LIVE: Lavrov says all will suffer from West's 'total hybrid war' on Russia

In a speech on the 80th day since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister pointed to the barrage of sanctions imposed by the West against Moscow

9:07 AM

Videography survey resumes at Gyanvapi mosque

The videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi resumed on Saturday amid tight security arrangements, officials said.

The mosque management committee has indicated that it will cooperate for now with the team assigned the task by a local court.

"The authorised persons -- all parties, their advocates, court commissioners and videographers -- have reached the spot, and the survey has started," District Magistrate of Varanasi Kaushal Raj Sharma told PTI.

9:06 AM

China reports 253 new COVID-19 cases, 194 in Shanghai

The Chinese mainland reported 253 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, of which 194 were in Shanghai, according to the National Health Commission's report Saturday.

Apart from Shanghai, 12 other provincial-level regions on the mainland saw new local COVID-19 cases, including 32 in Beijing, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Shanghai also reported 1,487 locally-transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus on Friday, out of a total of 1,726 local asymptomatic carriers newly identified on the mainland.

9:06 AM

China reports 253 new COVID-19 cases, 194 in Shanghai

The Chinese mainland reported 253 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, of which 194 were in Shanghai, according to the National Health Commission's report Saturday.

Apart from Shanghai, 12 other provincial-level regions on the mainland saw new local COVID-19 cases, including 32 in Beijing, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Shanghai also reported 1,487 locally-transmitted asymptomatic infections of the novel coronavirus on Friday, out of a total of 1,726 local asymptomatic carriers newly identified on the mainland.

9:04 AM

Israel's Covid-19 reproduction rate exceeds 1

Israel's Covid-19 reproduction rate, an indicator for determining the spreading pace of the virus, has risen from 0.96 to 1.03 on Friday, according to figures issued by the country's Health Ministry.

 

The rate, also known as R number, indicates the average number of people that a person carrying the virus goes on to infect.

 

When the number tops 1, the number of infected patients rises at an exponential rate and multiplies from time to time. When the R number is below 1, it means that the spread of the pandemic has been curbed.

 

8:14 AM

Trade, Investment with China poses national security threat: US-China Commission

US-China Commission (USCC) criticized China for using promises of economic assistance investment to help secure its strategic interests in countries and noted that there is a growing awareness that trade and investment with Beijing are not only economic issues but also national security issues.

At a hearing on "China's Activities and Influence in South and Central Asia" on Thursday (Local time), Commissioner Carolyn Bartholomew in her opening statement said, "Beijing has used the promise of economic assistance, development aid, and investment to help secure its strategic interests in these countries. China's economic diplomacy, however, carries considerable risk."

Bartholomew said, we will hear from witnesses, that China has diverse interests in South and Central Asia regions, including economic interests, by gaining access to natural resources and developing new export markets, and geopolitical interests, by aligning or attempting to align other countries with its vision of a Sino-centric international order.

8:09 AM

UK advises against travel to Sri Lanka amid political instability

The UK has advised its citizens against traveling to Sri Lanka amid the ongoing political and economic instability.

 

"The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to #Sri_Lanka, due to ongoing political and economic instability. This advice does not apply to airside transit through Sri Lanka's international airport," the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said in a statement.

 

"If you are in Sri Lanka at this time, or considering travel, you should avoid all protests and follow the advice of local authorities," it added.

 

This comes as the State of Emergency has been declared and an island-wide curfew is in place. Several incidents took place on May 9 involving violence against protesters, including in the Galle Face area in Colombo, that resulted in the death of several people.

8:08 AM

Russia advises against travel to UK because of 'unfriendly' visa stance

Russia said on Friday it was recommending that its citizens not travel to Britain, complaining that authorities there were making it "virtually impossible" for Russians to obtain visas.

 

The Russian Foreign Ministry alleged Russian applications were being delayed because Britain was giving higher priority to Ukrainian refugees. It said Russians were also unable to pay on the British website via Mastercard and Visa, which have both suspended their operations in Russia.

 

"Taking into account the extremely unfriendly course of the UK towards our country, in order to avoid financial losses and other possible problems, we recommend that Russian citizens refrain, if possible, from travelling to the UK and trying to obtain British visas," it said.

 

"Until the situation normalises, we will act in the same way with respect to the British."

8:08 AM

ICMR simulator set up after 2nd wave helped India's Covid response: Experts

A user-friendly, web-based modelling 'simulator' developed by ICMR after the second wave of Covid helped health officials and policymakers in various states to model plausible scenarios for a third wave in India, according to an article published in the British Medical Journal.

 

Based on experience, experts recommended use of such initiatives to bolster pandemic preparedness in other countries in South and South-East Asia.

 

The simulator was developed by ICMR in collaboration with Imperial College London and Dure technologies, a locally present (India-based) consultancy firm.

 

The collaboration was spearheaded by Dr Samiran Panda, additional DG ICMR and head of Epidemiology and Communicable Disease Division.

8:07 AM

Parag Agrawal expects Twitter deal with Elon Musk to close but is preparing for all scenarios

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal on Saturday said that the deal with Elon Musk is expected to be closed, however, the deal does not become an excuse to avoid making important decisions for the health of the company, adding that Twitter needs to be prepared for all scenarios and always do what's right for it.

 

This is a significant update as Elon Musk earlier declared that the USD 44 billion takeover bid of the micro-blogging site is on hold.

 

Agrawal said that though some have been asking why a "lame-duck" CEO would make these changes if Twitter is getting acquired anyway. In a response to these comments, the CEO said that while he expects the deal to close, Twitter needs to be prepared for all scenarios and always do what's right for it.

8:07 AM

All religions lead to same destination: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday said all religions lead to the same destination, and urged everyone to follow the path of 'dharma'.

 

During his two-day visit to Varanasi, he attended the Pattabhishek program of Dr. Mallikarjuna Shivacharya Swami as the 87th Jagadguru of Shri Kashi Peeth in the Veer Shaiv Sammelan organised at Jangambari Mutt.

 

He said that there are different religions, sects and communities in India.

 

"They are different routes to reach the same destination. The goal of all is the same 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam', which works to connect all of us. We all should always follow the path of dharma', he said.

8:07 AM

Biden backs NATO's open-door policy in call with Sweden, Finland leaders

US President Joe Biden, in a call with leaders of Sweden and Finland discussed close defense cooperation between countries and underscored his support for NATO's open-door policy.

 

This comes as Finland and Sweden have started discussing the possibility of abandoning long-term neutrality and joining NATO amid the Russian military operation in Ukraine.

 

"President Biden underscored his support for NATO's Open Door policy and for the right of Finland and Sweden to decide their own future, foreign policy, and security arrangements," said a White House press release after the call.

8:06 AM

Congress Chintan Shivir: Sonia Gandhi expresses dire need for reforms, organisational changes

Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi on Friday called for urgent changes in the organisation and emphasised that "extraordinary situations can be faced only in extraordinary ways" as the party is facing an unprecedented situation.

 

In an opening address at 'Chintan Shivir' in Udaipur, Gandhi said, "The organization is facing an unprecedented situation. We are in dire need of reforms and changes in strategy. Extraordinary situations can be faced only in extraordinary ways."

 

"The party has given us a lot, now it is the time to pay off the debt. We have to keep personal expectations in the interests of the organization," she said while reiterating her message of the previous Congress Working Committee.