Datasets:

ILSUM
/

ILSUM-1.0

Automatic text summarization for Indian languages has received surprisingly little attention from the NLP research community. While large scale datasets exist for a number of languages like English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, etc. no such datasets exist for any Indian languages. Most existing datasets are either not public, or are too small to be useful. Through this shared task we aim to bridge the existing gap by creating reusable corpora for Indian Language Summarization. In the first edition we cover two major indian languages Hindi and Gujarati, which have over 350 million and over 50 million speakers respectively. Apart from this we also include Indian English, a widely regonized dialect which can be substantially different from English spoken elsewhere.

The dataset for this task is built using articles and headline pairs from several leading newspapers of the country. We provide ~10,000 news articles for each language. The task is to generate a meaningful fixed length summary, either extractive or abstractive, for each article. While several previous works in other languages use news artciles - headlines pair, the current dataset poses a unique challenge of code-mixing and script mixing. It is very common for news articles to borrow phrases from english, even if the article itself is written in an Indian Language.

Examples like these are a common occurence both in the headlines as well as in the articles.

- "IND vs SA, 5મી T20 તસવીરોમાં: વરસાદે વિલન બની મજા બગાડી" (India vs SA, 5th T20 in pictures: rain spoils the match)
- "LIC के IPO में पैसा लगाने वालों का टूटा दिल, आई एक और नुकसानदेह खबर" (Investors of LIC IPO left broken hearted, yet another bad news).

Languages

Hindi
Gujarati
English

Data Fields

- id: Unique id of each datapoint
- Article: Entire News article
- Headline: Headline of News Article
- Summary: Summary of News Article

Data Splits

Data for all three languages is divided into three splits train, validation and test.

Load dataset using hf-dataset class

from datasets import load_dataset

dataset = load_dataset("ILSUM/ILSUM-1.0", "Hindi")
# you can use any of the following config names as a second argument:
# "English", "Hindi", "Gujarati"

Citation Information

If you are using the dataset or the models please cite the following paper

@article{satapara2022findings,
  title={Findings of the first shared task on indian language summarization (ilsum): Approaches, challenges and the path ahead},
  author={Satapara, Shrey and Modha, Bhavan and Modha, Sandip and Mehta, Parth},
  journal={Working Notes of FIRE},
  pages={9--13},
  year={2022}
}

Contributions

Bhavan Modha, University Of Texas at Dallas, USA
Shrey Satapara, Indian Institute Of Technology, Hyderabad, India
Sandip Modha, LDRP-ITR, Gandhinagar, India
Parth Mehta, Parmonic, USA

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Size of downloaded dataset files:

215 MB

Size of the auto-converted Parquet files:

93.1 MB

Number of rows:

41,400

id stringlengths 32 32	Article stringlengths 1 30.5k	Heading stringlengths 18 168	Summary stringlengths 92 647
3938f547c863630032649c54e611e6b0	Logos for MasterCard and Visa credit cards at the entrance of a New York coffee shopIn the latest blow to Russia’s financial system after its invasion of Ukraine, Mastercard and Visa said they are suspending their operations in the country. Mastercard said cards issued by Russian banks will no longer be supported by its network and any Mastercard issued outside the country will not work at Russian stores or ATMs.“We don’t take this decision lightly,” Mastercard said in a statement, adding that it made the move after discussions with customers, partners and governments.Visa said it’s working with clients and partners in Russia to cease all Visa transactions over the coming days.“We are compelled to act following Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the unacceptable events that we have witnessed,” Visa Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Al Kelly said in a statement.The twin suspensions were announced within 16 minutes of each other, and they followed a private video call earlier in the day between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and US lawmakers. During that conversation, Zelenskyy “asked us to turn off MasterCard and Visa for Russia,” Rep. Brad Sherman, a Democrat from California, tweeted. “I agree,” he added before Mastercard and Visa made their announcements.Earlier in the week, Visa and Mastercard had announced more limited moves to block financial institutions from the networks that serve as arteries for the payments system. Russian people have already been hit hard by heavy sanctions and financial penalties imposed by the US government and others.Since the invasion of Ukraine, the value of the Russian currency, the ruble, has plunged by more than a third to a record low. That’s pushing up inflation for Russian households, and all the fear has helped cause long lines at ATMs.Many other companies around the world have also made moves to increase the financial pressure on Russia and its people because of its attack on Ukraine. Some are selling their stakes in Russian companies, such as energy giant BP, while others like Harley-Davidson halted product shipments to the country.“This war and the ongoing threat to peace and stability demand we respond in line with our values,” Visa’s Kelly said.The moves by Mastercard and Visa could make real differences to their bottom lines. Russia accounted for 4% of all of Visa’s net revenue in its last fiscal year, including money made from domestic and cross-border activities. Ukraine accounted for about 1%, Visa said in a filing with US securities regulators this week.Mastercard said in its own filing that about 4% of its net revenues during 2021 came from business conducted within, into and out of Russia. Another roughly 2% was related to Ukraine.(With inputs from AP)Also Read \| Russia-Ukraine war: Israeli PM Bennett meets Putin in Moscow to discuss Ukraine crisis	Russia Ukraine War: Mastercard, Visa suspend operations in Russia after invasion	Since the invasion of Ukraine, the value of the Russian currency, the ruble, has plunged by more than a third to a record low.
1b336d62e9502c5b91b7afd3c7bcff46	Author-Diplomat Vikas Swarup moved to Delhi as Indo-Canadian ties remain coldAuthor-diplomat Vikas Swarup, India's current High Commissioner to Canada, has been appointed as Secretary in the Consular, Passport, Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs division, with effect from August 1.According to a circular issued by the Department of Personnel and Training, "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of Vikas Swarup, (Indian Foreign Service officer of 1986 batch) High Commissioner in Ottawa, as Secretary (CPV &OIA) in the Ministry of External Affairs with effect from 1-8-2019."He takes over from Sanjiv Arora, former envoy to Lebanon, who took over as Secretary (CPV & OIA) on February 25.Swarup, former spokesperson of the MEA and author of the bestselling "Q&A", which was made into a hit film "Slumdog Millionaire", returns to the capital at a time when India-Canada relations have turned frosty over the growing prominence of pro-Khalistani elements.India on Wednesday banned the pro-Khalistan Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) that is run by a few Sikhs in the US, Canada and the UK. The Indian government is also to take up with Canada the anti-India and subversive activities of SFJ persons.The visit of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to India last February was also sullied with allegations of his cabinet having links with Sikh separatists.Trudeau had received a lukewarm welcome by the Indian government during his visit as two of the four Sikh members in his cabinet -- Harjit Sajjan, Defence Minister and Amarjeet Sohi, Minister for Natural Resources -- allegedly support the Khalistan movement.Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar conveyed to his Canadian counterpart Chrystia Freeland that there is little hope for improving the frosty bilateral relations if Ottawa doesn't address India's concerns about the growing activities of Khalistani operatives and organisations.	Author-Diplomat Vikas Swarup moved to Delhi as Indo-Canadian ties remain cold	India on Wednesday banned the pro-Khalistan Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) that is run by a few Sikhs in the US, Canada, and the UK. The Indian government is also to take up with Canada the anti-India and subversive activities of SFJ persons.
082262f1c5a9e1112c39369403ff4e9a	Japan’s ex-top diplomat Fumio Kishida to become new Prime MinisterJapan's former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida won the governing party leadership election on Wednesday and is set to become the next prime minister, facing the imminent task of addressing a pandemic-hit economy and ensuring a strong alliance with Washington to counter growing regional security risks.Kishida replaces outgoing party leader Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after serving only one year since taking office last September.As new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, Kishida is certain to be elected the next prime minister on Monday in parliament, where his party and coalition partner control the house.Kishida beat popular vaccinations minister Taro Kono in a runoff after finishing only one vote ahead of him in the first round where none of the four candidates, including two women, was able to win a majority.Results showed Kishida had more support from party heavyweights who apparently chose stability over change advocated by Kono, who is known as something of a maverick.The new leader is under pressure to change the party's high-handed reputation worsened by Suga, who angered the public over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and insistence on holding the Summer Olympics in Tokyo.The long-ruling conservative Liberal Democratic Party desperately needs to quickly turn around plunging public support ahead of lower house elections coming within two months.Kishida called for growth and distribution under his “new capitalism,” saying that the economy under Japan's longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had only benefited big companies.Overall, little change is expected in key diplomatic and security policies under the new leader, said Yu Uchiyama, a political science professor at the University of Tokyo.All of the candidates support close Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia and Europe, in part to counter China's growing influence and a threat from nuclear-armed North Korea.Wednesday's vote was seen as a test of whether the party can move out of Abe's shadow. His influence in government and party affairs has largely muzzled diverse views and shifted the party to the right.Kishida is also seen as a choice who could prolong an era of unusual political stability amid fears that Japan could return to “revolving door” leadership.“Concern is not about individuals but stability of Japanese politics," Michael Green, senior vice president for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told a telephone briefing ahead of the vote. “It's about whether or not we are entering a period in Japanese politics of instability and short-term prime ministership,” he said. “It makes it very hard to move forward on agenda."Suga is leaving only a year after taking office as a pinch hitter for Abe, who suddenly resigned over health problems, ending his nearly eight-year leadership, the longest in Japan's constitutional history.ALSO READ: 2 women, political opposites, vying in race for Japan PM	Japan’s ex-top diplomat Fumio Kishida to become new Prime Minister	Kishida replaces outgoing party leader Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, who is stepping down after serving only one year since taking office last September.
82cce3b894007faf93e567d751dd2aef	The Sikh community of Pakistan has urged India to facilitate access to Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara in Gurdaspur district of PunjabThe Sikh community of Pakistan has urged India to facilitate access to Dera Baba Nanak Gurudwara in Gurdaspur district of Punjab. Pakistan Sikh Council (PSC) Patron-in-Chief Sardar Ramesh Singh Khalsa said the Kartarpur Corridor's opening on Saturday was in line with Sikhism founder Guru Nanak's teachings of inclusion, peace, and interfaith harmony and that he was speechless after seeing "tears of joy in the eyes of his Sikh brethren", Geo TV reported.Underlining that through the Kartarpur Corridor, Pakistan was facilitating and welcoming the Indian Sikh pilgrims, he said that a similar effort should be made by India to invite the Pakistani Sikh pilgrims. "The Modi government should facilitate and give access to Pakistani Sikhs wishing to visit and pray at Dera Baba Nanak," Singh said."Set aside the religion and the politics… there are some 25 million Sikhs in the world and many are warned of danger and told of the border contentions between India and Pakistan." There are many historic figures of religious importance between India and Pakistan who bring together people irrespective of the differences in their faiths just because they were revered by everyone, he said."There was Baba Sheikh Fareed (Fariduddin Ganjshakar), whose shrine is in Pakpattan, Pakistan, and Moinuddin Chishti whose shrine is "Ajmer Sharif Dargah" in India's Rajasthan," the Sikh leader said. "Wouldn't it be amazing for Sikhs on both sides of the border to be able to visit their holy sites?" asked Singh.(IANS copy only headline changed)ALSO READ\| Kartarpur opening great opportunity for Sikhs to bring India, Pak together: UAE SikhsALSO READ\| Assembly adopts resolution to allow Sikh women perform Kirtan at Golden Temple	Pakistan Sikhs urge India to facilitate access to Dera Baba Nanak	Pakistan Sikh Council (PSC) Patron-in-Chief Sardar Ramesh Singh Khalsa said the Kartarpur Corridor's opening on Saturday was in line with Sikhism founder Guru Nanak's teachings of inclusion, peace, and interfaith harmony and that he was speechless after seeing "tears of joy in the eyes of his Sikh brethren", Geo TV reported
4b3bbf58136527fff41adc6c2f37d73d	Armed police at the scene of an incident on London Bridge in central London following a police incident.A man wearing a fake explosive vest stabbed several people Friday in London, killing two in what police are treating as a terrorist attack before being tackled by members of the public and then fatally shot by officers on London Bridge. Police said the attacker was Usman Khan, a 28-year-old who was released on probation last year after serving six years for terrorism offenses. Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick said two stabbing victims had died and three injured people were being treated in hospitals after the attack, which unfolded just yards from the site of a deadly 2017 van and knife rampage.Health officials said one of the injured was in critical but stable condition, one was stable and the third had less serious injuries.Police said Khan was convicted in 2012 of terrorism offenses and released in December 2018 “on license,” which means he had to meet certain conditions or face recall to prison. Several British media outlets reported that he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.Basu said Khan was attending a London event hosted by Learning Together — a Cambridge University-backed program that works to educate prisoners — when he launched the attack, killing a man and a woman and injuring three others.The attacker’s history will raise difficult questions for Britain’s government and security services. Neil Basu, the London police counterterrorism head, said police were not actively looking for any other suspects.Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he had “long argued” that it was a “mistake to allow serious and violent criminals to come out of prison early.”“It is very important that we get out of that habit and that we enforce the appropriate sentences for dangerous criminals, especially for terrorists, that I think the public will want to see,” he said.Johnson, who chaired a meeting of the government’s COBRA emergency committee late Friday, said more police would be patrolling the streets in the coming days “for reassurance purposes.”The violence erupted less than two weeks before Britain holds a national election. The main pollical parties temporarily suspended campaigning in London as a mark of respect.Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Neil Basu said the suspect appeared to be wearing a bomb vest but it turned out to be “a hoax explosive device.”Dick, the police chief, said officers were called just before 2 p.m. to Fishmongers’ Hall, a conference venue at the north end of London Bridge. The pedestrian and vehicle bridge links the city’s business district with the south bank of the River Thames.Learning Together was holding a conference there on Friday. Cambridge Vice Chancellor Stephen Toope said he was “devastated to learn that today’s hateful attack on London Bridge may have been targeted at staff, students and alumni attending an event organized by the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology.”Minutes after the stabbings report, witnesses saw a man with a knife being wrestled to the ground by members of the public on the bridge before armed-response officers shot him dead.Video images showed people spraying the fleeing suspect with a fire extinguisher, while another passer-by held what appeared to be a long white stick. Witness Amy Coop, who was at the Fishmongers’ Hall, said it was a narwhal tusk the man had grabbed from a wall before going to confront the attacker.One video posted on social media showed two men struggling on the bridge before police pulled a man in civilian clothes off a black-clad man on the ground. Gunshots followed. Another depicted a man in suit and overcoat holding a long knife that apparently had been taken from the attacker.Karen Bosch, who was on a bus crossing the bridge, said she saw police “wrestling with one tall, bearded man” and then heard “gunshots, two loud pops.”She said the man “pulled his coat back which showed that he had some sort of vest underneath, whether it’s a stab vest, or some sort of explosive vest, the police then really quickly moved backwards, away.”Another bus passenger, Amanda Hunter, told the BBC that the vehicle “all of a sudden stopped and there was commotion and I looked out the window and I just saw these three police officers going over to a man.”“It seemed like there was something in his hand, I’m not 100% sure, but then one of the police officers shot him.”Police confirmed that the man died at the scene.The mayor praised the “breathtaking heroism of members of the public who literally ran towards danger not knowing what confronted him.”“They are the best of us,” Khan said.Cars and buses on the busy bridge stood abandoned after the shooting, with a white truck stopped diagonally across the lanes. Video footage showed police pointing guns at the truck before moving to check its container.London Bridge station, one of the city’s busiest rail hubs, was closed for several hours after the attack.Scores of police, some armed with submachine guns, ushered office workers and tourists out of the area packed with office buildings, banks, restaurants and bars. Staff in nearby office blocks were told to stay inside.As police cleared the streets, staff in shops and restaurants ushered customers into storerooms and basements. Some had been through similar traumatic events in June 2017, when eight people died in the van and knife attack launched by three people inspired by the Islamic State group. The attackers ran down people on the bridge, killing two, before fatally stabbing several people in nearby Borough Market.That fatal attack took place days before a general election. Britons are due to go to the polls again on Dec. 12.Political leaders expressed shock and sorrow at Friday’s attack.“We will not be cowed by those who threaten us,” Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said. “We must and we will stand together to reject hatred and division.”Both Labour and the Conservatives suspended campaigning in the city after the attack and the prime minister was also canceling political events for Saturday.Security officials earlier this month downgraded Britain’s terrorism threat level from “severe” to “substantial,” which means an attack is seen as “likely” rather than “highly likely.” The assessment was made by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, an independent expert body that evaluates intelligence, terrorist capability and intentions.The U.K.’s terror threat was last listed as “substantial” in August 2014; since then it has held steady at “severe,” briefly rising to “critical” in May and September 2017.ALSO READ \| London police shoot suspect dead after ‘terrorist’ stabbings	London knife attack suspect was jailed for 6 years in 2012 on terror charges: UK police	The Police said the attacker, Usman Khan, was convicted in 2012 of terrorism offenses and released in December 2018 “on license,” which means he had to meet certain conditions or face recall to prison. Several British media outlets reported that he was wearing an electronic ankle bracelet.
2f807326aa6b4cfc089af43840ce7379	He is a busy man: Pakistan PM Imran Khan takes swipe at US President Biden"He is a busy man", Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said curtly about Joe Biden, expressing his disappointment over US President's reluctance to contact him since coming into office in January this year. During an interview to CNN on Wednesday from his private Bani Gala residence in Islamabad, Khan admitted that he had not spoken to President Biden since the collapse of the Afghan government.When asked why Biden hadn't called him since coming into office, the premier curtly said: "He is a busy man" and later said Biden should be asked "why he is too busy to call".Imran Khan’s remarks came days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a Congressional hearing indicated that Pakistan was involved in harbouring members of the Taliban, including the militants of the dreaded Haqqani Network.“I think you're very right to point at the role that Pakistan has played throughout the past 20 years and even before it. It is one that has involved hedging its bets constantly about the future of Afghanistan. It's one that's involved harbouring members of the Taliban, including the Haqqanis," Blinken said while responding to a specific question from Democratic Congressman Bill Keating who alleged that Pakistan played an active and by so many accounts a negative role in Afghan affairs for decades."It's one that's also involved at different points of cooperation with us on counter-terrorism. And so, there are a number of things that have come into play. It has a multiplicity of interests, some that are in clear conflict with ours. When it comes to Afghanistan, it's focused, of course, as well on India and the role that India is playing in Afghanistan,” Blinken said.This is not the first time that Prime Minister Khan has expressed his disappointment over Biden’s reluctance to contact him.During an interaction with foreign journalists at his residence in August, Prime Minister Khan had said that he was not really "waiting" for a phone call from President Biden."I keep hearing that President Biden hasn't called me. It's his business. It's not like I am waiting for any phone call," he had said in response to a question.Khan, who had congratulated President Biden on his inauguration and expressed his desire to work with the new American administration to deepen bilateral ties, had 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”.During his interview with CNN, Khan said Pakistan's relationship with the US is not just dependent on a phone call, it needs to be a multidimensional one.That's something Khan said he doesn't feel Pakistan enjoyed during the US' 20-year war in Afghanistan."We (Pakistan) were like a hired gun," Khan said. "We were supposed to make them (the US) win the war in Afghanistan, which we never could."Khan also said he repeatedly warned US officials that America could not achieve its objectives militarily, and would "be stuck there."He said the US should have attempted a political settlement with the Taliban from a "position of strength," at the height of its presence in Afghanistan, not as it was withdrawing.The US-Pakistan relationship has witnessed ups and downs over the past decade. The ties nose-dived after the US killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden at his hideout in Pakistan in a covert raid in May 2011.Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump had briefly suspended roughly USD 1 billion in US security aid to Pakistan and publicly accused Pakistani officials of “lies and deceit” for purportedly providing a base for the Taliban and other militant groups to carry out attacks across the border in Afghanistan.Islamabad 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 has also 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 recognizes Pakistan’s vital role in restoring peace in Afghanistan and wants Islamabad to play that role. ALSO READ: Afghanistan to have regular army soon: Taliban official	He is a busy man: Pakistan PM Imran Khan takes swipe at US President Joe Biden	When asked why Biden hadn't called him since coming into office, the premier curtly said: "He is a busy man" and later said Biden should be asked "why he is too busy to call".
0ff861882421fb9c29ab53299efd6e59	More contagious virus variant found along New York's Long IslandThree additional cases of a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus have been identified in New York, including one on Long Island, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday.Two of the cases are connected to the initial discovery of the variant identified in Saratoga Springs, which was announced Monday. The third case involving a 64-year-old man from Massapequa appears unrelated to the exposures in upstate New York, the governor said.The Long Island man had first tested positive for COVID-19 on Dec. 27. State health officials were working with contact tracers in Nassau County to identify additional potential exposures.The variant circulating in Britain has been detected elsewhere in the United States and in other countries.“That brings the number of UK cases in this country to just about 55, and we believe that it is more widespread than that number would suggest,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing.New York is trying to ramp up vaccinations as hospitalizations increase to more than 8,000 statewide, compared to about 5,000 a month ago. The state plans to allow a much wider swath of the public to be vaccinated in the coming week, including anyone age 75 or older.The initial case identified in New York was a man in his 60s who works at a jewelry store in the upstate resort city. Workers at a state health department lab in Albany sequenced the virus from five additional employees from the jewelry store who had tested positive for COVID-19. They confirmed the strain was present in two of those people.(Except for the headline, Indiatvnews.com has not edited the copy)	More contagious virus variant found along New York's Long Island	The Long Island man had first tested positive for COVID-19 on December 27. State health officials were working with contact tracers in Nassau County to identify additional potential exposures.
eae90a32132ae310b0bcbd527d2b1e91	US officials say President Donald Trump will recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital on Wednesday and instruct the State Department to begin the multi-year process of moving the American embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city.The officials say recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be an acknowledgement of "historical and current reality" rather than a political statement. They note that almost all of Israel's government agencies and parliament are in Jerusalem, rather than Tel Aviv, where the US and other countries maintain embassies.The officials say moving the embassy, long a campaign pledge that Trump has insisted he must fulfill, will not happen immediately.The officials spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss Trump's announcement beforehand.	Trump to declare Jerusalem as Israeli's capital, won't move embassy immediately: US officials	The officials say recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital will be an acknowledgement of "historical and current reality" rather than a political statement.
a1a8922e796e3cd00d8a239cadbf7262	Kim Yo Jong rose to international prominence after her brother's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 and 2019. What has happened to Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s influential sister?That is a question many who watch the cloistered, nuclear-armed country are wondering after she failed to appear in absolute leader Kim Jong Un’s newly released lineup for the country’s powerful Politburo in recent days.Some say Kim Jong Un may have demoted his sister over general policy failures. Others, however, believe he could be worried about her rapid rise and increasingly high profile as he tries to bolster his domestic authority in the face of growing economic challenges.Rumors that Kim Yo Jong is her brother’s heir apparent could be dangerous because they "raise the issue of Kim’s hold on power and health inside North Korea," said Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification. This, he said, is why Kim Jong Un is slowing down her rise in power.ALSO READ: Donald Trump on verge of 2nd impeachment after Capitol siegeThe development is a surprise because Kim Yo Jong, who became an alternate member of the Politburo last year, was widely expected to receive a full bureau membership during a ruling Workers’ Party congress that ended Tuesday. A Politburo membership is viewed as crucial for high-level officials hoping to thrive in Kim Jong Un's government because he's made key decisions at bureau meetings, including the 2013 move to execute his powerful uncle Jang Song Taek, and the 2012 purge of military chief Ri Yong Ho.When the eight-day congress, the first of its kind since 2016, opened last week, Kim Yo Jong, who is thought to be about 32, sat on the leadership podium, standing out amid the often elderly, overwhelmingly male party cadres. But when the congress on Monday announced a list of 30 alternate and full members of the Politburo, including the 37-year-old Kim Jong Un, her name wasn’t there.Kim Yo Jong hasn't been purged or forced to quit politics, a fate that some officials have met under Kim Jong Un, and she still retains her membership in the party’s Central Committee, also a high-level body. But when she released a statement criticizing South Korea on Wednesday, state media identified her as a “vice department director” of the party, a lower rank than her previous title of “first vice department director.”ALSO READ: Time and momentum on China's side as world faces unprecedented turbulence, says Xi JinpingKim Jong Un is urging his 25 million people to rally behind his leadership to overcome what he has called his nation's “worst-ever” difficulties. North Korea has faced coronavirus-related economic shocks, a spate of natural disasters last summer and persistent U.S.-led sanctions over its pursuit of illicit nuclear weapons. During the congress, Kim vowed to expand his nuclear arsenal and build a stronger, self-reliant economy.“The congress’ purpose is to solidify Kim Jong Un’s leadership. If Kim Yo Jong had become a full Politburo member, all eyes would have been on her ... and Kim Jong Un likely felt that as a burden,” Ko Young-hwan, a former deputy head of the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think tank run by South Korea’s spy agency, said during a TV news program Monday.Previously little known to outsiders, Kim Yo Jong has soared politically since her brother inherited power after their father, Kim Jong Il, died in late 2011.The current Kims are the third generation of their family to rule North Korea, and their leadership is based on a personality cult established after their grandfather Kim Il Sung founded the country in 1948. Their mythical “paektu” bloodline, named after the North’s most sacred mountain, allows only direct family members to rule the country.Kim Yo Jong rose to international prominence after her brother's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with President Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 and 2019. In those meetings, her proximity to Kim Jong Un sparked speculation that she was serving as her brother’s chief of staff.In South Korea, she built an image as “a peace messenger” after she attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, becoming the first member of the North’s ruling family to visit the South since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.Last year, however, she abruptly changed course by launching harsh diatribes against South Korea and putting pressure on the United States to make concessions amid deadlocked nuclear diplomacy. North Korea’s state media said she was in charge of relations with South Korea, and outside experts speculated that she might be handing U.S. affairs as well.In her statement on Wednesday, she slammed South Korea for provoking the North by announcing that it had detected intelligence that North Korea held a military parade or a rehearsal for such a parade this week.When unconfirmed global rumors about Kim Jong Un’s health rose last year, some observers said Kim Yo Jong was next in line to rule North Korea if her brother became incapacitated. South Korea’s spy agency said later that she was virtually the North’s No. 2 official but hadn’t been anointed as her brother’s heir.“Kim Jong Un likely held his sister responsible for worsened (external) ties, as she had no achievements in relations with the U.S. and South Korea,” said Kim Yeol Soo, an analyst with South Korea’s Korea Institute for Military Affairs.Whatever the reason for her apparent loss of the Politburo job, many experts say her political clout likely remains unchanged thanks to her direct link to the paektu bloodline. There's also a feeling that Kim Jong Un could eventually give her another high-profile job.Oh, the analyst, said Kim Yo Jong is likely the second-most powerful woman in North Korean history after Kim Song Ae, the late second wife of Kim Il Sung.“Kim Yo Jong can meet and talk to Kim Jong Un freely anytime ... so we can’t help saying that she has a tremendous influence,” Oh said. “As she gets older, her roles will be bigger."But, he added, her rise could end if she covets more power. “She has to be careful about that,” he said.	What has happened to Kim Yo Jong? Demoted or pushed aside - fate of Kim Jong Un's sister unclear	Some say Kim Jong Un may have demoted his sister over general policy failures. Others, however, believe he could be worried about her rapid rise and increasingly high profile.
5e1faeb89e93eb45685db873077262f0	The meeting is likely to review the progress made in achieving the targets set under an action plan to stop money laundering and terror financing from Pakistan, the Express Tribune reported.Teams from Pakistan and Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which combats money laundering and terror financing among other things is likely to hold a three-day session in Sydney from Saturday to discuss the issue of removing the country's name from the "grey list".The meeting is likely to review the progress made in achieving the targets set under an action plan to stop money laundering and terror financing from Pakistan, the Express Tribune reported.Related Stories Asia-Pacific money-laundering watchlist's review of Pakistan to conclude tomorrowFATF team in Pakistan to discuss measures taken by the 'grey-listed' country on money laundering, terror financingFATF team unhapppy with 'grey-listed' Pak's efforts to combat terror financingFATF team finalises report with recommendations for de-listing Pakistan from grey list in Sep'19: ReportFATF expresses dissatisfaction over 'grey-listed' Pakistan's efforts to combat terror financing, says media reportsThe delegation comprising the representatives of the State Bank of Pakistan, National Counter Terrorism Authority, Federal Investigation Agency, Federal Board of Revenue and Financial Monitoring Unit will be participating in the talks.A senior government official said the delegation will address questions and observations of the FATF on the basis of risk assessment report already dispatched to the global anti-terror financing watchdog. The report highlighted the implementation status of plans for various agencies of the government on the FATF's recommendations.The report identified some key routes of the terror financing and money laundering, saying that the Pakistan-Afghanistan and Pakistan-Iran borders were two key routes of such flows, according to Dawn newspaper.It said that to address the challenge, checking and security systems at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border had been strengthened with improved technology and vigilance while security had also been beefed up at Pakistan-Iran border.Currently placed on the FATF's "grey list", Pakistan has been scrambling to avoid being added to a list of countries deemed non-compliant with anti-money laundering and terrorist financing regulations by the Paris-based FATF, a measure that officials here fear could further hurt its economy.By the end of September 2020, Pakistan has to comply with the action plan it had committed with the FATF in June 2017 to get out of the "grey list" or else fall into the black list. Over the next nine months, i.e. till September 2019, the government will complete the investigation into the widest range of terror financing activities, including appeals and calls for donations and collection of funds, besides their movements and uses. The outcome will be published at least twice before September next year.(With IANS inputs)	FATF to hold three-day session in Sydney, likely to review issue of 'grey-listed' Pakistan	The meeting is likely to review the progress made in achieving the targets set under an action plan to stop money laundering and terror financing from Pakistan, the Express Tribune reported.
2d2ed61356ccf34c30c4468a1451aa33	China on Monday successfully launched a new civilian high-resolution mapping satellite along with two other foreign satellites.China sent a resource satellite and two smaller ones into planned orbits on Thursday.They were launched on a Long March-4B carrier rocket at 11.26 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, Xinhua news agency reported.The resource satellite, ZY-1 02D developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), will provide observation data for natural resources asset management, ecological monitoring, disaster prevention and control, environmental protection, urban construction, transportation and contingency management.With an expected lifespan of five years, ZY-1 02D carries a near-infrared camera with a coverage width of 115 km, enabling it to observe large and medium-sized cities, and be used for urban planning, said the satellite's project manager.The satellite can also be used to observe chlorophyll concentration, water transparency and total suspended matter concentration in lakes to help monitor the environment and prevent water pollution.One of the two small satellites launched on the same rocket belongs to Beijing Normal University, and is named BNU-1, and the other belongs to a Shanghai-based private space technology company. Both have an expected lifespan of one year.BNU-1, developed by a Shenzhen-based company affiliated to CAST, weighs about 16 kg, and will be mainly used to monitor polar climate and environment, greatly helping research of the polar regions and global climate change.The satellite can report sea ice changes, which could help with ship navigation and make channel risk assessments.Thursday's launch is the 310th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.ALSO READ \| China providing satellite data on flood-hit regions to India a 'standard practice': MEAALSO READ \| Russia launches Soyuz carrier rocket with 33 satellites	China launches three new satellites	They were launched on a Long March-4B carrier rocket at 11.26 a.m. from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province.
e46e6e3a450987897976292506c6f6db	Abortion rights supporters gather to protest Texas SB 8 in front of Edinburg City Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, in Edinburg, Texas.The nation’s highest court has allowed a Texas law banning most abortions to remain in effect, marking a turning point for abortion opponents who have been fighting to implement stronger restrictions for nearly a decade.The Texas law, pegged a “fetal heartbeat bill,” bans abortions at the point of the “first detectable heartbeat,” which could happen around six weeks into pregnancy, although that timeframe isn’t specified in the measure. Medical experts say the heart doesn’t begin to form until the fetus is at least nine weeks old, and they decry efforts to promote abortion bans by relying on medical inaccuracies.Nonetheless, at least 13 other states with Republican-dominated legislatures have adopted similar bans, although courts have blocked them all from being implemented. Democrats call the new Texas law an unconstitutional assault on women’s health.The growing anti-abortion campaign is intended to reach the U.S. Supreme Court. Abortion opponents hope the conservative coalition assembled under President Donald Trump will end the constitutional right to abortion as established by the high court in the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.Advanced technology can detect a first flutter of electric activity within cells in an embryo as early as six weeks. This flutter isn’t a beating heart, it’s cardiac activity that will eventually become a heart. An embryo is termed a fetus after the eighth week of pregnancy, and the actual heart begins to form between the ninth and 12th weeks of pregnancy.“It’s not a heartbeat, it’s the motion of the neural cells going up and down tubes in an embryo,” said Dr. Michael Cackovic, a maternal fetal medicine specialist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, where some 5,300 babies are born each year.Cackovic said ultrasound technology significantly advances each year, allowing physicians to provide better information to their patients, but he’s alarmed that such advances in medicine have been used to promote misinformation.“We’re using technology to detect early cardiac motion, basically it’s a reflexive moment,” Cackovic added. “But now people are using this technology to forward their agenda.”In 2013, a pioneering University of Leeds study found that while four clearly defined chambers appear in the human heart from the eighth week of pregnancy, they remain “a disorganized jumble of tissue” until around the 20th week, much later than previously believed.The notion that abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy “stops a beating heart” is a concept originated by Ohio activist Janet Folger Porter, one of the nation’s fiercest advocates for banning the procedure.Porter found that hearts were easy to market and punctuated her decade-long lobbying efforts by distributing heart-shaped balloons and teddy bears, all while side-stepping whether the packaging of the proposal was medically true.Image Source : APAnti-abortion rights demonstrators gather in the rotunda at the Capitol while the Senate debated anti-abortion bills in Austin, Texas.Anti-abortion rights demonstrators gather in the rotunda at the Capitol while the Senate debated anti-abortion bills in Austin, Texas.She’s a polarizing figure, even among Republicans, due to her lobbying stunts and other controversial actions she’s exercised over the years. Notably, she arranged “testimony” via ultrasound by an in utero fetus. She also questions President Barack Obama’s citizenship and more recently served as spokeswoman for Senate candidate Roy Moore, of Alabama, who has denied allegations that he molested a 14-year-old girl.It took Ohio nearly a decade to sign off on the abortion ban backed by Porter, but other states eventually got on board, after advocates for similar bans mirrored her tactics lobbying lawmakers and using emotive phrases such as “take heart” or “have a heart.”Arkansas and North Dakota were among the first states to pass these types of bills in 2013. Iowa became the third in 2018. About two dozen states have since introduced similar measures inside their legislatures, but only Texas’ version has been enacted.Plenty of battles have taken place over politically charged, inaccurate or vague terminology over abortion laws.“Dismemberment abortion” is a term abortion opponents use to describe dilation and evacuation, a common second trimester abortion method. Others used “partial-birth abortion” to describe what is medically called intact dilation and extraction.In the fight over fetal cardiac activity, anti-abortion advocates counter that using medical terminology dehumanizes the unborn.	EXPLAINER: The language, reach of new Texas abortion law	The Texas law, pegged a “fetal heartbeat bill,” bans abortions at the point of the “first detectable heartbeat,” which could happen around six weeks into pregnancy.
efab9a65ebacfd8c48dfc04ebf3b7e7f	In this handout photo provided by the Ukrainian Presidential Press Office, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky works in his office in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022.In his latest address to the nation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he's still in Kyiv and not hiding as Russia's war on his country has continued for the 13th day.In the video posted on his Facebook page late Monday night, Zelensky shows the views of the city from his office in the heart of the capital city."I stay in Kyiv. On Bankova Street. I'm not hiding. And I'm not afraid of anyone. As much as it takes to win this Patriotic War of ours," the President added.Zelenksy's video message came hours after the third round of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations ended without any significant developments.The talks lasted for nearly three hours at the Belovezhskaya Pushcha on the Belarus-Poland border, reports Xinhua news agency.According to Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who also heads Moscow's delegation, said although discussions continued on political and military aspects, it however remained difficult and was too early to talk about something positive.He added that the Russian side "brought a large set of documents, including specific agreements, but the Ukrainian side could not sign them on the spot and took all these documents back home for study".Medinsky added that the two sides addressed the issue of civilian evacuation.As the military invasion continued for the 13th day on Tuesday, Russian attacks have prevented civilians to evacuate from cities currently under fire.In the port city of Odessa, where Russian troops are quickly gaining ground, explosions were heard in the early hours of Tuesday, reports the BBC.Deemed a key strategic target for Moscow, Ukrainian forces in Odessa claimed to have hit one of the Russian fleet causing significant damage.Daily curfews begin at 7 p.m. in the city, and air raid sirens were heard for more than an hour on Monday, with warnings that Russian ships were repositions themselves in preparation for an attack, said the BBC.As a result of Russia's invasion that began on February 24, currently there are more than 742,000 people across Ukraine without access to electricity, according to the Foreign Ministry in Kyiv.The Ministry said on Monday that the Russia-backed Donetsk region in the east is the hardest hit, where over 233,000 are "completely disconnected".Some 238,000 Ukrainians are also without gas, it added.The Ministry further claimed that "active hostilities have caused new power grid damage and outages".	Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he is in Kyiv, not hiding	Zelenksy's video message came hours after the third round of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations ended without any significant developments.
c4264281bfa69841da457fdb6437eec0	Prime Minister Narendra Modi today told top CEOs at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum Summit 2018 that India means business and presents opportunity for the global business. Addressing a roundtable before a dinner meet, PM Modi narrated India's growth story. He was accompanied by top government officials including Vijay Gokhale, Jai Shankar and Ramesh Abhishek.Under the tagline of "India means business", the roundtable was attended by 40 CEOs of global companies and 20 from India. After the meeting, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted about Modi narrating India's growth story and presenting exciting opportunities for global business in India at Davos. The spokesperson also tweeted that the prime minister "hosted a roundtable meeting with CEOs of top global companies". Modi, who arrived in Davos on Monday evening, will deliver opening keynote address on Tuesday morning at the world economic forum annual meeting. Besides, he will also interact with the members of international business community of the WEF. Modi is the first Indian prime minister to attend Davos summit in 20 years.In the largest ever Indian presence in the 48-year history of WEF summit in Davos, more than 130 Indian CEOs are present along with over 2,000 business leaders and 70 heads of states and governments. Besides, several other leaders from politics, business, academia, art, culture and civil society are also present for the event which opens on Monday and will close on Friday.Earlier in the day, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset.Berset greeted Modi with a warm handshake in this town in the Swiss Alps before leading the Indian leader to the meeting.Modi discussed with the Swiss President ways to deepen bilateral ties. The two leaders “reviewed the scope of our bilateral cooperation”, Modi said in a tweet.Berset said the discussions marked the meeting of the biggest and the oldest democracies in the world. Thanking Modi, he said his country will continue to strengthen “our relations” with India.“First engagement in snowing #Davos, PM @narendramodi met with Swiss President @alain_berset. Two leaders had productive discussions on steps to further deepen our bilateral cooperation built upon our shared values of democracy and diversity. #IndiaMeansBusiness,” an external affairs ministry spokesperson tweeted.This is Modi's second visit to Switzerland in nearly two years after his visit in June 2016. He reached Davos for World Economic Forum 2018 on Monday.	World Economic Forum 2018: India means business, PM Modi tells global CEOs; holds talks with Swiss President	PM Modi Modi on Monday told top CEOs at the opening ceremony of the World Economic Forum Summit 2018 that India means business and presents opportunity for the global business.
d59e429577001b38c0f36422a3bd648d	North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a 'secret' trip to China, says reportThe Chinese media was today rife with speculation that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in Beijing, following heavy police deployment at the border of China and North Korea.However, there is no official confirmation about Kim's visit, which, if confirmed, will be his first trip abroad since he took over power in 2011 after his father's death.Related Stories North Korea to face no more conditions for Donald Trump-Kim Jong Un talks: US officialsUS Secretary of State Rex Tillerson seeks 'nice, neutral site' for Trump-Kim talksUS looking forward to Trump-Kim Jong Un meeting, says White HouseChina's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was unaware of the issue. Media reports about Kim's visit was in circulation following heavy police presence at the China-North Korea border and later at a Beijing hotel popular with foreign dignitaries, Hong Kong-based 'South China Morning Post' reported. Indications suggested that a high-profile figure had made the journey into China, the Post reported today. While it is yet to be confirmed if the person is Kim himself, the security arrangements suggest it is someone of great significance, the report said. At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, where foreign dignitaries usually stay, there has been a marked increase in police activity, with a large number of officers and about 50 vehicles seen in the area. Nearby roads have been cordoned off. Historically, the visits of North Korean leaders to China, the country's neighbour and closest ally, were always shrouded in secrecy. Kim's late father Kim Jong-il too used to visit China secretly. Tensions temporarily abated in the Korean Peninsula recently over North Korea's nuclear programme after US President Donald Trump agreed for a summit meeting with Kim. Though North Korea has remained a long-standing ally of China, relations between the two countries have been strained after Beijing beefed-up UN sanctions by blocking essential supplies like oil and coal following pressure from Trump. Observers say the severity of sanctions made Kim tone down his rhetoric on acquiring nuclear weapons and consider the option for talks with the US.	North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on a 'secret' trip to China, says report	However, there is no official confirmation about Kim's visit, which, if confirmed, will be his first trip abroad since he took over power in 2011 after his father's death
9d6e4dc0c1a48c157b5f120894d38b1c	Joe Biden nominates Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as judge of DC District CourtUS President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as a federal judge, among 10 other diverse picks for top judicial positions which include African-American and Muslim American candidates. Among the presidential nominations, 10 are for Federal Circuit and District Court judge posts, and one is for Superior Court Judge for the District of Columbia. These highly-qualified candidates reflect the president's deeply-held conviction that the federal bench should reflect the full diversity of the American people - both in background and in professional experience, the White House said. If confirmed by the US Senate, Judge Puttagunta would be the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) woman to serve on the US District Court for the District of DC, the White House said. Judge Puttagunta currently serves as an Administrative Judge for the D.C. Rental Housing Commission. Prior to joining the Commission in 2019, Judge Puttagunta was a solo practitioner from 2013 to 2019, representing indigent criminal defendants in trial and on appeal. Before opening her own practice, Judge Puttagunta practised family and appellate law at Delaney McKinney, LLP from 2012 to 2013. While working on domestic relations matters in private practice, Judge Puttagunta also provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services by volunteering at D.C. Superior Court''s Family Court Self-Help Center and Attorney Negotiator Program and representing victims of domestic violence in D.C. Superior Court. Judge Puttagunta began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge William M. Jackson of the D.C. Superior Court from 2008 to 2010, as well as the Senior Judges of the D.C. Court of Appeals from 2010 to 2011. Judge Puttagunta received her Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State Moritz College of Law in 2007. The nominations announced on Tuesday also include three African American women and a Muslim American. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Zahid N Quraishi would be the first Muslim American federal judge in US history. Of Pakistani descent, Judge Quraishi is a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he was appointed to in 2019. Prior to his appointment, Judge Quraishi was a partner at Riker Danzig where he chaired the firm''s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group and served as his firm''s first Chief Diversity Officer. ALSO READ: US President Joe Biden's dog 'Major' involved in second biting incidentUS President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced his intent to nominate Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as a federal judge, among 10 other diverse picks for top judicial positions which include African-American and Muslim American candidates.Among the presidential nominations, 10 are for Federal Circuit and District Court judge posts, and one is for Superior Court Judge for the District of Columbia.These highly-qualified candidates reflect the president's deeply-held conviction that the federal bench should reflect the full diversity of the American people - both in background and in professional experience, the White House said.If confirmed by the US Senate, Judge Puttagunta would be the first Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) woman to serve on the US District Court for the District of DC, the White House said.Judge Puttagunta currently serves as an Administrative Judge for the D.C. Rental Housing Commission. Prior to joining the Commission in 2019, Judge Puttagunta was a solo practitioner from 2013 to 2019, representing indigent criminal defendants in trial and on appeal.Before opening her own practice, Judge Puttagunta practised family and appellate law at Delaney McKinney, LLP from 2012 to 2013.While working on domestic relations matters in private practice, Judge Puttagunta also provided hundreds of hours of pro bono legal services by volunteering at D.C. Superior Court''s Family Court Self-Help Center and Attorney Negotiator Program and representing victims of domestic violence in D.C. Superior Court.Judge Puttagunta began her legal career as a law clerk for Judge William M. Jackson of the D.C. Superior Court from 2008 to 2010, as well as the Senior Judges of the D.C. Court of Appeals from 2010 to 2011.Judge Puttagunta received her Juris Doctor degree from Ohio State Moritz College of Law in 2007.The nominations announced on Tuesday also include three African American women and a Muslim American. If confirmed by the Senate, Judge Zahid N Quraishi would be the first Muslim American federal judge in US history.Of Pakistani descent, Judge Quraishi is a United States Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, a position he was appointed to in 2019.Prior to his appointment, Judge Quraishi was a partner at Riker Danzig where he chaired the firm''s White Collar Criminal Defense and Investigations Group and served as his firm''s first Chief Diversity Officer.	Joe Biden nominates Indian-American Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as judge of DC District Court	If confirmed by the US Senate, Judge Puttagunta would be the first Asian American and Pacific Islander woman to serve on the US District Court for the District of DC, the White House said.
39be76b3c598bd6d60f72057175aaa29	Denouncing the economic and political isolation of Qatar by several Gulf countries, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today termed it ‘inhumane and against Islamic values’.Erdogan’s remarks came after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed relations with Qatar last week for “supporting Islamist militants and Iran”."A very grave mistake is being made in Qatar, isolating a nation in all areas is inhumane and against Islamic values. It's as if a death penalty decision has been taken for Qatar," Erdogan told his party members in Ankara in a televised address.Erdogan also defended Qatar by saying that Doha has taken decisive stand against the Islamic State."Qatar has shown the most decisive stance against the terrorist organisation Islamic State alongside Turkey. Victimising Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose," he added.The Turkish President further said that he will discuss the recent developments in the region with French President Emmanuel Macron and the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.He also requested the Saudi King Salman to take the lead in resolving the crisis.	Isolation of Qatar ‘inhumane and against Islamic values’, says Turkey President Erdogan	"A very grave mistake is being made in Qatar, isolating a nation in all areas is inhumane and against Islamic values. It's as if a death penalty decision has been taken for Qatar," Erdogan told his party members in Ankara.
4fc346b0af3c65f111cd7b3435ee46fa	China today said that India should draw strong lessons from the stand-off in Doklam sector to avoid similar incidents in future. Colonel Wu Qian, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Defence, claimed that Doklam is a part of China’s territory and reiterated his country’s view that India had ‘illegally trespassed’.Related Stories Watch: Satellite images show full-fledged Chinese military build-up with seven helipads in DoklamStatus quo at face-off site in Doklam not altered: MEA Will keep building infrastructure in Doklam, India should not comment, says ChinaChina justifies infrastructure building in Doklam, says ‘India has no business to comment on it’“We hope the Indian side can draw lessons to avoid similar incidents repeating in the future,” he said while responding to the recent remarks of Indian Army Chief General Bipan Rawat that Dokalam is a disputed territory between China and Bhutan."Donglong (Dokalam) is part of China," Wu added.General Rawat had recently said that India needs to shift focus from its border with Pakistan to that of China and spoke of pressure being exerted by Beijing along the Line of Actual Control (LAC)."The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) of China has occupied the area in the west of Torsa nullah called northern Dokalam. At the actual spot the two sides have disengaged. The tents remain. The observation posts remain. This is a territory disputed between Bhutan and China," he had said.The Chinese official further said that the "the remarks of the Indian side also shows that the illegal crossing of the Indian border troops is clear in fact and nature".Referring to Gen Rawat’s remarks that India should take the neighbouring countries along with it to deal with China, Wu said, "I want to emphasise that the country should be treated equally regardless of its size. The concept sphere of influence is demonstration of Cold War mentality. The Chinese side (is) always opposed to it.”Rawat had said that countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have to be kept on board as part of a broader strategy to deal with China, and India must make "wholehearted" efforts to continue extending support to them.Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day-long standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after the Indian side stopped construction of a road in the disputed area by the Chinese Army. Bhutan and China have a dispute over Dokalam. The face-off had ended on August 28.Wu also denied reports that China plans to establish a military base or counter terrorism base in Afghanistan."The report on China building a military base in Afghanistan is totally groundless," he added.With PTI Inputs	China says Doklam part of its territory, advises India to draw lessons from stand-off	Colonel Wu Qian, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Defence, claimed that Doklam is a part of China’s territory and reiterated his country’s view that India had ‘illegally trespassed’.
52b9950f0dd9101251cc501ed801ca80	Extradition treaty between South Africa, UAE ratified paving way for trial of Gupta brothersAn extradition treaty between South Africa and the UAE have been ratified paving the way for Indian-origin businessmen Gupta brothers to be returned to the African nation from Dubai to stand trial for allegedly looting billions of Rands from state-owned institutions.Former South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha had signed the treaty in 2018.The UAE, however, signed the treaty on Tuesday, its embassy in Pretoria said in a statement."The treaties will enable the two countries to assist each other in the investigation and prosecution of crimes through mutual legal assistance and the extradition of fugitives," the statement said without referring to the Gupta brothers.Negotiations on the treaty started in 2010 but were reportedly hampered by issues raised by the UAE in the past three years that forced South Africa to turn to the UN and Interpol for assistance in bringing the Gupta brothers to book.Atul, Rajesh and their elder brother Ajay Gupta are accused of siphoning billions of Rands from state and parastatal agencies through their close association with former president Jacob Zuma, who is himself facing criminal charges.The ratification of the treaty came ahead of a protest planned by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation outside the UAE Embassy in Pretoria on Friday.Nishan Balton, the executive director of the foundation, said, "We welcome the ratification of the extradition treaty and now call on the UAE authorities to act swiftly in sending these criminals back to South Africa so that all citizens here can see them get their just desserts for the hard-earned taxpayers'' money that they looted."Last week, the National Prosecuting Authority here had asked Interpol to issue a Red Notice against Atul and Rajesh Gupta, their wives and business associates to bring them to South Africa so that they stand trial for their alleged role in an R25 million fraud and money laundering case linked to the failed Estina Dairy Farm project in Free State province.The US and the UK have already imposed sanctions and seized assets of the Gupta brothers and a close associate, Salim Essa, who is also believed to have fled to Dubai.Another associate, Iqbal Meer Sharma, once a top government official and later a businessman, was arrested last week and has been refused bail until his trial for fraud and corruption resumes on July 5. His assets have also been seized by the NPA."The writing is on the wall for the Guptas and their cronies. All these legal steps have brought a palpable sense of relief to South Africans just as they were getting a sense of despair about whether the criminals would ever be brought to book," Balton said. ALSO READ: Man named in Mehul Choksi's 'abduction' denies any link to caseALSO READ: I'm not his girlfriend and he's not my sugar daddy: Barbara on her relations with Mehul Choksi	Extradition treaty between South Africa, UAE ratified paving way for trial of Gupta brothers	Former South African Justice Minister Michael Masutha had signed the treaty in 2018. The UAE, however, signed the treaty on Tuesday, its embassy in Pretoria said in a statement.
16a19c01e8fc8186ebddb9fb760696e0	Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran KhanPakistan's opposition parties have vowed to bring down the beleaguered government of Prime Minister Imran Khan who is facing his toughest political test since assuming office in 2018.The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which among others include Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-I), organised a big rally on the Srinagar Highway in Islamabad on Monday night.Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz and leader of the opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz who had started the rally from Lahore on March 26, arrived two days later in Islamabad to join the supporters of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and other Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) parties who had already set up a camp.Maryam, daughter and heir of former three-time premier Nawaz Sharif, castigated incumbent prime minister Khan for using the religious card to save his tottering throne."I challenge you to have 172 MNAs with you on the voting day on the no-trust motion," she said at the rally organised a day after Prime Minister Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party organised a massive rally here in his support.She accused Khan of putting down his most trusted Punjab Chief Minister, Usman Buzdar, to save his seat after the government decided to replace him with Chaudhry Pervez Elahi to win the support of his Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid party."You pushed your most trustworthy man (Buzdar) into the water to save your own rule. We have not seen such an ungrateful man in our whole lives," she said.She also said that Khan claimed a foreign conspiracy to topple him and blamed him for showing a fake letter at the rally a day earlier. She said Khan had lost people's confidence, as proved by the ruling party's defeat in 15 out of 16 by-elections in recent months.Several other PDM leaders also addressed the gathering and they also announced to change their rally into a sit-in and the workers would be camping until the vote of no- confidence was held.Khan, 69, is heading a coalition government and he can be removed if some of the partners decide to switch sides. The PTI has 155 members in the 342-member National Assembly and needs at least 172 lawmakers to retain power.The country plunged into uncertainty on March 8 after the combined opposition submitted the motion to the National Assembly along with a requisition to the speaker to summon the session within mandatory 14 days.The rally was organised in the wake of a no-trust move by the opposition on March 8. The voting on the motion would be held between March 31 and April 3.Khan came to power in 2018 with promises to create a 'Naya Pakistan' but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control, giving air to the sails of opposition ships to make war on his government.READ MORE: No confidence motion tabled against PM Imran Khan in Pakistan National Assembly	Countdown begins for Pakistan PM Imran Khan's exit as he faces toughest political battle	Pakistan plunged into uncertainty on March 8 after the combined opposition submitted the motion to the National Assembly against the Imran Khan government.
7367d98e02c7e42f2b8b22a2572869ef	Indian-origin psychiatrist in US pays $145,000 to resolve allegations of overprescribing opioidsAn Indian-origin psychiatrist in the US has to pay USD 145,000 as settlement to resolve allegations that he overprescribed opioids to his patients outside the usual course of his professional practice, the Justice Department said. The USD 145,000 settlement stems from an investigation that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) initiated into whether Prakash Bhatia improperly prescribed opioids to his patients at his clinic in violation of the civil provisions of the Controlled Substances Act.Bhatia of San Diego previously owned and operated Progressive Health and Wellness clinic in California, practicing pain medicine. The Justice Department on Thursday said that according to the Controlled Substances Act, health care providers may write prescriptions for opioids only for a legitimate medical purpose while acting in the usual course of their professional practice.Based on its investigation, the DEA alleged that from March 2013 to December 2017, Bhatia wrote opioid prescriptions, including for drugs such as morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and oxymorphone without a legitimate medical purpose and outside the usual course of his professional practice, in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Bhatia prescribed these medications in combination with depressant medications (including benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants), which are known to increase the risk of abuse, addiction and overdose.“Overprescribing opioids to patients who need treatment for their pain has contributed to the opioid epidemic in this country,” US Attorney Robert Brewer said. The Justice Department said while it continues to aggressively investigate prescribers who brazenly seek to make money by writing opioid prescriptions to those who have no pain, the investigation signifies the department's willingness to scrutinize whether doctors treating patients who actually suffer painful conditions are nevertheless overprescribing opioids.“Health care providers treating patients who suffer from pain must still only prescribe opioids in accordance with recognized and accepted medical standards,” it said. DEA Special Agent in Charge John Callery said by holding the medical community accountable for improperly writing opioid prescriptions, they are ensuring that people are “safe from illicit prescribers who enable the abuse of prescription drugs for financial benefit.”	Indian-origin psychiatrist in US pays $145,000 to resolve allegations of overprescribing opioids	An Indian-origin psychiatrist in the US has to pay USD 145,000 as settlement to resolve allegations that he overprescribed opioids to his patients outside the usual course of his professional practice, the Justice Department said.
e1b092d1e7cc66a976e03c1c02e7d210	This is how an Apple Watch saved a man's life after detecting accidentIt all started when Gabe Burdett was waiting for his father Bob at their pre-designated location for some mountain biking at the Riverside State Park when he received a text alert from his dad's Apple Watch, saying it had detected a "hard fall".Burdett, from city of Spokane in Washington State later received another update from the Watch, saying his father had reached Sacred Heart Medical Center."We drove straight there but he was gone when we arrived. I get another update from the Watch saying his location has changed with a map location of SHMC. Dad flipped his bike at the bottom of Doomsday, hit his head and was knocked out until sometime during the ambulance ride," Burdett wrote in a Facebook post.The Watch notified 911 with the location and within 30 minutes, emergency medical services (EMS) took the injured Bob to the hospital."If you own an Apple Watch, set up your hard fall detection, it's not just for when you fall off a roof or a ladder," Burdett further posted."Had he fallen somewhere on the High Drive trails or another remote area, the location would have clued EMS in on where to find him. Amazing technology and so glad he had it," Burdett said.(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6&appId=1530374180564359"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, "script", "facebook-jssdk")); There have been several examples where Apple Watch saved lives.A US doctor recently saved a person's life by using Apple Watch Series 4 on his wrist to detect atrial fibrillation (AFib) at a restaurant.An Apple Watch user in the UK was recently alerted about his low heart rate by the device. It revealed a serious heart condition that ultimately resulted in a surgery to fix the problem.(With inputs from IANS)	This is how an Apple Watch saved a man's life after detecting accident	“Dad flipped his bike at the bottom of Doomsday, hit his head and was knocked out until sometime during the ambulance ride. The watch had called 911 with his location and EMS had him scooped up and to the hospital in under a 1/2 hr,” says Gabe in his post.
8741ab8a0b784ca52854cdcf08d60d3e	WHO said $54 million is needed to stop the Ebola outbreak. (Representational Image)The isolation ward for Ebola patients is a tent erected in the garden of the local hospital. Gloves are given out sparingly to health workers. And when the second person in this Uganda border town died after the virus outbreak spread from neighboring Congo, the hospital for several hours couldn’t find a vehicle to take away the body.“We don’t really have an isolation ward,” the Bwera Hospital’s administrator, Pedson Buthalha, told The Associated Press. “It’s just a tent. To be honest, we can’t accommodate more than five people.”Related Stories WHO: US experts not needed to fight Ebola outbreak in CongoSouth Sudan to begin Ebola vaccinations as 'very high risk'Elections in the time of Ebola: Congo to vote amid diseaseMedical workers leading Uganda’s effort against Ebola lament what they call limited support in the days since infected members of a Congolese-Ugandan family showed up, one vomiting blood. Three have since died.While Ugandan authorities praise the health workers as “heroes” and say they are prepared to contain the virus, some workers disagree, wondering where the millions of dollars spent on preparing for Ebola have gone if a hospital on the front line lacks basic supplies.“Even the gloves are not enough,” the hospital administrator said Thursday. “I give them out small small.” A nurse nodded in agreement.The World Health Organization on Friday said the Ebola outbreak is an “extraordinary event” of deep concern but does not yet merit being declared a global emergency. Such a declaration typically triggers more funding, resources and political attention. WHO said $54 million is needed to stop the outbreak.And yet both Congo and Uganda appeared to lobby against a declaration, with Congo counting the Uganda-related Ebola cases as its own, saying Congo was where the family members began developing symptoms. Ugandan authorities on Friday said they had only one suspected Ebola case remaining in the country.More than 1,400 people have died since this outbreak was declared in August in eastern Congo, one of the world’s most turbulent regions, where rebel attacks and community resistance have hurt Ebola response work. The virus can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases, and identifying people who might have been exposed is crucial.While Ugandan health workers aren’t facing the violent attacks that have killed several Ebola responders in Congo, they remain at risk as they seek to isolate, test and treat for the virus. Basic equipment such as gloves is essential.At least two nurses at Bwera Hospital might have been exposed as they offered first aid to the infected family. They and some other contacts have since been quarantined in their homes. WHO says at least 98 such people have been identified in Uganda since the outbreak crossed the nearby border.A nurse, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid possible retribution, questioned why some people who might have been exposed to Ebola are allowed to stay at home.“I wish we could coordinate,” the hospital administrator said of the apparent confusion over how to manage the outbreak.Ugandan Health Minister Jane Aceng told the AP on Saturday that district officials in Kasese were to blame for limited medical supplies after delaying in submitting their budget.“It is clearly the responsibility of the district to order supplies,” she said. “If they haven’t done the orders we can’t supply because we don’t know how much they need.” As for upgrading the makeshift isolation ward in the hospital garden, she said “it is not economical. It is not cost-effective” to build permanent structures.Uganda has faced multiple Ebola outbreaks and is a regional leader in battling Ebola, even if this part of the country has never experienced an outbreak. Some Ugandan physicians were deployed to the West African outbreak of 2013-2016, the deadliest in history.Health workers in this outbreak now have the benefit of an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine that is being widely used, with more than 130,000 doses distributed. Uganda has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers, with more vaccinations set to begin on Saturday.Still, corruption is rampant, and many local people are scornful of government officials seen as out of touch.As Bwera Hospital tried to arrange a safe burial on Thursday for one of Uganda’s first Ebola victims, officials quickly realized there was no vehicle. The burial took place hours later and in darkness, which some residents called a sign of the government’s shortcomings.“This should have been done by the health office, the district health office,” said Moses Mugisa, clerk of the border town of Mpondwe-Lhubiriha, who eventually found transport for the corpse.In addition, he said, voluntary health teams screening for Ebola on the border have gone unpaid for about four months. He criticized the decision of government officials from Kampala, the capital, to visit only briefly after Uganda’s first Ebola case was announced.“We have a lot of work to do,” he said.	Ugandan medics now tackling Ebola say they lack supplies	While Ugandan authorities praise the health workers as “heroes” and say they are prepared to contain the virus, some workers disagree, wondering where the millions of dollars spent on preparing for Ebola have gone if a hospital on the front line lacks basic supplies.
13fb2dee182fa5ebca486322bc3f0d40	External Affairs Minister Sushma SwarajAn Indian national and three persons of Indian-origin have been killed in Cincinnati in the US and the matter is being investigated by police there, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said on Tuesday.However, Swaraj ruled out the possibility of a hate crime.Related Stories Swaraj seeks report into kidnapping of 2 Hindu girls in Pak's Sindh province'Hum hain na': Swaraj assures to help Indian man in Saudi who threatened to commit 'suicide'"Indian Ambassador in United States @IndianEmbassyUS has informed me about the killing of four persons in Cincinnati on Sunday evening. One of them was an Indian national on a visit to US while others were persons of Indian origin," she tweeted.The matter is under investigation by police, but it is not a hate crime, Swaraj said."Our Consul General in New York is coordinating with the concerned authorities and will keep me informed me on this," she said.The victims were found by another relative who called the police, West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog said."My wife and three other family members were on the ground and bleeding... they’re bleeding from the head," a man said on the 911 call that was released by the police."No one's talking, no one's talking," he shouted.A local religious leader on Monday identified the deceased as Hakikat Singh Panag, 59, his wife, Paramjit Kaur, 62, their daughter, Shalinder Kaur, 39, and his sister-in-law, Amarjit Kaur, 58.The were all shot to death around 9:50 p.m (local time) on Sunday, the report said.	Indian among four killed in US’ Cincinnati: Sushma Swaraj dismisses possibility of 'hate crime'	Four members of a Sikh family, including three women, have been shot in their home in Ohio's Cincinnati city on Sunday evening, authorities said.
be3a3e98e3d166f6ad47daa49d3e773d	Coronavirus outbreak: South Korea's COVID-19 cases reach 5,328South Korea on Wednesday confirmed 142 more cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, raising the total number of infections to 5,328. As of midnight, the number of infected patients totaled 5,328, up 142 from the previous announcement. Two more deaths were reported, taking the toll due to the coronavirus outbreak to 33, Xinhua reported.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) updated the data twice a day at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Tuesday.The virus infection soared for the past two weeks, with 5,155 new cases reported from February 19 to March 3. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level. The total number of infections in Daegu, about 300 km southeast of Seoul, and its surrounding North Gyeongsang province increased to 4,006 and 774, respectively. It accounted for almost 90 percent of the total.Since January 3, the country has tested more than 136,000 people, among whom 102,965 tested negative for the virus and 28,414 were being checked.Seven more patients were discharged from quarantine after making full recovery, raising the combined number to 41.ALSO READ \| North Korea fires unidentified projectiles into eastern sea, claims SeoulALSO READ \| 5 frequently asked questions on Coronavirus answered	Coronavirus outbreak: South Korea's COVID-19 cases reach 5,328	South Korea on Wednesday confirmed 142 more cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, raising the total number of infections to 5,328. The country has raised its four-tier virus alert to the highest "red" level.
7a2c7baa5a0e92b422ebee2f3354f1be	Many videos and graphic images of the attacks went viral on social media. The Russian forces on Monday steered up their attacks on Ukraine, by launching a rocket strike on the country's second populous city of Kharkiv. The Ukrainian interior ministry had said that dozens weere killed in the attacks, and hundreds were injured critically. Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said in a post on Facebook: Kharkiv has just been massively fired upon by grads (rockets). Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded, The Guardian reported.Many videos and graphic images of the attacks went viral on social media. Residents described intense shelling, with one woman saying it was "something like Star Wars above your head". Sharing the visuals on Twitter, BRITPAC chairman Henry Bolton wrote, "Russian Multi Launch Rocket System (MLRS) strikes in the city of Kharkiv this morning. Firing this sort of imprecise weapon system into civilian areas is an escalation, and breaches the rules of war."Another resident, university professor Dmitry Shabanov, said his family was fortunate to still have running water, BBC reported.READ MORE: India sending 4 Ministers to Ukraine's neighbouring countries to expedite evacuationREAD MORE: Mriya, world's largest aircraft, destroyed by Russia	Caught on cam: Massive Russian rockets hit Ukraine's Kharkiv, dozens killed	Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko said in a post on Facebook: Kharkiv has just been massively fired upon by grads (rockets). Dozens of dead and hundreds of wounded, The Guardian reported.
83759497320c27a16af5964c19609917	Representational ImageWest Bengal IPS officer Arnab Ghosh was on Thursday again interrogated by the CBI after he was grilled for more than nine hours on Wednesday in connection with the multi-crore Saradha Chit Fund scam case, a CBI source said.Ghosh was one of the members of the Special Investigation Team that initially probed the ponzi scam cases.The officer reached the CBI office at the CGO complex in Salt Lake around 10.10 a.m. Ghosh and a number of other Bengal police officers, including the first investigation officer of the Saradha case, has been interrogated by the CBI this week.The agency had also summoned former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar but he has sent a letter seeking seven days time as he was on leave.The CBI is yet to issue a fresh summon to Kumar.ALSO READ \| To counter Sahara and Sardha like Ponzi schemes, Modi govt may bring a new bill	Saradha scam: CBI again grills Bengal officer	The agency had also summoned former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar but he has sent a letter seeking seven days time as he was on leave.
73b426fb386f9d59583557b4f93af7f8	Debris and seafoam litter a beach after Cyclone Mekunu in Salalah, Oman on Saturday. Cyclone Mekunu blew into the Arabian Peninsula on Saturday, drenching arid Oman and Yemen with rain, cutting off power lines, officials said.A cyclone more powerful than any previously recorded in southern Oman slammed into the Gulf country and neighbouring Yemen on Saturday, deluging a major city with nearly three years’ worth of rainfall in a single day. The storm killed at least six people while more than 30 remain missing, officials said. According to reports, Yemen's fisheries minister Fahad Kafin has confirmed that casualties of the storm include two Indians. However, four Indian sailors who had been declared missing were found alive by rescue teams. Related Stories In pics: Cyclone Ockhi leaves trail of destruction across Kerala, Tamil NaduBomb Cyclone hits US: Massive winter storm brings snow, cold to eastern shoresRed alert issued in Australian state for cyclone KelvinCyclone Mekunu caused flash flooding that tore away whole roadways and submerged others in Salalah, Oman’s third-largest city, stranding drivers. Strong winds knocked over street lights and tore away roofing.Rushing waters from the rain and storm surge flooded typically dry creek beds. The holiday destination’s now-empty tourist beaches were littered with debris and foam from the churning Arabian Sea.Three people, including a 12-year-old girl, died in Oman, and another two bodies were recovered from the Yemeni island of Socotra. More than 30 people were still missing in Socotra, including Yemeni, Indian and Sudanese nationals.Yemeni officials also reported damage in the country’s far east, along the border with Oman. Rageh Bakrit, the governor of al-Mahra province, said on his official Twitter account late Friday that strong winds had blown down houses and taken out communication lines and water services. He said there were no fatalities in the province.India’s Meteorological Department said the storm packed maximum sustained winds of 170-180 kilometres (105-111 miles) per hour with gusts of up to 200 kph (124 mph). It called the cyclone “extremely severe.”Portions of Salalah, home to some 200,000 people, lost power as the cyclone made landfall.Branches and leaves littered the streets. Several underpasses became standing lakes. Some cars were left abandoned on the road. Electrical workers began trying to repair lines in the city while police and soldiers in SUVs patrolled the streets. On the outskirts of the city, near the Salalah International Airport, what once was a dry creek bed had become a raging river.The airport, closed since Thursday, will reopen early Sunday, Oman’s Public Authority for Civil Aviation said. The Port of Salalah — a key gateway for the country and for Qatar amid a regional diplomatic dispute — remained closed, its cranes secured against the pounding rain and winds.Omani forecasters said Salalah and the surrounding area would get at least 200 millimetres (7.87 inches) of rain, over twice the city’s annual downfall. It actually received 278.2 mm, nearly three times its annual rainfall.Authorities remained worried about flash flooding in the area’s valleys and potential mudslides down its nearby cloud-shrouded mountains. In nearby Wadi Darbat, the storm’s rains supercharged its famous waterfall.Police and others continued their rescue efforts even as the winds and rains calmed. Capt. Tarek al-Shanfari of the Royal Oman Police’s public relations department said there had been at least three fatalities in the storm, including the death of a 12-year-old girl who was hit in the head by a door flung open by the wind.An Asian labourer died in a flooded valley and an Omani national in a 4x4 died when his vehicle was swept away, al-Shanfari said. Oman’s National Committee for Civil Defense announced a fourth death early Sunday, without offering details.On Socotra, authorities relocated over 230 families to sturdier buildings and other areas, including those more inland and in the island’s mountains, Yemeni security officials said.Flash floods engulfed Socotra’s streets, cutting electricity and communication lines. Some humanitarian aid from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates arrived on the island just hours after the cyclone receded.Image Source : APAn Omani civil defence staff visits a road which has been cut by the flood water after Cyclone Merkunu in Salalah on Saturday.An Omani civil defence staff visits a road which has been cut by the flood water after Cyclone Merkunu in Salalah on Saturday.Yemeni security officials said rescuers recovered two bodies on Socotra, while more than 30 people remain missing. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.The island, listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, has been the focus of a dispute between the UAE and Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which are ostensibly allied against Shiite rebels known as Houthis.Socotra has a unique ecosystem and is home to plants, snails and reptiles that can be found nowhere else.In Oman, Mohammed Omer Baomer warned his neighbours about a torn-away chunk of the road just down the street from his home after earlier getting his SUV stuck over it.“It was a scary feeling, as if it was the end of world,” he said of the cyclone. “You can’t even go outside. You try to watch from the window and you can’t.”Yet even as Mekunu barreled overhead, the eye of the storm provided a moment’s respite early Saturday morning. At one luxury hotel in Salalah, which already had evacuated its guests, workers sat down early for “suhoor,” a meal Muslims eat before sunrise during the holy fasting month of Ramadan. They laughed and shared plates by flashlight in a darkened ballroom, the cyclone’s wind a dull roar behind their clatter.(With inputs from AP)	Powerful cyclone strikes Oman, Yemen; 2 Indians among 6 dead, 30 others missing	Cyclone Mekunu caused flash flooding that tore away whole roadways and submerged others in Salalah, Oman’s third-largest city, stranding drivers. Strong winds knocked over street lights and tore away roofing.
b4a65bfa78bbe31426abcde57c72b405	Pakistan closes corridor of its airspace after downgrading ties with IndiaAfter the Indian government abolished provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution, Pakistan has closed a corridor in its airspace. However, according to national carrier Air India, its westbound operations will not be impacted much by Pakistan's decision to partially close its airspace.According to an Air India official, the move by the Imran Khan-led country will result in an additional up to 12 minutes of flying time for overseas flights. The flights will have to be diverted to other routes due to the closure, the official said."One air corridor has been closed (in Pakistani airspace), requiring a maximum of 12 minutes diversion. It will not affect us (much)," said the Air India spokesperson.Nearly 50 flights are operated by Air India through Pakistani airspace on a daily basis, which includes flights to the United States, Europe and the Middle East.Pakistan had closed its airspace on February 26, soon after the Balakot airstrikes. The airspace, however, was fully reopened on July 16.Article 370 of the Constitution, which was abolished by the Narendra Modi government, gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. The government also bifurcated the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.Article 370 granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir and allowed it to have its own flag and constitution, among other rights.Also Read \| Pakistan downgrades diplomatic ties with India: Will Kulbhushan Jadhav issue be affected?Also Read \| Downgrading diplomatic ties is Pakistan's knee jerk reaction: Punjab CMVideo: Pakistan National Security Committee decides to suspend of bilateral trade with India /* .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); 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}); jwvidplayer_1618114964.on('adBlock', function (event) { ga('send', 'event', 'JW Player Events', 'Errors', event.message); }); }	Spooked over abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan closes corridor of its airspace after downgrading ties with India	Upset over the scrapping of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan has closed a corridor of its airspace. The move will result in an additional 12 minutes by the Indian flights. Meanwhile, Air India has said the westbound operations will not be much affected by Pakistan's decision to close its airspace.
6164613057c1d5e37b3d5c6039bae76d	A mail-in official ballot for the 2020 General Election in the United States is shown Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 in Havertown, Pa. “So 2020” is a new phrase that made its way into America’s political lexicon this year. It has come to describe all things unexpected, unsettling and unprecedented. This includes the vitriolic political discourse that has deepened the partisan divide, the coronavirus pandemic, economic woes, social upheaval after police killings of Black people, massive protests, smashed up storefronts.Here are two political terms — “cancel culture” and “QAnon” — that are “so 2020″ themselves. What do they mean?CANCEL CULTURE: It’s the idea of cancelling, or basically running a person, idea or belief out of public discourse by people who hold opposing views. It’s a kind of shaming in the public square — or on social media — that has made some afraid to speak up.At the GOP convention, Republicans accused the “radical left” of trying to undermine free speech by targeting and bullying anyone who doesn’t share their ideas.Some on the left maintain that cancel culture doesn’t exist at all — or that it’s happening on the right as well. They point to Colin Kaepernick, the NFL quarterback who took a knee during the national anthem in 2016 to take a stand against police brutality and racial injustice. Politicians, including President Donald Trump, team owners, fellow players and Americans at large condemned him. Fans burned his jersey, and he eventually lost his job.Some believe that the practice of what amounts to shouting down in public certain people or beliefs has restricted free speech in America. Others say the discourse, especially on social media, has expanded free expression — and that it’s not about free speech but about the right to take issue with offensive or outdated ideas.QANON: It’s a right-wing, pro-Trump conspiracy theory born in a dark corner of the internet that has crept into mainstream politics. The theory, promoted by extremists, is based on cryptic postings by the anonymous “Q,” who purported to be a government insider with access to classified information. The first Q posting appeared in October 2017.QAnon followers contend that a group of Satan-worshiping pedophiles — that includes Hollywood actors and Democratic politicians — is running a global child sex-trafficking ring and plotting against Trump. They also believe thousands of “deep state” operatives and top Democrats will eventually be rounded up and sent to Guantanamo Bay during a reckoning dubbed “The Storm.”In May 2019, an FBI bulletin mentioning QAnon warned that conspiracy theory-driven extremists had become a domestic terrorism threat and were likely to commit violent crimes inspired by their fringe beliefs. Yet, Trump praised QAnon supporters during a White House press briefing in August.“I heard that these are people that love our country,” he said in his first public comments on the subject. Trump insisted that he hadn’t heard much about the movement, “other than I understand they like me very much” and “it is gaining in popularity.”Vice President Mike Pence has dismissed QAnon.A few proponents of the QAnon conspiracy theory won Republican primaries and are running for seats in state legislatures this year, breathing oxygen into the conspiracy movement.Some of the legislative candidates have repeatedly shared QAnon memes and interacted extensively with social media accounts promoting the conspiracy. They make up a tiny share of the thousands of state legislative candidates on the ballot in November and many are longshots. But several, including in Arizona, Minnesota and Wisconsin, are running in competitive districts.(Except for the headline, Indiatvnews.com has not edited anything in the copy)US Elections 2020: Full CoverageUS Election 2020 LIVE UpdatesUS Election 2020: How America elects its President. All you need to know	US Election 2020: Some new political terms explained	Some believe that the practice of what amounts to shouting down in public certain people or beliefs has restricted free speech in America. Others say the discourse, especially on social media, has expanded free expression.
b49897b2e39597d10c3fe2d9afeb43a7	The gunman behind a rampage in Northern California was out on bail charged with stabbing a neighbour, others had complained about him firing hundreds of rounds from his house, and he had been the subject of a domestic violence call the day before the attack.Yet Kevin Neal was free and able to use a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns yesterday to shoot 14 people, killing four, in seven different locations across his rural community, including an elementary school, before he died in a shootout with police.It's not yet clear what the terms of Neal's bail were, and whether he would have been allowed to possess and fire the weapons on his property at the end of a dirt road in Rancho Tehama Reserve. Nor did sheriff's officials give details on the domestic violence call.But his many contacts with authorities raised questions of why he was out of custody and able to go on the 45-minute rampage that began with the killing of two neighbours in an apparent act of revenge before he went looking for random victims.Cristal Caravez and her father live across a ravine from the roadway where the gunman and his first victims lived. She said they and others heard constant gunfire from the area of the gunman's house, but couldn't say for sure it was him firing."You could hear the yelling. He'd go off the hinges," she said. The shooting, "it would be during the day, during the night, I mean, it didn't matter."She and her father, who is president of the homeowners association, said neighbours would complain to the sheriff's department, which referred the complaints back to the homeowners association."The sheriff wouldn't do anything about it," said Juan Caravez.The gunman's sister, Sheridan Orr, said her brother had struggled with mental illness throughout his life and at times had a violent temper.She said Neal had "no business" owning firearms. Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said the shooter was facing charges of assaulting one of the feuding neighbours in January and that she had a restraining order against him.Johnston did not comment on the shooter's access to firearms.Johnston declined to identify the shooter until his relatives were notified, but he confirmed the gunman was charged with assault in January and had a restraining order placed against him.The district attorney, Gregg Cohen, told the Sacramento Bee he is prosecuting a man named Kevin Neal in that case.Neal's mother told The Associated Press her son, who was a marijuana grower, was in a long-running dispute with neighbours he believed were cooking methamphetamine.The mother, who spoke on condition she be named only as Anne because she fears for her safety, lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she raised Neal.She said she posted his USD 160,000 bail and spent USD 10,000 on a lawyer after he was arrested in January for stabbing a neighbour.Neal's mother said the neighbour was slightly cut after Neal grabbed a steak knife out of the hand of the neighbour who was threatening him with it.She wept as she told The Associated Press she spoke to Neal on the phone on Monday."Mom it's all over now," she said he told her. "I have done everything I could do and I am fighting against everyone who lives in this area."She said Neal apologised to her during their brief conversation, she thought for all the money she had spent on him, saying he was "on a cliff" and the people around him were trying to "execute" him."I think the motive of getting even with his neighbours and when it went that far, he just went on a rampage," Johnston said.Police said surveillance video shows the shooter unsuccessfully trying to enter a nearby elementary school after quick-thinking staff members locked the outside doors and barricaded themselves inside when they heard gunshots.Johnston said the gunman spent about six minutes shooting into Rancho Tehama Elementary School before driving off to continue shooting elsewhere. Johnston said one student was shot but is expected to survive.He said the 45-minute rampage ended when a patrol car rammed the stolen vehicle the shooter was driving and killed him in a shootout.Johnston said officials received multiple 911 calls about gunfire at an intersection of two dirt roads. Minutes later, more calls reporting shots flooded in from different locations, including the school.Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and children screaming at the school, which has one class of students from kindergarten through fifth grade.The shootings occurred in the rural community of Rancho Tehama Reserve, a homeowners association in a sparsely populated area of rolling oak woodlands dotted with grazing cattle about 130 miles north of Sacramento.	California shooter Kevin Neal who killed 4, injured 10 was out on bail	Kevin Neal, who killed 4 people and injured 10 others in seven different locations across his rural community in California, was out on bail charged with stabbing a neighbour.
7fe6d7fea703fd08ae3e043797f07601	India is ‘behaving like a mature power’ in the Doklam standoff in the Sikkim section and making China look like an adolescent throwing a tamper tantrum, a top American defence expert has said.India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area for the last 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.Praising India's behaviour over the matter, James R Holmes, professor of strategy at the prestigious US Naval War College, said, "New Delhi has done things right thus far, neither backing away from the dispute nor replying in kind to Beijing's over-the-top rhetoric.""It is behaving as the mature power and making China look like the adolescent throwing a temper tantrum," Holmes said.Holmes said it was 'weird' that China wanted to keep alive a boundary dispute with its most formidable neighbour."If China wants to pursue an assertive maritime strategy, it needs secure borders on land so it doesn't have to worry about overland aggression from its neighbours," Holmes said."In other words, confronting India in the Himalayas is not a purely rational course of action driven by rational cost/benefit analysis," said the professor from the US Naval War College.When asked why the US has remained silent so far on this issue, he said the current administration has too much on its plate."It's also possible Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and his advisers don't want the United States involved in a Himalayan dispute it has little way of influencing. If the dispute escalates, chances are Washington will come out in support of New Delhi," Holmes said.	India behaving like mature power in Doklam standoff: US defence expert	India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area for the last 50 days after Indian troops stopped the Chinese People's Liberation Army from building a road in the area.
f257b52b88653e15e77c2f78766e93cd	Jim Mattis. The United States on Tuesday said that it will end its suspension of military drills on the Korean peninsula. Addressing the reporters, US Defence Secretary James Mattis said; "We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercises as a good faith measure. We have no plans to suspend anymore".Mattis, however, did not give any indication on when would the drills resume. "We are going to see how the negotiations go, and then we will calculate the future, how we go forward," he said.Related Stories China 'intimidating, coercing' neighbours in South China Sea: US Defence Secretary James MattisUS Defence Secretary James Mattis praises PM Modi for warning about dangers of loans that are 'too good to be true'US Defence Secretary James Mattis to visit China to discuss denuclearisation of North Korea Earlier in June following President Trump's historic summit with North Korean supremo Kim Jong Un in Singapore, the United States said that would suspend "select" exercises with South Korea, including the large-scale Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises slated for August, making good on a Trump summit pledge.US and South Korean forces have been training together for years, and routinely rehearse everything from beach landings to an invasion from the North, or even "decapitation" strikes targeting the North Korean regime.	US to end suspension of military drills on Korean peninsula, says Jim Mattis	"We took the step to suspend several of the largest military exercises as a good faith measure. We have no plans to suspend anymore", said Mattis.
019d2149dbcfa8c6208ace0e5154a84e	In a new directive, the Trump administration has made it more difficult for the renewal of non-immigrant visas such as H-1B and L1, popular among Indian IT professionals, saying that the burden of proof lies on the applicant even when an extension is sought. Rescinding its more than 13-year-old policy, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that the burden of proof in establishing eligibility is, at all times, on the petitioner. USCIS said the previous memorandum of April 23, 2004 appeared to place this burden on this federal agency. "This memorandum makes it clear that the burden of proof remains on the petitioner, even where an extension of non-immigrant status is sought," USCIS said in its latest memorandum issued on October 23. Under the previous policy, if a person was once found to be eligible for a work visa initially, they would usually be considered for extension of their visa. Now during every extension, they need to prove to the federal authorities that they are still eligible for the visa they apply for. William Stock, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said that the change is being made retroactively to people already living in the country and not just to new visa applicants. "In adjudicating petitions for immigration benefits, including non-immigrant petition extensions, adjudicators must, in all cases, thoroughly review the petition and supporting evidence to determine eligibility for the benefit sought. "The burden of proof in establishing eligibility is, at all times, on the petitioner," the USCIS said. The new policy is in line with the Trump administration's goal to protect American workers from discrimination and replacement by foreign labour, NumberUSA website said. This new policy will make sure that only qualified H-1B workers will be allowed to stay in the US and will help crackdown on visa fraud and abuse, it added.	Trump admin toughens rules on H-1B visa, makes it more difficult for extension	Trump administration has made it more difficult for the renewal of non-immigrant visas such as H-1B and L1, popular among Indian IT professionals.
8141e8ffdcaff6a8ae5dd499037b35b4	Donald Trump on border crisisUS President Donald Trump made a televised plea for border wall funding Tuesday night, seeking an edge in the shutdown battle with congressional Democrats as he declared there is "a humanitarian crisis, a crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul".Addressing the nation from the Oval Office for the first time, Trump argued for funding on security and humanitarian grounds as he sought to put pressure on newly empowered Democrats amid an extended partial government shutdown.Related Stories 'Will consider new way to safeguard our interests if US doesn't keep its promise': Kim Jong-un warns TrumpTrump invites Congressional leaders to end government shutdownWant ‘great relationship’ with Pakistan; meeting with new leadership of country ‘very soon’: TrumpDonald Trump offers condolences to kin of slain Indian-origin policemanDonald Trump 'threatens' to continue with US govt shutdown for yearsUS Congress shutdown drags on; Donald Trump says 'not much headway' in talksPentagon chief of staff Kevin Sweeney resignsNeed to deal with Democrats to end shutdown, says Donald TrumpSyria conflict: John Bolton says US withdrawal conditionalPM Modi, Donald Trump talk over phone; take positive note of bilateral cooperation The US president called on Democrats to return to the White House to meet with him, saying it was "immoral" for "politicians to do nothing."Trump, who has long railed against illegal immigration at the border, has recently seized on humanitarian concerns to argue there is a broader crisis that can only be solved with a wall along the US-Mexico border.But critics say the security risks are overblown and his administration is at least partly to blame for the humanitarian situation.Trump has been discussing the idea of declaring a national emergency to allow him to circumvent Congress and move forward with the wall. But he made no mention of such a declaration Tuesday night.Democrats have vowed to block funding for a wall, which they say would be immoral and ineffective, and have called on Trump to reopen shuttered portions of the government while border negotiations continue.	Trump urges wall funding to fix US-Mexico border crisis in TV address	Trump, who has long railed against illegal immigration at the border, has recently seized on humanitarian concerns to argue there is a broader crisis that can only be solved with a wall along the US-Mexico border.
10faa4c31f5f8416dd9a928c03b94622	Indian man in FBI most-wanted list: Information on him can fetch you ₹74 lakhThe US' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is reminding the public of a $100,000-reward offer for information leading to the capture of Indian-origin Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, who has been listed by the agency as one of the "10 Most Wanted" since 2017.Patel has been on the run since 2015 when he allegedly killed his wife, Palak, with a knife inside a Dunkin Donuts coffee shop in Hanover, Maryland state.He has been charged with murder.Although he was put on the list in 2017 with the $100,000 (Rs 74 lakh approx) reward for information leading to his capture he has not been caught and on Friday the FBI tweeted information about him and the reward to draw attention to the case and the reward offer.The FBI is asking anyone who knows where he is to contact the agency or the nearest US consulate or embassy.Patel, who was 24 at that time, allegedly hit his 21-year-old wife in the face with a kitchen knife and stabbed her several times in the backroom of the shop where they both worked while customers were still there, according to officials quoted by WTOP radio.He was last known to have taken a taxi from a hotel in New Jersey to a train station in Newark in the state.Tim Altomare, who was the police chief of Anne Arundel County at that time, told the radio: "The violence in this case was stark. It was heart-wrenching and it was a shock to our collective conscience on the police department."WTOP reported that investigators think that Patel was still in the US in 2017 when he was put on the FBI list and according to Altomare investigators believe that someone was knowingly helping Patel or was interacting with him without knowing about his alleged crime.The radio reported that according to Gordon Johnson, who was the special agent in charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office in 2017, Patel was put on the list because of the brutality of the crime and the likelihood that someone outside the US knows where he was.The couple's visas expired about a month before the killing and investigators believe that Palak Patel wanted to return to India, but her husband opposed it, WTOP reported.The FBI's notice says that the accused "should be considered armed and extremely dangerous".According to the FBI he was born in Kantrodi Ta Viramgam in Gujarat.	Indian man in FBI most-wanted list: Information on him can fetch you ₹74 lakh	The US' Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is reminding the public of a $100,000-reward offer for information leading to the capture of Indian-origin Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, who has been listed by the agency as one of the "10 Most Wanted" since 2017.
3410d7a4adc2ac35dec560b29c2ab7e6	Jaffna-based rights’ activist and former United Nations advisor Dr Maravanpulavu Sachithananthan with New Delhi MP Meenakshi Lekhi during his visit to the city last weekMaking a strong pitch for the inclusion of Sri Lankan Hindus under the amended Citizenship Act, Jaffna-based rights’ activist and former United Nations advisor Dr Maravanpulavu Sachithananthan told India TV in an exclusive interview that New Delhi must either create pathways for citizenship for Sri Lankan Hindus or negotiate their rehabilitation in Sri Lanka with Colombo.He also heads an outfit, Siva Senai, involved in fighting “coercive conversion” of Sri Lankan Hindus to other religions, including Christianity and Islam. He was in New Delhi for a two-day visit last week, during which he caught up with India TV's Dhairya Maheshwari.Edited excerpts:Why should Sri Lankan Tamil refugees be included in the ambit of the Citizenship Amendment Act? The Sri Lankan government says that efforts are on to rehabilitate the war refugees, mostly Tamilian Hindus, in the wake of the Sri Lankan Civil War.The Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 is a great boon to the refugee Hindus. Hindus from the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where there have been reports of persecution of minorities, will finally have a state to call their own.In the case of Sri Lankan refugees, approximately 1.5 million refugees, mostly Tamilian Hindus, have migrated to 40 different countries. More than a lakh Tamilian refugees in India have been living in refugee camps for almost 35 years now. Besides India, all the other Sri Lankan refugees who have gone to these 40 countries are in a state to exercise their rights as citizens, or permanent residents, of their respective countries. They even have the facilities to travel back to Sri Lanka. They have become ministers. They have become mayors. They have become members of parliament in their new homelands.Sadly, in the case of Sri Lankan refugees in India, they have failed to realise their full potential because of their inability to hold full-time jobs. They do not even have permission to travel around India freely. Even in Sri Lanka after the end of the Civil War in 2009, refugees were eventually released from the confinement of camps and rehabilitated into the mainstream.But the refugees in India are stuck in limbo. They can’t apply for government jobs. They can’t apply at universities. About 20 per cent of those refugees were born here. They don’t even know anything about Sri Lanka.While the Indian government’s consistent position has been that all these Sri Lankan refugees must return to Sri Lanka one day, the fact remains that the political, emotional, economic and educational climate for their return is not conducive enough. New Delhi has been unable to push the Sri Lankan government to accept the provisions of the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord of 1987, which called granting more autonomy to the provinces.In this backdrop, New Delhi must either grant citizenship to Sri Lankan refugees under the CAA or facilitate their return to Sri Lanka. I would like to reiterate that Sri Lankan refugees could only return to their homeland if the 1987 Accord is implemented in letter and spirit. At present, we are faced with a situation where the traditional homeland of Sri Lankan Tamils has been split.However, they can’t stay here as stateless people as well. A solution, therefore, must be arrived at soon.Overall, how receptive has India been to these concerns of Sri Lankan Hindus?Well, there is no other country that the Sri Lankan Hindus look up to for support other than India. India is involved in a significant way, politically and economically, in re-developing the war-ravaged northern region of Sri Lanka. Most of the commitments made to Sri Lankan Tamils during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Jaffna in 2015 have or are being fulfilled.The Indian government also believes that there has to be a pathway for citizenship for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees currently residing in camps.India is like a big brother and it will continue to remain so for the Sri Lankan Hindus.How would you characterise the current situation of Sri Lankan Tamils living in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka?Sri Lankan Hindus are in a state of despair. While the war is no more, the post-war situation is traumatic, to say the least. Lakhs of them have been displaced. Our schools are in shambles. The health system is in a state of disrepair. The overall infrastructure is broken. The push to resettle the war refugees is not happening as planned, which is mainly because the 1987 Rajiv Gandhi-Junius Jayewardene is not being implemented fully by the Sri Lankan government.Unfortunately for the Sri Lankan Hindus, Christian missionaries and Islamic preachers are taking advantage of the deplorable situation since the war ended back in 2009. They are poor. They are displaced. So, the money from overseas, mainly channelled from the Gulf region and the West, is being used to lure them towards these religions. At present, there are some 560 Christian missionary groups in Sri Lanka who are converting the Sri Lankan Hindus to Christianity. The constitution of Christians as part of overall population has increased from six to eight per cent. Muslims now make approximately 10 per cent of Sri Lanka’s population, up from seven per cent. On the other hand, the number of Sri Lankan Tamils have come down from 25 per cent of overall population to just 12.5 per cent at present.Could you also throw some light on the impact that the Easter Bombings of April 2019 have had on the overall political landscape of Sri Lanka?Let me state one thing from the outset. The radical Islamist groups were armed by the Sri Lankan government during the Civil War. They were provided with all sorts of assistance so they could help the Sri Lankan armed forces in fighting the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).So, after the war ended, these radical Islamist groups emerged so strong that they started asserting themselves, politically as well as through other ways, in the northern and eastern provinces, which had been the traditional homelands for Sri Lankan Tamils.The effects of this policy of helping the Islamist groups has resulted in the Muslim population in the Eastern province of Sri Lanka registering a steep rise, from just three to four per cent in 1901 to over 40 per cent at present.What’s the purpose of your current visit to Delhi?I am here to appeal to the Indian government to resume the ferry service from the northern part of Sri Lanka to the southern part of India. The ferry service from the Talamanier pier of Sri Lanka was shelved a few years ago but efforts have been on to resume the services. I met several Indian lawmakers and appealed to them to begin the service, which would help in building people-to-people ties between people of Sri Lanka and India.	Radical Islamists were armed by Sri Lankan govt in Civil War; urge India to do more for Hindus: Siva Senai	Jaffna-based rights’ activist and former United Nations advisor Dr Maravanpulavu Sachithananthan told India TV in an exclusive interview that New Delhi must either create pathways for citizenship for Sri Lankan Hindus or negotiate their rehabilitation in Sri Lanka with Colombo
7e9d12f043550894b8e46b3b7e4d234f	Representational image.A Hindu businessman was shot dead in Pakistan's Sindh province after alleged disputes over the land issues in the Ghotki district. The victim has been identified as Satan Lal.Reports said that the businessman was shot by influential elements belonging to the Dahar community.The Express Tribune quoted a friend of Satan Lal, Mukhi Anil Kumar, who said that there was an inauguration of a cotton factory and flour mill on the land of Satan Lal where some people shot him dead.Further reports said that they first initially thought it was the aerial firing to welcome Saen Sadhram Saheb, a community spiritual leader.Earlier in a viral video, Satan Lal said that he was being threatened, and being forced to leave Pakistan.They are threatening to kill me, smash my eyes, and cut my hands and feet. They are asking me to leave Pakistan. I belong to this country and will prefer to die here but will not surrender.Angry community people protested and blocked a highway post killing of a Hindu businessman.ALSO READ \| J&K: Terrorist killed during encounter in Shopian's Nadigam areaALSO READ \| Punjab Election 2022: Will support Sidhu if Congress names him CM candidate, says CM Channi \| EXCLUSIVE	Hindu businessman shot dead in Pakistan's Sindh province	A few days ago, Satan Lal in a video had said that he was being threatened and forced to leave Pakistan.
b243518c50f8ae01cdfa2206b2fd9105	63% adults have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose: Joe BidenRiding on strong vaccination numbers at home where more than 63 per cent of American adults have received at least one dose, US President Joe Biden announced on Thursday the US will donate 75 per cent of its unused Covid-19 vaccine stockpile to the United Nations-led COVAX global vaccine program which has delivered less than 80 million doses so far.Here's the breakdown of the numbers coming out of the White House: The first batch accounts for 25 million doses. Of that, 19 million will be earmarked for three regions: 6 million for South and Central America, 7 million for Asia and 5 million for Africa.Within Asia, the allocated 7 million vaccines will go to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, and the Pacific Islands.The remaining 6 million will be divvied up between more than 15 countries: Mexico, Canada, South Korea, West Bank and Gaza, Ukraine, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, and United Nations frontline workers.The initial 25 million doses will be a mix of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. The White House also announced lifting restrictions on vaccines from AstraZeneca, Sanofi and Novavax - these three are not authorized for use in the USThe White House confirmed that 1 million Johnson & Johnson doses are headed to South Korea. More than 500,000 South Korean troops serve alongside American soldiers in the country. Mexico and Canada have already received a combined 4.5 million doses.By the end of June 2021, the US plan is to share 80 million doses globally, mostly via COVAX. Biden plans to hold back about 25 per cent of the nation's stock for domestic emergencies and for allies."As long as this pandemic is raging anywhere in the world, the American people will still be vulnerable," Biden said.National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US "will retain the say" on the ultimate destination for vaccines released through the COVAX pipeline.READ MORE: Kamala Harris dials PM Modi, assures supply of Covid vaccine under global sharing planREAD MORE: Vaccinating 1 crore people a day ambitious, but not impossible: CEA Subramanian	63% adults have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose: Joe Biden	US will donate 75 per cent of its unused Covid-19 vaccine stockpile to the United Nations-led COVAX global vaccine program which has delivered less than 80 million doses so far.
9b9df3d30ccedc69a3b773aa1d4acffe	Tropical Storm Humberto moved away from the Bahamas on Saturday after dumping rain on parts of the archipelago’s northwest region that were already hammered by Hurricane Dorian two weeks ago.Humberto dropped rain on the islands as U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres visited the Bahamas to support humanitarian efforts in the wake of Dorian, which hit as a Category 5 storm that left thousands in need of food, water and shelter. The list of missing stands at an alarming 1,300 people and the death toll at 50. But officials caution the list is preliminary and many people could just be unable to connect with loved ones.Image Source : AP Still reeling from Dorian, Bahamas hit by tropical storm Still reeling from Dorian, Bahamas hit by tropical storm The storm originally threatened to exacerbate the nation’s problems, but conditions appeared to normalize Saturday afternoon.At 5 p.m. EDT, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Humberto was located about 70 miles (113 kilometers) north of Great Abaco Island and was moving 7 mph (11 kph) north-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). The Bahamian government discontinued a tropical storm warning.Weather forecasters say Humberto will likely become a hurricane by Sunday night as it moves away from the Bahamas and the U.S. coast, but won’t threaten land by the time it intensifies to that strength. Its swells could still affect the coasts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina later this weekend and early next week.Under a bright sun in the Grand Bahama, 40-year-old maintenance man Dexter Wilson was helping a friend put a blue tarp on a damaged roof. He said he was worried about his brother in Abaco given the tropical storm.“He’s still there. I don’t know why,” he said.The hurricane center said most of Humberto’s heavy squalls were occurring north and east of the center of the storm, which passed just east of Abaco. However, government officials in the Bahamas took no chances and urged people in damaged homes to seek shelter as they announced that aid efforts would be temporarily affected.“The weather system will slow down logistics,” said Carl Smith, spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency.The distribution of meals in Grand Bahama was reduced ahead of the storm, and a spokesman for the United Nations World Food Program said all flights into its logistics hub in Marsh Harbor in Abaco were suspended.Later Saturday, WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel said the agency had resumed activities in Marsh Harbor.“Our team is back at work to support the population and relief organizations,” Verhoosel said in a statement.Dave McGregor, president and COO of the Grand Bahama Power Company, said crews would resume restoring power as soon as possible.“We are back in storm preparation mode again, unfortunately,” he said.Guterres, who was in Abaco on Saturday, said he was “horrified” by the level of “systematic devastation.”“Hurricane Dorian has been classified as Category 5. I think it’s Category Hell,” the U.N. secretary-general said after his visit.He said storms powered by climate change had grown more intense, and he implored the international community to learn from the example of Abaco and Grand Bahama and provide support. “We have always had many hurricanes, but now they are more intense, and they are more frequent,” he said.	Still reeling from Dorian, Bahamas hit by tropical storm	At 5 p.m. EDT, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Humberto was located about 70 miles (113 kilometres) north of Great Abaco Island and was moving 7 mph (11 kph) north-northwest with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). The Bahamian government discontinued a tropical storm warning.