Trinetra Dainik

TOKYO, April 15 :  (AFP) - Japan's prime minister heads to Washington on Thursday to become the first foreign leader to hold face-to-face talks with US President Joe Biden, with concerns about China topping the agenda. Yoshihide Suga will be hoping to renew the all-important alliance with Washington after the Trump era, as well as compare notes on an increasingly assertive Beijing. The trip comes after two top US officials visited Japan in March, and following a summit of leaders from the Quad alliance -- a grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and India. The theme of all the diplomatic activity has been clear: signalling a united front to Beijing at a time of growing concern about its military stance and human rights issues. In Tokyo, Suga's trip is seen as "a sign that the United States puts top priority on East Asia in its diplomacy," said Kunihiko Miyake, president of Japan's Foreign Policy Institute think-tank. "It means Washington now shares J...

TOKYO, April 15 : (AP) - Two officials in Japan's ruling LDP party on Thursday said changes could be coming to the Tokyo Olympics. One suggested they still could be canceled, and the other said even if they proceed, it might be without any fans. Toshihiro Nikai, the No. 2 and secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, suggested the cancellation only a day after Tokyo reached the 100-days-to-go mark on Wednesday. He made his comments in a show recorded by Japan’s TBS TV. “If it seems impossible to go on with the games, they must be definitely canceled,” Nikai said. “If there is a surge in infections because of the Olympics, there will be no meaning to having the Olympics.” Asked if a cancellation was still an option, Nikai said: “Of course.” But he also added: “It is important for Japan to have a successful Olympics. It is a big opportunity. I want to make it a success. We will have many issues to resolve and prepare, and it is important to take care of them one by on...

WASHINGTON, April 15 : (Xinhua) -- President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that all U.S. troops will be withdrawn from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, a decision to end the longest war in American history. "The United States will begin our final withdrawal, begin it on May 1 of this year," Biden said in his remarks at the White House. "U.S. troops, as well as forces deployed by our NATO allies and operational partners, will be out of Afghanistan before we mark the 20th anniversary of that heinous attack on September 11th." Biden delivered the address at the Treaty Room, the same place where then President George W. Bush informed the nation that the U.S. military had begun airstrikes against terrorists in Afghanistan nearly two decades ago. "It is time to end America's longest war. It is time for American troops to come home," he said, noting that the United States has achieved counterterrorism objectives in this war. In his remarks, Biden made clear th...

NEW DELHI, April 15 :  (Xinhua) -- India's COVID-19 surge continues as over 200,000 (200,739) cases were registered during the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to over 14 million (14,074,564), said the latest data released by the federal health ministry on Thursday. As many as 1,038 deaths due to the pandemic since Wednesday morning took the death toll to 173,123, added the data. This is the first time when the single-day spike in COVID-19 cases has surpassed the 200,000 mark ever since the pandemic broke out in the country. For almost 10 days, the number of new cases registered in India in 24 hours had been over 100,000. On Wednesday 184,372 new cases were reported. There are still 1,471,877 active cases in the country, while 12,429,564 people have been discharged from hospitals after medical treatment.  

NEW DELHI, April 15 : (AFP) - India added a record 200,000 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, official data showed Thursday, as the country's huge second wave accelerates. The number of new infections in a day has more than doubled since early April, with a cumulative total 14.1 million cases. India also added 1,038 deaths in the past day, taking the total to almost 175,000, the health ministry data showed, although on a per capita basis India is far behind many other countries. This week, it overtook Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of Covid-19 cases -- experts have blamed complacency about the virus and frustration for the surge. Having let its guard down with mass religious festivals, political rallies and spectators at cricket matches, India is experiencing a ferocious new wave with almost two million fresh cases this month. After a lockdown a year ago caused widespread misery and one of the sharpest downturns of any major economy, the centra...

MEXICO CITY, April 15 : (Xinhua) -- Haitian President Jovenel Moise on Wednesday appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs Claude Joseph as interim prime minister, succeeding Joseph Jouthe. Moise confirmed on Twitter that he accepted Jouthe's resignation, saying it "will make it possible to address the glaring problem of public safety, and to continue the discussions with a view to reaching the necessary consensus for the political and institutional stability of our country." Jouthe's departure came as Haiti was grappling with a high crime rate brought by surging kidnappings and murders, especially in the capital Port-au-Prince. The United Nations Security Council has voiced deep concern about the political and several other protracted crises in Haiti, urging stakeholders to set aside their differences and to prepare for free, fair, transparent and credible presidential elections later in 2021. The Caribbean country has been mired in a prolonged political impasse, yet the...

SAO PAULO, April 15 : (Xinhua) -- Brazil's COVID-19 death toll has risen to 361,884 after 3,459 new deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the country registered 73,513 new cases, bringing the national tally to 13,673,507, the ministry said. Sao Paulo, the most populous state in Brazil, has also been the hardest hit by the virus with 2,686,031 cases and 85,475 deaths. Starting its vaccination process on Jan. 17, Brazil has so far vaccinated 32.15 million people. Brazil has been experiencing a new wave of cases since January, and many states in the country have reported an overloading of their healthcare systems.  

NEW DELHI, April 13,  (AFP) - India has authorised Russia's Sputnik V Covid-19 vaccine, a leading local drugmaker said Tuesday, in a boost for the nation's inoculation drive as virus cases mount. "We are very pleased to obtain the emergency use authorisation for Sputnik V in India," Dr Reddy's Laboratories co-chairman and managing director G.V. Prasad said in a statement. The South Asian nation of 1.3 billion people has been battling a huge surge in virus cases in recent weeks that has prompted night curfews and a clampdown on movement and activities. India on Monday reported more than 161,000 new cases -- the seventh-consecutive day that more than 100,000 infections have been recorded. Sputnik V, backed by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), already has production agreements in India to produce 852 million doses. RDIF chief executive Kirill Dmitriev said in a statement that the approval was a "major milestone" after "extensive cooperation...

By Joseph SOTINEL LONDON, April 13, 2021 (AFP) - The cryptocurrency market has grown exponentially in 2021 and is now worth a staggering $2.0 trillion as it increasingly attracts interest from big names on Wall Street.As digital currency exchange Coinbase prepares to list Tuesday in New York, AFP takes a look at a sector built from scratch just 12 years ago. - Bitcoin - On October 31, 2008, in the wake of the financial crisis, one or more anonymous people, hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, published the founding white paper of bitcoin. The goal was to create a means of payment, the security of which would not be overseen by a central bank or financial organisations, but instead regulated by software with rules almost impossible to alter.  While anybody can "mine" for new bitcoins, to do so requires giant data centres -- leading to platforms such as Coinbase providing a way of trading in cryptocurrencies. Banks and payment services such as Paypal allow transactions...

GENEVA, April 13, (AFP) - The World Health Organization on Tuesday called for a halt to the sale of live wild mammals in food markets to prevent the emergence of new diseases. The WHO said that while traditional markets play a central role in providing food and livelihoods for large populations, banning the sale of live wild mammals could protect the health of market workers and shoppers alike. It said some of the earliest known cases of Covid-19 had a link to a wholesale traditional food market in Wuhan in China, with many of the initial patients stall owners, market employees or regular visitors to the market. The interim guidance was drawn up alongside the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "The guidance calls on countries to suspend the sale of captured live wild mammals in food markets as an emergency measure," the WHO said. "Animals, particularly wild animals, are the source of more than 70 percent of all...

BEIJING, April 13,  (AFP) - China's imports and exports boomed again in March, data showed Tuesday, reaffirming the recovery in the world's number-two economy continues apace and demand picks up in key overseas markets as they emerge from last year's crisis. The readings highlight the impact of vaccines and the easing of containment measures are having, with expectations for further improvement over the next few months. Imports soared a forecast-busting 38.1 percent on-year as the country's army of consumers increasingly return to some form of normality after last year's virus crisis forced businesses to shut and people to stay at home. The figure was a huge increase from the 22.2 percent rise seen in January and February and is the biggest hike since February 2017. Exports rose 30.6 percent, well off the 38 percent increase tipped in a Bloomberg forecast but still among the highest readings since early 2018. Overseas shipments jumped more than 60 percent in January...

LIMA, April 12, (AFP) - Ballots were being counted Sunday in Peruvian presidential elections destined for a run-off with no candidate able to fire up the crisis-weary nation, during its deadliest week of the Covid-19 pandemic to date. Some 25 million people were eligible to vote -- which is mandatory -- the day after Peru reported its highest-ever daily toll in the pandemic. With 16 percent of votes counted by early Monday, far-left labor unionist Pedro Castillo took a surprise lead among 18 candidates with 15.7 percent -- much higher than polls had predicted but far short of the 51 percent required to avoid a run-off scheduled for June 6. In second place was rightist economist Hernando de Soto with 14.4 percent, said the ONPE electoral office. The two candidates with the most votes will contest the second round. Almost a third of voters had declared themselves undecided ahead of what Ipsos Peru chief Alfredo Torres said was the country's "most fragmented election" ever. ...

ADEN, Yemen, April 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 47 people were killed in Yemen's oil-rich province of Marib over the past 24 hours as fighting continued to intensify in the conflict-battered Arab country, a local government official told Xinhua.    The government forces engaged in violent armed confrontations with scores of the Houthi militia who were desperately attempting to militarily advance towards the city of Marib, the local source said on condition of anonymity.     He said that "the Houthis simultaneously carried out large military operations and shelling attacks against key government-controlled villages located around the city of Marib."    He confirmed that the Houthis' military operations against Marib continued despite the intensified airstrikes launched by the Saudi-led Arab coalition to support Yemen's government forces on-ground.   More than 27 Houthi fighters and about 20 soldiers of the government forces were killed during the past ...

NEW DELHI, April 12 (Xinhua) -- With 904 deaths in the past 24 hours, India's total death toll due to the COVID-19 pandemic surpassed the 170,000 mark to reach 170,179, according to the latest data released by the federal government Monday.    Besides, 168,912 new cases took the total tally to 13,527,717.     While the figure of new daily COVID-19 cases is highest ever in the country so far, the deaths reported on Monday is the highest in a single day this year.    This is the seventh time within this month and the sixth consecutive day when more than 100,000 new COVID-19 cases were reported in India.    There are still 1,201,009 active cases in the country, while 12,156,529 people have been discharged so far from hospitals after medical treatment.    There was an increase of 92,922 active cases during the previous 24 hours, the highest this year so far.     The number of daily active cases has been on the rise over the pas...

 MOSCOW, April 12,  (AFP) - Russia on Monday celebrated the 60th anniversary of the legendary flight that made Yuri Gagarin the first man in space, a major source of national pride for millions of his countrymen. Russia's space industry has struggled in recent years and been hit by a series of mishaps, but the sending of the first human into space on April 12, 1961 remains a crowning achievement of the Soviet space programme. President Vladimir Putin was to travel Monday to the southern city of Engels on the banks of the Volga River, to the site of the cosmonaut's landing where a memorial stands to honour the historic flight. The day of Gagarin's flight is celebrated every year in Russia as Cosmonautics Day, and this year authorities are pulling out all the stops to mark the 60th anniversary, with museum exhibitions, round-the-clock television coverage and events across the country. For Moscow commuters, Monday morning started with a broadcast on the Metro of the original r...

BEIJING, April 12, (AFP) - Shares in tech giant Alibaba climbed more than six percent Monday as the ecommerce titan reassured investors that a record $2.78 billion antitrust fine imposed by China would have little impact on its operations. However, concerns that officials had not finished with a crackdown on the sector weighed on big-name firms including Tencent and JD.com. Regulators slammed the tech giant with the penalty on Saturday after a months-long probe concluded it had been abusing its dominant market position. But in a conference call to investors on Monday, Alibaba's board put a positive spin on the regulatory blow saying it appeared to be the end of the investigation, with chairman Daniel Zhang saying the fine would not have a "negative impact" on business operations. The sanction comes as the government cracks down on major Chinese tech platforms -- and Alibaba in particular -- over allegations of anti-competitive behaviour and misuse of consumer data. "...

YANGON, April 12, (AFP) - Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with a fresh criminal charge on Monday, her lawyer said. "She has been charged in six cases altogether -- five charges in Naypyidaw and one in Yangon," Min Min Soe told AFP, saying the latest charge was under the country's natural disaster management law. ---- YANGON, April 12, (AFP) - Myanmar's ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi was hit with a fresh criminal charge on Monday, her lawyer said. "She has been charged in six cases altogether -- five charges in Naypyidaw and one in Yangon," Min Min Soe told AFP, saying the latest charge was under the country's natural disaster management law. ----

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates,April 11 : (AP) - The United Arab Emirates named the next two astronauts in its space program Saturday, including the country's first female astronaut.  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai who also serves as the autocratically ruled country's prime minister and vice president, named the two astronauts on Twitter.  He identified Noura al-Matroushi as the UAE's first female astronaut, with her male counterpart as Mohammed al-Mulla.  A later government promotional video described al-Matroushi, born in 1993, as an engineer at the Abu Dhabi-based National Petroleum Construction Co. Al-Mulla, born in 1988, serves as a pilot with Dubai police and heads their training division, the government said.  The two had been selected among more than 4,000 applicants in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula that's also home to Abu Dhabi.  The two will undergo training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in ...

London [UK], April 11 : (ANI): The funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh will be held at Windsor on April 17, with no public access nor public procession beforehand, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said Saturday. The event is to be a "ceremonial royal funeral", rather than a state funeral, which "very much reflects the duke's wishes", a palace spokesman said, according to Xinhua. A national minute's silence will be observed as the funeral begins at 15:00 BST at St. George's Chapel at Windsor. Members of the public will not be allowed to attend as the proceedings have been scaled down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funeral will be shown live on television. Given the current pandemic restriction which allows only 30 mourners to attend, the event will be reduced in scale. At this moment, there is no confirmation yet on the rest of the guest list. "In line with government guidelines and public health measures, there will be no public processions and the duk...

MOGADISHU, Somalia,April 11 : (AP) - A suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside a cafe in Somalia's city of Baidoa on Saturday, killing at least four people and wounding more than six others, police said.  The bomber was targeting the Bay region governor, Ali Wardhere, who was outside the Suez Cafeteria, officials reported. The governor escaped the explosion unharmed, according to the official government news agency, SONNA, which reported that at least two of his bodyguards, who were also policemen, were among the wounded.  “The explosion which was heard all around the town of Baidoa has terrorized the people and had created a momentary confusion,” said Amin Maddey, who witnessed the explosion and spoke to The Associated Press by telephone.  The al-Qaida linked group al-Shabab has claimed the responsibility through a report they published on their website and radio Andalus which advocates for their jihadist campaigns.  “The target was a convoy accompanying Mr....