International - The Purbottar

03 Aug

North Korea releases army rice reserves amid shortage: Seoul

editor0 CommentsInternationalinternational

North Korea is releasing emergency military rice reserves as its food shortage worsens, South Korea's spy agency said on Tuesday, with a heat wave and drought reducing the country's supply. The country's moribund economy is continuously being battered by the protracted Covid-19 pandemic, and while mass starvation and social chaos have not been reported, observers expect further deterioration of North Korea's food situation until the autumn harvest.Seoul's National Intelligence Service told a closed-door parliamentary committee meeting that North Korea is supplying rice reserved for wartime uses to citizens left with little food, other laborers and rural state agencies, according to…

26 Jul

US general Kenneth McKenzie vows to continue air strikes supporting Afghan troops

editor0 CommentsInternationalinternational, world

The US will continue airstrikes in support of Afghan forces fighting the Taliban, a top US general said Sunday. Violence has surged across the country in recent months after the Taliban launched a sweeping assault just days after the US-led foreign forces began their final withdrawal. Speaking to reporters Sunday in Kabul, Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Army Central Command, said, "The United States has increased airstrikes in the support of Afghan forces over the last several days, and we are prepared to continue this heightened level of support in the coming weeks if the Taliban continue their…

24 Jul

YouTube hits 10 bn Play Store download milestone

editor0 CommentsBusiness, Entertainment, Internationalyoutube

The Google-owned YouTube app for Android users has surpassed a whopping 10 billion downloads on the Google Play Store. According to 9To5Google, video streaming has exploded in popularity over the past decade with improving global internet speed, introduction of 4G devices and increasing access to smartphones/tablets. As the largest and most well-known streaming platform globally, it was always likely that YouTube would become the first “proper” user-facing Android app to hit such a download milestone on the Play Store, it added. Given that the app comes pre-installed on almost all devices, it is marginally bolstered and could even include some…

24 Jul

US secretary of state Antony Blinken to visit India on July 27-28, will meet PM Modi

editor0 CommentsIndia, InternationalAmerica, INDIA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will arrive in India on Tuesday and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar, the government announced on Friday, amid growing worries about the American exit from Afghanistan. It will be Mr Blinken's first visit, after assuming charge as US Secretary of State following US President Joe Biden's election, to India, which since the late 1990s has moved increasingly close to the United States as the world's two largest democracies see shared interests on a rising China and other challenges. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin visited New Delhi as part of…

22 Jul

Olympics set to begin amid Covid-19 gloom

editor0 CommentsInternational, SportsTokyo Olympics

The Olympic Games, beginning on Friday, is the world’s biggest sporting extravaganza but in the Japanese capital, which is the host city, there is clear lack of enthusiasm. According to media reports, the local public is largely indifferent which is understandable, considering that the Games are being held in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. “For Tokyo locals, concern has been replaced by indifference. A thriving city enthusiastically hosting a global sporting event is a sight to behold. Right now, Tokyo is not one. That is hardly the fault of the Japanese. With about 80% of the population opposed to…

20 Jul

NSE Foundation launches Project CAVACH in partnership with NITI Aayog and UNICEF

editor0 CommentsIndia, International, LifestyleCAVACH, NSE Foundation, UNICEF

NSE Foundation, a Section 8 subsidiary of National Stock Exchange of India Limited, has launched an innovative programme that will unite the efforts of grass root level partners and the local district administration to facilitate increased vaccination in remote ‘aspirational’ districts of India which include Nandurbar and Osmanabad in Maharashtra, Karauli in Rajasthan, Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu and Kiphire in Nagaland. According to a recent survey by the Boston Consulting Group, across India, about 63 per cent of people in villages have reported resistance to the Covid-19 vaccine due to lack of awareness; also, they have a limited understanding of…

17 Jul

Tokyo Olympics 2020: Did the third wave hit the Olympics? Authorities said one person was attacked in the village

editor0 CommentsCovid-19, Health, InternationalTokyo Olympics

There are six days left until the start of the Tokyo Olympics. Before that, Corona Hanna was in the Olympics Village. Authorities say a Corona was attacked in the Games Village. However, his identity has not been revealed yet. The Olympics are going to start from July 23. Many players have already reached there. A spokesman for the organizing body for the Tokyo Olympics said: This is the first corona infection in the village. Although it was planned to host the Olympics last year, it was not possible for Corona to do so. This year it has been organized. However, the authorities have to face protests in Japan again and…

16 Jul

Sania Mirza, Shoaib Malik Granted Golden Visa by UAE Government

editor0 CommentsInternationalSania Mirza, Shoaib Malik, UAE

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted Indian tennis ace Sania Mirza and her husband and Pakistan cricket star Shoaib Malik the much-coveted 10-year UAE Golden Visa. Mirza, 34, who hails from Hyderabad, and Malik, 39, a native of Sialkot in Pakistan, got married in 2010 and has been a resident of Dubai for several years. The much-loved sports couple has a three-year-old son named Izhaan. The UAE government instituted the Golden Visa in 2019 as a new system for long-term residence visas. It enabled foreigners to live, work, and study in the country without a national sponsor and 100…

16 Jul

Indian photojournalist Danish Siddiqui killed in Afghanistan clashes

editor0 CommentsBreaking News, India, International, Latestaccident, photojournalist

Indian photojouralist Danish Siddiqui was killed while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar city on Friday. He was on a reporting assignment embedded with the Afghan Special Forces.Condoling Danish Siddiqui's demise, Farid Mamundzay, the Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India, tweeted: "Deeply disturbed by the sad news of the killing of a friend, Danish Seddiqi in Kandahar last night. The Indian Journalist & winner of Pulitzer Prize was embedded with Afghan security forces. I met him 2 weeks ago before his departure to Kabul. Condolences to his family & Reuters."Danish Siddiqui, a…

15 Jul

Rapper KTS Dre shot dead after getting released from the jail

editor0 CommentsCrime, InternationalAmerica, Rapper

Chicago rapper KTS Dre was fatally shot 64 times over the weekend after reportedly being ambushed by multiple gunmen following his release from the Cook County Jail. He was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Two women standing nearby were also shot, The woman, 60, was struck in the knee and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she was listed in good condition. Another woman, 35, was grazed by a bullet to her face.