Crumbd

None Of The 35 Lakh Made-In-China Antibody Kits Ordered By UK Are Fit For Widespread Use, Admits Testing Head

As per the report, the kits were unable to pass the evaluation stage and could only identify immunity in patients who contracted a severe form of Covid-19. “They are not good enough to be worth rolling out in very large scale”, Professor Newton has been quoted as saying. Health Secretary Matt Hancock too has admitted that “some of the kits have not performed well” but expresses hope that the situation would improve in the future. This antibody testing was earlier called a gamechanger by ........

China passes controversial Hong Kong security law

China has passed a controversial security law giving it new powers over Hong Kong, deepening fears for the city's freedoms, the BBC has learned. Last month China stunned the city when it said it would criminalise any act of secession, subversion, terrorism or collusion with foreign forces. The move came after angry protests last year - sparked by another law - which became a pro-democracy movement. Critics say this new law poses an even greater threat to Hong Kong's identity. They warn it will undermine Hong Kong's judicial independence and destroy the city'........

India, Japan Hold Naval Exercise to 'Promote Understanding' Amid Border Row with China

As Indian and Chinese troops continue to be engaged in an eyeball-to-eyeball situation in the Galwan Valley, Indian and Japnese warships conducted exercises in the Indian Ocean on Saturday. The Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force said that the exercises were conducted to “promote mutual understanding” and comprised of four warships, two from each India and Japan. The Indian navy's training vessels INS Rana and INS Kulish conducted a drill with Japan's JS Kashima and JS Shimayuki. Just before this, the........

"Chinese Virus," Says Trump Amid US-China Blame Game Over Pandemic

The United States and China on Monday each demanded that the other stop smearing its reputation over the novel coronavirus as US President Donald Trump referred to the pathogen as the "Chinese Virus." "The United States will be powerfully supporting those industries, like Airlines and others, that are particularly affected by the Chinese Virus," the US president tweeted Monday night. Trump's allies had previously referred to the pandemic as the "Chinese coronavirus," but the tweet marks the first time the president said it himself.........

Iran displays domestically built mobile missile defence system

Iran displayed what it described as a domestically built long-range, mobile surface-to-air missile system on Thursday, Iranian state media reported. The announcement comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and United States. Iran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile in June. It says the drone was over its territory, but the United States says it was in international airspace. State television showed P........

What is antifa?

As long as there has been fascism — a political movement that stokes nationalism and racism, and uses violence to bolster authoritarian rule — there have been antifascists that resist such regimes. This relationship dates to the emergence of fascism in Europe in the 1920s, and then continued in Mussolini's Italy, in Nazi Germany, and elsewhere in the decades that followed, through to the present. By the 1980s, people who opposed fascism in Europe's punk-rock communities were referring to themselves using the shortened term "antifa." But the term is often poorly under........

Relief for Indian Workers as US Gives Relaxations to H-1B Visa Holders and Green Card Applicants

The US government has given a grace period of 60 days to H-1B visa holders and Green Card applicants, who have been served notices for submission of various documents, in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Friday said the 60-day grace period for responding to its requests will include requests for evidence; continuations to request evidenc........

In Biggest Crackdown In Years, China Expels Several US Journalists; Warns Of More Retaliatory Measures

China on Wednesday expelled American journalists at the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal in the Communist government's most severe move against foreign media in recent memory. The foreign ministry said in a statement the measure was in retaliation for Washington's decision to cut the number of Chinese nationals allowed to work for Chinese state-run media on American soil. The announcement comes as the two countries are feuding over the deadly coronavirus pandemic, with President Donald Trump def........

Qatar Bans Entry of Passengers From India and 13 Other Countries Over Coronavirus Fears

Apart from India, the ban applies to Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria and Thailand. “The step comes in line with the State of Qatar’s efforts to take all necessary preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus,” the Qatar government said in an advisory. According to the Qatari government, travel restrictions will cover a........

United Nations May Run Out of Money by End of October: Antonio Guterres

Member States have paid only 70 per cent of the total amount needed for our regular budget operations in 2019. This translates into a cash shortage of $230 million at the end of September. We run the risk of depleting our backup liquidity reserves by the end of the month.........

U.S. sanctions branded 'clowning actions' as Hong Kong vows it won't be intimidated

Beijing’s top representative office in Hong Kong said on Saturday that sanctions imposed by Washington on senior Hong Kong and Chinese officials were “clowning actions” that would not frighten or intimidate Chinese people. Separately, the Hong Kong government said the sanctions were “shameless and despicable” and represented “blatant and barbaric” interference in China’s internal affairs. “We will not be intimidated,” a government spokesman said. The United Sta........

As Trump Signs ‘Buy American’ Order for Essential Drugs, Govt Says It Will Hurt China, Not India

An executive order signed by US President Donald Trump requiring that the federal government buys “essential” drugs solely from American companies will have a minimal impact on India, government sources have said, claiming that it was mainly aimed at hurting China. The so-called “Buy American” order could lead to a seismic shakeup of the drug industry as the US is the biggest export market for the Indian pha........

People in US & Canada Are Receiving 'Mystery Seeds' From China, Another Conspiracy or Simply a Scam?

Over the past few days, citizens in the US and Canada have reported receiving unsolicited and mysterious packages containing seeds, seemingly from China. Officials have warned that these could be invasive plant species and instructed recipients not to plant them. The seeds typically arrive in white packages displaying Chinese lettering and the words “China Post.” A Reuters report said, “The US Department of Agriculture is warning Americans not to plant unsolicited packages of seeds that appear to be arriving from China. St........

In Blow to Indian IT Professionals, Trump Signs New Executive Order Against Hiring H1B Visa Holders

In a huge blow to Indian IT professionals eyeing the US job market, President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order preventing federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers — mainly those on H-1B visa — from hiring. The move came over a month after the Trump administration in June 23 suspended the H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas until the end of 2020 to protect American workers in a crucial election year. The new restrictions took effect from June 24. The H1B visa, most sought-after among Indian IT professionals, is a non-immigra........

'China Has Been Covering up': Hong Kong Doctor Breaks Silence Over COVID-19 Outbreak

A doctor in China who had diagnosed many of the early coronavirus cases when it first broke out, has now accused the local authorities of covering up the magnitude of the initial outbreak of the deadly disease in Wuhan. The doctor claimed that the authorities had destroyed the evidence even before the investigation started. Speaking to the BBC, Professor Kwok-Yung Yuen, a microbiologist, physician and surgeon in Hong Kong, who helped........

The Futility Of US Withdrawal From WHO Amid A Pandemic

Under international law, withdrawal from multilateral treaties may be governed either by the treaty itself or the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) or customary international law. The Constitution of the WHO, establishing the organisation, does not have an express provision envisaging withdrawal. Article 56 of the VCLT states that pulling out of treaties without express withdrawal or denunciation provisions (such as the WHO Constitution) may not be permissible except when parties to the treaty intended to allow such withdrawal, or if such provision may be implied........

Palestinian Man Scales Hospital Wall to Bid Final Goodbye to His Mother Who Died of Covid-19

A viral image shows Jihad Al-Suwaiti, from the town of Beit Awa in the West Bank, sitting by the Intensive Care Unit's (ICU) window of Hebron State Hospital where she was bring treated for COVID-19. According to reports, 73-year-old Rasmi Suwaiti, died on Thursday evening, shortly after receiving an unexpected visit from her 30-year-old son. The son would wait by the window every night to watch his mother.........

Nepal’s archaeological department plans excavation in Thori after Oli claims it as real Ayodhya

Nepal’s archaeological department plans to start studies and excavation in Thori in the country’s south after Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli’s claim that its the “real birthplace” of Lord Ram, according to a media report on Thursday. Several top Nepalese political leaders from different parties have slammed Oli for making “senseless and irrelevant” remarks that Lord Ram was born in Thori near Birgunj and the real Ayodhya lies in Nepal. They have asked him to withdraw his controversial statement. Following Oli’s remarks, the Department of Arch........

Rare gorillas in Nigeria captured on camera with babies

Conservationists have captured the first images of a group of rare Cross River gorillas with multiple babies in Nigeria's Mbe mountains, proof that the subspecies once feared to be extinct is reproducing amid protection efforts. Only around 300 Cross River gorillas were known to be alive at one point in the isolated mountainous region in Nigeria and Cameroon, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which captured the camera trap images in May. More colour images were recovered last mon........

Foreign Students Whose Classes Moved Online "Must Depart Country": US

The United States said Monday it would not allow foreign students to remain in the country if all of their classes are moved online in the fall because of the coronavirus crisis. "Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States," US Immigration and Custom Enforcement said in a statement. "Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs mu........