Tom Cruise laughs off death reports
Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise laughed off Internet reports that he died in a plumbing accident, assuring fans he's "alive and well".
By HT Correspondent | IANS, London
UPDATED ON MAY 30, 2010 05:03 PM IST
Rumours started on Friday claiming that the Mission: Impossible star had passed away following a bizarre plumbing mishap while in New Zealand. But the actor is taking the hoax in good humour, admitting he was amused by the odd manner in which he was "killed", contactmusic reports.
When asked about it, he said: "I'm really alive. Did the internet get it wrong again? You can send the message out (I am still alive)."
Online pranksters have targeted a number of stars in false death stories, including Britney Spears, Jeff Goldblum and Kanye West.
Biden admin to let H-1B spouses work
By Yashwant Raj, Hindustan Times, Washington Dc
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 01:54 AM IST
- The reversal comes as a huge relief for a community that had lived with mounting uncertainty after former President Donald Trump’s administration sought to take away their work authorisation.
Former ISI chief Asad Durrani in touch with RAW since 2008: Pakistan
By HT Correspondent | Edited by Sohini Sarkar
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 12:34 AM IST
- Durrani has faced problems from Pakistan’s military establishment since he co-authored the book The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace with former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat in 2018.
US leaders dial Indian counterparts; talk cooperation in defence, Indo-Pacific
By Rezaul H Laskar | Edited by Sohini Sarkar
UPDATED ON JAN 27, 2021 11:53 PM IST
- In an introductory telephone call from US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin to Rajnath Singh, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to work together to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and the strategic partnership.
Deforestation soars in Amazon forest in 2020, analysis finds
Reuters, Brasilia
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 11:03 PM IST
- A first look at deforestation in the full year of 2020 shows that roughly 21,000 square kilometers (8,108 square miles) of old-growth forest was cut or burned down, about the size of New Jersey, the US-based non-profit group found in its analysis of satellite data.
Biden’s UN nominee urged to counter China, defend 2019 speech
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 11:03 PM IST
Thomas-Greenfield, who would be one of the highest-ranking Black officials in Biden’s administration, plans to emphasize “old-fashioned, people-to-people diplomacy” while calling for making the UN more accountable.
US issues terror alert over anti-govt extremists, urges to avoid large crowds
AFP, Washington
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:59 PM IST
The department of homeland security issued a national terrorism advisory system bulletin due to a heightened threat environment across the United States.
Pakistan unveils plan to administer Covid-19 vaccine across country
PTI
UPDATED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:44 PM IST
The plan was unveiled at a meeting of the top body in Islamabad chaired by Minister for Planning Asad Umar.
French Holocaust memorial vandalized on remembrance day
AP, Paris
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:28 PM IST
- The Israeli Embassy in France tweeted a photo of the pro-Uighur graffiti scrawled on a wall etched with the names of tens of thousands of French victims of the Holocaust. The embassy expressed “horror and anger” at the vandalism “on such a symbolic day.”
Biden admin scraps Trump-era rule ending work permit for some H-1B spouses
By Yashwant Raj I Edited by Vinod Janardhanan
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:27 PM IST
The reversal comes as a huge relief for many Indians who had lived with mounting uncertainty as former President Donald Trump’s administration had sought to take away work their work authorisation as part of a larger effort to protect American jobs for Americans.
Oil slips as Covid-19, demand concerns weigh ahead of supply report
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:24 PM IST
"Oil continues consolidating," said Jeffrey Halley of brokerage OANDA. "The Saudi Arabian cuts, OPEC+ compliance above 85% and an insatiable demand from Asia means that oil has seen its cyclical lows for 2021."
Man to plead guilty in plot to kidnap Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer
AP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:17 PM IST
The FBI in October said it broke up a plot to kidnap the Democratic governor by anti-government extremists upset over her coronavirus restrictions.
UK plant producing Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine evacuated
AP
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 10:00 PM IST
- The UK arm of Mumbai-based pharmaceutical company Wockhardt, which is producing the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in north Wales, said it notified authorities after receiving the package on Wednesday morning. The company had recently hosted British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
South Korea sees one of strongest recoveries among major economies
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 09:37 PM IST
South Korea ended the pandemic year of 2020 with a 1% contraction in gross domestic product, likely to be the smallest among OECD members.
South Africa cracks down on Bitcoin after alleged ponzi scheme
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 09:33 PM IST
South Africa’s finance-industry regulator wants more power to prosecute perpetrators of fraud and oversee dealing in cryptocurrencies after the collapse of a Bitcoin trader, alleged to be the country’s largest Ponzi scheme.
Britain cracks down on travel to stop virus spread
Reuters, London
PUBLISHED ON JAN 27, 2021 09:20 PM IST
- Travellers arriving in Britain from high-risk Covid-19 countries will have to quarantine for 10 days in government-provided accommodation, while those wishing to leave will need to explain why in a process checked before departure, interior minister Priti Patel said on Wednesday.