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France will totally or partly close up to 500 schools on Monday as student protests over staffing shortages and school conditions continue into a new week, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced on Sunday. Geffray said lessons would be "totally or partly suspended" in between 400 and 500 lycees because the security conditions required to keep them open "have not been fulfilled". He added that 24 schools have been "burned or ransacked" since the protests began, and that at least 170 students and 78 education personnel have been injured in the unrest. A movement that keeps growing The scale of the disruption is already vast. On Friday, the education ministry said at least 400 of France's 3,700 high schools were closed, while 560...

At least two people were killed and 35 others injured in a mass shooting at a block party in Vienna, Georgia, early Sunday, state law enforcement officials said. Gunfire erupted on Pine Street at around 1:25 a.m. on October 4, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said in a statement. Dooly County Sheriff's Office deputies who were patrolling the gathering responded immediately and found multiple people who had been shot, including two who were pronounced dead at the scene. Chaos at the gathering More than 1,000 people had gathered for the block party, held as part of homecoming weekend festivities. More than 50 shots were fired at two locations about a block apart, authorities said. Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls said the two...

Bosnia and Herzegovina's Central Election Commission on Sunday released the first preliminary results of the country's general election, showing Denis Becirovic, Zeljka Cvijanovic and Darijana Filipovic leading the race for the three seats of the country's multi-ethnic presidency. Becirovic, representing the Social Democratic Party (SDP-BiH), led the contest for the Bosniak seat. Cvijanovic of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD) led the race for the Serb seat. The Croatian Democratic Union's (HDZ-BiH) Filipovic led the field for the Croat seat. Counting still under way According to the first preliminary results published by the commission, about 80 percent of ballots had been processed when the early snapshot was...

Himachal CM Sukhu Announces 'Apna Parivar, Sukhi Parivar' Scheme: Rs 1,500 a Month for Eligible Women, 300 Free Electricity Units Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Saturday announced that the state government will launch the 'Apna Parivar, Sukhi Parivar' scheme this month, under which eligible women will receive financial assistance of Rs 1,500 per month and eligible families will get up to 300 units of free electricity. The announcement was made while addressing a public gathering at Nogli in the Rampur assembly constituency of Shimla district. The scheme had earlier been scheduled for launch on October 2. Relief for outsourced employees Sukhu also said the government would soon implement a policy to...

Iran's Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad has resigned, and the chief executive of the state-run National Iranian Oil Company, Hamid Bovard, will lead the ministry on an acting basis, Iranian state media reported on Sunday. President Masoud Pezeshkian accepted Paknejad's resignation, an official at the president's office said. Bovard will take charge of the ministry until parliament approves a new minister. No reason given State media provided no reason for the abrupt departure. Paknejad, the oil minister of the OPEC member country, had held the post since August 2024, steering Iran's massive oil and gas industry through a seven-month war with the United States that has put severe pressure on the country's economy. Shortly before news of...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday he believed Russia may have shared jet-powered drone technology with its longstanding ally North Korea, describing the prospect as "a very dangerous moment." The remarks came at a joint press conference in Kyiv with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who was visiting the Ukrainian capital as Russia intensified its bombardment. Asked by journalists whether Russia had shared its latest generation of jet-powered drone technology with Pyongyang, Zelenskyy answered: "Yes, of course." "They (Russia) are sharing with North Korea all the technologies," Zelenskyy said. "I don't know about the ballistic and etc, but I think, yes, because North Korea helped them with missiles." A growing...

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Israel has temporarily halted its bombing of the Gaza Strip to give the hostage release and the 20-point peace deal a chance, warning Hamas that delays would not be tolerated. The announcement "Hamas must move quickly, or else all bets will be off," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "I will not tolerate delay... Let's get this done, FAST." In a separate post on Saturday, he said Israel had agreed to an initial withdrawal line that has been shown to Hamas: "When Hamas confirms, the Ceasefire will be IMMEDIATELY effective, the Hostages and Prisoner Exchange will begin, and we will create the conditions for the next phase of withdrawal." Netanyahu sets hostage timeline Israeli Prime Minister...

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Sunday that India is now going "beyond advocacy" in its engagement with the Russia-Ukraine conflict, pointing to New Delhi's involvement on Black Sea safety and grain export agreements alongside its long-standing call for dialogue. A shift from advocacy to involvement Jaishankar, speaking on India's stand on the war, said New Delhi's position has been consistent — that the conflict should end through dialogue and diplomacy. He added that while India has advocated negotiations for years, "in recent months we have got a little bit more involved beyond advocacy," referring specifically to Black Sea safety arrangements and agreements around grain exports from the region. The remarks signal...

The Counter Intelligence Cell of the Andhra Pradesh Police has arrested a 31-year-old Indian Navy sailor for allegedly leaking classified maritime information to a Pakistani intelligence operative through a social media honey trap, officials said on Sunday. Pradeep Mukherjee, who joined the Indian Navy in 2014, was arrested on October 3 at INS Agrani, a naval leadership training facility in Coimbatore, where he was attending a management development course. Posted with the Eastern Naval Command in Visakhapatnam, Mukherjee had arrived at the Coimbatore facility barely a week earlier. A months-long online relationship According to officials, a female Pakistani intelligence operative contacted Mukherjee on social media a few months ago...

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on Sunday for a high-stakes visit aimed at reassuring Ukraine of Germany's backing as Russia intensifies its bombardment of the capital. Air raid sirens and explosions rang out across Kyiv on Sunday morning as Merz reached the city, underlining the escalation he had come to address. Four air raid alerts sounded during the morning, and Russian strikes hit the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River, damaging its roadway. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the strike also damaged a hot water supply system in the area. It was the second bridge in the capital to be struck this weekend, part of a Russian campaign since last week to disrupt links between the two banks of the Dnipro and logistics...

The United States Coast Guard has confirmed finding a debris field from a medical transport aircraft that vanished off the coast of Nantucket island while flying from Bermuda to Boston, as the search continued for the six people on board. The Federal Aviation Administration notified the Coast Guard at around 2 am local time on Saturday after losing contact with the Gulfstream G-100 aircraft, tail number C-GRJP. The plane, operated by Canadian medical evacuation company Latitude Air Ambulance, had departed L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda bound for Boston Logan International Airport. Flight tracking data shows the jet dropped sharply in altitude, plunging from about 24,000 feet to around 11,000 feet in a matter of minutes...

Tiruppur district police on Sunday registered a case against Tamil Nadu Leader of the Opposition and DMK youth wing secretary Udhayanidhi Stalin for allegedly involving a minor boy in an election campaign, in violation of Election Commission guidelines. According to a police press release, the incident took place during a campaign meeting near the Periyar statue on the Dharapuram-Udumalpet Road on Saturday. Udhayanidhi, who was addressing the gathering from a campaign vehicle, allegedly had a minor boy brought onto the vehicle. The boy then made disparaging remarks against Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay while votes were sought for the DMK. A video of the incident later circulated on social media, following which TVK functionaries lodged...

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday announced its candidates for the October 16 Rajya Sabha elections, naming film actor Koel Mallick for the West Bengal by-election and Dinesh Arya for the biennial election in Uttarakhand. The names were approved by the BJP's central election committee. Biennial elections to 11 Rajya Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, along with the by-election for one seat from West Bengal, will be held on October 16. Polling will take place from 9 am to 4 pm, with counting on the same day. Why the vacancies arose The Uttarakhand seat fell vacant as BJP's Naresh Bansal is set to retire from the Upper House in November. In West Bengal, the seat fell vacant after Rukmini Mallick, better known as Koel...

India's food safety regulator cracked down on two businesses on Sunday, ordering a market-wide recall of a batch of Everest pre-packed cumin powder after laboratory tests found it unsafe, and suspending the licence of a West Bengal-based bakery over serious hygiene violations. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said a regulatory sample of Everest's pre-packed cumin powder was drawn from the premises of Riverside Resorts & Holiday Homes in Goa. The Food Analyst's report found pesticide residues of Azoxystrobin and Thiamethoxam at levels exceeding the prescribed maximum limits, and declared the sample "unsafe" under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Recall follows failed appeal The company was given the...

The navy of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has targeted at least seven "violating" oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz over the past five days, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Sunday. The claim was carried by the IANS news service, and could not be independently verified. According to Fars, the IRGC Navy has struck more than one tanker per day, despite US President Donald Trump's repeated claims that the strait is open and under American control. Citing MenchOsint, an independent military observer, Fars added that two oil tankers were exploded in the strait on Friday — one at the waterway's entrance and one while exiting it. The report named two Kuwaiti tankers, Al Funtas and Kazimah III, and three UAE vessels...

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah after three women journalists alleged sexual harassment by police personnel during a protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at Jantar Mantar, asking why no cognisance of the allegations had been taken. The opposition party said Shah must ensure that a first information report is registered in the case and action is taken against those responsible. It added that the prime minister must ensure the women's reservation law is implemented at the earliest, and that otherwise both should resign. The allegations concern Saturday's demonstration at Jantar Mantar, where protesters have been demanding the CEC's...

A United States Marine has been arrested in Japan on suspicion of murder and robbery, a day after police in Naha city on Okinawa island discovered a woman's body in a hotel room. The arrest, made on October 4, prompted swift condemnation from Japan's government. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the case as an "extremely brutal and heinous incident" and urged the US government to cooperate fully with Japanese investigators. Protest lodged with Washington Takaichi said on social media that Japan had lodged a strong protest with the United States, demanding full cooperation with the investigation, strict discipline among American military personnel, and measures to prevent any recurrence. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi...

Donald Trump has chosen lawyer John Coale, currently his envoy to Belarus, to become the new US special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, announcing the decision in a social media post on Sunday. Trump praised Coale's track record in prisoner negotiations with Minsk, where he has been engaged in talks for more than a year. Those discussions preceded Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's pardon of 15 prisoners last month. Trump cites 65 Americans and 800 prisoners released In his announcement, Trump credited Coale with having "secured the return of over 65 Americans and Allied Citizens from Belarus over the last year" and with having "negotiated the release of more than 800 political prisoners from multiple countries in...

A massive tourist surge during the long weekend has brought major hill stations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to a standstill, with severe traffic jams and overcrowded streets reported across Shimla, Manali, Nainital and Rishikesh. The rush was driven by the Gandhi Jayanti holiday on October 2 followed by Saturday and Sunday, prompting travellers from Delhi-NCR, Punjab and Haryana to head for the hills in large numbers. Shimla alone sees 34,000 vehicles in a day Shimla alone witnessed nearly 34,000 vehicles entering the city within 24 hours, with around 70 per cent hotel occupancy reported and packed scenes at the Ridge and Mall Road. In Manali, routes towards Rohtang Pass have been choked with vehicles, causing long delays...

Dubai: Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday that the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the United States meets seven Iranian conditions set out in a June interim agreement between the two countries. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf made the remarks a few days after Tehran received Washington's reply to its latest diplomatic proposal aimed at ending the conflict, according to Iran's Nournews. "The Americans, who say something different in the media, have recently put forward proposals through a mediator. But they must understand that the period of dragging out the process and dictating one-sided demands is over," Qalibaf was quoted as saying. "The position of the Islamic Republic of Iran is completely clear and firm, and the Strait of...