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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Friday is expected to make a formal announcement on whether to blacklist Pakistan or to keep it on its grey list. Earlier on Tuesday, the Paris-based terror financing watchdog had decided to keep the Imran Khan-led country on its grey list till February next year. The FATF had also directed the country to take "extra measures" for the "complete elimination" of terror financing and money laundering.The meeting of the international watchdog reviewed the measures taken by Pakistan to control money laundering and terror financing, on which it observed that Islamabad will have to take further steps on the two parameters in these four months.According to Pakistani media reports, the FATF has linked the blacklisting of the country with "unsatisfactory steps to curb money laundering and terror financing".The formal announcement of these decisions is scheduled to be made on Friday at 12:00 (local time) which is the last day of its ongoing session.The watchdog had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and was given 15 months to complete implementation of a 27-point action plan, failing which it be placed in the blacklist along with Iran and North Korea.What would happen next?If Pakistan continues to remain to the grey list, it would become very difficult for the Imran Khan government to get financial aid from global money lenders, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, further making a more precarious situation for its plunging economy.Earlier this week, representatives from 206 countries and jurisdictions from across the world had begun a meeting for the FATF Week in the French capital. Six days of meeting were focused on disrupting financial flows linked to crime and terrorism and discuss ways to contribute to global security.China's stand on FATF reportChina's stand on Pakistan's risk of being 'blacklisted' will also be taken under consideration as the crucial plenary meeting of the watchdog came following the two-day 'informal' meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the coastal town of Mamallapuram in Tamil Nadu.China currently holds the current FATF presidency and all eyes will be on Beijing that is an all-weather ally of Pakistan.Pakistan was placed on the Grey List by the watchdog in June 2018 and was given 15 months to complete implementation of a 27-point action plan, failing which it be placed in the Black List.The Asia Pacific Group (APG) of the FATF had recently made public its report on money-laundering and terror-financing in Pakistan. The FATF-APG report had 10 parameters for 'Effectiveness and Technical Compliance Ratings' and 40 for 'Technical Compliance Ratings'.Also Read | Pakistan likely to be blacklisted; what it means for the countryAlso Read | FATF: Pakistan in danger of getting blacklisted for terror financing

Will Pakistan be blacklisted? Decision by FATF likely today

The Asia Pacific Group (APG) of the FATF had recently made public its report on money-laundering and terror-financing in Pakistan. The FATF-APG report had 10 parameters for 'Effectiveness and Technical Compliance Ratings' and 40 for 'Technical Compliance Ratings'.

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File Photo shows a 85-year-old man receiving a booster vaccination in the so called "vaccination express" tram in central Frankfurt, Nov. 4, 2021Sweden recommended a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose to people 65 and over as well as those living in nursing homes or getting home care, authorities said Monday. The new guideline drops the age from an earlier recommendation for a fourth shot to people 80 and older.The recommendation also includes fourth shots for those between 18–64 with moderate to severe immune deficiency, Sweden’s Public Health Agency said in a statement. "The goal is just as before to prevent serious illness and death from Covid19," Agency chief Karin Tegmark Wisell said.Tegmark Wisell added that it’s “justified” to provide a second booster shot to a wider age range because infections in Sweden and other countries continue to significantly multiply and vaccine protection is starting to decline for older age groups."For people aged 65 and over, it is now four months since the previous vaccine dose, and the vaccine’s protective effect diminishes over time," she said.For most of the pandemic, Sweden has stood out among European nations for its comparatively hands-off response. It never went into lockdown or closed businesses, largely relying instead on individual responsibility to control infections.While coronavirus deaths were high compared with other Nordic countries, they were lower than many other places in Europe that did implement lockdowns. Tegmark Wisell underscored that "the pandemic is not over and we still have in Sweden a significant spread of infection in society". ALSO READ | Why Covid cases are still rising in Shanghai despite draconian "zero tolerance" lockdownALSO READ | COVID in UK at record levels with almost 5 million infected

Sweden to give 4th Covid19 shot to people over 65 years old

The recommendation also includes fourth shots for those between 18–64 with moderate to severe immune deficiency, Sweden’s Public Health Agency said in a statement. "The goal is just as before to prevent serious illness and death from Covid19," Agency chief Karin Tegmark Wisell said.

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Tablighi Jamaat membersThe Saudi Arabia government has banned Tablighi Jamaat, a Sunni Islamic organisation, in the country and called it “one of the gates of terrorism.” The government has also directed the mosque preachers to allocate the sermon next Friday to 'warn' people against the organisation. In a tweet, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs said, “His Excellency the Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dr.#Abdullatif Al_Alsheikh directed the mosques' preachers and the mosques that held Friday prayer temporary to allocate the next Friday sermon 5/6/1443 H to warn against (the Tablighi and Da’wah group) which is called (Al Ahbab).” The government has directed mosque preachers to inform people about the prominent mistakes of Tablighi Jamaat. "1- Declaration of the misguidance, deviation and danger of this group, and that it is one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise. 2- Mention their most prominent mistakes," the ministry tweeted.Another group by the name of Da’wah has also been banned along with Tablighi Jamaat. The government has also directed that the sermons must mention ‘their danger to the society’ and that affiliation with ‘partisan groups’ is prohibited in Saudi Arabia.  “3-We mention the dangers to society. A statement that alliances with partisan groups, including 4- (Tabrigi and Dawah Group), are banned in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the ministry added. ALSO READ: Yemen's Houthis claim launching 14 bomb-laden drones against Saudi airports, Aramco refineriesALSO READ: Saudi Arabia detects first case of new Covid variant omicron

'One of the gates of terrorism': Saudi Arabia bans Tablighi Jamaat

The government has also directed the mosque preachers to allocate the sermon next Friday to 'warn' people against the organisation.

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US President Donald Trump on Wednesday kicked off a three-day China visit, after urging Beijing to downgrade its diplomatic and sever trade ties with North Korea over its nuclear policy.The third leg of the US President's five-nation Asia tour comes after stops in Japan and South Korea. This is Trump's first visit to China as US President and the third meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this year.The two leaders are expected to discuss the North Korean nuclear crisis and the US trade deficit with China.As the Air Force One landed at Beijing airport, Trump and First Lady Melania were greeted by the Communist regime's leaders, a People's Liberation Army guard of honour and children with the flags of both countries.Trump and his wife walked down the red carpet and rode in a Cadillac limousine.Both sides have sought to make favourable conditions for the talks between the leaders of the world's top two economies, with Trump going the extra mile and calling Xi on Tuesday "very helpful" in dealing with nuclear threats posed by Pyongyang.Earlier on Wednesday, in a speech to the South Korean Parliament, Trump urged Beijing to "implement UN sanctions, downgrade diplomacy and sever trade" with Pyongyang.Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan invited the Trumps for a tour of the Forbidden City, the historic palace that housed Chinese emperors and their families for almost 500 years, Xinhua news agency reported.They had the afternoon tea in the Baoyun Building, also known as the Hall of Embodied Treasures, in the southwestern corner of the Forbidden City.A dinner was organised inside the Forbidden City for Trump and the First Lady -- an honour not granted to any US President since the founding of the People's Republic of China, CNN reported.Trump was expected to dine with Xi inside the Jianfu Palace. The Trumps also watched a traditional Peking Opera performance alongside Xi and his wife. According to Xinhua, during his meeting with Xi, Trump showed him a video of his granddaughter Arabella singing in Mandarin. Xi praised Ivanka and Jared Trump's daughter for her progress in mastering the language and said she could get an "A+". The recalcitrant North Korea and its reluctance to come to the negotiation table will figure in the Xi-Trump meet. The US wants to China to do more to rein in its ally, which has fired a series of missiles and tested its most powerful hydrogen bomb in September.China says it is not the trouble-maker and has only limited ability to solve the crisis. Power equations will be changed this time as Xi has become more powerful, because of exalted status in China, and Trump's popularity has taken a hit in the US.The US President will also chair a business forum and several bilateral agreements will be signed on Thursday. Trump will also visit Vietnam and the Philippines.

Trump in China, asks it to cut trade ties with North Korea

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday kicked off a three-day China visit, after urging Beijing to downgrade its diplomatic and sever trade ties with North Korea over its nuclear policy.

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Former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking bail on medical grounds in the Al-Azizia corruption case.The Supreme Court earlier this month dismissed the 69-year-old three-time prime minister's review petition seeking permanent bail on medical grounds and the permission to go abroad for treatment.Related Stories Pak court sentences former PM Nawaz Sharif to 7 years in jail in Al-Azizia Steel Mills caseOusted Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif shifted to Kot Lakhpat jail in LahoreNawaz Sharif denied helper in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail, told to maintain room on his ownEx-Pak PM Nawaz Sharif's heart 'larger than normal', says hospitalPakistan: Jailed ex-PM Sharif's lawyer files plea for suspension of sentence, seeks bail on health groundsNo relief for Nawaz Sharif as Pakistan court rejects bail plea in corruption casePakistan Supreme Court grants bail to Former PM Nawaz Sharif for treatmentNawaz Sharif back in jail after massive show of strengthSharif returned to the Kot Lakhpat jail on May 7 to serve his seven-year prison term in the case after the end of his six-week bail, which was granted to him on medical grounds with a condition that he would not leave Pakistan.Reportedly, opinions of specialist doctors from Switzerland, the US and the UK have been included in the petition filed at the high court by Sharif's counsel Khawaja Haris."According to the medical board, Nawaz is suffering from numerous diseases," the petition said.According to the reports, doctors recommended that Sharif's condition is life-threatening. Tension and stress can prove to be threatening to his life, it added.Even Sharif's blood and sugar levels have not normalised, the petition went on to add.The petition stated that all members of the special medical board, along with doctors associated with doctors hospital Lahore, Sheikh Zayed Hospital Lahore and National Hospital Lahore as well as medical specialists from UK, USA and Switzerland were unanimous that Sharif's treatment is not possible in jail premises.The former premier, who has been serving a seven-year prison term at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat Jail since December 24, 2018, was granted a six-week bail on March 26 to get medical treatment. However, Sharif filed a civil review petition against the order on April 27.The petition requested the court to allow Sharif to get a medical treatment abroad, claiming that the former prime minister was suffering from acute anxiety and depression that would lead to ‘sudden death’.It said the medical professionals seeing the former premier in Pakistan recommend that he should be treated by his regular practitioners in the United Kingdom. It also said that there was a difference between the apex court’s March 26 oral order and the written order.However, a three-judge special bench, headed by Pakistan Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa and comprising Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Yahya Afridi, dismissed the petition.Sharif was convicted by an accountability court in one of the three corruption cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.Sharif and his family have denied any wrongdoing and allege that the corruption cases against them were politically motivated.

Al-Azizia corruption case: Nawaz Sharif re-files bail plea on health grounds

The petition requested the court to allow Nawaz Sharif to get a medical treatment abroad, claiming that the former prime minister was suffering from acute anxiety and depression that would lead to ‘sudden death’.

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Ukraine plane crash to be investigated by UN aviation experts The Ukrainian air crash case will now be investigated by the UN aviation watchdog. The plane crash in Iran had killed 176 people onboard. Heading to Ukraine capital Kiev, Ukrainian flight PS752 came down minutes after takeoff from the Tehran International Airport. Iran on Saturday admitted that it had accidentally shot down the plane shortly after striking American air bases in Iraq in response to the US drone killing of top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.Tehran launched an investigation into the Ukrainian plane crash and on Tuesday announced to have made the first arrests in connection with the incident.Iran had invited the UN for support in its probe into the Ukrainian plane crash.In a statement, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) said that the invitation from Iran was accepted on Tuesday.The ICAO has appointed senior and expert technical staff, who will now serve as advisors and observers in the probe, it said.Few details of the investigation have been released by the Iranian authorities, but Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address that it will be overseen by several experts, and that the judiciary will create a special court.Initially, Iran denied responsibility for the crash, reportedly blaming it on a technical failure but eventually admitted that the operator of a missile defence system had mistaken the plane for a missile and shot it down.On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the country's judiciary reportedly said at a press conference that the investigation will look into the causes and direct impact of the incident.A specialised agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It is based in Montreal, Canada.It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities.The ICAO serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 193 Member States. Horrific video shows Ukrainian plane emits fire, crashes with loud bang in TehranAlso Read | Pictures show scenes of devastation after Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashed in Tehran, killing 176 /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_4042430589 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_ua5rcbsv_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_ua5rcbsv_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew crashes near airport in Tehran", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_4042430589 = ''; jwsetup_4042430589(); function jwsetup_4042430589() { jwvidplayer_4042430589 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_4042430589").setup(jwconfig_4042430589); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_4042430589, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_ua5rcbsv\", ns_st_pr=\"Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew crashes near airport in Tehran\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew crashes near airport in Tehran\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Ukrainian airplane carrying 180 passengers and crew crashes near airport in Tehran\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-01-08\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-01-08\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_ua5rcbsv_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_4042430589.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_4042430589.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_4042430589.stop(); jwvidplayer_4042430589.remove(); jwvidplayer_4042430589 = ''; jwsetup_4042430589(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_4042430589.stop(); jwvidplayer_4042430589.remove(); jwvidplayer_4042430589 = ''; jwsetup_4042430589(); return; }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4042430589.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Ukrainian plane crash investigation handed over to UN aviation experts

Tehran launched an investigation into the Ukrainian plane crash and on Tuesday announced to have made the first arrests in connection with the incident. Iran had invited the UN for support in its probe into the Ukrainian plane crash.

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Clothing brands claims it sells 'anti-virus activewear', gets fined Rs 20 lakh. Check DetailsA clothing company was charged a hefty fine after they claimed that their clothing is 'anti-viral', implying that it could protect people from COVID-19. The company in question is Australian retailer Lorna Jane. The company claimed on its website that its 'anti-virus activewear' prevented and protected against infectious diseases. "This kind of advertising could have detrimental consequences for the Australian community, creating a false sense of security and leading people to be less vigilant about hygiene and social distancing," Department of Health deputy secretary Adjunct Professor John Skerritt said.A fine worth 40,000 AUD was imposed on the company for this advertisement. The company launched its "LJ Shield exclusive technology" this month, claiming it had worked for two years to develop a "chemical-free treatment that when applied to activewear, protects wearers against viruses and bacteria".Image Source : LJSHIEDAnti-virus activewearAnti-virus activewear"LJ Shield breaks through the membrane shell of any toxic diseases, bacteria or germs that come into contact with it, not only killing that microbe but preventing it from multiplying into anymore," the website stated."Any bacteria that comes in contact with the fabric is terminated when it comes in touch with the LJ Shield particles."As an explanation, the company further added, "We started working on this technology at the start of the year when we named it and now with there being such a focus on the Covid-19 virus and recent press making that the only focus. We didn’t want to mislead anyone. Our testing shows that LJ Shield is an important part of stopping the spread of bacteria and should be used in combination with other precautionary measures such as face masks and thorough and frequent hand washing."Image Source : LORNA JANE OFFICIAL WEBSITELorna Jane official websiteLorna Jane official website"We are not saying that LJ Shield will stop you coming into contact with bacteria, we are saying LJ Shield is an added protection like hand sanitiser but for the clothes you wear," the company further added. 

Clothing brand fined ₹20 lakh for claiming it's cloth prevents infectious diseases

A clothing company was charged a hefty fine after they claimed that their clothing is 'anti-viral', implying that it could protect people from COVID-19. The company in question is Australian retailer Lorna Jane. The company claimed on its website that its 'anti-virus activewear' prevented and protected against infectious diseases.

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Afghanistan says AQIS leader Asim Omar killed in raidAfghan intelligence on Tuesday confirmed the death of Asim Omar, leader of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), in a joint US-Afghan raid on a Taliban compound last month."NDS can now confirm the death of Asim Omar, leader of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), in a joint US-Afghan raid on a Taliban compound in Musa Qala district of Helmand province on Sep. 23," Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) tweeted.The NDS said that Omar, a Pakistani citizen, was killed along with six other AQIS members, most of them Pakistanis. Among them was Raihan, Omar's courier to Al Qaeda chief Ayman Al Zawahiri.They had been embedded inside the Taliban compound in the Taliban stronghold of Musa Qala.

Asim Omar, Al Qaeda's Indian subcontinent commander killed

Afghan intelligence on Tuesday confirmed the death of Asim Omar, leader of Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), in a joint US-Afghan raid on a Taliban compound last month.

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US clears Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, 2nd shot in arsenalThe United States added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal on Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use for people aged 18 years and above. The move marks the world’s first authorization for Moderna’s shots. The vaccine is very similar to one from Pfizer Inc. and Germany’s BioNTech that’s now being dispensed to millions of health care workers and nursing home residents as the biggest vaccination drive in U.S. history starts to ramp up.The United States added a second COVID-19 vaccine to its arsenal on Friday, boosting efforts to beat back an outbreak so dire that the nation is regularly recording more than 3,000 deaths a day. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized Moderna coronavirus vaccine for emergency use for people aged 18 years and above.Early results of large, still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna’s is easier to handle since it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures.According to an official statement issued by Moderna, "Moderna, Inc., (Nasdaq: MRNA) a biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) has authorized the emergency use of mRNA-1273, Moderna's vaccine against Covid-19 in individuals 18 years of age or older."Watch | US head nurse faints after taking coronavirus vaccine shot during press briefing "The Moderna Covid-19 Vaccine is now authorized for distribution and use under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). Delivery to the US Government will begin immediately. Moderna will continue to gather additional data and plans to file a Biologics License Application (BLA) with the FDA requesting full licensure in 2021," the statement further said.Moderna said that approximately 20 million doses will be delivered to the US government by the end of December 2020."The Company expects to have between 100 million and 125 million doses available globally in the first quarter of 2021, with 85-100 million of those available in the US," Moderna added.Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in a tweet said, "Congratulations, the Moderna vaccine is now available!"According to the latest update by Johns Hopkins University, the US has reported 17,416,108 cases of coronavirus and 313,035 deaths so far.California has emerged as one of the most lethal hot spots, with hospitals running out of intensive care beds and ambulances lining up outside emergency rooms in scenes reminiscent of the calamity around New York City last spring. California on Friday reported over 41,000 new cases and 300 more deaths.(With inputs from agencies)Also Read: ...beginning of end of coronavirus, says US Vice President as he takes COVID-19 vaccine shot

US clears Moderna vaccine for COVID-19, 2nd shot in arsenal

Moderna said that approximately 20 million doses will be delivered to the US government by the end of December 2020.

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For the first time since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, a US Navy destroyer on Wednesday sailed close to a disputed South China Sea island controlled by China. According to a US official, the USS Dewey sailed within 20 km of Mischief Reef (a man-made Chinese island), in the Spratly Island chain, in a "freedom of navigation operation". While he didn't confirm details of this particular operation, Pentagon Spokesperson Captain Jeff Davis told CNN: "We operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea.""We operate in accordance with international law. We fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," he added.China has previously described such operations as a serious breach of law and an intentional provocation. The Pentagon said such operations were "not about any one country, or any one body of water", the CNN reported.The US regularly undertook freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea under former US President Barack Obama. However, there were suggestions that the Trump administration was putting them off to avoid antagonising China.China claims ownership of the vast majority of the South China Sea, including the Paracel and Spratly island chains, a claim disputed by numerous other countries including the Philippines and Vietnam.Earlier in 2017, the US military had requested permission to perform a freedom of navigation operation but it was turned down by the Pentagon, as part of an effort to ease US-China relations, a US defence official told CNN.(With IANS inputs)

In a first under Trump administration, US warship sails close to South China Sea island

USS Dewey sailed within 20 km of Mischief Reef (a man-made Chinese island), in the Spratly Island chain, in a "freedom of navigation operation".

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Digital tax issue: US suspends additional tariffs on India, 5 other countriesThe US on Wednesday announced tariffs on six countries, including India, that have imposed or are considering equalisation levy/digital services tax on e-commerce companies but immediately suspended the taxes for up to six months to provide additional time to complete the ongoing multilateral negotiations on international taxation at the OECD and G20.United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, in a statement, announced the conclusion of the one-year Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK.   "The final determination in those investigations is to impose additional tariffs on certain goods from these countries, while suspending the tariffs for up to 180 days to provide additional time to complete the ongoing multilateral negotiations on international taxation at the OECD and in the G20 process," the statement said.   In March last year, the USTR has proposed retaliatory trade actions against India and certain other countries that have imposed or are considering equalisation levy/digital services tax on e-commerce companies.USTR has proposed to impose additional tariffs of up to 25 per cent ad valorem on an aggregate level of trade that would collect duties on Indian goods in the range of the amount of DST that India is expected to collect from US companies.On the announcement, government sources in New Delhi said the postponement of tariffs is similar to the DST investigation on France, where USTR indefinitely postponed tariffs after the first six month delay to pursue negotiations at the OECD.Further, Tai stated that the US is focused on finding a multilateral solution to a range of key issues related to international taxation, including its concerns with digital services taxes."The US remains committed to reaching a consensus on international tax issues through the OECD and G20 processes. Today's actions provide time for those negotiations to continue to make progress while maintaining the option of imposing tariffs under Section 301 if warranted in the future," she said.On June 2, 2020, USTR initiated investigations into DSTs adopted or under consideration in 10 jurisdictions, including India.In January this year, following comprehensive investigations, USTR alleged that the taxes adopted by these countries discriminate against US digital companies and were inconsistent with principles of international taxation.India has earlier stated that the equalisation levy is not discriminatory and only seeks to ensure a level-playing field with respect to e-commerce activities undertaken by entities with permanent establishment in India.It was also clarified by India that the levy was applied only prospectively, and has no extra-territorial application, since it is based on sales occurring in the territory of India through digital means.

Digital tax issue: US suspends additional tariffs on India, 5 other countries

United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, in a statement, announced the conclusion of the one-year Section 301 investigations of Digital Service Taxes (DSTs) adopted by Austria, India, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK.

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Breaking news LIVE: Top Headlines This HourThe total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 13.6 million, including more than 586,000 fatalities. More than 8,037,000 patients are reported to have recovered. Follow this breaking news blog for live updates on coronavirus pandemic as it continues to pose a challenge for health workers and scientists who are in a race against time to produce a vaccine/medicine.IndiaTvNews.com brings you the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis that has resulted in job losses in millions and changing the way we work. Stay Home, Stay Safe, and Stay Informed as our team of dedicated editors/reporters bring you the latest news on coronavirus, coronavirus vaccine trial updates, photos, video, news, views and top stories from monsoon rains, business, politics, education, science, yoga and much more in India and worldwide.

Breaking news: July 19, 2020 | As it happened

Get all the latest news on India's coronavirus cases, updates on COVID-19 vaccine, monsoon rains, business, politics, science, education and much more in India and worldwide.

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People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus walk on an unseasonably cold day at an office and shopping complex in Beijing.The mercury dipped to minus 19.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning in Beijing as a strong cold wave swept through the city, marking the coldest morning in the Chinese capital since 1966. The Nanjiao station, located in Beijing's Daxing district, is a national-level meteorological station founded in 1912. Its data are used by experts to make historical comparisons.On early Thursday morning, half of Beijing's 20 national-level meteorological stations registered their lowest ever early-January temperatures, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting Lei Lei, chief forecaster of the Beijing municipal meteorological station.The cold wave gripped Beijing since Wednesday, bringing drastic temperature drops and strong winds.As of Thursday morning, the city's weather authorities have maintained blue alerts for continuous low temperature and heavy winds, the lowest level in China's four-tier colour-coded warning system.The authorities have also advised the public to take precautions against the cold weather.The cold wave is forecast to continue in Beijing until Friday, with the daily maximum temperature remaining below zero, Lei said, adding that the temperature is expected to climb on Saturday, with the daily maximum temperature rising above 1 degree Celsius. ALSO READ | Winter Wonderland: Picturesque snowfall covers Himachal, Srinagar. See photos

Beijing at -19.6 deg C records coldest morning in over five decades

The mercury dipped to minus 19.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning in Beijing as a strong cold wave swept through the city, marking the coldest morning in the Chinese capital since 1966.

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Ex-Brazilian Minister testifies against Bolsonaro in meddling probeSergio Moro, Brazil's former Justice Minister, has testified against President Jair Bolsonaro in an investigation alleging the latter of political interference in the federal police. He testified on Saturday at the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, reports Efe news. Moro, a former federal judge who gained international recognition by spearheading a sprawling anti-graft campaign, had resigned on April 24 protesting Bolsonaro's decision to fire Federal Police director Mauricio Valeixo, calling it "political interference" in law-enforcement investigations, reports Efe news.The former Minister testified for eight hours in the presence of three public prosecutors appointed by Prosecutor General Augusto Aras.The allegations by Moro had kicked up a political storm in the country, and his statement lead to Supreme Court judge Jose Celso de Mello ordering a formal investigation at the request of Aras.The investigation will probe the allegations against Bolsonaro, who could face criminal charges such as coercion, malfeasance and obstruction of justice, but also scrutinize Moro, who might face charges of slander if found unable to prove his claims.Moro has claimed that he had evidence incriminating Bolsonaro which he intended to hand over to the investigators.Just after his resignation, the former judge had released a purported exchange of text messages with the President that allegedly showed his intent of changing the leadership of the Federal Police.Bolsonaro has vehemently denied the allegations and lashed out against Moro, calling him "Judas."Groups supporting and opposing Bolsonaro on Saturday gathered against the police headquarters in Curitiba to hold protests, and had to be separated by the police after a tense standoff.In the middle of the crisis, Bolsonaro named Alexandre Ramagem, the head of the intelligence agency and a family friend, as the new head of Federal Police.However, the appointment was blocked by another Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, due concerns over Ramagem's links to the Bolsonaro family, especially his sons Flavio and Carlos.Bolsonaro has decided to challenge the court decision through public attorneys.

Ex-Brazilian Minister testifies against Bolsonaro in meddling probe

Sergio Moro, Brazil's former Justice Minister, has testified against President Jair Bolsonaro in an investigation alleging the latter of political interference in the federal police. He testified on Saturday at the Federal Police headquarters in Curitiba, reports Efe news.

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Latest News A K-9 dog survived injuries during the operation and was brought back. The American hero was hailed as a beautiful, talented dog by US President Donald Trump.K-9The elusive Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is killed, courtesy US forces and its specialised military dogs. They chased the ISIS leader, cornered him and brought him to an end. Baghdadi was hiding along with his family members and close aides when US-led special forces raided his compound in Idlib province. In that dark underground tunnel in northern Syria, the US military dogs followed Baghdadi. The heroic dogs went on, unhindered, along with the US troops. Baghdadi's end was near. He reached the end of the tunnel as the specialised dogs followed him. He spent his final moments "crying, whimpering" and "screaming". Sure of his end, Baghdadi ignited his vest, killing himself and three children. Neither the US military dogs nor the American soldiers died in the raid on Baghdadi. However, a K-9 dog survived injuries during the operation and was brought back. The American hero was hailed as a beautiful, talented dog by US President Donald Trump. K-9 dogs are specially trained to assist police and other law enforcement personnel. They are often used for searching drugs and explosives, locating missing people, finding crime scene evidence, and attacking people targeted by the police. The most commonly used breeds include German Shepherd, Belgian Malinois, Bloodhound, Dutch Shepherd, and Retriever breeds.Around the world, dogs have been quite an important part of big covert operations. This reminds one of the Navy SEALs deploying a dog during the raid on al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan's Abottabad city in May 2011 that resulted in his death. The dogs used in the raid on bin Laden were believed to be either German Shepherds or Belgian Malinois. ALSO READ | How Washington Post is being slammed for obit headline on BaghdadiALSO READ | Islamic State still poses threat after death of al-Baghdadi /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_6795290809 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_uujunvvr_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_uujunvvr_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, confirms US President Donald Trump", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_6795290809 = ''; jwsetup_6795290809(); function jwsetup_6795290809() { jwvidplayer_6795290809 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6795290809").setup(jwconfig_6795290809); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6795290809, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_uujunvvr\", ns_st_pr=\"ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, confirms US President Donald Trump\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, confirms US President Donald Trump\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is dead, confirms US President Donald Trump\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-10-28\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-10-28\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_uujunvvr_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6795290809.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6795290809.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6795290809.stop(); jwvidplayer_6795290809.remove(); jwvidplayer_6795290809 = ''; jwsetup_6795290809(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6795290809.stop(); jwvidplayer_6795290809.remove(); jwvidplayer_6795290809 = ''; jwsetup_6795290809(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6795290809.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

K9 Dog: How this American hero survived injuries in al-Baghdadi operation

A K-9 dog survived injuries during the operation and was brought back. The American hero was hailed as a beautiful, talented dog by US President Donald Trump.

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India has announced taking up 116 "high impact community developmental projects" in 31 provinces of Afghanistan, weeks after US President Donald Trump sought New Delhi's help in the economic development of the war-torn country. A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session. "India and Afghanistan agreed to take up 116 high impact community development projects to be implemented in 31 provinces of Afghanistan," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar told reporters at a news conference here yesterday. Related Stories India in Afghanistan poses 'no direct threat' to Pakistan: USStrategic partnership with Afghanistan article of faith for India: Sushma SwarajIn message to Pakistan, India, Afghanistan vow to fight terrorism till it endsPakistan source of 'significant challenges' in Afghanistan: USDonald Trump meets Afghan counterpart Ashraf Ghani, praises combat efforts to wipe out Taliban "Over and above these high impact projects, India has also offered assistance for six new projects under granting aid assistance from India. One of them is low-cost housing for returning Afghan refugees, road connectivity, national Park and economic development," he said. In the meeting, Kumar said Swaraj and Ghani discussed the new "development partnership" between the two countries, which was decided during the visit of Afghanistan's foreign minister Salahuddin Rabbani in New Delhi earlier this month. The two leaders also discussed various aspect of peace and reconciliation process. According to an Afghan presidential statement, the two sides talked over several topics of mutual and regional importance such as regional security, counter-corruption efforts and expansion of commercial ties between the two neighbours. "They considered the new US strategy (announced by Trump last month) instrumental to the region," said a statement issued by the office of the Afghan President. Ghani said that Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah is scheduled to visit India soon where he would hold talks with Indian business community and investors over trading opportunities, agriculture development, human capital, water management and enhancement of the air corridor, the statement said. Swaraj commended the efforts of the Afghan government particularly of the president with regard to regional economic cooperation. She said that regional economic cooperation and infrastructure opportunities are contributory towards regional stability and development, the Afghan presidential statement added. 

India announces taking up 116 high-impact projects in Afghanistan

A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

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Coronavirus: South Korea’s recovery rate exceeds 80 per cent; 10 new cases today South Korea has confirmed 10 more cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, a continuation of the country’s slowing caseload. Meanwhile, the recovery rate has exceeded 80% and the number of patients in isolation has fallen below 2,000. The additional cases reported Sunday marks the ninth day in a row that South Korea’s daily increase came below 20.The state-run Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the additionally reported cases brought the country’s total to 10,728 with 242 deaths. It says 8,717 patients have recovered and been released from quarantine.Image Source : TWITTER/ ANDYBIOTECHCoronavirus in South Korea Coronavirus in South Korea South Korea has recently relaxed some of its social distancing rules, but officials have still raised worries about possible transmissions by “quiet spreaders.”Image Source : TWITTER/ANDIBIOTECHCoronavirus in South Korea Coronavirus in South Korea South Korea had recorded hundreds of new cases every day between late February and early March, mostly in the southeastern city of Daegu and nearby areas.Amid the havoc caused by the deadly coronavirus, the total number of deaths due to the novel has crossed 2,00,000 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the total number of positive cases rose to 2,920,899. So far, 8,36,683 people have recovered from the virus. (With inputs from agencies)

South Korea’s coronavirus recovery rate exceeds 80 per cent; 10 new cases today

South Korea has confirmed 10 more cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, a continuation of the country’s slowing caseload. Meanwhile, the recovery rate has exceeded 80% and the number of patients in isolation has fallen below 2,000. The additional cases reported Sunday marks the ninth day in a row that South Korea’s daily increase came below 20.

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FILE - Pakistans Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a military paradePakistan heightened the security around former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday, the interior ministry said, two days after he had claimed at a rally in eastern Punjab province that there was a plot to assassinate him.The ministry said in a statement that dozens of policemen, along with paramilitary troops, have been assigned to Khan’s Islamabad residence. Security forces would also escort Khan whenever he leaves Islamabad for any part of the country, the ministry said.In his speech at the rally in the city of Sialkot on Saturday, Khan did not elaborate on the alleged plot against him but claimed he had recorded a video message detailing it all.Khan’s supporters have held rallies across the country since last month when he was ousted by the opposition through a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. He was replaced by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.Sharif on Monday also ordered maximum security arrangements for Khan, according to a separate government statement.Khan lost the grip on power after his party allies and a key coalition partner defected in early April. Since his ouster, he has demanded new elections, claiming Sharif’s government was imposed under an alleged U.S. plot. Washington has denied Khan’s conspiracy claims, and Sharif’s government has also dismissed them.Pakistan has seen an uptick in militant attacks.On Sunday, a suicide bomber struck near a vehicle belonging to the security forces in the country’s northwest, killing three soldiers and three children. Gunmen in the city of Peshawar killed two members of the minority Sikhs community. On Monday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the rare attack on Sikhs.Maryam dares Imran Khan to show proof of “assassination plot”Meanwhile, Maryam Nawaz -- a top ruling party leader in Pakistan, has vowed that if Imran Khan showed proof of the alleged “assassination plot,” the Pakistan government would offer him more security cover than what is being currently provided to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice-President Maryam’s comments came after Khan claimed on Saturday that a “conspiracy” to assassinate him was being hatched in Pakistan and abroad, warning that if anything happens to him, the people will come to know about the perpetrators through a video message he has recently recorded and placed in a safe place.Maryam, niece of Prime Minister Shehbaz, cast aspersions on Khan’s startling claims and asked him to release the video immediately so that appropriate measures could be taken.“We will ensure provision of security to Imran even more than that of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif if he (Imran) produces the video in which he has recorded names of those who has made a plan to assassinate him,” Maryam said during a rally in Pakistan's Gujrat district’s Kotla on Sunday.The senior PML-N leader accused the former premier of resorting to lies to remain relevant, and added that she would pray for Khan’s life so that he can see the progress made by Pakistan under the current dispensation.“I am sure that the talk of video is yet another lie, and let me guarantee Imran that my father Nawaz Sharif has a big heart and he will ensure provision of security for you (Imran) more than what is being provided to our Prime Minister,” she claimed.Separately, Imran Khan said no 'powerful killer' has ever been made accountable in the history of Pakistan.(With inputs from AP)Also Read | At Faisalabad rally, Imran Khan asks his supporters to get justice if he is killed

Imran Khan's security heightened after ex-PM claims of assassination plot

Khan lost the grip on power after his party allies and a key coalition partner defected in early April. Since his ouster, he has demanded new elections, claiming Sharif’s government was imposed under an alleged US plot.

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In an unusual move, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa has criticised the role of mushrooming madrassas, which mostly taught only Islamic theology, underlining the need to revisit the religious schools concept in the Muslim majority country."I am not against madrassas, but we have lost the essence of madrassas," the Nation newspaper quoted the powerful general telling a youth conference in Quetta, capital of the restive Balochistan province, stressing the need to revisit the religious schools concept. Speaking at a seminar on 'Human resource development -- opportunities and challenges' yesterday, he noted that there were more religious seminaries established in Balochistan than the modern and quality schools during the past four decades. "Only religious education is being imparted to the students at all the seminaries and thus the students educated from the seminaries are left behind in the race for development," he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune. "We need to look at and revisit the concept of madrassas...We need to give them a worldly education," he was quoted as saying. However, a brief press release by the military's media wing did not contain much of his comments on madrassas, a sensitive subject. Bajwa also commented on the Army's role in Pakistan. The Army enjoys considerable influence over major policy decisions in Pakistan. He said the Army is a state institution meant to serve the nation. "Army shall continue to perform its role while national security and development remains a national obligation for all state institutions," the Inter-Service Public Relations quoted him as saying. He also said that he believes in democracy and even more so in the democratic values of selfless service and supremacy of moral authority. "All of us have a duty to the nation," he emphasised. The Army chief's comments are considered significant as Pakistan, which has seen many military coups and apprehensions have been expressed by different quarters about his intentions, especially after the disqualification of ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who believes that army is behind his ouster by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case.

Need to revisit teachings in Pak madrassas: Army chief

"I am not against madrassas, but we have lost the essence of madrassas," the Nation newspaper quoted the powerful general telling a youth conference in Quetta

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Donald Trump yells at TwitterIn yet another attack on Twitter, US President Donald Trump has once again tweeted his support for conservative voices banned from the micro-blogging platform."Twitter should let the banned Conservative Voices back onto their platform, without restriction. It's called Freedom of Speech, remember. You are making a Giant Mistake!" the US President tweeted on Sunday.Related Stories Trump blames India, China for not doing enough on climate changeFocus on Mars, defense, science: Trump blasts NASA over plans for moon return by 2024Donald Trump suspends Mexico tariffs after reaching migration dealKeep this tweet away from your children's reach: Trump trolled after he claims moon part of MarsIn early May, Trump came out in support of right-wing personalities, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone."I am continuing to monitor the censorship of AMERICAN CITIZENS on social media platforms. This is the United States of America -- and we have what's known as FREEDOM OF SPEECH! We are monitoring and watching, closely!!" he said in a tweet then.Jones and Infowars -- a far-right American conspiracy theory and fake news website -- have already been removed from Twitter.In 2017, Trump retweeted three anti-Muslim propaganda videos originally posted by Jayda Fransen, a leader of a far-right British political party called Britain First.More recently, the US President posted an edited video on Twitter that tried to link Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar to the 9/11 attacks, the media reported.(Except for the headline, IndiaTVnews.com has not edited anything in the story)

You are making a giant mistake: Trump yells at Twitter over banned conservative voices

In early May, Trump came out in support of right-wing personalities, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and long-time Trump adviser Roger Stone.

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Donald Trump was received by Lee Hsein Loong at the presidential palace IstanaJust before the historic meeting with Kim Jong Un, the US President Donald Trump met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday.  Trump met Lee at the presidential palace Istana, where they discussed about the summit preparations and even the US' tariff threats. Trump was accompanied by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Adviser John Bolton, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. Related Stories Talks with North Korean delegation going well: Donald TrumpSingapore Summit: If talks go well, will invite Kim Jong-un to US, says Donald Trump Pompeo: N Korea has confirmed to US its willingness to denucleariseAll North Korean nukes must go before sanctions end: US Secretary of State PompeoLee also hosted a working lunch for Trump and his delegation. At the lunch, Trump expressed his hopefulness for Tuesday's meeting with Kim and thanked Lee for his hospitality. "We have a very interesting meeting tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely. But we appreciate your hospitality and professionalism and your friendship," said Trump. Earlier, Trump tweeted it was "great to be in Singapore, excitement is in the air". On Monday, Sung Kim, who was a former US ambassador to South Korea and nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said. "We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5 pm local time," he said in the briefing note issued in Washington on June 10. While Kim Jong Un on Sunday held a meeting with Prime Minister Lee. He thanked Singapore's organisation of the summit as if it was "their own family affair". They discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula. Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit. Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-North Korea meeting will help in finding peace and stability in the Korean peninsula. Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.Trump and Kim are set to meet on June 12 at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees. The summit will be the first time when Trump and Kim will meet and mark an improvement of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of threats and insults. Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million.(with PTI inputs) 

Ahead of summit with Kim Jong Un, Donald Trump meets Lee Hsien Loong

Trump was received by Lee at the presidential palace Istana, where they were expected to discuss everything from the summit preparations to the US' tariff threats.

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US special operations forces have captured a militant who was instrumental in the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, officials said today. The attack resulted in the death of the US ambassador to the country and three other Americans. The Obama administration's handling of the deadly assault became a lightning rod for Republican criticism of Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state at the time, through her presidential campaign. The commandos captured the man in Libya just before midnight local time yesterday and are transporting him back to the US, the officials said. The suspect is expected to arrive within the next two days, according to one of the officials. The officials said the mission was approved by President Donald Trump and done in coordination with Libya's internationally recognized government.The officials, who weren't authorized to speak publicly to the matter and demanded anonymity, did not identify the suspect and would not say where exactly he was captured. The Sept. 11, 2012, assault killed US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens, State Department information management officer Sean Patrick Smith and contract security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. Stevens and Smith died in the burning diplomatic outpost despite efforts to rescue them. Woods and Doherty died nearly eight hours later in a mortar attack on a nearby CIA complex. Earlier this month, another man accused in the attack, Abu Khattala, went on trial in federal court in Washington. Khattala has pleaded not guilty to the 18 charges against him, including murder of an internationally protected person, providing material support to terrorists and destroying US property while causing death. The attack became fodder for multiple congressional investigations to determine what happened and whether the Obama administration misled the public on the details of the bloody assault. Initial accounts provided by administration officials, notably former US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, said the attack had grown out of a protest against an anti-Muslim internet film. Later, the administration said it was a planned terrorist attack. A two-year investigation by a House Benghazi committee focused heavily on then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's role and whether security at the compounds and the response to the attack was sufficient. It was the Benghazi probe that revealed Clinton used a private email server for government work, prompting an FBI investigation that proved to be an albatross in her presidential campaign. The assault started in the evening when armed attackers scaled the wall of a US diplomatic post in Benghazi and moved through the front gate. Stevens was rushed to a fortified "safe room" along with Smith, but were then siphoned off from security officers when attackers set the building and its furniture on fire. Libyan civilians found Stevens hours later in the wreckage, but he died of smoke inhalation in the hospital, becoming the first US ambassador killed in the line of duty in more than three decades. The CIA annex was then attacked by mortar fire, killing Woods and Doherty who were defending its rooftop.

US captures key militant involved in 2012 Benghazi attack

US special operations forces have captured a militant who was instrumental in the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi.

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China today said it is intensifying efforts to establish the veracity of reports over the killing of two of its nationals by the ISIS in Pakistan and offered to cooperate in investigating their alleged illegal preaching activities in the Muslim nation."I should stress that on the possible killing of the two Chinese nationals, we express high concern. But so far, Pakistan has not confirmed the information to China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a media briefing here. "We are intensifying the efforts to verify the relevant information," he said. The Ministry's response came after China's official media yesterday accused South Korean Christian groups and intelligence agencies of recruiting young Chinese and sending them for proselytising in Muslim countries. China has yet not released details whether the two slain Chinese nationals were associated with South Korean church groups. Chinese Foreign Ministry on June 9 said Beijing was informed by Pakistan officials that a Chinese man and a woman identified as Lee Zingyang, 24, and Meng Lisi, 26, who were kidnapped last month from Quetta may have been killed. The video of their killing emerged on the eve of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana which was attended by Chinese President Xi Jinping and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Subsequently, Pakistan Interior Ministry said the two Chinese nationals were involved in "preaching" in the country along with a Korean group.   Reports from Pakistan said the two were killed by Islamic State group after being abducted by gunmen dressed as policemen in Quetta in restive Balochistan province last month. About the allegations that they were preachers, Lu said, "We always require the Chinese citizens to abide by local laws and regulations while travelling and living in foreign countries, respect the customs of the local people and stay alert to protect their safety and security." "On the information of possible preaching by the two people we will cooperate with Pakistan to investigate for further information," he said. Pakistan has been grappling with Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting. ISIS has been making inroads in Pakistan with the help of its ties with local militant outfits like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jamaat-ul-Ahrar. However, the government has largely downplayed the presence of the dreaded terror outfit.

China ready to probe ‘preaching’ charges against its slain nationals in Pakistan

China today said it is intensifying efforts to establish the veracity of reports over the killing of two of its nationals by the ISIS in Pakistan and offered to cooperate in investigating their alleged illegal preaching activities in Muslim nation

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Two Trump administration officials say the new US Embassy in Jerusalem will open in May 2018 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of Israel declaring independence.The officials say Congress is being notified of the impending move today. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on the security plan for the new embassy yesterday.Related Stories In Pics: Jerusalem walls offer glimpse of city’s richnessJerusalem resolution: One UN vote can't change India-Israel relations, says PM Benjamin NetanyahuUS presses to relocate embassy to Jerusalem by 2019US embassy will move to Jerusalem by end of 2019: Vice President Mike PenceThe officials weren't authorised to discuss the plan publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.A ribbon-cutting is being planned for mid-May. Israel proclaimed independence on May 14, 1948.The May opening marks a significant acceleration. Vice President Mike Pence had said previously the embassy would open by the end of 2019. And Tillerson had said it could take years. Initially, the embassy will consist of just a few offices inside an existing US facility in Jerusalem.President Donald Trump's administration is considering an offer from Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson to pay for at least part of the new US Embassy in Jerusalem.Trump administration officials say State Department lawyers are evaluating the legality of accepting private donations to cover some or all embassy costs.They say the embassy move cleared its last major hurdle yesterday when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson finally approved a security plan.The officials weren't authorised to discuss the issue publicly and demanded anonymity.Under one scenario, the administration would also solicit contributions from individual donors in the evangelical and American Jewish communities.One official says Adelson offered to pay the difference between the cost and what the administration raises.Opening a full-fledged embassy will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars.  

US Embassy in Jerusalem to open in May 2018

The officials say Congress is being notified of the impending move today. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on the security plan for the new embassy yesterday.

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Donald Trump becomes 11th sitting US president to lose re-election bidPresident Donald Trump’s reelection defeat has made him the 11th sitting president in US history to lose the White House in a general election campaign. Ten of those were outright reelection bids. Gerald Ford, who ascended to the presidency following Richard Nixon’s resignation, also lost his campaign to remain president in 1976.The last president to lose a reelection bid was George H.W. Bush in 1992.Grover Cleveland lost his reelection campaign in 1888 but won back the White House four years later by defeating sitting President Benjamin Harrison. He is the only president to have served two nonconsecutive terms, CNN reported.ALSO READ | ‘This isn’t over!’: Trump supporters refuse to accept defeatThis list does not include sitting presidents who did not receive their party's nomination for the next general election, it said.Democratic Party's nominee Joe Biden defeated Trump, a Republican in the November 3 presidential election after the former US vice president secured 279 electoral college votes, three more than the required 270 votes.ALSO READ | Joe Biden to be 46th US President — How Donald Trump reactedALSO READ | US Election 2020: Trump’s wild claims test limits of Republican loyalty

Donald Trump becomes 11th sitting US president to lose re-election bid

President Donald Trump’s reelection defeat has made him the 11th sitting president in US history to lose the White House in a general election campaign.

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“Doors for India are always open” China said on Tuesday, adding that it was up to India to join the Belt and Road project."The Belt and Road initiative is for regional peace and prosperity. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as part of the Belt and Road is not about conflicts with various countries and will not affect China's position on Kashmir issue," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said.The remark comes as India, in a stand against the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, skipped the just-ended Belt and Road forum in Beijing.Beijing asked New Delhi to explain what it meant by "meaningful dialogue" on the Belt and Road project."I would like you to do me a favour. I read his (referring to India’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay’s) statement many times. He said that he is waiting for a meaningful dialogue from China and I don't know what the spokesperson is trying to say.""What kind of dialogue is a meaningful dialogue? What kind of positive attitude does the spokesperson want China to hold?"If they have the answer they can give me the answer in public and private.""China has welcomed the participation of India in the Belt and Road project. Our answer is clear.""It depends on what aspect the Indian side holds." She added. The spokesperson said that China has always welcomed India’s participation in the OBOR initiative.  "Our position is clear that we have always welcomed India to participate in the Belt and Road initiative."On the eve of the One Belt One Road (OBOR) forum, India issued a statement saying it cannot "accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity".CPEC is the key artery of China's Belt and Road project that aims to connect Asia, Europe and Africa through a network of roads, railway lines and ports.India has raised its opposition to the CPEC at the highest forums during bilateral interactions, and gave a statement regarding the concerns about the OBOR."We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality."Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity", the statement read. 

Explain ‘meaningful dialogue’, door always open for India for OBOR: China

“Doors for India are always open” China said on Tuesday, adding that it was up to India to join the Belt and Road project.

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Breaking News: Top Headlines This HourCoronavirus cases across the globe have crossed 9 million mark as the large-scale hunt for vaccines and drugs which could curb COVID-19. Over 470,000 people have died of the illness worldwide. We are hearing of new drugs hitting the market every day and new studies finding better and better results as the research continues. In other news, the situation between India and China continues to be tense. The situation is also tense at the DMZ between North and South Korea. Indiatvnews.com brings to you all the live updates.  

Breaking News: June 22, 2020 | As it happened

Coronavirus cases across the globe have crossed 9 million mark as the large-scale hunt for vaccines and drugs which could curb COVID-19. Over 470,000 people have died of the illness worldwide. Indiatvnews.com brings to you all the live updates.

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Taliban dominance to Pakistan's notoriety: Afghan's Abdullah Abdullah talks in exclusive interviewAfghanistan has been witnessing large-scale violence by the Taliban as it looked at expanding territorial control after the US started withdrawing its forces on May 1. Meanwhile, the Taliban have made rapid gains taking control of several border crossings and rural areas, triggering mounting global concerns and hectic parleys amond leading players like India, Russia, the US, Iran and several other countries.With the Taliban continuing its offensive, Pakistan has been keeping its supply lines as well as tactical and logistics support to the outfit. India TV's Manish Prasad spoke about all the aspects of the escalating violence in Afghanistan with Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the powerful High Council for National Reconciliation. Here are some excerpts from the interview. What is the current situation in Afghanistan right now? And what is the status of the peace process?At this moment, the war has been intensified and Taliban has increased its attacks. There has not been much progress in the peace process, but the doors for the same have not been closed. We believe a peaceful solution will be good for all, but attempts need to be made from both sides. Taliban has increased its activities due to which sufferings of people of Afghanistan have increased manifold. It has led to displacement of the people, lot of suffering for the people.Image Source : INDIA TVIndia TV's Manish Prasad reports from Kabul.India TV's Manish Prasad reports from Kabul.Do you also feel that Pakistani Army and ISI sending their troops for Taliban, supporting them and giving them arms, ammunition, and weapon system to fight against you?That's very obvious who is supporting the Taliban. Supporting Taliban or presenting it as a normal political party is in no one's interest. Taliban, even now, is working with terror organisations from the region as well as all over the world. During his interview, Dr Abdullah praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hoped for more support from India on the current situation in Afghanistan. "Prime Minister Modi is a friend of Afghanistan. India has been supportive at all times. I hope they will continue their support to Afghanistan and it will be in the favour of the people of Afghan," he said in a conversation with India TV.Dr. Abdullah said that there are atrocities by the Taliban, contrary to the projection by that it has changed. "It is horrifying," he said. The key reconciliation leader was also vocal against any military solution. "For any government military solution is not acceptable. I need a political set up and it should be inclusive, which means, people of Afghanistan," he said.READ MORE: Opinion | Are China, Pakistan helping Taliban in Afghanistan?

Taliban dominance to Pakistan's notoriety: Afghan's Abdullah Abdullah talks in exclusive interview

India TV's Manish Prasad spoke about all the aspects of the escalating violence in Afghanistan with Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of the powerful High Council for National Reconciliation. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

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China extends emergency use of its coronavirus vaccines to three more citiesDays after joining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) COVAX alliance to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the world, China has stepped up the usage of its coronavirus vaccines to three more cities for urgent use.Three more cities in East China's Zhejiang Province are stepping up efforts to offer COVID-19 vaccines for urgent use, with priority being given to key groups in need before they can be rolled out to the general public, official media reports here said.The cities of Yiwu, Ningbo and Shaoxing are targeting key groups with urgent need for vaccinations against COVID-19 following the city of Jiaxing, state-run Global Times quoted another daily, The Paper, as reporting on Saturday.Earlier on Thursday, health authorities in Jiaxing announced that the city has been administering inactivated COVID-19 vaccines among high-risk groups and will gradually offer it to ordinary citizens for urgent use.According to the report, the emergency vaccinations have officially kicked off in Yiwu, an internationally renowned manufacturing hub. On Friday afternoon, about 20 people visited the community health centre to receive vaccinations against COVID-19 within an hour.Most of the recipients are set to go abroad or have plans to go abroad in the near future, The Paper reported.The Yiwu health authorities said the COVID-19 shots have arrived in the local medical system and are limited to a small part of the population in need of emergency vaccination, including frontline medical staff, personnel who ensure the city's basic operation, and public officials who need to travel to high-risk countries and regions on official duties, the Global Times report said.Yiwu also has no plans to make the vaccine available to the general public at the time, but may consider offering the vaccination to the public if there is an abundant supply when the vaccine is officially on the market, it said.China in a surprise move on October 9 joined the WHO's COVAX alliance to equitably distribute COVID-19 ending speculation that it plans to supply its vaccines to developing countries to improve its image dented by pandemic since it emerged in Wuhan in December last year.All the 11 vaccines in China are in various stages of trials and await final approval.The COVAX is a global initiative aimed at working with vaccine manufacturers to provide countries worldwide equitable access to safe and effective vaccines, once they are licensed and approved.China has roped in more than a dozen countries to conduct the final phase trials of Chinese-made experimental COVID-19 vaccines and even started vaccinating thousands of emergency workers.Yang Sheng, Deputy Director of the National Medical Products Administration's drug registration bureau, said earlier that four China-developed COVID-19 vaccines have begun the final stage of human trials overseas after obtaining approval from foreign authorities.China has been focusing on developing five types of vaccines, and each method has at least one entering clinical trials. In total, 11 vaccine candidates are in different stages of testing, Yang has been quoted by the official media earlier.Zheng Zhongwei, head of China's vaccine development task force, said China's annual capacity to make COVID-19 vaccines was expected to reach 610 million doses this year and one billion doses by 2021.The WHO said nine candidate vaccines are currently being evaluated for inclusion in the COVAX Facility.They include two from China, two from the US, one from the Republic of Korea, one from Britain and Northern Ireland and one global, multi-manufacturer partnership.Two of these are in phase I trials, two are technology transfers and the remainder are at the discovery stage.The coronavirus has so far claimed 4,634 lives with 85,672 confirmed infections in China. 

China extends emergency use of its coronavirus vaccines to three more cities

Days after joining the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) COVAX alliance to equitably distribute COVID-19 vaccines across the world, China has stepped up the usage of its coronavirus vaccines to three more cities for urgent use.

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Students at Stuyvesant High School leave after classes end for the week, Friday, March 13, 2020, in New York. As concerns continue to grow around the spread of Covid-19, the city's Mayor Bill de Blasio has been reluctant to close the school system because of the consequences for students and families. As schools across the U.S. shut down in hopes of helping to fight the coronavirus, New York City officials are arguing just the opposite: They’re keeping the nation’s largest school system open to ensure that health and emergency workers aren’t tied down with kids at home.But teachers, many parents and some health experts say the city is making a grave mistake by continuing to call more than 1.1 million children to public schools even as it calls for “social distancing” elsewhere to stem the virus’ spread.While many families elsewhere in the country spent Saturday making hasty plans for an unexpected school shutdown, New Yorkers debated the city’s decision.“You’re not going to have a functioning health care system if the folks in the medical field, the doctors, the nurses, the techs, everyone has to stay home with their kids,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on MSNBC.Parent Anna Gold didn’t see it his way.“It would be a hardship if they closed the schools, but I think it’s a necessary one we need to take in the space of this emergency,” said Anna Gold, who pulled her third-grader and kindergartner out of public schools in Brooklyn on Friday and plans to keep them home next week.Another parent, Dori Kleinman, said she wishes the mayor would allow individual schools to make a decision about whether to close.“I don’t want my children at risk,” she said.New York City became a big outlier as other major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Boston, and several states decided to shutter schools for a week or more.New York health care workers’ unions said the city shouldn’t close schools without a plan to care for the children of those staffing hospital wards. The unions and city officials fear that even New York’s massive health care system could be quickly overwhelmed by a surge in serious cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.“If it’s apparent it’s the safe thing, then it must be done, but it’s going to have a big impact on nurses,” said Eileen Toback, executive director of the New York Professional Nurses Union, which represents nurses at Manhattan’s Lenox Hill Hospital. “They’re on the front lines. They need to be here in shifts. They’re single mothers or single fathers sometimes, so they don’t have many backups, and the hospital is 24/7.”In a column in The New York Times, three teaches from Stuyvesant High pressured de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to close the schools, and develop a plan to feed students that depend on school meals. The teachers describe a lengthy journey for some to and from school that puts students, their relatives and educators at risk.“No amount of hand washing and extra cleaning can prevent our thousands of students and hundreds of faculty and staff members from transmitting germs as they move in and out of classrooms for 10 periods a day,” Samantha Daves, Maura Dwyer and Annie Thoms wrote.De Blasio, a Democrat, has not ruled out closing schools eventually and said city officials would continue a day-by-day examination. But he has noted that the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that while there can be reasons to shut schools, it’s not clear that closures will make more difference than other measures, such as hand-washing and isolating the sick.But Dr. Dena Grayson, a researcher and infectious disease expert who works in the private sector, called de Blasio’s decision so far to keep schools open “incredibly foolish.”“The virus will spread like wildfire among the children. They get infected, and they can spread that virus easily to older people who are at a much higher risk,” she said.The city has confirmed coronavirus cases in at least two public school students and at least one teacher. Their schools have been closed for cleaning but are expected to reopen.For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover, but the outbreak has caused more than 5,000 deaths worldwide.Teachers’ unions are pressing de Blasio to close the schools, saying they’re worried for their students’ families, their own and New Yorkers at large.“To have 1.1 million students and countless employees crisscrossing the city, it feels to me beyond irresponsible,” says Derek Stampone, who teaches physics and computer science at a Manhattan high school where only about 2/3 of students showed up Friday, a dropoff echoed in the system as a whole. Stampone found himself spending much of Friday’s classes talking about the virus and such prevention tips as hand-washing.“I can see the anxiety in the room,” he said.So did social studies teacher Elise Ritter, who works at a different Manhattan high school that happens to focus on emergency management.The students who did attend, she said, were “really looking around and saying, ‘Why are we still here?’” Many live with grandparents and worry about them contracting the virus, she said.Teachers suggest the city could find ways to provide child care for health care workers — and supply food to the hundreds of thousands of poor students who depend on school meals — without keeping the entire school system open.De Blasio has said that any alternative would recreate the problem that closing schools would seek to solve: People congregating.Cuomo, a Democrat, said school closings remain “purely a local decision” unless a student tests positive, in which case a school must be closed for cleaning.“The closing of schools is a significant trade-off of benefits and burdens,” he said Saturday in a conference call with reporters. “If you close the schools, there are people who will not show up for work the next day. The public education system is also a day care, in many ways.”

New York City officials keep schools open as world struggles with rising COVID-19 cases

As schools across the U.S. shut down in hopes of helping to fight the coronavirus, New York City officials are arguing just the opposite: They’re keeping the nation’s largest school system open to ensure that health and emergency workers aren’t tied down with kids at home.

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British MP Boris Johnson and his wife Marina, photographed after voting in the EU Brexit referendum in London.Boris Johnson has become the first British Prime Minister to divorce while in office in 250 years as papers filed by his Indian-origin ex-wife Marina Wheeler earlier this year were granted recently. The 55-year-old had announced his engagement with fiancee Carrie Symonds soon after the decree absolute was filed in February. Symonds, 32, who moved into Downing Street with Johnson in July last year, gave birth to their baby boy Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson last Wednesday.According to the ‘Daily Mirror’, Johnson’s divorce from Wheeler, his second wife, was finalised with the grant of the decree just before the birth of the baby on April 29.Wheeler, whose mother Dip Singh hailed from Punjab, is a barrister and columnist who has four grown-up children with Johnson.On February 18, she obtained permission from the Central Family Court in London to apply for a decree absolute, the legal document ending a marriage.The newspaper believes the paperwork was filed “immediately” and it is believed Johnson and Wheeler could each end up with 4 million pounds from the divorce settlement.Wheeler, who has previously written about surviving cancer, is due to publish ‘The Lost Homestead’ about her mother, who married her father, BBC foreign correspondent Charles Wheeler, in 1962.Johnson’s first marriage was to socialite Allegra Mostyn-Owen, between 1987 and 1993. With his latest divorce, he has become the first British Prime Minister to divorce while in office since Augustus FitzRoy, the Duke of Grafton, back in 1769.The Duke had shocked Georgian society at the time when he had a very public affair with the courtesan Nancy Parsons.Matters were further complicated as his wife became pregnant by her lover, the Earl of Upper Ossory, with an Act of Parliament, was approved granting their divorce in March 1769. 

UK PM Johnson's divorce with Indian-origin wife finalised

Boris Johnson has become the first British Prime Minister to divorce while in office in 250 years as papers filed by his Indian-origin ex-wife Marina Wheeler earlier this year were granted recently.

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The pentagon, in its annual report to the US Congress, has said that border tension continues to exist between India and China despite growing economic ties between the two countries. The report pointed out that China’s use of force in territorial disputes have varied widely throughout its history.“Tensions persist along disputed portions of the Sino- Indian border, where both countries patrol with the armed forces,” the Pentagon report said.In September 2016, an Indian patrol observed that more than 40 Chinese troops had set up a temporary shelter within Indian territory in Arunachal Pradesh, which China also claims as South Tibet, it said. “The two sides conducted flag-officer level meetings where they agreed to maintain peace, and then withdrew to mutually acceptable positions,” the Pentagon said as it listed out other border disputes that China has with neighbouring countries, prominent among them being the East China Sea.    Some disputes led to war, as in border conflicts with India in 1962 and Vietnam in 1979, it said, adding that a contested border with the former Soviet Union during the 1960s raised the possibility of nuclear war. In more recent cases involving land border disputes, China has sometimes been willing to compromise with and even offer concessions to its neighbours. “Since 1998, China has settled 11 land-based territorial disputes with six of its neighbours,” the Pentagon said.  In recent years, China has adopted a coercive approach to deal with several disputes that continue over maritime features and ownership of potentially rich offshore oil and gas deposits, it added. The Pentagon said tensions remain with India along the shared 4,057 km border over Arunachal Pradesh, which China asserts is part of Tibet and therefore part of China, and over the Aksai Chin region at the western end of the Tibetan Plateau, despite growing China-India political and economic relations. “China and India continue to accuse each other of frequent incursions and military build-ups along the disputed territories. In 2013, however, Chinese and Indian officials signed the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement, which supplements existing procedures managing the interaction of forces along the Line of Actual Control,” it said.  As per Chinese figures, cumulative Chinese investments into India till September 2016 stood at USD 4.75 billion while Indian investments into China were USD 0.689 billion. Indian businesses have a presence in China in sectors such as IT, pharmaceuticals and automobiles. The Pentagon said China and Japan have overlapping claims to both the continental shelves and the exclusive economic zones in the East China Sea. The East China Sea contains natural gas and oil, though hydrocarbon reserves are difficult to estimate.  Japan maintains that an equidistant line from each country involved should separate the EEZs, while China claims an extended continental shelf beyond the equidistant line to the Okinawa Trench, it said. Also the South China Sea plays an important role in security considerations across East Asia because Northeast Asia relies heavily on the flow of oil and commerce through South China Sea shipping lanes, including more than 80 percent of the crude oil to Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.(With PTI inputs)

Border tension continues between India and China despite growing economic ties: Pentagon

“Tensions persist along disputed portions of the Sino- Indian border, where both countries patrol with the armed forces,” the Pentagon report said.

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Police officers guard the scene in Vienna after several shots were fired on Monday in a lively street in the city center of Vienna.The global terrorist group Islamic State, popularly known as ISIS, on Tuesday, claimed the responsibility for the shootings in the Austrian capital of Vienna that killed at least four people while 14 were wounded. ISIS released a video on its official online propaganda channel and revealed that a man, named Abu Dujanah Al-Albani, armed with a machine gun, pistol, and a machete on the Monday night rampage before being killed by police.According to Austrian authorities, the assailant holds Austrian and North Macedonia citizenship while ISIS said that he is an Albanian. The 20-year-old was sentenced to 22 months in prison for trying to join ISIS in Syria but served just seven months because of his youth.ISIS also showed a video of the assailant, pledging allegiance to terror leader Abu Ibrahim Al-Hashimi. He wore a black T-shirt and brandished the same weapons he apparently used in the attack.As per an IANS report, at least 14 people have been arrested so far after multiple police raids were carried out in connection to the shootings.The Vienna shootings came days after a string of recent terror attacks in France.On October 16, middle-school teacher, Samuel Paty was beheaded by an 18-year-old Muslim immigrant, Abdullakh Anzorov inside a school near Paris.Then on October 29, Brahim Aouissaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian man, stabbed three people to death inside the Notre-Dame Basilica in the city of Nice.

ISIS claims responsibility for Vienna terror attack

The global terrorist group Islamic State, popularly known as ISIS, on Tuesday, claimed the responsibility for the shooting in the Austrian city of Vienna that killed at least four people while 14 were wounded.

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Representative ImageAn Indian tourist was killed and another was seriously injured in a shootout in Bangkok, Thai police said on Monday.The shootout between two groups of teenagers took place on Sunday night next to a parking lot of the Centara Watergate Pavilion shopping mall in the city's Pratunam area, reports Xinhua news agency.According to Metropolitan Police One commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Senit Samransamruatkit, the unidentified assailants were armed with AK-47 assault rifles.The police said that the two groups had emerged from a nearby snooker club into an alley beside the parking lot and began a fight that quickly escalated into an armed battle. Three more people -- two Thai, one Lao -- were also injured. 

Indian tourist killed in Bangkok shootout

An Indian tourist was killed and another was seriously injured in a shootout in Bangkok, Thai police said on Monday.

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Video: Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas airport An international airport on the Bahamas' northernmost island was submerged underwater on Monday following heavy rain from Hurricane Dorian.Vision shot by Bahamas Member of Parliament Iram Lewis showed a current of water passing the flooded Grand Bahama International Airport.In another social media post, Lewis said the nation would need "a lot of support" after the Hurricane passes.Lewis added that news and information was "limited."Dorian weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on Tuesday morning as it continued to batter the Bahamas.The system recorded winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kilometres per hour) when it made landfall on Abaco Island on Sunday. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_9600895478 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_adsb5a2f_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_adsb5a2f_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas Airport | Watch", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_9600895478 = ''; jwsetup_9600895478(); function jwsetup_9600895478() { jwvidplayer_9600895478 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_9600895478").setup(jwconfig_9600895478); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_9600895478, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_adsb5a2f\", ns_st_pr=\"Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas Airport | Watch\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas Airport | Watch\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas Airport | Watch\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-09-03\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-09-03\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_adsb5a2f_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_9600895478.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_9600895478.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_9600895478.stop(); jwvidplayer_9600895478.remove(); jwvidplayer_9600895478 = ''; jwsetup_9600895478(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_9600895478.stop(); jwvidplayer_9600895478.remove(); jwvidplayer_9600895478 = ''; jwsetup_9600895478(); return; }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9600895478.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Video: Hurricane Dorian submerges Bahamas airport

Vision shot by Bahamas Member of Parliament Iram Lewis showed a current of water passing the flooded Grand Bahama International Airport.

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FILE - In a July 26, 2017 file photo, McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook is interviewed at the New York Stock Exchange. McDonald’s is suing Easterbrook, the former CEO, saying he lied about relationships with employees and destroyed evidence before he was fired from the company in 2019. McDonald’s fired Easterbook last November after he admitted to an improper relationship with an employee, with whom he exchanged videos and text messages.(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)McDonald’s says it’s suing Stephen Easterbrook, the CEO it ousted last year over an inappropriate relationship with an employee, alleging Monday that he covered up relationships with three other employees and destroyed evidence.The company now wants to reclaim millions of dollars in compensation paid to Easterbrook.“McDonald’s does not tolerate behavior from employees that does not reflect our values,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski, who was promoted following Easterbrook’s departure, in a message to employees Monday.The lawsuit puts a spotlight — again — on a years-long reckoning over sexual harassment at Chicago-based McDonald’s and its 39,000 restaurants. In the U.S. alone, more than 50 workers have filed separate sexual harassment charges against McDonald’s with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or in state courts.Leaders with Fight for $15, which supports higher wages and unions for fast food workers, said Monday that McDonald’s should use any money it recoups from Easterbrook for worker-led programs that combat sexual harassment.In his message to employees, Kempczinski said he is committed to making sure that employees are “encouraged and comfortable coming forward with information about any behavior that doesn’t align with our values.”McDonald’s also told workers Monday it is conducting a global survey and listening sessions to assess the current state of its corporate culture. The assessment will be completed and shared with employees in November, McDonald’s Chief People Officer Heidi Capozzi said in a message obtained by The Associated Press.McDonald’s fired Easterbrook last November after he acknowledged exchanging videos and text messages in a non-physical, consensual relationship with an employee. Easterbrook told the company that there were no other similar instances. An initial search of his cellphone confirmed that.Based on what the company knew at the time, McDonald’s board approved a separation agreement “without cause” that allowed Easterbrook to keep nearly $42 million in stock-based benefits, according to Equilar, which tracks executive compensation. Easterbrook also collected 26 weeks of pay, amounting to compensation of about $670,000.According to the lawsuit, McDonald’s received an anonymous tip in July that Easterbrook had engaged in a sexual relationship with another employee. After an investigation, McDonald’s confirmed that relationship as well as two other physical, sexual relationships in the year before he was fired. Easterbrook also approved a special grant of restricted stock, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, to one of those employees, the lawsuit said.The company said Monday that Easterbrook removed evidence of those relationships — including sexually explicit photos and videos sent from corporate email accounts — from his cell phone, preventing investigators from learning about them prior to his firing. But that evidence remained on the company’s email servers.McDonald’s didn’t say why those servers weren’t checked during its initial investigation. In the lawsuit, the company says it relied on Easterbrook — its highest ranking executive — to be truthful.“That reliance caused the company injury,” McDonald’s said in the lawsuit.In the lawsuit, which was filed in Delaware, McDonald’s said it would not have terminated Easterbrook without cause if it had known of the additional relationships.Tim Hubbard, an assistant professor of management at the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business, said firing a CEO with cause can lead to protracted, expensive legal battles, which is why boards try to avoid it. Easterbrook’s case seemed clear-cut, he said.But Hubbard applauded McDonald’s for reopening the investigation when new information came forward. He said McDonald’s experience may teach other companies not to reach severance agreements without a thorough investigation.“That’s my big hope with this thing, that we learn from it,” he said. “Companies are not going to settle for this anymore.”McDonald’s is now attempting to block Easterbrook from exercising his stock options and said it will seek compensatory damages.It’s unclear how much Easterbrook might have to pay. In the lawsuit, McDonald’s says Easterbrook’s separation agreement makes clear that his 2018 and 2019 equity awards may be forfeited if the company determines he has engaged in “detrimental conduct.” Easterbrook was awarded more than $29 million in stock-based compensation in those two years.Telephone and email messages seeking comment were left with Easterbrook’s attorney.Easterbrook and his wife divorced in 2015, the same year he became McDonald’s CEO. Easterbrook, who is British, began his career with McDonald’s in 1993 when he served as a finance manager in London.McDonald’s has taken steps to halt harassment in its ranks. In 2017, Easterbrook assured McDonald’s board that he and other executives were completing anti-harassment training. Last October — a month before Easterbrook was fired — McDonald’s introduced a new harassment training program for its 850,000 U.S. employees. But franchisees — who own 95% of McDonald’s U.S. restaurants — aren’t required to offer it.McDonald’s shares were flat at $204.23 in midday trading.

McDonald’s sues ousted CEO Stephen Easterbrook, alleging employee relationships

McDonald’s says it’s suing Stephen Easterbrook, the CEO it ousted last year over an inappropriate relationship with an employee, alleging Monday that he covered up relationships with three other employees and destroyed evidence.

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Amid escalating Indo-Pak tensions over a range of issues, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif exchanged greetings at a cultural gala in Astana on Thursday night. It was the first encounter between Modi and Sharif after their last meeting in Lahore on December 25, 2015, when the Indian prime minister made a surprise stopover at the historic city.The brief meeting between the two leaders comes amid frosty bilateral ties, deadlocked talks and escalation of hostilities along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir. Modi and Sharif are here to attend the summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) where India and Pakistan will be inducted as full members of the bloc tomorrow. Official sources said Modi and Sharif were in the Leaders' Lounge at the Astana Opera tonight before the SCO concert where they exchanged greetings. "Since it was the first occasion when the two leaders came across each other after Sharif's operation, PM Modi enquired about his health. He also enquired about Sharif's mother and family," a top source was quoted as saying by PTI. Sharif had undergone an open-heart surgery in June last year. The brief exchange of words between the two prime ministers came at a time when bilateral ties have nosedived over a range of issues including beheading of two soldiers by Pakistan military along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and death sentence given to former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan on charges of spying. The International Court of Justice has stayed Jadhav's execution. The Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed rising tension. In December 2015, Modi had made a surprise stopover at Lahore on his way back home after a day-long trip to Afghanistan which was the first visit to Pakistan by an Indian premier in more than 10 years. However, positivity from Modi's visit was shortlived as Pakistan-based terror groups carried out an attack on Pathankot base of Indian Air Force base on January 2, 2016. Earlier, asked whether there is a possibility of a bilateral meeting between Modi and Sharif, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said neither Pakistani side has requested for it nor India has any proposal for such a meeting. He said there were couple of moments when leaders were at the same place, adding he was not aware whether they met. Modi, Sharif, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping were among top leaders who attended the reception hosted by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev. At the cultural evening, both Modi and Sharif were sitting apart. The cultural event had a Kathak dance performance by an Indian team. It was the only performance from a country which is not yet member of the SCO. Both India and Pakistan will be admited as full member of the bloc tomorrow. Earlier in the day, when asked whether he will have a meeting with Modi, Sharif, before leaving for the reception, only smiled and waved at the media persons, which many interpreted as an indication of a possible meeting or at least a pull-aside between the two leaders.(With PTI inputs) 

Narendra Modi, Nawaz Sharif exchange pleasantries in Astana amid frosty Indo-Pak ties

The two Prime Ministers are in the Kazakh capital to attend the two-day summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit.

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Unvaccinated minors will need to test at the same time as the adults with whom they are travelling – three days with vaccinated adults and one day with unvaccinated adults, it said. The US set to lift all restrictions for fully vaccinated international travellers, including from India, from November 8 but they will have to show proof of a negative coronavirus test before boarding a flight to the country, according to an official statement.The travel guidelines included protocols around testing. To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travellers - whether US Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of accepted unvaccinated foreign nationals - will now need to test within one day of departure.And fully vaccinated travellers will continue to be required to show a pre-departure negative test taken within three days of travel to the US prior to boarding, the statement said.Unvaccinated minors will need to test at the same time as the adults with whom they are travelling – three days with vaccinated adults and one day with unvaccinated adults, it said.According to the statement, passengers will need to show their vaccination status, and the airlines will need to match the name and date of birth to confirm that the passenger is the same person reflected on the proof of vaccination; determine that the record was issued by an official source (e.g., public health agency, government agency) in the country where the vaccine was given and review the essential information for determining if the passenger meets CDC's definition for fully vaccinated such as vaccine product, number of vaccine doses received, date(s) of administration, site (e.g., vaccination clinic, health care facility) of vaccination.Airlines must deny boarding to passengers who do not meet these requirements or those who test positive for COVID-19, it said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has determined that for purposes of travel to the United States, vaccines accepted will include FDA approved or authorised and World Health Organisation (WHO) emergency use listed (EUL) vaccines.The American travel industry has been asking for President Biden to lift the ban. Also Read | Singapore removes India, 5 other South Asian nations from travel restriction list /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; 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US to lift all travel restrictions for fully vaccinated incoming foreign nationals from November 8

To further strengthen protections, unvaccinated travelers - whether US Citizens, lawful permanent residents (LPRs), or the small number of accepted unvaccinated foreign nationals - will now need to test within one day of departure.

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ImagePresident Maithripala Sirisena on Monday appointed a three-member committee headed by an apex court judge to probe the country's deadliest terror attack and submit a report within two weeks, according to media reports.   Supreme Court judge Vijith Malalgoda, former IGP N K Ilangakoon and Former Law & Order Ministry Secretary Padamasiri Jayamanne have been appointed as members of the committee, SundayTimes reported. The committee has been instructed to submit the probe report on the explosion within two weeks to the President, the report said.   Sirisena, who was on a private visit to India and Singapore, returned to Colombo on Monday. Eight coordinated explosions targeted Easter worshippers and high end hotels popular with international guests.   The blasts targeted St Anthony's Church in Colombo, St Sebastian's Church in the western coastal town of Negombo and another church in the eastern town of Batticaloa as the Easter Sunday mass were in progress.   Three explosions were reported from the five-star hotels - the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury. Foreigners and locals who were injured in hotel blasts were admitted to the Colombo General Hospital.   According to the Government Analysts Department, a total of seven suicide bombers carried out the devastating blasts killed 290 people and injured 500 others.   There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police on Monday arrested 24 people and declined to give further details.   WATCH VIDEOS:

Sri Lanka Blasts | President Maithripala Sirisena appoints committee to probe Easter Sunday attacks

According to the Government Analysts Department, a total of seven suicide bombers carried out the devastating blasts killed 290 people and injured 500 others.

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Willing to improve ties with Pakistan, says Imran KhanCricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, whose party PTI has emerged as the single largest party in Pakistan general elections, on Thursday said that his country is willing to improve ties with india.Talking to media persons for the first time after it became clear that he is all set to take over as next Prime Minister, Imran Khan said that Kashmir is the "core" issue between the two countries and it should be resolved through talks.Related Stories Pakistan elections: I'll not live in PM House, says Imran Khan 'My son's father is Pakistan's next PM': Jemima Congratulates former husband Imran Khan on electoral successPakistan Elections: Imran Khan's PTI emerges as single largest party amid allegations of vote riggingIf India takes one step towards Pakistan, we will take two: ImranPakistan Polls | Imran Khan propped by army, don't expect any change in India approach: Experts"If they take one step towards us, we will take two, but at least need a start," Imran Khan said.He also asserted that the blame game between the two neighbours, detrimental to the sub-continent, should stop.Imran Khan said that he was disappointed to see Indian media portraying him as a Bollywood villain in last few months."I am a person who arguably knows the most people in India because of my days in cricket. We can resolve the poverty crisis in South East Asia. The biggest problem is Kashmir," he said, suggesting that the two sides should come to table to resolve it. "We want to improve our relations with India, if their leadership also wants it. This blame game that whatever goes wrong in Pakistan's Balochistan is because of India and vice versa brings us back to square one," he said."This is not how we will grow, and it is detrimental to the sub-continent," he added.“After a 22-year-long struggle, the almighty God has finally given me the chance to implement the manifesto I had dreamed up over two decades ago,” Khan, 65, said in his first public address after the polls. Watch: Imran Khan says Pakistan willing to improve ties with IndiaIn his speech that was broadcast live via video link, Khan promised to make Pakistan’s institutions stronger under which everyone will be held accountable. “First, I will be subjected to accountability, then my ministers and so on. Today we are behind (other countries) because there is a separate system for those in power and a separate one for ordinary citizens,” Khan said as he promised to end the VIP culture and convert the existing PM House into an educational institution.He also vowed to improve the governance and over come the economic challenges faced by Pakistan.His speech came as two main parties - PML-N and PPP - raised questions on the transparency of the vote counting process, alleging their polling agents were not allowed to verify vote counts as is mandated by law.PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif, who was the prime ministerial candidate of his party after the jailing of his brother Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case, rejected the election results, alleging “blatant” rigging.He did not say who he believes could have rigged the polls, but allegations of manipulating the elections have been made against the country’s influential military.Awami National Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Pak-Sarzameen Party, Muttahida Majlas-i-Amal and Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan also alleged that their polling agents were either ousted of the polling stations at the time of counting or denied certified results by the polling staff.“Some five other parties including the PPP have raised the rigging issue in polls. After consulting them, I will announce the future course of action. Pakistan has suffered today,” Sharif said.He has convened a meeting with other parties to discuss the issue and formulate a common strategy.“We will fight this injustice and use all options,” he said, adding that there has been a “blatant violation” of the mandate.Bilawal Bhutto also raised questions over the credibility of the election commission. “24 hours & ECP cant give me lyari and larkana results. Can’t explain discrepancies or delays,” the top PPP leader tweeted.The ECP has rejected the “blatant” rigging allegations.In an unusual pre-dawn press conference, Chief Election Commissioner Muhammad Raza Khan acknowledged that the delay in announcement of election results has “caused some annoyance”.   Asked about the doubts and the allegations, he said: “We will prove ourselves that we did our job right.”“These elections were fair and we have not received any complaint. If anyone has proof, we will take action,” he asserted.Elections were also held for four provincial assemblies - Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.The provincial trends showed that the PML-N was leading in 123 seats in Punjab followed by the PTI with 122 seats in the provincial assembly of 299 members.   Independents were leading in 27 seats.In Sindh, the PPP was heading towards a two-thirds majority in its traditional bastion. The party was leading in 72 seats according to the latest trends available for 113 of the provincial assembly’s 131 seats.In Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the PTI was heading towards a two-thirds majority with its candidates leading in 67 seats. The KP assembly has 99 seats. Balochistan was heading towards a hung assembly. Balochistan Awami Party was ahead in 12 seats while MMA was leading in 9. Balochistan National Party was leading in 8 seats.The election marks the second democratic transition of power in the nation’s 70-year history. The military has ruled Pakistan through various coups for nearly half of the country’s history since independence in 1947.The run up to the elections had seen a massive crackdown on the media and allegations that the military has secretly backed the campaign of Khan while targeting his political opponents.Imran’s Pakistan  Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claimed victory in the general elections after his party emerged as the single largest in the National Assembly with its candidates winning 104 seats and leading in 14 others, amid rival political parties’ claim of “blatant” rigging.Jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) won 58 seats and was leading in four constituencies while Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led by former president Asif Ali Zardari won 37 seats and was leading in six seats according to the latest unofficial results.Pakistan’s National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected whereas the rest - 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities - are selected later through proportional representation among parties with more than five per cent of the vote.A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total.(With agency inputs) 

‘Pakistan willing to improve ties with India’: Imran Khan after claiming victory in general elections amid allegations of vote rigging

"I am a person who arguably knows the most people in India because of my days in cricket. We can resolve the poverty crisis in South East Asia. The biggest problem is Kashmir," he said, suggesting that the two sides should come to table to resolve it.

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People walk out from World Trade Centre which is located in the city's popular Causeway Bay shopping district of Hong Kong.Dozens of people are trapped on the rooftop of a Hong Kong skyscraper after a major fire broke out Wednesday, as firefighters rushed to rescue them and put out the blaze.The fire started in the early afternoon at the World Trade Centre on Gloucester Road in the city’s popular Causeway Bay shopping district, according to a government notice. The 38-story building houses both offices and a mall.At least one person was injured in the fire and sent to a hospital.Firefighters used an extendable ladder to rescue several people who were trapped on the lower floors of the building.Other people were said to be trapped in restaurants in the mall, according to the local South China Morning Post newspaper.The fire was upgraded to a level three incident, according to a police notice. 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Major fire breaks out in Hong Kong building, dozens trapped

The fire started in the early afternoon at the World Trade Centre on Gloucester Road in the city’s popular Causeway Bay shopping district, according to a govt notice.

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North Korea on Sunday launched an unidentified ballistic missile, which flew over 500 km, just a week after Pyongyang carried out its most successful missile test, South Korean military has confirmed.South Korean President Moon Jae-in immediately convened a National Security Council meeting to discuss the communist neighbour's provocation, Yonhap News Agency reported."North Korea fired an unidentified ballistic missile in the eastern direction at around 4.59 p.m., from the vicinity of Pukchang in Pyeongannam-do, South Pyeongan province," the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) of South Korea said in a statement.It said South Korea and the US are analysing details, including the type of the missile and its exact trajectory.It marked Pyongyang's eighth missile test this year.On May 14, North Korea test-fired what is believed to be an intermediate-range ballistic missile from Kusong, North Pyongan province. The Hwasong-12 missile travelled around 700 km for 30 minutes before it landed in water 100 km south of Russia's Vladivostok region, the home of the Russian Pacific Fleet.On April 29, Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile from a Pukchang area but it exploded in mid-air minutes after lift-off.

North Korea test fires another missile, says South Korean military

South Korean President Moon Jae-in immediately convened a National Security Council meeting to discuss the communist neighbour's provocation, Yonhap News Agency reported.

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Palestine to reconsider deals with Israel and US, announces President AbbasPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday announced that the country will reconsider the deals and understandings reached with both Israel and the US amid the former's annexation plans. Abbas said: "We extended our hands to a just and comprehensive peace based on the resolutions of the international legitimacy. We still have a hope to achieve this but this won't last for too long".According to news agency Xinhua, The President referred to the "ongoing violations that the Israeli government is practicing, besides continuing the crimes of settlement, which is a war crime under international law".He accused Israel of turning its back to the signed agreements that had been reached with the Palestinian side. Abbas also noted that "Israel, which is encouraged by the US", was planning to annex lands in Palestine, mainly in East Jerusalem and the Jordan Valley."This fact will compel us to reconsider all the agreements, treaties and understandings which had been either reached with the state of occupation or with the US," said Abbas.He warned that the Palestinians won't consider or abide by all these agreements and understandings "if the Israeli government declares the annexation of any part of our lands".Also on Wednesday, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Ishtaye warned of a difficult stage the region will go through, if the Israeli government implemented its plan of annexing Palestinian lands.Ishtaye unveiled that the Palestinian leadership will hold an important meeting on Saturday "to study facing Israel's decision of annexing parts of the West Bank territories and imposing its sovereignty on it".Last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement with Benny Gantz, the leader of Blue and White Party, to form a unity government.They both agreed to impose Israeli sovereignty on the territories, which they called as "part of the historic lands of Israel" as of July 1.On May 7, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that American President Donald Trump's administration supports Israel's application of sovereignty over the Jordan Valley and the settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.(With inputs from IANS)

Palestine to reconsider deals with Israel and US, announces President Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday announced that the country will reconsider the deals and understandings reached with both Israel and the US amid the former's annexation plans.

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The "terrible" Paris climate deal would have given a virtual "free pass" to India and China and cost the US economy more than 6.5 million jobs, Vice President Mike Pence said today. "This President put America first not long ago when President (Donald) Trump made the decision to withdraw the United States of America from the Paris Climate Accord," Pence said in his remarks to the National Association of Manufacturers 2017 Manufacturing Summit. Trump earlier this month announced the withdrawal of the US from the Paris agreement on climate change, saying the "draconian" deal unfairly punished America and benefited countries like India and China. Pence defended Trump's decision and said by withdrawing America from "this terrible deal", President Trump put America first. "You know, one independent study found that the Paris Accord would have actually cost the US economy more than 6.5 million manufacturing jobs in the next 25 years while giving countries like China and India virtually a free pass," Pence said."He left the door opening to renegotiating the deal or coming up with a different agreement. But he put America first, and I promise the manufacturers in this room that President Donald Trump always will," Pence said. He said Trump has put a renewed emphasis on American energy. "He approved the Keystone and Dakota Pipelines early in this administration, and the Dakota Pipeline is already rolling and Keystone is being built as we speak," Pence said. "President Trump is fighting every day to make sure that American manufacturers have affordable, abundant, and reliable energy that you need to power your factories and power our future," Pence said amidst applause from the audience. 

Paris climate deal would have given India and China free pass: Mike Pence

Paris climate deal would have given a virtual "free pass" to India and China and cost the US economy more than 6.5 million jobs, Vice President Mike Pence has said.

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In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks to the nation via his smartphone in the center of Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Russia Ukraine War Latest News: Amid the intense ongoing military struggle between Russia and Ukraine, reports have  emerged that Vladimir Putin is allegedly planning to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky assassinated. According to reports, as many as 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to target President Zelensky and his entire cabinet. RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR: INDEPTH COVERAGEThe Times reported that the army-for-hire, run by 'oligarch' Yevgeny Prigozhin, who is considered to be a close aide of Putin, has been flown in a few weeks ago. Prigozhin has been offered a whopping sum by Kremlin for the assassination mission, the report said. ALSO READ: Russia-Ukraine War: Satellite photos show 64-km-long convoy of Russian forces approaching KyivThe kill team is awaiting green signal from Moscow to eliminate people mentioned in their hit list that also includes Ukrainian PM, cabinet ministers and Kyiv mayor apart from other noted personalities. According to the report, the information about the dreaded plan had reached the Ukrainian government prompting to declare a 36-hour stiff curfew last week. The authorities had asked to remain indoors for the Ukrainian soldiers to carry out their operation to hunt down the Russian saboteurs. ALSO READ: Russia Ukraine War: India reiterates call for immediate cessation of violence, end to hostilitiesMeanwhile, Russian forces have intensifed their military operation as they approach Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Latest satellite images show a 64-kilometres long convoy of the Russian army north of Ukraine capital Kyiv, that said 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children since the Russian invasion started on February 24. 

Putin wants Ukrainian president Zelensky to be assassinated? 400 Russian assassins flown in, says report

The kill team is awaiting green signal from Moscow to eliminate people mentioned in their hit list that also includes Ukrainian PM.

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18 months after Panama Papers leak that shook the world by its revelations, another trove of leaked documents show the offshore accounts and investments of the world's elite in tax havens. 714 Indians figure in the “Paradise Papers”, a cache of 13.4 million financial documents, making India only the 19th in terms of the number of names among 180 countries represented in the data.The documents were obtained by the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and partner media outlets. Related Stories Panama papers case: Pakistan's ousted PM Nawaz Sharif returns home from UK to face trialAfter Panama, Paradise Papers reveal tax haven secrets of world's ultra-rich people‘Paradise Papers’: 714 Indians in leak revealing offshore accounts in tax havens, says reportThe leak reveals data of over 25,000 companies spanning 180 countries, from 1950 to 2016. The leaks contain documents mainly from Appleby, an offshore law firm with offices in Bermuda and beyond. Among the 180 countries represented in the data, India ranks 19th in terms of the number of names.The report does not suggest that anyone named in the papers acted illegally. Setting up offshore entities for corporate restructuring or expansion is not illegal in many countries but is often done to exploit loopholes in law to avoid legitimate taxes in their country.The queen's investment managers placed roughly 10 million pounds ($13 million) in offshore portfolios in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.The investments were made in 2004 and 2005 by the Duchy of Lancaster, the queen's private financial manager.The documents showed that the queen has roughly 3200 pounds invested in BrightHouse, a household goods and electronics retailer that has been accused of exploiting customers by charging high interest rates.The queen pays taxes on the income generated by her holdings in the Duchy of Lancaster. She has vast financial assets, including luxury real estate, valuable artwork and jewelry. She is also the legal owner of many of the swans on the River Thames.Response: The Duchy of Lancaster, which holds assets for the British monarch to generate income for her, confirmed in a statement that some of its investments are in overseas accounts. It said that all its investments were legitimate."We operate a number of investments and a few of these are with overseas funds. All of our investments are fully audited and legitimate," it said.The duchy has an ongoing investment in the Cayman Island fund and was not aware of the investment in BrightHouse, a spokeswoman for Queen Elizabeth II told The Guardian. The queen voluntarily pays tax on income from the duchy and its investments, the spokeswoman said. She also confirmed the duchy’s investments in two additional offshore funds. “The duchy’s investment policy is based on advice and recommendations from our investment consultants and asset allocation rather than tax strategy,” the spokeswoman said.Ross, a billionaire Wall Street investor known for buying distressed companies, was a major client of Appleby, which administered more than 50 companies and partnerships that invested in a range of industries on behalf of his private equity firm, W.L. Ross & Co, LLC.  Ross divested himself of most of his business interests when he joined the Trump Cabinet in February 2017. Ross is an investor in Navigator Holdings, a shipping giant that counts Russian gas and petrochemical producer Sibur among its major customers. Putin's son-in-law Kirill Shamalov once owned more than 20 percent of the company, but now holds a much smaller stake.But he kept a stake in the shipping company Navigator Holdings through a chain of companies in the Cayman Islands, Appleby’s files and public records show. Ross previously served on Navigator’s board, and WL Ross & Co., which he headed until joining the Cabinet, has been Navigator’s largest shareholder since 2012.Response:A spokesman for Ross said that he has never met Shamalov, Timchenko or Mikhelson. He said that Ross “recuses himself from any matters focused of transoceanic shipping vessels, but has been generally supportive of the administration’s sanctions of Russian and Venezuelan entities.”Shaukat Aziz, Pakistan’s prime minister from 2004 to 2007 and the country’s finance minister for five years before that, worked for Citibank before starting his career as a politician. Documents show him as one of the shareholders and directors of Bahamas-registered Cititrust Limited from 1997 to 1999, along with other executives of the bank.“Shaukat Aziz set up the Antarctic Trust in the name of his wife, three children and granddaughter weeks before he came to Pakistan to lead the finance ministry,” ICIJ representative Umar Cheema told Geo NewsIn 1999, the year he was appointed finance minister, Aziz created the Antarctic Trust in the name of his wife, three children and granddaughter. The trust does not appear in the financial disclosure statements Aziz submitted from 2003 to 2006, while he was finance minister and prime minister.Appleby’s Bermuda office was the trust’s protector, acting as an independent overseer. In a 2012 internal memo, the law firm’s compliance officer noted that Aziz had been accused by the opposition of false declaration of assets, corruption and misappropriation of funds.Three years later, in a database of high-risk clients, Appleby also noted that a Pakistani court had issued three arrest warrants against Aziz in relation to the killing of a local leader. In September 2015, Antarctic Trust was closed and the related file removed from one of Appleby’s internal databases. Aziz has dismissed both the accusations of graft and any association with the murder.Response: The Antarctic Trust, now closed, held most of Aziz’s assets earned when he worked at Citicorp and was created before he relocated to Pakistan to be appointed finance minister. The purpose was “to insure that if he were to die, his assets would pass efficiently to his family,” Aziz’s lawyer told ICIJ. The law in Pakistan requires politicians to disclose their assets. Asked why Aziz’s asset declarations in Pakistan didn’t mention the Antarctic Trust, the lawyer told ICIJ that the “legal owner” of the trust was Citicorp Trust Delaware N.A., not Aziz, and that Aziz and his family members paid all U.S. taxes they owed, the lawyer said.Cititrust is an affiliate of Citicorp where Aziz was an executive, and managed his personal assets for many years, the lawyer said.Leaks revealed that Bronfman, heir to the Seagram fortune, moved some USD 60 million to offshore tax havens with ex-senator Leo Kolber. The offshore maneuvers may have avoided taxes in Canada, the United States and Israel, according to the ICIJ report based on experts’ reviews of the 3,000-plus files detailing the trust’s activities.The revelations about Bronfman could spell trouble for Trudeau, who has championed openness in government and promised a crackdown on offshore tax dodgingResponse: Kolber’s lawyers said in a letter to ICIJ’s partner CBC that “none of the transactions or entities at issue were effected or established to evade or even avoid taxation.” They added that the trusts “were always in full conformity with all applicable laws and requirements,” and said that no further comment would be provided by Stephen Bronfman. Trudeau’s office declined to comment.

Paradise Papers: From Queen Elizabeth to US Commerce Secretary, world's who's who in list for 'skirting taxes'

Paradise Papers leak shows the offshore accounts and investments of Queen Elizabeth II, Wilbur Ross, Shaukat Aziz in tax havens.

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Fumio Kishida reelected Japan's PM in parliamentary vote.Fumio Kishida was reelected as Japan’s prime minister on Wednesday after his governing party scored a major victory in key parliamentary elections.Elected just over a month ago by parliament, Kishida called a quick election in which his governing party secured 261 seats in the 465-member lower house- the more powerful of Japan’s two-chamber legislature- enough to maintain a free hand in pushing legislation through parliament.The October 31 victory increases his grip on power and is seen as a mandate from voters for his weeks-old government to tackle the pandemic-battered economy, virus measures and other challenges. Kishida said he saw the results as a signal that voters chose stability over change.Later Wednesday, he will form his second Cabinet by keeping all but one of the ministers he appointed when he took office on Oct. 4, and then map out his economic measures and other key policies at a news conference.Kishida had been chosen by the Liberal Democrats as a safe, conservative choice a month ago. They had feared heavy election losses if the unpopular Yoshihide Suga had stayed in power. Suga resigned after only a year in office as his popularity plunged over criticism of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and his insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics despite concerns of a virus surge.The better-than-expected election results may give Kishida’s government more power and time to work on campaign promises, including COVID-19 control, economic revitalization and strengthening Japan’s defense capability.Kishida’s grip on power also may be strengthened by his Cabinet changes.A key policy expert from his party faction, former Education Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, will be the new Foreign Minister, while former Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi will shift to the governing party’s No. 2 post.Motegi voted for Kishida in the party leadership race and will replace party heavyweight Akira Amari, who resigned from the post over his unimpressive election outcome due to his past bribery scandal.Though many of Kishida’s ministers are first-timers, key posts went to those from influential and party wings, including those led by ultra-conservative former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and former Finance Minister Taro Aso.Kishida promises to create a reinforcing cycle of growth and improved economic distribution to raise incomes under his “new capitalism” economic policy.Kishida’s immediate post-election task is to compile a major economic stimulus package of about 30 trillion yen ($265 billion) that includes cash payouts, to be announced next week. He also aims to pass an extra budget by the end of this year to fund the projects.At a government meeting Tuesday, Kishida renewed his pledge to create a positive cycle of growth-distribution by bolstering investment and income.Kishida is also expected to outline later this week his pandemic measures ahead of another possible surge in cases, which could affect his support ratings.As a former foreign minister, Kishida will continue to prioritize the Japan- US security alliance and promote a vision of a “free and open Indo-Pacific” with other democracies, including Quad dialogue members the U.S., Australia and India.Kishida has stressed the importance of a stronger military amid worries over China’s growing power and influence and North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats.He has opposed changes to a law that requires married couples to adopt a single surname, which forces most women to abandon their maiden names. The Liberal Democrats are widely seen as opposed to gender equality and diversity.

Fumio Kishida reelected Japan's Prime Minister in parliamentary vote

Kishida had been chosen by Liberal Democrats as a safe, conservative choice a month ago. They had feared heavy election losses if the unpopular Yoshihide Suga had stayed in power.

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US President Donald TrumpUS President Donald Trump has vowed "severe punishment" if Saudi Arabia was behind the disappearance of its dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi who is feared killed at the kingdom's consulate in Turkey.Trump, however, opposed the idea of cancelling the mega USD 110 billion arms deal with Riyadh, saying this will hurt American companies and jobs.Related Stories U.S.-backed air campaign embroiled in controversy over war crimes in YemenPak, Saudi TV channels illegally aired in Kashmir, incite people for ‘azadi’Saudi Arabia: Two guards killed in attack at Royal Palace in Jeddah; attacker shot deadHis remarks came amidst mounting pressure as reports coming out of Turkey suggest that Khashoggi was brutally killed by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul.Khashoggi, 59, a Washington Post contributor, had gone there to collect some papers for his marriage."Well, there's a lot at stake. And maybe especially so because this man was a reporter. There's something-- you'll be surprised to hear me say that. There's something really terrible and disgusting about that, if that were the case. So we're gonna have to see. We're going to get to the bottom of it and there will be severe punishment," Trump told CBS News.The interview was aired on Sunday.In a statement issued through the official Saudi Press Agency, Saudi Arabia has said it would retaliate if there were any sanctions by the US."It will respond with greater action" if there was any action from the United states, it said."The Kingdom's economy has an influential and vital role in the global economy and that the Kingdom's economy is affected only by the impact of the global economy," it said.Trump resisted the move to take steps that would harm the United States itself."What are you options? Let's say they did. What are your options? Would you consider imposing sanctions, as a bipartisan group of senators have proposed?" he was asked."It depends on what the sanction is. I'll give an example. They are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted that order. Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it. We got it," he said."I tell you what I don't wanna do. Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, all these companies, I don't wanna hurt jobs. I don't wanna lose an order like that. There are other ways of punishing, to use a word that's a pretty harsh word, but it's true," he said in response to the question.The matter is still being investigated and Saudi Arabia has been claiming that Khashoggi left its Consulate in Istanbul.Turkish investigative agencies, according to media reports, claim that they have audio and video evidence which indicated that the journalist was brutally killed inside the consulate. The US has sought information from Saudi Arabia.Trump has said that he intends to speak to the Saudi King soon."Nobody knows yet, but we'll probably be able to find out. It's being investigated. It's being looked at very, very strongly. We would be very upset and angry if that were the case. As of this moment, they deny it. And deny it vehemently. Could it be them? Yes," Trump added.Meanwhile, the government of Saudi Arabia on Sunday vowed to retaliate with "greater action" if the Trump administration punishes the country for the apparently preplanned murder of a dissident earlier this month inside its Turkish Embassy."The Kingdom affirms its total rejection of any threats and attempts to undermine it, whether by waving economic sanctions, using political pressure, or repeating false accusations," the country said in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency."The Kingdom also affirms that if it receives any action, it will respond with greater action, [and] that the Kingdom's economy has an influential and vital role in the global economy," the statement continued.

Trump vows 'severe punishment' if Saudi Arabia is behind missing journalist, opposes cancelling of $110 bn arms deal

His remarks came amidst mounting pressure as reports coming out of Turkey suggest that Khashoggi was brutally killed by Saudi officials inside their consulate in Istanbul.

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US: States can order COVID shots for younger kids next weekUS health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to order doses before the shots are authorised. Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is currently being given to people as young as 12 in the US. In the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making smaller-dose versions available to the nation's 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11. To help states and cities prepare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week sent out a seven-page document with guidance on how to set up expanded vaccination programs. For example, it notes pharmacies in every state can give COVID-19 shots to children, but it clarifies that only doses prepared and packaged specifically for children are to be used for those under 12. It doesn't speak to some thornier questions, however, such as how much school-based clinics should be relied on or whether kids should be required to get then shots as a condition of school attendance. Those questions will have to be worked out in each state and city. The guidance comes as communities are gearing up for a new phase in the 10-month-old effort to vaccinate as many people as possible against a virus that has killed more than 720,000 in the U.S. The disease has been most dangerous to older adults, who have higher rates of death and hospitalisation than children. But some kids are at risk for severe illness, and more than 540 US children have died from COVID-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Just as important, health officials believe that vaccinating children will reduce virus spread to vulnerable adults. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are furthest along in researching use of their vaccine in younger children. They say a two-dose vaccine series — one-third as potent as the version giving to people over 12 years old — is safe and effective in 5- to 11-year-olds. An independent expert panel that advises the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to publicly debate the evidence at a meeting in late October. If the FDA authorises the kid-size doses, a different expert panel advising the CDC would take up the matter in early November, and then offer a recommendation to the CDC. It's not yet clear how many people will get shots for their younger kids right away, said Dr Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. “We're going to have potentially a very busy, and perhaps modestly chaotic time” initially, he said. But there probably will not be the kind of heavy demand seen when shots first became available for adults, he added. The new CDC guidance calls for shots to be given at the offices of pediatricians and family-practice doctors, and at pharmacies, rural health clinics and federally-qualified health centres. The CDC discussed the option of vaccination clinics at schools, but stopped short of endorsing that as a primary way to get kids vaccinated. School clinics are logistically appealing, but many parents may not be comfortable with the idea, Plescia said. The guidance also warns health care providers to only use doses that have been prepared especially for kids, and not try to fraction adult doses, Plescia noted. CDC guidance said immunisation program managers can start ordering doses Wednesday, though vials wouldn't be delivered until the FDA and CDC sign off.US health officials are setting the stage for a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign for younger children, inviting state officials to order doses before the shots are authorised.Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is currently being given to people as young as 12 in the US. In the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making smaller-dose versions available to the nation's 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11.To help states and cities prepare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week sent out a seven-page document with guidance on how to set up expanded vaccination programs.For example, it notes pharmacies in every state can give COVID-19 shots to children, but it clarifies that only doses prepared and packaged specifically for children are to be used for those under 12.It doesn't speak to some thornier questions, however, such as how much school-based clinics should be relied on or whether kids should be required to get then shots as a condition of school attendance. Those questions will have to be worked out in each state and city.The guidance comes as communities are gearing up for a new phase in the 10-month-old effort to vaccinate as many people as possible against a virus that has killed more than 720,000 in the U.S.The disease has been most dangerous to older adults, who have higher rates of death and hospitalisation than children. But some kids are at risk for severe illness, and more than 540 US children have died from COVID-19, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.Just as important, health officials believe that vaccinating children will reduce virus spread to vulnerable adults.Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech are furthest along in researching use of their vaccine in younger children. They say a two-dose vaccine series — one-third as potent as the version giving to people over 12 years old — is safe and effective in 5- to 11-year-olds.An independent expert panel that advises the Food and Drug Administration is scheduled to publicly debate the evidence at a meeting in late October. If the FDA authorises the kid-size doses, a different expert panel advising the CDC would take up the matter in early November, and then offer a recommendation to the CDC.It's not yet clear how many people will get shots for their younger kids right away, said Dr Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.“We're going to have potentially a very busy, and perhaps modestly chaotic time” initially, he said.But there probably will not be the kind of heavy demand seen when shots first became available for adults, he added.The new CDC guidance calls for shots to be given at the offices of pediatricians and family-practice doctors, and at pharmacies, rural health clinics and federally-qualified health centres.The CDC discussed the option of vaccination clinics at schools, but stopped short of endorsing that as a primary way to get kids vaccinated. School clinics are logistically appealing, but many parents may not be comfortable with the idea, Plescia said.The guidance also warns health care providers to only use doses that have been prepared especially for kids, and not try to fraction adult doses, Plescia noted.When the coronavirus vaccines were first authorized in December, the U.S. government prioritized having hospitals and pharmacies administer them. Some office-based physicians felt left out.Dr Jesse Hackell registered early with New York state to be able to administer the shots to teens. He said his office, located 25 miles north of New York City, didn't receive doses for that until May.But Hackell said the CDC has reassured pediatricians that once authorization happens for 5- to-11-year-olds, the process will go more smoothly and pediatricians' offices will be able to get shipments quickly.Dr Richard Besser called on the government to do more to address racial and economic disparities that might emerge in the push to vaccinate younger kids. For example, kids may not get shots if parents can't get time off from work to bring them in."It's really important that we recognise the barriers to vaccinations," said Besser, chief executive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and former acting director of the CDC. ALSO READ: ​US to allow entry to fully vaccinated foreign travellers from November 8

US: States can order COVID shots for younger kids next week

Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine is currently being given to people as young as 12 in the US. In the next three weeks, federal officials plan to discuss making smaller-dose versions available to the nation's 28 million children between the ages of 5 and 11.

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Kim Jong Un ready to discuss nukes: North Korea tells USNorth Korea’s government has communicated with the United States to say that leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss his nuclear weapons program with President Donald Trump, officials said Sunday, increasing the likelihood that the unprecedented summit will actually occur.The confirmation from Pyongyang directly, rather than from third countries like South Korea, has created more confidence within Trump’s administration about the wisdom of holding such a meeting, as U.S. officials make secretive preparations. The Trump administration has long said that if the North Koreans weren’t ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations.Trump took his own administration and other countries by surprise last month when he accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. The North had conveyed the invitation to a visiting delegation from South Korea, which in turn traveled to Washington and relayed the message to Trump.The president said yes to the meeting on the spot, even though the U.S. had not yet heard directly from North Korea about Kim’s intentions. The U.S. later heard from other countries including China, where Kim paid a rare visit, that the North was serious about the offer.Still, North Korea’s government has not said anything publicly at all about a meeting with Trump, and the lack of known contact between Pyongyang and Washington about the meeting has fueled further speculation about the seriousness of Kim’s offer.A Trump administration official on Sunday said that the U.S. had “confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula?.” A second official said that confirmation had come through direct contact between American and North Korean officials.Neither of the officials would say when or how the contact took place, nor in what location. The officials weren’t authorized to comment by name and demanded anonymity.Previously, former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said there were at least two or three channels through which U.S. and North Korean officials communicate from time to time.The Trump administration has not said where the meeting will place or whether a location has been determined, nor has an exact date been set. Initially, the White House said it expected the meeting to take place by the end of May. It’s unclear whether a date that early could be achieved or whether it might be delayed.The contacts between Pyongyang and Washington come as Trump’s new national security adviser, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, prepares to start work at the White House formally on Monday. Prior to being named to the post, Bolton had long expressed hawkish views about North Korea, even advocating a pre-emptive military strike.

Kim Jong Un ready to discuss nukes: North Korea tells US

The Trump administration has long said that if the North Koreans weren’t ready to discuss giving up their nuclear program, there was no reason for the two countries to hold negotiations.

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China on Monday gave a clear-cut hint that it would block India’s plea for inclusion in the prestigious Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The Communist Party-ruled nation said that there was no change in its position for New Delhi’s bid for entry into the group. The Chinese persistence on its stand against India's entry makes it difficult for India to secure an NSG membership in the upcoming plenary meet of the 48-member elite grouping which regulates global nuclear trade. The plenary session is expected to be held at Bern in Switzerland in June. It may be recalled that at the NSG's plenary session in Seoul in June 2016, China opposed India's application. It again scuttled India's bid in the November consultative group meeting. India has been backed by the US, Switzerland, Mexico, Italy, Russia and Britain, but China opposes its entry, citing its non-signatory status to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty."China's position on the non-NPT members' participation in the NSG has not changed," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Monday."We support the NSG group following the mandate of the 2016 plenary session and following building consensus as well as the intergovernmental process that is open and transparent to deal with the relevant issues in a two-step approach," she added.Beijing argues that if India can be let in why not Pakistan, which is also not an NPT member.India finds the NPT discriminatory in nature.In January this year, China had said that admission of non-NPT signatories in NSG cannot be a "farewell gift" for countries to give to each other -- after the outgoing Obama administration remarked that Beijing was an "outlier" in the efforts to make India a member of the elite nuclear club.China's opposition is likely to increase tensions with India, which recently boycotted Beijing's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative in opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).CPEC passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which is claimed by India as its own.The issue of the Dalai Lama visiting Arunachal Pradesh has added to the cold vibes between the two.Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of fomenting secessionist activities in Tibet and claims Arunachal Pradesh as its own.( With IANS inputs) 

NSG: China hints at blocking India's inclusion in coveted group again

The Communist Party-ruled nation said that there was no change in its position for New Delhi’s bid for entry into the group

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Pakistan anti-corruption court extends Former President Zardari's judicial remand by three daysAn anti-corruption court on Friday extended former Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari's judicial remand in the fake bank accounts case by three days, according to media reports.Zardari, 64, was presented before accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir who sent the former president to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand, after the National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Muzaffar Abbasi said there was a new development in the matter and sought an extension in Zardari's physical remand, Dawn newspaper reported.The co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party will now be presented in the accountability court on August 19, the report said. Zardari's counsel Sardar Latif Khosa told the court his client had already said he be given a 90-day remand, Geo TV reported."The NAB officials ask for a four-day remand then again ask for a new remand. These repeated appearances are only causing losses to the national treasury," the counsel was quoted as saying.Zardari, the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, asked why wasn't he allowed to meet his daughter Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, despite her having the court's permission.Khosa also filed a plea in the court asking that Zardari be provided with A-class facilities in prison, including medical facilities and the permission to meet his family. Zardari said that he was not allowed to offer prayers even on Eidul Azha. Zardari, the husband of the country's first woman prime minister Benazir Bhutto, was arrested by the NAB officials on July 1. He was already in NAB custody since June 10 after the Islamabad High Court dismissed his pre-arrest bail petition in the fake accounts case. Zardari has denied any link with the fake accounts. He has said the allegation was part of a vilification campaign by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of Prime Minister Imran Khan to malign Opposition leaders.

Pakistan anti-corruption court extends Former President Zardari's judicial remand by three days

Zardari, 64, was presented before accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir who sent the former president to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on judicial remand after the National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Muzaffar Abbasi said there was a new development in the matter and sought an extension in Zardari's physical remand, Dawn newspaper reported.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi meeting the President of United States of America (USA), Donald Trump and the first lady of USA, Melania Trump at White House, in Washington DC, USA in June 2017Mispronunciation, awkward meetings, lack of telephone etiquette and, now, a lack of familiarity with South Asia, the list of alleged diplomatic faux-pas by United States President Donald Trump continues to grow. In a latest compilation of such mistakes allegedly committed by Trump in office, US-based media house has listed an incident where he Bhutan as 'button' and Nepal as 'nipple'. What more? the US president reportedly tried to set-up Prime Minister Narendra Modi with someone. Related Stories Rahul Gandhi attacks PM, says his 'hugplomacy' failed to prevent release of terror mastermindFuture very bright for US-India counter-terrorism cooperation: Trump administrationUS blames 'trail of broken promises' for North Korea summit collapseAhead of the meeting last year with PM Modi at the White House, Trump allegedly studied a map of South Asia and mispronounced Nepal as "nipple" and referred to Bhutan as "button," Politico said, quoting two unnamed sources. The president seemed confused that the two countries - which border India - even existed, the report says."He didn't know what those were. He thought it was all part of India," a source told Politico. "He was like, 'What is this stuff in between and these other countries?'"After Trump's staffers told the president that PM Modi would not be bringing his wife along to the meeting at the White House, Trump allegedly joked, "Ah, I think I can set him up with somebody," the report said, according to "two people briefed on the meeting."White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told Politico that Trump has developed "strong relationships" with "America's closest allies," which allow for "candid conversations."Incidentally, Trump's bit about fixing PM Modi with someone is not the first joke he has made at his expense. According to a report from The Post earlier this year, Trump often affects an Indian accent and imitates the prime minister.Despite the jokes and friction on trade tariffs, India-US ties have been strong and PM Modi and US President Donald Trump seems to share a great rapport. PM Modi has invited Trump to be the chief guest at India's Republic Day military parade on Jan. 26 - but there is no word yet whether the US president will accept.

Button, nipple and matchmaking for Modi: Latest 'diplomatic faux-pas' by US President Donald Trump

Incidentally, Trump's bit about fixing PM Modi with someone is not the first joke he has made at his expense.

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Representational PicA bomb exploded on Wednesday at the office of a major hydropower project being constructed with Indian assistance in Nepal.It was second such incident at the facility in over a month.Related Stories Bomb explodes outside Indian consulate office in Nepal, no casualtiesChina moots India-Nepal-China economic corridor through Himalayas The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device in the office of Arun III hydropower in Tumlingtar, nearly 500 km from Kathmandu.According to the police, the explosion did not cause any serious damage and no one was injured in the incident.Security arrangements have been intensified following the incident.On April 29, a CPN Maoist faction had exploded a bomb at the office of the project weeks before its inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A Project Development Agreement (PDA) for Arun III was signed with India's state-owned Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) on November 25, 2014 in the presence of the then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and visiting Indian Prime Minister Modi. 

Nepal: Blast at India-developed hydroelectricity project, security arrangements intensified

The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device in the office of Arun III hydropower in Tumlingtar, nearly 500 km from Kathmandu.

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US: Omicron explosion spurs nationwide breakdown of services. Ambulances in Kansas speed toward hospitals then suddenly change direction because hospitals are full. Employee shortages in New York City cause delays in trash and subway services and diminish the ranks of firefighters and emergency workers. Airport officials shut down security checkpoints at the biggest terminal in Phoenix and schools across the nation struggle to find teachers for their classrooms. The current explosion of omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services- the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic. “This really does, I think, remind everyone of when COVID-19 first appeared and there were such major disruptions across every part of our normal life,” said Tom Cotter, director of emergency response and preparedness at the global health nonprofit Project HOPE. “And the unfortunate reality is, there’s no way of predicting what will happen next until we get our vaccination numbers- globally- up.” First responders, hospitals, schools and government agencies have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep the public safe, but they are worried how much longer they can keep it up. In Kansas’ Johnson County, paramedics are working 80 hours a week. Ambulances have frequently been forced to alter their course when the hospitals they’re heading to tell them they’re too overwhelmed to help, confusing the patients’ already anxious family members driving behind them. When the ambulances arrive at hospitals, some of their emergency patients end up in waiting rooms because there are no beds. Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Hospital, said when the leader of a rural hospital had no place to send its dialysis patients this week, the hospital’s staff consulted a textbook and “tried to put in some catheters and figure out how to do it.” Medical facilities have been hit by a “double whammy,” he said. The number of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Hospital rose from 40 on Dec. 1 to 139 on Friday. At the same time, more than 900 employees have been sickened with COVID-19 or are awaiting test results- 7% of the hospital’s 13,500-person workforce. “What my hope is and what we’re going to cross our fingers around is that as it peaks ... maybe it’ll have the same rapid fall we saw in South Africa,” Stites said, referring to the swiftness with which the number of cases fell in that country. “We don’t know that. That’s just hope.” The omicron variant spreads even more easily than other coronavirus strains, and has already become dominant in many countries. It also more readily infects those who have been vaccinated or had previously been infected by prior versions of the virus. However, early studies show omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the previous delta variant, and vaccination and a booster still offer strong protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death. Still, its easy transmissibility has led to skyrocketing cases in the U.S., which is affecting businesses, government offices and public services alike. In downtown Boise, Idaho, customers were queued up outside a pharmacy before it opened Friday morning and before long, the line wound throughout the large drugstore. Pharmacies have been slammed by staffing shortages, either because employees are out sick or have left altogether. Pharmacy technician Anecia Mascorro said that prior to the pandemic, the Sav-On Pharmacy where she works always had prescriptions ready for the next day. Now, it’s taking a lot longer to fill the hundreds of orders that are pouring in. “The demand is crazy- everybody’s not getting their scripts fast enough so they keep transferring to us,” Mascorro said. In Los Angeles, more than 800 police and fire personnel were sidelined because of the virus as of Thursday, causing slightly longer ambulance and fire response times. In New York City, officials have had to delay or scale back trash and subway services because of a virus-fueled staffing hemorrhage. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said about one-fifth of subway operators and conductors- 1,300 people- have been absent in recent days. Almost one-fourth of the city sanitation department’s workers were out sick Thursday, Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson said. “Everybody’s working ’round the clock, 12-hour shifts,” Grayson said. The city’s fire department also has adjusted for higher absences. Officials said Thursday that 28% of EMS workers were out sick, compared with about 8% to 10% on a normal day. Twice as many firefighters as usual were also absent. In contrast, the police department saw its sick rate fall over the past week, officials said. At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, two checkpoints at the airport’s busiest terminal were shut down because not enough Transportation Security Administration agents showed up for work, according to statements from airport and TSA officials. Meanwhile, schools from coast to coast tried to maintain in-person instruction despite massive teacher absences. In Chicago, a tense standoff between the school district and teachers union over remote learning and COVID-19 safety protocols led to classes being canceled over the past three days. In San Francisco, nearly 900 educators and aides called in sick Thursday. In Hawaii, where public schools are under one statewide district, 1,600 teachers and staff were absent Wednesday because of illness or pre-arranged vacation or leave. The state’s teachers union criticized education officials for not better preparing for the ensuing void. Osa Tui Jr., head of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said counselors and security guards were being pulled to go “babysit a classroom.” “That is very inappropriate,” Tui said at a news conference. “To have this model where there are so many teachers out and for the department to say, ‘Send your kid’ to a classroom that doesn’t have a teacher, what’s the point of that?” In New Haven, Connecticut, where hundreds of teachers have been out each day this week, administrators have helped to cover classrooms. Some teachers say they appreciate that, but that it can be confusing for students, adding to the physical and mental stress they’re already feeling because of the pandemic. “We’ve already been tested so much. How much can the rubber band stretch here?” asked Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_6460804616 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2022/01/0_g10fnu7m/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_g10fnu7m_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "duration": "1119", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); function jwsetup_6460804616() { jwvidplayer_6460804616 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6460804616").setup(jwconfig_6460804616); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6460804616, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_g10fnu7m\", ns_st_pr=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2022-01-09\", ns_st_tdt=\"2022-01-09\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2022/01/0_g10fnu7m/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6460804616.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6460804616.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6460804616.stop(); jwvidplayer_6460804616.remove(); jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6460804616.stop(); jwvidplayer_6460804616.remove(); jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ALSO READ: United States: Hospitalizations skyrocket in kids too young for COVID shotsAmbulances in Kansas speed toward hospitals then suddenly change direction because hospitals are full. Employee shortages in New York City cause delays in trash and subway services and diminish the ranks of firefighters and emergency workers. Airport officials shut down security checkpoints at the biggest terminal in Phoenix and schools across the nation struggle to find teachers for their classrooms.The current explosion of omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services- the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic.“This really does, I think, remind everyone of when COVID-19 first appeared and there were such major disruptions across every part of our normal life,” said Tom Cotter, director of emergency response and preparedness at the global health nonprofit Project HOPE. “And the unfortunate reality is, there’s no way of predicting what will happen next until we get our vaccination numbers- globally- up.”First responders, hospitals, schools and government agencies have employed an all-hands-on-deck approach to keep the public safe, but they are worried how much longer they can keep it up.In Kansas’ Johnson County, paramedics are working 80 hours a week. Ambulances have frequently been forced to alter their course when the hospitals they’re heading to tell them they’re too overwhelmed to help, confusing the patients’ already anxious family members driving behind them. When the ambulances arrive at hospitals, some of their emergency patients end up in waiting rooms because there are no beds.Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer for the University of Kansas Hospital, said when the leader of a rural hospital had no place to send its dialysis patients this week, the hospital’s staff consulted a textbook and “tried to put in some catheters and figure out how to do it.”Medical facilities have been hit by a “double whammy,” he said. The number of COVID-19 patients at the University of Kansas Hospital rose from 40 on Dec. 1 to 139 on Friday. At the same time, more than 900 employees have been sickened with COVID-19 or are awaiting test results- 7% of the hospital’s 13,500-person workforce.“What my hope is and what we’re going to cross our fingers around is that as it peaks ... maybe it’ll have the same rapid fall we saw in South Africa,” Stites said, referring to the swiftness with which the number of cases fell in that country. “We don’t know that. That’s just hope.”The omicron variant spreads even more easily than other coronavirus strains, and has already become dominant in many countries. It also more readily infects those who have been vaccinated or had previously been infected by prior versions of the virus. However, early studies show omicron is less likely to cause severe illness than the previous delta variant, and vaccination and a booster still offer strong protection from serious illness, hospitalization and death.Still, its easy transmissibility has led to skyrocketing cases in the U.S., which is affecting businesses, government offices and public services alike.In downtown Boise, Idaho, customers were queued up outside a pharmacy before it opened Friday morning and before long, the line wound throughout the large drugstore. Pharmacies have been slammed by staffing shortages, either because employees are out sick or have left altogether.Pharmacy technician Anecia Mascorro said that prior to the pandemic, the Sav-On Pharmacy where she works always had prescriptions ready for the next day. Now, it’s taking a lot longer to fill the hundreds of orders that are pouring in.“The demand is crazy- everybody’s not getting their scripts fast enough so they keep transferring to us,” Mascorro said.In Los Angeles, more than 800 police and fire personnel were sidelined because of the virus as of Thursday, causing slightly longer ambulance and fire response times.In New York City, officials have had to delay or scale back trash and subway services because of a virus-fueled staffing hemorrhage. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority said about one-fifth of subway operators and conductors- 1,300 people- have been absent in recent days. Almost one-fourth of the city sanitation department’s workers were out sick Thursday, Sanitation Commissioner Edward Grayson said.“Everybody’s working ’round the clock, 12-hour shifts,” Grayson said.The city’s fire department also has adjusted for higher absences. Officials said Thursday that 28% of EMS workers were out sick, compared with about 8% to 10% on a normal day. Twice as many firefighters as usual were also absent.In contrast, the police department saw its sick rate fall over the past week, officials said.At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, two checkpoints at the airport’s busiest terminal were shut down because not enough Transportation Security Administration agents showed up for work, according to statements from airport and TSA officials.Meanwhile, schools from coast to coast tried to maintain in-person instruction despite massive teacher absences. In Chicago, a tense standoff between the school district and teachers union over remote learning and COVID-19 safety protocols led to classes being canceled over the past three days. In San Francisco, nearly 900 educators and aides called in sick Thursday.In Hawaii, where public schools are under one statewide district, 1,600 teachers and staff were absent Wednesday because of illness or pre-arranged vacation or leave. The state’s teachers union criticized education officials for not better preparing for the ensuing void. Osa Tui Jr., head of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, said counselors and security guards were being pulled to go “babysit a classroom.”“That is very inappropriate,” Tui said at a news conference. “To have this model where there are so many teachers out and for the department to say, ‘Send your kid’ to a classroom that doesn’t have a teacher, what’s the point of that?”In New Haven, Connecticut, where hundreds of teachers have been out each day this week, administrators have helped to cover classrooms. Some teachers say they appreciate that, but that it can be confusing for students, adding to the physical and mental stress they’re already feeling because of the pandemic.“We’ve already been tested so much. How much can the rubber band stretch here?” asked Leslie Blatteau, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_6460804616 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2022/01/0_g10fnu7m/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_g10fnu7m_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "duration": "1119", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); function jwsetup_6460804616() { jwvidplayer_6460804616 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6460804616").setup(jwconfig_6460804616); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6460804616, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_g10fnu7m\", ns_st_pr=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Superfast 200: Watch the latest news from India and around the world | January 09, 2022\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2022-01-09\", ns_st_tdt=\"2022-01-09\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2022/01/0_g10fnu7m/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6460804616.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6460804616.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6460804616.stop(); jwvidplayer_6460804616.remove(); jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6460804616.stop(); jwvidplayer_6460804616.remove(); jwvidplayer_6460804616 = ''; jwsetup_6460804616(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6460804616.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ALSO READ: United States: Joe Biden urges concern but not alarm as omicron cases rises

US: Omicron explosion spurs nationwide breakdown of services

The current explosion of omicron-fueled coronavirus infections in the U.S. is causing a breakdown in basic functions and services- the latest illustration of how COVID-19 keeps upending life more than two years into the pandemic.

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Representative Image.At least two people were killed and 10 others injured as a bomb exploded near a flyover in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Friday.Some vendors were selling fruit and other items of daily use near the flyover at Quaidabad locality of the city when the bomb went off, damaging buildings and triggering panic in the densely populated area, police said.Related Stories Pakistan frees 2 Taliban members as US envoy visits region‘No immediate plans’ to grant MFN status to India: Pakistan Pakistan needs to do more in its fight against terrorism: US top officialOfficials investigating the blast said that at least 500 grams of explosives were used in the home-made explosive device, the Express Tribune reported.The blast killed two teenagers, aged 18 and 16, and injured 10 others, officials said.Soon after the blast, Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) officials reached the site of the incident and defused a second bomb, with at least two kilograms of explosives.The officials said that the blast was pre-planned and the objective was to draw first responders and people to the blast site after the first bomb exploded and then detonate the second bomb.“If the second explosion had happened, the losses would have been much higher,” an official said.The 10 injured have been shifted to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for treatment.Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the blast. 

Pakistan: Bomb blast rocks Karachi, 2 killed, 10 injured

Officials investigating the blast said that at least 500 grams of explosives were used in the home-made explosive device, the Express Tribune reported.

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Air pollution linked to increased risk of irreversible vision loss: StudyAir pollution is associated with an increased risk of progressive and irreversible sight loss, known as age related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a long-term study that could pave the way for new treatment options for the disorder. The researchers, including those from the University College London, UK, noted that AMD is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among the over 50s in high-income countries, with the numbers of those affected projected to reach 300 million by 2040.Known risk factors include older age, smoking, and genetic make-up, they said.Given that ambient air pollution is associated with heightened risks of heart and respiratory diseases, the study, published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, analysed if it might also be associated with a heightened risk of AMD.The researchers drew on data from 115,954 UK Biobank (UKBB) study participants aged 40-69 with no eye problems at the start of this study in 2006.Measures of ambient air pollution included those for particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and nitrogen oxides (NOx).Of the total number of study participants, 1,286 were diagnosed with AMD, according to the researchers.Among the 52,602 people whose eyes had been assessed, 75 per cent of those with a clinical diagnosis of AMD had signs of AMD on retinal imaging compared to only 12 per cent of those without a clinical diagnosis of AMD, they said.Analysis of the data showed that higher fine particulate matter (PM2.5 ) exposure was associated with a higher (8 per cent) risk of AMD, while all other pollutants, except coarse particulate matter, were associated with changes in retinal structure.The researchers noted that it is an observational study, and as such, can't establish cause., adding the findings, however, echo those found elsewhere in the world.They suggest ambient air pollution could plausibly be associated with AMD through oxidative stress or inflammation."Overall, our findings suggest that ambient air pollution, especially fine particulate matter or those of combustion-related particles, may affect AMD risk," the researchers noted.

Air pollution linked to increased risk of irreversible vision loss: Study

The researchers, including those from the University College London, UK, noted that AMD is the leading cause of irreversible blindness among the over 50s in high-income countries, with the numbers of those affected projected to reach 300 million by 2040.

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5-year-old dies of 'mysterious disease' and coronavirus complicationsA five-year old boy has died due to complications caused by a mysterious disease related to the coronavirus in New York, officials said on Friday. In his daily press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo said there have been 73 reported cases in New York of children getting severely ill with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome.Kawasaki disease causes inflammation of blood vessels. Toxic shock-like syndrome is a rare, life-threatening complication of certain bacterial infections."On Thursday, a five-year-old boy passed away from these complications, believed to be caused by COVID-19," the governor said, adding the Department of Health is investigating the matter.Children in New York, some of whom had the coronavirus, have recently been hospitalised with the mysterious inflammatory syndrome, with doctors not yet fully aware of the spectrum of the disease.The New York City Health Department said children between aged 2 years and 15 years had been hospitalised from April 17 to May 1 with Kawasaki disease or symptoms of toxic shock.While the "full spectrum of disease is not yet known,” the department said patients with this syndrome who have been admitted to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) have required cardiac and/or respiratory support. “Only severe cases may have been recognised at this time," the department said.The children reported with fever, rash, abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.The Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, where the child was being treated, did not release any further information."While it is concerning that children are affected, we must emphasise that based on what we know thus far, it appears to be a very rare condition," said Lucia Lee, a spokeswoman for the Mount Sinai Health System, in a report in The New York Times.

New York: 5-year-old dies of 'mysterious disease' and coronavirus complications

A five-year old boy has died due to complications caused by a mysterious disease related to the coronavirus in New York, officials said on Friday.

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3 killed in Oman as Cyclone Shaheen batters the sultanateA cyclone battered Oman on Sunday, lashing the sultanate with high winds and rain as the storm killed three people, including a child.Cyclone Shaheen made landfall Sunday night just off from Muscat, Oman’s capital, with winds reaching up to 150 kph (93 mph), according to the state-run Oman News Agency.The cyclone quickly lost strength and forecasters downgraded it to a tropical storm. It left flooding and other damage, forcing some to evacuate their homes. Flights had stopped across the sultanate, which sits on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula.The child who died drowned in floodwaters, while two Asians living in Oman were killed when a rock slide crushed them inside their home, the Oman News Agency reported. Others initially had been reported missing.The neighboring United Arab Emirates also warned those on its eastern reaches to be prepared for the storm.

3 killed in Oman as Cyclone Shaheen batters the sultanate

The cyclone quickly lost strength and forecasters downgraded it to a tropical storm. It left flooding and other damage, forcing some to evacuate their homes.

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Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa conveyed his serious concern to visiting top American general in Afghanistan General John Nicholson about the efforts in the US to "undermine Pakistan's contributions towards war on terror".General Nicholson on Monday met the Pakistan Army Chief days after Pentagon decided to withhold $50 million of the coalition support fund (CSF), Xinhua news agency reported.The US media reported last week Defence Secretary James Mattis informed the Congress that he could not certify Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network."The COAS (Chief of the Army Staff) raised concern over the blame game perpetrated by some quarters in Afghanistan and USA to undermine Pakistan's contributions towards war on terror," the military said after the US commander met General Bajwa at the army headquarters in Rawalpindi.The army chief said that it is not a coincidence that this theme is being played at a time when policy review is being undertaken in the US."Despite provocations, Pakistan will continue to act positively as we consider defeat of terrorism as a National interest," an army statement quoted General Bajwa as telling the American general.The statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said regional security situation and border management issues were discussed and both agreed on need for continuous engagement and coordination for peace and stability in the region."Nicholson reiterated his appreciation of the professionalism of Pakistan Army and his admiration for resilience of people of Pakistan," the statement said.

Pakistan Army slams US efforts to undermine its role in 'war on terror'

Defence Secretary James Mattis last week informed the Congress that he could not certify Pakistan has taken sufficient action against the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani Network.

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This photo provided by NASA shows a “selfie” created using a specialized pupil imaging lens inside of the NIRCam instrument that was designed to take images of the primary mirror segments instead of images of space. NASA's new space telescope has captured its first starlight and even taken a selfie of its giant, gold mirror.All 18 segments of the primary mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission, officials said on Friday.The telescope's first target was a bright star 258 light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.“That was just a real wow moment,” said Marshall Perrin of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore.ALSO READ: NASA's James Webb Space Telescope reaches final destination -- a million miles away from EarthOver the next few months, the hexagonal mirror segments- each the size of a coffee table- will be aligned and focused as one, allowing science observations to begin by the end of June.The $10 billion infrared observatory- considered the successor to the aging Hubble Space Telescope- will seek light from the first stars and galaxies that formed in the universe nearly 14 billion years ago. It will also examine the atmospheres of alien worlds for any possible signs of life.NASA did not detect the crippling flaw in Hubble's mirror until after its 1990 launch; more than three years passed before spacewalking astronauts were able to correct the telescope's blurry vision.While everything is looking good so far with Webb, engineers should be able to rule out any major mirror flaws by next month, Feinberg said.Webb's 21-foot (6.5-meter), gold-plated mirror is the largest ever launched into space. An infrared camera on the telescope snapped a picture of the mirror as one segment gazed upon the targeted star.“Pretty much the reaction was 'Holy Cow!',” Feinberg said.NASA released the selfie, along with a mosaic of starlight from each of the mirror segments. The 18 points of starlight resemble bright fireflies flitting against a black night sky.After 20 years with the project, “it is just unbelievably satisfying” to see everything working so well so far, said the University of Arizona's Marcia Rieke, principal scientist for the infrared camera.Webb blasted off from South America in December and reached its designated perch 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away last month.ALSO READ: NASA studying Tonga eruption to understand landforms on Mars, Venus

NASA's new space telescope sees 1st starlight, takes selfie

All 18 segments of the primary mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope seem to be working properly 1 1/2 months into the mission, officials said on Friday.

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If China a developing country, make US too one: TrumpIf China is considered a developing country, make the United States too a developing one, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, alleging that Beijing has taken advantage of his country. "China has been unbelievably taken advantage of us and other countries. You know, for instance, they are considered a developing nation. I said well then make us a developing nation too,” Trump told reporters at his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.The president was responding to a question on China.“They get big advantages because they are a developing nation. India, a developing nation. The United States is the big developed nation. Well, we have plenty of development to do,” he said.Reiterating that United States was taken advantage of by the World Trade Organization, Trump said the Chinese economy started booming after it joined WTO with the help of the US.“If you look at the history of China, it was only since they went into the WTO that they became a rocket ship with their economy. They were flatlined for years and years,” he said.“Frankly, for many, many decades. And it was only when they came into the WTO that they became a rocket ship because they took advantage of all -- I'm not even blaming them. I'm saying how stupid were the people that stood here and allowed it to happen,” he said.The Trump Administration will now allow that to happen, he said.“If they don't treat us fairly, will leave. But now we're starting to win cases,” he said.Alleging that China has taken advantage of the United States for 30 years, he said, China has taken advantage of the US through WTO and using rules that are unfair to the United States."They should have never been allowed it, this should have never been allowed to happen", he added.“When China joined and was allowed to join under those circumstances the WTO, that was a very bad day for the United States because they have rules and regulations that were far different and far easier than our rules and regulations,” he said.“Plus. They took advantage of them down to the last. China took advantage of them like few people would even think to take advantage of them and again they are considered right a developing nation,” he added.The United States, he rued, is not considered a developing nation.“The were given advantages (for being a developing nation). For many years China has ripped off the United States. Then I came along and right now, as you know, China is paying 25 percent," said Trump, adding that the US is now gaining "billions and billions and billions of dollars in tariffs from China”.The US is not paying, he asserted.“Not every country is China but China would devalue their currency and they would also pour out money and they essentially were paying most of those tariffs not us,” he said.ALSO READ | US becomes first country to record over 2,000 COVID-19 deaths in single day; total cases surpass 500,000

If China a developing country, make US too one: Trump

If China is considered a developing country, make the United States too a developing one, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, alleging that Beijing has taken advantage of his country.

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The victims - Saljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38Pakistan updates: Two Sikh businessmen were shot dead in broad daylight in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province by unidentified gunmen, said officials on Sunday. This is the latest targeted killing of the minority community members in the restive province bordering Afghanistan.The businessmen were identified as Saljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38. There were both found dead on the spot, officials added. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killing.The two Sikhs were in the business of spices and had shops in the Bata Tal bazaar in Sarband, about 17 kms from Peshawar. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the attack and directed the police to take immediate steps to arrest the culprits.He said that the incident was a conspiracy to disrupt the inter-faith harmony in the province. The Chief Minister said that justice will be provided to the families of the deceased. About 15,000 Sikhs live in Peshawar, mostly in the Jogan Shah neighbourhood of the provincial capital Peshawar.Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh condemned the killing and slammed the government in the neighbouring country for only paying lip service to the community."Another killing of Sikhs in Pakistan. 2 shopkeepers, Ranjeet Singh & Saljeet Singh shot dead in Peshawar. This is highly condemnable. I've always said, @GovtofPakistan only does lip services for Sikhs without ensuring their security. Request @PMOIndia to take serious note," Singh tweeted.Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Twitter, "I Strongly condemn the gruesome killing of two Sikh youths in Peshawar Pakistan. I also request our Foreign Minister @DrSJaishankar ji to speak to Pakistan to raise the concern and ensure safety of Hindu and Sikh minorities residing in Pakistan."Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, "Acts like these clearly amplify the dangers that religious minorities face in our volatile neighbourhood & the necessity for humane measures like CAA."Most of the members of the Sikh community in Peshawar are involved in business, while some also have pharmacies. In September last year, a well-known Sikh ‘hakeem’ (Unani medicine practitioner) was shot dead by unidentified gunmen inside his clinic in Peshawar. In 2018, Charanjit Singh, a prominent Sikh community member, was killed by unknown men in Peshawar.Similarly, news channel anchor Ravinder Singh was killed in 2020 in the city. In 2016, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf National Assembly member Soren Singh was also killed in Peshawar.According to the 2017 census, Hindus constitute the largest religious minority in Pakistan. Christians make up the second-largest religious minority. The Ahmadis, Sikhs and Parsis are also among the notable religious minorities in Pakistan. (pti inputs) 

Pakistan: Two Sikh businessmen shot dead in broad daylight

Saljeet Singh, 42, and Ranjeet Singh, 38, died on the spot after being attacked by two bike-borne assailants in the morning, according to the police.

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Days after banning Twitter in country, Nigerian govt sets up account on India's KooKoo on Thursday said the Government of Nigeria has set up an official account on the Indian microblogging platform, which is looking at making deeper inroads into the African nation.The development comes in the backdrop of a standoff between the Nigerian government and Koo rival, Twitter. Last week, the Nigerian government had announced an indefinite suspension of the US social media platform in that country.Koo co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna in a post on Koo said, “The official handle of the government of Nigeria is now on Koo!” Interestingly, he also shared the information on Twitter saying : ”A very warm welcome to the official handle of the Government of Nigeria on @kooindia ! Spreading wings beyond India now”.READ MORE: Nigerian government-enforced Twitter suspension takes effectLast week, the Nigerian government had said it was suspending Twitter indefinitely after the company removed a contentious tweet that President Muhammadu Buhari made about a secessionist movement.Following this, Koo had said the platform is available in Nigeria and that it is keen on adding new local languages for users in that country.“Now that there is an opportunity for microblogging platforms in Nigeria...Koo is looking at introducing local Nigerian languages in the app,” Radhakrishna had told PTI in an interview.He had noted that the platform is keen on making inroads in the Nigerian market, and that Koo will abide by the local laws of each country that it operates in.ALSO READ: Twitter falls in line; appoints nodal contact person, resident grievance officerKoo has previously stated that it has already complied with India's IT rules enforced last month, and that it has shared necessary details as sought by the government on the issue.  Founded by Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, Koo was launched last year to allow users to express themselves and engage on the platform in Indian languages. It supports multiple languages including Hindi, Telugu and Bengali, among others.Th indigenous platform has over 60 lakh users, and had recently raised USD 30 million (about Rs 218 crore) in a funding round led by Tiger Global.Koo's popularity in India peaked amid the Indian government's spat with Twitter and growing calls for expanding the ecosystem of homegrown digital platforms. The platform has seen a massive growth in its user base over the past few months, after union ministers and government departments in India endorsed the homegrown microblogging platform.

Days after banning Twitter in country, Nigerian govt sets up account on India's Koo

​Koo on Thursday said the Government of Nigeria has set up an official account on the Indian microblogging platform, which is looking at making deeper inroads into the African nation.

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Pakistan stops devotees from visiting India A group of Pakistani devotees has been stopped from visiting India due to recent tensions post abrogation of Article 370, according to a report in Express News daily on Thursday.The decision was taken by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Devotees from Pakistan regularly visit Indian mosques in large numbers. Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah in Ajmer is one of the most popular religious destinations for the Pakistanis.ALSO READ | Pak approaches Twitter over suspension of accountsALSO READ | China hails 3-year extension of Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Bajwa's termALSO READ | Pakistan pacer Hassan Ali ties the knot with Indian girl in Dubai

Pakistan stops devotees from visiting India

Devotees from Pakistan regularly visit Indian mosques in large numbers. Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti Dargah in Ajmer is one of the most popular religious destinations for the Pakistanis.

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Pakistan today summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh after one civilian was killed and three others injured in alleged ceasefire violations across the Line of Control by Indian troops. The Foreign Office claimed that Indian forces resorted to "unprovoked firing" on Leepa Sector on July 21 which killed Umair (12) and injured three civilians in Gheekot village.The Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, summoned Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces," it said."The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," Faisal said.He urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.This was the third ceasefire violation by the Indian forces in the past four days, the Foreign Office said.It alleged that despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations.In 2017 to date, Indian forces have carried out 618 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, it claimed.Faisal also urged India to permit United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.According to the UN Security Council mandate of 1971, UNMOGIP observes and reports on ceasefire violations along and across the LoC and the Working Boundary between India and Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as reports developments that could lead to ceasefire violations.India maintains that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control.

Pak summons Indian envoy over ceasefire violations across LoC

Pakistan today summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh after one civilian was killed and three others injured in alleged ceasefire violations across the LoC by Indian troops.

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Bruce Castor, left, and Michael van der Veen, lawyers for former President Donald Trump, arrive at the Capitol on the fourth day of the second impeachment trial of Trump in the Senate.Senators are poised to vote on whether Donald Trump will be held accountable for inciting the horrific attack at the Capitol after a speedy trial that laid bare the violence and danger to their own lives and the fragility of the nation’s tradition of a peaceful transfer of presidential power.Barely a month since the deadly riot, closing arguments are set for the historic impeachment trial as senators arrive for a rare Saturday session, all under the watch of armed National Guard troops still guarding the iconic building.The outcome of the quick, raw and emotional proceedings are expected to reflect a nation divided over the former president and the future of his brand of politics in America.“What’s important about this trial is that it’s really aimed to some extent at Donald Trump, but it’s more aimed at some president we don’t even know 20 years from now,” said Sen. Angus King, the independent from Maine, weighing his vote.The nearly weeklong trial has been delivering a grim and graphic narrative of the Jan. 6 riot and its consequences for the nation in ways that senators, most of whom fled for their own safety that day, acknowledge they are still coming to grips with.Acquittal is expected in the evenly-divided Senate, a verdict that could heavily influence not only Trump’s political future but that of the senators sworn to deliver impartial justice as jurors as they cast their votes.House prosecutors have argued that Trump’s rallying cry to go to the Capitol and “fight like hell” for his presidency just as Congress was convening Jan. 6 to certify Joe Biden’s election was part of an orchestrated pattern of violent rhetoric and false claims that unleashed the mob. Five people died, including a rioter who was shot and a police officer.The defense attorneys countered in a short three hours Friday that Trump’s words were not intended to incite the violence and impeachment is nothing but a “witch hunt” designed to prevent him from serving in office again.Only by watching the graphic videos — rioters calling out menacingly for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the vote tally — did senators say they began to understand just how perilously close the country came to chaos. Hundreds of rioters stormed into the building, taking over the Senate and some engaging in hand-to-hand, bloody combat with police.While it is unlikely the Senate would be able to mount the two-thirds vote needed to convict, several senators appear to be still weighing their vote. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will be widely watched for cues, but he is not pressuring his GOP side of the aisle and is telling senators to vote their conscience.Many Republicans representing states where the former president remains popular doubt whether Trump was fully responsible or if impeachment is the appropriate response. Democrats appear all but united toward conviction.Trump is the only president to be twice impeached, and the first to face trial charges after leaving office.Unlike last year’s impeachment trial of Trump in the Ukraine affair, a complicated charge of corruption and obstruction over his attempts to have the foreign ally dig up dirt on then-rival Biden, this one brought an emotional punch over the unexpected vulnerability of the nation’s tradition of peaceful elections. The charge is singular, incitement of insurrection.On Friday, Trump’s impeachment lawyers accused Democrats of waging a campaign of “hatred” against the former president as they wrapped up their defense, sending the Senate toward a final vote in his historic trial.The defense team vigorously denied that Trump had incited the deadly riot and played out-of-context video clips showing Democrats, some of them senators now serving as jurors, also telling supporters to “fight,” aiming to establish a parallel with Trump’s overheated rhetoric.“This is ordinarily political rhetoric,” declared Trump lawyer Michael van der Veen. “Countless politicians have spoken of fighting for our principles.”But the presentation blurred the difference between general encouragement politicians make to battle for health care or other causes and Trump’s fight against officially accepted national election results, and minimized Trump’s efforts to undermine those election results. The defeated president was telling his supporters to fight on after every state had verified its results, after the Electoral College had affirmed them and after nearly every election lawsuit filed by Trump and his allies had been rejected in court.Democratic senators shook their heads at what many called a false equivalency to their own fiery words. “We weren’t asking them ‘fight like hell’ to overthrow an election,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.Democrats say that Trump was the “inciter in chief” whose monthslong campaign against the election results was rooted in a “big lie” and laid the groundwork for the riot, a violent domestic attack on the Capitol unparalleled in history.“Get real,” lead prosecutor Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said at one point. “We know that this is what happened.”The Senate has convened as a court of impeachment for past presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and now twice for Trump, but the unprecedented nature of the case because he’s no longer in the White House has provided Republican senators one of several arguments against conviction.Republicans maintain the proceedings are unconstitutional, even though the Senate voted at the outset of the trial on this issue and confirmed it has jurisdiction.Six Republican senators who joined Democrats in voting to take up the case are among those most watched for their votes.Early signals came Friday during questions for the lawyers. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, asked the first question, the two centrists known for independent streaks. They leaned into a point the prosecutors had made asking exactly when did Trump learn of the breach of the Capitol and what specific actions did he take to bring the rioting to an end?Democrats had argued that Trump did nothing as the mob rioted.Another Republican who voted to launch the trial, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, asked about Trump’s tweet criticizing Pence moments after having been told by another senator that the vice president had just been evacuated.Van der Veen responded that at “no point” was the president informed of any danger. Cassidy told reporters later it was not a very good answer.

Trump’s speedy impeachment trial heads toward Senate vote

Barely a month since the deadly riot, closing arguments are set for the historic impeachment trial as senators arrive for a rare Saturday session, all under the watch of armed National Guard troops still guarding the iconic building.

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Philippines President Duterte to undergo COVID-19 testingPhilippines President Rodrigo Duterte will undergo testing for the COVID-19 disease while he does not have symptoms, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go said on Thursday."We are not doing this because we have symptoms of COVID-19," clarified Go, a long-time aide of the 74-year-old Philippine leader, Xinhua news agency reported."We are doing this to ensure that we are fit and healthy to engage the public and perform our duties in the coming days and weeks. As always, the president and I remain ready to serve and die for the Filipino people," he added.At least two members of Duterte's cabinet who had been exposed to individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 also announced that they have decided to undergo self-quarantine. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and their staff already announced their plans to go on self-quarantine.The country's Senators, Sherwin Gatchalian and Nancy Binay, also announced their decision to go into self-quarantine after a resource person they attended on March 5 tested positive for COVID-19. Both senators also asked their staff to be self-quarantined.Vince Dizon, who is Presidential Adviser for Flagship Programs and Projects Secretary and also Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President, will also be on self-quarantine as a precautionary measure, following exposure to a COVID-19 patient, BCDA said.Manila Mayor Isko Moreno will also go on self-quarantine after he returns to the country following his official trip to Britain.One of the buildings in the Malacanang presidential palace compound in Manila City and the Philippine senate in Pasay City will be closed down starting Thursday for disinfection."Considering that some Cabinet members we engage with regularly have been exposed to individuals who were tested positive of COVID-19 and have decided to undergo self-quarantine, it is just prudent for us to take precautionary measures in compliance with the advice of our health officials," Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a separate statement.Andanar said staff from the Department of Finance and Bureau of International Revenue were at the palace for a press briefing on Wednesday."Prior to the briefing, some concerned DOF officials had been with Dominguez who has now gone on self-quarantine after exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case during a recent senate hearing," Andanar said.The Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday that its staff at its headquarters in Manila are temporarily working from home from Thursday following advice that a visitor to the bank has tested positive for COVID-19."The Bank's Manila headquarters facility will be closed from March 12 to undertake cleaning and disinfecting. Bank operations will continue. ADB management will make a decision in coming days on when to reopen the bank premises," the ADB said in a statement.The Philippines has now 49 confirmed COVID-19 cases and two deaths.The Department of Health reported on Wednesday night that a second patient has died at a hospital in Manila. The 67-year-old Filipino national is the first Filipino to die of COVID-19.A 44-year-old Chinese man was the Philippines' first death due to the viral disease. He was also the first death due to COVID-19 outside China.ALSO READ | Coronavirus: Trump suspends all travel from Europe for 30 days amid COVID-19 scare

Philippines President Duterte to undergo COVID-19 testing

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte will undergo testing for the COVID-19 disease while he does not have symptoms, Senator Christopher Lawrence Go said on Thursday.

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India has shot down rumours that it was in talks with the UK for Judge Dalveer Bhandari to withdraw in favour of the British candidate, Christopher Greenwood, in the deadlocked election to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).Dismissing the rumours meant to undermine Bhandari's support in the General Assembly, India's Permanent Representative Syed Akbaruddin said: "We understand that some impression is being sought to be created that India and the UK are in talks and Judge Bhandari may withdraw, as he may not be allowed to win."We are here; we intend to stay the course until the will of the majority prevails," Akbaruddin declared at a reception for Bhandari attended by representatives of over 160 countries here on Thursday.A candidate has to win an absolute majority in both the General Assembly and the Security Council, which neitherof the two sitting judges have. Bhandari has nearly a two-thirds majority with 121 votes in the 193-member Assembly, while Greenwood has a slender majority of nine in the 15-member Council.As the runoff between Bhandari and Greenwood reached the "tipping point" with another round of election scheduled for November 20, Akbaruddin also strongly opposed using a joint conference made up of three representatives each from the Assembly and the Council to break the deadlock saying that it was against the principles of democracy.The ICJ statues provide for the joint conference to pick a candidate if the stalemate continues after the third election meeting of the Council and the Assembly.Calling the joint conference a "can of worms", Akbaruddin said the UN cannot go back to a "toolkit" of the past that has never been used in its history.As the lobbying has intensified, the campaign has taken an ugly turn with Greenwood's supporters trying to break Bhandari's growing support in the Assembly by carrying out a stealth campaign to make it appear that India was giving up, according to diplomats.Rumours were floated that Bhandari may withdraw or that India would agree to a joint conference, making the Assembly voting seem futile, the diplomats said.So far 11 rounds of balloting have been held over two days in the Assembly and 10 in the Council. Four others were elected on the first day on November 9, in the first four rounds with majorities in both chambers. After that seven rounds of runoff balloting between Bhandari and Greenwood were held in the Assembly and six in the Council without being able to break the deadlock."This election is getting prolonged only because the clear support of 121 is being equated to the support of nine," Akbaruddin said.General Assembly President Miroslav Lajcak had a round of meetings on Friday afternoon with Security Council President Sebastiano Cardi and officials of the UN legal and General Assembly departments in preparation for the balloting on November 20, his spokesperson Brenden Varma said."We also understand that there is talk of a joint conference mechanism to break the deadlock. "Let me tell you right now upfront that not one person has approached me with this proposal, certainly not the representative of the country whose candidate is being faced," Akbaruddin said.Akbaruddin did acknowledge meeting British diplomats. "Yes, we have talked. Sure, we are diplomats, what else do we do? We talked, but never once was such a proposal made.""The precedent is clear... As is expected in the 21st century, the candidate who enjoys overwhelming support of the General Assembly membership can be the only legitimate candidate to go through."He cited the outcome of the ICJ elections in 2011 and 2014 when the candidate who won the Assembly majority prevailed.Susana Ruiz Cerutti of Argentina won in the Council and Patrick Lipton Robinson of Jamaica in the Assembly in the 2014 ICJ election. After 12 rounds of voting, Cerutti withdrew.In 2011, Julia Sebutinde of Uganda had a majority in the Assembly and Abdul Koroma of Sierra Leone in the Council. When the deadlock continued after the 10th round of balloting in the Council and 11th in the Assembly, the African Union prevailed on Sierra Leone to back off.It has to be decided on the floor of the house... We are democratic country we will abide by democratic verdict. We urge all others do too," Akbaruddin added.

ICJ election: India denies talks with UK for Bhandari's withdrawal

India's UN envoy Syed Akbaruddin denied talks with UK for Judge Dalveer Bhandari to withdraw in favour of the British candidate Christopher Greenwood.

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Californians struggle with winds, fires, blackoutsCalifornians on Wednesday found themselves facing winds, wildfires and darkness from yet another power outage that hit more than 1 million people.Frustration and anger mounted across Northern California as Pacific Gas & Electric, the state’s largest utility, began its third round of sweeping blackouts in a week aimed at preventing its electrical equipment from being fouled by wind-whipped branches or toppling and sparking wildfires.Meanwhile, fires continued to burn at both ends of the state. PG&E said Tuesday’s blackouts would affect about 1.5 million people in some 30 counties including the Sierra foothills, wine country and San Francisco Bay Area. They included 1 million still without power from a shut-off over the weekend.With no electricity for the fourth straight day Tuesday, chef and caterer Jane Sykes realized she would have to throw out $1,000 worth of food, including trays of brownies, cupcakes and puff pastry.She also had little hope of getting a good night’s sleep — there was no way to run the machine she relies on to counter her apnea.“I don’t think PG&E really thought this through,” she lamented.PG&E officials said they understood the hardships caused by the safety blackouts but continued to insist they were necessary.In the wine country, firefighters on Tuesday coped with 30-mph (48.28-kph) gusts while tackling a wildfire that has burned 86 homes and charred an area more than twice the size of San Francisco. About 90,000 buildings remained threatened. More than 150,000 people were under evacuation orders.The winds were expected to ease in the north Wednesday but red flag conditions would remain because of hot, dry weather.Meanwhile, ferocious Santa Ana winds returned to Southern California, where a fire that erupted Monday in the tony Brentwood area of Los Angeles has destroyed a dozen homes.About 9,000 people, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James, remained under evacuation orders.That fire was caused when a dry branch from a eucalyptus tree was flung 30 feet (9 meters) by high winds into a city Department of Water and Power line, which short-circuited and sparked, the utility and Fire Department announced Tuesday.The power line had been operating safely and the DWP had cut away brush and trees from around the line, officials said.Mayor Eric Garcetti called it an “act of God.”The National Weather Service called an extreme red flag warning for much of Southern California through Thursday evening, with some wind gusts reaching 80 mph (128.74 kph). It could be the strongest wind event in years.Coupled with tinder-dry brush and low humidity, they could blow the smoldering fire back to life and spread embers to start new blazes, authorities warned.Southern California Edison, which had previously made safety shutoffs and then restored power, warned that it could black out more than 300,000 customers, or some 600,000 people.Also Tuesday, Edison announced in a quarterly earnings report that it was “likely” its equipment caused last year’s Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed hundreds of homes in a swatch stretching from north of Los Angeles south through Malibu to the sea.No deaths were reported from the current fires but weekend gusts may have claimed three lives. A 55-year-old homeless woman was crushed by a falling tree during high winds Sunday at a Santa Cruz campsite and a couple was killed the same day in a remote area of Madera County when a tree fell on their Jeep, which then crashed.Across Northern California, people who weren’t facing another day as fire refugees were worried about charging cellphones and electric vehicles, finding gasoline and cash, staying warm and keeping their food from spoiling.Some ended up at centers set up by PG&E where people could go to power their electronics and get free water, snacks, flashlights and solar lanterns.In Placer County, Angel Smith relied on baby wipes and blankets to keep her 13-month-old son Liam warm and clean. The family has been without power since Saturday night and cannot draw well water without electricity.She ran a cord from her neighbors’ generator to keep her phone and tablet charged so the two could watch movies. Temperatures were expected to drop below freezing overnight in parts of Northern California.“The hardest part about this for me has been making sure I keep my son warm as it gets cold here,” Smith said.PG&E, which is in bankruptcy after its equipment was blamed for a string of disastrous fires over the past three years, including a blaze that all but destroyed the town of Paradise and killed 85 people, has said its foremost concern is public safety.But Gov. Gavin Newsom and top utility regulators have accused the company of mismanaging its power system and failing for decades to make the investments needed to ensure it’s more durable. He and others have also complained that the utility has botched the outages by not keeping the public adequately informed.PG&E Corp. President Bill Johnson says he talked to Newsom Tuesday and told him he agreed with his suggestion that the company give credits to customers who’ve been hit by pre-emptive power shut-offs. Newsom had suggested $100 per household, or $250 per business.Johnson said the utility has agreed to provide a “one-time bill credit” for people impacted by an Oct. 9 power cutoff that affected some 2 million people. But he didn’t confirm a figure, saying the mechanics had yet to be worked out.“We have agreed to move forward with a one-time bill credit for customers impacted by that event.”

Californians struggle with winds, fires, blackouts

Californians on Wednesday found themselves facing winds, wildfires, and darkness from yet another power outage that hit more than 1 million people.

d741306621ec17581b249a14b655ebe6

2010 Punjab bombing accused behind pro-Khalistan rally in London: ReportA suspect wanted in India for his alleged involvement in bombings in Punjab in 2010 is organising a pro-Khalistan rally at Trafalgar Square in London next week, according to a UK media report.Paramjeet Singh Pamma, a Birmingham-based refugee, is among the key organisers of the rally dubbed as a "London Declaration" for a "Referendum 2020" campaign seeking a "sovereign state of Khalistan", the Sunday Times reported.Related Stories Suspected terrorist of Khalistan Commando Force arrested in Delhi Punjab CM raises 'Khalistan issue' with Canadian PM, seeks his support in cracking down on separatism'Jaspal Atwal's presence arranged by factions within Indian govt': Justin Trudeau backs his officialModi in London: PM holds bilateral talks with world leaders at CHOGM; Khalistan supporters stage protestsPamma is wanted in India for twin bomb blasts in Patiala and Ambala in 2010 and is the alleged mastermind in the killing of Rulda Singh, head of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, in 2009.Pamma, who was granted asylum in Britain in 2000, denies the allegations as "false charges".He claims that up to 10,000 Sikhs are expected at the Trafalgar Square event next Sunday, many of whom are being bussed to London from other parts of Britain, the newspaper reported.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had issued a statement as news of the rally emerged last month and said it had registered a formal protest with the British government."We expect that the UK government will not allow any such group, whose intention is to spread hatred and impact our bilateral relations, to use its country," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had said at the time.However, the UK government had indicated it has no plans of banning the rally, saying "people have the right to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law".The rally is being funded by a US-based group called Sikhs for Justice and is being billed as the first-ever referendum of the global community of around 30 million Sikhs."We are doing this rally with the power of the democratic word," Pamma said, adding that he will "die a refugee if we (Sikhs) don't get our own country".The rally is intended to raise awareness for a non-binding referendum in 2020, calling for the Sikh-majority state of Punjab to be granted independence. Organisers believe a high turnout will put pressure on the UN to ask India to hold a plebiscite."An appropriate and proportionate policing plan is in place," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said, ahead of the rally.

2010 Punjab bombing accused behind pro-Khalistan rally in London: Report

Pamma is wanted in India for twin bomb blasts in Patiala and Ambala in 2010 and is the alleged mastermind in the killing of Rulda Singh, head of the Rashtriya Sikh Sangat, in 2009.

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We're going to win this race for White House: Joe BidenDemocratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said that it was “clear and convincing” that he is going to win the race for the White House. “We don’t have the final declaration victory yet. But the numbers tell us it is clear... clear and convincing story. We are going to win this race,” said Biden, who is inching closer to the required magic number of 270 electoral college votes to win the November 3 presidential elections."Just look what has happened in the last 24 hours,” 77-year-old Biden said in his brief speech on Friday night, referring his leads in four of the five key battleground states.As per the latest projections, Biden has 264 electoral college votes and Trump trails behind with 213. Biden was leading in four of the five key battleground states where counting of ballots was still going on.Trump was trailing behind Biden in Arizona (by 38,455 votes), Georgia (4,224), Nevada (22,657) and Pennsylvania (19,500) but leading in North Carolina with 76,587 votes.To be declared the winner of the US election, either of the two candidates needs at least 270 of the 538 electoral college votes.Biden also announced that he will introduce his plans to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on his first day in office."On day one, we're going to put our plan to control this virus into action,” he said.The virus has killed more than 231,000 Americans and infected over 9 million others.(With PTI inputs)Also Read | Joe Biden vows to rejoin Paris climate deal on day 1 of presidency

Numbers tell us it is clear, we're going to win this race for White House: Joe Biden

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has said that it was “clear and convincing” that he is going to win the race for the White House. “We don’t have the final declaration victory yet.

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Pakistani student arrested for sending money to ISIS terrorists in SyriaA university student in Pakistan has been arrested on charges of having links with global terror groups and sending money to the dreaded Islamic State terrorists in Syria, police said on Monday. Muhammad Omer Bin Khalid, who is studying at Karachi's reputed NED University of Engineering and Technology, was arrested while trying to leave Karachi via a train, according to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police."He is a final year student at the NED University of Engineering and Technology. This student has been involved in sending money to families of militants linked with the global Islamic State group in Syria. He used to hand over the money in cash to one Zia, in Hyderabad, who converted it into dollars before sending it to Syria," said Deputy Inspector General of Police CTD Omar Shahid Hamid.He said as per initial estimates, Omer has already sent over one million rupees to terrorists."We detained him initially and seized two mobile phones from him and also a laptop on December 17 last year. 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Pakistani student arrested for sending money to ISIS terrorists in Syria

Muhammad Omer Bin Khalid, who is studying at Karachi's reputed NED University of Engineering and Technology, was arrested while trying to leave Karachi via a train, according to the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of Sindh Police.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, paid homage to the Arc de Triomphe war memorial here on Saturday."President @EmmanuelMacron and I laid a wreath at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris," Modi tweeted soon after.Built between 1806 and 1836, the Arc de Triomphe stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as "Place del'Etoile, and is in honour of all those who fought for France. Prior to the visit to the memorial, in a joint address to the media, Modi said that many Indian soldiers had laid down their lives in World Wars I and II and he would be paying homage to them.On his part, Macron said: "Many Indian soldiers died for our country, for its freedom and it is evidence of strong bonds between our countries."Modi arrived here on Friday on the fourth and final leg of a six-day, four-nation tour of Europe.

PM Modi pays homage at Paris war memorial

Built between 1806 and 1836, the Arc de Triomphe stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as "Place del'Etoile, and is in honour of all those who fought for France.

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China floods: 16 people killed, scores of houses damaged as torrential rains wreak havocFloods triggered by torrential rains have wreaked havoc in southern China, killing at least 16 people and affecting the lives of 3.60 lakh people, authorities said Tuesday.The floods have toppled or damaged more than 1,300 houses and caused nearly 17,000 residents to evacuate.In Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, week-long downpours triggered floods in six cities and 32 counties in which nine persons were killed and disrupted the lived over 3.60 lakh people, according to the regional emergency management department, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.The regional meteorological bureau issued a yellow alert on Tuesday, forecasting heavy rain to persist for the following 24 hours.Image Source : XINHUAChina floods: 16 people killed, scores of houses damaged as torrential rains wreak havocChina floods: 16 people killed, scores of houses damaged as torrential rains wreak havoc China has a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.In the neighbouring, Guangdong Province, seven persons were killed and one is still missing so far as heavy rain destroyed roads and toppled houses.Three counties in Heyuan city are among the worst-hit areas in the latest round of rainstorms that have persisted over a week. More than 110,000 people were affected and 956 houses were damaged. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_6329361472 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_0oxvu1b6_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_0oxvu1b6_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "6 dead after heavy rain causes flooding in China, relief work underway", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_6329361472 = ''; jwsetup_6329361472(); function jwsetup_6329361472() { jwvidplayer_6329361472 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6329361472").setup(jwconfig_6329361472); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6329361472, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_0oxvu1b6\", ns_st_pr=\"6 dead after heavy rain causes flooding in China, relief work underway\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"6 dead after heavy rain causes flooding in China, relief work underway\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"6 dead after heavy rain causes flooding in China, relief work underway\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-06-11\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-06-11\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_0oxvu1b6_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6329361472.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6329361472.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6329361472.stop(); jwvidplayer_6329361472.remove(); jwvidplayer_6329361472 = ''; jwsetup_6329361472(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6329361472.stop(); jwvidplayer_6329361472.remove(); jwvidplayer_6329361472 = ''; jwsetup_6329361472(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6329361472.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

China floods: 16 people killed, scores of houses damaged as torrential rains wreak havoc

​Floods triggered by torrential rains have wreaked havoc in southern China, killing at least 16 people and affecting the lives of 3.60 lakh people, authorities said Tuesday.

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Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena.Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Friday sacked the nation's parliament on Friday, hours after his party announced that he did not have a majority to get his prime minister through the legislature.Sirisena signed an official notification dismissing the 225-member assembly with effect from midnight, clearing the way for a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule.Related Stories Sri Lanka political crisis: Tamil prisoners may be released to tilt scales in favour of PM Mahinda RajapaksaWill not recognise Rajapaksa as Lanka PM unless he proves majority in Parliament: SpeakerSri Lanka: Will not recognise Rajapaksa as PM unless proven by floor test, says assembly speaker The island nation was plunged into a constitutional crisis on October 26 when President a Sirisena fired his former ally Wickremesinghe and replaced him with Mahinda Rajapaksa, an ex-president he defeated in a 2015 presidential election.The turmoil was exacerbated by Sirisena's subsequent decision to also suspend parliament until November 16.The political crises in Sri Lanka took an ugly turn on October 28 when bodyguards of cricketer-turned-politician Arjuna Ranatunga, a Wickremesinghe loyalist fired live rounds at the supporters of the new premier Mahinda Rajapaksa, leaving one person dead. 

Sri Lanka political crisis: President Sirisena dissolves Parliament, paves way for early elections

Sirisena signed an official notification dismissing the 225-member assembly with effect from midnight, clearing the way for a snap election nearly two years ahead of schedule.

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Ukraine plane Boeing 737 with 170 onboard crashes in Tehran, no survivorsAll 176 onboard Ukrainian plane Boeing 737-800 were killed after the plane crashed near Tehran capital on Wednesday soon after its take-off. The plane had taken off from Imam Khomeini International airport. 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}); jwvidplayer_5498299725.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ALSO READ: Ukrainian Boeing 737 with 170 onboard crashes near Tehran due to mechanical issues ALSO READ: Video | Multiple Iranian missiles hit Iraq airbase; locals scream, run for safety /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_5167256833 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_pju5zz7c_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_pju5zz7c_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Iran fires multiple missiles on US' Al Asad airbase in Iraq", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; 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Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashes near Tehran: What we know so far

A Ukrainian plane Boeing 737 with 176 onboard crashed near Tehran immediately after it took off from Imam Khomeini International airport. No passenger has survived in the incident. Of those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident, 82 were Iranians and 63 Canadians.

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Holding hand-scrawled signs and wearing black “Parkland Strong” T-shirts, the 40 teenagers filed warily into a committee room at Florida’s state Capitol on Wednesday. They hadn’t been invited and the lawmakers they were intruding upon were in the middle of a meeting. Timid yet determined, they stood their ground.And they got what they wanted: a chance to speak.Related Stories Florida shooting: Suspect’s ‘disturbing’ social media posts being dissectedFlorida school shooting survivors call for tougher gun lawsFlorida shooting fallout: Donald Trump backs efforts to tighten gun background checksIt was perhaps the first act of civil disobedience ever by the high school students whose lives were turned around just one week before by a shooting that left 17 of their friends and teachers dead. The teens politely stood up and told their stories to the politicians, some of whom a day earlier had voted against a ban on assault weapons.“I had to run for my life,” said Erika Rosenzweig, a slight, dark-haired 15-year-old sophomore at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. “I had to listen as the dead were reported. ... I didn’t know where my friends were. This cannot happen again.”When organizers first announced that they would bus students to the state’s capital to lobby for stricter gun laws, there was only room for about 100, and the bus quickly filled up. So Rosenzweig and about 44 others made the roughly seven-hour drive to Tallahassee with the support of their Parkland synagogue. Kol Tikvah lost three of its congregants in the shooting.By the end of the day Wednesday, the teens would meld in with their other classmates who organized the “Never Again” protests. But when they first arrived, they were on their own. Eyes still weighed by sleep after the long trip, the students walked down the long corridors of the capital building. Staffers quickly moved out of their way to let them pass, many thanking them or cheering them on.They stopped in at the office of state Rep. Robert “Bobby O” Olszewski, an Orlando-area Republican who had voted against a debate on an assault-weapons ban the day earlier, helping to kill the bill. They surrounded his desk.Grant Cooper, a 10th-grader from South Broward High who accompanied the Stoneman Douglas students, was fidgety and ready to pounce. “What logical reason is there for anyone to have an assault rifle? Why would you vote a ban down?” Cooper asked. Authorities say the Stoneman Douglas shooter used an AR-15.Olszewski shifted in his desk chair, his aide nervously looking on from the doorway. He told Cooper it was complicated, that people have a Second Amendment right to bear arms and that he wasn’t against a ban for people of certain ages. He said he was new to Tallahassee, had taken no money from the National Rifle Association and would work on some kind of change, but couldn’t offer specifics.The students were not impressed.“Can you tell us names of other Republicans who we should meet with who will support us?” Cooper asked.“I won’t name names,” Olszewski replied. “But anyone you visit on this floor I can tell you, you’ll be batting a thousand.”The group walked out, eyes rolling.“It’s disheartening,” Cooper said afterward. “But honestly, I didn’t expect much better.”The students stopped in the labyrinthine hallway to consult a schedule and map of the building, then crammed into the office of state Rep. Barrington Russell, a Democrat who supports gun control.Aria Siccone, a 14-year-old freshman at Stoneman Douglas, held a sign that said “Ban Assault Rifles Now.” Her nails were painted black, and she wore a small heart pendant around her neck. She was in a classroom targeted by the shooter, identified as 19-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student Nikolas Cruz.“I saw three of my classmates from that period on the floor and they didn’t make it,” the girl said, barely making it through her story.The lawmaker, a Jamaican native who said he’d been held at gunpoint more than once in his life, rose from his chair and put his arm around Siccone.“For some reason the NRA has a very strong hold on some of my colleagues that prevents them from doing the right thing,” he said.After the meetings with Russell and Olszewski, the group headed for the committee meeting. Later in the day, they would lie down and pose as corpses in a silent protest outside Gov. Rick Scott’s Capitol office. And staffers wouldn’t disturb them.Ira Jaffe, a parent whose son couldn’t make it to Tallahassee because he was attending two of his classmates’ funerals, held the door as the students filed into a room.“What are we doing now?” one asked.“We’re interrupting a committee meeting,” Jaffe said matter-of-factly.“That’s awesome,” the teen replied.Rabbi Bradd Boxman, who had chaperoned the teens, was boiling with anger and sadness when he interrupted the meeting to announce the students’ presence.Rep. Shawn Harrison, the committee’s vice chair, told the students they could speak briefly. “We will never doubt your impact on this debate,” Harrison said. “We know your hearts are in the right place.”Rosenzweig told of her terror, and Cooper repeated his earlier question about the assault-weapons ban.Moments later, the students, brimming with confidence, gathered outside the Capitol, raised their signs, and marched straight ahead, yelling, “We are MSD! We will make history!”And then they disappeared into the crowd, joining with other protesters and the thousands who had gathered to support them.

Civil disobedience: Teen shooting survivors shake up Florida’s state Capitol

The teens politely stood up and told their stories to the politicians, some of whom a day earlier had voted against a ban on assault weapons.

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Turkish president addresses his supporters After the United States demanded release of an American pastor arrested on charges of terrorism by Turkey two years ago, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday warned US of losing a ‘strategic partner’."We only bow before God. It is wrong to try to punish Turkey for a priest who is here. I am addressing the US once again: it is a pity that you chose a pastor over your strategic partner in NATO. We will only do what justice demands," Erdogan said during a rally in the northern province of Ordu.20-year-old US pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested by the Turkish authorities two years ago and is accused of being linked to the PKK Kurdish guerrilla organization and to cleric Fetullah Gulen, who lives in exile in the US and whom Ankara blames for the failed coup against Erdogan in 2016.The US government had last week imposed economic sanctions against two Turkish ministers involved in Brunson's arrest.Increase in tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminium by up to 50 and 20 percent, respectively were also announced by US President Donald Trump on Friday.Ankara has ruled out the release of Brunson, although he was granted house arrest in July.In an attempt to reduce tensions between the two countries, a delegation from Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign affairs had travelled to the US this week.Regarding the situation of the Turkish currency, Erdogan once again called on his fellow citizens to back the lira, which depreciated 18 percent on Friday, by selling their dollars and euros."If you have dollars under your pillow, take them out. If you have euros, do the same. Take them immediately to the banks and convert them into liras. By doing this, we fight for our independence and our future," Erdogan told his supporters.

US waging economic war against Turkey, says President Erdogan

20-year-old US pastor Andrew Brunson was arrested by the Turkish authorities two years ago and is accused of being linked to the PKK Kurdish guerrilla organization and to cleric Fetullah Gulen.

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 A man jumps from a wave as Hurricane Hanna begins to make landfall, Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas. The National Hurricane Center said Saturday morning that Hanna's maximum sustained winds had increased and that it was expected to make landfall Saturday afternoon or early evening.(AP Photo/Eric Gay)Hurricane Hanna roared ashore onto the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, bringing winds that lashed the shoreline with rain and storm surge, and even threatening to bring possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases.The first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season made landfall twice as a Category 1 storm on Saturday afternoon within the span of little over an hour. The first landfall happened at around 5 p.m. about 15 miles (24 kilometers) north of Port Mansfield, which is about 130 miles (209 km) south of Corpus Christi. The second landfall took place nearby in eastern Kenedy County. Hanna had come ashore with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (145 kph). As of Saturday evening, those winds had slightly weakened to 85 mph (137 kph).Many parts of Texas, including areas near where Hanna came ashore, have been dealing with a surge in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, but local officials said they were prepared for whatever the storm might bring.Chris Birchfield, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Brownsville, said residents needed to remain alert. While Hanna’s winds were expected to weaken throughout Saturday night, the storm’s real threat remained heavy rainfall, he said.“We’re not even close to over at this point. We’re still expecting catastrophic flooding,” Birchfield said.Forecasters said Hanna could bring 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 centimeters) of rain through Sunday night — with isolated totals of 18 inches (46 centimeters) — in addition to coastal swells that could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.Some areas in South Texas had reported receiving up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain, including Cameron County, which borders Mexico and where Brownsville is located. Rainfall totals were expected to rise throughout the evening and into Sunday.“It’s been all day,” Melissa Elizardi, a spokeswoman for Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño, said of the rainfall.In a tweet, President Donald Trump said his administration was monitoring Hanna, along with Hurricane Douglas, which was heading toward Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean.Sherry Boehme, who lives in a condo along the beach in Corpus Christi, said the storm’s approach had increased the anxiety she has felt during the pandemic. The 67-year-old has mostly stayed at home because of health issues related to chronic lung disease.“It’s almost like a double whammy to us,” Boehme said Saturday by phone. “I think it’s made a lot of people nervous. ... We’ll get through it. Everybody is good and strong and sticks together.”Hanna came nearly three years after Hurricane Harvey made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi. Hanna was not expected to be as destructive as Harvey, which killed 68 people and caused an estimated $125 billion in damage in Texas.First responders in Corpus Christi proactively placed barricades near intersections to have them ready to go if streets began to flood, Mayor Joe McComb said. More than 43,700 people throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Brownsville, were without power Saturday evening, according to AEP Texas.Corpus Christi is in Nueces County, where health officials made headlines when they revealed that 60 infants tested positive for COVID-19 from July 1 to July 16.Farther south in Cameron County, more than 300 confirmed new cases have been reported almost daily for the past two weeks, according to state health figures. The past week has also been the county’s deadliest of the pandemic.Coastal states scrambled this spring to adjust emergency hurricane plans to account for the virus, and Hanna loomed as the first big test.South Texas officials’ plans for any possible rescues, shelters and monitoring of the storm will have the pandemic in mind and incorporate social distancing guidelines and mask wearing.Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday that some sheltering would take place in hotel rooms so people could be separated.“We cannot allow this hurricane to lead to a more catastrophically deadly event by stoking additional spread of COVID-19 that could lead to fatalities,” Abbott said.Cameron County planned to open at least three evacuation shelters. Other counties and cities throughout South Texas had also opened shelters, with many requiring face masks.Various resources and personnel to respond to the storm were on standby across the state, including search-and-rescue teams and aircraft. Mobile teams that can continue testing for COVID-19 were also being deployed.Abbott said he has issued a disaster declaration for 32 counties in Texas and had asked the federal government to approve a similar declaration.Tornadoes were also possible Saturday for parts of the lower to middle Texas coastal plain, forecasters said. A hurricane warning remained in effect for Port Mansfield to Port Aransas, which is near Corpus Christi, and a tropical storm warning was in effect from Port Mansfield south to Barra el Mezquital, Mexico, and from Port Aransas north to Port O’Connor.Mexico’s northeasternmost states, coastal Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon just to its west, also took precautions ahead of the storm’s arrival. Tamaulipas disinfected shelters to try to avoid spreading COVID-19, the state’s governor, Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, tweeted. Meanwhile, the civil protection department was sending rescue boats and other equipment to northern Nuevo Leon because heavy rains were expected.David León, the national director of the civil protection department, told Milenio TV on Saturday that as many as 800 shelters could be activated in the parts of Mexico that could be affected by Hanna.In the Mexican city of Matamoros, which is in Tamaulipas and across the border from Brownsville, Texas, volunteers were keeping a close eye on Hanna, worried that the storm could affect a makeshift migrant camp near the Rio Grande where about 1,300 asylum seekers, including newborn babies and elderly residents, have been waiting under the U.S. immigration policy informally known as “Remain in Mexico.”Meanwhile, Douglas was expected to be near the main Hawaiian Islands late Saturday night and will move over parts of the state Sunday and Monday. A hurricane warning was in effect for Oahu County.

Texas hit by Category 1 Hurricane Hanna amid coronavirus pandemic

Hurricane Hanna roared ashore onto the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, bringing winds that lashed the shoreline with rain and storm surge, and even threatening to bring possible tornadoes to a part of the country trying to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases.

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A woman runs as she flees with her family across a destroyed bridge in the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine on March 2.  Russia's secret war documents have revealed that the plans for Moscow's war with Ukraine were approved on January 18 and it anticipated that the capture must be executed within 15 days, from February 20 to March 6.In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Ukraine's Joint Forces Operations Command said, "Due to the successful actions of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers are losing not only equipment and manpower."In a panic, they leave secret documents. Thus, we have at our disposal the planning documents of one of the units of the battalion tactical group of the 810th separate brigade of marines of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation."Among the received documents are a work card, combat mission, call sign table, control signal tables, hidden control tables, personnel list, etc."ALSO READ: US working to urge India to take 'clear position' on Ukraine-Russia crisis: ReportBased on the information received, it is known that the planning documents for the war with Ukraine were approved on January 18, and the operation to capture Ukraine itself must take place within 15 days, namely from February 20 till March 6."The enemy unit was to disembark from the Orsk VDK in the area of the Stepanovka-1 settlement and further act with the military units of the 58th Army of the Russian Federation, namely with the 177th Separate Regiment of Marines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The ultimate goal of these forces was to blockade and take control of Melitopol.""So, when once again one of the prisoners says that he came to study and got lost, do not believe it. They knew, they carefully planned and prepared. And we will say one thing to the Russian occupiers: keep your equipment and secret documents, we will need them, the first - for our defenders, and the second - for The Hague."ALSO READ: Russian Embassy in Australia receives packages containing 'suspicious' white powder

Russia's secret documents reveal war plans approved on January 18, capture Ukraine in 15 days

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Ukraine's Joint Forces Operations Command said, "Due to the successful actions of one of the units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Russian occupiers are losing not only equipment and manpower."

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Pakistan: Heavy rains kill 24 in Punjab provinceAt least 24 people were killed as heavy rains lashed Pakistan's Punjab province on Thursday, officials said. Rescue officials told local media that several houses have been completely destroyed and the majority of the victims were killed due to roof collapse incidents, reports Xinhua news agency.In one incident, the roof of an old house collapsed in Lahore's Harbanspura area, killing four people and injuring five others.In another, nine members of a family were buried under debris when the roof of their house collapsed in the Sheikhupura district.A woman and her four children lost their lives when the roof of their house collapsed in Mandi Bahauddin district.Meanwhile, three labourers were crushed to death when a landslide occurred in a coal mine in Chakwal district.Three people lost their lives in different incidents of electrocution and roof collapse in the Faisalabad district.Earlier this week, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said that strong monsoon currents were likely to penetrate from Wednesday that will produce widespread rains in the country during the next three to four days.Heavy rainfall may also generate flash flooding in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.

Pakistan: Heavy rains kill 24 in Punjab province

In one incident, the roof of an old house collapsed in Lahore's Harbanspura area, killing four people and injuring five others.

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Four Indian-Americans arrested in US for H1B visa fraudFour Indian-American executives from two IT staffing companies have been arrested on the charges of fraudulently using the H-1B visa programme to gain an unfair advantage over their competitors, a US attorney has said.The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.Vijay Mane, 39, Venkataramana Mannam, 47, and Fernando Silva, 53, from New Jersey while Sateesh Vemuri, 52, from California were each charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, the Department of Justice said on Tuesday.Vemuri made his initial appearance on July 1 before the US Magistrate Judge Steven C Mannion in Newark federal court while Mannam and Silva appeared before the US Magistrate Judge Leda Dunn Wettre in Newark federal court on June 25. Mane appeared before Judge Wettre on June 27.All were released on USD 250,000 bond, the Department of Justice said. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of five years in prison and a USD 250,000 fine.According to the Department of Justice, Mane, Mannam, and Vemuri controlled two IT staffing companies-- Procure Professionals Inc and Krypto IT Solutions Inc-- located in Middlesex County, New Jersey. Similarly, Silva and Mannam also controlled another New Jersey staffing company, referred to in the complaint as “Client A.”They used Procure and Krypto to recruit foreign nationals and sponsor them for H-1B visas, which allow recipients to live and work temporarily in the US in positions requiring specialised skills.To expedite their visa applications, the defendants caused Procure and Krypto to file H-1B applications falsely asserting that the foreign worker/beneficiaries had already secured positions at Client A, when, in reality, no such positions existed, federal prosecutors alleged.Instead, they used these fraudulent applications to build a “bench” of job candidates already admitted to the United States, who could then be hired out immediately to client companies without the need to wait through the visa application process, giving the defendants an advantage over their competitors in the staffing industry.ALSO READ | Mike Pompeo will assure India on H1B visa cap: official   

Four Indian-Americans arrested in US for H1B visa fraud

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

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US President Joe BidenThe United States working with its partners and allies is going to hold China accountable to follow the rules, US President Joe Biden has said, as he referred to his recent meeting with leaders from Quad countries involving Australia, India and Japan. “Earlier this month, and apparently got the Chinese attention, that's not why did it, I met with our allies and -- how we're going to hold China accountable in the region, Australia, India, Japan, the United States, the so-called Quad, because we have to have democracies working together,” he said.Addressing his first solo news conference in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, Biden said that soon he is going to invite an alliance of democracies to come to Washington DC to “discuss the future”. “We are going to make it clear that, in order to deal with these things, we are going to hold China accountable to follow the rules, to follow the rules, whether it relates to the South China Sea or the North China Sea or the agreement made on Taiwan or a whole range of other things,” he asserted.The conference was attended by 30 reporters from various media outlets, including two foreign correspondents.Biden, in response to a question, said he sees stiff competition with China.“China has an overall goal -- and I don't criticize them for the goal, but they have an overall goal to become the leading country in the world, the wealthiest country in the world, and the most powerful country in the world. That's not going to happen on my watch because the United States is going to continue to grow and expand,” he said.After becoming the 46th President of the United States on January 20, Biden has spoken with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping over the phone once.The phone call, he said, lasted for two hours.Biden said as vice president during the Obama administration, he spent hours together with Xi.“It was very, very straightforward. He doesn't have a democratic with a small D bone in his body, but he's a smart, smart guy. He's one of the guys like Putin who thinks that autocracy is the wave of the future. Democracy can't function in an ever-complex world,” he said.“So, when I was elected and he called to congratulate me, I think to the surprise of the China experts who were his people on the call as well as mine listening, we had a two-hour conversation, for two hours. And we made several things clear to one another. I made it clear to him again what I told him in person on several occasions, that we're not looking for a confrontation, although we know there will be steep, steep competition,” he added.“Two, that we'll have strong competition but we'll insist that China play by the international rules, fair competition, fair practices, fair trade. Thirdly, in order to compete effectively, I indicated that we're going to deal with China effectively, and we're going to need three things to do that I'm telling our people. First, we're going to invest in American workers and American science,” the US President.Biden said he is setting up his administration to be able to do that.“The second thing we're going to do is we're going to reestablish our alliances,” he asserted.“I've been very clear with it. It's not anti-Chinese. We have talked about it.”.ALSO READ | ‘My plan is to run for reelection’ in 2024: Joe Biden

US going to hold China accountable to follow rules: Biden

US President Joe Biden has said, as he referred to his recent meeting with leaders from Quad countries involving Australia, India and Japan.

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US: 2 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at a convenience store in Maryland (Representational Image)Two people were killed and a third person was injured in a shooting at a Maryland convenience store and gas station, police said. The Baltimore Sun reports that police in Baltimore County were investigating whether the deadly shooting at a Royal Farms store was related to a fire and another fatal shooting 15 minutes later at a nearby apartment complex.Police said the person shot at the complex had a gunshot wound that appeared to be self-inflicted. The newspaper reported that a body was covered with a tarp in the parking lot and one apartment at the complex was severely burned.Baltimore County Police Department spokesperson Robert Reason said he couldn't immediately release more information about the shootings.“We're not confirming that any incident is related," he told The Associated Press. “We're waiting right now for investigators to essentially do their part, do their investigation, and then contact us and update us on confirmed information that they have.”Royal Farms spokesperson Breahna Brown said the company had no immediate comment on the shooting at its store. ALSO READ | Shooting incident at Colorado supermarket kills multiple people; suspect in custody

US: 2 killed, 1 wounded in shooting at convenience store in Maryland

Two people were killed and a third person was injured in a shooting at a Maryland convenience store and gas station, police said.

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New York, the epicentre of COVID-19 in the US, alone accounts for 5,400 deaths and 1,38,000 cases, followed by adjoining New Jersey with 1,200 deaths and 44,416 cases.The number of deaths in the US due to coronavirus on Tuesday crossed 12,700, with a record 1,900 fatalities in a single day, as President Donald Trump sought to assure a grieving nation that new data projections reveal fewer deaths than originally thought.“We''re looking to have far fewer deaths than originally thought. I think we''re heading in that direction, but it''s too early to talk about it,” Trump told reporters at his daily White House news briefing.While the death toll in the US continues to soar and those being infected by the deadly virus now approaching four lakhs, the highest for any country in the world.New York, the epicentre of COVID-19 in the US, alone accounts for 5,400 deaths and 1,38,000 cases, followed by adjoining New Jersey with 1,200 deaths and 44,416 cases.The national number of both fatalities and cases of infections are expected to jump during the next week, officials believe, but they exuded confidence that strict enforcement of social mitigation measures, including social distancing, would help bring things under control in the next few weeks.“We are seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” Trump said during a White House meeting on Small Businesses.Nearly 97 percent of the America’s 330 million population are under stay-at-home order. In the last 10 days, the US Army has added thousands of new beds by converting large public spaces like convention centres into makeshift hospitals.Thousands of ventilators have been distributed, along with millions of face masks, personal protection equipment and essential medical supplies.“A lot of the occupancy is really getting a little bit lower than anticipated, and that is good,” Trump said.“I think maybe we are getting to the very top of the curve,” he added.Referring to his conversation with the New York Governor Andrew Cuomo he said he seems to think that he is getting close to the peak.Hoping that they are soon going to hit the downslide, he said this is, however, going to be a very difficult week.“This week will be a very difficult week because that is the most difficult week when you are at that top position and we will see what happens,” Trump said.“As we stand here today in the midst of heartbreaking numbers of losses in New York City, I also want to assure the American people that there is reason for hope,” Vice President Mike Pence told reporters during the daily White House briefing on coronavirus.Latest figures from the ground, he said, reflects evidence of stabilization in some of the areas around the country of the most significant outbreak, the New York metro area including New Jersey, Long Island and Connecticut, New Orleans metro area, Detroit, Boston, Chicago and Denver.This, in a very real sense, is evidence that the American people are putting into practice the social distancing, the president''s guidelines, he said.The social distancing measures have now been extended till April 30.According to Dr Deborah Brix, member of the White House Task Force on coronavirus, "figures from the last three days show that in a series of communities outside New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is creating a much flatter graph, almost much flatter curve"."The lower curve parameter in cities like Detroit and Chicago shows the amazing activity of every American in those cities to ensure that they''re social distancing," he said.“Americans are understating more and more that while we tend to think of this as one large curve in our minds when it began in our country and we long for the day that it will end and we hasten that day by putting into practice some of these mitigation efforts,” Pence said in response to a question.In an interview to a local radio station in Arizona, Dr Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the new models are projecting less than 100,000 deaths as against the previous projection of between one and two lakhs.“Those models that were done, they assumed that only about 50 per cent of the American public would pay attention to the recommendations. In fact, it would seem, a large majority of the Americans are taking the social distancing recommendations to heart -- and I think that''s the direct consequence of why you''re seeing the numbers are going to be much, much, much, much lower than would''ve been predicted by the models," Redfield told Tucson Radio Station.Also Read: COVID-19: Japan moves to declare emergency in 7 cities including Tokyo, Osaka

Coronavirus in US: Looking to have fewer death than originally thought, says Trump

While the death toll in the US continues to soar and those being infected by the deadly virus now approaching four lakhs, the highest for any country in the world.

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London closes Tube trains covid 19 mayor says don't travel unless you have toLondon has shut down at least 40 tube train stations due to coronavirus outbreak as the number of infected people continues to rise globally. London Mayor has advised people not to travel unless it's extremely required.Sadiq Khan, London Mayor took to Twitter and announced a reduced service to enable key workers to make essential journeys. According to London Mayor's briefing, up to 40 stations have been closed amid coronavirus pandemic in the city.Meanwhile, Waterloo and City line and the Night Tube have been suspended only for tomorrow.In the advisory, London Mayor mentioned, until further notice, on Friday and Saturday nights there will be no all-night 'Night Tube' service or the all-night 'Night Overground' service that currently runs on the East London line. This is to ensure the resilience of the regular Tube and Overground services. Late services on both the Tube and Overground will continue to run for essential journeys.London buses will operate fewer services, but TfL's extensive night bus network will continue to provide critical workers with a reliable night option on Friday and Saturday nights and throughout the week.Everyone urged not to use public transport for anything other than essential journeysALSO READ | COVID-19: Etihad airlines reduces flights to Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai and moreALSO READ | No new domestic COVID-19 case in China for the first time since outbreak /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_8041037942 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_csth9u45_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_csth9u45_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "PM Modi to address nation on coronavirus today", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_8041037942 = ''; jwsetup_8041037942(); function jwsetup_8041037942() { jwvidplayer_8041037942 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_8041037942").setup(jwconfig_8041037942); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_8041037942, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_csth9u45\", ns_st_pr=\"PM Modi to address nation on coronavirus today\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"PM Modi to address nation on coronavirus today\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"PM Modi to address nation on coronavirus today\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-03-19\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-03-19\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_csth9u45_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_8041037942.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_8041037942.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_8041037942.stop(); jwvidplayer_8041037942.remove(); jwvidplayer_8041037942 = ''; jwsetup_8041037942(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_8041037942.stop(); jwvidplayer_8041037942.remove(); jwvidplayer_8041037942 = ''; jwsetup_8041037942(); return; }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8041037942.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

COVID-19: London closes Tube trains, mayor says don't travel unless you have to

London has shut down at least 40 tube train stations due to coronavirus outbreak as the number of infected people continues to rise globally. London Mayor has advised people not to travel unless it's extremely required.

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Plan to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment receives setbackThe plan to use much touted anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug, according to a report.While another report suggested that there was insufficient clinical data to either recommend or oppose the use of hydroxychloroquine for treating those infected with the deadly virus.President Donald Trump, who has been aggressively promoting the use of hydroxychloroquine in the treatment of COVID-19 patients, said that he would look into the reports.His administration has stockpiled more than 30 million doses of hydroxychloroquine, a large chunk of which has been imported from India.“I don''t know of the report. Obviously, there have been some very good reports and perhaps this one''s not a good report. But we''ll be looking at it. We''ll have a comment on it at some point,” Trump told reporters during his daily White House news conference on coronavirus.Trump was responding to a question on a study released by a group of scientists on use of hydroxychloroquine with or without antibiotic azithromycin for 368 COVID-19 patients.The unreviewed study submitted to New England Journal of Medicine for publication and posted online found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine, either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.“An association of increased overall mortality was identified in patients treated with hydroxychloroquine alone,” said the study that was funded by the National Institute of Health or NIH.NIH in its report ''Therapeutic Options for COVID-19 Currently Under Investigation'' said that there are insufficient clinical data to either recommend or oppose using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19.If chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is used, clinicians should monitor the patient for adverse effects, especially prolonged QTc interval, it said.The panel of NIH experts recommended against the use of the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin because of the potential for toxicities.US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen M Hahn said that no final decision has been taken as yet.“I''ve mentioned from this podium and in other venues before, what FDA is going to require is data from clinical trials, randomised clinical trials, hydroxychloroquine/placebo, to actually make a definitive decision around safety and efficacy,” he told reporters.The first one is a small retrospective study at the VA. “And similar to the data we talked about before with the French study, this is something that a doctorate would need to consider as part of a decision in writing a prescription for hydroxychloroquine,” he said.“But the preliminary data are helpful to providers. I want to ask them (doctors) to incorporate the data as we have it come forward. It''s not definitive data. It doesn''t help us make a decision from a regulatory review.""But doctors should incorporate that in the decision-making they make on a one-on-one basis,” Hahn said in response to a question.Congressman Bill Pascrell said the report analysing hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID-19 treatment at veterans hospitals is a bombshell indictment of the damage Trump and his administration does to Americans by putting politics before science.“The world class medicine and doctors we enjoy today are the fruit of generations of painstaking work by our ancestors. Evidence-based science is the only way out of this crisis, not unproven miracle therapies personally favored by Donald Trump,” he said.“Trump’s frequent touting of this treatment was deeply irresponsible, and may have heaped unnecessary pain and suffering, not to mention false hope, upon Americans struck by this terrible illness.""I have repeatedly warned the FDA about the danger of prizing Trump’s political pressure over scientific process. Unless we are guided by science and science alone, we will have more unnecessary deaths on our hands,” Pascrell said. 

Plan to use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 treatment receives setback

The plan to use much touted anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine for treating COVID-19 patients has received a setback with more deaths being reported among those who were given the drug, according to a report.

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Terror groups enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan than any time in recent history: UN report.  Terror groups enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan than at any time in recent history and there are no signs that the Taliban leadership has taken steps to limit the activities of foreign terrorists in the war-torn country, a report of the UN Secretary-General has said.The report says the dreaded Islamic State terrorist group aims to position itself as the “chief rejectionist force” in Afghanistan, expands into neighbouring Central and South Asian countries and is viewed by the Taliban as its primary armed threat.The '14th report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIS to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat' notes that the security landscape in Afghanistan changed dramatically on August 15, following a Taliban military campaign that took control in the country, including Kabul.“There are no recent signs that the Taliban has taken steps to limit the activities of foreign terrorist fighters in the country. On the contrary, Member States are concerned that terrorist groups enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan than at any time in recent history,” the report said.It, however, said that only a small number of foreign terrorist fighters are moving to Afghanistan.ALSO READ: Taliban bans forced marriages of women in AfghanistanThe report said ISIS affiliate in Afghanistan, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan, continues to be led by Sanaullah Ghafari, an Afghan national, who was designated by the ISIS and al-Qaida Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council in December last year.The US on Monday announced a reward of up to USD 10 million for information on Ghafari and those responsible for last year's militant attack on the Kabul international airport that killed at least 185 people.The US Department of Rewards for Justice (RFJ) issued notifications to this effect on Monday."Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to USD 10 million for information on ISIS-K leader Shahab al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah Ghafari," it said.According to the UN report, ISIS-K is taking advantage of the turmoil in the country, including by recruiting fighters from the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement and the Turkistan Islamic Party, among other foreign terrorist groups.“It aims to position itself as the chief rejectionist force in Afghanistan and to expand into neighbouring Central and South Asian countries and is viewed by the Taliban as its primary armed threat,” the report said.The UN Member States are concerned that if Afghanistan descends into further chaos, some Afghan and foreign violent extremists may shift allegiances to ISIS, it said.The UN Member States have assessed that the strength of ISIS-K has increased from earlier estimates of 2,200 fighters to now approaching 4,000 following the release by the Taliban of several thousand individuals from prison. One Member State assessed that up to half the individuals are foreign terrorist fighters, it added.“While Da’esh controls limited territory in eastern Afghanistan, it is capable of conducting high-profile, complex attack such as the 27 August bombing at Kabul airport, which killed over 180 people, and several subsequent attacks, in particular against the Taliban and members of the Shia community,” the report said.The report said that during the second half of 2021, ISIS (Da’esh) continued to suffer leadership losses, while its affiliates maintained a high level of activity and attacks in Africa and gained in strength and visibility in Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.The interrelated issues of foreign terrorist fighters, other ISIS fighters and their family members continued to concern Member States acutely.The Member States in the South-East Asia region are also concerned about the “potential resurgence of a safe haven” in Afghanistan for international terrorist activity, as well as about social media messaging that “celebrates the Taliban victory”, which could be used as a recruitment tool for violent extremism locally, the report noted.National authorities in the South-East Asia region are not reporting any immediate uptick in attempted travel to Afghanistan, but are alert to this possibility.The report said that both Indonesia and the Philippines reported significant counter-terrorism gains, leading to an overall decline in terrorist activity and cautious optimism that the operational capability of several groups in the region may be significantly degraded.At the same time, the threat of attacks by lone actors or inspired by radicalised individuals remains a concern, it said.

Terror groups enjoy greater freedom in Afghanistan than any time in recent history: UN report

The report says the dreaded Islamic State terrorist group aims to position itself as the “chief rejectionist force” in Afghanistan, expands into neighbouring Central and South Asian countries and is viewed by the Taliban as its primary armed threat.

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US blacklists Xiaomi, CNOOC, Skyrizon, raising heat on ChinaThe US government has blacklisted Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. and China''s third-largest national oil company for alleged military links, heaping pressure on Beijing in President Donald Trump's last week in office. The Department of Defense added nine companies to its list of Chinese companies with military links, including Xiaomi and state-owned plane manufacturer Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac).US investors will have to divest their stakes in Chinese companies on the military list by November this year, according to an executive order signed by Trump in November.Xiaomi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Xiaomi Corp. overtook Apple Inc. as the worlds No. 3 smartphone maker by sales in the third quarter of 2020, according to data by Gartner. Xiaomis market share has grown as Huaweis sales have suffered after it was blacklisted by the U.S. and its smartphones were cut off from essential services from Google.READ MORE: 'Trump has crossed dangerous red line': China enraged over US move on TaiwanSeparately, the Commerce Department put China National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) on the entity list, an economic blacklist that forbids U.S. firms from exporting or transferring technology with the companies named unless permission has been obtained from the U.S. government. The move comes after about 60 Chinese companies were added to the list in December, including drone maker DJI and semiconductor firm SMIC.CNOOC has been involved in offshore drilling in the disputed waters South China Sea, where Beijing has overlapping territorial claims with other countries including Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Taiwan, and Malaysia.“China's reckless and belligerent actions in the South China Sea and its aggressive push to acquire sensitive intellectual property and technology for its militarisation efforts are a threat to U.S. national security and the security of the international community,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a statement.“CNOOC acts as a bully for the Peoples Liberation Army to intimidate Chinas neighbors, and the Chinese military continues to benefit from government civil-military fusion policies for malign purposes,” Ross said. CNOOC did not immediately comment.Chinese state-owned company Skyrizon was also added to the economic blacklist, for its push to “acquire and indigenise foreign military technologies,” Ross said. Beijing Skyrizon Aviation, founded by tycoon Wang Jing, drew U.S. criticism for an attempt to take over Ukraines military aircraft engine maker Motor Sich in 2017. The concern was that advanced aerospace technology would end up being used for military purposes.READ MORE: Alipay to WeChat Pay: Trump orders ban on transactions with 8 more Chinese apps

In last swipe at China, Trump blacklists Xiaomi, CNOOC, Skyrizon for military links

US investors will have to divest their stakes in Chinese companies on the military list by November this year, according to an executive order signed by Trump in November.

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Kim Jong Un leaves for ChinaAmid speculations of Kim Jong Un attempting to coordinate his positions with Beijing ahead of his likely summit with US President Donald Trump, the North Korean leader left for China for a four-day trip, the North's state media reported on Tuesday.Kim departed for China on Monday afternoon with his wife Ri Sol Ju and top officials. It said Kim is visiting China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Korean Central News Agency reported.Related Stories Will walk out if meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un doesn't go well, says Donald Trump Ahead of President Trump and Kim Jong’s meet on June 12, their duplicates rule the Singapore roadsNorth Korea Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un brings his own toilet to Trump SummitKim Jong Un to visit China today, expected to discuss denuclearisation North Korean leader Kim thanks China for support with Trump summitSEE PICS: Kim Jong-un's impersonator spotted at India vs England clash in BirminghamUN Chief hails Kim Jong Un's commitment to denuclearise Korean Peninsula'Fell in love with Kim Jong, he wrote me beautiful letters': Donald Trump The KCNA dispatch came after South Korean media reported late Monday that Kim may be on his way to Beijing aboard a special train for his summit with Xi.According to the South Korean media, the train was expected to reach Beijing at about 10 am Tuesday local time. Kim used a very distinctive armoured train made especially for him on visits to China last year.Kim's trip comes after US and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and Trump.Kim had visited China thrice last year as he was engaged in a flurry of diplomacy with the United States and South Korea since he abruptly entered talks about the fate of his advancing nuclear arsenal.Nuclear diplomacy has reported little progress since Kim met Trump for a summit in Singapore last June.China is North Korea's most important trading partner and a key buffer against pressure from Washington. Tuesday is also Kim Jong Un's birthday.

Kim Jong Un departs to China on four-day trip for summit, confirms North Korea

Kim's trip comes after US and North Korean officials are believed to have met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and Trump.

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Key demands of anti-government protests sweeping IndonesiaIndonesia has been immersed in a wave of mass protests against the regressive reform of the penal code that has put the nation's president, Joko Widodo, against the ropes.The demonstrations were triggered by a bill to immediately introduce reforms to the penal code, which among other things would criminalize sex outside of marriage, Efe news reported on Friday.But the protests, which have turned violent in some places, have focused mostly on corruption and the erosion of freedoms. University students have led the actions, which are set to continue over the weekend.It's the biggest movement organised by students in Indonesia since 1998, which forced the resignation of General Suharto and led to its transition to democracy.A common theme for the protests is corruption, with the protesters denouncing that the new penal code is far too indulgent with those guilty of corruption.They're also asking for recent changes in the law that regulates the anti-corruption commission - the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) - to be revoked, arguing that the reforms undermine the competency of an organization that has investigated hundreds of politicians.The priorities of the protesters vary on different islands of the archipelago due to the huge inequalities in regions like Java and Sumatra and more remote areas like Papua and Borneo.Although the controversial reform of the penal code affects a range of areas, from reproductive health to criminalising insulting the president, in Java corruption is one of the more important matters, while in Borneo the devastating forest fires are the primary concern.The Parliament was on Tuesday expected to pass the first comprehensive review of the penal code since it was introduced in 1918 by the Netherlands while it was still a Dutch colony. President Widodo was forced to delay deliberations as a result of the protests.The bill contains 628 articles criminalising sex outside marriage, the dissemination of information about contraceptives, abortion, and it toughens laws against blasphemy, adultery and the spread of communist ideology.Several human rights organisations have denounced about 20 articles and groups of articles under the reform and warned that several put the rights of women, religious minorities and the LGBT community at risk.Since Tuesday, thousands of Indonesians have taken to the streets across the archipelago. Everyday protests have begun peacefully, but some have descended into violence with clashes with the security forces.At least three youths have died during the unrest. One of the deaths took place in Jakarta due to respiratory insufficiency. The other two died on Sulawesi island of a shot to the chest and a head injury, according to the police.The students have been joined by some Islamic groups. Nearly 88 per cent of the 265 million-plus population practice Islam and in the past has shown its ability to influence politics.The government has reacted by defending the freedom of expression of the university students but warned that it will not tolerate anarchist actions, which according to security affairs minister Wiranto, are staged by groups that are opposed to the second term of Widodo that is to begin in October after his win in the April elections.Widodo, who came from a humble background and won his first election in 2014 with an image that depicted him as someone who was close to the people, on Thursday announced he was considering revoking the reform and claimed his advocacy for fundamental rights.

Key demands of anti-government protests sweeping Indonesia

Indonesia has been immersed in a wave of mass protests against the regressive reform of the penal code that has put the nation's president, Joko Widodo, against the ropes.

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At least 23 Egyptian soldiers were killed and 33 others injured today when terrorists attacked several army checkpoints with car bombs in the restive North Sinai, triggering fierce clashes that left 40 militants dead. The military said it killed the heavily-armed terrorists during clashes with them in the North Sinai city of Rafah, bordering the Palestinian Gaza Strip ruled by the Hamas. Security officials said ambulances rushed to the sites of the attacks south of the town of Rafah. Six vehicles were destroyed during the attacks, army spokesperson Tamer el-Refae said in a statement. The security sources said 23 army personnel were killed in the attack while the number of wounded stands at 33. The army is currently combing the area and searching for the attackers. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the restive North Sinai is the main focus of the deadly ISIS militancy and the groups affiliated with it have carried out several attacks in the past targeting security forces since the January 2011 revolution that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak. The attacks, mainly targeting police and military, increased after the ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 by military following massive protests against his rule. Hundreds of police and army personnel have been killed since then. The military has launched security campaigns in the North Sinai area, killing several militants. The security forces have also arrested suspects and demolished houses that belong to terrorists, including those facilitating tunnels leading to the Gaza Strip.

23 soldiers, 40 terrorists killed in Egypt attacks

The security sources said 23 army personnel were killed in the attack while the number of wounded stands at 33. The army is currently combing the area and searching for the attackers.

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Unauthorised drone flying hit Changi airport operations representational imageFlight operations at the Changi International  Airport here were affected due to unauthorised drone activities, days after one of its runways was shut down due to unmanned aircraft sightings, according to a media report.The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) told Channel News Asia (CNA) that approximately 15 departures and three arrivals were delayed, while seven flights were diverted on Monday.Related Stories IAF's Sukhoi 30MKI shoots down Pakistani drone near BikanerChinese man held for flying drone over Victoria MemorialZomato drone tests food packet delivery at 80kmphGlobal airlines reroute flights after Iran downs US droneLast week, 38 flights were affected when drones were sighted in the vicinity of the airport, forcing one of its runways to shut down."As a precautionary measure, arrival and departure flights were carefully regulated for short periods of time between 8.07pm and 9.07pm," the CAAS said.One of those affected was Singapore Airlines which diverted its flight scheduled from Jakarta to Singapore on Monday night.The flight "experienced an extended holding period at Singapore Changi Airport and was subsequently diverted to Batam," an SIA spokesperson was quoted as saying.The CAAS said that investigations into the matter were going on and the authority will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those responsible for such acts that pose a threat to aviation and endanger security and safety of others. Offenders could face a fine of up to USD 14,788 or a jail term of up to 12 months, the CNA report said.Singapore prohibits flying of drones within 5km of the airport without a permit. 

Unauthorised drone flying hit Singapore's Changi International Airport operations

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) told Channel News Asia (CNA) that approximately 15 departures and three arrivals were delayed, while seven flights were diverted on Monday.

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Pakistan blacklists Chinese company for forged documentsPakistans National Transm­ission and Despatch Company (NTDC) has blacklisted a Chinese firm and barred it from participating in all tenders process for a month, Dawn reported.The state-owned subsidiary of the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) blacklisted the firm over allegations of preparing and submitting forged documents to the department concerned during the bidding of a project, Dawn has learnt."(The Chinese firm) is hereby blacklisted and barred from participating in all NTDC bidding/tender process with immediate effect for a period of one month on account of submitting forged and fake documents," reads a letter issued a couple of days ago from the office of the NTDC general manager."However, this office order will have a prospective effect in terms hereof and shall not be applicable on the existing contracts under execution (if any)," the letter, titled ‘Blacklisting of the Chinese Firm for procurement of insulator hardware assemblies.Copies of the letter have also been sent to the NTDC managing director (MD), chairmen of the Water and Power and Development Authority and Pakistan Engineering Council, the MDs of National Engineering Services Pakistan and Public Procurement Regulatory Authority, the Central Power Purchasing Agency-Guarantee chief operating officer (CEO) as well as the CEOs of all power distribution companies.(With inputs from IANS)Also Read | China forcing people to work 12 hours a day? Tencent, Alibaba, other tech giants' employees complain /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; firstjw = document.getElementsByClassName('jwvidplayer')[0]; cs_jw_script = document.createElement('script'); cs_jw_script.src = 'https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/internal-c2/plugins/streamingtag_plugin_jwplayer.js'; firstjw.parentNode.insertBefore(cs_jw_script, firstjw.nextSibling); } var jwconfig_9673253415 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_vvbwtaja/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_vvbwtaja_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "China rattled over Quad meeting, Quad won't get support from any nation, says Chinese Foreign Ministry", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "duration": "127", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_9673253415 = ''; jwsetup_9673253415(); function jwsetup_9673253415() { jwvidplayer_9673253415 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_9673253415").setup(jwconfig_9673253415); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_9673253415, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_vvbwtaja\", ns_st_pr=\"China rattled over Quad meeting, Quad won't get support from any nation, says Chinese Foreign Ministry\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"China rattled over Quad meeting, Quad won't get support from any nation, says Chinese Foreign Ministry\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"China rattled over Quad meeting, Quad won't get support from any nation, says Chinese Foreign Ministry\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-25\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-25\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_vvbwtaja/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_9673253415.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_9673253415.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_9673253415.stop(); jwvidplayer_9673253415.remove(); jwvidplayer_9673253415 = ''; jwsetup_9673253415(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_9673253415.stop(); jwvidplayer_9673253415.remove(); jwvidplayer_9673253415 = ''; jwsetup_9673253415(); return; }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9673253415.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }  

Pakistan blacklists Chinese firm, bars participating in all tenders over forged documents

The firm has been blacklisted over allegations of preparing and submitting forged documents to the department concerned during the bidding of a project, Dawn has learnt.

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Scale, details of massive Kaseya ransomware attack emergeCybersecurity teams worked feverishly Sunday to stem the impact of the single biggest global ransomware attack on record, with some details emerging about how the Russia-linked gang responsible breached the company whose software was the conduit. An affiliate of the notorious REvil gang, best known for extorting USD 11 million from the meat-processor JBS after a Memorial Day attack, infected thousands of victims in at least 17 countries on Friday, largely through firms that remotely manage IT infrastructure for multiple customers, cybersecurity researchers said.They reported ransom demands of up to USD 5 million.The FBI said in a statement Sunday that it was investigating the attack along with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, though "the scale of this incident may make it so that we are unable to respond to each victim individually."President Joe Biden suggested Saturday the US would respond if it was determined that the Kremlin is at all involved. He said he had asked the intelligence community for a "deep dive" on what happened.The attack comes less than a month after Biden pressed Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop providing safe haven to REvil and other ransomware gangs whose unrelenting extortionary attacks the US deems a national security threat.A broad array of businesses and public agencies were hit by the latest attack, apparently on all continents, including in financial services, travel and leisure and the public sector, though few large companies, the cybersecurity firm Sophos reported.Ransomware criminals break into networks and sow malware that cripples networks on activation by scrambling all their data. Victims get a decoder key when they pay up.The Swedish grocery chain Coop said most of its 800 stores would be closed for a second day Sunday because their cash register software supplier was crippled.A Swedish pharmacy chain, gas station chain, the state railway and public broadcaster SVT were also hit.In Germany, an unnamed IT services company told authorities several thousand of its customers were compromised, the news agency dpa reported. Also among reported victims were two big Dutch IT services companies, VelzArt and Hoppenbrouwer Techniek.Most ransomware victims don't publicly report attacks or disclose if they've paid ransoms.CEO Fred Voccola of the breached software company, Kaseya, estimated the victim number in the low thousands, mostly small businesses like "dental practices, architecture firms, plastic surgery centres, libraries, things like that."Voccola said in an interview that only between 50-60 of the company's 37,000 customers were compromised. But 70 per cent were managed service providers who use the company's hacked VSA software to manage multiple customers.It automates the installation of software and security updates and manages backups and other vital tasks.Experts say it was no coincidence that REvil launched the attack at the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend, knowing US offices would be lightly staffed.Many victims may not learn of it until they are back at work on Monday.The vast majority of end customers of managed service providers "have no idea" what kind of software is used to keep their networks humming, said Voccola, Kaseya said it sent a detection tool to nearly 900 customers on Saturday night.John Hammond of Huntress Labs, one of the first cybersecurity firms to sound the alarm on the attack, said he'd seen USD 5 million and USD 500,000 demands by REVil for the decryptor key needed to unlock scrambled networks.The smallest amount demanded appears to have been USD 45,000.Sophisticated ransomware gangs on REvil's level usually examine a victim's financial records, and insurance policies if they can find them, from files they steal before activating the data-scrambling malware.The criminals then threaten to dump the stolen data online unless paid.It was not immediately clear if this attack involved data theft, however.The infection mechanism suggests it did not."Stealing data typically takes time and effort from the attacker, which likely isn't feasible in an attack scenario like this where there are so many small and mid-sized victim organizations," said Ross McKerchar, chief information security officer at Sophos."We haven't seen evidence of data theft, but it's still early on and only time will tell if the attackers resort to playing this card in an effort to get victims to pay."Dutch researchers said they alerted Miami-based Kaseya to the breach and said the criminals used a "zero day," the industry term for a previous unknown security hole in software.Voccola would not confirm that or offer details of the breach — except to say that it was not phishing."The level of sophistication here was extraordinary," he said.When the cybersecurity firm Mandiant finishes its investigation, Voccola said he is confident it will show that the criminals didn't just violate Kaseya code in breaking into his network but also exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software.It was not the first ransomware attack to leverage managed services providers. In 2019, criminals hobbled the networks of 22 Texas municipalities through one.That same year, 400 US dental practices were crippled in a separate attack.

Scale, details of massive Kaseya ransomware attack emerge

The FBI said in a statement Sunday that it was investigating the attack along with the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, though "the scale of this incident may make it so that we are unable to respond to each victim individually."

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In a major political development, two ruling Communist parties in Nepal -- CPN-UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) -- have decided to unify and form a new party.Top leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and CPN (Maoist Centre) forged consensus on seven points, including the name of the new political party, after their unification on Monday night.According to the seven-point agreement signed by the two parties, the name of the unified party would be Nepal Communist Party (NCP).The leaders of the UML and Maoist Centre decided to hold the unity general convention by revising the theoretical issues through discussions and deliberations.However, the date for the unification of the two parties was not mentioned in the agreement.The leaders also agreed to prepare the groundwork for socialism through socio-economic transformation by strengthening nationalism, democracy and social justice.Prime Minister and CPN-UML Chairman K.P. Sharma Oli and Chair of the Maoist Centre Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" will chair the new party on a rotational basis until the next general assembly is held. Similarly, Oli will hand over the Premiership to Prachanda after three years.On Tuesday, Prachanda said that the Nepal Communist Party was formed in principle and it would be materialised legally after registration with the Election Commission."We have opted for a two-chairmen system until the general convention," he said.As per the agreement, different taskforces were constituted to prepare the interim political report, interim statute and organisational framework of the new political party.Prachanda said old committees of the two parties would be dissolved within a week on the basis of suggestions of the taskforces and the statute. He added that the general convention of the party would be held within two years and Oli would be Prime Minister till then.Likewise, the new party's directorate principle will be Marxism-Leninism, the agreement stated. It also said that UML's "People's Multiparty Democracy" and Maoist Centre's "Maoism" as well as "21st century Democracy" can be modified as per need.

Nepal's two ruling Communist parties decide to merge

Top leaders of the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) and CPN (Maoist Centre) forged consensus on seven points, including the name of the new political party, after their unification on Monday night.

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China on Monday dismissed a top Pakistani Army General's allegation that India has established a special intelligence cell at a cost of USD 500 million to sabotage the strategic China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), saying it does not have any such report. Chairman of Pakistan's Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mehmood Hayat on November 14 said had accused India of stoking "chaos and anarchy" in the region. He alleged that Indians external intelligence agency RAW has established a special cell at a cost of USD 500 million to sabotage the CPEC. He also accused India of fanning terrorism in the restive province of Balochistan. "We have no such relevant reports," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a media briefing when asked about the allegation. Chinas rebuff over the allegation against India is significant considering that Beijing and Islamabad regard themselves as "iron brothers" sharing "all-weather ties". Also in an apparent reference to Indias objections over the CPEC traversing through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Lu said "we hope that CPEC could win more recognition and support from regional countries and the international community". Pakistans top officials have been accusing RAW of sabotaging the CPEC as the Pakistani security forces had to battle numerous attacks by the Balochistan nationalist forces as well as the Islamic State in Balochistan province. The CPEC connects Chinas restive Xinjiang province with Gwadar Port in Balochistan. Lu said the CPEC is new type cooperation framework built by China and Pakistan for long term cooperation development. "It is important not just to the common development of China and Pakistan but also regional connectivity and common prosperity," he said. He said China believe that it can work with Pakistan to ensure the success of the CPEC and the economic cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

China dismisses Pak Army's allegations of India trying to sabotage strategic CPEC project

China on Monday dismissed a top Pakistani Army General's allegation that India has established a special intelligence cell at a cost of USD 500 million to sabotage the CPEC.

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Mahathir Mohamad, center, celebrates at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Wednesday, May 9, 2018. Mahathir Mohamad says the new Malaysian government will not be seeking revenge on defeated prime minister Najib Razak, who is accused of involvement in a corruption scandal at state investment fund 1MDB.Official results from Malaysia's national election on Tuesday show the opposition alliance led by the country's former authoritarian ruler Mahathir Mohamad achieved a majority in parliament, ending the 60-year rule of the National Front.The 92-year-old Mahathir told journalists on Wednesday a representative of Malaysia's constitutional monarchy has contacted the opposition to acknowledge its victory.Mahathir emerged from retirement and joined the opposition after being angered by an epic corruption scandal involving Prime Minister Najib Razak and new taxes.US investigators say at least 4.5 billion US dollars was stolen from state investment fund 1MDB by associates of Najib between 2009 and 2014, including 700 million US dollars that landed in Najib's bank account.Najib, who denies any wrongdoing, clamped down on dissent to survive the scandal.Mahathir said on Wednesday he is not seeking revenge and wants to restore the rule of law.He added that those found to have breached the law will be prosecuted.

Malaysia's Mahathir wins shock election victory, says new govt will not seek revenge against defeated PM

Official results from Malaysia's national election on Tuesday show the opposition alliance led by the country's former authoritarian ruler Mahathir Mohamad achieved a majority in parliament, ending the 60-year rule of the National Front.

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US First lady Jill Biden meets U.S. troops during a visit to the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in RomaniaDelivering good cheer — and 5 gallons of ketchup — Jill Biden thanked U.S. troops deployed to Romania as a check against Russian aggression for their service, as she began a four-day trip to Europe to see first hand the refugee crisis caused by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.After flying overnight from Washington, the first lady arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, near the Black Sea, in time to help serve Friday dinner to U.S. service members stationed there. About 1,600 of the several thousand U.S. troops President Joe Biden deployed to eastern Europe in the leadup to the Russia-Ukraine war were sent to the base, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Romania's border with Ukraine.Jill Biden served mac and cheese and baked potatoes for the troops — and encouraged them not to skip out on the greens — before greeting small groups of servicemembers at tables in the base dining facility. She delivered bottles of ketchup to the soldiers, responding to a shortage of the condiment on the base, eliciting cheers from the troops.“I know it's hard on your families," she told one servicemember, referencing her own experience when her son Beau Biden deployed to Iraq.For weeks, Jill Biden has been transfixed by the news coming out of Ukraine, by the bombings and scenes of “parents weeping over their children's broken bodies in the streets,” as she said in a recent speech.Now Biden is using her second solo overseas trip to get an up-close look at the Ukrainian refugee crisis by visiting Romania and Slovakia, where she will spend Mother's Day meeting with displaced families in a small Slovakian village on the border with Ukraine.“It's so important to the president and to me that the Ukrainian people know that we stand with them," Jill Biden told reporters traveling with her Thursday night, She said earlier in the week she wants the refugees to know “their resilience inspires me.”ALSO READ: US President Joe Biden wants another $33 billion to help Ukraine battle Russian invasionNATO allies Romania and Slovakia border Ukraine and have taken in some of the millions of mostly women and children who fled after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, triggering Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II.Biden also will use her four days in Europe to highlight issues she promotes at home, such as support for U.S. service members, education and the welfare of children.The centerpiece of the first lady's trip comes Sunday — Mother's Day — when the mother of three meets with displaced Ukrainians who sought refuge across the border in Slovakia.Biden's daughter, Ashley Biden, had planned to accompany her mother to Europe, but backed out after learning Thursday that she was a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19, said Michael LaRosa, the first lady's spokesperson. Ashley Biden tested negative, LaRosa said."I can only imagine the grief families are feeling,” Jill Biden said this week. “I know that we might not share a language, but I hope that I can convey, in ways so much greater than words, that their resilience inspires me, that they are not forgotten, and that all Americans stand with them still.”The first lady also will meet during the trip with humanitarian aid workers, educators, government officials and U.S. embassy personnel, the White House said.Nearly 6 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled their country since Russia's invasion, according to the U.N. refugee agency. Many have resettled in next-door countries, like Romania and Slovakia, or have gone elsewhere in Europe to try to rebuild their lives.More than 850,000 Ukrainians have entered Romania since the invasion, while nearly 400,000 have crossed into Slovakia, according to government figures from those countries.Biden has long displayed an interest in the plight of refugees around the world.In 2011, when her husband was vice president, she traveled to drought-stricken east Africa to visit with Somali famine refugees at the Dadaab camp in Kenya. In 2017, she visited refugees in Chios, Greece, as part of work by the aid organization Save The Children, on whose board she served.Some refugee advocates said Biden's trip will send the message that the United States takes seriously its humanitarian commitment to the Ukrainian people.“Every first lady has a far-reaching platform to raise awareness and this trip will be an important tool for mobilizing additional support for those forced to flee their homeland,” said Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service and formerly a policy director to first lady Michelle Obama.Biden's trip will be the latest to the region by a U.S. government representative following recent visits to Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.President Biden visited Ukrainian refugees during a stop in Poland in March. That's the closest he's been to Ukraine. The White House has said there are no current plans for him to visit Kyiv.After her time with the U.S. service members, Jill Biden was set to spend Saturday in Bucharest, Romania's capital, being briefed on humanitarian efforts, meeting with Romanian first lady Carmen Iohannis and touring a school where Ukrainian refugee students are enrolled before she departs for Slovakia. The first lady is a community college English professor.On Sunday, she heads to Kosice, Slovakia, to visit a city-operated refugee center and a public school that also hosts Ukrainian refugee students, where she will spend time with Ukrainian and Slovakian mothers and children as they participate in Mother's Day activities. Afterward, she will travel to the Slovakia-Ukraine border crossing in Vysne Nemecke, Slovakia.The White House declined to comment on whether she will cross the border and enter Ukraine.She'll also visit a small Greek Catholic chapel in Vysne Nemecke that serves refugees.Monday brings a meeting with Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova, the country's first female president, before Biden heads back to Washington.The first lady has shown her support the Ukrainian people in several ways. She wore a sunflower — Ukraine's national flower — on her mask and a dress sleeve and traveled to a Tennessee hospital to visit with Ukrainian children flown there for cancer treatment.She had Ukraine's ambassador to the U.S., Oksana Markarova, sit with her during President Biden's State of the Union address in March, and she went to the Army's Fort Campbell in Kentucky to visit with the families of U.S soldiers who were deployed to Europe to assist with the Ukraine crisis.The trip is the first lady's second overseas by herself. She flew to Tokyo last year to represent the United States at the opening of the Olympic Games. ALSO READ: 'India has its own problems...': Biden's take after Xi claims Quad against China

Jill Biden visits Europe, will meet with Ukrainian refugees

After flying overnight from Washington, the first lady arrived at Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in Romania, near the Black Sea, in time to help serve Friday dinner to U.S. service members stationed there.