Author: Starvision News Desk

New York, July 19 (IANS) Leading publication The New York Times is going to shut down its Maths-based puzzle game called Digits next month.The media house launched the puzzle game in beta in April.If you visit the page for the game, you’ll see a message that says “This game is going away on August 8th.”If you click into the game, you’ll see a message as well, reports The Verge.The game was a fun concept but didn’t get the traction to turn into a full-fledged NYT Games offering.“We always approached our experiment with Digits as a limited time beta test,” a…

Baghdad, July 19 (IANS) A blistering heat wave is expected to hit Iraq in the coming weeks, with temperatures likely to surpass 50 degrees Celsius, a weather observatory said in its forecast.”Temperatures will peak at 52 degrees Celsius in the last week of July and the first week of August,” the Green Iraq observatory said in its forecase.According to the observatory, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Iraq was 53.6 degrees Celsius in the southern province of Basra in July 2016, reports Xinhua news agency.As stated by Iraqi law, when temperatures reach 50 degrees, the government grants holidays to its…

Washington, July 19 (IANS) Former US President Donald Trump said that he expects to be arrested by a federal inquiry into the January 2021 Capitol riot and efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.He made the remarks on Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social app, claiming that he had been sent a letter “stating that I am a TARGET of the January 6th Grand Jury investigation, and giving me a very short 4 days to report to the Grand Jury, which almost always means an Arrest and Indictment”, reports the BBC.The former President added that he had been…

Athens, July 19 (IANS) Amid extreme heat, hundreds of firefighters continued for a second day to battle two major wildfires near Dervenochoria, some 30 km northwest of Athens, and close to the seaside resort of Loutraki, about 80 km southwest of the Greek capital, authorities said.No injuries have been reported, but the blazes scorched forested areas and forced the evacuation of six settlements, Fire Service spokesperson Vasilios Vathrakogiannis said in a statement late Tuesday.Greece expects two water-dropping aircraft from Italy and another two from France to assist in firefighting efforts, he said.The fire, which started from Dervenochoria on Monday, has…

Copenhagen, July 19 (IANS) With 60,000 deaths in Europe last year due to extreme heat, a top World Health Organization (WHO) official has stressed the “desperate and urgent need” to tackle the climate crisis.The number of deaths from extreme heat “is set to rise year-on-year”, the WHO’s Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said on Tuesday.Current “danger zones” include southern and eastern Europe, Kluge said, urging the public to “regularly check weather reports, follow local guidance, and inform yourself about weather-related health risks from reputable sources”, reports Xinhua news agency.”Beyond adapting to our new reality this summer, we must look…

Seoul, July 19 (IANS) North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, after the arrival of an American nuclear ballistic missile submarine here and the inaugural session of a new South Korea-US security dialogue, Seoul’s military said.The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said it detected the launches from the Sunan area in Pyongyang between 3.30 a.m. and 3.46 a.m., and they flew some 550 km before splashing into the sea, reports Yonhap News Agency.The JCS condemned the launches as “acts of significant provocation” that harms peace not only on the Korean Peninsula but also in…

Seoul/Washington, July 19 (IANS) A US soldier, who crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea and believed to be in Pyongyang’s custody, had been sentenced to a fine for kicking and damaging a police patrol car in Seoul in February this year, legal sources said on Wednesday.Late Tuesday, the UN Command and US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the active American service member had willfully crossed the inter-Korean border into North Korea without authorisation during a tour to the Joint Security Area and is believed to be in North Korea’s custody, reports Yonhap News Agency.”We are very early in this…

Islamabad, July 18 (IANS) The Pakistan government has defended its decision of military trials of civilians, involved in incidents of violence and vandalism targeted at military installations and government buildings, terming them as a direct attack on the national security of the country. Submitting the government response in the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) where the decision of enforcing trial of culprits in military courts under the Secret Services Act and the Pakistan Army Act; the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) maintained that violence against military and vandalism of army installations was a direct attack on the national security of…

Wellington, July 18 (IANS) The New Zealand government on Tuesday launched a plan to help regions in the North Island to recover from cyclone Gabrielle, the Auckland flooding, and other severe weather in January and February this year.The plan ensures greater coordination, provision and access to support in the regions affected by extreme weather events earlier this year, said Minister for Social Development and Employment Carmel Sepuloni.”The psychosocial effects of disasters are very real and most people who go through a disaster or extreme weather event have heightened stress and anxiety,” Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.On top…

Vientiane, July 18 (IANS) People in Laos have been urged to brace themselves for the potential impact of typhoon Talim, which will pass over the country until Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds in the central and southern provincess.The Department of Meteorology and Hydrology issued a warning, advising people to take the necessary precautions to safeguard their homes and property, reports Xinhua news agency.As the typhoon passes over Laos, central and southern areas, including Bolikhamxay, Khammouane, Savannakhet, Champasak, Saravan, Sekong and Attapeu provinces, could expect strong monsoon winds, as well as thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rainfall.The weather bureau of…