UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to be the chief guest at 2021 Republic day with Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally inviting him during their November 27 telephonic conversation. Johnson, on his part, has invited PM Modi to the G-7 summit in the United Kingdom next year, people familiar […]
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China ‘planned’ Galwan Valley clash, US commission says in report to Congress
The Chinese government had planned the clash with Indian troops in Galwan Valley in June, which resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers and unspecified Chinese casualties, a US commission has concluded in a new report to Congress. The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, in the report submitted on […]
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UK vaccine approval ‘historic moment’ in Covid-19 battle: Pfizer CEO
Britain’s approval of BioNTech-Pfizer’s vaccine against Covid-19 marks a “historic moment” in the battle against the pandemic, the US pharma group’s chief executive said Wednesday, after his company won the first such authorisation in the West. “Today’s Emergency Use Authorisation in the UK marks a historic moment in the fight […]
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Chinese defence minister’s visit to Nepal, Pakistan made with eye on India
China’s actions during its defence minister’s recent visits to Nepal and Pakistan, including the signing of a defence agreement in Islamabad, were apparently made with an eye on India, experts and former diplomats said on Wednesday. Chinese defence minister Wei Fenghe began his tour of the region with a day-long […]
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UK clears Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, to be available next week
The UK became the first western country to approve a Covid-19 vaccine with its regulator clearing Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE’s shot ahead of decisions in the US and European Union. The emergency authorization clears the way for the deployment of a vaccine that’s expected to play a significant role […]
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Taiwan to issue new passport starting Jan 11, 2021
People in Taiwan will be able to apply for passports with the new cover design, highlighting the country’s name, starting January 11, 2021, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The news design was announced in September amid China’s growing aggressiveness. The new design is intended to make identifying the […]
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US judge strikes down Donald Trump’s rules narrowing H-1B eligibility
A US judge on Tuesday threw out two rules proposed by the Trump administration to narrow eligibility for H-1B visa aspirants and raise their salaries in an effort to make it tougher for companies, mostly in IT, to use this short-term employment programme to hire foreigner workers instead of local […]
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World leaders to address special session of UNGA on Covid-19 pandemic
World leaders, the top leadership of the UN and vaccine developers will address a two-day, special session of the UN General Assembly on Covid-19 this week and discuss the pandemic’s impact as well as the multi-faceted, coordinated response required to address the greatest global health crisis in decades. The Special […]
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Georgia elections official urges Donald Trump to rein in supporters
A top Georgia elections official on Tuesday lashed out angrily at the rhetoric surrounding the election and the threats of violence that have resulted, specifically calling on President Donald Trump to rein in his supporters. Gabriel Sterling is a Republican who oversaw the implementation of the state’s new voting system. […]
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Neera Tanden has shown bad judgment in the past, says Republican Nikki Haley
Republican politician Nikki Haley Tuesday said Neera Tanden’s nomination as the Director of Office of Management and Budget is “deeply concerning”, as she has shown “bad judgment” in the past. “Tanden has shown bad judgment in the past. She said that @realDonaldTrump is ‘part of conspiracy against US’ & has […]
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UK was poorly prepared for Covid-19 pandemic, says Venki Ramakrishnan
Identifying Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic as two issues that defined his tenure as president of the Royal Society, Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan, who left the role after five years on Monday, said the UK was “poorly prepared” to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Ramakrishnan, who won the Nobel Prize […]
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Germany says emergency Covid-19 aid can’t continue indefinitely
Germany can’t continue compensating businesses for lost sales beyond next month and more targeted measures will be needed instead, according to senior officials in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government. Germany has been in partial lockdown since the beginning of November, with restaurants, bars, gyms and cultural venues shut to try to […]
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Kim Jong Un given experimental Covid-19 vaccine by China, says US analyst
China has provided North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his family with an experimental coronavirus vaccine, a US analyst said on Tuesday, citing two unidentified Japanese intelligence sources. Harry Kazianis, a North Korea expert at the Center for the National Interest think tank in Washington, said the Kims and […]
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Canada PM Trudeau expresses concern over farmers’ protest in India
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday expressed concern about the protest by farmers in India against laws to liberalise farm trade, saying these concerns had been conveyed to the Indian government. Trudeau made the remarks while participating in a Facebook video interaction organised by Canadian MP Bardish Chagger to mark Gurupurab […]
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Fake news on Covid-19 vaccines a ‘second pandemic,’ says Red Cross chief
The head of the world’s largest humanitarian network is urging governments and institutions to combat “fake news” about COVID-19 vaccines which has become “a second pandemic” and start building trust in communities around the world about the critical importance of vaccinating people. Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of […]