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Representative Image.Limiting global warming to 1.5 degree celsius would require rapid, far-reaching changes in all aspects of society, said the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its report on Monday.It added that with clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to 2°C could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society.Related Stories Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting three times faster than beforeEarth at risk of falling into irreversible greenhouse stateUN report on global warming carries life-or-death warningThe Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was approved by the IPCC on Saturday in Incheon, Republic of Korea. It will be a key scientific input into the Katowice Climate Change Conference in Poland in December, when governments review the Paris Agreement to tackle climate change.    "With more than 6,000 scientific references cited and the dedicated contribution of thousands of expert and government reviewers worldwide, this important report testifies to the breadth and policy relevance of the IPCC," said Hoesung Lee, Chair of the IPCC. Ninety-one authors and review editors from 40 countries prepared the IPCC report in response to an invitation from the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) when it adopted the Paris Agreement in 2015. The report highlights a number of climate change impacts that could be avoided by limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared to 2°C, or more. It stated that by 2100, global sea level rise would be 10 cm lower with global warming of 1.5°C compared with 2°C. The likelihood of an Arctic Ocean free of sea ice in summer would be once per century with global warming of 1.5°C, compared with at least once per decade with 2°C. Coral reefs would decline by 70-90 percent with global warming of 1.5°C, whereas virtually all would be lost with 2°C. "One of the key messages that comes out very strongly from this report is that we are already seeing the consequences of 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other changes," said Panmao Zhai, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group I.  "Every extra bit of warming matters, especially since warming of 1.5°C or higher increases the risk associated with long-lasting or irreversible changes, such as the loss of some ecosystems," said Hans-Otto Pörtner, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group II. Limiting global warming would also give people and ecosystems more room to adapt and remain below relevant risk thresholds, added Pörtner. The report also examines pathways available to limit warming to 1.5°C, what it would take to achieve them and what the consequences could be. "The good news is that some of the kinds of actions that would be needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C are already underway around the world, but they would need to accelerate," said Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Co-Chair of Working Group I.    The report finds that limiting global warming to 1.5°C would require "rapid and far-reaching" transitions in land, energy, industry, buildings, transport, and cities. Global net human-caused emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) would need to fall by about 45 percent from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching 'net zero' around 2050. This means that any remaining emissions would need to be balanced by removing CO2 from the air. Allowing the global temperature to temporarily exceed or 'overshoot' 1.5°C would mean a greater reliance on techniques that remove CO2 from the air to return global temperature to below 1.5°C by 2100. The effectiveness of such techniques are unproven at large scale and some may carry significant risks for sustainable development, the report notes.    "Limiting global warming to 1.5°C compared with 2°C would reduce challenging impacts on ecosystems, human health and well-being, making it easier to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals," said Priyardarshi Shukla, Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III. The IPCC is the leading world body for assessing the science related to climate change, its impacts and potential future risks, and possible response options.    The report was prepared under the scientific leadership of all three IPCC working groups. Working Group I assesses the physical science basis of climate change; Working Group II addresses impacts, adaptation and vulnerability; and Working Group III deals with the mitigation of climate change.    The Paris Agreement adopted by 195 nations at the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC in December 2015 included the aim of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change by "holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels."    As part of the decision to adopt the Paris Agreement, the IPCC was invited to produce, in 2018, a Special Report on global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways. The IPCC accepted the invitation, adding that the Special Report would look at these issues in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.    Global Warming of 1.5°C is the first in a series of Special Reports to be produced in the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Cycle. Next year the IPCC will release the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, and Climate Change and Land, which looks at how climate change affects land use.     

'Rapid, far-reaching changes required to limit global warming to 1.5°C ', UN body warns against growing climate change

The Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C was approved by the IPCC on Saturday in Incheon, Republic of Korea.

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For decades, American politicians put their special interests ahead of the interest of the country, US President Donald Trump said Friday, asserting that he has done away with some of the "disastrous" trade deals of the past.For decades, American politicians put their special interests ahead of the interest of the country, US President Donald Trump said Friday, asserting that he has done away with some of the "disastrous" trade deals of the past. Launching a new nationwide campaign in North Carolina to revitalise underserved cities and towns all across America, Trump said the US is in the midst of the single greatest comeback that it has ever had. “This is a comeback. We were doing poorly,” he said.“For decades, Washington politicians put special interests ahead of American interests. They enacted disastrous trade policies. Like, it’s unimaginable, frankly. I looked at some of these deals; I said, 'Who the hell would have done this? Who would have done this? A child wouldn’t have agreed to this stuff.' Unbelievable,” Trump said in his address at a business meeting."For years, I heard that China will take over as the largest economy in the world in 2019. I kept hearing that. I hated it because I said, 'If I run, 2019 is not so far away.' We are so far ahead. We are so far ahead now. We became a rocket ship, taking in billions and billions and billions in tariffs, giving a lot of it to our farmers and different people that were targeted,” he said.“Now, we have a deal with China. I just spoke to (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) last night, and we’re working on problem, the virus. It’s a very tough situation. But I think he’s going to handle it. I think he’s handled it really well. We’re helping wherever we can,” he said. His administration, Trump said, has signed the Mexico deal and Canada deal: USMCA and has signed trade deals with Japan and South Korea. “Our economy is now the envy of the entire world. You have to see when leaders come to my office -- this beautiful Oval Office. I’ve had people walk into the office -- it’s beautiful -- but they have more beautiful, in many cases, I guess. But it’s what it represents,” he added. “After years of building up other countries, we are finally building our country,” Trump said. ALSO READ | Donald Trump says he suffered 'terrible ordeal' in impeachment

For decades, American politicians put special interests ahead of national interests: Trump

For decades, American politicians put their special interests ahead of the interest of the country, US President Donald Trump said Friday, asserting that he has done away with some of the "disastrous" trade deals of the past.

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Taliban raid ISIS haven in Parwan provinceThe Taliban have said that they conducted a raid on a safe haven of ISIS in Charikar city of northern Parwan province killing and arresting a number of the group's fighters on Friday, a media report said. Confirming the raid, the Taliban's spokesperson Bilal Karimi said that the ISIS affiliates were arrested after their allies targeted the Taliban members in the province, according to tp Khaama Press.At least four Taliban members were also wounded during the attack.In the meantime, the gunmen targeted a ranger car of the Taliban and killed at least five members of the Taliban, Khaama Press reported quoting sources in Kapisa province. However, the Taliban have not commented on the issue yet.After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the ISIS-K is believed to be a threat to the group in the region.However, the Taliban have said that ISIS is not a threat to them and the group can eliminate ISIS from Afghanistan. (With inputs from ANI)Also Read | Taliban Ministry to probe reports of killing Panjshir civilians /* .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_3655595534 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_la0h49s3/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_la0h49s3_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pakistan PM Imran Khan bats for Taliban in UN Assembly, says it should be given heed globally", "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": "248", "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_3655595534 = ''; jwsetup_3655595534(); function jwsetup_3655595534() { jwvidplayer_3655595534 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_3655595534").setup(jwconfig_3655595534); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_3655595534, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_la0h49s3\", ns_st_pr=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan bats for Taliban in UN Assembly, says it should be given heed globally\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan bats for Taliban in UN Assembly, says it should be given heed globally\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan bats for Taliban in UN Assembly, says it should be given heed globally\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-09-25\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-09-25\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_la0h49s3/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_3655595534.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_3655595534.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_3655595534.stop(); jwvidplayer_3655595534.remove(); jwvidplayer_3655595534 = ''; jwsetup_3655595534(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_3655595534.stop(); jwvidplayer_3655595534.remove(); jwvidplayer_3655595534 = ''; jwsetup_3655595534(); return; }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3655595534.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Taliban raid ISIS haven in Parwan province; kill, arrest several affiliates

After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the ISIS-K is believed to be a threat to the group in the region.

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Imran Khan's office faces power cut over non-payment of billsIn a major embarrassment to Pakistan, the electricity supply to the Prime Minister Imran Khan's Secretariat was cut off over non-payment of bills. Crores of rupees are yet to be paid for the bill of the Secretariat, for which a notice was issued by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO). According to reports in the Pakistani media, the Pakistan Prime Minister's Secretariat currently owes over 41 lakh rupees to IESCO. For the previous month, this amount was 35 lakh rupees.According to sources close to IESCO, the Secretariat has failed to pay the dues in spite of several reminder notices."This is a recurrent problem with the Secretariat. We will cut off the power supply if dues are not paid," an IESCO source said.Power cuts have worsened in Pakistan in recent years, becoming one of the main sources of discontent in the South Asian nation, often leaving entire neighbourhoods without electricity for up to half a day in the sweltering summer months.Also Read | Forget Srinagar, Pakistan struggling to save PoK: Bilawal Bhutto attacks Imran KhanAlso Read | Modi did what he had to do on Kashmir: Imran Khan's former wife Reham KhanIn this video: Watch India TV's report on first year of Imran Khan govt /* .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_9904667596 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_qiz49ue9_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_qiz49ue9_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pakistan becomes a pauper: Watch India TV report on first year of Imran Khan govt", "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_9904667596 = ''; jwsetup_9904667596(); function jwsetup_9904667596() { jwvidplayer_9904667596 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_9904667596").setup(jwconfig_9904667596); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_9904667596, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_qiz49ue9\", ns_st_pr=\"Pakistan becomes a pauper: Watch India TV report on first year of Imran Khan govt\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pakistan becomes a pauper: Watch India TV report on first year of Imran Khan govt\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pakistan becomes a pauper: Watch India TV report on first year of Imran Khan govt\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-08-18\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-08-18\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_qiz49ue9_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_9904667596.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_9904667596.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_9904667596.stop(); jwvidplayer_9904667596.remove(); jwvidplayer_9904667596 = ''; jwsetup_9904667596(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_9904667596.stop(); jwvidplayer_9904667596.remove(); jwvidplayer_9904667596 = ''; jwsetup_9904667596(); return; }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9904667596.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Imran Khan's office faces power cut over non-payment of bills

According to sources close to IESCO, the Secretariat has failed to pay the dues in spite of several reminder notices.

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1 dies in New Mexico school shooting; student detained.One student was killed and another was taken into custody Friday after a shooting at a middle school near downtown Albuquerque during the lunch hour, police said.The gunfire at Washington Middle School marked the second shooting in New Mexico’s largest city in less than 24 hours. Albuquerque is on pace to shatter its homicide record this year, having already matched within the first eight months of the year the previous annual high of 80 homicides set in 2019.Albuquerque Public Schools Superintendent Scott Elder said during a news conference with police that it was a terrible day for the district and the whole community.“I want to send out my thoughts and prayers to all of our students, all of our families that are impacted by this horrible event,” he said.Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said she was heartbroken and noted more work needs to be done to address gun violence in the state.Albuquerque police Deputy Commander Kyle Hartsock described the shooting as an isolated incident between the two students, who were believed to be about 13 years old. He said a school resource officer ran toward the two boys after gunfire erupted, and prevented any other violence.Hartsock said investigators were trying to determine how the student obtained the gun and what may have prompted the shooting. He said other students will be interviewed as detectives try to piece together what happened.The school was locked down, and parents were asked to pick up their children.Friday marked just the third day of classes for Albuquerque’s public school district. While students won’t return until Tuesday, Elder said the school staff will be making preparations to ensure students have access to counseling and any other support services they need.“Of course it’s extremely difficult,” he said of something like this happening so early in the school year. “There’s a lot of pressure in the community. People are nervous. It was a terrible incident that happened between two people. It should have never happened. This shouldn’t happen in the community. It certainly shouldn’t happen at a school.”Police said more officers will be present when students return, hoping to provide a sense of security and in case students have any more information about the shooting.Gunfire also rang out Thursday night at a sports bar and restaurant near a busy Albuquerque shopping district. Police said one person was killed and three were injured after someone pulled out a gun during a fight.No arrests have been made in that case. Investigators were reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses.Authorities identified the man who was killed as Lawrence Anzures, a 30-year old boxer from Albuquerque.“Any small piece of information can help in turning this into a prosecutable case so that the family and friends of Lawrence can get the justice they deserve,” Hartsock said.While standing at an intersection near the school, top police officials were asked by reporters about the ongoing violence in Albuquerque. The city for years has had problems with high crime rates, but the officials pointed to other cities across the US that are now also seeing increases.“I think it takes not only police, but the community as well to do something about this problem and address it head on,” said Deputy Chief Eric Garcia. “Right now, this is a community issue. It’s not just a police issue. We all have to work together.” /* .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_9431860869 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_uudu0hz5/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_uudu0hz5_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pentagon on lockdown after shooting near Metro station", "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": "92", "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_9431860869 = ''; jwsetup_9431860869(); function jwsetup_9431860869() { jwvidplayer_9431860869 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_9431860869").setup(jwconfig_9431860869); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_9431860869, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_uudu0hz5\", ns_st_pr=\"Pentagon on lockdown after shooting near Metro station\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pentagon on lockdown after shooting near Metro station\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pentagon on lockdown after shooting near Metro station\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-08-03\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-08-03\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/08/0_uudu0hz5/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_9431860869.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_9431860869.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_9431860869.stop(); jwvidplayer_9431860869.remove(); jwvidplayer_9431860869 = ''; jwsetup_9431860869(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_9431860869.stop(); jwvidplayer_9431860869.remove(); jwvidplayer_9431860869 = ''; jwsetup_9431860869(); return; }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_9431860869.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

1 dies in New Mexico school shooting; student detained

The gunfire at Washington Middle School marked the 2nd shooting in New Mexico’s largest city in less than 24 hours.

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Coronavirus worldwide cases cross 6-million mark; death toll at 3,66,418Coronavirus worldwide cases have crossed 6-million mark taking positive patients toll to 6,026,375 with 3,66,418 deaths while 2,656,144 have recovered, according to Worldometer figures. United States, Spain, Russia, UK, Germany, Brazil, Italy, France are among the worst-hit countries having maximum cases of coronavirus and the numbers are increasing every day.The United States continues to remain the worst-hit country with positive cases toll at 1,793,530 including 104,542 deaths. Following US, is Brazil with second-most maximum number of coronavirus cases 4,68,338 including 27,944 deaths and Russia with 3,87,623 cases including 4,374 deaths. With new U.S. economic numbers highlighting the rough road ahead for a hoped-for rebound, President Donald Trump on Friday took aim at the World Health Organization and China, blaming both for their roles in the pandemic’s devastation.Trump announced that the United States will end its support for WHO, charging it didn’t respond adequately to the health crisis because of China’s “total control” over the global organization. Trump said Chinese officials “ignored” their reporting obligations to the WHO and pressured the agency to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered.

Coronavirus worldwide cases cross 6-million mark; death toll at 3,66,418

Coronavirus worldwide cases have crossed 6-million mark taking positive patients toll to 6,026,375 with 3,66,418 deaths while 2,656,144 have recovered, according to Worldometer figures.

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The outfitting work on the aircraft carrier Type 001A was completed on Thursday, making the ship ready for its second sea trial.China's first indigenously built aircraft carrier is all set to embark on its second sea trial after the 50,000-metric tonne vessel successfully completed the first one.The outfitting work on the aircraft carrier Type 001A was completed on Thursday, making the ship ready for its second sea trial.The carrier's first sea trial was from May 13 to 18, and the success of the first trial proves that the process could be accelerated, a military expert said."The carrier's surface doesn't show any big changes, and the outfitting work is primarily for inspection and maintenance. After the first sea trial, the ship's instruments collected data and information, so its equipment must be adjusted based on the data," said Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator."The carrier can be delivered to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy as soon as possible," Song told state-run Global Times.After a five-day sea trial, the carrier had returned on May 23 to the Dalian Shipyard in the North-east China's Liaoning Province to finish its remaining outfitting work.A report from wenweipo.com said the carrier has been moved out from the dock and is ready for its second sea trial."Although China already has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in service, it does not mean the second one can skip steps during the sea trials," Song said."The Liaoning helps China gain experience in testing a huge warship like an aircraft carrier, so it can accelerate the progress for the next one, but progress has to be made step by step," Song added.The first sea trial results for the ship, known as the Type 001A, have been successful, China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) Chairman Hu Wenming said on June 21, according to the company's official website.The  People's Liberation Army (PLA) used to lack air supremacy in the South China Sea and on the high seas, Song said, adding that the aircraft carrier could help overcome that shortcoming.The ship is China's second aircraft carrier after the Liaoning, and its construction began in 2013.Boasting more than 12,000 pieces of equipment, the carrier has been made by 532 Chinese enterprises including many private firms.The vessel has more than 3,600 cabins. About 3,000 workers from across China worked on the ship on a daily basis.Few countries in the world have aircraft carriers. Besides India, the US, Russia, the UK, France, Italy, Thailand and China operate a total of 18 aircraft carriers.The US is the largest operator as it runs 11 nuclear-powered carriers with each having a full-load displacement of about 100,000 tonnes.  

China's first indigenously built aircraft carrier to embark on second sea trial

The carrier's first sea trial was from May 13 to 18, and the success of the first trial proves that the process could be accelerated, a military expert said.

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Plane with 8 aboard crashes off North Carolina; 1 body found A small plane carrying eight people crashed into the ocean off North Carolina’s Outer Banks and left behind multiple debris fields where crews searched for the missing passengers, the Coast Guard said.One body has so far been recovered and identified, Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck told reporters Monday afternoon. He declined to release that person’s name or details about the other people who were on board, including their ages, “out of respect for the families.”“We have no indication that anyone survived the crash,” the sheriff said.Search crews are still looking for the main body of the plane but have identified three debris fields, which had been moving farther offshore into the Atlantic Ocean, Buck said.U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Matthew J. Baer told reporters that multiple vessels from various agencies are continuing the search. In a tweet Monday night, the Coast Guard said a cutter would remain on the scene overnight.“We’ve got an all-hands-on-deck event going on here,” Baer said. “And we want the citizens of Carteret County and eastern North Carolina to know that your Coast Guard is out there doing our absolute best alongside our partners.”Most of the family members of the plane’s passengers live in Carteret, a coastal county of nearly 70,000 people, Buck said. The county includes communities such as Emerald Isle and Atlantic Beach as well as the Cape Lookout National Seashore and its iconic Outer Banks lighthouse, which has a black-and-white diamond pattern.“We’ve been in very close contact with the family members,” the sheriff said.The Coast Guard said in a news release that it received a report of a possible downed aircraft about 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) east of Drum Inlet from a Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point air traffic controller Sunday. The air traffic controller reported that the aircraft was behaving erratically on radar, then disappeared from the screen.The single-engine Pilatus PC-12/47 crashed into the water approximately 18 miles (29 kilometers) northeast of Michael J. Smith Field in Beaufort, North Carolina, about 2 p.m. local time Sunday, according to an email from the Federal Aviation Administration. A preliminary accident notification on the FAA’s website noted that the aircraft “crashed into water under unknown circumstances.”FlightAware listed a departure for that plane from Hyde County Airport at 1:35 p.m. Sunday and noted it was last seen near Beaufort at 2:01 p.m.“Our prayers and deep concerns go to the families and loved ones of the passengers,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted Monday afternoon. “We’re grateful for the people in our state and local agencies who are supporting the efforts of the Coast Guard and other first responders.”The search included boats and a helicopter from three Coast Guard stations, local fire and sheriff’s department personnel and National Park Service beach crews.The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted Monday that it is investigating the crash.Also Read | British Airways plane forced to abort landing at Heathrow airport due to high winds | WATCH 

Plane with 8 aboard crashes off North Carolina; 1 body found

U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Matthew J. Baer told reporters that multiple vessels from various agencies are continuing the search. In a tweet Monday night, the Coast Guard said a cutter would remain on the scene overnight.

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Nepal Prime Minister Oli loses vote of confidence in House of RepresentativesNepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli lost a trust vote in the House of Representatives on Monday, in a fresh setback to the embattled premier seeking to tighten his grip on power after the CPN (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpakamal Dahal “Prachanda” withdrew support to his government.Prime Minister Oli secured 93 votes in the lower house of parliament during a special session convened on the directives of President Bidya Devi Bhandari.Oli, 69, required at least 136 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives to win the confidence motion as four members are currently under suspension. A total of 124 members voted against him.After its alliance Nepal Communist Party Maoist Centre led by Prachanda withdrew its support to the government, Oli’s government was reduced to a minority one.Nepal plunged into a political crisis on December 20 last year after President Bhandari dissolved the House and announced fresh elections on April 30 and May 10 at the recommendation of Prime Minister Oli, amidst a tussle for power within the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP). 

Nepal Prime Minister Oli loses vote of confidence in House of Representatives

Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli lost a trust vote in the House of Representatives on Monday, in a fresh setback to the embattled premier seeking to tighten his grip on power after the CPN (Maoist Centre) led by Pushpakamal Dahal “Prachanda” withdrew support to his government.

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As Iraq emerges from three years of war with the Islamic State group, the US is looking to roll back the influence of neighboring Iran and help the central government resolve its dispute with the Kurdish region, American envoy to Iraq Douglas Silliman said.Douglas Silliman took up his post in Baghdad in September 2016, just weeks before the start of the operation to retake the northern city of Mosul. With ISIS now driven out of all the territory it once held and Iraq’s declaration that the war against the extremists is over, he says Washington is focused on keeping the peace and rebuilding, and sees Iran’s influence as a problem.Related Stories Iraq halts troops tasked to retake land from Kurdish controlIslamic State committed crimes against humanity in Iraq: UNEgypt’s President el-Sissi says Iraq, Syria militants headed to Libya‘War against ISIS has ended’: Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi announces on state TV“Iran simply does not respect the sovereignty of its neighbors,” Silliman said. “The Iranians have — to some extent — assisted the government of Iraq in defeating ISIS,” he said, using an alternative acronym for ISIS. “But frankly I have not seen the Iranians donating money for humanitarian assistance, I have not seen them contributing to the UN stabilization program,” he added.Iran gained major influence in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led dictatorship and empowered the country’s Shiite majority.When ISIS swept across northern and central Iraq in the summer of 2014, Iran-backed militias mobilized in the country’s defense, providing a bulwark in many areas while the beleaguered armed forces were rebuilt. The now state-sanctioned paramilitaries, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, consist of tens of thousands of mostly Shiite fighters deployed across the country. Victories against ISIS have made their leaders increasingly powerful.The Trump administration has called for the paramilitary forces to disband after the ISIS fight is complete. It has also vowed to take a much tougher line on Iran, threatening to pull the US out of the landmark 2015 nuclear agreement and levying sanctions on Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard.Iraq is meanwhile seeking external support for reconstruction after the war, which the government says caused an estimated $100 billion in damage. Some 3 million Iraqis are still displaced, months after major fighting ended.The Trump administration has made clear that the $14.3 billion military campaign against ISIS will not be replaced with a similarly funded reconstruction effort. International aid organizations are instead looking to wealthy Gulf states.“Iraq is coming out of a difficult period where there had been a lot of economic destruction, lots of social disruption and we think that it is important for Iraq to have good, positive relationships with all of its neighbors, and Iran is included in that,” Silliman said.He said the US was encouraged by recent Iraqi efforts to reach out to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, allies that it hopes will play a bigger role in the country going forward.The US is also hoping to help calm tensions between the central government and the northern Kurdish region following a September independence referendum that was rejected by Baghdad. Federal forces clashed with Kurdish fighters in October as Baghdad retook disputed territories that the Kurds had seized from ISIS.“The relatively modest role we are playing is to help both sides find ways to walk through the door of discussions,” Silliman said, explaining that while both sides support “the idea” of discussions, negotiations to end the crisis have not yet begun.

US looks to counter Iran in post-war Iraq: American diplomat

Iran gained major influence in Iraq after the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led dictatorship and empowered the country’s Shiite majority.

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Ousted Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s party today accused the Opposition leader, Imran Khan of submitting fake documents in the foreign funding case against him in the Supreme Court after the cricketer-turned-politician vowed to resign if found guilty of corruption.Pakistan Muslim League—Nawaz’s (PML-N), Asif Kirmani hit out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan. “Imran Khan once said he would never want to be a [leader] like Sheikh Rasheed. Now he has nominated the same man as the prime minister,” he said.Kirmani’s comments came a day after Imran’s party observed a “thanksgiving day to celebrate Pakistan’s victory against corruption” after the Supreme Court (SC) disqualified Nawaz Sharif on Friday.Calling the Pakistan Tehreek—e—Insaf’s rally on Sunday a “musical night”, Kirmani said Imran had brought Quaid-e-Azam’s (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) Pakistan to the “brink of a disaster“.“PTI is a fraud party. Its leader is not ashamed to present fake documents in the [Supreme Court]. This is the height of shamelessness,” the newspaper, Dawn quoted Kirmani as saying.“Imran Khan, the nation is asking you, why haven’t you declared your offshore assets? Why are you concealing your assets? Why are you still receiving gifts from your [divorced] wife?” he questioned.Imran Khan during the rally discussed the case against him in the court and had said “I will resign from the party if a single sentence of my statement before the judiciary is proven false.”Speaking to the thousands of supporters gathered at the rally, Khan praised the judiciary for its verdict against Sharif and said, “We knocked on the doors of the judiciary instead of taking to the roads because the SC judges asked us to come to the court.”Kirmani said his party respects the Supreme Court’s decision which disqualified Nawaz Sharif as prime minister, but “there is another court: the public. And Nawaz Sharif will again win there. Imran Khan, your politics will end and you will be in jail once you are disqualified in the foreign funding case,” he said.Meanwhile, Pakistan’s three-member Supreme Court bench today resumed hearing in the foreign funding case against Imran. He faces disqualification if found guilty.

Nawaz Sharif's party accuses Imran Khan of submitting fake documents in SC

Nawaz Sharif’s party today accused the Opposition leader, Imran Khan of submitting fake documents in the foreign funding case against him in the Supreme Court.

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New Zealand completes Kabul evacuation. The last flight by a New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) C-130 Hercules aircraft evacuating people from Afghanistan's capital Kabul has in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a briefing on Friday.Ardern said that that no NZDF personnel were in Kabul at the time of the explosions which occurred at the airport on Thursday as they had all safely departed on the final flight, reports Xinhua news agency.NZDF have confirmed that no New Zealand evacuees were left within the Kabul airport. So far, 276 New Zealand nationals and permanent residents, their families, and other visa holders have been evacuated from Kabul.Of these, 228 have already departed the UAE for New Zealand, Ardern said. She added that a further group of 100 people, including New Zealanders and Australians, were taken out on NZDF's last flight out of Kabul.Over the course of the mission, the NZDF aircraft was able to undertake three flights out of Kabul and had brought out hundreds of evacuees who are destined for both New Zealand and Australia, said Defence Minister Peeni Henare.He added that Australia also brought out a number of those destined for New Zealand. 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Afghanistan-Taliban crisis: New Zealand completes Kabul evacuation

Ardern said that no NZDF personnel were in Kabul at the time of explosions which occurred at the airport on Thursday as they had all safely departed on the final flight, reports Xinhua news agency.

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Billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was released on Saturday from the luxury hotel where he has been held since November, according to three of his associates, marking the end of the first phase of a wide-reaching anti-corruption probe that has been shrouded in secrecy and intrigue.The prince, 62, had been held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, since Nov. 4, when he was detained in the anti-corruption probe being spearheaded by his much younger cousin, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The 32-year-old crown prince, who is King Salman’s son and heir to the throne, launched the corruption probe, which saw some 350 people questioned and dozens arrested.Related Stories '$100 billion embezzled': Saudi Arabia detains 201 in anti-corruption driveSaudi Arabia to allow movie theaters after decades of banTax-free no more: Saudi Arabia, UAE to roll out VAT in 2018Year Ender 2017 News: A year of historic change in Saudi Arabia, with more to comeOthers arrested in the probe include 10 princes, among them two sons of the late King Abdullah, dozens of prominent businessmen, government ministers and military officers. The government, however, has not named those detained nor discussed the specific allegations against them.Earlier this week, Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb was quoted in local media as saying some 90 detainees in total have been released after agreeing to settlements involving cash, real estate and other assets. He said at the time that 95 were still being held, and that if a financial agreement could not be reached the remaining detainees will be prosecuted, investigated further and could face six months or more in jail.It appears, however, that several more were released over the weekend, in addition to Prince Alwaleed, who was the most well-known and prominent figure caught up in the sweep. The prince is chairman of publicly traded Kingdom Holding Company, which has investments in several Western companies such as Twitter, Lyft, Citibank and major hotels like New York’s Plaza Hotel, London’s Savoy Hotel, and the Four Seasons George V Hotel in Paris.The prince also has several million shares in Apple and is majority owner of the popular Rotana Group of Arabic channels.The prince, pictured in the past on his 85-meter (278-foot) super-yacht in the Mediterranean, is among the most outspoken Saudi royals and a longtime advocate of women’s rights.Prince Alwaleed’s associates, who include a relative, told The Associated Press that his terms of release were not immediately known. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.His release on Saturday comes just hours after the prince gave his only interview since his detention, telling Reuters he expected to keep full control of his investment firm without giving up assets to the government.His suite at the Ritz-Carlton included a private office, dining room and kitchen. His refrigerator was stocked with vegetarian meals as requested and he had tennis shoes for exercise, as well as a mug with an image of his face on it, according to Reuters.The hotel where he and other prominent figures were held has been closed to the public since early November. The hotel is taking reservations again starting Feb. 14.

Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed released from his prison Ritz-Carlton hotel

Prince Al-Waleed is the latest in a series of high- profile detainees to be freed from the hotel. The terms of his release were not immediately clear.

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A man was shot dead in Pakistan allegedly by his wife who accused him of raping their daughter-in-law in the absence of her soldier husband, in what local media described as a "rare incident of honour killing". Begum Bibi, who lived in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla village, said she killed Gulbar Khan because "he didn't respect family and relations". She claimed that Khan had been repeatedly assaulting their daughter-in-law for the past three months, the Express Tribune reported. The rape victim's husband, a Frontier Crops soldier, said he knew his wife's ordeal "but due to parental respect, I couldn't kill him, but informed my mother that I will leave home after my return" from training, the report said. Khan was sleeping when his wife opened fire on him with a pistol with their daughter-in-law's assistance, police said. Begum said that Khan, in the absence of their son, forced his wife into an "illicit relationship" and the practice continued for three months, the report added. "I decided to kill him when he refused to give up his evil practice," Begum said. Police yesterday produced Begum, her daughter-in-law and son before a court which remanded them to judicial custody. 

Pakistan woman guns down husband for sexually abusing daughter-in-law

Begum Bibi, who lived in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Shangla village, said she killed Gulbar Khan because "he didn't respect family and relations".

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In this June 2, 2020 photo, journalist Ruhollah Zam speaks during his trial at the Revolutionary Court, in Tehran, Iran. Iran. The judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Esmaili, announced Tuesday, June 30, 2020 that Zam, a journalist whose online work helped inspire the 2017 economic protests and who returned from exile to Tehran was sentenced to death. The Persian writing on the podium reads, "defendant's place." Iran on Saturday executed a once-exiled journalist over his online work that helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017, authorities said, just months after he returned to Tehran under mysterious circumstances.Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency said that Ruhollah Zam, 47, was hanged early Saturday morning. The reports did not elaborate.In June, a court sentenced Zam to death, saying he had been convicted of “corruption on Earth,” a charge often used in cases involving espionage or attempts to overthrow Iran’s government.Zam’s website AmadNews and a channel he created on the popular messaging app Telegram had spread the timings of the protests and embarrassing information about officials that directly challenged Iran’s Shiite theocracy. Those demonstrations, which began at the end of 2017, represented the biggest challenge to Iran since the 2009 Green Movement protests and set the stage for similar mass unrest in November of last year.The initial spark for the 2017 protests was a sudden jump in food prices. Many believe that hard-line opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani instigated the first demonstrations in the conservative city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, trying to direct public anger at the president. But as protests spread from town to town, the backlash turned against the entire ruling class.Soon, cries directly challenging Rouhani and even Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could be heard in online videos shared by Zam. Zam’s channel also shared times and organizational details for the protests.Telegram shut down the channel over Iranian government complaints it spread information about how to make gasoline bombs. The channel later continued under a different name. Zam, who has said he fled Iran after being falsely accused of working with foreign intelligence services, denied inciting violence on Telegram at the time.The 2017 protests reportedly saw some 5,000 people detained and 25 killed.The details of his arrest still remain unclear. Though he was based in Paris, Zam somehow returned to Iran and found himself detained by intelligence officials. He’s one of several opposition figures in exile who have been returned to Iran over the last year.France previously has criticized his death sentence as “a serious blow to freedom of expression and press freedom in Iran.”A series of a televised confessions aired earlier this year over his work.During an interview on July, Zam said he has lost some 30 kilograms (66 pounds) since his arrest in October 2019. He said following the arrest that he could meet his father after nine years and his mother and sister after some six years.Zam is the son of Shiite cleric Mohammad Ali Zam, a reformist who once served in a government policy position in the early 1980s. The cleric wrote a letter published by Iranian media in July 2017 in which he said he wouldn’t support his son over AmadNews’ reporting and messages on its Telegram channel.

Iran executes journalist who encouraged 2017 protests

The initial spark for the 2017 protests was a sudden jump in food prices. Many believe that hard-line opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani instigated the first demonstrations in the conservative city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, trying to direct public anger at the president.

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Trump refuses to sign COVID-19 relief billSaying the USD 600 stimulus payment to most Americans was not enough, US President Donald Trump has refused to sign the COVID-19 relief bill. Trump has also asked Congress to increase the amount to USD 2,000. Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the US president said the bill delivered too much money to foreign countries, but not enough to Americans. “A few months ago, Congress started negotiations on a new package to get urgently needed help to the American people. It’s taken forever. However, the bill they are now planning to send back to my desk is much different than anticipated. It really is a disgrace,” he said.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin was part of the negotiations.“Despite all of this wasteful spending and much more, the USD 900 billion package provides hardworking taxpayers with only USD 600 each in relief payments, and not enough money is given to small businesses and in particular restaurants whose owners have suffered so grievously," said the president in his video."I am asking Congress to amend this bill and increase the ridiculously low USD 600 dollars to USD 2,000, or USD 4,000 for a couple," he said.Congress passed the USD 900 billion pandemic relief bill on Monday night to provide cash to businesses and individuals, and resources for vaccination amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The bill went to President Trump for his signature.However, Trump said, "I am also asking Congress to immediately get rid of the wasteful and unnecessary items in this legislation, and to send me a suitable bill, or else the next administration will have to deliver a COVID relief package. And maybe that administration will be me, and we will get it done".Trump’s proposal was immediately supported by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.“Republicans repeatedly refused to say what amount the President wanted for direct checks. At last, the President has agreed to $2,000 — Democrats are ready to bring this to the Floor this week by unanimous consent. Let’s do it!” Pelosi said in a tweet soon thereafter.Congressman Brendan Boyle, who had initially moved a legislation for USD 2,000 cheque, welcomed the demand of President Trump.“I am the co-sponsor of legislation for USD 2,000 stimulus cheques. So, I welcome the sudden support” of Trump, he said in a tweet.“With so many Americans suffering, Congress had one job. To help Americans and small businesses get through this crisis, not help every other country and every other pork project out there. Just once, don’t spend for the sake of spending. Know your priorities,” Indian-American Republican politician Nikki Haley said.Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has also been seeking an increase in stimulus cheques.“One USD 600 check isn’t enough. A weekly USD 300 of enhanced unemployment assistance isn’t enough. We’re putting money in people’s pockets, but in a crisis of this scale, people need and deserve so much more. I'll keep fighting to deliver that,” she said in a tweet on Monday. 

Trump refuses to sign COVID-19 relief bill, seeks USD 2,000 stimulus payment

Congress passed the USD 900 billion pandemic relief bill on Monday night to provide cash to businesses and individuals, and resources for vaccination amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic. The bill then went to President Trump for his signature.

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A 26-year-old sword-wielding man attacked and wounded three police officers outside Buckingham Palace in London before being arrested, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a terror investigation. The man initially held on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and assault on police has now been re-arrested under the UK’s Terrorism Act 2000, the Metropolitan Police said today. "A car deliberately drove at a police van and stopped in front of it in a restricted area on Constitution Hill near Buckingham Palace. The officers, who were unarmed police constables and from Westminster borough, got out of the van and approached the car, a blue Toyota Prius," the police said. "As they challenged the driver, who was the only occupant in the car, he reached for what we now know to be a four-foot sword which was in the front passenger foot well," it said. "The incident is being treated as terrorism but we will remain open minded while the investigation continues." During a struggle, three officers sustained injuries. The man, who repeatedly shouted Allahu Akbar, was incapacitated with tear gas. Two of the officers were taken by ambulance to hospital with minor cuts and discharged a short time later. The third officer did not require hospital treatment. The suspect was taken to a London hospital for treatment of minor injuries and has now been taken to a central London police station for questioning. "The officers acted very quickly to detain him," the Met Police said in an update. "No members of the public at the scene are believed had any interaction with the arrested man. There are no other reported injuries." Commander Dean Haydon, the head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said officers from the Counter-Terrorism Command are now investigating and searches are being carried out in the Luton area today. "We believe the man (from Luton in the east of England) was acting alone and we are not looking for other suspects at this stage. While we cannot speculate on what the man was intending to do - this will be determined during the course of the investigation - it is only right that we investigate this as a terrorist incident at this time." "This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the UK remains severe. The police, together with the security services, are doing everything we can to protect the public," Haydon said, calling on the public to "remain alert." Earlier, police had revealed details of the attack which took place at around 20:35 hrs (local time) last evening when a man stopped his blue Toyota Prius car in a restricted area near a police vehicle. The area was surrounded immediately by armed police and other security services and tourists were ushered away from the area. Eyewitnesses have reported seeing a sword-like weapon in the suspect’s car. Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family were not in Buckingham Palace at the time. The 91-year-old monarch is at Balmoral Castle in Scotland and other senior members of the royal family are also away during the summer holiday season in the UK. A Palace spokesperson said the summer opening hours and tours of the Queen?s London residence will go ahead on schedule, adding that it will be "business as usual". Europe is on high alert following a spate of recent terror attacks. A terror cell launched an attack on Barcelona's famous Las Ramblas street last Wednesday, and at a nearby seaside town, leaving 14 people dead. On Saturday night in Brussels, a man armed with a machete attacked a group of soldiers. He was shot dead at the scene, while two soldiers were not seriously injured. Britain has also been the scene of a series of terror attacks this year alone. In March, a terrorist drove a car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge in London, killing four people. He then ran into the grounds of the Parliament, where he fatally stabbed an unarmed police officer. He was shot dead by an officer. A concert by pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester was attacked by a suicide bomber who detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb at the entrance to the concert, leaving 23 dead. In June, three terrorists in a van drove into pedestrians on London Bridge and then ran to Borough Market, where they stabbed people. Eight people were killed and the three terrorists were shot dead by police.

Sword-wielding man attacks police outside Buckingham Palace; 3 injured

A 26-year-old sword-wielding man attacked and wounded three police officers outside Buckingham Palace in London before being arrested, prompting Scotland Yard to launch a terror investigation.

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Omicron dangerous virus for unvaccinated people: WHO chief Tedros. The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a "dangerous virus" particularly for those who are unvaccinated, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday. "While Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated," Tedros said during a media briefing on COVID-19. This huge spike in infections is being driven by the Omicron variant, which is rapidly replacing Delta in almost all countries, he said. WHO chief also highlighted Africa's COVID-19 vaccination rate and said "in Africa, more than 85 per cent of people are yet to receive a single dose of vaccine. We cannot end the acute phase of the pandemic unless we close this gap." "We are making progress. In December, COVAX shipped more than double the number of doses it shipped in November, and in the coming days, we expect COVAX to ship its 1 billionth vaccine dose," he stated. ALSO READ: Omicron Scare: How symptoms of COVID-19 changed over the three waves He further stated that some of the supply constraints we faced last year are now starting to ease, but we still have a long way to go to reach our target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population of every country by the middle of this year. 90 countries have still not reached the 40 per cent target, and 36 of those countries have vaccinated less than 10 per cent of their populations, he added. "WHO and our partners are actively supporting these countries to overcome the bottlenecks they face, in leadership and coordination, lack of supply visibility, short shelf-life of donated vaccines, limited cold chain capacity, vaccine confidence, health worker shortages, and competing priorities," he added.  ALSO READ: Covaxin booster dose neutralises Omicron, as well as Delta variants, says Bharat BiotechThe Omicron variant of COVID-19 is a "dangerous virus" particularly for those who are unvaccinated, World Health Organization (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday."While Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated," Tedros said during a media briefing on COVID-19.This huge spike in infections is being driven by the Omicron variant, which is rapidly replacing Delta in almost all countries, he said. WHO chief also highlighted Africa's COVID-19 vaccination rate and said "in Africa, more than 85 per cent of people are yet to receive a single dose of vaccine. We cannot end the acute phase of the pandemic unless we close this gap.""We are making progress. In December, COVAX shipped more than double the number of doses it shipped in November, and in the coming days, we expect COVAX to ship its 1 billionth vaccine dose," he stated.ALSO READ: Omicron Scare: How symptoms of COVID-19 changed over the three wavesHe further stated that some of the supply constraints we faced last year are now starting to ease, but we still have a long way to go to reach our target of vaccinating 70 per cent of the population of every country by the middle of this year.90 countries have still not reached the 40 per cent target, and 36 of those countries have vaccinated less than 10 per cent of their populations, he added."WHO and our partners are actively supporting these countries to overcome the bottlenecks they face, in leadership and coordination, lack of supply visibility, short shelf-life of donated vaccines, limited cold chain capacity, vaccine confidence, health worker shortages, and competing priorities," he added. 

Omicron variant less severe, but remains dangerous for those unvaccinated: WHO chief

"While Omicron causes less severe disease than Delta, it remains a dangerous virus, particularly for those who are unvaccinated," Tedros said during a media briefing on COVID.

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Residents and protesters face riot police as they question them about recent arrests made in Mandalay, Myanmar.China and Russia on Friday pulled out from a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on the situation in Myanmar following the military coup on February 1, reported NHK World. The resolution calls for the release of detained persons including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint.It was approved by consensus during a special session in Geneva on Friday.China, Russia and others pulled out and their envoys said they are "disassociating" from the resolution. Myanmar's ambassador called the document unacceptable, reported NHK World.Earlier, UN Special Rapporteur Thomas Andrews had condemned the arbitrary detention of government officials and human rights leaders in Myanmar.He also cited "growing reports and photographic evidence" that security forces have used live ammunition against protesters.The UNHRC resolution stressed the need to refrain from violence and fully respect human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law.On February 1, Myanmar's military staged a coup and overthrew the democratically elected government of the National League for Democracy (NLD), alleging voter fraud in November 2020 elections that saw the NLD securing a resounding victory.Meanwhile, Nepal, Hong Kong, and other countries have protested against China for bringing civil unrest to Myanmar.(With ANI inputs)ALSO READ | Myanmar protesters back on streets despite police violence

China, Russia pull out from UNHRC resolution on Myanmar

China and Russia on Friday pulled out from a United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution on the situation in Myanmar following the military coup on February 1, reported NHK World.

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US prefers India, sees Pakistan useful for clearing Afghan mess only: Imran Khan Taking a dig at the US, Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that Washington sees Pakistan as "useful" only for clearing the "mess" it has left behind in Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting and prefers India when it comes to forming a “strategic partnership”.Afghanistan has seen an uptick in violence by the Taliban after US President Joe Biden’s announcement of the withdrawal of American and NATO troops by August 31.“Pakistan is just considered only to be useful in the context of somehow settling this mess which has been left behind after 20 years of trying to find a military solution when there was not one,” Khan told foreign journalists at his home here on Wednesday.Khan said that since the US decided to have a “strategic partnership” with India, Washington was treating Pakistan differently, according to a journalist present at the meeting.ALSO READ: Pakistan would hold talks with India if New Delhi restores Kashmir's pre-Aug 2019 status: Imran KhanIslamabad is unhappy that Biden has not spoken to Prime Minister Khan since he assumed the presidency in January.Pakistan's National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf recently expressed disappointment over President Biden’s reluctance to contact Prime Minister Khan despite considering Islamabad as an important country in some critical issues like Afghanistan.Yousuf also said that Islamabad has other "options" if the American leader continues to ignore the country’s leadership.The US State Department, however, had assured Islamabad that Washington recognises Pakistan’s vital role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and wants Islamabad to play that role.US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke over the phone with Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa this week and discussed the current situation in Afghanistan.ALSO READ: US 'really messed it up' in Afghanistan, says Pakistan PM Imran KhanAfter the call, the Pentagon said the US was having conversations with the Pakistani leadership about the need to shut down the safe havens for Taliban militants along the Afghan-Pakistan border that are providing a source of more insecurity and instability inside Afghanistan.Afghanistan and the US have criticised Pakistan in the past for allowing Taliban fighters to cross into Pakistan where they are provided safe havens and also receive medical treatment.At the meeting with foreign journalists, Prime Minister Khan said that a political solution to the Afghan problem was difficult as the Taliban was not ready to talk with the Kabul government as long as President Ashraf Ghani is there. He said the Taliban leaders told him during a visit that the Ghani government was a puppet.“The condition is that as long as Ashraf Ghani is there, we (Taliban) are not going to talk to the Afghan government,” Khan quoted the Taliban leaders as saying.Khan has taken a strong stand on the hasty withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, which has plunged the country into a chaotic situation.ALSO READ: Damaged temple restored, handed over to Hindus: Pakistan GovernmentKhan also reiterated that Pakistan wouldn’t provide bases to the US forces after the drawdown. Though it was unclear if the US formally asked for the facility. Pakistan has said that it has used its influence over the Taliban to press the insurgents into talks with the US and the Afghan government to find a political solution to the crisis.Khan last month said that the US “really messed it up” in Afghanistan as he questioned the American motive for the 2001 invasion of the country in the first place and then their subsequent attempts of seeking a political solution with the Taliban from a position of weakness. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; 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US prefers India, sees Pakistan useful for clearing Afghan mess only: Imran Khan

Afghanistan has seen an uptick in violence by the Taliban after US President Joe Biden’s announcement of the withdrawal of American and NATO troops by August 31.

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Ashraf Ghani and Imran Khan will discuss security and economic issues in the forthcoming visit of the Afghan President to Islamabad.Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday said that he will visit Pakistan on June 27 in an effort to improve bilateral relations that are often hampered by mistrust and reciprocal accusations.In his message to mark Eid-ul-Fitr, Ghani said he agreed to visit Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan after he met him last week on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Saudi Arabia, Tolo News reported."I hope the visit will be positive," he said.The Afghan leader said that though he had a productive meeting with Khan in Saudi Arabia, there was still a need of practical steps. "'Introductory' meetings are not required, there should be practical meetings."Kabul has accused Pakistan of harbouring Taliban militants who launch attacks inside Afghanistan, but Ghani said he was hopeful that years of mistrust can be replaced by mutual trust and cooperation towards peace.During their meeting on June 1, "Khan assured Ghani that Islamabad will support Kabul in bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan", the Pakistani Prime Minister's office said in a statement. "Prime Minister Imran Khan reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to a peaceful and stable Afghanistan. He also underlined Pakistan's firm support for an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned peace process for political solution in Afghanistan," the statement said.The statement added that Ghani and Khan will further discuss security and economic issues in the forthcoming visit of the Afghan President to Islamabad.

Afghan President to visit Pakistan on June 27

In his message to mark Eid-ul-Fitr, Ghani said he agreed to visit Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan after he met him last week on the sidelines of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Saudi Arabia, Tolo News reported.

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Imran Khan evades question on Afghan conflict, blames RSS ideology for no talks with India Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday evaded a question on the Afghanistan conflict and went on to blame the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for no resumption of bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.Responding to a question that 'can talks and terror go hand in hand',  he said, "We want to talk to India but the ideology of RSS is coming in the between."Taliban terrorists have taken control of one of the main border crossings with Pakistan, replacing the Afghan government’s flag with their own. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has issued a statement that the "fighters have captured an important border town called Wesh.” The crossing is the second most important on the border with Pakistan and a major source of revenue for the Afghan government. Khan is leading a high level Pakistani delegation to Uzbekistan for a two-day trip.Ties between India and Pakistan nosedived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country. Subsequent attacks on an Indian Army camp in Uri further deteriorated the relationship. Since then, India has not been having bilateral talks with Pakistan saying talks and terror cannot go hand-in-hand.The relationship further dipped after India's warplanes pounded a Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist training camp deep inside Pakistan on February 26, 2019, in response to the Pulwama terror attack in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The ties hit rock bottom after India announced withdrawing Jammu and Kashmir's special powers and bifurcating the state into two union territories in August 2019. Since then, Pakistan has been unsuccessfully trying to rally international support against India on the Kashmir issue.India has been maintaining that the onus is on Pakistan to create an environment free of terror and hostility.READ MORE: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Afghanistan's KandaharREAD MORE: 'Consequences to be unbelievably bad': George Bush criticizes Afghanistan withdrawal /* .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_4254571969 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/07/0_iq48bxcs/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_iq48bxcs_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Afghanistan: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Kandahar", "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": "811", "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_4254571969 = ''; jwsetup_4254571969(); function jwsetup_4254571969() { jwvidplayer_4254571969 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_4254571969").setup(jwconfig_4254571969); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_4254571969, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_iq48bxcs\", ns_st_pr=\"Afghanistan: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Kandahar\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Afghanistan: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Kandahar\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Afghanistan: Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Kandahar\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2021-07-16\", ns_st_tdt=\"2021-07-16\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/07/0_iq48bxcs/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_4254571969.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_4254571969.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_4254571969.stop(); jwvidplayer_4254571969.remove(); jwvidplayer_4254571969 = ''; jwsetup_4254571969(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_4254571969.stop(); jwvidplayer_4254571969.remove(); jwvidplayer_4254571969 = ''; jwsetup_4254571969(); return; }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_4254571969.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Imran Khan evades question on Afghan conflict, blames RSS ideology for no talks with India

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday evaded a question on the Afghanistan conflict and went on to blame the ideology of the RSS for no resumption of bilateral talks between India and Pakistan.

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Coronavirus LIVE: Top Headlines This HourThe total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 7.4 million, including more than 418,000 fatalities. More than 3,73,000 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 Updates: June 11, 2020 | As it happened

The total number of global coronavirus cases has surpassed 7.4 million, including more than 418,000 fatalities. More than 3,73,000 patients are reported to have recovered. Follow this LIVE blog for latest on coronavirus and its global economic fallout.

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Representational ImagePakistan's Foreign Office on Thursday said it was ready for talks with India and that it was waiting for an official response from New Delhi on how to move forward on the issue.In an interaction with the media, Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said: "We are ready for talks with India. We have also conveyed our position to the international community. It remains for India to respond."In the backdrop of statement of Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria that Prime Minister Imran Khan's government has opened a political window and India is "filled with cautious hope", Faisal said, "We want to utilise the same window and see how we can move forward.""We are also saying since long that dialogue is the only way forward to settle all outstanding issues between Pakistan and India. We are officially waiting for a response from India on how they want to move forward. We have a consistent position on this," he said.Talking about the recent overtures, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Prime Minister Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also received a letter from his Indian counterpart.The ties between the two countries had strained after the terror attacks in India by Pakistan-based groups in 2016. The India-Pakistan ties nose-dived in recent years with no bilateral talks taking place.Faisal said that there were few Track-II initiatives with India which were not official but added that he had no information about any official back channel currently being operational.When asked about any formal response from India on the offer to open the Kartarpur Corridor for the Sikh pilgrims, he said, "I do not have any information on this."He also said Pakistan took "strong exception to the unwarranted references" against it in the joint statement issued after Indo-US 2+2 Dialogue in India.Faisal said that Pakistan has conveyed its position to the US on the issue."Pakistan rejects these baseless allegations (in the joint statement). Accordingly, we have conveyed our position to the US side," he said.In the joint statement, India and the US called on Pakistan to ensure that the territory under its control is not used to launch terrorist attacks on other countries."On the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attack, they called on Pakistan to bring to justice expeditiously the perpetrators of the Mumbai, Pathankot, Uri, and other cross-border terrorist attacks," the statement said.Faisal said that the foreign ministry is of the view that mentioning of a third country with unsubstantiated accusations in a formal outcome document is inconsistent with the established diplomatic norms.He said ironically "many other thorny issues with involving the third countries were avoided in the Joint Statement by the Indian side on the pretext of the same diplomatic practice."Commenting on the slow pace of the 26/11 trial, Faisal said the Mumbai trial has been ongoing in the Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan and the judicial process shall take its course.He also rejected media reports about any change in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). "I completely reject any insinuations against CPEC."To a question, he said Prime Minister Khan will visit Saudi Arabia, which will probably be his first foreign trip, without giving further details.(With PTI inputs)

Ready for talks with India, waiting for Delhi's response: Pakistan Foreign Office

"We are ready for talks with India. We have also conveyed our position to the international community. It remains for India to respond," Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said here during the weekly media briefing.

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Russia today reaffirmed its strong support to India's candidature for a permanent seat in the reformed UN Security Council and a membership in the Nuclear Supplier Group (NSG) and other non-proliferation regimes.In the annual bilateral summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the two sides resolved to enhance their cooperation at multilateral fora like the BRICS, WTO, G20 and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as well as Russia-India-China cooperation."We believe that there is a need to reform the United Nations and in particular, the UN Security Council to make it more representative of contemporary realities and to respond more effectively to emerging challenges and threats. Russia reaffirms its strong support to India's candidature for a permanent seat in a reformed United Nations Security Council," said a vision document issued after the Modi-Putin talks.Strongly backing New Delhi's bid to the 48-member elite NSG club, Russia said it is convinced that India's participation in multilateral export control regimes will contribute to their enhancement."In this context, Russia welcomes India's application for the membership in Nuclear's Suppliers Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement and reiterates its strong support for India's earliest admission to these control regimes," the declaration said.Of the four major export control regimes - the NSG, MTCR, Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement - India is a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime. It has applied for an NSG membership last year, but faces stiff opposition from China.India has also recently aligned its export control list with the one similar to the Wassenaar Arrangement's list. In the summit, the two sides, in an obvious reference to China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) project, said they oppose any recourse to "unilateralism or lack of respect to sovereignty" and ignoring the core concerns and legitimate interests of the countries.Touted as Chinese President Xi Jinping's pet project, the OBOR initiative focuses on improving connectivity and cooperation among Asian countries, Africa, China and Europe. The main reason behind India's opposition towards the policy is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is a part of the OBOR. CPEC's route cuts through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).The two sides said they will work together to foster the democratisation and reform of global political, economic, financial and social institutions, for them to better accommodate the interest of all members of the international community."We will continue facilitating efforts to build an open, well-balanced and inclusive security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region based on shared principles and taking into account the legitimate interests of all states, including through the development of relevant dialogue in the framework of the East Asia Summit," the vision document said.The two sides also resolved to further their cooperation on challenging issues like restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East and North Africa, settlement of the Syrian crisis, achievement of national reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Russia extends strong support for India's NSG bid, UNSC seat

In the annual bilateral summit between Modi and Putin, the two sides resolved to enhance their cooperation at multilateral fora like the BRICS, WTO, G20 and SCO as well as Russia-India-China cooperation.

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2 PAF pilots die as training aircraft crashes near Peshawar, reports Pakistan media A Pakistani air force plane crashed during a routine training mission in an open area near the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing the pilot and co-pilot, the air force said Tuesday.In a statement, the air force said no damage was caused on the ground and it ordered an investigation to determine what caused the crash.It provided no further details.Plane crashes during training missions are common in Pakistan.Authorities rarely release details of military training crashes and the investigation reports about the crashes are also not made public.In 2019, 19 people died when a Pakistani military aircraft crashed into a residential area on the outskirts of the garrison city of Rawalpindi, most of them in their homes.ALSO READ | Pak PM Imran Khan, a fierce critic of India, speaks highly of Indian foreign policyALSO READ | Pak PM Imran Khan faces revolt from within his ruling party ahead of no-trust vote likely on March 28

2 PAF pilots die as training aircraft crashes near Peshawar, reports Pakistani media

In a statement, the air force said no damage was caused on the ground and it ordered an investigation to determine what caused the crash.

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After 'Kashmir Solidarity Hour' flopped, Imran Khan to lead 'Jalsa' over Kashmir in PoK todayIn another desperate attempt after its so called 'Kashmir Solidarity Hour' turned out to be a flop show, the Pakistan government has announced 'a big Jalsa' in Muzzafarabad in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Friday.Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 11 announced that he will organise "a big jalsa" in Muzzafarabad to send a message to the world about the "continuing siege" of Jammu and Kashmir and to "show the Kashmiris that Pakistan stands resolutely with them."Of late, Twitter has become Imran's favorite place to spew venom against India.Pakistan government's diversionary tactics are continuing despite the fact that people in PoK time and again have clashed with the security agencies and the federal government over Human Rights violations. Recently, large scale protests broke put in PoK over atrocities by Pakistani Army and human rights violations. On August 30, Khan asked people to come on the streets to observe Kashmir Solidarity Hour but its much-hyped event failed to garner much attention among the Pakistanis.Pakistani authorities had made desperate attempts to direct school children to join the protests in support of the people of Kashmir, but that failed to gather any steam. Authorities restricted traffic and blocked roads in view of the protests.All such moves greatly inconvenienced hundreds of Pakistanis as their daily lives were hampered.While Imran Khan is making useless efforts in the country, country's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is facing a defeat at the hand of the Indian delegation at the United Nations Human Right Council (UNHRC).At the UNHRC session, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi presented a false narrative on Kashmir maintained by his country following the Indian government's historic move to abrogate Article 370. However, Pakistan has been strongly reprimanded by Indian delegation.Interestingly, while Qureshi was addressing the session, protests were held outside the UN Headquarters against the dire situation of Human Rights in Pakistan.On September 10, the Baloch Human Rights Council organised a briefing on 'The Humanitarian Crisis in Balochistan' at a special tent at Broken Chair in front of the UN headquarters.(With ANI inputs)ALSO READ | Pakistan minister confirms spending ‘billions’ in funding of terror organisationsALSO READ | India slams Pak's 'lies and deceit' at UNHRCALSO READ | India exposes Pakistan's lies on Jammu and Kashmir in UNHRC /* .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_5297340573 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_tj94bg77_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_tj94bg77_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Pakistan PM Imran Khan to visit PoK today", "height": "440px", "width": "100%", "aspectratio": "16:9", "autostart": false, "controls": true, "mute": false, "volume": 25, "floating": false, "sharing": { "code": "", "sites": [ "facebook", "twitter", "email" ] }, "stretching": "exactfit", "primary": "html5", "hlshtml": true, "sharing_link": "", "advertising": { "client": "vast", "autoplayadsmuted": true, "skipoffset": 5, "cuetext": "", "skipmessage": "Skip ad in xx", "skiptext": "SKIP", "preloadAds": true, "schedule": [ { "offset": "pre", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PreRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" }, { "offset": "50%", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_MidRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=" }, { "offset": "post", "tag": "https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?iu=/8323530/Eng_Video_Desktop_PostRoll&description_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiatvnews.com&tfcd=0&npa=0&sz=640x480&gdfp_req=1&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&env=vp&impl=s&correlator=", "type": "linear" } ] } }; var jwvidplayer_5297340573 = ''; jwsetup_5297340573(); function jwsetup_5297340573() { jwvidplayer_5297340573 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_5297340573").setup(jwconfig_5297340573); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_5297340573, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_tj94bg77\", ns_st_pr=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan to visit PoK today\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan to visit PoK today\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Pakistan PM Imran Khan to visit PoK today\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-09-13\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-09-13\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_tj94bg77_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_5297340573.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_5297340573.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_5297340573.stop(); jwvidplayer_5297340573.remove(); jwvidplayer_5297340573 = ''; jwsetup_5297340573(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_5297340573.stop(); jwvidplayer_5297340573.remove(); jwvidplayer_5297340573 = ''; jwsetup_5297340573(); return; }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_5297340573.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }  

After 'Kashmir Solidarity Hour' flopped, Imran Khan to lead 'Jalsa' over Kashmir in PoK today

Prime Minister Imran Khan on September 11 announced that he will organise "a big jalsa" in Muzzafarabad to send a message to the world about the "continuing siege" of Jammu and Kashmir and to "show the Kashmiris that Pakistan stands resolutely with them."

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Covid infection from banknotes, coins unlikely: StudyWhile the fear of getting Covid infection from banknotes and coins has driven much more contactless payments during the pandemic, researchers say the risk is far too less. Experts at the European Central Bank, in collaboration with researchers at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum in Germany, wanted to clarify how long do coronaviruses remain infectious on banknotes and coins? Is it possible to become infected through contact with cash?The team treated various euro coins and banknotes with virus solutions of different concentrations and over several days observed how long infectious virus was still detectable. A stainless-steel surface served as a control in each case.While infectious virus was still present on the stainless-steel surface after seven days, on the 10-euro banknote, it took only three days to completely disappear.For the 10-cent, 1-euro, and 5-cent coins after six days, two days and one hour, respectively, no infectious virus was detectable."The rapid decline on the 5-cent piece is because it's made of copper, on which viruses are known to be less stable," explained Daniel Todt, from the varsity's Department of Molecular and Medical Virology. The study was published in the journal iScience.The researchers also developed a new method to study how well the virus is transferred from a surface to the fingertip.They contaminated banknotes, coins and credit-card-like PVC plates with harmless coronaviruses and, under high-security conditions, also with SARS-CoV-2.These surfaces were then touched, while still wet or when already dried, by test subjects with their fingertips or, in the case of SARS-CoV-2, with artificial skin.Cell cultures were then inoculated with the viruses adhering to the fingertips. This allowed the researchers to determine the number of transmitted virus particles that were still infectious."We saw that immediately after the liquid had dried, there was practically no transmission of infectious virus," Todt said."Under realistic conditions, infection with SARS-CoV-2 from cash is very unlikely," he added.Smear infections via surfaces are almost non-existent. The current study was conducted with the Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 in addition to the wild-type variant."We assume that other variants, such as the currently predominant Delta variant, also behave similarly," said Eike Steinmann, Professor at the varsity.ALSO READ | Longer gap in Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccines boosts antibody levels: StudyALSO READ | Antibodies drop 50% in 3 months of Pfizer, AstraZeneca jabs: Study

Covid infection from banknotes, coins unlikely: Study

While the fear of getting Covid infection from banknotes and coins has driven much more contactless payments during the pandemic, researchers say the risk is far too less

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Indian delegation in Bangladesh for strengthening bilateral tiesA 15-member media delegation from India has arrived in this northern Bangladeshi city to assess the border management strategies under confidence building measures, a month after the Director General-level talks between the two countries' border guarding forces were held in Dhaka.The four-day visit of the media delegation is led by BSF PRO Shubhendu Bhardwaj in coordination with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major Mizam.The visit comes a month after the 48th bi-annual Director General-level talks between the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) concluded in Dhaka.During the talks, it was mutually decided to enhance cooperation to check crime and smuggling of cattle and narcotics across the 4,096-kilometer frontier shared by the two neighbours.In the meeting, the BSF and the BGB decided to undertake joint efforts to reduce border killing incidents.The BSF has maintained that it fires only when the situation turns "ugly" and the lives of its troops are in danger.The BSF and BGB jointly patrol crime free zones to ensure the area remains safe. It was decided to hold the next such meeting in India in November this year.As per the decision taken in the 42nd Director General-level conference in 2016, it was agreed to conduct the reciprocal visits of media persons from both the countries to demonstrate the border management strategies undertaken by the two countries under confidence building measures. Also Read | Former Bangladesh President HM Ershad deadAlso Read | World Bank approves $100mn for water supply, sanitation in Bangladesh

Indian delegation in Bangladesh for strengthening bilateral ties

The four-day visit of the media delegation is led by BSF PRO Shubhendu Bhardwaj in coordination with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major Mizam.

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Argentina may have access to COVID-19 vaccine by DecemberArgentina is looking to have possession of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by December, and will administer it to the most vulnerable sectors of the population first, the chief of the cabinet of ministers, Santiago Cafiero, said. "We are making progress in signing the contractual agreements to make it so," the official said on Saturday, confirming that the government wants "to have commercial agreements with countries, like Russia, or with laboratories, like Pfizer and AstraZeneca", Xinhua news agency reported.Cafiero said that the administration of President Alberto Fernandez wants "vaccines for Argentineans, apart from ideology, apart from geopolitical views. We want it so that when the first vaccine is available, we have the possibility of having it in Argentina."The government stated that vaccines will be destined in the first stage for the most vulnerable sectors of the population.Cafiero stated that the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires will end Preventive and Obligatory Social Isolation (ASPO), which has been in effect since March 20, and will enter Preventive and Obligatory Social Distancing (DISPO) this month."But we must not relax, we must continue to take care of ourselves," the official said.Argentina reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 3 and registered 1,228,814 cases and 33,136 deaths from the disease by Friday.(With IANS inputs)Also Read | COVAXIN, India's first indigenous coronavirus vaccine, could be launched as early as February

Argentina may have access to COVID-19 vaccine for most vulnerable sectors by December

Argentina is looking to have possession of a vaccine against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) by December, and will administer it to the most vulnerable sectors of the population first, the chief of the cabinet of ministers, Santiago Cafiero, said.

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Ransomware attack hits Baltimore cityAll online payment gateways and emails have come to a standstill in the US city of Baltimore following a ransomware attack. The hackers are demanding $76,280 in exchange for freeing all the systems of the city. Known as the 'EternalBlue', the tool is a creation of the National Security Agency and has crippled the city. Related Stories After European banks, Petya ransomware hits India's largest container port JNPTSaviour or anti-hero? Expert who stopped 'WannaCrypt' outbreak held in cyber fraud in USNorth Korea ‘directly responsible’ for massive WannaCry cyberattack, says USNorth Korea UN ambassador demands US prove ransomware claim67% Indian businesses hit by ransomware, 38% twice: Cybersecurity survey2 Iranian hackers charged in US ransomware schemeAccording to some reports, the tool has also been used in other high-profile cyber attacks including "Wannacry" in May 2017. Hackers used 'EternalBlue' to exploit a vulnerability in some versions of Windows XP and Vista systems, security experts suggest, adding the tool allows an external party to execute remote commands on their target. A ransom note, which was recovered from a computer from Baltimore city identified the ransomware as RobbinHood and demanded a payment of three Bitcoins (equivalent to $17,600 at current prices) per system, or 13 Bitcoins (worth $76,280) to re-store the entire city's systems."We won't talk more, all we know is money! Hurry up!" the note read.Earlier in April 2017, hacking group The ShadowBrokers had leaked the tool and Microsoft had released a patch to fix the exploit within a day. However, just patching a system does not mean a total closure of vulnerabilities.Baltimore residents have been dealing with the cyber attack since May 7. All of their systems are shut, hindering bill payments and day-to-day expenditures.Meanwhile, the city officials have said that they would not pay the ransom demand. The IT department is trying to overcome the situation.The city has begun to implement some workarounds, manually processing real estate transactions and setting up a Gmail system for city workers which Google initially shut down but has since restored, the report added. 

US: Internet shut after ransomware attack hits Baltimore city; hackers demand 76,280 USD

A note found in one of the computers read, "We won't talk more, all we know is money! Hurry up!"

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A man waves a Sri Lankan national flag as he stands on a barricade blocking the entrance to the president's office during a protest in ColomboFaced with critically low forex reserves, Sri Lanka on Tuesday announced that the crisis-stricken country will default on its external debt pending a bailout package from the International Monetary Fund. A statement from the finance ministry said, “it shall be the policy of the Sri Lankan government to suspend normal debt servicing…..shall apply to amounts of affected debts outstanding on April 12, 2022”.The policy shall be in effect for all international bonds, all bilateral loans excluding swaps between the Central Bank and a foreign central bank, all loans with commercial banks and institutional lenders, it said.The debt servicing suspension will be in force for an interim period pending an orderly and consensual restructuring consistent with the proposed arrangement with the IMF.The government in January resisted calls for debt default in order to pay for its imports.Since then, the economic crisis has been aggravated by a shortage of food, gas and electricity. People carry out protests throughout the country blaming the government for its mishandling of the economic crisis caused by the forex crisis.An analyst, who did not want to be named, said, "this is a unilateral debt suspension, not the outcome of negotiations with creditors or following consent solicitation”.Sri Lanka’s external debt servicing obligations were thought to be over USD 6 billion.In January, a USD 500 million sovereign bond payment was settled. In July another one-billion-dollar payment becomes due.WA Wijewardena, ex-deputy governor of the Central Bank, said the government was left with very low forex reserves and hence no available options.Yet the policy to suspend debt servicing could be reversed after an agreement with the IMF.Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from the UK in 1948.People have been protesting for weeks over lengthy power cuts and shortage of fuel, food and other daily essentials. They are demanding the resignation of the president.President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has defended his government's actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven by the island nation’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waning. Also Read | 'Every second you protest on the road, we are losing dollars', says Sri Lankan PM Mahinda Rajapaksa

Crisis-hit Sri Lanka announces debt default

The debt servicing suspension will be in force for an interim period pending an orderly and consensual restructuring consistent with the proposed arrangement with the IMF.

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US going in wrong direction on COVID cases: Fauci. As Covid-19 cases, deaths and hospitalisations continue to increase among the unvaccinated across the US, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci said that the country is "going in the wrong direction", the media reported."If you look at the inflection of the curve of new cases, that it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50 per cent of the country is not fully vaccinated, that's a problem," Fauci was quoted as saying to CNN on Sunday.The majority of deaths could be, thus, among the unvaccinated, Fauci said."So it really is, as (Rochelle) Walensky (Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has said many times and I have said, it is really a pandemic among the unvaccinated, so this is an issue predominantly among the unvaccinated, which is the reason why we're out there, practically pleading with the unvaccinated people to go out and get vaccinated," said the chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden.The warning from Fauci comes as the dangerous Delta variant of Covid-19, which has spread to 124 countries, is now sweeping across the US.Health officials are urging Americans to get vaccinated to help curb its spread.Every state in the US reported more Covid-19 cases in the week ending on July 23 than the week prior, data from Johns Hopkins University revealed.Thirty states have yet to fully vaccinate at least half of their residents, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).And as of July 23, the daily average of people becoming fully vaccinated was the lowest it had been since the end of January, the report said.Meanwhile, the CDC is also weighing the option of revising its Covid-19 guidelines to recommend that even fully vaccinated people wear masks in public, Fauci said.He noted that some local areas where infection rates are surging are already urging individuals to wear masks in public regardless of their vaccination status.The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 34,443,064 and 610,891, respectively, according to the latest update on Monday by Johns Hopkins University.Health experts have blamed the recent surges on the low vaccination rates and the accelerating Delta variant transmission. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; 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US going in wrong direction on COVID cases: Anthony Fauci

"If you look at inflection of curve of new cases, that it is among the unvaccinated. And since we have 50 pc of the country is not fully vaccinated, that's a problem," Fauci.

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What is Pakistan upto in Kabul? EXPLAINEDPakistan is campaigning passionately for an "inclusive" government in Afghanistan. From Prime Minister Imran Khan to the garrulous Foreign Minister Shah Muhammad Qureshi and the ever-reticent Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, every Pakistani leader of some consequence is making the pitch for a broad-based government under the aegis of Taliban, which has taken over the war-ravaged country in what was no more than a bloodless fight.Yet, the Pakistani chorus is met with as much scepticism as disbelief. This is largely because the world has come to see the Taliban and its allies in the splintered militant landscape as the proxies of the Pakistan Army's eyes and ears - the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).The way the ISI chief has air dashed to Kabul to broker peace amongst the Taliban groups jockeying for positions in the new dispensation has dented the Taliban's carefully crafted image. It has deprived it of the room it cherished to deny linkages with Pakistan.Moreover, within and outside Pakistan, the clamour for an inclusive government is seen as a ploy to ensure key slots for the ISI proxies, like the Haqqanis. But the delay in constituting the new Kabul power structure has invited barbs from stalwarts like Farhatullah Babar."Conquerors of Afghanistan haven't yet formed the government despite declaring to make it on Friday last. The internal power tussle between Haqqanis, Mullah Baradar is the likely cause. Haqqanis must be happy with some visitors visiting Kabul," the veteran politician from Peshawar, which is the gateway to the Talibanised tribal belt of Pakistan, tweeted on September 4. The visitor to Kabul, he was referring to, was Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, the ISI chief.An Afghan activist, and human rights campaigner, Zarifa Ghafari took a dig at Mullah Baradar himself in a tongue in cheek tweet. "Does Mullah Brother remember (know); he was in a Pakistani prison? And this man (ISI Chief) who he welcomed in Kabul today, was mainly responsible for it? Does he remember that Pakistani soldiers were taking him as an animal with all those chains (from) place to place?"The tweet was loaded by all means. It shows the chasm between today and yesterday in Pakistan-Afghan relations. For the uninitiated in Afghan politics, Ghafari has survived three assassination attempts. She became the Mayor of Maidan Shahr, capital of the Wardak Province in 2019 at a time when there were not many women politicians around. Zarifa was chosen as an International Woman of Courage in 2020 by the US Secretary of State.Going by the "news" making the rounds in the Afghan capital, the Pakistani embassy has been relaying instructions from Islamabad/Rawalpindi to Kabul on an "hourly basis". In so many words, the Pakistani embassy has become the postman for the leaderships of Pakistan and the Taliban.Hameed's air dash is a clear giveaway that the remote control has failed to deliver the desired result. Frankly, Gen Bajwa conceded that much in his closed-door security briefing to lawmakers who were keen to get a hang of the situation, according to a front-page report on the sedate Karachi daily Dawn.Shorn of all shibboleths, the Pakistani motive is to have effective control of Kabul airport and even perhaps the Afghan airspace. It has been reported that at present the Turks, friends of the Taliban, are managing the Kabul airport. But that is not considered good enough by Pakistan which wants to scrutinise the fleeing foreign nationals as that will open for it the possibility of harassing amongst others the Indian nationals still left in Afghanistan.It is not clear what Pakistan means by "border management" - one of the agenda items on Hameed's Kabul visit. Afghanistan and Pakistan have almost an open border that has existed for decades. But there is also a long-standing boundary dispute between the two Islamic "brothers".The Taliban 1.0 did not accept the British-drawn Durand Line border which is seen as a hindrance in the movement of Pushtuns on either side of the border. The Taliban 2.0 has stuck to the same refrain to the relief of Afghans. The Taliban are Pushtuns though they are not known to adhere to the Pushtun's code of honour.From media reports, it is clear that Pakistan is dictating to the Taliban how it should deal with "pending requests" for the evacuation of foreign nationals. It is almost certain that these "requests" relate to nationals of countries in the West and perhaps Indians. Since Kabul airport is not fully operational, the evacuation will have to be through Pakistan. /* .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_3120291420 = { "file": "https://vod-indiatv.akamaized.net/hls/2021/09/0_juk3pkut/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_juk3pkut_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Breaking News | Taliban's aerial firing in Kabul claims three lives\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": "825", "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_3120291420 = ''; jwsetup_3120291420(); function jwsetup_3120291420() { jwvidplayer_3120291420 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_3120291420").setup(jwconfig_3120291420); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_3120291420, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_juk3pkut\", ns_st_pr=\"Breaking News | Taliban's aerial firing in Kabul claims three lives\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Breaking News | Taliban's aerial firing in Kabul claims three lives\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Breaking News | Taliban's aerial firing in Kabul claims three lives\", 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_juk3pkut/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_3120291420.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_3120291420.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_3120291420.stop(); jwvidplayer_3120291420.remove(); jwvidplayer_3120291420 = ''; jwsetup_3120291420(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_3120291420.stop(); jwvidplayer_3120291420.remove(); jwvidplayer_3120291420 = ''; jwsetup_3120291420(); return; }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_3120291420.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); } This is what is enabling Pakistan to dream big on securing global recognition to its Kabul proxy. By becoming a key factor in the departure of foreign nationals stranded amidst chaos in Kabul, Islamabad can put pressure on, nay arm-twist, the affected nations to give legitimacy to Taliban 2.0.Frankly, the Western countries would not welcome the idea of granting recognition to the new Afghan regime solely on the recommendation of Pakistan. For Taliban 1.0 recognition came only from three countries. And now by letting their embassies function in Kabul, Russia and China may have signalled their tacit recognition but the rest of the world is in a wait and watch mode. The wait is to see if Taliban 2.0 is opposed to being chained by a neighbour which had made such a hue and cries over the American "shackles" in Afghanistan!

What is Pakistan upto in Kabul? EXPLAINED

From media reports, it is clear that Pakistan is dictating to the Taliban as to how it should deal with "pending requests" for evacuation of foreign nationals. It is almost certain that these "requests" relate to nationals of countries in the West and perhaps Indians. Since Kabul airport is not fully operational, the evacuation will have to be through Pakistan.

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Mexico's migration authorities deported 311 Indians (Representational Image)In a first, Mexico's migration authorities deported 311 Indians, including a woman, from various parts of the country amidst its stepped up efforts to check people illegally crossing its borders following pressure from the US.According to a press release issued by the National Migration Institute (INM) on Wednesday, the Indian nationals, who did not have a condition of regular stay in the country, were deported from the Toluca City International Airport on a Boeing 747 aircraft to New Delhi.The people were presented to the immigration authority in the states of Oaxaca, Baja California, Veracruz, Chiapas, Sonora, Mexico City, Durango and Tabasco, it said.The move comes after US President Donald Trump in June threatened tariffs on all Mexican imports if the country did not put a check on people entering America through Mexico's borders.Mexico had agreed to boost up security on the border and expand its policy of taking back migrants."This was carried out, thanks to the excellent communication and coordination with the Embassy of that Asian country, with which the recognition and return of these citizens were worked, under strict adherence to the Migration Law and its Regulations," the statement said.The deportees, who are accompanied by the Federal Migration agents, as well as members of the National Guard, were gathered in the Acayucan Migration Station in Veracruz to carry out their identification and subsequent transfer."It should be noted that there is no precedent in the history of the INM - neither in the form nor in the number of people - of Trans-Atlantic air conduction, such as that carried out on this day," the statement said.This action, which was supported by the Federal Protection Service of the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, was carried out smoothly and with respect for the human rights of foreigners transferred to their country of origin, it said, ratifying the INM's commitment to maintaining a safe, orderly and regular migration. ALSO READ | Court rules against Trump admin's rule on immigrantsALSO READ | Sikh preaches love 18 years after brother killed over turban in USA

Mexico deports 311 Indians amid crackdown on illegal migrants

According to a press release issued by the National Migration Institute (INM) on Wednesday, the Indian nationals, who did not have a condition of regular stay in the country, were deported from the Toluca City International Airport on a Boeing 747 aircraft to New Delhi.

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Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and urged all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday strongly condemned the suicide attack in Afghanistan's Jalalabad province that killed 19 people, mostly Sikhs and Hindus. He added that any attacks targeting civilians is 'unjustifiable' and in clear violation of the 'international law'.Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and urged all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities. Related Stories Afghanistan: President Ghani orders resumption of offensive operations against Taliban after ceasefire endsPM Modi condemns deadly Afghanistan attack targeting Sikhs and Hindus, Sushma Swaraj to meet families of victimsAfghanistan: Islamic State claims responsibility for attack on Sikhs, Hindus in Jalalabad"The majority of victims belong to Afghanistan's small Sikh and Hindu community. The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured," the UN chief said in a statement issued by his spokesperson. "The Secretary-General urges all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities, and cease targeting civilians and civilian facilities," he said. An ISIS suicide bomber targeted a convoy of Sikhs and Hindus on their way to meet the Afghan president Ashraf Ghani in the eastern city of Jalalabad on Sunday.   Some reports said 19 people were killed in the attack and 17 of them were from the minority Sikh and Hindu communities. Avtar Singh Khalsa, a longtime leader of the Sikh community who had planned to run in the parliamentary elections set for October, was also killed in the attack. The UN Security Council joined in condemning the "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attack for which terror group ISIS has claimed responsibility. The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constituted one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. "The members of the Security Council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice and urged all States...to cooperate actively with the Government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities in this regard," the statement said. The 15-nation Council also reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) condemned the July 1 attack and expressed its concern over the recent spate of such incidents in which civilians have been killed in attacks on schools and medical centres. "The architects of this appalling crime must be brought to justice," said Ingrid Hayden, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. The United Nations in Afghanistan expressed its condolences to the loved ones of those killed and wishes a full and speedy recovery to the injured. Elsewhere in Nangarhar, in the Khogyani district, three civilian night watchmen were killed, at least two of them beheaded, and a school torched on Saturday in the latest instance of an Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) campaign against schools and educational workers. On Tuesday, one of several missiles fired into Jalalabad hit the Najmuljihad high school with other projectiles landing nearby. There were no reports of casualties.  UNAMA is also concerned by recent incidents impacting health facilities. Last month a mortar hit the Andar district hospital in Ghazni province killing a doctor and a vaccination worker. Earlier on Monday, in the northern province of Faryab, three civilians, including a woman and child, were killed and several other civilians, mainly women and children, were injured in an Afghan National Army helicopter attack in the Pashtun Kot district. The attack allegedly targeted Taliban combatants at a health clinic where civilian patients were also receiving treatment. The United Nations stresses that all parties to the conflict must at all times uphold their obligations to protect civilians and reiterates its call to immediately cease targeting civilians and civilian objects, including schools and health facilities, in compliance with the international humanitarian law.

UN Chief Antonio Guterres condemns Afghanistan terrorist attack targeting Sikhs, Hindus

Guterres expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and urged all parties to uphold their obligation to protect civilians, including minority communities.

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Pakistan police busts gang using WhatsApp to plan crimesPolice in Pakistan have busted a gang that formed a WhatsApp group for better coordination of planning crimes and escaping the law enforcers, officials said on Friday. The group is known as "Dakaiti Qaumi Movement (DQM)" had 10 members who coordinated in the group before executing the crime."Police arrested two members of the DQM' from Aziz Abad and recovered arms and ammunition from their possession," a senior police official said. During the interrogation, the suspects claimed to have committed 100 robbery and dacoity incidents in different parts of the Sindh province."In every incident of robbery or dacoity, at least four to five members of the gang participated and they coordinated through WhatsApp group. Police said it was looking for other members of the group.

Pakistan police busts gang using Whatsapp to plan crimes

Police in Pakistan have busted a gang that formed a WhatsApp group for better coordination of planning crimes and escaping the law enforcers, officials said on Friday. The group is known as "Dakaiti Qaumi Movement (DQM)" had 10 members who coordinated in the group before executing the crime.

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Two new explosions rock Sri Lanka after series of 6 blastsAfter six places across Sri Lanka were rocked by deadly serial blasts, two new explosions hit a hotel in Colombo on Sunday. Two people were reported killed in the new explosion that rocked the country on Easter Sunday. The seventh blast occurred at a hotel opposite the Zoo, Police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera said. Two people have died and the injured are being shifted to the Colombo South Hospital, he said. The Zoo was closed for the public after the blast.In view of the 8 serial blasts, the Sri Lankan government declared a curfew with immediate effect, is unclear on when it will be lifted.In one of the deadliest blasts in the country's history, at least 160 people were killed and more than 450 were injured after multiple explosions, a series of six blasts, rocked Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka early on Sunday. The death count also included 35 foreigners, media reports said.The incident occurred during Easter mass service, while the place was crowded with worshippers, officials and police said. According to police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekera, the blasts occurred at around 8.45 a.m. (local time) as the Easter Sunday masses were in progress. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj took to Twitter and said the situation in Colombo is being monitored closely. "I am in constant touch with Indian High Commissioner in Colombo. We are keeping a close watch on the situation," the EAM wrote on Twitter. For Indians in distress, EAM Sushma Swaraj also released some helpline numbers - +94777903082+94112422788+94112422789+94112422789Later, she also confirmed the places where the explosions had occurred. "There is an update from Colombo. There were three bomb blasts in Churches in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa. There have been three blasts in Shangrila, Cinnamon Grand Kingsbury hotels in Colombo," the external affairs minister said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and condemned the serial blasts that rocked parts of Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday. "Strongly condemn the horrific blasts in Sri Lanka. There is no place for such barbarism in our region. India stands in solidarity with the people of Sri Lanka. My thoughts are with the bereaved families and prayers with the injured," Modi wrote on Twitter. The blasts hit three high-end hotels and one church in Colombo, while two additional churches are targeted outside the capital, police said.One of the blasts hit St Anthony's Church in Kochchikade of the capital, Colombo. "A bomb attack to our church, please come and help," read a Facebook post from St Sebasitian's Church at Katuwapitiutya, in the Western coastal town of Negombo.An image posted on Facebook showed explosion at St. Sebastian's church, where people had gathered in large number to offer prayers on the occasion of Easter. Image Source : ST. SEBASTIAN CHURCH / FBExplosions hit churches and hotels during Easter service in Colombo Explosions hit churches and hotels during Easter service in Colombo An eyewitness, Alex Agileson, who was in the vicinity, said buildings in the surrounding area shook with the blast. He said a number of injured were carried in ambulances.Information available on Twitter said explosions have been reported at Cinnamon, Shangri-La, Kochchikade church. A total of six blasts were reported at churches and hotels across Sri Lanka, news agency AFP reported. Sri Lankan security officials said they were checking for details. The churches and hotels were immediately sealed off by the police after they arrived at the areas. Watch TV Coverage /* .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_2961724646 = { "file": "https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_s5lw04e5_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8", "image": "https://thumbs.indiatvnews.com/vod/0_s5lw04e5_big_thumb.jpg", "title": "Sri Lanka: 49 killed, over 300 hurt in Sri Lanka serial blasts targeting churches, hotels on Easter", "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_2961724646 = ''; jwsetup_2961724646(); function jwsetup_2961724646() { jwvidplayer_2961724646 = jwplayer("jwvidplayer_2961724646").setup(jwconfig_2961724646); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('ready', function () { ns_.StreamingAnalytics.JWPlayer(jwvidplayer_2961724646, { publisherId: "20465327", labelmapping: "c2=\"20465327\", c3=\"IndiaTV News\", c4=\"null\", c6=\"null\", ns_st_mp=\"jwplayer\", ns_st_cl=\"0\", ns_st_ci=\"0_s5lw04e5\", ns_st_pr=\"Sri Lanka: 49 killed, over 300 hurt in Sri Lanka serial blasts targeting churches, hotels on Easter\", ns_st_sn=\"0\", ns_st_en=\"0\", ns_st_ep=\"Sri Lanka: 49 killed, over 300 hurt in Sri Lanka serial blasts targeting churches, hotels on Easter\", ns_st_ct=\"null\", ns_st_ge=\"News\", ns_st_st=\"Sri Lanka: 49 killed, over 300 hurt in Sri Lanka serial blasts targeting churches, hotels on Easter\", ns_st_ce=\"0\", ns_st_ia=\"0\", ns_st_ddt=\"2019-04-21\", ns_st_tdt=\"2019-04-21\", ns_st_pu=\"IndiaTV News\", ns_st_cu=\"https://indiatv-vh.akamaihd.net/i/vod/0_s5lw04e5_,20,21,22,.mp4.csmil/master.m3u8\", ns_st_ty=\"video\"" }); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('all', function (r) { if (jwvidplayer_2961724646.getState() == 'error' || jwvidplayer_2961724646.getState() == 'setupError') { jwvidplayer_2961724646.stop(); jwvidplayer_2961724646.remove(); jwvidplayer_2961724646 = ''; jwsetup_2961724646(); return; } }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('error', function (t) { jwvidplayer_2961724646.stop(); jwvidplayer_2961724646.remove(); jwvidplayer_2961724646 = ''; jwsetup_2961724646(); return; }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('mute', function () { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('adPlay', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('adPause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('pause', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('error', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); jwvidplayer_2961724646.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }

Multiple blasts kill scores in Colombo: Here's what we know so far

"A bomb attack to our church, please come and help," read a facebook post from St Sebasitian's Church at Katuwapitiutya, in the Western coastal town of Negombo.

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A Cook County, Ill., resident drops off her mail-in ballot at a county courthouse in Maywood, Ill.Americans in the 21st century aren’t always the most patient of people — and a deeply anticipated nail-biter of a 2020 election is certainly no exception. Nevertheless, counting votes accurately for an entire nation, in an election whose jurisdiction is divided up state by state, can be a cumbersome process.“One of the biggest things that I would encourage people to do today is to have patience,” says Pace, a longtime political and White House correspondent. “There’s no expectation that we would definitely call the race for the presidency on election night. We call it when the votes are there and the math tells us we can.”No. “That’s not the setup that we’ve ever had in this country,” Pace says. Multiple American presidential elections — not just the most famous one, George W. Bush vs. Al Gore in 2000 — have not produced immediate results, as unsatisfying as that can be for a society that now expects immediate delivery of everything from consumer goods to TV shows to news updates.US ELECTION 2020: COVERAGEThe amount of votes cast in advance, paired with rules in some states that those votes can’t be counted until Election Day, are part of what make 2020 different.“What’s different this year is that there will be a significant chunk that won’t be counted immediately,” Pace says. “In a close race, tabulating more of that mail-in vote that’s coming in still is going to be even more important. So that could be the simple reason why a count is slow.”Says Pace on the results: “We always have to have patience, to wait until enough votes to come in to have clarity.”ALSO READ | What to watch on Election Day in America. An InsightALSO READ | Huge voter turnout expected in US election despite pandemic

EXPLAINER: On US Election Day, patience a necessary virtue

Americans in the 21st century aren’t always the most patient of people — and a deeply anticipated nail-biter of a 2020 election is certainly no exception.

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UN chief Antonio Guterres has ruled out any mediation to resolve the Kashmir issue unless all parties agree to it and asked India and Pakistan to address their outstanding issues through dialogue.The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that in principle good offices of the UN chief are always available for mediation, but everyone needs to agree on involving the world body.Asked about escalating tensions between India and Pakistan due to ongoing skirmishes and firing along the border, Dujarric said, “We’re obviously aware. We’re following this… what’s been going on, really for the last 10 days.”Asked why the Secretary-General is not so keen to involve himself in this crisis, Dujarric said, “In principle good offices of Guterres are always available for mediation, but everyone needs to agree on involving the UN.”“As a matter of principle I’m not talking specifically about this issue, but about any issue where there is conflict between parties, the Secretary-General’s good offices are always available,” he said.“As in any issue, both parties or more than… you know, if there are multiple parties, everyone needs to agree on involving the UN. That is true of any mediation effort,” Dujarric said.“The Secretary-General would encourage both sides to address any outstanding issues through dialogue,” he said.

UN chief Antonio Guterres rules out mediation on Kashmir; asks India, Pakistan to resolve issues through talks

The UN Secretary-General’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said that in principle good offices of the UN chief are always available for mediation, but everyone needs to agree on involving the world body.

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6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes IndonesiaAn earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province on Friday, the meteorology and geophysics agency said, adding no tsunami alert was issued. The quake struck at 11.09 a.m. with the epicenter at 171 km northeast Larantuka sub-district of Flores district in the province and the depth of 670 km under sea bed, reports Xinhua news agency.The intensity of the quake was also felt in Waingapu town, Mataram, the capital city of nearby West Nusa Tenggara province, Maluku province and also the Banda islands.There were no immediate reports of damages or injuries.

6.9-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia

An earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province on Friday, the meteorology and geophysics agency said, adding no tsunami alert was issued.

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FILE - In the is Oct. 10, 2019 file photo, El Paso Walmart shooting suspect Patrick Crusius pleads not guilty during his arraignment in El Paso, Texas. Hate crimes across the U.S. rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting hate crime data in the early 1990s. An FBI report released Monday showed there were 51 hate crime murders in 2019. That includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas in August 2019.Hate crimes in the U.S. rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s, according to an FBI report released Monday.There were 51 hate crime murders in 2019, which includes 22 people who were killed in a shooting that targeted Mexicans at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso, Texas, the report said. The suspect in that August 2019 shooting, which left two dozen other people injured, was charged with both state and federal crimes in what authorities said was an attempt to scare Hispanics into leaving the United States.There were 7,314 hate crimes last year, up from 7,120 the year before — and approaching the 7,783 of 2008. The FBI’s annual report defines hate crimes as those motivated by bias based on a person’s race, religion or sexual orientation, among other categories.Some of the 2019 increases may be the result of better reporting by police departments, but law enforcement officials and advocacy groups don’t doubt that hate crimes are on the rise. The Justice Department has for years been specifically prioritizing hate crime prosecutions.ALSO READ | More people may die if Trump continues to refuse coordination on COVID-19 issues, vaccine plans: Biden The data also shows there was a nearly 7% increase in religion-based hate crimes, with 953 reports of crimes targeting Jews and Jewish institutions last year, up from 835 the year before. The FBI said the number of hate crimes against African Americans dropped slightly to 1,930, from 1,943.Anti-Hispanic hate crimes, however, rose to 527 in 2019, from 485 in 2018. And the total number of hate crimes based on a person’s sexual orientation stayed relatively stable, with one fewer crime reported last year, compared with the year before, though there were 20 more hate crimes against gay men reported.As the data was made public on Monday, advocacy groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, called on Congress and law enforcement agencies across the U.S. to improve data collection and reporting of hate crimes. Critics have long warned that the data may be incomplete, in part because it is based on voluntary reporting by police agencies across the country.Last year, only 2,172 law enforcement agencies out of about 15,000 participating agencies across the country reported hate crime data to the FBI, the bureau said. And while the number of agencies reporting hate crimes increased, the number of agencies participating in the program actually dropped from the year before. A large number of police agencies appeared not to submit any hate crime data, which has been a consistent struggle for Justice Department officials.“The total severity of the impact and damage caused by hate crimes cannot be fully measured without complete participation in the FBI’s data collection process,” the Anti-Defamation League’s president, Jonathan Greenblatt, said in a statement.An Associated Press investigation in 2016 found that more than 2,700 city police and county sheriff’s departments across the country had not submitted a single hate crime report for the FBI’s annual crime tally during the previous six years.Greenblatt also said America must “remove the barriers that too often prevent people in marginalized communities – the individuals most likely to suffer hate crimes – from reporting hate-based incidents,” a sentiment shared by other advocates.“The FBI’s report is another reminder that we have much work to do to address hate in America,” said Margaret Huang, the president of the Southern Poverty Law Center.ALSO READ | Trump administration not sharing threat assessment, intelligence reports: Biden transition team 

Hate crimes in US reach highest level in more than a decade

​Hate crimes in the U.S. rose to the highest level in more than a decade as federal officials also recorded the highest number of hate-motivated killings since the FBI began collecting that data in the early 1990s, according to an FBI report released Monday.

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Representational Image

Man faces hate crime charge after throwing hot coffee, punching Sikh clerk in US

The man, identified as John Crain, threw the hot coffee at the clerk then punched him in the face before fleeing just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday in Marysville, the Sacramento Bee reported.

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Remains of a bridge is seen in a slope, destroyed by the flowing lava by the eruption of Mount Semeru in Lumajang, East Java, IndonesiaIn a horrific eruption of Indonesia's Mount Semeru on Sunday, at least 13 people died and 98 others were injured, said the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). "Two bodies have been identified, while others are still in the process," according to the BNPB's spokesman Abdul Muhari. All those injured, including two pregnant women, are currently under medical treatment at nearby health centres.Meanwhile, 902 people have been evacuated to a village hall, a school building, and houses of worship. Volcanic ash has buried a number of houses, roads and a bridge, Xinhua news agency reported.Officers are digging up the ash covering the road using heavy equipment, while evacuating and searching for missing persons. The 3,676-meter-high volcano erupted on Saturday at 3:10 p.m. Jakarta time. The hot clouds stopped falling due to the rain. 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Indonesia volcano eruption: Death toll due to Mount Semeru explosion rises to 13, over 98 injured

Over 902 people have been evacuated to a village hall, a school building, and houses of worship. Volcanic ash has buried a number of houses, roads, and a bridge.

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US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir PutinThe US on Wednesday extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for five years, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "Extending the New START Treaty ensures we have verifiable limits on Russian ICBMs, SLBMs, and heavy bombers until February 5, 2026," said Blinken, adding that the extension "makes the United States, US allies and partners, and the world safer", Xinhua news agency reported."Especially during times of tension, verifiable limits on Russia's intercontinental-range nuclear weapons are vitally important," he said.Blinken noted that Washington would use the five-year extension period to seek arms control with Moscow that addresses all of the Russian nuclear weapons.The New START, which limits the numbers of deployed strategic nuclear warheads to 1,550 and delivery systems to 700 for each, is the last remaining nuclear arms control pact in force between the two nuclear superpowers.The treaty can be extended by a maximum of five years with the consent of the two countries.The former Donald Trump-led administration tried to conclude a shorter extension of the treaty last year after rounds of negotiation with Russia, but the two sides failed to finalize a formal agreement.Immediately after taking office, President Joe Biden proposed a full five-year extension of the treaty that expires on February 5, a move welcomed by the Kremlin.Russian President Vladimir Putin last Friday signed a bill into law ratifying a five-year extension of the New START with the United States.The extension of the New START might be a bright spot for the US-Russia relations, but the overall tensions between Washington and Moscow are unlikely to decrease given their differences on issues of human rights, Ukraine, cybersecurity as well as their mutual accusation of interference in the domestic politics.ALSO READ | Not bound by treaty on prohibition of nuclear weapons: Pakistan

US extends nuclear arms control treaty with Russia for 5 years

The US on Wednesday extended the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with Russia for five years, said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

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United Kingdom Parliament/RepresentationalSenior members of Parliament are on Sunday calling for radical action in the wake of a British MP stepping down after admitting to watching pornography on his phone in the House of Commons.Conservative Party MP Neil Parish resigned, triggering a by-election in the Tory safe seat of Tiverton and Honiton in south-west England, after admitting he watched adult material twice in Parliament.It follows multiple claims of bullying and sexual misconduct in Parliament in recent weeks.“Some serious allegations have been made, and we must address them as a matter of urgency. It is imperative we do the right thing by staff and MPs as well," Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle writes in The Observer newspaper.He called for “radical” reform of working practices and revealed that work was underway to establish a Speaker's Conference as a cross-party investigation into the issues involved, as soon as possible.“In my opinion, it is time to consider radical action, and review structures and processes that could make a difference," he said.The Speaker said he wanted to ensure the UK Parliament was a "safe and inclusive" place to work.His views were echoed by Dame Andrea Leadsom, the former leader of the House of Commons, who called for a human resources department for parliamentary staff.In 2018, the Tory MP had spearheaded the creation of the Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme (ICGS), which looks into claims of bullying and sexual harassment and will now be looking into the case of Neil Parish as well."Things haven't changed and that's because there aren't enough cases coming through and it's taking too long for investigations to come to an end," Leadsom told The Sunday Times."It's only when you see people being blind drunk and subject to the appropriate sanctions that people will start to think twice about their behaviour," she said.The dramatic resignation of Neil Parish on Saturday came after days of speculation over the identity of the unnamed Tory MP two female parliamentarians had reported witnessing watching porn in the Chamber.The Opposition Labour Party says he appears to have committed a criminal offence after the 65-year-old said the first time was accidental but that the second was "a moment of madness".Jess Phillips, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic abuse and safeguarding, said that it appeared that Parish “of his own admission” had committed a criminal offence under the UK’s Indecent Displays (Control) Act of 1981, under which sentences range from a fine to up to two years in prison.“If this law was to be applied, it appears he has committed an offence by his own admission,” she told the Guardian, adding that a public information campaign should also be launched as a matter of urgency to enable people to know that watching porn where others could see it is illegal under the Act.According to UK media reports, around 56 MPs are reportedly facing claims of sexual misconduct and at least three Cabinet ministers are thought to be among the parliamentarians that have been referred to the ICGS over the allegations.Earlier this week, Labour MP Liam Byrne was found to have "ostracised" a former assistant after an office dispute and is now set to be suspended from the Commons for two days over the bullying claims. Also Read | Boris Johnson speaks to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky; discusses evacuation of people from Mariupol  

UK MP quits for watching porn in Parliament, lawmakers call for radical action

Conservative Party MP Neil Parish resigned, triggering a by-election in the Tory safe seat of Tiverton and Honiton in south-west England, after admitting he watched adult material twice in Parliament.

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Pakistan govt approves CPEC's $7.2bn strategic projectPakistan Railways Mainline-I Project – the lone strategic project of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – cleared its first hurdle when the government approved it at a cost of $7.2 billion. In the fourth bid, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has recommended $7.2 billion Mainline-I (ML-1) project to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) for further approval, the Ministry of Planning announced on Saturday.A part of the Ministry of Planning, the CDWP is responsible for the scrutiny and approval of the development projects. Prime Minister Imran Khan has authorized the CDWP to approve development schemes costing up to 10,000 million PKR.Beyond this cost, the CDWP recommends the projects to the Ecnec for consideration and approval. In total, the CDWP approved 13 projects worth 36.2 billion PKR and recommended five projects worth 1.3 trillion PKR to Ecnec for its consideration.Pakistan gives high priority to the ML-1 project due to its strategic importance and the CDWP's clearance will also pave the way for its inauguration by Chinese President Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Pakistan.The ML-I project includes dualization and upgrading of 1,872 km railway track from Peshawar to Karachi and its big milestone for second phase of CPEC, tweeted Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, chairman of the CPEC Authority.CPEC is a flagship $60 billion project of Chinese President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road Initiative that aims to connect Asia, Africa and Europe through a vast network of highways, rail lines and sea lanes.The multi-billion-dollar corridor connects the Chinese city of Kashgar with Pakistan's Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan govt approves CPEC's $7.2bn strategic project

In the fourth bid, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) has recommended $7.2 billion Mainline-I (ML-1) project to the Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) for further approval, the Ministry of Planning announced on Saturday.

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Israel thanks US for decision on West Bank settlements  Israel has thanked US President Donald Trump's administration for its decision that the American government would no longer consider the West Bank Jewish settlements "inconsistent" with the international law. "Israel is deeply grateful to President (Donald) Trump, Secretary (Mike) Pompeo and the entire US administration for their steadfast position supporting truth and justice," Xinhua news agency reported citing a statement issued by Israeli Prime Minister's Office as saying on Monday night.While calling on countries to adopt a similar position to facilitate peace in the Middle East, Israel said in its statement that it remains "ready and willing to conduct peace negotiations with the Palestinians regarding all final status issues in an effort to achieve lasting peace".On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the new decision which reversed Washington's position on the issue in the past four decades.Pompeo repudiated a 1978 State Department legal opinion that held that civilian settlements in the occupied territories are "inconsistent with international law".He noted, however, that this announcement should not be viewed as the US government "addressing or prejudging the ultimate status of the West Bank"."This is for the Israelis and the Palestinians to negotiate."In response to the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "This policy reflects a historical truth - that the Jewish people are not foreign colonialists in Judea and Samaria." He referred to the West Bank by its biblical name, reports The Times of Israel.However, the decision has angered Palestinians.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, condemned Pompeo's announcement and said settlements were illegal under international law."The US administration has lost its credibility to play any future role in the peace process," he said.The US decision on Israel's West Bank settlements represents the latest move by the Trump administration to take sides with Israel, following its widely criticized recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, and recognition of Israel's "sovereignty" over disputed Golan Heights in March 2019.This policy shift is also seen as a political gift for Netanyahu, who is fighting for political survival after being unable to form a coalition government following two elections this year and facing legal issues.The last round of peace talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians collapsed in 2014, mainly over Israel's continuing expansion of its settlements in the West Bank.UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said last month that Israeli settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories are illegal under international law and remain a substantial obstacle to peace.According to the latest Palestinian data, around 400,000 Israeli settlers live in 135 settlements and 100 illegal outposts in the West Bank, where the Palestinian population has reached 2.6 million.ALSO READ:​ Over 10 million Afghans suffer acute food insecurity: UNALSO READ: Trump says he may testify in impeachment probe​

Israel thanks US for decision on West Bank settlements

The US decision on Israel's West Bank settlements represents the latest move by the Trump administration to take sides with Israel, following its widely criticized recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital in 2017, relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, and recognition of Israel's "sovereignty" over disputed Golan Heights in March 2019.

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Pakistan rules out possibility of India-Afghan trade through Wagah borderPakistan will not allow Afghanistan to import goods from India via the Wagah border, saying that the transit trade was a bilateral and not a trilateral issue, according to a media report.Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser to Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said this during a press conference on Wednesday.“We have asked Afghanistan for not linking trade access through Wagah border and they agreed to it because the transit trade was bilateral issue and it was not trilateral thing to bring any other into it,” Dawood was quoted as saying by The News.MUST READ | Pak downgrading ties attempt to present alarming picture to world, Article 370 India's internal affair: MEAThe official, who would be visiting Afghanistan later this month, said that the Afghan side is about to raise the issue of access through the Wagah border but he made it clear that they should not link the bilateral issue at a forum that was not trilateral and they agreed to it.On suspension of trade with India, Dawood replied he would respond after considering all aspects.Pakistan on Wednesday expelled Indian High Commissioner Ajay Bisaria, after it decided to downgrade the diplomatic ties with India over what it called New Delhi's "unilateral and illegal" move to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir."We will call back our ambassador from Delhi and send back their" envoy, foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi announced in televised comments, while a government statement declared that Pakistan will also suspend bilateral trade.ALSO READ | Pakistan expels Indian envoy, suspends trade over Kashmir moveALSO READ | Pak should cut off diplomatic ties with India, says its minister Fawad Chaudhry

Pakistan rules out possibility of India-Afghan trade through Wagah border

“We have asked Afghanistan for not linking trade access through Wagah border and they agreed to it because the transit trade was bilateral issue and it was not trilateral thing to bring any other into it,” Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser to Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood said.

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Coronavirus: Pet owners in China throw animals from tower blocksChilling pictures of bloodied corpses of dogs and cats lying on the roads in China have been doing rounds on the internet after panicking pet owners reportedly threw their pets out of tower blocks following a false claim that the deadly coronavirus can be passed on by animals. A user posted the pictures captioned, "What next?" along with the aggressive emojis coloured in red and the caption further stated -- "Virus panic Coronavirus - Cats and dogs 'thrown from tower blocks' in China after fake news rumours animals are causing spread."One picture showed a dog found dead after allegedly being thrown from tower blocks in China.The pictures further showed poor pets lying dead on the ground with their blood staining surrounding bricks.Angry tweeple taking to Twitter commented, "This is so disgusting and horrific!!!! That would be the day I'd give my pet up or kill my pet! Now it's all a rumour? The animals are not carrying the disease! Just keep everyone in that country calm, don't kill the pets!!!!"Posting the crying emojis, a user said: "Animal lovers must be devastated."While another user said, "A lot of People have no feeling towards animals seeing them as something just to chop up & throw in a pot with some veggies. The worst I saw recently was a whole fruit bat soup. I mean what kind of disgusting beings are these people who do such things!?"Talking about Chinese society, a user said, "Society, needs to change its understanding of animal welfare. Throwing a pig on a bungee rope to promote a fun park - ???? ignorance, arrogance and cruelty of the highest order. Now the selfish act of protecting oneself by this. #AnimalWelfare #AnimalCruelty."Meanwhile, Chinese health authorities on Monday said that the death toll in the country due to the deadly novel coronavirus has increased to 361, with 17,205 infected cases.Also Read | Kerala confirms third case of novel Coronavirus; 75 kept under isolationAlso Read | Coronavirus outbreak: India issues fresh travel advisory for China

Coronavirus: Pet owners in China throw animals from tower blocks as death toll crosses 360

Angry tweeple taking to Twitter commented, "This is so disgusting and horrific!!!! That would be the day I'd give my pet up or kill my pet! Now it's all a rumour? The animals are not carrying the disease! Just keep everyone in that country calm, don't kill the pets!!!!"

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US sails 2 warships close to disputed island chain in South China Sea; angers Beijing

The USS Spruance and USS Preble sailed within 12 nautical miles of the Spratly Islands as part of what the US Navy calls a "freedom of navigation operation," CNN reported.

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Ukrainian soldiers walk on a destroyed bridge in Irpin, on the outskirts of Kyiv, on Wednesday, April 20, 2022.Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol on Thursday but instead to block it “so that not even a fly comes through.”His defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, said the rest of the city beyond the sprawling Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian forces were holed has been “liberated” — as Russian officials refer to areas of Ukraine they have seized. Putin hailed that as a “success.”But leaving the plant in Ukrainian hands robs the Russians of the ability to declare complete victory in Mariupol, which has seen some of the most dramatic fighting of the war and whose capture has both strategic and symbolic importance.The scale of suffering there has made it a worldwide focal point, and its definitive fall would deprive Ukraine of a vital port, complete a land bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, and free up Russian troops to move elsewhere in the Donbas.Shoigu said the plant was “securely blocked.”Putin and Shoigu’s comments appeared to reflect a change in strategy in Mariupol, where the Russians previously seemed determined to take every last inch of the city. But it was not clear what it would mean in practical terms.Ukraine demands corridor for Mariupol holdoutMeanwhile, a senior Ukrainian official has demanded from the Russian military to open a humanitarian corridor from the Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian stronghold in the strategic port city of Mariupol.Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Thursday on the messaging app Telegram that 'there are about 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers there. They all need to be pulled out of Azovstal today!'.Vereshchuk also called on world leaders and the international community to focus their efforts now on Azovstal. She said it was a key point and a key moment for humanitarian efforts.Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Putin recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities. Moscow has long demanded Ukraine drop any bid to join NATO. Ukraine has said it would agree to that in return for security guarantees from a number of other countries. Other sources of tension include the status of both the Crimean Peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, and eastern Ukraine, where the separatists have declared independent republics recognized by Russia.With AP InputsREAD MORE: 'Days or hours left': Russia tightens the noose in Mariupol

Ukrainian port city Mariupol 'liberated': Vladimir Putin hails 'success' for Russian forces

Russia's Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Moscow now controls Mariupol, the Ukrainian port city, apart from the giant Azovstal steel plant. Mariupol has both strategic and symbolic importance.

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China today said it proposed BRICS Plus concept at the just concluded Foreign Ministers meeting to enhance cooperation with various developing nations but ruled out the chances of the bloc of emerging countries forming a clique or a military alliance. Several rounds of dialogues were held with the other developing countries outside the BRICS during the previous summits of the bloc, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters when asked about Beijing's proposal for BRICS Plus at the Foreign Ministers meeting which was also attended by Minister of State for External Affairs V K Singh."This is way for us to enhance our connection with other developing countries to further coordinate our positions," Geng said. "So the BRICS Plus concept proposed by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi means that in future development, China will enhance our cooperation with other developing countries, enhance our interaction with them, so that BRICS cooperation can better reflect the collective position on aspiration of developing countries," he said. China, which is due to host this year's BRICS summit in Xiamen city in September, reportedly plans to invite a number of countries. A Chinese official cited how India invited leaders of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) during last year's Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa (BRICS) summit in Goa. Likewise China too wants to invite a number of developing countries for the Xiamen meet as it is the discretion of the host country to invite countries for interaction on the sidelines. Chinese officials said Beijing, however, is unlikely to invite Pakistan keeping up with the sensitivities of India, a leading member of the BRICS group. Geng said BRICS counters are all major countries with influence and they are very representative in the family of emerging markets. "So cooperation among the countries will better reflect the call and voice of the developing countries. Since the inception of BRICS, it members never seized cooperation and interaction with other developing countries," he said. Geng, however, said while the bloc of emerging economies plans to deepen political and security cooperation from economic collaboration, it will not become a military alliance. "I want to emphasise that BRICS cooperation has always followed the principle of openness, inclusive and win-win cooperation," Geng said. "BRICS cooperation does not intend to form a clique or political and military alliances. They do not intend to target, offset, challenge or replace someone," he said. He said the BRICS nations are willing to work with other countries to form a community of shared future for mankind. "The Chinese side is willing to work with other BRICS countries to promote the development of BRICS cooperation and make positive contribution to world peace and prosperity and jointly tackle global challenges," he said.

China moots BRICS Plus; rules out military alliance

China, which is due to host this year's BRICS summit in Xiamen city in September, reportedly plans to invite a number of countries.

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Shah Rukh KhanBollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khans cousin Noor Jehan will contest elections from Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, a media report said on Thursday.Noor Jehan, who collected her nomination forms from the Election Commission on Thursday, will be a candidate from PK-77 seat in Peshawar, the Express Tribune reported. "My aim is to work for women empowerment," she was quoted as saying. "I would like to focus on the problems in my constituency."As Shah Rukh's paternal cousin, the paper said, Noor Jehan visited the Bollywood star twice and the family maintains close contact with relatives in India. She has earlier served as a councillor.Jehan's brother Mansoor, who is leading her election campaign, told the Express Tribune that their family had been a part of the Khudai Khidmatgar Movement's struggle initiated by Bacha Khan.  

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s cousin to contest elections in Pakistan

Noor Jehan, who collected her nomination forms from the Election Commission on Thursday, will be a candidate from PK-77 seat in Peshawar, the Express Tribune reported.

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A 39-year-old Indian engineer has been sentenced to more than 27 years in prison in the US for providing material support to al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki and plotting from his cell to kill a judge who oversaw his trial. Yahya Farooq Mohammad pleaded guilty in July to charges of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support or resources to terrorists and solicitation to commit a crime of violence. Following his arrest on terrorism charges, Mohammad tried to orchestrate the killing of the judge presiding over his case, US District Judge Jack Zouhary, from his prison cell, prosecutors said. "For those who wish to harm the United States and support terrorists, whether in Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, or right here in Toledo, these decades of prison serve as an important reminder that America's law enforcement will pursue justice across the globe," US Attorney Justin Herdman said in a statement yesterday. "He threatened the safety of our citizens, a judge and the independent judiciary. Now he is being held accountable." Mohammad's attorneys argued in their sentencing memo that the inmate he spoke to in jail was "extremely manipulative and totally unreliable." However, the attorneys admitted the risk of Mohammad being convicted at trial was too great, so they reached a plea agreement. His plea agreement also calls for him to be deported after he finishes serving his sentence, which US District Judge Edmund Sargus ordered, cleveland.com reported. Mohammad was arrested in 2015 along with his brother, Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, and brothers Asif Ahmed Salim and Sultane Room Salim. The other three men have pleaded not guilty in the case. The four men are accused of conspiring to gather money and equipment to provide support to al-Awlaki, the late American-born, radical Muslim cleric whose English language videos and blog posts inspired a number of Western recruits to al-Qaeda, as well as acts of terrorism, federal prosecutors said. Mohammad, born in the United Arab Emirates, travelled in 2009 with two other people to Yemen in an attempt to meet with Awlaki, who was killed in a US drone strike in 2011. He was unable to find Awlaki, so he instead gave USD 22,000 to one of the cleric's associates, prosecutors said. Mohammad studied engineering at Ohio State University from 2002 to 2004. He and his brother, also a citizen of India, married US citizens. In 2016, while awaiting trial in his terrorism case, Mohammad told another inmate at the Lucas County Corrections Center that he wanted Zouhary kidnapped and was willing to pay USD 15,000 to make it happen. The inmate introduced Mohammad to an undercover FBI agent. Mohammad's wife gave the agent a USD 1,000 down payment. The agent met with Mohammad's wife again and said he needed the rest of the money. He showed Mohammad's wife a picture he said was Zouhary's dead body, according to court filings. Mohammad "continued to advocate the killing of other government officials" after he believed Zouhary was dead, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo. This included former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and former attorney general Alberto Gonzales, the memo states. His wife was not charged. 

Indian engineer jailed in US for 27 years for funding al-Qaeda

Yahya Farooq Mohammad pleaded guilty in July to charges of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support or resources to terrorists and solicitation to commit a crime of violence.

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People who were able to get out of Terminal 21 Korat mall, are escorted outside by armed commando soldiers in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand  A gunman described as a soldier angry over a financial dispute killed two people and then went on a far bloodier rampage Saturday in northeastern Thailand, shooting as he drove to a busy mall where shoppers fled in terror. At least 21 people were killed in all, 63 were injured and others were believed to be still inside the building as more gunshots rang out early Sunday.Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Kongcheep Tantrawanich said Sgt. Maj. Jakrapanth Thomma was behind the attack in Nakhon Ratchasima, a hub for Thailand’s relatively poorer and rural northeastern region. Much of the shooting took place at Terminal 21 Korat, an airport-themed mall filled with colorful Lego sculptures, a merry-go-round and huge replicas of landmarks from around the world.Video taken outside the mall showed people diving for cover as shots rang out mid-afternoon Saturday. Many were killed outside the mall, some in cars, others while walking.Nattaya Nganiem and her family had just finished eating and were driving away when she heard gunfire.“First I saw a woman run out from the mall hysterically,” said Nattaya, who shot video of the scene on her phone. “Then a motorcycle rider in front of her just ran and left his motorcycle there.”Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said a doctor was shot while helping an injured person. A police officer also was killed, pushing the death toll to 21, Anutin said.Hundreds of people were evacuated from the mall in small batches by police while they searched for the gunman.“We were scared and ran to hide in toilets,” said Sumana Jeerawattanasuk, one of those rescued by police. She said seven or eight people hid in the same room as her.“I am so glad. I was so scared of getting hurt,” she said.Shortly before midnight, police announced they had secured the above-ground portion of the mall, but were still searching for the shooter. Anutin said there were no more bodies left inside, but added, “we don’t know whether there are any additional injuries or deaths or not.”Image Source : APVehicles block the road in front of Terminal 21 Korat mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand  Vehicles block the road in front of Terminal 21 Korat mall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Some shoppers remained trapped in the mall, presumably in the below-ground portion.“We are worried for those who are still trapped inside. Some still couldn’t come out,” Lt. Col. Poonsap Prasertsak, a senior police commander for the region, said early Sunday morning. He told reporters police were in touch with some of those still trapped.“We told them to stay calm, stay still and keep their heads down,” he said.Gunfire could be heard coming from the mall around 3 a.m. as ambulances were brought closer to the scene, but reporters were kept away and no announcements were immediately forthcoming.A police officer contacted by phone in Nakhon Ratchasima, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) northeast of Bangkok, said the gunman initially killed another soldier and a woman, and wounded a third person, apparently over a land dispute.Defense Ministry spokesman Kongcheep told Thai media that the first person killed was the commanding officer of the 22nd Ammunition Battalion, in which the suspect also served. He said the gunman had fired at others at his base and took guns and ammunition before fleeing in an army Humvee.City and neighborhood police officers, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to release information, said the man fired shots as he drove to the mall. Thai Rath television aired mall security camera footage showing a man with what appeared to be an assault rifle.The man believed to be the gunman appears to have posted updates to his Facebook page during the rampage.“No one can escape death,” read one post. Another asked, “Should I give up?” In a later post, he wrote, “I have stopped already.”A photo circulated on social media that appeared to be taken from the Facebook page shows a man wearing a green camouflaged military helmet while a fireball and black smoke rage behind him. Jakrapanth’s profile picture shows him in a mask and dressed in military-style fatigues and armed with a pistol. The background image is of a handgun and bullets. The Facebook page was made inaccessible after the shooting began.Terminal 21 Korat, a multi-level glass and steel mall is designed to resemble an airport terminal, complete with a mock control tower and departure gates. A large model passenger jet dangles from wires beside one of the main escalators.Each of its seven retail floors is decorated to represent a different country. A giant replica of Paris’ Eiffel Tower soars to the ceiling, while a model of London’s Big Ben dominates another area, and a massive model of California’s Golden Gate Bridge spans an open courtyard. A two-story golden Oscar statue towers over a food court.Nattaya did not know the full extent of the carnage until she arrived home. When she learned of the death toll, she fainted.Authorities say a Thai soldier killed at least 20 in a rampage that extended from his army base to a mall.Image Source : AP21 dead, 31 hurt in Thailand mass shooting; gunman hides in mall21 dead, 31 hurt in Thailand mass shooting; gunman hides in mall“I can’t believe this is happening in my hometown,” she said. “I mean, this shopping mall, we go there almost every other day.”Many malls in Thailand, including Terminal 21’s namesake in Bangkok, have metal detectors and security cameras at entrances manned by uniformed but unarmed security guards. Checks on those entering are often cursory at best.Gun violence is not unheard of in Thailand. Firearms can be obtained legally, and many Thais own guns. Mass shootings are rare, though there are occasional gun battles in the far south of the country, where authorities have for years battled a long-running separatist insurgency.The incident in Korat comes just a month after another high-profile mall shooting, in the central Thai city of Lopburi. In that case, a masked gunman carrying a handgun with a silencer killed three people, including a 2-year-old boy, and wounded four others as he robbed a jewelry store. A suspect, a school director, was arrested less than two weeks later and reportedly confessed, saying he did not mean to shoot anyone.Also Read: Syrian troops gain territory in push to control key highway

21 dead, 63 hurt in Thailand mass shooting; gunman hides in mall

At least 21 people were killed in all, 63 were injured and others were believed to be still inside the building as more gunshots rang out early Sunday.

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Former FBI Director James Comey asserted Thursday that President Donald Trump fired him to interfere with his investigation of Russia’s role in the 2016 election and its ties to the Trump campaign.“It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,” Comey told the Senate intelligence committee in explosive testimony that threatened to undermine Trump’s presidency.“I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted,” Comey testified under oath. “That is a very big deal, and not just because it involves me.”Comey also accused the Trump administration of spreading “lies, plain and simple” about him and the FBI in the aftermath of his abrupt firing last month, declaring that the administration then “chose to defame me and, more importantly, the FBI” by claiming the bureau was in disorder under his leadership. And in testimony that exposed deep distrust between the president and the veteran lawman, Comey described intense discomfort about their one-on-one conversations, saying he decided he immediately needed to document the discussions in memos.“I was honestly concerned that he might lie about the nature of our meeting, so I thought it really important to document,” Comey said. “I knew there might come a day when I might need a record of what happened not only to defend myself but to protect the FBI.”The revelations came as Comey delivered his much anticipated first public telling of his relationship with Trump, speaking at a packed Senate intelligence committee hearing that brought Washington and parts of the country to a standstill as all eyes were glued to screens showing the testimony. The former director immediately dove into the heart of the fraught political controversy around his firing and whether Trump interfered in the bureau’s Russia investigation, as he elaborated on written testimony delivered Wednesday. In that testimony he had already disclosed that Trump demanded his “loyalty” and directly pushed him to “lift the cloud” of investigation by declaring publicly the president was not the target of the FBI probe into his campaign’s Russia ties.Comey said that he declined to do so in large part because of the “duty to correct” that would be created if that situation changed. Comey also said in his written testimony that Trump, in a strange private encounter near the grandfather clock in the Oval Office, pushed him to end his investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia asked Comey the key question: “Do you believe this rises to obstruction of justice?”“I don’t know. That’s Bob Mueller’s job to sort that out,” Comey responded, referring to the newly appointed special counsel who has taken over the Justice Department’s Russia investigation.In a startling disclosure, Comey revealed that after his firing he actually tried to spur the special counsel’s appointment by giving one of his memos about Trump to a friend of his to release to the press.“My judgment was I need to get that out into the public square,” Comey said.The Republican National Committee and other White House allies worked feverishly to lessen any damage from the hearing, trying to undermine Comey’s credibility by issuing press releases and even ads pointing to a past instance where the FBI had had to clean up the director’s testimony to Congress. Republicans and Trump’s own lawyer seized on Comey’s confirmation, in his written testimony, of Trump’s claim that Comey had told him three times the president was not directly under investigation.Trump himself was expected to dispute Comey’s claims that the president demanded loyalty and asked the FBI director to drop the investigation into Flynn, according to a person close to the president’s legal team who demanded anonymity because of not being authorized to discuss legal strategy. The president has not yet publicly denied the specifics of Comey’s accounts but has broadly challenged his credibility, tweeting last month Comey “better hope there are no ‘tapes’” of the conversations.“Lordy, I hope there are tapes,” Comey remarked at one point Thursday, suggesting such evidence would back up his account over any claims from the president.Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California asked the question that many Republicans have raised in the weeks since Comey’s firing as one media leak followed another revealing Comey’s claims about Trump’s inappropriate interactions with him.Discussing the Oval Office meeting where Comey says Trump asked him to back off Flynn, Feinstein asked: “Why didn’t you stop and say, ‘Mr. President, this is wrong,’?”“That’s a great question,” Comey said. “Maybe if I were stronger I would have. I was so stunned by the conversation I just took it in.”The hearing unfolded amid intense political interest, and within a remarkable political context as Comey delivered detrimental testimony about the president who fired him, a president who won election only after Comey damaged his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the final days of the campaign. Clinton has blamed her defeat on Comey’s Oct. 28 announcement that he was re-opening the investigation of her email practices. “If the election were on Oct. 27, I would be your president,” Clinton said last month.Thursday’s hearing included discussion of that email investigation, as Comey disclosed that then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch instructed him to refer to the issue as a “matter,” not an “investigation.”“That concerned me because that language tracked how the campaign was talking about the FBI’s work and that’s concerning,” Comey said. “We had an investigation open at the time so that gave me a queasy feeling.”Many Democrats still blame Comey for Clinton’s loss, leading Trump to apparently believe they would applaud him for firing Comey last month. The opposite was the case as the firing created an enormous political firestorm that has stalled Trump’s legislative agenda on Capitol Hill and taken over Washington.Under questioning Thursday, Comey strongly asserted the intelligence community’s conclusion that Russia did indeed meddle in the 2016 election.“There should be no fuzz on this. The Russians interfered,” Comey stated firmly. “That happened. It’s about as unfake as you can possibly get.”Trump has begrudgingly accepted the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia interfered with the election. But he has also suggested he doesn’t believe it, saying Russia is a “ruse” and calling the investigation into the matter a “witch hunt.”

Fired because of Russia investigation, says former FBI Director James Comey

Comey also accused the Trump administration of spreading “lies, plain and simple” about him and the FBI in the aftermath of his abrupt firing last month.

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President-elect Joe Biden arrives at at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.President-elect Joe Biden is mostly steering clear of the controversy engulfing President Donald Trump's final days in office, aiming to project the different approach to governing Americans can expect when he moves into the White House on Jan. 20. Biden and his team have offered a muted response to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, which reached a new level this past weekend when he pressured Georgia's Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to flip the state in his favor.While some Democrats say Trump's actions merit new impeachment proceedings, Biden has been more circumspect. He didn't address the matter directly during his visit to Georgia Monday afternoon where he campaigned for two Democratic Senate candidates, only hinting at Trump’s efforts to reverse the result of the election by joking, “I don’t know why he still wants the job — he doesn’t want to do the work.”Biden later spoke broadly about Democrats’ “opposition friends” realizing that “power flows from the people.”“Politicians cannot assert, take or seize power. Power is granted by the American people alone,” he said.His comments followed a brief written statement from senior adviser Bob Bauer this weekend decrying Trump’s “assault on American democracy.”The low-key approach is in keeping with Biden’s overall strategy to focus on preparing to assume the presidency even as Trump goes to ever-greater lengths to sow doubt about the election results. The relatively muted response reflects an effort to reassure Americans that Biden will take a starkly different approach to leading during a time of historic turmoil over the coronavirus pandemic and the economy.ALSO READ: Trump, supporters prepare for doomed effort to overturn Biden's election“The country is ready to move forward, and President-elect Biden is going to remain focused on the work ahead of us in completing a successful transition and putting together an administration that will get this virus under control and build our economy back better,” said Biden adviser Kate Bedingfield.Biden’s aides believe Americans outside Washington want to hear more about how the Biden presidency will help them and less about the partisan squabbling that has characterized the past four years of Trump’s presidency.So while Biden has chosen his moments to weigh in on Trump’s attacks on the election results — he delivered a speech denouncing Trump’s actions after the Electoral College certified his win in mid-December — he’s largely focused on his Cabinet nominees and fleshing out his response to the pandemic.And while some Democrats on Capitol Hill have raised the prospect of impeachment, Democratic leadership has emphasized that the party’s focus is on Biden’s agenda rather than on Trump’s malfeasance.“We’re not looking backward. We’re looking forward to the inauguration of Joe Biden on January 20th,” said House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries during a press conference Monday.The strategy is informed by the reality that Trump’s complaints have been repeatedly rebuffed by members of his own party and administration and are running out of oxygen as Biden’s inauguration draws near.There was no widespread fraud in the election, which a range of election officials across the country, as well as Trump’s former attorney general, William Barr, has confirmed. Republican governors in Arizona and Georgia, key battleground states crucial to Biden’s victory, have vouched for the integrity of the elections in their states. Nearly all the legal challenges from Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges, including two tossed by the Supreme Court, where three Trump-nominated justices preside.Biden’s team of lawyers have kept tabs on the legal challenges in the states and weighed in when they believed it was necessary. But his aides say taking on Trump every time he raises a new, baseless complaint gives the president exactly what he wants and doesn’t deserve: attention and credibility.ALSO READ: In recorded call, Trump pressures Georgia election official to 'find' votes to overturn Biden's victory“Donald Trump’s attack on our democracy has failed, and his baseless claims of voter fraud have been debunked across the board, including by dozens of courts and his own attorney general,” Bedingfield said.Trump’s next big stand comes Wednesday, when some Republicans in the House and Senate plan to protest Biden’s win as Congress formally ratifies his victory, and thousands of Trump supporters will descend on the Capitol for a march.But that show of protest faces its own challenges as even some of Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill have dismissed the move. Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, a longtime Trump supporter who may seek the White House in 2024, said in a statement that he would reject the gambit because it would “establish unwise precedents.”“Congress would take away the power to choose the president from the people, which would essentially end presidential elections and place that power in the hands of whichever party controls Congress,” Cotton said.Indeed, by avoiding engaging with Trump, Biden is also hoping to maintain the opportunity for bipartisanship in the new Congress, which he's repeatedly emphasized will be key to his hopes of getting anything done. Going after Trump too aggressively could further politicize his presidency before it even begins.But some Democrats warn that there are risks to staying above the fray.Jim Manley, a former longtime Senate Democratic leadership aide, said the party's failure to take on Trump's recent moves could set the tone for Biden’s presidency and beyond.“The risk is that it affirms for not only future presidents, but also Republicans in the House and the Senate, that there are no consequences for breaking the rules,” he said. “The fear is that doing nothing will embolden Republicans, some of whom were teetering on the edge of sedition to ramp up their efforts to undermine Biden’s presidency.”Trump has indicated he has no plans to go away quietly, floating a possible 2024 run, blanketing social media with incendiary posts and threatening Republicans who break with his complaints about the election results. He's certain to continue to marshal his sizable base in support of his post-presidential plans — or in opposition to Biden's.And while Democrats on Capitol Hill publicly emphasize the need to stay focused on Biden's proposals, they privately express concerns about the tone they say Republicans are setting for the Biden presidency by protesting the certification of his win.According to Democratic strategist Andrew Feldman, the prospect of continued obstruction from Republicans and complaints about the legitimacy of Biden's presidency make it all the more important that Biden stay laser-focused on enacting his agenda even in the middle of the political din.“The Republicans aren’t going to let up here. We’re going to be dealing with a narrative for the next four years about Biden being an illegitimate president,” he said. “We are going to have to combat that — not only with messaging, but with real results that help the American people.”

Why Joe Biden is largely mum on Donald Trump's effort to reverse election - EXPLAINED

Biden and his team have offered a muted response to Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, which reached a new level this past weekend when he pressured Georgia's Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to flip the state in his favor.

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UK's newest Mahatma Gandhi statue unveiled in Manchester (Representational Image)A new statue of Mahatma Gandhi, described as a gift to the UK city of Manchester, was unveiled amid fanfare on Friday. The 9-foot high, 800 kg bronze statue, created by well-known Indian artist Ram V Sutar, marks one of the tallest sculptures of the Father of the Nation outside India. It is part of the Mahatma Gandhi Statue Project, an initiative of Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur UK (SRMD), a worldwide spiritual movement related Shrimad Rajchandraji – Gandhi’s spiritual mentor.“The statue of Gandhi will celebrate the universal power of his message. A statue in Manchester will ensure that the heart of our politics and democracy can all be inspired with his ethos,” SRMD UK said in a statement.The group said that it had been inspired by the city's unique civic pride which displayed the values of non-violence and compassion following the 2017 Islamic State claimed terrorist attack during a concert at Manchester Arena.“We are inspired by the people of Manchester for their strength, decency and community in the face of this unparalleled tragedy,” the statement noted.The cost of the statue, installed outside Manchester Cathedral in the city’s Medieval Quarter, was sponsored by the Indian-origin Kamani Family in memory of their grandfather Bhanji Khanji Kamani.The artist, Ram V Sutar, is the sculptor who designed the Statue of Unity, the world’s tallest sculpture, in Gujarat.The project, supported by Manchester Cathedral, Manchester City Council, the Manchester India Partnership and the High Commission of India in London, marks part of ongoing initiatives across the UK to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi.Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This statue of Mahatma Gandhi, a leader who tirelessly championed the power of peaceful protest, will find a welcome home in Manchester.“In the turbulent times we live in, his legacy of peace is one we can all appreciate and reflect on,” he said.The statue, the latest addition to a number of Gandhi statues across the UK, was planned considering the location, scale in the context of the space and ensuring there will be necessary pedestrian and disabled access, the organisers said.Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport and chair of the Manchester India Partnership, said: “The unveiling of this statue is the latest example of the ‘living bridge’ that exists between Greater Manchester and India. A huge amount of work has gone into forging closer ties between the two since the formation of the Manchester India Partnership 18 months ago.“It is a welcome addition to our city and is sure to prove popular with everyone who visits the city centre in the years ahead.”During a 1931 visit to the UK, Gandhi had visited the textile mills in Lancashire, travelling from London to Blackburn via Manchester, to meet with mill workers and explain the Indian perspective on the boycott of British goods that was damaging their Cottage industry.During this visit, Gandhi attracted large crowds of admirers and received a warm welcome. The new sculpture harks back to that history and association between Gandhi and the city of Manchester.There were some student groups who had protested against the statue with a “Gandhi Must Fall” campaign because of his “well-documented anti-black racism and complicity in the British Empire’s actions in Africa”.The University of Manchester Students’ Union issued an open letter to Manchester City Council last month seeking a reconsideration of the decision.However, the unveiling ceremony on Monday went ahead without incident, with invited guests including Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, and senior figures from the High Commission of India in the UK, who were all welcomed by the head of SRMD UK, Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshbhai. Also Read: Lahore as bad as Delhi on the pollution front: Imran KhanAlso Read: China sets tougher guidelines to protect patents, copyrights

UK's newest Mahatma Gandhi statue unveiled in Manchester

The 9-foot high, 800 kg bronze statue, created by well-known Indian artist Ram V Sutar, marks one of the tallest sculptures of the Father of the Nation outside India.

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US troops will stay in Afghanistan to evacuate Americans: Joe Biden.President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that he is committed to keeping US troops in Afghanistan until every American is evacuated, even if that means maintaining a military presence there beyond his Aug. 31 deadline for withdrawal.He also pushed back against criticism that the U.S. should have done more to plan for the evacuation and withdrawal, which has been marked by scenes of violence and chaos as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced.In an interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, Biden said the U.S. will do “everything in our power” to evacuate Americans and U.S. allies from Afghanistan before the deadline.Pressed repeatedly on how the administration would help Americans left in the nation after Aug. 31, Biden said, “If there’s American citizens left, we’re gonna stay till we get them all out.”Up to 15,000 Americans remain in Afghanistan after the Taliban took full control of the nation last weekend.Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier Wednesday that the U.S. military does not have the forces and firepower in Afghanistan to expand its current mission from securing the Kabul airport to collecting Americans and at-risk Afghans elsewhere in the capital and escorting them for evacuation.The question of whether those seeking to leave the country before Biden’s deadline should be rescued and brought to the airport has arisen amid reports that Taliban checkpoints have stopped some designated evacuees.I don’t have the capability to go out and extend operations currently into Kabul,” Austin said. “And where do you take that? How far do you extend into Kabul, and how long does it take to flow those forces in to be able to do that?”Austin, a retired four-star Army general who commanded forces in Afghanistan, spoke at his first Pentagon news conference since the Taliban swept to power in Kabul on Sunday.He said the State Department was sending more consular affairs officers to speed up the processing of evacuees.“We’re not close to where we want to be” in terms of the pace of the airlift, Austin said.He said he was mainly focused on the airport, which faced “a number of threats” that must be monitored.“We cannot afford to either not defend that airfield or not have an airfield that’s secure, where we have hundreds or thousands of civilians that can access the airfield,” he said, adding that talks with the Taliban were continuing to ensure safe passage for those evacuating.Austin said there were about 4,500 U.S. troops at the airport, maintaining security to enable the State Department-run evacuation operation that has been marked by degrees of chaos and confusion.Biden, however, told ABC that there wasn’t anything his administration could have done to avoid such chaos.“The idea that somehow, there’s a way to have gotten out without chaos ensuing, I don’t know how that happens,” he said.Senior U.S. military officers were talking to Taliban commanders in Kabul about checkpoints and curfews that have limited the number of Americans and Afghans able to enter the airport.John Kirby, the chief Pentagon spokesman, said that over 24 hours about 2,000 people, including 325 American citizens, had left aboard 18 flights by U.S. Air Force C-17 transport planes. The number of departing Air Force flights was likely to be similar in the coming 24 hours, Kirby said, although he said he could not estimate how many people they would carry.He said the administration was considering its options for dealing with a separate but related problem — the abandonment by Afghan security forces of an array of military equipment, weapons and aircraft that have fallen into the hands of the Taliban or other militant groups.“We don’t, obviously, want to see our equipment in the hands of those who would act against our interests or the interests of the Afghan people and increase violence and insecurity inside Afghanistan,” Kirby said. “There are numerous policy choices that can be made, up to and including destruction.” He said those decisions had not yet been made.Kirby said several hundred more U.S. troops were expected to arrive at the airport by Thursday.An Air Force unit arrived overnight that specializes in rapidly setting up and maintaining airfield operations, Kirby said. And he said Marines trained in evacuation support have continued to arrive and will assist in getting civilians onto flights.The top Republicans in the House and Senate, Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Sen. Mitch McConnell, asked Biden on Wednesday for a classified briefing with the “gang of eight” — the top Democrats and Republicans on the committees with jurisdiction over foreign affairs as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, McCarthy and McConnell.McCarthy and McConnell said they want a briefing on the number of Americans still in Afghanistan and the plans to evacuate those outside of Kabul. Their letter prompted Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill to tweet that she had already requested such a meeting. 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US troops could stay longer in Afghanistan to evacuate Americans: Joe Biden

He also pushed back against criticism that the U.S. should have done more to plan for the evacuation and withdrawal, which has been marked by scenes of violence and chaos as thousands attempted to flee while the Taliban advanced.

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Al Jazeera reporter killed in West Bank clashA journalist for Al-Jazeera was shot and killed while covering an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank town of Jenin early on Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said. It said Shireen Abu Akleh, a well-known Palestinian female reporter for the broadcaster's Arabic language channel, was shot and died soon afterward. Another Palestinian journalist working for the Jerusalem-based Al-Quds newspaper was wounded but in stable condition.The health ministry said the reporters were hit by Israeli fire.In video footage of the incident, Abu Akleh can be seen wearing a blue flak jacket clearly marked with the word “PRESS.”The Israeli military said its forces came under attack with heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin, and that they fired back.The military said it is “investigating the event and looking into the possibility that the journalists were hit by the Palestinian gunmen.”Israel has carried out near-daily raids in the occupied West Bank in recent weeks amid a series of deadly attacks inside Israel, many of them carried out by Palestinians from in and around Jenin. The town, and particularly its refugee camp, has long been known as a militant bastion.Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want the territory to form the main part of their future state. Nearly 3 million Palestinians live in the territory under Israeli military rule. Israel has built more than 130 settlements across the West Bank that are home to nearly 500,000 Jewish settlers, who have full Israeli citizenship.Israelis have long been critical of Al-Jazeera's coverage, but authorities generally allow its journalists to operate freely. Another Al-Jazeera reporter, Givara Budeiri, was briefly detained last year during a protest in Jerusalem and treated for a broken hand, which her employer blamed on rough treatment by police.Relations between Israeli forces and the media, especially Palestinian journalists, is strained. A number of Palestinian reporters have been wounded by rubber-coated bullets or tear gas while covering demonstrations in the West Bank.A Palestinian journalist in Gaza was shot and killed by Israeli forces while filming violent protests along the Gaza frontier in 2018.In November of that year, Associated Press reporter Rashed Rashid was covering a protest near the Gaza frontier when he was shot in the left ankle, apparently by Israeli fire. Rashid was wearing protective gear that clearly identified him as a journalist, and was standing with a crowd of other journalists some 600 meters (660 yards) away from the Israeli border when he was hit. The military has never acknowledged the shooting.During last year's war between Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers, an Israeli airstrike destroyed the building in Gaza City housing the offices of The Associated Press and Al-Jazeera. Residents were warned to evacuate and no one was hurt in the strike. Israel said Hamas was using the building as a command center but has provided no evidence.Also Read | Russia-Ukraine war: Fox News video journalist killed in Kyiv after vehicle struck

Al-Jazeera reporter Abu Akleh killed during Israeli raid in West Bank

The Israeli military said its forces came under attack with heavy gunfire and explosives while operating in Jenin, and that they fired back.

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The White House has said the US military will send additional forces to Afghanistan to protect the US and coalition forces during the withdrawal.The White House has said the US military will send additional forces to Afghanistan to protect the US and coalition forces during the withdrawal.White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One that "a drawdown is underway," saying that the US military would deploy additional military assets to Afghanistan and the region to cover the withdrawal, Xinhua reported."Elements of an Army Ranger Task Force will temporarily deploy to Afghanistan to assist with the force protection of forces on the ground as we initiate withdrawal operations," she noted.Jean-Pierre also said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had directed that a carrier strike group would provide sustained additional force protection capabilities in the region throughout the withdrawal."While these actions will initially result in increased forces levels, we remain committed to having all US military personnel out of Afghanistan by September 11, 2021," she added.The Pentagon last week said that B-52 bombers and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier will deploy to the region to protect U.S. and coalition forces as they withdraw from Afghanistan.Citing defense officials, CNN reported that fewer than 100 troops and military equipment had been pulled out of the country largely by aircraft to implement the withdrawal order announced by President Joe Biden earlier this month.The US State Department on Tuesday ordered non-essential staff to leave the US Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. US Charge d'Affaires to Afghanistan Ross Wilson tweeted that the departure was approved "in light of increasing violence & threat reports in Kabul."Biden previously announced the withdrawal would begin on May 1, the deadline date for a full U.S. withdrawal under an agreement reached between the former Donald Trump administration and the Afghan Taliban.The Taliban had warned of consequences if the Biden administration fails to follow through that deadline.There are roughly 3,500 US troops in Afghanistan, and about 7,000 NATO troops in the country rely on US logistics and security support.Also Read: US President Biden announces complete troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

US to deploy additional forces to Afghanistan as withdrawal underway

The White House has said the US military will send additional forces to Afghanistan to protect the US and coalition forces during the withdrawal.

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Investigators sort debris found on the waters off Java Island around where a Sriwijaya Air passenger jet crashed, at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta, IndonesiaSaturday’s plane crash in Indonesia, in which a Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 carrying 62 people plunged into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff, has once again cast the limelight on the safety of the country’s aviation industry.Indonesia’s aviation record is one of the worst in Asia, with more civilian airliner passenger accidents since 1945 than any other country in the region. Past accidents have been attributed to poor pilot training, mechanical failures, air traffic control issues and poor aircraft maintenance.While experts say there have been many improvements in recent years, the latest crash has experts questioning the true progress of Indonesia’s aviation oversight and regulation.It’s due to a combination of economic, social and geographical factors.In the early years of Indonesia’s aviation boom, after the fall of Suharto in the late 1990s opened the economy following decades of dictatorships, there was little regulation or oversight of the industry.Low-cost air carriers flooded the market, enabling flying to become a common way for many to travel across the vast archipelago nation, which has many areas that still lack efficient or safe transportation infrastructure.ALSO READ | Indonesia plane crash: Body parts, debris found at Sriwijaya Air flight crash siteAccording to data from the Aviation Safety Network, Indonesia has had 104 civilian airliner accidents with over 1,300 related fatalities since 1945, ranking it as the most dangerous place to fly in Asia.The United States banned Indonesian carriers from operating in the country from 2007 to 2016 because they were “deficient in one or more areas, such as technical expertise, trained personnel, record-keeping or inspection procedures.” The European Union had a similar ban from 2007 until 2018.Yes, they have.“Engagement with the industry has significantly improved and oversight has become more rigorous,” aviation expert and editor-in-chief of AirlineRatings.com Geoffrey Thomas told The Associated Press.That includes more frequent inspections, stronger regulation of maintenance facilities and procedures, and better pilot training, he said.The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted Indonesia a Category 1 rating in 2016, meaning it determined that the country complied with International Civil Aviation Organization safety standards.It’s too soon to tell. Experts said there could be several reasons, including human error, the plane’s condition and poor weather in Jakarta, where the plane departed from.Fishermen in the vicinity of the crash said they heard an explosion, followed by debris and fuel surrounding their boat. But heavy rain impaired their vision and they were unable to see much more.ALSO READ | Indonesia's Sriwijaya Air flight disappears minutes after take-off from Jakarta | What we know so farSriwijaya Air has had only minor incidents in the past, though a farmer was killed in 2008 when one of its planes went off the runway while landing due to a hydraulic issue.The airline’s president director, Jefferson Irwin Jauwena, said the plane that crashed, which was 26 years old and previously used by airlines in the United States, was airworthy. He told reporters that the plane had previously flown on the same day.But experts said an investigation is needed to determine whether the plane was in fact fit to fly.Officials said they located the wreckage site and the plane’s black boxes on Sunday. Authorities are currently working to retrieve the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the sea. Materials pulled from water, including the black boxes, could provide some insight into what happened.But the investigation could take weeks, likely months, said Indonesian aviation consultant Gerry Soejatman.Indonesia is expected to lead the investigation, with international observers typically welcomed as well. There should be an interim report from Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee within a month, Soejatman said.“The analysis will start with that report,” he said.ALSO READ | Indonesia Plane Crash: Boeing responds to Sriwijaya Air flight crash

EXPLAINER: Why is Indonesia prone to plane crashes?

Indonesia’s aviation record is one of the worst in Asia, with more civilian airliner passenger accidents since 1945 than any other country in the region.

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World is at war with coronavirus: Donald Trump on COVID-19 pandemic The world is at war with the invisible army of the new coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said and asserted that we will win. The president repeated the expression multiple times on Tuesday, telling the nation that he was using all available resources to combat the challenge posed by the virus that has so far killed at least 100 people in the US and over 7,000 globally. "The world is at war with a hidden enemy. WE WILL WIN!" Trump tweeted in the afternoon. "We have to get rid of this, we have to win this war and ideally quickly," he told reporters at a White House news conference. Trump referred to the fight against the COVID-19 as a "war" again at a meeting with CEOs of the tourism industry.The world is at war with the invisible army of the new coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said and asserted that we will win. The president repeated the expression multiple times on Tuesday, telling the nation that he was using all available resources to combat the challenge posed by the virus that has so far killed at least 100 people in the US and over 7,000 globally."The world is at war with a hidden enemy. WE WILL WIN!" Trump tweeted in the afternoon."We have to get rid of this, we have to win this war and ideally quickly," he told reporters at a White House news conference."We have to help the airline industry. It wasn't their fault. So we are adding it up. It will be fine. It will come back very quickly once we are finished with our war with the virus," he said."We know your industry is among the hardest hit by the economic impact of the virus. Our goal is to beat the virus and we will. We call it the hidden virus, the hidden enemy, with aggressive action now so that we can rebound stronger than ever before and that is what we are doing and everyone is cooperating," the President said.Earlier in the day, he told reporters at the White House: "We have to fight that invisible enemy, I guess unknown, but we are getting to know it a lot better."Trump asserted that his administration would knock this enemy out. "We have to knock out this enemy. This is a really tough enemy. We have to knock out this, and we will have an economy--I actually think will have an economy like we've never had before. It's all pent-up," he said in response to a question.The city of New York has already described it as a warlike situation. "We're getting into a situation where the only analogy is war," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said last week.Trump is not the only world leader to declare this a warlike situation. French President Emanual Macron, in an address to the nation, said, "We are at war against coronavirus, an invisible enemy.""We are at war. With an enemy who is invisible, but not invincible," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a state address this week.Popular American television journalist Joe Scarborough from MSNBC said the coronavirus pandemic is more like World War II than the 9/11 terror attacks. The Wall Street Journal said a generational war is brewing against the coronavirus.At the US Capitol, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called for at least USD750 billion in federal funds to wage war against the coronavirus.ALSO READ | Consider waiving ticket cancellation charges: DGCA to international airlines amid coronavirus pandemic

World is at war with coronavirus: Donald Trump on COVID-19 pandemic

The world is at war with the invisible army of the new coronavirus, US President Donald Trump said and asserted that we will win.

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US Secretary for Defense Lloyd J Austin III speaks during a media conference after a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022.It is not in India’s best interest to continue investing in Russian military equipment, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told lawmakers on Tuesday, underscoring the American desire that New Delhi scales down its dependence on Russian military equipment.“We continue to work with them (India) to ensure that they understand that it's not in their -- we believe that -- it's not in their best interest to continue to invest in Russian equipment,” Austin told the members of the House Armed Services Committee during a Congressional hearing on the annual defence budget.“And our requirement going forward is that they downscale the types of equipment that they're investing in and look to invest more in the types of things that will make us continue to be compatible,” Austin said.The defence secretary was responding to a question from Congressman Joe Wilson, a friend of India in the Congress who, of late, has been critical of India deciding to take an independent position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.“Gruesomely, our treasured ally India, the world's largest democracy, is choosing to align itself with the Kremlin by choosing Russian weapons systems over American and allied options,” Wilson said.“What weapons platforms could we offer through the foreign military sales program that would incentivise rush -- Indian leaders to reject Putin and align with its natural allies of democracy?” he asked.The United States has the finest weapons systems in the world and the most advanced weapons systems in the world, Austin said.“So, we have a range of capabilities that we can provide or offer (to India),” said the defence secretary.“I look forward to you continuing to work with the great people of India. And what a great ally they can be if we eliminate some of the restrictions on sales,” Wilson said.READ MORE: Russia faces global outrage over bodies in Ukraine's streets 

Not in India’s best interest to continue investing in Russian military equipment: US

Austin said that the United States has the finest weapons systems in the world and the most advanced weapons systems in the world.

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North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile on Monday morning that landed in the ocean, the US military said.South Korea and Japan immediately protested the missile launch, the most recent test-firing by North Korea as it seeks to develop nuclear weapons that can reach US military bases, CNN reported.The missile was fired from an area near Wonsan, Kangwon province, towards the eastern part of the Korean Peninsula, according to a statement from South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.The missile was "assumed" to be one of the Scud series, the statement said."It flew about 450 km," the statement said. "South Korea and the US are currently closely analyzing for additional information. Our military is closely monitoring North Korean military and maintaining readiness posture."US officials said it flew for about six minutes.Japan said the missile landed within its Exclusive Economic Zone, an area of water extended 200 nautical miles from the Japanese coast."This launch is extremely problematic act for the safety of airplanes and ships and is clearly violating the UN resolution. The repeated provocative acts by North Korea is absolutely not acceptable," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said in a statement.Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said a "firm protest" was lodged with North Korea."In order to deter North Korea, we will take concrete action together with the US," he said. "We will maintain high vigilance in coordination with South Korea and the international community and take all possible measures to secure the safety of the people of Japan."South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a national security council meeting for 7:30 a.m. Monday, the South Korean statement said.Monday's missile launch was North Korea's third in just over three weeks.On May 14, North Korea fired what analysts called its most successful test ever in its quest to develop ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear warheads.That test reached an altitude of more than 2,100 km, according to North Korea. Analysts said that test gave North Korea critical information on developing a re-entry vehicle for nuclear warheads and showed Pyongyang had a missile capable of striking the US territory of Guam.(With IANS inputs)

North Korea fires yet another ballistic missile, say US and South Korea

North Korea has fired a short-range ballistic missile on Monday morning that landed in the ocean, the US military said

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Germany reports new COVID-19 cases, becomes fourth country with more than 100,000 casesCases of COVID-19 in Germany have surpassed 100,000, with more than 1,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University (RKI), the country's disease control authority. Meanwhile, the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) on Sunday called on the federal government to introduce a second aid package to support the economy, according to the German Press Agency (DPA).On March 25, German parliament approved a historic 750-billion-euro (US $810 billion) aid package to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the economy.Germany has ordered its residents to self-isolate for 2 weeks when coming from abroad from April 10.Out of a total of 70,000 killed in the pandemic, 50,215 are in Europe while, Italy is leading the global death toll with 15,877 fatalities, followed by Spain with 13,055, the United States with 9,648 and France with 8,078. 

Germany reports new COVID-19 cases, becomes fourth country with more than 100,000 cases

Cases of COVID-19 in Germany have surpassed 100,000, with more than 1,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University (RKI), the country's disease control authority.

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Seema Verma appointed key member of US COVID-19 task forceIndian-American Seema Verma has been appointed as one of the key members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump to combat the deadly disease that has claimed six lives in the country and infected over 90 others. Trump on January 30 created the coronavirus task force to lead his administration's response to the deadly virus that emerged in China and has wrecked havoc across the globe.The task force is led by Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and is coordinated through the National Security Council.In a tweet on Monday, US Vice President Mike Pence announced the appointment of Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and Robert Wilkie, Secretary for the Department of Veterans Affairs, to the task force. "The White House Coronavirus Task Force has been working every single day to ensure the health, safety & well-being of the American people," he tweeted."Today, we made good progress in combatting the spread of the Coronavirus and added key members, @SeemaCMS and @SecWilkie, to the Task Force," he said.All the six deaths in the US are from the Washington state with 43 domestic cases and 48 cases of the individuals who returned to the US, officials said on Monday. Trump along with Pence reviewed the situation at the White House on Monday with top health officials and those leaders from the pharma corporate sector who are working on either vaccine or therapeutics for the COVID-19.Responding to her appointment, Verma said that in efforts to address the potential spread of the coronavirus, it is the time for healthcare facilities to redouble their erfforts on keeping patients safe from infections of any kind."Thank you @POTUS Trump, @VP Pence, & @SecAzar for the opportunity to serve America's patients & represent the @CMSGov perspective, which focuses on enforcing essential health and safety standards in America's healthcare facilities and protecting patients," she tweeted on Monday. "As a reminder, facilities are required to comply w/ Medicare's infection control practices. For #COVID19, we encourage you to take necessary precautions, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)," she said."We at @CMSGov know that #healthcare providers & staff have their patients’ best interests at heart, & it's incredibly important that they continue following the safety guidelines laid out by CMS & the @CDCGov," she said.According to the World Health Organisation, there are 89,527 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 3,056 deaths reported globally in 67 countries.ALSO READ | First Coronavirus death in US, Trump announces travel ban affecting Iran, Italy, South KoreaALSO RAED | US pharma firms speed up work on coronavirus vaccine: Donald Trump

Indian-American appointed key member of US COVID-19 task force

Indian-American Seema Verma has been appointed as one of the key members of the White House Coronavirus Task Force constituted by US President Donald Trump to combat the deadly disease that has claimed six lives in the country and infected over 90 others.

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Representational PicChina has shut down over 4,000 websites and accounts as part of a three-month nationwide clean-up campaign targeting "harmful" information especially pornography, official media said on Saturday.The campaign was jointly launched by the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications and the State Administration of Press and Publication in May.Related Stories China rebuilt itself with money drained out of US: TrumpChina warns of 'consequences' after US sanctions over purchase of Russian jets, missilesAttend plant-based food fair in Beijing as veganism gains popularity in ChinaGoogle urges its employees to delete memo revealing its plan to launch search engine in ChinaBy the end of August, authorities nationwide amended over 120 relevant violations and ordered 230 enterprises to rectify irregularities, removing or filtering more than 147,000 pieces of harmful information, the state run Xinhua news agency quoted a statement by the two agencies as saying.The campaign, targeting content in online novels that spread improper values, vulgarity or obscenity as well as those involving copyright infringement, included measures such as relevant websites' self-checks, authorities' inspections and criminal investigations, the statement said.Such measures will be intensified in the future to ensure a healthy and clean online literature environment, said the report.   In a similar crackdown earlier this year, the Chinese officials had shut nearly 22,000 pornographic websites. Over 1.75 million items were deleted in 390 cases, the National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications had said in a statement.

China shuts down 4000 websites for pornographic content

By the end of August, authorities nationwide amended over 120 relevant violations and ordered 230 enterprises to rectify irregularities, removing or filtering more than 147,000 pieces of harmful information.

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France reports 28,530 COVID-19 deathsThe total death toll due to coronavirus has reached 28,530 in France, while hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care continued to fall, according to the official data released by the Ministry of Health. A total of 18,195 patients have died in hospitals and a further 10,335 in nursing homes and other medico-social establishments, Xinhua reported.On Tuesday, 16,264 people remained hospitalized, 534 fewer than on Monday, and 1,555 patients were treated in intensive care, 54 less than on Monday.Seventy-two per cent of the patients hospitalized in intensive care came from four regions (Ile-de-France, Grand-Est, Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes and Hauts-de-France).Since the start of the epidemic, France has confirmed 145,555 coronavirus cases. A grand total of 100,841 people have been hospitalized, including 17,807 in intensive care, while 65,879 people have recovered.(With IANS Inputs)

France reports 28,530 COVID-19 deaths

The total death toll due to coronavirus has reached 28,530 in France, while hospitalizations and the number of patients in intensive care continued to fall, according to the official data released by the Ministry of Health.

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The rollout for Moderna's booster vaccine could, however, be delayed, CNBC news quoted Anthony Fauci as saying on Sunday.  The US' booster shot campaign against Covid-19 will likely start with only the Pfizer vaccine from September 20, the country's top infectious disease expert has said.The rollout for Moderna's booster vaccine could, however, be delayed, CNBC news quoted Anthony Fauci as saying on Sunday.Although both drugmakers have applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for authorization of a third dose either six months or eight months after getting the second dose, they haven't been officially approved by the agency.Even as the approvals are pending, the Joe Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna shots."Only the Pfizer vaccine booster may get FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approval in time for a rollout the week of September 20," Fauci was quoted as saying on CBS' aceFace the Nation.""Looks like Pfizer has their data in, likely would meet the deadline," the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told CBS. "We hope that Moderna would also be able to do it, so we could do it simultaneously.""But if not, we'll do it sequentially," he continued. Aceso the bottom line is, very likely, at least part of the plan will be implemented, but ultimately the entire plan will be."He was not in favor of mixing doses and said that for people who got two doses of the Moderna vaccine, "it's better to wait" for a third Moderna dose than get a Pfizer shot, CNN reported.The booster doses of Pfizer and Moderna doses are based on CDC data that showed protection against infection waned several months after the second shot.There was good reason to believe that a third dose "will actually be durable, and if it is durable, then you're going to have very likely a three-dose regimen being the routine regimen," Fauci was quoted as saying at a briefing last week.An FDA advisory panel will review Pfizer's application for a booster on September 17, only three days before shots are supposed to start, the report said.Meanwhile, the FDA recently amended the emergency use authorizations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines to allow the administration of an additional dose to solid organ transplant recipients and other people who have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.More than 1.3 million such immunocompromised individuals have received an additional shot, according to the CDC.

Pfizer Covid booster shot likely to start by September 20 in US: Fauci

Even as the approvals are pending, the Joe Biden administration has announced plans to offer third doses to people who received the Pfizer and Moderna shots.

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Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said he will return home in the coming days from where he will declare a political stance for the first time since making a strange resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia that unleashed fears of a crisis in Lebanon.Hariri and his family met Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited the Lebanese leader to Paris to dispel fears that he was being held in Saudi Arabia against his will. Macron is seeking to calm tensions and avert a proxy conflict between Saudi-backed and Iranian-backed camps in Lebanon.Related Stories Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigns amid tensions with HezbollahSaudi should clarify why PM Saad Hariri hasn’t returned home, demands Lebanese PresidentFrance says Lebanese PM Saad Hariri accepts invitation, will come within daysLebanese PM Saad Hariri arrives in France, says he wasn’t Saudi prisoner'Will take part in I-Day celebrations in Beirut next week’: Lebanese PM tells President over phone Hariri’s appearance in Paris — looking relaxed and posing with his wife and older son on the steps of the Elysee Palace with the French presidential couple in front of a large crowd of journalists — contrasted with his limited-access, carefully choreographed appearances from Saudi Arabia.Hariri told Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Saturday that he will take part in Independence Day celebrations in Beirut on Wednesday, according to Macron’s office.After his meeting with Macron, Hariri told reporters: “God willing, I will attend Independence Day in Lebanon and will declare my political stance from Lebanon and after meeting President Michel Aoun.”“As you know I have resigned and we will talk about this matter in Lebanon,” Hariri said after thanking Macron, who he added “expressed pure friendship toward me that I will never forget.”The Independence Day ceremony is usually headed by the president, prime minister and parliament speaker, and Hariri’s presence could help calm uncertainties that have escalated since his strange and surprising resignation announcement on Nov. 4 from Saudi Arabia.However, Hariri’s political status is murky. Lebanon’s president refused to accept Hariri’s resignation, accusing the Saudis of holding him against his will.A high official in Macron’s office said Hariri’s place is first in Beirut, “which is the only place where he can hand his resignation to the Lebanese head of state.”The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with French presidential policy, found it normal that Hariri would keep any announcement about his political stance for his fellow citizens.Before leaving Riyadh, Hariri dismissed as “rumors” reports about his alleged detention in the kingdom.In his Nov. 4 televised resignation announcement, Hariri had cited Iran and Hezbollah for meddling in Arab countries, particularly Saudi Arabia. He also said he was afraid for his life.President Donald Trump on Saturday spoke with Macron about the situation in Lebanon and Syria, and both leaders agreed on the need to work with allies to counter Hezbollah and Iran’s “destabilizing activities in the region,” the White House said.Saudi Arabia on Saturday asked its citizens for the second time in less than two weeks to leave Lebanon “as soon as possible” given the “circumstances” there. That raised fears of more punitive actions to come.The French presidential official said it is essential that Lebanon be protected from “negative” foreign influences because the country needs stability and a strong state. The official didn’t name any specific nations but said Lebanon should be protected from the “dangers that regional crises can pose to it.”The Arab League is due to hold a meeting on Sunday in Cairo at Saudi Arabia’s urging where the Lebanon crisis and Iran’s role in the region are expected to be discussed.Just before leaving Saudi Arabia, Hariri met with the Saudi Crown Prince and other senior officials, according to a member of Hariri’s political party and two Lebanese television stations.Hariri landed before dawn Saturday at an airport used for private jets in Le Bourget north of Paris, and came in a convoy to his Paris residence in a high-end neighborhood, where police stood guard. Hariri frequently stays in France thanks to decades-old family ties here.Hariri held private talks with Macron and then they were joined by Hariri’s wife Lara al-Azm and elder son Hussam and Macron’s wife Brigitte for lunch.Hariri’s two younger son and daughter, Abdul-Aziz and Loulwa, remained in Saudi Arabia because they have school on Sunday, said Okab Saqr, a member of Hariri’s parliamentary bloc.The official with the French presidency said France is not worried that Hariri left two of his children in Saudi Arabia.“We have no reason to be concerned about this,” the French official said, answering questions about whether, as some have suggested, Saudi Arabia could use the children’s whereabouts to maintain pressure on Hariri.Hariri’s exact next steps after his planned visit to Lebanon are unclear. A French official said Saturday that France is offering Hariri the necessary support during this time of political turmoil in his country. The official was not authorized to be publicly named.Macron said he received Hariri “with the honors due a prime minister,” even though he has announced his resignation, since Lebanon hasn’t yet recognized it.While Macron insists that he’s not offering “exile,” Hariri’s return could be complicated by Lebanon’s internal tensions.During a phone call on Saturday morning, Macron and Aoun spoke about a return of Hariri to Lebanon that could help make Lebanese institutions “function normally again,” the French presidential official said.It’s part of a broader Macron strategy to reassert French influence in the region, while the United States under President Donald Trump is increasingly seen as unpredictable or disengaged. Macron’s office says France’s strategy is to talk to all powers in the region and not to appear as choosing a camp.

Lebanese PM Saad Hariri says he will be in Beirut within days

PM Saad Hariri and his family met Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron, who invited the Lebanese leader to Paris to dispel fears that he was being held in Saudi Arabia against his will.

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Pakistan summons Indian diplomat over ceasefire violationsPakistan on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia over unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC).The Indian diplomat was summoned by Mohammad Faisal, the Director-General (South Asia and SAARC), following Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation in Hot Spring and Chirikot sectors of the LoC, reports The Express Tribune.Two elderly civilians were killed in the firing, while a seven-year-old boy was seriously injured."Indian forces along the LoC and Working Boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars, and automatic weapons...," said a statement issued by the Foreign Office.Faisal said the violations were "a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation".He urged the Indian side to instruct its forces to respect the ceasefire and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary. The Director-General added that India should permit the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions, the statement said.ALSO READ: Jammu and Kashmir: Army Jawan martyred in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in RajouriALSO READ: Indian Army blasts Pakistani post after ceasefire violation in Rajouri, 1 Indian soldier martyredALSO READ: Pakistan violates ceasefire at LoC twice in a single day, Indian Army retaliates

Pakistan summons Indian diplomat over ceasefire violations

The Indian diplomat was summoned by Mohammad Faisal, the Director-General (South Asia and SAARC), following Sunday's unprovoked ceasefire violation in Hot Spring and Chirikot sectors of the LoC, reports The Express Tribune.

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Mic checks, the whiff of triumph: Biden narrows gap in PennsylvaniaMicrophone checks at 3 a.m. on Friday and signs of life at a parking lot-turned Joe Biden stump in Wilmington, Delaware, offer a window into the Democratic presidential nominee's camp's state of mind as barely 18,229 votes now separate him and US President Donald Trump in battleground Pennsylvania.Votes are being counted all night in this battleground, 95 per cent of the votes are in and Biden is smashing through Trump's lead as the final votes are counted.The lion's share of the final votes being counted are mail-in ballots, which shattered records this year. The next update from Philadelphia is expected any moment.Trump, watching his grasp on power in real danger, is stewing and letting it all hang out.At 2.22 a.m. EST, the President tweeted that he won, and a minute later complained that "Twitter is out of control" because the micro-blogging site labeled his post with a now familiar warning, in grey font: "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."Trump's rage has escalated as his lead has steadily evaporated in Pennsylvania, more than in any other state.Pennsylvania is do or die for Trump, not so much for Biden. The President has gone from a 675,000 lead on Wednesday to 18,000 early Friday morning.Here's how that played out.The in person votes, which typically favour Republicans, got counted first because Pennsylvania law mandated that mail-in ballots cannot be processed until Election Day.Mail-in voting has skewed heavily in Biden's favour in all states.Trump has spent months claiming, without evidence, that voting by mail is a "mess" and beset by "fraud".Democrats are hoping to pull off a victory in Pennsylvania and build back their "blue wall" here and in Wisconsin and Michigan, which Trump broke through in 2016.He won Penn State by less than a percentage point in the last election against Hillary Clinton.Biden, who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, spent the morning of election day in his boyhood home here in a working class neighbourhood.While there, he scrawled a note on a wall, in black ink: "From this house to the White House. With the grace of God."At this time, five key battlegrounds are yet to report final results: Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, Alaska, Nevada, Arizona.In Georgia, the gap between Trump and Biden is down to just 463 votes. It's been 28 years since a Democratic candidate won here in a presidential election. This is as close as it gets.

Mic checks, the whiff of triumph: Biden narrows gap in Pennsylvania

Votes are being counted all night in this battleground, 95 per cent of the votes are in and Biden is smashing through Trump's lead as the final votes are counted.

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Representational ImageThe Trump administration has introduced a new set of stringent provisions to the H-1B labour application process under which the US employers must disclose the total number of foreigners already employed by them, making it tougher to sponsor fresh foreign workers.The H-1B visa, popular among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.The new information required by the Department of Labour is significant because before sponsoring a foreign worker for the H-1B visa, the company needs to get its labour application approved by it.The department certifies that there are no domestic worker for that particular position and as such the company can hire a foreign guest worker under the H-1B visa category.The Labour Condition Application form updates will now require employers to provide more detailed information about H-1B worker employment conditions, including disclosing all places of employment for H-1B workers, including periods of short duration and providing the estimated number of H-1B workers at each place of intended employment.It also requires the clear identification of secondary entities which are using H-1B workers and seeks H-1B dependent employers which are claiming an exemption solely on the basis of education, such as a master's degree, to provide documentation of the degree.Under the new forms, employers also need to give an estimate of the the total number of foreign nationals already working at each location listed in the application. Further, revisions to the worker complaint form include added data fields designed to better describe the nature of an alleged programme violation, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.To allow appropriate time for transition, the new forms will be made available for use in the coming weeks.An announcement will be made on the Office of Foreign Labour Certification's website identifying the date when they will be made available, it said.Since 2017, the department has taken action to combat visa fraud and abuse and encouraged US workers to report complaints, including establishing protocols for promptly referring matters related to criminal fraud to the department's Office of Inspector General for investigation.It has also directed the department's Wage and Hour Division to use all its tools in conducting civil investigations to enforce labour protections provided by the visa programmes.Further it has signed an agreement with the US Department of Justice to promptly refer complaints from US workers who believe they have been discriminated against based on the nationality or citizenship.According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the form changes are the latest in a series targeting employers who place foreign nationals at third-party worksites.In a February policy memo, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) required employers to provide detailed work itineraries for the entire duration of H-1B petitions involving offsite employment. An advocacy group representing small and medium size IT companies have filed a lawsuit against USCIS on this issue."Employers should expect renewed scrutiny on where H-1B employees are working, whether they are working at third-party sites and, if so, whether the arrangement is permissible," said Justin Storch, director of regulatory affairs and judicial counsel at the Society for Human Resource Management."Given current scrutiny of H-1Bs, both petitioners and end users should be aware of what information is being disclosed on the forms and the fact that the Department of Labour is likely to make this information publicly available," Storch said. 

US makes it tougher for companies to employ fresh foreign workers under H-1B

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

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China postpones inter-Afghan peace talks: TaLIBANThe Taliban on Saturday said that China has postponed a round of inter-Afghan negotiations between the militant group and members of Afghanistan's civil society planned for October 28-29 in Beijing, in an attempt to relaunch the peace process after the US abruptly pulled out of talks with the insurgents."We are informed by Chinese government (about the delay), they asked for few days," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Efe news on Saturday.The spokesperson, who admitted to be unaware of the reason for the delay, added that they have not yet been informed of the new dates for the meeting and were waiting for more details.The 15-member Taliban delegation, led by Mullah Baradar, head of the political office of the insurgents in Qatar, were yet to leave for the conference in China, explained Mujahid.The Taliban, which a month ago sent a nine-member delegation to China, said the talks will take place within the framework of earlier negotiations in Moscow and Doha to seek a road map for peace after 18 years of war, and it will be attended by all political parties of the Afghan society, but in their official capacity.The Afghan government responded to the announcement of the meeting on Wednesday, saying it hoped that it would be a step forward in the peace process, although it had clarified that it was still discussing its participation with the Chinese authorities.In recent months, violence against civilians has increased significantly and touched record numbers between July and September.According to the latest data from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), 1,174 civilians were killed and 3,139 injured during July-September, the highest civilian casualties recorded since the mission began keeping records in 2009.ALSO READ| Taliban meet US peace envoy for first time since ‘dead’ dealALSO READ| Will play 'constructive role' in improvement of India-Pakistan ties: China

China postpones inter-Afghan peace talks: Taliban

"We are informed by Chinese government (about the delay), they asked for few days," Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid told Efe news on Saturday.

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Criticism on Pakistan army by opposition similar to Indian propaganda: PM Imran KhanPakistan PM Imran Khan on Saturday likened the language used by opposition parties to alleged Indian propaganda aimed at discrediting his country. Addressing an event in Chakwal, the Khan said, "The way the political opposition of Pakistan has attacked the Pakistan Army, this has never happened before in our history."He said former military ruler General Pervez Musharraf was also criticised but he was the country's leader as well as the army chief, "so yes of course he was criticised". "But the sort of language that is being used for the army today is the kind that India's propaganda machine uses against the army," the Dawn reported.On a recent report by the Brussels-based EU DisinfoLab regarding an alleged Indian disinformation network operating since 2005 to discredit nations in conflict with Delhi, particularly Pakistan, the PM said: "The purpose of this was to present Pakistan in a negative light in front of the world and to portray that there is chaos so that no one invests in the country.""The Pakistan Army was also targeted. India wants the army to be portrayed as a rogue army and as terrorists," the Dawn quoted Imran Khan as saying, while claiming it was also discovered that the fake sites unearthed in the investigation were promoting the Pakistan Democratic Movement, an anti-government alliance of 11 political parties.Referring to phrases like "Prime Minister-select, selected Prime Minister and selected government" that were being used by the opposition for him and the government, the PM said they were essentially accusing the army of rigging polls and ensuring the government and PM were "selected" rather than elected."So then, did you go to the Election Commission, the Supreme Court, the Parliament?" he asked while dismissing the claims by the opposition that the country’s security establishment played its part in rigging the 2018 general elections.The prime minister said that the "whole nation knew" that the leaders of opposition parties had looted the country for the past 30 years.

Criticism on Pakistan army by opposition similar to Indian propaganda: PM Imran Khan

Pakistan PM Imran Khan had likened the language used by opposition parties to alleged Indian propaganda aimed at discrediting his country. Addressing an event in Chakwal, the Khan said, "The way the political opposition of Pakistan has attacked the Pakistan Army, this has never happened before in our history."

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Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. (File Photo)The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hold public hearings in the Kulbhushan Jadhav case from February 18 to 21 next year at The Hague, a statement issued by the principal judicial organ of the United Nations said Wednesday.Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India moved the ICJ in May the same year against the verdict.A 10-member bench of the ICJ on May 18, 2017 had restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav till adjudication of the case."The hearings will be streamed live and on demand (VOD) in English and French on the Court’s website as well as on UN Web TV, the United Nations online television channel," said the press release issued by the ICJ.The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on January 23 gave a timeline to both Pakistan and India for filing another round of memorials in the case.Both India and Pakistan have already submitted their detailed pleas and responses in the world court.In its written pleadings, India had accused Pakistan of violating the Vienna Convention by not giving consular access to Jadhav arguing that the convention did not say that such access would not be available to an individual arrested on espionage charges.In response, Pakistan through its counter-memorial on December 13 told the ICJ that the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 applied only to legitimate visitors and did not cover clandestine operations.Pakistan had said that "since India did not deny that Jadhav was travelling on a passport with an assumed Muslim name, they have no case to plead."Pakistan said that India did not explain how "a serving naval commander" was travelling under an assumed name. It also stated that "since Jadhav was on active duty, it is obvious that he was a spy sent on a special mission". What Pakistan claimsPakistan says its security forces arrested Jadhav from Balochistan province in March 2016 after he reportedly entered the country from Iran.In its submission to the ICJ, Pakistan had stated that Jadhav is not an ordinary person as he had entered the country with the intent of spying and carrying out sabotage activities.India has been maintaining that the trial of Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan was "farcical".Pakistan claims that its security forces arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3, 2016 after he reportedly entered from Iran.India's stanceHowever, India maintains that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Navy. Jadhav's sentencing had evoked a sharp reaction in India.India had approached the ICJ for "egregious" violation of the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963, by Pakistan in Jadhav's case.

Kulbhushan Jadhav case to be heard by ICJ in February 2019

Jadhav, 48, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India moved the ICJ in May the same year against the verdict.

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Security forces said Sunday they had killed the last of six Taliban militants to end an overnight siege at Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel that left at least 18 people dead, including 14 foreigners. Some of the 150 guests fled the gunbattle and fire sparked by the assault by shimmying down bedsheets from the upper floors.The militants, who wore suicide vests, pinned down security forces for more than 13 hours after the attack began about 9 p.m. Saturday. The gunmen roamed the hallways and targeted foreigners and Afghan officials inside the luxury, hilltop hotel.The more than 150 people who were rescued or managed to escape included 41 foreigners, said Interior Ministry spokesman Najib Danish. Of those, 10 people were injured, including six security forces, he said.Eleven of the 14 foreigners killed were employees of KamAir, a private Afghan airline, Danish said. KamAir put out a statement saying some of its flights were disrupted because of the attack.Six of those killed were Ukrainians, said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who added that his office was working with Afghan law enforcement agencies “to clarify the circumstances of this terrorist act.”Two Venezuelan pilots for KamAir were among the dead, according to Luis Figuera. He told The Associated Press that his brother-in-law, Adelsis Ramos, was killed along with Pablo Chiossone, and that their bodies were identified by another Venezuelan pilot at a Kabul hospital.A citizen from Kazakhstan also was among the dead at the hotel, according to Anuar Zhainakov, a spokesman for the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.Afghan security officials confirmed that 34 provincial officials were at the hotel for a conference organized by the Telecommunication Ministry.Afghan officials said that also among the dead was a telecommunications official from Farah province in western Afghanistan; Waheed Poyan, the newly appointed consul general to Karachi, Pakistan; and Ahmad Farzan, an employee of the High Peace Council, a commission created to facilitate peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban and other opposition groups.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded hotel that is popular among foreigners and Afghan officials.Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgents initially planned to strike the hotel Thursday night but postponed it because a wedding was underway there and they wanted to avoid civilian casualties.The attack unfolded almost six years after Taliban insurgents launched a similar assault on the property.Mumtaz Ahmad, a provincial telecommunication employee for Helmand province, said he was walking from his room to the reception for his group on Saturday night.“When the elevator door opened, I saw two armed suicide bombers. People were escaping and the attackers were firing at them,” he said.Fire broke out in the six-story hotel as the fighting raged, filling some guest rooms with smoke. Explosions could be heard throughout the standoff. Live TV video showed people trying to escape through windows and from the upper stories as thick, black smoke poured from the building.The Interior Ministry said it is investigating how the attackers managed to enter the building. It said a private company had taken over security about three weeks ago at the hotel, which is not part of the Intercontinental chain.During a news conference, Danish said that an initial investigation showed that six insurgents entered the hotel from the northern side and stormed its kitchen. A person or persons inside the hotel might have helped the attackers gain entrance, Danish said, adding that the investigation is continuing.Two of the attackers were killed by special forces on the 6th floor of the hotel.Capt. Tom Gresback, spokesman for NATO-led forces, said in a statement that Afghan forces had led the response efforts and that no foreign troops were hurt in the attack, according to initial reports.U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the United States strongly condemns the attack, adding that Washington “stands with the government and people of Afghanistan. We remain firmly committed to supporting Afghan efforts to achieve peace, security and prosperity for their country.”Neighboring Pakistan also condemned the “brutal terrorist attack” and called for greater cooperation against militants.Afghanistan and Pakistan routinely accuse each other of failing to combat extremists on their long and porous border.Afghan forces have struggled to fight the Taliban since the U.S. and NATO formally concluded their combat mission at the end of 2014.They have also had to contend with a growing Islamic State affiliate that has carried out a number of big attacks in recent years.In other violence in Afghanistan this weekend, insurgents burst into a home in Balkh province in the north where several members of a pro-government militia were gathered late Saturday, killing 18 of them, said Gen. Abdul Razeq Qaderi, the deputy provincial police chief. Among those killed was a tribal leader who served as the local police commander, he said.In the western province of Farah, a roadside bomb early Sunday killed a deputy provincial police chief and wounded four other police, according to Gen. Mahruf Folad, the provincial police chief.The Taliban claimed both attacks.In the western province of Herat, a roadside bomb struck a vehicle carrying 13 civilians, killing all but one of them, said Abdul Ahad Walizada, a spokesman for the provincial police chief. No one immediately claimed the attack, but Walizada blamed Taliban insurgents, who often plant bombs to target Afghan security forces.

Kabul hotel attack: Afghan forces end Taliban siege, death toll reaches 18

Security forces said Sunday they had killed the last of six Taliban militants to end an overnight siege at Kabul’s Intercontinental Hotel that left at least 18 people dead, including 14 foreigners.

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Mike Pompeo with Kim Jong-UnHours after former CIA director Mike Pompeo sworn in as the 70th US Secretary of State, White House released photographs of his clandestine meeting with the Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong-Un. The meeting had taken place earlier this month ahead of the much-anticipated meeting between US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong. White House Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tweeted out two photographs of Pompeo and Kim Jong-Un, firmly gripping each other's hand in an ornate room in an undisclosed location in North Korea.​The meeting was seen by many as the beginning of diplomatic efforts to tone down the straining relations between the two warring nations.Earlier on Thursday, US President Donald Trump said that three or four possible dates were considered for his landmark summit with Kim Jong-Un.

White House releases photographs of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un meeting Mike Pompeo

Hours after Mike Pompeo swore in as the 70th US Secretary of State, White House releases photographs of his clandestine meeting with North Korean supremo Kim Jong-Un.

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Coronavirus Outbreak: Hand hygiene can reduce spread of virus at airports (Representative image)As the coronavirus disease, now officially known as COVID-19, which has claimed over 1,300 lives in China, researchers have revealed that increasing traveller engagement with proper hand hygiene at all airports has the potential to reduce the risk of a potential pandemic by 24-69 per cent.The study, published in the journal Risk Analysis, analyses the impact of implementing disease mitigation strategies at airports across the globe."Airports, and airplanes, are highly infectious because they are close, confined areas with large, mobile populations. Viruses are spread through bodily fluids, so keeping hands clean at major transport hubs is central to control spread," said study lead author Christos Nicolaides, from the University of Cyprus and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).The researchers identified 10 critical airports, central to the global air-transportation network, and if hand-washing mitigation strategies are implemented in just these ten locations, the pandemic risk can drop by up to 37 per cent.The airports include: London Heathrow, Los Angeles International, John F. Kennedy, Charles de Gaulle, Dubai International, Frankfurt, Hong Kong International, Beijing Capital, San Francisco and Amsterdam Schiphol.The study suggests that if increased hand-washing practices were instituted in 10 key there would be a significant impact on decreasing the spread of viruses.These ten airports are not just locations that see large volumes of passengers, they also connect travellers with destinations in all parts of the world.Airports also contain numerous highly contaminated surfaces that are frequently touched by travelers, including self-service check-in screens, gate bench armrests, water fountain buttons, door handles, seats and tray tables.In addition to increasing the frequency at which public areas are cleaned and sanitized, using proper coughing etiquette, wearing face masks and proper hand hygiene practices are the most common actions that can be adopted by air travellers.Currently, analyses show that, at most, one in five people have clean hands at any given moment.If hand cleanliness at all airports increased from 20 per cent to 30 per cent, by increasing the capacity and awareness of hand-washing, the impact of a potential infectious disease would have a global impact that is 24 per cent smaller.Meanwhile, chinese authorities on Thursday said the overall toll due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak in the country has reached 1,361, with 59,539 confirmed cases, after Hubei province, the epicentre of the epidemic, registered the largest one-day increase in infections and deaths.Also Read | Coronavirus: WHO gives an official name 'COVID-19' to the deadly diseaseAlso Read | China reports 254 Coronavirus deaths and 15,152 daily casesWatch | Coronavirus has impacted business, tourism in Vietnam: Envoy /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; 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Coronavirus Outbreak: Hand hygiene can reduce spread of virus

As the coronavirus disease, now officially known as COVID-19, which has claimed over 1,300 lives in China, researchers have revealed that increasing traveller engagement with proper hand hygiene at all airports has the potential to reduce the risk of a potential pandemic by 24-69 per cent.

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South Korean jets and navy ships fired a barrage of guided-missiles into the ocean during drills Thursday, a display of military power two days after North Korea test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile.The North’s ICBM launch, its most successful missile test to date, has stoked security worries in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo as it showed the country could eventually perfect a reliable nuclear missile capable of reaching anywhere in the United States. Analysts say the missile tested Tuesday could reach Alaska if launched at a normal trajectory.The live-fire drills off South Korea’s east coast were previously scheduled. In a show of force, South Korea and the United States also staged “deep strike” precision missile firing drills on Wednesday as a warning to the North.Thursday’s drills were aimed at boosting readiness against possible maritime North Korean aggression. They involved 15 warships including a 3,200-ton-class destroyer, as well as helicopters and fighter jets, South Korea’s navy said in a statement.“Our military is maintaining the highest-level of readiness to make a swift response even if a war breaks out today,” said Rear Adm. Kwon Jeong Seob, who directed the drills, according to the statement.After the ICBM launch, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would never put his weapons programs up for negotiation unless the United States abandoned its hostile policy toward the North. Kim’s statement suggested he will order more missile and nuclear tests until his country develops a functioning ICBM that can place the entire U.S. within its striking distance.In a U.N. Security Council session Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said the launch “is a clear and sharp military escalation” and the United States is prepared to use its “considerable military forces” to defend itself and its allies “if we must.” She said the U.S. administration prefers “not to go in that direction,” but to use its “great capabilities in the area of trade” to address “those who threaten us and ... those who supply the threats.”Speaking in Berlin before the Group of 20 summit, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday that the world should look at tougher sanctions against the North and insisted the problem must be solved peacefully.The missile launch was a direct rebuke to President Donald Trump’s earlier declaration on Twitter that such a test “won’t happen!” and to Moon, who was pushing to improve strained ties with the North.The U.N. Security Council could impose additional sanctions on North Korea, but it’s not clear they would stop it from pursuing its nuclear and missile programs since the country is already under multiple rounds of U.N. sanctions for its previous weapon tests.  

South Korea fires missiles in drills amid standoff with North

South Korean jets and navy ships fired a barrage of guided-missiles into the ocean during drills Thursday, a display of military power two days after North Korea test-launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

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New Taliban govt won't be currently allowed to access loans, other resources: IMFThe International Monetary Fund on Thursday said that the new Taliban government in Afghanistan will not at the current time be allowed to access loans or other resources from the 190-nation lending organisation.The Taliban have seized power in Afghanistan two weeks before the US was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war. The insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, as Afghan security forces trained and equipped by the U.S. and its allies melted away.In a statement Wednesday, the IMF said it would be guided by the views of the international community."There is currently a lack of clarity within the international community regarding recognition of a government in Afghanistan, as a consequence of which the country cannot access SDRs or other IMF resources," it said. SDRs are special drawing rights which serve as a reserve that IMF member countries can tap into to meet payment obligations.READ MORE: India should be 'open-minded' about dealing with the Taliban: Yashwant Sinha /* .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'); 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New Taliban govt won't be currently allowed to access loans, other resources: IMF

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday said that the new Taliban government in Afghanistan will not at the current time be allowed to access loans or other resources from the 190-nation lending organisation.

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Residents look from a hill as the lava from a volcano eruption flows on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain.A volcano in Spain’s Canary Islands continued to produce explosions and spew out lava Friday, five days after it erupted, authorities said.Loud bangs unnerved local people and sent shock waves echoing across the hillsides. The explosions around the volcano’s mouth hurled molten rock and ash over a wide expanse. As a precaution, emergency services pulled back from the area.Regional airline Binter temporarily halted flights due to a huge ash cloud. The lava has destroyed almost 400 buildings on La Palma, including many homes, on the western side of the island of 85,000 people, a European Union monitoring program said.It said the lava stretches over 180 hectares (almost 20,000 square feet) and has blocked 14 kilometers (9 miles) of roads. Islanders make a living mostly from farming and tourism, and some may lose their livelihoods.The government of la Palma island said officials had recorded 1,130 quakes in the area over the past week as the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge shook with blasts of lava.On a visit to La Palma, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a package of measures to help get the island back on its feet and “rebuild lives.”The Spanish government will provide aid for rebuilding homes and public infrastructures, such as roads, irrigation networks and schools, as well as relaunching the island’s tourism industry, Sánchez said. He did not say how much money would be made available, but said a Cabinet meeting next week would provide more details.The blasts are sending ash up to 4,500 meters (almost 15,000 feet) into the air, the Guardia Civil police force said in a tweet. Local authorities advised people to protect themselves from the ash with face masks.Two rivers of lava continued to slide slowly down the hillside, with experts doubting whether they would cover the remaining 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) to the sea due to their slowing progress.One of the molten rock flows has almost ground to a halt and a second one is moving at between 4 and 5 meters an hour, the Guardia Civil said.Both are at least 10 meters (33 feet) high at their leading edge and are destroying houses, farmland and infrastructure in their path. Scientists say the lava flows could last for weeks or months.Authorities haven’t reported any casualties from the eruption. Scientists had been monitoring the volcanic activity and had warned of a possible eruption, allowing almost 7,000 people to be evacuated in time.ALSO READ | Spain: Volcano erupts on Atlantic island; lava threatens some homes  

Spanish island volcano still rumbling 5 days after eruption

The blasts are sending ash up to 4,500 meters (almost 15,000 feet) into the air, the Guardia Civil police force said in a tweet. Local authorities advised people to protect themselves from the ash with face masks.

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Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday it has detained 201 people as part of a sweeping probe, estimating that $100 billion has been misused through embezzlement and corruption in the past decades.Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement that 208 people had been called in for questioning since Saturday evening, and that seven people were released without charge, leaving 201 people still in detention."The potential scale of corrupt practices which have been uncovered is very large," he said, adding that based on investigations over the past three years, at least $100 billion has been misused through corruption and embezzlement over several decades.Critics and observers say the purge that has targeted dozens of top princes, officials, military officers and businessmen is a power grab by the crown prince to sideline potential rivals and critics.Among those detained earlier are billionaire Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal and two of the late King Abdullah's sons, including Prince Miteb who until Saturday had headed the powerful National Guard before he was ousted and detained.The government, however, has declined to name the individuals being questioned, saying it is respecting their privacy during this phase of the process.An estimated 1,700 bank accounts have been frozen belonging to individuals. Al-Mojeb confirmed that action was taken to suspend personal bank accounts, but did not disclose any figures. The government has stressed that only personal banks have been frozen, leaving companies and businesses so far untouched.For years, Saudis have complained of rampant corruption and misuse of public funds by top officials in a system where nepotism is also widespread.

'$100 billion embezzled': Saudi Arabia detains 201 in anti-corruption drive

Saudi Attorney General Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement that 208 people had been called in for questioning since Saturday evening, and that seven people were released without charge, leaving 201 people still in detention.

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Canada issues ban on entry for Putin, nearly 1000 Russian nationalsCanada has announced a ban on entry for Russian President Vladimir Putin and some 1,000 Russian nationals over the conflict in Ukraine, Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino said on Tuesday."In the face of the Putin regime's brutal attack, Canada stands with Ukraine and we will hold Russia accountable for its crimes," Mendicino said. "That's why we just announced that we're banning roughly 1,000 Russians - including Putin and his accomplices - from entering Canada," he added. Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made a surprise visit to Ukraine amid Russia's war on the country.Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne and Irpin Mayor Olexander Markushyn announced Trudeau's visit to Irpin, which had been damaged by Russia's attempt to take Kyiv at the start of the war.Markushyn posted images of Trudeau on social media, saying that the Canadian leader was shocked by the damage he saw at civilian homes.Trudeau is the latest Western leader to come to Ukraine to offer their support to the country.His office later confirmed the visit, saying in a statement “the prime minister is in Ukraine to meet with President Zelenskyy and reaffirm Canada's unwavering support for the Ukrainian people.(With inputs from agencies)Also Read | Ukraine withdraws from negotiation process, alleges Russia; says peace talks on hold

Russia Ukraine War: Canada announces ban on entry for Putin, nearly 1000 Russian nationals

Earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made a surprise visit to Ukraine amid Russia's war on the country.

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Afghan economy can't withstand US aid cut, COVID-19 impactThe Afghan economy cannot withstand the $1 billion aid cut by the US and the financial pressures originating coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey. The survey conducted by the Kabul-based Biruni Institute warned that if the Afghan government adopts austerity and a cost reduction policy, the country's economic growth rate will slump by 10 per cent, TOLO News said in a report on Thursday."If the government decides to apply an austerity policy in the face of an outbreak of coronavirus, and reduce the budget by $1 billion, the economic growth rate will slump by 11 percent," said Omar Joya, a researcher of Biruni Institute.According to economic researchers, the dependency of Afghanistan on foreign aid makes the country very vulnerable to the policies of donor nations."In case $1 billion is reduced, the results will be devastating, because today, in view of of the coronavirus, we need incentives and financial packages to fight the pandemic, not reduction in aid or contraction," said Nazeer Kabiri, the head of Biruni Institute.Currently, over 50 percent of the national budget is being paid by the foreign donors, and of that 37 percent is paid by the US.But the Afghan Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy hit back at these predictions and called them premature judgments on the economic growth rate of the country in the view of the COVID-19 outbreak and the aid reduction, TOLO News reported."It will have an impact on the trade and business activities, but the inter-ministerial committees are working to tackle these issues," said Shamroz Khan Masjidi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Finance."The Afghan economy at this juncture is more vulnerable compared to the region and world economies," said Mohammad Younus Salek, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economy.On Monday, the US State Department had announced that due to the Afghan leadership's failure to form an inclusive government, Washington has decided to reduce assistance to Afghanistan by $1 billion this year.On February 18, Afghanistan's Election Commission declared Ghani winner of the presidential election nearly five months after the voting, but his rival Abdullah disputed the result.Ghani and Abdullah both took oath as President of Afghanistan on March 9. As of Friday, a total of 94 people have been infected by the COVID-19 virus in Afghanistan, while four have died. 

Afghan economy can't withstand US aid cut, COVID-19 impact

The Afghan economy cannot withstand the $1 billion aid cut by the US and the financial pressures originating coronavirus pandemic, according to a survey.

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Muslim leaders in US are worried over the planned anti-Shariah marches to be organised  in Seattle and about two-dozen other US cities on Saturday.Terming these marches as “anti-Muslim”, the Muslim leaders point out that the recent anti-Muslim crimes in America are part of an alarming trend that came to the forefront in last year’s presidential election with far-right activists portraying Islam — and all Muslims — as a threat.“Our Muslim community is feeling a tremendous amount of stress and pressure,” said former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, who plans to attend a counter-rally Saturday.“It’s important for local leaders to express solidarity and make clear we stand against bigotry, against racism and with our Muslim neighbours in the state and beyond,” he added. Recently, inside a mosque in the college town of Eugene, a half-dozen men prostrated themselves on a carpet while another man led the midday prayers. Over their melodic recitation came a tapping sound as a locksmith installed higher-grade locks on the front door.The worshippers at the Eugene Islamic Center are worried about their security. A man recently appeared outside the mosque and threatened to kill Muslims.Barely two weeks later, an assailant stabbed two men to death and wounded a third on a commuter train in Portland, 110 miles (180 kilometers) to the north. The victims were trying to protect two teenage girls, one of whom was wearing a hijab, as the man shouted anti-Islamic slurs.These incidents have created further fear in minds of US Muslims ahead of Saturday’s anti-sharia rallies.The group organizing the rallies, ACT for America, has chapters around the country and says it is focused on fighting terrorism and promoting national security. It says it condemns bias against religious groups and is “proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with peaceful Western Muslims as well as peaceful Muslims worldwide.”Yet many Muslims and others say the group promotes a distorted and prejudiced view of Islam.ACT for America activists portray Shariah as largely incompatible with American democracy and often warn of a stealth effort to replace U.S. law with Islamic law. Muslims call the claims ludicrous and say Islamic law plays a role similar to Jewish law, as a guide to religious life rooted in the Quran.Aneelah Afzali, who heads a Seattle-area group that works against discrimination and hate crimes, said she will be putting up an “ask a Muslim booth” near Seattle’s anti-Shariah rally, “so people can ask questions directly about Islam, and we can counter conspiracy theories, accusations and lies that come from that hate rally.”She said she has noticed increased hostility toward Muslims, evidenced by the destruction of a granite sign in front of the mosque she attends in Everett, Washington, by someone apparently wielding a sledgehammer. A temporary sign was destroyed a few weeks later.“What was so beautiful was the outpouring of community support,” she said, explaining that many community and business leaders showed up for a ceremony and left their handprints in the concrete base that holds the new sign.Two far-right groups, the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters, are to provide security at some of the rallies, apparently the first simultaneous anti-Shariah rallies in the U.S. Members of a third group also confirmed they’ll attend, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups.“With the recruitment of anti-government groups and the Proud Boys, the potential for violence increases,” the center said.The marches come amid a rise in reports of anti-Muslim incidents in the U.S., including arson attacks and vandalism at mosques, harassment of women wearing Muslim head-coverings and bullying of Muslim schoolchildren.“Things happen so fast, it’s so hard to keep up,” said Ibrahim Hooper, communications director for the Council on Islamic-American Relations.Muslim leaders hear echoes of the views of groups like ACT for America in President Donald Trump’s temporary ban on entry into the U.S. from six Muslim-majority countries — a measure currently blocked by federal courts — and in his claims of dangers posed by immigrants and Muslim refugees. Trump has said his policies are critical for protecting national security.Those who attend the Eugene Islamic Center, in an off-white building in a lower-income neighborhood, are still coming to grips with the May 10 threat from a man who was arrested the next day while carrying a knife.Mosque member Drew Williams said the man claimed to have killed Muslims while serving in the military in Iraq and told witnesses, “I have no problem killing you.” The man was charged with intimidation, menacing and harassment.“Many people are worried and saddened and very shocked, but we still hope to be able to practice and to be part of the Eugene community,” Williams said as the locksmith worked next to him.Besides installing stronger locks, the mosque is raising funds to erect a fence around the building and possibly hire a security guard for Friday prayers, when the number of worshippers peaks.(With AP inputs)

Muslim leaders in US worried over anti-Sharia rallies tomorrow

Terming these marches as “anti-Muslim”, the Muslim leaders point out that the recent anti-Muslim crimes in America are part of an alarming trend that came to the forefront in last year’s presidential election .

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Brazillian Prez's press secretary tests positive for COVID-19; met Trump, Mike Pence two days back A Brazilian official who met US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, just days ago, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).The Brazil government confirmed on Thursday that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's press secretary, Fabio Wajngarten, has tested positive for the coronavirus, Xinhua reported.Wajngarten accompanied Bolsonaro on a trip to the United States over the weekend, where he met with Trump, Pence and other White House officials at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.Bolsonaro's medical team "is adopting all the preventive measures necessary" to ensure the president and his delegation on the trip, as well as other aides, are in good health, the government said, adding it had notified US officials about Wajngarten.The White House said on Thursday that Trump and Pence had no plans to undergo testing. Earlier in the day, Bolsonaro cancelled his attendance at an event in Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte state, reportedly due to concerns over the pandemic.ALSO READ | Grand Princess extends stay at Oakland as more people test positive 

Brazillian Prez's press secretary tests positive for COVID-19; met Trump, Mike Pence two days back

A Brazilian official who met US President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, just days ago, has tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

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5 killed, 4 injured in clash over land dispute in northwest PakistanAt least five people were killed and four others injured in a clash between two rival groups over a land dispute in northwest Pakistan on Friday, police said. The incident occurred at Azam Warsak area in South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Two groups of Zalikhel tribals clashed over a disputed land and started firing. Five people were killed and four others sustained bullet wounds in the firing, police said.To control the situation, paramilitary Frontier Corps force and police were deployed in the area, they said. Also Read: Gurdwara Nankana Sahib 'untouched and undamaged': Pak govtAlso Read: Won't let Sikhs live in Nankana Sahib, angry mob shouts outside gurdwara | VIDEO

5 killed, 4 injured in clash over land dispute in northwest Pakistan

Two groups of Zalikhel tribals clashed over disputed land and started firing. Five people were killed and four others sustained bullet wounds in the firing, police said.

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2 dead, 317 injured in celebratory gunfire for Assad. At least two people were killed and 317 others injured during celebratory gunfire in Syria marking President Bashar al-Assad's re-election to a fourth term, a war monitor reported on Saturday.The casualties resulted from celebratory shots fired randomly by Assad's supporters in several areas including the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, dpa news agency quoted the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.The two who died were a young man and a child in Aleppo, the observatory said.Assad was re-elected for a fourth seven-year term with 95.1 per cent of the ballots in the election in government-held areas and dismissed by the opposition as a sham.Three contenders, including Assad, ran in Wednesday's polls, Syria's second presidential election since the country's civil war started in 2011.The election was condemned as fraudulent by Syria's opposition as well as countries such as the US, the UK, France, Germany and Italy.Assad won 88.7 per cent of votes in the 2014 election, which was Syria's first with multiple candidates.With the help of Iran and Russia, Assad has retaken control of more than 60 per cent of the country.The rebels still hold some areas in north and north-western Syria, while Kurds rule areas in the north-east.Assad, 55, has ruled Syria since 2000.His father, Hafez al-Assad, governed Syria from 1971 to 2000. /* .jw-reset-text, .jw-reset{line-height: 2em;}*/ .jw-time-tip .jw-time-chapter{display:none;} if ('' == comscore_jw_loaded || 'undefined' == comscore_jw_loaded || undefined == comscore_jw_loaded) { var comscore_jw_loaded = 1; 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2 dead, 317 injured in celebratory gunfire for Assad

The casualties resulted from celebratory shots fired randomly by Assad's supporters in several areas including the capital Damascus and the northern city of Aleppo, dpa news agency quoted the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as saying.

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Pakistan among worst countries for internet and digital media freedom: ReportPakistan is among the worst 10 countries in the world for internet and digital media freedom, according to a report by an internet watchdog. The Freedom House, an international internet rights group, on Tuesday, released its ''Freedom on the Net'' (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled ''The Crisis of Social Media'', recording an overall decline in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.The watchdog in its report placed Pakistan at 26, out of 100 (100 being the worst) — one place down from last year's ranking, Dawn News quoted the report as saying.The country scored 5 out of 25 for obstacles to access, 14 out of 35 for limits on content, and 7 out of 40 for violation of user rights index.Globally, Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in terms of internet and digital media freedom. In terms of regional ranking, Pakistan emerged as the third worst country after Vietnam and China, the report said.Besides decline in internet freedom, the report found election manipulation in Pakistan through informational tactics such as the coordinated use of hyper-partisan commentators, bots, or news sites to disseminate false or misleading content as well as technical tactics, including intentional restrictions on connectivity and blocking of websites, it said.The report for Pakistan was authored by the Digital Rights Foundation. DRF Executive Director Nighat Dad said: "The score this year is the culmination of short-term and regressive policies by successive governments. Years worth of draconian legislation and investment in structures that stymie freedom of expression has led to an environment where the internet in Pakistan is more unsafe and less inclusive."Internet penetration registered only marginal increases during the reporting period. There are 67 million broadband connections in Pakistan, an increase of 10m since the last report. However, it added that government initiatives to provide access to remote areas had progressed in recent years.The report observed that authorities frequently disrupt telecommunication services during protests, elections, and religious and national holidays, often citing security concerns. During the 2018 general elections, mobile internet services were notably suspended in parts of Balochistan, and in all of former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) during both the election period and in the lead-up, the report saids.The report noted that authorities had upped their efforts to silence critical journalists and activists using a range of techniques. Users were sentenced to death on charges of posting blasphemous content online, although their convictions were under appeal.Over 800,000 websites hosting political, religious and social content remain blocked while the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority continued to restrict content in a nontransparent and arbitrary fashion, the report said.It added that state and other actors were known to exert extralegal pressure on publishers and content producers to remove content, and these instances frequently went unreported.It observed that most online commentators exercised a degree of self-censorship when writing on topics such as religion, blasphemy, civil-military relations, separatist movements, and women’s and other minority communities’ rights.Increasingly, the report found, coordinated and inauthentic accounts were manipulating online content and spreading disinformation. Online journalists and activists, especially those scrutinising the military or intelligence agencies, had testified to the existence of state-sponsored “troll armies” being employed to silence dissent.The report that governments around the world were increasingly using social media to manipulate elections and monitor their citizens, tilting the technology toward digital authoritarianism.Since June last year, 33 of the 65 countries assessed in FoTN experienced deterioration in internet freedom.

Pakistan among worst countries for internet and digital media freedom: Report

Pakistan is among the worst 10 countries in the world for internet and digital media freedom, according to a report by an internet watchdog. The Freedom House, an international internet rights group, on Tuesday, released its ''Freedom on the Net'' (FoTN) report for the year 2019, titled ''The Crisis of Social Media'', recording an overall decline in global internet freedom between June 2018 and May 2019.

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UNSC extends authorization of measures for Libya arms embargoThe UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the measures designed to implement an arms embargo on Libya for a further 12 months. Resolution 2526, which was approved unanimously by the 15-member Council on Friday, extends the authorizations for UN member states to inspect, on the high seas off the coast of Libya, vessels coming from or to the country if they have reasonable grounds to believe the vessels are carrying arms or related materials in violation of the arms embargo, reports Xinhua news agency.Resolution 2526 also requests the UN Secretary-General to report to the Security Council within 11 months of the adoption of the resolution on its implementation.The Security Council imposed sanctions, including an arms embargo, on Libya in 2011 after the political turmoil that led to the toppling of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.In June 2016, the council adopted Resolution 2292 to authorize vessel inspections on the high seas to implement the arms embargo.The authorizations have been extended several times.Since 2014, Libya has been split between rival factions based in Tripoli and in the east.The fighting has killed and injured hundreds of civilians and displaced more than 150,000 others, despite repeated international calls for ceasefire.

UNSC extends authorization of measures for Libya arms embargo

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the measures designed to implement an arms embargo on Libya for a further 12 months.

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Sri Lankan army secure the area around St. Sebastian's Church damaged in blast in Negombo, north of Colombo, Sri LankaSri Lanka will enforce a state of emergency from midnight Monday in the wake of the deadly Easter blasts that killed 290 people and wounded more than 500 others, enhancing the counter terrorism powers of the security forces.The decision was made during a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) chaired by President Maithripala Sirisena.The NSC has announced plans to impose a "conditional state of emergency" from midnight, said a statement from the president's media unit.It said the measures would target terrorism and would not limit freedom of expression."These will be limited to counter terrorism regulations. This is being done to allow the police and the three forces to ensure public security," the statement said.Emergency regulations would give police sweeping powers to deal with situations of breaches of security.The government also declared Tuesday as a national day of mourning.According to the statement, Sirisena will seek international assistance to combat terrorism in the island nation.The intelligence unit has pointed out support of international terror groups behind the local terrorists, suspected of plotting the deadly Easter blasts. "The international assistance would be sought to combat them," the statement said.

Sri Lanka declares emergency from Monday midnight after Easter bombings

"These will be limited to counter terrorism regulations. This is being done to allow the police and the three forces to ensure public security," the government statement said.

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US launches several airstrikes to support Afghan forces, confirms PentagonThe US military in the past few days conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan to support Afghan security forces, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday.At an off-camera press briefing, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that "in the last several days, we have acted, through airstrikes, to support the ANDSF (Afghan National Defense and Security Forces)," without providing details."But we continue to be able to and we continue to, as the Secretary (US Defence) said yesterday, conduct airstrikes in support of the ANDSF. General McKenzie has those authorities," he added.At least five Taliban terrorists were killed in airstrikes carried out in several provinces in Afghanistan over the past three days, according to local media.In a series of tweets, Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary had claimed that the airstrikes targeting the Taliban were conducted by American troops.The report of airstrikes comes as a top US general said that the "end game" is yet to be written in the war-torn country.General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff on Wednesday, had said that the Taliban are propagating "inevitable victory" in Afghanistan with control over nearly 212 district centres."There is clearly a narrative out there that Taliban are winning. In fact, they are propagating inevitable victory on their behalf. As of today, more or less, I guess it is about 212, 213, it is in that range. The district centres are in Taliban control, it is about half of the 419 that are out there," Milley had said.Earlier this, the Biden administration had said that US military pullback from Afghanistan will conclude by August 31. US Central Command said last week over 95 per cent of the withdrawal had been completed. (With ANI inputs)ALSO READ: Afghanistan-Taliban end game not yet written: Top US General

US launches several airstrikes to support Afghan forces, confirms Pentagon

At least five Taliban terrorists were killed in airstrikes carried out in several provinces in Afghanistan over the past three days, according to local media.

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Delta variant around 40% more transmissible, says UK Health Secretary The Delta variant of COVID-19, or the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India, is around 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha or so-called Kent variant of concern (VOC), UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday. The senior Cabinet minister said the spread of the Delta variant, behind a recent rise in coronavirus infections in the country, had made the unlocking plans set for June 21 more difficult.However, he pointed out that a majority of those in hospital as a result of the Delta variant had not had a vaccine at all and only a "small minority” had had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, which the minister said reflects the scientific advice that one vaccine is not quite as effective against the Delta VOC as against the Alpha variant but both doses are just as effective.“That figure, around 40 per cent more transmissible, is the latest advice that I have. That means that it is more difficult to manage this virus with the new Delta variant, but crucially we believe that with two doses of the vaccine you get the same protection as the old variant," Hancock told ‘Sky News’.The minister also confirmed that vaccines would be opened up to the next age cohort of under-30s in the next few days by the National Health Service (NHS)."This week we will be opening up vaccines to the under-30s and so we are getting a step closer to the point when we've been able to offer the vaccine to all adults in this country," he said."Everybody must go and get their second jab though because the first isn't as effective on its own. We all need to go and get vaccinated and that way we will break this link between the number of cases and the number of hospitalisations," he added.Asked if there could be a delay to the June 21 timeline for an end to all lockdown restrictions in the country, Hancock said the government is “absolutely open” to a delay if it needs to happen and if all the requisite tests set as part of the roadmap are not fully met. One of the four critical tests set by the government for a reopening is that the assessment of the risk from the deadly virus is not fundamentally changed by new VOC.The other three tests cover the vaccine deployment programme continuing successfully; evidence showing vaccines are sufficiently effective in reducing hospitalisations and deaths in those vaccinated; and infection rates do not risk a surge in hospitalisations, which would put unsustainable pressure on the NHS.Three out of the four tests are currently being met, with the risk assessment from the Delta VOC the only unknown factor ahead of June 14 when the government is expected to confirm whether the unlocking roadmap will stay on track for June 21.The government has indicated that the wearing of face coverings and working from home measures could continue in the long-term, beyond that date. "Yes, I wouldn't rule that out,” Hancock told the BBC."The way we are looking at this is step four [of the roadmap] involves the removing of the remaining social restrictions like the rule of six and some of the business closures which are still there. And separately we have a piece of work on what the social distancing rules should be after that," he said.Latest NHS data revealed on Sunday that more than half of the people in England are now fully vaccinated, with 23,077,511 people receiving both doses, and over three-quarters of the adult population in England have now been vaccinated, with 33,525,485 first doses delivered."If you are contacted to bring forward your second dose appointment, I would urge you to do this as soon as possible, as getting both doses is what will give everyone the maximum possible protection against COVID," said Dr Emily Lawson, NHS lead for the COVID-19 vaccination programme.Last month, the government recommended that people aged 50 and over and the clinically vulnerable have their second doses brought forward to counter the spread of the Delta variant.The UK recorded a further 6,238 coronavirus cases on Friday as England's R number, or the rate of infection, began to rise again, largely attributed to the Delta variant. ALSO READ: COVID: UK urges commitment to vaccinate the world by end of 2022ALSO READ: Delta variant of COVID-19 now dominant in UK, may have higher hospitalisation risk

Delta variant around 40% more transmissible, says UK Health Secretary

The Delta variant of COVID-19, or the B1.617.2 variant first identified in India, is around 40 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha or so-called Kent variant of concern (VOC), UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Sunday.

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Former UN chiefs Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon have lashed out at the state of global leadership in the age of Donald Trump, warning a nuclear war could be triggered by accident. “Honestly speaking, we are in a mess,” Annan told AFP in an interview ahead of today’s climate talks in Paris.  Related Stories Climate change behind 59,000 farmer suicides in India: studyIndia ready to work above and beyond Paris climate deal, says Sushma SwarajDonald Trump will bring US back into climate deal, says Emmanuel Macron“In the past when we went through this sort of crisis, you had leaders who had the courage and the vision to want to take action, to understand that they needed to work with others,” he said. At a time of growing US isolationism—Trump has announced plans to leave the Paris climate deal agreed two years ago on this day—Annan urged leaders to cooperate better on fighting terrorism, migration and global warming.  “Today, leaders are going in the wrong direction,” he said. “Leaders are withdrawing.” He expressed particular concern over escalating tensions with North Korea, warning: “One miscalculation, one mistake and we are all victims”. “It may not be a deliberate decision to start a nuclear war,” he added, adding that inflammatory rhetoric—without mentioning Trump or North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un by name—was not helping. Ban, who like Annan spoke to AFP as part of The Elders group of senior statesmen and women, blasted Trump’s climate stance as “politically short-sighted and misguided”.  “The richest and most powerful country” in the world is disengaging from a historic deal that “even countries like Syria” have signed, Ban said. “We are seeing more and more troubles and conflicts still continuing, because of the lack of global commitment and global vision,” he added. Lakhdar Brahimi, the former UN Syria envoy who joined the interview with former Irish president Mary Robinson and Norway’s first female premier Gro Harlem Brundtland, said Europe could step into the bigger global role vacated by Trump -- at least in the Middle East. French President Emmanuel Macron in particular, he suggested, appears willing to shoulder more responsibility: this week’s climate talks are his latest bid to play a lead role in global affairs. “I think Europe certainly has a role and a capacity to play a role, and the important leaders in Europe. Definitely one of them is President Macron,” Brahimi told AFP.  The United States has “absolutely” disqualified itself as a broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, he added.  “They have now announced with this statement ‘We are not going to mediate anymore’. And the thing is, I think someone should step in because this problem is not going to go away.” As a new round of peace talks gets under way in Geneva this week, Brahimi—who like Annan quit as the UN’s Syria envoy in frustration over years of deadlock—said he hoped this time things might be different. “I think we have come now much closer to the realisation that indeed there is no military solution. There is some hope there,” he said. “The other thing is that there was fear that Syria would break up as a country. It does seem that the unity of Syria can be preserved if people really start working for a political solution.”

Paris Climate Summit: Kofi Annan, Ban Ki-moon lash out at world leaders for 'global mess'

“We are seeing more and more troubles and conflicts still continuing, because of the lack of global commitment and global vision”

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Amid reports of Donald Trump poised to withdraw from the Paris climate accord, the US President  today said that he will announce his decision on this accord tomorrow. President Trump said he would make the announcement at 12.30 am IST (3 pm local time) at the White House."I will be announcing my decision on Paris Accord, Thursday at 3:00 P.M. The White House Rose Garden. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!," the US president tweeted.If the US withdraws from the Paris accord, signed by nearly 200 countries, then it would be a huge setback to the international efforts to curtail global warming given the fact that the US is the largest polluter in the world. The much-awaited announcement will have a long-term impact on the fight against climate change, particularly in countries like India and China.Withdrawing from the Paris agreement is one of major electoral promises made by Donald Trump during 2016 presidential campaign. Trump has often said the US did not get a "fair deal" in the Paris accord, which was agreed upon by more than 190 countries at the initiative of his predecessor Barack Obama.(With PTI inputs)

Donald Trump to announce decision on Paris climate deal tomorrow

If the US withdraws from the Paris accord, signed by nearly 200 countries, then it would be a huge setback to the international efforts to curtail global warming given the fact that the US is the largest polluter in the world.

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Puerto Rican officials could not communicate with more than half the towns in the US territory as they rushed to evacuate tens of thousands of people downstream of a failing dam and the massive scale of the disaster wrought by Hurricane Maria started to become clear.Authorities launched an evacuation of the 70,000 people living downstream from the Guajataca Dam in northwest Puerto Rico, sending buses to move people away Friday and posting frantic warnings on Twitter that went unseen by many in the blacked-out coastal area.“This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION,” the National Weather Service wrote. “All the areas around the Guajataca River must evacuate NOW. Your lives are in DANGER.”The 345-yard (316-meter) dam, which was built around 1928, holds back a man-made lake covering about 2 square miles (5 square kilometers). More than 15 inches (nearly 40 centimeters) of rain fell on the surrounding mountains after the Category 4 Maria left the island Wednesday afternoon, swelling the reservoir behind the nearly 90-year-old dam.An engineer inspecting the dam reported a “contained breach” that officials quickly realized was a crack that could be the first sign of total failure of the dam, U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Anthony Reynes said.“There’s no clue as to how long or how this can evolve. That is why the authorities are moving so fast because they also have the challenges of all the debris. It is a really, really dire situation,” Reynes said.Government spokesman Carlos Bermudez said that officials could not reach 40 of the 78 municipalities on the island more than two days after the hurricane crossed the island, toppling power lines and cellphone towers and sending floodwaters cascading through city streets.Officials said 1,360 of the island’s 1,600 cellphone towers had been downed, and 85 percent of above-ground and underground phone and internet cables were knocked out. With roads blocked and phones dead, officials said, the situation may be worse than they know.“We haven’t seen the extent of the damage,” Gov. Ricardo Rossello told reporters in the capital. Rossello couldn’t say when power might be restored.Maj. Gen. Derek P. Rydholm, deputy to the chief of the Air Force Reserve, said at the Pentagon that it was impossible to say when communication and power would be restored. He said mobile communications systems are being flown in.But Rydholm acknowledged “it’s going to take a while” before people in Puerto Rico will be able to communicate with their families outside the island. Until Friday, he said, “there was no real understanding at all of the gravity of the situation.”The island’s electric grid was in sorry shape long before Maria struck. The territory’s $73 billion debt crisis has left agencies like the state power company broke. It abandoned most basic maintenance in recent years, leaving the island subject to regular blackouts.“Some transmission structures collapsed,” Rossello said, adding that there was no severe damage to electric plants.He said he was distributing 250 satellite phones from FEMA to mayors across the island to re-establish contact.The death toll from Maria stood at six, but was likely to rise.At least 27 lives in all have been lost around the Caribbean, including at least 15 on hard-hit Dominica. Haiti reported three deaths; Guadeloupe, two; and the Dominican Republic, one.Across Puerto Rico, more than 15,000 people are in shelters, including some 2,000 rescued from the north coastal town of Toa Baja.Some of the island’s 3.4 million people planned to head to the U.S. to temporarily escape the devastation. At least in the short term, though, the soggy misery will continue: Additional rain — up to 6 inches (15 centimeters) — is expected through Saturday.In San Juan, Neida Febus wandered around her neighborhood with bowls of cooked rice, ground meat and avocado, offering food to the hungry. The damage was so extensive, the 64-year-old retiree said, that she didn’t think the power would be turned back on until Christmas.“This storm crushed us from one end of the island to the other,” she said.Secretary of State Luis Marin said he expects gasoline supplies to be at 80 percent of capacity because the port in the southeastern town of Yabucoa that receives fuel shipments received minor damage.Hour-long lines formed at the few gas stations that reopened on Friday and anxious residents feared power could be out for weeks — or even months — and wondered how they would cope.“I’m from here. I believe we have to step up to the task. If everyone leaves, what are we going to do? With all the pros and the cons, I will stay here,” Israel Molina, 68, who lost roofing from his San Juan mini-market to the storm, said, and then paused. “I might have a different response tomorrow.”

Powerless Puerto Rico’s storm crisis deepens with dam threat

Authorities evacuated tens of thousands of people downstream of the failing Guajataca dam in Puerto Rico, struck by Hurricane Maria that killed 6.

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Vaccine developed in China appears to be safe, may protect people from coronavirus: ReportResearchers, on Friday, have claimed that a vaccine developed in China appears to be safe and may protect people from coronavirus. As per reports, those who received a single dose of the vaccine produced certain immune cells, called T cells, within two weeks while the antibodies needed immunity peaked at 28 days after inoculation.The trials were reportedly conducted by researchers at several laboratories and included 108 participants aged 18-60.  All 108 test participants were quarantined in a hotel for 14 days after vaccination, to ensure they weren't exposed to the coronavirus during a study meant to track safety.Most volunteers reported at least one reaction typical for vaccines such as pain at the injection site, fever or fatigue. But there were no serious side effects, researchers reported in the journal Lancet. A month after vaccination, researchers spotted important immune responses including antibodies needed to block infection. But those responses were lower in the small number of volunteers ages 45 to 60, the oldest tested.“The ability to trigger these immune responses does not necessarily indicate that the vaccine will protect humans from COVID-19,” lead researcher Wei Chen from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology said in a statement provided by Lancet.“This result shows a promising vision for the development of COVID-19 vaccines, but we are still a long way from this vaccine being available to all," Chen said.

Vaccine developed in China appears to be safe, may protect people from coronavirus: Report

Researchers, on Friday, have claimed that a vaccine developed in China appears to be safe and may protect people from coronavirus. As per reports, those who received a single dose of the vaccine produced certain immune cells, called T cells, within two weeks while the antibodies needed immunity peaked at 28 days after inoculation.