Trending

Wildebeest, a gorilla and a giraffe were among the life-size puppets (AFP photos)

KINSHASA: A wildebeest, a gorilla and a giraffe were among the life-size puppets to begin a 20,000-kilometre (12,400-mile) trek across the globe Wednesday from the DR Congo capital, to raise awareness about migration due to climate change.
The animals are part of The Herds project and aim to have crossed around 10 countries between central Africa and the Arctic by August.
Their journey will take them through Nigeria, Senegal, Morocco, France and Norway, among other countries.
“This project tries to give the public a powerful emotional sense of what’s happening to the planet,” project producer David Lan told AFP in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The trek includes “now 20, later 40, later 70 animals from all over west Africa, Morocco, Europe who are travelling to escape from the damage done to their ecosystem,” he added.
It is financed by several European countries as well as private foundations.
The puppets are made of mostly recycled materials: cardboard for the skin and rubber for the joints, according to Siphokazi Mpofu, of the South African collective, Ukwanda Puppets, which created the first puppets.
“Some animals will die on the way,” due to high humidity for instance, “just like in real life”, Mpofu said.
As it travels, the herd will be joined by new puppets representing local species, such as vervet monkeys in Nigeria, wolves and red deer in Europe, and reindeer in Norway.

In a dramatic escalation of the global trade standoff, China is rallying international support in response to US President Donald Trump’s steep new tariffs — but it’s finding limited success as countries weigh economic pragmatism against political allegiance.
This week, the White House hiked tariffs on Chinese imports to a staggering 125%, accusing Beijing of unfair practices. China struck back almost immediately, slapping 84% tariffs on American goods. The sharp exchange marks a deepening of hostilities that now seems focused squarely on a US-China collision course — with the rest of the world caught in the crossfire.
Despite Trump’s initial broad approach — targeting multiple trading partners — he pulled back on most nations this week, offering a 90-day pause to encourage direct talks. “Countries are lining up to negotiate,” he said Wednesday, acknowledging market turmoil.
But China is refusing to blink.
“China will fight to the end,” declared commerce minister Wang Wentao in a pointed video call with EU Commissioner Maroš Šefcovic. “The US is acting like a bully… trampling on WTO rules, global stability, and the multilateral system.”
Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian added, “A just cause receives support from many. The US cannot win the support of the people and will end in failure.”
So far, China has focused its diplomacy on Europe. Premier Li Qiang’s call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was described by Chinese state media as a “positive message”, aimed at strengthening China-EU trade ties. Li also pledged more support for global investors and said China is ready to counter uncertainties with “incremental policies.”
Reaching beyond Europe
Wang also reached out to Southeast Asian nations and held talks with ASEAN members, while Li met business leaders to reinforce China’s readiness. However, the outreach is being met with mixed responses.
Australian PM Anthony Albanese brushed off calls for a united front, saying, “We stand on our own two feet.” Australia has had a strained relationship with China since 2020, when it called for an independent probe into Covid-19’s origins — leading to Chinese trade restrictions.
India is also reportedly unwilling to join China’s cause, and even Russia — often aligned with Beijing — remains conspicuously absent from the tariff list. Meanwhile, Taiwan, hit with 32% US tariffs, is preparing for talks with Washington. Foreign minister Lin Chia-lung confirmed that discussions are underway, emphasizing Taiwan’s vital role in global chip production.
In Hong Kong, China’s foreign ministry issued a scathing rebuke of US pressure tactics. “A tariff-wielding barbarian… can never expect that call from China,” spokesperson Huang Jingrui wrote in an op-ed in the South China Morning Post.
Markets swing wildly
Despite the uncertainty, global markets surged Thursday on Trump’s temporary retreat. Japan’s Nikkei jumped over 9%, while Germany’s DAX rose 7.5%. France’s CAC gained 7.2%, and London’s FTSE 100 climbed 5.4%. However, US futures slipped — the S&P 500 fell 0.4% and the Dow Jones edged down 0.2% — as investors processed the long-term implications.
Chinese stocks rose modestly, cautious amid tit-for-tat tariff hikes and warnings of non-tariff reprisals, including potential bans on US films and service industries.
What’s next?
While Trump hinted at case-by-case negotiations ahead, tensions remain high. “We will not sit idly by,” Lin warned. “China will defend its rights and resist unilateral coercion.”
With the world watching and global trade at a crossroads, the showdown now centers on whether China’s strategy of multilateral resistance — or Trump’s gamble on direct confrontation — will win the day.

A man in Bihar’s Samastipur has been arrested for allegedly killing his daughter after she fled to Delhi with her boyfriend, police said today.

The woman, 25-year-old Sakshi, was allegedly killed on April 7, and her body was recovered last night from a locked bathroom in their residence.

#मोहिउद्दीनगर थाना क्षेत्र से संबंधित…@bihar_police@bihar_iprd@ANI#samastipur #samastipurpolice #BiharPolice #HainTaiyaarHum pic.twitter.com/27T4ml5i8l

— Samastipur Police (@Samastipur_Pol) April 10, 2025

The accused, Mukesh Singh, had also reportedly gone after the man to kill him, but he was not in the village.

Sakshi’s maternal uncle, Vipin Kumar, said she fled to Delhi on March 4 with her boyfriend, who was from another caste and lived near her house. Both went to college together, Mr Kumar said.

A week ago, Singh, said to be an ex-serviceman, convinced her to return to Samastipur from the national capital. However, a few days later, she disappeared.

When her mother asked Singh, he said she had left the house again. She, however, later grew suspicious and informed the police. 

The police then started an investigation and noticed a foul smell emanating from a locked bathroom at their residence. They then recovered her body. 

When Singh was questioned by the police, he confessed to the crime.

Weeks after an Allahabad High Court judge observed that grabbing breasts or snapping a pyjama string do not constitute rape or attempt to rape, his colleague has granted bail to a rape accused, noting that the victim “invited trouble and was also responsible for the same”.

According to the FIR registered in September last year, the victim is a postgraduate student and lived as a paying guest in Delhi. On September 21, she and her friends visited a restaurant in Hauz Khas. They drank there till 3 am and became “very intoxicated”. “Since she needed support, therefore, she herself agreed to go to the house of the applicant and take rest,” Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh has said in the order.

“The allegation of the victim that applicant instead of his house took her to his relative’s flat and raped her twice is false and against the evidence on record. On the strength of said facts, it is argued that considering the facts of the case as disclosed by the victim, it is not a case of rape but may be a case of consensual relationship between the parties concerned,” the order added.

Justice Singh has said that the accused’s counsel has submitted that there is no chance of him running from the judicial process or tampering with evidence. The counsel has also pointed out that Nischal has been in jail since December 11 and that he has no criminal history. The counsel has assured the court that the accused will not misuse the liberty of bail. 

The order adds that the state government’s counsel opposed the bail petition but could not dispute the “factual aspect of the matter”.

“Having heard learned counsel for the parties and examined the matter in its entirety, I find that it is not in dispute that victim and applicant both are major. Victim is student of M.A., hence she was competent enough to understand the morality and significance of her act as disclosed by her in the FIR. This Court is of the view that even if the allegation of the victim is accepted as true, then it can also be concluded that she herself invited trouble and was also responsible for the same. Similar stand has been taken by the victim in her statement. In her medical examination, her hymen was found torn but doctor did not give any opinion about the sexual assault,” the judge has said in the order.

The court granted bail to Nischal Chandak, asking him to cooperate with the investigation.

This comes weeks after the March 17 judgment by Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra of Allahabad High Court that has sparked a massive row for its absurd observations. The judge was hearing the accused’s challenge to a lower court order summoning them under Section 376 of Indian Penal Code, which deals with rape.

“…the allegation against accused Pawan and Akash is that they grabbed the breasts of the victim and Akash tried to bring down lower garment of the victim and for that purpose they had broken string of her lower garments and tried to drag her beneath the culvert, but due to intervention of witnesses they left the victim and fled away from the place of incident. This fact is not sufficient to draw an inference that the accused persons had determined to commit rape on victim as apart from these facts no other act is attributed to them to further their alleged desire to commit rape on the victim,” reads para 21 of the high court ruling.

The lower court had summoned the accused under IPC Section 376, relating to rape, read with Section 18 of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Striking this down, the high court judge had said, “In order to bring out a charge of attempt to rape the prosecution must establish that it had gone beyond the stage of preparation. The difference between preparation and actual attempt to commit an offence consists chiefly in the greater degree of determination.”

The judgment drew strong criticism from the Supreme Court, which noted that it reflected a “total lack of sensitivity”. The top court said it was pained to see some observations in the verdict and sought replies from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government.

“We are pained to state that it shows a total lack of sensitivity on the part of the author of the judgment. It was not even at the spur of the moment and was delivered four months after reserving the same. Thus, there was application of mind. We are usually hesitant to grant stay at this stage. But since observations in paragraphs 21, 24 and 26 is unknown to cannons of law and shows inhuman approach, we stay the observations in said paras,” the top court said.

The father of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, the National Security Guard commando killed while fighting terrorists during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, has said Tahawwur Rana’s long-awaited extradition to India was not a diplomatic success, but also “revenge” for the general public. Speaking to NDTV over the phone, K Unnikrishnan said Rana’s extradition does not provide closure and David Coleman Headley, key conspirator of the 2008 terror attack, needs to be brought back too.

Thirty-one-year-old Major Unnikrishnan led a team of 10 commandos to the iconic Taj Mahal hotel after it came under attack. The team of commandos came under heavy fire from the terrorists holed up in the hotel. Major Unnikrishnan also ensured the evacuation of his injured colleagues and chased the terrorists alone. He managed to corner the terrorists in the northern end of the hotel and was killed in the encounter. According to his colleagues, his last words were, “Don’t come up, I will handle them.”

The brave officer was awarded an Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime military decoration. “Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan displayed most conspicuous bravery besides camaraderie and leadership of the highest order and made the supreme sacrifice for the nation,” the citation read.

Sixteen years on, his elderly father’s words reflect the bravery his son showed that day. “Sandeep is not a victim of 26/11. He was a security personnel who did his duty well in the face of certain death. He was sure that he would not come back. If he did not do this in Mumbai, he would have done it somewhere else. Our main concern should be to prevent such an attack so that we can minimise the damage these people intend to do,” he said.

Asked if Rana’s extradition brings him some satisfaction, he replied, “Definitely it’s a success. For the general public, it’s not just a diplomatic success, it’s a revenge. We could get the culprit,” he said.

To a question on whether India’s success in getting Rana’s custody will provide closure to the families of the 166 victims killed in the attacks, Mr Unnikrishnan said, “It’s not a closure. We have to get Coleman Headley. These are all tools, they are working for money. The people worked at the behest of some agencies in our neighbourhood. But the brains behind it, we have not touched them yet, despite proving everything beyond doubt. But this is definitely an achievement, though delayed. And I hope everyone will be punished.”

A special plane bringing Rana back is likely to land in Delhi this afternoon. Thereafter, officers of the National Investigation Agency will question him.

Mr Unnikrishnan said he believes NIA would go through every detail. “This (Rana) is a learned man. NIA has all the information, they were just waiting for him. Let’s see what comes out of this.”

Tahawwur Rana is being brought to India after he exhausted his legal options in the US to challenge the extradition. The former Pakistan Army doctor provided logistic, financial and other assistance to David Headley — a key conspirator in the terror attack, according to the NIA chargesheet. He is charged under sections relating to criminal conspiracy, waging war against the government of India, murder and forgery and relevant sections under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Kolkata Knight Riders in action during IPL 2025© AFP

Tahawwur Rana and his connection with David Coleman Headley

Over 16 years after the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that left 166 people dead and hundreds injured, a key accused in the conspiracy — Tahawwur Hussain Rana — is finally being brought to face justice in India. His extradition from the United States marks a crucial moment in the long-standing investigation into the worst terror attack on Indian soil. Rana’s role in Mumbai terror attacks was earlier exposed by his childhood friend and co-conspirator David Headley. During his testimony in a Chicago court, Headley revealed that Rana helped him set up a fake immigration office in Mumbai as cover for scouting terror targets.
A US court found him guilty of supporting Lashkar-e-Taiba and a terror plot in Denmark. Headley’s testimony can now play a significant role in India’s case as agencies prepare to question Rana for his role in 26/11.
Security has been stepped up outside Delhi’s Patiala House court where he is likely to appear after his extradition.

Who is Tahawwur Rana?
Tahawwur Rana is a 64-year-old Pakistani-born Canadian national and a former medical officer in the Pakistan Army. He hails from Chichawatni in the Sahiwal district of Punjab province in Pakistan. After studying medicine in Pakistan, Rana joined the military as part of the Army’s medical corps. He eventually left the armed forces and migrated to Canada, where he obtained citizenship.
In the late 1990s, Rana moved to the United States and set up an immigration services business — First World Immigration Services — with offices in Chicago and other cities. This business would later become a cover for his and David Headley’s alleged espionage and terror-related activities in India.
His connection to David Coleman Headley
Rana’s name became prominently linked to the 26/11 case due to his close friendship with David Coleman Headley, the Pakistani-American terrorist who carried out detailed reconnaissance of the 26/11 targets.
Headley, born to a Pakistani father and American mother, spent much of his early life in Pakistan. It was at a military school in Hasan Abdal, Punjab, where he met and befriended Rana. The two maintained their bond over the years, eventually reuniting in the United States.
This friendship would later form the backbone of a deadly conspiracy. Investigators allege that Rana was not only aware of Headley’s links with Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), but actively supported his mission.
Role in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks
According to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Rana played a significant support role in the planning and execution of the 26/11 attacks. Key allegations include:

The legal journey and extradition
In 2009, Headley and Rana were arrested by US authorities for plotting attacks in India and Denmark. While Headley pleaded guilty and turned approver — providing a detailed account of the 26/11 conspiracy — Rana continued to deny knowledge of any terror activities.
India had long sought Rana’s extradition. In 2020, the NIA formally requested it, citing his involvement in the 26/11 conspiracy. After prolonged legal proceedings, a US court approved his extradition. Rana made a final appeal to the US Supreme Court, which rejected his petition, clearing the way for his handover to Indian authorities.
What did the FBI and US courts find?
Rana was arrested in the US in 2009. According to the FBI and US prosecutors, he provided material support to two terrorist plots:

“This certainly was a dastardly plot,” said judge Leinenweber while handing down the sentence.
What did David Headley reveal about Rana’s role?
In his testimony during the trial, Headley said that Rana not only knew about Lashkar-e-Taiba’s operations, but also supported him in setting up a front in Mumbai to carry out reconnaissance.
Headley testified that:

What does the FBI say?
The FBI’s Chicago office and top US prosecutors have strongly condemned Rana’s involvement in terror planning.

What happens next?
Rana is expected to be produced before a special NIA court at Patiala House in Delhi. Security has been heightened in and around the court complex, with personnel from Delhi Police and paramilitary forces deployed. Tihar Jail authorities have said they are prepared to house Rana in a high-security ward, pending court directions.
The NIA is expected to seek his custodial interrogation to further probe his links with terror outfits, Pakistani intelligence handlers and his role in the execution of the attacks.
Officials say Rana’s questioning could provide:

Tahawwur Rana’s return to India after over a decade could be a key moment in unravelling the full conspiracy behind one of the worst terror attacks in the country’s history.

Kapil Sharma recently surprised everyone with his dramatic weight loss. The actor-comedian was spotted at the Mumbai airport, flying to an undisclosed location. He appeared to be leaner than before.

A video from Kapil’s airport outing surfaced online on Wednesday. The comedian was seen dressed in a grey co-ord set, which he paired with white sneakers and sunglasses. 

Kapil Sharma‘s slimmer and leaner look grabbed the internet’s attention, sparking curiosity and concern amongst fans. While some praised the actor for his hard work and dedication, others wondered if he had used popular weight loss medications like Ozempic.

One user wrote, “Best example of hard work. Love you Kapil paji.” 

Another added, “He looks so fit.” 

A person commented, “What’s with these celebrities cutting down weight? First Karan Johar and now Kapil Sharma?” 

“He’s been taking ozempic lol,” read a comment. 

Kapil Sharma will next be seen in Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2. Earlier this week, the actor shared a poster from the film on Instagram. The poster featured Kapil dressed as a groom posing alongside a mystery bride, whose face was hidden by a veil.

In another poster, Kapill shared the frame with another mystery lady, but this time they were in a nikaah ceremony setup. The separate posters hint at a love triangle between the characters.

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 is a sequel to a 2015 film of the same name. It is directed by Anukalp Goswami and produced by Ratan Jain, Ganesh Jain and Abbas-Mustan under Venus Worldwide Entertainment. 

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon 2 also features Manjot Singh in a key role.