Top 10 world news: US-made Patriot missile systems reach Ukraine, Reza Pahlavi meets Netanyahu, and more

American-made Patriot missiles have arrived in Ukraine, giving Kyiv a long-needed new defence against Russian bombings that have wreaked havoc on towns and civilian infrastructure, as announced bythe country's defence minister. On the China front,it is seen that the nationis increasing its Antarctic footprint, according to new satellite images acquired by a Washington-based think tank.The data also implies that work has resumed on the nation's fifth station in the southern polar region for the first time since 2018. In other news, the exiled son of the Iranian Shah toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution,Prince Reza Pahlavi, had a brief meeting with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the royal realm, a recent poll indicated that the British were not inclined towards payingfor King Charles III's coronation.

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First US Patriot air defence systems reach Ukraine, Kyiv's defence minister says

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Ukraine said Wednesday that it has received the first Patriots, considered one of the most advanced US air defence systems in the world. Kyiv's defence minister informed about it on Twitter.

"Today, our beautiful Ukrainian sky becomes more secure because Patriot air defence systems have arrived in Ukraine," Oleksiy Reznikov said on Twitter.

Prince Reza Pahlavi meets Israel PM Netanyahu: Son of toppled Iranian Shah attends Holocaust Remembrance Day

The exiled son of the Iranian Shah toppled in the 1979 Islamic revolution,Prince Reza Pahlavi, who was in Israel for a historic visit, had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday (April 17).Pahlavi attended a ceremony that was conducted at the National Holocaust Memorial and Museum, Yad Vashem, as a part of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Satellite images show China increasing construction on new Antarctic station

China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean has become a matter of concern for New Delhi, and its Western allies, but the latest report show that Beijing is now increasing its Antarctic footprint.A Washington-based think tank has gathered information based on new satellite imagery, which suggests that construction has resumed for the first time since 2018 on China's fifth station in the southern polar region.

Evacuation of Indians from Sudan under consideration, says Ambassador Elhusain

The Sudanese ambassador to India, Abdalla Omer Bashir Elhusain, has stated that the request of the Indian government for the evacuation of its nationals from Sudan is currently under consideration by the authorities. The country has been grappling with a major conflictas the army and paramilitary forces clash.

US: Iowa passes controversial bill to allow teens to work longer hours, serve alcohol

Lawmakers in USA's Iowa state senate on Tuesday passed a controversial bill that allows minors to work longer hours andserve alcohol in restaurants, which is banned under current labour laws. The bill passed 32-17 with most Republicans supporting it barring two.

India surpasses China to become most populous country: UN population estimate

Surpassing China, India has now become the most populous country in the world, mid-year estimates from a newly released United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report on Wednesday (April 19) suggests. The data showed that India now has more (2.9 million more) population than China.

Canada: Around 150,000 public employees to go on strike over pay dispute

Canadian history will witness one of thebiggest government employee strikes on Wednesday (April 19), as a result of failed negotiations with a public sector union.The final deadline of 9 p.m. in the talks between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Treasury Board of Canada, which hires government employees, passed without a resolution. Around155,000 federal workers will go on strike on Wednesday at midnight, according to PSAC.

Australian authorities comb through garbage dump for missing teacher's body

A former Queensland teacher missing for over three weeks is thought to have been dumped in a bin outside her home. The authorities are now looking to comb through 3,000 tonnes of garbage at the Swanbank Renewable Energy and Waste Management Facility, west of Brisbane, to look for the body of 78-year-old Lesley Trotter.

Sweltering heat melts much of Asia with temperatures likely to rise further

Much of Asia is being scorched by record-breaking heat, forcing early closure of schools and even deaths in India and China. Mercury is inching higher and higher each day in several parts. Maximiliano Herrera, a climatologist and weather historian, calls it the “worst April heatwave in Asian history”.

Most British do not want to pay for King Charles III coronation: Poll

The British have spoken! They don't want to fund the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. Over half of the respondents, 51 per cent to be precise, in a YouGov poll said they do not believe the government should pay for the event. 32 per cent said the government indeed should pay, while around 18 per cent said they do not know. This comes out amid a struggling British economy with an inflation rate touching 10 per cent. There have been strikes by workers across the country and various sectors over low pay and poor conditions. We do not yet know how much the event will cost, though it will likely be a pretty penny.