16-05-2021 WASHINGTON: The US President, Joe Biden, has spoken to both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a new diplomatic push to end the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, during which at least 145 Palestinians and 10 Israelis have died. “The President …

16-05-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies JERUSALEM/ GAZA CITY/ MELBOURNE/ LONDON/ NEW YORK/ ISTANBUL/ TEHRAN/ KARACHI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to “continue to respond forcefully” to rocket attacks as conflict with Palestinians in Gaza enters a seventh day. Israeli air strikes in Gaza killed …

16-05-2021 Bureau Report DARWIN/ CANBERRA: Australia has carried out its first repatriation flight from India after ending its controversial travel ban from the COVID-hit country. The government said 80 people arrived in Darwin on Saturday, and would be quarantined for a fortnight. Their Qantas flight was originally scheduled to carry …

UIDAI said that Aadhaar should not be misused as an excuse for denial of any essential service. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Saturday asserted that no one should be denied vaccine, medicine, hospitalisation or treatment just because they do not have an Aadhaar. UIDAI said that Aadhaar …

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need for ramping up the speed of vaccination, testing and augmentation of the health care resources to effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. He has also emphasised on the implementation of the localised containment strategies and the proper distribution of …

Hyderabad, May 15 (PMI): Union Minister of State for Home Affairs  G. Kishan Reddy today said that the central government had given 57 lakh Covid vaccines to Telangana state so far. He said that the central government was extending requisite support to the state for the prevention of the virus. He …

15-05-2021 TEL AVIV/ GAZA/ WASHINGTON: A US envoy has arrived in Tel Aviv for de-escalation talks as unrest between Israel and the Palestinians continues. Hady Amr will take part in talks with Israeli, Palestinian and UN officials and reinforce what US diplomats said was the need for a “sustainable calm”. …

15-05-2021 LONDON/ BEIJING: A new report warns against the use of Uighur forced labor (slaves) by China in the global supply chain of solar panel manufacturing. The study by the United Kingdom’s Sheffield Hallam University said Chinese “labor transfers” in the northwest Xinjian region, where rights groups say the Muslim-minority …

15-05-2021 By SJA Jafri + Agencies TEHRAN: Former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has once more signed up to become Iran’s next president, but the anticipated top candidates for the June election have yet to register. The ultraconservative, who was president from 2005 to 2013, tried to run again in 2017 but …

15-05-2021 BEIJING: China has successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars, state media announced early on Saturday. The six-wheeled Zhurong robot was targeting Utopia Planitia, a vast terrain in the planet’s northern hemisphere. The vehicle used a combination of a protective capsule, a parachute and a rocket platform to make the …