Category: English

The population of Aldabra giant tortoises in Seychelles has reached an estimated 183,000 adult and sub-adult animals, according to a new study, marking a major conservation success for a species that was once pushed close to extinction. The survey, led by the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) and the University of Exeter, found that approximately 180,000 giant tortoises live freely on Aldabra Atoll. The figure is the highest recorded for the species and far exceeds the human population of Seychelles. Researchers analysed five years of tortoise counts conducted between 2018 and…

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US officials say they are seizing seven internet domains in a new effort to disrupt ​hackers working with Chinese IT firm Integrity ​Technology Group. In a statement issued on Thursday, ⁠the Justice Department said the domains were ​being used to help Chinese hackers scan ​and hack US and foreign critical infrastructure systems. The department said the move was the second public effort to ​disrupt Integrity Tech’s hacking infrastructure. In September ​2024, the department announced the court-authorised disruption of an Integrity ‌Tech ⁠botnet consisting of more than 250,000 compromised consumer devices…

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Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has suspended four Umrah service companies and four foreign agents for violating regulations by arranging accommodation for pilgrims in unlicensed facilities. The ministry said the violations affected several Umrah pilgrims. The suspended companies and agents have been referred to the committee responsible for reviewing pilgrims’ complaints, which will investigate the cases and determine the appropriate statutory penalties. The ministry said it would continue monitoring Umrah companies, service providers and foreign agents through field inspections and digital surveillance to ensure compliance with regulatory and…

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Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower has reached Level 118, standing approximately 474 metres tall, putting the unfinished skyscraper on a par with some of the world’s tallest completed buildings as construction continues towards its planned height of more than one kilometre. The latest milestone was announced by Ian Norman Miller, senior executive project director at Saudi Binladin Group and head of the tower’s construction team, in a LinkedIn post marking the latest concrete pour. At its current height, Jeddah Tower is comparable to Central Park Tower in New York and Wuhan…

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Israeli forces blocked agricultural roads in western Deir Ballut in the Salfit district of the central West Bank on Thursday, while settlers damaged olive trees and agricultural property in the nearby town of Kafr Al-Dik, according to local sources. The sources said Israeli bulldozers placed earth barriers across several agricultural roads in Deir Ballut, preventing farmers from reaching their land. In Kafr Al-Dik, settlers targeted agricultural property belonging to farmer Ali Abdullah Qassem in the northern part of the town. They broke and damaged olive trees, tampered with the fruit…

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Security forces killed seven Khawarij during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan and recovered a large quantity of weapons and ammunition from their possession, according to security sources. Security sources said counterterrorism operations are underway across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ vision. During the operation in North Waziristan, security forces carried out an action that resulted in the deaths of seven Khawarij. The sources added that several hideouts belonging to the Khawarij have also been destroyed during the ongoing operations under the ‘Azm-e-Istehkam’ vision.

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Andy ​Burnham’s Labour Party won an election for the parliamentary seat vacated by former leader Keir Starmer on Friday, fending ‌off a strong challenge from the left-wing Green Party in a boost for the British prime minister. Labour candidate Sagal Abdi-Wali, the leader of the local council, won the by-election in the central London constituency of Holborn and St Pancras with 12,292 votes, compared with 8,928 for Zack Polanski, the ​Green Party leader. Labour had been widely expected to hold the seat, as Burnham seeks to repair his party’s damaged…

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US immigration agents shot and wounded a man on Thursday in his car with a child present in ​the Marble Hill neighbourhood of New York City, according to the mayor, city police ‌and eyewitnesses. “Early reports indicate agents surrounded (the man) and a 5-year-old child in his car before firing multiple rounds,” New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in a statement. The mayor said the child was believed to have been physically ​unharmed. “This is an unconscionable and incredibly serious situation,” Mamdani said, adding he planned to speak ​to President…

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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday the government will ​continue to scrutinise exchange-rate and price ‌developments carefully, and respond appropriately. Takaichi remarked in parliament in response to a ​question from an opposition lawmaker on ​Japan’s economic policy and the potential fallout ⁠from a weak yen She also said ​the administration will guide fiscal policy ​by looking at various factors that affect the economy, including interest rates and yen moves The remarks follow ​those by Takaichi in parliament on ​Thursday that Japan’s economy no longer needed reflationary policies ‌because…

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The US suspended Microsoft, major IT outsourcers and ​software maker Adobe from a key green-card program on Thursday while opening probes into nine top universities, widening a crackdown it says targets fraud and protects American ‌jobs. Since taking office, US President Donald Trump has pursued a broad effort to reduce the number of foreign-born people in the US and curtail their pathway to residence and citizenship. Thursday’s twin actions mark the broadest strike yet against skilled-worker immigration programs — potentially cutting off a common path to permanent residency for foreign…

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