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Usa military officials to testify on Afghanistan withdrawal

United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chief of Staff chairman General Mark Milley are set to face tough questions from legislators over the chaotic withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, the military officials, along with General Frank McKenzie, the head of Central Command who oversaw the withdrawal, will testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee. On Wednesday, the officials will appear before the House Armed Services Committee.

The proceedings will yield, to date, the most extensive public comments from the officials on the August 30 withdrawal, a deadline set by President Joe Biden after his predecessor Donald Trump reached a withdrawal agreement with the Taliban in 2020.

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China calls for end to sanctions on Afghanistan as early as possible

China calls for end to sanctions on Afghanistan as early as possible

The various unilateral sanctions or restrictions on #Afghanistan should be lifted as soon as possible, said China’s State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

 

Economic sanctions on Afghanistan must end, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement, citing Wang at a virtual G20 foreign ministers meeting on Afghanistan on Wednesday.

 

Afghanistan’s foreign exchange reserves are national assets that should belong to the country’s people and be used by its own people, and not be used as a bargaining chip to exert political pressure on Afghanistan, he said.

 

On September 15, the Russia and China allies conducted a series of meetings on Afghanistan held in the war-torn country’s neighbour, Tajikistan.

 

Moscow and Beijing have moved to assert themselves as key players in the region, after the United States’ hasty retreat from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover of the country

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64 people have been killed as fire rips through Iraq COVID ward

64 people have been killed as fire rips through -Iraq COVID ward

More than 100 were also- injured in the fire that broke out at the al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in the southern city of #Nasiriya late on Monday, health officials said.

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced removing chain of command from sexual assault cases

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has announced that he will work with Congress to remove the prosecution of sexual assault and domestic violence cases from the military chain of command.

The moves were among recommendations made by an Independent Review Commission that Austin had appointed to look at the issue of sexual assault and sexual harassment in the military.

That panel presented their findings on Monday and while Austin said in a statement issued Tuesday evening that he would be making specific recommendations to President Joe Biden, he said “I know enough at this point” to announce the moves

 

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President Joe Biden attended Coast Guard Academy’s Commencement

President says congratulations May God protect you all as you set out on your journeys, and may God protect all those who wear the uniform of the United States of America.

 

 

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CycloneTauktae Indian Navy rescues 132 people onboard extremely challenging sea conditions miles from Mumbai Cost

The Indian Navy has rescued 132 people on board a barge that went adrift in the Arabia Sea near Mumbai hours before a very severe cyclonic storm with winds gusting up to 185 km per hour made landfall on the Gujarat coast, an official said on Tuesday.

The Navy had deployed three of its frontline warships after receiving messages to rescue 410 people on board two barges off the Mumbai coast on Monday.

The ships deployed to extend assistance to the two barges were INS Kolkata, INS Kochi and INS Talwar. A Total of 132 persons from Barge P305 have been rescued in extremely challenging sea conditions,” a Navy spokesperson said on Tuesday morning.

The Search and Rescue (SAR) operations continued through the night for the remaining crew, he said.

In a separate effort, INS Kolkata rescued two survivors from the life raft of vessel Vara Prabha, and joined INS Kochi for the SAR of Barge P305 crew,” he said.

Gal Constructor, another barge with 137 persons onboard has been adrift off the Colaba Point, eight nautical miles from Mumbai coast due to engine trouble, he said

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Alexandria Ocasio Cortez US legislator calls Israel an ‘apartheid state’

US progressive Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has called Israel an “apartheid state” amid the ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Ocasio-Cortez, a member of the US House of Representatives, is part of a cadre of progressive legislators who have been increasingly critical of US support for Israel and have called for the administration of President Joe Biden to take a harder line amid the most recent escalation.

I don’t care how any spokesperson tries to spin this,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted on Saturday along with a video of an Israeli air strike demolishing a building that had house media offices, including those of Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.

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US President JoeBiden spoke with Indian PM Modi

US President JoeBiden spoke with Indian Prime Minister Modi  pledged America’s full support to provide emergency assistance and resources in the fight against COVID-19. India was there for us, and we will be there for them.

 

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India records single day rise of 3,52,991 new COVID cases 2,812 Deaths

India on Monday recorded 3,52,991 new cases of the novel coronavirus, along with 2,812 deaths due to the infection. According to the data shared by the Union Health Ministry, the country saw a total of 2,19,272 discharges in the last 24 hours, taking the total recovery toll to 1,43,04,382. The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 1,73,13,163, with 28,13,658 active cases, the data showed.

The total cases of COVID-19 in India have now mounted to 1,73,13,163, with 28,13,658 active cases, the data showed. The total death toll in the country is now at 1,95,123. A total of 14,19,11,223 people have so far been vaccinated against COVID-19 in India.

Meanwhile, as many as 551 dedicated pressure swing adsorption medical oxygen generation plants will be set up inside public health facilities across the country under the PM Cares Fund, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi directing that they should be made functional as soon as possible, officials said.

The prime minister on Sunday said the second wave of COVID-19 is testing people’s capacity to endure pain and has shaken the country which was full of enthusiasm and self-confidence after successfully tackling the first wave.

 

“The government of India is applying its entire might to give a fillip to endeavours of state governments. The state governments too are trying their best to fulfil their responsibilities,” he said in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio broadcast and appealed to all again to get vaccinated.

From May 1, while those aged 18 to 44 years will be eligible to receive the vaccination on payment from any of the private COVID vaccination centres (CVCs), they shall also be eligible to receive a jab from a government CVC in a state or Union Territory which decides to lower the minimum cut off age for eligibility for the free shots.

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Forty Nine passengers on India Hong Kong flight test positive for COVID

More than 49 passengers on a flight from New Delhi to Hong Kong have tested positive for COVID-19, authorities said on Tuesday, as a two-week ban on all flights from India, as well as Pakistan and the Philippines took effect.

All of the passengers who tested positive flew into Hong Kong on a flight run by Indian operator Vistara on April 4.

The positive tests are significant as Hong Kong has been recording fewer daily cases than the total detected on the flight since it brought a fourth wave under control in January.