Moscow: The Kremlin said on Friday it had read "curious information" about the arrest in France of a Russian national suspected of planning to sabotage the Olympic Games, but said Moscow needed more information from authorities in Paris.
French police on Wednesday arrested a 40-year-old Russian man who it said was involved in plots to destabilise the Olympics, which kick off in Paris on Friday.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony:-india-will-have-78-athletes-officials-from-12-disciplines-in-parade-of-nations" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/paris-olympics-opening-ceremony:-india-will-have-78-athletes-officials-from-12-disciplines-in-parade-of-nations</a>&nbsp;
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia had no information about the case and that the Russian embassy in Paris needed to be informed properly about the circumstances.
—Reuters

Kremlin demands details after France arrests Russian suspect for plotting to sabotage Paris Olympics. Russian embassy seeks more information from Paris authorities.

Kremlin says arrest of Russian man ahead of Paris Games is "curious"

Paris [France]: Arson attacks and other "malicious acts" has hit France's high speed train network, disrupting the transport system, the country's national rail operator said on Friday, hours before the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. French railway operator SNCF reported acts of vandalism on several of its high-speed train routes, DW said. The TGV high-speed rail network was disrupted on lines to the country's west, north and east, with service being cut off on some sections, causing delays, local media reported. "Coordinated malicious acts targeted several TGV lines last night and will seriously disrupt traffic until this weekend. I strongly condemn these criminal actions which will compromise the vacation departures of many French people. A big thank you to the #SNCF teams, on the bridge to restore traffic conditions as quickly as possible.," the country's Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said on X.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/the-perilous-threat-of-extreme-leftism" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/the-perilous-threat-of-extreme-leftism</a>&nbsp;

The country's Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera condemned the attacks and was cited by the BFM TV, a French news broadcast television and radio network, as saying "To play against the Games is to play against France, against your side, against your country." She said that the impact for travellers, Olympic athletes, and the general public was currently being assessed while assuring "smooth transportation of all delegations to the competition sites." The rail operator SNCF said that train traffic on the Atlantic, North and East area had been disrupted. This situation should nevertheless "last at least the whole weekend, while the repairs are carried out" the operator said in a statement.
—ANI

France's high-speed train network disrupted by arson attacks, impacting travel ahead of Paris Olympics. SNCF reports severe delays on multiple TGV routes.

France's high-speed rail network 'attacked', ahead of Paris Olympics opening

Kathmandu: Captain Manish Raj Shakya, the lone survivor of a deadly plane crash in Nepal that killed 18 other people on board, was saved after the cockpit of the aircraft was sheared off by a freight container seconds before the rest of the aircraft went up in flames, a media report said on Thursday.
The Bombardier CRJ-200 aircraft of Saurya Airlines, carrying 19 people, including two crew members, technical staff of the airline and a child and his mother caught fire shortly after taking off from the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) here on Wednesday.
The aircraft was bound for the Pokhara International Airport for regular maintenance service.  Of the deceased, 15 died on the spot while three died during treatment at a local hospital, authorities said.  Airport security personnel said when the plane hit the container, the front part of the cockpit got stuck in it, while the rest of the plane fell to the ground reaching another side of the ground.  According to Deputy Inspector General and Chief of TIA Airport Security Office Ram Dutt Joshi, Captain Shakya, 37, was rescued from inside the container which was on the TIA premises.  “We rescued Captain Shakya from inside the container,” The Rising Nepal newspaper quoted DIG Joshi as saying.  Doctors have initiated an investigation into the brain scars of Shakya.  Shakya is currently receiving treatment at Kathmandu Medical College (KMC).  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash</a>&nbsp;
According to the doctors involved in treatment, although the injuries in different parts of the body and the broken bones at two places of the backbone have not caused serious problems, the doctors are investigating to find out the cause of the scars on Shakya’s brain.  Neurosurgeon Dr Amit Thapa said that he could provide further information only after the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan of Shakya’s brain scars.  Captain Shakya's health condition showed improvement on Thursday as compared to Wednesday. The doctors said he is “free from danger" and can speak. He can also consume liquid food.  According to KMC sources, Captain Shakya sustained several internal injuries despite not being burnt in the fire. The doctors are preparing for surgery to address his broken bones.  In solemn tribute to the 18 lives lost, the Nepal government has decreed that the national flag will be flown at half-mast on Thursday.  In response to the tragedy, a five-member probe commission has been formed to investigate the incident. The commission will be led by Ratish Chandra Lal Suman, former Director General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN).  The commission is tasked with delivering its report and recommendations within 45 days to prevent similar accidents in the future.  Authorities are conducting an autopsy on the 18 people who lost their lives in the accident.  The postmortem of the deceased began on Wednesday evening at the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH). The postmortem of seven dead bodies has been completed.  According to the TUTH, the dead bodies will be handed over to the families after the postmortem of all bodies is completed.  However, there was a delay in the postmortem process due to excessive burns on the victims’ bodies. The TUTH said that it has been taking at least four hours to complete the postmortem of one body, myrepublica.com reported.  The TUTH administration has assigned 25 doctors for the postmortem.  Meanwhile, family members and friends of the victims on Wednesday gathered at the TUTH and some of them alleged that the airlines and civil aviation authority permitted the flight despite knowing that the plane had technical problems.  Dirga Bahadur Khadka, a grand-uncle of co-pilot Sushant Katwal, said: "We suspect that the company put pressure on the pilots into flying the plane.  "Otherwise, no one would like to fly a plane with technical problems,” he told The Kathmandu Post newspaper.  “A question also arises about the civil aviation authority, the aviation sector regulator,” he further said. “How could it allow planes with technical problems to fly?” Similarly, Gyanendra Khadgi, who lost his brother-in-law Purna Ratna Shahi, a technician of Saurya Airlines, echoed Khadka.  “This is complete negligence on the part of civil aviation to allow the flight of a plane with a technical issue,” he told the Post.  Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli on Wednesday directed the relevant authorities to take measures to prevent tragic incidents like plane crashes in the future.  After visiting the crash site, Prime Minister Oli received a briefing at the rescue coordination centre of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. He emphasised that everyone must work to ensure such incidents do not recur. He urged the concerned authorities to determine the cause of the incident, whether it was due to human error or a technical failure.  He described the incident as very tragic and unimaginable.  According to Nepal’s civil aviation body, 914 people have died in air crashes in the country since the first disaster was recorded in August 1955.
—PTI

Captain Manish Raj Shakya survives deadly Saurya Airlines plane crash in Nepal. 18 others died. Investigation ongoing.

Pilot miraculously survives Nepal crash after cockpit split from plane: Report

Vientiane [Laos]: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held a meeting with Philippines Secretary for Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo on Thursday and discussed strengthening the collaboration between the two nations and partnership in Indo-Pacific. In a post on X, Jaishankar stated, "Delighted to meet my friend @SecManalo of Philippines today in Vientiane. Discussed the strengthening collaboration between our two democracies and partnership in the Indo-Pacific, especially in upholding the rule of law and ASEAN centrality." Jaishankar also held a meeting with Timor Leste counterpart, Bendito Freitas, on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings. The two leaders exchanged views on shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific. Sharing details regarding about his meeting with Freitas, Jaishankar in a post on X stated, "Pleasure to meet FM Bendito Freitas of Timor Leste on the sidelines of #ASEAN meetings. Our Delhi to Dili friendship continues to diversify and deepen. Also exchanged views on our shared priorities in the Indo-Pacific region." Earlier in the day, Jaishankar arrived in Vientiane, Laos, to participate in the crucial ASEAN-mechanism meetings aimed at strengthening India's relations with Southeast Asian nations. He expressed optimism about advancing India's engagement with ASEAN countries, marking a significant milestone in the Act East Policy's decade-long journey. "Arrived in Vientiane, Laos to take part in the ASEAN-mechanism meetings. Look forward to further deepening India's ties with ASEAN as we mark a decade of Act East Policy," said EAM Jaishankar in a post on X. Jaishankar is on a visit to Vientiana from July 25 to 27 to take part in the Foreign Ministers' Meetings under the ASEAN framework in the format of the ASEAN-India, East Asia Summit (EAS), and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed in a press release earlier. EAM Jaishankar is visiting Laos at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Laos, Saleumxay Kommasith. The visit underlines India's deep engagement with and the importance India attaches to the ASEAN-centred regional architecture, our strong commitment to ASEAN unity, ASEAN centrality, the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) and taking forward the ASEAN-India Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It is of particular significance that this year marks a decade of India's Act East Policy, which was announced by the Prime Minister at the 9th East Asia Summit in 2014, the MEA said. The External Affairs Minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other countries in Vientiane on the margins of the ASEAN-related meetings. ASEAN is a political and economic union of 10 countries in Southeast Asia. As the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) continues to grow in strength, India, too remains a valued partner for the economic union.
—ANI

EAM S Jaishankar meets Philippines and Timor Leste counterparts to strengthen Indo-Pacific and ASEAN ties during ASEAN-mechanism meetings in Vientiane, Laos.

Jaishankar, Philippines counterpart Enrique Manalo discuss strengthening partnership in Indo-Pacific

By Jerel Ezell  The current presidential race has ensured that age will be a key and likely fraught consideration in future elections. Can science help determine how old is too old for a candidate before politics does?  After last month's presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump, political officials and media pundits across the political spectrum lambasted the current president's performance, as well as his subsequent mea culpa. In the proceeding weeks, close allies of Biden and high-profile Democrats publicly and privately hedged their bets on his electoral viability. With a critical line of Democratic detractors finally crossed, the president called it quits as a candidate last weekend.  At first glance, Biden's all-but-forced exit is a clear referendum on aging candidates. But it's an even more intimate and intuitive referendum on how humans age--and on our very mortality.  Over the past century Americans have debated whether a Catholic, a Southerner, a woman or a Black candidate could gain the White House. This presidential election cycle, voters have had to seriously weigh another demographic trait that affects all of us--age--and the way it factors into the question of electability. In a recent poll of US adults, nearly half of respondents said they feared aging. Of those with aging-related fears, 63 percent said that declining health was one of the things that they feared most.  As someone who researches aging, I believe the connection between our fears of worsening health and our feelings on political viability is clear: we do quite a bit of projecting on aging candidates because we begrudgingly see ourselves as one day being in their shoes. Until now, identity politics in the US has generally been about race, religion, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. But age has imprinted itself as an X factor. Biden is the first, but not the last, victim of this new aspect of identity politics that is remaking discussions around electability in ways that will reverberate well past 2024.  As someone who researches aging, I believe the connection between our fears of worsening health and our feelings on political viability is clear: we do quite a bit of projecting on aging candidates because we begrudgingly see ourselves as one day being in their shoes. Until now, identity politics in the US has generally been about race, religion, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. But age has imprinted itself as an X factor. Biden is the first, but not the last, victim of this new aspect of identity politics that is remaking discussions around electability in ways that will reverberate well past 2024.  What exactly does it mean to be "too old" or to be "effective" despite one's older age? In the case of President Biden, onlookers frequently lasered in on his sluggish movement and his muffled, staccato speech and meandering comments, which, according to a recent report from the New York Times, White House insiders believed had been sharply increasing. Trump, for his part, has had moments of incoherence and "senioritis," including dozing off during several public events, most recently during this year's Republican National Convention. Although these types of behaviors aren't exclusively tied to one's age--many people in the presidential candidates' age range have no comparably stark issues--they still have a way of vividly highlighting one's mortality. These observations of cognitive decline, an increasingly arbitrary expression that has become a catchall for forgetfulness and the dispensing of word salads, had blotted out most claims of effectiveness from Biden in particular--regardless of his and his allies' insistence that he has excelled despite these challenges. And it didn't help that Biden has been dismissive about obtaining independent cognitive evaluations.
Then president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who guided the US through World War II, died of a stroke at age 63 in 1945, when a man who lived to 65 could expect to live another dozen years. Roosevelt died in office less than a month before Nazi Germany surrendered. In his last year, he had suffered acute effects from a polio infection that he'd contracted decades before, becoming observably reliant on a wheelchair in public. During his final term, Roosevelt, the first to seek out and be granted third and fourth presidential terms, suppressed information about the extent of his condition despite his declining health. He feared it would make him look weak not just to the Axis powers but also in the eyes of allies and the American public. The nation's legacy of paranoia and shame around discussing and dealing with aging and disability is deeply embedded to this day.  In a 2019 University of Michigan study of adults between 50 and 80 years old, 82 percent indicated that they regularly experienced one or more forms of ageism, including workplace discrimination and exposure to depictions of older adults as unattractive, feeble or undesirable. People who experienced everyday ageism also tended to have poorer physical and mental health relative to those who didn't have these experiences. In this election, politics-related ageism--and ableism--have been more frequent and more accepted. A recent Economist cover with the headline "No Way to Run a Country" ignited a social media firestorm for its accompanying image of a solitary walker decorated with the presidential seal. The issue contained an article that was one of several recent high-profile media pieces aimed to dissuade Biden from running. Biden's departure, which sees him effectively caving to these tropes, will likely sharpen attitudes about age and ability-related thresholds for holding political office.  Historically, older age has been an asset for presidential campaigns. Older age tends to draw a reflexive association with a candidate's experience and wisdom. Not until former president Ronald Reagan's reelection bid did the candidate's older age become roundly weaponized. Reagan entered his second term in 1985, just weeks before his 74th birthday. Leading up to the second term, many of Reagan's contemporaries had privately questioned the then president's mental acuity. In later years, some people, including his son, even claimed Reagan had Alzheimer's disease while in office.  (Reagan's Alzheimer's diagnosis wasn't officially announced until 1994.)  This reflected a turning point. The American electorate more thoughtfully began considering candidates' age as the millennium approached. Bob Dole, who was 73 years old when he was chosen as the Republican presidential candidate in 1996, responded to people who criticised him for running for election in his twilight years by saying, "It's not the age of the man. It's the man for the age." The American electorate didn't necessarily agree and instead reelected the relatively sprightly Democratic nominee, then 50-year-old Bill Clinton. Dole didn't seek public office again after the failed bid. He then largely faded from the national spotlight, save a seemingly age-appropriate guest spot in a Viagra ad two years later, in 1998.  Historically, older age has been an asset for presidential campaigns. Older age tends to draw a reflexive association with a candidate's experience and wisdom. Not until former president Ronald Reagan's reelection bid did the candidate's older age become roundly weaponised. Reagan entered his second term in 1985, just weeks before his 74th birthday. Leading up to the second term, many of Reagan's contemporaries had privately questioned the then president's mental acuity. In later years, some people, including his son, even claimed Reagan had Alzheimer's disease while in office.  (Reagan's Alzheimer's diagnosis wasn't officially announced until 1994.)  For his part, Reagan remained jovial about his very public aging. At the White House Correspondents' Association's annual dinner in 1987, he joked, "I am aware of my age. When I go in for a physical now, they no longer ask me how old I am. They just carbon-date me." Humor is one thing Biden learned to lean into when it comes to discussing his age. But unlike Reagan, Biden has presided in an era of 24-hour news cycles and social media, limiting his team's ability to choreograph and control what is and isn't known about how his age may be impacting his mobility and cognition. And Americans clearly no longer consider aging politicians a laughing matter.  (Jerel Ezell is an assistant professor of community health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also director of the Berkeley Center for Cultural Humility and a Fulbright Scholar.)

Biden's debate performance and exit spotlight age in politics. As ageism rises, the impact on future elections and leadership perceptions is profound.

Biden is out - and the discussion of aging in politics is in

Ottawa [Canada]: In a staunch response to separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's video demanding him and his Hindu-Canadian friends return to India, Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya said that Canada is their land and that they have enriched the multicultural fabric of the country. He emphasised that Hindus have come to Canada from all parts of the world and have significantly contributed to the socio-economic development of the nation. Sharing a post on X, the Canadian MP wrote, "In response to my condemnation of the vandalism of the Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton and other acts of hate and violence by Khalistan supporters in Canada, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice has released a video demanding me and my Hindu-Canadian friends to go back to India."
Watch: <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1816045238965645689" target="_self">https://twitter.com/i/status/1816045238965645689</a>&nbsp;
Arya further noted that Hindu-Canadians, with their long history of Hindu culture and heritage, have enriched the multicultural fabric of Canada. He did not shy away from holding the Khalistani extremists accountable for "polluting" Canada. "We Hindus have come to our wonderful country, Canada, from all parts of the world. From every country in South Asia, many countries in Africa and Caribbean, and many other parts of the world, we have come here and Canada, is our land," the Canadian MP wrote. "We have made and continue to make an immense positive and productive contribution to the socio-economic development of Canada. With our long history of Hindu culture and heritage, we have enriched the multicultural fabric of Canada. Our land is being polluted by Khalistani extremists abusing our freedoms guaranteed by our Canadian Charter of Rights," he further added. In a troubling recurrence of targeted attacks on Hindu places of worship, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton fell victim to vandalism again this week.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash</a>&nbsp;

Member of Parliament for Nepean, Chandra Arya, voiced deep concern over the escalating incidents of hate-fueled violence directed at Hindu-Canadian communities. "The Hindu temple BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton is vandalised again. During the last few years, Hindu temples in the Greater Toronto Area, British Columbia, and other places in Canada are being vandalised with hateful graffiti," Arya said in a post on X on Tuesday, sharing the picture. The recent attack adds to a string of similar incidents documented in recent years, underscoring a distressing trend of religious intolerance. Last year, a Hindu temple in Windsor suffered defacement with anti-India graffiti, sparking widespread condemnation and calls for action from both Canadian and Indian officials. Earlier incidents in Mississauga and Brampton saw temples similarly targeted, drawing strong reactions from the Indian community in Canada. Arya, a Liberal member of Parliament known for his advocacy on multicultural issues, pointed to the impunity enjoyed by Khalistani extremists in Canada, citing instances where their rhetoric has openly incited hatred and violence. Canadian law enforcement agencies have been urged to take proactive measures to address these threats and ensure the safety and security of all religious communities in Canada. The incidents have prompted renewed discussions on bolstering security measures around Hindu temples and enhancing efforts to combat extremist propaganda.&nbsp;
—ANI

Canadian MP Chandra Arya condemns Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's demands, emphasizing Hindu-Canadian contributions and urging action against rising hate crimes in Canada.

"Canada is our land": MP Chandra Arya defends Hindu-Canadians against separatist leader's demands

London: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the UK announced on Tuesday that they will hold the largest gathering of the Muslim community from July 26-28 this year at Alton, Hampshire. A statement by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Press (AMCP) revealed that this year's convention, titled 'Jalsa Salana 2024', will be aimed at emphasising prayers for global peace and will urge the international Muslim community to play a role in reducing international volatility. The convention will be headed by Hazrat Mirza Masroor, the worldwide Head and Caliph of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. In the statement released by the AMCP, Ahmad stressed that the current global tensions make it imperative for Muslims to turn back to their Creator to embody values of peace and tolerance. In a statement, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, worldwide Head and Caliph, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community said, "As Muslims, we pray five times a day, and in each prayer, it is incumbent upon us to recite the first chapter of the Holy Qur'an. In its second verse, Allah the Almighty proclaims that He is the Lord of all the Worlds and of all people. He is not just the Provider and Sustainer of Muslims, but He provides for, and sustains Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs, and indeed people of all religions and beliefs."
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash</a>&nbsp;

In his statement, he added, "According to my belief, it is not possible to fulfil the rights of Allah the Almighty or attain His nearness without fulfilling the rights of our fellow human beings and all of God's creation. True Muslims, therefore, live their lives peacefully and seek to propagate peace, tolerance, and mutual understanding in society." The convention is expected to gather over 35 thousand participants from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The event will serve as a platform for spiritual renewal and the promotion of global peace. The convention will include a powerful ceremony where attendees will link hands in a gesture of unity, signifying their desire to elevate their spiritual standards and to fulfil the rights of all humanity. Additionally, Rafiq Hayat, UK President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, emphasised the role of faith in overcoming adversity. "Our convention is a reminder that our duty as Muslims is to be loyal, peaceful, and dutiful citizens," he said. "Through our motto, 'Love for All, Hatred for None,' we aim to build stronger, more cohesive communities and promote peace and tolerance in society." The convention will feature delegates from various spheres, including civic, religious, and political, and the event will be broadcast worldwide. By bringing together people of diverse backgrounds, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community seeks to foster dialogue, education, and efforts to combat ignorance and hatred.
—ANI

Join Jalsa Salana 2024 from July 26-28 in Alton, Hampshire. Led by Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the event promotes global peace, tolerance, and unity.

Ahmadiyya Community in UK to organise largest community gathering

Mountainous Nepal, where a small plane carrying 19 passengers caught fire during takeoff in the capital on Wednesday, has a sorry history of deadly air crashes.
Before Wednesday's crash, nearly 360 people had been killed in the country in 19 air crashes since 2000.  Here are details of plane and helicopter crashes this century in the Himalayan country, where several airlines fly to small airports in remote hills and mountains shrouded in clouds and cut off from roads.
1. July 24, 2024 At least 18 people were killed when a Bombardier CRJ 200 plane crashed and caught fire while it was taking off from Nepal's capital Kathmandu.  2. July 11, 2023 Six people were killed in a helicopter crash in central Nepal. The chopper, which departed from Solukhunvhu district, home to Mount Everest and other high mountain peaks, had five Mexican nationals and one Nepali pilot on board.  3. January 15, 2023 A twin-engine ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 people, operated by Nepal's Yeti Airlines, crashed in Pokhara, killing all on board. It was the worst air crash in the country since 1992 when all 167 people aboard a Pakistan International Airlines plane were killed when it ploughed into a hill as it tried to land in Kathmandu.  4. May 29, 2022 Sixteen Nepalis, four Indians and two Germans died on a De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter aircraft that crashed 15 minutes after taking off from Pokhara, 125 km (80 miles) west of Kathmandu.  5. February 27, 2019 A helicopter crashed in bad weather in eastern Nepal, killing all seven people on board, including the tourism minister.  6. March 12, 2018 Fifty-one of 71 people on a Bangladeshi airliner operated by US-Bangla Airlines died when it crashed in cloudy weather as it came in to land at the Nepalese capital's hill-ringed airport.  7. February 26, 2016 Two people were feared dead after a small plane crashed in western Nepal's Kalikot district. It was operated by Kasthamandap Airlines.  8. February 24, 2016 A small plane crashed in bad weather, killing all 23 people on board. The Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Tara Air, was on a flight from Pokhara to Jomsom in western Nepal.  9. February 16, 2014 All 18 people on a small plane that crashed in bad weather were killed. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by state-run Nepal Airlines Corp.

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10. September 28, 2012 A small propeller-driven Dornier aircraft struck a bird and crashed shortly after takeoff from Kathmandu, killing 19 people, including seven British and five Chinese passengers.  11. September 25, 2011 A small plane carrying foreign tourists to view Mount Everest crashed in bad weather near Kathmandu, killing all 19 people on board. The Beech aircraft was operated by private airline Buddha Air.  12. December 16, 2010 A small plane crashed in the Himalayan foothills of remote east Nepal, killing all 22 people onboard. The Twin Otter aircraft was operated by Tara Air.  13. August 24, 2010 Fourteen people - including four Americans, a Japanese and British national - were killed when their small plane crashed in bad weather in Nepal. It was operated by privately held Agni Air.  14. October 8, 2008 A small Twin Otter plane crashed in the remote mountains of northeast Nepal, killing at least 18 people, mostly foreigners.  15. March 4, 2008 Four U.N. arms monitors were among at least 10 people killed in a helicopter crash in Nepal.  16. June 21, 2006 A Twin Otter passenger plane operated by Yeti Airlines crashed minutes before landing in the west of the country, killing all nine people on board.  17. May 25, 2004 A Twin Otter cargo plane crashed in the Mount Everest region, killing its three crew. It was operated by Yeti Airlines.  18. August 22, 2002 Another Twin Otter plane, carrying foreign tourists, slammed into a mountain in bad weather in Nepal, killing all 18 people on board. It was operated by Shangrila Air.  19. July 17, 2002 Four people were feared dead after a twin-engined aircraft crashed into a mountain in west Nepal minutes before it was due to land.  20. July 27, 2000 A Canadian-built Twin Otter passenger plane crashed in western Nepal, killing all 25 people on board. It was operated by state-owned Royal Nepal Airlines.
—Reuters

Nepal faces another tragic plane crash in Kathmandu. A look at major air disasters in the Himalayan country since 2000, with nearly 360 fatalities.

Mountainous Nepal's sad history of air crashes

Dubai: Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service has been activated in a hospital in the Gaza Strip with the help of the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the SpaceX chief executive said.
The Gulf Arab state's foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, thanked the billionaire entrepreneur for supporting the UAE field hospital in Gaza, where many medical facilities have been destroyed in over nine months of war.
Read: <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1815861901395382520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1815861901395382520%7Ctwgr%5E3acabd8add5c650b63508e6a711cee48e4500900%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.deccanherald.com%2Fworld%2Fmusk-activates-internet-service-in-gaza-hospital-with-help-of-uae-israel-3119751" target="_self">https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1815861901395382520?</a>
"Starlink is now active in a Gaza hospital with the support of @UAEmediaoffice and @Israel," Musk posted on X, more than five months after the Israeli government approved Starlink's use in the hospital in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
The high-speed internet will enable potentially life-saving medical consultations via real-time video calling, the UAE foreign ministry said in February.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/after-losing-crops-to-drought-sicily-fears-losing-tourism-too" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/after-losing-crops-to-drought-sicily-fears-losing-tourism-too</a>&nbsp;
Internet connectivity in Gaza is poor because of the lack of power and fuel to operate provider centres. This makes it harder for medical staff and rescue teams to work, and restricts hospital services and the health ministry's centralised system.  The UAE, an oil producer and regional finance and tourism hub, signed a deal normalising ties with Israel in 2020 along with Bahrain and Morocco. Sudan later also sealed a normalisation agreement with Israel.  The Gaza war began when Hamas-led fighters attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostages back to the Palestinian enclave, according to Israeli tallies.  Israel responded with an offensive that has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry, and devastated much of the coastal territory.
—Reuters

Elon Musk's Starlink internet is now active in a Gaza hospital, supported by UAE and Israel, aiding real-time medical consultations amid ongoing war challenges.

Musk activates internet service in Gaza hospital with help of UAE, Israel

Kathmandu: The Pilot of the Saurya Airline plane that crashed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu is the lone survivor of the crash according to an update from the Tribhuvan International Airport. 
Read: <a href="https://twitter.com/TIACAO2/status/1816005823287669136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1816005823287669136%7Ctwgr%5E4619ce68e822e989cf11b8e3258e11837229d767%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.aninews.in%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Fasia%2F18-people-killed-in-saurya-airline-crash-in-kathmandu-pilot-survives-crash20240724130802" target="_self">https://twitter.com/TIACAO2/status/1816005823287669136?</a>
In an update, the Tribhuvan International Airport said that 18 dead bodies were recovered from the site and only 1 person survived the crash. The TIA said "CRJ7 (Reg-9NAME) of Sourya Airlines took off from Kathmandu at 11:11 am local time during the flight to Pokhara, turned right and crashed at a place on the east side of the runway. It is reported that the fire was brought under control and the rescue work was started immediately. The dead bodies of 18 people were recovered and 1 injured person was rescued and taken to the hospital." Earlier, the Nepal Police informed that 15 bodies were recovered from the crash site. All of the passengers were staff members of the Saurya Airlines. The aircraft was being taken to Pokhara for maintenance.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/a-plane-with-19-people-on-board-slips-off-the-runway-and-crashes-at-nepal-airport" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/a-plane-with-19-people-on-board-slips-off-the-runway-and-crashes-at-nepal-airport</a>&nbsp;

The pilot, 37-year-old Manish Shakya was rescued from the plane and was rushed to the KMC Hospital in Sinamangal. The plane 9N-AME (CRJ 200) was only carrying technical staff of the airline, with no passengers on board. Gyanendra Bhul, information officer at TIA, confirmed that the plane was carrying a few technical staff members. The plane crashed shortly after taking off from the runway, at around 11:00 AM today. Following the crash, smoke was seen coming from the plane. Firefighters and security personnel, including Nepal Police and the Nepali Army, have been deployed to the crash site and are currently trying to control the situation. Meanwhile, the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) has been closed following the crash on Wednesday morning, affecting dozens of flights. The shutdown includes all outbound and inbound flights to the Airport. The Himalayan Times reported that domestic flights have been stopped at various domestic airports, while international flights have been put on hold or diverted to other airports. The airport will remain closed until the rescue operation is completed.
—ANI

Saurya Airline crash at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport leaves 18 dead, pilot is lone survivor. Rescue operations ongoing, airport closed affecting flights.

18 people killed in Saurya Airline crash in Kathmandu, Pilot survives crash

Kathmandu: At least five people were killed after a small plane caught fire after skidding off the runway while taking off from Nepal's capital Kathmandu on Wednesday, media and officials said.
The plane was carrying two crew members and 17 technicians to Pokhara city for maintenance checks, Airport Security Chief Arjun Chand Thakuri said.  The Kathmandu Post newspaper said five bodies had been recovered from the crash site. Television visuals showed fire fighters trying to put out the fire and thick black smoke rising into the sky.
Watch video: <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1816002794350075972" target="_self">https://twitter.com/i/status/1816002794350075972</a>&nbsp;
"It (the plane) caught fire after skidding off the runway at Kathmandu airport and crashing into a field east of the runway," Thakuri said.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/a-plane-with-19-people-on-board-slips-off-the-runway-and-crashes-at-nepal-airport" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/a-plane-with-19-people-on-board-slips-off-the-runway-and-crashes-at-nepal-airport</a>&nbsp;
The plane belonged to local Saurya Airlines, media said. Saurya operates domestic flights in Nepal with two Bombardier CRJ-200 regional jets, both around 20 years old, according to Flight Radar 24.  Nepal has been criticised for its poor air safety record, with the deadliest incident occurring in 1992, when a Pakistan International Airlines Airbus crashed into a hillside while approaching Kathmandu, killing 167 people.  Most recently, at least 72 people were killed in a Yeti airlines crash in January 2023 that was later attributed to the pilots mistakenly cutting off power.
—Reuters

A small plane caught fire after skidding off the runway in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing at least five. The incident adds to Nepal's troubled air safety record.

At least five dead as Nepal plane skids off runway and catches fire: Reports

Leonforte, Sicily: As tourists savored icy granitas under hibiscus trees and swam in the cool Mediterranean Sea, in the farmlands of southern Sicily, among hillsides so scorched they resembled desert dunes, a farmer watched recently as his cows headed to the slaughterhouse.
After months of drought, he didn't have any water or food to give them.  "It's devastating," said the farmer, Lorenzo Iraci Sareri, as tears fell on his tanned face, lined by 40 years of labor pasturing cows. "I have never seen something like this."  Parts of southern Italy and other Mediterranean regions, including Greece and southeastern Spain, are experiencing one of their worst droughts in decades. It is particularly devastating, experts say, because the lack of rainfall has been made worse by the higher temperatures caused by climate change.  Artificial basins where animals used to drink offer little but cracked earth. Wheat ears are small and hollow. Pergusa Lake in central Sicily, part of a natural reserve, resembles a pale, dry crater.  But for many of these regions, the summer is also peak season for tourism, a key economic lifeline that the authorities fear is being threatened by news of water scarcity, and that they are trying to protect.  "We are forced to sacrifice the damage to agriculture, but we have to try not to damage tourism because it would be even worse," said Salvatore Cocina, the head of Sicily's civil protection.  He added that agriculture still accounts for the vast majority of water use, with the general population using just a fraction of it, even when it includes millions of tourists during the summer.
Authorities said they prioritised providing water to hospitals, to businesses that produce key assets like oxygen, and to vulnerable segments of the population. But also, to hotels.  "The tourists don't notice" the drought, Elvira Amata, Sicily's top tourism official, promised.  Outside five-star resorts, in the arid South of the island, the signs were everywhere.  In Agrigento, which overlooks a valley holding the ruins of several Greek temples, authorities are rationing water. Some homes on the outskirts have not received any in weeks.  Water scarcity has meant that a small number of small bed-and-breakfasts also had to pull some rooms from the market, or redirect customers to other hotels, said Francesco Picarella, the head of Federalberghi, Italy's main hotels association, in Agrigento. But what hurt most were media reports warning that tourists were "running away" because of a lack of water, he said.  Since the reports started coming out, bookings dropped significantly, Picarella said. The region immediately responded by summoning officials and urging them to protect the tourist season.  The mayor of Agrigento, Francesco Miccichè, said the authorities are distributing water more frequently to the city center, where most bed-and-breakfasts are, and they have made truckloads of water available to hotels. Some still complain they have to pay for the truckloads, but most hotels now can provide water, Picarella said.  "In the luxury sector I can't tell them to ration showers," said Isidoro di Franco, the general manager of Verdura Resort near Agrigento, as he sat at the bar overlooking green golf courses and lush pink and blue ornamental plants.  He said the resort was restricting water use, and recycling water, but that it could not cut back on basic necessities.  The regional government is planning an advertising campaign to counter fear of the drought. Sicilians insisted that southern Sicily was not only ready to welcome tourists, but also desperately needed them.
"If you take us away tourism too, we are going to die," said Cinzia Zerbini, a Sicilian spokesperson for Coldiretti, Italy's biggest farmers association.  Many farmers are already desperate. One, in the hills near the southern Sicilian town of Caltanissetta, said his goats drank from basins so depleted that one of them died as the mud dried in her stomach.  In northeastern Sardinia, the main lake is at one-third of its capacity. A local government representative said officials had to make a choice between tourism and agriculture, and completely halted running water for irrigation.  "We decided to sacrifice agriculture," said Giancarlo Dionisi, the local prefect of the Sardinian province of Nuoro. While farmers would be compensated for their losses, he said, the damage of having waterless hotels could last longer.  "If tourists who come can't shower, they create a negative word of mouth," he said.  Many in Sicily were so appreciative of the financial benefits brought by tourism that they did not object to water consumption by tourists during the drought. Others raised objections.  Some farmers said the heightened attention on visitors in Mediterranean regions was enabling a kind of tourism in which local conditions are not taken enough into consideration.  "Locals are getting fractious," Francesco Vincenzi, the president of the Italian association of agricultural water boards, said in a statement. "They feel threatened in the availability of a primary good like water."  In the drought-affected Spanish region of Catalunya, locals started a campaign called #NoEnRaja, which roughly translates to "you can't take something from nothing." They argued that together with agriculture and industry, the booming tourism sector was responsible for the mismanagement of scarce resources.  According to Barcelona's institute of regional and metropolitan studies, the water consumption of the average guest at a luxury hotel is five times higher than that of a resident, contributing to what the campaign called "the injustice in the use of water."  In Portugal this winter, as reservoirs emptied, orange farmers complained that golf courses were still being watered.  "First come the people, then the golf courses, then you," Pedro Cabrita, an orange farmer, paraphrased a local official as telling him.  Some officials have responded to the apparent imbalance. On the Greek island of Sifnos last year, the mayor called for a ban on the construction of private swimming pools. In Spain, a recent ban on refilling swimming pools included fancy resorts.  Samuel Somot, a researcher at Météo-France, the National Weather Service in France, said increasingly harsh Mediterranean droughts risked future desertification as well as "water wars."  The problem was only likely to intensify. Higher temperatures mean that animals and plants are thirstier while lakes and basins evaporate faster, said Luigi Pasotti, a director with Sicily's Weather Service for agriculture.  This year, Coldiretti said Sicilian farms lost more than 50% of their wheat harvest on average.
In the southern region of Puglia, honey production dropped by 60% because it was so dry many plants could not flower. The olive harvest there was predicted to fall by half because of the drought.  In Sicily, the drought is now bringing long-standing water management problems to the fore. Large quantities of water are lost because of poor infrastructure. In Agrigento, that can be more than 50%, officials said. Desalinators and wells were dismissed in the past.  The Italian government has announced it would allocate 12 billion euros, roughly $13 billion, to water projects. After years of hearing promises, experts are skeptical that the projects could be put in place anytime soon.  But the issue needs to be addressed fast, said Edoardo Zanchini, the director of Rome's climate office. "Otherwise the agriculture lands will be abandoned," he said, "and abandoned lands become deserts."  The Bank of Italy said the output generated by agriculture in Sicily dropped last year because of climate-induced shocks, while tourism grew. Many farmers in southern Sicily said that they could not withstand another bad year.  "If we don't get forage and we don't get water we will have to slaughter them all," said Luca Cammarata, a goat farmer near Caltanissetta, as he pushed his skinny goats toward the few green sprouts left on his yellow pasture. Another year like this would amount to a "death sentence," he said.  "Should we all move to the coast and do tourism?" he asked.
—International New York Times

Southern Sicily's drought devastates agriculture and threatens tourism, forcing tough choices between water use for crops and hospitality amidst climate change.

After losing crops to drought, Sicily fears losing tourism, too

Kathmandu: A plane with 19 people on board slipped off the runway and crashed Wednesday while trying to take off from the airport serving Nepal’s capital, state television said.  The plane belongs to the domestic Saurya airline and was heading from Kathmandu to the resort town of Pokhara, Nepal Television said.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/new-zealand-to-apologise-after-enquiry-finds-200000-children-and-vulnerable-adults-abused-in-care" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/new-zealand-to-apologise-after-enquiry-finds-200000-children-and-vulnerable-adults-abused-in-care</a>&nbsp;
It was not clear how it slipped or if there were any casualties. Tribhuvan International Airport has been closed and emergency crew were working.
—AP

A Saurya airline plane crashed while taking off from Kathmandu, heading to Pokhara. Tribhuvan International Airport closed as emergency crews respond.

A plane with 19 people on board slips off the runway and crashes at Nepal airport

Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon expressed regret on Wednesday after a public enquiry found some 2,00,000 children, young people and vulnerable adults were abused in state and religious care over the last 70 years.
Nearly one in three children and vulnerable adults in care from 1950 to 2019 experienced some form of abuse, the report found, a finding that could leave the government facing billions of dollars in fresh compensation claims.  "This is a dark and sorrowful day in New Zealand's history as a society and as a state, we should have done better, and I am determined that we will do so," Luxon told a news conference.  An official apology will follow on November 12, he added.
The report by Royal Commission of Inquiry spoke to over 2,300 survivors of abuse in New Zealand, which has a population of 5.3 million. The inquiry detailed a litany of abuses in state and faith-based care, including rape, sterilisation and electric shocks, which peaked in the 1970s.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/maldives-seeks-china's-fiscal-support-to-carry-out-economic-reforms-to-address-debt-distress" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/maldives-seeks-china's-fiscal-support-to-carry-out-economic-reforms-to-address-debt-distress</a>&nbsp;
Those from the Indigenous Maori community were especially vulnerable to abuse, the report found, as well as those with mental or physical disabilities.  Civil and faith leaders fought to cover up abuse by moving abusers to other locations and denying culpability, with many victims dying before seeing justice, the report added.  "It is a national disgrace that hundreds of thousands of children, young people and adults were abused and neglected in the care of the State and faith-based institutions," the report said.  It made 138 recommendations, including calling for public apologies from New Zealand's government, as well as the Pope and the Archbishop of Canterbury, heads of the Catholic and Anglican churches respectively, who have previously condemned child abuse.  It also called for the government to set up a Care Safe Agency responsible for overseeing the industry, as well new legislation including mandatory reporting of suspected abuse, including admissions made during religious confession.  The report estimated the average lifetime cost to an abuse survivor, that is what New Zealanders would consider normal, day-to-day activities, was estimated in 2020 to be approximately NZ$857,000 ($511,200.50) per person, though the report did not make clear the amount of compensation available for survivors.  Luxon said he believed the total compensation due to survivors could run into billions of dollars.  "We're opening up the redress conversations and we're going through that work with survivor groups," he said.  The inquiry also recommended payments to families who have been cared for by survivors of abuse due to the intergenerational trauma they suffered, as well as review of compensation paid in previous child abuse cases including at the state-run Lake Alice adolescent unit.  "The most important element is to recognise and acknowledge the survivors for the reality and the truth of their lives," said Tracey McIntosh, a sociologist at the University of Auckland.
—Reuters

NZ PM Luxon apologizes after inquiry finds 200,000 children and vulnerable adults abused in care over 70 years. Official apology on November 12.

New Zealand to apologise after enquiry finds 2,00,000 children and vulnerable adults abused in care

Beijing: Maldives Foreign Minister Moosa Zameer on Monday met his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and sought Beijing’s support to carry out fiscal and economic reforms to develop its debt-ridden economy.
Zameer met Wang and briefed him on the economic and fiscal situation in the Maldives, emphasising the importance of carrying out diligently, the fiscal reforms as announced by Maldivian President Muhammad Muizzu, a press release issued by the Maldives Foreign Ministry said.  Zameer also requested China’s support in carrying out the reform programme that will foster consumer and investor confidence in the Maldivian economy, thereby positively impacting the island nation's economic resilience.  Zameer and Wang held extensive bilateral discussions, the press release said.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/trump-campaign-switches-gears-to-confront-a-harris-challenge" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/trump-campaign-switches-gears-to-confront-a-harris-challenge</a>&nbsp;
Wang reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to further strengthen the historic and friendly relations between the two countries. Zameer thanked China for its substantial support through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which has played a pivotal role in the Maldives' socio-economic development, it said.
The meeting concluded with both parties reiterating their commitment to exploring new avenues for cooperation, the release said.  China has scaled up its relations with Maldives, since Muzzu, widely regarded as a pro-Beijing leader, took over power last year.  During Muizzu’s visit to Beijing, the two countries elevated their ties to a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and signed 20 agreements. Since then Maldives permitted China’s ocean research vessels, widely regarded as spy ships to berth in its waters much to the concern of India.  In May, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the Maldives that it faces a high risk of debt distress without significant policy changes. The IMF noted that the Maldives' current account deficit is expected to remain large and that its overall fiscal deficits and public debt are projected to stay elevated.  Subsequently, the Muizzu government sought restructuring of loans from China. The Maldives' debt to China reportedly amounted to over USD 1.3 billion.  In the same month, Chinese Ambassador to the Maldives Wang Lixin said discussions are being held between the two countries on providing some form of ease in debt repayment on the loans currently taken from China by the Maldives government.  She, however, maintained that debt restructuring is not the solution, as doing so would obstruct the Maldives from seeking further financial aid from China, the Maldives media reported.  Wang stated that China, too, is deeply concerned about the rising debt of Maldives, adding that their policy is to move forward in a manner that would not further add to this debt.  "You also would have noticed that now, China is issuing grants to the Maldives. We are prioritising providing free aid to the Maldives, so as not to further increase Maldives' debt," she said.
—PTI

Maldives Foreign Minister seeks China's support for economic reforms to tackle debt crisis, fostering investor confidence and strengthening bilateral relations.

Maldives seeks China’s fiscal support to carry out economic reforms to address debt distress

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump will try to show swing voters that his likely new rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, has her fingerprints all over two issues he is counting on for victory in November: immigration and the cost of living.
Sources within the Trump campaign said it will cast Harris, the likely Democratic candidate after President Joe Biden quit the race on Sunday, as the "co-pilot" of administration polices it says are behind both sources of voter discontent.  Biden’s sudden exit and endorsement of Harris has upended the race, just eight days after Trump survived an assassination attempt at a campaign rally.  Sources told Reuters that Trump's campaign had for weeks been preparing for Harris should Biden drop out and she win her party's nomination. "Harris will be easier to beat than Joe Biden would have been," Trump told CNN shortly after Biden's announcement on Sunday.  Trump's campaign has signaled it will tie her as tightly as possible to Biden's immigration policy, which Republicans say is to blame for a sharp increase in the numbers of people crossing the southern border with Mexico illegally.
The second line of attack will revolve around the economy. Public opinion polls consistently show Americans are unhappy with high food and fuel costs as well as interest rates that have made buying a home less affordable.  "She's the co-pilot of the Biden vision," said one Trump adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity during last week’s Republican National Convention, where a unified party anointed Trump as its nominee in the White House race.  Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/hunter-biden-drops-lawsuit-against-fox-news-over-'mock-trial'-miniseries" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/hunter-biden-drops-lawsuit-against-fox-news-over-'mock-trial'-miniseries</a>&nbsp;
"If they want to switch to Biden 2.0 and have 'Cackling' Kamala at the top of the ticket, we're good either way," the adviser said, repeating an insult the campaign has been trying out for weeks focused on how the vice president laughs.  Make America Great Again Inc, a super PAC backing Trump, said on Sunday it was pulling anti-Biden television ads that had been set to run in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania and replacing them with an ad attacking Harris. The 30-second ad accuses Harris of hiding Biden's infirmity from the public, and it seeks to pin the administration's record solely on her.
"Kamala knew Joe couldn't do the job, so she did it. Look what she got done: a border invasion, runaway inflation, the American Dream dead," the narrator says.  Trump, known for using insulting and sometimes offensive language to attack his opponents, gave supporters at a rally in Michigan on Saturday a taste of the insults he is likely to fling at Harris in the coming days.  "I call her laughing Kamala. You ever watch a laugh? She's crazy. You can tell a lot by a laugh. She's crazy. She's nuts," he said.  Altered race  The Democratic Party has yet to determine how to move forward, and there is as yet no guarantee that Harris will emerge as the party’s nominee despite Biden’s endorsement.  Harris as the Democratic nominee would alter the race in perhaps unforeseen ways, political strategists said.  A 59-year-old woman who is Black and Asian-American would fashion an entirely new dynamic with Trump, 78, offering a vivid generational and cultural split-screen. The United States has yet to elect a woman president in its 248-year history.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/'all-my-children'-star-esta-terblanche-passes-away" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/'all-my-children'-star-esta-terblanche-passes-away</a>&nbsp;
Rodell Mollineau, a Democratic strategist and longtime congressional aide, said Harris would be able to mount "a more energetic campaign with excitement from younger voters and people of color" after Biden struggled to energize these important Democratic Party voting blocs. A former prosecutor and California attorney general as well as a former US senator, Harris would be able to use “her years of litigation experience to effectively prosecute Trump in the court of public opinion,” Mollineau said.  Chip Felkel, a Republican strategist, cautioned that it would be a mistake for the Trump campaign to assume Harris could serve as a simple stand-in for Biden, because of her potential appeal to different parts of the electorate.  Recent polls have shown Harris to be competitive with Trump. In a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, Harris and Trump were tied with 44% support each in a July 15-16 Reuters/Ipsos poll.  Before Sunday, the Trump campaign had already begun discussions about how they would redeploy campaign resources should Biden drop out of the race, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican political consultant, said despite the contrasts Harris would bring to the ticket, her close ties to Biden would be a drag on her candidacy.  Harris "doesn't represent the change America is looking for," Hoffman said.  MAGA Inc CEO Taylor Budowich said his group has commissioned opposition research on several possible Democratic candidates. “MAGA Inc is prepared for all outcomes of a Democrat Party who has only brought chaos and failure,” he said.
—Reuters

Trump targets Kamala Harris, the new Democratic candidate, on immigration and economic issues following Biden's exit from the 2024 race.

Trump campaign switches gears to confront a Harris challenge

Hunter Biden has dropped a lawsuit against Fox News for publishing nude photos and videos of him in a fictionalized "mock trial" show focused on his foreign dealings, according to a court filing by his lawyers on Sunday.
The filing did not give a reason for the voluntary dismissal of the suit. ABC News reported that Hunter, who is the son of President Joe Biden, dropped the suit with the intention of refiling it against new defendants, citing a person familiar with the younger Biden's legal strategy.  A spokesperson for Fox News Media told news website Axios the company was reiterating previous comments that the lawsuit was "politically motivated" and "devoid of merit."
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/bangladesh-calm-a-day-after-top-court-scrapped-some-job-quotas" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/bangladesh-calm-a-day-after-top-court-scrapped-some-job-quotas</a>&nbsp;
Lawyers for Hunter Biden and Fox News and media representatives for Fox News did not immediately respond to requests for comment.  Fox aired The Trial of Hunter Biden: A Mock Trial for the American People on its Fox Nation streaming platform in October 2022 but took it down in April this year under the threat of a lawsuit by Hunter Biden's attorneys.  Hunter Biden filed the lawsuit earlier this month.  The TV series depicted a fictional trial of Hunter Biden on illegal foreign lobbying and bribery charges, crimes he has not been indicted for, and includes photos and videos of Biden in the nude and engaged in sex acts, according to the lawsuit.  The dismissal of the suit comes hours after Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race under pressure from fellow Democrats.
—Reuters

Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Fox News over nude photos in a mock trial. Plans to refile. Joe Biden exits 2024 race. Fox News calls suit "politically motivated."

Hunter Biden drops lawsuit against Fox News over 'mock trial' miniseries

Dhaka: Bangladesh appeared calm on Monday amid a curfew, but widespread disruption of telecoms prevailed a day after the Supreme Court scrapped some quotas for government jobs that sparked protests this month that killed scores.
Clashes between protesters and security forces killed at least 139 people across the South Asian nation after the high court last month reinstated job reservations removed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government in 2018.  On Sunday, however, the Supreme Court ordered that 93% of government jobs should be allocated on the basis of merit, against earlier quotas of 56% for groups such as families of freedom fighters, women, and people from underdeveloped areas.  There were no reports of violence or protests on Monday morning and media said curfew would be relaxed for three hours in the afternoon, extended from two hours the previous day, so that people could buy essentials.
Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/baloch-activist-demands-safe-return-of-abducted-people-as-turbat-protest-enters-3rd-day" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/baloch-activist-demands-safe-return-of-abducted-people-as-turbat-protest-enters-3rd-day</a>&nbsp;
Student protesters have said they plan to continue demonstrations, however, until the release of detained protest leaders, and have demanded the government lift the curfew and re-open universities shut since Wednesday.  They have set a 48-hour deadline for the government to act on the demands.  Last week's protests saw thousands injured as security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades to scatter the demonstrators.  Experts have blamed the unrest on stagnant job growth in the private sector and high rates of youth unemployment that have made government jobs, with their regular wage hikes and other privileges, more attractive.  Hasina, who was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term this year, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, and crackdowns on free speech and dissent in the past - charges her government denies.
—Reuters

Calm in Bangladesh under curfew post-Supreme Court's scrapping of job quotas. Protests resulted in 139 deaths; student demonstrators demand government action.

Bangladesh calm a day after top court scrapped some job quotas

Quetta (Balochistan): As the five missing Baloch people's families continued their protest for the third day, activist Mahrang Baloch demanded the safe return of the missing people. In a statement, she said the Baloch people are protesting because the Counter Terrorist Department abducts people. In a post on X, Mahrang said, "Why do Baloch march? Because every day, security forces break into Baloch homes, beat and abduct innocent people. Families of five missing persons continue their sit-in on Day 3, blocking the CPEC road, at Greshag demanding the safe return of their loved ones enforcedly disappeared by CTD." https://x.com/MahrangBaloch_/status/1814935884858294622 The Baloch Yakjehti Committee in a post on X shared a video appeal by Saira Baloch the sister of one of the abducted persons. "Saira Baloch, a sister protesting for his enforcedly disappeared brothers on roads for the last six years; urging the Baloch Raj to join the Baloch Raji Muchi at Gwadar. She is an example of suffering from the collective punishment that the families of disappeared persons go through. With unity and resistance, we can end this cycle of enforced disappearances and collective punishment of our mothers and sisters, and secure a prosperous future for our generations. " the post said. https://x.com/BalochYakjehtiC/status/1815057379177927079 On July 21, Families of forcibly disappeared Baloch individuals launched a hunger strike unto death in the Turbat district of Pakistan's Balochistan, expressing deep dissatisfaction with the Pakistani government's handling of the issue. The protest, now in its seventh day, aims to highlight the plight of family members of those who were abducted and demand their safe return. According to a statement from the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a Baloch rights organisation, "The sit-in camp by victim families of the disappeared people has completed seven days. "On July 18, they announced a hunger strike. These families, from various areas of the Kech district, have been protesting in front of the DC office in Turbat. On July 19, they began their hunger strike," the BYC said. The BYC has also called for a national gathering in Gwadar on July 28 to protest the forced disappearance of people.
—ANI

Families of missing Baloch individuals protest for their safe return, led by Mahrang Baloch, with a hunger strike and national gathering planned in Gwadar.

Baloch activist demands safe return of abducted people as Turbat protest enters 3rd day

Beijing: At least 11 people were killed and more than 30 went missing when a bridge on a highway collapsed partially due to flash floods in China's Shaanxi province, authorities said on Saturday.
The bridge, located in Zhashui County in Shangluo City, collapsed on Friday evening due to a sudden downpour and flash floods, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the provincial publicity department. Eleven people were confirmed dead as of Saturday morning, while more than 30 went missing after the collapse, the report said. The collapse caused some vehicles to plunge into the Jinqian River below the bridge, it said.
The exact number of vehicles involved in the collapse is still being determined. It added that rescue teams recovered five vehicles that had fallen into the river, and rescue operations were underway. Also Read: <a href="https://www.thehawk.in/posts/explained-or-what-caused-the-microsoft-global-outage" target="_self">https://www.thehawk.in/posts/explained-or-what-caused-the-microsoft-global-outage</a>&nbsp;
According to the Ministry of Emergency Management, a team was dispatched to guide rescue efforts. The China National Comprehensive Fire and Rescue Team sent 736 people, 76 vehicles, 18 boats and 32 drones to carry out rescue efforts, it said. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out rescue and relief efforts to "safeguard people's lives and property after the bridge's collapse," the report said.
—PTI

At least 11 dead and 30 missing in Shaanxi, China, after a bridge collapse caused by flash floods. Rescue operations are underway as President Xi Jinping urges action.

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