Lankan President reiterates stand
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that it had been made clear to India and the international community that Lanka would not suspend the military operations against the LTTE, reports Sutirtho Patranobis.
By Sutirtho Patranobis | Hindustan Times, Colombo
UPDATED ON OCT 21, 2008 11:45 PM IST
President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Tuesday said that it had been made clear to India and the international community that Sri Lanka would not suspend the military operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
He said that that the LTTE “did not understand the language of negotiation” and “therefore the operations will have to continue on behalf of the people.''
Rajapaksa indicated that he was sympathetic to the Indian Government's political compulsions as it was propped up by regional parties. He was “aware of the political pressures in India at the moment, especially considering the reality of coalition politics and the diverse
interests that surface in such situations.'' Rajapaksa added that his telephone conversation with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh did not have any reference to “stopping military operations against the terrorism of LTTE.''
China to donate 3 lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses to Sri Lanka
PTI, Beijing
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 09:58 PM IST
"China will donate three lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses to Sri Lanka to jointly fight the Covid-19 pandemic," state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday, citing a statement from the Chinese embassy in Colombo.
Travesty of justice: India after Pak upholds acquittal of Daniel Pearl's killer
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 09:26 PM IST
A three-judge bench upheld the Sindh high court's order of April last year to acquit Omar Saeed Sheikh and three other men convicted of the 2002 abduction and murder of Daniel Pearl.
New US jobless claims drop; still at 847,000 as pandemic rages
AP, Washington
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 08:21 PM IST
Overall, nearly 4.8 million Americans are continuing to receive traditional state unemployment benefits.
EU warns it could block vaccine exports, wields legal threat at drugmakers
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 08:18 PM IST
The EU, whose member states are far behind Israel, the United Kingdom and the United States in rolling out vaccines, is scrambling to get supplies just as the West's biggest drugmakers slow deliveries to the bloc due to production problems.
EU should consider legal means to secure promised vaccines: Charles Michel
Reuters, Brussels
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:57 PM IST
European Council president said in a letter that the bloc should make use of all legal means and enforcement measures at its disposal under the Treaties.
US economic growth moderated to 4% in final quarter of 2020
Bloomberg
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 08:03 PM IST
Gross domestic product expanded at a 4% annualized rate in the fourth quarter, according to a preliminary estimate released by the Commerce Department on Thursday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 4.2%.
Germany recommends AstraZeneca's Covid shot only for people under 65
Bloomberg
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:33 PM IST
- The country’s immunization commission said there was insufficient information on the shot’s effectiveness for people over 65 years old, though it added that “beyond this limitation, the vaccine is also considered to be equally suitable.”
Chinese victim’s son seeks answers as WHO virus probe team starts work
By Sutirtho Patranobis I Edited by Vinod Janardhanan
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:29 PM IST
Disgruntled family members of victims were blocked out of Chinese social media. The itinerary of the 13 WHO experts, expected to be here for two weeks under global glare, wasn’t revealed by the Chinese foreign ministry on Thursday.
Pope Francis to meet Iraqi Shiite leader Ali al-Sistani
AP, Rome
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:21 PM IST
- The trip is aimed primarily at encouraging the country’s beleaguered Christians, who faced decades of discrimination by the Muslim majority before being targeted relentlessly by Islamic State militants starting in 2014. But the first visit by a pope to Iraq also has a strong interfaith component.
Russian court orders Navalny to remain in jail ahead of trial
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:00 PM IST
Tens of thousands of people in cities across Russia joined protests last Saturday to demand Navalny be freed from jail.
Biden to rescind Mexico City Policy: Know all about contested ‘global gag rule’
By hindustantimes.com | Edited by Kunal Gaurav, New Delhi
UPDATED ON JAN 28, 2021 07:01 PM IST
The policy was first announced by the Ronald Reagan administration in 1984 and since then, it has been rescinded and reinstated multiple times along party lines.
UN goal to end child labour by 2025 deemed impractical, out of touch
Reuters
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 06:45 PM IST
According to the academics, the objective was unrealistic even before the pandemic disrupted schooling and increased hardship for millions of children around the world.
Blocked links showing deceased woman as Hathras rape victim: Google, Twitter, FB
PTI, New Delhi
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 06:22 PM IST
The counsel for the husband told the court that all the links to the objectionable content have not been removed by Facebook.
Rare 72-year-old Scotch whisky to be auctioned in Hong Kong
AP, Hong Kong
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 05:45 PM IST
- It is the first time that the 1948 Glen Grant whisky, by independent bottler Gordon & MacPhail, is being offered in an auction. It is number 88 of 290 decanters bottled by the company, and will be auctioned off by Bonhams with a book estimate of 300,000 to 380,000 Hong Kong dollars.
Novartis seeks partners to make more Covid-19 vaccines, therapies
Bloomberg
PUBLISHED ON JAN 28, 2021 05:33 PM IST
The company is “in conversations with a range of different players,” Chief Executive Officer Vas Narasimhan said, with an agreement possible in the coming days or weeks.