Aizawl at night
Large numbers of tourists come to enjoy the night view of the Aizawl city, which lies at the south-eastern border of India, facing Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Mizoram shares 404 km-long international boundary on the East with Burma and 316 km border on the west with Bangladesh. Aizawl is nestled at a height of 3,715 feet above sea level.
Mizoram attained statehood in February 1987, a year after the Mizo Peace Accord was signed. Regarded as on the peaceful states in India, Mizoram is ranked second in the literacy level in addition to its performance in terms of low infant mortality and death rate.
Protest by Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam cadres
Cadres belonging to TTV Dhinakaran's Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam staging road roko near the Government hospital, demanding the arrest of those who hacked party office-bearer 'Thava' Muniasamy at Chidambaram Pillai oorani, in Ramanathapuram, on Wednesday.
A three-member gang on Wednesday allegedly hacked ‘Thava’ Muniasamy, district office bearer of the T.T.V Dhinakaran''s newly formed party, Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) , while he was on morning walk at the walkers’ path at Chidambaram Pillai Oorani in Ramanathapuram.
Police said Muniasamy (45), who was district traders’ wing secretary of the party, was on his routine morning walk when three men, in their 20s hacked him with a billhook around 7 45 a.m., before fleeing from the scene. Soon, AMMK cadres assembled near the Government Hospital and staged a road roko demanding the arrest of the culprits.
Humboldt penguins at Mumbai’s Byculla Zoo on April 25, 2018.
On World Penguin Day today, Mumbaikars can head to the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan, popularly known as Byculla Zoo to catch a glimpse of the seven Humboldt penguins, which were brought from Seoul’s Coex Aquarium. The air temperature in the enclosure is controlled, between 16°C to 18°C, and temperature of the water in their pool is maintained between 11°C and 16°C. The penguins eat seven to 8kg of mackerels, anchovies and herrings every day. The enclosure is spread over 1,800 square feet and consists of a water pool, accommodation area, air handling unit and a cooling system.
April 25 was chosen as World Penguin Day, as it is around the time the Adélie penguins, living in the Antarctic, start their northward migration, to get better access to food during the winter (the season starts in June if you live in the Southern Hemisphere).
Pope prays for Koreas summit
Pope Francis arrives for his weekly general audience, in St.Peter's Square at the Vatican on April 25, 2018.
Pope Francis has hailed a “two Koreas” summit this week on the Korean Peninsula as an opportunity to start dialogue, and urged those involved to “have the courage” to be “artisans of peace.” Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday asked for prayers for “both those of the South and of the North” of Korea. Pope Francis called the summit “a favourable occasion to start a transparent dialogue and a concrete route toward reconciliation and regained brotherhood with the aim of guaranteeing peace on the Korean Peninsula and in the entire world.”
Oil well fire kills 15 in Indonesia
An oil well burns in Pasi Putih village in eastern Aceh, Indonesia on April 25, 2018. The newly-drilled, unregulated oil well caught fire as people were trying to collect the oil early on April 25, 2018, burning to death a number of people and injuring dozens of others.
An unregulated oil well in western Indonesia exploded into flames, burning to death 15 people and injuring dozens of others.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the well in Pasi Putih village in the east of Aceh Province ignited about 1.30 a.m. Five nearby houses were burned in the inferno.
Syahrizal, an official at the area’s disaster agency, said 15 people had died and about 40 people were admitted to two hospitals.
Edi Gunawan, director of a local hospital, told Indonesian television that those hospitalised have burns over between 20% and 60% of their bodies. Several victims in serious condition have been transferred to a larger hospital, he said.
The national disaster agency described the well as “traditional,” likely meaning it had unclear ownership and was used by the local community. Aceh, at the north tip of the island of Sumatra, has significant commercially untapped natural gas reserves and is dotted with illegal wells.
Malaysia releases photo of assailant in Palestinian murder
Malaysian National police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun, second left, speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on April 25, 2018.
Malaysian police have released a photo of one of the two alleged assailants who gunned down a Palestinian engineer over the weekend, and said they are believed to still be in the country. Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group has described the victim, Fadi al-Batsh, as a “commander” in its military wing and accused Israel of being behind Saturday’s shooting. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement.
Koreas prepare for summit
A general view shows the interior of the Peace House, the venue for the inter-Korean summit, at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarised zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea on April 25, 2018.
South Korea has custom-made furniture for the April 27, 2018 summit between President Moon Jae-in and the North’s leader Kim Jong Un — with chairs featuring disputed islands controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo.
One thing the rival Koreas share is a resentment of Japan, which imposed brutal colonial rule on the peninsula from 1910 to 1945, and the gesture is likely to irritate Tokyo.
Japan has already lodged a strong protest over photos of a summit dessert dish which also marks the disputed islands.
The shape of the Korean peninsula is seen on the lawn in front of City Hall in Seoul on April 25, 2018 ahead of the upcoming summit between North and South Korea.
Japan and the South are both U.S. allies but their relationship is strained by historical and territorial issues including Dokdo — islands controlled by Seoul but claimed by Tokyo, which calls them Takeshima.
The new walnut chairs to be used by the two leaders’ seven-strong delegations at the summit at Panmunjom in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) each feature a map of the peninsula.
The tiny disputed islands are clearly marked, pictures released on April 25 by the presidential Blue House showed.
Symbolism also abounds in other aspects of the summit layout, with the delegations meeting in the Peace House around an oval table 2,018-mm wide to mark the year.
Traditional white porcelain vases will decorate corners of the room, filled with flowers including peonies to symbolise greetings, daisies for peace, and wild blooms from the DMZ.
The two previous inter-Korean summits in 2000 and 2007 both took place in Pyongyang.
It is not the first time Seoul has made a point of including the islands in diplomatic processes.
When U.S. President Donald Trump visited Seoul in 2017, his meal included a prawn caught in waters around Dokdo, sparking protests from Tokyo.
And at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in February, the two Koreas marched together behind a unification flag that including Dokdo, prompting a Japanese denunciation. Cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga called the flag “unacceptable”.
CBSE Economics re-exam underway
Students appearing for the CBSE class XII Economics re-examination following question paper leak wait outside Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan, in New Delhi
The Central Board of Secondary Education conducted a re-test of Class 12 economics paper on Wednesday, nearly a month after it was leaked triggering widespread outrage and confusion among students across India. After reports of the leak surfaced on March 28, the CBSE announced it will re-conduct the examination, causing hardship to several students and teachers.
Two police officers, civilian shot in Dallas
Home Depot employees comfort one another outside the store after two police officers and a civilian were shot by a man on April 24, 2018, in Dallas.
Two Dallas police officers were critically wounded in a shooting that also injured a home improvement store employee, authorities said. The shooting occurred about 4-15 p.m. on Tuesday as officers were escorting a man from the Home Depot in northern Dallas. The two officers and the store loss-prevention officer underwent surgery for their injuries, Police Chief U. Renee Hall said late on Tuesday night. She did not provide details of their conditions but asked for continued prayers for their recovery.
Trump, Macron call for 'new' nuclear deal with Iran
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron, pose for photographs as they arrive for a State Dinner at the White House in Washington on April 24, 2018.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron called for a “new” deal with Iran on Tuesday, looking beyond disagreements over a landmark nuclear accord that still hangs in the balance. Mr. Trump laid transatlantic divisions bare during a visit by the French President, pillorying a three-year-old agreement designed to curb Iran's nuclear programme.
Australians commemorate 103rd anniversary of WWI battle
Australian military veterans fire into the air during the ANZAC Day dawn service at Elephant Rock in Currumbin on the Gold Coast, Australia, Wednesday, April 25, 2018. Thousands of Australians gathered at pre-dawn services around the country to commemorate the moment when Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops waded ashore at the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey 103 years ago in their first major battle of World War I. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
Australians gathered around the country, on a Turkish coast and in a French town Wednesday to commemorate the moment when Australian and New Zealand Army Corps troops waded ashore at the Gallipoli peninsula in Turkey 103 years ago in their first major battle of World War I. Because extremists have targeted annual ANZAC Day ceremonies in the past, concrete barriers were placed around the service in downtown Sydney to protect those who gathered at Martin Place.
War veterans march past during an Anzac Day parade in Sydney, Australia on April 25, 2018.
Beijing Auto show highlights e-cars designed for China
Nissan officials pose for photos with the newly unveiled Sylphy Zero Emission during the start of the Auto China 2018 in Beijing, China on April 25, 2018. Volkswagen and Nissan have unveiled electric cars designed for China at the Beijing auto show that highlights the growing importance of Chinese buyers for a technology seen as a key part of the global industry's future.
Volkswagen and Nissan have unveiled electric cars designed for China at a Beijing auto show that highlights the growing importance of Chinese buyers for a technology seen as a key part of the global industry’s future. General Motors displayed five all-electric models on Wednesday including a concept Buick SUV it says can go 600 kilometres on one charge. Ford and other brands showed off some of the dozens of electric SUVs, sedans and other models they say are planned for China.
