Two separate explosions rocked the Afghan capital of Kabul on Saturday, killing at least three people including members of the minority Sikh community and wounding four others, Afghan officials said.The first explosion hit a store in the heart of the capital, causing it to collapse and kill at least two Sikhs, according to two Afghan police officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media.No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but the Islamic State group has targeted Sikhs and other minority communities in Afghanistan. A nationwide spike in bombings, targeted killings…
Author: Mike Harrison
There are still spaces where one can air strong opinions and fight repression, he says. The present times should not be compared to the Emergency as there were still spaces where one could air strong opinions and fight repression, N. Ram, Director, The Hindu Publishing Group, said on Saturday. He was speaking in a webinar organised by Live Law on “Criminalising Journalism and Cinema”. Mr. Ram said uneven implementation of law, and the higher judiciary, on more than one occasion, have failed to protect press freedom. “The recent arrests and filing of criminal cases against several journalists and also other…
Taking the fight against Suvendu Adhikari to his constituency, Nandigram, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abishek Banerjee on Saturday dubbed his former party colleague who joined the BJP two months ago as a “traitor” and “Mir Jafar”, and dared him to contest against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the constituency.Also read: West Bengal Assembly elections | Disgruntled leaders keep Trinamool on tenterhooksChief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced last month that she would contest from Nandigram, weeks after Mr. Adhikari, one of the most prominent TMC leaders, joined the BJP. After her announcement, Mr. Adhikari promised to defeat her with a margin of…
The Minister said some poor countries are being supplied the vaccine on a grant basis while some nations wanted it on par with the price that the Indian government pays to the vaccine makers India has so far supplied COVID- 19 vaccine to 15 countries and another 25 nations are in the queue at different levels for the jab, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said in Amaravati on February 6.He said there are three categories of countries which are keen to get the vaccine from India — poor, price sensitive nations and other countries which directly deal with pharmaceutical companies…
U.S. Secretary of State emphasises human rights and democratic values while China calls for no outside interference. The United States and China on Saturday exchanged sharp messages in the highest-level interaction between the two sides following a new administration taking charge in Washington, in a suggestion that a recently confrontational relationship was likely to see more continuity than change. In a telephone call between new Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the top Chinese foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, who is a member of the Communist Party of China’s Politburo and Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, the Biden administration conveyed a strong message to China…
The military govt ordered communications operators and internet service providers to cut access to Twitter and Instagram Military authorities in charge of Myanmar broadened a ban on social media following this week’s coup and shut Twitter and Instagram, as residents in the biggest city again banged pots and plastic bottles to show their opposition to the army takeover.Also read: Will seek to unite world, reverse Myanmar coup, says UN ChiefIn addition to Facebook and related apps, the military government on February 5 ordered communications operators and internet service providers to cut access to Twitter and Instagram. The statement said that…
“Our action is due entirely to the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said. The U.S. has moved to delist Yemen’s Huthi rebels as a terrorist organisation, removing a block that humanitarian groups said jeopardised crucial aid as the country’s warring sides cautiously welcomed a push for peace by President Joe Biden.The grinding six-year war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, triggering what the United Nations calls the world’s worst humanitarian disaster.A State Department spokesperson said on February 5 they had “formally notified Congress” of Secretary of…
According to officials, as of Friday, Februry 5, 2021, nearly 5.2 million vaccinations have been administered over 10.4 million sessions. This suggests that around 50% of the intended target has been achieved. There were 3.3 lakh vaccinations administered today and India has been the fastest, when compared with the United States, United Kingdom and Israel to reach 5 million inoculations, the Health Ministry spokesperson claimed. India’s vaccine programme has been the fastest, when compared with the United States, United Kingdom and Israel to reach 5 million inoculations, the Health Ministry spokesperson claimed.NatonalIndia’s coronavirus tally touches 1,08,14,304India’s COVID-19 infection tally climbed…
Bharatiya Kisan Sangh national secretary Perumal has hailed the announcement of Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to waive farm loans to the tune of ₹12,443 crore. In a statement, he said farmers had lost heavily in the harsh northeast monsoon across many districts in Tamil Nadu. “Our collective representations to the government have brought a big relief,” he said. The CM has announced the waiver in the Legislative Assembly on Friday, which has been widely welcomed by farmers and leaders of farmers’ associations. You have reached your limit for free articles this month. Subscription Benefits Include Today’s Paper Find mobile-friendly…
Antonio Guterres calls for a respect for the results of the November parliamentary elections Secretary-General Antonio Guterres pledged Friday that the United Nations will do everything it can to unite the international community and create conditions for the military coup in Myanmar to be reversed.The U.N. chief told a news conference it is “absolutely essential” to carry out the Security Council’s calls for a return to democracy, respect for the results of the November parliamentary elections, and release of all people detained by the military, “which means the reversal of the coup that took place.”“It is absolutely essential that that…