International candy store

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his Nepalese counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday laid the foundation stone for the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in the Lumbini Monastic Zone here. Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism. “Taking forward our cultural ties. PM @narendramodi and PM @SherBDeuba perform Shilanyas ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Twitter. Taking forward our cultural ties. @narendramodi and PM @SherBDeuba perform Shilanyas ceremony of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage. pic.twitter.com/GRGdne7wOj — Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 16, 2022 “The centre is being built at the initiative of the International Buddhist Confederation, New Delhi,” … [Read more...] about PM Modi lays foundation stone for India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage in Nepal’s Lumbini

Starbucks on Monday became the latest major U.S. company to offer coverage for travel costs for employees seeking abortions out of state. The Seattle-based coffee giant follows the likes of Amazon , CitiGroup, Tesla , and Yelp, which have made similar pledges as numerous states work to roll back abortion rights or ban the practice outright. The coverage Starbucks plans to offer will be part of its benefits package for employees, and will therefore also be extended to dependents, according to U.S. News. "Regardless of what the Supreme Court ends up deciding, we will always ensure our partners have access to quality health care," Sara Kelly, Starbucks acting executive vice president of partner resources, said in a letter announcing the new coverage. In the letter, Kelly referred to the leaked Supreme Court opinion draft, written by Justice Samuel Alito , indicating that the court will soon overturn the landmark 1973 decision, Roe v. Wade , which guaranteed access to … [Read more...] about Starbucks breaks silence on abortion issues, will pay employee travel costs

The gruesome video filmed by a gunman during a mass shooting at a supermarket that left 10 people dead could still be found on social media two days after the attack. The shooter's footage was still being shared on Twitter on Monday, 48 hours after he filmed the violent deaths of his victims at the Tops supermarket in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday. Facebook 's moderators have also been battling to remove links to the violent footage on their platform. Police described the mass shooting as "racially motivated violent extremism," after 11 of the 13 victims were revealed to be Black. Officers arrested 18-year-old Payton Gendron of Conklin, New York, outside the store on suspicion of murder. Facebook and Twitter have been criticized for not making sure that the footage hasn't been fully removed from their sites. Newsweek was easily able to find and view the footage via the two sites; it has reported the posts to moderators. A Meta spokesperson for Facebook told Newsweek … [Read more...] about Facebook, Twitter Battling Buffalo Shooting Video 48 Hours On

Palestinians rallied on Sunday to mark the "Nakba," or catastrophe, 74 years after Israel's creation, with condemnation spreading over a police raid on the funeral of a slain journalist. The annual demonstrations across the occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and inside Israel came with tensions high over the killing of 51-year-old Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh. The Palestinian-American was shot dead on Wednesday during an Israeli raid in Jenin, a West Bank flashpoint. A Palestinian militant wounded in clashes there, Daoud al-Zubaidi, died from his injuries in an Israeli hospital Sunday. Israeli police have vowed to investigate the chaos that marred the day of Abu Akleh's funeral, after television footage seen worldwide showed pallbearers struggling to stop the casket from toppling to the ground as baton-wielding police descended upon them, grabbing Palestinian flags. The scenes Friday sparked international condemnation, including from the United States, United … [Read more...] about Palestinians mourn Israel’s creation amid outcry over funeral raid

To the cheers from the audience of students at Tsinghua University here, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India has decided to “extend electronic tourist visas to Chinese nationals.” The announcement was anticipated for some weeks, and The Hindu had reported last month on the Chinese government’s repeated requests to India to cut some of the security and visa regulations for Chinese businessmen and tourists. The Prime Minister said it was part of a concerted effort by his government to bring the “world’s two largest populations in closer contact.” “Thirty-three per cent of the world is either Indian or Chinese, and yet we know so little about each other,” he said. The e-visa facility would enable Chinese applicants to apply for visas online a few days before they travel. Accent on people-to-people Shortly before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Friday of the extension of e-visa facility for Chinese nationals, Foreign Secretary S. … [Read more...] about India grants e-visas for Chinese nationals

Israel advanced plans for the construction of more than 4,000 settler homes in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, a rights group said, a day after the military demolished homes in an area where hundreds of Palestinians face the threat of expulsion. It was a jolting illustration of Israel's policies in the territory it has occupied for nearly 55 years. Critics, including three major human rights groups, say those policies amount to apartheid, a charge Israel rejects as an attack on its very legitimacy. Hagit Ofran, an expert on the settlements at the anti-settlement watchdog group Peace Now, said a military planning body approved 4,427 housing units at a meeting on Thursday that she attended. Israeli officials did not respond to requests for comment. It's the biggest advancement of settlement projects since the Biden administration took office. The White House opposes settlement construction and views it as an obstacle to any eventual peace agreement with the … [Read more...] about Rights group: Israel approves over 4,000 new settler homes

Bette Midler has faced criticism for encouraging mothers to “try breastfeeding ,” during the current baby formula shortage in the United States. The 76-year-old actor discussed breastfeeding in a recent post on Twitter , responding to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle’s tweet about a what she’s learned about the baby formula production market through the shortage. “The baby formula shortage reveals an amazing secret oligopoly: Three American companies control over 90 per cent of the market,” Ruhle wrote. “Hugely restrictive regulations (thanks to big 5 lobbying) prohibit foreign formulas.” “Name another industry/sector/product like this,” she added. In response, Midler tweeted: “TRY BREASTFEEEDING! It’s free and available on demand.” Recommended Hocus Pocus sequel, starring original cast, coming to Disney+ in 2022 Bette Midler apologises after ‘outburst’ in which she called West Virginia ‘poor, illiterate’ Bette Midler, Berry Gordy … [Read more...] about Bette Midler faces backlash for telling mothers to ‘try breastfeeding’ their babies amid formula shortage

If Ukraine had joined NATO as Russian President Vladimir Putin once feared, it would have added an extra 210,000 troops and 2,550 tanks to the alliance's military strength, bringing the total up to at least 3.7 million personnel, including troops, personnel and civilian fighters. Putin has always justified his invasion of Ukraine as a means to stop the eastward expansion of the 30-strong Western military alliance but Finland and Sweden have both dramatically increased military spending since the war began on February 24. The two countries have announced their intention to join NATO, signaling that Putin's war aims to prevent the alliance from getting stronger are backfiring. Moscow has been quick to warn that the two countries' move to join the alliance will be met by "retaliatory steps," including deployment of nuclear weapons. However, Sweden's ruling party approved the country's bid to join NATO on Sunday, as well as Finnish politicians calling for their country to … [Read more...] about Putin’s NATO Backfire? How Finnish, Swedish Forces Compare With Ukraine’s

Donald Trump Jr., a prominent and vocal member of the MAGA crowd, has some concerns when it comes to Finland possibly joining NATO. On Monday morning, Trump Jr. shared his thoughts on the possibility that the European country may become the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In his statement , posted to Twitter , Trump Jr. brought up Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a reason to reconsider the possible move. "I get there's nothing going on at home that Congress could be worrying about, but after decades of not being in NATO and being just fine isn't the notion of eliminating this buffer zone a bit how the Ukraine invasion started?" he wrote. The statement from the eldest son of former President Donald Trump came after the Nordic country and neighboring Sweden both indicated they wanted to join the international military alliance. The decision to apply for membership was influenced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Russian President Vladimir … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Jr. throws cold water on Finland joining NATO

Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn faces a tough test in the North Carolina Primary on Tuesday, after a series of controversies and antics that have threatened his chances of getting re-elected. Even Donald Trump has said he deserves a "second chance." But Cawthorn's donors haven't been deterred. Cawthorn's fundraising committee, Cawthorn for NC, saw a small decline in campaign contibutions in April. It received 827 donations in the month, according to Federal Election Commission filings, down from 1,252 in March, but that's in line with the flow of overall electoral donations nationally. Cawthorn for NC raised just under $66,000 in April, down from $103,000 in March. His highest fundraising month was $251,000 in June 2021. Equally, Cawthorn's Republican challengers who have raised the most in donations, Bruce O'Connell and Chuck Edwards, didn't see any major donation boosts to their campaigns in April, after Cawthorn's controversies, according to FEC data. … [Read more...] about Madison Cawthorn’s scandals haven’t put off his donors