India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat

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India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has presented challenges for several nations, could be an “opportunity” for India to speed up the health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat, especially with a focus on primary healthcare, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said.

WHO Director-General Ghebreyesus was responding to a question on the COVID-19 situation in India, where the number of coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly. India went past Italy on Friday to become the sixth worst-hit nation by the COVID-19 pandemic.

India has seen a record single-day jump of 9,887 coronavirus cases and 294 deaths in the last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide infection tally to 2,36,657 and the number of deaths to 6,642, according to the health ministry.

“Of course COVID is very unfortunate and it’s challenging for many nations but we need to look for opportunities too. For instance for India, this could be an opportunity to speed up Ayushman Bharat, especially with a focus on primary health care.

I know there is a very strong commitment from the government to speed up the implementation of Ayushman Bharat and with primary healthcare and community engagement, I think we can really turn the tide,” Mr. Ghebreyesus said during a press briefing in Geneva on Friday.

Ayushman Bharat is the world’s largest health insurance scheme and was launched by the Narendra Modi government in 2018. Last month, PM Modi had said that the number of people who have benefited from the scheme crossed the one crore mark. The scheme aims to cover more than 500 million beneficiaries and provide coverage of Rs 500,000 per family, per year.

Referring to the Ayushman Bharat scheme, Mr. Ghebreyesus added that “using and speeding up what has started could actually help in India and that’s what WHO was very appreciative by the way when Ayushman Bharat started. And this could be a very good opportunity actually to test that and speed up and use it to really fight this pandemic.”

Trump’s decision to put words in Floyd’s mouth was nonetheless roundly criticized

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Trump’s decision to put words in Floyd’s mouth was nonetheless roundly criticized

Trump’s decision to put words in Floyd’s mouth was nonetheless roundly criticized.Joe Biden, his presumptive Democratic opponent in the November election, immediately lashed out at Trump for invoking Floyd’s name, calling it “despicable.”

“George Floyd’s last words, ‘I can’t breathe,’ have echoed across our nation and around the world,” Biden tweeted.”For the President to try to put any other words in his mouth is frankly despicable.”

Since Floyd’s May 25 death and subsequent protests, which have included rioting and looting in many US cities, Trump has favored a military response.

Presenting himself as a “law and order” president, Trump has threatened to send the US military into the streets to quell the ongoing demonstrations.

Trump reiterated on Friday that authorities need to “dominate the streets,” and criticized governors in states that had rejected sending in the National Guard during protests and rioting.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper rebuffed Trump over the idea of deploying troops, a proposal that earned sharp criticism from previous Pentagon leaders including Jim Mattis.

Trump has always believed the best policy for reducing inequality is promoting economic growth among African Americans.

“What you now see… is the greatest thing that can happen for race relations, for the African American community, for the Asian American, for the Hispanic American, for women, for everything,” Trump said Friday.

“Our country is so strong, and that’s what my plan is. We’re going to have the strongest economy in the world,” he added.

For the past three years, Trump has repeatedly claimed that he has “done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln,” who abolished slavery in the 1860s.

Modi was scheduled to take part in an International Yoga Day

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Modi was scheduled to take part in an International Yoga Day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to take part in an International Yoga Day programme on June 21 in Leh, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his travel there is doubtful, the AYUSH Ministry has said.

In March, AYUSH Ministry officials had said that Leh in Ladakh will be the venue for the main event on International Yoga Day on June 21 and Prime Minister Modi will attend it.

However, asked if the Prime Minister will participate in any Yoga Day event this year keeping in mind the COVID-19 pandemic, AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha told news agency Press Trust of India that “it is not decided yet”.He also said that this year’s Yoga Day will be celebrated on digital media platforms.

“It is not yet decided whether the Prime Minister will participate in a programme. Earlier, it was decided that he will go to Leh, but now due to the COVID-19 crisis, it is not yet decided whether he will go to Leh or not,” the official told news agency PTI.

“The main event will be a big event, but it will be digital,” he said, adding that the modalities are still being worked out.In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s International Yoga Day would be celebrated on digital media platforms and there would be no mass gatherings, the government said.

This year’s theme will be ‘Yoga at Home and Yoga with Family’. People will be able to join Yoga Day celebrations virtually at 7 am on June 21.

Williamson to discuss WI’s upcoming tour of Eng on Cricket Connected

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Williamson to discuss WI’s upcoming tour of Eng on Cricket Connected

Keeping the momentum going, in a special episode this week, Star Sports has brought onboard New Zealand captain Kane Williamson as a special guest for this weekend (June 6th & June 7th) star-studded episode of Cricket Connected that airs at 7 PM & 9 PM IST.

Williamson will join India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik on the English episode, while former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan, India pacer Deepak Chahar and the famed pace-bowling trio of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav, will be seen deliberating on key issues in the world of cricket on Cricket Connected Hindi.

Some of the talking points to be discussed on the show will be England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) recent announcement to host West Indies for the three-Test series which is scheduled to start in Southampton in July 8 subject to the UK government’s approval.

The upcoming episode will also discuss Team India captain Virat Kohli’s phenomenal evolution from his U-19 days to the present, what has M.S. Dhoni been up to during the lockdown and anecdotes of Shikhar Dhawan’s heroic performance during the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy.

A special ‘Wrap of the Week’ segment will throw light on everything that happened in the cricketing world during the week. The segment will give a sneak-peak into Dhoni’s family life with wife Sakshi and daughter Ziva.

Rules to follow for playing US Open are extreme: Djokovic

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Rules to follow for playing US Open are extreme: Djokovic

Tennis world no.1 Novak Djokovic said that the rules around participation in the US Open is “extreme.” The Grand Slam is scheduled to be held from August 24 to September 13 and organizers United States Tennis Association (USTA) has said that it wants to hold the tournament on the scheduled dates.

“Just yesterday I had a telephone conversation with the leaders of world tennis, there were talks about the continuation of the season, mostly about the US Open due in late August, but it is not known whether it will be held,” Djokovic told Prva TV television and quoted by Blic online daily.

“The rules that they told us that we would have to respect to be there, to play at all, they are extreme. We would not have access to Manhattan, we would have to sleep in hotels at the airport, to be tested twice or three times per week.

“Also, we could bring one person to the club which is really impossible. I mean, you need your coach, then a fitness trainer, then a physiotherapist.

“All their suggestions are really rigorous but I can understand that due to financial reasons, due to already existing contracts, organizers (want the event to be) held. We will see what will happen.”

The USTA said that it’s “top goal” is to ensure the US Open is held on the scheduled dates and it is mulling restricting the access of fans to the tournament venue.

“The USTA continues to model many different scenarios regarding the 2020 US Open,” said Chris Widmaier, the USTA’s head of communications. “Our top goal is to conduct the US Open in New York in our scheduled dates. To that end, we are modeling many potential scenarios which include both limited fans and potentially no fans on-site for the event.”

Kangana slams B’wood celebs who back Black rights but endorse fairness cream

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Kangana slams B’wood celebs who back Black rights but endorse fairness cream

Kangana Ranaut has taken a dig at Bollywood celebrities who are protesting the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, US, and taking part in the Black Lives Matter campaign but preferred to stay mum when two sadhus were lynched in Palghar.

“I feel it has become fancy to somehow be a part of this bandwagon which is relevant to the West. But if you see how Asian celebrities and actors work, they are very impactful in this part of the country. I don’t know how they are participating in the socio-political reform of America. Just a few weeks ago, two sages were killed openly in a mob, they we’re lynched to death. But unfortunately cops handed them over to the bloodthirsty mob. There was not a word from anyone. I think that would probably resonate with the majority Indian sentiments,” said Kangana, in an interview with BBC.

A video clip of the interview has been shared on the actress’s official Instagram page.

In the interview, Kangana also pointed out that many Bollywood actors and actresses who endorse fairness creams were now talking about racial discrimination.

“These people, especially the Indian celebrities, the successful ones, certainly I am the exception, they have been endorsing all kinds of fairness products and today shamelessly they stand and say black lives matter. How dare they? Why is no one asking them? What about these million dollar deals that they have been doing with all kinds of fairness products and how come now suddenly black lives matter?” she said.

The actress added: “When you politicise your compassion, your activism, your humanity, then you are also a part of the problem. The problem is selective compassion and I think that is what we are seeing here in India. Most celebrities are being called out on this that why there was no outrage over the monks because sadhus are like monks. They were killed precisely because they were wearing saffron clothes. There is no outrage. Everybody is mum about it. I think the dissent is also being commercialized to look busy without work I’d say.”

“A fully developed superpower, a developed nation like America, we want to involve ourselves in their political issues but we have so much to do here…We should take a lead from them and we should talk about our issues because every country has their own set of issues and we need to first deal within the house before we go out and try and reform the world. We are failing to do that,” she told BBC.

Bengaluru restaurants gear up for reopening

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Bengaluru restaurants gear up for reopening

Iconic city restaurant Vidyarthi Bhavan is preparing to start welcoming customers again by installing transparent partitions on tables.

The 77-year-old restaurant’s staff were seen doing the makeshift arrangements, dividing each table into two, to ensure safety and physical distancing, though not very far apart.

Many food and beverage outlets in the city are set to open from Monday as part of the relaxed lockdown norms.

Initially, the restaurant thought of glass partitions but gave up that idea as they would turn out to be heavy and hard to move the tables.

Taking into consideration different sizes of tables, which seat groups of people and families, the restaurant is planning the changes. The restaurant owners are also looking at the methods deployed elsewhere.

Set up as a small canteen for National High School and Acharya Patashala students, the restaurant was taken over in 1970 by Ramakrishna Adiga, who hailed from Shankaranaryana village near Kundapur.

Putin orders probe into cause of Arctic oil spill

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Putin orders probe into cause of Arctic oil spill

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered an investigation into the cause of an Arctic oil spill last week.

A fuel tank at a power plant near the city of Norilsk in Siberia collapsed on May 29, leaking 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil into a river within the Arctic Circle, reports Efe news.

On Friday, Putin has demanded that Russian authorities bring the situation under control and investigate the cause of the incident after previously declaring a state of emergency over the disaster.

“I ask all the agencies that should be directly involved in this work, certainly the Ministry of Emergencies, to establish full special control over the situation,” he was quoted by Russian news agency TASS.

“Definitely, causes should be identified and damages should be assessed thoroughly and uncompromisingly, objectively.”

The President also ordered Russia’s environmental watchdog to check all storage facilities for oil products in the country.

“I ask Russia’s Federal Supervision Service for Natural Resources Management to analyze thoroughly the condition of similar facilities across the entire country and organize checks, if necessary, including involving emergencies ministry specialists and law enforcers,” he added.

Emergency Minister Yevgeny Zinichev flew over the affected area on Thursday along with a commission created to respond to the ecological disaster.

It was the first incident of such a magnitude in the Arctic and is comparable to the Exxon Valdez tanker spill three decades ago off the coast of Alaska, according to Greenpeace.

Russian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Ecology Elena Panova said at a press conference on Thursday that the recovery of the environment in the area could take at least 10 years.

The cleanup has been complicated by the conditions in the area, she added.

Around 6,000 tons of diesel spilled onto the land and another 15,000 tonness went to rivers, according to state watchdog for natural resources Rosprirodnadzor.

A deployment of 70 rescuers from various Russian regions has been dispatched to the scene, in addition to special equipment from the Russian oil companies, including pumps, machines to collect oil, excavators and floating containment barriers.

Drones and helicopters have been sent to monitor the disaster area from the air.

Nornikel, the company responsible for the spill, has also been involved in the cleanup operation and has said the bulk of the fuel can be collected from local rivers within 14 days if conditions are favorable.

A criminal case has been opened into the incident for negligence, land damage, violation of environmental protection standards at work and water pollution.

Prince William reveals he’s secret helpline volunteer

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Prince William reveals he’s secret helpline volunteer

The UK’s Prince William revealed that he has been anonymously volunteering on a crisis helpline during the COVID-19 lockdown, it was reported on Saturday.

He has been volunteering at Shout 85258, which offers support via text message to people in personal crisis, the BBC reported.

The Cambridges and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex helped to launch Shout 85258 last year – investing 3 million pounds in the service via their Royal Foundation.

In a little over a year since then, more than 300,000 text conversations have been had on the service.

Around 65 percent of those texting are aged under 25, the charity said, with many messengers seeking mental health support.

Prince William said he had been answering messages after being trained by the mental health charity.

Last month he told fellow volunteers in a video call: “I’m going to share a little secret with you guys, but I’m actually on the platform volunteering.”

Kensington Palace announced the Prince’s involvement to mark Volunteers Week, which ends on Sunday.

Those texting the round-the-clock service would not know they are talking to a member of the Royal Family – like Shout’s 2,000 volunteers, William would use a pseudonym on the platform.

No beef with Elon, says multibillionaire Nikola founder

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No beef with Elon, says multibillionaire Nikola founder

Hydrogen-truck maker Nikola is gaining a lot of attention – not just because of its recent $12 billion debut on the Nasdaq which put the company’s founder Trevor Milton’s net worth at more than $4 billion.

Milton’s dramatic rise in just about six years since the founding of Nikola in 2014 has also drawn comparison to Tesla Founder Elon Musk.

While 38-year-old Milton’s recent comments that he is one of the very few people in the world who can “out-Elon” got a lot of media attention, he had also made it clear that he bears no personal enmity with Musk.

In an interview to TheStreet, published on Friday, Milton did admit that he considers electric car maker Tesla as a competitor.

“And, uh, I have, I have no beef with, with Elon, I think he’s a cool cat. I don’t know him personally…,” he was quoted as saying.

Nikola Corporation on June 3 announced the completion of its previously announced business combination with VectoIQ Acquisition Corp., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, and Nikola’s listing on the Nasdaq.

On June 4, the combined company’s shares started trading on the Nasdaq under the new ticker symbol “NKLA.”

“Since Nikola launched its first fuel-cell semi-truck, you have seen the world rally behind hydrogen and follow our lead. What was once considered the fuel of the future is now accepted as today’s solution,” Milton had said in a statement.

“With our Nikola IVECO joint venture and over $10 billion in pre-order reservations, Nikola is positioned to be a wonderful story of how one company can literally change the world.”

Yet another improvement thanks to lockdown, your resting heart rate

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Yet another improvement thanks to lockdown, your resting heart rate

From January to April 2020, the resting heart rate of Indians has improved – showing a drop for the general population, and even more so for younger users. On an average resting heart rate dropped by 2.56 beats per minute in female users aged between 18-29 and 2.35 beats per minute in male users aged between 18-29, which may not sound like a lot, but is a statistically significant change, shows Fitbit data.

Resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when still at rest. This metric can be an important indicator of fitness level and overall heart health. Not only can it be used to track fitness level, but it can also alert about potential health issues such as illness, high stress levels, sleep deprivation, dehydration, overtraining, and underlying medical conditions.

According to the fitness tracking brand, two important trends that could be contributing to the decline in resting heart rate for Fitbit users from January to April are an increase in sleep duration and decrease in bedtime variability.

“The average sleep duration in India increased by 13.81 minutes. This is great news, especially because not getting enough sleep can have a negative impact on resting heart rate. Not getting enough sleep is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

“During normal times, people (particularly young people) tend to go to bed later on the weekends, often leading to social jet lag, which can impact heart health. Not only are people going to bed earlier on the weekends since they are no longer going out, but they are also going to bed later on weekdays, leading to more consistent bedtime. Our data shows that Indians reduced their bedtime variability by 7.7 minutes,” Fitbit said.

With many Indians still staying and working from home, and daily schedules constantly changing given Unlock 1.0 guidelines, the impact of COVID-19 on the overall wellness of Indians shows that even though step count has gone down, heart health has improved.

As per the brand, younger users from many other countries experienced the largest decline in resting heart rate and, across age groups, India, Spain, Mexico, France, and Singapore saw the biggest improvements.

The population of Sweden, a country that did not have a shelter -in-place lockdown enforced, did not experience resting heart rate improvements, while most age groups in Australia experienced smaller or no improvements when compared with other countries.

Calling these findings encouraging, Fitbit said it is happy to see users adapting their behavior and still prioritizing their health and fitness.

Pooja Hegde – Pic of the Day

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Pooja Hegde – Pic of the Day

Pooja Hegde - Pic of the Day

she thought I had twisted my hand :Rohit Sharma

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she thought I had twisted my hand :Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma, India opening batsman, caught up with his teammates Shikhar Dhawan and Mayank Agarwal in a show ”Open nets with Mayank” on BCCI.tv. During the interview, both Rohit and Dhawan recalled their best moments so far in Indian cricket and opened up about their camaraderie on and off the field.

Rohit, while recalling his third double century in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), revealed the reason why his wife Ritika Sajdeh cried in the stands in Mohali as the right-handed batsman created history by becoming the only player to have three 200-plus scores in the 50-over format.

Rohit said that when he asked Ritika why she got emotional when he achieved the milestone, she said that when he went for a quick single and dived while batting on 195, she thought he had twisted his hand.

“I just asked her why did she cry? She told me she thought before that, I think it was my 196th run where I had to dive, so she thought I had twisted my hand. That was a real worrying factor for her and she got really emotional because of that, I guess,” Rohit told Mayank.

Rohit further mentioned that the knock was special because it came on the day of his wedding anniversary. Rohit has three double hundreds to his name in ODIs, two of them came against Sri Lanka while the other one came against Australia in 2013.Rohit also holds the record for the highest individual score in the 50-over format. He had smashed 264 runs against Sri Lanka in Kolkata in 2014.

Yuvraj Singh.. former India cricketer..issued a clarification on Friday

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Yuvraj Singh.. former India cricketer..issued a clarification on Friday

Yuvraj Singh, former India cricketer, issued a clarification on Friday after a severe social media backlash over a comment he made for spinner Yuzvendra Chahal. Yuvraj Singh and his former teammate and current vice-captain of the India ODI and T20I teams, Rohit Sharma had made light of Chahal’s antics on various social media platforms during an Instagram Live last month.

But one of the words Yuvraj used while referring to Chahal didn’t go too well and a social media furore ensued. In a statement posted on his official Twitter handle, Yuvraj expressed regret “if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings”, adding that his “love for India and all its people is eternal”.

“This is to clarify that I have never believed in any kind of disparity, be it on the basis of caste, colour, creed or gender. I have given and continue to spend my life for the welfare of people. I believe in the dignity of life and respect each individual without exception,” read the statement.

“I understand that while I was having a conversation with my friends, I was misunderstood, which was unwarranted. However, as a responsible Indian I want to say that if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings, I would like to express regret for the same. My love for India and all its people is eternal,” the statement added.

Yuvraj Singh had announced his retirement from international cricket in Mumbai in June 2019.The 37-year-old was the chief architect of India’s World Cup triumph in 2011 and he also played a pivotal role in helping the side to lift the inaugural T20 World Cup trophy.

‘Mexico unable to support OPEC with further oil production adjustment’

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‘Mexico unable to support OPEC with further oil production adjustment’

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said that the country is unable to further decrease its crude oil production after having made the adjustments the country agreed to in April with other members of OPEC+.

“We cannot further adjust our production. We have already closed oil wells to fulfil the commitment we made,” Xinhua news agency quoted the President as saying at a press conference on Friday.

“OPEC members have already been informed of our position. We are complying with reducing oil production by 100,000 barrels.

“We have already complied,” Lopez Obrador said.

He said that Secretary of Energy Rocio Nahle will participate remotely over the coming weekend in an OPEC+ meeting where members will discuss the possible extension of cuts to oil production in an attempt to stabilize fuel prices.

OPEC+, the organization of petroleum exporting countries and other major oil-exporting nations, agreed in April to cut oil production by about 10 million barrels per day in May and June in order to strengthen oil prices, which have fallen dramatically due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and excess production.

In addition to cuts of 9.7 million barrels per day in May and June, OPEC+ agreed at their April meeting that the cuts would be softened to 7.7 million bpd between July and December, and to 5.8 million bpd between January 2021 and April 2022.

Meanwhile it was announced on Thursday that the OPEC+ group has postponed its technical and monitoring meetings until the middle of June, but was yet to set a date for a video conference for the Ministers of the organization’s member countries and other producers.

Operation Blue Star anniversary: Minor scuffle in Amritsar

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Operation Blue Star anniversary: Minor scuffle in Amritsar

The 36th anniversary of Operation Blue Star was marred by a minor scuffle and heated arguments between Sikh activists and police as they forced their entry into the Golden Temple in Amritsar on Saturday, police said.

The Sikh activists and leaders wanted to gather in large numbers at the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of the Sikh religion, in the Golden Temple complex that has not opened officially due to the coronavirus lockdown.

They were initially stopped by the police, but later after heated arguments, they managed to reach the shrine complex where prayers were performed with a few devotees in attendance.

In view of the violent clashes that took place during the anniversary in the past, security agencies had been on alert in and around the holy city of Amritsar, around 250 km from state capital Chandigarh, ahead of the Operation Blue Star anniversary.

Operation Blue Star was carried out by the Indian Army at the Darbar Sahib complex between June 1 and 8, 1984.

Every year, prayers are held at the Akal Takht by radical Sikh organization Dal Khalsa to mark the anniversary of the Army operation carried out to flush out heavily-armed terrorists from inside the complex.

As for threats to peace due to the observance of Operation Blue Star anniversary, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said on Friday that nobody would be allowed to disrupt the peace of Punjab, which had lost 35,000 lives during the dark days of terror.

“No Punjabi wants this,” he said, adding that it was only a handful of anti-India elements that continued to try and provoke people in the name of Khalistan every now and then.

UNSC extends authorization of measures for Libya arms embargo

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UNSC extends authorization of measures for Libya arms embargo

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution to extend the measures designed to implement an arms embargo on Libya for a further 12 months.

Resolution 2526, which was approved unanimously by the 15-member Council on Friday, extends the authorizations for UN member states to inspect, on the high seas off the coast of Libya, vessels coming from or to the country if they have reasonable grounds to believe the vessels are carrying arms or related materials in violation of the arms embargo, reports Xinhua news agency.

Resolution 2526 also requests the UN Secretary-General to report to the Security Council within 11 months of the adoption of the resolution on its implementation.

The Security Council imposed sanctions, including an arms embargo, on Libya in 2011 after the political turmoil that led to the toppling of former leader Muammar Gaddafi.

In June 2016, the council adopted Resolution 2292 to authorize vessel inspections on the high seas to implement the arms embargo.

The authorizations have been extended several times.

Since 2014, Libya has been split between rival factions based in Tripoli and in the east.

The fighting has killed and injured hundreds of civilians and displaced more than 150,000 others, despite repeated international calls for a ceasefire.

Trump directs US troops reduction in Germany

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Trump directs US troops reduction in Germany

US President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to reduce American. military presence in Germany by September, the media reported.

Citing US government officials, The Wall Street Journal said in a report on Friday that the move would reduce 9,500 troops from the 34,500 troops that are permanently assigned in Germany, reports Xinhua news agency.

The move also limits the size of US troops deployed in Germany at any one time at the 25,000-troop level.

According to the report, overall troop levels under current practice can rise to as high as 52,000 as units rotate in and out or take part in training exercises.

The report came days after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she would not attend the G7 Summit that initially scheduled at the White House later this month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A person familiar with the matter was quoted as saying that the troops’ reduction plan had been discussed within the administration for months and was not linked to Merkel’s decision on G7 Summit.

The reduction plan might further strain the relations between Washington and Berlin.

The two allies have been at odds with each other on Iran nuclear issues, Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, and defense burden-sharing, among others.

Rajasthan becomes 5th state to cross 10K Covid cases

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Rajasthan becomes 5th state to cross 10K Covid cases

The number of COVID-19 patients in Rajasthan crossed the 10,000-mark with 218 deaths reported till Friday night, said Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh on Saturday morning.

The state has become fifth in the country to cross the figure of 10,000 after Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, and Gujarat.

Rajasthan now has a cumulative 10,084 positive patients, out of which 7,359 have recovered. A total of 6,818 have been discharged, leaving behind 2,507 active cases.

Out of the 10,084 cases, 2,913 are migrants who have come from different states during the lockdown, Singh said.

The state so far has collected 4,80,910 samples out of which results of 5,477 samples are awaited.

All 33 districts of the state stand infected with COVID-19 while Jaipur stands on top with 2,152 COVID-19 patients, which is followed by Jodhpur where 1,706 patients have been reported positive.

Udaipur has 577 patients, Pali has 573 patients, Kota (503), Bharatpur (546), Ajmer (362), Alwar (82), Banswara (85), Baran (57), Barmer (105), Bhilwara (163), Bikaner (109), Bundi (4), Chittaurgarh (188), Churu (142), Dausa (62), Dholpur (65), Dungarpur (373), Ganganagar (7), Hanumangarh (30), Jaisalmer (74), Jalore (168), Jhalawar (326), Jhunjhunu (157), Karauli (20), Kota (503), Nagaur (490), Pali (573), Pratapgarh (14), Rajsamand (160), Sikar (260), Sawai Madhopur (24), Sikar (260), Sirohi (191) and Tonk has 169 positive cases.

Harbhajan channelised potential frustration into unbridled aggression: VVS

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Harbhajan channelised potential frustration into unbridled aggression: VVS

VVS Laxman on Saturday paid tribute to Harbhajan Singh, saying the off-spinner channelized his “potential frustration into unbridled aggression” and held his own at the highest level for more than a decade.

“Another person could easily have buckled under the string of personal and professional setbacks that marked the early part of his career. Channelizing potential frustration into unbridled aggression, Harbhajan Singh held his own at the highest level for a decade and a half,” Laxman said on Twitter.

Laxman and Harbhajan were part of the memorable 2001 Kolkata Test against Australia in which India registered one of the most famous wins in the history of Test cricket.

Harbhajan had picked up a hat-trick in the second innings and returned with match figures of 13/196 as India won the contest by 171 runs at the Eden Gardens. That victory ended Australia’s 16-match winning streak while this Test was only the third instance in history when a team had won a match after being enforced to follow-on.

The 39-year-old veteran off-spinner has so far played 103 Tests and 236 ODIs for India in which he has scalped 417 and 269 wickets respectively. Besides, he has alo played 28 T20Is in which he has picked 25 wickets. His last appearance for India came in a T20I game against UAE in 2016.

Laxman has been paying tributes to some of the cricketers he’s played alongside and who had an influence on him and his career. Apart from Harbhajan, he has so far paid tributes to Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, and Virender Sehwag.

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