World

Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Bankruptcy: Closure of All 16 Locations Marks the End of an Era   The hospitality world was shaken this week as the beloved craft beer and dining chain, Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has announced bankruptcy and the closure of all 16 of its locations, with staff and loyal customers learning the news only hours before operations ceased . The once-flourishing brand, known for its award-winning craft beers and hearty American dishes, is now facing a sudden and definitive end. For many regulars, the news is hard to digest. Reports confirmed that Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant has permanently shut down its 16 restaurants while filing for bankruptcy, surprising employees and guests who received email notifications on the very day the closures occurred . This abrupt decision has not only caught customers off guard but also left hundreds of employees searching for new opportunities in an already challenging hospitality industry. The compan...

During the nearly two-century-long rule over India between 1757 and 1947, the British Empire exploited the country's resources, wealth, and people. The impact of colonial rule is felt to this day. According to renowned economist Utsa Patnaik, professor emeritus at New Delhi's Jawaharlal Nehru University, the British drained approximately $45 trillion from India between 1765 and 1938, a sum 17 times the current GDP of the UK. This figure is substantial, but how did such an enormous amount of wealth end up in British hands? The story begins with the British East India Company, which, after gaining control of India, established a monopoly on its trade. The Company initially bought goods from India using silver, but over time, they developed a cunning system to exploit Indian resources without paying for them. The process was simple yet devious. The East India Company began collecting taxes from Indian farmers and weavers, and instead of using the collected funds for local develo...

A orb-like object was seen flying over the Hudson River in New York City in footage shared by a local news channel. In the video captured by Fox 5's news helicopter, the  mysterious orb was spotted forming an arch-like path towards the helicopter filming from south of Battery Park. From the distance, the orb appeared to be white but seemed to take on a blue hue as it came closer to the camera. The speckle swiftly swung past the news chopper, seemingly outpacing all the boats on the Hudson. Mysterious Blue Orb Captured on video by Fox 5 News's Chopper WATCH: pic.twitter.com/HZALh6YSK9 — Anthony Scott (@AnthonyScottTGP) November 21, 2024 However, some of the most prominent ufologists have their doubts about the "orb". According to Avi Loeb, a Harvard professor and theoretical physicist, the object appears to be a trick of the lights. "This is most likely an optical artefact from the helicopter glass in front of the camera, namely a bright spot from the refl...

In the golden years, this city witnessed a significant economic boom. It remains one of the most liveable cities in the world, a financial power hub and also an emerging city for sex tourism, with men wandering on the streets, looking for women. The city is not where you are thinking. Apart from Bangkok in Thailand, Tokyo is emerging as a hotbed for sex tourism, with multiple factors driving the interest among foreign tourists, one of them being the weakening of the Japanese Yen against other currencies and robust inbound tourism. The Star reported quoting, Yoshihide Tanaka, secretary general of the Liaison Council Protecting Youths (Seiboren), that "Japan has become a poor country." Adding, that a park next to his organisation has become synonymous with the city's sex trade. He said they had noticed an increasing number of foreigners frequenting the park as soon as pandemic-era travel restrictions were dropped. "Now we are seeing a lot more foreign men," he...

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, has been a vital instrument for exploring the universe for over three decades. Commonly referred to as HST or Hubble, the telescope is celebrated among space enthusiasts for its remarkable contributions to astronomy. However, many may not be aware that the telescope is named after Edwin Powell Hubble, a pioneering American astronomer. Edwin Hubble's groundbreaking work in the early 20th century laid the foundation for modern cosmology, including the discovery of the universe's expansion. His legacy lives on through this iconic instrument, which continues to provide a unique window to the universe. According to NASA, like the Hubble Space Telescope, Edwin Hubble's discoveries transformed the frontier of scientific knowledge. His work took us beyond the Milky Way and placed us in an ever-expanding universe with a myriad of galaxies beyond our own. Who was Edwin Powell Hubble? As per NASA , born on ...

Iraq will begin its first full national census in more than three decades on Wednesday, a pivotal moment as it looks to gather demographic data for future planning and development. The census, the first full one since Saddam Hussein was President in 1987, aims to provide a comprehensive count of Iraq's population, estimated to exceed 43 million people by the end of 2024, said Iraq's planning ministry spokesperson Abdul Zahra al-Hindawi. Attempts at conducting a national census were delayed by years of conflict, instability and disagreement among political factions, but with the country now in a period of stability, authorities hope the process will be completed successfully. A census carried out in 1997 excluded the Iraqi Kurdistan region, which had been governed by Kurdish authorities since the 1991 Gulf War. It counted 19 million Iraqis and officials estimated there were another 3 million in the Kurdish north, according to official statistics. The census was repeatedly p...

India's competition watchdog directed WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data for advertising purposes with other applications owned by Meta for a period of five years and fined the U.S. tech giant $25.4 million on Monday over antitrust violations related to the messaging application's 2021 privacy policy. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) launched a probe in March 2021 into WhatsApp's privacy policy, which allowed data sharing with Facebook and its units, sparking global backlash. "Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies... for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp service shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp Service in India," the CCI said. Meta did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Tech giants, including Apple, Google and Meta face new regulatory challenges with India's proposed EU-like antitrust law. The Indian government is currently examining a February rep...

Organic carrots and baby carrots sold in grocery stores across the United States are being recalled after an E. coli outbreak that has left at least one person dead and 15 others hospitalised. The move came after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sunday flagged the new E. coli outbreak linked to organic carrots sold by Grimmway Farms to big supermarkets-- including Trader Joe's, Whole Foods's 365, Walmart's Marketside, Target's Good & Gather, among others So far, 39 cases have been reported across 18 states tied the E. coli infections linked with fresh carrots, the CDC said in a statement. Health Advisory The CDC urged people to not eat any recalled carrots and to wash items and surfaces that may have touched the bagged organic root veggie using hot, soapy water or a dishwasher. The carrots are unlikely to still be on store shelves, but may still be in consumers' homes and should be thrown away, the agency said. Carrots Recalled As ...

At COP29 in Baku, India expressed frustration with developed countries for not seriously discussing how to support climate action in developing nations, saying it is impossible to tackle climate change without financial and technological help. Delivering a statement in the closing plenary of the subsidiary bodies' meeting on the Mitigation Work Programme (MWP) on Saturday, India said developed countries, which have historically contributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions and have more resources and the ability to act on climate change, have repeatedly delayed climate action and continuously shifted goalposts. "We have seen no progress in matters critical for developing countries (during the last week). Our part of the world is facing some of the worst impacts of climate change with far lower capacity to recover from those impacts or to adapt to the changes to the climatic system for which we are not responsible," said India's deputy lead negotiator Neelesh Sah....

In a shocking incident in southwestern China's Sichuan province, an anesthesiologist, identified by his surname Qu, has been implicated in a tragic case involving his partner, Chen, a pharmaceutical sales representative. According to the South China Morning Post , he caused his girlfriend's death by attempting to treat her insomnia with repeated anaesthetic injections. He administered the anaesthesia more than 20 times in six hours, leading to her death. This incident has sparked significant online outrage in China, with many slamming the doctor's actions despite his claims of trying to help.  Notably, the two met through an online dating platform in the summer of 2022. Qu, who works at a hospital in Jinjiang County, Leshan, allegedly administered propofol, a powerful anaesthesia, to Chen in hotel rooms on multiple occasions between September 2023 and March 2024. Chen had requested the medication to alleviate her insomnia. On March 6, Qu administered approximately 1,300...

Well-known author and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty has spoken of her pride in son-in-law Rishi Sunak, a British citizen with "good Indian cultural values" imbibed from his parents' upbringing in the UK. Sudha Murty joined Rishi Sunak and her daughter Akshata Murty as the guest of honour at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's annual Diwali gala in London on Saturday evening. The parents of the British Indian former prime minister, Usha and Yashvir Sunak, were also in the audience as Bhavan UK students showcased a variety of Indian classical music and dance forms. "I always believe when you are abroad, your parents must do two things: one is good education, which gives you wings in return and you can fly anywhere and settle; the second is great culture, your origin which is Indian origin or roots which you can get at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan along with your parents," said Sudha Murty, delivering her keynote address. "I want to congratulate Ushaji, my sambandhi and a...

US President-elect Donald Trump nominated fracking magnate and climate change sceptic Chris Wright as energy secretary on Saturday, tasking him with "cutting red tape" which the new administration hopes will drive investment in fossil fuels. "As Secretary of Energy, Chris will be a key leader, driving innovation, cutting red tape, and ushering in a new 'Golden Age of American Prosperity and Global Peace,'" Trump said in a statement. Wright is a founder of Liberty Energy, which serves the energy companies that have massively increased US fossil fuel production in recent years by extracting oil and gas from shale fields in a process known as "fracking." "My dedication to bettering human lives remains steadfast, with a focus on making American energy more affordable, reliable, and secure," Wright said on X after Trump's announcement. Here are the live updates:    from NDTV News-World-news https://ift.tt/a87TBCD

Super Typhoon Man-yi battered the Philippines on Saturday, with the national weather forecaster warning of a "potentially catastrophic and life-threatening" impact as huge waves pounded the archipelago's coastline. More than 650,000 people fled their homes ahead of Man-yi, which is the sixth major storm to hit the disaster-weary country in the past month. Man-yi brought maximum wind speeds of 195 kilometres (121 miles) per hour as it made landfall on the sparsely populated island province of Catanduanes as a super typhoon, the weather service said, adding gusts were reaching 325 kilometres an hour. "Potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation looms for northeastern Bicol region as Super Typhoon 'Pepito' further intensifies," the forecaster said hours before it made landfall, using the local name for the storm and referring to the southern part of the main island of Luzon. Waves up to 14 metres (46 feet) high pummelled the shore of Catandu...

New Zealand's youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, on Thursday tore up a copy of the contentious Treaty Principles Bill and performed a traditional Maori haka during a House session. This bold move comes almost a year after she went viral for performing a haka during her maiden speech in parliament. The 22-year-old Te Pati Maori MP interrupted the session, ripping apart the bill before breaking into the powerful dance. She was soon joined by others in the public gallery, prompting Speaker Gerry Brownlee to briefly suspend the House. The Maori Haka The Maori haka is a traditional performance that holds deep cultural significance for New Zealanders. It is known for its powerful energy, fierce facial expressions (pukana), and physical movements like stamping, hand gestures, and chanting. The haka varies by region, with many telling stories of significant events in a tribe's history.  Origins and significance The haka's origins lie in Maori mythology, created by Tane-m...

Comedian Conan O'Brien, a former late-night television host, will be the emcee for the Oscars for the first time, taking over from fellow funnyman Jimmy Kimmel, organizers said Friday. O'Brien, 61, will preside over Hollywood's biggest night next March, hoping to maintain -- and even perhaps improve -- on an uptick in ratings seen earlier this year. America demanded it and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars. https://t.co/OFIlxI3wh4 — Conan O'Brien (@ConanOBrien) November 15, 2024 "America demanded it and now it's happening: Taco Bell's new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I'm hosting the Oscars," O'Brien quipped in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy CEO Bill Kramer and President Janet Yang called O'Brien "the perfect person to help lead our global celebration of film with his brilliant humor, his love of movies...

A 1,700-piece private collection of Chinese ceramics with an estimated value of £1 billion ($1.27 billion) has been donated to the British Museum -- a record for any UK institution. The central London museum announced late on Wednesday that the Trustees of The Sir Percival David Foundation had gifted the collection permanently to go on public display. David, who died in 1964, was a British businessman and Sinophile who collected ceramics from Europe, Japan, Hong Kong and China. His collection had been on loan to the museum since 2009. Museum chair George Osborne said he was "thrilled by this blockbuster decision" to make the loan permanent, calling it "the largest bequest to the British Museum in our long history". Colin Sheaf, chair of The Sir Percival David Foundation of Chinese Art, said the donation coincided with the centenary of the businessman's first trip to China, which inspired his love of its art and culture. He said he hoped it would continue t...

The Iranian state is planning to open a treatment clinic for women who flout the mandatory hijab laws that require them to cover their heads in public. Announcing the opening of a "hijab removal treatment clinic", Mehri Talebi Darestani, the head of the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice said the establishment will offer "scientific and psychological treatment for hijab removal". "The establishment of this center will be for the scientific and psychological treatment of removing the hijab, specifically for the teenage generation, young adults, and women seeking social and Islamic identity and visiting this center is optional," a report by Iran International quoted Talebi as saying. Notably, the Women and Family Department of the Tehran Headquarters for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice falls under the direct authority of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei. The body i...

Bitcoin struck a record high above $93,000 Wednesday as the world's biggest cryptocurrency benefits from president-elect Donald Trump's pledge to ease regulation around digital tokens. The volatile asset has rocketed more than 30 percent in value since Trump won last week's US presidential election, smashing its record-high on several occasions and breaching $90,000 for the first time Wednesday. The Republican said during campaigning that he planned to make the United States the "bitcoin and cryptocurrency capital of the world". "The main catalyst for the recent surge on the price of bitcoin is the victory of Donald Trump," Alexander Londono, market analyst at ActivTrades, noted Wednesday. "This is due to the fact that Trump has been an outspoken supporter of cryptocurrencies and is willing to deregulate the sector to make it more investor friendly." Londono added that the rally "is based on emotions and future expectations, which may...

The planet Uranus and its five largest moons may not be the cold, lifeless worlds scientists once believed. Instead, they could have hidden oceans and even the potential to support life, according to new research. Most of our knowledge of Uranus comes from NASA's Voyager 2 mission, which visited nearly 40 years ago. However, a recent analysis reveals that Voyager's encounter occurred during an intense solar storm, potentially skewing our perception of the Uranian system, the BBC reported. Uranus, an icy, ringed planet at the solar system's edge, is one of the coldest and most unusual planets due to its extreme tilt, making it appear as if it had been tipped over. The latest findings reveal that Voyager 2's visit coincided with severe solar activity, which may have temporarily disrupted the planet's magnetic field and swept away atmospheric material. For decades, this led scientists to a possibly inaccurate view of Uranus and its moons, explained Dr William Dunn ...

The UK will aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 81 percent on 1990 levels by 2035, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday, as his government ramps up its ambitions on climate change. The previous government in London committed in 2021 to curb such emissions by 78 percent over the same period compared to 1990. Starmer unveiled the new target as he attended the beginning of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, where he is one of the only G20 leaders to show up. The summit's start has been overshadowed by the re-election in the US of longtime climate change sceptic Donald Trump, as well as new warnings that 2024 is on track to break temperature records. UK Labour party leader Starmer, who took power in July, told a press conference that Britain was "building on our reputation as a climate leader". "I've had a series of meetings here at COP this week because this government recognises that the world stands at a critical juncture in the ...