Author: News Desk

New Delhi : India will soon launch a $1.35 trillion national infrastructure plan that will boost the country’s economy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced Sunday as part of independence day celebrations. Wearing a flowing bright saffron-colored turban, Modi addressed the nation from New Delhi’s 17th century Mughal-era Red Fort to mark the 74th anniversary of India’s independence from British rule. He said the infrastructure plan will create job opportunities for millions of Indian youth, The Associated Press (AP) reported. “It will help local manufacturers turn globally competitive and also develop possibilities of new future economic zones in the country,” he…

Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will visit Governor General Mary Simon on Sunday  when he is expected to seek a federal election next month, two years ahead of schedule. In a statement from the Liberal prime minister’s office on Saturday, there was no mention of the reason for the meeting, but Trudeau is expected to ask Simon, the representative of Queen Elizabeth, Canada’s head of state, to formally dissolve Parliament, as Reuters first reported two days ago. Constitutional experts say Simon will agree to the request, setting in motion Canada’s eighth national election since 2000. Although the current Parliament’s…

California : The danger of new fires erupting across the West because of unstable weather conditions added to the burden already faced by overstretched crews battling blazes across the region. Thunderstorms pushed flames in Northern California on Saturday closer to two towns not far from where the Dixie Fire last week destroyed much of the small town of Greenville, a gold rush-era community. The thunderstorms, which began Friday, didn’t produce much rain but whipped up wind and created lightning strikes, forcing crews to focus on using bulldozers to build lines and keep the blaze from reaching Westwood, a town of…

US : The US remains among nations with the highest rate of new Covid-19 cases, driven  by a surge in the South, where many states are lagging in getting people vaccinated against the coronavirus. “This is starting to look really ominous in the South,  rates of transmission in Florida and Louisiana, they’re actually probably the highest in the world,” Dr. Peter Hotez, the dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. Infection rates began to plummet in the US in the spring as vaccines became widely available. The US has so far reported more than 1.5 million…

US : President Joe Biden announced the authorization of an additional direct deployment of 1,000 troops to Afghanistan. Biden  authorized the deployment “to make sure we can have an orderly and safe drawdown of US personnel and other allied personnel and an orderly and safe evacuation of Afghans who helped our troops during our mission and those at special risk from the Taliban advance.” Biden’s authorization of 5,000 troops in his statement included 1,000 who are already on the ground in country. A battalion of 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division were redirected to Kabul, instead of their original standby position…

Manama, Aug.14 (BNA): Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed received stc Bahrain Chairman Ahmed bin Abdulaziz Al Haqbani and Chief Executive Officer Nezar Banabeela. The meeting was also attended by Bahrain’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (RTA) Chairpersperson Mariam Ahmed Jama’an. The minister praised the role of stc Bahrain, as well as its participation in investment projects in the sector of telecommunications and information technology in the Kingdom of Bahrain. He stressed the ministry’s drive to expand cooperation in supporting the sector of telecommunications, wishing stc Bahrain further progress and continued success. Al Haqbani stressed the company’s keenness on enhancing the…

Tulsa :  Nico Ali Walsh made a successful pro debut Saturday night, winning in the first round and then paying homage to his grandfather, Muhammad Ali. Wearing trunks made for his grandfather, Ali Walsh knocked down his outmatched opponent midway through the first round before the middleweight fight was finally stopped at 1:49 of the round with Ali Walsh landing unanswered punches to the head. “It’s been an emotional journey, this whole ride,” Ali Walsh said. “Obviously, my grandfather, I’ve been thinking about him so much. I miss him.” The fight between Ali Walsh, a 21-year-old college student, and Jordan…

Japan : About 1.5 million people have been urged to evacuate as heavy rains caused floods and landslides in western Japan. One woman has been killed and two were missing on Saturday after torrential rain caused a landslide that engulfed at least two houses in Nagasaki prefecture. Rivers have burst their banks and rain has continued to fall, damaging homes and causing transport disruption. Another mudslide in Hiroshima late on Friday left one person seriously injured. Large parts of western Japan, particularly the southernmost main island of Kyushu, have seen record levels of rainfall, with as much as 956mm (37.6 inches)…

The dead included five Russian military personnel and three Turkish citizens, Russia’s defence ministry is reported to have said, after the aircraft crashed while trying to land in the Adana province. The dead included five Russian military personnel and three Turkish citizens, Russia’s defence ministry said, according to Interfax news agency. The Beriev Be-200 crashed while trying to land in Turkey’s Adana province. A team has been sent to investigate the incident in the Kahramanmaras area, Turkish state media said. Last month the Russian military said a Be-200 had been sent to help Turkey fight wildfires in its southern coastal regions.…

Afghanistan : The first British troops have begun deploying to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of UK nationals who remain in the country. Members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, who will provide force protection, are leaving over the weekend – with the Ministry of Defence confirming Operation Pitting started yesterday. About 600 troops are expected to take part in the operation, which will also help with the relocation of Afghans who face reprisals from the Taliban because they helped British forces. The insurgent group seized more of the country on Saturday, with authorities confirming that Logar province, just south…