Which nation helped the united states invade iraq in 2003

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 hit 1 million on Monday, a once-unimaginable figure that only hints at the multitudes of loved ones and friends staggered by grief and frustration. The confirmed number of dead is equivalent to a 9/11 attack every day for 336 days. It is roughly equal to how many Americans died in the Civil War and World War II combined. It’s as if Boston and Pittsburgh were wiped out. It is hard to imagine a million people plucked from this earth, said Jennifer Nuzzo, who leads a new pandemic center at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. Its still happening and we are letting it happen. Some of those left behind say they cannot return to normal. They replay their loved ones' voicemail messages. Or watch old videos to see them dance. When other people say they are done with the virus, they bristle with anger or ache in silence. 'Normal.' I hate that word, said Julie Wallace, 55, of Elyria, Ohio, who lost her husband to … [Read more...] about United States Crosses Grim Milestone of 1 Million Covid-19 Deaths

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

ROME, Italy – The president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences has condemned the arrest of Cardinal Joseph Zen, accusing Hong Kong of having become a “police state.” In a statement released this weekend, Myanmar Cardinal Charles Bo expressed his “profound concern about the situation for human rights and threats to religious freedom in Hong Kong.” “Hong Kong used to be one of Asia’s freest and most open cities,” Cardinal Bo said. “Today, it has been transformed into a police state. Freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly and association, and academic freedom have all been dismantled.” The cardinal also denounced “recent propaganda attacks against the Church in pro-Beijing media in Hong Kong, and of growing self-censorship among religious leaders due to the circumstances.” Myanmar Cardinal Charles Maung Bo arrives at St. Peter’s Basilica for a Mass celebrated by Pope Francis on February 15, 2015 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Franco … [Read more...] about Asian Cardinal Says Hong Kong Is ‘Police State’ After Cardinal Zen Arrest

I’ve thought about Jim Obergefell often since we first spoke nine years ago, after his historic marriage to his husband on an airport tarmac outside Baltimore. He’s come to mind mostly during big moments in my own life as a gay man in America. I thought of Jim and his late husband, John Arthur, when I first considered proposing to my husband, Aaron, and the promises — in sickness and in health, till death do us part — that I’d be making. I thought of Jim and John again when Aaron and I exchanged vows in San Francisco City Hall in 2018, with our families around us and the bust of Harvey Milk nearby . We chose City Hall for its beauty and ease, but could have been anywhere in the country — a right Jim and John won us by overcoming a mountain of obstacles just to reach that tarmac. Advertisement I thought of Jim again last week, around the time I was emailing our lawyers about the next set of paperwork to file in our pursuit of U.S. citizenship for Aaron, who is … [Read more...] about Hearing threat to Roe vs. Wade, I thought of my gay marriage — and Jim Obergefell’s fight

India on Thursday ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption — a politically correct move that ought to take some heat off a government battling serious corruption charges and seen as unwilling to crackdown on black money stashed away abroad. Indeed, in recent days a question often asked was why India had not ratified the Convention when asset recovery is stated explicitly as a fundamental principle of the Convention. Besides, member-countries are bound by the Convention to render mutual legal assistance towards prosecution of offenders as well in tracing, freezing, and confiscating the proceeds of corruption. The Prime Minister's explanation for the delay was that the ratification had been under active consideration since September 2010 and a Group of Ministers was deputed to oversee the process. In a statement issued before his departure for Kabul, the Prime Minister further said: “….the ratification is a reaffirmation of our government's commitment to fight … [Read more...] about India ratifies U.N. Convention against Corruption

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been a vocal critic of Finland and Sweden since reports emerged that they were seeking to join NATO in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since Russia invaded its neighbor on February 24, both Finland and Sweden have been considering ending decades of military neutrality to join the 30-nation alliance, contradicting Putin's war aims while doing so. Putin has repeatedly said that the eastward expansion of NATO was the reason why his country invaded Ukraine. The war has killed thousands of people on both sides and displaced millions more. Sweden followed Finland on Monday and confirmed it will apply to join NATO. Finland has an over 800-mile border with Russia and has fought two wars against the country in the past, and it has become increasingly concerned about its security following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly warned that there will be "retaliatory steps" to the two countries' move to join the … [Read more...] about What Vladimir Putin has said about Finland and Sweden joining NATO

At least five superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs have docked in Turkey since the start of the war in Ukraine, marking an attempt by the nation's ultra-rich to avoid Western sanctions. For months, Russian oligarchs have scrambled to relocate their assets , including luxury yachts and private jets, to avoid having them seized by the United States and European countries. Turkey has since become a safe haven, as the nation has yet to impose its own sanctions against Moscow for its ongoing invasion. The latest superyacht, a $400 million luxury vessel dubbed the Flying Fox, arrived in Bodrum, Turkey, on Sunday morning, according to Insider. That ship is owned by Dmitry Kamenshchik, chairman of Moscow's Domodedovo airport. Other yachts that have sailed to Turkey belong to former KGB agent Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, steel mogul Alexander Abramov, and billionaire Roman Abramovich. As Newsweek previously reported, Abramovich sent a $600 million yacht named Solaris to Bodrum on … [Read more...] about Turkey becomes haven for superyachts owned by sanctioned Russian oligarchs

Leading Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in North Carolina Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC) has barbs out for his potential Democrat competitor Cheri Beasley ahead of the primaries on Tuesday. Both Trump-endorsed Budd and former Chief Justice Beasley of the North Carolina Supreme Court are way ahead of their competitors within their respective parties, meaning the candidates may likely soon go head to head in a battle between the “America First” agenda and the Biden agenda in November. Budd warned Breitbart News Saturday that a candidate “cannot be more radical” than Beasley, despite her attempts to pitch herself as the “North Carolina version of  (Sen.) Joe Manchin” ( D-WV). “I can tell you, there is nothing further than the truth. She is a radical candidate. She loves Joe Biden’s radical policies, and she will stay with him even though she’ll find out ways to skip the vice president when she’s in town, skip the president when he’s in North Carolina — that’s for political … [Read more...] about Exclusive — Rep. Ted Budd: ‘Can’t Get More Radical’ Than Cheri Beasley

Wheat prices surged to a new record high in European trading on Monday after India decided to ban exports of the commodity as a heatwave hit production. The price jumped to 435 euros (Rs 35,260) per tonne as the Euronext market opened, up from the previous record of 422 euros (Rs 34,180) reached on Friday. On the Chicago Board of Trade, just before trading opened the price of the SRW wheat futures contract hit $12.35 (Rs 961) a bushel, an increase of 4.9 per cent. Global wheat prices have soared 40 per cent on supply fears since Russia’s February invasion of agricultural powerhouse Ukraine, which previously accounted for 12 per cent of global exports. The spike, exacerbated by fertiliser shortages and poor harvests, has fuelled inflation globally and raised fears of famine and social unrest in poorer countries. India, the world’s second-largest wheat producer, said on Saturday that it was banning exports after its hottest March on record, with traders needing express government … [Read more...] about Wheat Prices Hit Record High in European Trading After India Bans Export Due to Scorching Heatwave

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