WORLD
Climate change termed as 'global emergency' in biggest-ever poll
Issued on Wednesday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP)'s "People's Climate Vote" poll also showed that people supported more comprehensive climate policies to respond to the challenges, reports Xinhua news agency. The survey covered 50 countries with over half the world's population.
Japan's PM Yoshihide Suga holds 1st phone conversation with Biden
During the conversation, Suga welcomed Biden's decisions to return to the 2015 Paris Agreement on curbing carbon emissions and not to withdraw from the World Health Organization, Xinhua news agency reported. The Ministry confirmed that Biden also invited the Prime Minister to take part in a summit on climate change slated for April 22.
India NSA Ajit Doval discuss continuing close cooperation with American counterpart Jake Sullivan
During their phone conversation on Wednesday, Sullivan "reaffirmed President (Joe) Biden's commitment to a strong and enduring US-India strategic partnership based on our shared commitment to democracy", the White House said in a statement. "Renewing efforts to collaborate on global challenges, including Covid-19 and climate change" also figured in their talks, it said.
Russian parliament approves extending nuke treaty with US
At a plenary session on Wednesday, the State Duma, or the lower house of parliament, approved the bill submitted by Putin on Tuesday on the extension of the significant arms control pact between Russia and the US, the Xinhua news agency reported. The New START reached by the world's two largest nuclear powers cannot be "overestimated" and it is of great significance for the whole world, said State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin.
US ends 'zero tolerance' border policy leading to family separations
According to a memo issued on Tuesday by Acting Attorney General Monty Wilkinson, federal prosecutors were directed to return to the previous policy of deciding whether to pursue individual cases, the Xinhua news agency reported. "Consistent with this longstanding principle of making individualised assessments in criminal cases, I am rescinding -- effective immediately -- the policy directive," Wilkinson wrote.
Vaccines decisive for Tokyo Olympics, says Bill Gates
The spread of the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down in Tokyo three weeks after the Japanese capital entered a state of emergency. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed 973 new cases on Wednesday. The latest figure, as of Sunday and Monday, dipped below the 1,000-mark, before rising above the threshold on Tuesday where new daily infections in the city of 14 million rose to 1,026.
Lebanese PM urges citizens to stop protests against lockdown
Several demonstrations were witnessed all over the country in the past few days, namely in Tripoli, Lebanon's largest northern city, in protest against the total lockdown. Tuesday's protests in Tripoli led to the injury of 76 people and the arrest of five people.
Pak aims to set up Special Economic Zone in Gilgit-Baltistan
Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur has confirmed that the government is putting its efforts to set up a special economic zone in Gilgit-Baltistan. Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had bagged at least 22 out of 33 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly.
Karima Baloch funeral: 'Pakistan has blood on its hands, 100%'
Details have now emerged of how the Pakistani authorities took control over the proceedings, right from the time Karima's body landed at the Karachi airport after undertaking the final 11,653 km journey till it was buried yesterday. The Pakistan deep state, accused by the Baloch community for "murdering" the daughter of Balochistan, made sure that the burial took place just in the presence of a handful of family members and gun-toting soldiers.
Covaxin neutralizes UK variant of Covid: Study
A group of researchers from Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR), National Institute of Virology, Pune and Bharat Biotech performed the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT50) using sera collected from the 26 recipients of BBV152/Covaxin against hCoV-19/India/20203522 (UK-variant) and hCoV27 19/India/2020Q111 (heterologous strain).
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