spelling bee record eight children win scripps national in the us

Record eight children win Scripps National in the US On Thursday night. The finalists, aged 12 to 14, spelled their way through 20 tough rounds of the competition.2019 Scripps National Spelling Bee at National Harbor on Oxon Hill, Maryland.Organisers eventually announced that it was a tie, as they had run out of words that were challenging enough.With six of the winners being Indian-American, it is the 12th year in a row that the bee has been won by children of Indian descent.The Scripps National Spelling Bee has seen an increasingly competitive field in its 94-year history but organisers were stunned when several hours of spelling tests were unable to break the final eight competitors. All successfully navigated 20 rounds of increasingly obscure words to be crowned co-champions in one of America's oldest competitions. The Scripps National Spelling Bee has seen an increasingly competitive field in its 94-year history but organisers were stunned when several hours of spelling tests were unable to break the final eight competitors.As the hours ran on, Jacques Bailly, the competition's pronouncer, told the finalists: "We're throwing the dictionary at you, and, so far, you are showing the dictionary who's boss".Rishik Gandharsi, 13; Erin Howard, 14; Saketh Sundar, 13; Shruthika Padhy, 13; Sohum Sukhantankar, 13; Abhijay Kodali, 12; Christopher Serrao, 13 and Rohan Raja, 13, were eventually crowned co-champions after spelling 47 consecutive words correctly.  Some 562 super-spellers under the age of 15, from across the US, US territories and six other countries, took part.Each will now receive a prize of $50,000 (£39,700), a $2,500 savings bond and reference books.Among the words they spelled correctly were omphalopsychite, a person who stares at their navel to induce a mystical trance, and auftaktigkeit, a musical principle where all musical phrases begin on an upbeat.There were quite a few tough medical terms in there too - including erysipelas, an infection that causes red rashes on the skin, and geeldikkop, a type of plant poisoning that can affect sheep.

Afghanistan gov`t forces free 28 from taliban prison,kill 2 militants

Twenty-eight people, including 16 civilians, were freed after Afghan security forces launched a special operation in restive southern province of Zabul overnight, the country's Ministry of Interior Affairs said Thursday. The special operation was launched in Naw Bahar district, Zabul province. A clash took place following the raid and two armed militants were killed, the ministry said in a statement. The freed people received medical treatment after they were shifted to an army camp, according to the statement.They will join their families soon, the statement added.Taliban insurgents frequently detain civilians and off-duty soldiers from across villages and highways and charge civilians for spying for government security forces.The Taliban militant group has not made a comment on the report so far.

International group asks Pakistan to release journalist

The Committee to Protect Journalists, a New York-based group that advocates for the rights of journalists has urged Pakistan to immediately release a reporter who was arrested for his coverage of this week's violent clash between minority Pashtuns and troops in a northwestern region near the Afghan border.The international organization group, in Tuesday's statement says Gohar Wazir, a reporter working for the private TV station Khyber News, was detained in the town of Bannu after reporting on the demonstration of the Pashtun Protection Movement, a group campaigning against the perceived high-handedness by security forces.The arrest came days after the group led by two lawmakers clashed with troops at an army post in the North Waziristan district, setting off a shootout that wounded five troops and killed three activists. Wazir's arrest came days after the group led by two lawmakers clashed with troops at an army post in the North Waziristan district, setting off a shootout that wounded five troops and killed three activists."Gohar Wazir should not have to face arrest merely for doing the job of reporting the news, even reporting on controversial events such as protests by the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement," Steven Butler, CPJ Asia program coordinator, said.

Ex president nasheed nominated as speaker of maldives

The former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed has been nominated as speaker of new parliament or Majlis which will hold its first sitting today. Nasheed, who leads the  Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) was unanimously elected speaker by its newly elected MPs last night. MDP had won a record 65 out of 87 seats in parliamentary elections held last month.  Nasheed after his nomination said that the 19th parliament proceedings will be lawful and that the public will see a difference. The former President said that he accepted his nomination after considering the difficult situation within the party and out of respect to the wishes of party MPs. His comments came as there were reports that party was headed for a split as five MPs including two strong contenders had shown interest for the post of speaker. However, both of them proposed the name of Mr. Nasheed during the MDP meeting. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih congratulated both saying that he looks forward to work with the new Majlis on behalf of all Maldivians. Meanwhile, the newly elected MPs will take the oath of office today. As per the constitution, the new MPs are supposed to elect a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker from its members by secret ballot.Another MDP MP Eva Abdulla has been nominated for the post of deputy speaker.

Taliban attacks kill 10 Afghan troops, 4 police Officials

One of the roadside bombings claimed by the Taliban killed 10 Afghan soldiers in the country's west while insurgent attacks on security checkpoints in northern Afghanistan killed four policemen, local officials said Monday.The soldiers were driving back to base after picking up their salaries in the country's western Farah province. They were travelling in a Humvee when the explosion took place on Sunday afternoon in the Bala Buluk district, said Shah Mahmmod Nahimi, a provincial councilman."The blast was so intense that no one in the Humvee survived," he added.Elsewhere, the Taliban targeted several checkpoints in northern Sari Pul province on Sunday night, killing four members of the security forces and wounding 22, said Zabiullah Amani, the provincial governor's spokesman.The attacks took place on the outskirts of the provincial capital of Sari Pul and triggered gunbattles that lasted for hours, he said, adding that 15 Taliban fighters were also killed.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Farah attack in a statement on their website but did not make any announcements about the Sari Pul attack.

Wickremesinghe vows to stop Islamic State terrorism raising its head again in Lanka

Sri Lankan Premier Ranil Wickreme singhe has vowed to take security measures to prevent the Islamic State terrorism raising its head again in the country as he appealed to people not to support extremism or religious fanaticism. The premier after meeting with a group of representatives of civil societies and trade union collective at Temple Trees on Saturday said the security forces and police have been able to apprehend everyone involved in the Easter Sunday attacks that killed 258 people, the Colombo Page reported. But this doesn't mean that this is the end of this type of terrorism. We now have to take certain measures of counterterrorism to ensure that the country will not face terrorism again, he cautioned. He said the government is discussing the counterterrorism measures that are being taken, with the country still on edge after the attacks on three hotels and three churches that were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama'ath (NTJ). The Islamic State group has also claimed a role in the attacks. He pointed out that the attacks in Sri Lanka is one instance that the ISIS did not have the support of the local Muslim community for their actions and that should be maintained. Prime Minister Wickreme singhe requested not to drive people to extremism by supporting religious fanaticism and racism."We have also had the help of the Muslim community in bringing about many changes and suggestions - Madrasa education bill not allowing sharia universities, ensuring name boards in only the three national languages," the premier said. The premier responded, saying the parliamentary select committee (PSC) has been appointed to investigate the issue. "We must maintain it that way and not allow extremism to come in, racial and religious hatred to come in, whereby driving some people to the other side," he said. Christians make up 7.6 per cent and Muslims 10 per cent of mainly Buddhist Sri Lanka. 

At least 29 inmates killed in clashes at Venezuela jail

The bloodshed incident occured at the police station jail in the town of Acarigua, in Portuguesa state, occurred when police special forces (FAES) tried to stop a "massive prison break" which resulted in the deaths of 29 inmates, according to Portuguesa public security secretary Oscar Valero.The prisoners received the officers with "a hail of gunfire" while detonating three grenades, which injured 19 police, Valero told reporters.The Una Ventana a la Libertad NGO, which defends prisoner rights, director Carlos Nieto said the clashes broke out when the FAES attempted to rescue visitors who had been taken hostage Thursday by the "pran" – the leader of the inmates – at the jail."This morning (authorities) sent the FAES and there was a clash. The detainees had weapons, they shot at the police. Apparently they also detonated two grenades," Nieto told press.The inmates’ leader, Wilfredo. The prisons ministry did not comment on the incident, saying police station jails are not under its control.A video shared on social media shows an inmate – believed to be Ramos – with his face partly covered while brandishing a pistol and what appears to be grenades, and threatening two women."It’s our lives (on the line) and those of the visitors here," he says, as a woman pleads for help, while warning the police to stay out because "I’m prepared to die."There are around 500 of them in the country, holding 55,000 people even though their total capacity is just 8,000, the NGO added.The Acarigua jail has capacity for 60 inmates but was holding 500, according to the police report.Venezuela has one of the worst records for prison violence in the region.In March 2018, 68 inmates died in a fire at a police jail in the northern city of Valencia.And in August 2017, a riot at a facility in the southern Amazonas state left 37 prisoners dead.More than 400 people are believed to have been killed in Venezuelan jails since 2011, while human rights organizations also say they face a lack of food and medicines – like much of the country – while the facilities are beset by corruption.

UK set for new PM as Theresa may to quit

United Kingdom’s (Britain) Theresa May announced her resignation as prime minister on Friday morning, drawing her turbulent three-year premiership to an abrupt end. She will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7. In an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street, May said she had “done everything” she could to convince members of Parliament to back the Brexit withdrawal agreement she had negotiated with the European Union. “I believe it was right to persevere even when the odds against success seemed high, but it is now clear to me that it is in the best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort,” May said at a hastily arranged press conference.“I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honor of my life to hold. The second female prime minister but certainly not the last.”“I do so with no ill will but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love,” May said, her voice shaking. Sterling briefly rose 0.5% to climb above $1.27 shortly after May’s statement, before paring gains as investors digested the news. But, she says it was with “deep regret” that she had ultimately failed to reach a consensus among lawmakers.

Hope I get to work with Leonardo DiCaprio again: Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio both are comes to share silver screen again. It may mean fans will get to see the duo on screen together a lot more in the future.The 55-year-old actor opened up about working with his Once Upon a Time in Hollywood costar, 44, during a press conference for their film at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.“I had a great laugh with him,” Pitt told reporters via The Playlist. “It’s that thing knowing you have the best of the best on the opposite side of the table holding up the scene with you. There is a great relief in that.”He added, “We have the same reference points. We have been going through this at the same time. Similar experiences to laugh about it. I hope we do it again, it was great fun.”Pitt and DiCaprio have taken Cannes by storm since their Quentin Tarantino film premiered on Tuesday. DiCaprio said there was “incredible ease and comfort getting to work alongside Brad.” Incredibly easy working with Brad and I think we forged a great cinematic bond in a film about our industry together, he said.

ISRO successfully launches earth observation satellite RISAT-2B

The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) Wednesday successfully launched earth observation satellite RISAT-2B that would enhance the country’s surveillance capabilities. The radar imaging satellite is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar that can capture images even under cloudy conditions during night time, according to officials. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Sivan had earlier described the mission as a “very, very important” one for the country.“This is a very, very important mission for India. It is an excellent satellite with hi-fi earth observation (capabilities),” he had said.With a mission life of five years, the satellite would also be used for military surveillance, ISRO sources told PTI. It would replace the RISAT-2 that has been in use since 2009 to monitor activities in camps in Pakistan and thwart infiltration bids by terrorists from across the border. The Polar satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C46) was used in the pre-dawn launch at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre to carry the 615-kg indigenously developed satellite. It was the 14th flight of the PSLV in its core-alone configuration sans the use of the solid strap-on motors. It was also the 72nd launch vehicle mission from Sriharikota and also marked the 36th launch from the first launch pad.The RISAT-2B (Radar Imaging Satellite-2B), meant for application in fields such as surveillance, agriculture, forestry and disaster management support, was released into the orbit around 15 minutes after the lift-off. ISRO had launched RISAT-1, a microwave remote sensing satellite, on April 26, 2012 from Sriharikota. Wednesday’s launch of the PSLV also marked the third launch in 2019. The other two were the PSLV-C45/EMISAT mission, which successfully injected the EMISAT and 29 international customer satellites into their orbits on April 1, and the PSLV-C44, which successfully placed the Microsat-R and the Kalamsat-V2 satellites in designated orbits on January 24.

Saudis say they will defend themselves, as Trump warns Iran

“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want war in the region and does not strive for that… but at the same time, if the other side chooses war, the kingdom will fight this with all force and determination and it will defend itself, its citizens and its interests,” al-Jubeir told reporters.Saudi Arabia does not want war but will not hesitate to defend itself against Iran, a top Saudi diplomat said Sunday after the kingdom’s energy sector was targeted this past week amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, warned Iran that it will face destruction if it seeks a fight, while Iranian officials said their country isn’t looking for war. Trump spoke after a rocket hit near the US Embassy in Baghdad. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, spoke a week after four oil tankers— two of them Saudi — were targeted in an alleged act of sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and days after Iran-allied Yemeni rebels claimed a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.On Sunday night, the US military command that oversees the Mideast confirmed an explosion outside the US Embassy compound in Baghdad and said there were no US or coalition casualties. A State Department spokesman, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that “a low-grade rocket did land within the International Zone near the US Embassy.” The spokesman said that “attacks on US personnel and facilities will not be tolerated and will be responded to in a decisive manner” and added that the US will hold “Iran responsible if any such attacks are conducted by its proxy militia forces or elements of such forces.” Earlier, after initial reports of the attack, Trump tweeted a warning to Iranian leaders: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” Trump tweeted.

Five killed in Honduras plane crash, no survivors all died

Five of them foreigners including the pilot died on Saturday when their private plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Roatán island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said. Officials gave conflicting accounts of the victims’ nationalities. Armed forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza said four of the victims were from the United States and the fifth victim’s nationality had yet to be determined. Local emergency services initially said the victims included four Canadians and another victim of unknown nationality.Local authorities did not immediately offer a cause for the accident.The Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80 kilometers (49.71 miles) from Roatan, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities said.

US approves missile sales to South Korea Japan

The United States said Friday it had approved more than USD 600 million in sales of air defense missiles to South Korea and Japan as tensions return with North Korea. It had approved 94 SM-2 missiles used by ships against air threats, along with 12 guidance systems for a total cost of $313.9 million. It separately gave the green light to sell 160 anti-air AMRAAM missiles and related guidance equipment to Japan for $317 million. It came in the wake of talks with the United States and South Korea stalling in February, and raised alarms in both countries, which have been seeking to entice the North into abandoning its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The sales "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States" by assisting key allies and "will not alter the basic military balance in the region," a State Department statement said. The tests come amid a standstill in negotiations between North Korea and the United States, where President Donald Trump had boasted of ending Pyongyang's missile tests. A second summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended in deadlock in February, with the US side refusing demands to ease sanctions until Pyongyang takes major steps to end its nuclear program.

washington says possible ankara will reject russian missiles

United States of America believes it is a chance Turkey will decide against buying a Russian air defense system whose proposed purchase has strained relations between the NATO allies, official sources said on Thursday.Washington has warned for months that Turkey's adoption of the Russian S-400 missile system would endanger Western defense and jeopardize Ankara's planned purchase of 100 of the US's F-35 stealth fighter jets.Asked if Turkey may ultimately change its mind on the S-400, deputy US defense secretary Heather Wilson replied "it's possible.""The diplomats are continuing the work on that," she said, reiterating that the S-400 is "incompatible with having the F-35."The US in April placed a freeze on a joint F-35 manufacturing program with Turkey, and US law furthermore provides for sanctions on any country concluding arms deals with Russian companies.Two of the planes were delivered to Turkey in June 2018 but remain at a US Air Force base near Phoenix, Arizona, officially so Turkish pilots can train on them."We're continuing to train the Turkish pilots at Luke Air Force Base but we don't think that we can deliver those aircraft into a country that has the S-400," Wilson said. But Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said last month that Turkey is aware of the US's concerns.Ankara says it won't reconsider purchasing the S-400 air defense system and that delivery of the first of the equipment may come as soon as June or July.

hidden world of doctors cuba sends overseas

Fidel Castro described the medics as Cuba's `army of white coats`. Absolutely it was proved in many ongoing occasions. Cuba has long been renowned for its medical diplomacy- thousands of its doctors work in health care missions around the world, earning the country billions of dollars in cash. But according to a new report, some of the doctors themselves say conditions can be nightmarish - controlled by minders, subject to a curfew and posted to extremely dangerous places said press reports. Dayli, now 31 years old, wanted to be an intensive care specialist. She says that after graduating, she was told that if she went on a medical mission to Venezuela, she would gain experience in her chosen field and that it would count as her three years of obligatory social service, which all graduates have to complete in Cuba before gaining full-status posts.`I studied medicine out of vocation. I used to sleep between three and four hours because I studied so hard. I worked hard in my first year of practice, I took on a lot of extra shifts. And now here I am. I cannot be a doctor in Cuba. It's very frustrating.` In October 2011, the young doctor was posted to a clinic in the Venezuelan town of El Sombrero. `There were many criminal gangs,` says Dayli. `When they fought, they brought their injured to us, because the local Venezuelan hospital had a police presence, and we didn't. These kids would bring in a patient with 12 or 15 bullets in his body, point their guns at you and say you had to save him. If he died, you would die. That kind of thing happened on a daily basis. It was routine.` The wages on offer were another strong incentive for Dayli, who is originally from the small Cuban city of Camagüey, to join up. Going from a doctor's salary on the island of just $15 a month in 2011, she says she was paid $125 monthly for the first six months in Venezuela, a figure that rose to $250 after six months and $325 during her third year. Her family in Cuba also received a bonus of $50 a month. According to a report by Prisoners Defenders, a Spain-based NGO that campaigns for human rights in Cuba and is linked to the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) opposition group, doctors on average receive between 10% and 25% of the salary paid by the host countries, with the rest being kept by Cuba's authorities.With more than 30,000 Cuban doctors currently active in 67 countries - many in Latin America and Africa, but also European nations including Portugal and Italy. Cuba's authorities draw up strict rules in an attempt to prevent citizens defecting once abroad.

chinese dad trains pet dog to watch his daughter do homework

A good dog is now going viral in China after being taught by the family’s father to watch over his daughter as she does her homework. The dog was trained by the girl’s father, surnamed Xu, to put its front paws up on the table and watch over her so that she doesn’t get distracted when she does her homework every night, according to press reports. Xu decided to train the dog when he noticed that his daughter often played on her smartphone instead of doing her homework.In this particular video that’s been circulating on Chinese social media, the good dog can be seen patiently watching over the girl. `I trained it to guard food from the cat when it was young," says Xu Liang of southwestern China's Guizhou province. "Then one day, I found my daughter was naughty when she was doing her homework. I came up with an idea to let Fantuan watch over its sister, supervise her to do her homework.`

UN chief meets NZ mosque victims, decries online hate

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the Al Noor mosque, one of two Muslim centers in the New Zealand city where a self-described white supremacist killed 51 people in a March 15 shooting that the attacker live-streamed on Facebook. He warned hate speech was spreading online `like wildfire` at a meeting with victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings Tuesday, vowing the world body will lead efforts to extinguish the problem.Guterres The UN chief is traveling the South Pacific to highlight the impact of climate change but said he also wanted to show his support for Christchurch’s Muslim community during Ramadan.`I know there are no words to relieve the hurt and sorrow and pain, but I wanted to come here personally to transmit love, support and total and complete admiration,` he said.He told victims of the worst mass shooting in modern New Zealand history that there had been `a dangerous upsurge in hatred` as social media was exploited to promote bigotry.`Hate speech is spreading like wildfire in social media. We must extinguish it,` the Portuguese diplomat said.`There is no room for hate speech — online or offline.`He highlighted a previously announced plan for his special adviser on genocide prevention Adama Dieng to combat online extremism.He said Dieng’s mission was to `bring together a United Nations team to scale up our response to hate speech and present a global plan of action.`His remarks come as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who hosted Guterres when he arrived in Auckland on Sunday, embarks on her own quest to tame social media in Paris this week. She has been highly critical of social media giants in the wake of the Christchurch killings, saying they should be `taking ownership and responsibility over their platforms.`Ardern will co-host a meeting of world leaders and tech firms to promote a `Christchurch call` aimed at curbing online extremism.

argentine lawmaker olivares dies from injuries after mafia style shooting

Argentine lawmaker Hector Olivares died on Sunday after he was shot in what authorities called a `mafia-style` attack outside Congress in downtown Buenos Aires on Thursday, according to state-run news agency Telam. Olivares underwent surgery after being shot and had been listed in “serious condition,” officials said. But he died at Ramos Mejia hospital in Buenos Aires, Telam reported, citing police and judicial sources. Argentine lawmaker Héctor Olivares and his adviser and friend Miguel Marcelo Yadón, were walking side-by-side on a sidewalk near Argentina’s National Congress in Buenos Aires on Thursday morning when gunmen ambushed them.Government aide Miguel Yadon was also shot in the attack and died at the scene.Argentine authorities announced the arrests of members of a mafia gang on Friday. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that all members of the group had been detained, including one who had fled across the border to Uruguay.Local officials and media have indicated the motive was personal, rather than political, and that the gang had targeted Yadon specifically.

Lok Sabha Election 2019 Phase 6:Atlast virat kohli casts his vote

On sunday India goes to polls for phase 6 of general elections voting to be held for 59 seats. After casting vote, Rahul Gandhi said, "The election was fought on key issues including demonetization, farmer problems, Gabbar Singh Tax and corruption in Rafale. Narendra Modi used hatred in the campaign and we used love and I am confident love will win."Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrives to cast his vote at a polling booth in NP Senior Secondary School in Aurangzeb Lane.Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to cast his vote at a polling booth in Civil Lines.External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj was spotted at a polling booth in NP Senior Secondary School in Aurangzeb Lane.Cricketer Kapil Dev was spotted at a polling booth with wife Romi and daughter Amiya at a polling booth in DPS Mathura Road.AAP Candidate from East Delhi, Atishi after casting her vote at a polling booth in Kamla Nehru Govt Sarvodaya Vidyalaya in Jangpura. She is up against BJP's Gautam Gambhir and Congress's Arvinder Singh Lovely.President Ramnath Kovind also came to cast his vote at a polling booth in Rashtrapati Bhawan. Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir cast their votes.Team India Captain Virat Kohli after casting his vote at a polling booth in Pinecrest School in Gurugram.Kohli had earlier tried voting on 29th April in Mumbai - Phase 4 election, however he could not do it then as it was too late for him to register himself through online procedure.  Later, Kohli  took to Twitter to announce that he will vote from Gurugram.Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra came to cast their vote at a polling booth in Sardar Patel Vidyalaya at Lodhi Estate.

stage set for penultimate phase of lok sabha polls

The 17^th Lok Sabha general elections phase NO.6 will be held in 14 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 10 seats in Haryana, eights constituencies each in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal, seven seats in Delhi and four in Jharkhand. The fate of several Union ministers including Radha Mohan Singh, Harshvardhan and Maneka Gandhi, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leaders Digvijay Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia will be decided on Sunday in the penultimate phase of Lok Sabha polls to be held in 59 constituencies in six states and Delhi. Over 10.17 crore voters are eligible to exercise their franchise to choose among the 979 candidates in fray. The Election Commission has set up over 1.13 lakh polling stations for smooth conduct of polls. Elections in this phase are seen as a big test for the BJP which had won 45 of these seats in 2014, with the Trinamool Congress bagging 8, the Congress two and the Samajwadi Party and the LJP one seat each among others. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP had won 13 of the 14 constituencies in 2014, the only exception being Azamgarh, won then by SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.However, the BJP had to face defeat in the bypolls in Phulpur and Gorakhpur constituencies last year.

missiles like these will start the war north korea tests showcase growing capability

In a preliminary report on Wednesday, the North Korea tracking website 38 North said the new missile looks similar to Russia’s SS-26 Iskander missile, and could exploit gaps in South Korean and American missile defence coverage. In a row North Korea’s second missile test on Thursday signals it is serious about developing new, short-range weapons that could be used early and effectively in any war with South Korea and the United States, analysts studying images of the latest launches say. The U.S. and South Korean militaries evaluated the two projectiles North Korea flew Thursday as short-range missiles, a South Korean military official said Friday, a day after the North's second launch in five days raised jitters about an unravelling detente between the Koreas and the future of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. Photos released by state media on Friday showed Thursday’s test involved the same weapon. The tests have increased tensions after the last U.S.-North Korea summit collapsed in February in Hanoi with no agreement over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programme. Photos released by state media on Friday showed Thursday’s test involved the same weapon. South Korean President Moon Jae-in said late on Thursday the launches seemed like a protest over the failed summit, while North Korea has defended the tests as routine and self defensive. Some analysts say the multiple tests show the missiles aren’t only for political show.

Tokyo 2020: First wave of Olympic tickets up for grabs

Olympics bell starts ringing in tokyo today. The first tickets for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics went on sale on Thursday (May 9), with Japanese residents able to enter a lottery to watch the sport of their choice.Tickets for the 33 sports range from the cheapest general tickets at ¥2,500 (US$23) to an eye-watering ¥300,000 (US$2,730) for the best seats at the opening ceremony. Those lucky enough to score the best seats for the showcase men's 100m final will pay ¥130,000 (US$1,200). But half of all tickets will be priced at ¥8,000 (US$73) or less and special tickets priced at ¥2,020 (US$18) are available for families resident in Japan with children, senior citizens, and people with impairments.Prices for domestic residents are "about the same as London 2012 but a little higher than the 2016 Rio Games," Yuko Hayakawa, senior 2020 marketing official, told AFP. The lottery - only for residents of Japan during an initial period - runs until May 28, with successful applicants notified on Jun 20 and payment due a fortnight later.The website saw high demand upon opening with a queue system in place even though tickets are not sold on a first-come first-served basis and everyone entering the lottery by May 28 having an equal chance of scooping tickets.Overseas applicants will be able to snap up tickets from Jun 15 via special "Authorised Ticket Resellers" in each country. Organisers have not offered a precise number of tickets available as various stadium configurations are still being finalised with just less than 450 days to go until the opening ceremony. But they said it would be roughly the same as the 7.8 million tickets they estimated when bidding for the right to host the Games.Of these tickets, an estimated 70 per cent to 80 per cent would be allotted to Japanese residents with the rest going to overseas fans. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will run from Jul 24 to Aug 9.

kabul attack on aid group ends; four killed, dozens wounded

Taliban fighters attacked the offices of a U.S based aid organization in the Afghan capital on Wednesday. Setting off a huge explosion and battling security forces in an assault that lasted more than six hours and killed at least five people, the Interior Ministry told the press.Dozens of civilian vehicles and shops were either destroyed or damaged, and several buildings were also damaged. A large plume of smoke rose from the area and the sound of sporadic gunfire could be heard.The ministry’s statement said four civilians and a police officer were killed and 24 others were wounded in the assault. It was not immediately clear if any foreigners were killed or wounded.The ministry’s statement said the attack ended after all five insurgents were killed by Afghan forces. “Around 200 people were rescued from both buildings within the compound,” it said.Johan Bass, U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, strongly condemned the attack on the NGO. He said the targeted organization helps local communities, trains journalists and supports the Afghan people. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in a statement also condemned the insurgents for deliberately targeting a civilian aid organization. `Today’s attack was particularly deplorable, hitting civilians helping Afghans,` the statement said.

two reuters journalists freed in myanmar both are pulitzer award winners

Two Reuters journalists held in Myanmar for more than 500 days for their coverage of the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims were freed from jail Tuesday, ending a prolonged detention that has tainted Myanmar and its Nobel laureate civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo both were Pulitzer award winners released as part of an annual amnesty has freed thousands of prisoners since last month. An additional 6,000 people were released Tuesday.Their release was immediately and widely celebrated across the world. Reuters editor in chief Stephen J. Adler said in a statement that the news agency is `enormously pleased` that the two have been freed.`Since their arrests 511 days ago, they have become symbols of the importance of press freedom around the world. We welcome their return,`Myanmar officials have no immediate reason for the release of the two journalists, who had exhausted all their legal options after Myanmar’s highest court rejected their appeal late last month.Suu Kyi — winner of the Nobel Peace Prize — has also been under significant pressure from Vice President Pence and others to intervene in the case and free the journalists. But she had defended their detention and said they were not jailed for their reporting but because they were convicted of breaking colonial-era state secrecy laws.

The two journalists were accused of possessing secret documents but were widely believed to have been set up in December 2017. In September they were convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison. The two journalists were lured into a meeting with police officers who handed over rolled-up documents. The pair were arrested shortly afterward by other officers.

The journalists and their lawyers have insisted that they were merely doing their job as reporters, never had the chance to read the documents before they were detained and had not been planning to share state secrets. The pair have received multiple honors and awards for their investigation into a massacre of 10 Rohingya Muslims, the story they were working on at the time of their arrest. These include the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting, which they won in April.Tuesday walking out of the gates of Yangon’s Insein prison, smiling and carrying a single bag each with their few possessions. They were mobbed by photographers and onlookers upon their exit.`I’m really happy and excited to see my family and my colleagues,` Wa Lone said in brief comments upon his release, thanking everyone around the world who helped secure his freedom. `I can’t wait to go to my newsroom.`The 33-year-old is a father of a baby girl who was born while he was jailed. Kyaw Soe Oo, 29, also has a young daughter. Their wives had repeatedly appealed to the Myanmar government to pardon their husbands.

dhoni casts his vote in ranchi along with her wife and daughter

The election fever is on as the country votes in the ongoing fifth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019. On Monday, former Indian captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni cast his vote in his hometown Ranchi, Jharkhand. Dhoni and Sakshi were pictured at a polling booth in Jawahar Vidya Mandir in the state capital, along with their four year old daughter Ziva. Dhoni is currently busy with the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament in which he heads team Chennai. Polling is being held in four Lok Sabha constituencies in Jharkhand Hazaribagh, Koderma, Ranchi and Khunti (ST). Sixty one candidates, including Union Minister Jayant Sinha, former chief ministers Arjun Munda and Babulal Marandi, former union minister Subodh Kant Sahay and ex-MLA Kalicharan Munda, are in the fray in this phase. Apart from Jharkhand, polling is also beig held in other six states  Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan.

Narendra Modi’s rule was the most traumatic says Manmohan Singh

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said Narendra Modi’s rule was the most `traumatic` for India’s youth, farmers and traders.`PM Narendra Modi`s rule was the most traumatic and devastating for India’s youth farmers, traders and every democratic institution. Summing up the five-year tenure of the NDA regime as a sad story of governance and accountability failure. Singh further asserted that while the UPA government was open to scrutiny, PM Modi considered his government inscrutable and unaccountable to the litany of corruption charges. `Government that doesn’t believe in inclusive growth, worries about political existence at the altar of disharmony should be shown exit door,` he said with the press.The former PM, who has in the recent past spoken out aggressively against the policies of the BJP government, also assailed PM Modi over his `slipshod policy` on Pakistan.Modi’s slipshod policy on Pakistan was marred by a series of flip-flops  from going to Pakistan uninvited to inviting rogue ISI to Pathankot,` he said.`Government that doesn’t believe in inclusive growth, worries about political existence at the altar of disharmony should be shown exit door,` he said.With the saffron party making nationalism its main poll narrative in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Singh said, `BJP searching for new narratives every day. This reflects bankruptcy of national security vision.

cyclone fani kills at least 12 in india before swiping bangladesh

cyclone fani kills at least 12 in india before swiping Cyclone Fani, one of the biggest to hit India in years, barrelled into Bangladesh on Saturday (May 4) after leaving a trail of deadly destruction in India. Having hit land, tropical cyclone Fani had lost some of its power and was downgraded to a ‘Deep Depression’ by the Indian Meteorological Department. Indian media reported that at least 12 people had died across the state, with most deaths caused by falling trees, but a mass evacuation of 1.2 million people in the 24 hours before the tropical cyclone made landfall averted a greater loss of life.The seaside temple town of Puri, which lay directly in the path of Fani, suffered extensive damage, as winds gusting up to 200 kph (124 mph) tore off tin roofs, snapped power lines, and uprooted trees on Friday. Neighbouring West Bengal escaped substantial damage, but authorities moved nearly 45,000 people to safer locations.The cyclone season in the Bay of Bengal can last from April to December.In 1999, a super-cyclone battered the coast of Odisha for 30 hours, killing 10,000 people. About 1.2 million people living in the most vulnerable districts in Bangladesh had been moved to some 4,000 shelters. The storm destroyed several houses in the Noakhali district, where a two-year-old child was killed and about 30 people were injured, local official Tanmoy Das told reporters.

NewZealand Prime Minister Ardern to marry long time partner

kiwis primier Jacinda Ardern and her long-term partner Clarke Gayford have become engaged to be married, her office said Friday. New Zealand Prime Minister Ardern(38), had Neve last June, becoming only the second prime minister in the world to give birth while in office and later taking the infant onto the floor of the UN Assembly in New York. I can't say anything about it other than they are engaged and it happened over Easter, the spokesman told the press. The engagement comes after a trying time for Ardern, who has been widely praised for her response to the Mar 15 Christchurch mosque shootings that claimed the lives of 51 Muslim worshippers. Ardern said in an interview last year that she would not propose to Gayford, even though she regards herself as a feminist.`I want to put him through the pain and torture of having to agonise about that question himself,` she told the BBC. News of the engagement broke after journalists noticed Ardern was wearing a diamond ring while carrying out her duties on Friday (3May).

pm narendra modi high level meeting to review preparedness for cyclone fani

The prime minister Narendra Modi on Thursday chaired a high-level meeting to review preparedness for Cyclone Fani. He was briefed on the likely path of the cyclone, and the ongoing precautionary and preparatory measures being undertaken, official sources said. These include provision of adequate resources; deployment of teams from NDRF and the arr angements to provide drinking water; and standby systems to restore power and telecom services.  After reviewing the emerging situation, the prime minister instructed senior officers to maintain close coordination with officers of affected states.

three selfie crazy Indian teens crushed by train in haryana

In a shocking and horrific incident youngsters lost there lives in India. Three youths fell down while taking a mobile selfie alongside the railway tracks in Haryana. Four others narrowly escaped to death. Teenagers were killed while taking selfies on a railway track in Panipat, the country which researchers say has the worst record for selfie related deaths. The accident on Wednesday in Panipat city in the northern state of Haryana a police officer M. S. Dabas told the press. The victims were busy taking selfies and when they saw a train approaching they jumped to a second track without realising another train was coming on that. Experts warn that youngsters obsessed with social media are going to extreme lengths in order to post selfies seen as daring and risky. A study last year by researchers from the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences said 259 people across the world had died while taking selfies between 2011 and 2017. A study last year by researchers from the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences said 259 people across the world had died while taking selfies between 2011 and 2017.