Datasets:

ILSUM

/

ILSUM-1.0

like 3

3ac983d9681a3ed381fda678620f29bb

US President Donald Trump said that while a military response remains a possibility as the US develops a response to North Korea's detonation of what Pyongyang claims was a hydrogen bomb, it would not be his first choice."Military action would certainly be an option. Is it inevitable? Nothing is inevitable," he said on Thursday when a reporter raised the issue during the President's joint press conference with the visiting Emir of Kuwait."I would prefer not going the route of the military," Trump said."I can tell you that North Korea is behaving badly and it's got to stop," he said, alluding to the nuclear detonation and a series of ballistic missile launches.China wants to restrain the government in Pyongyang, Trump said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping."President Xi would like to do something ... we'll see whether or not he can do it. But we will not be putting up with what's happening in North Korea," the US President said of the conversation.Following last weekend's nuclear test, Trump said he was considering cutting off US trade links with any country that does business with North Korea, whose main economic partner is China.Last Sunday, Defense Secretary James Mattis said North Korea would face "a massive military response" if it were to pose any threat against the US or its allies."Our commitment among the allies are ironclad," Mattis said. "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."The North Korean government has spoken about plans for an attack on US military facilities in Guam.

Military action certainly an option against North Korea, says Donald Trump

China wants to restrain the government in Pyongyang, Trump said on Wednesday after a telephone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping

4c4aeff104407dc126e78ddee33a6506

US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that there is no reason for him to listen to a recording of the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.US President Donald Trump on Sunday said that there is no reason for him to listen to a recording of the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.In an interview, Trump made clear that the audio recording, supplied by the Turkish government, would not affect his response to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been critical of the Saudi royal family.Related Stories Jamal Khashoggi murder: US slaps sanctions on 17 Saudis for 'involvement' in killing of Washington post journalist Saudi Prince ordered killing of Jamal Khashoggi, says US Intelligence'Reports inaccurate': Trump administration denies reaching conclusion on Khashoggi's death'Will publish full report over next two days': Trump on Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi murder“It’s a suffering tape, it’s a terrible tape. I’ve been fully briefed on it, there’s no reason for me to hear it,” Trump said in the interview with  Fox News  on Sunday.” ″I know everything that went on in the tape without having to hear it.”On Saturday, Trump said his administration will “be having a very full report over the next two days, probably Monday or Tuesday.” He said the report will include “who did it.” It was unclear if the report would be made public.American intelligence agencies have concluded that the crown prince ordered the killing in the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, according to a U.S. official familiar with the assessment. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Others familiar with the case caution that while it’s likely the crown prince was involved in the death, there continue to be questions about what role he played.Trump noted to “Fox News Sunday” that the crown prince has repeatedly denied being involved in the killing inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.“Will anybody really know?” Trump asked. “At the same time, we do have an ally, and I want to stick with an ally that in many ways has been very good.”Intelligence officials have been providing information to Trump for weeks about the death, and he was briefed again by phone Saturday by CIA Director Gina Haspel and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he flew to California. White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders provided no details of his call but said the president has confidence in the CIA.“The United States government is determined to hold all those responsible for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi accountable,” the State Department said in a statement. “Recent reports indicating that the U.S. government has made a final conclusion are inaccurate. There remain numerous unanswered questions with respect to the murder of Mr. Khashoggi.”The statement added: “The U.S. government has taken decisive measures against the individuals responsible, including visa and sanctions actions. We will continue to explore additional measures to hold those accountable who planned, led and were connected to the murder. And, we will do that while maintaining the important strategic relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”Before his call on Air Force One, Trump told reporters that when it came to the crown prince, “as of this moment we were told that he did not play a role. We’re going to have to find out what they have to say.” That echoed remarks by national security adviser John Bolton, who said earlier this week that people who have listened to an audio recording of the killing do not think it implicates the crown prince.Trump has called the killing a botched operation that was carried out very poorly and has said “the cover-up was one of the worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups.”But he has resisted calls to cut off arms sales to the kingdom and has been reluctant to antagonize the Saudi rulers. Trump considers the Saudis vital allies in his Mideast agenda.But members of Congress are pushing Trump for a tougher response to the killing. The administration this past week penalized 17 Saudi officials for their alleged role in the killing, but American lawmakers have called on the administration to curtail arms sales to Saudi Arabia or take other harsher punitive measures.Turkish and Saudi authorities say Khashoggi, a Saudi who lived in the United States, was killed inside the consulate by a team from the kingdom after he went there to get marriage documents. 

'It's terrible, there is no reason for me to hear it': Trump on Jamal Khashoggi murder tapes

In an interview, Trump made clear that the audio recording, supplied by the Turkish government, would not affect his response to the Oct. 2 killing of Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post who had been critical of the Saudi royal family.

54b7c70793011dddb2c14be98267e14d

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (Right) arrives to attend a military parade.Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is facing worst ever government crisis, has offered to dissolve the assembly if a no-confidence motion by the opposition against him is withdrawn.According to reports, an “important personality” has given a message of the Prime Minister to the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.Oppn still adamant on no-trust voteHowever, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA and Information Secretary Shazia Atta Marri on Thursday said that the joint opposition will not tack back the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan's ARY News reported.Army interfers, pitches for backdoor deal between Khan, Oppn In view of the matter falling under the serious parameter of national security, the military's top brass was quick to stop Khan from revealing details of the alleged threat letter and called on the Prime Minister to discuss its sensitivity.It is said that the top military brass is now engaging with Khan and the opposition parties and are working out a strategy to pan out an agreeable options for the political parties and a face saving agreement for the government and the opposition parties to get out of the current political crisis."The civil and military officials who attended the meeting mulled over backdoor talks for the next general elections," said an informed source."The huddle considered giving such options to the government and opposition which would be acceptable to both," the source added.It was also revealed that the meeting also discussed holding of the next general elections and the durations of the interim government."The face-saving agreement would include holding general elections in the National Assembly as well as the four provincial assemblies," the source stated.No-trust vote to proceed as per scheduleHowever, this was also stated that the no-trust voting would proceed as per schedule, making it clear that Khan may be allowed to be de-seated through the voting in the parliament, after which an interim-government would be formed and the country would go into the next general elections within the next three months.Imran Khan seems to be falling out of options to save his position as the Prime Minister against the no-confidence motion, put forward by the opposition alliance, which seems to have gathered a considerable amount of support in favour of the vote.Khan, during his March 27 public rally in Islamabad, waved a letter, stating that his opposition and the attempt to oust his government, was part of a foreign conspiracy and plot, who he said had issues him a threat letter, warning of dire consequences if he managed to save his seat from the no-confidence motion.The letter has become the centre of attention, since Khan expressed his desire to make it public and also shared some details with his cabinet members, but the army is stopping it from being made public.(With inputs from IANS)ALSO READ | Pakistan Political Crisis UpdatesALSO READ | Pakistan political crisis: Top contenders for PM post if Imran Khan steps down

Imran Khan offers to dissolve National Assembly; Army pitches for backdoor deal between Govt, Oppn: Sources

Reports say that Pakistan's top military brass is now engaging with Imran Khan and the opposition parties to get out of the current political crisis.

2ffbbaa0448441aac9004b904f616708

A man wears a mask to protect himself from the coronavirus while running in front of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge along the Embarcadero in San Francisco, Sunday, April 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)Americans braced for what the nation’s top doctor warned Sunday would be “the hardest and saddest week” of their lives while Britain assumed the unwelcome mantle of deadliest coronavirus hot spot in Europe after a record 24-hour jump in deaths that surpassed even hard-hit Italy’s.Britain’s own prime minister, Boris Johnson, was hospitalized, 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19 in what his office described as a “precautionary step.”Amid the dire news, there were also glimmers of hope some hard-hit areas — the number of people dying appeared to be slowing in New York City, Spain and Italy. The news was cautiously welcomed by leaders, who also noted that any gains could easily be reversed if people did not continue to adhere to strict lockdowns.U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams offered a stark warning about the expected wave of virus deaths.“This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment,” he told “Fox News Sunday.”But President Donald Trump later suggested the hard weeks ahead could foretell the turning of a corner. “We’re starting to see light at the end of the tunnel,” Trump said at an evening White House briefing.In New York City, the U.S. epicenter of the pandemic, daily deaths dropped slightly, along with intensive care admissions and the number of patients who needed breathing tubes inserted, but New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned it was “too early to tell” the significance of those numbers.Italy and Spain also got some encouraging news. Italy registered its lowest day-to-day increase in deaths in more than two weeks — 525, said Angelo Borrelli, the head of the national Civil Protection agency. The pace of infection also seemed to be slowing.Even so, Borrelli warned, “This good news shouldn’t make us drop our guard.”Confirmed infections fell in Spain, too, and new deaths declined for the third straight day, dropping to 674 — the first time daily deaths have fallen below 800 in the past week.The outlook, however, was bleak in Britain, which reported more than 600 deaths Sunday, surpassing Italy’s increase. Italy still has, by far, the world’s highest coronavirus death toll — almost 16,000.In a rare televised address, Queen Elizabeth II appealed to Britons to rise the occasion, while acknowledging enormous disruptions, grief and financial difficulties.“I hope in the years to come, everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge,” she said. “And those who come after us will say that the Britons of this generation were as strong as any.”Johnson, meanwhile, has been hospitalized, though his office said it was not an emergency and that the 55-year-old Conservative will undergo tests.There are concerns that Johnson’s government did not take the virus seriously enough at first and that spring weather will tempt Britons and others to break social distancing rules.Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the U.K. might even ban outdoor exercise if people still ’’flout the rules.″“The vast majority of people are following the public health advice, which is absolutely critical, and staying at home,” Hancock told Sky TV. “But there are a small minority of people who are still not doing that — it’s quite unbelievable, frankly, to see that.”As the numbers of infections rose, Saffron Cordery, the deputy head of Britain’s National Health Service Providers, said the agency needed to focus on quickly increasing ventilator capacity and getting more protective equipment for health care workers.Italians have not been immune to lure of the good weather, either. Top Italian officials took to national television after photos were published showing huge crowds out shopping.Health Minister Roberto Speranza told RAI state television that all the sacrifices Italians have made since the nationwide lockdown began risked being reversed.Restrictions on movement vary from country to country, state to state, locality to locality. Swedes have been advised to practice social distancing, but schools, bars and restaurants remain open. In Germany and Britain, residents can get outdoors to exercise and walk their dogs, while in Serbia and South Africa, dog walking is not allowed.The ACLU filed its first lawsuit over coronavirus restrictions, arguing in part that Puerto Rico’s curfew leaves people fearing arrest if they help elderly relatives by letting police determine who belongs in a family. A coastal community’s mayor in Georgia fears the governor’s mandate to open beaches will bring crowds to the small island with older residents and no medical facility.At the Vatican, Pope Francis blessed palms for Palm Sunday in a near-empty St. Peter’s Basilica. At a New Orleans church, Rev. Emmanuel Mulenga blessed palm fronds and put them on a back table so people could get them while also observing social distancing.Worldwide, more than 1.2 million people have been confirmed infected and nearly 70,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins University. The true numbers are certainly much higher, due to limited testing, different ways nations count the dead and deliberate under-reporting by some governments.The vast majority of infected people recover from the virus, which is spread by microscopic droplets from coughs or sneezes. For most people, the virus causes mild to moderate symptoms such as fever and cough. But for some, especially older adults and the infirm, it can cause pneumonia and lead to death.The rapid spread of the virus in the United States has prompted a chaotic scramble for medical equipment and protective gear.An Associated Press review of purchasing contracts showed that federal agencies largely waited until mid-March — more than two months after the first warnings of a potential pandemic — to begin placing bulk orders of N95 respirator masks, mechanical ventilators and other equipment needed by front-line health care workers.By that time, hospitals in several states were treating thousands of infected patients without adequate equipment and pleading for shipments from the national stockpile. Now that stockpile is nearly drained just as the numbers of patients requiring critical care is surging.When asked about the issue, Trump said federal officials and the military had worked “a miracle.”Rebekah Gee, who heads the Louisiana State University’s health care services division, warned that the private and public sector have been competing with each other, leading to price increases.Gee said one of her colleagues went on eBay to buy gowns, while equipment her department ordered from China got stalled for weeks in Hong Kong.“Our whole country is at war with this virus,” said Gee, who once ran the state’s Department of Health. “This needs a coordinated approach, and right now that’s not happening.”Louisiana and the New Orleans area have been hard hit by the virus, and Gov. John Bel Edwards has repeatedly warned of looming equipment shortages.Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he hoped the pace of new infections would plateau soon, but that the virus is unlikely to be eradicated this year.Speaking on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Fauci said the prospect of a resurgence is why the U.S. is working so hard to develop a vaccine and conducting clinical trials on treatments.Scientists are still learning about the virus that was first detected in late December in Wuhan, China. In what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the U.S., officials said Sunday that a tiger at the Bronx Zoo had tested positive.

Americans brace for ‘hardest, saddest’ week of their lives

Americans braced for what the nation’s top doctor warned Sunday would be “the hardest and saddest week” of their lives while Britain assumed the unwelcome mantle of deadliest coronavirus hot spot in Europe after a record 24-hour jump in deaths that surpassed even hard-hit Italy’s.

4fa949c6a2059416256db731f8519dce

Strong earthquake hits IranA magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck western Iran near its border with Iraq on Sunday night, injuring over 170 people and sending fearful residents running into the street, authorities said. The temblor hit near Sarpol-e Zahab in Iran's Kermanshah province, which was the epicenter of an earthquake last year that killed over 600 people and where some still remain homeless.Morteza Salimi of Iran's Red Crescent told Iranian state television that 171 people were injured, most of them slightly.Related Stories India's nuclear plants unaffected by Iran earthquakeQuake kills five in PakistanRescuers stop searches after Iran quakes kill 250At Least 100 Injured In Iran Earthquake: ReportsAt least 450 people killed in powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake on Iran-Iraq borderKermanshah provincial Gov. Houshang Bazvand similarly said there were injuries, but few people hospitalized.Authorities said six rescue teams were immediately deployed after the quake stopped and the country's army and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were responding.Officials reported damage at buildings both in town and in rural Kermanshah, as well as to some roadways. The temblor also downed powerlines and caused power outages into the night as temperatures hovered around 8 degrees Celsius (46 degrees Fahrenheit).The quake struck just after 8 pm in Iran, meaning most were still awake at the time and able to quickly flee.The 6.3 earthquake had a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the US Geological Survey. Iran state TV gave the depth as 5 kilometers (3.1 miles). Such shallow earthquakes have broader damage.The earthquake was felt as far away as the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.Iran is located on major seismic faults and experiences an earthquake per day on average.In 2003, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake flattened the historic city of Bam in southern Iran, killing 26,000 people.Last year's earthquake near Sarpol-e Zahab, a predominantly Kurdish town, had a magnitude of 7.3 and injured more than 9,000 people.The region, nestled in the Zagros Mountains, largely rebuilt in recent decades after Iran and Iraq's ruinous 1980s war, saw many buildings collapse or sustain major damage in the 2017 quake.Sarpol-e Zahab, some 520 kilometers southwest of the Iranian capital of Tehran, suffered half of the 2017 temblor's casualties.

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake jolts western Iran; over 170 injured

The quake struck just after 8 pm in Iran, meaning most were still awake at the time and able to quickly flee.

d6bafbb3f7cb245135a6ee56883de769

People wearing face masks to protect against the coronavirus walk past the China Central Television (CCTV) Building in the central business district in Beijing.China is already injecting citizens with a coronavirus vaccine even when it is still under development with phase-3 trials underway in United Arab Emirates (UAE). China's vaccine has been developed by state-owned Sinopharm whose clinical trials are still underway but is being administered to people ever since July 22, as revealed by a Chinese health official on state television. The official said that people were being vaccinated since July 22 under emergency use authorisation.According to a report in the Washington Post, China's coronavirus vaccine development head Zheng Zongwei on state television said that some medical workers, government officials were administered vaccine since July 22. The official added that the vaccine will be given to more people in the coming days."In order to prevent the disease spread in the fall and winter, we are considering a moderate expansion in the programme… The purpose would be to first build and immunity barrier among special groups in the population," The Washington Post quoted Zongwei as saying.Meanwhile, no new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases were reported in the Chinese mainland, the National Health Commission said on Tuesday. A total of 14 confirmed cases arriving from outside the mainland were reported on Monday. No new suspected cases nor deaths related to the disease were reported on the mainland, it added.Of the new imported cases, four were reported in Sichuan, three in Guangdong, two each in Shanghai and Shaanxi, and one each in Tianjin, Hebei and Liaoning, the commission said.As of Tuesday, the total number of coronavirus cases on the mainland stood at 84,981, including 386 patients who were still being treated, with 10 in severe condition.Altogether 79,961 people had been discharged after recovery, and 4,634 had died of the disease on the mainland, the commission said. There were two suspected COVID-19 cases on the mainland, it added.According to the commission, 12,370 close contacts were still under medical observation. Also on Monday, 16 new asymptomatic cases, all from outside the mainland, were reported.The commission said 374 asymptomatic cases were still under medical observation.ALSO READ | FDC launches 2 variants of Favipiravir in India at Rs 55 per tabletALSO READ | Singapore warns of further waves of coronavirus, untill vaccine is found

China vaccinating people with coronavirus vaccine since July: COVID19 vaccine development head

China is already injecting citizens with a coronavirus vaccine even when it is still under development with phase-3 trials underway in United Arab Emirates (UAE).

2f2d17271227d16f9022677e3638ebbc

Imran Khan 'has no capability' to complete his term: Bilawal BhuttoPakistan People's Party President Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan "has no capability" to complete his term as all political forces of the country and people belonging to all spheres of life had no other option but to go on an agitation against the "puppet government".The PPP leader made the remarks to the media while visiting the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre here on Sunday, Dawn news reported.He said the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was not competent to steer the country to the right direction, which was the reason that everyone across the country was raising voice against its "anti-people" policies.The PPP leader said he was not seeing the government to last long for creating self-inflicting hard conditions."Everyone is fed up with this puppet government," he added.At a rally on Friday night, Bhutto-Zaradari had announced nationwide anti-government protests to "restore 'real' democracy in the country".He said the PPP will protest in Thar on October 23, demonstrate in Kashmore on 26 whereas rallies in Punjab will begin from November 1.

Imran Khan 'has no capability' to complete his term: Bilawal Bhutto

He said the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was not competent to steer the country to the right direction, which was the reason that everyone across the country was raising voice against its "anti-people" policies.

cc5370f9595f9729f8d2b879aa840e2b

China has deployed over 60,000 soldiers on India's northern border: PompeoHitting out at Beijing, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday said China has amassed over 60,000 troops on India's northern border. He slammed China for its "bad behaviour" and the threats it poses to the Quad countries.Earlier on Tuesday, the foreign ministers from the Indo-Pacific nations known as the Quad group - the US, Japan, India and Australia - met in Tokyo, in what was their first in-person talks since the coronavirus pandemic began. The meeting took place in the backdrop of China's aggressive military behaviour in the Indo-Pacific, South China Sea and along the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in eastern Ladakh."The Indians are seeing 60,000 Chinese soldiers on their northern border,” Pompeo told The Guy Benson Show in an interview on Friday after his return from Tokyo wherein he attended the second Quad ministerial with his counterparts from India, Japan and Australia."I was with my foreign minister counterparts from India, Australia, and Japan – a format that we call the Quad, four big democracies, four powerful economies, four nations, each of whom has real risk associated with the threats imposed – attempting to be imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. And they see it in their home countries too," he said.Pompeo met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Tokyo on Tuesday and they underscored the need to work together to advance, peace, prosperity and security in the Indo-Pacific and around the globe.He described his meeting with Jaishankar as "productive.""They see, the people of their (Quad) nations understanding that we all slept on this for too long. For decades, the West allowed the Chinese Communist Party to walk all over us. The previous administration bent a knee, too often allowed China to steal our intellectual properties and the millions of jobs that came along with it. They see that in their country too," he said in the interview.In another interview with Larry O’Connor, Pompeo said in his meetings with his counterparts from Japan, India and Australia, they began to develop a set of understandings and policies that can jointly take these countries to work to present a true resistance to the threats that the Chinese Communist Party poses to each of these nations."They absolutely need the United States to be their ally and partner in this fight," he said."But they’ve all seen it, whether it’s the Indians, who are actually having a physical confrontation with the Chinese up in the Himalayas in the northeastern part of India, the Chinese have now begun to amass huge forces against India in the north – whether it’s the Australians who did the simple thing of saying the Chinese screwed this deal up with the virus, and we’d like to understand what happened and said we ought to have a full investigation, and in exchange for that, the Chinese Communist Party began to extort, coerce, bully the Australians,” Pompeo said.Every one of these countries has seen this, he said, adding that people in each of these countries now understand the Chinese Communist Party presents a threat to them."The world has awakened. The tide’s begun to turn. And the United States under President Trump’s leadership has now built out a coalition that will push back against the threat and maintain good order, the rule of law, and the basic civic decency that comes from democracies controlling the world and not authoritarian regimes," Pompeo said.In his third-interview to Fox News, Pompeo said that the US under Trump administration has begun to build out all the edifice of the structure and the allies and the coalition to push back against China."We aim to protect the American people from the threat that the Chinese Communist Party poses," he said.Referring to his Quad ministerial meeting, Pompeo said that the three other countries Japan, India, and Australia were building out a coalition, build partners and allies around the world who understand the threat from the Chinese Communist Party in the same way that "we do so that they can protect jobs here at home"."Look, they’ve stacked 60,000 soldiers against the Indians in the north. When the Australians had the temerity to ask for an investigation of the Wuhan virus and where it began, something that we know a lot about, the Chinese Communist Party threatened them. They bullied them,” Pompeo told Fox News."We need partners and friends. They’ll certainly try to react. But what the Chinese Communist Party had become accustomed to, frankly, for an awfully long time was watching America bend a knee, watching us turn the other cheek and appease them," he said."That only encouraged their bad behaviour, their malign activity. Our push back – they understand we’re serious about it. They’ve watched that we’re going to confront them and impose costs upon them. I am confident that this activity, over time, will change the nature of what the Chinese Communist Party tries to do to harm America,” Pompeo said.India is expanding bilateral cooperation with Japan, the US and Australia in the Indo-Pacific region.The US has been pushing for a greater role for India in the Indo-Pacific which is seen by many countries as an effort to contain China's growing clout in the region.(With PTI inputs)

China has deployed over 60,000 soldiers on India's northern border: Pompeo

China has amassed more than 60,000 troops on India's northern border, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said as he hit out at Beijing for its "bad behaviour" and the threats it poses to the Quad countries.

69a57f0b35f6d9c087a2f70d5d9cc0d2

Imran Khan to visit Qatar on Thursday to discuss bilateral tiesPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be on a day-long visit to Qatar on Thursday during which he and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will discuss matters related to bilateral ties and regional development, according to an official statement."During the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to Qatar the focus will be on strengthening bilateral cooperation and exchanging views on regional developments," the Foreign Office said in a statement.This would be the second visit of Prime Minister Khan to Qatar after taking office in 2018.The Emir of Qatar visited Pakistan in June 2019 and the visit resulted in strengthening bilateral economic collaboration in diverse areas, FO said. The visit comes ahead of signing of the historic peace agreement between the US and the Afghan Taliban on February 29.Qatar has invited foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to attend the signing ceremony in Doha.

Imran Khan to visit Qatar on Thursday to discuss bilateral ties

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will be on a day-long visit to Qatar on Thursday during which he and the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani will discuss matters related to bilateral ties and regional development, according to an official statement.

259e5621e20779beef943f142c9fb4e7

A boy wearing a mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus plays in front of a mural by artist Yulier P. titled "Marcha Hacia la Oscuridad," or Move Toward Darkness, in the patio of a home in Havana, Cuba, Friday, April 10, 2020. Yulier P. said his latest murals show humanity's powerlessness against the COVID-19 disease. Coronavirus cases worldwide have reached 1,780,312 as over 80,000 fresh cases were reported on Saturday while the death toll has reached 108,826. USA, with 20,577 deaths, has overtaken Italy as the country with most COVID-19 deaths while it also becomes the first country to cross the 20,000 barrier. On Saturday, US saw 30,000 new cases along with 1,830 new deaths. Across the Atlantic, major European countries like Spain, Italy and France are reporting comparatively lesser number of deaths. Italy has the most deaths in Europe (19,468), followed by Spain (16,606) and France (13,832). The United Kingdom is also on the verge of crossing 10,000 COVID-19 deaths as the Island nation reported 917 fatalities on Saturday to take its tally to 9,875. China, which has removed major lockdowns in the country, reported 46 new coronavirus cases on Saturday including 3 deaths. Many countries across the globe have extended their lockdowns and coronavirus numbers continue to go up. 

Global coronavirus case tally approaches 1.8 million; death toll mounts to 108,826

Coronavirus cases worldwide have reached 1,780,312 as over 80,000 fresh cases were reported on Saturday while the death toll has reached 108,826. USA, with 20,577 deaths, has overtaken Italy as the country with most COVID-19 deaths while it also becomes the first country to cross the 20,000 barrier. On Saturday, US saw 30,000 new cases along with 1,830 new deaths.

84aa64b6727c6bafdbd214437a617ed4

‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-USA window-rattling late winter storm brought blizzards, floods and a tornado across more than 25 states Wednesday, stretching from the northern Rocky Mountains to Texas and beyond.“This is a very epic cyclone,” said Greg Carbin, chief of forecast operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center. “We’re looking at something that will go down in the history books.”In Colorado, a state patrol officer was hit and killed by a car as he was helping another driver who slid off Interstate 76 near Denver.Corporal Daniel Groves, 52, was outside his patrol car when he was struck. He died at a hospital.Hundreds of drivers were stranded on Colorado highways, including 500 in the Colorado Springs area alone. Gov. Jared Polis activated the National Guard to help find and rescue snowbound drivers.Scores of motorists took refuge at truck stops in eastern Wyoming while blowing snow forced portions of major highways to close in Colorado, Nebraska and South Dakota.‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-US‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-USBria McKenzie, 22, said she and her mother, brother and sister were stuck in their car for more than two hours on a hilly road in Colorado Springs.The snow was blinding and numbing, and the wind was whipping so hard she didn’t feel safe walking to a hospital just down the road, she said.“We thought about it, well maybe we’ll run over to the hospital — at least we’ll be warm,” she said. “But we were soaking wet already just from trying to keep the windshield clear and from trying to push our car and help other people push their cars. It was just like every second you were out there, it felt like parts of you were just freezing.”McKenzie said they were eventually rescued by her father in his pickup truck.Hundreds of flights were canceled at Denver International Airport, and nearly 40 were grounded in Colorado Springs.“It caught me completely off guard,” said Sarah Brin of Santa Fe, New Mexico, who was stranded at the Denver airport.It was supposed to be a brief layover on her flight home from the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas, but it turned into an overnight stay.She booked a room in a downtown hotel and reserved a spot on a shuttle van, but some shuttle trips were canceled because of the weather.“We’ll see if they actually show up,” she said.Many schools and government offices closed for the day. Xcel Energy said high winds caused about 184,000 homes and businesses to lose electricity, mostly in the Denver area. Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said zero visibility made conditions difficult for repair workers, and it could take days to restore power to everyone.In North Texas, severe thunderstorms damaged buildings and flipped over small planes parked at an airport.Flooding forced evacuations in northeast Nebraska and western Iowa, including a retirement home in Pierce, Nebraska. Residents of Avoca, Iowa, were filling sandbags to keep floodwaters from spreading, and the American Red Cross set up a shelter for anyone who was displaced.Parts of seven states were under blizzard warnings, and 20 states were under some level of high wind alert, Carbin said.A tornado in New Mexico ripped roofs from buildings in the small town of Dexter, about 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Albuquerque. Authorities said five people were hurt, but none of the injuries were life-threatening. A dairy euthanized about 150 cows injured by the tornado.‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-US‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-USChaves County Sheriff Mike Herrington said the tornado “took out” about 10 homes on one street.High winds knocked 25 railroad freight cars off a bridge into a mostly dry riverbed near Logan in northeast New Mexico. No one was injured, New Mexico State Police said.A wind gust of 92 mph (148 kph) was recorded in the mountains northwest of Denver.The storm was expected to drop up to 22 inches (56 centimeters) of snow in Wyoming, 14 inches (36 centimeters) in South Dakota and a foot (31 centimeters) in Colorado.Forecasters said the winds would pile snow into deep drifts.The culprit was a sudden and severe drop in ground-level air pressure in Colorado, the most pronounced dive since 1950, Carbin said. It was caused by a combination of the jet stream and normal conditions in the wind shadow of the Rockies.Air rushed into the low-pressure area and then rose into the atmosphere.“It’s like a vacuum cleaner, really,” Carbin said. When that much air rushes higher into the atmosphere, it causes severe weather.Meteorologists call the rapid change in pressure a “bomb cyclone” or “bombogenesis.”Forecasters had warned about the storm for days, said meteorologist Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com.“Everybody saw it coming. Some people underestimated it so they’re stranded and that’s unfortunate,” he said.

‘Epic’ storm brings blizzards, floods, tornado to mid-US

A window-rattling late winter storm brought blizzards, floods and a tornado across more than 25 states Wednesday, stretching from the northern Rocky Mountains to Texas and beyond.

226c174dd2f2d83a5f2c3d4dc969369a

Prince Harry and Meghan to 'step back' as senior UK royalsPrince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of Britain’s royal family, a stunning announcement that underscores the couple’s wish to forge a new path for royals in the modern world.A statement issued Wednesday evening by Buckingham Palace, described as “a personal message from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex,” said Harry and Meghan intend to become financially independent” and to “balance” their time between the U.K. and North America.“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” the statement said. “We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the royal family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support her majesty the queen.”The 35-year-old Harry, the youngest son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, is Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson and sixth in line to the British throne. With his ginger hair and beard, he has become one of the royal family’s most popular members.Before marrying the prince in a royal wedding watched around the world in 2018, the 38-year-old Duchess of Sussex was an American actress known as Meghan Markle and a star of the TV show “Suits.” The couple’s first child, Archie, was born in May 2019.In their statement, the couple did not reveal where in North America they plan to make a second home, but they cited their baby as a reason why they decided to live part of their time outside Britain.“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity,” it read.Hours later, Buckingham Palace issued a second statement, hinting that the first had caught some in the royal household by surprise. The statement said discussions with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were “at an early stage.″“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,″ it read.Harry and his family skipped the queen’s traditional Christmas gathering at her Sandringham country estate last month to visit Canada and to see Markle’s mother, who lives in California. Meghan grew up in Los Angeles and lived in Toronto while filming “Suits.”The message about the couple’s plans also appeared on their official Instagram feed, along with a link to a website, sussexroyal.com, where followers could find more information.The website elaborated on why they are seeking financial independence from the monarchy’s funding mechanism, known as the “Sovereign Grant.” A page on the site states the grant they are forsaking covers just 5% of the costs for the duke and duchess and is used for their official office expenses.Meghan and Harry “value the ability to earn a professional income, which in the current structure they are prohibited from doing,” the website states. “Their Royal Highnesses feel this new approach will enable them to continue to carry out their duties for Her Majesty the Queen, while having the future financial autonomy to work externally.As an actress and a human rights activist, the duchess was accustomed to media attention before her marriage, but she has made no secret that the transition to being a global celebrity and part of Britain’s royal family was difficult.The royal couple particularly took issue with their treatment at the hands of the British tabloids, whose aggressive coverage of all things royal is legendary.In October, Meghan sued a newspaper for copyright infringement for publishing a letter she wrote to her estranged father. Later that month, Harry brought his own claim against two of the most popular tabloids over alleged hacking of phone voicemail messages.The prince also lashed out at the British media for its treatment of Meghan, accusing the press of hounding his wife the same way it did his mother. Princess Diana died in a 1997 car crash while trying to elude paparazzi in Paris.“My deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces,” Harry said.The royal couple revealed their struggles with the media during an ITV documentary “Harry & Meghan: An African Journey,” which followed them on their autumn tour of Southern Africa. Both said they had struggled with the spotlight and that much of what was printed about them is untrue.The duchess told ITV that her British friends warned her not to marry the prince because of the intense media scrutiny that would follow in his country. But the U.S. television star said she “naively” dismissed the warnings, because as an American she didn’t understand how the British press worked.“I never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And that is the part that is hard to reconcile,” Meghan said. “But (I) just take each day as it comes.”The duchess said the pressure was aggravated by the fact that she went quickly from being a newlywed to being pregnant and then a new mother.The British media have also made much of an alleged rift between Harry and his older brother, Prince William, who is second in line to the throne. Harry and Meghan last year opted out of living at Kensington Palace in London, where William and his family lives, and moved to a Frogmore Cottage at Windsor.In the ITV interview, Harry acknowledged there have been some differences between him and the 37-year-old William, although he said most of what has been printed about a rift between the two brothers has been “created out of nothing.”“Part of this role and part of this job and this family being under the pressure that it’s under, inevitably stuff happens,” he said. “But, look, we’re brothers. We’ll always be brothers. We’re certainly on different paths at the moment, but I will always be there for him, as I know he’ll always be there for me.”ALSO READ | Prince Harry lashes out at UK press for treatment of Meghan

Prince Harry and Meghan to 'step back' as senior UK royals

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, say they plan “to step back” as senior members of Britain’s royal family, a stunning announcement that underscores the couple’s wish to forge a new path for royals in the modern world.

84e4d6458406434ff8f03c8c4b11e565

Taliban fighters patrol in Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021.The Taliban opened fire at protesters who were carrying the Afghanistan flag during a demonstration in Jalalabad and killed two, according to Al Arabiya English.In a rare, early show of dissent against Taliban rule, dozens of people gathered in the eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad and raised the Afghan national flag in an anti-Taliban demonstration Wednesday, videos posted on social media purported to show.The protesters waved the tricolor Afghan flag embraced by its civilian government following the 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban.They replaced the Taliban flag, which is white and bears in black calligraphy the Shahada, or Islamic profession of faith. Video of the event later showed Taliban fighters firing into the air and hitting some of those gathered with sticks.The Taliban have raised their own flag - a white banner with Islamic inscriptions - in the territories they have seized.The flag march, apparently at the spur of the moment in Jalalabad, came the day before Afghanistan's Independence Day on Thursday. That commemoration, marking the end of British rule over Afghanistan in 1919, sees cities across the country festooned in flags.ALSO READ: Afghanistan's former President Karzai meets senior faction leader

Taliban fire at protesters carrying Afghanistan flag in Jalalabad, kill two

In a rare, early show of dissent against Taliban rule, dozens of people gathered in the eastern Afghanistan city of Jalalabad and raised the Afghan national flag in an anti-Taliban demonstration Wednesday, videos posted on social media purported to show.

91daca7febb5b63f1ca441fe28ff1d4e

38 killed, several injured in Afghanistan violence last week: ReportAt least 32 people were killed and 16 others injured in separate incidents in Afghanistan's Kabul, Herat, Faryab, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces during the last week, local media reported on Sunday. According to reports, unidentified people killed a money changer in Heart and five members of a family were killed in Laghman and injured a sixth, according to Pajhwok Afghan News. While, in Nangarhar's Lalpura district, nine students and two women were killed, four children and a woman were injured in two blasts. ALSO READ: Afghanistan: At least 9 children dead in explosion near Pak border In Kabul, a family said that their daughter was killed in gunfire at a checkpoint in the limits of the 13th police district, Pajhwok Afghan News reported. In Faryab's Balchargh district, two people were killed and three others injured during a clash between two groups. In Maimana, one man was killed and another injured as a result of accidental firing between security forces. One man was killed and four injured in Maimana when a protest turned violent, it added. Reports say that last week, two blasts were reported in capital Kabul in which two civilians were injured. ALSO READ: Afghanistan crisis worsens: Parents sell their children just to avoid starvationAt least 32 people were killed and 16 others injured in separate incidents in Afghanistan's Kabul, Herat, Faryab, Laghman, and Nangarhar provinces during the last week, local media reported on Sunday.According to reports, unidentified people killed a money changer in Heart and five members of a family were killed in Laghman and injured a sixth, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.While, in Nangarhar's Lalpura district, nine students and two women were killed, four children and a woman were injured in two blasts.ALSO READ: Afghanistan: At least 9 children dead in explosion near Pak borderIn Kabul, a family said that their daughter was killed in gunfire at a checkpoint in the limits of the 13th police district, Pajhwok Afghan News reported.In Faryab's Balchargh district, two people were killed and three others injured during a clash between two groups.In Maimana, one man was killed and another injured as a result of accidental firing between security forces. One man was killed and four injured in Maimana when a protest turned violent, it added.Reports say that last week, two blasts were reported in capital Kabul in which two civilians were injured.

38 killed, several injured in Afghanistan violence last week: Report

According to reports, unidentified people killed a money changer in Heart and 5 members of a family were killed in Laghman and injured a sixth, according to Pajhwok Afghan News.

2518bfe25b9c0146c94f11815efeda0d

Loud noise diverts Las Vegas-Paris flightA Paris-bound flight from Las Vegas was diverted to Boston because of a "loud noise", it was reported on Friday. The Delta airlines flight 148 had departed Las Vegas on Thursday night, reports Boston-based WCVB TV channel.A passenger recorded the piercing noise heard aboard the plane with his phone.One person was taken to the hospital after flight safely landed in Boston.No other details were immediately available.ALSO READ | Commercial airlines reroute flights amid US-Iran tensionsALSO READ | Air hostess suffers 7 leg fractures as plane hits massive hailstorm, climbs 500 feet

Loud noise diverts Las Vegas-Paris flight

A Paris-bound flight from Las Vegas was diverted to Boston because of a "loud noise", it was reported on Friday.

2c979657d30fdc4f3ae2de0c1537374b

Reports over President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner’s sister promoting a program offering a path to American citizens to Chinese backers in a Kushner family project have raised eyebrows in the United States. The Kushner Companies apologized Monday, saying it had not meant to lure investors by using Jared Kushner’s name at an investment promotion event held Saturday at a Ritz Carlton in Beijing. Marketing materials for the event promoted Nicole Kushner Meyer as Jared’s sister, and cited the Kushner family’s “celebrity” status.The project promoted by Meyer in Beijing is a 79-story apartment building called Kushner 1. The company is seeking 300 aspiring U.S. residents to invest a total of $150 million, and it follows other Kushner family projects using the investment program known as EB-5, including a nearby Trump-licensed building promoted as “Trump Bay Street.”At a press briefing, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said Jared Kushner has no involvement in the project. An attorney for Jared Kushner said he had sold his stake to a trust benefiting other members of the Kushner family, and would recuse himself from related policy matters while serving as an adviser to Trump.Though the foreign investor immigration program has become a source for cheap real estate financing for projects like the Kushner family’s, questions about its fairness and national security implications have made it a political briar patch for years. One recent scandal involved Hillary Clinton’s brother.Created in 1990 as a way to encourage investment during a recession, the program requires foreigners to invest $1 million in a business that sustainably employs 10 people anywhere or $500,000 in rural areas or those with high unemployment.The smaller investment is done through a regional center, a collection point for multiple investments that can be used for a variety of projects. The regional center is the root of many complaints about the program.As part of such deals, investors — who in recent years have been overwhelmingly from China — typically accept below-market investment returns to qualify for a visa, allowing the developer to pocket the savings on financing costs. After as little as two years, participants can apply for a fast-track green card and later U.S. citizenship. With permanent residency in hand, the foreign investors can then sponsor additional visas to bring in family members.Critics have faulted the program for failing to bring investment into downtrodden communities as intended. By gerrymandering together rich geographic areas with poor ones, developers have managed to win approval from economic development authorities for luxury projects in Manhattan, Beverly Hills and Miami’s South Beach. Beyond the question of whether the program encourages development as intended lie allegations of political favoritism and national security risks.President Barack Obama’s choice for the No. 2 official at the Homeland Security Department nearly had his appointment derailed in 2013 amid allegations that he provided special treatment to a company run by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s brother and others. Alejandro Mayorkas was accused of intervening in three visa cases involving prominent Democrats, including Clinton’s brother.The Homeland Security Department inspector general concluded in 2015 that Mayorkas’ intervention created the appearance of favoritism and special access. Mayorkas denied wrongdoing. He said at the time that while he disagreed with the inspector general’s report, he would “certainly learn from it and from the process.”U.S. officials have raised concerns about the vetting of investors, too. A 2013 Homeland Security Department investigation cited risks that Iranian intelligence operatives may have exploited the program, and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services found numerous fraudulent documents when it audited a sampling of investors’ green card applications.In an unclassified State Department report from June 2012, officials said that Chinese applicants to the program are “usually coached and prepped for their interviews, making it difficult to take at face value applicant claims regarding income” or membership in the Communist Party.In 2015, the Government Accountability Office warned that the program could not reliably catch fraud by visa applicants who bought into the program with money obtained through drug trade, human trafficking, or other criminal activities.The program’s flaws have drawn repeated efforts by members of Congress, including Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., to impose further oversight and restrictions on the visas, but such efforts have not overcome substantial lobbying by developers and real estate interests.On Monday, Trump administration spokesman Sean Spicer said the president would look at the foreign investor visa program as part of a broader review of immigration policy.(With AP inputs)

Trump in-laws promote thorny visa-for-sale program in China

Reports over President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner’s sister promoting a program offering a path to American citizens to Chinese backers in a Kushner family project have raised eyebrows in the United States.

0906cb43bc7794a946a49dcfacc4978f

Who is Joe BidenRunning for the U.S. President, Joe Biden is fighting to achieve a decades-long dream of winning the White House. A Democratic nominee, Biden had run for presidentship twice before becoming vice-president under Barack Obama. This is his third attempt at running for President. He had first tried his hands in 1988 but dropped out after allegations of plagiarism. His second attempt ended in 2008 after he garnered less than one percent in the crucial lowa caucuses. If Biden suceeds in defeating Donald Trump in the US Presidential elections, he will be 78-years-old on Inauguration Day and the oldest person ever elected president.A month after he celebrated his victory on being elected to the Senate in 1972 at the age of 29, Biden's wife and baby daughter died in an accident when their car collided with a tractor-trailer. His two toddler sons, Beau and Hunter, were hospitalised. Biden was sworn in as Senator for the very first time in their hospital room.In 1988, just months after he ended his first presidential bid, Biden suffered two life-threatening brain aneurysms. At the time doctors told him a White House campaign may have killed him. In May 2015, Biden received a shock when his oldest son, Beau Biden, died of brain cancer. That death put Biden's political career on hold. It was only five years later that Biden embraced his tragic history and said it helped him pave a path forward and find purpose. Over six terms in the Senate, Biden rose in the ranks to chair the Senate's Judiciary and Foreign Relations Committees, developing broad expertise in global affairs and presiding over contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings.But while those positions gave him gravitas, he still lives with the consequences of some of his decisions, like sponsoring the 1994 Crime Bill and allowing sexual harassment accuser Anita Hill to be grilled by an all-male committee during Clarence Thomas' Supreme Court process.With a penchant for speaking his mind, Biden developed a reputation for a plainspoken, unpredictable approach to politics. Although it frequently got him in trouble in the press, some Democrats suggested his freewheeling style was uniquely suited for this year's presidential campaign against Trump.(With AP inputs)

Who is Joe Biden, former VP locked in neck-and-neck fight with Donald Trump for White House race

Running for the U.S. President, Joe Biden is fighting to achieve a decades-long dream of winning the White House. A Democratic nominee, Biden had run for presidentship twice before becoming vice-president under Barack Obama. This is his third attempt at running for President.

40c745c6efac91bb2ecdea05a6a9e4e4

India’s efforts to get Jaish-e-Mohammed  (JeM) chief Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the United Nations has recieved a boost as many other countries including the United States have made the same request to the UN.Talking to media persons on Thursday, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that the request made by the US and others indicates that there is global concern over Masood Azhar's acts of terror.“US has made a request along with other countries for Maulana Masood Azhar to be listed under the relevant UN sanctions committee because terrorism are being emanating from this particular source like we saw in the case of Syed Salahuddin. It’s a global concern. It contributes the global menace of terrorism very largely and substantially,” Gopal Baglay said.Masood Azhar is the founder of UN-designated terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed and he mainly operates from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).The United Nations has already designated Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed as a global terrosit and the United States designated Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin as a terrorist ahead of  Prime minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with President Trump in Washington. India has accused Masood Azhar of masterminding both Pathankot airbase attack as well 2001 Parliament attack. Pakistan had placed Masood Azhar under house arrest after Pathankot attack but he was released in April 2016.India is trying to get Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the United States but China is not allowing the Indian move to succeed.Now that the demand for designating Masood Azhar as a terrorist has been made by many countries including the US, it would not by easy for China to come to the rescue of Masood Azhar this time. 

Noose tightens around JeM chief Masood Azhar as US, others request UN to list him as terrorist

MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay said that the request made by the US and others indicates that there is global concern over Masood Azhar's acts of terror.

976c75e8cf79cb6065056f5f546c8431

France reports over 1,800 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hoursIn a sudden coronavirus case surge, France has reported 1,847 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. With this, the total count of cases rose to 14,459, the French Health Ministry said on Saturday. Meanwhile, the death toll in the country jumped to 562 with a total 112 coronavirus deaths in a single day.   "As for this Saturday, March 21, there are 14,459 confirmed cases ... [A total of] 562 people died [from the virus] in hospitals," the statement read.According to the statement, 6,172 people remained in hospitals across the country while 1,525 of them were in intensive care.The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus has crossed 3,00,00 worldwide and more than 13,000 people have died till now.The COVID-19 virus which is said to have emerged from China's Wuhan city has reached almost every country. WHO referred to Europe as the new hotspot. Italy and Spain are the most coronavirus-affected countries in Europe.(With inputs from ANI)ALSO READ | Photos: This is what coronavirus looks like under the microscopeALSO READ | Coronavirus: Total lockdown in Rajasthan till March 31, first state to do so

France reports over 1,800 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

In a sudden coronavirus case surge, France has reported 1,847 new cases of COVID-19 over the past 24 hours. With this, the total count of cases rose to 14,459, the French Health Ministry said on Saturday.

8b5299c58cf5e16a04b0b7dcdad98f86

Pakistan warns cable operators against airing Indian channelsPakistan's electronic media watchdog has warned the cable TV operators of Lahore region against airing Indian channels and content, days after it banned the airing of advertisements featuring Indian artists.Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Muhammad Saleem Baig said Tuesday that "strict" legal action will be taken if the cable operators will continue to air Indian channels, The News reported.In a press release, Pemra said if the cable operators violated the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, "the authority will not spare any licensee and will lodge FIRs against such network operators".Pakistan's Supreme Court had reinstated a ban on airing Indian content on TV channels in the country in October 2018. Pemra's recent action is the latest in series of measures announced by Pakistan in reaction to India's move to revoke the special status to Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month.Soon after India's actions on Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan imposed a ban on the screening of Indian films in the country. On August 16, Pemra announced that it has decided to ban the airing of advertisements featuring Indian artists. Pakistan had taken a similar decision after the Balakot air strikes by India in February this year.

Pakistan warns cable operators against airing Indian channels

Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) Chairman Muhammad Saleem Baig said Tuesday that "strict" legal action will be taken if the cable operators will continue to air Indian channels.

657675610dca5d39240617082d47b88c

The UK government published a repeal bill today, beginning the formal process of Britain’s divorce from the European Union, an year after Britons voted to exit the world’s largest single market in a historic referendum. The 52-page Great Repeal Bill published in Parliament is known as the "European Union (Withdrawal) Bill" and will convert EU law into UK law before Brexit is completed in 2019, giving UK Parliament the power to amend or reject the nearly 20,000 rules and laws as a non-member of the EU. It repeals the European Communities Act 1972, which took Britain into the EU and remove the supremacy of Brussels law."This is the one of the most significant pieces of legislation that has ever passed through Parliament. It is a major milestone in the process of our withdrawal," said Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House of Commons, in her statement to introduce the bill."It means we will be able to exit the European Union with maximum certainty, continuity and control. That is what the British people voted for and it is exactly what we will do," she said, amid cheers from pro-Brexit MPs in the Commons.The bill will also provide temporary powers to correct laws that will not operate appropriately after Brexit. It will be debated in Parliament from later this year and will need to have been passed by the time the UK leaves the EU at the end of the two-year deadline of March 2019.Opposition Labour party has vowed to vote against the legislation unless there were significant changes to the details previously set out, while the Scottish National Party (SNP) said there needed to be "clarity" over which powers repatriated from the EU should go to the devolved nations.The party’s Brexit spokesperson, Kier Starmer, said: "Labour has always been clear that Brexit cannot lead to any rolling back of rights and protections. We need effective legislation that protects British workers and consumers, enshrines equality laws, enforces environmental standards and devolves powers across the country. The governments Repeal Bill falls short on all counts. It is simply not fit for purpose."The Liberal Democrats, who fought the general election on a pledge to stage a second referendum on Brexit, also said they would make the passage of the Bill "hell" for the government.The Theresa May-led ruling Conservatives are relying on the support of Northern Irelands Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) to win key votes after losing their Commons majority in the June general election.The UKs Brexit minister, David Davis, has argued that the bill will ensure the UK "exits the EU with maximum certainty, continuity and control"."That is what the British people voted for and it is exactly what we will do - ensure that the decisions that affect our lives are taken here in the UK. The eyes of the country are on us and I will work with anyone to achieve this goal and shape a new future for our country," he said.Separately, the UK government has also published three position papers for Brexit negotiations. One covers nuclear materials and safeguards issues, the focus of debate among MPs concerned about the UK leaving Europe’s nuclear safety regulator.The other two papers cover ongoing judicial and administrative proceedings and privileges and immunities. They will be presented to the European Commission for discussion in the second round of formal exit negotiations in Brussels next week.

Brexit begins as UK publishes bill to repeal European Union law

The 52-page Great Repeal Bill published in Parliament is known as the "European Union (Withdrawal) Bill" and will convert EU law into UK law before Brexit is completed in 2019.

64f3b7281617c157ca1bf885a680c21b

Pakistan government approves chemical castration of rapists, special courts for rape trialsPakistan's Cabinet has approved two anti-rape ordinances which called for the chemical castration of rapists with the consent of the convict and setting up of special courts for rape trials, according to a media report on Friday.A meeting of the Cabinet committee on legislative cases chaired by federal Law Minister Farogh Naseem on Thursday approved the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Ordinance 2020 and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Ordinance 2020. The ordinances have already been approved in-principle by the federal Cabinet on Tuesday, the Dawn News reported.The concept of chemical castration for first or repeated offenders has been introduced mainly as a form of rehabilitation, and subject to consent of the convict, it said.According to law minister Naseem, it is mandatory under the international law to take consent of the convict before castrating him.In case, chemical castration is ordered without taking consent, the convict might challenge this before a court of law, he said.If a convict would not agree to castration, he would be dealt with in accordance with the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) under which the court might award him death sentence, life imprisonment or 25-year jail term, the minister said.However, he said, it is up to the court to decide the punishment. The judge may order chemical castration or the punishment under the PPC.The court might order castration for a limited period or lifetime, Naseem said.The ordinances also provide for setting up of special courts to conduct trial in rape cases. Special prosecutors for the special courts will also be appointed.As per the proposed legislations, anti-rape crisis cells headed by a commissioner or deputy commissioner will be set up to ensure prompt registration of an FIR, medical examination and forensic analysis.It also bar the cross-examination of a rape survivor by the accused. Only judge and the accused's lawyers will be able to cross-examine the survivor.The proposed laws include in-camera trials, witness protection for the victim and witnesses, use of modern devices during investigation and trial, legal assistance to the victims and appointment of independent support advisers for the victims.It prohibit the controversial “two-finger” test performed on rape survivors. The World Health Organisation has already declared the test as “unscientific, medically unnecessary and unreliable”. Human Rights groups have also termed the test as invasive, disrespectful and a gross violation of a woman's right to dignity and privacy.

Pakistan government approves chemical castration of rapists, special courts for rape trials

The concept of chemical castration for first or repeated offenders has been introduced mainly as a form of rehabilitation, and subject to consent of the convict, it said.

7f21722598d89913998bf8ec52020751

European Union agree to re-establish joint presence in Kabul.Foreign Ministers of the European Union (EU) have agreed to re-establish a joint presence in Kabul to ensure the safe departure of the bloc's nationals and Afghans who are considered at risk and who could be received by member states, a top diplomat said.Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told a press conference on Friday after an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers that this task was conditional on whether security conditions are met for talks with the new government in Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency."We have been tasked by the Council on coordinating the contacts with the Taliban, the new government in Afghanistan, including with a joint European Union presence in Kabul if the security conditions allow for it," he said."From there, we should support the departure of European nationals that are still there and Afghans at risk that could be received by EU member states... All member states still have quite an important number of either nationals or Afghans that have been cooperating with them or that have been identified as people at risk," he added.The second task that the Ministers agreed on was the engagement with regional and relevant international partners to create a regional political platform of cooperation with Afghanistan's neighbours to face together the challenges created by the new situation.Addressing an earlier press conference preceding the ministerial meeting, Borrell said the EU was ready to engage but the Taliban must respect human rights, including those of women, and not allow Afghanistan to become a breeding ground for militants. /* .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_8090491125 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_9bpw8cj4/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_9bpw8cj4_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Taliban claims to have captured Panjshir, Amrullah Saleh rejects the claim\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": "223", "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_8090491125 = ''; jwsetup_8090491125(); function jwsetup_8090491125() { jwvidplayer_8090491125 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_8090491125").setup(jwconfig_8090491125); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_8090491125, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_9bpw8cj4\", ns_st_pr=\"Taliban claims to have captured Panjshir, Amrullah Saleh rejects the claim\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Taliban claims to have captured Panjshir, Amrullah Saleh rejects the claim\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Taliban claims to have captured Panjshir, Amrullah Saleh rejects the claim\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-04\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-04\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_9bpw8cj4/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_8090491125.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_8090491125.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_8090491125.stop(); jwvidplayer_8090491125.remove(); jwvidplayer_8090491125 = ''; jwsetup_8090491125(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_8090491125.stop(); jwvidplayer_8090491125.remove(); jwvidplayer_8090491125 = ''; jwsetup_8090491125(); return; }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8090491125.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

European Union agree to re-establish joint presence in Kabul

Foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told on Friday after an informal meeting of the Foreign Ministers that this task was conditional on whether security conditions are met for talks with the new govt in Afghanistan, reports Xinhua news agency.

4a15b9b70e349ac946c8d4dbf3176d55

 US probing deaths at plane takeoff in Kabul.The US Air Force has said that its Office of Special Investigations is reviewing an incident at the Kabul airport on Monday in which multiple people were killed when hundreds of Afghan civilians desperate to leave the country swarmed a C-17 cargo plane as it was attempting to take off.The Air Force did not say how many people died. It said human remains were found in the plane's wheel well after it landed at al-Udeid Air Base in the Gulf state of Qatar.Videos of the incident, including images of people falling from the aircraft as it took off, were widely viewed on social media. The images captured the initial chaos of a US-directed evacuation that followed the Taliban's takeover of the country.The Air Force said the C-17 Globemaster III had landed at Kabul airport to deliver equipment for the evacuation effort.Before the crew could offload the cargo, the aircraft was surrounded by hundreds of Afghan civilians who had breached the security perimeter. Because the security situation was getting worse, the crew decided to take off.  /* .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_1663217045 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_g9q5vxba/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_g9q5vxba_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid", "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": "277", "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_1663217045 = ''; jwsetup_1663217045(); function jwsetup_1663217045() { jwvidplayer_1663217045 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_1663217045").setup(jwconfig_1663217045); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_1663217045, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_g9q5vxba\", ns_st_pr=\"Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Taliban vow to honor women's rights but within Islamic law, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-08-17\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-08-17\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_g9q5vxba/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_1663217045.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_1663217045.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_1663217045.stop(); jwvidplayer_1663217045.remove(); jwvidplayer_1663217045 = ''; jwsetup_1663217045(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_1663217045.stop(); jwvidplayer_1663217045.remove(); jwvidplayer_1663217045 = ''; jwsetup_1663217045(); return; }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_1663217045.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Human remains found on wheel well of US Air Force C-17 plane that took off from Kabul

The Air Force did not say how many people died. It said human remains were found in the plane's wheel well after it landed at al-Udeid Air Base in the Gulf state of Qatar.

957921122d42a68d810283502518f698

China today described its new Silk Road initiative as "a project of the century" with President Xi Jinping pledging to pump in a whopping USD 124 billion for projects that are part of the ambitious venture linking the country to much of Asia, Europe and Africa. "We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy," Xi said in his opening address outlining China's vision. "Spanning thousands of miles and years, the ancient silk routes embody the spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit," he said. Xi announced that China will contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (about USD 14.5 billion) to the USD 40 billion Silk Road Fund to scale up financial support for the Belt and Road Initiative. To provide more funding for his pet initiative, Xi stated that China will also encourage financial institutions to expand their overseas yuan fund businesses to the tune of to 300 billion yuan (about USD 44 billion). In addition to that, he also announced special lending schemes worth 380 billion yuan (USD 56 billion) to support cooperation on infrastructure, industrial capacity and financing. Xi also pledged an additional assistance worth 60 billion yuan (USD 9.5 billion) for developing countries and international organisations participating in the initiative to improve people's well-being over the next three years. Xi said the Belt and Road initiative is "a project of the century" that will benefit people across the world. "We should foster a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation; and we should forge partnerships of dialogue with no confrontation and of friendship rather than alliance," he said, adding that the Belt and Road initiative focuses on the Asian, European and African countries, but is also open to all other countries. China will also set up 50 joint laboratories with countries participating in the Belt and Road initiative to enhance cooperation on innovation, he said. Named after the historic Silk Road, the Belt and Road initiative was proposed by Xi in 2013 to chart out new territories for international cooperation. India skipped the meeting due to its sovereignty concerns over the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, few Indian scholars attended the opening session of the two-day "Belt and Road" conference in Beijing that brought together leaders from 29 countries. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickramasinge, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among the world leaders who attended the high-profile meeting. The United States sent a delegation led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council. Other delegates include officials, entrepreneurs and financiers from over 130 countries, and representatives of key international organisations such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde. The B&R includes a maze of roads and port projects. While CPEC is highlighted as "flagship project", the B&R includes the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor and 21st century Maritime Silk Road. The two-day forum, which also features a round-table summit of global leaders on Monday, is one of the highest-level assemblies in today's world, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. "The forum shows the world how far China has come towards its dream of national rejuvenation," said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore. "It has once again put China on centre stage," he was quoted as saying.  

China pledges USD 124 billion for Silk Road, terms it 'project of the century'

To provide more funding for his pet initiative, Xi stated that China will also encourage financial institutions to expand their overseas yuan fund businesses to the tune of to 300 billion yuan (about USD 44 billion).

bdc58c57b9539c0306c048a0ca5490d6

File photo of Dr Ruth PfauSocial activist Dr Ruth Pfau, fondly known as the Mother Teresa of Pakistan, will now be remembered for more than her life's contribution towards fighting leprosy in the country. The late German-born philanthropist's grave, located in Karachi's Gora Cemetery, has been equipped with QR code. The visitors to the cemetry can scan the QR code on their phones to access information about the late humanitarian and the lifelong services she rendered in helping out lepers.After devoting almost 55 years of her life to this mission, Dr Pfau passed away at the age of 87 on August 10, 2017 leaving many deeply aggrieved. She had been honoured with a state funeral that was broadcasted nationally. Born in 1929 in germany, Dr Pfau had moved to Pakistan as part of the Society of Daughters of Heart of Mary. She contributed in establishing 157 leprosy clinics across Pakistan, that treated over 56,780 people.

'Mother Teresa of Pakistan' Dr Ruth Pfau's grave gets QR code

The visitors to the cemetry can scan the QR code on their phones to access information about the late humanitarian and the lifelong services she rendered in helping out lepers.

5be38a91b4f1df324e6d4a5bc18a56ca

Joe Biden cancels Trump's nomination of Indian American as judgeUS President Joe Biden has cancelled the nomination of Vijay Shanker to be a judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington. The White House on Thursday informed the Senate that it was withdrawing his nomination, which was made by former President Donald Trump in June.The Senate did not take up Shankar's nomination while Trump was in office and the Republican party had the majority.His was one of 32 nominations, 17 of them for judges, that were held over from the Trump administration and pulled back by Biden.Appointment of judges is a political matter in the US and the president appoints them from the pool of ideological soulmates or party loyalists. Even federal prosecutors are appointed on a party line and like judges they have to be approved by the Senate.In many states judges are elected by citizens in general elections like legislators.While many political appointees, including prosecutors, leave voluntarily when an administration changes or are fired, judges keep their positions.When Trump nominated him, Shankar was the deputy chief of the Appellate Section of the Criminal Division at the Justice Department.He investigated and prosecuted violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and related offences and oversaw 30 lawyers who handle federal criminal appeals and draft Supreme Court briefs.He was simultaneously an adjunct associate professor at the Washington College of Law of the American University.Also Read: ​Trump helipad at Mar-a-Lago to be soon demolished: Report

Joe Biden cancels Trump's nomination of Indian American as judge

The White House on Thursday informed the Senate that it was withdrawing his nomination, which was made by former President Donald Trump in June.

73fd39bc582dd8f5effac2efeca88336

People cross an improvised path under a destroyed bridge while fleeing the town of Irpin close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 7, 2022The Russian government on Monday approved a list of countries and territories that are 'unfriendly' with Russia and has imposed sanctions against them after the start of a special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine.The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK (including Jersey, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, North Macedonia, and also Japan, South Korea, Australia, Micronesia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan, reported TASS News Agency.The government noted that according to this decree, Russian citizens and companies, the state itself, its regions and municipalities that have foreign exchange obligations to foreign creditors from the list of unfriendly countries will be able to pay them in rubles.The new temporary procedure applies to payments exceeding 10 million rubles per month (or a similar amount in foreign currency).Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Monday said that London and other Western governments are seriously considering sanctions on Russian energy exports in response to the ongoing military operation in Ukraine.

Amid crisis in Ukraine, Russia approves list of 'unfriendly' countries, territories; US, UK included

The list includes the United States and Canada, the EU states, the UK (including Jersey, Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, Gibraltar), Ukraine, Montenegro, Switzerland, Albania, Andorra, Iceland, etc.

744c450b46afcee1b2c0942504cc11df

Nepali climber scales world's 14 highest peaks(representational image)A Nepali mountaineer has created history by scaling the world's 14 highest peaks in record 190 days after he climbed Mt Shishapangma in China on Tuesday.Nirmal Purja, 36, known as Nims, broke the previous record of a South Korean climber, Kim Chang-ho, who achieved the feat in 2003 to scale all the peaks higher than 8,000 metres in seven years, 10 months and six days.Mingma Sherpa, chairman of Seven Summit Treks, the agency handling Purja's climb, told Efe news that the Nepali mountaineer reached the Mt Shishapangma summit (8,027 metres) at 8.58 a.m.He said three other climbers accompanied Purja, who is known for his viral May 25 photograph of a traffic jam of climbers leading to the summit of Mt. Everest.Purja and his team set out on the mission, "Project Possible 14/7", on April 23 to summit all 14 of the 8,000s and started by climbing mountains from Annapurna (8,091 metres)."He completed his mission in 190 days today," said Mingma Sherpa.Purja, a former soldier with United Kingdom Royal Navy's elite Special Boat Service, is aiming to raise nearly $1 million. He has set up a GoFundMe campaign and has vowed to use the money for children in need in Nepal.He also posted his "mission achieved" messages on his social media pages after scaling Shishapangma. The peak was the last in his list.Kim Chang-ho climbed all 8,000s without using supplemental oxygen. He was killed in a snowstorm at the base camp of Mt Gurja in Nepal's Myagdi district in October 2018.Polish Jerzy Kukuczka is the first mountaineer to climb all 14 peaks, a feat he achieved in seven years, 11 months and 14 days in 1987.Chinese authorities had granted Purja and his team a special permit to scale Shishapangma at the request of the Nepali government.Purja left Nepal for Tibet on October 18, leading a five-member expedition to climb the peak.In May, Purja climbed Everest (8,848 metres), descended to South Col and climbed adjoining Lhotse (8,516 metres), then flew to Makalu base camp and climbed that peak (8,481 metres) too, all in 48 hours.He broke his previous record for the same three peaks, taking five days in 2017.ALSO READ| Nepal, China agree to re-measure height of Mt. EverestALSO READ| Proud moment for Indians: 9-year-old Simbum ToTo from Pune scales Mount Kilimanjaro, highest free-standing mountain in world

Nepali climber scales world's 14 highest peaks in 190 days

Nirmal Purja, 36, known as Nims, broke the previous record of a South Korean climber, Kim Chang-ho, who achieved the feat in 2003 to scale all the peaks higher than 8,000 metres in seven years, 10 months and six days

c317bfdd8cab31520525ee17d7832004

Iran’s prosecutor general has directly named a CIA official as being the “main designer” of the protests that have shaken the country. The Trump administration has denied having any hand in the protests and the CIA declined to comment.Mohammad Jafar Montazeri’s comments Thursday, carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, said the CIA official headed an operation that had Israeli and Saudi support.Related Stories Iran protests: Khamenei blames 'enemies' as toll climbs to 22 White House asks Iran to respect citizens' right to protest Donald Trump roots on Iran’s protesters, declares ‘time for change’US grotesquely interfering in internal affairs: Iran writes to UNMontazeri alleged that the CIA planned to turn the protest into an “armed” insurrection by mid-February, the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.A senior Trump administration official on Wednesday disputed the notion that the U.S. played any role in instigating the unrest in Iran, saying the United States had not expected them to occur.The official said: “The protests were entirely spontaneously generated.”The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters.

Top Iran prosecutor blames CIA for protests

Mohammad Jafar Montazeri’s comments Thursday, carried by the state-run IRNA news agency, said the CIA official headed an operation that had Israeli and Saudi support.

636e2b4f6c9cd2dbccd6773e63fff8b9

The minority Hindus in Thar area of Pakistan is enraged over the alleged abduction, forcible conversion and marriage of a minor Hindu girl  from their community.According to a report in Dawn, 16-year-old Ravita Meghwar was allegedly abducted by men from the Syed community of Wanharo village near Nagarparkar, Thar, on June 6. On Thursday, the girl appeared with her 'husband' Nawaz Ali Shah in Umerkot and informed media persons of her consent in both embracing Islam and her marriage.The minor girl claimed to have embraced Islam in the presence of Pir Mohammad Ayub Jan Farooqui, an Islamic preacher, near the Samarro town of Umerkot district.However, the girl’s family insists that she was kidnapped and forced to convert. Satram Das Meghwar, Ravita's father, has alleged that influential members of the Syed community had kidnapped his daughter after giving sleeping pills to the family.He also accused police of not trying to trace her daughter till she was forced to convert.According to the marriage certificate issued by the preacher, the girl is approximately eighteen years old, can marry the person of her choice and her Islamic name is Gulnaz.However, her primary school certificate clearly states that she  was born on July 14, 2001.Expressing concern over the alleged abduction and the subsequent conversion of Ravita, the PML-N MNA from Thar and chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said that aHindu girl below 18 years of age cannot be converted according to the Hindu Marriage Act. 

'Forced conversion' of minor girl creates uproar in Pakistan’s Hindu community

16-year-old Ravita Meghwar was allegedly abducted by men from the Syed community of Wanharo village near Nagarparkar, Thar, on June 6.

7d6ce232e520cfb6c38cda3a645ab24e

North Korea and South Korea on Tuesday agreed to hold high-level inter-Korea talks to May 16 to discuss further steps needed to uphold the historic Panmunjom declaration. North Korea and South Korea on Tuesday agreed to hold high-level inter-Korea talks on May 16 to discuss further steps needed to uphold the historic Panmunjom declaration, taken by the North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in, wherein the two leaders pledged to pursue the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.In its statement, the South Koreas Unification Ministry said that the South and the North will hold a high-level inter-Korea meeting on May 16 in the Peace House in Panmunjom to discuss the implementation of Panmunjom Declaration of Peace, prosperity, and unification of the Korean Peninsula.According to reports, North Korea send a 29-member delegation led by Ri Son-gwon, chairman of the ‘Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the country’ to the summit.From South Korea, Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon will lead a team of five.North Korea has scheduled the dismantlement of its nuclear bomb test site for some time between May 23-25 in order to uphold its pledge to discontinue nuclear tests, the country’s state media reported on Saturday.Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-Un had met earlier for the inter-Korean summit at the Panmunjom village near the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), wherein both the leaders declared their mutual cooperation to pursue the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and end the nearly seven-decade-long Korean war.The high-level inter-Korean talks comes a month before the much-anticipated summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un in Singapore. Both the leaders are scheduled to meet on June 12.

North Korea, South Korea to hold high-level inter-Korea talks on May 16

In its statement, the South Koreas Unification Ministry said that the South and the North will hold a high-level inter-Korea meeting on May 16 in the Peace House in Panmunjom to discuss the implementation of Panmunjom Declaration of Peace, prosperity, and unification of the Korean Peninsula.

0b24c376e6c5417ab9d2918fc67f5645

44 bodies found in Mexico well, victims identified. (image used for representational purpose only)At least 44 bodies hidden in black bags were found buried in a well in Mexico's Jalisco state, authorities said, adding that they managed to identify all the victims.The human remains were discovered in the well just outside the city of Guadalajara earlier in September when local residents started complaining about the smell, the BBC reported on Sunday.The vast majority of the bodies were cut up, so authorities had to piece together different parts in order to identify them.A local organisation which searches for missing people has appealed to the government to send more specialists to assist with identification.They said that the local forensic department was overwhelmed and does not have the necessary skills to complete the operation.Jalisco is the heartland of one of Mexico's most violent drug gangs and this is the second major find of bodies in the state this year.ALSO READ | 23 killed, 13 injured in an attack on a Bar in Southern MexicoALSO READ | 'Moonwalk' on Bengaluru potholes now recreated in Mexico

44 bodies found in Mexico well, victims identified

The human remains were discovered in the well just outside the city of Guadalajara earlier in September when local residents started complaining about the smell

f9c7797d2a622d81150f2526b964cffa

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the fate of 39 Indians captured by the Islamic State group when the extremists initially overran Mosul three years ago is still unknown. Al-Abadi says the situation is "still under investigation at the moment. I cannot comment any further," in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press today. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had told relatives of the workers in July that they might be held in a prison in Badush, northwest of Mosul, which Iraqi forces have taken back from IS. The abducted workers, mostly from northern India, had been employed by an Iraqi construction company. Thousands of Indians worked and lived in Iraq before IS swept across the country's north and west in 2014. Iraqi forces declared victory over IS in Mosul in July after a gruelling nine-month fight. 

Iraqi PM says fate of 39 Indian workers unknown

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi says the fate of 39 Indians captured by the Islamic State group when the extremists initially overran Mosul three years ago is still unknown.

34340099ad1a33f5192abaf7a46bdc71

Doctors, nurses need not take TOEFL, IELTS exam to practice in UK Doctors, nurses, dentists and mid-wives who wish to practice in the UK will no longer have to appear for English language tests like TOEFL and IELTS as the country will now accept scores of Occupational English Test (OET) which the candidates have to anyway clear for registering with the relevant healthcare regulator.The OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals, who seek to register and practise in an English-speaking environment.The candidates had to earlier take OET to register with Nursing and Midwifery Council and the General Medical Council, which are the two healthcare boards in the UK, as well as TOEFL or IELTS like exam to apply for visa."The UK Home Office has streamlined English language testing ensuring that doctors, dentists, nurses and midwives, who have already passed an English language test accepted by the relevant professional body, do not have to sit another test before entry to the UK on a Tier 2 visa," said Sujata Stead, CEO, Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, which conducts the OET."This change which was announced last week will make sure that hospitals and medical practices across the country will be able to access the staff they need more quickly," she added.The change will apply to all Tier 2 (General) visa applications submitted from October 1.The Occupational English Test (OET) is designed to meet the specific English language needs of the healthcare sector. It assesses the language proficiency of healthcare professionals who wish to register and practise in an English-speaking environment.OET is conducted by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (CBLA), a venture between Cambridge Assessment English and Box Hill Institute. Cambridge Assessment English is a not-for-profit department of the University of Cambridge.The test is recognised as proof of English proficiency for registration purposes by major healthcare boards and councils in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Singapore, Namibia and Ukraine. It is also accepted in Australia and New Zealand for visa and immigration purposes.OET is used as an entry or exit test for healthcare courses by educators and as recruitment criterion for employment of healthcare professionals. The test is conducted for health practitioners from 12 professions---dentistry, dietetics, medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, podiatory, radiography, speech pathology and veterinary science.ALSO READ: Centre should make law for mandatory allocation of 6 pc GDP to education: Sisodia to HRD ALSO READ: HRD's advisory board, states' Education ministers debate reforms proposed in New Education Policy

Doctors, nurses need not take TOEFL, IELTS exam to practice in UK

The OET is an international English language test that assesses the language communication skills of healthcare professionals, who seek to register and practise in an English-speaking environment.

3f483173bf1cc35f608a7a85493e38f2

Russia has not made any mediation offer to resolve Indo-Pak issues, India said today and asserted that Moscow was "well aware" of New Delhi's position of bilateral resolution of all such matters in a terror-free environment. The remarks by External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay came following reports in the Pakistani press that Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his intention to mediate between the two countries. A senior diplomat in the Russian embassy in New Delhi rejected the reports and said it was Pakistan's "wishful thinking". The Pakistani media quoted Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman Nafees Zakaria as saying "we welcomes UNSC Permanent Member Russia's attention and intention to play a role in this long-standing issue on the UNSC agenda".Zakaria was asked about reported offer made by Putin during his meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the SCO Summit earlier this month.Asked for his reaction, Baglay said, "No offer of mediation was made by Russia to India. Russia is very well aware of India's consistent position to address all outstanding issues with Pakistan bilaterally in an environment free of terrorism and violence." The senior diplomat in the Russian embassy also rejected reports of any mediation offer."We do not have any information of such an offer made by our president. Russia is clear in its position that Indo-Pak issues need to be resolved, bilaterally, and we will never ever suggest anything contrary to that. "It seems wishful thinking on part of Pakistan," said the diplomat, on the condition of anonymity.(With PTI inputs)

India, Russia reject Pakistan’s claim that Putin offered to mediate on Kashmir issue

Russia has not made any mediation offer to resolve Indo-Pak issues, India said today and asserted that Moscow was "well aware" of New Delhi's position of bilateral resolution of all such matters in a terror-free environment

4d5fb8ba6f795567d184789a6b988c19

US President Donald Trump, right, greets Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, prior his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, during the G20 summit in Hamburg Germany in July 7, 2017.From the earliest days of his first presidential campaign, Donald Trump aggressively challenged the pillars of Republican foreign policy that defined the party since World War II.He mocked John McCain’s capture during the Vietnam War, validated autocrats with his platitudes, questioned longtime military and security alliances and embraced an isolationist worldview. And to the horror of many GOP leaders at the time, it worked, resonating with voters who believed, in part, that a bipartisan establishment in Washington had brokered trade deals that hurt American workers and recklessly stumbled into so-called “forever wars.”But Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is posing a serious test for Trump and his “America First” doctrine at a moment when he is eyeing another presidential run and using this year’s midterm elections to keep bending the GOP to his will. He’s largely alone in his sustained praise of Russian President Vladimir Putin as “smart,” an assessment he reiterated last week during speeches to donors and conservative activists. His often deferential vice president, Mike Pence, split with him on the issue late Friday.The multinational partnerships that Trump repeatedly undermined, meanwhile, have allowed the West to quickly band together to hobble Russia’s economy with coordinated sanctions. The NATO alliance, which Trump once dismissed as “obsolete,” is flexing its strength as a foil to Russia’s aggression.Perhaps most fundamentally, the war is a fresh reminder, observers say, that the U.S. can’t simply ignore the world’s problems, even if that’s sometimes a politically appealing way to connect with voters facing their own daily struggles.“This is a brutal wake-up call to both parties that not only are we not going to be able to do less in the world,” said Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations and a former diplomat. “We are going to have to do more.”While he argued that large elements of both parties have demonstrated a desire to turn inward, the current situation poses a “special problem” for Republicans and the “America firsters” who have previously tried to paint Russia has a benign actor.“The entire thrust of America First, I would argue, was misguided in a world where what happens anywhere can and will affect us,” he said.It’s unclear whether the Western unity that has taken hold against Russia can be sustained if the war escalates, expands beyond Ukraine or drags on indefinitely. And after two decades of U.S. foreign policy failures, including the Iraq War and the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, many Americans are approaching the moment with caution.On the eve of Russia’s invasion, just 26% of Americans said they supported the U.S. playing a major role in the conflict, according to a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. But the challenges to Trump’s approach to the world are clear.Sweden and Finland have abandoned their long-held neutrality and warmed to the idea of joining NATO, expanding an alliance Trump continued to criticize this week. Germany, a country Trump spent years trying to browbeat into spending more on its defense, broke its longstanding post-World War II policy by sending anti-tank weapons and surface-to-air missiles to Ukraine and pledging to dramatically increase its defense budget.Trump and his allies insist that Russia would never have invaded Ukraine were he still president. And Russia did not make aggressive moves on his watch, something former aides and others credit to his erratic behavior and direct threats that left world leaders uncertain of how Trump would respond to a provocation.Roger Zakheim, the Washington director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, credited Trump for deterring Putin, who he said had “validated the need for allies to invest more in their security and defense.”“I think President Trump, at least at it related to Ukraine, was able to deter Vladimir Putin. And that was a function of unpredictability, which is valuable to deterring an autocrat like Vladimir Putin,” he said. Still, he argued Putin’s actions had been “so aggressive and so brazen and so immoral” that it had “de-emphasized the difference” between various foreign policy approaches.Still, the war renews focus on the controversial role Ukraine played during Trump’s tenure, particularly the way the then-president used defense of the struggling country as a bargaining tool to improve his domestic political standing.Trump was impeached for the first time for trying to pressure Ukraine to investigate his 2020 Democratic opponent, Joe Biden, and his son, Hunter Biden. The effort included holding up nearly $400 million in U.S. security aid to Ukraine and leveraging an Oval Office visit that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had been requesting.Trump also pushed discredited claims that Ukraine, not Russia, had meddled in the 2016 election, repeatedly siding with Putin over his own national intelligence agencies.“Putin is the critical agent, but certainly Trump contributed to it with his scheme back then and continued to contribute it by undermining national security,” said retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Alexander Vindman, the former national security council whistleblower who raised alarms about Trump’s pressure tactics. “Ultimately the president undermined U.S. foreign policy because he weakened Ukraine.”As he aims to play a significant role in this year’s midterms and potentially run for president again in 2024, Trump has shown little interest in calibrating his approach to Putin.Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been laying the groundwork for his own potential presidential run, has largely abandoned the language he was criticized for using before the invasion, when had called Putin “very capable” and said he had “enormous respect for him.” Even Tucker Carlson, the popular Fox News host who had openly questioned why he shouldn’t side with Russia over Ukraine, has tried to walk back his pro-Russia rhetoric, saying, “We’ve been taken by surprise by the whole thing.”That’s left Trump relatively isolated, defending his decision to label Putin as “smart” and criticizing the response from Biden and other Western leaders, even as he has denounced the invasion as “horrific” and a “very sad thing for the world.”“NATO has the money now, but they’re not doing the job they should be doing,” he said this week on Fox Business. “It’s almost like they’re staying away.” That has earned rebuke from some in his party.In a speech to GOP donors Friday night, Pence forcefully defended NATO and admonished those who have defended Putin as he, too, weighs a presidential run.“There is no room in this party for apologists for Putin,” he said, according to his prepared remarks. “There is only room for champions of freedom.” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News there “should be no confusion about Vladimir Putin.“He’s a thug. He’s a killer,” McConnell said. “He’s been on the rampage and this will not end well for him.”Chris Stirewalt, a senior fellow at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute think tank and a contributing editor of The Dispatch, said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is fundamentally different from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that turned large swaths of the American public against foreign intervention and which Trump was able to use to his political advantage.“Putin,” he said, “has undone so much of what Trump and nationalists in the United States had done to change the global order.”ALSO READ | Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasionALSO READ | 'Ukraine's future in doubt', says Putin as ceasefires collapse amid scenes of terror

Donald Trump’s praise of Putin, ‘America First’ view tested by war

Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine is posing a serious test for Trump and his “America First” doctrine at a moment when he is eyeing another presidential run and using this year’s midterm elections to keep bending the GOP to his will.

b383aad5e9731377a98f3093f68250e0

US team in North Korea planning summit with Kim Jong-Un, says Donald TrumpPresident Donald Trump said Sunday a U.S. team was in North Korea to plan a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jon-Un, raising expectations that the on-off-on meeting would indeed take place.The State Department said earlier that a team was in Panmunjom, which straddles the border inside the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, separating the North and South Korea. One can cross the border simply by stepping across a painted line, but moving beyond several footsteps into the North at Panmunjom would be rare for U.S. officials.Related Stories North Korea says it is still open for talks with US despite Trump threatens to cancel June 12 summitUS blames 'trail of broken promises' for North Korea summit collapseSummit with Kim Jong-un could still go ahead on June 12: Donald Trump North Korea committed towards holding peace talks with US, says SeoulTrump withdrew from a planned June 12 Singapore summit with Kim last Thursday, but quickly announced that it could get back on track. His tweet Sunday afternoon, which offered praise for the longtime U.S. adversary, was the latest signal that his concerns about the North’s stance toward the summit had been allayed.“Our United States team has arrived in North Korea to make arrangements for the Summit between Kim Jong Un and myself,” he tweeted. “I truly believe North Korea has brilliant potential and will be a great economic and financial Nation one day. Kim Jong Un agrees with me on this. It will happen!”South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, gave details about his surprise meeting Saturday with Kim in the Panmunjom truce village, saying Kim had committed to sitting down with Trump and to a “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tapped veteran American diplomat Sung Kim to handle pre-summit negotiations. On a separate but complementary track was the CIA team Pompeo set up last year when he headed the spy agency. And on a third track was a White House logistical group sent to Singapore on Sunday to prepare in case the summit takes place. It was led by Joe Hagin, White House deputy chief of staff for operations.Kim, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, also served as ambassador to South Korea and was part of the U.S. negotiating team that last held substantive denuclearization talks with North Korea during the George W. Bush administration in 2005.The Korean leaders’ second summit in a month saw bear hugs and broad smiles. But their quickly arranged meeting Saturday appeared to highlight a sense of urgency on both sides of the world’s most heavily armed border.The talks, which Moon said Kim Jong Un requested, capped a whirlwind 24 hours of diplomatic back and forth. They allowed Moon to push for a U.S.-North Korean summit that he sees as the best way to ease animosity that had some fearing a war last year.Kim may see a meeting with Trump as necessary to easing pressure from crushing sanctions and to winning security assurances in a region surrounded by enemies.Moon told reporters that Kim “again made clear his commitment to a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” Moon added that Kim said he’s willing to cooperate to end confrontation and work toward peace for the sake of the successful summit with Trump.Moon said he told Kim that Trump has a “firm resolve” to end hostile relations with North Korea and initiate economic cooperation if Kim implements “complete denuclearization.”“What Kim is unclear about is that he has concerns about whether his country can surely trust the United States over its promise to end hostile relations (with North Korea) and provide a security guarantee if they do denuclearization,” Moon said.“During the South Korea-U.S. summit, President Trump said the U.S. is willing to clearly put an end to hostile relations (between the U.S. and North Korea) and help (the North) achieve economic prosperity if North Korea conducts denuclearization,” he said.Kim, in a dispatch issued by the North’s state-run news service earlier Sunday, “expressed his fixed will on the historic (North Korea)-U.S. summit talks.” During Saturday’s inter-Korean summit, the Korean leaders agreed to “positively cooperate with each other as ever to improve (North Korea)-U.S. relations and establish (a) mechanism for permanent and durable peace.”They agreed to have their top officials meet again June 1. Moon said military generals and Red Cross officials from the Koreas will also meet separately to discuss how to ease military tensions and resume reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.Saturday’s Korean summit came hours after South Korea expressed relief over revived talks for a Trump-Kim meeting.Despite repeated references to “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” by the North, it remains unclear whether Kim will ever agree to fully abandon his nuclear arsenal.The North has previously used the term to demand the United States pull out its 28,500 troops in South Korea and withdraw its so-called nuclear umbrella security commitment to South Korea and Japan. The North hasn’t openly repeated those same demands after Kim’s sudden outreach to Seoul and Washington.Moon has insisted Kim can be persuaded to abandon his nuclear facilities, materials and bombs in a verifiable and irreversible way in exchange for credible security and economic guarantees. Moon said Sunday that the North’s disarmament could still be a difficult process even if Pyongyang, Washington and Seoul don’t differ over what “complete denuclearization” of the peninsula means.Before he canceled the summit, Trump did not rule out an incremental approach that would provide incentives along the way to the North.Following an unusually provocative 2017 in which Kim’s engineers tested a purported thermonuclear warhead and three long-range missiles theoretically capable of striking mainland U.S. cities, the North Korean leader has engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity in recent months. He has had the summits with Moon and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, as well as two meetings with Pompeo.(With AP inputs)

US team in North Korea planning summit with Kim Jong-Un, says Donald Trump

Trump withdrew from a planned June 12 Singapore summit with Kim last Thursday, but quickly announced that it could get back on track.

26737ecde84d070a93cf2657916a4255

India, US and Japan would participate in Malabar 2017, a joint mid-summer exercise aimed at addressing shared threats to maritime security in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.A statement issued from US Embassy today said that the exercise involving naval ships, aircraft and personnel from the three countries will feature in both ashore and at-sea training off India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal.Training will focus on high-end war-fighting skill sets, combined carrier strike group operations, surface and anti-submarine warfare, explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), helicopter operations, and visit board search and seizure (VBSS) operations, it said.The exercise would also include medical operations, maritime patrol and reconnaissance operations, damage control exercises and subject matter expert and professional exchanges.Malabar 2017 is the latest in a continuing series of exercises that has grown in scope and complexity over the years, the US Embassy said."Indian, Japanese and US maritime forces look forward to working together again to build upon and advance their working relationship to collectively provide security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," the embassy said."Each iteration of this exercise helps to increase the level of understanding between our sailors and interoperability between our three navies," it added.(With IANS inputs)

Malabar 2017: India, US, Japan to hold joint maritime security exercise

The exercise involving naval ships, aircraft and personnel from the three countries will feature in both ashore and at-sea training off India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal.

a5ef6820ec07b5d7b13e0cc5adf56b60

Carlos Ghosn scripts the greatest escape of 2019, flees Japan in a musical instrument box In what is being seen as the escape that El Chapo would envy, ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn fled Japan in a musical box.  Lebanese television station MTV reports that Ghosn fled after a band of musicians entered his home on the pretext of providing entertainment during a dinner party. Ghosn hid himself inside one of the musical boxes before leaving Japan from a local airport. MTV claimed that Carlos Ghosn was in Lebanon for many hours after it was made public. The local television also claimed that Japan's ambassador in Beirut was informed of Ghosn's presence only after an enquiry from MTV.“I have not fled justice - I have escaped injustice and political persecution. I can now finally communicate freely with the media, and look forward to starting next week,” Ghosn said in a statement issued after reaching Lebanon. Daily Beast called Carlos Ghosn to escape from Japan as a "Great Escape".  "Carlos Ghosn’s ‘Great Escape’ Writes a Hollywood Ending to Japanese Imprisonment," Daily Beast headline said. Reports also said Carlos Ghosn was in touch with a Hollywood director on a movie.What were the charges against ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn in JapanCarlos Ghosn is under indictment on several charges of financial crimes and breach of trust in Japan. Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origin and holds French, Lebanese and Brazilian passports, was arrested in November 2018 and was expected to face trial in April 2020. Prosecutors fought his release, but a court granted him bail with conditions that he be monitored and he could not meet with his wife, Carole, who is also of Lebanese origin. Recently the court allowed them to speak by video calls.Ghosn has repeatedly asserted his innocence, saying authorities trumped-up charges to prevent a possible fuller merger between Nissan Motor Co. and alliance partner Renault SA.He has been charged with under-reporting his future compensation and breach of trust.During his release on bail, Ghosn had been going daily to the office of his main lawyer, Junichiro Hironaka, to work on his case, except on weekends and holidays.

Carlos Ghosn scripts the greatest escape of 2019, flees Japan in a musical instrument box

In what is being seen as the escape that El Chapo would envy, ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn fled Japan in a musical box.  Lebanese television station MTV reports that Ghosn fled after a band of musicians entered his home on the pretext of providing entertainment during a dinner party. Ghosn hid himself inside one of the musical boxes before leaving Japan from a local airport.

2c08368df7dd5131736f69e425012c4c

PM Modi greeted by dignitaries on his arrival at Male's National StadiumPrime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Male on Saturday, where he is slated to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Maldives President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who invited Modi during a phone call after defeating strongman Abdulla Yameen in the election held on September 23. The last visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Indian Ocean island nation was by Manmohan Singh in 2011. The Maldives was the only South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SAARC country that PM Modi had not visited. His visit to the Maldives, a strategically vital island and a popular tourist destination, was cancelled in March 2015 due to the volatile political situation then.Related Stories Air India aircraft with 136 people, lands on under-construction runway in MaleMaldives' opposition party raises alarm over fair conduct of presidential pollMaldives presidential election: Opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih triumphsMaldives presidential poll results show country's firm commitment to democratic principles: MEAMaldives opposition: President attempting to stay in powerMaldives' President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih invites PM Modi to attend oath-takingFormer Maldives President released from prisonMaldives court overturns ex-President Gayoom's jail termMaldives court suspends jail term for ex-President NasheedMaldives travel tips: Visit world's first-ever underwater villa Muraka in MalePM Modi to visit Maldives on Nov 17, to attend swearing in ceremony of president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed SolihPM Modi to attend swearing-in of new Maldives President Mohamed Solih today06:20 pm: PM Modi greeted by dignitaries on his arrival at the National Stadium in Malé for the inaugural ceremony of President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih5:57 pm: Prime Minister interacts with leaders from The Maldives and other parts of the world during the oath taking ceremony of Ibrahim Mohamed Solih5:30 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at National Stadium in Male for attending the swearing-in ceremony of Maldives' President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih5:00 pm:  PM Modi arrives in Maldives"I will convey to the new Maldivian Government of Mr Solih the desire of the Indian Government to work closely for realisation of their developmental priorities, especially in areas of infrastructure, health care, connectivity & human resource development," Modi said in a series of tweets ahead of his first visit to the Maldives as prime minister.The recent elections in the Maldives represent the collective aspirations of the people for democracy, rule of law and a prosperous future, he said."We in India strongly desire to see a stable, democratic, prosperous and peaceful Republic of Maldives," the prime minister said.Modi also congratulated Solih on his victory in the recent elections and wished him "the very best for his tenure"."India and the Maldives share a strong partnership rooted in history, strong bonds between our peoples, and their shared aspiration for peace and prosperity. My Government’s vision of inclusive development ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas’ extends to all our neighbours too," he said.The prime minister also said he will convey to Solih his wish to work with the new Maldives government in different areas to boost bilateral ties.

PM Modi in Maldives: Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sworn in as Maldives President, PM Modi attends event

This is Modi’s first visit to the Maldives as prime minister. The last visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the Indian Ocean island nation was by Manmohan Singh in 2011.

eb7a6dc5789a545c311b27982901b55d

File photo of PM Modi and Russian President Vladimir PutinRussia has chosen Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its highest civilian award - 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle'. In a press communique today, the Russian Embassy in New Delhi informed that the PM Modi has been decorated with the honour for exceptional services in promoting special and privileged strategic partnership between Russian and India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude towards the Russian government for the award and thanked President Putin and the people of Russia."Honoured to receive this prestigious award. I thank President Putin and the people of Russia. Foundations of India-Russia friendship are deep & the future of our partnership is bright. Extensive cooperation between our nations has led to extraordinary outcomes for our citizens," the PM said on Twitter. PM Modi also hailed Russian President Putin as a source of great strength for the India-Russia friendship. "Under his visionary leadership, bilateral and multilateral cooperation between our nations has scaled new heights," he said.The award comes days after United Arab Emirates honoured PM Modi with 'The Order of Zayed'Also read | UAE honours PM Modi with its highest civilian decoration 'Zayed Medal'After UAE, Russia awards Indian PM Modi with its highest civilian award - 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle'After UAE, Russia awards Indian PM Modi with its highest civilian award - 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle'  

Russia awards PM Modi with its highest civilian award 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed gratitude towards the Russian government for giving him the highest civilian award 'Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle' and thanked President Putin and the people of Russia.

d48d71c0c82bb9ed35e1c791b8c8172b

The statement has also announced their support to the resistance front - the anti-Taliban front led by Ahmad Masoud - and has added that all the embassies and consulates of Afghanistan will be functional as normal. A number of former Afghan officials, who fled the country along with President Ashraf Ghani after the Taliban takeover last month, have announced the continuation of the Afghan government in exile.A statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Switzerland read that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the only legitimate government of Afghanistan that is elected by the votes of the people and no other government can replace a legitimate one, Khaama News reported.The statement read that Afghanistan has been occupied by external factors and based on the historic responsibility of the Afghan government after consultations with the elders of the country, they decided to announce the government in exile."After the escape of Ashraf Ghani and his rupture with Afghan politics, his first vice-president (Amrullah Saleh) will be leading the country," the statement said.The statement also said that the three powers of the government namely executive, judicial, and legislative will be activated soon and they have been busy consulting in this regard., as per the report.The statement has also announced their support to the resistance front - the anti-Taliban front led by Ahmad Masoud - and has added that all the embassies and consulates of Afghanistan will be functional as normal.The statement is written and released by leaders of the previous government, political leaders, and other politicians but the names of none of them has been disclosed.Also Read | Taliban warn US of 'negative consequences'; ask not to operate drones over Afghan airspace /* .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_3569760567 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_oakngccu/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_oakngccu_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government", "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": "161", "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_3569760567 = ''; jwsetup_3569760567(); function jwsetup_3569760567() { jwvidplayer_3569760567 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_3569760567").setup(jwconfig_3569760567); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_3569760567, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_oakngccu\", ns_st_pr=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-17\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-17\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_oakngccu/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_3569760567.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_3569760567.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_3569760567.stop(); jwvidplayer_3569760567.remove(); jwvidplayer_3569760567 = ''; jwsetup_3569760567(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_3569760567.stop(); jwvidplayer_3569760567.remove(); jwvidplayer_3569760567 = ''; jwsetup_3569760567(); return; }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3569760567.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Afghan officials that fled with President Ghani set up government in exile

A statement released by the Afghan Embassy in Switzerland read that the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is the only legitimate government of Afghanistan that is elected by the votes of the people and no other government can replace a legitimate one, Khaama News reported.

9e5431f368a09c42028626ae7b284729

The facility has been extended to Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uganda, other than India, the Gulf News reported.Indian passport holders, who have not been to the country in the last 14 days, can get tourist visas to the UAE, according to a media report on Sunday. The facility has been extended to Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Uganda, other than India, the Gulf News reported.Presently, only UAE citizens and transit passengers are allowed to fly to the UAE, due to the coronavirus outbreak.Approval of tourist visas for Indian passport holders, who have not been in the country in the last fortnight, comes as the UAE is slowly opening up its arrivals.All flyers will have to undergo a Polymerase Chain Reaction test on the day of arrival and on the ninth day after arrival in the UAE.Meanwhile, the UAE has said it will accept passengers from Pakistani airports Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore. Earlier, arrivals from Pakistan were only allowed to transit passengers.The coronavirus has claimed 2,018 lives alongwith 708,302 confirmed infections in the the UAE, according to Johns Hopkins University. ALSO READ | Now, Indian expats in UAE can renew passport in just two daysALSO READ | Ashraf Ghani, former Afghanistan President who fled Kabul, is now 'settled' in UAE

UAE to accept Indian passport holders with 14-day rider

Approval of tourist visas for Indian passport holders, who have not been in the country in the last fortnight, comes as the UAE is slowly opening up its arrivals.

a8bf1b48058209c1c020d68d2b6711af

Condemning the attack on Coptic Christians in Egypt that left at least 28 dead, US President Donald Trump on Friday called for ending the bloodletting of Christians. "The bloodletting of Christians must end, and all who aid their killers must be punished," Trump said in a statement issued by his press office.Donald Trump is presently in Italy to attend the G7 summit.  In the  sharply worded statement, Trump condemned terrorists who were "engaged in a war against civilization" and decried the "merciless slaughter of Christians in Egypt." He said the attack on a bus carrying Christians, many of them children, would steel the nation's resolve to destroy terrorist organizations and expose "their depraved, twisted and thuggish ideology."Trump, attending the G-7 meeting in Sicily, said the U.S. would stand with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, who vowed to strike back at the training bases of Islamic State militants suspected of waging the attacks. Egyptian fighter jets struck militant bases in eastern Libya.El-Sissi, in his televised address, said of the U.S. president: "I direct my appeal to President Trump: I trust you, your word and your ability to make fighting global terror your primary task."Trump said in his statement that the U.S. "makes clear to its friends, allies and partners that the treasured and historic Christian communities of the Middle East must be defended and protected. The bloodletting of Christians must end, and all who aid their killers must be punished."It was the latest sign of the burgeoning friendship between Trump and el-Sissi, the former general who toppled democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood member. It marks a change from former President Barack Obama, who often kept el-Sissi at a distance and criticized Egypt's human rights record and suspended some U.S. military aid.Trump and el-Sissi held talks in Saudi Arabia last week ahead of the Arab-Islamic-U.S. summit, a gathering that followed an April meeting at the White House.Trump has made fighting terrorism a focal point of his first overseas trip as president, which ends this weekend. During a stop in Saudi Arabia, Trump and King Salman inaugurated a state-of-the-art center in Riyadh aimed at monitoring and countering extremism. (With AP inputs)

'Bloodletting of Christians must end': Donald Trump on Egypt attack

"The bloodletting of Christians must end, and all who aid their killers must be punished," Trump said in a statement

544452fa4f64b989fed9e036945f256f

2nd presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelledThe second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden set for October 15 has been cancelled, the organisers have announced, after the incumbent US President refused to do a virtual face-off with his Democratic challenger despite concerns over his COVID-19 diagnosis.In a statement, the nonpartisan (CPD) confirmed on Friday that the second version scheduled to be held in Miamai, Florida, would be scrapped. The CPD said it was preparing for the next debate to held on October 22 in Nashville, Tennessee, less than two weeks ahead of the November 3 presidential election.The first presidential debate between Trump and Biden was held on September 29 in Cleveland, Ohio. The one-off debate between the vice presidential candidates Mike Pence and Kamala Harris took place on October 7 in Salt Lake City, Utah."On October 8, CPD announced that for the health and safety of all involved, the second presidential debate, scheduled for October 15 in Miami, would be conducted virtually," the CPD said in a statement, officially announcing the cancellation of the second debate."Subsequently, the campaigns of the two candidates who qualified for participation in the debate made a series of statements concerning their respective positions regarding their willingness to participate in a virtual debate on October 15, and each now has announced alternate plans for that date.""It is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15, and the CPD will turn its attention to preparations for the final presidential debate scheduled for October 22," the CPD added.The cancellation is the culmination of a furious 48-hour back-and-forth between the commission and the Republican and Democratic campaigns over the format of the second presidential debate.The commission, with the backing of their health advisers, announced on Thursday that -- because Trump tested positive for the coronavirus -- the debate that was scheduled for Miami would be held virtually, with the two candidates appearing from remote locations.Trump swiftly rejected that plan, saying he would not show up and setting off a series of events that put the future of all general election debates into question.The Trump campaign has alleged that the commission was "biased" towards Biden, while the Democrat's team accused the president of ducking the debate.Trump has been accused of downplaying the seriousness of COVID-19, which has killed more than 213,000 people in the US where 7,664,000 confirmed cases have been reported, making the country the world's worst-hit nation.Biden has reacted to the cancellation of the second presidential debate in a statement through a spokesperson, calling it "shameful" that President Trump "ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask questions.""Vice President Biden looks forward to making his case to the American people about how to overcome this pandemic, restore American leadership and our alliances in the world, and bring the American people together," his campaign spokesman Andrew Bates said."It's shameful that Donald Trump ducked the only debate in which the voters get to ask the questions -- but it's no surprise. Everyone knows that Donald Trump likes to bully reporters, but obviously he doesn't have the guts to answer for his record to voters at the same time as Vice President Biden."Trump's communications director Tim Murtaugh criticised the "biased" commission for cancelling the second debate, saying "there's no medical reason to stop" it.The primary mission of the Commission on Presidential Debates is to ensure, for the benefit of the American electorate, that general election debates are held every four years between and among the leading candidates for the offices of President and Vice President of the United States.The CPD has sponsored general election presidential debates in every election since 1988, according to the commission's website. 

2nd presidential debate between Trump and Biden cancelled

The second presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden set for October 15 has been cancelled, the organisers have announced, after the incumbent US President refused to do a virtual face-off with his Democratic challenger despite concerns over his COVID-19 diagnosis.

4a71b1de327e3018e7765c07188476fd

Woman falls under moving train at It seemed like a regular day at the Independence Station in Buenos Aires, Argentina as commutters were waiting for their train when they witnessed a shocking incident but at the same time a miracle. The passengers at the station saw a woman who was feeling unconscious, stumbled towards the track and came under the incoming train.According to the CCTV footage, passengers are seen standing on the platform waiting for their train when suddenly a woman who seems to be feeling unconscious falls on the tracks under the incoming train.It came as nothing less than a shock to the other passengers on the platform who couldn't believe at first of what just happened. As the train stopped, some passengers jumped on the tracks and evacuated the girl.Well, it can called as miracle and nothing less than that as the woman survived through all this.She has been indentified as Candela and is out of danger now. The incident occured on March 29.Speaking to an Argentinian television channel, she said, "I don't know how I'm still alive. I'm still trying to make sense of it all."Candela further added that she felt as if she has been reborn after surviving the accident. “I suffered a sudden drop in blood pressure and fainted. I tried to warn the person in front of me but don't remember anything else, even the moment I smashed into the train,” Candela told local media.ALSO READ | Thief breaks into a happy dance after robbing hardware store in Uttar Pradesh; watch viral videoALSO READ | Video: Tiger takes a giant leap from boat into wild; reminds netizens of Life of Pi's Richard Parker

VIDEO | 'Reborn', says woman after miraculously surviving train accident

A miraculous incident was caught on camera when a woman fell under the moving train at the Independence Station in Buenos Aires in Argentina.

f7da1e8d7a2591518d8173b1bd1ea4c5

A file photo of North Korean leader Kim Jong-UnNorth Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un has reportedly not been seen in public since the conclusion of a session of the Workers Party Central Committee on December 31, as per reports in the North Korean state media. Pyongyang’s tightly-controlled media reported that Kim had last week paid a visit to the tomb of Kim dynasty founder Kim Il-sung, but didn’t publicise the visit through pictures.Citing grapevine and Pyongyang’s state media, a report in Chosun Media claimed that Kim might have gone underground fearing the same fate that befell upon Iran’s top commander Major General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad International Airport on Friday. The strike had been ordered by President Donald Trump.The report in the South Korean publication claimed that Kim had lashed out at Donald Trump at the December 31 meeting, which took place three days before Soleimani was taken out.Trump’s deadline for negotiation on the nuclear deal with North Korea has already passed, the report noted, adding that Kim might have been relieved that the US has turned its aggression towards Tehran rather Pyongyang.North Korea hasn’t reacted to Soleimani’s assassination yet.

Kim Jong-Un goes underground after Qasem Soleimani's killing: report

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might have gone underground fearing the same fate that befell Iran’s top commander Major General Qasem Soleimani

aebdd0bdd7da95591f9a0d6bbad76a75

US keeping distance as Afghanistan forces face Taliban rout. Afghan government forces are collapsing even faster than US military leaders thought possible just a few months ago when President Joe Biden ordered a full withdrawal. But there’s little appetite at the White House, the Pentagon or among the American public for trying to stop the rout and it probably is too late to do so.Biden has made clear he has no intention of reversing the decision he made last spring, even as the outcome seems to point toward a Taliban takeover. With most U.S. troops now gone and the Taliban accelerating their battlefield gains, American military leaders are not pressing him to change his mind. They know that the only significant option would be for the president to restart the war he already decided to end.The Taliban, who ruled the country from 1996 until U.S. forces invaded after the 9/11 attacks, captured three more provincial capitals Wednesday, giving them effective control of about two-thirds of the country. The insurgents have no air force and are outnumbered by U.S.-trained Afghan defense forces, but they have captured territory with stunning speed.John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said the Afghans still have time to save themselves from final defeat.“No potential outcome has to be inevitable, including the fall of Kabul,” Kirby told reporters. “It doesn’t have to be that way. It really depends on what kind of political and military leadership the Afghans can muster to turn this around.”Biden made a similar point a day earlier, telling reporters that US troops had done all they could over the past 20 years to assist the Afghans.“They’ve got to fight for themselves, fight for their nation,” he said.The United States continues to support the Afghan military with limited airstrikes, but those have not made a strategic difference thus far and are scheduled to end when the U.S. formally ends its role in the war on Aug. 31. Biden could continue airstrikes beyond that date, but given his firm stance on ending the war, that seems unlikely.“My suspicion, my strong suspicion, is that the 31st of August timeline’s going to hold,” said Carter Malkasian, who advised U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan and Washington.Senior U.S. military officials had cautioned Biden that a full U.S. withdrawal could lead to a Taliban takeover, but the president decided in April that continuing the war was a waste. He said Tuesday that his decision holds, even amid talk that the Taliban could soon be within reach of Kabul, threatening the security of U.S. and other foreign diplomats.The most recent American military assessment, taking into account the Taliban’s latest gains, says Kabul could be under insurgent pressure by September and that the country could fall entirely to Taliban control within a couple of months, according to a defense official who discussed the internal analysis Wednesday on condition of anonymity.Officials said that there has been no decision or order for an evacuation of American diplomatic personnel from Afghanistan. But one official said it is now time for serious conversations about whether the U.S. military should begin to move assets into the region to be ready in case the State Department calls for a sudden evacuation.Kirby declined to discuss any evacuation planning, but one congressional official said a recent National Security Council meeting had discussed preliminary planning for a potential evacuation of the U.S. Embassy but came to no conclusions.Any such plan would involve identifying U.S. troops, aircraft and other assets that may have to operate from within Afghanistan or nearby areas. The U.S. already has warships in the region, including the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and the USS Iwo Jima amphibious ready group with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard.Military officials watching the deteriorating situation said that so far the Taliban hasn’t taken steps to threaten Kabul. But it isn’t clear if the Taliban will wait until it has gained control of the bulk of the country before attempting to seize the capital.Military commanders have long warned that it would be a significant challenge for the Afghan military to hold off the Taliban through the end of the year. In early May, shortly after Biden announced his withdrawal decision, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he foresaw “some really dramatic, bad possible outcomes” in a worst-case scenario. He held out hope that the government would unify and hold off the Taliban, and said the outcome could clarify by the end of the summer.The security of the US diplomatic corps has been talked about for months, even before the Taliban’s battlefield blitz. The military has long had various planning options for evacuating personnel from Afghanistan. Those options would largely be determined by the White House and the State Department.A key component of the options would be whether the U.S. military would have unfettered access to the Kabul international airport, allowing personnel to be flown systematically out of the capital. In a grimmer environment, American forces might have to fight their way in and out if the Taliban have infiltrated the city.The U.S. also would have to determine who would be evacuated: just American embassy personnel and the U.S. military, or also other embassies, American citizens, and Afghans who worked with the U.S. In that last category are former interpreters and those who face retaliation from the Taliban. The U.S. has already started pulling out hundreds of those Afghans who assisted troops during the war.Senior defense leaders have been talking and meeting daily, laying out their grim assessments of the security situation in Afghanistan. Officials pointed to the fall of Baghlan Province as a worrisome bellwether, because it provides the Taliban with a base and route to Kabul from the north. /* .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_5993824047 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_yhb3023l/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_yhb3023l_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Haqikat Kya Hai | Over 200 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan", "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": "2416", "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_5993824047 = ''; jwsetup_5993824047(); function jwsetup_5993824047() { jwvidplayer_5993824047 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_5993824047").setup(jwconfig_5993824047); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_5993824047, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_yhb3023l\", ns_st_pr=\"Haqikat Kya Hai | Over 200 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Haqikat Kya Hai | Over 200 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Haqikat Kya Hai | Over 200 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrikes in Afghanistan\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-08-08\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-08-08\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_yhb3023l/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_5993824047.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_5993824047.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_5993824047.stop(); jwvidplayer_5993824047.remove(); jwvidplayer_5993824047 = ''; jwsetup_5993824047(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_5993824047.stop(); jwvidplayer_5993824047.remove(); jwvidplayer_5993824047 = ''; jwsetup_5993824047(); return; }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5993824047.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

US keeping distance as Afghanistan forces face Taliban rout

Joe Biden has made clear he has no intention of reversing the decision he made last spring, even as the outcome seems to point toward a Taliban takeover.

419f4a99b4f002903c81dcf7147dc055

ImageDeath toll in Bangladesh fire has touched the figure of 70 on Thursday morning, said reports.The death toll rose to 69, with many of the victims trapped inside the buildings, said Mahfuz Riben, a control room official of the Fire Service and Civil Defense in Dhaka, earlier.“Our teams are working there but many of the recovered bodies are beyond recognition. Our people are using body bags to send them to the hospital morgue, this is a very difficult situation,” he told AP over phone.Dozens of people were injured while hundreds fled their homes, or were evacuated, as a fire broke out at a chemical warehouse in the crammed old Dhaka, officials and reports said.Residents in the neighbourhood said the fire broke out at a chemical store of a four-storey building in Old Dhaka's Chak Bazar area and quickly spread to four adjacent buildings."We have so far rescued over a dozen of wounded people and taken them to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital's (DMCH) burn unit," a fire service official told a TV channel.Several reports suggested over 50 people were wounded in the fire, some of them critically, but no death was reported, even as fire fighters struggle to douse the blaze.Doctors at the DMCH burn unit said at least five of the injured were being treated for critical injuries as more affected people are being taken to the facility. Several people, however, were injured as they jumped off the four-storey building that housed several families.Fire service officials said 32 fire fighting units were moved to the scene but narrow lanes made it difficult for fire engines to reach the spot forcing "our men to use long hose pipes to put off the blaze".Witnesses said blasts of gas cylinders used for cooking rocked the neighbourhood as panic gripped people fled their homes while several damaged vehicles were seen on the street beside the building.Fire officials said the second, third and fourth floors of the building are used as warehouses and there are some flats.

Bangladesh: 70 killed after fire breaks out at chemical warehouse in old Dhaka

Witnesses said blasts of gas cylinders used for cooking rocked the neighbourhood as panic gripped people fled their homes while several damaged vehicles were seen on the street beside the building.

0543552ad9c20f757e80ef659bf1443a

Britain sends Australia 4 million Pfizer doses in swap dealBritain is rushing 4 million Pfizer doses to Australia, where authorities are scrambling to bolster supplies of that COVID-19 vaccine and protect the population against a rapidly spreading outbreak of the delta variant.The swap deal announced Friday follows Australian deals with Singapore and Poland to address a short-term Pfizer shortage.Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the British shots would leave Britain on Saturday and double Australia’s Pfizer supplies in September.Australia was keen to make more vaccine deals with other governments, Morrison said.“I said I would leave no stone unturned and I can tell you I’ve been turning over some stones in recent times to ensure that we can progress the vaccination program as quickly as we possibly can,” Morrison said. “Thanks Boris, I owe you a beer,” he added, referring to his British counterpart Boris Johnson.Australia has particularly low vaccination levels compared to other wealthy nations, with only 36% of Australians aged 16 and older fully vaccinated.The Australian government has been criticized for failing to strike more vaccine deals with manufacturers. Australia had planned to manufacture most of the vaccine for its 26 million people, including 20 million adults.But one home-grown vaccine was abandoned during development because it produced false positive results to HIV tests. Locally-produced AstraZeneca, which is the only alternative to Pfizer registered for use in Australia so far, proved unpopular with many due to changing medical advice on the risk of blood clots. Australia initially bought only 10 million Pfizer doses but has increased the order to 40 million shots this year.The first of 10 million shots of the Moderna vaccine is expected to become available soon.The need for vaccines comes as Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, on Friday reported its deadliest day of the pandemic with 12 fatalities and a record 1,431 new infections. The state government predicted the daily death toll will peak next month if the pace of vaccination is maintained.The state government plans to triple the number of intensive care unit beds and staff in October when the number of COVID-19 patients are expected to peak, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.She expects 70% of the population aged 16 and older in her state will be fully vaccinated by mid-October.The outbreak that began in Sydney in June has spread to Melbourne, Australia’s second-most populous city and the capital of Victoria state.Victoria reported 208 new infections in the last 24 hours and a single death. New South Wales and Victoria are in lockdown and see increased vaccinations as the only way to safely ease pandemic restrictions. The Australia Capital Territory still hopes that its lockdown will stamp out delta. The rest of Australia remains virtually free of the virus.Singapore delivered 500,000 Pfizer shots to Sydney on Thursday. Australia must repay Singapore and Britain with equivalent numbers of doses in December.Australia bought 1 million Pfizer doses from Poland for an undisclosed price in August. The Australian government hopes the states will end pandemic lockdowns once 80% of the population aged 16 and older was fully vaccinated. /* .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_5057636549 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/05/0_1yodpdcf/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_1yodpdcf_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Top 9 News: FDA approves Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15", "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": "1183", "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_5057636549 = ''; jwsetup_5057636549(); function jwsetup_5057636549() { jwvidplayer_5057636549 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_5057636549").setup(jwconfig_5057636549); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_5057636549, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_1yodpdcf\", ns_st_pr=\"Top 9 News: FDA approves Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Top 9 News: FDA approves Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Top 9 News: FDA approves Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12-15\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-05-11\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-05-11\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/05/0_1yodpdcf/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_5057636549.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_5057636549.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_5057636549.stop(); jwvidplayer_5057636549.remove(); jwvidplayer_5057636549 = ''; jwsetup_5057636549(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_5057636549.stop(); jwvidplayer_5057636549.remove(); jwvidplayer_5057636549 = ''; jwsetup_5057636549(); return; }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5057636549.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Britain sends Australia 4 million Pfizer doses in swap deal

Australia will receive 4 million Pfizer doses from Britain in a swap deal that will double the quantity of that COVID-19 vaccine available to Australians.

4626e11a926abf0fd2ae48c55f9419b8

PM Modi meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani; exchange views on regional, global developmentsPrime Minister Narendra Modi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.The meeting takes place amidst heightened tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia after the Aramco drone attack.Modi met Rouhani on the sidelines of the high-level 74th Session of the General Assembly Thursday and discussed “bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global developments of mutual interest.”According to an official press release, the prime minister reiterated India's support for giving priority to diplomacy, dialogue and confidence building in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the Gulf region, which is of vital importance for India.Noting that India and Iran shared old and civilizational ties, the two leaders assessed the progress in bilateral relations since their first meeting in Russian city of Ufa in 2015.They especially mentioned overcapitalization of Chabahar Port and noted its importance as gateway to and for the landlocked Afghanistan and the Central Asian region.During the meeting, it was agreed to mark the 70th Anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations in 2020.The India-Iran meeting was keenly awaited as it comes amid escalating face-off between Iran and the US on Tehran's nuclear programme. Iran is also accused by the US and its allies of attacking two key oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, triggering a new phase of tensions in the region.The two leaders "discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on the situation in the region," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.The two leaders could not hold a planned meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, in June this year due to scheduling issues.India, the world's third biggest oil consumer, meets more than 80 per cent of its oil needs through imports. Iran was its third-largest supplier after Iraq and Saudi Arabia till recently.The six-month-long exemptions from US sanctions to India and seven other countries to buy oil from Iran expired on May 2 as Washington did not extend it. Indo-Iran ties have been on an upswing in the past few years.Modi visited Tehran in May 2016 with an aim to craft a strategic relationship with Iran and expand India's ties with the West Asia.During the visit, India and Iran signed nearly a dozen agreements, centrepiece of which was a deal on development of the strategic Chabahar port.Later, India, Iran and Afghanistan signed a trilateral agreement providing for transport of goods among the three countries through the port.In February 2018, Rouhani visited India, becoming the first Iranian President to visit India in a decade. During his visit, the two sides signed a dozen agreements.

PM Modi meets Iranian President Hassan Rouhani; exchange views on regional, global developments

According to an official press release, the prime minister reiterated India's support for giving priority to diplomacy, dialogue and confidence building in the interest of maintaining peace, security and stability in the Gulf region, which is of vital importance for India.

ab9b9f3ec0d17aeec8f9d0ec0c73143d

FileThe US has rejected Pakistan's plea to facilitate talks with India and pressed for the bilateral engagement between the two South Asian neighbours, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said.Pakistan wants the US to facilitate talks with India as the two nations are not engaging bilaterally, the top Pakistani diplomat told a Washington audience Wednesday."When we asked the US, to play facilitating role...Why do we ask? Simply because we are not engaging bilaterally. And that bilateral disengagement is…a distraction," Qureshi said in response to a question at the US Institute of Peace, a US Congress-funded top American think-tank. "We want to focus, we want to move on the western side of the border, which we are not being able to because we have to watch our back from eastern side (of the border with India). That is not a healthy situation to be in," he said."Now can you (United States) facilitate (the talks)? The answer from them is no. They wanted bilaterally. But there is no bilateral movement," Qureshi said, a day after he had meetings with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton, during which he raised the issue only to be pushed back by the Trump administration.India is opposed to any third country mediation in its relations with Pakistan. Pakistan has continuously sought mediation to sort out the differences, including over Kashmir.Qureshi warned that the absence of bilateral talks with India could lead to escalation of tension between the two countries."If that lack of facilitation leads to escalation and some of the statements that have come out of late have not been very helpful," the Pakistani foreign minister said in an apparent reference to the remarks by Indian leaders.The new government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, he claimed, is not shy of engaging.Referring to the cancelling of his meeting with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in New York last month, he alleged that India backed off.However, he quickly skipped India's reasons for this – glorification of terrorists by issuing postal stamps and brutal killing of the Indian security personnel."If the Indians have a better option, share it with us. If disengagement, if not talking to each other will resolve and stabilise the region, fine. If that's their analysis fine," Qureshi said.Qureshi, who left for Pakistan after his meetings with the Trump administration officials, said it is unfortunate that the two countries are not engaging.  "It's unfortunate. That's the way it is. Now. What does this government want? We want normalisation. We want co-existence. You've got to recognise the reality. Pakistan is a reality. So is India. We have issues. How do we resolve them?" he asked.After coming to power, the first speech made by the Prime Minister Khan was "that every step you (India) take towards peace, we will take two. And he meant it. It wasn't just because it sounded good. It wasn't to please anyone. He is too blunt a person to please people. He can be very straight and he can be very blunt. But he said that because he feels that way," Qureshi said.India has said that Pakistan created the conditions for cancellation of the talks – due to issuing of postage stamps glorifying terrorists and brutal killing of its three security personnel.The Pakistan foreign minister did not mention that in his answer and only said that the stalled dialogue process is not good for the two countries and the region.Responding to a question on India's stand that talks and terrorism cannot go together, a view which is shared by Washington too, Qureshi referred to a statement by Khan while he was an opposition leader and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a trip to New Delhi that there would always be spoilers."There will always be spoilers. There will always be elements that will scuttle the process of peace. But when they do that, let re-engage to fight them. They will push us back. But we have to see what is in our interest, what is in the regional interest. What's in Pakistan's interest," Qureshi said quoting what Khan had told Modi.Soon, he raised the Kashmir issue."They have to realise, and I think they were being simplistic, if they feel that everything that's wrong on the Indian side of Kashmir is all of Pakistan's making, that is an unrealistic approach," he said.India, he said, should also revisit its policies and see why and how people have been alienated. 

US rejects Pakistan's plea to facilitate talks with India: Qureshi

Pakistan wants the US to facilitate talks with India as the two nations are not engaging bilaterally, the top Pakistani diplomat told a Washington audience Wednesday.

ecae57afa0079777c9807eb4da54c95e

China today said President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump have reached a consensus on fighting terrorism and upholding peace and stability in South Asia, amid America ramping up pressure on Pakistan to dismantle terror safe havens.During their talks here, Xi and Trump discussed Afghanistan and committed to working toward a peaceful future for the terrorist haven."This morning, the two presidents talked and held joint press meeting. I am not aware of the details of the talks. What I know is that the two sides also discussed anti- terrorism issues and upholding peace and stability in South Asia," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing."They reached consensus in this respect," she said without elaborating or mentioning whether Indias concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan figured in the talks.To counter terrorism, China and the US as well as other countries share the common interests and the two countries stand ready to work with other parties for stronger anti- terrorism cooperation, she said.South Asia and Afghanistan figured prominently in todays talks as both the leaders mentioned it in their briefings.After the talks, Trump said terrorists are a threat to humanity and that he and Xi will "stop radical Islamic terrorism.""In order to create more secure future for all and protect our citizens from extremism and terrorism, President Xi and I also committed to working together for a peaceful future for Afghanistan," Trump said."Terrorists are a threat to all of humanity and we will stop radical Islamic terrorism," he said.Trumps remarks assume significance after he unveiled his new South Asia policy under which the US has warned Pakistan against providing safe harbour to terrorist organisations.Trumps South Asia policy giving importance to India and inviting New Delhi to play a bigger role in reconstruction of Afghanistan has also raised eyebrows in Beijing and Islamabad.Elaborating on the Trump-Xi talks on Afghanistan, Hua said the two sides believe that maintaining the stable and constructive relations between Afghanistan and its neighbouring countries is of great significance to the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan. "They support an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace and reconstruction process, call on relevant parties in Afghanistan to achieve extensive and inclusive national reconciliation through political negotiation at an early date and stand ready to play a positive role through such mechanisms as the Quadrilateral Coordination Group of Afghanistan, China, Pakistan and the US," Hua said in a written response to PTI here.Ahead of Trumps visit, China conducted an anti-terrorism trilateral meeting with Pakistan and Afghanistan.Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Hulai conducted the trilateral meeting on November 7 which was attended by top officials of Pakistan and Afghanistan.China has been trying to bring about peace between Islamabad and Kabul amid scathing criticism from Afghanistan leaders over Pakistan?s support to Taliban by sheltering them.Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has made separate visits to the two countries recently and met Pakistan and Afghanistan?s officials after the talks.Pakistan's Special Secretary Tasnim Aslam and Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Karzai who took part in the talks called on Wang.In the meeting, Wang thanked Pakistan and Afghanistan for their support for China in fighting the East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and their contribution to the fight against international counter terrorism especially in South Asian region, Hua said.ETIM is active in the Muslim Uygur majority province of Xinjiang which shared borders with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Afghanistan.Xinjiang had been restive for several years over increasing settlements of majority Hans from other provinces of China."China stands ready to work with two parties to strengthen our counter-terrorism cooperation to uphold the regional peace and stability," she said, adding that Pakistan and Afghanistan stated that they stand ready to strengthen cooperation with China in this regard.

Trump, Xi reach consensus to curb terrorism in South Asia: China

During their talks , Xi and Trump discussed Afghanistan and committed to working toward a peaceful future for the terrorist haven.

89ea74ec34825211d298d8f26854bc5e

Mayan Pre-columbian artIf coronavirus pandemic, a series of cyclones and earthquakes was not enough for you, here is a theory that predicts the end of the world next week.  Remember the Mayan calendar? The one which predicted the end of the world on 21 December 2012. Well, theorists have claimed that the 'doomsday' date was read wrongly the first time and that the real doomsday is actually on June 21, 2020, the coming Sunday“Following the Julian Calendar, we are technically in 2012… The number of days lost in a year due to the shift into Gregorian Calendar is 11 days… For 268 years using the Gregorian Calendar (1752-2020) times 11 days = 2,948 days. 2,948 days / 365 days (per year) = 8 years,” scientist Paolo Tagaloguin tweeted last week according to the Sun. A great deal was made out of the first prediction made of the end of the world in December 2012. Hordes of people arrived at the Mayan sites in Mexico and Guatemala. Much to their disappointment, nothing happened. Eight years later, the same theories are back. Whether the world will end on June 21 or not, only time will tell. 

World to end next Sunday? Mayan calendar which prophesied doomsday in 2012 suggests

If coronavirus pandemic, a series of cyclones and earthquakes was not enough for you, here is a theory that predicts the end of the world next week.

45a966b98fbb2bfb474da6c71c07b1af

'Third country' should not interfere in China-Sri Lanka ties: Wang YiChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who held talks with Sri Lanka's top leadership on Sunday, has said that no "third country" should "interfere" in the close ties between Beijing and Colombo, in an apparent reference to India's concerns over Beijing's big-ticket strategic projects in the island nation in the Indian Ocean.Wang, who travelled to Colombo during the weekend from the Maldives on a two-day visit, in his meeting with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the friendly relationship between China and Sri Lanka benefits the development of both countries and serves the fundamental interest of both peoples, state-run Xinhua news agency reported."It does not target any third party and should not be interfered with by any third party, Xinhua quoted Wang as saying, in a thinly veiled reference to India.China is seeking to deepen its ties with Sri Lanka making billions of dollars of investments in ports and infrastructure projects amid criticism that they are debt traps.China's takeover of the Hambantota port on 99 years' lease for USD 1.2 billion debt swap drew international concerns over Beijing acquiring strategic assets far away from home by providing heavy loans and investment to smaller nations.The Hambantota port together with Colombo port city project where China is building a new city with reclaimed land in the sea were viewed with concern, especially in India as Beijing seeks to increase its presence in the Indian Ocean.There have been global concerns over debt traps and regional hegemony by China using its Belt and Road (BRI) infrastructure projects.China is doling out huge sums of money for infrastructure projects in countries from Asia to Africa and Europe. The US' previous Donald Trump administration had been extremely critical of the BRI and was of the view that China's "predatory financing" is leaving smaller counties under huge debt endangering their sovereignty.Last month, China suspended a project to install hybrid energy plants in three islands of Sri Lanka's north, citing security concern from a third party, amid reports of Indian concern over its location which is not far from Tamil Nadu's coast.Significantly, Wang during his talks with the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G. L Peiris proposed to establish a forum for the development of Indian Ocean island countries, which observers say is an attempt by Beijing to expand its influence in the region.During my visit to several Indian Ocean island countries this time, I feel that all island countries share similar experiences and common needs, with similar natural endowment and development goals, and have favourable conditions and full potential for strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation, a press release by the Chinese Foreign Ministry quoted Wang as saying."China proposes that a forum on the development of Indian Ocean island countries should be held at an appropriate time to build consensus and synergy and promote common development, he said, adding that Sri Lanka can play an important role in it.Before his Colombo visit, Wang also visited the Maldives where he held talks with top leaders of the island nation to deepen ties with China.Six island nations are located in the Indian Ocean, namely Comoros, Madagascar, the Maldives, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka.In a tweet, the Chinese embassy in Colombo described Sri Lanka as "real Pearl" of the Indian Ocean.In his meeting with Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Wang praised him and described the Sri Lankan leader as an old friend to the Chinese people."You paid six visits to China when serving as Sri Lankan President...We hold this special friendship dear and this story will be enshrined in the history of China-Sri Lanka relations," Wang said.Significantly, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa who is the brother Mahinda Rajapaksa in his meeting with Wang raised Sri Lanka's deepening forex crisis and spiralling external debt and sought Beijing's assistance.President Rajapaksa pointed out that it would be a great relief to Sri Lanka if attention could be paid to restructuring the debt repayments as a solution to the economic crisis that has arisen in the face of COVID-19 pandemic, according to a statement issued by the President's Office.It is estimated that Sri Lanka owes debt payments to China in the region of USD 1.5 to 2 billion this year.ALSO READ | Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced to 4 more years in prison

'Third country' should not interfere in China-Sri Lanka ties: Wang Yi

China is seeking to deepen its ties with Sri Lanka making billions of dollars of investments in ports and infrastructure projects amid criticism that they are debt traps.

0648bcd67c90fc38aecda243aaf6de26

Donald Trump terminates USA's relations with WHO amid coronavirus pandemicIn quite a dramatic development that is perhaps surprising even when his mercurial nature is taken into account, US President Donald Trump on Saturday terminated all US relations with the World Health Organisation (WHO). The move has come even as the global health agency is in the middle of a battle against deadly coronavirus pandemic that has the entire world in its grips. The US is the worst-hit country where Covid-19 has caused more than 1 lakh deaths. Trump said that the US was terminating relations with WHO as the organisation did not make the "reforms" that were "requested" by the US.As he made the announcement around 12.30 am (IST) on Saturday, Donald Trump took straight aim at China and alleged that the country had control over the WHO."China's cover up of the Wuhan virus allowed the disease to spread all over the world, instigating a global pandemic that has cost 100 thousand American lives and over a million lives worldwide," said Trump."Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligation to the World Health Organisation and pressured the World Health Organisation to mislead the world," he added.He further said that China only pays USD 40 million to WHO compared to USD 450 million per year share borne by the US but has "total control" over WHO.Immediately after saying that the US would terminate relations with WHO, Trump added that US will "redirect funds to other worldwide and deserving, urgent, global public health needs".Trump has been gunning at China and at World Health Organisation for a while now. He has often called coronavirus a "Chinese virus". Number of comments have been made suggesting that the virus was deliberately developed inside a lab.He has aired his displeasure about the WHO publicly. On April 15, Trump said that the US would halt funding to WHO. As one of its major donors, the US pays a huge chunk of funds used by WHO to tackle global health issues. Trump has been maintaining that WHO was not hard enough on China where the coronavirus infections were first observed.Trump's critics say that the US President has lately been seeking to divert attention from domestic situation with respect to Covid-19 pandemic. Trump is facing a lot of flak from domestic Opposition which maintains that he 'mishandled' the situation making the country the worst hotspot in the world. In the early days of the outbreak, Donald Trump has been heard saying on record that coronavirus was "just a flu"ALSO READ | Twitter flags Trump's tweet again, says it violates rules about 'glorifying violence'

Donald Trump terminates USA's relations with WHO amid coronavirus pandemic

US President Donald Trump on Saturday terminated all US relations with World Health Organisation (WHO). The move has come even as the global health agency is in the middle of a battle against deadly coronavirus pandemic that has entire world in its grips.

ae2a8f0f7e79dc5b2eab1b4a14776980

ImageIndonesia authorities say at least three people have been killed and four injured Thursday after a powerful earthquake struck near the popular tourist island of Bali.Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster agency BNPB, wrote on Twitter that several houses were also damaged in the magnitude 6.0 earthquake that shook Bali and East Java.The country is still reeling from an earthquake and tsunami last month that killed more than 2,000 people.The International Monetary Fund and its sister lending organization, the World Bank, are holding annual meetings on Bali through Sunday.Indonesia's disaster agency says the Sept. 28 disaster that hit Sulawesi island has killed 2,045 people.A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck just off the coast of Indonesia, a country reeling from an earthquake and tsunami last month that killed more than 2,000 people.The latest quake hit early Thursday about 157 kilometers (100 miles) northwest of the popular island of Bali, at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles).The International Monetary Fund and its sister lending organization, the World Bank, are holding annual meetings on Bali through Sunday.Indonesia's disaster agency says the Sept. 28 disaster that hit Sulawesi island has killed 2,045 people. Possibly thousands more are buried in areas where the force of the quake liquefied the soil and sucked houses into the earth.Indonesia's disaster agency says it only needs tents, water treatment units, generators and transport from other countries as it responds to the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami that killed more than 2,000 people.The agency's spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said Wednesday that the death toll from the Sept. 28 disaster has risen to 2,045.Possibly thousands of people are buried in areas where the force of the quake liquefied the soil and sucked houses into the earth. Nugroho reiterated that the official search for bodies will end Thursday with prayers in hard-hit neighborhoods.After appealing for international assistance, Indonesia is now trying to limit foreign involvement in disaster relief. The agency has issued guidelines that say foreign aid workers can be in the field only with Indonesian partners.

Indonesia: 3 killed after magnitude 6 earthquake hits Bali

A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has struck just off the coast of Indonesia, a country reeling from an earthquake and tsunami last month that killed more than 2,000 people.

839843364267b988f21569773d297a31

Former FBI Director James Comey has scorned the memo that was released by House Republicans after being declassified by President Donald Trump, saying it doesn’t add up to much.His assessment on Twitter was: “That’s it?”Comey called the memo “dishonest and misleading” and not worth the damage it’s done to public trust in U.S. intelligence agencies.After being declassified by Trump, the memo was released Friday by House Republicans. It claims the FBI abused its surveillance powers in the Russia investigation.The FBI, Justice Department and Democrats furiously lobbied Trump to stop the release, saying it could harm national security and mislead the public.Since his firing last May, Comey has made his personal feelings about Trump known, testifying in detail about personal interactions he says troubled him.

Fired FBI chief James Comey scoffs at GOP memo

Comey called the memo “dishonest and misleading” and not worth the damage it’s done to public trust in U.S. intelligence agencies.

d2d613f8e485e6348e11ec2ac8321ca8

COVID-19 prevention: WHO recommends wearing masks indoors if ventilation is poorThe World Health Organization recommended wearing face masks when indoors with other people, if the ventilation has been deemed inadequate. In its beefed-up guidance, WHO advised that the general public should wear a non-medical mask in indoor (eg shops, shared workplaces, schools) or outdoor settings where physical distancing of at least one metre cannot be maintained. The WHO also recommended wearing masks if a visitor outside your household came to your home."If indoors, unless ventilation has been assessed to be adequate, WHO advises that the general public should wear a non-medical mask, regardless of whether physical distancing of at least one metre can be maintained," the new guidance said according to reuters. The UN health agency also urged people not to wear masks during vigorous physical activity, and not to use masks with valves, saying they bypassed the filtration function of the face mask.In its fourth update on mask guidance during the pandemic -- the last was in August -- the WHO called for wider use in health-care settings, especially in areas plagued by infection clusters or community transmission.Health workers could wear N95 masks if available when caring for COVID-19 patients, but the only proven protection is when they are doing aerosol-generating procedures, the WHO said.The organization said however that if masks were not available, or if people had difficulty wearing a non-medical mask -- for example people with cognitive, respiratory or hearing impairments -- then face shields may be considered as an alternative."If face shields are to be used, ensure proper design to cover the sides of the face and below the chin," the guidance said.

COVID-19 prevention: WHO recommends wearing masks indoors if ventilation is poor

The World Health Organization recommended wearing face masks when indoors with other people, if the ventilation has been deemed inadequate. In its beefed-up guidance, WHO advised that the general public should wear a non-medical mask in indoor (eg shops, shared workplaces, schools) or outdoor settings where physical distancing of at least one metre cannot be maintained.

ca324b2999d6fced7e016bb2be8ae514

India has asked its Embassy in Maldives to ascertain the details pertaining to the detention of an Indian national, working as a journalist there. External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar's remarks came in response to reports of an Indian national taken into custody in the island nation. Related Stories Don't want Maldives to be another flashpoint, in talks with India: China Maldives political crisis should not cause Sino-Indian tension, says China Indian journalist among two scribes held in Maldives "We have received information about an Indian national, Shri Money Sharma, working as a journalist, who has been detained by the Maldivian authorities. We have asked our Embassy to get in touch with the local authorities to ascertain more details of the case," Kumar said. According to the Maldivian police, two foreign journalists, including an Indian national, have been detained for working in the country in violation of its immigration rules. On media reports that Maldives has sought support from China to maintain security for Chinese investments, Kumar said, India noted what China has stated that the Maldivian government has the ability to protect the security of Chinese personnel and institutions in the island nation. "We hope that all countries can play a constructive role in Maldives, instead of doing the opposite," he added. Yesterday, government officials here had asked Maldives to address concerns of India and other countries over democracy there. In an apparent snub, India had declined to receive Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen's special envoy, citing scheduling issues. Yameen has already dispatched special envoys to China, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to brief them about the deepening political crisis in the country. The island nation, which has seen several political crises since the ouster of its first democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed in 2012, plunged into chaos last Thursday when the apex court ordered the release of nine imprisoned opposition politicians, maintaining that their trials were "politically motivated and flawed". India had earlier described as a matter of "concern" the arrests of the chief justice and political figures there. However, earlier this week, the Supreme Court had revoked its order on the release of the opposition politicians.

Ascertaining details of Indian national's detention in Maldives: India

External affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar's remarks came in response to reports of an Indian national taken into custody in the island nation.

3056f9e3df3560f3a4c8f5c4b18df873

Imran Khan/File ImagePakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday admitted that the international community was not supporting it on the Kashmir issue, a false rhetoric which is being trumpeted ever since India abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing the 'Kashmir Hour' rally outside the PM Secretariat in Islamabad, Khan said that the "international community remains silent when Muslims are being oppressed".Imran Khan, however, forgot that he has accepted the truth of "no support" in its criticism for the global community, which he had refused to admit earlier. Pakistan was snubbed at various global platforms, be it the United Nations Security Council or the Kulbhushan Jadhav case at the Hague, but it always spun the story suiting to its fake narrative. Khan was addressing an event ouside the Prime Minister's Office where national anthems of Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir were played to further its propaganda against India. Imran Khan had appealed to Pakistanis to observe 'Kashmir Hour' on Friday to observe 'Kashmir Hour' from 12 pm to 12:30 pm to express "solidarity with Kashmiris." All traffic signals turned red at noon. "The whole world is watching what is taking place in Kashmir. I want to tell you that if Kashmiris were not Muslims, the entire world would have stood with them," Khan said at the event.Khan yet again blew the trumpet of a nuclear threat.“I want to tell Modi that our Army is ready for anything they do in Kashmir. The world should know that when two nuclear countries face-off, the whole world will be harmed," he said. ALSO READ | 'Speaking truth in Pakistan is becoming an issue', Najam Sethi slams Imran Khan for shutting down TV showALSO READ | Imran Khan's desperation at all time high amidst Pakistan 'Kashmir Hour' propaganda /* .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_9336026448 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_vk8gt03c_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_vk8gt03c_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pakistan PM Imran Khan threatens India with nuclear threat over Kashmir issue again", "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_9336026448 = ''; jwsetup_9336026448(); function jwsetup_9336026448() { jwvidplayer_9336026448 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_9336026448").setup(jwconfig_9336026448); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_9336026448, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_vk8gt03c\", ns_st_pr=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan threatens India with nuclear threat over Kashmir issue again\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan threatens India with nuclear threat over Kashmir issue again\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan threatens India with nuclear threat over Kashmir issue again\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-08-30\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-08-30\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_vk8gt03c_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_9336026448.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_9336026448.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_9336026448.stop(); jwvidplayer_9336026448.remove(); jwvidplayer_9336026448 = ''; jwsetup_9336026448(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_9336026448.stop(); jwvidplayer_9336026448.remove(); jwvidplayer_9336026448 = ''; jwsetup_9336026448(); return; }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9336026448.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }  

Imran Khan admits no support from international community on Kashmir, blows 'nuclear threat' trumpet yet again

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday admitted that the international community was not supporting it on the Kashmir issue, a false rhetoric which is being trumpeted ever since India abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

c7e49058e79a2a242818add398fd3f61

The deadly snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepal on Friday evening.At least nine climbers, including five South Korean nationals have been killed in an avalanche that struck their camp on Nepal's Mount Gurja.The deadly snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepal on Friday evening, said Wangchu Sherpa, the Managing Director at Trekking Camp Nepal.Related Stories Avalanche warning issued for districts in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal, Uttarakhand Jammu and Kashmir: Russian skier killed by avalanche in Gulmarg Jammu and Kashmir: One dead, another injured in avalanche in Bandipora; 3 more bodies recoveredFive South Korean climbers including team leader Kim Chang-ho along with their Nepali support staff were killed in the incident, Sherpa said. They had gone to scale the mountain from Gurja Village on October 7. A heavy snowstorm followed by a landslide buried the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres when the climbers were awaiting for a fair weather to move towards higher camps, he said.Team leader Kim was the first South Korean national to summit 14 peaks above 8,000 metres without using supplemental oxygen. However, the identities of others killed in the incident were not immediately known.A rescue helicopter was dispatched towards the incident site on Saturday morning.The mountain Mount Gurja, with a 7,193-metre peak, is in western Nepal.(With PTI inputs)

Nine climbers, including five South Korean nationals killed as avalanche hits Mount Gurja in Nepal

The deadly snowstorm buried the climbers at the base camp at an altitude of 3,500 metres near the south face of Mount Dhaulagiri in western Nepal on Friday evening.

76c6276fade442726cb4f9aea83fa055

Ahmad Massoud also blamed the UN for taking wrong decisions by having talks with the Taliban.Leader of the Resistance Front in Panjshir, Ahmad Massoud, on Monday posted an audio message on Facebook stating that the National Resistance Front  (NRF) forces are still present in the province. He added that the NRF will continue to fight the Taliban. (function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6&appId=1530374180564359"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "facebook-jssdk")); The leader added that the people in the country and the international community should come together to fight the insurgent group. He said that the Taliban have changed, and they have become more aggressive. Massoud also blamed the UN for taking wrong decisions by engaging in talks with the Taliban.Earlier, the Taliban said they have taken control of Panjshir province north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. The province was the last holdout of anti-Taliban forces in the country and the only province the Taliban had not seized during their sweep last month. The announcement was made on Twitter by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, who said, "Panjshir province, the last stronghold of the mercenary enemy, was completely conquered."  /* .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_4818008916 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_2kg6l9up/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_2kg6l9up_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Taliban formally announced a ban on coeducation in Afghanistan", "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": "267", "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_4818008916 = ''; jwsetup_4818008916(); function jwsetup_4818008916() { jwvidplayer_4818008916 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_4818008916").setup(jwconfig_4818008916); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_4818008916, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_2kg6l9up\", ns_st_pr=\"Taliban formally announced a ban on coeducation in Afghanistan\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Taliban formally announced a ban on coeducation in Afghanistan\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Taliban formally announced a ban on coeducation in Afghanistan\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-06\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-06\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_2kg6l9up/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_4818008916.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_4818008916.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_4818008916.stop(); jwvidplayer_4818008916.remove(); jwvidplayer_4818008916 = ''; jwsetup_4818008916(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_4818008916.stop(); jwvidplayer_4818008916.remove(); jwvidplayer_4818008916 = ''; jwsetup_4818008916(); return; }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4818008916.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Resistance forces are still present in Panjshir and will continue to fight Taliban: Ahmad Massoud

The leader added that the people in the country and the international community should come together to fight the Taliban.

d99e73efddc3637f7d667de355b75eea

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, center, addresses an anti government rally, in Peshawar, Pakistan, early Thursday, April 14, 2022. Imran Khan latest news: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chairman Imran Khan has asked the judiciary to explain the motive behind opening its doors at midnight on Saturday, hours before his ouster as the prime minister via a successful no-confidence motion against him in the National Assembly.The ousted PM addressed a protest rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday, calling on his supporters to demand fresh elections. In his first public address since losing power, Khan asked, "I ask the judiciary that when you opened the court in the dead of night... this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever broken the law? When I played cricket, did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing?"Referring to the rallies that started from Sunday, Imran said, "Every time a prime minister was ousted, people would celebrate it, but when he was removed from office, the masses registered a protest."He reiterated that a "foreign conspiracy" was plotted in Washington with the help of the Opposition parties to overthrow the PTI government in Pakistan. Khan's supporters have accused the US of orchestrating his ouster.The former prime minister said that those who had hatched the conspiracy were very happy that he was ousted from the government. "I was not dangerous when I was part of the government, but I will be more dangerous now."Khan was ousted last weekend and replaced by opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif on Monday.More than 100 lawmakers from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, resigned and walked out of the National Assembly in protest.ALSO READ | Imran Khan resigns from National Assembly, says will not sit with 'thieves'

Imran Khan roars at Peshawar rally, 'I was not dangerous when in government, but I will be now'

The ousted PM addressed a protest rally in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Wednesday, calling on his supporters to demand fresh elections.

7493954d08357db1082fd4d18d3ff147

Omicron variant: France extends travel curbs from 7 southern African countries. France has extended travel restrictions from seven southern African countries until December 1, amid the spread of the new coronavirus variant called Omicron.The reports about the new variant prompted the EU countries to restrict travel from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique, the Russian news agency reported Sputnik. In France, the restrictions were supposed to last until November 29."The date 'November 29, 2021' is changed to 'December 1, 2021'," the government said in a decree, which updates the previous one.On Friday, France suspended flights arriving from the southern African region for 48 hours amid rising concern about a new COVID-19 variant detected in South Africa."France suspended flights arriving from the southern African region for 48 hours. The new variant has not yet been detected in France," said Health Minister Olivier Veran, as quoted by France 24.A newly identified COVID-19 variant- B.1.1.529- is causing an increase in new COVID-19 infections in South Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified on Friday the new South African strain as one of concern, as it is reported to carry a high number of mutations- 32- which possibly makes it more transmissible and dangerous. The WHO has dubbed it Omicron, the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. (With ANI inputs) 

Omicron variant: France extends travel curbs from 7 southern African countries

The reports about the new variant prompted the EU countries to restrict travel from Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique, the Russian news agency reported Sputnik.

d68b29d91d56ae193735752948c82bf2

Anita Bhatia appointed UN Assistant Secretary GeneralUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Anita Bhatia of India as an Assistant Secretary-General, according to his Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq.In that position, she will be responsible for resource management, sustainability and partnerships and simultaneously serve as the Deputy Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, which is known as UN Women, Haq told reporters here on Thursday.Related Stories Rajiv Gauba could be new Cabinet Secretary, new Defence Secretary also on anvil Investors' wealth rises by Rs 3.86 lakh crore in two days of market rallyCurrent TMC government will not be able to continue till 2021: BJP National Secretary Rahul SinhaCPI likely to lose national party status after poll debacleForeign Secretary then, Cabinet Minister now: S Jaishankar comes a long wayPakistan Army general gets 14-year imprisonment after found guilty of spyingBhatia comes to the UN after a long career at the World Bank and its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she worked in strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and management.She was the IFC's Director of Global Partnership working with public and private sector partners to support the Corporation's strategy in key areas like conflict-affected states and financial inclusion as well as support to women-owned businesses.Earlier, she oversaw financial management, risk management, portfolio management, knowledge management and learning for Advisory Services while the Director of Partnerships and Advisory Operations,She has headed the IFC's Latin America Advisory Operations based in Lima, Peru, and La Paz, Bolivia, and has worked in Africa, Europe, Central Asia and South, and East Asia.She has a Bachelor's degree in history from the University of Calcutta, a Master's in political science from Yale University and a law degree from Georgetown University.

Who is Anita Bhatia? Newly appointed UN Assistant Secretary General

Bhatia comes to the UN after a long career at the World Bank and its private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where she worked in strategic partnerships, resource mobilization, and management.

581ae313116bfb22b33520822d232183

Nawaz Sharif's disqualification as Prime Minister is Pakistan's "internal affair" and will not impact the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, an official has said here. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a press briefing on Friday that the Pakistani Supreme Court verdict on the Panama Papers case is not going to affect bilateral ties between the two countries."We believe that the China-Pakistan strategic cooperative partnership will not be affected by the change of the situation inside Pakistan. China stands ready to work with Pakistan to continue jointly building the One Belt and One Road," Lu said.The CPEC is a flagship project of China's Belt and Road initiative. Beijing also calls the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor as part of the ambitious design. The 3,000 km, over USD 50 billion CPEC corridor stretches from Kashgar in western China to Gwadar port in Pakistan on the Arabian sea. Along the way, China is funding and building several mega infrastructure projects, including road and railway networks, and power plants. According to estimates, over 30,000 Pakistanis are working on the corridor project. "As a friendly neighbour, China hopes that all parties and sections in Pakistan can prioritise state and national interests, properly deal with their domestic affairs, maintain unity, stability, and keep focusing on the economic and social development," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.The all-weather friendship between China and Pakistan has withstood the test of times, Lu added.Nawaz Sharif resigned on Friday after the Supreme Court, accusing him of dishonesty, disqualified him from holding the post following a probe that exposed illegal family wealth stashed abroad. A five-judge bench unanimously disqualified Sharif from his post after an investigative panel linked his grown up children to offshore companies, showing that their wealth was far above their legitimate earnings.

Nawaz Sharif's disqualification will not affect CPEC: China

The CPEC is a flagship project of China's Belt and Road initiative. Beijing also calls the Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar corridor as part of the ambitious design.

aa6cd3f08c7929f01048c7fb9abab73f

Twitter deletes image tweeted by Trump for violating its policyTwitter has taken action against US President Donald Trump, this time removing an image he tweeted, saying the image violated the company's privacy policy.Trump's tweet showed a "meme" version of a photo taken by The New York Times in 2015. Trump tweeted along with the photo: "In reality they're not after me, they're after you. I'm just in the way".After the NYT complained to Twitter, the micro-blogging platform removed the picture. The tweet now shows "media not displayed" notification on Trump's tweet.Late last month, Twitter flagged a tweet from Trump which promoted violence by saying if protesters tried to set up an "autonomous zone" in Washington, DC they would be met with "serious force".This was the fourth time Twitter red-flagged Trump's tweet for glorifying violence or violating its policies.Twitter earlier labeled a video tweeted by him which mocked CNN as manipulated media.In May, Twitter labeled two Trump tweets that made false claims about mail-in ballots in California.Facebook also removed a Trump campaign ad featuring a symbol used by Nazis for political dissenters, saying the ad violated its policies.

Twitter deletes image posted by Trump over violation of company policy

Twitter has taken action against US President Donald Trump, this time removing an image he tweeted, saying the image violated the company's privacy policy.

3cc1627a0e8ad5abf551a329722bbe5d

Residents line up for tests at a COVID-19 testing site in Xi'an in northwestern China's Shaanxi Province on Tuesday (Dec. 21, 2021).China ordered the lockdown of as many as 13 million people in neighborhoods and workplaces in the northern city of Xi’an following a spike in coronavirus cases, setting off panic buying just weeks before the country hosts the Winter Olympic Games.State media reported that city officials ordered all residents to stay home unless they had a pressing reason to go out and suspended all transport to and from the city apart from special cases.One person from each household will be permitted out every two days to buy household necessities, the order said. It took effect at midnight Wednesday, with no word on when it might be lifted.Social media posts recorded panic buying of groceries and household products, with the government saying new supplies would be brought in on Thursday.Xi’an on Thursday reported another 63 locally transmitted cases over the previous 24 hours, pushing the city’s total to at least 211 over the past week. Xi’an is the capital of Shaanxi province, famed for its imperial relics, as well as a major center of industry.China has also been dealing with a substantial outbreak in several cities in the eastern province of Zhejiang near Shanghai, although isolation measures there have been more narrowly targeted.China has adopted strict pandemic control measures under its policy of seeking to drive new transmissions to zero, leading to frequent lockdowns, universal masking and mass testing. While the policy has not been entirely successful while leading to massive disruptions in travel and trade, Beijing credits it with largely containing the spread of the virus.Those measures have been stepped up in recent days ahead of the start of the Beijing Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 4.The Xi’an restrictions are some of the harshest since China in 2020 imposed a strict lockdown on more than 11 million people in and around the central city of Wuhan, after the coronavirus was first detected there in late 2019.China has reported 4,636 deaths among a total of 100,644 cases of COVID-19.READ MORE: 'Omicron variant' less likely to put you in hospital: Study

China orders lockdown of up to 13 million people in Xi’an after spike in Covid-19 cases

China has also been dealing with a substantial outbreak in several cities in the eastern province of Zhejiang near Shanghai, although isolation measures there have been more narrowly targeted.

c967107e570d01bf63c751f1e08e2c0b

Two children, traveling with others fleeing Ukraine, look out of the window of a bus near the border crossing in Medyka, PolandRussian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy and likened the West's sanctions on Russia to “declaring war,” while a promised cease-fire in the besieged port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror. With the Kremlin's rhetoric growing fiercer and a reprieve from fighting dissolving, Russian troops continued to shell cities and the number of Ukrainians forced from their country grew to 1.4 million.By Saturday night, Russian forces had intensified their shelling of Mariupol, while dropping powerful bombs on residential areas of Chernihiv, a city north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.Bereft mothers mourned slain children, wounded soldiers were fitted with tourniquets and doctors worked by the light of their cellphones as bleakness and desperation pervaded. Putin continued to pin the blame for all of it squarely on the Ukrainian leadership and slammed their resistance to the invasion.“If they continue to do what they are doing, they are calling into question the future of Ukrainian statehood,” he said. “And if this happens, it will be entirely on their conscience.”He also hit out at Western sanctions that have crippled Russia's economy and sent the value of its currency tumbling.“These sanctions that are being imposed, they are akin to declaring war,” he said during a televised meeting with flight attendants from Russian airline Aeroflot. “But thank God, we haven't got there yet.”The third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place Monday, according to Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation. He gave no additional details, including where they would take place.Previous meetings were held in Belarus and led to the failed cease-fire agreement to create humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of children, women, and older people from besieged cities, where pharmacies have run bare, hundreds of thousands face food and water shortages, and the injured have been succumbing to their wounds.(With inputs from AP)Also Read | Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasion

Russia Ukraine War: 'Ukraine's future in doubt', says Putin as ceasefires collapse amid scenes of terror

A third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine will take place Monday, according to Davyd Arakhamia, a member of the Ukrainian delegation.

fe61d729a30814c9080fabf2af9265a1

Dr. Deborah Birx, White House coronavirus response coordinator, speaks with reporters about the coronavirus in the James Brady Briefing Room of the White House, Friday, May 22, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. It’s not going to happen. A review by The Associated Press found that at least half of the states are not going to meet White House’s deadline and some aren’t even bothering to try.Only a handful of states, including West Virginia and Rhode Island, have said they’ve already tested every nursing home resident.Many states said the logistics, costs and manpower needs are too great to test all residents and staff in a two-week window. Some say they need another week or so, while others say they need much more time. California, the most populous state, said it is still working to release a plan that would ensure testing capacity for all residents and staff at skilled nursing facilities statewide.And still other states are questioning whether testing every nursing home resident and staff, regardless of any other factors, is a good use of time and money.“At this time it would be fairly useless to do that,” said Nebraska Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gary Anthone, adding that the state would have to repeat the tests almost daily to get more than a snapshot in time, and the state doesn’t have the capacity when there are others who need to be tested.Anthone said the state was going to stick with the CDC’s guidelines, which call for testing individually when nursing home residents show symptoms or collectively if there is a new confirmed case of COVID-19 in a home.The varying responses by states to nursing home testing is another example of the country’s patchwork response to the pandemic that also underscores the Trump administration’s limited influence. The president has preferred to offload key responsibilities and decisions to states and governors, despite calls for a coordinated national response.“All of this is probably not as well thought out as it could have been.” said Dr. Jim Wright, the medical director at a Virginia nursing home where dozens of residents have died. “It sounds more like an impulsive type of directive rather than one that has been completely vetted by providers on the ground.”On May 11, Trump heralded his administration’s efforts to boost coronavirus testing and said the U.S. had developed the “most advanced robust testing system in the world, by far.” That same day, Vice President Mike Pence hosted a private conference call with the state’s governors, where White House adviser Dr. Deborah Birx requested that each state target nursing homes to help lower the virus’ death toll.“Start now,” Pence added, according to a recording of the call obtained by the AP.Trump said later that day at a news conference that he was thinking of making it a mandatory requirement.“I think it’s very important to do and I think, frankly, some of the governors were very lax with respect to nursing homes,” Trump said.Birx acknowledged Friday that the two-week recommendation was a challenge but said it was needed because of the particular vulnerability of nursing homes.“We should never be discouraged by those who can’t get it done,” she said. “We should be encouraged by those who have shown us that it can be done.”Nursing homes residents, who are typically older and often have underlying medical conditions, have been particularly hard hit by the virus. More than 36,000 residents and staff have died from outbreaks at the nation’s nursing homes and long-term care facilities, according to an AP tally. . That is more than a third of all deaths in the U.S. that have been attributed to the virus.Nursing home operators have said the lack of testing kits and other resources have left them nearly powerless to stop the virus from entering their facilities because they haven’t been able to identity silent spreaders not showing symptoms.The American Health Care Association, the main nursing home trade group, said more than half of its members said they were unable to test all residents and staff within two weeks because of a lack of access to testing. The group also estimates that testing every nursing home resident and staff member would involving testing nearly 3 million people at a cost of $440 million.Even with the tests, nursing homes struggle to find people to administer them and carve out enough time to perform them.New York, one of the nation’s leaders in nursing home deaths, said this past week it has sent out enough kits to all nursing homes to test every resident though it remains unclear whether they will be done by the deadline.Delaware Gov. John Carney announced a plan May 5 for universal testing of all residents and staff in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, but the testing program is voluntary. On Friday, the state said three-quarters of long-term care facilities had requested testing kits, and that weekly testing of staff would be mandatory starting in June.Alabama State Health Officer Scott Harris said meeting the White House’s recommendation would mean testing 50,000 people in two weeks when it took three months for the state to test 150,000 people.“It’s just not possible,” he said.

White House goal on coronavirus testing nursing homes unmet

Nearly two weeks ago the White House urged governors to ensure that every nursing home resident and staff member be tested for the coronavirus within 14 days. It’s not going to happen.

c81078722ab4b520202e6feaf4c5b98e

Fire brigade staff try to put out fire caused by plane crash in Karachi, Pakistan on Friday.The PIA plane which crashed on Friday has only two survivors -- one of whom is Bank of Punjab top executive Zafar Masud. His roots are in western Uttar Pradesh's Amroha and he belongs to the family of Kamal Amrohi of "Pakeezah" fame. Masud, who was onboard the flight that crashed near the Karachi airport leaving 90 dead, escaped with injuries on his hip and collar bone.His family migrated to Pakistan in 1952, his relative Adil Zaffar told IANS in India. Adil Zafar, who is documentary film maker in Mumbai, is the first cousin of his mother. Zafar said that he met Masud in 2015 in Karachi and Masud is very fond of India and wanted to visit Amroha to see his ancestral home.Zafar Masud's mother is directly related to Kamal Amrohi as his maternal grandfather Taqi Amrohi, who was a journalist in Pakistan, was the "Pakeezah" filmmaker's cousins.Masud family belongs to Saddo Mohalla in Amroha. His grandfather Masood Hasan was lawyer and his father Munnawar Sayeed was TV artist in Pakistan.At least three people among nearly 100 aboard the Pakistan International Airline (PIA) passenger plane from Lahore to Karachi survived as it crashed minutes before landing at the Jinnah International Airport on Friday, Sindh Health Minister Azra Fazal Pechuho said.The PIA A320 passenger aircraft was carrying at least 90 passengers and eight crew members in the flight PK 8303, when it crashed into the densely populated vicinity of Jinnah Gardens in Model Colony located next to the runway.ALSO READ | Pakistan plane crash: Horrific CCTV footage shows PIA A320 plane crashing to the ground in KarachiALSO READ | 97 dead as Pakistan International Airlines crashes in Karachi residential area /* .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_8493841117 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_6pe111qj_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_6pe111qj_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pakistan's passenger aircraft crashes near residential area of Karachi", "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": "1982", "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_8493841117 = ''; jwsetup_8493841117(); function jwsetup_8493841117() { jwvidplayer_8493841117 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_8493841117").setup(jwconfig_8493841117); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_8493841117, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_6pe111qj\", ns_st_pr=\"Pakistan's passenger aircraft crashes near residential area of Karachi\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pakistan's passenger aircraft crashes near residential area of Karachi\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pakistan's passenger aircraft crashes near residential area of Karachi\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-05-22\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-05-22\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_6pe111qj_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_8493841117.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_8493841117.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_8493841117.stop(); jwvidplayer_8493841117.remove(); jwvidplayer_8493841117 = ''; jwsetup_8493841117(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_8493841117.stop(); jwvidplayer_8493841117.remove(); jwvidplayer_8493841117 = ''; jwsetup_8493841117(); return; }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8493841117.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Pakistan plane crash survivor has India connection

The PIA plane which crashed on Friday has only two survivors -- one of whom is Bank of Punjab top executive Zafar Masud. His roots are in western Uttar Pradesh's Amroha and he belongs to the family of Kamal Amrohi of "Pakeezah" fame.

f3126a8356e91526d93190d2314148a0

The missile fire disrupted traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Etihad, for about an hour after the attack.  The United Arab Emirates intercepted two ballistic missiles claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels over the skies of Abu Dhabi early Monday, authorities said, the second attack in a week that targeted the Emirati capital.The missile fire further escalates tensions across the Persian Gulf, which previously had seen a series of assaults near — but never indisputably on — Emirati soil amid Yemen's yearslong war and the collapse of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers. American troops at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the capital took shelter in bunkers there during the attack.The attacks threaten the business-friendly, tourism-focused efforts of the Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula also home to Dubai. For years, the country has marketed itself as a safe corner of an otherwise-dangerous neighborhood.Videos on social media showed the sky over Abu Dhabi light up before dawn Monday, with what appeared to be interceptor missiles racing into the clouds to target the incoming fire. Two explosions later thundered through the city. The videos corresponded to known features of Abu Dhabi.The state-run WAM news agency said that missile fragments fell harmlessly over Abu Dhabi.The Emirates “is ready and ready to deal with any threats and that it takes all necessary measures to protect the state from all attacks,” WAM quoted the UAE Defense Ministry as saying.The missile fire disrupted traffic into Abu Dhabi International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Etihad, for about an hour after the attack.Houthi military spokesman Yehia Sarei claimed the attack in a televised statement, saying the rebels targeted several sites in the UAE with both Zulfiqar ballistic missiles and drones, including Al-Dhafra Air Base. He warned the UAE would continue to be a target “as long as attacks on the Yemeni people continue.”“We warn foreign companies and investors to leave the Emirates!” Sarei shouted from a podium. “This has become an unsafe country!”The Dubai Financial Market dropped 2% after the attack, with nearly every company trading down. The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange also fell slightly.At Al-Dhafra, which hosts both American and British forces, U.S. troops took shelter in bunkers during the attack, the U.S. Air Force's Mideast command said. Al-Dhafra is home to the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing and has seen armed drones and the F-35 stealth fighters stationed there.“U.S. military forces successfully reacted to multiple inbound threats during an attack near Abu Dhabi,” the Air Force said, without elaborating. Videos on social media suggested outgoing interceptor fire came from the base.The U.S. Embassy in Abu Dhabi later issued a security alert to Americans living in the UAE, warning citizens to “maintain a high level of security awareness.” The alert included instructions on how to cope with missile attacks, something unheard-of previously in the UAE, a tourist destination home to skyscraper-studded Dubai and its long-haul carrier Emirates.“If these types of attacks end up occurring on a weekly basis as they do in the Saudi Arabia … that will shift the perception of the threat landscape in the UAE,” said Torbjorn Soltvedt, an analyst with risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. “The concern is now the contagion is going to be broader if we start to see attacks against civilian infrastructure.”The Emirati Defense Ministry later tweeted out a black-and-white video that it said showed an F-16 striking the ballistic missile launcher used in the Abu Dhabi attack. The Defense Ministry identified the site as being near al-Jawaf, a Yemeni province around 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi.ALSO READ | Saudi-led airstrikes on rebel-run prison kills 70 in YemenThe state-linked newspaper The National in Abu Dhabi identified the F-16 as Emirati, raising the question of how directly involved the UAE now is in the fighting after withdrawing most of its ground forces in 2019. The Emiratis continue to back militias on the ground, including the Giants Brigade, which has made advances against the Houthis in recent weeks.The Zulfiqar ballistic missile, believed to have a range of 1,500 kilometers (930 miles), is modelled after the Iranian Qiam missile, according to a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Iran denies directly arming the Houthis, though United Nations experts, Western nations and analysts have linked weapons in the rebels' arsenal back to Tehran.The attack came a week after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed an attack on the Emirati capital targeting the airport and an Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. fuel depot in the Mussafah neighborhood. That attack on the fuel depot killed three people and wounded six others. The Houthis have to yet identify the missiles used in last week's attack.New, high-resolution satellite photographs obtained by the AP from Planet Labs PBC showed repair work still ongoing at the fuel depot Saturday. Emirati officials have not released images of the attacked sites, nor allowed journalists to see them.In recent days, a Saudi-led coalition that the UAE backs unleashed punishing airstrikes targeting Yemen, knocking the Arab world's poorest country off the internet and killed over 80 people at a detention center.The Houthis had threaten to take revenge against the Emirates and Saudi Arabia over those attacks. On Sunday, the Saudi-led coalition said a Houthi-launched ballistic missile landed in an industrial area in Jizan, Saudi Arabia. The missile tore a deep crater in the ground, television footage showed, and slightly wounded two foreigners of Bangladeshi and Sudanese nationality.The hard-line Iranian daily newspaper Kayhan, whose editor-in-chief was appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, just Sunday published a front-page article quoting Houthi officials that the UAE would be attacked again with a headline: “Evacuate Emirati commercial towers.”The newspaper in 2017 had faced a two-day publication ban after it ran a headline saying Dubai was the “next target” for the Houthis.ALSO READ | Suspected drone attacks in Abu Dhabi kill 3, Yemen's Houthi movement claims responsibility  

Watch | Satellite video by UAE shows 2 missiles over Abu Dhabi

American troops at Al-Dhafra Air Base in the capital took shelter in bunkers during the attack. Monday's missile fire by was claimed by Yemen's Houthi rebels, who are backed by Iran.

bc1bef6b06cb711b7d21b73e58e2fa82

A syringe is prepared with Pfizer COVID vaccine at a clinic at Reading Area Community College.The US moved a step closer on Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots.The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who are 65 and older, younger adults with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high risk for COVID-19. The ruling represents a drastically scaled back version of the Biden administration’s sweeping plan to give third doses to nearly all American adults to shore up their protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.However, more regulatory hurdles lie ahead before the dispensing of boosters can begin.Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention opened a two-day meeting Wednesday to make their own, more specific recommendations about who should get the extra shots and when. And in their first day of discussions, some experts were so perplexed by the questions surrounding the rationale for boosters that they suggested putting off a decision for a month in hopes of more evidence.The uncertainties were yet another reminder that the science surrounding boosters is more complicated than the Biden administration suggested when the president and his top aides rolled out their plan at the White House last month.The FDA decision Wednesday was expected after the agency’s own panel of advisers last week overwhelmingly rejected the Biden plan. The panel instead recommended boosters only for those most vulnerable to severe cases of COVID-19.FDA acting commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock said in a statement that the FDA authorization would allow for boosters in health care workers, teachers, grocery workers and those in homeless shelters or prisons.“As we learn more about the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, including the use of a booster dose, we will continue to evaluate the rapidly changing science and keep the public informed,” Woodcock said.Under the FDA authorization, vaccinated Americans are eligible for a third dose six months after receiving their second Pfizer shot. That’s different than the Biden proposal announced in August, which called for boosters after eight months.“Today’s FDA decision is a major step forward in our effort to provide Americans with additional protection from COVID-19,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki tweeted Wednesday night. “We have been preparing for weeks to administer booster shots to eligible Americans and are ready to do so following CDC’s final recommendation later this week.”The timing of the FDA decision was highly unusual given that the agency typically takes action before the CDC convenes its own experts.The CDC panelists heard a series of presentations Wednesday outlining the knotty state of science on boosters. On one hand, the COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer strong protection against severe illness, hospitalization and death. On the other hand, there are signs of more low-grade infections among the vaccinated as immunity wanes.Ultimately the committee must decide who is considered at high enough risk for an extra dose. Data provided by Pfizer and the Israeli government suggests a strong case for boosters in people 65 and older, but there is less evidence that extra shots provide much benefit for younger people with underlying health conditions.Several CDC advisers agreed boosters are also important for keeping health care workers on the job.“We don’t have enough health care workers to take care of the unvaccinated,” said Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University. “They just keep coming.”The CDC has already said it is considering boosters for older people, nursing home residents and front-line health care workers, rather than all adults.The World Health Organization and other global health advocates are opposed to wealthy nations dispensing a third round of shots when poor countries don’t have enough vaccine for their first doses. And many independent scientists say that the vaccines continue to perform well against the worst effects of COVID-19 and that their ability to curb the overall trajectory of the epidemic is uncertain.U.S. regulators will decide at a later date on boosters for people who have received the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines. They indicated the Pfizer shots would not be recommended for people who got a different brand of vaccine initially.The across-the-board rollout of boosters proposed by the White House was supposed to have begun this week. Some questioned whether President Joe Biden had gotten ahead of the science by announcing his plans before government regulators had reached any conclusions.Despite the resistance in recent days, some top U.S. health officials said they expect boosters to eventually win broader approval in the coming weeks or months. Dr. Anthony Fauci said over the weekend that “this is not the end of the story.”Other administration officials noted that the FDA decision covers tens of millions of Americans and that seniors and other high-risk groups would have been the first to get boosters even if extra shots had been authorized for the entire population. Seniors were in the first group of Americans eligible for vaccination last December.The U.S. has already authorized third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for certain people with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients and transplant recipients. Other Americans, healthy or not, have managed to get boosters, in some cases simply by asking.The U.S. is dispensing around 760,000 vaccinations per day on average, down from a high of 3.4 million a day in mid-April. About 180 million Americans are fully vaccinated, or 64% of those who are eligible. /* .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_6864887474 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/06/0_fvpunthn/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_fvpunthn_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "UK Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine For Children Between 12 To 15-Year-Olds", "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": "209", "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_6864887474 = ''; jwsetup_6864887474(); function jwsetup_6864887474() { jwvidplayer_6864887474 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_6864887474").setup(jwconfig_6864887474); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_6864887474, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_fvpunthn\", ns_st_pr=\"UK Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine For Children Between 12 To 15-Year-Olds\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"UK Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine For Children Between 12 To 15-Year-Olds\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"UK Approves Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine For Children Between 12 To 15-Year-Olds\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-06-05\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-06-05\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/06/0_fvpunthn/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_6864887474.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_6864887474.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_6864887474.stop(); jwvidplayer_6864887474.remove(); jwvidplayer_6864887474 = ''; jwsetup_6864887474(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_6864887474.stop(); jwvidplayer_6864887474.remove(); jwvidplayer_6864887474 = ''; jwsetup_6864887474(); return; }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_6864887474.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

FDA backs Pfizer COVID boosters for seniors, high-risk

The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who are 65 and older, younger adults with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high risk for COVID.

76b988e3ebcbe430d58ca50e73b4b14b

The weekend drone attack in Buqyaq on one of the world's largest crude oil processing plants that dramatically cut into global oil supplies   World shares were mixed on Tuesday and oil prices eased back pending updates on restoring output at a Saudi Aramco oil processing plant damaged by an attack over the weekend.Chinese benchmarks led declines in Asia after the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded Hong Kong, citing its recent political turmoil.Germany's DAX lost 0.2% to 12,358.45 while the CAC 40 in Paris added 0.1% to 5,606.73. The FTSE 100 in Britain climbed 0.2% to 7,339.26. On Wall Street, the future contracts for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both lost 0.1%.The U.S. and international benchmarks for crude fell back slightly after vaulting more than 14% overnight after an attack on Saudi Arabia's largest oil processing plant.The weekend attack on Saudi Arabia's biggest crude processing facility halted production of 5.7 million barrels of crude a day, more than half of the country's global daily exports and more than 5% of the world's daily crude oil production.The attack raised worries about the risk of more disruptions in the supply of oil at a time when the global economic outlook is clouded by uncertainty.Crude prices jumped 14% on Monday, comparable to a 14.5% jump on Aug. 6, 1990, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.On Tuesday, benchmark U.S. crude oil was trading 54 cents lower at $62.36 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. On Monday, it soared $8.05 to settle at $62.90 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, declined 17 cents to $68.85 per barrel. It jumped $8.80 to close at $69.02 a barrel in London.In Asia, shares were mixed.Japan's Nikkei 225 index recovered from early losses to edge 0.1% higher, closing at 22,001.32. South Korea's Kospi was flat at 2,062.33 and the S&P ASX/200 in Sydney added 0.3% to 6,695.30.Chinese benchmarks skidded after the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded Hong Kong, citing the city's recent political turmoil.The Shanghai Composite index shed 1.7% to 2,978.12 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 1.2% to 26,790.24.Moody's said in a statement that the protests and their handling showed weaknesses in Hong Kong's institutions. The turmoil was "damaging its attractiveness as a trade and financial hub," it said.Hong Kong's beleaguered chief executive, Carrie Lam, said the downgrade was "disappointing."Elsewhere in Asia, India's Sensex fell 1.7% to 36,478.74. Shares also lost ground in Taiwan and Singapore but rose in Indonesia and Thailand.The spike in oil prices boosted oil producers but weighed on shares in airlines, whose operations can be hurt by any rise in the price of fuel.China Eastern Airlines' shares dropped 2.6%, ANA Holdings lost 1.5% and Cathay Pacific Airways shed 2.1%.Concern over higher oil prices in a region heavily dependent on imports from the Middle East is understandable, Mizuho Bank said in a commentary."Higher oil imports will weigh on trade balances. For countries that are running trade deficits, such as Indonesia and Philippines, this will widen their deficit and subsequently exert downward pressure on the currency. A weakened currency will then push up oil import bill further," it said.However, it added that there is still no cause for excess concern.The oil price gyrations have somewhat overshadowed this week's headline event, the Federal Reserve's meeting on interest rates. Investors are confident the central bank will cut short-term rates by a quarter of a percentage point to a range of 1.75% to 2%. It would be the second such cut in two months, as the Fed tries to protect the economy from a global slowdown and the effects of the U.S.-China trade war.In currency trading, the dollar rose to 108.19 Japanese yen from 108.15 yen on Monday. The euro gained to $1.1013 from $1.1001.ALSO READ: India condemns Saudi oil field attacksALSO READ: US 'locked and loaded' to punish those responsible for attack on key Saudi oil facilities: Donald TrumpALSO READ: Oil Prices soar after Saudi Aramco drone attack; Brent jumps 12%

World share markets cautious as news on Saudi oil plant yet to come

Chinese benchmarks led declines in Asia after the credit ratings agency Moody's downgraded Hong Kong, citing its recent political turmoil.

daa37d3a98413b5132bdb50edaa29462

Rocket blast at US Embassy in Kabul on 9/11 anniversaryA rocket exploded at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan just minutes into Wednesday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States, but officials at the compound declared all-clear about an hour later and reported no injuries.A plume of smoke rose over central Kabul shortly after midnight and sirens could be heard. Inside the embassy, employees heard this message over the loudspeaker: “An explosion caused by a rocket has occurred on the compound.”There was no immediate comment from Afghan officials. The NATO mission, which is nearby, also said no personnel had been injured.It was the first major attack in the Afghan capital since President Donald Trump abruptly called off U.S.-Taliban talks over the weekend, on the brink of an apparent deal to end America’s longest war.Two Taliban car bombs shook Kabul last week, killing several civilians and two members of the NATO mission. Trump has cited the death of a U.S. service member in one of those blasts as the reason why he now calls the U.S.-Taliban talks “dead.”The 9/11 anniversary is a sensitive day in Afghanistan’s capital and one on which attacks have occurred. A U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan shortly after the 2001 attack toppled the Taliban, who had harboured Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader and attacks mastermind.In the nearly 18 years of fighting since then, the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan soared to 100,000 and dropped dramatically after bin Laden was killed in neighbouring Pakistan in 2011.Now about 14,000 U.S. troops remain and Trump has called it “ridiculous” that they are still in Afghanistan after so long and so many billions of dollars spent.

Rocket blast at US Embassy in Kabul on 9/11 anniversary

A rocket exploded at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan just minutes into Wednesday, the anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the United States, but officials at the compound declared all-clear about an hour later and reported no injuries.

83d23222ea07de28dc5c561a3c12b5f8

On his most grueling and consequential trip abroad, President Donald Trump stands ready to exhort Asian allies and rivals on the need to counter the dangers posed by North Korea’s nuclear threat.The 12-day, five-country trip, the longest Far East itinerary for a president in a generation, comes at a precarious moment for Trump. Just days ago, his former campaign chairman was indicted and another adviser pleaded guilty as part of an investigation into possible collusion between his 2016 campaign and Russian officials.Related Stories Security and trade challenge Donald Trump on first Asia tripIn Pics: On eve of Asia trip, President Donald Trump pays visit to Pearl HarborWith Trump set to arrive Sunday in Japan, the trip presents a crucial international test for a president looking to reassure Asian allies worried that his inward-looking “America First” agenda could cede power in the region to China. They also are rattled by his bellicose rhetoric about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North’s growing missile arsenal threatens the capitals Trump will visit.“The trip comes, I would argue, at a very inopportune time for the president. He is under growing domestic vulnerabilities that we all know about, hour to hour,” said Jonathan Pollack, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington. “The conjunction of those issues leads to the palpable sense of unease about the potential crisis in Korea.”Trump’s spontaneous, and at time reckless, style flies in the face of the generations-old traditions and protocol that govern diplomatic exchanges in Asia. The grand receptions expected for him in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and beyond are sure to be lavish attempts to impress the president, who raved about the extravagances shown him on earlier visits to Saudi Arabia and France.The trip will also put Trump in face-to-face meetings with authoritarian leaders for whom he has expressed admiration. They include China’s Xi Jinping, whom Trump has likened to “a king,” and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte, who has sanctioned the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers.Trump may also have the chance for a second private audience with Russian President Vladimir Putin, on the sidelines of a summit in Vietnam.The White House is signaling that Trump will push American economic interests in the region, but the North Korean threat is expected to dominate the trip. One of Trump’s two major speeches will come before the National Assembly in Seoul. Fiery threats against the North could resonate differently than they do from the distance of Washington.Trump will forgo a trip to the Demilitarized Zone, the stark border between North and South Korea. All U.S. presidents except one since Ronald Reagan have visited the DMZ in a sign of solidarity with Seoul. The White House contends that Trump’s commitment to South Korea is already crystal clear, as evidenced by his war of words with Kim and his threats to deliver “fire and fury” to North Korea if it does not stop threatening American allies.The escalation of rhetoric, a departure from the conduct of past presidents, has undermined confidence in the U.S. as a stabilizing presence in Asia.“There’s a danger if there is a lot of muscle flexing,” said Mike Chinoy, a senior fellow at the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California. “Trump has been going right up to the edge and I wouldn’t rule out some sort of forceful North Korean reaction to Trump’s presence in the region,” he said.The White House said Trump would be undeterred.“The president will use whatever language he wants to use, obviously. That’s been of great reassurance to our allies, partners and others in the region who are literally under the gun of this regime,” White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Thursday. “I don’t think the president really modulates his language, have you noticed?”At each stop, Trump will urge his hosts to squeeze North Korea by stopping trading with the North and sending home North Korean citizens working abroad. That includes China, which competes with the U.S. for influence in the region and provides much of North Korea’s economic lifeblood.The White House is banking on the close relationships Trump has established with some Asian leaders to help make his demands more palatable.Officials acknowledge that Trump does not yet have a feel for Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s newly elected liberal president. But Trump has demonstrated cordial relations with Xi and struck up a friendship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he planned to golf on Sunday.While Xi and Abe have recently tightened their control on power, Trump arrives weakened by low poll numbers, a stalled domestic agenda and the swirling Russia probe.Many in the Asian capitals will view Trump warily.His early withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership demolished the Obama administration’s effort to boost trade with some of the world’s fastest-growing economies and sustain America’s post-World War II strategic commitment to Asia.Trump is expected to outline his economic vision for the region, which includes a preference for one-to-one relationships over multinational agreements, during a speech at a summit in Vietnam. He is not expected to offer any concrete economic policy changes while in Asia, though some new contracts for American businesses may be announced.His administration’s eager embrace of a deeper strategic partnership with India and other democracies across the Pacific risks alienating China and Pakistan. The White House did, at the last minute, extend the trip for an extra day so Trump could attend the East Asia Summit in the Philippines.At the same time, Trump can point to some early successes in Asia.He won Beijing’s support for the toughest international sanctions yet on North Korea. Tensions in the disputed South China Sea that escalated as China conducted a massive land-reclamation effort on Obama’s watch have ebbed. Long-standing U.S. alliances with Thailand and the Philippines have been repaired by engaging their authoritarian leaders and sidelining human rights concerns, though the White House suggested Trump may chide Duterte privately.“How much does it help to yell about these problems?” McMaster said.The White House hopes the trip could offer a chance at a reset as a tumultuous first year in office winds down. Trump’s advisers see it as an opportunity for the president to forcefully assert U.S. pledges to its allies and deliver a fierce warning directly to North Korea’s Kim, whom he has belittled as “little Rocket Man.”Trump’s trip will be the longest Asia visit for any U.S. president since George H.W. Bush went there in 1992, when he fell ill during a state dinner with Japan’s prime minister.

Facing tumult at home, Donald Trump sets out on lengthy Asia trip

The White House is signaling that Trump will push American economic interests in the region, but the North Korean threat is expected to dominate the trip.

297c385587e9db060fcb95f250d43694

Russians residing in the country's easternmost regions of Kamchatka and Chukotka began casting votes on Sunday to elect the next Russian president.The polling began at 8 am (Russian time) from far-east region of Vladivostok and will conclude at 8 pm in Kaliningrad, the Baltic exclave that is Russia's westernmost region.Related Stories Russia: Vladimir Putin to seek re-election as an independentIndia, Russia discuss support mechanism for INS Vikramaditya'I don’t care': Vladimir Putin on alleged US election interferenceAt least 111 million Russian citizens are expected to cast votes to choose the country's president for the next six years, Sputnik reported.Russian nationals are electing the country's head of the state among eight contenders - Sergey Baburin from the All-People's Union party; Communist Party candidate Pavel Grudinin; incumbent Russian President Vladimir Putin; Civil Initiative party candidate Ksenia Sobchak; Communists of Russia party chairman Maxim Suraykin; Presidential Commissioner for Entrepreneurs' Rights Boris Titov; co-founder of the Yabloko party Grigory Yavlinsky, and head of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia Vladimir Zhirinovsky.The number of eligible voters in Russia equals 108.9 million people as of January 1, 2018, while abroad, the number exceeds 1.87 million people.Putin's victory in Russia's presidential election isn't in doubt. The only real question is whether voters will turn out in big enough numbers to hand him a convincing mandate for his fourth term - and many Russian workers are facing intense pressure to do so.Earlier, the Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) carefully checked the number of voters in order to cleanse the voter lists of phantom voters and repeated mentioning of voters, Sputnik reported. It also cooperated with the Russian Interior Ministry to rule out the double reporting of those who permanently reside abroad being registered in Russia.The CEC has significantly simplified the voting procedure at the place of one's factual residence. The residents of Moscow who decided to cast their votes for a presidential candidate and vote on the address of permanent residence registration may choose the most convenient polling station among 3,605 ones, only taking their passports along with. Those who vote in the Russian capital but are not registered there had to apply until March 12 to any local election commission, multi-service centre or online state services portal, in order to be allowed to vote at a place of residence.The results will be announced on March 19.(With inputs from agencies)

Voting underway for Russian presidential election; Putin's victory certain

Putin's victory isn't in doubt.The only real question is whether voters will turn out in big enough numbers to hand him a convincing mandate for his fourth term - and many Russian workers are facing intense pressure to do so.

c4d018ca1c520cc00dfb6b4a42974439

Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed terms India 'true friend'Aryana Sayeed, Afghanistan's famous pop star who escaped from the Taliban after the takeover of Kabul, has blamed Pakistan for empowering the terrorist outfit and expressed her utmost gratitude to India for helping Afghans during the ongoing crisis. In talks with the media from an undisclosed location, Aryana Sayeed said videos and evidence have emerged which show Pakistan is empowering the Taliban."I do blame Pakistan. Over the years, we have seen videos, seen evidence that Pakistan is behind empowering the Taliban. Every time our government touches the Taliban they see identification and it would see a Pakistani person, so it's very obvious that I blame them and hope that they back off and don't interfere in politics in Afghanistan anymore," said Aryana Sayeed.She also claimed that the Taliban terrorists are being instructed and trained by Pakistan."They are being instructed by Pakistan, their bases are in Pakistan where they get their training. I hope the international community, first of all, cut off their funds and don't offer funds to Pakistan for funding the Taliban," said Sayeed.Moreover, she urged the international community to sit down and find a solution to bring peace to Afghanistan. "I hope they can put pressure on Pakistan. I believe that we're dealing with all these issues in Afghanistan because of Pakistan," she added.Meanwhile, she lauded the Indian government's efforts in Afghanistan and termed India as a "true friend"."India has always been good to us. They have been a true friend, they've been very helpful and kind to our people, even refugees. Afghans who have been in India before have always spoken highly of the nation, its people. We are grateful to India," she added."On behalf of Afghanistan, I want to express my utmost gratitude to India and I want to say thank you. Over the years we've realised that the only good friend in the neighborhood we have is, India," she said.Aryana Sayeed in 2015, sang at a stadium, breaking three taboos: Singing as a woman; Not wearing hijab; and entering a stadium as a woman, which was forbidden under the Taliban. Pak intel agency played key role in Taliban takeover of Afghanistan: US CongressmanA top Republican lawmaker has alleged Pakistan and its intelligence service have played a key role in fostering the Taliban and allowing it to eventually take over Afghanistan. He also said it is disgusting to watch Islamabad celebrate the group’s victory that will bring "untold brutality" to Afghans. Congressman Steve Chabot, Co-Chair of the India Caucus, said in his address to the virtual gala of Hindu Political Action Committee on Sunday that he applauds the Indian government for welcoming the Afghan religious minorities who have a good reason to fear persecution at the hands of the Taliban and their evil rule.“In contrast, we all know that Pakistan and particularly its intelligence services played a key role fostering the Taliban and allowing them to eventually take over. It's just disgusting to watch Pakistani officials celebrate the victory of this group that will bring untold brutality to the Afghan people,” Chabot said.“Pakistan's own persecution of religious minorities, however, gets a lot less attention here in America than it deserves. We would do well to educate our fellow citizens about these abuses. Persecution is particularly manifested in the heinous practice of the kidnapping, forced conversion to Islam and forced marriage of underage Hindu girls to older Muslim men,” he said.Such allegations are not mere hearsay, he noted.Major news organisations and human rights groups have documented the practice with so many heartbreaking stories of girls in their early teens taken from their families, and traffic into forced marriages. These abuses are often just ignored, said the Congressman.In his address, Chabot said that with roughly 6 million Hindus in America, Hindus are unquestionably an integral part of society throughout the United States.“Through strong work ethic and high educational attainment, Hindus exemplify the American dream. These virtues also allow Hindus to take on key roles in communities across the country, and also give back to those communities in so many ways,” he said.That is why the reports of a rise in discrimination against Hindu Americans around the country are so concerning, he rued, adding that there is no place in America for such discrimination.“We must all seek ways to bring it to an end,” Chabot added.Also Read | Taliban takeover prompts fears of a resurgent al-Qaida /* .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_8213990138 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_fb9vcrro/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_fb9vcrro_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Taliban warns of 'consequences' if August 31 deadline for US-led troop withdrawal is extended", "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": "1778", "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_8213990138 = ''; jwsetup_8213990138(); function jwsetup_8213990138() { jwvidplayer_8213990138 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_8213990138").setup(jwconfig_8213990138); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_8213990138, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_fb9vcrro\", ns_st_pr=\"Taliban warns of 'consequences' if August 31 deadline for US-led troop withdrawal is extended\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Taliban warns of 'consequences' if August 31 deadline for US-led troop withdrawal is extended\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Taliban warns of 'consequences' if August 31 deadline for US-led troop withdrawal is extended\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-08-23\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-08-23\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_fb9vcrro/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_8213990138.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_8213990138.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_8213990138.stop(); jwvidplayer_8213990138.remove(); jwvidplayer_8213990138 = ''; jwsetup_8213990138(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_8213990138.stop(); jwvidplayer_8213990138.remove(); jwvidplayer_8213990138 = ''; jwsetup_8213990138(); return; }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_8213990138.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Taliban terrorists being instructed, trained by Pakistan: Afghan pop star Aryana Sayeed

Aryana Sayeed in 2015, sang at a stadium, breaking three taboos: Singing as a woman; not wearing hijab; and entering a stadium as a woman, which was forbidden under the Taliban.

d4e24da107763b9a8036e2c91f4dc7f7

Carl Sargeant, a Welsh politician who resigned from his post in the Welsh government last week after allegations of misconduct, has died suddenly.Many British news organizations reported, without citing sources, that he had taken his own life. Police said his death was not being treated as suspicious and had been referred to the coroner, a statement often used when a suicide has occurred.Sargeant, a member of the Labour Party, was one of a number of political figures caught up in a sexual harassment scandal roiling British politics. He resigned his Welsh Cabinet post Friday after misconduct allegations were made by more than one woman. No details about the allegations were immediately available.The family of Carl Sargeant said Tuesday said they were "devastated beyond words" by his death.Superintendent Mark Pierce of North Wales Police said Sargeant's family has requested privacy. He said the death was not suspicious.The 49-year-old politician's body was found at his home in Wales shortly before noon on Tuesday. He was a member of the Welsh Assembly and also had held a Cabinet post before the misconduct complaints surfaced.He was married with two children."Carl was a much loved husband, father and friend," the family said in a statement." He wasn't simply a part of our family. He was the glue that bound us together."Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said Sargeant's death was "terrible and deeply shocking."Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones, who had been involved in the initial inquiry, said his office had spoken to the women affected by the misconduct allegations and concluded there was no choice but to refer it to the party for inquiry.Sargeant had said he wanted to clear his name.

Ex-Welsh minister Carl Sargeant found dead after misconduct claims

Carl Sargeant, a Welsh politician who resigned from his post in the Welsh government last week after allegations of misconduct, has died suddenly.

eea4a8e4094118c2e7d1f864e69d4922

US leading the world in COVID-19 testing, India second: Donald TrumpThe US is leading the world in terms of COVID-19 testing and India is second, President Donald Trump has said while warning Americans that the pandemic may "get worse before it gets better." Over 140,000 Americans have died due to the coronavirus and 3.8 million have tested positive in the country. While the US economy is slowly coming back to normal, the pandemic is now spreading in many Sun Belt states, including in Arizona, Florida, Texas and parts of California."As one family, we mourn every precious life that's been lost. I pledge in their honour that we will develop a vaccine and we will defeat the virus. We're doing very well with vaccine development and therapeutic development,” Trump said at a White House news conference on Tuesday, his first on coronavirus after several weeks.His daily news conferences ended soon after he suggested in April that the virus might be treated by injecting disinfectant into people, for which he was scorned by doctors, scientists and political rivals.Trump insisted the American response to the pandemic was "much better" than in other places. But he also warned that the disease could get worse in the coming days."It will probably unfortunately get worse before it gets better," he said.Cases are surging in several US states, particularly in southern states that were initially reluctant to enforce lockdowns or mandate the wearing of masks.Florida is currently the epicentre of the US epidemic. In recent weeks, hospitals across Florida warned that their ICUs were at capacity and that they were unable to accept any new patients.Trump said his administration will stop at nothing to save lives and shield the vulnerable.“We've learned so much about this disease. And we know who the vulnerable are, and we are going to indeed shield them,” he said.Trump assured that the vaccines against the novel coronavirus will be coming a lot sooner than expected.Replying to a question, Trump said the US is “leading the world" in terms of COVID-19 testing."We're going to be over 50 million tests," he said, adding that "second country is India with 12 million (tests). Then you have seven million, six million, and four million. I think that we are doing a tremendous amount of testing.”The "China virus", Trump said, is a vicious and dangerous illness.“It's a nasty, horrible disease that should heve never been allowed to escape China, but it did. It infected the world, and the world is suffering. But we're going to get it taken care of, and we're helping lots of other countries,” the US president said.On tackling the virus, Trump said his administration is developing a powerful strategy."We've learned a great deal about it (COVID-19) and who it targets. We are in the process of developing a strategy that's going to be very, very powerful," he said.“Some areas of our country are doing very well; others are doing less well. It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better,” Trump said.He said the median age of those who succumb to COVID-19 infection is 78 years, adding that roughly half of all deaths have been individuals in nursing homes or in long-term care.“Young adults may often have mild or even no symptoms. They won't even know they're sick. They won't have any idea that they have a virus. They won't have any idea at all,” he said, adding that youth will act responsibly.Trump said the data shows children have the lowest fatality risk as 99.96 per cent of all virus fatalities are adults.“By understanding these risk profiles and learning how to treat the disease, we've been able to greatly reduce mortality in the United States,” Trump said.Several treatments are already available in the US that can significantly reduce the severity and duration of the disease, he said.“We've learned best practices for treatment of the virus at every stage and have shared these findings with medical providers, and we've shared them all over the world. The relationship with other countries has been very strong. We're all working together," Trump said. /* .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_4705899455 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_j66xzfsj_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_j66xzfsj_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "India next to US in COVID testing: Donald Trump", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "duration": "108", "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_4705899455 = ''; jwsetup_4705899455(); function jwsetup_4705899455() { jwvidplayer_4705899455 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_4705899455").setup(jwconfig_4705899455); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_4705899455, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_j66xzfsj\", ns_st_pr=\"India next to US in COVID testing: Donald Trump\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"India next to US in COVID testing: Donald Trump\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"India next to US in COVID testing: Donald Trump\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-07-22\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-07-22\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_j66xzfsj_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_4705899455.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_4705899455.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_4705899455.stop(); jwvidplayer_4705899455.remove(); jwvidplayer_4705899455 = ''; jwsetup_4705899455(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_4705899455.stop(); jwvidplayer_4705899455.remove(); jwvidplayer_4705899455 = ''; jwsetup_4705899455(); return; }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4705899455.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

US leading the world in COVID-19 testing, India second: Donald Trump

The US is leading the world in terms of COVID-19 testing and India is second, President Donald Trump has said while warning Americans that the pandemic may "get worse before it gets better."

10652234beeebb61fcadc7dd399985c3

A digital sign shows that London is under coronavirus Tier 3 restrictions, the toughest level in England's three-tier system, at Euston railway station in London.Scientists in the UK have urged the government to exercise caution when making a decision about a scheduled June 21 timeline for an end to all lockdown restrictions amid growing fears on Tuesday of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Professor Ravi Gupta, an Indian-origin scientist from Cambridge University, said that while the infection rates in the country currently remain low, the B1.617.2 variant, first identified in India and now renamed as Delta, has led to an exponential rise in case numbers in recent days.He advised a few weeks’ delay to the June 21 date to allow the vaccination programme to catch up with the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19.“There’s been exponential growth in the number of new cases and at least three quarters of them are the new variant,” Gupta told the BBC.“We’re not too far from reaching the levels of vaccination that would help us contain the virus. I think that people are not saying we should abandon the June 21 date altogether, but just to delay it by a few weeks while we gather more intelligence and we can look at the trajectory in a clearer way,” he said.Prof. Gupta warned that the country may be in the early stages of the third wave."Of course the numbers of cases are relatively low at the moment; all waves start with low numbers of cases that grumble in the background and then become explosive, so the key here is that what we are seeing here is the signs of an early wave," he added.On Monday, 3,383 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the UK, making a total of 23,418 over the past week – an increase of 28.8 per cent over the previous week. There was one new death from the deadly virus, with the weekly tally of 58 up 45 per cent on the previous week.Professor Adam Finn, the expert scientist on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which determines the vaccination rollout cohorts in the country, warned the UK remained vulnerable as there were still large numbers of unvaccinated people."The idea that somehow the job is done is wrong – we've still got a lot of people out there who have neither had this virus infection nor yet been immunised and that's why we're in a vulnerable position right now," he said.Prof. Finn also echoed other scientists in the view that it was "so much better to delay slightly than to go around with another cycle" of lockdown restrictions."It's a different virus, it could be a real problem and it's only by taking it seriously now that we can get where we want to be as soon as possible," he said.The UK government's Former Chief Scientific Adviser and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), Professor Sir Mark Walport, noted that it was “not impossible” that Britain was at the tip of a third wave of the pandemic due to the Delta variant.“It is a quite perilous moment, but we’ve just got to keep our fingers crossed that the measures work,” he said.“It’s clear that the B.1.617.2 variant is taking over – it accounts for about 75 per cent of those cases which have been typed – the numbers of infections are getting up, but we would expect that. On the much better news side is the fact that hospital admissions are not surging. If anything, overall they’re coming down, though in some parts of the country where the B.1.617 is at its worst they are increasing slightly, so it is genuinely very, very finely balanced,” he said.According to official data, the B.1.617.2 variant renamed as Delta by the World Health Organisation (WHO) is thought to account for up to three quarters of new cases in the UK and is linked to the current surge in different parts of the country.A final decision on whether and to what degree restrictions will be lifted on June 21 will be reached on June 14.ALSO READ: UK in early stages of third Covid wave: Scientist

Scientists in UK urge caution over lockdown end amid COVID third wave fears

Scientists in the UK have urged the government to exercise caution when making a decision about a scheduled June 21 timeline for an end to all lockdown restrictions amid growing fears on Tuesday of a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

748f5428aff1ac01096f2374e875eec6

Breaking news LIVE: Top Headlines This HourThe total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 20 million, including more than 733,000 fatalities. More than 12,896,000 patients are reported to have recovered. Follow this breaking news blog for live updates on coronavirus pandemic as it continues to pose a challenge for health workers and scientists who are in a race against time to produce a vaccine/medicine.IndiaTvNews.com brings you the economic fallout of the COVID-19 crisis that has resulted in job losses in millions and changing the way we work. Stay Home, Stay Safe, and Stay Informed as our team of dedicated editors/reporters bring you the latest news on coronavirus, coronavirus vaccine trial updates, photos, video, news, views and top stories from monsoon rains, business, politics, education, science, yoga and much more in India and worldwide.

Breaking news: August 10, 2020 | As it happened

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

e860b5351de646743847af74faa0eb6a

India donates solar-powered lamps to marginalised Palestinian children (representational Image)India has donated solar-powered study lamps to Palestinian elementary school children from a marginalised Bedouin community to spread the principles of self-sufficiency and raise awareness towards the adverse effects of climate change. The lamps were donated as part of the 150th Gandhi Jayanti Students Solar Ambassador Workshop to internationally spread the principles of self-sufficiency and to raise awareness towards the adverse effects of climate change.The solar-powered study lamps supplied by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay as part of the initiative on Mahatma Gandhi's 150th birth anniversary also aims at making the student beneficiaries the future propagators of renewable energy.The representative of India (ROI) in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), Sunil Kumar, visited the Governorate of Jericho and Jordan Valley on Monday where he was received by Governor Jehad Abu Al-Asal, Director of the Jericho Directorate of Education, and representatives of the local community.As part of India's outreach and cooperation programme in the local Palestinian community, Kumar visited the Ka’abneh Bedouin School with Palestinian dignitaries where he presented portable solar-powered lamps to the elementary school children.Addressing the students and the local community, he underlined India’s time-tested support to Palestine, especially highlighting New Delhi's capacity-building efforts with emphasis on the educational sector.The ROI also emphasised on the importance of renewable energy and solar power for the betterment of the quality of life and how it helps in preserving the environment.Al-Asal expressed "sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Government and People of India for this kind gesture", pointing out that it is even more special because it will benefit students of a local community that suffers from marginalization and is deprived of basic services, including a stable source of power.The school is located in a remote area of Palestine.ALSO READ | Very appreciative of India's gift of solar panels, says UN chief's spokespersonALSO READ | Solar panels stolen from Pakistan school

India donates solar-powered lamps to marginalised Palestinian children

India has donated solar powered study lamps to Palestinian elementary school children from a marginalised Bedouin community to spread the principles of self-sufficiency and raise awareness towards the adverse effects of climate change.

a2f5be121e2f80fe2c278fe9f353ebf9

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome PowellJerome Powell is confronting his stiffest test yet as head of the Federal Reserve in an atmosphere vastly altered from what his predecessors faced. It makes an uncertain situation even more challenging. On Tuesday, Powell announced a surprise half-point interest rate cut that shrank the Fed’s key rate to a range of just 1% to 1.25%. It marked the first time the central bank has cut rates between scheduled policy meetings since the 2008 financial crisis. And it’s the steepest rate cut the Fed has made since then.The Fed’s unusual move was a response to economic fears and dizzying stock market plunges that are unnervingly reminiscent of the crisis that nearly toppled the financial system in 2008. Yet the circumstances are radically different. For one thing, the uncertainty about the impact of the virus — How bad will it get? How long will it last? — makes it particularly difficult to devise a solution.What’s more, Powell has a more contentious relationship with President Donald Trump than his predecessors Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen had with Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. That threatens to make it harder to develop a unified response.International cooperation with other central banks could also prove more elusive now because most other major industrialized economies have already slashed borrowing rates into negative territory and have limited room to maneuver.“The unfolding nature of the coronavirus threat — both real and perceived — is not yet quantifiable,” said Mark Haefele, chief investment officer for Swiss bank UBS. That makes it hard for policymakers around the world to know if they have gone far enough in supporting their economies.For now, the Fed chairman enjoys a stock of bipartisan goodwill on Capitol Hill that eluded Bernanke and Yellen, partly because the U.S. economy — and the job market in particular — have shown enduring strength during his first two years in office.That could all unravel should the economy succumb to pressures resulting from the coronavirus. Most economists still say they think the U.S. economy can avoid a recession if the virus remains relatively contained. But they have been sharply cutting their forecasts for this year.Economists at Goldman Sachs now expect growth to barely reach a 0.5% annual rate in the first half of 2020. Most analysts expect the U.S. economy to grow, at best, about 1.5% this year. That would be the weakest yearly expansion since the Great Recession ended in 2009.The many unknowns about the impact of the virus make it particularly vexing for the Fed, economists said. Will consumers avoid sports events, movie theaters, and other public places? Will their spending, which drives more than two-thirds of the U.S. economy, steadily weaken?One problem for the Fed and other central banks is that there are limits to their ability to deal with the economic repercussions of the virus — from closed factories to canceled business travel to disrupted company supply chains. Lower borrowing rates don’t directly address those problems.Such uncertainties contributed to another sharp fall in stock markets Tuesday. The Dow Jones industrial average sank 786 points, or 2.9%, after a brief surge immediately after the Fed announced its sharp rate cut Tuesday morning.Bond yields also fell, with the yield on the 10-year note dropping below 1% for the first time in history. Investors around the world bid up bond prices — which move in the opposite direction of yields — as they sought safety from the stock market’s turmoil.A stark example of the altered world Powell is operating in came just hours after he announced the cut, when Trump sent out a characteristically critical tweet demanding that the Fed do “more easing and cutting!”For Trump himself, the coronavirus has ignited the most serious economic challenge of his presidency — one that could peak in the midst of his re-election campaign. Trump has regularly touted the stock market’s health as a barometer of the success of his economic policies.Later Tuesday, on the White House lawn, Trump complained that Powell gave “a very bad signal” during his news conference when, according to the president’s interpretation, Powell “hinted they’re not going to do more.” In fact, many economists expect the Fed to cut rates at least twice more, at its next meetings in March and April.During the 2007-2009 financial crisis and Great Recession, Presidents Bush and Obama never publicly attacked Bernanke, who worked closely with Treasury secretaries from both administrations in fashioning remedies for the financial crisis.At his news conference, Powell said the central bank is focused on its goal of supporting the economy and added, “We’re never going to consider any political considerations whatsoever.”Many analysts had expected that other central banks might act in concert with the Fed this week, cutting their own rates and presenting investors and businesses with a united front that might have delivered an extra boost of confidence.Instead, the Fed is acting mostly on its own, for now. On Tuesday, Australia’s central bank said it was cutting its official rate to a record low of 0.5%. But several leading central banks, including the European Central Bank, the Bank of Japan, and Swiss National Bank, already have lowered their borrowing rates into negative territory. The ECB and BoJ are also buying bonds and other financial assets to try to jump-start their economies. They face greater opposition to further cuts.“The Fed judged that it could not wait until the ECB in particular was ready to move,” Krishna Guha and Ernie Tedeschi, analysts at Evercore ISI, said in a research note.The last time the Fed took action between its policy meetings, it coordinated with five other central banks. In November 2011, the six central banks agreed to make it cheaper for overseas banks to borrow in dollars.Powell tried to strike a balanced tone at his news conference, by making it clear that the Fed was aware of the threat and stood ready to bolster the economy, while also emphasizing that U.S. economic fundamentals are sound.“The virus and the measures that are being taken to contain it will surely weigh on economic activity both here and abroad for some time,” he said. “So, we saw a risk to the economy, and we chose to act.”Separately, members of the U.S. Congress are finalizing a $7.5 billion emergency bill to fund the government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak in a rare act of bipartisan cooperation.The legislation would speed development of a coronavirus vaccine, pay for preparedness by states and localities, help other countries fight the outbreak and seek to ensure that the vaccine is affordable when it’s ready, though that could take a year.Powell said lower rates can help keep credit flowing, particularly to struggling businesses already laden with debt that would otherwise face higher borrowing costs. And he suggested that the Fed’s intervention would boost consumer and business confidence and provide “a meaningful boost to the economy.”Across the world, business is slowing and in some places stopping altogether as a consequence of the virus. Factories in China have been struggling to grind slowly back to life. Many European vacation destinations have been all but deserted as leisure and corporate travel has diminished. And major companies around the world bracing for the risk that the economic landscape could worsen before it improves.Earlier Tuesday, seven major economies had pledged to use “all appropriate tools” to deal with the spreading coronavirus but announced no immediate actions.The group of major industrial countries, referred to as the G-7, said it was “ready to take actions, including fiscal measures where appropriate, to aid in the response to the virus and support the economy.”Also Read: Joe Biden wins Democratic primary in TennesseeAlso Read: Coronavirus shows signs of receding in China; infections surge past 3,100 globally

Fed’s Powell faces a puzzling crisis with no simple solution

Jerome Powell is confronting his stiffest test yet as head of the Federal Reserve in an atmosphere vastly altered from what his predecessors faced. It makes an uncertain situation even more challenging.

5cb98b0b52fee23fd0d0df7c5acc7c4d

A woman walks in falling snow in Tokyo Saturday, March 28, 2020. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike has repeatedly asked the city's 13 million residents to stay home this weekend, saying the capital is on the brink of an explosion in virus infections. She warned of a possible hard shutdown of the city if the spread of the virus doesn't slow.Spain and Italy demanded more European help as they fight still-surging coronavirus infections amid the continent’s worst crisis since World War II. In the U.S., authorities urged millions in the hard-hit New York City region to stop traveling to keep the virus contained.From Milan to Madrid to Michigan, medics are making tough choices about which patients to save with the limited breathing machines they have. The confirmed global death surpassed 30,000 and new virus epicenters emerged in key U.S. cities like Detroit, New Orleans and Chicago. Even rural American has not been immune, as virus hotspots erupt in Midwestern towns and in Rocky Mountain ski havens.Spain and Italy alone account for more than half of the world’s death toll and are still seeing over 800 deaths a day each.Experts say, however, that virus toll numbers across the world are being seriously under-represented due to limited testing and political decisions about which bodies are being counted. Unlike the U.S., France still does not count deaths that take place in nursing homes or in homes among its virus numbers — even though nursing homes are known to be a key coronavirus hotspot around the world.’’Europe must demonstrate that it is able to respond to this historic call,” Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said late Saturday.The crisis “involves all of the economic and social systems of the member states,” he said. “I will fight until the last drop of sweat, until the last gram of energy, to obtain a strong, vigorous, cohesive European response.”President Donald Trump backtracked on a threat to quarantine New York and neighboring states amid criticism and questions about the legality of such a move. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a travel advisory urging all residents of New York City and others in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to avoid all non-essential travel for 14 days.Shocking as that is for Americans, that stopped short of the restrictions imposed in Europe or elsewhere. Parisians are fined if they try to leave the city and South Africans can’t even walk their dog or buy liquor. In Italy, coffins are piling up despite three weeks of strict confinement and burials are being held with only one family member.Spain’s government moved to tighten its lockdown and ban all non-essential work Sunday as it hit another daily record of 838 dead. The country’s overall official toll is nearly 6,000.Spain’s emergencies chief expressed hope that “the outbreak is stabilizing and may be reaching its peak in some areas.”But the crisis is pummeling world economies and putting huge strains on national health care systems. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for a more vigorous response from the 27-nation European Union.“It is the most difficult moment for the EU since its foundation and it has to be ready to rise to the challenge,” Sanchez said.Spain, Italy, France and six other EU members have asked the union to share the burden of European debt, dubbed coronabonds in the media, to help fight the virus. But the idea has met resistance from other members, led by Germany and the Netherlands.European countries have also resisted sharing masks or other medical equipment with their neighbors for fear that they, too, will need them in mass quantities soon. Many countries have turned to China, where the outbreak is easing, flying in cargo planes to get masks and other protective medical equipment.Worldwide infections surpassed 660,000 mark, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University. The United States leads the world with more than 120,000 reported cases but five other countries have higher death tolls: Italy, Spain, China, Iran and France.Italy has more than 10,000 deaths, the most of any country.Egypt shut its beaches as cases in the Mideast surpassed 50,000. Poland is considering delaying its May 10 presidential election, and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin ordered his country’s borders closed on Monday.Vietnam cut back domestic airline flights and closed restaurants and other businesses for two weeks. Vietnam has already quarantined nearly 60,000 people who entered from virus-infected nations.For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and lead to death.More than 142,000 people have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University.New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said defeating the virus will take “weeks and weeks and weeks.”Health officials around the world have been urging people to keep a social distance of 2 meters (6 feet) from others to slow the spread of the virus but a new report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says that might not be enough.It says a sneeze or cough from an infected person can expel microscopic virus droplets as far as 7-8 meters (23-27 feet) and those droplets can be suspended in the air for hours. The researchers said they wanted to warn the public about “the distance, timescale and persistence over which this cloud and its pathological payload can travel.”In Detroit, which has a large low-income population, the death toll rose to 31 with 1,381 infections.“The trajectory of Detroit is unfortunately even more steep than that of New York,” said Dr. Teena Chopra, medical director of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology at the Detroit Medical Center.“This is off the charts,” she said. “We are seeing a lot of patients that are presenting to us with severe disease, rather than minor disease.”Some U.S. states began to try to limit exposure from visitors from harder-hit areas. Rhode Island National Guard troops were going door-to-door in coastal communities to find New Yorkers and warn them about a mandatory 14-day quarantine for them.Florida is setting up checkpoints to screen visitors from Louisiana. Chicago closed popular lakeshore parks after people ignored orders to stay home.As others tightened controls, China eased more restrictions following the ruling Communist Party’s declaration of victory over the coronavirus. Subway and bus service resumed Saturday in Wuhan, the city of 11 million people at the center of the outbreak. Restrictions that bar Wuhan residents from leaving Hubei province end April 8.

COVID-19 Outbreak: Spain, Italy demand EU virus help; New Yorkers avoid travel

Spain and Italy demanded more European help as they fight still-surging coronavirus infections amid the continent’s worst crisis since World War II. In the U.S., authorities urged millions in the hard-hit New York City region to stop traveling to keep the virus contained.

1790d55fc78a3576aafba4c1b08eac4f

Anti government protesters carry a big Iraqi flag and chant anti Iran and anti U.S. slogans during the ongoing protests in Tahrir square, Baghdad, IraqConfronted by persistent questions about his military action in the Middle East, President Donald Trump and his top officials offered a string of fresh explanations on Friday, with Trump now contending Iranian militants had planned major attacks on four U.S. embassies. Just hours earlier, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said the U.S. didn’t know when or where attacks might occur. Trump and other officials insisted anew that Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani had posed an imminent threat to the U.S., but they rebuffed repeated attempts to explain what they meant by “imminent.” Trump, meanwhile, announced additional sanctions against Iran, which he had promised after a barrage of missiles fired by the Islamic State against American bases in Iraq earlier this week.Those Iranian missiles, which caused no casualties, were prompted by the U.S. drone strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani last week in Baghdad. That U.S. assault set off a chain of events that may have included the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner, possibly by an Iranian missile, and calls by the Iraqi government to expel U.S. troops from their country.At the White House, Trump issued an executive order adding additional U.S. sanctions to the already long list his administration had imposed in an effort to force Iran to accept a new agreement that would curb its nuclear program and to halt support for militant groups throughout the Middle East.Trump declared the U.S. was holding Iran responsible for attacks against the United States as well as a threat to U.S. service members, diplomats and civilians — an apparent reference to the justification for killing Soleimani.“The United States will continue to counter the Iranian regime’s destructive and destabilizing behavior,” he said.But Trump and others faced continuing questions over their claims of an “imminent” threat. Members of Congress said Pompeo and other officials did not provide sufficient detail or justification in briefings this week.Define what you mean by imminent, Pompeo was asked Friday at a White House news conference.“I don’t know exactly which minute,” Pompeo said. “We don’t know exactly which day it would have been executed, but it was very clear. Qassem Soleimani himself was plotting a broad, large-scale attack against American interests and those attacks were imminent.”Both Pompeo and Trump had said U.S. embassies were threatened. The secretary of state broadened it to include “American facilities,” including military bases throughout the region. “This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk,” he said.Trump gave a more worrisome number but still no specifics in a later comment.“I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies,” he told Fox News in an interview taped Friday.He spoke amid revelations by U.S. officials that the American military had tried, but failed, to kill another senior Iranian commander on the same day that Soleimani was killed. The targeting of Abdul Reza Shahlai was apparently part of an effort to cripple the leadership of Iran’s Quds Force, which the U.S. has designated a terror organization along with the larger Islamic Revolutionary Guard Force.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the killing of Soleimani “provocative and disproportionate,” and other members said they were unconvinced after a closed-door briefing on the intelligence.“President Trump recklessly assassinated Qasem Soleimani,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Washington state Democrat. “He had no evidence of an imminent threat or attack.”The new sanctions were in immediate response to Iran’s firing of a barrage of missiles at American bases in neighboring Iraq this week after the killing of Soleimani. No one was injured. The larger U.S. goal is to force Iran to negotiate a new agreement on limiting its nuclear program.In 2018, Trump withdrew from the nuclear agreement signed under President Barack Obama that traded curbs on the program for the easing of sanctions. Since then, the administration has added additional economic measures that have created hardship in Iran and brought its oil revenue to historic lows but have failed to bring the Iranian government to the negotiating table.The sanctions added Friday include measures aimed at eight senior Iranian officials involved in what Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called “destabilizing” activities throughout the Middle East as well as Tuesday’s missile barrage.Those measures, which would freeze any assets the officials have in U.S. jurisdiction and prohibit financial transactions with them, are largely symbolic since such senior figures are unlikely to have assets under American control after decades of hostility between the two nations.But other measures announced Friday could have a significant effect on strategically important sectors of the Iranian economy, said Ben Davis, chief research officer at research and data analytics firm Kharon.The executive order grants the administration power to place anyone involved, even indirectly, in the construction, manufacturing, textile or mining sector on a global financial blacklist. It also targets 17 of the largest steel and iron manufacturers — one of the few growth spots in the hobbled Iranian economy — along with three foreign companies, including two based in China, under secondary sanctions.“It sends a signal to other foreign firms that continue to do business with Iranian steel producers that this is off limits,” said Davis, a former Treasury Department official.Adnan Mazarei, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said the sanctions will hurt an Iranian economy that was forced to cut fuel subsidies earlier this year, triggering nationwide protests, but they also will make it harder for government to negotiate with the U.S.“This will be seen as another sign that the U.S. government cannot be taken at its word when it says it wants to negotiate,” Mazarei said.Mnuchin insisted the sanctions are working and have deprived Iran of tens of billions of dollars. “They would be using that for terrorist activities throughout the region and to enable them to do more bad things,” he said. “And there’s no question, by cutting off the economics to the region, we are having an impact.”

4 US Embassies were targeted in imminent threat from Iran before airstrike, Trump

Confronted by persistent questions about his military action in the Middle East, President Donald Trump and his top officials offered a string of fresh explanations on Friday, with Trump now contending Iranian militants had planned major attacks on four U.S. embassies.

61c2808590814264ca83ff4d679b63f5

Making its stance clear that it will not desist under the heated rhetoric from China, India said that the border standoff between armies of India and China at the Sikkim sector can be resolved diplomatically and Chinese soldiers should leave the Bhutanese territory to reduce tension in the area. "I think the issue can be resolved at the diplomatic level. The Chinese troops should stay where they were earlier. China is approaching towards Bhutanese territory. We want them not to come forward. "This is our security concern and this is our stand. Bhutan's King had yesterday given a statement that Chinese (troops) are entering into its territory. This tension can be resolved at the diplomatic level. Across the table we can solve all the problems," Minister of Defence for State Subhash Bhamre said. Bhamre's comments came on a day China accused India of "trampling" on the principles of the Panchsheel pact and demanded that India "correct its mistakes" by pulling back its troops immediately. Chinese envoy to India Luo Zhaohui had yesterday said China had ruled out a compromise in the military standoff with India and put the onus on New Delhi to resolve the "grave" situation. China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Dokalam area near the Bhutan trijunction for the past 19 days after a Chinese army's construction party came 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. China and Bhutan are engaged in talks over the resolution of the area. Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China and it is supported militarily and diplomatically by India. On the standoff, the Ministry of External Affairs had said India was "deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India".   

Sikkim standoff: India asks China to retreat from Bhutanese territory, says issue can be solved diplomatically

India said that the border standoff between armies of India and China at the Sikkim sector can be resolved diplomatically and Chinese soldiers should leave the Bhutanese territory to reduce tension in the area

3ea19a3c388d522fa54ecbce349c58e6

The scene of the explosion that hit the seaport of Beirut is seen through a damaged apartment in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. Prime Minister Hassan Diab, in a short televised speech, has appealed to all countries and friends of Lebanon to extend help to the small nation, saying: "We are witnessing a real catastrophe." (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) As black smoke billowed into the sky, Shiva Karout stepped out of his gym with his colleagues and customers to watch. His gym, Barbell House, sits just across the coastal highway from Beirut’s port where a fire raged. They were curious.Then a first boom shook them, and curiosity turned to fear realizing how close they were. “We got a bit scared, and we all went back in,” Karout recounted. Tense moments passed, waiting inside, and one of his customers panicked and ran out. Karout went after him.That was when hell erupted. A gigantic explosion threw up a towering mushroom cloud and sucked out the air, and a wave of destructive energy shot across Lebanon’s capital.The force threw Karout to the ground. He was cut and bruised, his full arm and leg tattoos of the Hindu god Shiva, after whom he is named, were punctured with lacerations and clotted blood.But his gym — and everyone still in it — took the brunt of the blast. It smashed out the windows, knocked holes in the walls. Blood now stains the welcome counter. One of his clients took a major head injury and lies in a coma in a hospital and nearly a dozen others sustained medium to serious injuries.That flashing instant, when a heavy fire on the horizon turned into an unimaginable burst of megatonnage, united Beirutis in a shared trauma and on Wednesday, the day after, they were still reeling with it and its aftermath.In multiple videos posted on social media, whether shot from high-rise balconies or nearby streets, that instant hits with the same blunt force: Rising black smoke, then a sudden freight train of dust and pink smoke that barrels across the city at the camera and sends it — and whoever holds it — tumbling amid wreckage and confusion.As the initial pall of smoke rose Tuesday afternoon, a team of 10 firefighters raced to the Port of Beirut to put out the fire raging in Warehouse 12, one a row of warehouses by the water’s edge next to the port’s large grain silo.“They went down, thinking it was caused by fireworks,” one firefighter named Freddy said of his colleagues who first responded. He asked to be identified only by his first name to speak freely to the Associated Press about the events still under investigation. Pops and flashes lit up the smoke, and it was reported the initial fire set off a stash of fireworks stored there.The team was at the epicenter when, at around 6:05 p.m., the giant explosion blasted a crater into the port and turned every building around to twisted metal . It is under investigation whether the fire touched off the cargo of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate — a highly explosive component of fertilizers — that had been stored there since 2013.Freddy and the second team of firefighters arrived about 20 minutes later. They each took a section of the port. For the next 24 hours, they pulled out bodies — Freddy said he found 10 — but only one was of their fellow firefighters, Sahar.“We were looking for our friends but there were also lots of people dead,” he said, standing at the main road, covered in soot and his face darkened with dust, smoke and sorrow. “It is total destruction inside. Nothing is where it should be.”His eyes welled with tears at the thought of losing his colleagues and his city. Lebanon is used to destruction, but not like this. “Not a house on the coast has not been damaged,” he said.At least 130 people were killed and more than 5,000 wounded, and elegant stone buildings, fashionable shopping districts and long stretches of the famed seaside promenade were reduced to rubble in the blast.On Wednesday, Beirutis searched for missing relatives and bandaged their wounds. They surveyed damaged homes, assessing if they could stay in them, retrieving what possessions they could and searching out places to stay.“We don’t deserve this,” said Riwa Baltagi, a 23-year-old who was helping friends retrieve valuables from their demolished homes.The sound of ambulance sirens and the crunching of broken glass could be heard everywhere. Furniture and cushions were strewn along streets covered with wreckage. Elevators were dislocated from their shafts. Cars were crushed under the weight of debris.Some of the worst damage was in the leafy neighborhoods of Mar Mikhael and Gemayzeh in east Beirut, where the blast damaged some of the few historic buildings that survived the 1975-1990 civil war. Balconies had dropped to street level, where bars and restaurants were buried and chairs and tables turned upside down.The stench of alcohol from broken bottles filled some narrow alleys, as if the neighborhood’s late night parties had turned bad. Nuns toured the churches along the streets, offering prayers and help. Supermarket owners filled plastic bags with the few remaining products in good shape— one saying he will take what is left home to use before it rots in the summer heat.“I have nowhere to go,” a woman said as she wept in what remained of her home in Gemayzeh. “What am I supposed to do?” she screamed into her mobile phone.Throughout the night, radio presenters read the names of missing or wounded people. An Instagram page called “Locating Victims Beirut” sprung up with photos of missing people. Another account helped to connect the newly displaced with hotels and homeowners who were willing to host them.Hospitals, already struggling with the financial crisis and coronavirus pandemic, were overwhelmed by the wave of injured. Many patients had to be treated in hallways and parking lots once the wards filled up.Karout, the gym owner, said a “complete mess” followed the initial shock of explosion. Three hospitals in the area were in the orbit of the blast and were put out of service, unable to offer treatment. Others were unable to help. “They are not equipped for such things,” he said. “We are not equipped.”Now he mourns the fate of Barbell. The blast has destroyed what he said was the fruit of years of “really hard work.”“Who will pay for this?” he said. “This is not fixable.”“Beirut is already gone.”

In a horrific instant, a burst of power that ravaged Beirut

As black smoke billowed into the sky, Shiva Karout stepped out of his gym with his colleagues and customers to watch. His gym, Barbell House, sits just across the coastal highway from Beirut’s port where a fire raged. They were curious. Read on.

e20cd4c2342ad351f34eb074669c9208

Taliban close key money-exchange market in Kabul, vendors pulled outA key money-exchange market in Kabul was shut down by the Taliban on Monday. According to details, the market in the city's Boli market in Sarai Shahzada was shut, while its vendors were pulled out. Boli is a market inside Sarai Shahzada where large amounts of money are exchanged and the Afghani's value against foreign currencies is determined.A number of vendors said the closure of Boli has led to dozens of vendors losing their jobs and will lead to problems determining the real value of the Afghani against foreign currencies, reported Tolo News."Now we cannot change our money into dollars or Pakistani rupees. To whom we should sell? Boli is no longer active," said Farid Ahmad, a vendor."The Islamic Emirate has closed Boli market, while people are trying to make a living," said Sayed Hashim, another vendor.In the past months, especially in December when the Afghani plunged in value against the dollar, Boli was also closed. However, the vendors were allowed to do business inside the Sarai Shahzada market. Now, it is not clear when the vendors will be allowed back to the market, reported Tolo News.The Money Exchangers Union in Sarai Shahzada, the biggest money exchanging market in the country, said that based on a decision by the Islamic Emirate, the Boli market has been closed in Sarai Shahzada.According to the union, a few days ago the Economic Commission of the Council of Ministers of the Islamic Emirate made a decision to close the Boli market, reported Tolo News. (With inputs from ANI)Also Read | Taliban ban display of female mannequin heads in shops; music in cars, taxis /* .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_4961771345 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_oakngccu/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_oakngccu_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government", "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": "161", "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_4961771345 = ''; jwsetup_4961771345(); function jwsetup_4961771345() { jwvidplayer_4961771345 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_4961771345").setup(jwconfig_4961771345); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_4961771345, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_oakngccu\", ns_st_pr=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Afghanistan faces food crisis under Taliban`s new government\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-17\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-17\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_oakngccu/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_4961771345.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_4961771345.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_4961771345.stop(); jwvidplayer_4961771345.remove(); jwvidplayer_4961771345 = ''; jwsetup_4961771345(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_4961771345.stop(); jwvidplayer_4961771345.remove(); jwvidplayer_4961771345 = ''; jwsetup_4961771345(); return; }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4961771345.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Taliban shut key money-exchange market in Kabul, vendors pulled out

A number of vendors said the closure of Boli has led to dozens of vendors losing their jobs and will lead to problems determining the real value of the Afghani against foreign currencies.

079b908e056b7fa8276e602c668bd4c5

As many as 12 agreements will be signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the UAE later this week as India and the oil-rich Gulf nation look to intensify economic cooperation, a top diplomat said on Tuesday. The agreements will include areas like finance and skills development.Related Stories On Children's Day, UAE students pose as ‘human boat’ to set Guinness World Record Tax-free no more: Saudi Arabia, UAE to roll out VAT in 2018Middle East loses tax free tag as Saudi Arabia, UAE introduce VAT for first timePM Modi to visit Palestine, UAE and Oman from February 9-12Modi will start his visit to three West Asian countries - Palestine, the UAE and Oman - on Friday with focus on cooperation in key areas of defence, security and counter- terrorism. “PM Modi is visiting the UAE on 10 February. There would be a state visit and during that visit 12 agreements will be signed between our countries,” UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Al Banna said.The Prime Minister will participate in the 6th World Government Summit in Dubai on February 10-11 in which India is a partner country. “(At the Summit) PM Modi will address a gathering of over 2,000 people, more than 26 heads of state, the Prime Minister’s ministers and more than 2,000 delegates from all over the world,” Banna said while addressing a conference here to mark the Abu Dhabi-India Week.This will be PM Modi’s second visit to the UAE. He first visited the country in August 2015. According to the Ambassador, these visits are important for enhancing and strengthening the bilateral relations. “If we look at the investment from UAE to India, it exceeds USD 11 billion, about USD 4-5 billion in the format of FDI (foreign direct investment),” Banna said. He pointed out that around 2.8 million Indians are living harmoniously in the UAE and repatriating USD 13.6 billion a year from the Gulf nation to India.

India-UAE to ink 12 pacts during PM Modi's visit

Modi will start his visit to three West Asian countries - Palestine, the UAE and Oman - on Friday with focus on cooperation in key areas of defence, security and counter- terrorism.

e0cbcee339b7a0c9c81d32340e3a6ac0

China reports no domestic coronavirus cases amid rise in imported infectionsChina has reported no new domestic cases of the novel coronavirus but confirmed 39 imported infections, taking the death toll to 3,270 as the country ramped up measures to strictly quarantine people coming from abroad to prevent a recurrence of the COVID-19 outbreak, health officials said on Monday. Nine persons died of the deadly virus in the country on Sunday taking the total death toll so far in the Chinese mainland to 3,270, China's National Health Commission, (NHC) said on Monday.The overall confirmed cases on the mainland has reached 81,093 by the end of Sunday. It included 3,270 people who died of the disease, 5,120 patients still undergoing treatment 72,703 patients discharged after recovery, it said. Also, no new locally transmitted case was reported from the country on Sunday, including from the virus epicentres Hubei province and its capital Wuhan.Last week for three consecutive days China reported zero cases of the locally transmitted cases in a major milestone in efforts to contain the vicious virus after it surfaced in the Wuhan city in December last year. But one domestically transmitted case reported in Guangzhou on Saturday, which was traced to contact with an imported case. The NHC said on Monday that no new domestically transmitted case of the COVID-19 was reported on the Chinese mainland on Sunday but 39 new confirmed cases were reported all of which were imported, which takes the total number of such cases 353.Of them, 10 were reported in Beijing and Shanghai respectively, and six in the provinces of Fujian and Guangdong respectively. The provinces of Shandong and Gansu both reported two cases and Zhejiang and Henan, and Chongqing Municipality each reported one. By the end of Sunday, 353 imported cases were reported, the NHC said. However, the NHC has not specified whether the imported cases were that of foreigners or Chinese nationals arriving from abroad.It said 136 people were still suspected of being infected with the virus. By the end of Sunday, 317 confirmed cases, including four deaths have been reported in Hong Kong, 21 confirmed cases in Macao, and 169 in Taiwan, including two deaths, the NHC said.As the country saw a surge in imported infections, the government announced that all international flights scheduled to arrive in capital Beijing will be redirected to airports in 12 other Chinese cities from Monday. International passengers flying to Beijing will instead land in airports in 12 cities including Shanghai, Tianjin, Nanjing and Shenyang as their first points of entry, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement.Passengers will go through customs clearance and quarantine at these airports, and those having passed quarantine inspection can fly to Beijing in their original flights, state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The entry arrangements for the Beijing-bound international flights will be adjusted in a timely manner in accordance with the COVID-19 outbreak situation, the statement said. According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the death toll from the virus globally has risen to 14,641 with 336,000 cases reported in 173 countries and territories. 

China reports no domestic coronavirus cases amid rise in imported infections

China has reported no new domestic cases of the novel coronavirus but confirmed 39 imported infections, taking the death toll to 3,270 as the country ramped up measures to strictly quarantine people coming from abroad to prevent a recurrence of the COVID-19 outbreak, health officials said on Monday.

7ff42bbc0f9258e0676b121d6a331769

A file photo of Pakistan PM Imran Khan, seen here with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip ErdoganThe sale of sophisticated weapons by the US to India will “disturb” the strategic balance in South Asia and have security implications for Pakistan and the broader region, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said on Thursday, as she hit out at Donald Trump administration’s decision to sell Integrated Air Defence Weapon System (IADWS) to India.Farooqui said that the growing India-US defence ties were “destabilising” the entire region, speaking at the weekly briefing. The remarks by the Pakistan official come less than two weeks before US President Donald Trump’s two-day state visit to India, beginning Feb 24.In the lead-up to Trump’s visit, the US approved the sale of $1.87 billion defence system to India through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route. The deal, still being finalised, is now before the US Congress for its consideration. There is a 30-day window for the US Congress to raise objections, if any at all, to the deal.“The Integrated Air Defence Weapon System, also known as the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS), provides integrated air missile defence and is currently deployed around Washington, DC,” a Department of State spokesperson said earlier this week.According to the US, India wants to buy an IADWS comprising five AN/MPQ-64Fl Sentinel radar systems; 118 AMRAAM AIM-120C-7/C-8 missiles; three AMRAAM Guidance Sections; four AMRAAM Control Sections and 134 Stinger FIM-92L missiles. 

Pakistan blasts US’ decision to sell air-defence weapons systems to India

The $1.87-deal involving the transfer of advanced air defence systems by the US to India will “disturb” the strategic balance in South Asia and have security implications for Pakistan, said Islamabad

3287fb18426bcc7de9b666493c258e00

Sundar Pichai, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Cook take heat during US Congress grillingFour big tech CEOs -- Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple -- pushed back against accusations during a US Congress panel hearing capping a yearlong investigation into these companies' market domination online.Amid intense grilling on issues that centred on market power derived from uninhibited collection and access to data, all four CEOs focused their attention on the value of their innovations and services to consumers. They testified via video link to lawmakers in Washington, DC.Google CEO Sundar Pichai struggled to deflect accusations of anti-conservative bias and retreated multiple times to a "Happy to engage with you" answer in response to questions that went deep into the working of the company's mighty algorithms.Pichai squirmed when asked whether he signed off on the company's 2016 decision to merge data from the advertising company Double Click -- bought in 2007 -- with Google's own data. Rep. Val Demings described this move as one that effectively "destroyed users' anonymity" on the internet."I reviewed at a high level all the important decisions we make," Pichai said. He talked up how Google "cares" about privacy and security of users and noted that Google no longer uses data from Gmail for ad targeting, a relatively recent change.Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos repeatedly offered "I don't remember" or "We are looking into it" as an answer to lawmaker concerns about how the company might be killing off small businesses, poaching ideas from competitors or employee testimony that there is "nobody enforcing" policies in a company that has become a "candy shop" of seller data.For years, Amazon has been dogged by allegations that it uses its dominance to identify and enter into new product categories using its unique lens into inside information on third party seller data.Pushed on this question by Pramila Jayapal, who represents the district in which Amazon is headquartered, Bezos sidestepped saying he could not answer yes or no. "I can tell you we have a policy against using seller-specific data to aid our private label business but I can't guarantee you that that policy has never been violated."Facebook CEO Zuckerberg faced fire over the company's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, a pervasive strategy of copying competitors' features, selling user data to third parties and the forest fire analogy of how fake news and conspiracy theories go wild on the mighty platform.In his responses, Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook has "certainly adapted features that others have led in" but countered that the company's moves were not anti-competitive."I have always been clear that we viewed Instagram as both a competitor and as a complement to our services," Zuckerberg said.The Facebook's CEO used his time during opening remarks to knock competitors. "In many areas, we are behind our competitors," he said."The most popular messaging service in the US is iMessage. The fastest growing app is TikTok. The most popular app for video is YouTube. The fastest growing ads platform is Amazon. The largest ads platform is Google.""Apple CEO Tim Cook contended that his company does not have a dominant market share "in any market where we do business" and prioritises the quality of product versus scale.Apple, whose iPhone is the world's third-largest selling phone, is facing EU investigations over fees charged by its App Store and technical blockades that allegedly shut out competitors to Apple Pay.Cook said, "In the more than a decade since the App Store debuted, we have never raised the commission or added a single fee. In fact, we have reduced them for subscriptions and exempted additional categories of apps. The App Store evolves with the times, and every change we have made has been in the direction of providing a better experience for our users and a compelling business opportunity for developers." 

Sundar Pichai, Zuckerberg, Bezos, Cook take heat during US Congress grilling

Four big tech CEOs -- Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple -- pushed back against accusations during a US Congress panel hearing capping a yearlong investigation into these companies' market domination online.

5716d537c4a8377a6712af3ece10123d

Pakistan's religious-cum-political parties belonging to Sunni sect have formed a grand alliance to contest the 2018 general elections under its banner.Former federal minister for religious affairs of Pakistan Peoples Party regime Hamid Saeed Kazmi has been elected the temporary head of 'Nizam-i-Mustafa Grand Alliance'.A five-member committee has been constituted to prepare the manifesto and constitution of the alliance. The alliance partners will meet on November 20 to finalise its manifesto.The Sunni alliance has been formed in the backdrop of two religious outfits – Taheek Labaik Ya Rasul Allah and Jamat- ud-Dawah’s Milli Muslim League – performing well in recently held by-poll in Lahore’s NA-120 where ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s wife Begum Kulsoom won the seat.Prominent among those joined the Sunni alliance include the Sunni Ittehad Council, Jammiat Ulema-i-Pakistan (Noorani, Jamait Ulema-i-Pakistan, the Pakistan Sunni Tehreek and Jammat-e-Ahley Sunnet.All the participants resolved that they would contest the next elections from the platform of the alliance so that the Sunni vote bank did not get divided.The central executive (Shoora) of the alliance will decide about any electoral adjustments ahead of 2018 polls.After their meeting, the representatives of these parties yesterday issued a declaration saying the alliance had not been formed either on the request or at the behest of "someone"."This is purely our own decision," it said. "The alliance will also rope in Tehreek Labaik Pakistan and Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasul Allah," it added.The declaration also demanded action against those responsible for changing text of the oath of the parliamentarians and specifically against Punjab minister for law and parliamentary affairs Rana Sanaullah for his controversial statement regarding Ahmedis.It demanded Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to categorically declare the "sanctity" of the blasphemy law and dispel impression of it being altered.Kazmi said the Sunni sect had always favoured peace."Peace is hallmark of the sect and will be protected at every cost," he said.

Pakistan's Sunni parties form grand alliance to contest 2018 general polls

A five-member committee has been constituted to prepare the manifesto and constitution of the alliance. The alliance partners will meet on November 20 to finalise its manifesto.

f2911964b1d4a556f20ea1309a3aff25

Pakistan PM Imran KhanProminent Pakistani newspapers have criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for his controversial statement that he wished he could send 500 corrupt individuals to jail by emulating Chinese President Xi Jinping's "crusade" against corruption, saying it revealed a "disturbing mentality".Khan, who was in Beijing this week for talks with the Chinese leadership, including Xi, identified corruption as one of the biggest impediments to investment in Pakistan and said one thing he had learned from China was how the country's leadership tackled corruption."I wish I could follow President Xi's example and put 500 corrupt people in Pakistan in jail," said Khan on Wednesday while addressing Chinese businessmen."One of President Xi Jinping's biggest crusade has been against corruption," Khan said.Imran was referring to Xi's massive anti-corruption drive launched in 2012 that reportedly netted more than 1.3 million officials at various levels, from the elite to the ordinary.Xi, who is also general secretary of the ruling Communist Party and commander-in-chief of the military, has launched a high-profile campaign targeting party, government, military and state-owned company officials suspected of corruption.But the Pakistani media cautioned Khan against aping the Chinese model anti-corruption drive."Of course, China has long been admired by Pakistani leaders for its transformation from a backward, isolated state into a modern economic powerhouse."But though there are many things we in Pakistan can learn from China's impressive rise since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, there are also lessons on what to avoid, especially if the ruling establishment wants to stick to the confines of the democratic system," Dawn newspaper said in an editorial.Khan's statement seems to be a milder version of what his Cabinet colleague Minister for Water Resources Faisal Vawda said not too long ago, that 5,000 people should be hanged to secure the future of 220 million people of the country, it noted."While corruption is indeed a bane that has been eating away at Pakistan's vitals for decades, the aforementioned comments reveal a disturbing mentality," the editorial commented.Instead of filling the jails with the corrupt, or worse, hanging people in the streets, the leadership of the country should be talking about creating a viable system that punishes unscrupulous individuals in a transparent manner, and eliminates the scourge at the grass roots, it said."There are many things in the Chinese model that are worthy of emulation. But frequent executions and purges — the horrors of the Cultural Revolution should not be forgotten — should not be among them," it said.At the same time, the Dawn editorial noted that there can be little argument with the fact that over the past seven decades, China has made huge strides in many fields, including lifting over 850 million people out of poverty."While the more violent episodes of modern Chinese history should not be replicated, the relationship between Islamabad and Beijing can mature and improve in a variety of sectors," the editorial added.The Express Tribune, in its editorial, noted that despite the potential economic positives of Khan's visit to Beijing, there were a few stumbles for the premier, most notably his remark on wanting to jail 500 people for corruption, where he also stated his disappointment with the Pakistani justice system."It does not good look for a prime minister to publicly criticise his own political and legal system on foreign soil," the paper commented, referring to Khan's statement that unfortunately processing [cases] in Pakistan was "very cumbersome".Already several key Opposition leaders in Pakistan are in jail for alleged corruption and money laundering, charges they have dismissed as politically motivated.Former Pakistan president and Pakistan Peoples Party leader Asif Ali Zardari and ex-prime minister and chief of Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz, Nawaz Sharif and are in jail for corruption charges. Ex-premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and former finance minister and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar are also facing corruption charges. 

'Disturbing mentality': Pakistan media criticizes PM Imran Khan for praising Jinping

Prominent Pakistani newspapers have criticised Prime Minister Imran Khan for his controversial statement that he wished he could send 500 corrupt individuals to jail by emulating Chinese President Xi Jinping's "crusade" against corruption, saying it revealed a "disturbing mentality".

5c39be37ae7954e26aec1be05f726f4e

Asserting that nobody has talked about asking India to send troops to Afghanistan, a senior Trump administration official has said New Delhi's role in the war-torn country is focused around economic and democratic development and not on security issues. President Donald Trump reached out to India in his Afghan and South Asia policy speech last week seeking an enhanced role for New Delhi, especially in the economic field, to bring peace and stability in the war-torn Afghanistan. The official clarified that there is no specific ask or to do list from the United Stated to India, but the president expects that India would continue with its good economic developmental work in Afghanistan. "I don't think the president has articulated any specifics (about India's role in Afghanistan). But, the inter-agency (team in the US) has discussed this issue as part of the overall deliberations, and is focusing on what can be done in terms of the economic development issues, and support democratic development," the official told PTI on condition of anonymity. "But, (India's role is) not focusing on security issues. Nobody's talking about asking India to put troops on the ground in Afghanistan. No, that has not been part of the discussions," the official said, giving an insight into the deliberations that has gone within the Trump administration as it formulated the Afghan policy over the past several months. The official said the discussions have focused around India's role in helping with economic development with basic support to the regional processes that are aimed at ensuring regional partners have a constructive role. "Here, I'm talking about the six plus one, which India will be very much a part of," the official added. "We just look forward to India continuing to play the kind of positive role it's been playing over the last several years, and maybe even enhancing that even more, in terms of supporting the peace process in the country, and being involved in those regional initiatives," the official added. Noting that India was very much involved in the Kabul process, and has always been part of the regional solution and building up regional consensus for a stable, peaceful Afghanistan, the official said, "We look forward to India continuing to play that role." Responding to a question, the official said that the US recognises that India has already pledged USD 3 billion to Afghanistan, which is a large sum. "India's development work, whether it be building a dam, or some of the energy projects, the Parliament Building, India has been deeply engaged in the economic development of Afghanistan. We would encourage that to continue," the official said. "I don't think anybody has mentioned any specific dollar figure," the official said when asked if the president has a dollar figure in mind when he sought an enhanced Indian role in Afghanistan. "The president was clear that he sees India as a country that can help in stabilising and securing Afghanistan, and that he's looking forward to working with India on these issues, in terms of the economic development in Afghanistan and strengthening the democratic institutions. India has a great role to play here, being the world's largest democracy, and being so close in the region to Afghanistan," the official said. "So, there's no particular dollar amount that the president is thinking about. He's just thinking about how much India has to offer, and how much is at stake for India in Afghanistan. Sort of putting those two facts together and then expressing his expectation that India would be playing a helpful role in Afghanistan," said the official. 

India's role in Afghanistan focused on economy, not security: US

A senior Trump administration official has said that India's role in Afghanistan is focused around economic and democratic development and not on security issues.

df148ecc9147800142fa75c6e7675b3b

China death toll mounts to 2000 due to Coronavirus outbreakThe death toll due to Coronavirus has surged to 2,000, in China, according to the government. However, new virus cases in the country has recorded a decline for the second consecutive day.1,749 new infections and 136 new deaths were caused due to Coronavirus after China’s leader said disease prevention and control was at “a critical time.”J​​apan also confirmed more infections of the new coronavirus on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, bringing the total to 542 people among the 3,700 crew and passengers initially on board. The infections have led to heavy criticism of the decision to quarantine passengers on the vessel. The quarantine ends later Wednesday.The updated figures on the COVID-19 illness for mainland China bring the total for cases to 74,185 and deaths to 2,004. New cases have fallen to under 2,000 daily for the past two days.Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke about the efforts to control the outbreak in a phone call with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson described in state media.Separately, the U.N. secretary general told The Associated Press that the virus outbreak “is not out of control but it is a very dangerous situation.” Antonio Guterres said in an interview in Lahore, Pakistan, that “the risks are enormous and we need to be prepared worldwide for that.”China has locked down several cities in central Hubei province where the outbreak hit hardest, halting nearly all transportation and movement except for the quarantine efforts, medical care and delivery of food and basic necessities.China also may postpone its biggest political meeting of the year, the annual congress due to start in March, to avoid having people travel to Beijing while the virus is still spreading. One of the automotive industry’s biggest events, China’s biannual auto show, was postponed, and many sports and entertainment events have been delayed or canceled.(With inputs from AP)ALSO READ: Coronavirus may hit production schedules in India & UK, warns Tata JLRALSO READ: Coronavirus can now hit your computer: Here's how /* .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_7494488092 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_bj3sg7ui_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_bj3sg7ui_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Coronavirus: No shortage of medicines, masks in Indian hospitals, says FM", "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_7494488092 = ''; jwsetup_7494488092(); function jwsetup_7494488092() { jwvidplayer_7494488092 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_7494488092").setup(jwconfig_7494488092); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_7494488092, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_bj3sg7ui\", ns_st_pr=\"Coronavirus: No shortage of medicines, masks in Indian hospitals, says FM\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Coronavirus: No shortage of medicines, masks in Indian hospitals, says FM\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Coronavirus: No shortage of medicines, masks in Indian hospitals, says FM\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2020-02-19\", ns_st_tdt=\"2020-02-19\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_bj3sg7ui_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_7494488092.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_7494488092.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_7494488092.stop(); jwvidplayer_7494488092.remove(); jwvidplayer_7494488092 = ''; jwsetup_7494488092(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_7494488092.stop(); jwvidplayer_7494488092.remove(); jwvidplayer_7494488092 = ''; jwsetup_7494488092(); return; }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_7494488092.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } ​

Coronavirus update: China death toll mounts to 2000, new cases decline for 2nd day

The death toll due to noval Coronavirus has surged to 2,000, in China, according to the government. However, new virus cases in the country has recorded a decline for the second consecutive day.

6153579f332f087a6879695b507078de

5 regions in New York state reopen in phased processThe US state of New York partially reopened on Friday, while the "PAUSE" order will be extended to May 28 for remaining regions including New York City (NYC), said Governor Andrew Cuomo. Five out of ten regions in the state - Central New York, North Country, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley regions which have seen mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic - entered the phase one of reopening on 12.01 a.m. (0401 GMT) on Friday, according to an executive order signed by Cuomo on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported."They are the regions that meet the criteria. There's no politics to this judgment, it's all based on the numbers," said Cuomo at Friday's briefing.Businesses in various sectors including construction, manufacturing, agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, curbside retail, in-store pickup or drop-off are now qualified to restart reopening in these regions, as told in the state's phased reopening strategy.People are still required to wear a mask while working in construction sites and retail stores, and stores are limited to a 50 per cent capacity. Social distancing mandate still applies, Cuomo said.Two weeks will be needed to monitor the COVID-19 infection rate before a region enters the second phase, according to the strategy.The governor also said that those remaining five regions could reopen as soon as they meet all seven metrics, which focused on the decline in hospitalization, hospital capacity and testing capacity, and don't have to wait till May 28."What happens next is up to each of us. This virus is powerful and every time we think we understand it we learn we don't. Government alone can't keep you safe. It's up to you," he tweeted on Friday.In another thread of tweets, Cuomo said state beaches will reopen on May 22 for the Memorial Day weekend at 50 percent capacity and masks will be required when social distance not possible."City, town and county beaches may open as well on Friday of Memorial Day weekend, as long as they fully enforce the minimum rules," he added.NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Friday that the city is not ready yet to open its beaches or allow activities such as barbecue and concerts in parks.In order to keep people cool in the summer, the city will invest US $55 million to buy some 74,000 air conditioners for lower-income seniors. Some community cooling centers may also open with strict health guidelines, but "the beaches and the pools are not in the cards right now," he said at his daily briefing."This summer will require us to think differently and watch out for each other. If the results of the last few weeks are any indication, we'll make adjustments to help each other out and move forward together," the mayor tweeted later on Friday.As of Friday afternoon, the state has reported more than 345,000 COVID-19 cases and over 27,000 deaths, both atop the country, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

5 regions in New York state reopen in phased process

The US state of New York partially reopened on Friday, while the "PAUSE" order will be extended to May 28 for remaining regions including New York City (NYC), said Governor Andrew Cuomo.