Portrait News

Architect of Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons Programme Tells Court He is ‘Kept Prisoner’ Abdul Qadeer Khan, who made international headlines in 2004 after publicly confessing his role in global nuclear proliferation, has petitioned Pakistan’s top court to say he is being “kept prisoner” by government agencies and not allowed to plead his case for freedom of movement. Khan, widely described as the architect of the nuclear weapons programme in Pakistan, which tested its first atomic bomb in 1998 to rival that of neighbouring India, was sacked from his official position after his confession, but granted clemency by then President Pervez Musharraf....

Coronavirus vaccine or no vaccine, US is reopening: Donald Trump WHITE HOUSE: President Donald Trump has assured Americans that the United States, which has badly suffered due to the coronavirus pandemic, will reopen whether a vaccine is developed to combat the deadly virus or not. Speaking at a White House Rose Garden news conference on Friday, President Trump urged ”Americans to return to their lives as normal.” “As of this morning, almost every state has taken steps to begin reopening, and the American people are doing an extraordinary job of continuing to take precautions while, at the same time, wanting to...

Brazil’s health minister resigns after one month on the job Brazil’s health minister resigned on Friday after less than a month on the job in a sign of continuing upheaval in the nation’s battle with the COVID-19 pandemic and President Jair Bolsonaro’s pressure for the nation to prioritize the economy over health-driven lockdowns. Nelson Teich’s resignation was confirmed by the Health Ministry. The oncologist, a former health care consultant, took the job on April 17 under pressure to align the ministry’s actions with the president’s view that the economy must not be destroyed by restrictions to control spread of the virus. Source: The Hindu

Barack Obama emerges as central figure in 2020 presidential race About eight years after he was keep going on the polling form, Barack Obama is developing as a focal figure in the 2020 presidential political race. Democrats are eagerly embracing Obama as a political wingman for Joe Biden, who spent two terms by his side as vice president. Obama remains the party’s most popular figure, particularly with black voters and younger Democrats, and Biden’s presidential campaign is planning for him to have a highly visible role in the months to come. For President Donald Trump, that means an opportunity to...

China stealing US research on COVID-19: Mike Pompeo US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday accused China of “stealing” US intellectual property and data related to COVID-19 research. Pompeo’s allegations came a day after the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security claimed that organisations conducting research into COVID-19 may be targeted by computer hackers linked to the Chinese government. “The US condemns attempts by cyber actors and non-traditional collectors affiliated with People’s Republic of China (PRC) to steal US intellectual property and data related to COVID-19 research,” Pompeo said in a statement. Source: Moneycontrol

WTO chief announces he will step down on August 31 GENEVA: The World Trade Organization (WTO) chief Roberto Azevedo on Thursday resigned out of the blue, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic that has influenced the world economy, and exchange at a remarkable level. “At a virtual meeting of all WTO members on May 14, WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo announced that he would step down on August 31, cutting his second term short by exactly one year,” WTO said in an announcement. The 62-year-old Brazilian career diplomat’s second four-year term was not scheduled to end until September 2021. Source:...

‘World has Changed Even if Pandemic Ends, Vaccine Found’: Canada’s Trudeau Canadians ought to acknowledge the world will change regardless of whether an antibody is found and the coronavirus pandemic finishes, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday, asking individuals to conform to another ordinary that will require altered conduct. Trudeau divulged new measures to help hard-hit segments, including C$470 million ($334 million) for fisheries, and the incomplete reviving of some national parks. “We have to recognize that things will change in this world, even after the end of this pandemic, even after a vaccine,” he told reporters. “COVID-19 will...

PFC-REC loans can be recalled if discoms don’t shape up: Power Minister RK Singh Non-compliant state-run electricity distribution companies (discoms) risk losing a lot of the Rs 90,000 crore credit that the legislature reported on Wednesday to infuse liquidity into the fragment. On the off chance that discoms don’t find a way to decrease their misfortunes, they would be denied the office, Union influence serve RK Singh said on Thursday. The advances from division explicit banks REC and PFC will be made accessible “only if the discom concerned draws up a loss-reduction trajectory and gets it approved by the state government,”...

India, China troops face-offs not co-related: Army Chief The recent incidents of face-off between the troops of India and China in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim last week were neither “co-related” nor have have any connection with other global or local activities, Army Chief Gen Manoj Naravane said in a statement on Thursday. “Indian border troops have always been upholding peace and tranquillity along the border areas. I can say with confidence that development of infrastructure capabilities along our northern borders is on track,” he said. “It is reiterated that both these incidents are neither co-related nor do they have any connection...

Former HC judge working at Congress’ behest to save Nirav Modi: Ravi Shankar Prasad Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad Thursday accused the Congress of “trying its best” to save fugitive diamantaire Nirav Modi who is undergoing an extradition trial in the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud case at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court. The minister alleged that a Congress member, who also happens to be an ex-high court judge, appeared as defence witness in extradition proceedings against Nirav Modi. “There exist some overpowering suspicious circumstances to suggest that Congress is trying its best to save Nirav Modi,” PTI quoted the minister as...