PAKISTAN'S southern province of Sindh extended the closure of all educational institutions following the confirmation of a second coronavirus case in Karachi, the country's largest city.
Pakistan has confirmed four cases of coronavirus, three of them involving people who had traveled to neighboring Iran, one of the countries hardest hit by the outbreak that began in China in December.
While two of the confirmed cased were in the southern port city of Karachi, the other two were in the capital Islamabad.
Schools in Sindh have been closed since Thursday (27), after the first case in Karachi was confirmed.
"The Sindh government has decided to keep the schools closed till March 13, so the isolation period of the suspect cases could be completed," Saeed Ghani, provincial education minister told on Monday (2).
"We don't want to take any risk."
Schools in Islamabad have remained open, but the thinly populated western province of Baluchistan, which borders Iran, closed its schools last week.
Pakistan suspended all flights with Iran and closed the land border last week.
Health Minister Zafar Mirza has said that government is gradually allowing pilgrims to return from Iran, after holding them in quarantine at the border for 14 days.
Around 700 pilgrims arrived in Karachi from Iran over the weekend, the Sindh chief minister's office said in a statement.
INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.
At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.
Bhatt was born in 1984 in Poquoson, Virginia, to immigrant parents from Gujarat, India. His father, an aerospace engineer, worked at NASA. He grew up in a household where English was a second language and money was limited. He later attended Stanford University, where he studied physics and earned a master’s degree in mathematics.
In 2013, Bhatt co-founded Robinhood with Vlad Tenev, a fellow Stanford graduate. The platform introduced commission-free stock trading to retail investors in the United States and later expanded into retirement accounts and high-yield savings products. The company gained widespread attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, when trading activity surged around so-called meme stocks.
Robinhood went public in 2021 at the height of the retail investing boom. Bhatt served as co-CEO with Tenev until 2020, when he moved into the role of chief creative officer. In 2024, he stepped down from his executive position but continues to serve on Robinhood’s board of directors while retaining his 6 per cent stake.
Robinhood’s stock has seen significant gains over the past year, rising by about 400 per cent. The increase has been linked to a boost in cryptocurrency-related sales, new products such as individual retirement accounts and high-yield savings, and a strong performance in 2024, when the company reported USD 3 billion (£2.2 billion) in revenue.
Bhatt’s recognition in the Forbes 400 list underscores the continuing influence of technology entrepreneurs in the American financial sector. His career reflects the trajectory of several Indian-origin leaders in the United States, who have made a mark in technology and finance in recent years.
Forbes’ annual ranking of the 400 wealthiest Americans is based on estimates of net worth, which include publicly disclosed stakes in companies, real estate holdings, and other assets. Bhatt joins the ranks of young billionaires who have built fortunes through technology-driven ventures.
In addition to his role with Robinhood, Bhatt has been noted for his early life influences. Growing up in Virginia, he was exposed to science and technology through his father’s aerospace career. His academic path at Stanford provided the foundation to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in financial technology.
Robinhood, under the leadership of Bhatt and Tenev, has changed how millions of Americans approach investing by lowering barriers to entry. While Bhatt is no longer in an executive role, his continued stake in the company keeps him closely tied to its growth and future direction.
Bhatt’s inclusion in the 2025 Forbes 400 as one of the youngest billionaires highlights his role in shaping retail investing and signals the growing presence of Indian-origin entrepreneurs in the US technology and finance industries.
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Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)
A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.
Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.
“If Keir knew then what we know now, he would not have made that appointment,” he later told LBC.
Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. Mandelson wrote to Epstein: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened … Your friends stay with you and love you.”
Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs the messages showed Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.”
Mandelson, who admitted during vetting that he had maintained links with Epstein and regretted doing so, is said to feel ill-treated.
Labour MPs criticised the handling of the affair. Paula Barker said the delay in removing Mandelson had “eroded trust,” Charlotte Nichols said he should “never have been appointed,” and Sadik Al-Hassan questioned the vetting process.
The episode has drawn wider scrutiny of Starmer’s decision-making. It comes after deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigned last week over unpaid stamp duty. Some MPs turned attention to Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, who played a role in Mandelson’s appointment.
In a letter to staff, Mandelson said being ambassador was “the privilege of my life” and he regretted the circumstances of his departure. James Roscoe, his deputy, will serve as acting ambassador.
The Financial Times reported that Global Counsel, the lobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson, is preparing to cut ties with him.
TWO Conservative MPs have launched a petition to stop Leicester City Council cutting back this year's Diwali celebrations.
Shivani Raja, MP for Leicester East, and Neil O'Brien, who represents nearby Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, started the Change.org petition on Wednesday (10) after the council announced plans to remove key elements from the October 20 event.
Safety experts have decided to cut the stage show, Diwali Village and fireworks from this year's celebrations on Belgrave Road, known as Leicester's Golden Mile. The changes follow concerns about crowd safety after 55,000 people attended last year's event.
Under the new plans, the festival will keep its lights display of more than 6,000 bulbs and the Wheel of Light. However, there will be no fireworks, Diwali Village at Cossington Park, food stalls, cultural performances, rides or activities.
The council will still close Belgrave Road so people can visit restaurants and shops safely.
"Let's not allow this festival to become a shadow of its former self," the petition said. The MPs want the council to bring back the full Diwali experience and work with community leaders and the Belgrave Business Association to create a safe plan that keeps the traditions.
A Safety Advisory Group made up of police and emergency services said the extra activities "compromise public safety".
Leicester City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said last week: "I completely understand and share the great desire to make Leicester's Diwali celebrations as good as can be. I thought that some of the suggestions put forward by the local community were achievable, but the Safety Advisory Group has rejected them all. I'm disappointed that as a result there won't be any additional activities, and I hope this is something the SAG will review next year."
The council said it needs to prevent "potentially dangerous crowd massing" seen in the past two years. The MPs had earlier written to Leicestershire Police asking them to reconsider the restrictions, arguing that the decision "will undermine the unique atmosphere that makes these celebrations so special and could damage Leicester's reputation as a centre for multicultural celebration".
They suggested police should provide more officers instead of cutting the festival.
Graham Callister, the council's head of festivals, events and cultural policy, said scaling back would create "additional space needed – and more importantly, less congestion – to safely welcome the crowds".
Councillor Vi Dempster explained: "Unfortunately, Leicester's annual Diwali festival has become a victim of its own success. We're being strongly advised by our emergency service partners and crowd control experts that it cannot continue safely in its current format due to the unrestricted and growing crowd numbers that it attracts, and that's a warning we must take extremely seriously."
The Leicester Diwali celebration is often described as one of the biggest outside India and has run on the Golden Mile for over 40 years.
(PTI)
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Chandra Nagamallaiah (R) was stabbed and beheaded on duty; Yordanis Cobos-Martinez was arrested and charged for the killing.
A STAFF MEMBER at Downtown Suites Dallas, US, was killed on Wednesday (10) morning. Chandra Nagamallaiah, 50, was stabbed and beheaded on duty in front of his wife and son, according to reports.
Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, 37, was arrested and charged in the killing, which reportedly stemmed from an argument over a broken washing machine, media reports said, citing the Dallas Police Department.
Police responded to a stabbing at Downtown Suites around 9am and the officers found Cobos-Martinez covered in blood and armed with a machete, the report said. He allegedly struck Nagamallaiah multiple times with a bladed weapon and beheaded him. Dallas Fire-Rescue found the victim dead at the scene.
Cobos-Martinez was charged with capital murder and allegedly admitted in a recorded interview to killing Nagamallaiah with a machete, according to the affidavit cited by NBC 5.
A witness told police she and Cobos-Martinez were cleaning a room when Nagamallaiah told him not to use a broken washing machine, according to the affidavit.
Cobos-Martinez allegedly grew angry that Nagamallaiah asked the witness to translate instead of speaking to him directly, the affidavit stated. Surveillance video also showed Cobos-Martinez leaving the room, returning with a machete and attacking Nagamallaiah.
The victim’s wife and son tried to fight off Cobos-Martinez, who was allegedly searching Nagamallaiah’s pockets during the attack. Nagamallaiah tried to escape but fell, said witness Stephanie Elliott.
“He just kept hitting him until he decapitated him,” Elliott said. “I could not believe anybody would do another human being that way.”
"Our hearts are absolutely broken for the victim's family, who witnessed this unimaginable act of violence," said Kamalesh “KP” Patel, AAHOA chairman. "Hotels are not just workplaces for our members and their teams – they are homes, businesses and community spaces. The brutality of this crime is beyond comprehension and our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones, the property owners, and all staff who are grieving this senseless loss."
AAHOA president and CEO Laura Lee Blake called it one of the most horrific crimes to impact a hotel workplace in recent memory.
“Our hotelier community is devastated and we stand united with our members and their teams during this incredibly painful time,” Blake said. “No one should ever face such violence while simply doing their job.”
The association is providing resources to help hoteliers and staff manage difficult situations, including guidance on handling confrontational guests, de-escalating conflicts and strengthening hotel security.
"We are committed to advocating for enhanced security measures and the implementation of comprehensive safety protocols to protect members of our community," Patel said. "We encourage AAHOA members and the industry to reach out for support or resources you may need during this time. AAHOA is dedicated to creating a platform where concerns can be raised and solutions collaboratively developed. Let us use this moment to reinforce our commitment to each other's safety and well-being, continuing to foster a professional environment that preserves and upholds the integrity and resilience of our industry."
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Army personnel patrol outside Nepal's President House during a curfew imposed to restore law and order in Kathmandu on September 12, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
Nepal’s president and army in talks to find an interim leader after deadly protests
At least 51 killed, the deadliest unrest since the end of the Maoist civil war
Curfew imposed in Kathmandu, army patrols continue
Gen Z protest leaders demand parliament’s dissolution
NEPAL’s president and army moved on Friday to find a consensus interim leader after anti-corruption protests forced the government out and parliament was set on fire.
The country of 30 million faced unrest this week after security forces clamped down on rallies by young anti-corruption protesters, leading to widespread violence on Tuesday.
At least 51 people were killed in the violence, the deadliest since the end of the Maoist civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.
The military took control of the streets on Wednesday, enforcing a curfew, as army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and president Ramchandra Paudel held talks with political leaders and representatives from the youth protest movement known as “Gen Z.”
Search for interim leader
Disagreements between factions remain, but 73-year-old Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first woman chief justice, has emerged as a key candidate.
"A meeting has been scheduled for this afternoon with the president, the army chief, former chief justice Sushila Karki, our representative Sudan Gurung and one legal expert," Nimesh Shrestha, who was part of the Gen Z protest, told AFP.
Karki told AFP that "experts need to come together to figure out the way forward", adding that "the parliament still stands."
However, Gurung, a youth activist, said on Thursday that their "first demand is the dissolution of parliament."
In an address to the nation, President Paudel said that "a solution to the problem is being sought, as soon as possible."
Curfew in Kathmandu
Army patrols continued for a third day in Kathmandu on Friday. The protests and unrest also triggered a mass jailbreak earlier in the week.
"I was very afraid and stayed locked inside my home with family and didn't leave," said Naveen Kumar Das, a painter-decorator in his mid-40s.
With a brief lifting of the curfew on Friday morning, residents went out to buy food and essentials.
"It was a really tense time and we just stayed indoors," said Laxmi Thapa, 32, who came out with her husband to refuel their motorbike. "We came out as things have improved."
Deadly crackdown
At least 21 protesters were among those killed, many during Monday’s police crackdown on demonstrations against corruption and governance problems, which began after a ban on social media.
On Tuesday, protesters set fire to parliament, government buildings and a Hilton Hotel. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, 73, resigned, and the army took over security in the streets.
The army said on Friday that more than 100 guns looted during the protests had been recovered.
Police spokesman Binod Ghimire told AFP that over 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails across the country during the unrest "are still at large."
Call for change
Nepal’s economic challenges have fuelled discontent. More than 40 per cent of the population is aged between 16 and 40. A fifth of people aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, and GDP per capita is $1,447.
Gen Z protesters continue to debate the country’s political future.
"We started this movement so we could make a better Nepal," said James Karki, 24. "And I am positive that the army will listen."