Meta expanding Instagram’s age verification test to 6 more countries

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Meta expanding Instagram’s age verification test to 6 more countries

Meta has announced that it is expanding its “age verification test” on Instagram to six more countries, including Europe and Canada.

“Starting today, we’re beginning to expand our age verification test on Instagram to more countries in Europe, Mexico, Canada, South Korea, Australia, and Japan,” the company said in an updated blog post on Thursday.

It further mentioned that it is planning to make the age verification tools available in more countries globally within the next few months.

In June last year, the company initially started testing new options for Instagram users to verify their age, starting with people based in the US.

Later, in October, Meta expanded this test to India and Brazil.

If someone attempts to edit their date of birth on the platform from under the age of 18 to 18 or over, they have to verify their age using one of three options — upload their ID, record a video selfie or ask mutual friends to verify their age.

According to the company, this will make sure “that teens and adults are in the right experience for their age group.”

“In addition to testing the new menu of options to verify people’s ages, we also use artificial intelligence (AI) to understand if someone is a teen or an adult,” it added.

UP Assembly to turn into court today

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UP Assembly to turn into court today

The Uttar Pradesh Assembly will turn into a court on Friday and hold a hearing to decide the period of imprisonment to be awarded to a retired IAS officer (former circle officer, Kanpur Nagar) and five serving policemen for breach of privilege of a member of the house — Salil Vishnoi, the then BJP MLA from Kanpur — in Kanpur Nagar on September 15, 2004.

According to Assembly officials, a dock will be placed in the House and the principal secretary (home) and DGP have been asked to hand over the accused to the House.

This will be after 34 years that the House will turn into a court to hold a hearing in a breach of privilege case.

On March 2, 1989, the Assembly summoned Shankar Dutt Ojha, an officer of the then UP Terai Vikas Janjati Nigam, who was accused of misbehaving with Hardev, member of the House.

It may be recalled that on September 15, 2004, Vishnoi was leading a delegation to submit a memorandum against power cuts in Kanpur to the district magistrate (Kanpur Nagar) when police personnel misbehaved with him.

Assembly speaker Satish Mahana directed the principal secretary (home) and the DGP to produce the police personnel before the assembly after a resolution was adopted in this regard.

Minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna had moved the resolution in the House recommending that this personnel be produced before the House and their imprisonment be considered.

Those to be produced before the House on Friday include the then CO Babupurva, Kanpur Nagar, Abdul Samad (who switched over to another service and has retired as an IAS officer), then SHO, Kidwai Nagar police station, Rishikant Shukla, then S-I at Kotwali police station Triloki Singh, then constable at Kidwai Nagar police station Chhotey Singh Yadav, then constable at Kakadev police station Vinod Mishra and then constable at Kakadev police station Meharban Singh Yadav.

Vishnoi had given information about the breach of privilege to the House on October 25, 2004.

He enclosed newspaper clippings, photographs, and a medical report, along with his notice, informing the House about the breach of privilege.

On July 28, 2005, then deputy speaker of the state legislative assembly and then chairman of the privilege committee Rajesh Agarwal submitted recommendations to award imprisonment to then CO (Babupurwa) Abdul Samad and reprimand other policemen by summoning them to the House.

The Assembly will now consider the imprisonment of all the six accused and the termination of services of five among them.

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Death toll from Greece train crash rises to 57

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Death toll from Greece train crash rises to 57

The death toll from the train crash in central Greece has increased to 57, authorities said.

Forty-eight people remain hospitalized, six of them in intensive care, Greek police spokeswoman Konstantia Dimoglidou told journalists on Thursday.

A search and rescue operation is expected to conclude on Friday, Greek Fire Service spokesman Vasilios Vathrakogiannis added.

An investigation is simultaneously underway to determine the causes of the crash — how and why a passenger train collided head-on with a freight train traveling in opposite directions, Xinhua news agency reported.

A station master has been arrested and charged with manslaughter by negligence.

The government has declared a three-day national mourning until Friday and promised that problems affecting the operation of railways will be addressed to prevent such tragedies in the future.

5.7-magnitude quake hits Oaxaca, Mexico

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5.7-magnitude quake hits Oaxaca, Mexico

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 jolted Oaxaca, Mexico, at 0440 GMT, the US Geological Survey said.

The epicentre, with a depth of 87.729 km, was initially determined to be at 16.3541 degrees north latitude and 94.2685 degrees west longitude, Xinhua news agency reported.

NASA-SpaceX crew-6 mission enroute to space for scientific research

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NASA-SpaceX crew-6 mission enroute to space for scientific research

SpaceX on Thursday for the seventh time launched an international crew of four astronauts — two from NASA and one each from Roscosmos and the UAE.

“Liftoff! Dragon takes flight!” NASA wrote on Twitter.

The Crew-6 mission launched to the International Space Station (ISS) at 12.34 a.m. ET (11.04 a.m. IST) from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida onboard the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft.

The mission was originally scheduled to blast off to space on Monday but was scrubbed a few minutes before the liftoff due to an issue with the ignition system.

It prevented data from confirming a full load of the ignition source for the Falcon 9 first-stage Merlin engines, triethyl aluminum triethyl boron (or TEA-TEB).

Another launch opportunity on Tuesday was also dropped due to unfavorable weather forecast conditions, NASA and SpaceX had said.

The dragon carrying the crew is now expected to reach the ISS after a 25-hour journey and stay in the orbiting laboratory for six months conducting scientific research.

The Crew 6 includes NASA astronauts Stephen Bowen and Warren “Woody” Hoburg, along with UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.

Alneyadi will be making his first trip to space, representing the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center of the UAE.

Alneyadi will be the first UAE astronaut to fly on a commercial spacecraft. Once aboard the station, he will become a flight engineer for Expedition 69.

Fedyaev will be making his first trip to space, and will also serve as a mission specialist, working to monitor the spacecraft during the dynamic launch and re-entry phases of flight. He will be a flight engineer for Expedition 69.

The team is expected to perform more than 200 science, and technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities aboard the microgravity laboratory.

The experiments include studies of how particular materials burn in microgravity, tissue chip research on heart, brain, and cartilage functions, and an investigation that will collect microbial samples from the outside of the space station.

The flight is the sixth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the station, and the seventh flight of Dragon with people as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Programme.

The SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft previously flew NASA’s Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Axiom Mission-1 astronauts.

As part of the refurbishment process, teams have installed new components, including the heat shield, nosecone, trunk, and all forward bulkhead and service section Draco engines. These hardware components help the spacecraft withstand reentry heat, support docking, and cargo space, and provide steering and thrust to the spacecraft.

During their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory, Crew-6 will also see the arrival of cargo spacecraft including the SpaceX Dragon and the Roscosmos Progress.

Crew-6 also is expected to welcome the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts and the Axiom Mission-2 crew during their expedition.

At the conclusion of the mission, Dragon Endeavour will autonomously undock with the four crew members aboard, depart the space station and re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.

3rd Test, Day 2: Umesh, Ashwin pick three wickets each as India bowl out Australia for 197

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3rd Test, Day 2: Umesh, Ashwin pick three wickets each as India bowl out Australia for 197

Fast bowler Umesh Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin picked three wickets each to lead a frantic fightback for India and bowl out Australia for 197 in their first innings on day two of the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at the Holkar Stadium, here on Thursday.

Though the visitors fell short of 200 by only three runs, they still had a healthy lead of 88 runs.

The first hour of day two belonged to Australia as India was unable to make breakthroughs in 16 overs. But after the drinks break, things turned dramatically as Umesh and Ashwin took 3/12 and 3/44 respectively as Australia lost their last six wickets for just 11 runs in 28 balls.

While Umesh was efficient with his exhibition of reverse swing and reached 100 Test wickets at home, Ashwin was able to extract a turn, and use it with a flight to trigger an Australian batting meltdown.

Resuming from 156/4, it looked like the pitch was a little less spiteful than it was on day one. Ravindra Jadeja found some turn, but it wasn’t much to threaten Peter Handscomb and Cameron Green.

Green got the first boundary of the day by driving past mid-off against Mohammed Siraj and then danced down the pitch with a straight bat to take another four off Jadeja. Handscomb was compact in defense, but when trying to defend off Ravichandran Ashwin, the ball spun in sharply and took the inner edge to forward short leg.

Green was next to depart, trapped lbw by Umesh Yadav right in front of the stumps. Coming from around the wicket, Umesh produced a gem to beat the outside edge of Mitchell Starc and send his off-stump on a cartwheel ride.

Ashwin struck again when he had Alex Carey playing down the wrong line and was firmly beaten on the inside edge, trapping him lbw. After Umesh sent Todd Murphy’s off-stump on a walk, Ashwin finished off the innings as Nathan wanted to sweep, but missed the ball and saw his stumps in disarray.

Brief Scores:

Australia 197 in 76.3 overs (Usman Khawaja 60, Marnus Labuschagne 21; Ravindra Jadeja 4/78, Umesh Yadav 3/12) lead India 109 in 33.3 overs by 88 runs

Abde goal gives Osasuna narrow Copa del Rey lead against Athletic Club

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Abde goal gives Osasuna narrow Copa del Rey lead against Athletic Club

A 47th-minute goal from Moroccan international winger Abde Ezzalzouli gave Osasuna a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Athletic Club Bilbao, here.

The winger found space on the left and after beating Athletic defender Dani Vivian for pace, he scored with a left-foot shot that went in off the base of the post to give his side a slender advantage in a hard-fought game with few chances.

The match kicked off in front of a capacity of 23,000 crowds in Osasuna’s El Sadar stadium on Wednesday night, with most of the fans hoping to see their side take a step towards booking their first cup final appearance since 2005, a Xinhua report said.

As expected in a semi-derby, the game was tense and tight, with neither side wanting to give much away in defense. Osasuna started the stronger of the two sides with Eze Abde seeing a shot deflected wide.

Athletic got more into things as the game progressed, with Alex Berenguer forcing Osasuna goalkeeper Sergio Herrera to get down to gather at his feet. Herrera then saved a deflected effort from Iker Muniain and although Inaki Williams had the ball in the net, he was clearly offside.

Abde was causing Athletic problems with his pace, but the Moroccan international winger was unable to put a final ball into the area.

That all changed at the start of the second half when he was given too much space by the visiting defense and was able to finish in style.

Osasuna was content to cede the initiative to the visitors after the goal, but despite putting Osasuna under increasing pressure in the closing minutes, the only clear chance Athletic created was through substitute Gorka Guruzeta who shot straight at Herrera in injury time.

The return leg is in Bilbao on April 4.

SRK to shoot action sequence for a week during April end for ‘Tiger 3’

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SRK to shoot action sequence for a week during April end for ‘Tiger 3’

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, who returned with a bang with ‘Pathaan’ and charmed the audience with his bromance with Salman Khan in the now fan-favorite sequence from ‘Pathaan’, will show up in Salman’s ‘Tiger 3’. For the same, he has reserved seven days to shoot a massive action sequence.

The union of two of the biggest superstars of Hindi cinema created hysteria as audiences loved their swagger and camaraderie on screen. This also signaled the birth of the now-fabled YRF spy universe with SRK’s Pathaan and Salman’s Tiger, crossing paths.

As per a source, “SRK will shoot for seven days for ‘Tiger 3’ at the end of April in Mumbai.”

The source further mentioned, “The fact that seven days have been earmarked to shoot this sequence means that extensive plans have been made to make this a visual delight for audiences! The expectations are sky-high after what people have seen in Pathaan and the makers are very aware of this. So, one should take it for granted that YRF and Maneesh Sharma are not going to leave any stone unturned to make this scene between Pathaan and Tiger a sequence to remember in Indian cinema!”

‘Tiger 3’ starring Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif as Zoya & Emraan Hashmi as Tiger’s nemesis is set to release this Diwali!

“Expect full swagger from SRK and Salman in ‘Tiger 3’. YRF Spy Universe is only going to take the theatrical experience of every film up by a few notches. While each film will have different emotions given how the personalities and story arcs of the three super spies have been designed differently, one can rest assured that when the super-spies cross over to each other’s films, there will be fireworks every single time. It is going to be epic,” the source added.

US inches closer to ban TikTok nationwide over data security concerns

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US inches closer to ban TikTok nationwide over data security concerns

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has voted 24-16 in favor of banning TikTok in the US, advancing a bill that would allow US President Joe Biden to ban the Chinese short-video-making app in the country.

The Technological Adversaries Act, or DATA Act, directs Biden to sanction or ban TikTok nationwide if his administration finds that the Chinese firm shared American users’ data with the Chinese government.

If that data was used to surveil, hack, or censor users, Biden could impose additional sanctions against TikTok and its parent-company Bytedance, reports The Verge.

“TikTok is a modern-day Trojan horse of the CCP used to surveil and exploit Americans’ personal information,” said Rep Michael McCaul (R-TX).

However, some Democrats and civil liberty groups raised objections to the bill.

Democrat Gregory Meeks (D-NY) called the bill “dangerously overbroad”.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) also raised its concerns in a letter sent to McCaul.

“Congress must not censor entire platforms and strip Americans of their constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression. Whether we’re discussing the news of the day, live streaming protests, or even watching cat videos, we have a right to use TikTok and other platforms to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and opinions,” said Jenna Leventoff, senior policy counsel at ACLU.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is likely to appear before the US Energy and Commerce Committee on March 23 over questions related to TikTok’s relationship with the Chinese government.

Banned in India, ByteDance-owned TikTok has also been in the news for reportedly stealing US users’ data.

The Chinese short-form video app has been banned on mobile devices issued by the US House of Representatives. The House ordered staff to delete TikTok from all mobile phones.

Canada has become the latest country to ban TikTok from government-issued mobile devices.

The country joined the European Union in banning TikTok on government devices.

The European Commission late last month directed all employees to remove TikTok from their corporate devices.

PVL: Volleyball comes close to life for me, says Danial Moatazedi of Ahmedabad Defenders

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PVL: Volleyball comes close to life for me, says Danial Moatazedi of Ahmedabad Defenders

Iran-based Danial Moatazedi, who plays as a middle-blocker for the Ahmedabad Defenders franchise in the Prime Volleyball League (PVL) has been in the spotlight for his superb all-round performance in the league.

“The team is so good and it is my honor to play with them. It’s just perfect. We are like a family and support each other no matter what. Dakshina ji has taught me to keep my calm in every situation no matter how bad it is. He trusts me a lot and I just want to play good volleyball for him and for the team,” said Moatazedi about his experience playing for Ahmedabad Defenders under the guidance of head coach Dakshinamurthi.

The 32-year-old, who hails from the Kurdish community of Kherameh, located West of Iran, has been living in Tehran alone for the last 14 years.

Interestingly, Danial has been a sportsperson for nearly 23 years now. The Iranian started first with swimming, following it up with gymnastics and then kickboxing. He has been playing volleyball for the last 14 years.

“I was 17 at the time when my sister, who is a volleyball coach asked me why don’t I give volleyball a try because of my height. The first time I stepped onto the court, it was my first love for me. I fell in love with the game and the affair continues till date,” he said.

The Ahmedabad Defenders star feels quite a close connection with his family. They were surprised when they found out about his travels to India to play volleyball.

“I have played in several countries. When I told my family that I am going to India to play in the Prime Volleyball League, they didn’t believe me at first. They answered, “really”?” But the level of competition has surprised all of us,” Danial said.

Danial lost his mother 7 years ago and he says he plays the sport for her.

“I play for her. I believe she is always watching me play. I wish she was here to see my game. I am sure she would have loved watching me play. I play volleyball to make my mother proud,” he said.

“I have been playing volleyball for the last 14 years now. Volleyball comes close to live for me. When things do not go in your favor, you are sad but bad times are not meant to last forever. Good times do come, and then you celebrate. The same goes with volleyball,” Danial added.

The Iranian also spoke about how popular the sport is in his country.

“Volleyball is the second most loved sport in Iran after Kabaddi. We have some good players,” he revealed.

In his free time, he likes to travel and go horse riding. Currently in India, Danial has been enjoying sightseeing across prominent locations in Southern parts of the country. Though, for Danial, the Indian food is a tad bit spicy.

“This is my first time in India. It’s a new experience for me. India is the most beautiful country I have ever seen. I know you have a lot of spicy food here but my body doesn’t accept spicy food,” he said.

Talking about the potential that Indian players have, the middle-blocker heaped praises on the league and the players.

“I see a lot of talented players in India who have a lot of potentials to go places. The league is a fantastic platform for players to showcase their skills on a global level. I am sure that going forward, volleyball will become famous, and more and more fans will turn up to see the games,” he concluded.

Developed nations can’t claim global leadership without listening to affected countries: Modi

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Developed nations can’t claim global leadership without listening to affected countries: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday in a message to developed nations said that no group can claim global leadership without listening to those most affected by its decisions.

In his address to the G20 foreign ministers meeting, Modi said, “Post World War global governance failed in both its mandates of preventing future wars and fostering international cooperation on issues of common interests.”

He noted that many developing countries are struggling with unsustainable debt while trying to ensure food and energy security for their people.

Clearly pointing out the role of developed nations towards global warming, Modi said that it is the developing countries that are most affected by the phenomenon, “caused by rich countries”.

“India’s G20 Presidency has tried to give a voice to the Global South”, he noted.

The prime minister underlined that the meeting is taking place at a time of deep global divisions and as foreign ministers, it is only natural that the discussions are affected by the geo-political tensions of the day.

“We all have our positions and our perspectives on how these tensions should be resolved,” Modi said.

He emphasized that “as the leading economies of the world, the responsibility towards those who are not in this room lies with us”.

“The world looks upon the G20 to ease the challenges of growth, development, economic resilience, disaster resilience, financial stability, transnational crime, corruption, terrorism, and food and energy security,” the prime minister remarked as he noted that G20 has the capacity to build consensus and deliver concrete results in all these areas.

“We should not allow issues that we cannot resolve together to come in the way of those we can,” he further emphasized.

“The G20 has a critical role to play in finding the right balance between growth and efficiency on one hand and resilience on the other,” Modi added.

WhatsApp rolling out ‘Report status updates’ feature on Android beta

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WhatsApp rolling out ‘Report status updates’ feature on Android beta

On Android beta, the meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature, which will allow users to report status updates.

Beta testers will see a new “report” action within the status options, reports WABetaInfo.

With the new feature, users can report any status update that might violate the Terms of Service, which will then be sent to the company’s moderation team.

Also, the feature makes sure that the messages, media, location sharing, calls, and status updates are all protected by end-to-end encryption on all devices.

This means that no one else, not even WhatsApp, Meta, or a proxy provider, can read the users’ personal messages and listen to their private calls.

The new feature is helpful as it will make the platform safe and secure for all users.

The report said that the ability to report status updates is available for some beta testers after installing the latest update of WhatsApp beta for Android on the Play Store, and is expected to roll out to more users over the coming days.

In January, it was reported that the messaging platform was working on this feature for Android beta.

Argentina World Cup hero Mac Allister wants to stay in Premier League

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Argentina World Cup hero Mac Allister wants to stay in Premier League

Argentine midfielder Alexis Mac Allister has expressed a desire to remain in England amid reports that he will leave Brighton this summer.

The 24-year-old has been linked with Liverpool, Manchester City, and Atletico Madrid, among other clubs, since playing a key role in Argentina’s 2022 World Cup triumph in Qatar.

“There isn’t a particular team that makes me say, ‘That is the way I play’,” Mac Allister told Argentine media outlet TyC Sports on Wednesday.

“I think that here in the Premier there are very strong teams that play attractive football, like Manchester City and Arsenal. Chelsea too. I had [Graham] Potter as a manager and I know the way he wants to play. Manchester United are getting back to where they were before and Liverpool is going through some ups and downs but still has a very good team.”

Mac Allister has made 94 appearances for Brighton – scoring 15 goals and providing six assists – since joining the club from Argentinos Juniors in 2016, a Xinhua report said.

His current contract is due to expire in June 2025 and the Seagulls have reportedly placed a 75 million-euro price tag (around 80 million US dollars) on the playmaker.

“If I have to say a place, I would like my next step to be in the Premier League. But the truth is that I am very focused here in Brighton and enjoying the present,” Mac Allister added.

Lucknow airport to get massive upgrade

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Lucknow airport to get massive upgrade

Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) will soon get a massive upgrade. The Adani Group plans to invest up to Rs 5,000 crore to upgrade the same.

According to official sources, Lucknow International Airport Ltd (LIAL) has sought a tariff hike to fund, among other things, a large integrated terminal and associated facilities to increase aircraft movement.

The combined passenger handling capacity of the existing two terminals is 43 lakh flyers per annum while they are handling 55 lakh flyers now, or 28 percent more than their built capacity.

“Phase-1 of the new integrated terminal 3 (T3) with a capacity of handling 80 lakh passengers per annum should be ready by this October. Then in another one year, phase-II should be ready with an additional capacity of 50 lakh passengers per annum, taking T3’s total capacity to 1.3 crores,” said the official.

The key features of T3 will include e-gates, self-baggage drop counters, and new lounges.

“The proposed increase in user development fees is being compared with existing UDF rates of Lucknow International Airport while there is a huge gap between the proposed and existing infrastructure. The proposed UDF rates at Lucknow Airport are in line with other major airports with similar infrastructure,” a CCSIA spokesperson said.

There will be a “super app” to boost digital travel with ease. T3 will have dedicated OLA, Uber, and taxi pick-up and drop-off zones.

Sources say LIAL has environmental clearance to take capacity up to almost 4 crore flyers per annum given the potential of the place.

“Uttar Pradesh is one of the fastest growing states and moving towards a $1 trillion economy. As the capital, Lucknow is the center for all business activities in the state, our endeavour for the proposed infrastructural development at CCSIA is to establish a viable and sustainable business ecosystem, enhance the airport’s catchment area, creation of airport infrastructure in accordance with the projected traffic, ensuring safe and efficient airport operations along with a brand promise of being a pleasant experience for our passengers at Lucknow,” he said.

A majority of the capital expenditure projects are related to the development of airside and terminal capacity matching with projected exponential passenger growth at CCSIA.

LIAL will also enhance the green cover of the area by planting 1.5 lakh saplings. T3 will have over a lakh decorative planters and indoor plants.

Iranian Prez orders probe into cases of schoolgirls’ poisoning

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Iranian Prez orders probe into cases of schoolgirls’ poisoning

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an immediate investigation into the cases of reported schoolgirls’ poisoning in several cities.

Raisi on Wednesday issued the directive at a cabinet meeting, asking Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidito to remove parents’ worries and public concerns about the cases, according to the website of the President’s office.

Over the past three months, several mysterious poisoning cases have been reported in a number of girls’ schools in different Iranian cities, mainly in the northern province of Qom, Xinhua news agency reported.

The first case was reported on November 30, 2022, in Qom, where 18 schoolgirls were transferred to medical centers after displaying poisoning symptoms, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Later, other schools in Qom, the western province of Lorestan, the northwestern province of Ardabil, the western province of Kermanshah, and even the capital Tehran also reported similar cases, the IRNA said.

As of now, more than 700 students in more than 30 schools across the country have fallen victim to such incidents, it added, noting in most of the cases, the students were released from the hospital soon after receiving treatment.

The IRNA cited Health Ministry Spokesman Pedram Pakaein as saying that the reported poisoning is “not caused by a virus or a microbe and the symptoms are transient”.

UN, humanitarians allocate $9.5 mn to fight cholera outbreak in Lebanon

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UN, humanitarians allocate $9.5 mn to fight cholera outbreak in Lebanon

The UN and the Lebanese Humanitarian Fund have allocated $9.5 million to prevent the spread of cholera in Lebanon, a UN Spokesman said.

Stephane Dujarric, the Chief Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Wednesday that the funds from the world organization’s Central Emergency Response Fund with the non-governmental organization humanitarian funds are for targeting more than 1.5 million people across Lebanon, including refugees from Syria and Palestine.

“The UN team in Lebanon, led by UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Imran Riza, is working with authorities and partners to combat the spread of cholera in a country that is already plagued by a severe economic and financial crisis,” Dujarric added.

“There have been more than 6,500 suspected and confirmed cases of cholera and 23 associated deaths since the first case was reported five months ago.”

He said that as of February 15, with the support of the World Health Organisation and the International Coordination Group, 1.1 million oral cholera vaccines had been administered. The vaccination campaign that began in mid-November 2022 had a coverage rate of more than 90 percent by the end of last year, Xinhua news agency reported.

Lebanon has been suffering from an economic and financial crisis, which began in 2019 and has put more than 80 percent of the population into poverty.

UN stresses importance of right to development

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UN stresses importance of right to development

The UN Human Rights Council held a high-level meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development, stressing that the landmark declaration was a ground-breaking achievement.

“The time had come to recognize the right to development as a human right — on a par with other human rights and fundamental freedoms,” said Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General and Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group.

In December of 1986, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, Mohammed stressed: “Today, the right to development remains a bold intention, yet to be realised by billions of people, still pending formal recognition; the time has come to make it a reality.”

She pointed out that the Declaration underscored the centrality of people as agents and ultimate beneficiaries of development, and that sustainable development could only be achieved with the meaningful participation of everyone.

Volker Trk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at the meeting that the world was now halfway through the 2030 Agenda’s 15-year framework. However, he added, the Sustainable Development Goals had been knocked badly off-track.

“In this regard, the Sustainable Development Goals Summit in September will be a key milestone to turbocharge the right to development and ensure that the goals are met,” he said.

Azerbaijan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov said that the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights had a special responsibility for integrating the right to development into the broader UN system, as well as mobilizing international support for realizing the right to development.

Meanwhile, the right to development was paralleled in the human development approach, said Achim Steiner, administrator of the United Nations Development Programme. Unlocking new sources of finance would be key, he stressed.

The right to development “is about creating an environment in which people could live with dignity and respect, free from poverty, hunger, disease, and oppression,” said Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development.

The Declaration made it clear that peoples’ participation is fundamental to the right to development and for achieving the right to health for all, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organisation, adding that countries had the duty to cooperate with each other.

More than 35 years after its adoption, the Declaration had renewed relevance in a world that was currently undergoing an important structural transformation, said Li Yuefen, senior adviser at the South Centre.

“It is essential that the promotion, protection, and fulfillment of the right to development should be continued in the context of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” she added.

Death toll from Greece train crash rises to 38

TB Team
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Death toll from Greece train crash rises to 38

The death toll from a head-on collision between two trains in central Greece three days ago has increased to 38, while 57 people are still hospitalized, the Greek Fire Service has said.

Six people have been admitted to intensive care, it added on Wednesday.

With a search and rescue operation still underway near the city of Larissa, the death toll is expected to climb higher, Greek Fire Service spokesman Vasilios Vathrakogiannis told a press briefing.

Most of the victims in Greece’s worst-ever train accident were young people whose families are now demanding explanations, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday evening.

“We will work so that this ‘never again’ that I heard in Larissa will not remain an empty promise,” he told Greek national broadcaster ERT.

The Greek Prime Minister added that the country’s State Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis would serve as a transitional Infrastructure and Transport Minister, after the resignation of Kostas Karamanlis, until the general election which would take place in the spring, Xinhua news agency reported.

An independent, cross-party committee of experts will also be established, to fully examine the causes of the accident, and to investigate chronic delays in the implementation of railway projects. Two national railway officials have resigned, Mitsotakis added.

An investigation into the cause of the disaster had been launched, with information so far indicating that it was caused by human error, he said.

The two trains, a passenger train traveling from Athens to Thessaloniki city port in northern Greece and a cargo train, were on the same track, but traveling in opposite directions for several kilometers before the collision.

President of the train drivers’ association, Kostas Genidounias told ERT that there were chronic shortcomings in railway operations that should be addressed.

A three-day national mourning has been declared in the country.

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