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India, US could make 'tremendous' trade deal: Donald TrumpDays ahead of his India visit, US President Donald Trump on Thursday said the two countries could make a "tremendous" trade deal. "We're going to India, and we may make a tremendous deal there," Trump said in his commencement address at the Hope for Prisoners Graduation Ceremony in Las Vegas. Trump, accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, is scheduled to travel to Ahmedabad, Agra and New Delhi on February 24 and 25.Ahead of the visit, there have been talks about India and the United States agreeing on a trade package as a precursor to a major trade deal. During his commencement address, Trump indicated that the talks on this might slowdown if he did not get a good deal."Maybe we'll slow down. We'll do it after the election. I think that could happen too. So, we'll see what happens," he said."But we're only making deals if they're good deals because we're putting America first. Whether people like it or not, we're putting America first," Trump said.Bilateral India-US trade in goods and services is about three per cent of the US' world trade.In a recent report, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said the trading relationship is more consequential for India -- in 2018 the United States was its second-largest goods export market (16.0 per cent share) after the European Union (EU, 17.8 per cent), and third largest goods import supplier (6.3 per cent) after China (14.6 per cent) and the EU 28 (10.2 per cent)."The Trump administration takes issue with the US trade deficit with India, and has criticised India for a range of 'unfair' trading practices," the CRS said."Indian Prime Minister Modi's first term fell short of many observers' expectations, as India did not move forward with the anticipated market-opening reforms, and instead increased tariffs and trade restrictions," it said."Modi's strong electoral mandate may embolden the Indian government to press ahead with its reform agenda with greater vigour. Slowing economic growth in India raises concerns about its business environment," CRS said.As per a fact sheet issued by the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), trade in goods and services between the two countries from 1999 to 2018 surged from USD 16 billion to USD 142 billion.India is now the United States' eighth-largest trading partner in goods and services and is among the world's largest economies.India's trade with the United States now resembles, in terms of volume, the US' trade with South Korea (USD 167 billion in 2018) or France (USD 129 billion), said Alyssa Ayres from CFR."The United States for two years now has set out in stone pretty clearly the things that they wanted to see to try to get an agreement, and it's basically then on India's doorstep on whether they want to take those steps," Rick Rossow, Wadhwani Chair in US-India Policy Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank told reporters during a conference call."The list of US asks has been pretty static all throughout. Not to say that any of these things are easy for India to do, but the United States to my knowledge didn't change the goalposts just because we now consider India to be a middle-income country. The things that we wanted to see happen to get this trade agreement have been pretty static all throughout, no matter how difficult they are," he said in response to a question.Trump urged to push for favourable pulse crop provision in trade deal with IndiaTwo US Senators have urged President Donald Trump to "push for favourable pulse crop provisions" in any trade deal the United States signs with India."As you prepare for your upcoming trip to India, we write to encourage you to push for favourable pulse crop provisions in any deal the United States may sign with the Republic of India," two Republican Senators Kevin Cramer and Steve Daines wrote in a letter to Trump.Daines represents the state of Montana, while Cramer is from North Dakota. Both Montana and North Dakota are major pulse producing states.In their letter dated February 19, the two Senators said Montana and North Dakota are the top two producers of pulses in the United States and India is the world's largest consumer of pulse crops, contributing to approximately 27 per cent of the world's consumption.The most commonly consumed pulse crops in India are lentils, chickpeas, dried beans, and peas, yet the Republic of India has levied substantial tariffs on American pulse crops."Unfair Indian tariffs on pulse crops have substantially harmed our producers back home," they wrote."Following the removal of lndia from the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) on June 5, 2019, additional tariffs were placed on American pulse crops. Currently, tariff rates are 30 per cent for dried beans, 50 per cent for lentils and peas, and 70 per cent for chickpeas. As a result, US pulse crop producers face a significant competitive disadvantage when exporting to India," the two Senators wrote to Trump."At a time when many producers have been struggling to make ends meet, your work to expand market opportunities for US farm commodities has been critical. Engaging Prime Minister Modi on pulse crop tariffs as part of larger discussions to enhance the economic cooperation between our countries would be mutually beneficial to both American producers and Indian consumers," Cramer and Daines wrote. Also Read | Would not rush into a trade deal with US during President Trump’s visit: MEAAlso Read | As Trump visit draws near, Yamuna & Taj health take centre-stage /* .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_8996081327 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_qqbtuju9_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_qqbtuju9_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "PM Modi will host lunch, President of India to host dinner for US President 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_8996081327 = ''; jwsetup_8996081327(); function jwsetup_8996081327() { jwvidplayer_8996081327 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_8996081327").setup(jwconfig_8996081327); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_8996081327, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_qqbtuju9\", ns_st_pr=\"PM Modi will host lunch, President of India to host dinner for US President Trump\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"PM Modi will host lunch, President of India to host dinner for US President Trump\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"PM Modi will host lunch, President of India to host dinner for US President Trump\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-02-21\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-02-21\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_qqbtuju9_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_8996081327.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_8996081327.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_8996081327.stop(); jwvidplayer_8996081327.remove(); jwvidplayer_8996081327 = ''; jwsetup_8996081327(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_8996081327.stop(); jwvidplayer_8996081327.remove(); jwvidplayer_8996081327 = ''; jwsetup_8996081327(); return; }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8996081327.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ​(with PTI inputs)

Putting America first: Trump puts conditions on 'tremendous' Indo-US trade deal

India is now the United States' eighth-largest trading partner in goods and services and is among the world's largest economies. India's trade with the United States now resembles, in terms of volume, the US' trade with South Korea (USD 167 billion in 2018) or France (USD 129 billion), said Alyssa Ayres from CFR.

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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping today held their first bilateral meeting following the over two-month standoff between the two countries. At the meeting, both countries outlined the significance of good relations between the two countries. President Xi told Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the meeting that lasted a little more than an hour that China was prepared to work with India to seek guidance from the five principles of the Panchsheel agreement. Both sides also agreed to discuss all outstanding issues of dispute. Prime Minister Modi congratulated President Xi for successfully organising the BRICS Summit. The Prime Minister also said that India's had a positive outlook towards discussing all issues with China. China on Monday agreed to the inclusion of references to Pakistan-based terror groups, Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba. This is seen as a tactical shift in stance by the country which has so far been reluctant in calling out Pakistan for its duplicity. Top Chinese experts also believe that China could well ask Pakistan to act against the two terror groups that have been named in the BRICS joint declaration. This is another reason that the meeting between Modi and Xi is being viewed with immense interest.01:10pm - Peaceful coexistence, win-win cooperation "only correct choice" for China, India. Both countries should jointly safeguard peace, tranquility in border areas, Xi Jinping tells Modi, reports Xinhua01:00pm - Xi told PM Modi that China is willing to work with India on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, which were put forward by both countries, to improve political mutual trust, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, and push Sino-Indian ties along a right track, reported Xinhua 12:44pm - Healthy and stable relations between China and India are in line with the fundamental interests of their people: Xi Jinping at meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, reports Xinhua 12:08pm - Met President Xi Jinping. We held fruitful talks on bilateral relations between India and China, says PM Modi11:52am - Both of us (India and China) know what happened. This was not a backward-looking conversation, it was forward-looking: FS on if Doklam was raised in Modi-Xi meet11:50am - There was a sense that if relationship is to go forward then peace & tranquility on border areas must be maintained: FS on Modi-Xi meet11:45am - Important point made during meeting was peace & tranquility in the border area is prerequisite for further development of relationship: MEA11:43am - Counter terrorism issues were taken up during the course of BRICS, they were not discussed in this meeting: FS Jaishankar on Modi-Xi meet11:40am - The discussion was constructive. There was a reminder that we had agreed at Astana that we will not let differences become disputes, that was reaffirmed: FS Jaishankar on Modi-Xi meet11:39am - Strong affirmation at the leadership level to keep the relation on a forward and positive plank: Foreign Secretary11:38am - I would characterise the approach of the two sides as a forward-looking approach: Foreign Secretary S Jaishanker at the press briefing 11:08am - Bilateral meeting between Prime Ministewr Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping ends. Press conference by MEA to begin shortly 11:05am - A healthy and stable China-India relationship serves the interests of people in both countries: President Xi Jinping to PM Modi in Xiamen10:57am - India and China are each other's major neighbors, we are also two of the world's largest & emerging countries: Pres Xi to PM Modi10:56am - China is prepared to work with India to seek guidance from the five principles of Panchsheel: Chinese President XI Jinping to PM Modi10:45am - I congratulate you for the successful execution of BRICS Summit: PM Modi at bilateral with Chinese President Xi Jinping.10:35am - "We will have to let action speak louder than words," says Maj Gen (retd) GD Bakshi on the issue of what India can expect from talks 10:30am - India's focus going into dialogue with China will be on rebuilding ties and looking ahead after the Doklam crisis without making a mention, say sources10:25am - Doklam issue will not figure in talks between the two countries, PM Modi likely to raise issue of terrorism with President Xi Jinping, say sources 10:23am - Bilateral meeting between PM Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping begins in Xiamen09:57am - PM Narendra Modi holds bilateral meeting with President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on sidelines of BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China09:33am - Our “no strings attached” model of cooperation is driven purely by the requirements and priorities of our partner countries, says PM Modi09:30am - Our development partnership projects are providing water, electricity, roads, healthcare, tele-medicine, and basic infrastructure in dozens of countries: PM09:25am - At the Third IAFS in 2015, with participation of all 54 African countries, we decided to double the number of ITEC scholarships to 50,000, PM says while addressing the BRICS Emerging Markets and Developing Countries Dialogue for promoting mutually beneficial cooperation for Common Development09:20am - India has a long tradition of partnerships with fellow developing countries, while pursuing our own aspirations for growth. Earlier this year, we launched the South Asia Satellite to benefit willing regional partners in meeting their developmental goals, PM says09:15am - Our programmes are geared to accomplish these priority goals in a time-bound manner: PM09:10am - I am pleased to exchange perspectives with you on shared priority of achieving comprehensive sustainable development. Recently India completed its first voluntary review of SDGs. The bedrock of our development agenda lies in the notion of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas,” says PM Modi09:01am – “We need coordinated action and cooperation in areas such as counter terrorism, cyber security and disaster management,” says PM Modi. He was addressing the 'Dialogue of Emerging Market & Developing Countries' in Xiamen, China on Tuesday.* In a significant shift in stand, China agreed to the inclusion of Pakistan-based terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba in the BRICS joint declaration.* Modi has personally refrained from either naming Pakistan of Pakistan-based terror at the Summit. PM Modi said BRICS contributes "stability and growth in a world drifting towards uncertainty".* China signaled a climbdown when it reportedly agreed to the exclusion of the Doklam issue from the agenda for talks between the leaders of the two South Asian giants.* New Delhi has indicated that its approach going into the summit was that of confidence-building and mending ties after the strains caused by the 74-day faceoff at the border.* The meeting comes in the backdrop of the Dokalm standoff between the militaries of India and China. The two countries agreed to expeditious de-escalation of the situation just days ahead of PM Modi’s scheduled visist for the summit in Xiamen.

Modi-Xi meet at ​BRICS Xiamen Summit: India, China agree not to let differences become disputes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China

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Bahrain to ban plastic bags in July (Representational Image)Bahrain will start phasing out the use of plastic bags in July, the media reported.A Ministerial order with respect to the technical regulations for plastic products will come into effect on July 21, 2019, Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on Wednesday.Related Stories Bollywood celebs take initiative to plant trees and to stop the usage of plasticPlastic packaging: NGT asks expert panel to probe if more norms needed to restrict its useThe order will regulate and phase out the use of plastic bags. The first phase will focus on single-use plastic bags as well as banning the import of non-biodegradable plastic bags. Later phases will witness a permanent ban on the use of plastic bags at certain malls and supermarkets, according to WAM news agency. The authorities are currently working on the implementation phase for the remaining plastic products. Guidelines will be issued for manufacturers and suppliers on reducing plastic waste to ensure a smooth transition.Bahrain has joined a number of leading countries in banning the import of plastic waste, following the UN call to mitigate ocean pollution and climate change, added the report.Also Read: Shocking! Dead whale found washed up in the Philippines with 40kg of plastic in its stomach 

Bahrain to ban plastic bags in July

The order will regulate and phase out the use of plastic bags. The first phase will focus on single-use plastic bags as well as banning the import of non-biodegradable plastic bags.

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The demonetisation of high value currency notes along with a series of other reform measures have resulted in formalising a large part of the Indian economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here today.In an address at an ASEAN business forum, Modi also highlighting rolling out of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as well as measures for bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, besides the linking of Aadhaar database with financial transactions as part of broader policy initiatives to bring transparency in the financial sector."We are using our Unique ID system in financial transactions and taxation for this purpose and the results are already visible. These steps, coupled with demonetisation of high value notes has resulted in formalising a large part of our economy," Modi said.The prime minister's comments on demonetisation assume significance as all major opposition parties have attacked on the move, alleging that it had severely damaged the Indian economy.Modi also talked about repealing of 1200 outdated laws in the last three years and simplification of procedure for investors to do business in India.He said the Act East policy of his government puts the ASEAN region at the centre of India's engagement."We have exceptionally good political and people-to- people relations with each and every country in the ASEAN region. We wish to bring our economic and business relations up to the same level," he said.Last year, on November 8, the Government of India announced the demonetisation of all Rs 500 and 1,000 currency notes. 

PM Modi in Manila: Demonetisation helped formalising large part of Indian economy

Modi also talked about repealing of 1200 outdated laws in the last three years and simplification of procedure for investors to do business in India.

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Turkish troops to launch military attack in Northern Syria, says President ErdoganThe Turkish troops have started the military attack in northern Syria on Wednesday. This could lead to direct conflict with the Kurdish-led forces which are allied to the United States. This move was announced by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The decision came after President Donald Trump decided to abandon Syrian Kurdish fighters ahead of an expected Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria. A spokesman for the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led force in northern Syria says Turkish warplanes have started targeting “civilian areas” in northern Syria.Mustafa Bali of the Syrian Democratic Forces says the airstrikes have caused “a huge panic among people of the region.”Turkey has been massing troops for days in preparation for an attack against Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria that Ankara considers a terrorist organization. 

Turkish warplanes attacking civilian areas in Northern Syria

The Turkish troops have started the military attack in northern Syria on Wednesday. This could lead to direct conflict with the Kurdish-led forces which are allied to the United States.

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Two people were killed and another was hurt in a stabbing when they tried to intervene as a man yelled racial slurs at two young Muslim women on a Portland light-rail train.Local media reports said one of the two women was wearing a hijab.Officers arrested the suspect as he ran from the train into the neighborhood near Providence Portland Medical Center in Northeast Portland, Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson said.Police are still working to identify him and the people stabbed, he said. Simpson said the assailant on the train was ranting on many topics, using "hate speech or biased language," and turned his focus on the women.He said that passengers intervened and were "attacked viciously." He says one person died at the scene and another at a hospital.Police don't know if the man has mental health issues or if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, he said. "Preliminary information indicates that the suspect was on the MAX train yelling various remarks that would best be characterized as hate speech toward a variety of ethnicities and religions. At least two of the victims attempted to intervene with the suspect and calm him down. The suspect attacked the men, stabbing three, before leaving the train," the police said in a statement. "Witnesses described to police two young women, possibly Muslim, who were on the train at the time of the disturbance and attack, but left prior to police arrival. The young women have not been identified but one was described as wearing a hijab," the statement added. Millions of Muslims marked the start of Ramadan Friday, a time marked by intense prayer, dawn-to-dusk fasting and nightly feasts.

Man yelling 'anti-Muslim' slurs at women kills 2 in US, injures 1 on train

Two people were killed and another was hurt in a stabbing when they tried to intervene as a man yelled racial slurs at two young Muslim women on a train in Portland.

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Coronavirus: Trump suspends travel from Europe to US for 30 daysPresident Donald Trump has announced he is suspending all travel from Europe, excluding the UK, to the US for the next 30 days to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed 37 lives and infected 1,300 in the country.In a televised address to the nation from his Oval Office in the White House, Trump said the new rule will be coming into effect from Friday midnight and there will be exemptions for Americans returning to the US after undergoing multiple screenings.The president said the European Union has "failed to take the same precautions" as his administration had implemented to contain the coronavirus outbreak.Trump said he is monitoring the situation in China and South Korea, and asked citizens to suspend all essential travels. He urged them to adopt best hygiene, wash their hands and stay away from large gatherings to reduce the chance of spread of the infection.The deadly virus that first originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December last year has claimed over 4,200 lives and infected more than 117,330 people across 107 countries and territories, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) describing the outbreak a pandemic. China remains the hardest-hit with over 80,000 infections and 3,000 deaths."This is not a financial crisis. This is just a temporary moment in time that we will overcome as a nation and a world," Trump said, adding that "we are marshalling the full power of the federal government and the private sector to protect the American people".The president announced small business administration will begin extending loans to small businesses who will be affected by the coronavirus slowdown.He was askew for payroll tax relief and said some tax filings will be delayed to help provide extra liquidity."We are all in this together. We must put politics aside, stop the partisanship, and unify together as one nation and one family. As history has proven time and time again, Americans always rise to the challenge and overcome adversity," Trump said."Our future remains brighter than anyone can imagine. Acting with compassion and love, we will heal the sick, care for those in need, help our fellow citizens, and emerge from this challenge stronger and more unified than ever before," he said.Over a dozen states in the US have declared a state of emergency with cities and counties announcing to take sweeping measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.On Wednesday, officials confirmed 37 deaths in various parts of the US due to the virus.No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the US, he asserted and said "we have the best economy, the most advanced healthcare, and the most talented doctors, scientists, and researchers anywhere in the world".Trump said he has taken the decision to suspend travel from Europe to the US after consulting with top government health professionals, to protect all citizens from the coronavirus.White House Press Secretary Stephnie Grisham said out of an abundance of caution from the coronavirus outbreak, the president has decided to cancel his upcoming events in Colorado and Nevada.Giving details of the travel ban, Department of Homeland Security in a statement said Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the US.These countries, known as the Schengen area, include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.This does not apply to legal permanent residents, (generally) immediate family members of US citizens, and other individuals who are identified in the proclamation, it said.In the wake of the cornavirus outbreak, people have been running to grocery stores to stock supplies of essential items, while office goers are trying to do teleworking. Several public events, including those related to sports, have been cancelled, and several schools and universities have either shut down or considering closing.In a letter, several senators urged Trump to immediately consider disaster declarations that allow FEMA to utilize USD 40 plus billion disaster relief fund to aid state and local government's responding to the outbreak.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily waived minimum slot-use requirements at US airports to help airlines that cancel flights due to the coronavirus. Under normal circumstances, airlines can lose their slots at congested airports if they do not use them at least 80 per cent of the time.The FAA is waiving the 80-percent-use requirement through May 31 for US and foreign airlines that have affected flights.Also Read | PM Modi is clueless about Coronavirus, alleges Rahul GandhiWatch | Hollywood actor Tom Hanks tests positive for coronavirus /* .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_2243602247 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_h9z19ekh_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_h9z19ekh_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, his wife test positive for coronavirus", "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_2243602247 = ''; jwsetup_2243602247(); function jwsetup_2243602247() { jwvidplayer_2243602247 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_2243602247").setup(jwconfig_2243602247); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_2243602247, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_h9z19ekh\", ns_st_pr=\"Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, his wife test positive for coronavirus\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, his wife test positive for coronavirus\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Hollywood actor Tom Hanks, his wife test positive for coronavirus\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-03-12\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-03-12\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_h9z19ekh_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_2243602247.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_2243602247.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_2243602247.stop(); jwvidplayer_2243602247.remove(); jwvidplayer_2243602247 = ''; jwsetup_2243602247(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_2243602247.stop(); jwvidplayer_2243602247.remove(); jwvidplayer_2243602247 = ''; jwsetup_2243602247(); return; }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2243602247.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Coronavirus: Trump suspends travel from Europe to US for 30 days

President Donald Trump has announced he is suspending all travel from Europe, excluding the UK, to the US for the next 30 days to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus that has claimed 37 lives and infected 1,300 in the country.

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Police officers stand guard near Notre Dame church in Nice, southern FranceA Tunisian man who stabbed three people to death inside a church in the French city of Nice, had arrived in Europe on board a migrant boat last month, officials said on Friday.According to the officials, the 21-year-old suspect identified as Brahim Aouissaoui, who is in critical condition after he was shot by police following the attack on Thursday, had an Italian Red Cross document issued after he arrived on the island of Lampedusa, reports the BBC.In a statement, chief anti-terrorist prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard said that a Quran, two phones and a 12-inch knife were found in Aouissaoui's possession."We also found a bag left by the attacker. Next to this bag were two knives that were not used in the attack," the BBC quoted Ricard as further saying.The attack took place on Thursday morning inside the Notre-Dame basilica before the first Mass of the day.One of the three victims, a 60-year-old woman, was "virtually beheaded", according to Ricard.While the woman and 55-year-old Vincent Loques, who had reportedly worked at the basilica for more than 10 years, died at the scene, the third victim, identified as Simone Barreto Silva, fled to a nearby cafe with multiple stab wounds and succumbed shortly.French media report have said that a 47-year-old man, believed to have been in contact with the Aouissaoui, was detained on Thursday night.President Emmanuel Macron, who visited the attack site later on Thursday, deemed the incident as an "Islamist terrorist attack" and said that the number of soldiers being deployed to protect public places would increase to 7,000, the BBC reported.France has raised its national security alert to the highest level.Thursday's attack comes after middle-school teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded by an 18-year-old Muslim immigrant, Abdullakh Anzorov inside a school near Paris on October 16.In 2016, Nice witnessed one of France's deadliest attacks in modern history when a 31-year-old Tunisian drove a truck into crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 86 people.

France church attacker arrived from Tunisia last month

A Tunisian man who stabbed three people to death inside a church in the French city of Nice, had arrived in Europe on board a migrant boat last month, officials said on Friday.

2a2fae4ba49fe39bdcb5bf1c73b9264a

Representational imageThe Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist 129 Indian students arrested by the American authorities in the "pay-and-stay" university visa scam, officials have said.As many as 129 Indians are among the 130 foreign students arrested for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US.The university in Detroit's Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.The two numbers – 202-322-1190 and 202-340-2590 – would be manned by senior embassy officials round the clock, officials said on Friday.The arrested students, their friends and family members can contact the embassy at [email protected] Indian embassy has appointed a nodal officer to handle and coordinate all issues related to helping Indian students affected by the busting of the "pay-and-stay" racket run by a group of Indians that has put some 600 students under trouble.The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE, till Thursday, had arrested 130 students from the fake Farmington University in Greater Detroit area.The ICE officials said 129 of them are Indian nationals. The fake university was opened by Homeland Security Investigations to trap those involved in illegal student visa racket. It has now been closed.The arrest of such a large number of students has created panic among the Indian students.Federal investigators say, the students who took admission in the university knew that the university programme was illegal.Officials said all of them face deportation, besides being put under detention. A number of students have been put under some kind of house arrest with tracking device on their ankle, that prohibits them from moving out of a designated area in their neighbourhood.As part of its investigations, early this week, the ICE arrested eight recruiters on criminal charges. From their names it appears that all of them are either Indian nationals or Indian-Americans."These suspects aided hundreds of foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally by helping to portray them as students, which they most certainly were not. HSI remains vigilant to ensure the integrity of US immigration laws and will continue to investigate this and other transnational crimes," said Special Agent Charge Francis.According to the ICE, in 2017, as many as 249,763 Indian students were enrolled in the various American universities.Students from China topped the list with 481,106 in 2017.This is for the first time probably that such a large number of Indian students have been arrested in one go.The number is expected to increase further, as ICE officials continue with their nationwide crackdown on Indian students enrolled in this fake university while working at different places."Embassy of India, Washington and all five Consulates in the US working closely together to help Indian students detained in the US," the Indian embassy said Friday.Consular Officers from Indian Consulate in Houston met the arrested Indian students at Prairieland Detention Centre, Alvarado, Texas.This intervention by officials from the Indian embassy and its consulates has helped in release of some of the arrested students.Some friends and families of the detained Indian students are using twitter seeking help from the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj."Madam, This is regarding fake university (university of Farmington Michigan) issue. My husband has been taken into custody today morning and I don't have any update on his status till now. Could you please help me on this," one Madhuri wrote on twitter to Swaraj.Acting promptly, the Indian embassy sought the details of her husband. Her husband was a student at the fake university."Hi, I have mailed to Indian embassy and they told that they are trying to meet my husband through consulate. After that I didn't get any update from them," Madhuri wrote on twitter in response to a question. In New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, "We are aware about this incident. We are ascertaining more details (through) our embassy in Washington and different consulates in the US...We have also mobilised the Indian community organisations in the US to extend all possible support to the Indian students who are affected by this incident".The ICE said foreign students are granted what are called "F" and "M" visas to study in the US and must maintain their legal status by enrolling in a varsity certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The ICE said since the Farmington varsity did not offer courses, the students were using the programme as a way to work.

Indian embassy opens hotline for students detained by US authorities

As many as 129 Indians are among the 130 foreign students arrested for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US.

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In recorded call, Trump pressures Georgia election official to 'find' votes to overturn Biden's victoryPresident Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the state’s presidential election, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud and raising the prospect of “criminal offense” if officials did not change the vote count, according to a recording of the conversation.The phone call with Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on Saturday was the latest step in an unprecedented effort by a sitting president to pressure a state official to reverse the outcome of a free and fair election that he lost. The president, who has refused to accept his loss to Democratic president-elect Biden, repeatedly argued that Raffensperger could change the certified results.“All I want to do is this. I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” Trump said. “Because we won the state.”Georgia counted its votes three times before certifying Biden’s win by a 11,779 margin, Raffensperger noted: “President Trump, we’ve had several lawsuits, and we’ve had to respond in court to the lawsuits and the contentions. We don’t agree that you have won.”Audio snippets of the conversation were first posted online by The Washington Post. The Associated Press obtained the full audio of Trump’s conversation with Georgia officials from a person on the call. The AP has a policy of not amplifying disinformation and unproven allegations. The AP will be posting the full audio as it annotates a transcript with fact check material.Trump’s renewed intervention and the persistent and unfounded claims of fraud come nearly two weeks before he leaves office and two days before twin runoff elections in Georgia that will determine political control of the U.S. Senate.The president used the hourlong conversation to tick through a list of claims about the election in Georgia, including that hundreds of thousands of ballots mysteriously appeared in Fulton County, which includes Atlanta. Officials have said there is no evidence of that happening.The Georgia officials on the call are heard repeatedly pushing back against the president’s assertions, telling him that he’s relying on debunked theories and, in one case, selectively edited video.At another point in the conversation, Trump appeared to threaten Raffensperger and Ryan Germany, the secretary of state’s legal counsel, by suggesting both could be criminally liable if they failed to find that thousands of ballots in Fulton County had been illegally destroyed. There is no evidence to support Trump’s claim.“That’s a criminal offense,” Trump says. “And you can’t let that happen.”Others on the call included Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, and attorneys assisting Trump, including Washington lawyer Cleta Mitchell.Democrats and a few Republicans condemned Trump’s actions, while at least one Democrat urged a criminal investigation. Legal experts said Trump’s behavior raised questions about possible election law violations.Biden senior adviser Bob Bauer called the recording “irrefutable proof” of Trump pressuring and threatening an official in his own party to “rescind a state’s lawful, certified vote count and fabricate another in its place.”“It captures the whole, disgraceful story about Donald Trump’s assault on American democracy,” Bauer said.Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 Democrat in that chamber, said Trump’s conduct “merits nothing less than a criminal investigation.”Trump confirmed in a tweet Sunday that he had spoken with Raffensperger. The White House referred questions to Trump’s reelection campaign, which did not respond Sunday to an emailed request for comment. Raffensperger’s office did not respond to a request for comment.Trump has repeatedly attacked how Raffensperger conducted Georgia’s elections, claiming without evidence that the state’s 16 electoral votes were wrongly given to Biden.“He has no clue!” Trump tweeted of Raffensperger, saying the state official “was unwilling, or unable” to answer questions.Raffensperger’s Twitter response: “Respectfully, President Trump: What you’re saying is not true. The truth will come out.”Various election officials across the country and Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, have said there was no widespread fraud in the election. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, have also vouched for the integrity of their state elections. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, which includes three Trump-nominated justices.In Georgia, the ballots were counted three times, including a mandatory hand count and a Trump-requested recount.Still, Trump has publicly disparaged the election, worrying Republicans that may discourage GOP voters from participating in Tuesday’s runoffs pitting Sen. Kelly Loeffler against Democrat Raphael Warnock and Republican David Perdue against Democrat Jon Ossoff.Rebecca Green, who helps direct the election law program at William and Mary Law School, said that while it is appropriate for a candidate to question the outcome of an election, the processes for doing so for the presidential election have run their course. States have certified their votes.Green said Trump had raised “lots of questions” about whether he violated any election laws.Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said Trump is guilty of “reprehensible and, possibly illegal, conduct.”Trump noted on the call that he intended to repeat his claims about fraud at a Monday night rally in Dalton, a heavily Republican area in north Georgia.“The people of Georgia are angry, the people of the country are angry,” he says on the recording.Biden is also due to campaign in Georgia on Monday, and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris stumped in Garden City, Georgia, on Sunday, slamming Trump for the call.“It was a bald, bald-faced, bold abuse of power by the president of the United States,” she said.Loeffler and Perdue have largely backed Trump in his attempts to overturn election results. But on Sunday, Loeffler said she hadn’t decided whether to join Republican colleagues in challenging the legitimacy of Biden’s victory over Trump when Congress meets Wednesday to affirm Biden’s 306-232 vote win in the Electoral College.Perdue, who was quarantining after being exposed to a staff member with the coronavirus, said he supports the challenge, although he will not be a sitting senator when the vote happens because his term has expired. Still, he told Fox News Channel he was encouraging his colleagues to object, saying it’s “something that the American people demand right now.”His rival, Ossoff, speaking at the Garden City rally, attacked Perdue and Loeffler for failing to stand up for Georgia’s voters, specifically saying that the state’s Black voters were being targeted.“When the president of the United States calls up Georgia’s election officials and tries to intimidate them to change the result of the election, to disenfranchise Georgia voters, to disenfranchise Black voters in Georgia who delivered this state for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, that is a direct attack on our democracy,” he said.

In recorded call, Trump pressures Georgia election official to 'find' votes to overturn Biden's victory

President Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the state’s presidential election, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud and raising the prospect of “criminal offense” if officials did not change the vote count, according to a recording of the conversation.

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In a stunning -but unsubstantiated-claim, a senior Chinese official said today that Bhutan has acknowledged that the Doklam area where the Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a standoff does not belong to it. China's top diplomat on the boundary issue, Wang Wenli, told a visiting Indian media delegation that Bhutan has conveyed to Beijing through the diplomatic channels that the area of the standoff is not its territory. She provided no evidence for the claim, which is at the complete variance with Bhutan's stated position and actions. Bhutan had protested to the Chinese government, accusing it of violating a bilateral pact after its troops tried to construct a road in the Doklam area on June 16. "After the incident, the Bhutanese made it very clear to us that the place where the trespassing happened is not Bhutan's territory," said Wang, who is the Deputy Director General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. She went on to say that "Bhutanese find it very strange that the Indian border troops are on the Chinese soil," and implied that her views have been gleaned from Bhutanese state media and legal blogs which have "more convincing information". A statement issued by India's External Affairs Ministry on June 30 said, "On June 16, a PLA (People's Liberation Army) construction party entered the Doklam area and attempted to construct a road. It is our understanding that a Royal Bhutan Army patrol attempted to dissuade them from this unilateral activity." India had also cited the Bhutanese Foreign Ministry as emphasising that "the construction of the road inside Bhutanese territory is a direct violation of the 1988 and 1998 agreements between Bhutan and China and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between these two countries. They have urged a return to the status quo as before June 16, 2017." India also conveyed to the Chinese government that the road construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for it. India says both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place. Wang said Bhutan is observing the actions being taken by both Indian and Chinese troops from its territory. Bhutan has no direct diplomatic relations with China and maintains contacts with Beijing through its diplomatic mission in New Delhi. Bhutan and China have held 24 rounds of talks to resolve boundary dispute while India and China have completed 19 rounds of talks. Wang said India and Bhutan are two countries out of the 14 countries China is yet to sort out boundary disputes. China has settled boundary dispute approximately of 20,000 km with 12 countries out of the 22,000 km and is yet to settle about 2,000 km of boundary involving India and Bhutan.

Bhutan acknowledges Doklam as Chinese area: Beijing official

China has settled boundary dispute approximately of 20,000 km with 12 countries out of the 22,000 km and is yet to settle about 2,000 km of boundary involving India and Bhutan.

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Sri Lanka extends curfew in high risk districts till May 4Sri Lanka on Saturday extended the nationwide curfew in four high risk districts, including Colombo, till May 4 to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office announced, a day after the Island nation recorded the highest number of 49 infections in a single day.The four out of the 25 administration districts that come under high risk category are Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara and Puttalam.For the remaining 21 districts, the curfew will be partially lifted from April 27 till May 1. The partial relaxation for the period will be from 5 am to 8 pm, it said.The government also announced that public and private institutions are allowed to operate from May 4 despite the curfew in the high risk districts. The police had earlier announced that the nationwide curfew imposed to tackle the pandemic will be lifted at 5 am on Monday.Health authorities said that 15 more positive cases were reported on Saturday, taking the country's COVID-19 tally to 435. So far, there have been 7 deaths.The latest extension in the curfew came as the country recorded its highest number of 49 COVID-19 cases for a single day on Friday since its outbreak in March.Sri Lanka has been under a 24-hour curfew since March 20 to combat the deadly viral infection.However, there has been intermittent lifting of the curfew in selected areas which were not seen as dangerous for the spread of the deadly virus.Health officials said that during this week, they have increased the PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests and the aim is to conduct around 100 PCR tests per day.Meanwhile, nearly 4,000 Sri Lankan Navy personnel and their families have been quarantined at a major naval facility after 60 COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the last two days.The COVID-19 has so far infected more than 2.7 million people and killed over 190,000 globally. The US is the worst hit with over 51,000 deaths and more than 905,000 cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. 

COVID-19: Sri Lanka extends curfew in high risk districts till May 4

Sri Lanka on Saturday extended the nationwide curfew in four high-risk districts, including Colombo, till May 4 to stem the spread of the deadly coronavirus in the country.

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Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate for US Presidential Election 2020Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump. In choosing Harris, Biden is embracing a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. The 55-year-old first-term senator, who is also of South Asian descent, is one of the party’s most prominent figures. She quickly became a top contender for the No. 2 spot after her own White House campaign ended.She will appear with Biden for the first time as his running mate at an event Wednesday near his home in Wilmington, Delaware.In announcing the pick, Biden called Harris a “fearless fighter for the little guy, and one of the country’s finest public servants.” She said Biden would “unify the American people” and “build an America that lives up to our ideals.”Harris joins Biden at a moment of unprecedented national crisis. The coronavirus pandemic has claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people in the U.S., far more than the toll experienced in other countries. Business closures and disruptions resulting from the pandemic have caused severe economic problems. Unrest, meanwhile, has emerged across the country as Americans protest racism and police brutality.Trump’s uneven handling of the crises has given Biden an opening, and he enters the fall campaign in strong position against the president. In adding Harris to the ticket, he can point to her relatively centrist record on issues such as health care and her background in law enforcement in the nation’s largest state.The president told reporters on Tuesday he was “a little surprised” that Biden picked Harris, pointing to their debate stage disputes during the primary. Trump, who has donated to her previous campaigns, argued she was “about the most liberal person in the U.S. Senate.”“I would have thought that Biden would have tried to stay away from that a little bit,” he said.Harris’s record as California attorney general and district attorney in San Francisco was heavily scrutinized during the Democratic primary and turned away some liberals and younger Black voters who saw her as out of step on issues of racism in the legal system and police brutality. She declared herself a “progressive prosecutor” who backs law enforcement reforms.Biden, who spent eight years as President Barack Obama’s vice president, has spent months weighing who would fill that same role in his White House. He pledged in March to select a woman as his vice president, easing frustration among Democrats that the presidential race would center on two white men in their 70s.Biden’s search was expansive, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a leading progressive, Florida Rep. Val Demings, whose impeachment criticism of Trump won party plaudits, California Rep. Karen Bass, who leads the Congressional Black Caucus, former Obama national security adviser Susan Rice and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, whose passionate response to unrest in her city garnered national attention.A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Hillary Clinton was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016. Two women have been nominated as running mates on major party tickets: Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in 1984 and Republican Sarah Palin in 2008. Their parties lost in the general election.The vice presidential pick carries increased significance this year. If elected, Biden would be 78 when inaugurated in January, the oldest man to ever assume the presidency. He’s spoken of himself as a transitional figure and hasn’t fully committed to seeking a second term in 2024.Harris, born in 1964 to a Jamaican father and Indian mother, spent much of her formative years in Berkeley, California. She has often spoken of the deep bond she shared with her mother, whom she has called her single biggest influence.Harris won her first election in 2003 when she became San Francisco’s district attorney. In that post, she created a reentry program for low-level drug offenders and cracked down on student truancy.She was elected California’s attorney general in 2010, the first woman and Black person to hold the job, and focused on issues including the foreclosure crisis. She declined to defend the state’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage and was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.After being elected to the Senate in 2016, she quickly gained attention for her assertive questioning of Trump administration officials during congressional hearings.Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan “Kamala Harris For the People,” a reference to her courtroom work. She was one of the highest-profile contenders in a crowded Democratic primary and attracted 20,000 people to her first campaign rally in Oakland.But the early promise of her campaign eventually faded. Her law enforcement background prompted skepticism from some progressives, and she struggled to land on a consistent message that resonated with voters. Facing fundraising problems, she abruptly withdrew from the race in December 2019, two months before the first votes of the primary were cast.One standout moment of her presidential campaign came at the expense of Biden. During a debate, she said Biden made “very hurtful” comments about his past work with segregationist senators and slammed his opposition to busing as schools began to integrate in the 1970s.“There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day,” she said. “And that little girl was me.”Shaken by the attack, Biden called her comments “a mischaracterization of my position.”The exchange resurfaced recently with a report that one of Biden’s closest friends and a co-chair of his vice presidential vetting committee, former Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, still harbors concerns about the debate and that Harris hadn’t expressed regret. The comments attributed to Dodd and first reported by Politico drew condemnation, especially from influential Democratic women who said Harris was being held to a standard that wouldn’t apply to a man running for president.Some Biden confidants said Harris’ debate attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her. Harris was also close with Biden’s late son, Beau, who served as Delaware attorney general while she held the same post in California.But Biden and Harris have since returned to a warm relationship.“Joe has empathy, he has a proven track record of leadership and more than ever before we need a president of the United States who understands who the people are, sees them where they are, and has a genuine desire to help and knows how to fight to get us where we need to be,” Harris said at an event for Biden earlier this summer.At the same event, she bluntly assailed Trump, labeling him a “drug pusher” for his promotion of the unproven and much-questioned malaria drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for the coronavirus. After Trump tweeted “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” in response to protests about the death of George Floyd, a Black man in police custody, Harris said his remarks “yet again show what racism looks like.”Harris has taken a tougher stand on policing since Floyd’s killing. She co-sponsored legislation in June that would ban police from using chokeholds and no-knock warrants, set a national use-of-force standard and create a national police misconduct registry, among other things. It would also reform the qualified immunity system that shields officers from liability.The list in the legislation included practices Harris did not vocally fight to reform while leading California’s Department of Justice. And while she now wants independent investigations of police shootings, she didn’t support a 2015 California bill that would have required her office to take on such cases.“We made progress, but clearly we are not at the place yet as a country where we need to be and California is no exception,” she told The Associated Press recently. The national focus on racial injustice now, she said, shows “there’s no reason that we have to continue to wait.”

Joe Biden picks Kamala Harris as running mate for US Presidential Election 2020

Joe Biden named California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate on Tuesday, making history by selecting the first Black woman to compete on a major party’s presidential ticket and acknowledging the vital role Black voters will play in his bid to defeat President Donald Trump.

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ivan duqueIvan Duque sworn in as the Colombian president in a ceremony held in the Plaza de Bolivar, Bogota on Wednesday.The Conservative political newcomer, who at 42 is the youngest Colombian President ever, was elected in June after a divisive election campaign where he saw off left-wing rival Gustavo Petro, BBC reported. After taking his oath, Duque, who succeeds two-term President Juan Manuel Santos, administered the oath of office to his Vice President, Marta Lucia Ramirez, the first woman in Colombia's history to take that office.In his inaugural address on Tuesday, the former lawyer pledged to tackle corruption and invigorate the economy and said that he wants to overcome the ideological divisions and the social fragmentation existing in the country. "I want to govern Colombia with unbreakable values and principles, overcoming with popular dialogue, the divisions of the left and the right and the prickly feelings that invite social fracture. I want to govern Colombia with a spirit to build, never to destroy," President Duque said.He also vowed to change the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) rebel group.His political platform is considered business-friendly after he pledged to cut taxes and boost investment in Colombia's economy.The new President assumes power at a time of heightened tension with neighbour Venezuela. Earlier this week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the outgoing Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos of an assassination attempt at a military event in Caracas.The allegation was described as "baseless" by Bogota.

Colombia: Ivan Duque sworn in as next president

Ivan Duque, sworn in as Colombian president, who at 42 is the youngest Colombian President ever, was elected in June after a divisive election campaign. He also vowed to change the peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) rebel group.

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The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found. The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found. But with life and heat-trapping gas levels inching back toward normal, the brief pollution break will likely be “a drop in the ocean” when it comes to climate change, scientists said.In their study of carbon dioxide emissions during the coronavirus pandemic, an international team of scientists calculated that pollution levels are heading back up — and for the year will end up between 4% and 7% lower than 2019 levels. That’s still the biggest annual drop in carbon emissions since World War II.It’ll be 7% if the strictest lockdown rules remain all year long across much of the globe, 4% if they are lifted soon.For a week in April, the United States cut its carbon dioxide levels by about one-third. China, the world’s biggest emitter of heat-trapping gases, sliced its carbon pollution by nearly a quarter in February, according to a study Tuesday in the journal Nature Climate Change. India and Europe cut emissions by 26% and 27% respectively.The biggest global drop was from April 4 through 9 when the world was spewing 18.7 million tons (17 million metric tons) of carbon pollution a day less than it was doing on New Year’s Day.Such low global emission levels haven’t been recorded since 2006. But if the world returns to its slowly increasing pollution levels next year, the temporary reduction amounts to ’’a drop in the ocean,” said study lead author Corinne LeQuere, a climate scientist at the University of East Anglia.“It’s like you have a bath filled with water and you’re turning off the tap for 10 seconds,” she said.By April 30, the world carbon pollution levels had grown by 3.3 million tons (3 million metric tons) a day from its low point earlier in the month. Carbon dioxide stays in the air for about a century.Outside experts praised the study as the most comprehensive yet, saying it shows how much effort is needed to prevent dangerous levels of further global warming.“That underscores a simple truth: Individual behavior alone ... won’t get us there,” Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn’t part of the study, said in an email. “We need fundamental structural change.”If the world could keep up annual emission cuts like this without a pandemic for a couple decades, there’s a decent chance Earth can avoid warming another 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) of warming from now, study authors said. But getting the type of yearly cuts to reach that international goal is unlikely, they said.If next year returns to 2019 pollution levels, it means the world has only bought about a year’s delay in hitting the extra 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) of warming that leaders are trying to avoid, LeQuere said. That level could still occur anywhere from 2050 to 2070, the authors said.The study was carried out by Global Carbon Project, a consortium of international scientists that produces the authoritative annual estimate of carbon dioxide emissions. They looked at 450 databases showing daily energy use and introduced a measurement scale for pandemic-related societal “confinement” in its estimates.Nearly half the emission reductions came from less transportation pollution, mostly involving cars and trucks, the authors said. By contrast, the study found that drastic reductions in air travel only accounted for 10% of the overall pollution drop.In the U.S., the biggest pollution declines were seen in California and Washington with plunges of more than 40%.

Study: World carbon pollution falls 17% during pandemic peak

The world cut its daily carbon dioxide emissions by 17% at the peak of the pandemic shutdown last month, a new study found.

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Americans less afraid of dying from COVID-19: Survey In an ongoing panel survey conducted by Northwestern University (NU) and the Ohio State University, researchers find Americans significantly less concerned they could die of Covid-19, while their overall perceived likelihood of contracting the virus remained relatively consistent from December through February."In December, Americans believed that they had almost a one in three chance of dying if they contracted Covid-19," said Erik Nisbet, a professor of communication and policy analysis and director of the Center for Communication and Public Policy at NU. "Now, two months later, that number has dropped significantly to an approximately one in four chance of dying if they got sick. Interestingly, the overall perception of the likelihood of contracting Covid-19 has not changed significantly.""Public Attitudes about Covid-19 Vaccination," a study of 1,200 Americans surveyed monthly from December 2020 through June 2021, tracks changes in attitudes around risk perceptions, decision making, policy preferences and preventative health behaviours. Respondents were asked about mask and vaccine mandates, restrictions on bars and restaurants and places of worship, willingness or hesitancy to get vaccinated, vaccine availability and effectiveness, as well as their most important sources of information on Covid-19.The study found that despite some states lifting statewide mask mandates, the public's strong support, registering at 61 percent, for mask mandates remains unchanged from December, the Xinhua news agency reported.The study shows that approximately four in 10 Americans are "vaccine accepting," saying they are extremely likely or likely to get a Covid-19 vaccine. Another one in four is "vaccine-hesitant," reporting that they are either somewhat likely or somewhat unlikely to get vaccinated. Approximately one in three Americans remain "vaccine-resistant," replying they are unlikely or extremely unlikely to get it. Over a three-month period, these percentages have remained steady and largely unchanged.Respondents who expressed hesitancy, as compared to acceptance, were more likely to be female, Black and/or religious, and they indicated they were less interested in news. They are also less trusting of healthcare providers and public health experts, less likely to get an annual flu shot and perceive the Covid-19 vaccines as less safe and somewhat less effective.According to 23 percent of respondents, the most important source of information on the Covid-19 pandemic is news media, including newspapers, TV news, radio, news websites, followed by federal health authorities, such as those representing the CDC and FDA at 18 percent. Health care providers and scientists were both chosen as the most important source by 11 percent. Few respondents named social media or state and local officials as a primary source of Covid information. /* .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_6775403728 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/01/0_3nhzwyrd/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_3nhzwyrd_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Was the coronavirus made in a Wuhan lab? 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Americans less afraid of dying from COVID-19: Survey

The study found that despite some states lifting statewide mask mandates, the public's strong support, registering at 61 percent, for mask mandates remains unchanged from December.

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US advisers endorse Pfizer COVID shot for kids 12 and aboveU.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 on Wednesday, just as expected new guidelines say it’s OK for people of any age to get the shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations.The sprint to vaccinate millions of middle and high school students has already started in parts of the country, as a long line of kids rolled up their sleeves in suburban Atlanta for a first dose Wednesday.But much of the nation was awaiting recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that Pfizer’s vaccine, already used for months in those 16 and older, was a good choice for 12- to 15-year-olds, too. The CDC was expected to accept its advisers’ recommendation.“It just felt like a flu shot, honestly,” said Meredith Rogers, a 14-year-old middle school student from Decatur, Georgia, after getting her vaccination.Michelle Rogers, Meredith’s mother, said she hoped the youth vaccinations would help bring some normalcy back.“A little apprehensive, but you know what? This is a step towards getting life back to normal so, we’re all in,” Michelle Rogers said with a slight fist pump.Earlier in the week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech.A study of more than 2,000 12- to 15-year-olds found the same dose adults use is safe and strongly protective in the kids, too.Among the outstanding questions: Is it OK to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at the same doctor’s visit as people receive some routine vaccinations?That’s an urgent back-to-school concern especially for the 12- to 15-year-olds, who have missed out on regularly scheduled vaccines during the pandemic — but also an issue for adults, too.The CDC until now has recommended not getting other vaccinations within two weeks of a COVID-19 shot, mostly as a precaution so that safety monitors could spot if any unexpected side effects crop up.But the CDC said Wednesday it is changing that advice because the COVID-19 vaccines have proved so safe — and that health workers can decide to give another needed vaccine at the same time.The American Academy of Pediatrics on Wednesday also endorsed the Pfizer vaccine for the 12-and-up crowd — and agreed that it’s fine to give more than one vaccine at the same time, especially for kids who are behind on their regular vaccinations.In the Pfizer study, there were no cases of COVID-19 among volunteers given the two-shot vaccination compared with 16 in the group given dummy shots.Kids also developed higher levels of virus-fighting antibodies than vaccinated adults. Side effects are the same as adults experience, mostly sore arms and flu-like fever, chills or aches that signal the immune system is revving up.Vaccinating Americans of all ages will be critical to getting back to normal, and there’s plenty of supply for the nation’s nearly 17 million 12- to 15-year-olds.In addition to the mass vaccination sites and health department rollouts that were key for adults, many states will be offering kids more familiar options — shipping doses to pediatricians and even to schools.Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects, data the FDA will need to scrutinize.As for even younger children, both companies have begun tests in youngsters ages 6 months to 11 years. Those studies explore if different doses are needed at the youngest ages, and FDA plans to hold a public meeting next month to debate exactly what evidence is needed.ALSO READ: ​Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson and Johnson vaccines effective against B1617 variant of COVID-19: Official

US advisers endorse Pfizer COVID shot for kids 12 and above

Pfizer is not the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine. Moderna recently said preliminary results from its study in 12- to 17-year-olds show strong protection and no serious side effects, data the FDA will need to scrutinize.

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USCIRF expresses concern over potential abuse of NRC in AssamExpressing concern over the potential abuse of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a US bipartisan body said on Tuesday that the verification process must not become a means to target the members of the Muslim community in northeastern India. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission created in 1998, that reviews religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress. India has previously rejected USCIRF report while maintaining that its Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion. India says the USCIRF has no locus standi to pass its comment on Indian citizens' constitutionally protected rights. The comments were made in a statement issued by USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Anurima Bhargava. "We remain concerned with the potential abuse of the NRC in Assam and the resulting introduction of a religious requirement for citizenship, which are contrary to the ideals of religious freedom in India," said Perkins. Bhargava said that the USCIRF remains "troubled by any government policies or actions that have the effect, whether intentional or not, of undermining religious freedom for vulnerable religious minorities". "The National Register of Citizens verification process must not become a means to target and render stateless the Muslim community in northeastern India," she said. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last week said the process of documenting and identifying illegal immigrants in Assam is India's "internal matter". The NRC process is aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in Assam that borders Bangladesh. Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. ALSO READ: Assam NRC: SC orders list of exclusion be published only online on August 31; data to kept as secure as AadhaarExpressing concern over the potential abuse of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a US bipartisan body said on Tuesday that the verification process must not become a means to target the members of the Muslim community in northeastern India.The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan US federal government commission created in 1998, that reviews religious freedom violations abroad and makes policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress.India has previously rejected USCIRF report while maintaining that its Constitution guarantees fundamental rights to all its citizens including the right to freedom of religion. India says the USCIRF has no locus standi to pass its comment on Indian citizens' constitutionally protected rights.The comments were made in a statement issued by USCIRF Chair Tony Perkins and Commissioner Anurima Bhargava."We remain concerned with the potential abuse of the NRC in Assam and the resulting introduction of a religious requirement for citizenship, which are contrary to the ideals of religious freedom in India," said Perkins.Bhargava said that the USCIRF remains "troubled by any government policies or actions that have the effect, whether intentional or not, of undermining religious freedom for vulnerable religious minorities"."The National Register of Citizens verification process must not become a means to target and render stateless the Muslim community in northeastern India," she said.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar last week said the process of documenting and identifying illegal immigrants in Assam is India's "internal matter".The NRC process is aimed at identifying illegal immigrants in Assam that borders Bangladesh. Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951.ALSO READ: Assam NRC: Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea of Teesta Setalvad's NGOALSO READ: Assam NRC exercise to be completed by August 31: Supreme Court

USCIRF expresses concern over potential abuse of NRC in Assam

Expressing concern over the potential abuse of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, a US bipartisan body said on Tuesday that the verification process must not become a means to target the members of the Muslim community in northeastern India.

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Defense Secretary James Mattis said Friday the U.S. is determined to reduce the number of civilian casualties in the Saudi-led campaign against rebels in Yemen and will press ahead with efforts to train Saudi pilots to identify legitimate targets.His comments to reporters at the Pentagon followed a U.N. report on Thursday that said more than 100 civilians had been killed in airstrikes in Yemen in just the past 10 days.Related Stories Saudi Arabia to reopen Yemen airports, seaportsIslamic State claims suicide attack in Yemen; 6 killedRebels kill Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh as alliance collapses“We are going to continue to train them how to do target identification, try to get their capabilities up in those areas. We’re going to continue to work with their pilots and explain how you do bombing runs, that sort of thing,” Mattis said. “Anything we can do to limit the civilian casualties, we will be doing ... We are going to try to make that military of the Saudis more capable of carrying out what they find to be their military necessity without killing innocents.”At the same time, he blamed the rebels for stockpiling weapons in residential areas, which he said was not a sign that they care about the safety of civilians.On Thursday, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Yemen said that Saudi-led airstrikes had killed 109 civilians since Dec. 18, including at least 54 in airstrikes on a market in the western province of Taiz, and 14 people from the same family in an airstrike on a farm in the coastal Hodeida province.The Saudi-led coalition fighting the Shiite rebels criticized the statement, calling it “biased” toward the rebels and calling on the U.N. to review the humanitarian work mechanism and the competence of its employees in Yemen. It said the statement created “a constant state of uncertainty about the information and data on which the U.N. relies and undermines its credibility.”The coalition, backing an internationally recognized government, has been at war with Iran-allied Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, since March 2015. The stalemated war has killed more than 10,000 people, displaced 3 million, damaged critical infrastructure and pushed the country to the brink of famine.

US determined to reduce civilian casualties in Yemen: James Mattis

James Mattis comments to reporters at the Pentagon followed a U.N. report on Thursday that said more than 100 civilians had been killed in airstrikes in Yemen in just the past 10 days.

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Trump performs Balle Balle in Bobble GIFs, stickersTech company Bobble AI on Saturday launched a special series of GIFs and stickers on its Indic keyboard and to welcome US President Donald Trump on his maiden visit to the country next week. The new set of stickers and GIFs features Trump in Indian style, like wearing kurta-pyjamas, greeting with Namaste, performing Balle Balle in Punjabi attire and taking selfies with Indians."The new set of Trump-inspired GIFs and stickers will add a lot of personality and style to the related online conversations," Ankit Prasad, Founder and CEO, Bobble AI said in a statement.According to the company, these stickers have the Trump caricature designed in a desi style.Trump will arrive in Ahmedabad on Monday where he will deliver remarks at Sardar Patel Stadium with Modi. With Modi, the President and the First Lady will then head to Agra where they will visit the Taj Mahal.Later in the day, they will fly to New Delhi and have a full programme on Tuesday. Donald Trump will also have a meet-and-greet with the US embassy staff and a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ram Nath Kovind. To conclude the visit, there will be a state dinner at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday evening.ALSO READ | 'Howdy, Modi' team hopes 'Namaste Trump' event will provide opportunity to improve US-India ties

Trump performs Balle Balle in Bobble GIFs, stickers

Tech company Bobble AI on Saturday launched a special series of GIFs and stickers on its Indic keyboard and to welcome US President Donald Trump on his maiden visit to the country next week.

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The recovered 68-year-old corona patient Mohammed S. from France sits in a wheelchair as he leaves the university hospital in Essen, Germany, Friday, April 17, 2020. S. is a patient who received medical attendance at the hospital during his COVID-19 sickness caused by the new coronavirus. (Marcel Kusch/dpa via AP)A major German newspaper has compiled together a 130-billion-pound invoice that the country 'owes' Germany following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. China is facing a backlash from major European powers after suspicions over its role in the coronavirus pandemic which has caused 1 lakh deaths in Europe. According to Express UK, Germany's largest tabloid newspaper, Bild, joined this attack by drawing up an itemized invoice for Euro 149 billion (130 billion pounds).European powers like Germany, France, the UK and the US have unleashed criticism at China after findings have surfaced that China may have covered up the outbreak.The list includes a Euro 27 billion charge for lost tourism revenue, up to euro 7.2 billion for the German film industry, a million euros an hour for German airline Lufthansa and euro 50 billion for German small businesses.Bild calculated that this amounts to euro 1,784 (1,550 pounds) per person if Germany's GDP falls by 4.2 per cent, under the title "What China owes us."Express UK reported that China has responded by claiming the invoice "stirs up xenophobia and nationalism".Bild Editor-in-Chief Julian Reichelt rebutted the criticism, saying: "We asked in our newspaper Bild whether China should pay for the massive economic damage the coronavirus is inflicting worldwide."Xi Jinping, your government and your scientists had to know long ago that coronavirus is highly infectious, but you left the world in the dark about it.""Your top experts didn't respond when Western researchers asked to know what was going on in Wuhan. You were too proud and too nationalistic to tell the truth, which you felt was a national disgrace."On Saturday, US President Donald Trump warned that China should face consequences if it was "knowingly responsible" for unleashing the coronavirus pandemic. Trump told reporters: "It could have been stopped in China before it started and it wasn't, and the whole world is suffering because of it."If it was a mistake, a mistake is a mistake. But if they were knowingly responsible, then there should be consequences." He said the Chinese were "embarrassed" and the question was whether what happened with the coronavirus was "a mistake that got out of control, or was it done deliberately?"(With inputs from agencies)

China gets £130 Billion-bill from Germany for its role in coronavirus pandemic

A major German newspaper has compiled together a 130-billion-pound invoice that the country 'owes' Germany following the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. China is facing a backlash from major European powers after suspicions over its role in the coronavirus pandemic which has caused 1 lakh deaths in Europe.

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Tsunami warnings issued after 8.1 magnitude Earthquake strikes New Zealand, prompting evacuationsOne of the biggest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate and triggered tsunami warnings across the world Friday, but it did not appear to cause injuries or major damage because it struck in remote ocean. The magnitude 8.1 quake was the largest in a series of tremors that hit the region over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3. The earthquakes triggered warning systems and caused traffic jams and some chaos in New Zealand as people scrambled to get to higher ground, but their remoteness meant they did not appear to pose a widespread threat to lives or infrastructure. The largest quake struck about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of New Zealand. One of the earlier quakes hit much closer to New Zealand and awoke many people as they felt a long, rumbling shaking. “Hope everyone is ok out there,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Facebook during the night. After the largest quake, civil defense authorities in New Zealand told people in some coastal areas to immediately get to higher ground. They said a damaging tsunami was possible, and waves could reach up to 3 meters (10 feet). Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan told reporters that people had followed the advisory. “They felt the long or strong earthquakes and they knew to grab their bag and head into the highlands,” she said. “I can only thank and acknowledge the tireless efforts of the men and women from up and down the coast who knew how to act, when to act, and what to do.” She warned that the threat could remain throughout much of the afternoon and people should not return home until authorities gave the all-clear. Allan said evacuations took precedence over coronavirus distancing measures. The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also cautioned the quake could cause tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in Vanuatu and up to 1 meter (3 feet) in Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia and as far away as Mexico and Peru. The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered near the remote Kermadec Islands at a depth of 19 kilometers (12 miles). The agency said in a report that the quake occurred at the intersection of the Pacific and Australia tectonic plates and eclipsed the largest quake previously recorded in the region, a magnitude 8.0 in 1976. It said the interaction between the plates creates one of the most seismically active regions in the world, and it has recorded 215 quakes there above magnitude 6.0 over the past century. Jennifer Eccles, an earthquake expert at the University of Auckland, said the quake was at the top end of the scale for those involving only the Earth’s ocean crust. “This is about as big as it gets,” she said. She said most quakes larger than magnitude 8.0 tend to occur when a section of more robust continental crust is involved. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.4 quake was likely a “foreshock” that contributed to the larger quake but that the first quake that hit closer to New Zealand was too far away in time and distance to have directly contributed. Officials in New Zealand had hours earlier issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas after the first quake struck off its northeastern coast at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties, and the warning was lifted just before the largest quake hit. The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake was centered at a depth of 21 kilometers (13 miles) under the ocean about 174 kilometers (108 miles) northeast of the city of Gisborne. It was widely felt in New Zealand, and residents in the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch reported being shaken awake.  In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 quake hit the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of its downtown. ALSO READ: Strong earthquake jolts New ZealandOne of the biggest earthquakes to hit the South Pacific in modern history forced thousands of people in New Zealand to evacuate and triggered tsunami warnings across the world Friday, but it did not appear to cause injuries or major damage because it struck in remote ocean.The magnitude 8.1 quake was the largest in a series of tremors that hit the region over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3.The earthquakes triggered warning systems and caused traffic jams and some chaos in New Zealand as people scrambled to get to higher ground, but their remoteness meant they did not appear to pose a widespread threat to lives or infrastructure.The largest quake struck about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) off the coast of New Zealand. One of the earlier quakes hit much closer to New Zealand and awoke many people as they felt a long, rumbling shaking.“Hope everyone is ok out there,” New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern wrote on Facebook during the night.After the largest quake, civil defense authorities in New Zealand told people in some coastal areas to immediately get to higher ground. They said a damaging tsunami was possible, and waves could reach up to 3 meters (10 feet).Emergency Management Minister Kiri Allan told reporters that people had followed the advisory.“They felt the long or strong earthquakes and they knew to grab their bag and head into the highlands,” she said. “I can only thank and acknowledge the tireless efforts of the men and women from up and down the coast who knew how to act, when to act, and what to do.”She warned that the threat could remain throughout much of the afternoon and people should not return home until authorities gave the all-clear. Allan said evacuations took precedence over coronavirus distancing measures.The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also cautioned the quake could cause tsunami waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in Vanuatu and up to 1 meter (3 feet) in Australia, Fiji, French Polynesia and as far away as Mexico and Peru.The U.S. Geological Survey said it was centered near the remote Kermadec Islands at a depth of 19 kilometers (12 miles).The agency said in a report that the quake occurred at the intersection of the Pacific and Australia tectonic plates and eclipsed the largest quake previously recorded in the region, a magnitude 8.0 in 1976.It said the interaction between the plates creates one of the most seismically active regions in the world, and it has recorded 215 quakes there above magnitude 6.0 over the past century.Jennifer Eccles, an earthquake expert at the University of Auckland, said the quake was at the top end of the scale for those involving only the Earth’s ocean crust.“This is about as big as it gets,” she said.She said most quakes larger than magnitude 8.0 tend to occur when a section of more robust continental crust is involved. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 7.4 quake was likely a “foreshock” that contributed to the larger quake but that the first quake that hit closer to New Zealand was too far away in time and distance to have directly contributed.Officials in New Zealand had hours earlier issued a tsunami warning for coastal areas after the first quake struck off its northeastern coast at about 2:30 a.m. Friday. There were no immediate reports of serious damage or casualties, and the warning was lifted just before the largest quake hit.The U.S. Geological Survey said the first quake was centered at a depth of 21 kilometers (13 miles) under the ocean about 174 kilometers (108 miles) northeast of the city of Gisborne.It was widely felt in New Zealand, and residents in the major cities of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch reported being shaken awake.  In 2011, a magnitude 6.3 quake hit the city of Christchurch, killing 185 people and destroying much of its downtown.

New Zealand: Tsunami warning issued after strong earthquake in South Pacific, thousands evacuated

The magnitude 8.1 quake was the largest in a series of tremors that hit the region over several hours, including two earlier quakes that registered magnitude 7.4 and magnitude 7.3.

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Breaking: Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira YoshinoThe 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries. The prize amount of 9 million Swedish krona will be shared equally between the Laureates.Nobel Prize in Chemistry winners John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino have been awarded the prestigious award for developing the lithium-ion battery. In fact, this lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles. It can even store significant amounts of energy from solar and wind power, making possible a fossil fuel-free society. From mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles, lithium-ion batteries are used in everything. It is lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery.Lithium ion batteries are used across the globe. It powers the portable electronics that we use to communicate, work, study, listen to music and search for knowledge. Lithiumion batteries have also enabled the development of long-range electric cars and the storage of energy from renewable sources, such as solar and wind power.Stanley Whittingham worked on developing methods that could lead to fossil fuel-free energy technologies. He started to research superconductors and discovered an extremely energy-rich material, which he used to create an innovative cathode in a lithium battery. It was John Goodenough who predicted that the cathode would have even greater potential if it was made using a metal oxide instead of a metal sulphide. In 1980, John Goodenough demonstrated that cobalt oxide intercalated lithium ions can produce as much as four volts. This was a breakthrough and would lead to much more powerful batteries. Akira Yoshino created the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery in 1985. Rather than using reactive lithium in the anode, he used petroleum coke, a carbon material that, like the cathode’s cobalt oxide, can intercalate lithium ions.ALSO READ | Nobel Prize in Physics announced: James Peebles, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz emerge winners ALSO READ | Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded jointly to 3

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to John Goodenough, Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to John B. Goodenough, M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino “for the development of lithium-ion batteries.

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Of the two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed globally till now, about 60 per cent have gone to just three countries - the US, India and China, a senior adviser at the World Health Organisation said.Of the two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed globally till now, about 60 per cent have gone to just three countries - the US, India and China, a senior adviser at the World Health Organisation said. Senior Advisor to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Bruce Aylward made the comments at a press briefing on Friday.“This week, we will see over two billion doses… we will probably pass the two billion doses… landmark in terms of the number of doses of the vaccines and new COVID vaccines that have actually been developed. These have been distributed now in over 212 countries,” Aylward said.“If we look at that two billion doses, over 75 per cent of it has gone to just 10 countries. And in fact three countries - China, the US and India - account for about 60 per cent of those doses,” he said.He said while COVAX has played an important role in distributing the COVID-19 doses to 127 countries and getting several countries to start their vaccination drives, the challenge is in the access to the vaccines.He said the 60 per cent of the two billion doses that have gone to China, India and the US are “all domestically procured and used”. Aylward noted that “at the other end of the spectrum”, only about 0.5 per cent of doses globally have gone to the lowest income countries that account for about 10 per cent of the world's population.“And even if we look at the lower middle income countries, it's only fractionally higher than that in terms of the coverage that we're getting. So we're increasingly seeing a two-track recovery and rollout of the vaccines,” he said.While there is high vaccine coverage deep into the high risk populations and younger populations in high income countries, “we are still struggling to get sufficient product just to be able to vaccinate the health care workers, older populations” in low income countries “who are really the key to getting out of the health, societal and economic crisis that we are in the midst of.”Aylward said about 80 million doses have been distributed through COVAX so far and the global alliance for equitable vaccine distribution is about 200 million doses behind where it should be due to the disruption in COVAX supplies as a result of the devastating second wave in India.“The problem now is the supplies are being interrupted. We're having disruptions because of the problems in India and others and having trouble filling that gap. And as a result, the countries are having trouble getting momentum and getting started well."We saw how long it took to get the scale up of vaccines in high income countries. It takes a consistent supply of vaccines. So this is the crucial piece that we've got to fix in the next two months if we are going to be on track to get out of the pandemic,” Aylward said.He added that through COVAX, “we've distributed just about 80 million doses at this point. We're about 200 million doses behind where we want to be because of the interruption of supply out of India because of the need to redirect them there. And also because of the challenge that we're having getting other manufacturers to scale up and come online early enough, such as the Johnson and Johnson product.”He said while there are commitments in principle of about 150 million doses to be donated through COVAX, there are two big problems with that.“Number one, very little of it is committed for the June-July period, which means we're going to still have this gap. The other problem is just the volume. If we are going to get on track to get at least 30-40 per cent of the world vaccinated this year, we got to get another 250 million people vaccinated between now and the end of September.“We expect India SII (Serum Institute of India) volumes to open up again in the fourth quarter at least,” he said, adding that “countries are going to fail unless they get vaccines early to start rolling out, building community confidence, building their systems. But we're setting up for failure if we don't get early doses.”The Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer, is the key supplier of AstraZeneca doses to COVAX. However, supply of vaccines from SII to COVAX has been impacted as the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic ravages India.Last month, Ghebreyesus had said that once the devastating outbreak in India recedes, “we also need the Serum Institute of India to get back on track and catch up on its delivery commitments to COVAX.”In response to a question on the situation in India and Nepal, which are seeing devastating surges in COVID cases, he said, “are we concerned about India and Nepal. Absolutely. We've got escalating epidemics in different parts of India still. (It’s) going down overall but some areas are still hard hit.”In Nepal too, areas are hard hit. “Still real gaps in terms of what they need to be able to save lives in real-time, as well as protect people with vaccines so as we look for doses and bringing the doses forward, the goal is to be able to get more doses surged into these places that are being hit so that we can reduce the risk of death in the face of these escalating outbreaks as well.”Also Read: US lawmakers hail move to send Covid vaccines to India, other countriesAlso Read: US announces USD 57mn aid for TB treatment in seven high-burden countries

US, India, China account for 60% of 2 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed globally: WHO

Of the two billion COVID-19 vaccine doses distributed globally till now, about 60 per cent have gone to just three countries - the US, India and China, a senior adviser at the World Health Organisation said.

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Boris Johnson self-isolating after meeting COVID-positive MPUK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after a meeting with a Member of Parliament who later tested positive for COVID-19, Downing Street said. Johnson had been notified by the National Health Service (NHS) Test and Trace that he came in contact of someone who has tested positive and he must self-isolate, the prime minister's spokesperson said on Sunday.“The prime minister will follow the rules and is self-isolating. He will carry on working from Downing Street, including on leading the government's response to the coronavirus pandemic,” the spokesperson said."The PM is well and does not have any symptoms of COVID-19," the spokesperson added.Johnson spent three nights in intensive care at St.Thomas' Hospital in central London in April after testing positive for COVID-19.Under the NHS Test and Trace rules, his self-isolation should run for 10 days and end on November 26.Johnson had a meeting lasting about 35 minutes with some MPs at his office in 10 Downing Street on Thursday morning, including Lee Anderson — the MP for Ashfield in the East Midlands region of England.Anderson later developed symptoms and tested positive for COVID-19 and posted on his Facebook page to say he was self-isolating.“On Friday I lost my sense of taste at the same time my wife had a bad headache. I had no cough, no fever and felt well. We both had a test on Saturday and the result came in Sunday morning,” said the Conservative Party MP.“My wife and I both tested positive. I feel absolutely fine and my biggest concern is my wife who is in the shielded group. But we are both feeling good,” he said.(With PTI inputs)

Boris Johnson self-isolating after meeting COVID-positive MP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is self-isolating after a meeting with a Member of Parliament who later tested positive for COVID-19, Downing Street said.

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President Nicolas Maduro said a helicopter fired on Venezuela’s Supreme Court Tuesday in a confusing incident that he claimed was part of a conspiracy to destabilise his socialist government.An Associated Press reporter heard gunfire as a blue helicopter buzzed through downtown but was unable to confirm where the shots were being fired from.The gunfire took place as Maduro was speaking live on state television to pro-government journalists gathered at the presidential palace. He said the chopper fired upon offices of the court and launched a grenade that didn’t explode before buzzing over the interior ministry. He said the nation’s air defence was activated, thwarting what he called a “terrorist attack” and part of an ongoing coup attempt.“It could’ve caused a tragedy with several dozen dead and injured,” said Maduro.But many opponents on social media accused the president himself of trying to spread fear to help justify a crackdown against Venezuelan seeking to block his plans to rewrite the constitution.Adding to the intrigue, pictures of a blue police helicopter carrying an anti-government banner appeared on social media around the same time as a video in which a pilot for the police squad, identified as Oscar Perez, called for a rebellion against the Maduro’s “tyranny” as part of a coalition of members of the security forces.“We have two choices: be judged tomorrow by our conscience and the people or begin today to free ourselves from this corrupt government,” the man said while reading from a statement with four people dressed in military fatigues, ski masks and carrying what look like assault rifles standing behind him.(With AP inputs)

Helicopter dropped grenade on Venezuela's Supreme Court in a 'terror attack': President Maduro

President Nicolas Maduro said a helicopter fired on Venezuela’s Supreme Court Tuesday in a confusing incident that he claimed was part of a conspiracy to destabilise his socialist government

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N Korea reports another jump in suspected COVID-19 casesAmid Kim Jong Un accusing officials of “immaturity” and “slackness” in handling the escalating COVID-19 outbreak ravaging the unvaccinated nation, North Korea on Wednesday reported 2,32,880 new cases of fever and another six deaths. The country's anti-virus headquarters said 62 people have died and more than 1.7 million have fallen ill amid a rapid spread of fever since late April. It said more than a million people recovered but at least 691,170 remain in quarantine.Outside experts say most of the illnesses would be COVID-19, although North Korea has been able to confirm only a small number of COVID-19 cases since acknowledging an omicron outbreak last week, likely because of insufficient testing capabilities.A failure to control the outbreak could have dire consequences in North Korea, considering its broken health care system and its rejection of internationally offered vaccines that has left a population of 26 million unimmunized.The outbreak is almost certainly greater than the fever tally, considering the lack of tests and resources to monitor the sick, and there's also suspicion that North Korea is underreporting deaths to soften the blow for Kim, who already was navigating the toughest moment of his decade in power.The pandemic has further damaged an economy already broken by mismanagement and US-led sanctions over Kim's nuclear weapons and missiles development.Before acknowledging COVID-19 infections last Thursday, North Korea had insisted of a perfect record in keeping out the virus that has reached nearly every corner of the world, a claim that was widely doubted. Kim's government had shunned millions of vaccine shots offered by the UN-backed COVAX distribution program, likely because of international monitoring requirements attached to them.(With inputs from AP)Also Read | North Korea confirms its first ever COVID-19 case; Kim Jong Un orders nationwide lockdown

North Korea reports another jump in suspected COVID-19 cases; death toll at 62

A failure to control the outbreak could have dire consequences in North Korea, considering its broken health care system and its rejection of internationally offered vaccines that has left a population of 26 million unimmunized.

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A woman shelters from the rain under an umbrella, while walking past a wall painted with portraits of prisoners of the Basque separatist armed group ETA, in the small village of Hernani, northern Spain, May 2, 2018.In notices published in the Federal Register on Friday, the US State Department said it had removed five extremist groups from its list of foreign terrorist organizations. All these terror groups are believed to be defunct, and hence they were removed after a mandatory five-year review of their designations. Upon review, Al-Qaida was kept on the list, which was created under the federal Immigration and Nationality Act, or INA.“Our review of these five FTO designations determined that, as defined by the INA the five organizations are no longer engaged in terrorism or terrorist activity and do not retain the capability and intent to do so,” the State Department said in a statement. “Therefore, as required by the INA, these FTO designations are being revoked.”The groups removed from the list are:Several of the removed groups once posed significant threats, killing hundreds if not thousands of people across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The decision was politically sensitive for the Biden administration and the countries in which the organizations operated. It may draw criticism from victims and their families.The organizations removed are the Basque separatist group ETA, the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Egypt.(With inputs from AP)

Five terror groups removed from blacklist by United States, al-Qaida retained upon review

The organizations removed are the Basque separatist group ETA, the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo, the radical Jewish group Kahane Kach and two Islamic groups that have been active in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Egypt.

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President Joe Biden delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, March 1, 2022, in Washington.US President Joe Biden on Wednesday addressed his first State of Union, where he talked about the ongoing Russia Ukraine conflict. However, it might seem like he mispoke and said 'Iranians', instead of 'Ukrainians'. At least that is what most people on Twitter are saying, as they share a viral video of Biden's address.In the video, Biden can be heard saying, "Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks but will never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people". One video also shows US Vice President Kamala Harris sitting at the back, mouthing the word 'Ukrainians' as Biden says the wrong word.Several people have reacted to this mistake by Biden. One user wrote, "These are the ones the comedian-in-chief in Kyiv, Kiev puts his hope on?" Another wrote, "Biden just called the Ukrainians, Iranians. The only mention Iran will get in this speech and it was by mistake".Another user said, "It sounded more like “Uranian” than Iranian"In his speech at the State of Union, Biden declared that he and all members of Congress, whatever their political differences, are joined “with an unwavering resolve that freedom will always triumph over tyranny.” He asked lawmakers crowding the House chamber to stand and salute the Ukrainians as he began his speech. They stood and cheered. It was a notable show of unity after a long year of bitter acrimony between Biden’s Democratic coalition and the Republican opposition.Biden’s 62-minute speech, which was split between attention to war abroad and worries at home — reflected the same balancing act he now faces in his presidency. He must marshal allied resolve against Russia’s aggression while tending to inflation, COVID-19 fatigue and sagging approval ratings heading into the midterm elections.

Did Biden say 'Iranian' instead of 'Ukrainian' in first State of the Union address? WATCH

In the video, Biden can be heard saying, "Putin may circle Kyiv with tanks but will never gain the hearts and souls of the Iranian people".

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Abdullah Abdullah holds talks with NSA DovalNational Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday conveyed to top Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah that India supports an independent, democratic, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan where no terrorists can operate. Doval and Abdullah held extensive talks on the Afghan peace process under which Kabul is holding direct negotiation with the Taliban for the first time to bring lasting peace to the country.In the talks, Doval was accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla and Joint Secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division) in the Ministry of External Affairs J P Singh.In a series of tweets, Abdullah, the head of Afghanistan's peace council, said Doval assured him of India's full support for the peace efforts and that any peace settlement acceptable to Afghans will have the support of New Delhi."Had a constructive discussion with HE Ajit Doval, the NSA of India. We discussed the #AfghanPeaceProcess, & the talks in Doha. He assured me of India's full support for the peace efforts, & that any peace settlement acceptable to Afghans, will have the support of India," he said.The influential Afghan leader also said that Doval further conveyed that India is in favour of an independent, democratic, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan where no terrorists can operate."I thanked India for the invitation, its continued support for Afghanistan, & its constructive role in peace efforts," he said.The Afghan delegation accompanying Abdullah comprised Mohammad Akram Khpalwak, Deputy Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR), and senior leaders Nasrullah Arsalai, Zeya Gul Rezaee and Farida Momand.Abdullah arrived here on Tuesday on a five-day visit as part of the efforts to build a regional consensus and support for the Afghan peace process.He is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.The visit of the influential Afghan leader to India comes in the midst of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha.The Taliban and the Afghan government are holding direct talks to end 19 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people and ravaged various parts of the country.India has been a major stakeholder in peace and stability of Afghanistan. It has already invested USD two billion in aid and reconstruction activities in the country.India has been supporting a national peace and reconciliation process which is Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled.On September 12, an Indian delegation attended the inaugural ceremony of the intra-Afghan negotiations in Doha while S Jaishankar joined it through video conference.India has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains to Washington's 18-year war in the country.The US has lost over 2,400 soldiers in Afghanistan since late 2001.India has also been maintaining that care should be taken to ensure that any such process does not lead to any "ungoverned spaces" where terrorists and their proxies can relocate.India has been calling upon all sections of the political spectrum in Afghanistan to work together to meet the aspirations of all people in that country including those from the minority community for a prosperous and safe future. 

Head of Afghan peace council Abdullah Abdullah holds talks with NSA Doval

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday conveyed to top Afghan peace negotiator Abdullah Abdullah that India supports an independent, democratic, sovereign and peaceful Afghanistan where no terrorists can operate.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his British counterpart Boris JohnsonPrime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Boris Johnson spoke over the phone on Monday during which they took stock of India-UK trade and defence talks, opening up of international travel between the two countries and climate action targets in the lead up to the COP26 summit, Downing Street said.The UK’s recognition of "Indian vaccine certification" was among the welcome developments highlighted on both sides, as Covishield-vaccinated Indians travelling to the UK will no longer be required to undergo a compulsory 10-day quarantine at a declared address starting Monday."The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi discussed the shared fight against coronavirus and the importance of cautiously opening up international travel,” a Downing Street spokesperson said, with reference to a readout of the conversation."They agreed the UK’s recognition of Indian vaccine certification is a welcome development to that end,” the spokesperson said.The UK government on Thursday announced that Indian travellers fully vaccinated with both doses of Covishield will not require to undergo quarantine in Britain from October 11, putting an end to a diplomatic row over vaccinated Indians being treated differently from other countries.With reference to the bilateral relationship, both leaders welcomed progress towards a trade agreement and also noted the journey of the UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, as a sign of deepening strategic partnership between the two nations.The Carrier Strike Group, which set off on its maiden operational deployment in May, has sailed the Atlantic Ocean, through the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific - participating in a range of activities with partners and allies enroute.The deployment highlights the UK’s commitment to defending democratic values, enhancing defence and security cooperation and promoting free trade around the world - key themes in the UK Government’s Integrated Review, published earlier this year.The two leaders had connected for a virtual summit in May to sign off on an Enhanced Trade Partnership (ETP) and the 2030 Roadmap, which sets a framework for working towards a free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the UK."They discussed the strength of the UK-India relationship and welcomed the progress made on the 2030 Roadmap since it was agreed by the Prime Minister and Prime Minister Modi in May. This includes in areas such as trade and defence,” the spokesperson said, with reference to a readout of the conversation."The leaders looked forward to the upcoming visit of the UK Carrier Strike Group to India and the deepening of the UK-India strategic partnership,” the spokesperson said.On the issue of climate change, Johnson hailed India’s achievement in the field of renewables and sought “more ambitious” action from India."The Prime Minister (Johnson) underlined the importance of making concrete progress on climate change ahead of and at the upcoming COP26 Summit (in Glasgow). He noted that India already leads the world in renewable technology and expressed his hope that they will commit to a more ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution and to achieving Net Zero emissions,” Downing Street said.Besides, regional issues related to Afghanistan and dealing with the Taliban regime also came up during Monday’s talks between Johnson and Modi."The leaders also talked about the current situation in Afghanistan. They agreed on the need for a coordinated international approach to engagement with the Taliban, emphasising the importance of upholding human rights in the country,” Downing Street said.The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, ousting the previous elected government which was backed by the West. The Taliban, ousted from power by the US shortly after the 9/11 attacks, now control nearly all of the country.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has announced that Modi will participate in the upcoming G20 Extraordinary Leaders’ Summit on Afghanistan on October 12 in virtual format. The Summit is being convened by the G20 Italian Presidency. ALSO READ: PM Modi to participate in G20 leaders' summit on Afghanistan on TuesdayALSO READ: EAM S Jaishankar arrives in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek for bilateral meeting /* .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_6293887737 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_1cysksip/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_1cysksip_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "PM Modi invites vaccine manufacturers across the world to 'make in India'", "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": "1782", "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_6293887737 = ''; jwsetup_6293887737(); function jwsetup_6293887737() { jwvidplayer_6293887737 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6293887737").setup(jwconfig_6293887737); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6293887737, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_1cysksip\", ns_st_pr=\"PM Modi invites vaccine manufacturers across the world to 'make in India'\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"PM Modi invites vaccine manufacturers across the world to 'make in India'\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"PM Modi invites vaccine manufacturers across the world to 'make in India'\", 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_1cysksip/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6293887737.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6293887737.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6293887737.stop(); jwvidplayer_6293887737.remove(); jwvidplayer_6293887737 = ''; jwsetup_6293887737(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6293887737.stop(); jwvidplayer_6293887737.remove(); jwvidplayer_6293887737 = ''; jwsetup_6293887737(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6293887737.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

PM Modi, British counterpart Boris Johnson discuss vaccine certification, trade, climate

With reference to the bilateral relationship, both leaders welcomed progress towards a trade agreement and also noted the journey of the UK Carrier Strike Group, led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, as a sign of deepening strategic partnership between the two nations.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran KhanPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan keeps hitting headlines with his controversial statements. In his latest interview with an international news channel, the cricketer-turned-politician said that he was busy with issues of Kashmir and that he "frankly does not know much about" the condition of Uyghur Muslims in China.In an interview with Al Jazeera, Pakistan prime minister attmpted a global outreach on Islamabad's stand over Kashmir issue after India's decision to abrogate special status to Jammu and Kashmir, given by Article 370 of Indian constitution.When Imran Khan was asked that if he ever raised the issue of Uyghur Muslims during his discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said that Pakistan is inundated with so many internal problems that his first priority is the people of Pakistan. "No, I have not. We have been facing so many of our internal problems right now that I do not know much about this problem. Let's face it, ever since we came to power, apart from the economy and apart from dealing with the situation in Kashmir, we have been inundated with problems," Imran Khan said."Right now, my responsibility is the people of Pakistan. Therefore, my number one effort is to help my own country,"  he added.  He further said, "I will say one thing about China. For Pakistan, China has been the best friend,"In an exclusive interview to Al Jazeera, Khan also said that Pakistan could lose in a conventional war with India which could then be consequential in view that the two neighbouring countries are nuclear-armed."I am clear that when two nuclear-armed countries fight a conventional war, there is every possibility of it ending in a nuclear war. If I say Pakistan, God forbid, and in a conventional war, and we are losing, and if a country is stuck between two choices, either you surrender or fight to the death for your freedom." Pakistan PM said."I know Pakistan will fight to the death for freedom (and) when a nuclear-armed country fights to the death, there are consequences," he added.In the same interview, Khan ruled out the possibility of dialogue with India in the aftermath of abrogation Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.Imran Khan administration has downgraded its diplomatic ties and suspended bilateral trade with India. India has maintained that the move on Kashmir is its "internal matter" - a stance that has been supported by many countries. India has asked Pakistan to review these decisions so that normal channels for diplomatic communications are preserved.ALSO READ | Why Imran Khan sounds desperate?ALSO READ | India-Pak showdown on September 27 at UNGA; PM Modi, Imran Khan to addressALSO READ | Imran Khan govt facing heat after law minister's comment on possible takeover of Karachi's administration

Don't know about Chinese muslims, busy with Kashmir issue: Imran Khan

When Imran Khan was asked that if he ever raised the issue of Uyghur Muslims during his discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping, he said that Pakistan is inundated with so many internal problems that his first priority is the people of Pakistan.

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Bangladeshi security personnel carry voting materialThe people of Bangladesh will vote on Sunday to elect their representatives for 299 parliamentary seats. The voting will be held between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.In the run up the general election, the country witnessed widespread arrests and violence amid a massive military deployment to contain mounting political tension.Related Stories Bangladeshi court bars former PM Khaleda Zia from contesting next month's pollsFair delivery adjudged as no-ball, West Indies protest over dubious on-field umpire calls'Arson attack' on Hindu house in BangladeshThe general election will decide the fate of  the incumbent Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as well as  three-time former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia who is currently in prison serving 17 years on corruption charges. The main opposition party -- the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by Khaleda Zia  -- said the elections could be rigged in favour of the ruling Awami League. The current Prime Minister and leader of the Awami League, 71-year-old Sheikh Hasina, is expected to win which would pave the way for her third mandate since she came to power in 2009.Khaleda's party has accused the Awami League of targeting BNP activists and fostering a climate of violence and intimidation in the lead up to the vote. In a message from prison, Khaleda urged her supporters to "guard voting centres", bdnews24.com reported.Her message was read out by BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi during a media briefing. "She said, 'tomorrow will bring us the opportunity to free the nation from dictators, so go to your voting centres in groups and disregard every intimidation. Each vote you cast will pave the way for freedom of democracy and people'," said Rizvi. Khaleda also instructed polling agents not to sign any document without first finding out the exact number of votes received by each candidate, he said.Clashes between the opposition and Hasina supporters have been taking place since the date for the election was announced.Bangladesh authorities, meanwhile, instructed mobile network operators to shut down 4G and 3G data services across the country ahead of the election, bdnews24.com reported.Mobile phone operators said they were "instructed" to shut down services for 33 hours.Bangladesh Army chief General Aziz Ahmed called on voters to go to the polling stations without fear. Over 600,000 security forces, including personnel from the Bangladesh Army, marines and the police, have been deployed for the polls."They are conducting constant patrols to ensure that nobody attempts to terrorise or cause unrest. They are also working to ensure that voters are safe," said the Army chief.The BNP has accused the government of a harsh clampdown which it claims has seen 10,329 opposition leaders and activists arrested. At least nine persons have been killed and over 13,000 injured in politically motivated attacks targeting the opposition, BNP leaders said.The Awami League Secretary General Mahbubul Alam Hanif said the violent clashes were due to internal struggles within the BNP. Hanif dismissed accusations of lack of transparency and excessive use of force stating that it was obvious from the offset that the BNP were struggling to appoint candidates. (With agency inputs)

Bangladesh set for general election today amid mounting tension, military deployment

Bangladesh will vote on Sunday amid an increasingly violent atmosphere which would see 104 million people going to the ballot boxes in the largely Muslim country. Voters will cast ballots for 299 parliamentary seats between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.

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Medical workers wearing protective gear prepare for a coronavirus test at a coronavirus testing site.A group of Japanese researchers said a new mutation of the Covid-19 Delta variant had been discovered for the first time in the country, local media reported on Tuesday. The research team, led by Associate Professor Hiroaki Takeuchi at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital, said that the mutation was found when a patient infected with the Delta variant visited the institute earlier this month, reports Xinhua news agency.Genetic analysis revealed the N501S mutation, the team said, adding that only eight cases of the mutation have been reported outside Japan.The N501S mutation is similar to the N501Y variation of the Alpha variant, which was first detected in the UK.The team said its impact on the virus's transmissibility is unclear so far, and researchers plan to study further.Takeuchi said full efforts ought to be made to curb the Covid-19 infections, as the further spread of the virus could lead to the continued emergence of new variants in Japan.He also called for the use of genetic analyses to enhance the monitoring of the virus.ALSO READ: 2 men die in Japan after being administered Moderna vaxALSO READ: Japan imposes 'emergency' measures against coronavirus /* .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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New Delta variant mutation confirmed in Japan

The research team, led by Associate Professor Hiroaki Takeuchi at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Hospital, said that the mutation was found when a patient infected with the Delta variant visited the institute earlier this month, reports Xinhua news agency.

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People wait in line at a COVID-19 testing site in Times Square, New YorkThe Omicron variant of Covid-19 has been identified in 171 countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said. In its latest technical brief, the global health body said that Omicron is soon set to replace Delta globally as a result of its immunity evading potential. It stated that Omicron has been found to have a significant growth advantage, higher secondary attack rates, and a higher observed reproduction number compared to Delta."As of January 20, the Omicron variant has been identified in 171 countries. The variant has rapidly outpaced Delta in most countries, driving an upsurge of cases in all regions. "Omicron has a substantial growth advantage over Delta, and it is rapidly replacing Delta globally," the brief said.The global health body said there "is significant evidence" to show that immune evasion contributes to the rapid spread of Omicron. However, the WHO said further research is needed to better understand the relative contribution of intrinsic increased transmissibility and immune evasion in explaining transmission dynamics.Although the infection caused by the highly contagious strain is touted to be mild, the WHO said that current evidence shows that the overall risk related to Omicron remains very high and its spread in the community is much more than during previous Covid variants.Despite a lower risk of severe disease and death following infection than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, the very high levels of transmission have also resulted in significant increases in hospitalization.It continues to pose overwhelming demands on health care systems in most countries, and may lead to significant morbidity, particularly in vulnerable populations, the global health body said.The WHO also found "evidence that the Omicron variant infects human bronchus tissue faster and more efficiently than Delta". However, it has shown a predominance of viral replication in the upper respiratory tract, unlike Delta.Moreover, the technical brief also noted the increasing presence of Omicron sub-variants. While the BA.1 lineage has previously been the most dominant, recent trends from India, South Africa, the UK, and Denmark suggest that BA.2 is increasing in proportion, the WHO said.It added that the drivers of transmission and other properties of BA.2 are under investigation, but remain unclear to date. "Studies are needed to better understand the properties of BA.2, including comparative assessments of BA.2 and BA.1 for key characteristics such as transmissibility, immune escape, and virulence," the WHO brief said.

Omicron will soon replace Delta globally due to 'immunity evading potential': WHO

Despite a lower risk of severe disease and death following infection than previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, the very high levels of transmission have also resulted in significant increases in hospitalization.

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Pompeo-Jaishankar discuss strategic bilateral ties, developments in KashmirUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed a range of issues including growing strategic bilateral ties, developments in Kashmir and global issues of concern, the State Department said Wednesday. Jaishankar and Pompeo met at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department on Monday. A readout of the meeting by the State Department was issued two days later. The two leaders "discussed a range of issues, including the growing US-India strategic relationship, developments in Kashmir, and global issues of concern", the State Department said. "They also discussed plans to advance our complementary visions of a free and open Indo-Pacific region following the successful Quadrilateral Consultations on the margins of the UN General Assembly last week,” said a readout of their meeting. ALSO READ | India's stand clear on Kashmir, won't accept third party mediation: JaishankarUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed a range of issues including growing strategic bilateral ties, developments in Kashmir and global issues of concern, the State Department said Wednesday.Jaishankar and Pompeo met at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department on Monday.A readout of the meeting by the State Department was issued two days later.The two leaders "discussed a range of issues, including the growing US-India strategic relationship, developments in Kashmir, and global issues of concern", the State Department said."They also discussed plans to advance our complementary visions of a free and open Indo-Pacific region following the successful Quadrilateral Consultations on the margins of the UN General Assembly last week,” said a readout of their meeting.ALSO READ | India has a non-partisan approach to US domestics politics: Jaishankar

Pompeo-Jaishankar discuss strategic bilateral ties, developments in Kashmir

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar discussed a range of issues including growing strategic bilateral ties, developments in Kashmir and global issues of concern, the State Department said Wednesday.

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Boris Johnson eyes general election after pausing Brexit BillBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to push for a general election if the European Union (EU) offers a three-month extension to the October 31 Brexit deadline, after MPs rejected his fast-track timetable for the passage of the EU Withdrawal Bill in the UK Parliament.Following a dramatic night in the House of Commons on Tuesday, Johnson won support for his Brexit Bill 322 versus 299 as Opposition Labour MPs rebelled to back it but lost the crucial linked motion that was intended to speed up the bill's passage in time to meet the month-end deadline."I must express my disappointment that the House has voted for delay rather than a timetable that would have guaranteed the UK could leave on 31 October with a deal. We now face further uncertainty," Johnson told the Commons at the end of the two votes as he “paused” the Bill in its tracks.It then shifted focus to the EU, which has been deliberating with the remaining 27 member countries of the economic bloc on whether to offer Britain yet another deadline extension. "Until the EU have reached a decision we will pause this legislation,” Johnson declared.Downing Street indicated on Wednesday that the Prime Minister’s focus would now be on a general election, something Johnson himself had spoken of during a parliamentary debate on his Brexit Bill earlier on Tuesday."I will in no way allow months more of this. If Parliament refuses to allow Brexit to happen and instead...decides to delay everything until January, or possibly longer, in no circumstances then [can] the government continue with this," he said, adding that he was preparing for a "get Brexit done" message for such an election.The Labour Party has signalled it could back a snap election if European leaders agree to delay Brexit until January 31, 2020. Diplomats from the 27 EU member states are meeting in Brussels to discuss an extension, which could be granted by the end of the week. All messages coming out of the EU are one in favour of such an extended timeline, with European Council President Donald Tusk saying his recommendation to the members was in favour of it."I think it is advisable, as requested by President Donald Tusk, that the European Council should accept this extension. This extension will allow the United Kingdom to clarify its position and the European Parliament to exercise its role,” said President of the European Parliament David Sassoli.Johnson was forced by law to send a letter to the EU requesting a three-month extension, but he continued to insist the UK will still leave at the end of October. While he now want a general election, it won’t be a simple road to it. He would need the backing of Parliament, and Opposition MPs have previously declined to agree to one until the possibility of a no-deal Brexit on October 31 was ruled out altogether.Johnson would, however, be buoyed by the fact that MPs voted to back the first stage of his Brexit bill, which means it could theoretically go on to become law after the various parliamentary stages. This marks the first time the UK Parliament has expressed approval for any kind of EU withdrawal agreement, having rejected former Prime Minister Theresa May's deal thrice.MPs had been due to debate it further on Wednesday and Thursday, but after voting against that fast-track timetable and the government pausing the Bill, they will instead discuss the contents of the Queen's Speech, which sets out the government's plans for the next session of Parliament. 

Boris Johnson eyes general election after pausing Brexit Bill

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is preparing to push for a general election if the European Union (EU) offers a three-month extension to the October 31 Brexit deadline, after MPs rejected his fast-track timetable for the passage of the EU Withdrawal Bill in the UK Parliament.

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Stepping up pressure on Myanmar, the UN Security Council has asked the country to end its military campaign in Rakhine state and ensure the safe return of Muslim Rohingya refugees driven from their homes.In a unanimous statement, the 15-membered powerful wing of the UN also demanded safe, unhindered access for its agencies and their partners to provide humanitarian assistance. Britain and France dropped a push for the Security Council to adopt a resolution on the situation to appease council veto power China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta. The Council instead unanimously agreed on a formal statement. It is only for the third time in nearly a decade that the UN Security Council adopted a presidential statement on Myanmar. As a result of the alleged atrocities by security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, more than 600,000 individuals, vast majority of whom are Rohingya Muslims, have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh. The unrest in troubled Rakhine state began after deadly attacks on police stations across the state, blamed on a newly emerged militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa). Scores of people were killed in the ensuing military crackdown, and there are widespread allegations of villages being burned and Rohingya being driven out. The military in Myanmar says its operations are aimed at rooting out militants, and has repeatedly denied targeting civilians. Survivors, witnesses and refugees have contested this. Stressing the importance of holding to account those responsible for human rights abuses and violations, the Security Council statement called for the Government of Myanmar to co-operate with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Through the statement read out by its President for the month of November, Sebastiano Cardi from Italy, the Council urged Myanmar to support the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced people and refugees to their homes in Rakhine State. It commended the efforts undertaken by Bangladesh, with the assistance of the United Nations, their partners and other nongovernmental organisations, to provide safety, shelter, and humanitarian assistance to those who have fled the violence. "The humanitarian situation remains desperate," Jonathan Allen, Britains Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN told reporters after the presidential statement on Myanmar. Britain has repeatedly called on the Myanmar security forces to protect all civilians and act now to stop the violence and allow humanitarian aid to urgently reach all those who need it, he said. "We are encouraged to see State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi making important steps forward, including establishing a domestic body to deliver humanitarian and development assistance in Rakhine although this cannot substitute for UN agencies and making efforts to promote interfaith and inter-communal harmony, including a recent visit to northern Rakhine," he added. Allen said Britain will be watching closely to ensure that the Burmese security forces do not attempt to frustrate these efforts.

Rohingya crisis: UNSC asks Myanmar to end military campaign in Rakhine state

The UN Security Council has asked the country to end its military campaign in Rakhine state and ensure the safe return of Muslim Rohingya refugees driven from their homes.

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PUBG to remain banned in PakistanThe Pakistan Telecom­munication Autho­rity (PTA) has said that the ban on PUBG, the popular game (PlayerUnknown's Battle Ground) will remain in the country in the interest of public order, it was reported on Tuesday. Last week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared PTA's move to temporarily suspend the online game void and directed the authority to immediately lift the ban, Dawn news reported.However, the PTA said PUBG would remain blocked in Pakistan.In a statement issued on Monday, the PTA said it had issued a detailed order explaining the reasons why it had blocked the online game in accordance with the provisions of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016."The PTA provided an opportunity of hearing to concerned parties including PUBG's lawyers. PTA has also approached PUBG management to inform about a suitable framework to address key concerns," it added.The PTA said it had come across various studies, papers and reports regarding the impact of internet games, specifically PUBG, on the mental as well as physical health of the players, reports Dawn news.Besides violence and addiction, the authority said PUBG made people less productive.The academic performance of students was affected as gaming sessions tend to last longer, and a child, who is addicted to gaming, tends to get irritated at the smallest of things or if parents interfere in something, it added.

PUBG ban in Pakistan to continue

In a statement issued on Monday, the PTA said it had issued a detailed order explaining the reasons why it had blocked the online game in accordance with the provisions of the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

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UK To Receive 10 Million AstraZeneca Covid Vaccine Doses From IndiaThe United Kingdom is set to receive 10 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII). The development was confirmed by the UK government, who also released a statement on the same. According to a UK government spokesperson, "The UK has ordered 100 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, of which 10 million doses will come from the Serum Institute of India."Earlier in February, media reports had said Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was auditing the manufacturing processes at SII to pave the way for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be shipped from there to the UK.A slew of low-and middle-income countries ranging from Bangladesh to Brazil are dependent on SII's AstraZeneca vaccine, branded COVISHIELD, but demand has been growing from Western countries.The UK government said the agreement follows assurances from the SII that providing doses to the UK would not impact its commitment to provide vaccines to poorer countries.Britain has been ahead at inoculating people, with nearly 20.5 million residents receiving the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine so far, according to official data.SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is mass producing the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, for dozens of poor and middle-income countries. /* .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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UK to receive 10 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses from India

SII, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, is mass producing the AstraZeneca vaccine, developed with Oxford University, for dozens of poor and middle-income countries.

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Chinese journalist who reported extensively on coronavirus goes missingChen Qiushi, a human rights lawyer turned citizen journalist who covered the coronavirus situation in Hubei province went missing Thursday night. Quishi had posted several videos showing mismanagement of the epidemic by the Chinese government. His videos showed that there was a shortage of basic things required to counter the spread of the virus like masks, basic medical supplies and hazmat suits. He also said that there was a shortage of medical personnel and test kits for the virus. “The department of justice called me again, Qingdao Police Station called me as well. They asked me where I was. They asked me to cooperate with their investigation,” he said in one of his videos. He said that the person on the phone asked him of where he was living and even spoke to his parents. "I am scared. I have the virus infront of me and behind me is China's law enforcement agencies," he added. After friends in China he had asked to watch for him reported that he went silent late Thursday, his name and #FindQiushi were both trending on social media.Xu XiaoDong, a friend of Qiushi, posted a video allegeing that Qiushi forcefully quarantined by the security agencies and his phone was confescated. XiaoDong said officials told Quishi’s parents that he was being quarantined because he had been exposed to the virus. But XiaoDong said Qiushi’s parents have been unable to reach him by cellphone, despite the fact that typically those under quarantine are able to use their phones: Reports Bloomberg.The new strain of coronavirus that is still a mystery to many doctors and scientists around the world has taken over 900 lives globally while over 40,000 have been infected. In India, 3 cases of coronavirus have been reported all of whom are in Kerala. Also Read | Coronavirus death toll rises to 908 in mainland China; over 40,000 infectedAlso Read | Coronavirus Outbreak: Pictures show intensive treatment of patients in China's isolated ward​ /* .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_7548244638 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_otfmuvzo_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_otfmuvzo_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Coronavirus: All 406 people at ITBP's quarantine facility tested negative", "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_7548244638 = ''; jwsetup_7548244638(); function jwsetup_7548244638() { jwvidplayer_7548244638 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_7548244638").setup(jwconfig_7548244638); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_7548244638, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_otfmuvzo\", ns_st_pr=\"Coronavirus: All 406 people at ITBP's quarantine facility tested negative\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Coronavirus: All 406 people at ITBP's quarantine facility tested negative\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Coronavirus: All 406 people at ITBP's quarantine facility tested negative\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-02-09\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-02-09\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_otfmuvzo_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_7548244638.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_7548244638.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_7548244638.stop(); jwvidplayer_7548244638.remove(); jwvidplayer_7548244638 = ''; jwsetup_7548244638(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_7548244638.stop(); jwvidplayer_7548244638.remove(); jwvidplayer_7548244638 = ''; jwsetup_7548244638(); return; }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7548244638.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ​

Chinese journalist who reported extensively on coronavirus goes missing

Chen Qiushi, a human rights lawyer turned citizen journalist who covered the coronavirus situation in the Hubei province went missing Thursday night. Quishi had posted several videos showing mismanagement of the epidemic by the Chinese government.

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Members of the Socialist Youth Union shout slogans outside the president's office during a protest against the worst economic crisis in memory in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, March 18, 2022.Sri Lanka is facing an unprecedented economic crisis as country witnesses massive power cuts upto 10 to 13-hour long, shortage of fuel and spillovers from the crisis in Ukraine have sent the island nation over the edge.The island nation is facing its worst-ever economic crisis since independence, mainly due to shortage of foreign currency and the fast depreciation of its currency.Meanwhile, reports have surfaced that thousands of people suffering from the deep economic crisis for weeks protested in capital Colombo.Protesters conducted a march on Thursday and clashed with the police. Reports suggest that Special Task Force have to be deployed to control the crowd.Immediate neighbour India has come to rescue with nearly $2.5 billion financial assistance from January to purchase essential such as fuel, food, and medicines.The island nation awaits the arrival of a diesel shipment under Indian credit line on Saturday to end current 13-hour-long power outage which has disrupted the entire country.Power Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi on Thursday told media that ongoing 13 hour power cut could be reduced to two hours with the diesel shipment scheduled to arrive in the island under a $500 million credit line from India.He said that the shipment would arrive on Saturday night and the Ceylon Electricity Board would be able to restore power from Sunday.Power cuts may remain till MayHowever, she warned with hydropower generation having come to standstill with no rain and shortage of fuel due to dollar crunch, it was unlikely to improve the situation and the power cut would be continued till May.The daily trading of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) had to be limited to two hours from Thursday onwards due to extensive power cuts around the country.Sri Lanka mainly depends on thermal power generated from coal and fuel oil and hydropower. Power generation from fuel had been limited to two diesel power plants while the rest have been shut down.(With inputs from IANS, AP)ALSO READ | Imran Khan says not anti-India, anti-America, blames foreign conspiracy behind Pakistan political crisisALSO READ | 'Tried to establish friendship with India, but...': Imran Khan speech top quotes

Sri Lanka economic crisis: 13-hour long power cuts, fuel shortage force thousands to protest

Immediate neighbour to the island nation, India has come to rescue with nearly $2.5 billion financial assistance from January to purchase essential such as fuel, food, and medicines.

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Stephen Hawking The world remembers Stephen William Hawking, one of the renowned scientists of the modern age, who was a cosmologist, English theoretical physicist, on his 78th birth anniversary. A scientist and an author, Hawking's achieved various milestones in the field of scientific research and unearthed theories regarding black holes in the universe and other discoveries having importance of human value.Hawking died as the director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Remembering the renowned scientist on his birth anniversary, let's take a look at some of the famous books which he authored and theories, studies upon which he worked upon. A must-read for science enthusiasts authored by Stephen HawkingA look at some of the selected academic work by Stephen Hawking for science explorers ALSO READ: Stephen Hawking: 10 greatest quotes from the legend 

Remembering Stephen Hawking: Must read books, research topics by scientist who simplified black holes theory

A scientist and an author, Stephen Hawking achieved various milestones in the field of scientific research and unearthed theories regarding black holes in the universe and other discoveries. A look at famous books he authored & selected academic work for science enthusiats.

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Saudi woman flees home over alleged abuseAn 18-year-old Saudi woman who fled her family over alleged abuse and barricaded herself in a Bangkok airport hotel room in a desperate bid for asylum will be allowed to stay in Thailand while her case is evaluated by the UN refugee agency, immigration authorities said Monday.Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun grabbed global attention when she sent out pleas for help via social media, saying she feared for her life if she were put on a plane back to Kuwait, where she had slipped away from her family, or her homeland.Related Stories Saudi woman secretly films husband molesting maid, faces arrestSaudi woman searches for her Indian mother in UAESaudi Woman To Get 10 Lashes For DrivingAs Saudi Women hit the roads, police officers welcomed them with roses and ‘Safety be with you’ messageSaudi woman runaway held in Thailand while fleeing family; claims of being in ‘real danger’ if forced to returnInstead, she has been allowed to enter Thailand temporarily under the protection of the U.N. refugee agency, which was expected to take about five to seven days to study her case and her claim for asylum. She said she wants to go to Australia to seek refuge there."We will not send anyone to die. We will not do that. We will adhere to human rights under the rule of law," said Thai Immigration Police chief Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn.Alqunun's plight mirrors that of other Saudi women who in recent years have turned to social media to amplify their calls for help while trying to flee abusive families and other obstacles they face in the conservative kingdom.Photos released Monday night by immigration police showed Alqunun with Thai and UN officials after she left the airport transit hotel room where she had been holed up over the weekend, sending her pleas for help on her Twitter account. She later tweeted that she feels safe under U.N. protection and has gotten back her passport, which had been taken from her earlier.Alqunun's ordeal began when she fled from her family while in Kuwait and boarded a flight to Thailand, apparently taking advantage of being away from Saudi Arabia's restrictions on women who cannot travel abroad without a man's consent.Upon arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on Saturday night, she said she was met by a man whom she identified at various times as either a Kuwait Airways employee or a Saudi diplomat, who took her passport and said he would help her gain entry to Thailand. Saudi Arabia denies its officials were involved in any way.When the man returned about an hour later with four or five other people, they said they knew she had run away, that her family wanted her back, and she should go home to Saudi Arabia. She was sent to a hotel room and told she would be put on a Monday morning flight to Kuwait.She then went online, sending out pleas for assistance over Twitter, and also barricaded her hotel room door. Global attention was sparked by social media and she did not get on the scheduled morning flight to Kuwait.Alqunun wrote of being in "real danger" if forced to return to her family in Saudi Arabia and said in media interviews that she might be killed. She told the BBC that she had renounced Islam and was fearful of her father's retaliation.to seek asylum. She was forced to return to Saudi Arabia and was not publicly heard from again, according to activists tracking her whereabouts.Despite efforts by the Saudi government to curtail the scope of male guardianship laws, women who try to flee their families in Saudi Arabia have few good options inside the kingdom. They often are pressured to reconcile with their families, sent to shelters where their movement is restricted or face arrest for disobeying their legal guardian.While the Saudi Embassy in Thailand denies Saudi authorities were involved in trying to stop Alqunun from going to Australia, the kingdom has in the past forced its citizens to return home.Saudi Arabia's charge d'affaires in Bangkok, Abdullah al-Shuaibi, was quoted in Saudi media as saying that Alqunun was stopped by Thai authorities because she did not appear to have a return ticket, a hotel reservation or itinerary to show she was a tourist. He said the Saudi Embassy has no authority to stop anyone at the airport and that such a decision would rest with Thai officials."She was stopped by airport authorities because she violated Thai laws," he was quoted as saying in Sabq, a state-aligned Saudi news website. "The embassy is only monitoring the situation."Her Twitter account attracted more than 66,000 followers in less than 48 hours and her story grabbed the attention of foreign governments and the UN refugee agency. As the pressure grew, with concern expressed by Australian lawmakers, Germany's ambassador to Thailand and human rights agencies, Thai officials agreed to allow U.N refugee officials to meet with her.The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it expected to take at least 5-7 days to evaluate her case and claims, according to Surachate, the Thai immigration police chief.Giuseppe De Vincentiis, the UNHCR representative in Thailand, told journalists he did not know where Alqunun would be staying but that she would be safe because she was under his agency's protection. UNHCR declined to release any details of its meeting with her, but De Vincentiis noted "a good spirit of collaboration so far" with Thai officials.Surachate said Alqunun's father was due to arrive Monday night, and officials would see if she was willing to meet with him."As of now, she does not wish to go back and we will not force her. She won't be sent anywhere tonight," Surachate said at a news conference."She fled hardship. Thailand is a land of smiles," he said.He noted her tweets mentioned "she does not want Islam," adding that "this type of thing, in her country, is a hard crime."Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, told The Associated Press that Thailand should let Alqunun continue her journey to Australia."She has a valid Australian visa," he said. "The key thing is she should not be sent back to Saudi Arabia, she should not be sent back into harm's way."Surachate challenged parts of Alqunun's story, including that she had an Australian visa."The fact is she didn't have any money. She intended to come here and didn't have any visa to go to Australia. So we have to state the facts here. But we will provide assistance nonetheless," he said.He later said Kuwait Airways had been at fault for allowing her to board her flight to Thailand without having proper travel documents. The airline did not immediately comment.Earlier, Surachate had said that the Saudi Embassy had said she had run away from her parents and said she could be in danger. The embassy did not mention that she had rejected Islam.Her case highlighted Saudi Arabia's male guardianship laws, which require women who want to travel, obtain a passport or marry to have the consent of a male relative — usually a father or husband — no matter what their age.It also underscored the limits of the reforms being pushed by Saudi Arabia's powerful Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman as he struggles to repair damage to his reputation after the grisly killing three months ago of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in Istanbul.For runaway Saudi women, fleeing can be a matter of life and death, and they are almost always trying to escape male relatives.In 2017, Dina Ali Lasloom triggered a firestorm online when she was stopped en route to Australia, where she planned to seek asylum. She was forced to return to Saudi Arabia and was not publicly heard from again, according to activists tracking her whereabouts.Despite efforts by the Saudi government to curtail the scope of male guardianship laws, women who try to flee their families in Saudi Arabia have few good options inside the kingdom. They often are pressured to reconcile with their families, sent to shelters where their movement is restricted or face arrest for disobeying their legal guardian.While the Saudi Embassy in Thailand denies Saudi authorities were involved in trying to stop Alqunun from going to Australia, the kingdom has in the past forced its citizens to return home.Saudi Arabia's charge d'affaires in Bangkok, Abdullah al-Shuaibi, was quoted in Saudi media as saying that Alqunun was stopped by Thai authorities because she did not appear to have a return ticket, a hotel reservation or itinerary to show she was a tourist. He said the Saudi Embassy has no authority to stop anyone at the airport and that such a decision would rest with Thai officials."She was stopped by airport authorities because she violated Thai laws," he was quoted as saying in Sabq, a state-aligned Saudi news website. "The embassy is only monitoring the situation."

Saudi woman seeking asylum can stay temporarily in Thailand

Alqunun's ordeal began when she fled from her family while in Kuwait and boarded a flight to Thailand, apparently taking advantage of being away from Saudi Arabia's restrictions on women who cannot travel abroad without a man's consent.

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File photo of Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un.President Donald Trump offered his latest teaser on Friday for a historic U.S. summit with North Korea: The time and place have been set but he's not saying when and where.The White House did, however, announce the details of a separate meeting later this month between Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, as the U.S. administration pushed back on a report that Trump is considering the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the allied nation.Related Stories Never been so close to getting rid of North Korean nukes, says TrumpPresident Trump deserves Nobel Peace Prize, says South Korean President Moon Jae-inTrump and Moon would meet at the White House on May 22 to "continue their close coordination on developments regarding the Korean Peninsula" following last Friday's meeting between Moon and Kim Jong Un. They will also discuss the U.S. president's own upcoming summit with the North Korean leader, a statement said.Earlier this week, Trump expressed a preference for holding the "big event" with Kim in the demilitarized zone or DMZ between the two Koreas, where Moon and Kim met. He also said Singapore was in contention to host what will be the first summit of between a U.S. and a North Korean leader."We now have a date and we have a location. We'll be announcing it soon," Trump told reporters Friday from the White House South Lawn before departing for Dallas. He's previously said the summit was planned for May or early June.A meeting with Kim seemed an outlandish possibility just a few months ago when the two leaders were trading threats and insults over North Korea's development of nuclear weapons. But momentum for diplomacy has built this year as the rival Koreas have patched up ties. In March, Trump unexpectedly accepted an offer of talks from Kim after the North Korean dictator agreed to suspend nuclear and ballistic missile tests and discuss "denuclearisation."According to South Korea, Kim has said he'd be willing to give up his nukes if the United States commits to a formal end to the Korean War and pledges not to attack the North. But his exact demands for relinquishing weapons that his nation spent decades building remains unclear. Trump said that withdrawing U.S. forces from South Korea is "not on the table." Some 28,500 U.S. forces are based in the allied nation, a military presence that has been preserved to deter North Korea since the war ended in 1953 without a peace treaty."Now I have to tell you, at some point into the future, I would like to save the money," Trump said later as he prepared to board Air Force One. "You know we have 32,000 troops there but I think a lot of great things will happen but troops are not on the table. Absolutely." The New York Times reported that Trump has asked the Pentagon to prepare options plans for drawing down American troops. It cited unnamed officials as saying that wasn't intended to be a bargaining chip with Kim, but did reflect that a prospective peace treaty between the Koreas could diminish the need for U.S. forces in South Korea.At the inter-Korean summit last Friday, held on the southern side of the DMZ, Moon and Kim pledged to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons and seek a formal end this year to the Korean conflict where the opposing sides remain technically at war more than six decades after fighting halted with an armistice.But for Trump to contemplate withdrawing troops now would be a quixotic move as he enters into negotiations with Kim whose demands and intentions are uncertain. Two weeks ago, shortly before the inter-Korean summit, Moon said that Kim actually wasn't insisting on a longstanding demand for the withdrawal of U.S. troops as a precondition for abandoning his nukes.National security adviser John Bolton, who met his South Korean counterpart Chung Eui-yong in Washington on Friday, called the Times report "utter nonsense."During his presidential campaign, Trump complained that South Korea does not do enough to financially support the American military commitment. In March, Washington and Seoul began negotiations on how much South Korea should offset the costs of the deployment in the coming years. Under the current agreement that expires at the end of 2018, the South provides about $830 million per year.Before Trump meets Kim, Washington is looking for North Korea to address another persistent source of tension between the adversaries: the detention of three Korean-Americans accused of anti-state of activities in the North.Trump hinted that the release of Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak Song and Tony Kim was in the offing, but again was sparing on the details. "We're having very substantive talks with North Korea and a lot of things have already happened with respect to the hostages, and I think you're going to see very good things. As I said yesterday, stay tuned," Trump said, referring to an earlier tweet on the issue.

North Korea summit plans set; drawdown not on table, says Donald Trump

The White House did, however, announce the details of a separate meeting later this month between Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, as the US administration pushed back on a report that Trump is considering the withdrawal of US forces from the allied nation.

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President Donald Trump, right, meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Friday, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia's Vladimir Putin "Don't meddle with the election" in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Russia extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.The tone of the president's comment, which came after a reporter asked if he would warn Putin, was immediately open to interpretation. But it would seem to do little to silence questions about Trump's relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.Related Stories In Japan, Donald Trump eyes 2020 presidential race while pushing allies on tradeTwitter to put notice on political leaders' harmful tweetsYou are doing great job to your country: President Donald Trump praises PM Narendra Modi at G20 SummitIt was the latest remarkable moment for Trump at Putin's side after meeting nearly a year ago in Helsinki, considered one of the defining days of Trump's presidency, when Trump pointedly did not admonish Putin over election interference and did not side with U.S. intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.The leaders traded brief remarks Friday, the first time they sat together since Helsinki, about issued they planned to discuss when a reporter shouted to Trump about warning Putin "not to meddle" in the 2020 election.The president answered "Of course," then turned to Putin and said, "Don't meddle in the election." He playfully repeated request while pointing at Putin. Putin laughed.Trump said he enjoyed a "very, very good relationship" with Putin and said "many positive things are going to come out of the relationship."The White House said afterward that the leaders agreed to keep talking about a "21st century model of arms control," which Trump said needs to include China. They also discussed the situations in Iran, Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine. The U.S. and Russia are on opposing sides on all four issues.The meeting with Putin, which came amid a gauntlet of negotiations on international crises, trade wars and a growing global to-do list, was the main event on Trump's agenda Friday at the G20 summit in Osaka. But the president also kept an eye on the race to replace him back home, where 10 Democrats met in Miami as part of the first debates of the 2020 presidential race."I just passed a television set on the way here. I saw that health care and maximum health care was given to 100% of the illegal immigrants coming into our country by the Democrats," Trump said, telling German Chancellor Merkel during their meeting that a debate the previous night "wasn't very exciting.""So I look forward to spending time with you rather than watching," he said. Merkel did not react.Later, while meeting with Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, Trump segued from a discussion on the crisis in Venezuela to declare he had heard a rumor that the Democratic Party will change its name to the Socialist Party. "I'm hearing that, but let's see if they do it," Trump said.There have been no such rumors.Trump had said in advance of meeting Putin that he expected a "very good conversation" but told reporters that "what I say to him is none of your business." The official White House readout released after the meeting did not mention interference.Trump's aides had grown worried that Trump could use the meeting to once again attack the Russia probe on the world stage, particularly since Mueller recently agreed to testify before Congress next month, he did not utter the special counsel's name.Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had pressed the president to directly challenge the Russian leader on election interference and send a signal "not merely to Putin but to all of our adversaries that interfering with our election is unacceptable, and that they will pay a price — a strong price — for trying."The United States and Russia are also on opposing sides of the escalating crisis with Iran, which shot down an American drone last week. Trump nixed a possible retaliatory air strike and stressed Friday that the "there's no rush" to ease the tension with Tehran.The Mueller report did not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump associates and the Kremlin to sway the outcome of the election. The finding lifted a cloud over the White House even as tensions have increased between Washington and Moscow. While Trump has long placed a premium on establishing close personal ties with Putin, his government has increased sanctions and other pressures on the Russian government.At a summit last November in Argentina, Trump canceled what would have been the leaders' first post-Helsinki meeting after Russia seized two Ukrainian vessels and their crew in the Sea of Azor. Those crew members remain detained, yet Trump opted to forge ahead with the Osaka meeting.Trump said Friday alongside Putin that the fate of the sailors had yet to be discussed.The leaders last year announced their withdrawal from a key arms control pact, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It is set to terminate this summer, raising fears of a new arms race. Another major nuclear agreement, the New Start treaty, is set to expire in 2021 unless Moscow and Washington negotiate an extension.But the backdrop, as always, will be Russia's 2016 election interference.Putin has denied meddling in the American election to help Trump, even though Mueller uncovered extensive evidence to the contrary. At the news conference that followed the Helsinki summit, Trump responded to a reporter's question by declining to denounce Russia's election interference or side with his own intelligence agencies over Putin.Trump opened the G20 summit by meeting with the host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Merkel. He sounded optimistic about inking trade deals with all three, praised alliances he has strained in the past and expressed hope in dealing with North Korea.The president, who previously has disrupted carefully choreographed summits by attacking allies and adversaries alike, also sent positive signals ahead of Saturday's talks with China's Xi Jinping. He said he believed there was "a very good chance" they could make progress toward ending their trade dispute.Earlier, as Abe officially received Trump, the president waved over his daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, both senior White House aides, to pose with him for the official welcome photo. Trump and Abe were later joined by Modi and the three engaged in a group fist bump at Trump's urging.

Donald Trump jokes to Vladimir Putin: 'Don't meddle in the election'

The tone of the president's comment, which came after a reporter asked if he would warn Putin, was immediately open to interpretation. But it would seem to do little to silence questions about Trump's relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.

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Australia bushfires raze 100,000 hectares of landBushfires raging in eastern Australia's city of Casino have destroyed at least 20 houses and burnt some 100,000 hectares of land, authorities said on Wednesday.More than 40 fires are active in the state of New South Wales while dangerous conditions continue, especially amid the blazes of Drake and Busbys Flat, near Casino, despite temperatures going down.The Drake and Busbys Flat fires have claimed 90,000 hectares of land, the Efe news reported.The Rural Fire Service on Tuesday issued an alert over four different blazes raging some 100 kms apart, with two of them joined overnight causing major damage.Rappville, with some 250 residents to the south of Casino, is the most affected by the fires along with Edwinger, southwest of the city in the interior of New South Wales.Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday told media that some 20 houses were destroyed in the fires and showed his support to those affected.In the neighbouring state of Queensland, firefighters are trying to control about 30 fires in the south where at least one house was destroyed.The fire season in Australia varies according to the area and weather conditions, but it generally coincides with the extended summer period (December to March).The worst fires in Australia were recorded in February 2009 in the south eastern state of Victoria, when 173 people died and 414 were injured in blazes which destroyed an area of 4,500 square kms.ALSO READ | Deadly fungi causing speech defects, brain shrink found in AustraliaALSO READ | Australia's iconic Bondi beach set for revamp

Australia bushfires raze 100,000 hectares of land

More than 40 fires are active in the state of New South Wales while dangerous conditions continue, especially amid the blazes of Drake and Busbys Flat, near Casino, despite temperatures going down.

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PIA plane crash: Blackbox recovered from Karachi crash sitePIA plane crash: Blackbox of the ill-fated Lahore-Karachi PIA plane was recovered on Saturday from the crash site in Karachi. Flight PK-8303 was landing at Karachi airport on Friday when it crashed in a residential area. A 'blackbox' is a device that collects recent flight data and voices in the cockpit. Both components of the blackbox namely, Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) of the crashed PIA flight have been recovered. Data recorded in the blackbox can prove to be vital in investigating the correct cause of the plane crash."The black box had been found late yesterday, we are handing it over to the inquiry board," PIA spokesman Abdullah Khan was quoted by Pakistan's Geo News.The plane carried 107 persons out of which 99 were passengers and 8 were the flight crew. Snippets of what plane's pilot said few moments before the crash had emerged in the public domain on Friday. The pilot had frantically conveyed Air Traffic Control at Karachi airport that they had lost an engine."Mayday mayday, we've lost an engine," the pilot could be heard as saying.Two passengers had a miraculous escape in the accident. Muhammad Zubair, one of the survivors, gave a statement on Friday in which he said that the plane started wobbling as it approached Karachi airport.A second plane made landing moments after the crash and a video was also recorded from inside that plane.Another dramatic video emerged on Saturday that showed the way the aeroplane crashed.ALSO READ | PIA Plane Crash: Watch dramatic footage of crash site recorded from second plane landing moments after tragedyALSO READ | Pakistan plane crash: Horrific CCTV footage shows PIA A320 plane crashing to the ground in KarachiALSO READ | PIA pilot cried for help moments before crash; 'Mayday we've lost an engine'ALSO READ | 'Jolted' thrice and then it was 'adroitly lifted': Pakistan plane crash survivor recalls horror

PIA Plane Crash: Blackbox recovered from Karachi crash site

Pakistan plane crash: A 'blackbox' is a device that collects recent flight data and voices in the cockpit. Flight PK-8303 was landing at Karachi airport on Friday when it crashed in a residential area.

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today rejected a demand by major Arab states to remove Turkish troops from Qatar, saying their sweeping list of ultimatums has threatened the small Gulf country's sovereignty.Speaking after Eid prayers in Istanbul, the President called the demand "disrespectful" and said Turkey would not seek permission from others when making its defence cooperation agreements. "Demanding that Turkey pull its soldiers is unfortunately also disrespectful toward Turkey."He said that Turkey would continue to support Qatar against the many sanctions it has faced since several Arab countries moved earlier this month to isolate the country for its alleged support of terrorism.In a sign of support, the Turkish parliament swiftly ratified a 2014 agreement with Qatar earlier this month, allowing the deployment of troops to its base there. The military said a contingent of 23 soldiers reached Doha on Thursday. Erdogan said he made a similar offer to Saudi Arabia to set up a base there in the past but did not hear back from the king.Doha received a 13-point list from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain that included demands to shut down the media network Al-Jazeera and cut ties with Islamist groups including the Muslim Brotherhood. The energy-rich country said it was reviewing the ultimatum but added it would not negotiate under siege.Turkey's president said his country "admires and embraces" Qatar's attitude, while slamming the demands by arguing they contradict international law."Here we see an attack against a state's sovereignty rights," Erdogan said.Erdogan called the demand that Qatar shut down Al-Jazeera an attempt to take away the network's press freedom and urged rights groups to speak out against that.

Erdogan rejects Arab demands; Turkish troops stay in Qatar

Turkey's president said his country "admires and embraces" Qatar's attitude, while slamming the demands by arguing they contradict international law.

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Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin trade frank talk as alarm rises over Ukraine.  President Joe Biden warned Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the US could impose new sanctions against Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine, while Putin responded that such a US move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations. The two leaders spoke frankly for nearly an hour amid growing alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, a crisis that has deepened as the Kremlin has stiffened its insistence on border security guarantees and test-fired hypersonic missiles to underscore its demands. Further US sanctions “would be a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences,” said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters in Moscow after the Biden-Putin phone conversation. He added that Putin told Biden that Russia would act as the U.S. would if offensive weapons were deployed near American borders. White House officials offered a far more muted post-call readout, suggesting the leaders agreed there are areas where the two sides can make meaningful progress but also differences that might be impossible to resolve. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden “urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine” and “made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.” Putin requested the call, the second between the leaders this month, ahead of scheduled talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials Jan. 9 and 10 in Geneva. The Geneva talks will be followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on Jan. 12 and negotiations at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna on Jan. 13. White House officials said Thursday’s call lasted 50 minutes, ending after midnight in Moscow. Image Source : AP. Joe Biden speaks with Vladimir Putin on phone from his private residence in Wilmington on Dec 30.  President Joe Biden warned Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday that the US could impose new sanctions against Russia if it takes further military action against Ukraine, while Putin responded that such a US move could lead to a complete rupture of ties between the nations.The two leaders spoke frankly for nearly an hour amid growing alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, a crisis that has deepened as the Kremlin has stiffened its insistence on border security guarantees and test-fired hypersonic missiles to underscore its demands.Further US sanctions “would be a colossal mistake that would entail grave consequences,” said Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov, who briefed reporters in Moscow after the Biden-Putin phone conversation. He added that Putin told Biden that Russia would act as the U.S. would if offensive weapons were deployed near American borders.White House officials offered a far more muted post-call readout, suggesting the leaders agreed there are areas where the two sides can make meaningful progress but also differences that might be impossible to resolve.White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Biden “urged Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine” and “made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine.”Putin requested the call, the second between the leaders this month, ahead of scheduled talks between senior U.S. and Russian officials Jan. 9 and 10 in Geneva. The Geneva talks will be followed by a meeting of the Russia-NATO Council on Jan. 12 and negotiations at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe in Vienna on Jan. 13.White House officials said Thursday’s call lasted 50 minutes, ending after midnight in Moscow.Image Source : AP. Joe Biden speaks with Vladimir Putin on phone from his private residence in Wilmington on Dec 30. 

Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin trade frank talk as alarm rises over Ukraine

The 2 leaders spoke frankly for nearly an hour amid growing alarm over Russia’s troop buildup near Ukraine, a crisis that has deepened as Kremlin has stiffened its insistence on border security guarantees and test-fired hypersonic missiles to underscore its demands.

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Sarah Obama, step-grandmother of President Barack Obama, speaks to the media about her reaction to Obama's re-election, in the garden of her house in the village of Kogelo, western Kenya. Sarah Obama, the matriarch of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Kenyan family has died, relatives and officials confirmed Monday but did not disclose the cause of death. She was at least 99 years old.Mama Sarah, as the step-grandmother of the former U.S. president was fondly called, was a philanthropist who promoted education for girls and orphans. She passed away around 4 a.m. local time while being treated at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral hospital in Kisumu, Kenya’s third-largest city in the country’s west, according to her daughter Marsat Onyango.“She died this morning. We are devastated,” Onyango told The Associated Press on a phone call.She will be remembered for her work to promote education to empower orphans, Kisumu Governor Anyang Nyong’o said while offering his condolences to the people of Kogelo village for losing a matriarch.“She was a philanthropist who mobilized funds to pay school fees for the orphans,” he said.Sarah Obama, was the second wife of President Obama’s grandfather and helped raise his father, Barack Obama, Sr. The family is part of Kenya’s Luo ethnic group.President Obama often showed affection toward her and referred to her as “Granny” in his memoir, “Dreams from My Father.” He described meeting her during his 1988 trip to his father’s homeland and their initial awkwardness as they struggled to communicate which developed into a warm bond. She attended his first inauguration as president in 2009. Later, Obama spoke about his grandmother again in his September 2014 speech to the U.N. General Assembly.For decades, Sarah Obama has helped orphans, raising some in her home. The Mama Sara Obama Foundation helped provide food and education to children who lost their parents — providing school supplies, uniforms, basic medical needs, and school fees.In a 2014 interview with AP, she said that even as an adult, letters would arrive but she couldn’t read them. She said she didn’t want her children to be illiterate, so she saw that all her family’s children went to school.She recalled pedaling the president’s father six miles (nine kilometers) to school on the back of her bicycle every day from the family’s home village of Kogelo to the bigger town of Ngiya to make sure he got the education that she never had.“I love education,” Sarah Obama said, because children “learn they can be self-sufficient,” especially girls who too often had no opportunity to go to school.“If a woman gets an education she will not only educate her family but educate the entire village,” she said.In recognition of her work to support education, she was honored by the United Nations in 2014, receiving the inaugural Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Education Pioneer Award.Details on preparations for her burial will be announced later, said her daughter. Sarah Obama was Muslim and it’s not clear whether she will be buried according to her faith’s practices that dictate she should be buried within 24 hours of death.

Obama family matriarch dies in Kenyan hospital at 99

Sarah Obama, the matriarch of former U.S. President Barack Obama’s Kenyan family has died, relatives and officials confirmed Monday but did not disclose the cause of death. She was at least 99 years old.

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Typhoon Trami hits JapanAuthorities warned of torrential rains and strong winds as a powerful typhoon ripped through Japan on Sunday. Flights and trains were forced to be cancelled, including in the Tokyo area. According to the national broadcaster NHK, mass evacuations were ordered, including for more than 250,000 people in the city of Tokushima on the island of Shikoku.Typhoon Trami across the southwestern Japan resulted in flooding on farms and homes in Miyazaki on the southern main island of Kyushu.Related Stories ‘Very strong’ typhoon Jebi approaches Japan, over 600 flights cancelledTyphoon Jebi: 8 killed, over 200 injured as deadly cyclone makes landfall in Japan Typhoon Jebi: Evacuation of about 3000 people stranded at Japan airport beginsAfter wreaking havoc in Philippines, Typhoon Mangkhut heads for Hong Kong, southern ChinaTyphoon Mangkhut pounds south China after killing 64 in PhilippinesAt least 51 people were injured in southern Japan, the broadcaster said.Power lines on the southern islands of Okinawa were destroyed on Saturday, while many flights at major airports throughout Japan, including Tokyo's Narita and Haneda were cancelled.Tokyo's train lines announced shut down while the storm passed.Typhoon Trami was expected to hit Tokyo late Sunday and slam northern Japan on Monday.The typhoon is projected to hit regions ravaged earlier this month by the strongest Typhoon Jebi, which caused 11 deaths in and around Osaka.

Over 2 lakh ordered to evacuate, 51 injured as Typhoon Trami hits Japan

Power lines on the southern islands of Okinawa were destroyed on Saturday, while many flights at major airports throughout Japan.

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Three children were wounded when gunfire broke out at a child’s outdoor birthday party in western Toronto on Saturday evening.Three children were wounded when gunfire broke out at a child’s outdoor birthday party in western Toronto on Saturday evening.Toronto Police Inspector Kelly Skinner said a 1-year-old boy, a 5-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy were wounded in the shooting at about 8 p.m. A 23-year-old man also suffered gunshot wounds.Skinner said the children were not the targets of the shooting, and police were looking for “multiple suspects,” but investigators had yet to release information about them.She didn’t say what condition the victims were in, but paramedics earlier said one child suffered life-threatening injuries, while another was in serious condition and the third suffered minor injuries.Paramedics had previously said five people were wounded, but police later said the number was actually four.Also Read: Man pulled gun at Starbucks over cream cheese in FloridaAlso Read: COVID: Daily infections soar in Russia, Moscow hard hit

Four shot, including 1-year-old, at Toronto birthday party

Three children were wounded when gunfire broke out at a child’s outdoor birthday party in western Toronto on Saturday evening.

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Donald Trump wrote a 'very generous' letter before departing White House: Joe BidenUS President Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump has left him a "very generous" letter in the Oval Office before departing the White House. It is customary for outgoing presidents to write their successors a letter and leave it for them on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office.However, given that the former president broke several of the past traditions, including by opting to skip Biden's inauguration ceremony and never formally congratulated him on his election win, it was unclear until Wednesday whether Trump would maintain the tradition of outgoing presidents leaving notes for their successors."The President wrote a very generous letter. Because it was private, I will not talk about it until I talk to him. But it was generous," Biden told reporters in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday. The president said he plans to talk to Trump.READ MORE: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris begin Democrat era in US | As it happenedIn her maiden news briefing on Wednesday night, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that she was with Biden when he was reading the letter in the Oval Office right before he signed the executive actions.However, she declined to offer more details on the letter, saying, it "was private, as he (Biden) said to you all"."It was both generous and gracious, and it was just a reflection of him not planning to release the letter unilaterally, but I wouldn't take it as an indication of a pending call with the former president," Psaki said.READ MORE: Rejoin Paris pact, lift Muslim travel ban and more: Joe Biden reverses Trump policies on day 1

Donald Trump wrote a 'very generous' letter before departing White House: Joe Biden

Joe Biden has said his predecessor Donald Trump has left him a very generous letter in the Oval Office before departing the White House.

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Relations between the world's two largest economies have soured sharply since the ongoing tariff war.The Trump administration on Thursday announced that it would sharply restrict exports of civilian nuclear technology to China, alleging that it has been trying to illicitly acquire sensitive American technologies."The United States cannot ignore the national security implications of China's efforts to obtain nuclear technology outside of established processes of the US-China civil nuclear cooperation," Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said after his department announced the measures on Thursday.Related Stories Trump threatens new tariffs on China, says no trade deal with BeijingUS going extra length for countries like India to find substitute for Iranian oil: White HouseTop US envoy to visit India for talks over Iran oil import ahead of Nov 4 deadline set by Trump administrationThese national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies.The policy guidance establishes a clear framework for disposition of authorisation requests for transfers to China that are currently on hold because of military diversion and proliferation concerns. As per the new policy, there will be a presumption of denial for new licence applications or extensions to existing authorisations related to the China General Nuclear Power Group, which is currently under indictment for conspiring to steal US nuclear technology. "For decades, China has maintained a concerted, central government-run strategy to gain nuclear advantage," a senior administration official told reporters during a conference call.These efforts are necessary to strike an appropriate balance between the long-term risk to US national security and economic interests, as well as the immediate impact to the US nuclear industrial base, the Department of Energy said. China is "actively pursuing our advanced nuclear technology for diversion to military use in its third-generation nuclear power submarine, in the development of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and in strategic dual-use nuclear-powered platforms, such as small modular reactors and floating nuclear power plants deployable in the South China Sea," the official said.The official alleged that China was already using nuclear power on man-made islands it created in the South China Sea. "We know that they are developing platforms for use on these islands and for nuclear-powered icebreakers, also floating nuclear power plants, which give the potential for rapid deployment to any platform that it could be tethered to," the official said.In 2017, China imported nuclear technology worth USD 170 million from the US. The administration "carefully weighed" the economic impact, the official said."We understand the US industry may suffer in the short term. We believe that in the long term, this policy will benefit the US and protect the American nuclear industry," the official asserted.The move appeared to be part of a more concerted effort by the administration to put new pressure on China beyond the tariffs that President Trump has announced on Chinese goods.Former president Barack Obama in 2015 signed off on an extension of nuclear cooperation between the United States and China, with his administration arguing that Beijing had moved to tighten controls as part of renewal negotiations.Relations between the world's two largest economies have soured sharply since the ongoing tariff war."They lived too well for too long and, frankly, I guess they think that the Americans are stupid people. Americans are not stupid people," Trump said in an interview on "Fox and Friends."The mogul-turned-president boasted that his tariffs had already "had a big impact.""Their economy has gone down very substantially," he said. "I have a lot more to do if I want to do it. I don't want to do it but they have to come to the table."Trump is pressing China to improve trading conditions for US products and to end what US businesses say is widespread theft of their intellectual property.China has responded by imposing counter tariffs, which the Trump administration alleges show political interference by targeting products from key states in next month's congressional elections.The International Monetary Fund this week cited the trade war as it lowered its 2019 growth forecast for China, which is set to see its slowest expansion since 1990. The IMF also lowered estimates for the United States and the global economy as a whole.Trump renewed his charge that past presidents Obama and George W. Bush "let China get out of control" through the massive US imports of manufactured goods."We have helped rebuild China more than any other factor. We have helped rebuild it. I said it's over", he said.The new policy goes into immediate effect, and sets guidelines for reviewing all existing and future technology transfers into China, but the vast majority of existing technology transfers approved before January 1, 2018 are unlikely to be altered. 

US restricts exports of civilian nuclear technology to China, Trump says 'Americans not stupid'

These national security measures are results of a US government policy review prompted by concerns regarding China's efforts to obtain nuclear material, equipment, and advanced technology from US companies.

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COVID-19 cases in Chinas largest city of Shanghai are still rising as millions remain isolated at home under a sweeping lockdownCOVID-19 cases in China's largest city of Shanghai are still rising with millions isolated at home under a sweeping lockdown, as the draconian “zero tolerance” approach to the pandemic increasingly draws complaints from residents fed up with the restrictions. Health officials on Sunday reported 438 confirmed cases over the previous 24 hours, along with 7,788 asymptomatic ones. Both figures were up slightly from the day before, while the northeastern province of Jilin posted a combined 4,455 cases Sunday, also marking an increase from Saturday.While small by the standards of some countries, the daily increases are some of the largest since the virus was first detected in the central city of Wuhan in late 2019. Shanghai with its 26 million people last week began a two-stage lockdown, with residents of the eastern Pudong section supposed to be allowed to leave their homes Friday, while their neighbours in the western Puxi section underwent their own four-day isolation period.  Despite that assurance, millions in Pudong continue to be confined to their homes amid complaints over food deliveries and the availability of medications and health services.Notices delivered to residents said they were required to self-test for COVID-19 daily and take precautions including wearing masks at home and avoiding contact with family members — measures not widely enforced since the early days of the pandemic. While Wuhan endured a 76-day lockdown in 2020 with relatively little complaint, Shanghai residents — many of whom were in isolation even before last week's lockdown began — appear to be growing increasingly fed up with the measures and methods being used to enforce them. Although coverage in China's entirely state-controlled media remains overwhelmingly positive, complaints have been appearing online, including in the form of videos and sound recordings purporting to show heavy-handed practices by officials and volunteers and alleging that sound medical advice has been ignored in favour of political expediency.“Whereas there was little societal resistance to the lockdown once it was imposed in Wuhan, resistance in Shanghai is palpable now," Dali Yang, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago tweeted on Sunday. Given that the vast majority of cases in Shanghai are not life threatening, “it is not surprised that the imposition of the lockdown and forced quarantine of the infected in harsh conditions are meeting resistance," Yang tweeted. A city official last week apologised in response to complaints over the government's handling of the lockdown, and a vice premier made sweeping demands for improvements during a tour of Shanghai on Saturday.Sun Chunlan, who sits on the ruling Communist Party's Politburo, urged “resolute and swift moves to stem the spread of COVID-19 in Shanghai in the shortest time possible," the official Xinhua News Agency reported. However, Sun stressed “unswerving adherence" to China's hard-line “zero-COVID" approach, mandating lockdowns, forced isolation of all suspected cases and mass testing, even while acknowledging the social and economic toll that is taking. “It is an arduous task and huge challenge to combat the omicron variant while maintaining the normal operation of core functions in a megacity,” Sun said.She called for safeguarding key industries and institutions and the functioning of supply and industrial chains in the commercial hub, along with ensuring “people's basic living conditions and normal medical needs. " State media reports indicate president and Communist Party leader Xi Jinping is directing the continuing tough approach, while seeking to avoid further damage to the sputtering economy and ensure overall stability ahead of a key party congress expected for November.Despite the spike in infections, China has recorded no new COVID-19 deaths since March 20th, when two were added for a total 4,638. China's vaccination rate is above 87% — although significantly lower among seniors — and omicron is known to be more infectious while the illness it brings on is typically more mild than with the earlier delta variant.Also Read | COVID pandemic: India reports 1,096 new cases with 81 fatalities in a day Also Read | Fourth COVID wave? WHO warns new variant XE may be most transmissible. All you need to know

Why Covid cases are still rising in Shanghai despite draconian “zero tolerance” lockdown

Shanghai with its 26 million people last week began a two-stage lockdown, with residents of the eastern Pudong section supposed to be allowed to leave their homes Friday, while their neighbours in the western Puxi section underwent their own four-day isolation period.

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The US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened to withdraw financial aid from countries which back a United Nations resolution rejecting the US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital."They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars, and then they vote against us," Trump was quoted as saying.Related Stories Islamic summit in Istanbul declares East Jerusalem as Palestine's capitalUS vetoes UN resolution against Trump’s Jerusalem decision UNGA to hold emergency session on Jerusalem status after US veto in council"We're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care," he added.Trump's remarks came after the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's tweet saying that "the US will be taking names" of those criticizing the US choice at the UN General Assembly, Xinhua reported.The UN General Assembly will meet for a rare emergency session to discuss the status of Jerusalem on Thursday after the US vetoed earlier an Egypt-drafted request asking Washington to withdraw its decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.The US on Monday vetoed a Security Council draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem.All other 14 members of the Security Council voted in favour of the Egyptian-drafted text. But as the US, which is a permanent member of the Security Council, has veto power, the draft resolution failed to be adopted.

US President Trump threatens to withdraw aid from countries backing UN Jerusalem vote

The UN General Assembly will meet for a rare emergency session to discuss the status of Jerusalem on Thursday after the US vetoed earlier an Egypt-drafted request asking Washington to withdraw its decision to recognize the city as Israel's capital.

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Hydroxychloroquine no wonder drug for treating COVID-19, can be fatal: ExpertsAs countries around the world explore the potential of hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, several experts have sounded a note of warning to say it is not a wonder drug and may even be fatal in some cases. While frantic efforts are underway to develop a vaccine and doctors all over try and control the spread of the disease for which there is yet no cure, hydroxychloroquine, or HCQ, has emerged as a prime focus area of treatment. This reliance on HCQ must immediately stop, the experts say, adding their voices to the growing debate to stress that there is no scientific evidence to prove that it is beneficial in treating COVID-19.“It is only on anecdotal evidence that doctors are using HCQ along with other antiviral medication (used in HIV and other viral infections) as empiric therapy to treat COVID-19 patients as there is no definite treatment available yet,” said MC Misra, former director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and one of India’s top surgeons.“However, there have been reports of some patients developing cardiac arrhythmias due to hydroxychloroquine which can cause sudden cardiac death,” Misra said.  Yudhyavir Singh, a core member of AIIMS’ COVID-19 team deployed at the hospital’s trauma centre, agreed.“Globally, some deaths have been reported due to the administration of HCQ alone and along with azithromycin as well. HCQ blocks the potassium channel and potentially prolongs the QTc (heartbeat) with consequences of sudden cardiac arrest death and various arrhythmias. This has also been documented in prominent studies,” he explained.The assistant professor of anesthesia at AIIMS said there are contradictory reports on HCQ usage for treating COVID-19.As the pandemic spreads and the urgency for effective treatment of COVID-19 mounts, several countries, including the US, have started relying heavily on HCQ, majorly used in the treatment of malaria and rheumatoid-arthritis.India has become the biggest supplier of the drug and has fulfilled large orders from countries such as the US, UAE and UK.With US President Donald Trump touting the anti-malaria drug as a definite cure for COVID-19, his administration has stockpiled millions of doses of HCQ despite the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issuing a safety communication regarding the known side effects of the drug.The FDA said HCQ has been given ‘Emergency Use Authorisation’ for the treatment of patients who have tested positive for coronavirus but its side effects include serious and potentially life-threatening heart rhythm problems.In India too, HCQ is being used by many hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients though there is no scientific proof of its benefit for the disease. “We are using HCQ among other drugs but ignoring its extreme hazardous side effects,” Misra said.In the first week of April, when coronavirus cases in India started to surge, a doctor in Assam who was put on a high dose of HCQ after he showed COVID-19 symptoms died of a cardiac arrest, he said.Citing a research from France in which one-half of COVID-19 patients was administered hydroxychloroquine while the other half was not, Misra said the recovery and outcomes of the two groups were the same.“Another study submitted in The New England Journal of Medicine on April 4, 2020, concluded that HCQ administration to the hospitalised SARS-CoV- 2 positive population was associated with an increased need for escalation of respiratory support,” he said, adding that hydroxychloroquine was not a “wonder drug”.COVID-19, which broke out first in China’s Hubei province, has caused havoc across the world, claiming the lives of more than 2.6 lakh people and infected over 37 lakh.Ashraf Ganie, professor of endocrinology at Srinagar’s Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, described as brazen the manner in which HCQ was being projected as a cure for treating coronavirus.“HCQ can have serious cardiac side effects and cannot be used without prior evaluation,” Ganie said. "There is no quality scientific evidence available, which can prove the efficacy of the drug in prevention or cure of COVID 19,” added DK Mangal, director of the Centre for Health Systems and Policy Research in Jaipur’s IIHMR University.“It should be used with precautions for patients with severe heart disease and require continuous monitoring of the QT interval. HCQ is known for its cardio-toxicity. Hence it should be used in health care settings only,” he said. Rajesh Kumar, a doctor of Internal Medicine at Gurgaon’s Paras Hospital, said HCQ can also cause hypoglycemia in diabetes patients.(With PTI inputs)Also Read | Hydroxychloroquine linked to increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias: StudyAlso Read | Several US hospitals using hydroxychloroquine in treatment of COVID 19 patients: Report

Hydroxychloroquine no wonder drug for treating COVID-19, can be fatal: Experts

COVID-19, which broke out first in China’s Hubei province, has caused havoc across the world, claiming the lives of more than 2.6 lakh people and infected over 37 lakh.

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Chinese doctor who first warned about coronavirus outbreak diesChinese doctor Li Wenliang, 34, who warned other medics of the coronavirus outbreak died of the epidemic on Thursday. He was one of the eight whistle-blowers who was reprimanded by the police for warning the medics about the virus. He was the first to report about the virus way back in December last year when it first emerged in Wuhan, the provincial capital of China's central Hubei province.He dropped a bombshell in his medical school alumni group on the popular Chinese messaging app WeChat that seven patients from a local seafood market had been diagnosed with a SARS-like illness and quarantined in his hospital.Li explained that, according to a test he had seen, the illness was a coronavirus -- a large family of viruses that includes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which led to 800 death in China and the world in 2003.Li told his friends to warn their loved ones privately. But within hours screenshots of his messages had gone viral - without his name being blurred."When I saw them circulating online, I realized that it was out of my control and I would probably be punished," Li was quoted as saying CNN recently.Soon after he posted the message, Li was accused of rumor-mongering by the Wuhan police. He was one of several medics targeted by the police for trying to blow the whistle on the deadly virus in the early weeks of the outbreak.Overall 564 people have died in China due to the virus and 28,018 confirmed cases have been reported from 31 provincial-level regions, the National Health Commission reported on Thursday.(With inputs from PTI)ALSO READ | Whistle-blower Li Wenliang had warned of Coronavirus, was reprimanded by police: A tale to tell /* .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_5495373970 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_ywsp9jpc_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_ywsp9jpc_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Coronavirus effect: Chinese nationals attend Auto Expo with mask on", "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_5495373970 = ''; jwsetup_5495373970(); function jwsetup_5495373970() { jwvidplayer_5495373970 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_5495373970").setup(jwconfig_5495373970); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_5495373970, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_ywsp9jpc\", ns_st_pr=\"Coronavirus effect: Chinese nationals attend Auto Expo with mask on\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Coronavirus effect: Chinese nationals attend Auto Expo with mask on\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Coronavirus effect: Chinese nationals attend Auto Expo with mask on\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-02-06\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-02-06\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_ywsp9jpc_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_5495373970.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_5495373970.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_5495373970.stop(); jwvidplayer_5495373970.remove(); jwvidplayer_5495373970 = ''; jwsetup_5495373970(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_5495373970.stop(); jwvidplayer_5495373970.remove(); jwvidplayer_5495373970 = ''; jwsetup_5495373970(); return; }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5495373970.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Chinese doctor who first warned about coronavirus outbreak dies

Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, who warned other medics of the coronavirus outbreak died of the epidemic on Thursday. Li, a 34-year-old doctor who tried to warn other medics of the epidemic, died of coronavirus on Thursday in Wuhan. He was one of the eight whistle-blowers who was reprimanded by the police for warning the medics about the virus.

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​An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan today sentenced to death a serial killer for the brutal rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl that sparked national outrage, the first ever trial in the country's history that concluded in shortest period of four days.Announcing the verdict at the Kot Lakhpat Jail here at in-camera trial amid high security, ATC judge Sajjad Hussain handed down the death sentence to 23-year-old Imran Ali on four grounds - murdering a child, kidnapping a child, rape of a minor, and committing an unnatural act with a minor.Imran has also been sentenced to seven years in jail with a fine of Rs 1 million for desecrating the body of a minor.He was arrested in January, two weeks after he raped and killed the 7-year-old girl and threw her body into a garbage dump in Kasur city, some 50 kilometres from Lahore.The brutal rape and murder of the child had sparked outrage and protests across the country. Her case was the twelfth such incident to occur within a 10 kilometre radius in Kasur city over a 12-month period.The arrest brought to light eight more such killings and many Pakistanis have demanded he be publicly executed.Prosecutor General Ehtesham Qadir, who spoke to media after the sentencing, said the accused had been given ample chance to defend himself, but he chose to confess his crimes.He said the prosecution had presented at least 56 witnesses against him in addition to forensic evidence, including the DNA and polygraph tests."It was a fair trial in which the suspect was given a chance to defend himself," Qadir said, adding the ATC has awarded the sentence to the accused only in the case of the seven-year-old girl."The suspect had also confessed to the killing of eight other girls. He will be tried in these cases separately," he said, adding this was the first ever trial in the history of Pakistan that concluded in four days.The girl's father Muhammad Amin expressed satisfaction over the verdict, saying: "We are satisfied on the verdict but we wanted him to be hanged publicly."The girl's mother said, "We want that the suspect should be stoned to death for his crime as hanging in jail is a punishment which is given to other criminals but this beast deserves either public hanging or stoned to death."Imran will now have 15 days to approach the court to file an appeal. However, the prosecutor general said he had confessed to his crime and was not interested in challenging the ATC verdict in higher court."He regrets for his act. He says he became a pervert after having an addiction of watching child pornography on Internet," Qadir said.Advocate Mehar Shakeel Multani, the private counsel for the suspect, had withdrawn his power of attorney after the suspect made confession before the trial court.The lawyer claimed his conscience did not allow him to defend a serial killer.Later, the court provided the suspect with state counsel to complete the trial proceedings.Showing concerns about the fairness of the trial inside jail, rights activist and senior lawyer Asad Jamal said the trial could not be held in a free and fair manner unless the suspect was given an ample opportunity to defend himself through a counsel of his choice.He said the trial had been conducted in camera without access to independent observers, members of the bar and independent legal counsel for the suspect.He said the prosecution could not propose or nominate a lawyer to defend a suspect, as done in the case, because there had always been a clear conflict of interest.He said it was against the principles of due process of fair trial guaranteed under Article 10-A of the Constitution.Advocate Jamal said he had also filed an application with the jail authorities, seeking permission to meet the accused to consult him in private to access the need for the steps to be taken, including representation to defend him to ensure a fair trial.The Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 also requires a trial court to proceed with the trial on day-to-day basis and decide the case within seven working days.Prosecutor General Qadir, however, said, "All the requisites of justice and fairness had been strictly observed during the trial proceedings."He said the private counsel for the suspect had cross- examined at least 22 prosecution witnesses before he withdrew his power of attorney."Later, the state lawyer appointed by the court completed the cross-examination of the remaining witnesses."

Zainab rape-murder case: Pakistan's anti-terrorism court announces death sentence for serial killer

ATC judge Sajjad Hussain handed down the death sentence to 23-year-old Imran Ali on four grounds - murdering a child, kidnapping a child, rape of a minor, and committing an unnatural act with a minor.

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Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba secures 2nd tenure as party president.  Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has secured a comfortable majority securing the post of party president for the second consecutive term after the second round of voting in the ongoing General Convention of the ruling Nepali Congress. The 75-year-old leader, who has become Prime Minister five times, secured 2,733 votes leaving his contender Dr Shekhar Koirala behind with 1,855 votes, as per the final results published by the election committee."In the second round of voting, a total of 4,623 votes were cast. Out of these, only 4,588 votes were valid," The Kathmandu Post quoted the election committee as saying. Deuba earlier in the first round-faced four other candidates vying for the same post which led to a run-off that was held till Tuesday late night. Upon getting support from influential leaders Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, and Sashank Koirala in the runoff Deuba secured the majority.In the 1991 elections, Deuba was elected to the House of Representatives from Dadeldhura where he was born in 1946. Deuba was again elected from the same constituency in the 1994 mid-term elections and was elected parliamentary party leader of the Nepali Congress. He has been the president of the NC since 2016. Deuba first became prime minister in 1995.(With ANI inputs)

Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba secures second tenure as party president

Upon getting support from influential leaders Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Prakash Man Singh, Bimalendra Nidhi, and Sashank Koirala in the runoff Deuba secured the majority.

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COVID-19 spreads faster, more widely within households than previously estimated: StudyTransmission of the novel coronavirus within households is high, occurs quickly, and can originate from both children and adults, according to a new study which assessed 101 houses in the US.The preliminary findings from the ongoing research, published in the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, revealed that 51 per cent of others living with someone who was positive for COVID-19 also became infected."We observed that, after a first household member became sick, several infections were rapidly detected in the household," said Carlos G. Grijalva, study co-author and associate professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in the US."Those infections occurred fast, whether the first sick household member was a child or an adult," Grijalva said.According to the research, at least 75 per cent of the secondary household infections occurred within five days of the first person in the household experiencing symptoms.It also found that less than half of household members experienced symptoms when they first tested positive, and many reported no symptoms throughout the seven-day daily follow-up period."In the absence of an efficient approach for identification of infections without regard to symptoms, these findings suggest that prompt adoption of isolation measures as soon as a person feels ill might reduce the probability of household transmission," the scientists wrote in the study.Citing the limitations of the study, the scientists said the initial household member who experienced symptoms was considered the index patient in the research, while other household members may have been infected concurrently but developed symptoms at different times or remained asymptomatic.However, the researchers believe the findings still underscore the potential for transmission from symptomatic or asymptomatic contact with household members and the importance of quarantine."Because prompt isolation of persons with COVID-19 can reduce household transmission, persons who suspect that they might have COVID-19 should isolate, stay at home, and use a separate bedroom and bathroom if feasible," the scientists said."Isolation should begin before seeking testing, and before test results become available because delaying isolation until confirmation of infection could miss an opportunity to reduce transmission to others," they wrote in the study.

COVID-19 spreads faster, more widely within households than previously estimated: Study

Transmission of the novel coronavirus within households is high, occurs quickly, and can originate from both children and adults, according to a new study which assessed 101 houses in the US.

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In a reminder of the ugly war of words during Doklam stand off, Chinese media has now threatened India with 'consequences worse than losing drone', if the country did not apologise for its misbehaviour. An editorial ‘India should apologise for drone intrusion’, published in the nationalistic tabloid Global Times, on Saturday said that India was not in a position to request the drone back or explain how it crossed over into Chinese territory. India had clarified on Friday that the unmanned aerial vehicle crossed over to the Sino-India border after it lost touch with ground control and crashed. Thereafter, Indian Defence Ministry informed Chinese authorities of the incident and requested them to return the drone through proper diplomatic channels. Neither China’s military nor its ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) said when or where exactly the drone had crossed over, except that the incident took place at the Sino-India border in Sikkim.However, tonality of the editorial in government mouth piece suggests that the relations soured during Doklam stand off were still fresh in Chinese mind. "The intrusion took place at the same location where a standoff broke off not too long ago between the Chinese and Indian militaries. In a time and at a location so sensitive, both sides should have avoided acting in ways that the other might perceive as provocative to prevent new frictions arising. But India clearly did not behave itself," the article said. It further added, "Even if it is a technical problem, why is that technical problem happening at the exact wrong place and wrong time? If a Chinese drone flew into Indian territory due to a technical failure, would India accept an explanation that such an incident was a mere accident?"

'India should apologize': Chinese media warns New Delhi of consequences over 'drone intrusion'

An editorial ‘India should apologise for drone intrusion’, published in nationalistic tabloid Global Times, on Saturday said that India was not in position to request the drone back or say that how that drone came to cross into Chinese territory.

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Mahinda RajapaksaMahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday became Sri Lanka's main opposition leader in Parliament, days after he resigned as prime minister after clinging on to power for nearly two months, amidst the unprecedented political turmoil in the country.Rajapaksa, 73, replaced veteran Tamil leader of the main Tamil party R Sampanthan who held the position from 2015. His appointment was announced by Speaker Karu Jayasuriya in Parliament which met for the first time after the reinstatement of Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister that ended the 51-day political standoff in the country.Related Stories Ranil Wickremesinghe to take oath as Sri Lankan PM todaySri Lanka political crisis: Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns, Wickremesinghe to take oath as PM todayMonths after being sacked, Ranil Wickremesinghe reinstated as Sri Lankan Prime MinisterM A Sumanthiran of Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Rauff Hakeem of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress raised objections against Rajapaksa's appointment.They claimed that Rajapaksa has ceased to be a member of Parliament because he had joined another political party recently. Rajapaksa, by obtaining the membership of the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP), left the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) from which he was elected to Parliament in 2015.Speaker Jayasuriya asked Sumanthiran to make a written submission on his complaint against Rajapaksa so that a select committee could go into details.On Sunday, President Maithripala Sirisena, whose controversial actions plunged the island nation into an unprecedented political turmoil for nearly two months, reinstated Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister, after sacking him on October 26 and appointing former president Rajapaksa in his place and also dissolving Parliament, some 20 months early.Sirisena was left with no other option following two separate decisions by the Supreme Court, which nullified his illegal moves.The president said he offered to reappoint Wickremesinghe as the prime minister as he respects parliamentary traditions and democracy. Ex-strongman Rajapaksa resigned from the post of prime minister on Saturday, a day after the apex court refused to stay another court order restraining him from acting as the prime minister.

Mahinda Rajapaksa now becomes Sri Lanka's main opposition leader

Sirisena was left with no other option following two separate decisions by the Supreme Court, which nullified his illegal moves.

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Pakistan PM Imran Khan's nephew gets pre-arrest bail in hospital attack case Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's nephew got pre-arrest bail for his alleged involvement in the deadly riot at a cardiac hospital in Punjab province earlier this month that caused the death of five patients in critical condition, according to a media report.Hassaan Niazi, whose home was raided last week in connection with the protest, applied pre-arrest bail after the police was unable to track him, The Express Tribune reported.Based on the application, an anti-terrorism court directed the police to not arrest Niazi and asked him to cooperate with the case investigation. At least five patients died and several were in critical condition after hundreds of lawyers stormed and ransacked Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) in Lahore on December 11.The lawyers said they attacked the doctors and medical staff to avenge an assault by doctors on a fellow advocate two weeks ago. In footage which was televised on national channels, Niazi, who is a lawyer, was seen with the attacking lawyers.Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan, who had reached the hospital to negotiate with the lawyers was also manhandled."Even in the war time hospitals are spared but the unruly lawyers today crossed every limit and attacked a health facility causing the death of five patients and injuries to the doctors and paramedics," Chohan said.Later, Niazi was named in one of the police FIRs for vandalising a police car parked outside the hospital. In an earlier tweet, which was deleted later, Niazi said, "My support and protest was limited to [the] initiation of legal action against the doctors concerned. I only stand for peaceful protests. It's [a] sad day and I condemn my own self for supporting this protest now."While the prime minister had taken notice of the incident and sought a report from the Punjab Inspector General, he had not commented on his nephew's actions. 

Pakistan PM Imran Khan's nephew gets pre-arrest bail in hospital attack case

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's nephew got pre-arrest bail for his alleged involvement in the deadly riot at a cardiac hospital in Punjab province earlier this month that caused the death of five patients in critical condition, according to a media report.

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Lawmaker to introduce Bill in US Congress to make Diwali federal holidayWith Diwali just around the corner, US Congressman Carolyn Maloney is set to introduce a bill in the US Congress, which aims to establish Diwali as a federal holiday in the United States. If the bill gets approval, the holiday would be observed in federal institutions, with significant populations that celebrate Diwali and honor the cultural heritage of millions of Indian Americans who celebrate the holiday in the US.On Wednesday, the Democrat Congressman from New York will be joined by members of the India Caucus including Congressman Ro Khanna, Congressman Raja  Krishnamoorthi and other advocates to introduce her legislation at the Hill.Representing the Indian American community members, Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director, Indiaspora will also join the congresswoman who has been a long supporter of the Indian diaspora.Congressman Maloney in the past has successfully worked with advocates across the country and led efforts in Congress urging the US Postal Service to approve and issue a commemorative stamp honouring Diwali, which has been in circulation since 2016. Maloney relentlessly fought for this cause as she felt that "a relatively small action would hold great meaning for millions of people."Earlier at a Diwali celebration event, US lawmakers had said that the Hindu-American culture has enriched the United States and the world. The event is normally attended by a large number of lawmakers, members of the administration, and eminent community leaders from across the country. Because of COVID-19 and restrictions on the number of attendees at an event, the celebration was restricted this year but was webcast live.Diwali will be celebrated on November 4 this year. (With ANI Inputs)

Lawmaker to introduce Bill in US Congress to make Diwali federal holiday

Representing the Indian American community members, Sanjeev Joshipura, Executive Director, Indiaspora will also join the congresswoman who has been a long supporter of the Indian diaspora.

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The Lassa fever spreads through rats that are found in countries including West Africa, Sierra Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria . (Representational image.)The world has not done with the Covid yet and there is another viral fever 'Lassa fever' catching health experts' concern, especially after the first death due to the disease has been reported from the UK.According to reports, one of the three people who were infected with Lassa fever has died in the UK on February 11.Initial reports say the infections have been linked to travel history to West African countries. What is Lassa fever?Lassa fever has been named after a place in Nigeria called 'Lassa' that reported initial cases. The virus was first discovered in 1969, according to Centers for Disease Control and Pollution (CDC) notes. Most cases reported are asymptomatic, while some may develop severe symptoms and need hospitalisation.How does Lassa fever spread, infects humans?The Lassa fever spreads through rats that are found in countries including West Africa, Sierra Liberia, Guinea, and Nigeria.It can infect a person if he/she comes into contact with household items, food if it is contaminated with the urine or feces of an infected rat.One can also catch this virus if a person comes into contact with an already infected person's infected bodily fluids or through the eyes, nose, or mouth. What are Lassa fever symptoms?Though most cases remain asymptomatic, they usually develop in 1-3 weeks time.Fever, fatigue, weakness, headache are some of its mild symptoms, while vomiting, bleeding, breathlessness, facial swelling, pain in the chest, back, abdomen and shock are some of its severe symptoms.ALSO READ | How Covid variants escape cellular immune responseALSO READ | How Covid causes stillbirths? Scientists find out 

Lassa fever: UK reports first death | What are its symptoms, how it can infect humans

According to reports, one of the three people who were infected with Lassa fever has died in the UK on February 11. The infections have been linked to travel to West African countries.

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Turkey's inflation hits 61 per cent; climbs to new 20-year highYearly inflation in Turkey hit 61.14 percent on Monday, climbing to a new 20-year high and deepening a cost of living crisis for many households. The Turkish Statistical Institute said consumer prices rose by 5.46 percent in March compared with the previous month. Yearly inflation was up from 54.44 percent in February.The highest yearly price increase was in the transportation sector, at 99.12 percent, while the increase in food prices was 70.33 percent, according to the data. It was the biggest year-on-year increase since March 2002. Rising prices are part of an economic crisis exacerbated by the Covid19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has seen a surge in gas, oil and grain prices.Turkey's runaway inflation also follows a series of interest rate cuts late last year, in line with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opposition to high borrowing costs in a bid to boost growth, investment and exports. In contrast to established economic thinking, the president insists that high rates cause inflation.The central bank cut rates by five percentage points between September and December but they have remained unchanged at 14 percent this year. The lira, which lost 44 percent of its value against the US dollar last year, plunged to a record high of 18.41 against the greenback in December. The currency's performance has fuelled inflation in the import-reliant Turkish economy. In an effort to soften the blow on households, the government has implemented tax cuts on basic goods and has adjusted electricity tariffs.ALSO READ | 6 killed, 12 others injured in Sacramento's second mass shootingALSO READ | Sri Lanka's Cabinet Ministers resign with immediate effect amid economic crisis

Turkey's inflation hits 61 per cent; climbs to new 20-year high

The highest yearly price increase was in the transportation sector, at 99.12 percent, while the increase in food prices was 70.33 percent, according to the data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute.

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India today refused to elaborate on the "range of issues" discussed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during their informal conversation yesterday in Hamburg, in the backdrop of a standoff between their armies in the Sikkim sector. "We have tweeted that the two leaders discussed a range of issues. A range of issues means a range of issues. I don't want to add anything further...I leave it to you to draw your conclusion," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. His response came when during a briefing here he was asked if a "range of issues" discussed during the conversation between Modi and Xi ahead of the informal meeting of the BRICS leaders on the sidelines of the G20 Summit included the standoff in the Sikkim sector. "I'm not commenting on it because we have said what we have (to say) and as to the picture, well, the old saying is that a picture speaks more than a thousand words," was Baglay's response when asked about whether the picture along with the tweet showing the two leaders smiling was indicative of any de-escalation of tension between the two countries. The informal interaction between Modi and Xi came a day after a top Chinese foreign ministry official had said that the "atmosphere" is "not right" for a formal bilateral meeting between them in Hamburg. The standoff between China and India in the Doklam area near the Bhutan tri-junction has dragged on for the past three weeks. It started after a Chinese Army's construction party attempted to build a road. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Baglay also asserted that the prime minister was here to attend the G20 summit meetings. "He participated in the proceedings and India's contribution to these discussions is the main focus for us here. At the same time, the Prime Minister had several bilaterals on the margins," he added. 

Picture speaks more than a thousand words: India on Modi-Xi Hamburg photo

The informal interaction between Modi and Xi came a day after a top Chinese foreign ministry official had said that the "atmosphere" is "not right" for a formal bilateral meeting between them in Hamburg.

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The far right UK Independence Party (UKIP) has pledged in its general election manifesto to ban burqas or the full face veils in public places, citing many reasons, including one that said they ‘prevent the intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight’.“Clothing that hides identity, puts up barriers to communication, limits employment opportunities, hides evidence of domestic abuse, and prevents intake of essential vitamin D from sunlight, is not liberating,” the manifesto says.The Paul Nuttall-led UKIP broke ranks with the other major parties on Thursday by resuming national campaigning with the launch of its manifesto just days after the Manchester concert bombing that claimed 22 lives.The UKIP pledged that it would introduce a ban on the wearing of the dehumanising burqa and full face coverings in public places, The Telegraph reported.“Face coverings such as these are barriers to integration. We will not accept these de-humanising symbols of segregation and oppression, nor the security risks they pose,” it says.Suggestions that the UKIP is undermining liberty with this policy are absurd, the manifesto argues.“There is no human right to conceal your identity. If anything prevents liberty, it is the niqab, by preventing women from being perceived as individuals in their own right,” it says.“We want to open opportunities to all women, so that they can participate fully in life and in the workplace,” it states.However, the burqa ban was not the only eyebrow-raising promise in the manifesto.The party also pledged to introduce a “social attitudes” test as part of a points-based immigration system, which would stop people who believe women or gay people are “second-class citizens” from entering the country.“UKIP’s points-based immigration system will therefore include one further major principle: we will test the social attitudes of migration applicants to foster community cohesion and protect core British values,” the party says.Another stark election pledge of the UKIP is that it would dramatically reduce the number of politicians in Parliament and abolish the House of Lords.The UKIP manifesto also states that it would seek to forge closer ties with Vladimir Putin’s regime and sees Russia as a “potential important ally”.

Will ban as it 'stops vitamin D intake from sunlight', says UK Independence Party

The UKIP pledged that it would introduce a ban on the wearing of the dehumanising burqa and full face coverings in public places, The Telegraph reported.

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Mullah Baradar, Taliban co-founder, to lead new govt in Afghanistan: ReportMullah Baradar, who currently heads the Taliban's political office, is likely to lead the new government in Afghanistan. Son of killed Taliban founder Mullah Omar, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanekzai will be inducted on top posts in the government, international news agency Reuters reported quoting sources. Speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, a Taliban official said," All the top leaders have arrived in Kabul, where preparations are in final stages to announce the new government."Earlier, reports claimed that Taliban's top religious leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada will be 'supreme authority'. In the new set-up, 60-year-old Mullah Akhundzada will be the Supreme Leader of the Taliban government, which will follow the pattern of the Iranian leadership.In Iran, the supreme leader is the highest political and religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary. The supreme leader has final say in the political, religious and military affairs of the country.Meanwhile, governors, police chiefs and police commanders for several provinces and districts have already been appointed by the Taliban. The Taliban seized control of capital Kabul on August 15 thus completing collapse of Afghanistan's elected government under President Ashraf Ghani who fled the country.  The US troops completed their pullout from the war-ravaged country a day ahead of the deadline of August 31. The final days of the US presence in Afghanistan were filled with chaos, bloodshed, desperation, fear and panic as troops attempted to stave off attacks by the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), while trying to coordinate a massive exodus of people out of the country. /* .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_6782346406 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_fsvf9n5w/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_fsvf9n5w_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Taliban to form new government in Afghanistan today, Mullah Akhundzada to be named Supreme Leader\n", "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": "57", "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_6782346406 = ''; jwsetup_6782346406(); function jwsetup_6782346406() { jwvidplayer_6782346406 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6782346406").setup(jwconfig_6782346406); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6782346406, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_fsvf9n5w\", ns_st_pr=\"Taliban to form new government in Afghanistan today, Mullah Akhundzada to be named Supreme Leader\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Taliban to form new government in Afghanistan today, Mullah Akhundzada to be named Supreme Leader\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Taliban to form new government in Afghanistan today, Mullah Akhundzada to be named Supreme Leader\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-03\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-03\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_fsvf9n5w/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6782346406.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6782346406.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6782346406.stop(); jwvidplayer_6782346406.remove(); jwvidplayer_6782346406 = ''; jwsetup_6782346406(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6782346406.stop(); jwvidplayer_6782346406.remove(); jwvidplayer_6782346406 = ''; jwsetup_6782346406(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6782346406.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } (With inputs from agencies)

Mullah Baradar, Taliban co-founder, to lead new govt in Afghanistan: Report

The Taliban seized control of capital Kabul on August 15 thus completing collapse of Afghanistan's elected government under President Ashraf Ghani who fled the country.

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Pakistan military still controls Kashmir policyDoes the Pakistan military really run the country's Kashmir policy? Will the change in the Pakistan government not improve its relationship with India? Pakistan may continue to claim it is 'committed to the maintenance of regional peace and security', and that its 'sacrifices and contribution in fighting and eliminating terrorism are well-known', however, a recent statement by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif proves otherwise. "We want good ties with India but durable peace is not possible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved," Sharif said. According to a report with Baltimore Post-Examiner, the statement is seen as a mantra that could help Sharif create a good impression in front of the military generals for smooth sailing.More than 40,000 madarsas in Pakistan churn out terrorists on a yearly basis and none of the country's experts are holding their breath for this to end, and why? Because this is seen as a help in sustaining the military's strategic depth in Kashmir and Afghanistan, the report stated. What is the Kashmir issue between India and Pakistan?Kashmir has been the oldest issue between India and Pakistan and it all started when the ruler of Kashmir and their people sided with India when the princely states were being divided between two countries after the independence. In order to capture Kashmir, Pakistan attacked Kashmir on October 22, 1947, and illegally occupied the northern and western parts of the state.Pakistani rulers were reluctant to play by book as the country, being an agro-based country, was dependent on the rivers of Kashmir for two-thirds of water flowing into its western provinces, the report stated.When India received the letter of accession from the ruler of Kashmir, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took the case to the UN Security Council and asked Pakistan to respect the constitutional process governing the partition of India and withdraw troops from the occupied areas.After deliberation, the UN Security Council formed a commission that gave Pakistan the deadline to withdraw from Gilgit (PoK) and their so-called Azad-Kashmir (PoK) to ascertain the wishes of Kashmiris regarding state's accession with India but Pakistan, despite all pressure still illegally controlled the region.In 1956, the British government upgraded Pakistan's status from a dominion to a sovereign nation, which brought great political and economic opportunities for its citizens. However, this promotion also allowed Pakistani rulers to instigate illegal religious and racial demographic changes in Gilgit and solidify military control over parts of Kashmir bordering China and Afghanistan, as reported by the Baltimore Post-Examiner.Not only Pakistan but its lone ally, China also wanted the Kashmir impasse to continue on a low simmer which will keep India busy on its western border and also distract the country from paying attention to the immoral and illegal actions of the Communist Party in occupied Tibet and Xinjiang.However, India on other hand said that they wanted a normal relationship with Pakistan.According to the Ministry of External Affairs' annual report 2021-2022, "India seeks normal relations with all its neighbours including Pakistan. Our consistent position is that bilateral issues should be addressed peacefully in an environment free from terror, hostility and violence."The onus is on Pakistan as it continues to sponsor cross-border terrorism against India; restrict normal trade, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges; and engage in hostile and fabricated propaganda to vilify India, according to an MEA report. (With inputs from ANI)Also Read | Pakistan objects to PM Modi's visit to Kashmir, laying foundation of projects on Chenab river

Over 40,000 Pak madarsas churn out terrorists on yearly basis to back military in Kashmir: Report

"We want good ties with India but durable peace is not possible until the Kashmir dispute is resolved," Pakistan's newly-elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently said.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks outside her office on Capitol Hill, Monday, March 23, 2020 Top congressional and White House officials emerged from grueling negotiations at the Capitol over the nearly $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package saying they expected to reach a deal Tuesday. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said they had spoken by phone with President Donald Trump during the long night of negotiations. While the two sides have resolved many issues in the sweeping package, some remain.At midnight Monday, they emerged separately to say talks would continue into the night.“We look forward to having a deal tomorrow,” Mnuchin told reporters after exiting Schumer’s office.“The president is giving us direction,” Mnuhcin said. “The president would like to have a deal and he’s hopeful we can conclude this.”Moments later, Schumer agreed that a deal was almost within reach. “That’s the expectation — that we finish it tomorrow and hopefully vote on it tomorrow evening,” he said.The long evening of shuttle negotiations came after a long day trying to close the deal. The massive package is a far-reaching effort to prop up the U.S. economy, help American households and bolster the health care system amid the growing crisis. Mnuchin said talks were expected to resume at 9:30 a.m. EDT.Youtube video thumbnail Tensions flared Monday as Washington strained to respond to the worsening coronavirus outbreak, with Congress arguing over a nearly $2 trillion economic rescue package and an impatient President Donald Trump musing openly about letting the 15-day shutdown expire next Monday, March 30.As the U.S. braces for an onslaught of sick Americans, and millions are forced indoors to avert a spike that risks overwhelming hospitals, the most ambitious federal intervention in modern times is testing whether Washington can act swiftly to deal with the pandemic on the home front.“It’s time to get with the program, time to pass historic relief,” said an angry Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell earlier in the day as he opened the chamber after a nonstop weekend session that failed to produce a deal. “This is a national emergency.”Fuming, McConnell warned Democrats — pointedly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to quit stalling on “political games,” as he described Democratic efforts to steer more of the aid toward public health and workers, and push other priorities.Trump, who has largely been hands off from the negotiations, weighed in late Monday from the White House briefing room, declaring that Congress should vote “for the Senate bill as written,” dismissing any Democratic proposal.“It must go quickly,” Trump said. “This is not the time for political agendas.”The president also sounded a note of frustration about the unprecedented modern-day effort to halt the virus’s march by essentially shutting down public activities in ways that now threaten the U.S. economy.Even though Trump’s administration recommended Americans curtail activities starting a week ago, the president said: “We cannot let the cure be worse than the problem itself. At the end of the 15-day period, we will make a decision as to which way we want to go.”“Let’s go to work,” he said. “This country was not built to be shut down. This is not a county that was built for this.”Trump said that he may soon allow parts of the nation’s economy, in regions less badly hit by the virus, to begin reopening, contradicting the advice of medical and public health experts across the country, if not the globe, to hunker down even more firmly.Pelosi assailed Trump’s idea and fluctuating response to the crisis.“He’s a notion-monger, just tossing out things that have no relationship to a well coordinated, science-based, government-wide response to this,” Pelosi said on a health-care conference call. “Thank God for the governors who are taking the lead in their state. Thank God for some of the people in the administration who speak truth to power.”The White House team led by Mnuchin worked on Capitol Hill for a fourth straight day of talks as negotiators narrowed on a bipartisan accord.In the nearly empty building, the virus continued to strike close. Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who announced he tested positive for coronavirus, is now among five senators under self-quarantine. Several other lawmakers have cycled in and out of isolation. And the husband of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is in a hospital with pneumonia after testing positive, she said Monday.First lady Melania Trump, meanwhile, has tested negative for the coronavirus, Trump said.With a wary population watching and waiting, Washington labored under the size and scope of a rescue package — larger than the 2008 bank bailout and 2009 recovery act combined.Democrats are holding out as they argue the package is tilted toward corporations and should do more to help suddenly jobless workers and health care providers with dire needs.In particular, Schumer, D-N.Y., wants constraints on the largely Republican-led effort to provide $500 billion for corporations, which Democrats have called a “slush fund.” Schumer wants the bill to limit stock buy-backs, CEO pay and layoffs.Yet, he said, “We’re very close to reaching a deal.” Even so, another attempt to move the package forward snagged, blocked as Democrats refused to quit negotiating.Democrats won one concession — to provide four months of expanded unemployment benefits, rather than just three as proposed, according to an official granted anonymity to discuss the private talks. The jobless pay also would extend to self-employed and so-called gig workers.But Republicans complained Democrats were holding out for more labor protections for workers, wanting assurances that corporations taking federal aid will commit to retaining their employees.Pelosi came out with the House Democrats’ own sweeping $2.5 trillion bill, which would provide $1,500 directly to the public and $200 billion to the states, as governors are pleading for aid. She urged Senate negotiators “to move closer to the values” in it.Trump has balked at using his authority under the recently invoked Defense Protection Act to compel the private sector to manufacture needed medical supplies like masks and ventilators, even as he encourages them to spur production. “We are a country not based on nationalizing our business,” said Trump, who has repeatedly railed against socialism overseas and among Democrats.From his home, Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden criticized Trump for stopping short of using the full force of emergency federal authority .“Trump keeps saying he’s a wartime president,” Biden said in an online address. “Well, start acting like one.”On the economic front, the Federal Reserve announced Monday it will lend to small and large businesses and local governments as well as extend its bond-buying programs as part of a series of sweeping steps to support the flow of credit through an economy ravaged by the viral outbreak.Central to the emerging rescue package is as much as $350 billion for small businesses to keep making payroll while workers are forced to stay home. The package also proposes a one-time rebate of about $1,200 per person, or $3,000 for a family of four, as well as extended unemployment benefits.Hospitals would get about $110 billion for the expected influx of sick patients, said Mnuchin. But Democrats are pushing for more health-care dollars for the front-line hospitals and workers.The urgency to act is mounting, as jobless claims skyrocket and financial markets are eager for signs that Washington can soften the blow of the health-care crisis and what experts say is a looming recession.For most people, the new coronavirus 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 from the new virus. According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

Negotiators close on nearly $2 trillion coronavirus aid package

Top congressional and White House officials emerged from grueling negotiations at the Capitol over the nearly $2 trillion coronavirus rescue package saying they expected to reach a deal Tuesday.

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FILE - In this Jan. 20, 2021, file photo, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, and former President Bill Clinton, left, arrive for the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol for President-elect Joe Biden in Washington.Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she has tested positive for COVID-19 with “mild" symptoms. On social media, the former Democratic presidential candidate said she was “feeling fine" and that former President Bill Clinton had tested negative and was quarantining until their household was fully cleared.A spokesman for the former president posted on Twitter that he would continue to get tested in the days to come. Hillary Clinton, 74, said she was “more grateful than ever for the protection vaccines can provide against serious illness" and urged people to get the vaccine and booster shots.Former President Barack Obama announced earlier this month that he had tested positive for the coronavirus.

Hillary Clinton tests positive for COVID; Bill quarantining

On social media, the former Democratic presidential candidate said she was “feeling fine" and that former President Bill Clinton had tested negative and was quarantining until their household was fully cleared.

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H-1B visa: Registration date, lottery results, and more. Check detailsThe registration process for the H-1B visa application for the next fiscal year will begin soon. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.Here are the details

H-1B visa: Registration date, lottery results, and more. Check details

The registration process for the H-1B visa application for the next fiscal year will begin soon. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

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Kim Jong-Un shoots dead official for using public bath during quarantine zone; exiles anotherNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered the killing of a trade official after the man visited a public bath while he was told to remain in a quarantined zone as a precaution to coronavirus infection spread. As per South Korean media reports, the trade official was shot dead instantly as he broke the quarantine. He was reportedly in the quarantine zone after his travels to China. His execution came after Kim Jong-Un made a decree that the country would deal with anyone breaking the quarantine zone with a stringint military law. Reports suggest the North Korea is isolating anyone who has gone to or has come in contact with anyone who has been to China in recent times. This is being done as a bid to avoid coronavirus at all costs. Reports have also suggested that another official who tried to cover up his travels to China has been exiled to a farm as per the orders of Kim Jong-Un. 

Kim Jong-Un shoots dead officer for violating coronavirus quarantine zone; exiles another

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un ordered the killing of a trade official after the man visited a public bath while he was told to remain in a quarantined zone as a precaution to coronavirus infection spread. As per South Korean media reports, the trade official was shot dead instantly as he broke the quarantine.

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A Ukrainian serviceman takes a photograph of a damaged church after shelling in a residential district in Mariupol, Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that so-called volunteer fighters should be brought into Ukraine.Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russia knew of 'more than 16,000 applications' from countries in the Middle East, many of them from people who he said helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.They want “to take part in what they consider a liberation movement,” Shoigu said, on the side of Russia-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine. Since 2015, Russian forces have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against various groups opposed to his rule, including Islamic State.Putin told Shoigu that Russia should help would-be volunteers to “move to the combat zone” and contrasted them with what he called foreign “mercenaries” fighting for Ukraine.Earlier, British defense officials accused Russia of rearranging its forces on the ground in Ukraine in an attempt to push forward its struggling invasion plan.The Ministry of Defence says that “Russia is likely seeking to reset and re-posture its forces for renewed offensive activity in the coming days. This will probably include operations against the capital Kyiv.”Meanwhile, two Ukrainian servicemen were killed and six people wounded in Russian airstrikes on the Lutsk military airfield, according to the head of the surrounding Volyn region, Yuriy Pohulyayko. The strikes were far to the west from the main Russian offensive and could indicate new direction of the war.ALSO READ | Russia Ukraine War: US VP Harris embraces call for war crimes probe of RussiaALSO READ | Russia Ukraine War Updates: Putin says Moscow continuing all energy exports, including through Kyiv

Russia Ukraine War: Putin approves 'volunteer fighters' to Ukraine

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu stated that Russia knew of 'more than 16,000 applications' from countries in the Middle East, many of them from people who he said helped Russia against the Islamic State group, according to a Kremlin transcript.

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A person jumps on a burning police vehicle in Los Angeles, Saturday, May 30, 2020, during a protest over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody on Memorial Day. Tense protests over the death of George Floyd and other police killings of black men grew Saturday from New York to Tulsa to Los Angeles, with police cars set ablaze and reports of injuries mounting on all sides as the country lurched toward another night of unrest after months of coronavirus lockdowns.The protests, which began in Minneapolis following Floyd’s death Monday after a police officer pressed a knee on his neck for more than eight minutes, have left parts of the city a grid of broken windows, burned-out buildings and ransacked stores. The unrest has since become a national phenomenon as protesters decry years of deaths at police hands.The large crowds involved, with many people not wearing masks or social distancing, raised concerns among health experts about the potential for helping spread the coronavirus pandemic at a time when overall deaths are on the decline nationwide and much of the country is in the process of reopening society and the economy.After a tumultuous Friday night, racially diverse crowds took to the streets again for mostly peaceful demonstrations in dozens of cities from coast to coast. The previous day’s protests also started calmly, but many descended into violence later in the day.— In Philadelphia, at least 13 officers were injured when peaceful protests turned violent and at least four police vehicles were set on fire. Other fires were set throughout downtown.— In the Greenwood District of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the site of a 1921 massacre of black people that left as many as 300 dead and the city’s thriving black district in ruins, protesters blocked intersections and chanted the name of Terence Crutcher, a black man killed by a police officer in 2016.— In Tallahassee, Florida, a pickup truck drove through a crowd of protesters, sending some running and screaming as the vehicle stopped and started and at one point had a person on its hood, police said, but no serious injuries were reported. Police handcuffed the driver but did not release his name or say whether he would face charges.— In Los Angeles, protesters chanted “Black Lives Matter,” some within inches of the face shields of officers. Police used batons to move the crowd back and fired rubber bullets. One man used a skateboard to try to break a police SUV’s windshield. A spray-painted police car burned in the street.— In Washington, growing crowds outside the White House chanted, taunted Secret Service agents and other law enforcement officers and at times pushed against security barriers. President Donald Trump, who spent much of Saturday in Florida for the SpaceX rocket launch, landed on the residence’s lawn in the presidential helicopter at dusk and went inside with speaking to journalists.— And in New York City, video posted to social media showed officers using batons and shoving protesters down as they made arrests and cleared streets. Another video showed two NYPD cruisers driving into protesters who were pushing a barricade against a police car and pelting it with objects, knocking several to the ground.“Our country has a sickness. We have to be out here,” said Brianna Petrisko, among those at lower Manhattan’s Foley Square, where most were wearing masks amid the coronavirus pandemic. “This is the only way we’re going to be heard.”Back in Minneapolis, the city where the protests began, 29-year-old Sam Allkija said the damage seen in recent days reflects longstanding frustration and rage in the black community.“I don’t condone them,” he said. “But you have to look deeper into why these riots are happening.”Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz fully mobilized the state’s National Guard and promised a massive show of force.“The situation in Minneapolis is no longer in any way about the murder of George Floyd,” Walz said. “It is about attacking civil society, instilling fear and disrupting our great cities.”More than a dozen major cities nationwide imposed overnight curfews ranging from 6 p.m. in parts of South Carolina to 10 p.m. around Ohio. People were also told to be off the streets of Atlanta, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle and Minneapolis — where thousands ignored the same order the previous night.The unrest comes at a time when most Americans have spent months inside over concerns surrounding the coronavirus, which the president has called an “invisible enemy.” The events of the last 72 hours, seen live on national television, have shown the opposite: a sudden pivot to crowds, screaming protesters and burning buildings, a stark contrast to the empty streets of recent months.Hundreds of people were arrested Friday, and police used batons, rubber bullets and pepper spray to push back crowds in some cities. Many departments reported injured officers, while social media platforms were awash in images of police using forceful tactics, throwing people to the ground, using bicycles as shields and in one instance trampling a protester while on horseback.Authorities vowed to crack down on lawbreakers.“Quite frankly, I’m ready to just lock people up,” Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields said at a news conference. Demonstrations there turned violent Friday, and police were arresting protesters Saturday on blocked-off downtown streets. “Yes, you caught us off balance once. It’s not going to happen twice.”This week’s unrest recalled the riots in Los Angeles nearly 30 years ago after the acquittal of the white police officers who beat Rodney King, a black motorist who had led them on a high-speed chase. The protests of Floyd’s killing have gripped many more cities, but the losses in Minneapolis have yet to approach the staggering totals Los Angeles saw during five days of rioting in 1992, when more than 60 people died, 2,000-plus were injured and thousands arrested, with property damage topping $1 billion.Many protesters spoke of frustration that Floyd’s death was one more in a litany. It came in the wake of the killing in Georgia of Ahmaud Arbery, a black man who was shot dead after being pursued by two white men while running in their neighborhood, and in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic that has thrown millions out of work, killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S. and disproportionately affected black people.The officer who held his knee to Floyd’s neck as he begged for air was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. But many protesters are demanding the arrests of the three other officers involved.Trump stoked the anger, firing off a series of tweets criticizing Minnesota’s response, ridiculing people who protested outside the White House and warning that if protesters had breached its fence they would “have been greeted with the most vicious dogs, and most ominous weapons, I have ever seen.”Leaders in many affected cities have voiced outrage over Floyd’s killing and expressed sympathy for protesters’ concerns. But as the unrest intensified, they spoke of a desperate need to protect their cities and said they would call in reinforcements, despite concerns that could lead to more heavy-handed tactics.Minnesota has steadily increased to 1,700 the number of National Guardsmen it says it needs to contain the unrest, and the governor is considering a potential offer of military police put on alert by the Pentagon.Governors in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Texas also activated the National Guard after protests there turned violent overnight, while nighttime curfews were put in place in Portland, Oregon, Cincinnati and elsewhere.Police in St. Louis were investigating the death of a protester who climbed between two trailers of a Fed Ex truck and was killed when it drove away. And a person was killed in the area of protests in downtown Detroit just before midnight after someone fired shots into an SUV, officers said. Police had initially said someone fired into the crowd from an SUV.

Tear gas and burning cars in US cities as unrest continues

Tense protests over the death of George Floyd and other police killings of black men grew Saturday from New York to Tulsa to Los Angeles, with police cars set ablaze and reports of injuries mounting on all sides as the country lurched toward another night of unrest after months of coronavirus lockdowns.

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Tsunami like devastation in Turkey's Izimir after sea water entres city following powerful earthquake.A Tsunami like devastation has been witnessed in Turkey's Izmir after an Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 shook Greek island of Samos and Turkey's Aegean coast, US Geological Survey said on Friday.A powerful earthquake struck Friday between the Turkish coast and the Greek island of Samos, collapsing several buildings in Turkey’s western Izmir province and leaving at least four people dead. Dozens more were injured, while some damage to buildings and the road network, and four light injuries were also reported on Samos.Source: Ragıp Soylu (@ragipsoylu) Turkey Correspondent for @MiddleEastEye Image Source : APPeople work on a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, Friday after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece.People work on a collapsed building, in Izmir, Turkey, Friday after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece.Image Source : APPeople stand outside their homes in Izmir, Turkey after powerful earthquake hits country.People stand outside their homes in Izmir, Turkey after powerful earthquake hits country.Turkey’s Health Minister Fahrettin Koca tweeted that four people were killed in Izmir and 120 were injured. He said 38 ambulances, two ambulance helicopters and 35 medical rescue teams were working in Izmir.ALSO READ | Massive earthquake jolts Turkey, Greece; 4 dead, 120 injuredThe European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.9 with an epicenter 13 kilometers (8 miles) north northeast of the Greek island of Samos. The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 7.0. It is common for preliminary magnitudes to differ in the early hours and days after a quake. Multiple aftershocks struck the region.Image Source : APPeople stand outside their homes in Izmir, Turkey, Friday after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece.People stand outside their homes in Izmir, Turkey, Friday after a strong earthquake in the Aegean Sea has shaken Turkey and Greece.(With inputs from AP)

Magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Turkey, Greece triggers tsunami, causes massive devastation

A Tsunami like devastation has been witnessed in Turkey's Izmir after an Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 shook Greek island of Samos and Turkey's Aegean coast, US Geological Survey said on Friday.

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Turkey, Russia to discuss grave situation in Syria’s IdlibA Turkish delegation will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria’s Idlib province amid mounting fears of a humanitarian disaster there, Turkey’s foreign minister said. Hundreds of thousands of civilians in Idlib province are scrambling to escape a widening, multi-front offensive by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.“What matters is today around 1 million people from Idlib have been moving towards our border,” Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement Saturday after a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump in which they discussed Syria and other topics. “We are already hosting 3.5-4 million people. Unfortunately we are not in a position of accepting this another 1 million.”Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said after meeting his German counterpart on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that 2 million people could head for Turkey’s border with Syria if no cease-fire is achieved.He said a Turkish delegation was due to visit Moscow on Monday to talk discuss the situation in Idlib, much of which remains in rebel hands. The meeting follows previous visits by a Russian delegation to Ankara. Russia supports Assad, while Turkey backs the opposition.“There are already people coming to our border and, with Germany’s support, we are going to build temporary shelters but these are temporary solutions,” Cavusoglu said. “We need a cease-fire.”German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he pushed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was also in Munich, for Russia to lean on Assad’s government to stop the fighting.“We are very worried that this is going become a humanitarian catastrophe if the fighting there doesn’t stop,” he said.Cavusoglu said later Saturday he held a positive meeting with Lavrov.The Russian foreign minister told the Munich conference after that meeting that parts of Idlib remain “one of the last hotbeds of terrorism, at least the only one on the west bank of the Euphrates.”Lavrov said that agreements between Moscow and Ankara “imply both a cease-fire and a demilitarized zone, but most importantly drawing a line between the normal opposition and terrorists.”“These agreements do not mean the hard fighting against the terrorist the threat will stop,” he said.Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, said at a news conference that Russia is the key to stopping the crisis since it provides the Syrian government with aerial support.“Russia offers various excuses,” he said.Roth acknowledged the presence of thousands of jihadists in Idlib but said “that does not justify the indiscriminate bombardment of the civilian population.”“What is needed now as a matter of humanitarian concern for the people of Idlib and as a matter of basic avoidance of another refugee crisis, is firm pressure on (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to stop,” he said. He urged Europe to exert that pressure.

Turkey, Russia to discuss grave situation in Syria’s Idlib

A Turkish delegation will travel to Russia on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria’s Idlib province amid mounting fears of a humanitarian disaster there, Turkey’s foreign minister said.

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Man places online order for apples, finds iPhone insideIn an unexpected event, a UK resident, who made an online purchase of groceries including apples, received an Apple iPhone along with his supplies. The 50-year old, Nick James, was gifted a free iPhone SE as a courtesy of an online rewards scheme for customers of the UK-based supermarket chain Tesco."A big thanks this week to @Tesco & @tescomobile. On Wednesday evening we went to pick up our click and collect order and had a little surprise in there - an Apple iPhone SE. Apparently, we ordered apples and randomly got an Apple iPhone! Made my sons week!" James tweeted.The UK-based supermarket chain had randomly selected shoppers for promotional rewards that link with an item they had purchased from the supermarket's online store, reports GizmoChina.The marketing campaign is called the Super Substitute scheme and aims at replacing a particular item within a shopper's cart with a surprise gift for randomly selected customers while the original item will be retained in the cart, the report said.It is claimed that Tesco has doled out up to 80 such gifts to its online shoppers across its outlets in the UK, it added.

Man places online order for apples, finds iPhone inside

The 50-year old, Nick James, was gifted a free iPhone SE as a courtesy of an online rewards scheme for customers of the UK-based supermarket chain Tesco.

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Indian protest outside Parliament  in London against UK's visa rules- File photoThe UK government’s decision to exclude Indian students from a new list of countries considered "low risk" has caused immense outrage.The new list of countries has been released to facilitate an easier visa application process to UK universities.Related Stories PM Modi raises UK’s visa policy issue with Theresa MayUK announces crackdown on overseas students and work visas to control immigration, decision to hit Indians Tabling details of the changes in its immigration policy in Parliament, the UK Home Office on Friday announced a relaxation of the Tier 4 visa category for overseas students from around 25 countries.The new list includes countries like China, Bahrain and Serbia which are new entrants. US, Canada and New Zealand were already part of this list.The students from these countries would face reduced checks on educational, financial and English language skill requirements to study at British universities.The new changes will come into effect from July 6 and aims to make it easier for international students to come to study in the UK.Exclusion of India from this list means Indian students applying for similar courses will continue to face rigorous checks and documentary requirements.Lord Karan Bilimoria, Indian-origin entrepreneur and President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), described the move as an "insult" to India and another example of Britain's "economically illiterate and hostile attitude to immigration"."I consider this another kick in the teeth for India ... This sends entirely the wrong message to India, to exclude it from these Tier 4 measures. The government has simply got it wrong," said Bilimoria, while welcoming the overall visa relaxation measures introduced by UK home secretary Sajid Javid. Bilimoria, the founder of Cobra Beer and founding-chair of UK India Business Council (UKIBC), added, "It is completely hypocritical that this is announced at the same time that Britain is talking about doing a post-Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) with India. If this is the way they treat India, they can dream on about an FTA with India"."India has always been one of Britain's closest allies and an emerging global economic superpower. Excluding India from this list is myopically short-sighted and is damaging what has always been a special relationship between our countries," he said.The National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK also expressed disappointment at India's exclusion from the list, which it said effectively categorises Indian students as "high risk". The representative body for Indian students in the UK said it was unfair that Indian students should be treated differently from Chinese or other nationals on the list."It is important to note that today's announcement makes no change to the process of application for Indian students, but it is the perception of this message among Indian students that worries us. And, this raises another question - will China continue to get even more favourable actions while India gets the rhetoric," questioned Sanam Arora, president of NISAU UK.According to latest Office of National Statistics (ONS) data, India is among the top three countries from where overseas students come in to study at UK universities, followed by China and the US. While Indian students registered a hike of 30 per cent to hit 15,171 Tier 4 visas last year, the numbers remain a far cry from around 30,000 six years ago.The latest development will add to growing concern within Indian government circles, given that ministers and diplomats have repeatedly highlighted the need for a more welcoming immigration regime for Indian students.Last week, Indian High Commissioner to the UK, YK Sinha, held a meeting with the UK's minister for universities, Sam Gyimah, during which he once again raised the issue of "smoother and greater student and faculty mobility between the two countries"."It is unfortunate that in the last six years we have seen a steep drop (in Indian student numbers). What should be troubling universities here is that Indian students are now going in much greater numbers to the US, Australia - even France and Germany," Sinha has said in the past.The UK Home Office said in order to make it easier for students to come and study in the UK's world-leading education sector, it has expanded the list of countries from which students will be able to benefit from a streamlined application process. "Students from an additional 11 countries, including China, will be able to provide a reduced level of documentation when applying for their Tier 4 visa," the Home Office statement notes.On being asked why India had been omitted from this expanded list, a spokesperson said, "We welcome Indian students who want to come to the UK to study at our world-leading educational institutions. We issue more visas to students from India than any other country except China and the USA." The Home Office stressed that 90 per cent of Indian students who apply for a UK visa get one, a figure up from 86 per cent in 2014 and 83 per cent the year before that.It added, "In addition, the proportion of Indian students coming to study in the UK at a university has increased from around 50 per cent in 2010 to around 90 per cent in 2016. Indian student visa applications are up 30 per cent on last year. We continue to have regular discussions with the Indian government on a range of issues including on visas and UK immigration policy," it said.(With PTI inputs)

Outrage over UK govt’s decision to exclude India from relaxed student visa rules for around 25 countries

Exclusion of India from this list means Indian students applying for similar courses will continue to face rigorous checks and documentary requirements.

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Nasser Najafian, of Tehran, Iran, working in Tokyo, gets out of a transparent glass toilet after use, at Yoyogi Hukamachi Mini Park in Tokyo on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The see-through bathroom, one of the three toilets recently completed for public use turns opaque once it's locked when used. The Nippon Foundation and Tokyo's Shibuya district government have started a program to build over a dozen restrooms in Tokyo, to dispel negative misconceptions regarding public toilets.The walls of two newly installed public toilets in Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood are see-through before people enter, but turn opaque when the doors are closed and locked from the inside.The so-called transparent toilets, which opened this month, were designed by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban for a project organized by The Nippon Foundation that redesigned a total of 17 public toilets in the neighborhood. The goal was to make them accessible to anyone, regardless of gender, age or disability.The see-through walls glow in vibrant colors — green, yellow, orange.“Maybe I feel a little anxious the first time, like will this work? Is somebody (outside) the glass trying to look inside or something?” Cecilia Lopez, a travel blogger from Argentina, said Thursday. “But I think it’s more for the fun of it.”Image Source : APThis photo shows the transparent glass toilets at Yoyogi Hukamachi Mini Park in Tokyo on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The bathroom with the opaque (orange color) wall, left, indicates it's in use. The walls of two newly installed public toilets in Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood are see-through before people enter, but turn opaque when the doors are closed and locked from the inside. The so-called transparent toilets, which opened this month, were designed by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban for a project organized by The Nippon Foundation that redesigned a total of 17 public toilets in the neighborhood.This photo shows the transparent glass toilets at Yoyogi Hukamachi Mini Park in Tokyo on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. The bathroom with the opaque (orange color) wall, left, indicates it's in use. The walls of two newly installed public toilets in Tokyo's Shibuya neighborhood are see-through before people enter, but turn opaque when the doors are closed and locked from the inside. The so-called transparent toilets, which opened this month, were designed by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban for a project organized by The Nippon Foundation that redesigned a total of 17 public toilets in the neighborhood.The outer walls of the toilets have a layer of glass that remains clear when hooked up to an electric current. When the door is locked, the current is cut and a special film makes the glass opaque and conceals the users, according to Kana Saji of The Nippon Foundation.The foundation says it aims to achieve a society in which all people help one another.“It’s really clean, and it sort of looks like art,” said Tomoko Mizutani, a Tokyo resident who was taking a photo of the toilet. (Except for the headline, IndiaTVnews.com has not edited anything in the copy)

This public toilet in Tokyo has transparent walls that glow in vibrant colors

The walls of two newly installed public toilets in the Shibuya neighborhood in Tokyo are see-through before people enter, but turn opaque when the doors are closed and locked from the inside. The so-called transparent toilets, which opened this month, were designed by award-winning Japanese architect Shigeru Ban for a project organized by The Nippon Foundation that redesigned a total of 17 public toilets in the neighborhood.

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Ukraine President Volodymyr ZelenskyUkraine President Assassination Attempt: As Russian continues to pound Ukraine moving ahead to establish its control over the eastern European country, President Volodymyr Zelensky has survived atleast three assassination attempts, a report said. According to The Times, the assassination attempts were foiled after anti-war Russian intelligence informed Ukrainian authorities about the kill plan by two separate mercenary groups. "I can say that we have received information from [Russia’s Federal Security Service], who do not want to take part in this bloody war," the Times quoted Ukraine Secretary of National Security and Defence as saying during an interaction with local TV stations. The mercenaries are said to be linked to Kremlin-backed Wagner group and Chechen special forces. The report further added that the assassin teams sustained losses during their operation and were amazed how Ukrainian forces were well informed about their moves and thwarted them accurately. Zelensky's security team was apparently 'well briefed' about the assassination attempt that helped them to be ready with a counter plan. Earlier, reports had emerged that as many as 400 Russian mercenaries have been flown in from Africa to target President Zelensky and his entire cabinet. The 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: Putin wants Ukrainian president Zelensky to be assassinated? 400 Russian assassins flown in, says report

Ukraine President Zelensky faced 3 assassination attempts last week: Report

According to The Times, the assassination attempts were foiled after anti-war Russian intelligence informed Ukrainian authorities about the kill plan by two separate mercenary groups.

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Strong links between hormones, COVID confirmed. The human body's endocrine system that makes hormones is strongly involved in the SARS-Cov-2 infection- the virus behind Covid-19- so much so that evidence of an "endocrine phenotype" of Coronavirus has emerged, according to a statement by the European Society of Endocrinology. A team of scientists from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain looked at the available evidence with respect to Covid-19 across a number of endocrine conditions and related factors- diabetes, obesity, nutrition, hypocalcemia, vitamin D insufficiency, vertebral fractures, adrenal insufficiency, as well as pituitary/thyroid issues and sex hormones. The effect on hormones cannot be ignored in the context of Covid-19," said lead author Manel Puig from the varsity, adding "the evidence is clear". "We need to be aware of the endocrine consequences of Covid-19 for patients with a known endocrine condition such as diabetes, obesity or adrenal insufficiency, but also for people without a known condition. Vitamin D insufficiency for example is very common, and the knowledge that this condition has emerged frequently in the hospitalised Covid-19 population and may negatively impact outcomes should not be taken lightly," Puig added, in the statement published in the journal Endocrine. Diabetes has emerged as one of the most frequent comorbidities associated with severity and mortality of Covid-19, according to a rapidly increasing amount of published data on the incidence of Covid-19 in patients over the last year. Mortality in Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes has consistently increased during the year of pandemic,A and evidence is emerging that a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and Covid-19 may exist, both in terms of worsening existing conditions and new onset of diabetes. Similar trends were identified for people with obesity. Obesity increases susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and the risk for Covid-19 adverse outcomes. The researchers posit that nutritional management is important both for patients with obesity or undernourishment in order to limit their increased susceptibility and severity of infection. Vitamin D, calcium and bone are other areas showing a growing body of evidence that better monitoring and solutions for patients are needed in the context of Covid-19. /* .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_8144263924 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/05/0_idrzl7al/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_idrzl7al_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "CoviSelf: How to use self-testing Covid kit | 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": "", "duration": "770", "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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}); } Also Read: Brinton Pharma ramps up production of Covid drug Faviton manifold Also Read: CoviSelf: How to use self-testing Covid kit | Watch  The human body's endocrine system that makes hormones is strongly involved in the SARS-Cov-2 infection- the virus behind Covid-19- so much so that evidence of an "endocrine phenotype" of Coronavirus has emerged, according to a statement by the European Society of Endocrinology.A team of scientists from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain looked at the available evidence with respect to Covid-19 across a number of endocrine conditions and related factors- diabetes, obesity, nutrition, hypocalcemia, vitamin D insufficiency, vertebral fractures, adrenal insufficiency, as well as pituitary/thyroid issues and sex hormones.The effect on hormones cannot be ignored in the context of Covid-19," said lead author Manel Puig from the varsity, adding "the evidence is clear"."We need to be aware of the endocrine consequences of Covid-19 for patients with a known endocrine condition such as diabetes, obesity or adrenal insufficiency, but also for people without a known condition. Vitamin D insufficiency for example is very common, and the knowledge that this condition has emerged frequently in the hospitalised Covid-19 population and may negatively impact outcomes should not be taken lightly," Puig added, in the statement published in the journal Endocrine.Diabetes has emerged as one of the most frequent comorbidities associated with severity and mortality of Covid-19, according to a rapidly increasing amount of published data on the incidence of Covid-19 in patients over the last year.Mortality in Type-1 or Type-2 diabetes has consistently increased during the year of pandemic,A and evidence is emerging that a bidirectional relationship between diabetes and Covid-19 may exist, both in terms of worsening existing conditions and new onset of diabetes.Similar trends were identified for people with obesity. Obesity increases susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and the risk for Covid-19 adverse outcomes.The researchers posit that nutritional management is important both for patients with obesity or undernourishment in order to limit their increased susceptibility and severity of infection. 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Strong links between hormones, COVID confirmed

The effect on hormones cannot be ignored in the context of Covid-19," said lead author Manel Puig from the varsity, adding "the evidence is clear".

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Climate action not on hold amid COVID-19, say expertsWith the UN climate body and the UK government announcing to defer the crucial climate negotiations, known as the COP26, for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic, climate experts on Thursday said the delay does not mean a postponement of climate action. They said shifting the timing was a difficult decision but the right one in the face of the unprecedented health crisis.The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) along with the UK government, which is serving as the COP26 Presidency, on Wednesday announced it will be postponing the Glasgow negotiations and the exact date will be determined following consultation with parties."The world is facing an unprecedented global challenge & countries are rightly focusing on fighting #COVID19. Due to this, #COP26 has been postponed," Indian-origin Alok Sharma, UK's Minister to lead the crucial UN climate talks, announced on Twitter."We will continue working with partners to deliver the ambition needed to tackle the climate crisis & agree a new date," he added.World Resources Institute President and CEO Andrew Steer told IANS that shifting the timing of the climate summit was no doubt a difficult decision, but it is also the right one."In the face of this unprecedented health crisis, the world needs to rally together to fight the virus and help those most vulnerable to the economic fallout," he said.Steer said as countries move forward with their revised national climate plans and set new commitments under the Paris Agreement, it is critically important that they take the necessary time to adjust to the current situation while also aiming to achieve the highest possible ambition."Strong climate action is as urgent as ever. A number of countries -- particularly the smaller, developing economies -- have already shown leadership and announced they will come forward with enhanced plans. These are extremely welcome. But now we need more of the large economies to step-up to the plate and set more ambitious targets," he said.These national climate plans should not be disconnected from the recovery, but instead should be an integral part of national efforts to create jobs, boost growth, reduce health risks, and build more resilient economies, he added.Under the Paris Agreement, struck in 2015, governments made a political commitment to deliver new climate plans this year.This requirement still stands, but focus is now turning to the multi-trillion stimulus packages governments are preparing to reboot their economies as the pandemic subsides, and the extent to which these deliver a healthier, cleaner and resilient planet.Ajay Mathur, Director General of TERI -- The Energy and Resource Institute, said the momentum for climate action has accelerated considerably, and "we will have to ensure that this momentum is sustained even as COP26 is moved to 2021".However, this postponement, he said, was the right decision -- it highlights the centrality of the individual citizens of the world, and of their safety, security, and wellbeing."We need to keep this centrality in mind as we move to maintain and enhance momentum on climate action, while building a safer, healthier and more resilient global economy," Mathur added.For Paris Agreement architect and CEO of the European Climate Foundation, Laurence Tubiana, public health and safety must come first now."The UK Presidency and all governments should use this time to design resilient recovery and transition plans that consider climate, biodiversity, development and social justice in an integrated way."This crisis has shown that international cooperation and solidarity are essential to protect global well-being and peace. COP26 next year should become a centrepiece of revitalized global cooperation," the French economist added.The decision to delay is sensible, said Britain-based Christian Aid's Global Climate Lead, Kat Kramer."Many of the most vulnerable people in the world are already living through one emergency and climate impacts only increase this vulnerability. Countries still need to submit their enhanced climate plans by the end of year to be in line with the scientific imperative of limiting heating increases to 1.5 Celsius."Harjeet Singh, ActionAid's global lead on climate change, said the climate disasters won't stop for the COVID-19 crisis.Does UN talks deferment means climate action is on hold now for 2020?A climate negotiator remarked far from it, emissions continue to rise despite a slowdown as a result of lockdowns.The fact is the COVID-19 crisis has exposed profound fault lines and weaknesses in the multilateral systems."Negative impacts are profound and growing. COVID-19 has been a warning: we are all on this planet together. Countries are stronger working together, and international cooperation is the best option to resolve future existential threats, including climate change," he said.Experts have come out saying that air pollution may exacerbate the effects of COVID-19.The same polluting industries that are warming the planet are leaving the nations with toxic air to live in.The best way to prepare is to reduce the possibilities of these climate-related global crises in the first place, by taking actions to halt global emissions.

Climate action not on hold amid COVID-19, say experts

With the UN climate body and the UK government announcing to defer the crucial climate negotiations, known as the COP26, for a year amid the coronavirus pandemic, climate experts on Thursday said the delay does not mean a postponement of climate action.

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Lviv: Ukrainian prepare to board a bus to Poland at Lviv bus main station, western Ukraine, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Amid tensions with Ukraine, Russian Ambassador-designate Denis Alipov on Wednesday said it is working "intensely" to create a "humanitarian corridor" for safe passage to Russian territory of Indian nationals stuck in Kharkiv, Sumy and other conflict zones in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Russia also said that Ukraine is taking Indian students hostage."Russia is trying to organize an urgent evacuation of a group of Indian students from Kharkiv through humanitarian corridor. At the same time, these students are actually taken hostage by the Ukrainian security forces", said Russian reports.At a media briefing, Russian Ambassador-designate Denis Alipov said Russia is in touch with India on the issue of the safety of the stranded Indians in Ukraine and that the safe passage will be put into place soon.Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed the safe evacuation of Indian nationals from the conflict areas."Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on phone today with Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation. The leaders reviewed the situation in Ukraine, especially in the city of Kharkiv where many Indian students are stuck," an official statement said.Earlier in the day, India asked its nationals to leave Kharkiv urgently to three nearby places "even on foot", while Russia promised to create "humanitarian corridors" for evacuation of Indians from the conflict zones.Prime Minister Modi held yet another high-level meeting on Wednesday night on the Ukraine crisis as the four union ministers sent to Ukraine's neighbouring countries coordinated the stepped-up rescue efforts with the deployment of planes by the Indian Air Force.ALSO READ | 'IMMEDIATELY REPEAT IMMEDIATELY': India's urgent advisory asks citizens to leave Kharkiv

Russian military says trying to evacuate Indians from Kharkiv as PM Modi speaks to Putin

Earlier in the day, India asked its nationals to leave Kharkiv urgently to three nearby places "even on foot", while Russia promised to create "humanitarian corridors" for evacuation of Indians from the conflict zones.

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43-year-old blind Paralympian mounts British Airways flight to protest climate changeA blind 43-year-old Paralympian climbed on the roof of a British Airways plane at the London City Airport as part of Extinction Rebellion protests which aim at making the world take notice of the climate change. James Brown, a partially sighted cyclist who won a bronze medal at the London Sumer Paralympics 2012 climbed on top of the aircraft on Thursday afternoon.Brown filmed himself from the top of the aircraft saying that he was "scared of heights" and "shaky"."I don't know how they are going to get me down, but I hope it's soon... it's scary up here and a bit cold," he said as he saw the security guards charging towards the aircraft. During the five-minute video, he mainly spoke of climate change.Brown was at a loss of words several times during the video. In a tweet, Extinction Rebellion UK pointed out that James Brown was protesting today because he wants the aviation industry to take responsibility for their emissions. Over a thousand people have been arrested in the UK as the protest runs into its fourth day. A video posted by The Telegraph shows the man protesting on British Airways flightAlso Read | Nancy Pelosi applauds PM Modi's commitment to tackle climate change

43-year-old blind Paralympian mounts British Airways flight to protest climate change

The protester, James Brown was at a loss of words several times during the video, which was posted on social media.

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Afghans transport the body of a woman who was killed during a raid conducted by Afghan special forces, in the southern Helmand province, Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. An Afghan official said Monday that at least 40 civilians have been killed during an Afghan special forces raid and airstrikes conducted against of Taliban in southern Helmand province. At least 40 civilians at a wedding party were killed Sunday night during a raid conducted by Afghan special forces and supported by U.S. airstrikes on Taliban hideouts in the southern Helmand province, Afghan officials said.The violence has further rattled Afghanistan which is facing an upsurge in violence after U.S.-Taliban peace talks to end America's longest war collapsed earlier this month.Abdul Majed Akhund, deputy provincial councilman, said that the majority of the dead are women and children who were at a wedding ceremony that was taking place in Musa Qala district.Akhund said that 12 other civilians were wounded and are in the hospital in Lashkar Gah the capital of the province.There were conflicting reports on the numbers of killed and wounded from different sources as the area is under Taliban control.Attahullah Afghan, head of the provincial council, said there were two separate raids in different areas of Musa Qala. The first operation killed six foreign fighters, while the second raid "mistakenly" hit civilians, he said.Akhund said authorities are investigating reports civilians attending a wedding died in the raid Sunday night in Musa Qala.Afghanistan's defense ministry in a statement said that as a result of the operations in Musa Qala district, 22 foreign members of the Taliban were killed and 14 arrested. The arrested terrorists include five Pakistani nationals and one Bangladeshi."The foreign terrorist group was actively engaged in organizing terrorist attacks," said the statement and added that a large warehouse of the terrorists' supplies and equipment was also destroyed.Omar Zwak, the provincial governor's spokesman, said 14 insurgents including six foreigners were killed during the raid. They were investigating reports of civilian casualties.The deadly strike came after a drone attack last week in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province blamed on U.S. forces killed at least 16 and wounded tens of others, most of them civilians. U.S. forces said that attack was targeting Islamic State militants.

Afghan officials: 40 civilians killed in anti-Taliban raid

The violence has further rattled Afghanistan which is facing an upsurge in violence after U.S.-Taliban peace talks to end America's longest war collapsed earlier this month.

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UK PoliceA London tube station was evacuated on Friday after reports surfaced of a man claiming to have a bomb, prompting security forces to take immediate action. The man reportedly went on the tracks of the Charing Cross station, sparking panic and the evacuation as the emergency services went to the scene, reports the Guardian.British Transport Police have arrested the man and said: "We are now working to reopen the station as soon as possible and would like to thank passengers and rail staff for their patience and understanding during this incident." All services from the station were cancelled.There were no reports of any injuries.Scotland Yard said: "Officers are currently assisting the British Transport Police at Charing Cross train station following a report of a man acting suspiciously. The station has been evacuated as a precaution and is currently closed."Photos on social media showed multiple police vehicles and armed officers outside the station, close to Trafalgar Square.(With IANS inputs)

London tube station evacuated after bomb threat, one arrested

The man reportedly went on the tracks of the Charing Cross station, sparking panic and the evacuation as the emergency services went to the scene, reports the Guardian.

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By disqualifying Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Supreme Court has sent a stern message to others, Pakistani media said today, cautioning that overall democratic stakes are greater than any individual and the focus should now be to continue the democratic process.The apex court yesterday disqualified Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader out of office.In an editorial, Pakistan's leading English language daily 'Dawn' said that the brief, emphatic and unanimous judgement struck a blow for accountability and radically altered the political landscape. "A stern message has been sent across the country: declare everything fully and transparently or risk the ultimate sanction. Such a harsh interpretation could be a boon - if it is applied evenly and transparently," the paper wrote.It said that the apex court has a heavy burden on its shoulders and an expectant country will await the fair and even-handed implementation of the new standard.Another leading English language 'The Express Tribune' in its editorial said the process of accountability, beginning with the disqualification of the 67-old-premier, must cast its net wider and be across the board."At least, the other characters named in the trove of Panama Papers, no matter which party they belong to, should also be investigated, so that justice is done and seen to have been done," the paper said.Both the papers suggested the ousted prime minister Sharif and his ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party to accept the verdict and quickly nominate a new prime minister and have the next prime minister elected by the National Assembly, saying any delay would not be in the PML-N's interest and certainly not in the country's."Whatever the judicial fate of Sharif, it has always been clear that the overall democratic stakes are greater than any individual’s political future - the focus needing to remain on keeping the democratic project moving forward," Dawn said.The paper said that the country was in a limbo as there was no government after Sharif resigned.Another English language daily 'The News International' said that Pakistan needs institutionalised efforts and mechanisms to check corruption in its all institutions. "Only if there are true reforms that stand the test of time can we hope to escape the menace of corruption plaguing us. The Supreme Court could have been a help and an inspiration here," the paper said.The Dawn also lauded cricketer-turned-politician and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf party chief Imran Khan, saying, "If it were not for the relentless campaign of Khan and his party, the accountability of elected officials would not likely have been at the centre of the national political discourse."It said now the aim of Khan and his party must be to widen the accountability project - to expand it to not just all elected officials but all institutions of the state, elected and unelected. The papers also focused on the fact that none of the Prime Minister so far has been able to complete full term since independence in 1947.

SC ruling against Nawaz Sharif, a stern message to others: Pakistani media

The apex court yesterday disqualified Sharif for dishonesty and ruled that corruption cases be filed against him and his children over the Panama Papers scandal, forcing the embattled leader out of office.

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FILETreatment for COVID-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, either with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, offers no benefit for COVID-19 patients, according to a large observational study. The research, published in the journal The Lancet, analysed data from nearly 15,000 patients with COVID-19 who received chloroquine or its analogue hydroxychloroquine, taken with or without the antibiotics azithromycin or clarithromycin, and 81,000 controls.According to the researchers, including Mandeep Mehra from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US, COVID-19 patients on these drug regimens, experienced an increased risk of serious heart rhythm complications.The scientists said these drugs should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients outside of clinical trials until results from randomised clinical trials are available to confirm their safety and efficacy for COVID-19 patients.They explained chloroquine, an antimalarial drug and its analogue, hydroxychloroquine, are commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases including lupus and arthritis.Both these drugs have a good safety profile as treatments for those specific conditions, and the current research said these patients should not stop taking these drugs if they are prescribed for approved conditions.While these drugs have shown antiviral effects in laboratory tests, and are of interest as potential treatments against SARS-CoV-2, the current study has found that they do not benefit patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19."This is the first large scale study to find statistically robust evidence that treatment with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine does not benefit patients with COVID-19," Mehra said.According to Mehra, the findings suggest the drugs may be associated with an increased risk of serious heart problems and increased risk of death."Randomised clinical trials are essential to confirm any harms or benefits associated with these agents. In the meantime, we suggest these drugs should not be used as treatments for COVID-19 outside of clinical trials.” he said.In the current study, the scientists analysed data from 96,032 patients hospitalised between 20 December 2019 and 14 April 2020 with laboratory confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from 671 hospitals.All of the patients included in the study had either been discharged or had died by 21 April 2020, the scientists said.They compared outcomes from patients treated with chloroquine alone, hydroxychloroquine alone, chloroquine in combination with azithromycin or clarithromycin, or hydroxychloroquine with one of the antibiotics.Patients from these four groups were compared with the remaining control group of 81,144 patients, the researchers said.At the end of the study period, around one in 11 patients in the control group had died in hospital, they said.According to the scientists, all four of the treatments were associated with a higher risk of dying in hospital.The team also found that serious irregular heartbeats called arrhythmias, which cause the lower chamber of the heart to beat rapidly, were more common in the groups receiving either of the four treatment regimens.The researchers said around one in six of those treated with chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine alone had died.When used in combination with one of the antibiotics, the study said the death rate rose to more than one in five for chloroquine, and almost one in four for hydroxychloroquine.According to the study, some of the difference in the rates of mortality is due to underlying differences between patients who received the treatments and those who didn’t.It noted that on accounting for factors like age, race, body weight, and underlying health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes, the drug regimens were associated with an increased risk of death.The excess risk attributable to the use of the drug regimen rather than other factors such as co-morbidities ranged from 34 to 45 per cent, they said.If the rate of mortality is 9.3 per cent in the control group, the scientists said, on adjustment for other clinical factors, the rate attributable to the use of the  drug regimens would rise to 12.4-13.4 per cent.However, they said it is not possible to exclude the possibility of unmeasured factors being responsible for the link.They said this is due to the design of observational studies, and warned that randomised trials are urgently needed to validate the findings.While several countries have advocated use of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, either alone or in combination, as potential treatments for COVID-19, the evidence that they help patients recover from the disease is small, the scientists concluded."Justification for repurposing these medicines in this way is based on a small number of anecdotal experiences that suggest they may have beneficial effects for people infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus," said Frank Ruschitzka from the University Hospital Zurich in Germany, who also co-authored the study.Ruschitzka said, previous small-scale studies have also failed to identify robust evidence of a benefit from these drugs, adding that larger, randomised controlled trials are not yet completed."However, we now know from our study that the chance that these medications improve outcomes in COVID-19 is quite low,” he added.

Hydroxychloroquine offering no benefit in COVID-19 patients: Lancet study

Treatment for COVID-19 with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine, either with or without the antibiotic azithromycin, offers no benefit for COVID-19 patients, according to a large observational study.

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India and China to join handsIndia and China on Friday agreed to join hands to work closely on the ongoing efforts to bring peace and stability in Afghanistan. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had announced on Twitter that Chinese Special Envoy Ambassador Deng Xijun had a meeting with the Indian officials in the presence of Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. The meeting was held to discuss peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.Related Stories Afghanistan chief selector justifies Asghar Afghan's sacking as captain ahead of WCAfghan boy dances in joy after getting a prosthetic leg fitted, his video going viral on the internetPakistan plays important role in Afghan peace process: US Defence SecretarySupreme Court order on Ayodhya case should bring peace: Muslim litigantTaking to Twitter, he said, "Chinese Special Envoy Ambassador Deng Xijun today held discussions with Indian officials on the situation in Afghanistan, including peace and reconciliation efforts. He also called on Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale." His another tweet regarding the issue read, "The two sides agreed to consult closely the evolving situation in Afghanistan and carry forward the decision taken by the leadership of the two countries on joint cooperation in Afghanistan."This is not the first time that India and China are involving Afghan peace efforts. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a discussion with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Wuhan, where the two agreed to collaborate on Afghanistan's peace efforts in order to boost mutual trust between India and China. The meeting was followed by the 73-day standoff in Bhutan's Doklam plateau in 2017, which strained bilateral ties. India has been a key stakeholder in Afghan's peace and reconciliation process and has been pushing for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled peace process. India had also participated in a non-official level talks on Afghanistan peace process which was held in Moscow in November last year.Although, India has a policy of not engaging with the terror group, the meeting which was attended by two former diplomats from New Delhi.

India-China to join hands on Afghanistan's peace efforts

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar had announced on Twitter that Chinese Special Envoy Ambassador Deng Xijun had a meeting with the Indian officials in the presence of Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale. The meeting was held to discuss peace and reconciliation efforts in Afghanistan.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel looks almost certain to clinch a fourth term in the general election next Sunday while a far-right party is poised to enter parliament for the first time since the end of World War II. Latest opinion polls conducted just days before the election unanimously forecast that 62-year-old Merkel, who has been in power since 2005, will remain at the helm of the next government irrespective of which coalition will be formed after the election.Merkel's conservative bloc, that comprises her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian ally Christian Social Union (CSU), will emerge as the largest group in the next Bundestag - the Lower House of Parliament - and no coalition will be possible without the conservatives. They will have the best chance to form the next government picking their preferred partner, according to opinion polls.The two parties together are expected to poll around 37 per cent of the votes on September 24 compared to 20 per cent forecast for Merkel's main challenger Martin Schulz and his Social Democratic Party (SPD). Schulz has been lagging far behind Merkel in opinion polls during the past several months and he lost more ground after the only televised debate of the election campaign between the two main contenders three weeks ago.Schulz, who until January was president of the European Parliament, no longer poses a threat to Merkel's re-election aspirations. Only around 25 per cent of voters interviewed in opinion polls favoured him as the next chancellor compared to more than 50 per cent who wanted Merkel to remain in office.Opinion polls also unanimously forecast that the anti-migrants far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) will enter the Bundestag for the first time in Sunday's election while the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), which lost its parliamentary representation in the last general election in 2013 for failing to poll the minimum five per cent of votes, will re-enter the lower house.The AfD, which is forecast to receive upto 12 per cent of the votes, might become strong enough to replace the Left party as the third largest group in the Bundestag after the conservatives and the Social Democrats, according to the polls.Public support for the Left party has been steadily eroding in the past months and now it can hope of receiving only around nine per cent of the votes.The FDP is expected to poll around 10 per cent of votes and thereby become the fifth largest group ahead of the Green Party, which may receive around 7.5 per cent.The most likely outcome of the election predicted by opinion polls will be a new edition of Merkel's current "grand coalition" between the conservatives and the SPD, which is also the choice of a vast majority of the voters.The polls showed that over 60 per cent of those surveyed are satisfied with the performance of the government during the last four years and they want the "grand coalition" to carry on its work in the next legislative period.The conservatives and Social Democrats will have a comfortable majority in the next Bundestag which is necessary to ensure a stable government.Arithmetically, a coalition between the conservatives, the Green party and the Free Democratic Party also could be possible, polls said. However, there are strong political differences which still kept them apart and such a coalition at the national level has never been tried before.Election analysts said around 50 per cent of voters are still undecided about whom to vote for on Sunday and therefore the election result will be influenced by the way the undecided voters would cast their votes. Many voters interviewed said they will take a decision during the final phase of the campaign or just before the voting gets underway.Germany is Europe's biggest economic power and the fourth largest in the world after the United States, China and Japan.

Polls predict fourth term for Angela Merkel as German Chancellor; elections on Sunday

Merkel's conservative bloc, that comprises her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian ally Christian Social Union (CSU), will emerge as the largest group in the next Bundestag.

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Authorities say a lockdown has been lifted on the campus of Virginia State University following a shooting that left one person injured.Virginia State University Police say via Twitter on Sunday morning that "Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted."The Chesterfield Police Department previously said in a statement the incident happened about 8:25 p.m. Saturday. They said responding officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound with non-life-threatening injuries.Chesterfield Police said "police believe this is an isolated incident."The university's website says the Petersburg, Virginia school located about 24 miles south of Richmond was celebrating the final day of its homecoming.An investigation is ongoing. No further information was immediately available.

Virginia State University campus shooting leaves one injured, lockdown lifted

Virginia State University Police say via Twitter on Sunday morning that "Police have cleared the scene. Officers will remain vigilant. Campus lock down has been lifted."

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Imran KhanPakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he was "disappointed" at India's decision to call off talks between the foreign ministers of the two countries, and called New Delhi's response "arrogant and negative."Taking to Twitter, Khan said: "Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue." "However, all my life I have come across small men occupying big offices who do not have the vision to see the larger picture."Indian External Affairs Ministers Sushma Swaraj and her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi were set to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week, that could have marked the first thaw in bilateral ties that have steadily deteriorated.The Indian government said on Friday that it cancelled talks with Pakistan following two "deeply disturbing" developments that led to Islamabad's "evil agenda" being exposed.In one incident, terrorists abducted and gunned down three policemen in Jammu and Kashmir, marking a sharp escalation in militancy in the state which India says is backed by Pakistan.Also, Islamabad had issued postage stamps in memory of Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Mujahideen leader who was shot dead by Indian security forces in July 2016, sparking widespread street protests.Qureshi had called the development "unfortunate" and claimed that the decision was taken by New Delhi "under internal pressure". "The reasons cited by the Indian side for the decision to cancel the foreign ministers' meeting, within 24 hours of its public confirmation, are entirely unconvincing," the Pakistan Foreign Ministry had said in a statement.(With IANS inputs)

Disappointed at 'arrogant' response by India to my call for resumption of peace dialogue: Imran Khan

"Disappointed at the arrogant and negative response by India to my call for resumption of the peace dialogue," tweeted Khan.

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 USA President Donald Trump

If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran, says Donald Trump

The latest Washington-Tehran frictions come after Iran suspended its commitments under the 2015 landmark international nuclear deal, and threatened to resume production of enriched uranium which is used to make reactor fuel and nuclear weapons.

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In this file photo dated Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019, Palmerston, the Foreign Office cat sits on a photographer's ladder at Downing Street in London. It is announced Friday Aug. 7, 2020, that Palmerston is retiring from his hectic city job, and will retire to the countryside after four long, hard years on the job. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)Palmerston, the chief mouser at the UK Foreign Office has decided to leave sorting out international affairs to the human diplomats and retire after four-year service. The former diplomat made it official in a letter sent in his name to Simon McDonald, the office's permanent under-secretary. In the letter, Palmerston explained that he wanted more time 'away from the limelight'.“I have found life away from the front line relaxed, quieter, and easier,” a letter signed with two paw prints said. It was posted on Twitter.Palmerston, who is named after the longest-serving British Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston, arrived in April 2016 as a rescue cat. He had plenty of company, though sometimes less than smooth diplomatic relations with Larry, cat-in-residence at nearby 10 Downing Street. The two were sometimes seen fighting in the street outside the British prime minister’s home.The letter from Palmerston, or @DiploMog’ as he is known on Twitter, said his service showed that “even those with four legs and fur have an important part to play in the U.K.’s global effort.”Image Source : TWITTERPalmerston's resignation letterPalmerston's resignation letter“I have been delighted to meet representatives from all over the world, and I hope I have done you proud in putting the U.K.’s best foot or paw forward in such interaction,’’ the letter said.His colleagues said he would be missed. Jon Benjamin, director of the department’s Diplomatic Academy, wished him a “very happy retirement.″ “He left us a slightly chewed dead mouse next to my desk in @UKDipAcademy once,″ he tweeted, adding “we were of course not very grateful.”(With inputs from AP)

UK's Top diplomatic cat and 'Chief Mouser', Palmerston, retires

Palmerston, the chief mouser at the UK Foreign Office has decided to leave sorting out international affairs to the human diplomats and retire after four-year service.

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India continues to show it won't back down from China's aggression: Nikki Haley on app banA couple of days after New Delhi banned apps with Chinese links, Republican leader and Indian American Nikki Haley said that India was continuing to show that it won't back down from a Chinese aggression. India on Monday banned 59 apps with Chinese links, including the hugely popular TikTok and UC Browser, for engaging in "activities which are prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state and public order".The ban came against the backdrop of the current stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual control in eastern Ladakh. The tension escalated manifold after 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a violent clash in Galwan Valley on June 15. The Chinese side also suffered casualties but it is yet to give out the details."Good to see India ban 59 popular apps owned by Chinese firms, including TikTok, which counts India as one of its largest markets," Haley tweeted on Wednesday. "India is continuing to show it won't back down from China's aggression," the former US Ambassador to the UN said in a tweet hours after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed India's decision in this regard. Pompeo on Wednesday welcomed New Delhi's decision to ban dozens of apps with Chinese links, saying it will "boost India's integrity and national security.""We welcome India's ban on certain mobile apps that serves as an appendage of the CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) surveillance State," Pompeo told reporters at a news conference held at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department."India's clean app approach will boost India's sovereignty. It will also boost India's integrity and national security," he said. In an interview to Fox News, Republican Senator Marco Rubio supported India's move to ban Chinese apps."Yes, they're not only appropriate, they're long overdue," he said when asked about steps like banning Chinese apps by India and the US taking action against Huawei and ZTE. According to MIT Technology Review India has a huge smartphone user base and English-speaking population, which make it the world's largest social media market. India is also TikTok's biggest market, with nearly 191 million downloads at the end of 2019; the US is at a distant second with nearly 41 million, it stated."India's Chinese app ban is a new diplomatic maneuver. India and China have opened a new front in their ongoing skirmish. Both countries are nuclear powers and economic giants, but India's ban is notable for using social media as a tool to exert political pressure on its rival," MIT Technology Review said.Forbes magazine said that the ban on TikTok has left many influencers and influencer managers bereft of work and in shock. 

India continues to show it won't back down from China's aggression: Nikki Haley on app ban

A couple of days after New Delhi banned apps with Chinese links, the Republican leader and Indian American Nikki Haley said that India was continuing to show that it won't back down from a Chinese aggression

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A roadblock is set a block away from the scene of an apparent mass shooting in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, April 3, 2022.At least two shooters opened fire early Sunday in Sacramento in the city’s second mass shooting in five weeks, killing six people and wounding 12 others as bars closed for the night and crowds emptied onto downtown streets, police said.Three men and three women were killed, Police Chief Kathy Lester said. Their bodies remained on the pavement hours after the gunfire erupted around 2 a.m. Police sought clues from a crime scene that stretched across multiple city blocks as they searched for the shooters.At least four of the wounded were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Authorities have not identified any of the victims or offered a possible motive.Investigators pored through hundreds of pieces of evidence — much of it documented on the streets with blue and yellow markers — as officials begged the public to come forward with tips and videos that could help find the suspects.Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area, said she’s fielded many phone calls reporting violence in her district during her 15 months in office. She cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call woke her up at 2:30 a.m. “I’m heartbroken and I’m outraged,” she said. “Our community deserves better than this.”Sunday’s violence was the third time this year in the U.S. that at least six people have been killed in a mass shooting, according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.Sacramento has endured two mass shootings in the last five weeks . On Feb. 28, a father killed his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a Sacramento church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, even though he was under a restraining order that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.The area where Sunday’s killings occurred is on the outskirts of the city’s main entertainment district and has many bars and restaurants. It’s anchored by the Golden One Center that attracts big-name concerts and is home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. City officials have invested heavily in the area to promote development.Videos on social media showed what appeared to be an altercation before the gunfire in California’s capital city. Sgt. Zach Eaton, a police spokesperson, said they “don’t know if that fight actually lead to the shooting.”Kelsey Schar was staying on the fourth floor of Citizen Hotel when she said she heard gunshots and saw flashes in the dark. She walked to the window and “saw a guy running and just shooting,” Schar told the AP.Her friend, Madalyn Woodard, said she saw a crowd in the street scatter amid the gunfire and a girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm lying on the ground. Security guards from a nearby nightclub rushed to help the girl with what looked like napkins to try to stanch the bleeding.A video posted on Twitter showed people running through the street amid the sounds of rapid gunfire. Nightclubs close at 2 a.m. and it’s typical for streets to be full of people at that hour in the city of about 525,000, located 75 miles (120 kilometers) from San Francisco.Pop duo Aly & AJ performed Saturday at Sacramento’s Crest Theatre and their tour bus was caught in the gunfire, the musicians said on Twitter. No one in their touring group was hurt, the tweet said.California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement that his administration was working closely with law enforcement officials.“What we do know at this point is that another mass casualty shooting has occurred, leaving families with lost loved ones, multiple individuals injured and a community in grief,” he said.Kay Harris, 32, told the AP she was asleep when one of her family members called to say they thought her brother Sergio Harris had been killed. She said she thought he had been at the London nightclub, which is near the shooting.Pamela Harris, Sergio Harris’ mother, told The Sacramento Bee the family had not heard from him since the shooting. “We just want to know what happened to him,” she said. “Not knowing anything is just hard to face.” Berry Accius, a community activist, said he came to the scene shortly after the shooting happened. “The first thing I saw was like victims. I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’“ he said.Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in recent years it “has been a very difficult time in downtown Sacramento,” as the city’s development efforts took a hit from the coronavirus pandemic. He added that the shooting “gives pause to our entire community,” but he urged people to continue visiting the area.

6 killed, 12 others injured in Sacramento's second mass shooting

Three men and three women were killed, Police Chief Kathy Lester said. Their bodies remained on the pavement hours after the gunfire erupted around 2 a.m. Police sought clues from a crime scene that stretched across multiple city blocks as they searched for the shooters.