Germany on Wednesday backtracked on its plan to impose strict Easter weekend shutdown after opposition from the public. Germany on Wednesday said it would scrap plans to close most shops in the country over Easter from April 1 to 5 after facing stinging criticism of the plan.&nbsp;

The government instead asked people to stay home over the holiday and Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a mea culpa after reversing the measures.

"This mistake is mine alone," Merkel said. "The whole process has caused additional uncertainty, for which I ask all citizens to forgive me."&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the European Union said it was going to tighten vaccine export controls in a bid to give boost to its stuttering.

'Big lesson in humility'

Elsewhere on the continent, Belgium said it would bring in a new partial lockdown for four weeks, closing schools and limiting access to non-essential shops as it sought to quell a third wave.

The pandemic "is a big lesson in humility for politicians, for everyone," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in announcing the measures. 
Poland meanwhile recorded its highest daily infections with nearly 30,000 new cases, while the Netherlands extended coronavirus restrictions until April 20.&nbsp;

And Norway said it would roll out new restrictions this week, including banning alcohol sales at bars and restaurants.&nbsp;

Vaccines are seen as the way out of the pandemic that has now killed more than 2.7 million people around the world and plunged the global economy into a recession not seen in decades.&nbsp;

(With AFP inputs)

Germany on Wednesday backtracked on its plan to impose strict Easter weekend shutdown after opposition from the public. Germany on Wednesday said it would scrap plans to close most shops in the country over Easter from April 1 to 5 after facing stinging criticism of the plan.

Germany on Wednesday backtracked on its plan to impose strict Easter weekend shutdown after opposition from the public. Germany on Wednesday said it would scrap plans to close most shops in the country over Easter from April 1 to 5 after facing stinging criticism of the plan. The government instead asked people to stay home over the holiday and Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a mea culpa after reversing the measures. "This mistake is mine alone," Merkel said. "The whole process has caused additional uncertainty, for which I ask all citizens to forgive me." Meanwhile, the European Union said it was going to tighten vaccine export controls in a bid to give boost to its stuttering. 'Big lesson in humility' Elsewhere on the continent, Belgium said it would bring in a new partial lockdown for four weeks, closing schools and limiting access to non-essential shops as it sought to quell a third wave. The pandemic "is a big lesson in humility for politicians, for everyone," Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said in announcing the measures. Poland meanwhile recorded its highest daily infections with nearly 30,000 new cases, while the Netherlands extended coronavirus restrictions until April 20. And Norway said it would roll out new restrictions this week, including banning alcohol sales at bars and restaurants. Vaccines are seen as the way out of the pandemic that has now killed more than 2.7 million people around the world and plunged the global economy into a recession not seen in decades. (With AFP inputs)

Germany backtracks on Easter shutdown plans

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan.

"We will supply Lebanon with 75 tonnes of oxygen in installments of 25 tonnes a day for a period of three days," Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters after a meeting with his &nbsp;Lebanese counterpart.&nbsp;

The shipment will be delivered "immediately" and will not strain Syria's supplies, Ghabbash said.

For his part, Hasan said his ministry requested aid to save hundreds of Lebanese lives threatened by an oxygen shortage.

"We have around 1,000 patients on breathing aid in Lebanon's emergency rooms" and oxygen supplies "that honestly are only enough to last for today", he said. 
Lebanon was expecting to receive new oxygen shipments from abroad but stormy weather conditions has delayed arrivals, Hamad said.

"In spite of high need and rising demand for oxygen in Syria, authorities granted us our request," he added, praising Damascus for its swift assistance.

Official dealings between Syria and Lebanon have been limited since start of the Syrian conflict.

Lebanon is grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that compounded its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war.

The country of more than six million has recorded a total of 444,865 Covid-19 cases, including 5,858 deaths since last year.

Syria has recorded 17,743 cases, among them 1,183 deaths, in government-held areas.

(With AFP inputs)

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan.

Syria's Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters on Wednesday that the country would send Oxygen to Lebanon to aid it in its fight with COVID. The first installment of the supply was handed over to Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hasan. "We will supply Lebanon with 75 tonnes of oxygen in installments of 25 tonnes a day for a period of three days," Health Minister Hasan al-Ghabbash told reporters after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart. The shipment will be delivered "immediately" and will not strain Syria's supplies, Ghabbash said. For his part, Hasan said his ministry requested aid to save hundreds of Lebanese lives threatened by an oxygen shortage. "We have around 1,000 patients on breathing aid in Lebanon's emergency rooms" and oxygen supplies "that honestly are only enough to last for today", he said. Lebanon was expecting to receive new oxygen shipments from abroad but stormy weather conditions has delayed arrivals, Hamad said. "In spite of high need and rising demand for oxygen in Syria, authorities granted us our request," he added, praising Damascus for its swift assistance. Official dealings between Syria and Lebanon have been limited since start of the Syrian conflict. Lebanon is grappling with a coronavirus outbreak that compounded its worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. The country of more than six million has recorded a total of 444,865 Covid-19 cases, including 5,858 deaths since last year. Syria has recorded 17,743 cases, among them 1,183 deaths, in government-held areas. (With AFP inputs)

Syria sends Oxygen to Lebanon to fight COVID

It is hard for any Middle East peace accord to have an effect on ground until grievances of people in Palestine were addressed, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen Mustapha Noman said on Wednesday at &nbsp;WION's Global Summit 2021 in Dubai.

"Unless the grievances of the people in Palestine are solved justly, I think any agreement that will happen in future will also not be reflected on the ground," he said.

Noman was speaking at a session titled Peace Deals &amp; the Shifting Sands of West Asia, specifically answering a question on the Abraham Accords on normalisation of ties between Israel and key Arab states.

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The Abraham Accords of 2020 resulted in normalisation of ties of Israel with Bahrain as well as UAE.

Bahrain and UAE became the key Arab states to establish ties with Israel after decades of enmity. &nbsp;The Abraham Accords were brokered by the US during last few months of Donald Trump's presidency.&nbsp;They were largely considered to be a thaw in frosty relations between Israel and Arab countries.

However, Mustapha Noman said that he was "not very optimistic".

"The issue will always be there unless we tackle the matter unless we really work hard towards a two-state solution," he said.

It is hard for any Middle East peace accord to have an effect on ground until grievances of people in Palestine were addressed, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen Mustapha Noman said on Wednesday at WION's Global Summit 2021 in Dubai.

It is hard for any Middle East peace accord to have an effect on ground until grievances of people in Palestine were addressed, former Deputy Foreign Minister of Yemen Mustapha Noman said on Wednesday at WION's Global Summit 2021 in Dubai. "Unless the grievances of the people in Palestine are solved justly, I think any agreement that will happen in future will also not be reflected on the ground," he said. Noman was speaking at a session titled Peace Deals & the Shifting Sands of West Asia, specifically answering a question on the Abraham Accords on normalisation of ties between Israel and key Arab states. × The Abraham Accords of 2020 resulted in normalisation of ties of Israel with Bahrain as well as UAE. Bahrain and UAE became the key Arab states to establish ties with Israel after decades of enmity. The Abraham Accords were brokered by the US during last few months of Donald Trump's presidency. They were largely considered to be a thaw in frosty relations between Israel and Arab countries. However, Mustapha Noman said that he was "not very optimistic". "The issue will always be there unless we tackle the matter unless we really work hard towards a two-state solution," he said.

Addressing Palestinian grievances necessary: Former Yemen minister tells WION Global Summit

The centre of gravity of global economy has moved more towards East Asia during coronavirus pandemic, said Ian Goldin, former Vice President of the World Bank.

Goldin, who is now at the University of Oxford, was speaking at WION Global Summit in Dubai at the session titled World Economy: The Price of the Pandemic, moderated by journalist Ali Aslan.&nbsp;

Aslan pointed out that China was the only major economy to grow in spite of being the one where coronavirus originated.

Goldin said that the Chinese leadership had done a "remarkable" job in containing the virus. China was the "economic engine of growth", he said, while underlining that China's role in the unfolding situation now was similar to the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis.

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"Its export stats have been robust and its market share has increased during the pandemic as other producers have closed down," he said.

Once the worst-affected country, China appeared to have rapidly reduced the number of infections as 2020 progressed. Goldin said that the Chinese population has been very effective in managing the pandemic with use of masks and the implementation of other measures.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/wuhan-virus-and-the-travails-of-being-a-pro-china-hong-kong-lawmaker-372793">'Wuhan virus' and the travails of being a pro-China Hong Kong lawmaker</a>

"So yes, the economic centre of global gravity is moving more rapidly than it would've towards East Asia," he concluded.

Asked whether he thought any particular economic system was doing well, Goldin opined that there was no simple answer. However, he mentioned that some smaller countries haves surprisingly done well while those like US and UK have done "terribly".

"...[Maybe] more powerful you are, more arrogant you are," he quipped.

The centre of gravity of global economy has moved more towards East Asia during coronavirus pandemic, said Ian Goldin, former Vice President of the World Bank. Goldin, who is now at the University of Oxford, was speaking at WION Global Summit in Dubai at the session titled World Economy: The Price of the Pandemic, moderated by journalist Ali Aslan.

The centre of gravity of global economy has moved more towards East Asia during coronavirus pandemic, said Ian Goldin, former Vice President of the World Bank. Goldin, who is now at the University of Oxford, was speaking at WION Global Summit in Dubai at the session titled World Economy: The Price of the Pandemic, moderated by journalist Ali Aslan. Aslan pointed out that China was the only major economy to grow in spite of being the one where coronavirus originated. Goldin said that the Chinese leadership had done a "remarkable" job in containing the virus. China was the "economic engine of growth", he said, while underlining that China's role in the unfolding situation now was similar to the aftermath of the 2008 economic crisis. "I think the Chinese leadership has done a remarkable job in containing the virus and ensuring that the economy remains robust," says @ian_goldin, Former Vice-President, World Bank, at #WIONGlobalSummit Follow LIVE updates here: https://t.co/s2VXujmIBS pic.twitter.com/fp3yi31lOL — WION (@WIONews) March 24, 2021 × "Its export stats have been robust and its market share has increased during the pandemic as other producers have closed down," he said. Once the worst-affected country, China appeared to have rapidly reduced the number of infections as 2020 progressed. Goldin said that the Chinese population has been very effective in managing the pandemic with use of masks and the implementation of other measures. Also Read | 'Wuhan virus' and the travails of being a pro-China Hong Kong lawmaker "So yes, the economic centre of global gravity is moving more rapidly than it would've towards East Asia," he concluded. Asked whether he thought any particular economic system was doing well, Goldin opined that there was no simple answer. However, he mentioned that some smaller countries haves surprisingly done well while those like US and UK have done "terribly". "...[Maybe] more powerful you are, more arrogant you are," he quipped.

Economic centre of gravity has moved to East Asia, former VP of World Bank tells WION Global Summit

Faith is what made the fourth edition of WION Global Summit possible in spite of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,&nbsp;WION Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary said on Wednesday.&nbsp;

"We had to keep the date with you," he said as he&nbsp;welcomed participants to the&nbsp;fourth edition of&nbsp;the summit in Dubai.

He recalled that he stood at the same venue a year ago just before the entire world went into the grip of the pandemic.

Expressing his satisfaction at WION having been able to hold the summit this year, he outlined the growth achieved by the channel in the year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

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"WION's rise has coincided with India's rise," he said, &nbsp;adding that WION was among the top five&nbsp;channels in the world in terms of reach.

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He mentioned India's commendable efforts to fight the pandemic, from Vande Bharat mission to 'Vaccine Maitri', the initiative through which India provided coronavirus vaccines to other countries.

This is the first time when WION's Global Summit is being held in a hybrid manner, with speakers from 15 countries joining in physically or virtually, he said.

"I promise to make WION emerge as one of the most influential platforms in the world to spread not just the news, but the values of friendship and peace," he said as he signed off.

Faith is what made the fourth edition of WION Global Summit possible in spite of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, WION Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary said on Wednesday.

Faith is what made the fourth edition of WION Global Summit possible in spite of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, WION Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary said on Wednesday. "We had to keep the date with you," he said as he welcomed participants to the fourth edition of the summit in Dubai. He recalled that he stood at the same venue a year ago just before the entire world went into the grip of the pandemic. Expressing his satisfaction at WION having been able to hold the summit this year, he outlined the growth achieved by the channel in the year. Check out the LIVE updates of WION's Global Summit in Dubai "WION's rise has coincided with India's rise," he said, adding that WION was among the top five channels in the world in terms of reach. #WIONGlobalSummit is now LIVE! Watch the Welcome Address by our Editor-In-Chief @sudhirchaudhary. Session 1 to begin shortly. pic.twitter.com/HjHp0ldzz6 — WION (@WIONews) March 24, 2021 × He mentioned India's commendable efforts to fight the pandemic, from Vande Bharat mission to 'Vaccine Maitri', the initiative through which India provided coronavirus vaccines to other countries. This is the first time when WION's Global Summit is being held in a hybrid manner, with speakers from 15 countries joining in physically or virtually, he said. "I promise to make WION emerge as one of the most influential platforms in the world to spread not just the news, but the values of friendship and peace," he said as he signed off.

WION's rise coincides with India's: Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary at Global Summit 2021 in Dubai

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar's ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army's coup, as Washington warned of more action.

President Joe Biden's administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far.

"Today's actions send a strong signal that we will follow through on our pledges to continue to take action against coup leaders and those who perpetrate violence," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

The U.S. action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar.

The U.S. Treasury's action targeted Than Hlaing, a military officer who was appointed to lead the police force after the coup, and Lieutenant General Aung Soe, a special operations commander overseeing the crackdown.

The move essentially freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

The Treasury also blacklisted the army's 77th Light Infantry Division and 33rd Light Infantry Division, which have been deployed to suppress anti-coup demonstrations in the largest city, Yangon, and second city of Mandalay.

"Video footage shows security forces riding pickup trucks while apparently indiscriminately firing live ammunition in multiple directions, including into people's homes," the Treasury said of the crackdowns.

The 33rd was one of two of the army's elite light infantry units already under U.S. human rights sanctions for their roles in the military's 2017 assault on Rohingya Muslims, which were first detailed in a Reuters special report. 
&nbsp;

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar's ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army's coup, as Washington warned of more action.

The U.S. Treasury Department said on Monday it was imposing sanctions on two members of Myanmar's ruling junta, including the chief of police, and two military units linked to the deadly repression of protests again the army's coup, as Washington warned of more action. President Joe Biden's administration has already blacklisted top junta members and some military-owned companies, but the military has refused to change course and increasingly used violence against anti-coup demonstrators, killing more than 250 people so far. "Today's actions send a strong signal that we will follow through on our pledges to continue to take action against coup leaders and those who perpetrate violence," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement. The U.S. action came on the heels of the European Union imposing its own sanctions on Monday on 11 individuals linked to the Feb. 1 coup in Myanmar. The U.S. Treasury's action targeted Than Hlaing, a military officer who was appointed to lead the police force after the coup, and Lieutenant General Aung Soe, a special operations commander overseeing the crackdown. The move essentially freezes any U.S. assets of those blacklisted and generally bars Americans from dealing with them. The Treasury also blacklisted the army's 77th Light Infantry Division and 33rd Light Infantry Division, which have been deployed to suppress anti-coup demonstrations in the largest city, Yangon, and second city of Mandalay. "Video footage shows security forces riding pickup trucks while apparently indiscriminately firing live ammunition in multiple directions, including into people's homes," the Treasury said of the crackdowns. The 33rd was one of two of the army's elite light infantry units already under U.S. human rights sanctions for their roles in the military's 2017 assault on Rohingya Muslims, which were first detailed in a Reuters special report.

US blacklists Myanmar police chief, army units over deadly crackdown

World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday lashed out and expressed serious displeasure at the growing gap in the number of COVID vaccines administered in rich and poor countries. It called it a "moral outrage" and said it was grotesque.&nbsp;

The WHO tore into wealthy nations now vaccinating younger people at low risk of developing Covid-19, saying they were doing so at the cost of vulnerable people's lives in low-income countries.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "shocking" how little had been done to avert an entirely predictable "catastrophic moral failure" to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines.

"The gap between the number of vaccines administered in rich countries, and the number of vaccines administered through Covax is growing every single day, and becoming more grotesque every day," he said, referring to the facility that ensures poorer countries can access Covid-19 vaccines.

"Countries that are now vaccinating younger, healthy people at low risk of disease are doing so at the cost of the lives of health workers, older people and other at-risk groups in other countries," Tedros told a press conference.

"The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage. It's also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating.

"Some countries are racing to vaccinate their entire populations while other countries have nothing."

Tedros said rich countries might be buying some short-term comfort but added that they may be giving themselves a false sense of security.

He said that more the virus spreads more is the likelihood of new variants emerging.

"As long as the virus continues to circulate anywhere, people will continue to die, trade and travel will continue to be disrupted, and the economic recovery will be further delayed," he said.

The Covax global vaccine-sharing facility has so far distributed more than 31 million doses to 57 countries.

World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday lashed out and expressed serious displeasure at the growing gap in the number of COVID vaccines administered in rich and poor countries.

World Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday lashed out and expressed serious displeasure at the growing gap in the number of COVID vaccines administered in rich and poor countries. It called it a "moral outrage" and said it was grotesque. The WHO tore into wealthy nations now vaccinating younger people at low risk of developing Covid-19, saying they were doing so at the cost of vulnerable people's lives in low-income countries. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was "shocking" how little had been done to avert an entirely predictable "catastrophic moral failure" to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines. "The gap between the number of vaccines administered in rich countries, and the number of vaccines administered through Covax is growing every single day, and becoming more grotesque every day," he said, referring to the facility that ensures poorer countries can access Covid-19 vaccines. "Countries that are now vaccinating younger, healthy people at low risk of disease are doing so at the cost of the lives of health workers, older people and other at-risk groups in other countries," Tedros told a press conference. "The inequitable distribution of vaccines is not just a moral outrage. It's also economically and epidemiologically self-defeating. "Some countries are racing to vaccinate their entire populations while other countries have nothing." Tedros said rich countries might be buying some short-term comfort but added that they may be giving themselves a false sense of security. He said that more the virus spreads more is the likelihood of new variants emerging. "As long as the virus continues to circulate anywhere, people will continue to die, trade and travel will continue to be disrupted, and the economic recovery will be further delayed," he said. The Covax global vaccine-sharing facility has so far distributed more than 31 million doses to 57 countries.

WHO lashes out at unequal vaccine distribution

Russian Soyuz rocket blasts off with 38 satellites

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would review an appeals court’s decision that threw out the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

Last year, a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Boston, upheld Tsarnaev’s convictions on 27 counts. But the appeals court ruled that his death sentence should be overturned because the trial judge had not questioned jurors closely enough about their exposure to pretrial publicity and had excluded evidence concerning Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar’s older brother and accomplice.

“A core promise of our criminal justice system is that even the very worst among us deserves to be fairly tried and lawfully punished,” Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson wrote for the panel.

“Just to be crystal clear,” Thompson wrote, “Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him.”

The bombings, near the finish line of the marathon, killed three people and injured 260, many of them grievously. Seventeen people lost limbs. A law enforcement officer was killed as the brothers fled a few days later. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police.

Thompson wrote that the trial judge should not have excluded evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had been involved in a triple murder in 2011, which could have bolstered an argument from defense lawyers that he had dominated and intimidated his younger brother.

Lawyers for the federal government urged the Supreme Court to hear the case even though it did not satisfy some of the usual criteria for review.

“Although the court of appeals’ errors are largely case-specific, the context of this case makes them exceptionally significant,” the government’s brief said.

“To reinstate the sentences that the jury and the district court found appropriate for respondent’s heinous acts, the government will have to retry the penalty phase of the case; the court will have to conduct (and prospective jurors will have to undergo)” questioning “that will presumably be much longer and more onerous than the original 21-day proceeding; and the victims will have to once again take the stand to describe the horrors that respondent inflicted on them.”

Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge who now teaches at Harvard Law School, said the Biden administration should consider whether it wants to pursue the appeal, noting that the Trump administration had sought Supreme Court review.

“Given that Mr. Tsarnaev will never leave prison,” she said in a statement, “the government should consider whether continuing to pursue a death sentence for him is unnecessarily traumatizing for the victims’ families and the city of Boston.”

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would review an appeals court’s decision that threw out the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would review an appeals court’s decision that threw out the death sentence of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was convicted of helping carry out the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Last year, a three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Boston, upheld Tsarnaev’s convictions on 27 counts. But the appeals court ruled that his death sentence should be overturned because the trial judge had not questioned jurors closely enough about their exposure to pretrial publicity and had excluded evidence concerning Tamerlan Tsarnaev, Dzhokhar’s older brother and accomplice. “A core promise of our criminal justice system is that even the very worst among us deserves to be fairly tried and lawfully punished,” Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson wrote for the panel. “Just to be crystal clear,” Thompson wrote, “Dzhokhar will remain confined to prison for the rest of his life, with the only question remaining being whether the government will end his life by executing him.” The bombings, near the finish line of the marathon, killed three people and injured 260, many of them grievously. Seventeen people lost limbs. A law enforcement officer was killed as the brothers fled a few days later. Tamerlan Tsarnaev died in a shootout with police. Thompson wrote that the trial judge should not have excluded evidence that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had been involved in a triple murder in 2011, which could have bolstered an argument from defense lawyers that he had dominated and intimidated his younger brother. Lawyers for the federal government urged the Supreme Court to hear the case even though it did not satisfy some of the usual criteria for review. “Although the court of appeals’ errors are largely case-specific, the context of this case makes them exceptionally significant,” the government’s brief said. “To reinstate the sentences that the jury and the district court found appropriate for respondent’s heinous acts, the government will have to retry the penalty phase of the case; the court will have to conduct (and prospective jurors will have to undergo)” questioning “that will presumably be much longer and more onerous than the original 21-day proceeding; and the victims will have to once again take the stand to describe the horrors that respondent inflicted on them.” Nancy Gertner, a retired federal judge who now teaches at Harvard Law School, said the Biden administration should consider whether it wants to pursue the appeal, noting that the Trump administration had sought Supreme Court review. “Given that Mr. Tsarnaev will never leave prison,” she said in a statement, “the government should consider whether continuing to pursue a death sentence for him is unnecessarily traumatizing for the victims’ families and the city of Boston.”

Supreme Court to consider death sentence in Boston Marathon bombing case

William Pietri, a software engineer in San Francisco, put careful thought into his Christmas box for his family in Michigan, jamming it with tastes from around the world and other gifts: Indonesian ginger candy, Mexican saladitos con chile, Korean honey butter almonds, a puzzle that was almost impossible to find.

But about three months later, the package has never arrived. According to the U.S. Postal Service, it is still “in transit, arriving late.”

Pietri, 51, is left to guess at the cause. The coronavirus pandemic? The politicization of the Postal Service under former President Donald Trump? “Well-informed delays, I would be happy with, but this great mystery is deeply frustrating,” he said.

Months after an election that thrust problems at the Postal Service into the national glare, the beleaguered agency has failed to restore its target delivery times. In mid-December — awash in Christmas and New Year’s greetings — the agency delivered as little as 62% of first-class mail on time, the lowest level in years, according to Postal Service data. The rate had rebounded to 84% by the week of March 6, but remained far below the agency’s target of about 96%.

“It hasn’t really gotten better as much as we would have hoped at this point,” said Dave Lewis, the president of SnailWorks, a company that tracks commercial mail and has found that delivery now takes four to five days, after years of averaging 3.5. “It just seems that the Postal Service just hasn’t come to grips with this and hasn’t been able to dig themselves out of it yet from the problems they had in December.”

The delays are compounding problems at a venerable American institution already teetering under widening financial losses, polarizing leadership and questions about what the Biden administration will — or even can — do to right the ship. And they may be a precursor of even worse delays to come as the Postal Service reaches a potential inflection point: The agency cannot fix its finances without addressing its service problems, and it cannot address its service problems without fixing its finances.

Already the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, is completing a soon-to-be-released plan to stabilize the agency’s finances over 10 years that is expected to prioritize reliability and cost effectiveness over speed. In part, that could mean people like Pietri no longer find their Christmas gifts lost in transit, but it almost certainly would slow the delivery of some mail even further.

DeJoy’s report is expected to propose eliminating the use of planes for the first-class mail service to transport letters and other flat mail in the contiguous United States, according to someone familiar with the planning. It is also expected to propose lengthening the agency’s standard delivery time for first-class mail, which includes many envelopes and lightweight packages, from within three days to within five days.

Among other ideas under consideration: shuttering processing facilities and reducing some post office hours. DeJoy told lawmakers last month that price increases would also be part of the strategy. The plan is part of a concerted effort by the agency to shift its resources to shipping packages, which have become a growing share of its business as traditional mail volumes have declined.

The plan, some details of which were reported earlier by The Washington Post, aims to address longer-term problems at the agency. Although recent months have been particularly dire, the Postal Service has not met its mail delivery service standards for more than eight years.

The proposal is almost certain to prompt resistance from the Democrats who control Congress and the White House, but it is also unclear what they will do about it.

DeJoy, a former logistics executive and Trump megadonor, had already drawn Democrats’ wrath when slowdowns began last year as he instituted operational changes during an election year with a historic influx of mail-in ballots. But President Joe Biden cannot directly fire him. Instead, his fate rests with the Postal Service Board of Governors, minus DeJoy himself, composed entirely of Trump appointees.

Some Democrats have called for Biden to fire all of the governors, and though he may have the legal authority to do so, the president has shown little appetite for such a drastic move after repeatedly criticizing his predecessor for norm-breaking firings across the government. He has nominated three new governors for open spots, but the board does not intend to wait for the confirmation of Biden’s picks to complete its 10-year plan.

The Postal Service has blamed the pandemic and a record holiday peak season for much of the poor service performance. David Partenheimer, a spokesperson for the agency, emphasized that the pandemic had contributed to an industrywide shortage of air cargo capacity, and that for the Postal Service, which does not operate or own planes, air transportation is less reliable and more expensive than ground transportation. He would not comment on the contents of the plan beyond that it would include a review of current delivery service standards.

“Our forthcoming plan to achieve service excellence and financial sustainability for the U.S. Postal Service is designed to strengthen our public service mission,” Partenheimer said in an email early this month. “We will share the final plan’s details in the coming weeks.”

DeJoy has repeatedly stressed the need to improve the Postal Service’s financial status, which has grown increasingly dire as the use of its most profitable product — first-class mail — continues to decline.

In the past 14 fiscal years, the Postal Service has lost $87 billion, including $9.2 billion in the 2020 fiscal year alone, and expects to lose $9.7 billion in 2021. The agency, which is expected to be self-sustaining, “cannot fund its current level of services and financial obligations from its revenues,” the Government Accountability Office said in a report naming the Postal Service to its “high risk” financial list. In July, the service reached an agreement with the Treasury Department on a $10 billion loan as part of a coronavirus relief bill.

But critics question why the postmaster general would slow mail delivery when the agency is already struggling to deliver mail on time and no current members of the Board of Governors have extensive experience at the agency. Michael Plunkett, the president of the Association for Postal Commerce, which represents businesses and organizations that are postal customers, called the proposals as well as efforts to increase prices “a shortsighted and imprudent step by postal management” with service already lagging and a poor economy.

Mark Diamondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, said his group, among the largest Postal Service unions, had not been asked to consult on the 10-year plan as of early this month. The Board of Governors appears to have “no interest” in his union’s input, he said.

With the election over, the Postal Service is no longer encumbered by court orders that limited its ability to institute major operational changes or forced it to disclose on-time delivery rates while ballots passed through its network.

But plenty of customers report delays. Laura Nelson Selinsky, a teacher from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, said a Christmas card sent on Dec. 11 did not arrive until the middle of January. And even though her husband received a prescription by mail a month late, she said she worried more about how the delays could affect her students at a small private school that specializes in learning disabilities.

In December, she sent packages of goodies to the 12th graders in her British literature class who were reading “Macbeth.” Among those included: Renaissance-era snacks, plastic swords, scripts, headdresses and a chain mail coif, all so the students could act out the play, she said.

But one student did not receive any materials until the unit was largely complete.

“This is such a small thing, to be able to go to the post office and you spend $70 on materials, on priority mailing materials, to students because you really want them to have it for this special event, and you really can’t count on them being there,” Nelson Selinsky said. The Postal Service is “a thing that we should be able to count on, and we just can’t.”

Occasionally, the delays can be a matter of life and death. Naya, a cat with big sage eyes found dumped in a Corona beer box, had a disease caused by a kind of fatal, feline coronavirus treatable only by a drug sold through “the underground cat railroad,” said Daniela Stolfi-Tow, who volunteers for a cat rescue group in Hawaii. They call her the “corona kitten,” she added.

When Stolfi-Tow ordered medication, it was held up in New York and never arrived. The symptoms became apparent: Naya started to lose the ability to walk straight, jerking and falling over.

Stolfi-Tow ordered another shipment held up in California that never arrived, and was preparing to get on a plane herself to pick up the medication. But finally, a third order arrived. It was sent through FedEx.

“I just cried. I was just like, ‘Oh, my God, you saved her life,’ ” she said. “It’s appalling to me that the government has not stepped in and said, ‘Hey, get it together or stop taking packages until you can deal with whatever the problem is.’ ”

William Pietri, a software engineer in San Francisco, put careful thought into his Christmas box for his family in Michigan, jamming it with tastes from around the world and other gifts: Indonesian ginger candy, Mexican saladitos con chile, Korean honey butter almonds, a puzzle that was almost impossible to find.

William Pietri, a software engineer in San Francisco, put careful thought into his Christmas box for his family in Michigan, jamming it with tastes from around the world and other gifts: Indonesian ginger candy, Mexican saladitos con chile, Korean honey butter almonds, a puzzle that was almost impossible to find. But about three months later, the package has never arrived. According to the U.S. Postal Service, it is still “in transit, arriving late.” Pietri, 51, is left to guess at the cause. The coronavirus pandemic? The politicization of the Postal Service under former President Donald Trump? “Well-informed delays, I would be happy with, but this great mystery is deeply frustrating,” he said. Months after an election that thrust problems at the Postal Service into the national glare, the beleaguered agency has failed to restore its target delivery times. In mid-December — awash in Christmas and New Year’s greetings — the agency delivered as little as 62% of first-class mail on time, the lowest level in years, according to Postal Service data. The rate had rebounded to 84% by the week of March 6, but remained far below the agency’s target of about 96%. “It hasn’t really gotten better as much as we would have hoped at this point,” said Dave Lewis, the president of SnailWorks, a company that tracks commercial mail and has found that delivery now takes four to five days, after years of averaging 3.5. “It just seems that the Postal Service just hasn’t come to grips with this and hasn’t been able to dig themselves out of it yet from the problems they had in December.” The delays are compounding problems at a venerable American institution already teetering under widening financial losses, polarizing leadership and questions about what the Biden administration will — or even can — do to right the ship. And they may be a precursor of even worse delays to come as the Postal Service reaches a potential inflection point: The agency cannot fix its finances without addressing its service problems, and it cannot address its service problems without fixing its finances. Already the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, is completing a soon-to-be-released plan to stabilize the agency’s finances over 10 years that is expected to prioritize reliability and cost effectiveness over speed. In part, that could mean people like Pietri no longer find their Christmas gifts lost in transit, but it almost certainly would slow the delivery of some mail even further. DeJoy’s report is expected to propose eliminating the use of planes for the first-class mail service to transport letters and other flat mail in the contiguous United States, according to someone familiar with the planning. It is also expected to propose lengthening the agency’s standard delivery time for first-class mail, which includes many envelopes and lightweight packages, from within three days to within five days. Among other ideas under consideration: shuttering processing facilities and reducing some post office hours. DeJoy told lawmakers last month that price increases would also be part of the strategy. The plan is part of a concerted effort by the agency to shift its resources to shipping packages, which have become a growing share of its business as traditional mail volumes have declined. The plan, some details of which were reported earlier by The Washington Post, aims to address longer-term problems at the agency. Although recent months have been particularly dire, the Postal Service has not met its mail delivery service standards for more than eight years. The proposal is almost certain to prompt resistance from the Democrats who control Congress and the White House, but it is also unclear what they will do about it. DeJoy, a former logistics executive and Trump megadonor, had already drawn Democrats’ wrath when slowdowns began last year as he instituted operational changes during an election year with a historic influx of mail-in ballots. But President Joe Biden cannot directly fire him. Instead, his fate rests with the Postal Service Board of Governors, minus DeJoy himself, composed entirely of Trump appointees. Some Democrats have called for Biden to fire all of the governors, and though he may have the legal authority to do so, the president has shown little appetite for such a drastic move after repeatedly criticizing his predecessor for norm-breaking firings across the government. He has nominated three new governors for open spots, but the board does not intend to wait for the confirmation of Biden’s picks to complete its 10-year plan. The Postal Service has blamed the pandemic and a record holiday peak season for much of the poor service performance. David Partenheimer, a spokesperson for the agency, emphasized that the pandemic had contributed to an industrywide shortage of air cargo capacity, and that for the Postal Service, which does not operate or own planes, air transportation is less reliable and more expensive than ground transportation. He would not comment on the contents of the plan beyond that it would include a review of current delivery service standards. “Our forthcoming plan to achieve service excellence and financial sustainability for the U.S. Postal Service is designed to strengthen our public service mission,” Partenheimer said in an email early this month. “We will share the final plan’s details in the coming weeks.” DeJoy has repeatedly stressed the need to improve the Postal Service’s financial status, which has grown increasingly dire as the use of its most profitable product — first-class mail — continues to decline. In the past 14 fiscal years, the Postal Service has lost $87 billion, including $9.2 billion in the 2020 fiscal year alone, and expects to lose $9.7 billion in 2021. The agency, which is expected to be self-sustaining, “cannot fund its current level of services and financial obligations from its revenues,” the Government Accountability Office said in a report naming the Postal Service to its “high risk” financial list. In July, the service reached an agreement with the Treasury Department on a $10 billion loan as part of a coronavirus relief bill. But critics question why the postmaster general would slow mail delivery when the agency is already struggling to deliver mail on time and no current members of the Board of Governors have extensive experience at the agency. Michael Plunkett, the president of the Association for Postal Commerce, which represents businesses and organizations that are postal customers, called the proposals as well as efforts to increase prices “a shortsighted and imprudent step by postal management” with service already lagging and a poor economy. Mark Diamondstein, the president of the American Postal Workers Union, said his group, among the largest Postal Service unions, had not been asked to consult on the 10-year plan as of early this month. The Board of Governors appears to have “no interest” in his union’s input, he said. With the election over, the Postal Service is no longer encumbered by court orders that limited its ability to institute major operational changes or forced it to disclose on-time delivery rates while ballots passed through its network. But plenty of customers report delays. Laura Nelson Selinsky, a teacher from King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, said a Christmas card sent on Dec. 11 did not arrive until the middle of January. And even though her husband received a prescription by mail a month late, she said she worried more about how the delays could affect her students at a small private school that specializes in learning disabilities. In December, she sent packages of goodies to the 12th graders in her British literature class who were reading “Macbeth.” Among those included: Renaissance-era snacks, plastic swords, scripts, headdresses and a chain mail coif, all so the students could act out the play, she said. But one student did not receive any materials until the unit was largely complete. “This is such a small thing, to be able to go to the post office and you spend $70 on materials, on priority mailing materials, to students because you really want them to have it for this special event, and you really can’t count on them being there,” Nelson Selinsky said. The Postal Service is “a thing that we should be able to count on, and we just can’t.” Occasionally, the delays can be a matter of life and death. Naya, a cat with big sage eyes found dumped in a Corona beer box, had a disease caused by a kind of fatal, feline coronavirus treatable only by a drug sold through “the underground cat railroad,” said Daniela Stolfi-Tow, who volunteers for a cat rescue group in Hawaii. They call her the “corona kitten,” she added. When Stolfi-Tow ordered medication, it was held up in New York and never arrived. The symptoms became apparent: Naya started to lose the ability to walk straight, jerking and falling over. Stolfi-Tow ordered another shipment held up in California that never arrived, and was preparing to get on a plane herself to pick up the medication. But finally, a third order arrived. It was sent through FedEx. “I just cried. I was just like, ‘Oh, my God, you saved her life,’ ” she said. “It’s appalling to me that the government has not stepped in and said, ‘Hey, get it together or stop taking packages until you can deal with whatever the problem is.’ ”

Postal service struggles to speed up delivery, compounding its troubles

Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 posthumously. This has come just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Bangladesh to take part in his birth centenary celebrations. Meanwhile, two fighter jets have collided in Taiwan. This is third crash in past six months. Read this and more in our Top 10 World News

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladeshs-founding-leader-sheikh-mujibur-rahman-conferred-with-gandhi-peace-prize-372315">Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman conferred with Gandhi Peace Prize</a>

<img alt="Mujibur RAHMAN" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b93dd47b-3aa7-4b1a-a66f-9c613b5041f2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Mujibur%20Rahman.JPG" />

The award, instituted in 1995, has been awarded posthumously for the first time accordingly to the ministry of culture

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-says-regrets-us-refusal-to-attend-putin-biden-live-debate-372284">Russia says regrets US refusal to attend Putin-Biden live debate</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-says-regrets-us-refusal-to-attend-putin-biden-live-debate-372284"><img alt="Putin" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9479bf79-f7f9-4d22-a4f2-694144025655" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Putin_4.JPG" /></a> 
 
On Friday, the Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin's offer of talks remained open and that Putin could do any time that was convenient for Biden, though the offer would not stay on the table indefinitely.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-pakistan-to-hold-first-meeting-in-three-years-on-water-sharing-rights-372305">India, Pakistan to hold first meeting in three years on water-sharing rights</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-pakistan-to-hold-first-meeting-in-three-years-on-water-sharing-rights-372305"><img alt="India Pakistan" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5751f992-8691-413d-bb51-cb139ea45e84" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/India%20Pakistan.JPG" /></a> 
 
Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri confirmed the talks will take place

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/europe-must-act-as-lebanon-collapses-france-372304">Europe must act as Lebanon collapses: France</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/europe-must-act-as-lebanon-collapses-france-372304"><img alt="Lebanon" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="eddc5f36-b8bb-498d-9112-a724c36deb05" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Lebanon_0.JPG" /></a> 
 
Paris has spearheaded international efforts to rescue the former French protectorate from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but after seven months has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap or form a new government to unlock international aid

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-approves-sanctions-on-china-myanmar-over-rights-abuses-372295">EU approves sanctions on China, Myanmar over rights abuses</a>

<img alt="EU" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d6cd4f7b-4f96-403f-a902-7296afb03329" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/EU_0.JPG" /> 
 
The highly symbolic move -- reported by EU diplomats and expected to be formally unveiled in the EU's official journal later Monday -- is the first time Brussels has hit Beijing over human rights abuses since it imposed an arms embargo in 1989

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/will-vaccination-nation-israel-vote-for-prime-minister-netanyahu-372358">Will 'vaccination nation' Israel vote for Prime Minister Netanyahu?</a>

<img alt="Netanyahu" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8090bf31-78a6-43e7-820f-622c84560e6a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Israel_2.JPG" />

Opinion polls showed an uptick for Likud in the campaign's home stretch, giving a Netanyahu-led coalition of conservative and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties around 60 seats, still short of a majority in the 120-member parliament

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eight-hong-kong-democracy-activists-set-to-return-from-china-after-jail-terms-372351">Eight Hong Kong democracy activists set to return from China after jail terms&nbsp;</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eight-hong-kong-democracy-activists-set-to-return-from-china-after-jail-terms-372351"><img alt="Hong Kong" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="c8818203-c958-4ff5-9014-4fae0a9a8926" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/hong%20kong_0.JPG" /></a> 
 
They were among 12 activists whose boat was intercepted at sea by mainland authorities in August 2020 allegedly en route to the democratic island of Taiwan. All had faced charges in Hong Kong over the pro-democracy protest movement and are expected to be taken directly into custody on their return

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/pentagon-ready-to-unveil-secret-report-of-ufos-breaking-sound-barrier-372357">Pentagon ready to unveil secret report of UFOs breaking sound barrier</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/pentagon-ready-to-unveil-secret-report-of-ufos-breaking-sound-barrier-372357"><img alt="Pentagon" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="4a384f10-666d-433d-93e7-066fc9ff3e00" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/UFO_0.JPG" /></a> 
 
The DIA and Secretary of Defence were given less than six months to provide information on 'unidentified aerial phenomena' to the congress and committees of armed services, according to former president Trump's move

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eu-asks-turkey-to-rethink-exit-from-womens-rights-treaty-372336">EU asks Turkey to rethink exit from women's rights treaty</a>

<img alt="Turkey" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1fcb2712-e884-4fc8-afc2-77c4e2c4f60d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Erdogan_1.JPG" />

EU's foreign policy chief said that Turkey's exit sent a wrong message to the world

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-loses-two-fighter-jets-in-collision-third-crash-in-six-months-372312">Taiwan loses two fighter jets in collision, third crash in six months&nbsp;</a>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/taiwan-loses-two-fighter-jets-in-collision-third-crash-in-six-months-372312"><img alt="Taiwan" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="16154d96-efd2-408b-8280-87ad0e3048e0" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Taiwan_2.JPG" /></a> 
 
Taiwan's air force said two air force F-5E fighters, each with one pilot aboard, crashed into the sea off the island's southeastern coast after they apparently collided in mid-air during a training mission

Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 posthumously. This has come just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Bangladesh to take part in his birth centenary celebrations.

Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has been conferred the prestigious Gandhi Peace Prize 2020 posthumously. This has come just days before Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to visit Bangladesh to take part in his birth centenary celebrations. Meanwhile, two fighter jets have collided in Taiwan. This is third crash in past six months. Read this and more in our Top 10 World News Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman conferred with Gandhi Peace Prize The award, instituted in 1995, has been awarded posthumously for the first time accordingly to the ministry of culture Russia says regrets US refusal to attend Putin-Biden live debate On Friday, the Kremlin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Putin's offer of talks remained open and that Putin could do any time that was convenient for Biden, though the offer would not stay on the table indefinitely. India, Pakistan to hold first meeting in three years on water-sharing rights Pakistan's foreign ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri confirmed the talks will take place Europe must act as Lebanon collapses: France Paris has spearheaded international efforts to rescue the former French protectorate from its deepest crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, but after seven months has failed so far to persuade squabbling politicians to adopt a reform roadmap or form a new government to unlock international aid EU approves sanctions on China, Myanmar over rights abuses The highly symbolic move -- reported by EU diplomats and expected to be formally unveiled in the EU's official journal later Monday -- is the first time Brussels has hit Beijing over human rights abuses since it imposed an arms embargo in 1989 Will 'vaccination nation' Israel vote for Prime Minister Netanyahu? Opinion polls showed an uptick for Likud in the campaign's home stretch, giving a Netanyahu-led coalition of conservative and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties around 60 seats, still short of a majority in the 120-member parliament Eight Hong Kong democracy activists set to return from China after jail terms They were among 12 activists whose boat was intercepted at sea by mainland authorities in August 2020 allegedly en route to the democratic island of Taiwan. All had faced charges in Hong Kong over the pro-democracy protest movement and are expected to be taken directly into custody on their return Pentagon ready to unveil secret report of UFOs breaking sound barrier The DIA and Secretary of Defence were given less than six months to provide information on 'unidentified aerial phenomena' to the congress and committees of armed services, according to former president Trump's move EU asks Turkey to rethink exit from women's rights treaty EU's foreign policy chief said that Turkey's exit sent a wrong message to the world Taiwan loses two fighter jets in collision, third crash in six months Taiwan's air force said two air force F-5E fighters, each with one pilot aboard, crashed into the sea off the island's southeastern coast after they apparently collided in mid-air during a training mission

Top 10 World News: Bangabandhu gets Gandhi Peace Prize, Taiwan jet crash, and more

Interstellar travel has always caught the imagination of humankind. Though our scientific knowledge and imagination have long conceptualised interstellar space travel, actual travel is a massive undertaking. Till date, only two spacecraft&nbsp;(Voyager 1 and 2) have crossed the solar system boundary. More spacecraft&nbsp;will surely follow in future.

The main issue in interstellar travel is that a person aboard the spacecraft sees a different starscape than that from Earth. The astronaut will see position and movement of stars differently than on Earth.&nbsp;

Why does this matter?

This may throw up problems while navigating the spacecraft. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are controlled from Earth. But for a man in space, it may get difficult to navigate accurately. This has potential of creating huge problem as the spacecraft may get lost in space.

Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, an astronomer working at Max Plack Institute in Germany, has come up with a navigation system. This may enable navigation of the spacecraft from space rather than from Earth.

He has presented his idea in a paper that has been published in Arxiv. The paper is awaiting peer review.

Bailer-Jones has proposed that by measuring the angular distance between pairs of stars and comparing it with star charts that we already have, the spacecraft will be able to determine its co-ordinates in space.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/astrophotographer-creates-a-remarkable-mosaic-of-the-milky-way-galaxy-372060">Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy</a>

In effect, the astronaut aboard the spacecraft will be able to determine where the spacecraft exactly is. And he/she will be able to do so without any help from Earth.

Interstellar space travel may really become independent of Earth's control after all!

Interstellar travel has always caught the imagination of humankind. Though our scientific knowledge and imagination have long conceptualised interstellar space travel, actual travel is a massive undertaking.

Interstellar travel has always caught the imagination of humankind. Though our scientific knowledge and imagination have long conceptualised interstellar space travel, actual travel is a massive undertaking. Till date, only two spacecraft (Voyager 1 and 2) have crossed the solar system boundary. More spacecraft will surely follow in future. The main issue in interstellar travel is that a person aboard the spacecraft sees a different starscape than that from Earth. The astronaut will see position and movement of stars differently than on Earth. Why does this matter? This may throw up problems while navigating the spacecraft. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are controlled from Earth. But for a man in space, it may get difficult to navigate accurately. This has potential of creating huge problem as the spacecraft may get lost in space. Coryn A.L. Bailer-Jones, an astronomer working at Max Plack Institute in Germany, has come up with a navigation system. This may enable navigation of the spacecraft from space rather than from Earth. He has presented his idea in a paper that has been published in Arxiv. The paper is awaiting peer review. Bailer-Jones has proposed that by measuring the angular distance between pairs of stars and comparing it with star charts that we already have, the spacecraft will be able to determine its co-ordinates in space. Also Read | Astrophotographer creates a remarkable mosaic of the Milky Way galaxy In effect, the astronaut aboard the spacecraft will be able to determine where the spacecraft exactly is. And he/she will be able to do so without any help from Earth. Interstellar space travel may really become independent of Earth's control after all!

Astronomer makes navigation system for interstellar space travel

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Zee News Rajasthan

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