Author: Starvision News Desk

Damascus, Aug 10 (IANS) Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that terrorism caused destruction in Syria, saying those who supported terrorism should be held accountable. Speaking to Sky News Arabia in an interview on Wednesday, Assad emphasised the extent of destruction caused by terrorism in Syria, stressing that no state intentionally destroys its own homeland.He dismissed the notion that counter-terrorism efforts could ruin the country, Xinhua news agency reported.According to Assad, if Syria had followed the demands of certain countries, the war could have been prevented. However, doing so would have come at the expense of the rights and interests…

Panaji, Aug 9 (IANS) Goa Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Wednesday that the orthopaedics department of Goa Medical College (GMC) has successfully performed its first robotic surgery.”The surgery was conducted on a 67-year-old patient from Margao with knee arthritis. It was skillfully carried out with an advanced robotic arm, renowned globally for its precision, and was concluded within 45 minutes displaying remarkable efficiency,” Rane said.”The procedure’s minimal incision, insignificant blood loss, and absence of post-operative drainage highlighted the robotic arm’s accuracy. Witnessing a pain-free walk the next day, the patient’s experience underscored the achievement’s significance,” Rane added.He added that…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) The Delhi High Court has sought response from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the appointment of embryologist Dr. Nitiz Murdia as an expert member of the National Assisted Reproductive Technology and Surrogacy Board. A division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Saurabh Banerjee issued notice on the plea and also sought Murdia’s response. The PIL has been filed by Dr Aniruddha Narayan Malpani, an IVF specialist, who alleges that Murdia’s appointment lacks evidence of the required qualification of at least 15 years…

Colombo, Aug 9 (IANS) Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe assured the country’s Parliament that a close relationship with India would not affect the island nation’s sovereignty and integrity.Making a special statement to the Parliament on Wednesday, President Wickremesinghe said: “It must be understood that engaging in a robust relationship with our closest neighbour India would undoubtedly strengthen our ability towards ensuring mutually beneficial cooperation.”You have my assurance that I will not engage in initiatives inimical to the sovereignty and integrity of this country,” he guaranteed.The Sri Lanka President was responding to the allegation from the opposing faction that his government…

London, Aug 9 (IANS) A former deputy head teacher of a primary school in London was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Wednesday for paying and instructing teenagers in India, where he worked for seven years, to abuse younger children. Matthew Smith, 35, from East Dulwich, was arrested by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in November 2022, after investigators identified that he was sharing abuse material on the dark web.Sentencing him to 12 years in prison, the Southwark Crown Court subjected Smith to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders register for life.Smith was…

Washington, Aug 9 (IANS) India-born college student Rejani Raveendran has announced her senate candidacy for the US state of Wisconsin, becoming the first Republican to officially get in the race against Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin.Raveendran, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College Republicans, launched her run against Baldwin on Tuesday in Portage County with just under a year to go until the primary, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. A mother of three, Raveendran has never run for office in the state, and had only decided to run for Senate after her trip to Washington earlier this summer. “I see…

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) People’s everyday pleasures, such as listening to music and drinking coffee, can impact a person’s brain activity in ways that improve cognitive performance, including tasks requiring concentration and memory, a new study has shown.This is the finding of a new US-based NYU Tandon School of Engineering study involving MINDWATCH, a revolutionary brain-monitoring technology.MINDWATCH is an algorithm that analyses a person’s brain activity from data collected via any wearable device that can monitor electrodermal activity (EDA).This activity reflects changes in electrical conductance triggered by emotional stress, linked to sweat responses.In this study, subjects wearing skin-monitoring wristbands…

Sydney, Aug 9 (IANS) A leading insurance company has laid off a woman employee after it reportedly used a keystroke technology on her laptop to figure out how many hours she worked from home, and found the working hours insufficient.Insurance Australia Group (IAG) consultant Suzie Cheikho was fired earlier this year for missing deadlines and meetings, being absent and uncontactable, and failing to complete a key task, reports News.com.au.Now, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has rejected an unfair dismissal application by Cheikho, saying she was sacked for a “valid reason of misconduct”.According to the commission, she was responsible for creating…

Seoul, Aug 9 (IANS) South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s approval rating has dipped to 38 per cent, a new survey revealed on Wednesday.The Yonhap News Agency survey was conducted jointly with Yonhap News TV on 1,000 people aged 18 and older to gauge public sentiment.According to the poll, the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance was 38 per cent, down 0.4 percentage point from the previous survey conducted a month ago, while the negative assessment came to 52.3 per cent, also down 0.7 percentage point.The negative assessment of the President has continued a downward trend since the survey was first…

Wellington, Aug 9 (IANS) The New Zealand government has nearly tripled the marine protection areas in the Hauraki Gulf, with the practice of bottom trawling and Danish seining to be banned from large areas to protect the seafloor.The coverage of Auckland’s maritime area that’s under protection has increased to 18 per cent from just more than 6 per cent of the Hauraki Gulf, which provides people with a good experience, an essential and traditional source of food, and a vital part of the economy for the tourism, transport, and seafood sectors, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said on Wednesday.A recent assessment…