<p>Sri Lankan Police will use drones to monitor the movement of people in areas declared as isolated due to a vast spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in recent weeks, local media reported on Friday.<br />
<br />
The drones will be flown over areas under lockdown in the Western Province, including several areas within the capital Colombo.</p>

<p>Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said the assistance of the air force had been sought for this operation and they would use high tech drones to monitor any illegal movements within the isolated areas.<br />
<br />
At least 20 people were arrested for stepping out of their homes in the lockdown areas until Friday morning.<br />
<br />
Air force Spokesman Group Captain Dushantha Wijesinghe said it had deployed three teams for this purpose and six to 10 drones will be used, on the request of the police.<br />
<br />
He said the drones will monitor the main routes and areas in an isolated area to see if any gatherings are ongoing, or playgrounds are being used, or if there are any movements on roads or any shops being kept open.<br />
<br />
"We will strictly ensure that no breach of privacy is caused on private residences of people," the air force spokesman said.<br />
<br />
Sri Lanka's&nbsp;Western Province has detected over 4,000 new confirmed cases in recent weeks since the detection of two new Covid-19 clusters, in Minuwangoda, the outskirts of the capital, and from a fish market in Peliyagoda, Colombo, last month.<br />
<br />
Several areas have remained under isolation since early October and people have been prohibited from entering or leaving the area.<br />
<br />
Sri Lanka has reported a total of 15,723 cases since the first local patient was detected in March, while the death toll stood at 48.</p>


Sri Lankan Police will use drones to monitor the movement of people in areas declared as isolated due to a vast spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in recent weeks, local media reported on Friday.

Sri Lankan Police will use drones to monitor the movement of people in areas declared as isolated due to a vast spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in recent weeks, local media reported on Friday. The drones will be flown over areas under lockdown in the Western Province, including several areas within the capital Colombo. Police Spokesperson DIG Ajith Rohana said the assistance of the air force had been sought for this operation and they would use high tech drones to monitor any illegal movements within the isolated areas. At least 20 people were arrested for stepping out of their homes in the lockdown areas until Friday morning. Air force Spokesman Group Captain Dushantha Wijesinghe said it had deployed three teams for this purpose and six to 10 drones will be used, on the request of the police. He said the drones will monitor the main routes and areas in an isolated area to see if any gatherings are ongoing, or playgrounds are being used, or if there are any movements on roads or any shops being kept open. "We will strictly ensure that no breach of privacy is caused on private residences of people," the air force spokesman said. Sri Lanka's Western Province has detected over 4,000 new confirmed cases in recent weeks since the detection of two new Covid-19 clusters, in Minuwangoda, the outskirts of the capital, and from a fish market in Peliyagoda, Colombo, last month. Several areas have remained under isolation since early October and people have been prohibited from entering or leaving the area. Sri Lanka has reported a total of 15,723 cases since the first local patient was detected in March, while the death toll stood at 48.

Sri Lanka to use drones to monitor areas isolated due to COVID-19

<p>At least 14 people were killed in an attack by Taliban on Bala Hisar military base in Imam Sahib district in the northern province of Kunduz on Thursday night, TOLO news reported.</p>

<p>Sources informed that the key military base fell to the Taliban for some hours before being retaken by the security forces.</p>

<p>While 12 security force members were killed in the ensuing attack, two police force members were killed when they were on their way to the army base to help the forces when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb, in which two others were wounded.</p>

<p>Ten Taliban were killed or wounded in the attack, but the Taliban has not commented on the incident, confirmed sources.</p>

<p>Earlier, a military base was targeted by a car bomb attack in Paghman district, Kabul province, where at least two people were killed on Friday.</p>

<p>Violence has increased in the country despite efforts to resume peace negotiations</p>


At least 14 people were killed in an attack by Taliban on Bala Hisar military base in Imam Sahib district in the northern province of Kunduz on Thursday night, TOLO news reported.

At least 14 people were killed in an attack by Taliban on Bala Hisar military base in Imam Sahib district in the northern province of Kunduz on Thursday night, TOLO news reported. Sources informed that the key military base fell to the Taliban for some hours before being retaken by the security forces. While 12 security force members were killed in the ensuing attack, two police force members were killed when they were on their way to the army base to help the forces when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb, in which two others were wounded. Ten Taliban were killed or wounded in the attack, but the Taliban has not commented on the incident, confirmed sources. Earlier, a military base was targeted by a car bomb attack in Paghman district, Kabul province, where at least two people were killed on Friday. Violence has increased in the country despite efforts to resume peace negotiations

14 killed as Afghan forces retake military base in Kunduz

<p>A Croatian court on Friday sentenced former prime minister Ivo Sanader to eight years in jail for syphoning millions of euros from public funds in a long-running corruption case.</p>

<p>Sanader, who led Croatia into NATO during his 2003-2009 spell in office, organised a plot with other officials to "acquire significant financial gain" for himself and to finance their HDZ party, which was also accused in the case, the Zagreb court ruled.</p>

<p>Sanader directed embezzlement involving illegal donations and fictitious deals involving state-run firms, according to the verdict.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The former prime minister, currently serving a prison sentence for another corruption case, will also be required to pay 15.8 million kunas (two million euros, $2.5 million) once the verdict becomes final.</p>

<p>The conservative HDZ, which is still in power, was "responsible" for the crime and must pay some two million euros to the state budget, judge Irena Kvaternik said.</p>

<p>Of three other HDZ officials on trial, two were convicted and jailed and the other was acquitted.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The party said in a statement it rejected "any collective responsibility" and said it would appeal the ruling.</p>

<p>Sanader was first sentenced to nine years in jail for this case in 2014, in what was the first trial of its kind against a Croatian political party.</p>

<p>But the top court scrapped the ruling citing violations of criminal proceedings.</p>

<p>During the retrial all the defendants pleaded not guilty.</p>

<p>Since 2019 Sanader has been serving a six-year sentence for a separate corruption conviction and faces a slew of other allegations.</p>

<p>The 67-year-old did not attend Friday's hearing as he is recovering from surgery.</p>


A Croatian court on Friday sentenced former prime minister Ivo Sanader to eight years in jail for syphoning millions of euros from public funds in a long-running corruption case.

A Croatian court on Friday sentenced former prime minister Ivo Sanader to eight years in jail for syphoning millions of euros from public funds in a long-running corruption case. Sanader, who led Croatia into NATO during his 2003-2009 spell in office, organised a plot with other officials to "acquire significant financial gain" for himself and to finance their HDZ party, which was also accused in the case, the Zagreb court ruled. Sanader directed embezzlement involving illegal donations and fictitious deals involving state-run firms, according to the verdict. The former prime minister, currently serving a prison sentence for another corruption case, will also be required to pay 15.8 million kunas (two million euros, $2.5 million) once the verdict becomes final. The conservative HDZ, which is still in power, was "responsible" for the crime and must pay some two million euros to the state budget, judge Irena Kvaternik said. Of three other HDZ officials on trial, two were convicted and jailed and the other was acquitted. The party said in a statement it rejected "any collective responsibility" and said it would appeal the ruling. Sanader was first sentenced to nine years in jail for this case in 2014, in what was the first trial of its kind against a Croatian political party. But the top court scrapped the ruling citing violations of criminal proceedings. During the retrial all the defendants pleaded not guilty. Since 2019 Sanader has been serving a six-year sentence for a separate corruption conviction and faces a slew of other allegations. The 67-year-old did not attend Friday's hearing as he is recovering from surgery.

Croatia jails ex-PM for running embezzlement network

<p>Germany's government on Friday said that Russia's sanctions plan related to Putin's critic Alexei Navalny is ''unjustified''.</p>

<p>Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said&nbsp;"Russia has all the means at its disposal to get to the bottom of this crime and instead it levels sanctions against officials of other states."</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/russiavladimir-putin-releases-statement-on-alexie-navalny-poisioning-342886/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Seibert called the punitive measures "unjustified and inappropriate", saying that Russia was "disregarding the international interest in solving this case".&nbsp;</p>

<p>It comes after Russia's decision to&nbsp;impose retaliatory sanctions on German and French officials over the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny.</p>

<p>Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said on Thursday that&nbsp;Navalny, who fell ill on a flight in Siberia on August&nbsp;20 and was airlifted to Berlin for treatment, could have been poisoned in Germany or on the plane to Berlin.</p>

<p><strong>Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/navalny-poisoning-russian-police-says-putin-critic-fell-ill-due-to-metabolic-problems-and-pancreatitis-341134">Navalny poisoning: Russian police says Putin critic fell ill due to metabolic problems and pancreatitis</a></strong></p>

<p>Navalny collapsed on a flight in Russia in August and was transported to Germany where experts concluded he was poisoned with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok.</p>

<p>The 44-year-old anti-graft campaigner&nbsp;has said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the poisoning, while the Kremlin has strenuously denied involvement and accused Germany of refusing to cooperate in an investigation.</p>

<p>Lavrov on Thursday added without providing evidence that Moscow had "reason to believe" the nerve agent could have entered Navalny's system during the flight to Berlin's Charite hospital or while he was in Germany.</p>

<p>Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh called the suggestion that Navalny was poisoned in Germany "the most idiotic of them all".</p>

<p>Doctors who treated Navalny before he was flown to Berlin said last week that he had not been poisoned but instead was suffering from metabolic issues and pancreatitis.</p>

<p>Navalny remains in Germany for treatment but has vowed to return to Russia after making a full recovery.</p>


Germany's government on Friday said that Russia's sanctions plan related to Putin's critic Alexei Navalny is ''unjustified''. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said "Russia has all the means at its disposal to get to the bottom of this crime and instead it levels sanctions against officials of other states.

Germany's government on Friday said that Russia's sanctions plan related to Putin's critic Alexei Navalny is ''unjustified''. Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said "Russia has all the means at its disposal to get to the bottom of this crime and instead it levels sanctions against officials of other states." Seibert called the punitive measures "unjustified and inappropriate", saying that Russia was "disregarding the international interest in solving this case". It comes after Russia's decision to impose retaliatory sanctions on German and French officials over the poisoning of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said on Thursday that Navalny, who fell ill on a flight in Siberia on August 20 and was airlifted to Berlin for treatment, could have been poisoned in Germany or on the plane to Berlin. Also read| Navalny poisoning: Russian police says Putin critic fell ill due to metabolic problems and pancreatitis Navalny collapsed on a flight in Russia in August and was transported to Germany where experts concluded he was poisoned with the Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok. The 44-year-old anti-graft campaigner has said he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the poisoning, while the Kremlin has strenuously denied involvement and accused Germany of refusing to cooperate in an investigation. Lavrov on Thursday added without providing evidence that Moscow had "reason to believe" the nerve agent could have entered Navalny's system during the flight to Berlin's Charite hospital or while he was in Germany. Navalny's spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh called the suggestion that Navalny was poisoned in Germany "the most idiotic of them all". Doctors who treated Navalny before he was flown to Berlin said last week that he had not been poisoned but instead was suffering from metabolic issues and pancreatitis. Navalny remains in Germany for treatment but has vowed to return to Russia after making a full recovery.

Russia's sanctions plan related to Navalny 'unjustified', says Germany

<p>The&nbsp;United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that&nbsp;Taiwan not part of China.</p>

<p>Speaking in a US&nbsp;radio interview on Thursday, Pompeo said, ''Taiwan has not been a part of China. That was recognised with the work that the Reagan administration did to lay out the policies that the United States has adhered to now for three-and-a-half decades."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read| <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-puts-pressure-on-nations-to-not-recognise-taiwan-as-a-country-foreign-minister-joseph-wu-tells-wion-336966">China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION</a></strong></p>

<p>Pompeo's bold statement,&nbsp;which drew China's ire, goes hand-in-hand with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, who views&nbsp;Taiwan&nbsp;as a sovereign nation, not part of "one China" policy.&nbsp;Her stance infuriates Beijing, which is now buzzing the island with an unprecedented number of fighter jets and surveillance aircraft.</p>

<p>Thanking&nbsp;Pompeo for his support,&nbsp;Taiwan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Joanne Ou said&nbsp;"The Republic of China on Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country, and not part of the People's Republic of China. This is a fact and the current situation."&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-moves-forward-on-three-arms-sales-to-taiwan-china-says-will-make-necessary-response-334859">White House moves forward on three arms sales to Taiwan; China says will make necessary response</a></strong></p>

<p>Chinese&nbsp;foreign ministry responded to&nbsp;Pompeo's statement&nbsp;saying it will strike back against any moves that undermine its core interests.</p>

<p>Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China and that Pompeo was further damaging Sino-US&nbsp;ties.</p>

<p>"We solemnly tell Pompeo and his ilk, that any behaviour that undermines China's core interests and interferes with China's domestic affairs will be met with a resolute counterattack by China," he said, without elaborating.</p>

<p>China has put sanctions on US&nbsp;companies selling weapons to Taiwan and flew fighter jets near the island when senior U.S. officials visited Taipei this year.</p>

<p>The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, who founded the People's Republic of China.</p>

<p>The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and officially only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of it, rather than explicitly recognising China's claims.</p>

<p>Relations between Washington and Taipei warmed dramatically under Donald Trump's administration, beginning soon after the votes were counted.</p>

<p>Taiwan officials will travel to Washington next week for economic talks, which have also annoyed Beijing</p>


The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that Taiwan not part of China. Speaking in a US radio interview on Thursday, Pompeo said, ''Taiwan has not been a part of China.

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday said that Taiwan not part of China. Speaking in a US radio interview on Thursday, Pompeo said, ''Taiwan has not been a part of China. That was recognised with the work that the Reagan administration did to lay out the policies that the United States has adhered to now for three-and-a-half decades." Also read| China puts pressure on nations to not recognise Taiwan as a country: Foreign Minister Joseph Wu tells WION Pompeo's bold statement, which drew China's ire, goes hand-in-hand with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen, who views Taiwan as a sovereign nation, not part of "one China" policy. Her stance infuriates Beijing, which is now buzzing the island with an unprecedented number of fighter jets and surveillance aircraft. Thanking Pompeo for his support, Taiwan's foreign ministry spokeswoman, Joanne Ou said "The Republic of China on Taiwan is a sovereign, independent country, and not part of the People's Republic of China. This is a fact and the current situation." Also read: White House moves forward on three arms sales to Taiwan; China says will make necessary response Chinese foreign ministry responded to Pompeo's statement saying it will strike back against any moves that undermine its core interests. Speaking in Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Taiwan was an inalienable part of China and that Pompeo was further damaging Sino-US ties. "We solemnly tell Pompeo and his ilk, that any behaviour that undermines China's core interests and interferes with China's domestic affairs will be met with a resolute counterattack by China," he said, without elaborating. China has put sanctions on US companies selling weapons to Taiwan and flew fighter jets near the island when senior U.S. officials visited Taipei this year. The defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war to the communists, who founded the People's Republic of China. The United States is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and officially only acknowledges the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of it, rather than explicitly recognising China's claims. Relations between Washington and Taipei warmed dramatically under Donald Trump's administration, beginning soon after the votes were counted. Taiwan officials will travel to Washington next week for economic talks, which have also annoyed Beijing

Taiwan not part of China, says Mike Pompeo; Beijing fumes

<p>The world's largest fur auction house,&nbsp;Denmark's Kopenhagen Fur, announced on Friday that is going to close after the government's order of culling the country's entire mink population over fears of COVID-19.</p>

<p>The company is planning to liquidate assets dispose of its excess items away. It and shut down&nbsp;in 2-3 years and&nbsp;hold final fur&nbsp;auctions in 2021, 2022, and possibly 2023.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-covid-scare-denmark-shaken-by-mink-culling-342511/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>The news implies that 300 individuals will lose their positions, as indicated by CEO Jesper Lauge.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Tragically, the loss of the Danish mink creation implies that the proprietorship base vanishes and in this way, the organization's administration has chosen to slowly cut back the organization and make a controlled closure over a time of 2-3 years," said Lauge.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>End of an era</strong></p>

<p>Kopenhagen Fur was established in 1930 and is possessed by individuals from the Danish Fur Breeders Association.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/denmark-prime-minister-has-apologized-for-the-recent-mass-mink-culling-342426/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>As indicated by the public authority, there are 1,139 mink fur breeders in Denmark and there have been coronavirus&nbsp;cases in 207 of them.</p>

<p>The Danish government put forward hastily drawn up legislation on Tuesday to back up its order to cull all the country's farmed&nbsp;mink, admitting it lacked the legal basis for the measure aimed at preventing human contagion of a mutated coronavirus strain.</p>

<p>Authorities last week embarked on a plan to eliminate Denmark's entire population of 17 million&nbsp;mink, one of the world's biggest, saying the new strain could move to humans and evade future COVID-19 vaccines.</p>


The world's largest fur auction house, Denmark's Kopenhagen Fur, announced on Friday that is going to close after the government's order of culling the country's entire mink population over fears of COVID-19.

The world's largest fur auction house, Denmark's Kopenhagen Fur, announced on Friday that is going to close after the government's order of culling the country's entire mink population over fears of COVID-19. The company is planning to liquidate assets dispose of its excess items away. It and shut down in 2-3 years and hold final fur auctions in 2021, 2022, and possibly 2023. The news implies that 300 individuals will lose their positions, as indicated by CEO Jesper Lauge. "Tragically, the loss of the Danish mink creation implies that the proprietorship base vanishes and in this way, the organization's administration has chosen to slowly cut back the organization and make a controlled closure over a time of 2-3 years," said Lauge. End of an era Kopenhagen Fur was established in 1930 and is possessed by individuals from the Danish Fur Breeders Association. As indicated by the public authority, there are 1,139 mink fur breeders in Denmark and there have been coronavirus cases in 207 of them. The Danish government put forward hastily drawn up legislation on Tuesday to back up its order to cull all the country's farmed mink, admitting it lacked the legal basis for the measure aimed at preventing human contagion of a mutated coronavirus strain. Authorities last week embarked on a plan to eliminate Denmark's entire population of 17 million mink, one of the world's biggest, saying the new strain could move to humans and evade future COVID-19 vaccines.

World's largest fur auction house to shut down following mink decimation

<p>Gli, the famous 16-year-old beloved feline that made Istanbul's Hagia Sophia her own, has died of old age.</p>

<p>Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced the news on his Twitter account with the&nbsp;caption&nbsp;''Hagia Sophia's cat Gli, who was being treated at a private veterinary clinic (Istanbul's) Levent (district) since Sept 24, unfortunately, passed away due to her old age.''</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="tr">Gli’yi kaybetmenin üzüntüsünü yaşıyorum.<br />
<br />
24 Eylül tarihinden beri Levent'teki özel bir veteriner kliniğinde tedavi gören <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayasofya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayasofya</a>’nın kedisi Gli yaşlılığa bağlı olarak maalesef yaşamını yitirdi.😔<br />
<br />
Seni hiç unutmayacağız <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gli</a> 🐈<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AyasofyaCami?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AyasofyaCami</a> <a href="https://t.co/Ly6IXsEMHJ">pic.twitter.com/Ly6IXsEMHJ</a></p>
— Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) <a href="https://twitter.com/AliYerlikaya/status/1325118744084029441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Gli, which means 'union of love' of adoration in Turkish, was a mainstream presence at Hagia Sophia, with sightseers frequently scouring the structure to take photos of the green-looked at the cat.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Gli, the cat of Hagia Sopia<br />
After being at a vet all week, the 16 year-old cat will now stay in a private room away from visitors for health reason. <a href="https://t.co/XQ35iN6k7y">pic.twitter.com/XQ35iN6k7y</a></p>
— The Byzantine Legacy (@ByzantineLegacy) <a href="https://twitter.com/ByzantineLegacy/status/1307704209245196288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>She rose to fame after she was shot in 2009 being stroked by then US president Barack Obama during a visit to what exactly was then an exhibition hall with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's leader at that point.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gli-the-cat-can-stay-even-as-istanbuls-mosque-hagia-sophia-converts-into-a-mosque-315860/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Earlier this year, the 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site changed from being an exhibition hall back to a mosque, after a Turkish court in July denied its status as a gallery. Supplications were offered inside the complex without precedent for a very long time on 24 July.</p>

<p>Information on Gli's passing has incited an overflowing of adoration and sympathies online from the individuals who followed her on her Instagram page.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I cried when I heard the news. One of my wish list is to travel to turkey one day and visit Hagia Sophia to see Gli 😭 <a href="https://t.co/x4mJAGBN8r">https://t.co/x4mJAGBN8r</a></p>
— 💫 (@Ilatrh) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilatrh/status/1325352123404464130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Very sad news for the team personally.<br />
<br />
Gli, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque's favourite feline resident, has died at the age of 16.<br />
<br />
Whenever we visited Hagia Sophia, Gli would always look stunning and beautiful. We will miss her. May she rest in peace 😑<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HagiaSophia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HagiaSophia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gli?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Gli</a> <a href="https://t.co/PVWmd4FfKg">pic.twitter.com/PVWmd4FfKg</a></p>
— Mughal-Imperial-Archives (@Mughal_imperial) <a href="https://twitter.com/Mughal_imperial/status/1325327905208078336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 8, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Umut Bahceci, a tour guide had&nbsp;started an Instagram account for Gli four years ago and now has more than 134,000 followers. It included&nbsp;Uskudar municipality mayor Hilmi Turkman&nbsp;and presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin.</p>

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHXZUkMAxZU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);">
<div style="padding:16px;">
<div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;">
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 19% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHXZUkMAxZU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></a></div>

<div style="padding-top: 8px;">
<div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHXZUkMAxZU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div>
</div>

<div style="padding: 12.5% 0;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;">
<div>
<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: 8px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<div style="margin-left: auto;">
<div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);">&nbsp;</div>
</div>
</div>

<div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;">
<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;">&nbsp;</div>

<div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;">&nbsp;</div>
</div>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CHXZUkMAxZU/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Ayasofya Kedisi Gli (@hagiasophiacat)</a></p>
</div>
</blockquote>
<script async src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>

<p>Gli's Instagram account is filled with photos of the cat, some tagged by the tourists who met her.</p>

<p>Hagia Sophia was a Christian Byzantine cathedral for 900 years before it was seized by Ottoman conquerors and served as a mosque until 1934.</p>


Gli, the famous 16-year-old beloved feline that made Istanbul's Hagia Sophia her own, has died of old age. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced the news on his Twitter account with the caption ''Hagia Sophia's cat Gli, who was being treated at a private veterinary clinic (Istanbul's) Levent (district) since Sept 24, unfortunately, passed away due to her old age.

Gli, the famous 16-year-old beloved feline that made Istanbul's Hagia Sophia her own, has died of old age. Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya announced the news on his Twitter account with the caption ''Hagia Sophia's cat Gli, who was being treated at a private veterinary clinic (Istanbul's) Levent (district) since Sept 24, unfortunately, passed away due to her old age.'' Gli’yi kaybetmenin üzüntüsünü yaşıyorum. 24 Eylül tarihinden beri Levent'teki özel bir veteriner kliniğinde tedavi gören #Ayasofya’nın kedisi Gli yaşlılığa bağlı olarak maalesef yaşamını yitirdi.😔 Seni hiç unutmayacağız #Gli 🐈#AyasofyaCami pic.twitter.com/Ly6IXsEMHJ — Ali Yerlikaya (@AliYerlikaya) November 7, 2020 × Gli, which means 'union of love' of adoration in Turkish, was a mainstream presence at Hagia Sophia, with sightseers frequently scouring the structure to take photos of the green-looked at the cat. Gli, the cat of Hagia Sopia After being at a vet all week, the 16 year-old cat will now stay in a private room away from visitors for health reason. pic.twitter.com/XQ35iN6k7y — The Byzantine Legacy (@ByzantineLegacy) September 20, 2020 × She rose to fame after she was shot in 2009 being stroked by then US president Barack Obama during a visit to what exactly was then an exhibition hall with Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's leader at that point. Earlier this year, the 1,500-year-old Unesco World Heritage site changed from being an exhibition hall back to a mosque, after a Turkish court in July denied its status as a gallery. Supplications were offered inside the complex without precedent for a very long time on 24 July. Information on Gli's passing has incited an overflowing of adoration and sympathies online from the individuals who followed her on her Instagram page. I cried when I heard the news. One of my wish list is to travel to turkey one day and visit Hagia Sophia to see Gli 😭 https://t.co/x4mJAGBN8r — 💫 (@Ilatrh) November 8, 2020 × Very sad news for the team personally. Gli, the Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque's favourite feline resident, has died at the age of 16. Whenever we visited Hagia Sophia, Gli would always look stunning and beautiful. We will miss her. May she rest in peace 😑#HagiaSophia #Gli pic.twitter.com/PVWmd4FfKg — Mughal-Imperial-Archives (@Mughal_imperial) November 8, 2020 × Umut Bahceci, a tour guide had started an Instagram account for Gli four years ago and now has more than 134,000 followers. It included Uskudar municipality mayor Hilmi Turkman and presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ayasofya Kedisi Gli (@hagiasophiacat) Gli's Instagram account is filled with photos of the cat, some tagged by the tourists who met her. Hagia Sophia was a Christian Byzantine cathedral for 900 years before it was seized by Ottoman conquerors and served as a mosque until 1934.

Gli the cat, who made Istanbul's Hagia Sophia her own, dies of old age

<p>The&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization&nbsp;censored messages mentioning&nbsp;Taiwan and&nbsp;the Republic of China&nbsp;under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Multiple sources, including myself, found that <a href="https://twitter.com/WHO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WHO</a>’s official Facebook account seems to have blocked any comment containing the word “<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Taiwan?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Taiwan</a>” o go through. What is this deal? Censorship? <a href="https://t.co/p9BNKOeZv5">pic.twitter.com/p9BNKOeZv5</a></p>
— William Yang (@WilliamYang120) <a href="https://twitter.com/WilliamYang120/status/1326678007797280769?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>WHO's live stream&nbsp;on the social networking website Facebook was a Q&amp;A on COVID-19 vaccines by its chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan and the head of the&nbsp;department of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, Kate O'Brien.</p>

<p>Taiwan's delegate to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao&nbsp;said on Twitter that ''If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.''</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.</p>
— Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) <a href="https://twitter.com/bikhim/status/1326684804205719555?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>However, a Facebook spokesperson said ''The professional Facebook fan manager can independently manage all visitors’ comments on the fan page, including some keywords that may appear in the messages that may be automatically blocked by default. The manager can use this to avoid these words from appearing on fan pages.''</p>

<p>"This fan page has enabled this feature, and some words in the comments have been hidden and disabled," he added.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-condemns-taiwans-exclusion-from-world-health-assembly-299574/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>In order to circumvent the content censorship mechanism of the&nbsp;World&nbsp;Health&nbsp;Organization,&nbsp;numerous Taiwanese netizens consolidated "Taiwan" with different images in the message region of ​​the live transmission, to "counterattack" the WHO's audit of Taiwan-related messages.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">More creative work. But there are also other regular "Taiwan" in the comments. Not sure what causes the blocking for some. <a href="https://t.co/95xzHLJmg6">pic.twitter.com/95xzHLJmg6</a></p>
— Pierre-Yves Baubry (@pybaubry) <a href="https://twitter.com/pybaubry/status/1326687761198297089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Before the resumption of the World Health Assembly this week, the United States, Taiwan's political partners, and numerous European nations all distributed their petitions to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, trusting that the WHO might permit Taiwan to take an interest in the World Health Assembly as an onlooker. In any case, eventually, Taiwan was not welcomed to take an interest.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-urges-who-chief-to-invite-taiwan-to-a-key-meeting-341119">US urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to a key meeting</a></strong></p>

<p>Taiwan's&nbsp;participation in the WHO continues to be blocked due to China's massive influence.</p>

<p>At the WHO gathering, the United States, Japan, and 11 Taiwanese partners straightforwardly referenced Taiwan in their talks and communicated solid help for Taiwan's incorporation in the WHO. Be that as it may, the Norwegian director of the World Health Assembly, Bjørn-Inge Larsen, first chose not to incorporate "welcoming Taiwan to partake in the WHO Assembly as an onlooker" in the proposition stage. Afterward, Larsen intruded on Swadini's discourse on the tenth when Swadini, a Taiwanese companion, talked on the side of Taiwan and reminded the following nation to "not talk about spectators."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taiwan's Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie reacted to the concealment of Taiwan's investment in the World Health Organization on the morning of the twelfth, communicating disappointment and lament with the World Health Secretariat's practices, and said that he had held up a dissent with the World Health Organization.</p>

<p>Wu Zhaoxie stressed that Taiwan's entitlement to take an interest in the World Health Organization has won the help of an ever-increasing number of individuals on the planet, including in excess of 1,700 parliamentarians from Europe and different spots.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-who-censors-taiwan-on-facebook-342771/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Since the episode of the new crown pandemic toward the start of this current year, the battle among Taiwan and the World Health Organization has consistently pulled in worldwide consideration.</p>

<p>Since the accomplishments of Taiwan's plague counteraction have pulled in worldwide consideration, the voices in the global network supporting Taiwan's entrance into the WHO have additionally gotten stronger.</p>

<p>Before the World Health Conference in May this year, the United States welcomed Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to sign a letter to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, requesting that he welcome Taiwan to go to the World Health Conference in mid-May.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Eventually, the issue of welcoming Taiwan to take an interest in the WHO was excluded from the plan of the May World Health Assembly. US Secretary of State Pompeo additionally reprimanded the WHO's choice at that point, condemning it for additional harming the WHO's believability and viability.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In April of this current year, WHO Secretary-General Tedros freely blamed the Taiwan government for permitting Taiwanese netizens to actually assault him. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan fought Tedros' comments at that point and offered to welcome him to visit Taiwan and let him experience How the individuals of Taiwan are experiencing segregation and confinement. She said that Taiwan will keep ongoing worldwide and add to the global network.</p>


The World Health Organization censored messages mentioning Taiwan and the Republic of China under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures.

The World Health Organization censored messages mentioning Taiwan and the Republic of China under a live stream of its daily press conference, prompting Taiwan social media users to use creative ways to bypass the censorship and mount countermeasures. Multiple sources, including myself, found that @WHO’s official Facebook account seems to have blocked any comment containing the word “#Taiwan” o go through. What is this deal? Censorship? pic.twitter.com/p9BNKOeZv5 — William Yang (@WilliamYang120) November 12, 2020 × WHO's live stream on the social networking website Facebook was a Q&A on COVID-19 vaccines by its chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan and the head of the department of immunization, vaccines, and biologicals, Kate O'Brien. Taiwan's delegate to the United States, Bi-khim Hsiao said on Twitter that ''If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19.'' If that is true, it would be an outrage to see the WHO and Facebook teaming up to do China’s dirty work of censoring the success story in the fight against COVID-19. — Bi-khim Hsiao 蕭美琴 (@bikhim) November 12, 2020 × However, a Facebook spokesperson said ''The professional Facebook fan manager can independently manage all visitors’ comments on the fan page, including some keywords that may appear in the messages that may be automatically blocked by default. The manager can use this to avoid these words from appearing on fan pages.'' "This fan page has enabled this feature, and some words in the comments have been hidden and disabled," he added. In order to circumvent the content censorship mechanism of the World Health Organization, numerous Taiwanese netizens consolidated "Taiwan" with different images in the message region of the live transmission, to "counterattack" the WHO's audit of Taiwan-related messages. More creative work. But there are also other regular "Taiwan" in the comments. Not sure what causes the blocking for some. pic.twitter.com/95xzHLJmg6 — Pierre-Yves Baubry (@pybaubry) November 12, 2020 × Before the resumption of the World Health Assembly this week, the United States, Taiwan's political partners, and numerous European nations all distributed their petitions to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, trusting that the WHO might permit Taiwan to take an interest in the World Health Assembly as an onlooker. In any case, eventually, Taiwan was not welcomed to take an interest. Also read: US urges WHO chief to invite Taiwan to a key meeting Taiwan's participation in the WHO continues to be blocked due to China's massive influence. At the WHO gathering, the United States, Japan, and 11 Taiwanese partners straightforwardly referenced Taiwan in their talks and communicated solid help for Taiwan's incorporation in the WHO. Be that as it may, the Norwegian director of the World Health Assembly, Bjørn-Inge Larsen, first chose not to incorporate "welcoming Taiwan to partake in the WHO Assembly as an onlooker" in the proposition stage. Afterward, Larsen intruded on Swadini's discourse on the tenth when Swadini, a Taiwanese companion, talked on the side of Taiwan and reminded the following nation to "not talk about spectators." Taiwan's Foreign Minister Wu Zhaoxie reacted to the concealment of Taiwan's investment in the World Health Organization on the morning of the twelfth, communicating disappointment and lament with the World Health Secretariat's practices, and said that he had held up a dissent with the World Health Organization. Wu Zhaoxie stressed that Taiwan's entitlement to take an interest in the World Health Organization has won the help of an ever-increasing number of individuals on the planet, including in excess of 1,700 parliamentarians from Europe and different spots. × Since the episode of the new crown pandemic toward the start of this current year, the battle among Taiwan and the World Health Organization has consistently pulled in worldwide consideration. Since the accomplishments of Taiwan's plague counteraction have pulled in worldwide consideration, the voices in the global network supporting Taiwan's entrance into the WHO have additionally gotten stronger. Before the World Health Conference in May this year, the United States welcomed Australia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany to sign a letter to WHO Secretary-General Tedros, requesting that he welcome Taiwan to go to the World Health Conference in mid-May. Eventually, the issue of welcoming Taiwan to take an interest in the WHO was excluded from the plan of the May World Health Assembly. US Secretary of State Pompeo additionally reprimanded the WHO's choice at that point, condemning it for additional harming the WHO's believability and viability. In April of this current year, WHO Secretary-General Tedros freely blamed the Taiwan government for permitting Taiwanese netizens to actually assault him. President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan fought Tedros' comments at that point and offered to welcome him to visit Taiwan and let him experience How the individuals of Taiwan are experiencing segregation and confinement. She said that Taiwan will keep ongoing worldwide and add to the global network.

WHO censors Taiwan under a live stream of its press conference

<p>The United States on Wednesday warned of additional sanctions against China, which it said "flagrantly violated" Hong Kong's autonomy after the ousting of four pro-democracy lawmakers.</p>

<p>Robert O'Brien, US national security adviser said "Beijing's recent actions disqualifying pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong's Legislative Council leave no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has flagrantly violated its international commitments."</p>

<p>He added that the United States would continue "to identify and sanction those responsible for extinguishing Hong Kong's freedom."</p>

<p>The statement&nbsp;came in response to the ousting of four of Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers by the city's pro-Beijing authorities.</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-pro-democracy-lawmakers-resign-en-masse-to-protest-expulsion-of-four-colleagues-342407" hreflang="en">Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign en masse to protest expulsion of four colleagues</a></strong></p>

<p>The United States on Monday had imposed sanctions on four more officials accused of curbing freedoms in Hong Kong while vowing accountability over China's clampdown in the city.</p>

<p>Edwina Lau, head of the National Security Division of the Hong Kong Police Force, was among the officials who will be barred from traveling to the United States and whose US-based assets, if any, will be frozen.</p>

<p><strong>Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-ousts-four-pro-democracy-lawmakers-for-endangering-security-342326">Hong Kong ousts four pro-democracy lawmakers for 'endangering security'</a></strong></p>

<p>Hong Kong's other pro-democracy lawmakers reacted by saying they would all quit in protest, reducing the semi-autonomous city's once-feisty legislature to a gathering of Chinese loyalists.</p>

<p>Germany, the holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, has also criticised China for the dismissal of several pro-democracy opposition lawmakers from the city assembly in Hong Kong.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/germany-criticizes-china-for-dismissal-of-hong-kong-opposition-lawmakers-342535/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>A foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday the decision to remove four opposition members of Hong Kong's legislative council was the latest step of a "deeply worrying" trend which was aimed at undermining pluralism and freedom of expression.</p>

<p>"The citizens of Hong Kong have the right to free and fair elections and to the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Basic Law," the German Foreign Ministry spokesman said.</p>

<p>Those rights have to be respected and Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy must be preserved, the spokesman said, adding that China had made an international commitment to do so.</p>

<p>The foreign ministry spokesman urged authorities to quickly set a new date for the postponed elections of the Asian financial hub's legislative council as quickly as possible.</p>


The United States on Wednesday warned of additional sanctions against China, which it said "flagrantly violated" Hong Kong's autonomy after the ousting of four pro-democracy lawmakers.

The United States on Wednesday warned of additional sanctions against China, which it said "flagrantly violated" Hong Kong's autonomy after the ousting of four pro-democracy lawmakers. Robert O'Brien, US national security adviser said "Beijing's recent actions disqualifying pro-democracy legislators from Hong Kong's Legislative Council leave no doubt that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has flagrantly violated its international commitments." He added that the United States would continue "to identify and sanction those responsible for extinguishing Hong Kong's freedom." The statement came in response to the ousting of four of Hong Kong's pro-democracy lawmakers by the city's pro-Beijing authorities. Also read: Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers resign en masse to protest expulsion of four colleagues The United States on Monday had imposed sanctions on four more officials accused of curbing freedoms in Hong Kong while vowing accountability over China's clampdown in the city. Edwina Lau, head of the National Security Division of the Hong Kong Police Force, was among the officials who will be barred from traveling to the United States and whose US-based assets, if any, will be frozen. Also Read | Hong Kong ousts four pro-democracy lawmakers for 'endangering security' Hong Kong's other pro-democracy lawmakers reacted by saying they would all quit in protest, reducing the semi-autonomous city's once-feisty legislature to a gathering of Chinese loyalists. Germany, the holder of the European Union's rotating presidency, has also criticised China for the dismissal of several pro-democracy opposition lawmakers from the city assembly in Hong Kong. A foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday the decision to remove four opposition members of Hong Kong's legislative council was the latest step of a "deeply worrying" trend which was aimed at undermining pluralism and freedom of expression. "The citizens of Hong Kong have the right to free and fair elections and to the freedoms and rights guaranteed in the Basic Law," the German Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Those rights have to be respected and Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy must be preserved, the spokesman said, adding that China had made an international commitment to do so. The foreign ministry spokesman urged authorities to quickly set a new date for the postponed elections of the Asian financial hub's legislative council as quickly as possible.

US warns China of additional sanctions for 'flagrantly violating' Hong Kong's autonomy

<p>Canadian and&nbsp;Swiss ambassadors to China made&nbsp;rare visits&nbsp;to Tibet in the past two months, observing local&nbsp;conditions and raising issues of worry with their Chinese hosts, yet have remained to a great extent remained quiet so far on what they saw there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Canada's representative to Beijing Dominic Baton visited the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) from October&nbsp;26 to 30, a Canadian government representative for worldwide undertakings revealed to RFA's Tibetan Service, calling Baton's visit the first to Tibet by a Canadian authority since 2015.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-tibet-the-western-treasure-house-is-important-to-china-329521">Why Tibet, the 'western treasure house' is important to China</a></strong></p>

<p>"The Ambassador noticed the circumstance and advancements on the ground, drawn in with Tibetans, and examined issues of worry to Canada," the representative stated, noting that foreign government officials require an official invitation to travel to the region.</p>

<p>Likewise addressing RFA, Sherab Tharchin—head of the Canada Tibet Committee, a free NGO—said that Dominic Baton will brief the Committee on Nov. 16 on his encounters in Tibet and offer with them what he realized there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"He will refresh us on the political and common freedoms circumstances inside Tibet and furthermore about the official gatherings that he had during this outing," Tharchin said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-appoints-tibet-coordinator-to-send-a-message-to-china-335576">US appoints Tibet coordinator to send a message to China</a></strong></p>

<p>Prior to leaving for Tibet, Baton and authorities from Canada's Foreign Affairs Office met with the Canada Tibet Committee, where he was informed on issues of worry to Tibetans living in Canada and their allies, Tharchin said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We informed the Ambassador of a scope of Tibetan issues, for example, China's bilingual approach [aimed at] destroying the Tibetan language, crumbling strict opportunities, and Tibetan Canadians' desire to have free admittance to go to Tibet," he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Switzerland's representative to China Bernardino Regazzoni had before gone to Tibet from September&nbsp;7-11 in the primary authority Swiss visit to the district since 2017, Swiss sources stated, however, a consulate representative in Beijing declined to give subtleties of the visit or what the envoy had seen there.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Switzerland's FDFA [Federal Department of Foreign Affairs] has just furnished significant Tibetan associations in Switzerland with a classified preparation about the Ambassador's visit," Tehani Pestalozzi—top of the Culture and Media Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing—advised RFA in a composed reaction to a question.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Under these conditions, we don't plan to give additional data," Pestalozzi said.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>'Core demands'&nbsp;</strong></p>

<p>In an assertion on Wednesday, the Tibet Bureau in Geneva—delegate in Switzerland and Eastern Europe of ousted Tibetan otherworldly pioneer the Dalai Lama and the India-based Tibetan government in a state of banishment—noticed that the Swiss representative had visited Tibet's local capital Lhasa and the city of Shigatse during his visit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"[There he] accepted the open door to address significant issues, for example, the common liberties circumstance with the nearby government," the Bureau stated, adding that "free access of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Tibet and the insurance of Tibetan basic liberties protectors remain center requests of Switzerland."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Firmly confined and controlled visits in Tibet by handpicked government designations are frequently organised by Chinese specialists "as a basic piece of [China's] worldwide system to conceal the real factors of what's going on in Tibet today," the Washington-based support bunch International Campaign for Tibet said in June, following a visit by unfamiliar representatives that month to Tibetan regions in western China.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"ICT approaches the individuals from such assignments from different nations to be aware of their visits perhaps being utilized for propagandistic methods, and to be prepared to counter any such state media depictions, additionally out in the open," the rights bunch said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Calls have mounted in Europe this year for part conditions of the European Union to order enactment requesting that European representatives, writers, and analysts be allowed unlimited admittance to go in Tibet—a locale generally banned to untouchables while Chinese nationals can unreservedly go all through European nations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In December 2018, US&nbsp;President Donald Trump marked the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, a law under which Chinese authorities liable for barring US&nbsp;residents, including Americans of Tibetan ethnic inception, from Tibet can be prohibited from entering the United States.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The law additionally requires the State Department to give to the Congress every year a rundown of US&nbsp;residents hindered from passage to Tibet.</p>


Canadian and Swiss ambassadors to China made rare visits to Tibet in the past two months, observing local conditions and raising issues of worry with their Chinese hosts, yet have remained to a great extent remained quiet so far on what they saw there.

Canadian and Swiss ambassadors to China made rare visits to Tibet in the past two months, observing local conditions and raising issues of worry with their Chinese hosts, yet have remained to a great extent remained quiet so far on what they saw there. Canada's representative to Beijing Dominic Baton visited the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) from October 26 to 30, a Canadian government representative for worldwide undertakings revealed to RFA's Tibetan Service, calling Baton's visit the first to Tibet by a Canadian authority since 2015. Also read: Why Tibet, the 'western treasure house' is important to China "The Ambassador noticed the circumstance and advancements on the ground, drawn in with Tibetans, and examined issues of worry to Canada," the representative stated, noting that foreign government officials require an official invitation to travel to the region. Likewise addressing RFA, Sherab Tharchin—head of the Canada Tibet Committee, a free NGO—said that Dominic Baton will brief the Committee on Nov. 16 on his encounters in Tibet and offer with them what he realized there. "He will refresh us on the political and common freedoms circumstances inside Tibet and furthermore about the official gatherings that he had during this outing," Tharchin said. Also read: US appoints Tibet coordinator to send a message to China Prior to leaving for Tibet, Baton and authorities from Canada's Foreign Affairs Office met with the Canada Tibet Committee, where he was informed on issues of worry to Tibetans living in Canada and their allies, Tharchin said. "We informed the Ambassador of a scope of Tibetan issues, for example, China's bilingual approach [aimed at] destroying the Tibetan language, crumbling strict opportunities, and Tibetan Canadians' desire to have free admittance to go to Tibet," he said. Switzerland's representative to China Bernardino Regazzoni had before gone to Tibet from September 7-11 in the primary authority Swiss visit to the district since 2017, Swiss sources stated, however, a consulate representative in Beijing declined to give subtleties of the visit or what the envoy had seen there. "Switzerland's FDFA [Federal Department of Foreign Affairs] has just furnished significant Tibetan associations in Switzerland with a classified preparation about the Ambassador's visit," Tehani Pestalozzi—top of the Culture and Media Section of the Embassy of Switzerland in Beijing—advised RFA in a composed reaction to a question. "Under these conditions, we don't plan to give additional data," Pestalozzi said. 'Core demands' In an assertion on Wednesday, the Tibet Bureau in Geneva—delegate in Switzerland and Eastern Europe of ousted Tibetan otherworldly pioneer the Dalai Lama and the India-based Tibetan government in a state of banishment—noticed that the Swiss representative had visited Tibet's local capital Lhasa and the city of Shigatse during his visit. "[There he] accepted the open door to address significant issues, for example, the common liberties circumstance with the nearby government," the Bureau stated, adding that "free access of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Tibet and the insurance of Tibetan basic liberties protectors remain center requests of Switzerland." Firmly confined and controlled visits in Tibet by handpicked government designations are frequently organised by Chinese specialists "as a basic piece of [China's] worldwide system to conceal the real factors of what's going on in Tibet today," the Washington-based support bunch International Campaign for Tibet said in June, following a visit by unfamiliar representatives that month to Tibetan regions in western China. "ICT approaches the individuals from such assignments from different nations to be aware of their visits perhaps being utilized for propagandistic methods, and to be prepared to counter any such state media depictions, additionally out in the open," the rights bunch said. Calls have mounted in Europe this year for part conditions of the European Union to order enactment requesting that European representatives, writers, and analysts be allowed unlimited admittance to go in Tibet—a locale generally banned to untouchables while Chinese nationals can unreservedly go all through European nations. In December 2018, US President Donald Trump marked the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, a law under which Chinese authorities liable for barring US residents, including Americans of Tibetan ethnic inception, from Tibet can be prohibited from entering the United States. The law additionally requires the State Department to give to the Congress every year a rundown of US residents hindered from passage to Tibet.

Canadian and Swiss ambassadors to China make a rare visit to Tibet

<p>An incredibly uncommon purple-pink diamond&nbsp;mined in Russia has sold at an auction&nbsp;in Switzerland for $26.6 million.</p>

<p>The 14.8-carat jewel, named "The Spirit of the Rose," is the biggest of its sort to be unloaded, as 99 per cent&nbsp;of all pink precious stones are under 10 carats.&nbsp;The&nbsp;diamond&nbsp;was named after a ballet performed by the Ballets Russes and its legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in 1911.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/super-rare-purple-pink-diamond-up-for-auction-could-fetch-38-mln-334814/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Its size, alongside its tone and faultless inward structure, assisted to fetch&nbsp;an&nbsp;exorbitant cost at Sotheby's in Geneva.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sotheby's had estimated that the flawless oval gem, "The Spirit of the Rose," could fetch $23 million-$38 million at the Geneva sale.</p>

<p>Bidding opened at $16 million and climbed to the final hammer price of $21 million, plus commission. It was bought by a telephone bidder who chose to remain anonymous, Sotheby's said.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">It was one of three stones in an assortment by Russian mining organization Alrosa - all named after renowned Russian ballet performances.</div>

<p>The&nbsp;diamond&nbsp;was shown in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.</p>

<p>Coloured stones have been greatly valued as an asset class by the super-rich in recent years with top-quality pink&nbsp;diamonds especially prized.</p>

<p>The Argyle mine in Western Australian, which produced the world's largest supply of pink&nbsp;diamonds, halted production last week due to depletion.</p>

<p>"The lucky buyer could well profit from prices soaring for pink&nbsp;diamonds in the coming years thanks to increased rarity," Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77&nbsp;Diamonds, Europe's largest online&nbsp;diamond&nbsp;jeweller, said in a statement.</p>

<p>Naturally coloured&nbsp;diamonds occur because they possess a particular lattice structure that refracts light to produce coloured, rather than white, stones.</p>


An incredibly uncommon purple-pink diamond mined in Russia has sold at an auction in Switzerland for $26.6 million. The 14.8-carat jewel, named "The Spirit of the Rose," is the biggest of its sort to be unloaded, as 99 per cent of all pink precious stones are under 10 carats.

An incredibly uncommon purple-pink diamond mined in Russia has sold at an auction in Switzerland for $26.6 million. The 14.8-carat jewel, named "The Spirit of the Rose," is the biggest of its sort to be unloaded, as 99 per cent of all pink precious stones are under 10 carats. The diamond was named after a ballet performed by the Ballets Russes and its legendary dancer Vaslav Nijinsky in 1911. Its size, alongside its tone and faultless inward structure, assisted to fetch an exorbitant cost at Sotheby's in Geneva. Sotheby's had estimated that the flawless oval gem, "The Spirit of the Rose," could fetch $23 million-$38 million at the Geneva sale. Bidding opened at $16 million and climbed to the final hammer price of $21 million, plus commission. It was bought by a telephone bidder who chose to remain anonymous, Sotheby's said. It was one of three stones in an assortment by Russian mining organization Alrosa - all named after renowned Russian ballet performances. The diamond was shown in Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei. Coloured stones have been greatly valued as an asset class by the super-rich in recent years with top-quality pink diamonds especially prized. The Argyle mine in Western Australian, which produced the world's largest supply of pink diamonds, halted production last week due to depletion. "The lucky buyer could well profit from prices soaring for pink diamonds in the coming years thanks to increased rarity," Tobias Kormind, managing director of 77 Diamonds, Europe's largest online diamond jeweller, said in a statement. Naturally coloured diamonds occur because they possess a particular lattice structure that refracts light to produce coloured, rather than white, stones.

'Largest ever auctioned' purple-pink diamond fetches $26.6 million

<p>Australia on Thursday announced the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisting standards must be upheld.</p>

<p>"Serving men and women and our defense forces, both past and present, share the expectations and aspirations of the Australian people for our defense forces, and how they engage in their conduct," Morrison said.</p>

<p>"This requires us to deal with honest and brutal truths, where expectations and standards may not have been met."</p>

<p><strong>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-authorises-sanctions-over-icc-afghanistan-war-crimes-case-305171">Trump authorises sanctions over ICC Afghanistan war crimes case</a></strong></p>

<p>At least 55 separate incidents have been probed as part of the exhaustive four-year probe that has interviewed more than 330 witnesses.</p>

<p>Australia&nbsp;in 2016 launched an inquiry into the conduct of the personnel of its special forces between 2005 and 2016 amid allegations by local media about the killing of unarmed men and children.</p>

<p>While Morrison did not reveal details of the report, which is set to be released next week, he said it will contain "difficult and hard news for&nbsp;Australians".</p>

<p>"Given the likely allegations of serious and possibly criminal misconduct, the matters raised in the inquiry must be assessed, investigated and, where allegations are substantiated, prosecuted in court," Morrison told reporters in Canberra.</p>

<p>Morrison said the special investigator was needed as the probe into the actions of some of&nbsp;Australia's military in Afghanistan was so complex that it would overwhelm and distract the country's normal criminal prosecutor.</p>

<p>The special prosecutor will be assisted by experienced investigators, legal counsel, and other support personnel, Morrison said.</p>

<p>Australia&nbsp;is a staunch&nbsp;ally of the United States and has had troops in Afghanistan since 2002.</p>


Australia on Thursday announced the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisting standards must be upheld.

Australia on Thursday announced the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate possible war crimes committed by Australian forces in Afghanistan, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisting standards must be upheld. "Serving men and women and our defense forces, both past and present, share the expectations and aspirations of the Australian people for our defense forces, and how they engage in their conduct," Morrison said. "This requires us to deal with honest and brutal truths, where expectations and standards may not have been met." Also read: Trump authorises sanctions over ICC Afghanistan war crimes case At least 55 separate incidents have been probed as part of the exhaustive four-year probe that has interviewed more than 330 witnesses. Australia in 2016 launched an inquiry into the conduct of the personnel of its special forces between 2005 and 2016 amid allegations by local media about the killing of unarmed men and children. While Morrison did not reveal details of the report, which is set to be released next week, he said it will contain "difficult and hard news for Australians". "Given the likely allegations of serious and possibly criminal misconduct, the matters raised in the inquiry must be assessed, investigated and, where allegations are substantiated, prosecuted in court," Morrison told reporters in Canberra. Morrison said the special investigator was needed as the probe into the actions of some of Australia's military in Afghanistan was so complex that it would overwhelm and distract the country's normal criminal prosecutor. The special prosecutor will be assisted by experienced investigators, legal counsel, and other support personnel, Morrison said. Australia is a staunch ally of the United States and has had troops in Afghanistan since 2002.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison appoints Afghanistan war crimes prosecutor

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

Editor

Vyomica Berry

Home

Live Tv

Latest

World

India

Business

Entertainment

Sports

Opinions

Videos

Photos

Gravitas

Lifestyle

Science

Tech

Rajasthan News in Hindi: In-depth coverage of Rajasthan Crime, Political News, Education, Rajasthan Weather Update and Latest Rajasthan News on Zee News Rajasthan.