Omicron chaos: A list of countries that have reported cases of new variant

In what has been deemed as a "magnificent milestone" by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the country has reached an inoculation rate of 80 per cent for those aged 16 and older. Australia is now all set to become one of the world's most vaccinated countries against COVID-19.

"Another, magnificent milestone, Australia. That's four out of five, how good is that? This has been a true Australian national effort," said Morrison.

On a federal level, vaccination remains mandatory in the region. However, various states and territories have made it mandatory for many occupations and workers. People who have not yet been vaccinated are barred from many activities, including dining out and concerts.

Nearly 90 per cent of eligible people have been fully vaccinated in New South Wales and almost 95 per cent in the capital Canberra.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/australia-is-reopening-to-the-world-after-590-days-of-restricted-access-425806">Also read |&nbsp;Australia is reopening to the world after 590 days of restricted access</a>

However, this figure drops to just 65 per cent in the populated Northern Territory and Western Australia.

Meanwhile, Australia recently opened up after 590 days of the country's international borders being blocked. Now, fully vaccinated Australians may finally go overseas without a visa.

After months of limitations during the coronavirus epidemic, the most severe restrictions on foreign travel have been lifted.

Millions of Australians in Victoria, New South Wales, and Canberra are finally free to travel after 18 months of some of the world's tightest coronavirus border regulations, which barred individuals from returning to or leaving the country unless granted an exemption.

While the inaugural flights are only for Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate families, it kicks off a strategy to reopen the country to overseas visitors and employees, both of which are desperately needed to re-energize a tired country.

In what has been deemed as a "magnificent milestone" by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the country has reached an inoculation rate of 80 per cent for those aged 16 and older.

In what has been deemed as a "magnificent milestone" by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the country has reached an inoculation rate of 80 per cent for those aged 16 and older. Australia is now all set to become one of the world's most vaccinated countries against COVID-19. "Another, magnificent milestone, Australia. That's four out of five, how good is that? This has been a true Australian national effort," said Morrison. On a federal level, vaccination remains mandatory in the region. However, various states and territories have made it mandatory for many occupations and workers. People who have not yet been vaccinated are barred from many activities, including dining out and concerts. Nearly 90 per cent of eligible people have been fully vaccinated in New South Wales and almost 95 per cent in the capital Canberra. Also read | Australia is reopening to the world after 590 days of restricted access However, this figure drops to just 65 per cent in the populated Northern Territory and Western Australia. Meanwhile, Australia recently opened up after 590 days of the country's international borders being blocked. Now, fully vaccinated Australians may finally go overseas without a visa. After months of limitations during the coronavirus epidemic, the most severe restrictions on foreign travel have been lifted. Millions of Australians in Victoria, New South Wales, and Canberra are finally free to travel after 18 months of some of the world's tightest coronavirus border regulations, which barred individuals from returning to or leaving the country unless granted an exemption. While the inaugural flights are only for Australian citizens, permanent residents, and their immediate families, it kicks off a strategy to reopen the country to overseas visitors and employees, both of which are desperately needed to re-energize a tired country.

'Magnificent milestone': Australia to soon become one of world's most vaccinated countries

Around 22 Afghan students, who are enrolled in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Indian capital New Delhi, don’t want to go back, and sought extension of visas through academic courses.&nbsp;

These students from Afghanistan are worried as the Taliban has taken control of the country and their visa tenure in India is about to expire within months. The limit for visa of most of these foreign students is getting over by December this year. &nbsp;

With the situation in Afghanistan turning volatile, these students don’t want to go back and want to extend their visa through academic courses, such as a PhD, an ANI report said.&nbsp;

"For a war-torn country like Afghanistan, most of the people are extensively unemployed and trying to escape from either death or captivity. Arranging a 'hefty fee' seems impossible," said some Afghan students in JNU.&nbsp;

A JNU student, Jalaluddin, said, "Situation is extremely critical there. I am hoping that the administration will understand our situation and extend my visa permit. Also, PhD in JNU is highly expensive for foreign nationals, and for poor families that are certainly not the possible way out. However, at present, I really don't know what to do."&nbsp;

If a student’s visa expires, he or she cannot work or study until a new permit is given. While extending a visa, the person must be sure that his or her passport has not expired at the same time. The study permit cannot be extended beyond the passport's expiry date.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Around 22 Afghan students, who are enrolled in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Indian capital New Delhi, don’t want to go back, and sought extension of visas through academic courses.

Around 22 Afghan students, who are enrolled in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Indian capital New Delhi, don’t want to go back, and sought extension of visas through academic courses. These students from Afghanistan are worried as the Taliban has taken control of the country and their visa tenure in India is about to expire within months. The limit for visa of most of these foreign students is getting over by December this year. With the situation in Afghanistan turning volatile, these students don’t want to go back and want to extend their visa through academic courses, such as a PhD, an ANI report said. "For a war-torn country like Afghanistan, most of the people are extensively unemployed and trying to escape from either death or captivity. Arranging a 'hefty fee' seems impossible," said some Afghan students in JNU. A JNU student, Jalaluddin, said, "Situation is extremely critical there. I am hoping that the administration will understand our situation and extend my visa permit. Also, PhD in JNU is highly expensive for foreign nationals, and for poor families that are certainly not the possible way out. However, at present, I really don't know what to do." If a student’s visa expires, he or she cannot work or study until a new permit is given. While extending a visa, the person must be sure that his or her passport has not expired at the same time. The study permit cannot be extended beyond the passport's expiry date. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghan students in Indian varsity fear for safety in home country, want visa extension 

Belarus' border security agency has announced a severe tightening of already strict rules limiting citizens' ability to exit the country to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

The changes, which the agency said, were temporary and designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, essentially block all land border crossings.

However, citizens have fled the former Soviet bloc country since Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election last August and mass protests over election rigging were met with a severe crackdown, reported DW News.

It further reported that 'fearing' the prospect of a mass exodus of medical and IT experts, the government in Minsk began making it more difficult for citizens to leave the country last December, by limiting departures to those Belarus citizens, who could present long-term residency permits from abroad.

The new rules now forbid the holders of such documents from leaving as well. Those who can prove that they have permanent resident status in another country will be permitted to travel abroad.

While Opposition slammed the Alexander Lukashenko-led government and termed the rules 'violation of the law.'

Valery Kavaleuski, a representative for Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took to Twitter to express his outrage, calling the move an 'outright violation of the law'.&nbsp;

Air travel to and from the country has also come to a virtual standstill in the wake of last week's government-ordered diversion of a Ryanair flight en route from Greece to Lithuania.

The commercial jet was forced to land under false pretenses so that Belarus authorities could arrest blogger and Lukashenko critic Raman Pratasevich. The move outraged the world with the EU blocking most flights to and over Belarus.

Score of people across Europe has been demonstrating against the 'illegle' detention of the journalist.

Belarus' border security agency has announced a severe tightening of already strict rules limiting citizens' ability to exit the country to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

Belarus' border security agency has announced a severe tightening of already strict rules limiting citizens' ability to exit the country to curb the spread of the COVID-19. The changes, which the agency said, were temporary and designed to stop the spread of the coronavirus, essentially block all land border crossings. However, citizens have fled the former Soviet bloc country since Alexander Lukashenko was declared the winner of a disputed presidential election last August and mass protests over election rigging were met with a severe crackdown, reported DW News. It further reported that 'fearing' the prospect of a mass exodus of medical and IT experts, the government in Minsk began making it more difficult for citizens to leave the country last December, by limiting departures to those Belarus citizens, who could present long-term residency permits from abroad. The new rules now forbid the holders of such documents from leaving as well. Those who can prove that they have permanent resident status in another country will be permitted to travel abroad. While Opposition slammed the Alexander Lukashenko-led government and termed the rules 'violation of the law.' Valery Kavaleuski, a representative for Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, took to Twitter to express his outrage, calling the move an 'outright violation of the law'. Air travel to and from the country has also come to a virtual standstill in the wake of last week's government-ordered diversion of a Ryanair flight en route from Greece to Lithuania. The commercial jet was forced to land under false pretenses so that Belarus authorities could arrest blogger and Lukashenko critic Raman Pratasevich. The move outraged the world with the EU blocking most flights to and over Belarus. Score of people across Europe has been demonstrating against the 'illegle' detention of the journalist.

Belarus imposes new rules restricting citizens from leaving country

Poland will buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, the Polish defence minister said on Saturday, becoming the first NATO member to buy Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).&nbsp;

The Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which are due to be delivered next year, will be armed with anti-tank projectiles. Poland will also buy a logistics and training package, said Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak.&nbsp;

Blaszczak told state radio the Bayraktar TB2 drones 'have proven themselves in wars' and added that the UAVs would be serviced by a military company, without giving further details.&nbsp;

The contract, which will be concluded without a procurement process, will be signed next week during a visit by Polish President Andrzej Duda to Turkey.&nbsp;

Authorities in fellow NATO member Turkey say the country has become the world's fourth-largest drone producer since President Tayyip Erdogan increased domestic production to reduce reliance on Western arms.&nbsp;

Turkish defence technology company Baykar has sold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drone to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Qatar and Libya. Erdogan said in March that Saudi Arabia was also interested in buying Turkish drones.&nbsp;

Canada scrapped export permits for drone technology to Turkey in April, after concluding that the equipment was used by Azeri forces fighting Armenia in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The parts under embargo included camera systems for Baykar armed drones.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

Poland will buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, the Polish defence minister said on Saturday, becoming the first NATO member to buy Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Poland will buy 24 armed drones from Turkey, the Polish defence minister said on Saturday, becoming the first NATO member to buy Turkish-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Bayraktar TB2 drones, the first of which are due to be delivered next year, will be armed with anti-tank projectiles. Poland will also buy a logistics and training package, said Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak. Blaszczak told state radio the Bayraktar TB2 drones 'have proven themselves in wars' and added that the UAVs would be serviced by a military company, without giving further details. The contract, which will be concluded without a procurement process, will be signed next week during a visit by Polish President Andrzej Duda to Turkey. Authorities in fellow NATO member Turkey say the country has become the world's fourth-largest drone producer since President Tayyip Erdogan increased domestic production to reduce reliance on Western arms. Turkish defence technology company Baykar has sold its Bayraktar TB2 armed drone to Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Qatar and Libya. Erdogan said in March that Saudi Arabia was also interested in buying Turkish drones. Canada scrapped export permits for drone technology to Turkey in April, after concluding that the equipment was used by Azeri forces fighting Armenia in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The parts under embargo included camera systems for Baykar armed drones. (With inputs from agencies)

Poland to become first NATO country to buy Turkish drones 

As the world continues to battle with the pandemic, South Africa’s health minister has announced that two Covid variants of concern have been detected in the country.

According to the minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) confirmed that two variants of concern, other than the B.1.351 already dominating in the country, have been detected.

There were 11 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant which was first detected in the UK, while four cases of the B.1.617.2 variant, which was first found in India.

In addition, the B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa) has been sequenced from a patient travelling from Bangladesh.&nbsp;

Of the four cases of B.1.617.2, four were detected in Gauteng province, two in KwaZulu-Natal and all have a history of a recent arrival from India,&nbsp;the minister said.&nbsp;

Of the 11 cases of B.1.1.7, eight were detected in the Western Cape (with two having a history of travel from Bahrain), one was detected in KwaZulu-Natal and two&nbsp;in Gauteng.

“The B.1.1.7 has been detected in community samples and this, therefore, suggests that community transmission of B.1.1.7 has already set in. As the epidemic progresses, the detection of new variants is inevitable. The work of genomic surveillance assists us to detect the variants and understand their behaviour and to refine vaccines so they remain effective,” he said.

The minister added that all cases have been isolated and managed according to national Covid case management guidelines and contact tracing has been performed to limit the spread of this variant.

“It is important to emphasise that variants can develop at any time in any country so they do not have to be imported,” the minister added.&nbsp;

Mkhize said there is no need for panic, as the fundamentals of the public health response (testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine) have not changed.

“Travel restrictions will need to be balanced against the scientific realities to protect the economy. These findings are urgently being processed by the government and announcements about travel regulations will be made after all appropriate consultations have been undertaken by the cabinet,” the minister said.&nbsp;

As of Sunday, the country reported 1,596,595 positive cases, bringing the total death to 54,735.

A total of&nbsp;1,516,256 people have recovered. The number of new cases 1,778.

As the world continues to battle with the pandemic, South Africa’s health minister has announced that two Covid variants of concern have been detected in the country.

As the world continues to battle with the pandemic, South Africa’s health minister has announced that two Covid variants of concern have been detected in the country. According to the minister Dr Zweli Mkhize, the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA) confirmed that two variants of concern, other than the B.1.351 already dominating in the country, have been detected. There were 11 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant which was first detected in the UK, while four cases of the B.1.617.2 variant, which was first found in India. In addition, the B.1.351 (first detected in South Africa) has been sequenced from a patient travelling from Bangladesh. Of the four cases of B.1.617.2, four were detected in Gauteng province, two in KwaZulu-Natal and all have a history of a recent arrival from India, the minister said. Of the 11 cases of B.1.1.7, eight were detected in the Western Cape (with two having a history of travel from Bahrain), one was detected in KwaZulu-Natal and two in Gauteng. “The B.1.1.7 has been detected in community samples and this, therefore, suggests that community transmission of B.1.1.7 has already set in. As the epidemic progresses, the detection of new variants is inevitable. The work of genomic surveillance assists us to detect the variants and understand their behaviour and to refine vaccines so they remain effective,” he said. The minister added that all cases have been isolated and managed according to national Covid case management guidelines and contact tracing has been performed to limit the spread of this variant. “It is important to emphasise that variants can develop at any time in any country so they do not have to be imported,” the minister added. Mkhize said there is no need for panic, as the fundamentals of the public health response (testing, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine) have not changed. “Travel restrictions will need to be balanced against the scientific realities to protect the economy. These findings are urgently being processed by the government and announcements about travel regulations will be made after all appropriate consultations have been undertaken by the cabinet,” the minister said. As of Sunday, the country reported 1,596,595 positive cases, bringing the total death to 54,735. A total of 1,516,256 people have recovered. The number of new cases 1,778.

South Africa detects COVID-19 variants first found in India, UK

The Maldives has become the first country in South Asia to open its borders. The Indian Ocean Island country will open its borders on July 15 to the world. The country had closed its borders on March 27 due to the COVID crisis, impacting its largely tourism-dependent economy.

The announcement was made by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday during a presser. During the presser, he outlined the Maldivian Government’s major planned activities to help the country recover and rebuild under a ‘new normal’.

He said, "On July 15th the country will reopen its borders for international travel, and the Government will allow resorts to welcome visitors. This will provide much-needed relief to our Tourism Industry and accelerate the country’s economic recovery."

July will also witness the further easing of temporary restrictive measures in Maldives Prayers in the congregation are expected to resume, students will return to classrooms, and restaurants and cafes will open for dine-in service according to the president. 
Guesthouses are expected to resume business in August.

The country had 2217 COVID cases, out of which 1813 recovered and active number stands at 394. Of the total COVID cases, 1442 were foreigners while only 775 were Maldivians. The country confirmed its first case of COVID on March 7th and by April 15th the greater Male region had gone on full lockdown.

India had reached out to the country with medicine and other relief. Under operation Sanjeevani, India sent 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to the country. In the month of May, India sent 600 tonnes of food items to the Maldives via Indian Naval Ship Kesari.

The Maldives has become the first country in South Asia to open its borders. The Indian Ocean Island country will open its borders on July 15 to the world. The country had closed its borders on March 27 due to the COVID crisis, impacting its largely tourism-dependent economy.

The Maldives has become the first country in South Asia to open its borders. The Indian Ocean Island country will open its borders on July 15 to the world. The country had closed its borders on March 27 due to the COVID crisis, impacting its largely tourism-dependent economy. The announcement was made by Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday during a presser. During the presser, he outlined the Maldivian Government’s major planned activities to help the country recover and rebuild under a ‘new normal’. He said, "On July 15th the country will reopen its borders for international travel, and the Government will allow resorts to welcome visitors. This will provide much-needed relief to our Tourism Industry and accelerate the country’s economic recovery." July will also witness the further easing of temporary restrictive measures in Maldives Prayers in the congregation are expected to resume, students will return to classrooms, and restaurants and cafes will open for dine-in service according to the president. Guesthouses are expected to resume business in August. The country had 2217 COVID cases, out of which 1813 recovered and active number stands at 394. Of the total COVID cases, 1442 were foreigners while only 775 were Maldivians. The country confirmed its first case of COVID on March 7th and by April 15th the greater Male region had gone on full lockdown. India had reached out to the country with medicine and other relief. Under operation Sanjeevani, India sent 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines to the country. In the month of May, India sent 600 tonnes of food items to the Maldives via Indian Naval Ship Kesari.

Covid-19: Maldives becomes first South Asian country to open borders

Italy has locked down much of the country's north over the Coronavirus outbreak. South Korea has introduced a new policy for purchasing masks. This report tells you how different countries are fighting the Wuhan virus.

Gravitas: The Global Battle against Wuhan Coronavirus

Clashes, jeers and stone-pelting during coronavirus evacuation in Ukraine

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was stopped from leaving the country by security officials at the Lahore airport late Tuesday night.

According to the Federal Investigation Agency, Gilani had reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to catch his flight for South Korea via Bangkok to attend a conference. However, his name was on the no-fly list.

"At the immigration counter, Mr Gilani was told that his name was placed on them, therefore, he could not leave the country," the FIA said, adding that it was following orders from the interior ministry.

Reacting strongly, the senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said he had always appeared in court in the different ongoing cases against him.

"There was no point in placing my name on (the) no-fly list. I was not fleeing the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan's sole agenda seems to be targeting his political opponents," he said.

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government should have informed me about blacklisting my name, Gilani said, adding that he will challenge the "illegal decision of the government".

Gilani is facing several corruption cases and last week, the accountability court of Islamabad had rejected his plea seeking exemption from personal appearance in a case related to awarding alleged illegal advertising contract to a private ad agency.

He is accused of misusing authority to illegally grant Messrs Midas an advertising contract in contravention of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules.

The act is reported to have cost the national treasury Rs 129.07 million.&nbsp;

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was stopped from leaving the country by security officials at the Lahore airport late Tuesday night. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, Gilani had reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to catch his flight for South Korea via Bangkok to attend a conference.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was stopped from leaving the country by security officials at the Lahore airport late Tuesday night. According to the Federal Investigation Agency, Gilani had reached the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore to catch his flight for South Korea via Bangkok to attend a conference. However, his name was on the no-fly list. "At the immigration counter, Mr Gilani was told that his name was placed on them, therefore, he could not leave the country," the FIA said, adding that it was following orders from the interior ministry. Reacting strongly, the senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader said he had always appeared in court in the different ongoing cases against him. "There was no point in placing my name on (the) no-fly list. I was not fleeing the country. Prime Minister Imran Khan's sole agenda seems to be targeting his political opponents," he said. The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government should have informed me about blacklisting my name, Gilani said, adding that he will challenge the "illegal decision of the government". Gilani is facing several corruption cases and last week, the accountability court of Islamabad had rejected his plea seeking exemption from personal appearance in a case related to awarding alleged illegal advertising contract to a private ad agency. He is accused of misusing authority to illegally grant Messrs Midas an advertising contract in contravention of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules. The act is reported to have cost the national treasury Rs 129.07 million.

Former Pakistan PM Gilani stopped from leaving country

Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India's <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/india-news/republic-day-23-delhi-police-officers-to-get-medals-for-exemplary-service-192855&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi3hJfvyYrgAhVLsI8KHZmtC-IQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0olVTHyIsdu1fRILv4bVcz">70th Republic Day</a>, which captured the country's architectural and cultural legacy as well as its rich bio-diversity.

The doodle with a 3D impression depicts the iconic facade of the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan in the backdrop, flanked by trees, reflecting the flora and fauna that resides on its sprawling campus.

Rich in colours, the celebrated landmark is fronted by six letters of the word G-O-O-G-L-E, each one on in a stylised form, ranging from a golf course to an ancient monument.

While G dipped in green colour, stands on a golf link, L has been represented by Delhi's Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visited sites in the country.

The fourth letter G takes a shape that portrays an elephant trunk placed over a peacock, both being symbols of India.

The rest two Os and E, represent the handicraft and intangible heritage of India, the overall result being thematically colourful.

The internet behemoth is known to mark landmark occasions and life and times of celebrated personalities with a special doodle on its homepage. 
Search giant Google in its special doodle to mark the 68th Republic Day showed a stadium full of people amid a sea of tricolour decking up the arena.

In 2017, the <a>Republic Day</a> doodle had displayed one-half of the stadium, with a crowd at two corners, while a saffron-coloured band ran along the inner periphery of the semicircular track.

Google had also marked the 65th Republic Day with a doodle featuring 'Jaanbaaz', BSF's motorcycle daredevils who delight the crowd at Rajpath with their famous pyramidal formation.

Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India's 70th Republic Day, which captured the country's architectural and cultural legacy as well as its rich bio-diversity.

Search giant Google Saturday dedicated a special doodle to mark India's 70th Republic Day, which captured the country's architectural and cultural legacy as well as its rich bio-diversity. The doodle with a 3D impression depicts the iconic facade of the grand Rashtrapati Bhavan in the backdrop, flanked by trees, reflecting the flora and fauna that resides on its sprawling campus. Rich in colours, the celebrated landmark is fronted by six letters of the word G-O-O-G-L-E, each one on in a stylised form, ranging from a golf course to an ancient monument. While G dipped in green colour, stands on a golf link, L has been represented by Delhi's Qutub Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of the most visited sites in the country. The fourth letter G takes a shape that portrays an elephant trunk placed over a peacock, both being symbols of India. The rest two Os and E, represent the handicraft and intangible heritage of India, the overall result being thematically colourful. The internet behemoth is known to mark landmark occasions and life and times of celebrated personalities with a special doodle on its homepage. Search giant Google in its special doodle to mark the 68th Republic Day showed a stadium full of people amid a sea of tricolour decking up the arena. In 2017, the Republic Day doodle had displayed one-half of the stadium, with a crowd at two corners, while a saffron-coloured band ran along the inner periphery of the semicircular track. Google had also marked the 65th Republic Day with a doodle featuring 'Jaanbaaz', BSF's motorcycle daredevils who delight the crowd at Rajpath with their famous pyramidal formation.

Google doodle showcases Rashtrapati Bhavan, India's heritage as country celebrates 70th Republic Day

China's foreign ministry said on Sunday that no developing country would fall into a debt trap simply because of its cooperation with Beijing.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment in an online statement responding to remarks made by US Vice President Mike Pence.

"No developing country will fall into debt difficulties because of cooperation with China," Hua said.

"On the contrary, cooperating with China helps these countries raise independent development capabilities and levels, and improves the lives of the local people."

Speaking at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit on Saturday, Pence took aim at China's Belt and Road initiative, saying countries should not accept debt that compromised their sovereignty.

China's foreign ministry said on Sunday that no developing country would fall into a debt trap simply because of its cooperation with Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment in an online statement responding to remarks made by US Vice President Mike Pence.

China's foreign ministry said on Sunday that no developing country would fall into a debt trap simply because of its cooperation with Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying made the comment in an online statement responding to remarks made by US Vice President Mike Pence. "No developing country will fall into debt difficulties because of cooperation with China," Hua said. "On the contrary, cooperating with China helps these countries raise independent development capabilities and levels, and improves the lives of the local people." Speaking at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit on Saturday, Pence took aim at China's Belt and Road initiative, saying countries should not accept debt that compromised their sovereignty.

No developing country will fall into debt trap by cooperating with us: China

The University Grants Commission has released a list of 24 "self-styled" and fake varsities across the country including eight in the national Capital.

"Students and public at large are informed that at present following 24 self-styled and unrecognised institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act in various parts of the country," a notice issued by the UGC read.

"These universities have been declared as fake and are not entitled to confer any degrees," it added.

The fake universities which have been found functioning in Delhi include Commercial University, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR-Centric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Viswakarma Open University for Self-employment, Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya and Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya.

Other universities which have been identified as fake include one each from Pondicherry, Aligarh, Bihar, Rourkela, Odisha, Kanpur, Pratapgarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Nagpur, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar and two universities in Allahabad.

These universities have been declared as fake and are not entitled to confer any degrees.

The University Grants Commission has released a list of 24 "self-styled" and fake varsities across the country including eight in the national Capital. "Students and public at large are informed that at present following 24 self-styled and unrecognised institutions are functioning in contravention of the UGC Act in various parts of the country," a notice issued by the UGC read. "These universities have been declared as fake and are not entitled to confer any degrees," it added. The fake universities which have been found functioning in Delhi include Commercial University, United Nations University, Vocational University, ADR-Centric Juridical University, Indian Institution of Science and Engineering, Viswakarma Open University for Self-employment, Adhyatmik Vishwavidyalaya and Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya. Other universities which have been identified as fake include one each from Pondicherry, Aligarh, Bihar, Rourkela, Odisha, Kanpur, Pratapgarh, Mathura, Kanpur, Nagpur, Kerala, Karnataka, Bihar and two universities in Allahabad.

University Grants Commission releases list of 24 'self-styled', fake varsities in country

&nbsp;A court in&nbsp;Vietnam&nbsp;jailed&nbsp;dissident&nbsp;Nguyen Van Oai for a further&nbsp;five&nbsp;years&nbsp;on Monday for violating the terms of his probation after a spell in prison, his lawyer said.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country&#39;s biggest crackdown&nbsp;on&nbsp;activists&nbsp;in&nbsp;years.

Oai, 36, was arrested in January while on probation after a 2013 sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the government. He had been released in 2015.

On Monday, the people&#39;s court in Nghe An, central&nbsp;Vietnam, also found him guilty of resisting security personnel in performing their duty. He was given another four&nbsp;years&nbsp;on probation as well as the prison sentence.

&quot;Oai said he was innocent and he would appeal,&quot; his lawyer, Ha Huy Son, told Reuters.

The court made no immediate comment.

Despite sweeping economic reforms and growing openness to social change,&nbsp;Vietnam&#39;s Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.

Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country's biggest crackdown?on?activists?in?years.

A court in Vietnam jailed dissident Nguyen Van Oai for a further five years on Monday for violating the terms of his probation after a spell in prison, his lawyer said. Human rights groups have expressed alarm over the Communist-ruled country's biggest crackdown on activists in years. Oai, 36, was arrested in January while on probation after a 2013 sentence for activities aimed at overthrowing the government. He had been released in 2015. On Monday, the people's court in Nghe An, central Vietnam, also found him guilty of resisting security personnel in performing their duty. He was given another four years on probation as well as the prison sentence. "Oai said he was innocent and he would appeal," his lawyer, Ha Huy Son, told Reuters. The court made no immediate comment. Despite sweeping economic reforms and growing openness to social change, Vietnam's Communist Party retains tight media censorship and does not tolerate criticism.

Vietnam jails dissident in crackdown on activists

A new Australian&nbsp;banknote, which went into circulation from September 1, 2016, is good news for the visually impaired. The&nbsp;A$5 note has two raised dots on both&nbsp;long sides, allowing those who cannot see to identify its value. This is&nbsp;the country&#39;s first note to feature tactile markings, and is being hailed as a major breakthrough. The authorities feel that this will bring about a change in the lives of the 360,000 Australians who are visually impaired.&nbsp;

 
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lX5U_mzKHGc?list=PLmWa9ZZLlCjt0Jlg7kN3JBNX4LH1sRsGh" width="970"></iframe>

The new design follows a 2012 petition by teenager Connor McLeod,&nbsp;who is blind from birth.&nbsp;The petition&nbsp;gathered more than 57,000 signatures and is being credited with persuading the Reserve Bank of Australia to make the change.&nbsp;

Australia is making efforts to make theirs a disabled-friendly country

A new Australian banknote, which went into circulation from September 1, 2016, is good news for the visually impaired. The A$5 note has two raised dots on both long sides, allowing those who cannot see to identify its value. This is the country's first note to feature tactile markings, and is being hailed as a major breakthrough. The authorities feel that this will bring about a change in the lives of the 360,000 Australians who are visually impaired. The new design follows a 2012 petition by teenager Connor McLeod, who is blind from birth. The petition gathered more than 57,000 signatures and is being credited with persuading the Reserve Bank of Australia to make the change.

Video: Why a new Australian banknote is a blessing for the visually impaired

Germany appears to have drastically curtailed its open-door policy for migrants in 2016, turning away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015, official data showed on Tuesday. 
 
Around 117,500 migrants were admitted in the same period, compared to a record of more than one million migrants entering the country last year, mainly across the border from Austria. 
 
The bulk of the rejections happened at land entry points and Afghans, Syrians, and Iraqis made up the three largest groups of the total, the Interior Ministry data published at the request of the hard-left Die Linke party showed. 
 
Chancellor Angela Merkel last month interrupted her summer break to defend her government&#39;s migration policy after two Islamist attacks by asylum seekers, saying that those fleeing conflicts and persecution have the right to asylum in Germany. 
 
More than 2,500 Afghans, 1,300 Syrians, and 1,000 Iraqis were declined entry at border crossings in the January-June period, the ministry said. Iranians, Moroccans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Gambians, Somalis and Algerians made up the rest of the top 10. 
 
The number of people seeking asylum in Germany dropped drastically this year as a result of border closures in the Balkans, an EU-Turkey deal to stop sea arrivals in Greece and tougher asylum rules in Germany. 
 
In July, 4,500 migrants arrived in Germany, less than half of the daily arrivals at the peak of the crisis in the fall of last year, German police said earlier this month, bringing the number of arrivals in the first seven months of the year to 122,000. 
 
Migrants who arrive in Germany are first registered at reception centres where they have to wait for months before they can officially file an asylum application, creating a huge backlog and putting a strain on civil servants. 
 
The influx has dented the popularity of Merkel&#39;s ruling conservatives and prompted the rise of an anti-immigration party. 
 
Turkey has threatened to suspend its migrants&#39; agreement with the European Union if there is no deal to grant visa-free travel to Turks. The number of migrants reaches Italy in boats from Libya has also been rising. 
 
(Reuters)

The country has turned away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015

Germany appears to have drastically curtailed its open-door policy for migrants in 2016, turning away 13,000 people without valid documentation in the first six months, already 4,000 more than in the whole of 2015, official data showed on Tuesday. Around 117,500 migrants were admitted in the same period, compared to a record of more than one million migrants entering the country last year, mainly across the border from Austria. The bulk of the rejections happened at land entry points and Afghans, Syrians, and Iraqis made up the three largest groups of the total, the Interior Ministry data published at the request of the hard-left Die Linke party showed. Chancellor Angela Merkel last month interrupted her summer break to defend her government's migration policy after two Islamist attacks by asylum seekers, saying that those fleeing conflicts and persecution have the right to asylum in Germany. More than 2,500 Afghans, 1,300 Syrians, and 1,000 Iraqis were declined entry at border crossings in the January-June period, the ministry said. Iranians, Moroccans, Nigerians, Pakistanis, Gambians, Somalis and Algerians made up the rest of the top 10. The number of people seeking asylum in Germany dropped drastically this year as a result of border closures in the Balkans, an EU-Turkey deal to stop sea arrivals in Greece and tougher asylum rules in Germany. In July, 4,500 migrants arrived in Germany, less than half of the daily arrivals at the peak of the crisis in the fall of last year, German police said earlier this month, bringing the number of arrivals in the first seven months of the year to 122,000. Migrants who arrive in Germany are first registered at reception centres where they have to wait for months before they can officially file an asylum application, creating a huge backlog and putting a strain on civil servants. The influx has dented the popularity of Merkel's ruling conservatives and prompted the rise of an anti-immigration party. Turkey has threatened to suspend its migrants' agreement with the European Union if there is no deal to grant visa-free travel to Turks. The number of migrants reaches Italy in boats from Libya has also been rising. (Reuters)

Germany has curbed open-door policy for migrants, government data reveals

Venezuela&#39;s food shortages, inflation and crumbling medical sector have become such a source of anguish that a growing number of young women are reluctantly opting for sterilisations rather than face the hardship of pregnancy and child-rearing.&nbsp; 
 
Traditional contraceptives like condoms or birth control pills have virtually vanished from store shelves, pushing women towards the hard-to-reverse surgery. 
 
&quot;Having a child now means making him suffer,&quot; said Milagros Martinez, waiting on a park bench on a recent morning ahead of her sterilisation at a nearby Caracas municipal health centre. 
 
The 28-year-old butcher from the poor outskirts of Caracas decided on the operation after having an unplanned second child because she could not find birth control pills. 
 
Her daily life revolves around finding food: she gets up in the middle of the night to stand in long lines outside supermarkets, sometimes with no choice but to bring along her baby son, who has been sunburnt during hours-long waits.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I&#39;m a little scared about being sterilised but I prefer that to having more children,&quot; said Martinez, who with dozens of other women took a bus from the slums at 4 am to attend a special &quot;sterilisation day&quot; in this wealthy area of Caracas. 
 
While no recent national statistics on sterilisations are available, doctors and health workers say demand for the procedure is growing. 
 
The local health program for women in Miranda state, which includes parts of Caracas, offers 40 spots during these &quot;sterilisation days&quot; but as recently as last year did not usually fill them.&nbsp; 
 
Now all the slots are scooped up and some 500 women are on the waiting list, according to program director Deliana Torres.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Before, the conditions for this program were that the women be low-income and have at least four kids. Now we have women with one or two kids who want to be tied up,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
Health workers at a national family planning organisation and at three government hospitals in the states of Falcon, Tachira and Merida echoed her view that demand for sterilisations had grown in recent months. 
 
The trend highlights how the oil-rich nation&#39;s brutal recession is forcing people to make difficult choices. 
&nbsp; 
Venezuela is a largely Roman Catholic country where Church doctrine rejects all forms of contraception and abortion is banned unless a woman&#39;s life is at risk. The Archbishop of Merida, Baltazar Porras, told Reuters an increase in sterilisations would be a &quot;barbarity&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
But Venezuela&#39;s crisis has triggered almost daily riots for food and slammed a shrinking middle class as well as the poor who were once a bastion of support for late leftist leader Hugo Chavez&#39;s self-styled &quot;beautiful revolution&quot;. 
 
Pregnant women are particularly affected as they struggle to find adequate food and supplements, give birth in crowded and under-equipped hospitals, and have to spend hours in lines for scarce diapers, baby food and medicines. 
 
The government ministries for health, women and information did not respond to requests for comment. 
 
 
&#39;I wanted five kids&#39; 
 
Sterilisations are usually straightforward procedures that involve closing or blocking a woman&#39;s fallopian tubes, known as tubal ligation.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I heard about these free sterilisation days on the radio. Immediately I showered, dressed, and went out (to find out about them),&quot; said Rosmary Teran, 32, who had her second child two months ago and also came to the health centre from a poor neighborhood before dawn.&nbsp; 
 
Some health workers fear the economic meltdown is putting pressure on women to make a choice they may come to regret if the crisis eases. 
 
&quot;Sometimes we hear: &#39;My husband told me to get sterilised because another child now wouldn&#39;t be practical&#39;,&quot; said social worker Ania Rodriguez at family planning group PLAFAM in central Caracas.&nbsp; 
 
Rodriguez says she meets with up to five women a day seeking sterilisations, up from one or two per week about a year ago. 
 
When women seem unsure or pressured into sterilisations, Rodriguez tries to steer them towards contraceptives like intra-uterine devices, which are somewhat more available and affordable than birth control pills or condoms. 
 
When they have them, pharmacies sell a pack of three condoms for around 600 Bolivars, only 60 US cents at the black market rate but a big expense for those who earn the minimum wage of some 33,000 Bolivars per month. 
 
On the Caracas re-sale market, those same condoms fetch around 2,000 Bolivars.&nbsp;Venezuela&#39;s elite can afford those prices but the ailing middle class and poor are increasingly stuck. 
 
&quot;I couldn&#39;t find the (contraceptive) injections, the pill, nothing. It&#39;s very expensive on the black market, and now you can&#39;t even find stuff there anymore,&quot; said Yecsenis Ginez, 31, who has one son and decided to get sterilised. 
 
&quot;I thought I would have up to five kids, I had loads of names in mind. But it would be crazy to fall pregnant now.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
Still, some women have had to wait for months to be sterilised because there are limited spots at state-led hospitals and private clinics can charge about 12 times the monthly minimum wage. 
 
And some health centres are unable to provide sterilisations at all due to a lack of equipment or specialists.&nbsp; 
 
Disarray 
Amid what now feels like a distant oil boom, Chavez built thousands of Cuban-staffed health centres in poor neighborhoods and also launched popular maternity-health programs during his 1999-2013 rule. 
 
But with Venezuela&#39;s state-led economic model decaying and oil prices depressed, hospitals have deteriorated sharply under his successor Nicolas Maduro.&nbsp; 
 
Medicine shortages hover around 85 per cent, according to a leading pharmaceutical association. Equipment ranging from surgical gloves to incubators is scarce, and many underpaid doctors have left the public sector or emigrated. 
 
The government still says it has one of the world&#39;s best health systems and accuses detractors of waging a smear campaign. It has stopped releasing timely health data, though. 
 
The World Health Organization says Venezuela&#39;s neo-natal mortality rate was 8.9 per 1,000 live births last year, above the Americas region&#39;s average of 7.7. 
 
It says Venezuela&#39;s maternal mortality rate was 95 per 100,000 live births in 2015, one of the worst rates in Latin America and up from 90 in 2000.&nbsp; 
 
The nation of 30 million people has one of Latin America&#39;s highest rates of teenage pregnancies and large numbers of single-parent households, UN data shows.&nbsp; 
 
As they waited to be called into the operating room for their sterilisations, women in blue scrubs and hairnets wistfully recalled happier times in once-booming Venezuela.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Before, when you got pregnant, everyone was happy,&quot; said mother-of-two Yessy Ascanio, 38, as she sat on a bed in a side room. &quot;Now when a woman says &#39;I&#39;m pregnant&#39;, everyone scolds you. It makes me sad for young women.&quot; 
 
As some of her peers nervously looked out at patients being wheeled out after their sterilisation, Ascanio advised: &quot;If you get scared, just remember those food lines.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

'If you get scared, just remember those food lines' say women who are opting for sterilisation in the country hit by food-shortage

Venezuela's food shortages, inflation and crumbling medical sector have become such a source of anguish that a growing number of young women are reluctantly opting for sterilisations rather than face the hardship of pregnancy and child-rearing. Traditional contraceptives like condoms or birth control pills have virtually vanished from store shelves, pushing women towards the hard-to-reverse surgery. "Having a child now means making him suffer," said Milagros Martinez, waiting on a park bench on a recent morning ahead of her sterilisation at a nearby Caracas municipal health centre. The 28-year-old butcher from the poor outskirts of Caracas decided on the operation after having an unplanned second child because she could not find birth control pills. Her daily life revolves around finding food: she gets up in the middle of the night to stand in long lines outside supermarkets, sometimes with no choice but to bring along her baby son, who has been sunburnt during hours-long waits. "I'm a little scared about being sterilised but I prefer that to having more children," said Martinez, who with dozens of other women took a bus from the slums at 4 am to attend a special "sterilisation day" in this wealthy area of Caracas. While no recent national statistics on sterilisations are available, doctors and health workers say demand for the procedure is growing. The local health program for women in Miranda state, which includes parts of Caracas, offers 40 spots during these "sterilisation days" but as recently as last year did not usually fill them. Now all the slots are scooped up and some 500 women are on the waiting list, according to program director Deliana Torres. "Before, the conditions for this program were that the women be low-income and have at least four kids. Now we have women with one or two kids who want to be tied up," she said. Health workers at a national family planning organisation and at three government hospitals in the states of Falcon, Tachira and Merida echoed her view that demand for sterilisations had grown in recent months. The trend highlights how the oil-rich nation's brutal recession is forcing people to make difficult choices. Venezuela is a largely Roman Catholic country where Church doctrine rejects all forms of contraception and abortion is banned unless a woman's life is at risk. The Archbishop of Merida, Baltazar Porras, told Reuters an increase in sterilisations would be a "barbarity". But Venezuela's crisis has triggered almost daily riots for food and slammed a shrinking middle class as well as the poor who were once a bastion of support for late leftist leader Hugo Chavez's self-styled "beautiful revolution". Pregnant women are particularly affected as they struggle to find adequate food and supplements, give birth in crowded and under-equipped hospitals, and have to spend hours in lines for scarce diapers, baby food and medicines. The government ministries for health, women and information did not respond to requests for comment. 'I wanted five kids' Sterilisations are usually straightforward procedures that involve closing or blocking a woman's fallopian tubes, known as tubal ligation. "I heard about these free sterilisation days on the radio. Immediately I showered, dressed, and went out (to find out about them)," said Rosmary Teran, 32, who had her second child two months ago and also came to the health centre from a poor neighborhood before dawn. Some health workers fear the economic meltdown is putting pressure on women to make a choice they may come to regret if the crisis eases. "Sometimes we hear: 'My husband told me to get sterilised because another child now wouldn't be practical'," said social worker Ania Rodriguez at family planning group PLAFAM in central Caracas. Rodriguez says she meets with up to five women a day seeking sterilisations, up from one or two per week about a year ago. When women seem unsure or pressured into sterilisations, Rodriguez tries to steer them towards contraceptives like intra-uterine devices, which are somewhat more available and affordable than birth control pills or condoms. When they have them, pharmacies sell a pack of three condoms for around 600 Bolivars, only 60 US cents at the black market rate but a big expense for those who earn the minimum wage of some 33,000 Bolivars per month. On the Caracas re-sale market, those same condoms fetch around 2,000 Bolivars. Venezuela's elite can afford those prices but the ailing middle class and poor are increasingly stuck. "I couldn't find the (contraceptive) injections, the pill, nothing. It's very expensive on the black market, and now you can't even find stuff there anymore," said Yecsenis Ginez, 31, who has one son and decided to get sterilised. "I thought I would have up to five kids, I had loads of names in mind. But it would be crazy to fall pregnant now." Still, some women have had to wait for months to be sterilised because there are limited spots at state-led hospitals and private clinics can charge about 12 times the monthly minimum wage. And some health centres are unable to provide sterilisations at all due to a lack of equipment or specialists. Disarray Amid what now feels like a distant oil boom, Chavez built thousands of Cuban-staffed health centres in poor neighborhoods and also launched popular maternity-health programs during his 1999-2013 rule. But with Venezuela's state-led economic model decaying and oil prices depressed, hospitals have deteriorated sharply under his successor Nicolas Maduro. Medicine shortages hover around 85 per cent, according to a leading pharmaceutical association. Equipment ranging from surgical gloves to incubators is scarce, and many underpaid doctors have left the public sector or emigrated. The government still says it has one of the world's best health systems and accuses detractors of waging a smear campaign. It has stopped releasing timely health data, though. The World Health Organization says Venezuela's neo-natal mortality rate was 8.9 per 1,000 live births last year, above the Americas region's average of 7.7. It says Venezuela's maternal mortality rate was 95 per 100,000 live births in 2015, one of the worst rates in Latin America and up from 90 in 2000. The nation of 30 million people has one of Latin America's highest rates of teenage pregnancies and large numbers of single-parent households, UN data shows. As they waited to be called into the operating room for their sterilisations, women in blue scrubs and hairnets wistfully recalled happier times in once-booming Venezuela. "Before, when you got pregnant, everyone was happy," said mother-of-two Yessy Ascanio, 38, as she sat on a bed in a side room. "Now when a woman says 'I'm pregnant', everyone scolds you. It makes me sad for young women." As some of her peers nervously looked out at patients being wheeled out after their sterilisation, Ascanio advised: "If you get scared, just remember those food lines." (Reuters)

Deep recession drives young Venezuelan women to sterilisation

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing,&quot; UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. 
 
&quot;Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks.&quot; 
 
The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. 
 
(Reuters)

The UNHCR said armed groups in the country have been forcibly recruiting young boys in their ranks

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. "They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks." The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. (Reuters)

60,000 South Sudanese flee violence, report looting, killing

South African President Jacob Zuma on Sunday urged supporters to vote for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of fiercely competitive municipal polls that could see the party lose control of several major cities. 
 
Zuma&#39;s ANC, which now controls the majority of the country&#39;s 278 municipalities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public discontent since it led the fight against white-minority rule. 
 
At a massive final rally, the party made a last push for votes, stressing its anti-apartheid history and past accomplishments. 
 
&quot;Millions of our people must vote ANC and enable their movement to continue improving the lives of our people,&quot; Zuma told a packed Ellis Park Stadium in the Johannesburg city centre. 
 
&quot;Every vote counts.&quot; 
 
An estimated 55,000 supporters decked in the ANC&#39;s green, yellow and black filled the stands for the extravagant rally in a campaign the party said had cost it R1 billion ($72 million). 
 
&quot;We have walked the streets of this country, we have visited every town, every city. We have been to thousands of homes,&quot; said Zuma. 
 
The latest Ipsos opinion polls suggest that the ANC, which has ruled since the end of apartheid in 1994, could be under threat in three major cities -- Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth -- in Wednesday&#39;s election. 
 
The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which rules in Cape Town, is hoping for a breakthrough result, citing the country&#39;s poor economic performance and a series of corruption scandals plaguing Zuma. 
 
Last week, South Africa&#39;s highest court ruled that the president pay back $500,000 of public funds spent upgrading his private Nkandla residence with facilities including a chicken coop and a swimming pool. 
 
&quot;A lot of money was wasted there that should have been spent on the people,&quot; Frieda Motlatla, 24, told AFP at Sunday&#39;s rally. 
 
But with her hair wrapped in an ANC turban, she said Zuma&#39;s troubles would not affect her support: &quot;I don&#39;t vote for a person, I for a party.&quot; 
 
&quot;Nkandla is not our business,&quot; agreed Simon Machaka, 42. &quot;Some people will always be dissatisfied. They don&#39;t focus on the good things.&quot; 
 
The radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party is also seeking to make a major impact in its first municipal elections. 
 
All three main parties held their final rallies this weekend. 
 
Zuma, 74, will have completed two terms in office in 2019 and is not eligible to run for president again, but the ANC could replace him ahead of the next general election if the party scores poorly in the local polls. 
 
(AFP)

President Jacob Zuma's ANC controls large parts of the country's municipalities, but graft scandals have made him unpopular

South African President Jacob Zuma on Sunday urged supporters to vote for the ruling African National Congress (ANC) ahead of fiercely competitive municipal polls that could see the party lose control of several major cities. Zuma's ANC, which now controls the majority of the country's 278 municipalities, has been weakened by graft scandals and growing public discontent since it led the fight against white-minority rule. At a massive final rally, the party made a last push for votes, stressing its anti-apartheid history and past accomplishments. "Millions of our people must vote ANC and enable their movement to continue improving the lives of our people," Zuma told a packed Ellis Park Stadium in the Johannesburg city centre. "Every vote counts." An estimated 55,000 supporters decked in the ANC's green, yellow and black filled the stands for the extravagant rally in a campaign the party said had cost it R1 billion ($72 million). "We have walked the streets of this country, we have visited every town, every city. We have been to thousands of homes," said Zuma. The latest Ipsos opinion polls suggest that the ANC, which has ruled since the end of apartheid in 1994, could be under threat in three major cities -- Pretoria, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth -- in Wednesday's election. The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), which rules in Cape Town, is hoping for a breakthrough result, citing the country's poor economic performance and a series of corruption scandals plaguing Zuma. Last week, South Africa's highest court ruled that the president pay back $500,000 of public funds spent upgrading his private Nkandla residence with facilities including a chicken coop and a swimming pool. "A lot of money was wasted there that should have been spent on the people," Frieda Motlatla, 24, told AFP at Sunday's rally. But with her hair wrapped in an ANC turban, she said Zuma's troubles would not affect her support: "I don't vote for a person, I for a party." "Nkandla is not our business," agreed Simon Machaka, 42. "Some people will always be dissatisfied. They don't focus on the good things." The radical leftist Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party is also seeking to make a major impact in its first municipal elections. All three main parties held their final rallies this weekend. Zuma, 74, will have completed two terms in office in 2019 and is not eligible to run for president again, but the ANC could replace him ahead of the next general election if the party scores poorly in the local polls. (AFP)

South African President urges citizens to vote for African National Congress

The Indian Government on Thursday morning launched the &#39;Sankat Mochan&#39; operation to evacuate Indian nationals from South Sudan. 
 
India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan&#39;s capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there, an exercise which is being led by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh. 
 
Singh had also supervised the evacuation of nearly 4,000 Indians from conflict-ridden Yemen last year. 
 
An official advisory said that only Indian nationals with valid Indian travel document will be allowed boarding with maximum five kilogram cabin baggage and no check-in pieces. It also said that women and children will be accommodated on priority. 
 
Apart from Singh, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations), will also travel to Juba. 
 
India has been closely monitoring developments in South Sudan, which is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. A task force has been set up for the purpose. 
 
According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of which 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 are outside the capital. 
 
(DNA)

India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan's capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there

The Indian Government on Thursday morning launched the 'Sankat Mochan' operation to evacuate Indian nationals from South Sudan. India sent two C-17 military transport aircraft to war torn South Sudan's capital city Juba to evacuate Indians stranded there, an exercise which is being led by Minister of State for External Affairs VK Singh. Singh had also supervised the evacuation of nearly 4,000 Indians from conflict-ridden Yemen last year. An official advisory said that only Indian nationals with valid Indian travel document will be allowed boarding with maximum five kilogram cabin baggage and no check-in pieces. It also said that women and children will be accommodated on priority. Apart from Singh, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations), will also travel to Juba. India has been closely monitoring developments in South Sudan, which is witnessing heavy fighting between former rebels and government soldiers in several parts of the city. A task force has been set up for the purpose. According to the ministry, there are around 600 Indians in South Sudan, of which 450 are in Juba and nearly 150 are outside the capital. (DNA)

India launches operation to rescue nationals from South Sudan

London, United Kingdom: &nbsp;Andrea Leadsom, one of two candidates to be the next British prime minister, has caused an uproar by suggesting that being a mother means she has a greater stake in the country&#39;s future than her childless rival Theresa May. 
 
A little-known junior energy minister until she emerged as one of the most ardent voices in the campaign to leave the European Union, Leadsom is the outsider in the contest to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader and prime minister. 
 
Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc, announced he would quit after the June 23 referendum delivered a vote for Brexit. May, the interior minister who also advocated remaining in the EU, is the favourite to replace him. 
 
&quot;I am sure she will be really sad she doesn&#39;t have children so I don&#39;t want this to be &#39;Andrea has children, Theresa hasn&#39;t&#39; because I think that would be really horrible,&quot; Leadsom told the Times newspaper, which has declared its support for May. 
 
&quot;But genuinely I feel being a mum means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake. She possibly has nieces, nephews, lots of people. But I have children who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next.&quot; 
 
Leadsom denounced the Times article on Twitter as &quot;gutter journalism&quot; and on Saturday made a televised statement outside her home to say she had made clear that the issue of her motherhood should not be a feature of the campaign. 
 
&quot;I want to be crystal clear that everyone has an equal stake in our society and in the future of our country,&quot; she said. 
 
The Times stood by its story and released an audio recording of Leadsom making the comments, which was played on Saturday morning news bulletins on all the main radio and TV stations. 
 
May made no comment on Leadsom&#39;s interview, merely tweeting: &quot;Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it.&quot; 
 
That was a reference to five commitments May made on Friday, including to ensure that campaigning &quot;stays within the acceptable limits of political debate&quot;. 
 
&quot;VILE&quot; 
 
May and Leadsom were selected by Conservative lawmakers from an original field of five candidates. May was backed by 199 lawmakers, while Leadsom received support from 84. The contest now moves to the party&#39;s 150,000 grassroots members, who will elect the winner by Sept. 9. 
 
The comments made in the Times by Leadsom, a devout Christian who wants to swiftly launch the legal process of exiting the EU and end freedom of movement rights if elected, drew sharp criticism from several Conservative lawmakers. 
 
&quot;I am childless. I have nieces and nephews. I believe I - like everyone else - have a very real stake in our country,&quot; tweeted Ruth Davidson, leader of the party&#39;s Scottish arm, who had previously declared her support for May in the contest. 
 
Lawmaker Alan Duncan, also a May supporter, called Leadsom&#39;s comments &quot;vile&quot;, while colleague Antoinette Sandbach said Leadsom had shown &quot;a lack of judgment&quot;. 
 
Leadsom&#39;s bid, which has enthused some of the more staunchly eurosceptic people on the right of the party, had already been marred by questions over whether she had overstated her professional experience in finance. 
 
One of Leadsom&#39;s most vocal supporters, junior defence minister Penny Mordaunt, defended her comments on motherhood. 
 
&quot;She was talking about what motivates her personally,&quot; Mordaunt told BBC radio. &quot;This is an attempt I think by a paper that has declared for the other candidate to smear Andrea.&quot; 
 
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper last week, May had spoken of the sadness she and her husband Philip had experienced after being unable to have children. 
 
&quot;Of course we were both affected by it. You see friends who now have grown-up children, but you accept the hand that life deals you,&quot; she said.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

London, United Kingdom: Andrea Leadsom, one of two candidates to be the next British prime minister, has caused an uproar by suggesting that being a mother means she has a greater stake in the country's future than her childless rival Theresa May. A little-known junior energy minister until she emerged as one of the most ardent voices in the campaign to leave the European Union, Leadsom is the outsider in the contest to succeed David Cameron as Conservative leader and prime minister. Cameron, who had campaigned for Britain to stay in the bloc, announced he would quit after the June 23 referendum delivered a vote for Brexit. May, the interior minister who also advocated remaining in the EU, is the favourite to replace him. "I am sure she will be really sad she doesn't have children so I don't want this to be 'Andrea has children, Theresa hasn't' because I think that would be really horrible," Leadsom told the Times newspaper, which has declared its support for May. "But genuinely I feel being a mum means you have a very real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake. She possibly has nieces, nephews, lots of people. But I have children who are going to have children who will directly be a part of what happens next." Leadsom denounced the Times article on Twitter as "gutter journalism" and on Saturday made a televised statement outside her home to say she had made clear that the issue of her motherhood should not be a feature of the campaign. "I want to be crystal clear that everyone has an equal stake in our society and in the future of our country," she said. The Times stood by its story and released an audio recording of Leadsom making the comments, which was played on Saturday morning news bulletins on all the main radio and TV stations. May made no comment on Leadsom's interview, merely tweeting: "Yesterday, I launched my clean campaign pledge and invite @AndreaLeadsom to join me in signing it." That was a reference to five commitments May made on Friday, including to ensure that campaigning "stays within the acceptable limits of political debate". "VILE" May and Leadsom were selected by Conservative lawmakers from an original field of five candidates. May was backed by 199 lawmakers, while Leadsom received support from 84. The contest now moves to the party's 150,000 grassroots members, who will elect the winner by Sept. 9. The comments made in the Times by Leadsom, a devout Christian who wants to swiftly launch the legal process of exiting the EU and end freedom of movement rights if elected, drew sharp criticism from several Conservative lawmakers. "I am childless. I have nieces and nephews. I believe I - like everyone else - have a very real stake in our country," tweeted Ruth Davidson, leader of the party's Scottish arm, who had previously declared her support for May in the contest. Lawmaker Alan Duncan, also a May supporter, called Leadsom's comments "vile", while colleague Antoinette Sandbach said Leadsom had shown "a lack of judgment". Leadsom's bid, which has enthused some of the more staunchly eurosceptic people on the right of the party, had already been marred by questions over whether she had overstated her professional experience in finance. One of Leadsom's most vocal supporters, junior defence minister Penny Mordaunt, defended her comments on motherhood. "She was talking about what motivates her personally," Mordaunt told BBC radio. "This is an attempt I think by a paper that has declared for the other candidate to smear Andrea." In an interview with the Mail on Sunday newspaper last week, May had spoken of the sadness she and her husband Philip had experienced after being unable to have children. "Of course we were both affected by it. You see friends who now have grown-up children, but you accept the hand that life deals you," she said. (Reuters)

Britain PM contender Leadsom says she has greater stake in country because she is a mother, causes uproar

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a&nbsp;suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded.&nbsp; 
 
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives,&quot; he said in a tweet.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy,&quot; PM Modi said.&nbsp; 
 
Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital.&nbsp; 
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam&#39;s holy month.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month.&nbsp; 
 
Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan&#39;s northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. 
 
&quot;Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians,&quot; the Badakhshan provincial governor&#39;s spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. 
 
The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. 
 
&quot;It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province,&quot; Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. 
 
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. 
 
Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. &nbsp; 
 
AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military&#39;s authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. 
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Suicide attack and so far unclaimed motorcycle bomb devastate country as insurgency persists despite Taliban leader's recent death

Two bomb explosions rocked Afghanistan Monday morning. In the first, a suicide bomber killed at least 14 and wounded eight in an attack on a minibus carrying Nepalese security contractors in the Afghan capital, Kabul, officials said. A Reuters witness saw several apparently dead victims and at least two wounded being carried out of the yellow bus, while police and emergency service vehicles surrounded the scene in the Banae district of the city. Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said on Twitter that 14 people had been killed and eight wounded. Police were working to identify the victims, he said. The casualties appeared to include both Afghans and Nepalese security contractors, Kabul police chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said. He said the suicide bomber had waited near the compound housing the security contractors and struck as the vehicle moved through early morning traffic. As well as the bus passengers, several people in an adjacent market were also wounded. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the attack on the minibus that was carrying Nepalese security guards in Kabul. He said India will provide all assistance to Nepal government in this hour of tragedy. "We strongly condemn the horrible tragedy in Kabul. Our deep condolences to the people and governments of Afghanistan and Nepal on the loss of innocent lives," he said in a tweet. "We are taking steps to provide all relevant assistance to the Nepal government in this hour of tragedy," PM Modi said. Fourteen Nepalese security guards were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber targetted their minibus in the Afghan capital. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which occurred during Ramadan, Islam's holy month. It underlined how serious the security threat facing Afghanistan remains since the death of former Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike last month. Also Monday morning, at least eight people were killed and 18 injured in a seprate attack Monday morning, when a motorcycle bomb exploded in a crowded market in Afghanistan's northeastern Badakhshan province, local authorities said. "Our initial information is eight people were martyred, and 18 others were wounded, all the victims are civilians," the Badakhshan provincial governor's spokesman Naweed Froutan told AFP, adding that the death toll is set to rise. The district governor of Keshim, where the attack took place, gave a higher toll of at least 10 killed and 30 wounded. "It was a motorcycle bomb explosion inside a main market in Keshim district of Badakhshan province," Abdul Salam Paiman told AFP, adding that some of the wounded were in critical condition and all had been taken to hospital. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the blast in the remote, mountainous province. Reuters reports that the attack was the latest in a recent surge of violence that highlights the challenges faced by the Afghan government in Kabul and its Western backers as Washington slowly draws down its remaining troops despite a persistent insurgency. AFP notes that the attacks come just days after Washington expanded the US military's authority to carry out airstrikes on the insurgents. (With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

Twin blasts rock Afghanistan Monday morning: At least 22 dead, 26 injured

CHANGE PICTURE! IF THIS STORY IS VERIFIED, GET APPROPRIATE PIC,&nbsp;THEN PUBLISH 
 
According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the&nbsp;Sri Lankan government has received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to enter into a treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country.

President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Minister of Defense has presented the proposal to the cabinet for approval.

The ColomboPage News Desk reports that&nbsp;the Sri Lankan Co-Cabinet spokesman, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, said the agreement &quot;will provide the opportunity to request the authorities in Ukraine to receive criminals who have engaged in illegal activities in this country and sought protection in Ukraine&quot;.

The treaty comes as&nbsp;the Sri Lankan government is attempting to arrest a fugitive envoy currently believed to be in Ukraine.

The government has sought arrest and deportation of Sri Lanka&#39;s former Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, who is a nephew of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, over several allegations including that the envoy supplied weapons to a terrorist group in Ukraine and is connected to the death of an embassy employee.

Comes as South Asian country's former Russian ambassador is wanted for abetting a Ukrainian terror group

CHANGE PICTURE! IF THIS STORY IS VERIFIED, GET APPROPRIATE PIC, THEN PUBLISH According to reports in the Sri Lankan press, the Sri Lankan government has received the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers to enter into a treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country. President Maithripala Sirisena in his capacity as the Minister of Defense has presented the proposal to the cabinet for approval. The ColomboPage News Desk reports that the Sri Lankan Co-Cabinet spokesman, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake, said the agreement "will provide the opportunity to request the authorities in Ukraine to receive criminals who have engaged in illegal activities in this country and sought protection in Ukraine". The treaty comes as the Sri Lankan government is attempting to arrest a fugitive envoy currently believed to be in Ukraine. The government has sought arrest and deportation of Sri Lanka's former Ambassador to Russia, Udayanga Weeratunga, who is a nephew of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, over several allegations including that the envoy supplied weapons to a terrorist group in Ukraine and is connected to the death of an embassy employee.

Sri Lanka enters treaty with Ukraine to extradite criminals hiding in the Eastern European country

Guinea has reached the end of active Ebola virus transmission, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday, the second such declaration from the country at the epicentre of the global&nbsp;outbreak of the disease.

The proclamation was made because the person with Guinea&#39;s last confirmed case tested negative for the second time more than 42 days ago.

Guinea will now enter a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to make sure of the identification of any new cases before they spread to others.

In the most recent outbreak, seven confirmed and three possible cases of the virus surfaced between March 17 and April 6. At least five people died.

Another three cases were recorded in neighbouring Liberia in a woman who had travelled from Guinea and her two children.

The flare-up seems to have occurred after a person came into contact with infected body fluid from an Ebola survivor, WHO said. Since the virus can remain active in certain body fluids for months, the WHO cautions the risk of outbreaks remain.

However, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday that the organisation was confident that affected countries were prepared and could deal with flare-ups efficiently.

Guinea is believed to be where the world&#39;s worst Ebola outbreak occurred, spanning three countries primarily and killing 11,310 people. It first declared itself free of transmission in December.

Guinea has reached the end of active Ebola virus transmission, the World Health Organisation said, the second such declaration from the country at the global epicentre of the disease.

Guinea has reached the end of active Ebola virus transmission, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday, the second such declaration from the country at the epicentre of the global outbreak of the disease. The proclamation was made because the person with Guinea's last confirmed case tested negative for the second time more than 42 days ago. Guinea will now enter a 90-day period of heightened surveillance to make sure of the identification of any new cases before they spread to others. In the most recent outbreak, seven confirmed and three possible cases of the virus surfaced between March 17 and April 6. At least five people died. Another three cases were recorded in neighbouring Liberia in a woman who had travelled from Guinea and her two children. The flare-up seems to have occurred after a person came into contact with infected body fluid from an Ebola survivor, WHO said. Since the virus can remain active in certain body fluids for months, the WHO cautions the risk of outbreaks remain. However, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said on Tuesday that the organisation was confident that affected countries were prepared and could deal with flare-ups efficiently. Guinea is believed to be where the world's worst Ebola outbreak occurred, spanning three countries primarily and killing 11,310 people. It first declared itself free of transmission in December.

Guinea declared free of active Ebola transmission - WHO

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat.&nbsp; 
The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April.&nbsp; 
WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time.&nbsp; 
&quot;WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak,&quot; said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea.&nbsp; 
He called for vigilance to &quot;stop any new cases that may occur.&quot; 
In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over.&nbsp; 
The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.&nbsp;

An outbreak of Ebola virus in Guinea, which was earlier confined to countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, was the first ever outbreak in a west African country. Since March 2014, West Africa has had the largest outbreak in history, with countries like Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea being the worst affected.

The latest outbreak of Ebola in Guinea has ended, the World Health Organization said today, warning that a recurrence of the killer tropical disease still remained a threat. The last known Ebola patient in the west African country was discharged from hospital in April. WHO has declared the end to an outbreak, also known as the end to viral transmission, 42 days after the last known patient was tested negative for the second time. "WHO commends the Government of Guinea and its people on ending this Ebola outbreak," said Abou Bekr Gaye, the UN agency`s representative in Guinea. He called for vigilance to "stop any new cases that may occur." In the three countries hit hardest by the Ebola crisis -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- fresh cases emerged after an outbreak was declared over. The worst-ever Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in December 2013 and went on to kill more than 11,300 people, devastating economies and health systems in the worst affected countries, while testing the world`s capacity to respond to a global health emergency.

Latest Ebola outbreak in Guinea is over: WHO

Brazilian police on Friday were investigating the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl whose attackers boasted about it by posting an online video of her that has horrified the country.

Online social networks erupted with outrage over the video posted on Wednesday featuring the girl naked on a bed and the apparent rapists bragging that she had been raped by more than 30 men.

They are suspected of assaulting her on May 21 in Rio de Janeiro, a city stricken by violent crime that will host the Olympic Games in August.

&ldquo;There are strong indications that the young woman was raped,&rdquo; Rio police chief Fernando Veloso told a news conference. 
&nbsp;

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
30 men gangrape Brazilian teen; post pictures, videos on Twitter 
 
Brazil, May 28th: Brazil&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/bdeUoFJZjh">https://t.co/bdeUoFJZjh</a> <a href="https://t.co/bqYssc2xLs">pic.twitter.com/bqYssc2xLs</a>
&mdash; muhammad waseem (@mw569256) <a href="https://twitter.com/mw569256/status/736474778085646336">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>

<script async src="~/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>

&ldquo;We cannot say whether there were 30 attackers, 33 or 36. The investigations will determine that,&rdquo; he said.

Police have identified four of the men suspected of taking a &ldquo;direct or indirect&rdquo; part in the rape or the posting of the video, he added.

Brazil&rsquo;s acting president Michel Temer and other senior figures reacted with outrage.

&ldquo;I condemn most forcefully the rape of the teenager in Rio de Janeiro,&rdquo; he wrote on Twitter. 
&nbsp;

<div class="row">
<div class="article-blockquote">
<div class="col-sm-10 col-sm-offset-1 blockquote-content quoteshare">
<blockquote>
<h5>&quot;This case is not unusual,&quot; said Luise Bello, spokeswoman for women&rsquo;s rights group Think Olga, of the Rio gang-rape. &quot;The culture of rape is very strong in Brazil. It is part of our daily life, although people deny it.&quot;</h5>
</blockquote>
</div>

<div class="col-sm-1 blockquote-content">
<div class="share-blockquote"><a class="twitter popup" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=&quot;This case is not unusual,&quot; said Luise Bello, spokeswoman for women?s rights group Think Olga, of the Rio gang-rape.

&quot;The culture of rape is very strong in Brazil. It is part of our daily life, although people deny it.&quot;">&nbsp;</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

&ldquo;It is absurd that in the 21st century we should have to live with barbaric crimes such as this.&rdquo;

The authorities are working &ldquo;to find those responsible and rigorously punish the authors of this rape and the publishing of this criminal act on social networks,&rdquo; he said.

 
Brazil&rsquo;s &lsquo;culture of rape&rsquo;&nbsp; 
The United Nations women&rsquo;s rights agency condemned the case along with another recent alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in the northeastern state of Piaui.

&ldquo;Apart from the fact that these are young women, these barbaric cases are similar in that the teenagers were lured by their attackers in premeditated plots,&rdquo; UN Women in Brazil spokeswoman Nadine Gasman said on Thursday.

&ldquo;They were violently attacked in a context of illegal drug use.&rdquo;

Brazilian police recorded a sexual assault in the country every 11 minutes in 2014, the Brazilian non-governmental organisation Public Safety Forum said in a study, estimating that half a million such assaults take place overall each year.

&ldquo;This case is not unusual,&rdquo; said Luise Bello, spokeswoman for women&rsquo;s rights group Think Olga, of the Rio gang-rape.

&ldquo;The culture of rape is very strong in Brazil. It is part of our daily life, although people deny it.&rdquo;

Top officials were meeting to discuss new measures to stop violence against women, Temer said.

He took over as interim president earlier this month from suspended leftist leader Dilma Rousseff, who faces an impeachment trial for allegedly fiddling government accounts.

Rousseff, Brazil&rsquo;s first female president, also expressed outrage over the Rio case.

&ldquo;Once more I reiterate my condemnation of violence against women,&rdquo; she wrote on Facebook.

Countless messages of condemnation on social networks have included calls for a street demonstration in Rio on Friday evening.

Graphic footage of a 16-year-old getting gang-raped shocks the country, and beyond

Brazilian police on Friday were investigating the gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl whose attackers boasted about it by posting an online video of her that has horrified the country. Online social networks erupted with outrage over the video posted on Wednesday featuring the girl naked on a bed and the apparent rapists bragging that she had been raped by more than 30 men. They are suspected of assaulting her on May 21 in Rio de Janeiro, a city stricken by violent crime that will host the Olympic Games in August. “There are strong indications that the young woman was raped,” Rio police chief Fernando Veloso told a news conference. 30 men gangrape Brazilian teen; post pictures, videos on Twitter Brazil, May 28th: Brazil… https://t.co/bdeUoFJZjh pic.twitter.com/bqYssc2xLs — muhammad waseem (@mw569256) May 28, 2016 “We cannot say whether there were 30 attackers, 33 or 36. The investigations will determine that,” he said. Police have identified four of the men suspected of taking a “direct or indirect” part in the rape or the posting of the video, he added. Brazil’s acting president Michel Temer and other senior figures reacted with outrage. “I condemn most forcefully the rape of the teenager in Rio de Janeiro,” he wrote on Twitter. "This case is not unusual," said Luise Bello, spokeswoman for women’s rights group Think Olga, of the Rio gang-rape. "The culture of rape is very strong in Brazil. It is part of our daily life, although people deny it." “It is absurd that in the 21st century we should have to live with barbaric crimes such as this.” The authorities are working “to find those responsible and rigorously punish the authors of this rape and the publishing of this criminal act on social networks,” he said. Brazil’s ‘culture of rape’ The United Nations women’s rights agency condemned the case along with another recent alleged gang-rape of a 17-year-old girl in the northeastern state of Piaui. “Apart from the fact that these are young women, these barbaric cases are similar in that the teenagers were lured by their attackers in premeditated plots,” UN Women in Brazil spokeswoman Nadine Gasman said on Thursday. “They were violently attacked in a context of illegal drug use.” Brazilian police recorded a sexual assault in the country every 11 minutes in 2014, the Brazilian non-governmental organisation Public Safety Forum said in a study, estimating that half a million such assaults take place overall each year. “This case is not unusual,” said Luise Bello, spokeswoman for women’s rights group Think Olga, of the Rio gang-rape. “The culture of rape is very strong in Brazil. It is part of our daily life, although people deny it.” Top officials were meeting to discuss new measures to stop violence against women, Temer said. He took over as interim president earlier this month from suspended leftist leader Dilma Rousseff, who faces an impeachment trial for allegedly fiddling government accounts. Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, also expressed outrage over the Rio case. “Once more I reiterate my condemnation of violence against women,” she wrote on Facebook. Countless messages of condemnation on social networks have included calls for a street demonstration in Rio on Friday evening.

Gang-rape video from Brazil shocks the world

country

Country, News on Country, stories on Country, articles on Country, Country stories at Wion, Country news, Country latest news