World

The world-renowned BAPS Hindu Temple in Abu Dhabi celebrated Ram Navami and Swaminarayan Jayanti with immense devotion and grandeur, marking a landmark moment for cultural and spiritual harmony in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A statement mentioned that devotees from across the region gathered at the temple to participate in a series of devotional and cultural events. According to Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, the head priest of the temple, a full day of celebrations was organized, beginning with Ram Bhajans from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., followed by the Shri Ram Janmotsav Aarti at 12 noon. "The celebrations witnessed a massive turnout of devotees and visitors, united in devotion to Lord Ram and Bhagwan Swaminarayan. This spiritual gathering served as a beacon of peace, unity, and eternal Hindu values, echoing across borders," the statement read. One of the highlights of the event was a special cultural presentation by the BAPS on a stage designed to resemble the sacred confluence...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response to Russia's refusal to sign "a full, unconditional ceasefire" as two people were killed in Moscow's latest aerial bombardment. Russia mounted a "massive" missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight that also wounded seven people, Zelensky said, warning that Moscow was stepping up its aerial barrage of his country. Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional truce in the more than three-year-long war proposed by the United States but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to do so. "We are waiting for the United States to respond -- so far there has been no response," complained Zelensky. Russia on Sunday claimed the capture of a village in Ukraine's Sumy region in a rare cross-border advance. Earlier in the day, Russia "launched a massive nationwide attack on Ukraine using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones", said Ukraine's firs...

Three US aid workers were laid off while in Myanmar helping the rescue and recovery from the country's massive earthquake, a former senior staffer said, as the Trump administration's dismantling of foreign aid affects its disaster response. After travelling to the Southeast Asian nation, the three officials were told late this week they would be let go, Marcia Wong, a former official at the US Agency for International Development, told Reuters. "This team is working incredibly hard, focused on getting humanitarian aid to those in need. To get news of your imminent termination - how can that not be demoralising?" said Wong, former deputy administrator of USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, which oversees Washington's disease response efforts overseas. President Donald Trump's government has pledged at least $9 million to Myanmar after the magnitude-7.7 quake, which has killed more than 3,300. But his administration's massive cuts to USAID hav...

US tech-billionaire Elon Musk said on Saturday he hoped in future to see complete freedom of trade between the United States and Europe, speaking days after US President Donald Trump announced tariffs on trading partners. Musk, a Trump adviser who has been working to eliminate wasteful US public spending, spoke via video-link at a congress in Florence of Italy's right-wing, co-ruling League Party. "At the end of the day, I hope it's agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero tariff situation, effectively creating a free trade zone between Europe and North America," Musk said. Under Trump's plans announced on Wednesday, Italy, which has a large trade surplus with the United States, will be subject to a general tariff of 20% along with other European Union countries. Interviewed by League leader Matteo Salvini, Musk, who has repeatedly expressed support for right-wing parties across Europe, said he also hoped to see ...

Some 1,200 demonstrations are planned across the US on Saturday in what organizers expect to be the largest single day of protest against President Donald Trump and his billionaire ally Elon Musk since the administration launched its rapid-fire effort to put a conservative stamp on government. The "Hands Off!" protests will allow Trump opponents to demonstrate their displeasure en masse in response to Trump's sweeping makeover of US foreign and domestic policy through executive orders. "This is an enormous demonstration that is sending a very clear message to Musk and Trump and congressional Republicans and all the goose-stepping allies of MAGA that we don't want their hands on our democracy, on our communities, on our schools and our friends and our neighbors," said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, one of the groups organizing Saturday's events. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Trump or Musk. Some 150 a...

China's state-run media has taken to the internet with AI-generated videos, featuring dancing robots and fraught consumers, to chide US.President Donald Trump and tariffs they say threaten high inflation and economic distress for Americans. "'Liberation Day', you promised us the stars. But tariffs killed our cheap Chinese cars," an automated female voice sings in a video on the website of China's CGTN, a state-run English-language broadcaster, over a shot of a woman at a kitchen table staring at an empty fork. The two-minute, 42-second clip, referring to Trump's use of "Liberation Day" for the day of his tariff announcement, was captioned with a warning: "Track is AI-generated. The debt crisis? 100 percent human-made." Another video posted on the X.com page of state-run news agency Xinhua, also generated by artificial intelligence, shows a robot named TARIFF that chooses to self-destruct rather than follow its creator's orders fo...