KERALA - A court in the southern Indian state of Kerala has sentenced 15 men to death for the murder of a lo­cal leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Ranjith Sreenivasan was killed in front of his family members in 2021 in what was described as a tit-for-tat murder. On Tuesday, after the death penalty was awarded, Sreenivasan’s wife Lisha said that while their loss was “irreparable”, the verdict came as a relief. Sreeniva­san was hacked to death at his home in Alappuzha on 19 December 2021 in front of his mother, wife and daughter. Some of the men were members of the PFI while others belonged to its political unit, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI).

The UN chief will meet with major donors to the UN's Palestine refugee agency this week amid a funding crisis sparked by allegations that some of its employees in Gaza participated in the Oct. 7 cross-border attack on Israel. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host the meeting at the UN's New York City headquarters on Tuesday afternoon, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters. The UN chief has been engaging with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) leadership, as well as regional leaders, amid the controversy. "The critical humanitarian work that the UN does not only in Gaza but all over the region, needs to be supported. The court issued an interim order urging Israel to stop obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza and to improve the humanitarian situation.

The Alabama Sheriffs Association, a nonprofit instituted in 1889 to encourage educational, social, and charitable activities among sheriffs, recently completed its 2024 Winter Technology Conference held January 21-24 at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa at Grand National in Opelika, Alabama. “The conference also included leadership training and time for the sheriffs to meet and share ideas with each other,” said Lambert. Lastly, the conference served as the official kickoff of the inaugural Alabama Sheriffs Association PCA Rodeo, which will be held at the National Peanut Festival Fairgrounds from May 9-11, 2024 in Dothan, Alabama. “It will be a professional, family-friendly event featuring representation from the 67 Alabama sheriffs who serve and protect our families and communities each day.”Tickets for the event go on sale in March. For more information on the Alabama Sheriffs Association, please visit www.alabamasheriffs.com or call (334) 264-7827.

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He said on a social media post that the terrorists had retreated, and the security forces were pursuing them. According to the sources, the security forces had already received information about the terrorist attack. Read: Security forces kill two terrorists in Tank IBO“In Mach, the security forces have successfully thwarted three coordinated attacks carried out by terrorists affiliated with the Aslam Acho group. Fortunately, no damage was inflicted on any installations, and there were no casualties among our security forces,” Achakzai tweeted on X. We have a report of a few rockets fire from the hilly area in Mach, Balochistan.

Opening ceremony of two weeks long Joint Exercise Al-BADAR-VIII at National Counter Terrorism Centre, Pabbi, K-P. PHOTO: ISPRThe opening ceremony of Pakistan-Bahrain “Joint Exercise Al-BADAR-VIII” was held at National Counter Terrorism Centre in Pabbi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, the military said. According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), contingents from Pakistan Army and Bahrain National Guards are participating in the two-week-long exercise. “The exercise is aimed at nurturing of joint employment and interoperability besides, harnessing the historic military to military relations among the brotherly countries,” the military’s media wing added. Read also: COAS conferred military medal during Bahrain visitIt further said that both countries have displayed zeal and enthusiasm for benefiting from each other’s expertise. Al-BADAR is an annual bilateral joint exercise in counter terrorism domain between Pakistan and Bahrain.

Apple is changing the operating system for iPhones significantly. According to a Bloomberg report, major software updates will be made in iOS 18, the new operating system for iPhones by Apple. Artificial intelligence (AI) features for iPhones’ digital assistant Siri will also be added in iOS 18. Apple is also likely to introduce AI features to Apple Music, Pages, Keynote, Shortcuts, and Xcode. But for general users, this new operating system will be available sometime in September.

Islamabad: The caretaker government may increase the price of petrol from February 1. The government may hike petrol prices by Rs 7.85 per liter and high-speed diesel by Rs 2.06 per liter in its final adjustment of POL prices from October 1. The rise in prices in the first 15 days of next month is mainly attributed to the tension in the Middle East due to the continuous Israeli attack on Palestinians in Gaza and Houthi attacks on commercial ships. International markets have reacted strongly to the attacks on the ships, which has led to a rise in prices. In the international market, motor petrol has risen to $6 per barrel and diesel to $3.7 per barrel from January 16, 2024, as international companies have increased their premium on motor spirit and high-speed diesel has increased substantially.

MOSCOW - Russia on Monday officially registered incumbent Vlad­imir Putin as a candidate for the presidential election in March, a vote that he is all but certain to win. The 71-year-old has led Russia since the turn of the cen­tury, clinching four presi­dential ballots and briefly serving as prime minister. The election will be held over a three-day period from March 15 to 17. Pu­tin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, told Russian media on Monday the longtime leader would not take part in pre-election debates.

BERLIN - Ger­man union Verdi called a public transport strike across Europe’s biggest economy on Friday, in an escalating dispute over pay and working condi­tions. More than 90,000 workers at over 132 lo­cal companies operating buses, trams and under­ground services are ex­pected to join the walk­out. Long-distance and regional trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, which went on strike last week, will not be affected. Fri­day’s walkout is the latest in a spate of strikes and protests to hit commuters in the last weeks. Verdi’s deputy chair Christine Behle said the union was seeking a 35-hour work week with no losses in wages, in a bid to make jobs more attractive to workers.

The Iranian foreign minister was upbeat and insisted that Iran considers Pakistan’s security as its own. Foreign Minister of #Iran, HE Amir Abdollahian called on General Syed Asim Munir, NI (M) #COAS, at GHQ today. “In this backdrop, the foreign minister renewed an invitation to honourable President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi to undertake a visit to Pakistan,” it added. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Monday called on Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and discussed matters of mutual interest. Underscoring close relations between Pakistan and Iran, the prime minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further consolidate bilateral ties.

By John Goolsby, Prep Sports EditorHOOVER – The Hewitt-Trussville Middle School Dance Team turned in a strong performance at Spain Park this past weekend. The team competed in the Dance Team Union Alabama State Championship. The Lady Huskies took first place in the Middle School Game Day competition and runner-up in the Middle School Pom competition. Individual awards went to Emma Claire Womack, first place, Junior Solo; Olivia Gay, second place, Junior Solo; and Maya Amari, fourth place, Junior Solo. Team members:Maya AmariJillian BenzaiaHarper BreasealeSarah Kate ClarkEmma DorrLayne ErwinEmily EubanksOlivia GayAdalina GillesHadleigh HancockAvery HopperClaire MalchusAlexa MatthewsHadley McLaughlinOlivia MillingtonKailey MuthAvery OliveLauren PhillipsElla RodriguezReese RollinMacie SnuggsShelby StewartLilly TennysonChloe WilliamsEmma Claire Womack

With no methods currently available to completely eradicate the feral swine populations, ADCNR staff spend a great deal of time and money working to reduce feral hog populations on ADCNR and Forever Wild properties. Forever Wild Board Members are very dedicated to identifying needs and pursuing tract enhancements. In my mind, this is to maintain that land.”“Management of ADCNR and Forever Wild lands is a priority for us,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of ADCNR and Chairman of the Forever Wild Land Trust. I appreciate the Forever Wild Board recognizing this and authorizing a ramp-up in feral hog removals. An effort to use sodium nitrite bait to reduce feral hog populations is still under development, according to Green.

Additionally, during the intraparty election process under section 209 and section 215 of the Election Act in December 2023, an admission was made before the Election Commission regarding such serious violations of the Party Constitution, appointment of federal election commissioner and, consequently, of the Election Act 2017. Second, the Elections Act mandates that party affiliation be the basis for general elections, acknowledging the significance of political parties. The Elections Act requires all political parties to organize intra-party elections in order to fortify them even more. Section 215 of the Election Act prohibits the party from using its election insignia, as one of these consequences and further law is still infield. Political parties are always required to take legal safeguards and abide by the law especially section 215 of the Election Act; otherwise, there may be severe legal ramifications which including the Election Commission shall not grant an election symbol to any political party or combination of political parties in subsequent elections.

ISLAMABAD - Nearly 2,000 participants, including both local and international runners, took part in the Islamabad Marathon that began on Sunday. FAIZAN, ENUB BAG TOP SPOTS IN ISLAMABAD MARATHONFaizan Zulfiqar and Enub claimed top spots in the Islamabad Marathon 2024 organized here at the Trail 3 Parking on Sunday. In Half Marathon, male category, Naveed, Irfan and Naghman took first, second and third positions, re­spectively. In the Half Marathon female category, Jennie, Chris­tina Vezel and Huma Rehman took first, second and third positions, respectively. Then there was a half marathon of 21.1km, 10km run, 5km run and also a race kept for children.