300,000 hectares (741,000 acres) across the state. Authorities reported at least 130 structures, including homes, destroyed, while roughly 38,000 residences and businesses remain without electricity. Ten major fires continue to burn across Victoria. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said thousands of firefighters are actively working to contain the…

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Brussels: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal concluded a two-day visit to Brussels, engaging in intensive discussions to accelerate the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. The meetings, held on January 8–9, included a high-level dialogue with EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security, Maroš Šefčovič. Both sides reviewed progress across key negotiating tracks and directed their teams to resolve pending issues, signalling strong political commitment to finalising a comprehensive agreement after months of technical talks. Goyal’s visit followed senior-level meetings between Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and Sabine…

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Minneapolis: Tens of thousands of people marched through Minneapolis on Saturday to protest the fatal shooting of Renee Good, 37, by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, part of over 1,000 rallies planned nationwide this weekend against federal deportation operations. Despite freezing winds, the massive turnout reflected public outrage over the incident, which has drawn sharply contrasting accounts from Minnesota Democratic leaders and the federal government. Demonstrators, led by Indigenous Mexican dancers, marched toward the residential street where Good was shot in her car, chanting slogans like “Abolish ICE”…

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Dubai: Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi has won the world’s largest AI Film Award for his movie Lily, receiving a $1 million prize from Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai. The award, organised in collaboration with Google Gemini, is part of the summit’s fourth edition held from January 9 to 11 under the theme “Content for Good.” The event brought together over 15,000 creators, influencers, executives, and global experts to explore the future of content creation. The competition received 3,500 film…

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Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reaffirmed their commitment to deepen India-Germany ties across defence, economy, technology, climate action, and people-to-people exchanges during Merz’s official visit to India, according to a joint statement. Chancellor Merz, accompanied by a delegation including 23 leading German CEOs, made his first official visit to India and Asia since taking office, underlining Germany’s prioritisation of India as a key strategic partner in the Indo-Pacific. The visit marks 25 years of India-Germany Strategic Partnership and 75 years of diplomatic relations. The visit…

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Tehran: A striking new form of protest is emerging in Iran, where women have been seen lighting cigarettes from burning portraits of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The trend, which has spread rapidly on social media, highlights public anger over the ongoing economic crisis, soaring inflation, the plunging rial, and government repression. Since late December 2025, protests across the country have grown into one of the biggest challenges to Khamenei’s rule. Demonstrators have taken to the streets, chanted slogans, damaged government property, and persisted despite internet and telecommunications blackouts. Symbolic…

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