Author: News Desk

A 15-year-old Nigerian boy has been arrested for demanding a ransom from his father after staging his own kidnap with his friends in the central city of Jos, police said Friday. The teenager and four accomplices aged between 15 and 22, were apprehended by police last week, after demanding a 500,000 naira (US$1,370) ransom from his distressed father. “It was staged perfectly”, Plateau State police chief Terna Tyopev told. “We are detaining them to ascertain why they did it and whether they have been behind other kidnaps that have been occurring in the area,” he said. When the boys were…

British police launched a murder investigation after an officer was killed in southeast England, the latest in a spate of violent crimes that have forced new Prime Minister Boris Johnson to pledge to do more to protect law and order. Police said on Friday (Aug 16) that constable Andrew Harper was killed while attending a reported burglary late on Thursday near a major road. Ten males aged between 13 and 30 have been arrested on suspicion of murder. “I am deeply shocked and appalled by the death of a brave officer on duty in Thames Valley last night,” Johnson said…

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday had a telephonic talk with US President Donald Trump on the Kashmir issue, according to Pakistan’s state media. Foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Khan took the US President into confidence regarding the UN Security Council meeting at the UN headquarters in which the Kashmir issue is being discussed, the Radio Pakistan reported. “Prime Minister Khan conveyed Pakistan’s concern on recent developments in Kashmir and the threat they pose to the regional peace,” Qureshi said. The foreign minister said the conversation between the two leaders was held in a cordial environment. They also agreed to remain in contact with the Kashmir issue.…

Founded in 2015, Sharechat is considered to be India’s “fastest-growing social media platform in local languages.” It currently reportedly has 60 million monthly users across 15 regional languages, according to TechCrunch.The round is notable in that it gives Twitter a foothold in one of the world’s largest countries and marks its first significant commitment to another region outside the U.S. Founder and CEO Jack Dorsey had firsthand involvement in securing the financing. By investing in Sharechat, Twitter will have the ability to “go deeper into India’s smaller towns at a time when its user growth has plateaued.” TrustBridge Partners, Shunwei Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners, SAIF…

To address deadly human traffic jams on Mount Everest and weed out inexperienced climbers, Nepali officials on Wednesday formally proposed new safety rules that could significantly reduce the number of permits issued for the world’s highest peak. Under the measures, would-be climbers would have to prove that they have scaled another major peak, and tourism companies would be required to have at least three years’ experience organizing high-altitude expeditions before they can lead climbers on Everest, Nepal’s tourism ministry said. To discourage cost-cutting that can put climbers’ lives at risk, the ministry also said that clients of expedition companies would…

Daredevil Alain Robert – dubbed the ‘French Spiderman’  climbed a Hong Kong skyscraper on Friday and unfurled a”peace banner” as the financial hub is rocked by historic political unrest. The 57-year-old adventurer, who specializes in unsanctioned ascents of tall buildings, shimmied up the 68-storey Cheung Kong Center in Hong Kong’s main business district in hot and humid conditions on Friday morning. During the climb, he attached a banner featuring the Hong Kong and Chinese flags, as well as two hands shaking. Before the ascent, Robert put out a statement saying the message of his climb was to make “an urgent appeal for peace and consultation…

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Representative of HM the King for Charity Works and Youth Affairs and President of the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports praised the victory achieved by Chairman of the Horses Care Affairs Authority Shaikh Duaij bin Salman Al Khalifa-owned mare Al Aqeer in the Salisbury race. Moreover, HH Shaikh Nasser congratulated Shaikh Duaij on this victory, stressing the importance of this triumph to maintain Bahrain’s prominent position in the horse sports field at the international level. Furthermore, he praised the efforts exerted by the Chairman of the Horses Care Affairs Authority to prepare the mare and the jockey ahead of the race. Besides,…

US President Donald Trump has urged his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to meet the anti-Beijing protesters in Hong Kong, who have been demanding democratic reforms in the Asian financial hub, to resolve the problem “humanely.” Hong Kong, a former British colony, has witnessed unprecedented turmoil for weeks, with pro-democracy protesters causing chaos at the international airport earlier this week.  Trump had previously appeared to suggest that he himself should meet Xi to discuss the crisis in Hong Kong which was sparked by opposition to a bill that would have allowed extraditions from Hong Kong to mainland China. Asserting that the US is “having a…

Former India cricketer Ravi Shastri has been appointed as the head coach of the Indian Men’s senior cricket team for a second successive term. The three-member Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) headed by Kapil Dev interviewed the shortlisted candidates and made the announcement in a media briefing in Mumbai. Shastri has been re-appointed for a 2-year term, which will stretch till the 2021 ICC World T20, scheduled to be played in India. This will be Shastri’s fourth stint with the national team, having served briefly as the cricket manager (2007 tour of Bangladesh), team director (2014-2016) and head coach (2017-2019).

India skipper Virat Kohli became the first and only batsman to have scored 20,000 international runs in a decade during the team’s six-wicket win against West Indies on Wednesday (August 14). Kohli has scored 20502 runs in all formats out of which he has scored 20018 from 2010 onwards. Kohli made his Test and T20I debut in 2010 but had already scored 484 runs in ODI cricket by that point in the previous decade, having made his ODI debut in 2008. Kohli’s accomplishment takes him ahead of former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting, who held the record for the most international…