WORLD
Italian President Mattarella sworn in for 2nd term
His re-election, which Parliament voted with a broad majority on January 29, came after the country's major political forces failed to find a deal on a possible successor, reports Xinhua news agency. Although initially reluctant, Mattarella accepted to serve a second term citing a" sense of responsibility during the (current) health and economic emergency" linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
1 dead, 4 injured during shooting on bus in California
Addressing reporters on Thursday, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said that the suspect has been identified as 21-year-old Asaahdi Elijah Coleman from Sacramento, reports Xinhua news agency. He noted "this was a horrible tragedy". According to the Butte County Sheriff's Office, police received 911 calls at approximately 7.35 p.m. on Wednesday indicating that a shooting was taking place inside the Greyhound bus outside a store in Oroville, which is located north of Sacramento, the state capital.
Winter Olympics 'Genocide Games', say Tibetans
Calling the 2022 Winter Olympics "Genocide Games", the protesters marched from the IOC headquarter street to the Olympic Museum based in Switzerland on Thursday. Tibet supporters and representatives from the Uyghur community also joined the protest. The protest started by handing over a joint letter to the IOC, in which the Tibetan communities in Europe expressed profound disappointment over IOC's failure in carrying out human rights.
IS leader dead following US raid in Syria
On Wednesday night, an IS deputy and some of al-Qurayshi's family members were also killed when the latter detonated the explosive device, a statement issued by the Department of Defense (DoD) said citing the official as saying. The raid targeted a three-storey residential building on the outskirts of the opposition-held town of Atmeh, which is in northern Idlib province and close to the border with Turkey, the BBC reported.
Russian invasion of Ukraine would have implications for India: US spokesperson
"Russian aggression against Ukraine, a Russian invasion of Ukraine, would have implications for the security environment well beyond that neighbourhood. Whether it is the PRC (People's Republic of China), whether it is India, whether it is countries around the world, the implications would be far-reaching, and I think there's a broad understanding of that," he said on Thursday at his daily briefing.
India, UK hold UN consultations
"Today the India and the UK held a consultation on the United Nations. This was held in New Delhi at the Joint Secretary level. Both sides briefed each other on their respective priorities in the UN Security Council. The discussions focused on issues related to the UNSC agenda, in particular counter-terrorism, peace-keeping, working methods of UNSC Sanctions Committees and UNSC reforms.
European Commission proposes to extend Covid certificate validity by 1 year
The EUDCC, a temporary instrument put in place by the EU to ensure free movement within the bloc, has been active in all EU member states since July 1, 2021, for one year. The certificates were due to expire on June 30 this year. However, Covid-19 is still prevalent in the bloc and uncertainties surround its potential future variants. The Commission's proposal will be subjected to the scrutiny of the European Council and the European Parliament for adoption.
Putin, Macron hold third call in week on Ukraine
The leaders continued their "substantive dialogue" on the situation regarding Ukraine and the establishment of long-term and legally binding security guarantees between Russia and the West, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying. Putin noted the "provocative statements and actions of the Kiev leadership that run counter to the Minsk agreements" on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
Winter storm hits US' Texas, statewide power failure 'not expected'
Temperatures plunged within 24 hours, power lines were downed by icing accumulation, tree breakage and high winds, leading to road closures and outages across the state. About 70,000 Texan households lost power as of Thursday noon, Xinhua news agency the governor as saying. In northern Texas, widespread sleet began to transition to snow early Thursday.
US testing robot patrol dogs on its borders
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it can assist with enhancing the capabilities of CBP personnel, while simultaneously increasing their safety downrange. "The southern border can be an inhospitable place for man and beast, and that is exactly why a machine may excel there," the Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate programme manager, Brenda Long, said in a statement.
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