Junior Digest

UNITED NATIONS Oct 25,2020: The United Nations announced Saturday that 50 countries have ratified a U.N. treaty to ban nuclear weapons triggering its entry into force in 90 days, a move hailed by anti-nuclear activists but strongly opposed by the United States and the other major nuclear powers.

As of Friday, the treaty had 49 signatories, and the United Nations said the 50th ratification from Honduras had been received.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres commended the 50 states and saluted “the instrumental work” of civil society in facilitating negotiations and pushing for ratification, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The U.N. chief said the treaty’s entry into force on Jan. 22 culminates a worldwide movement “to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons” and “is a tribute to the survivors of nuclear explosions and tests, many of whom advocated for this treaty,” he said,

Guterres said the treaty “represents a meaningful commitment towards the total elimination of nuclear weapons, which remains the highest disarmament priority of the United Nations,” Dujarric said.

Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize-winning coalition whose work helped spearhead the nuclear ban treaty, said: “This moment has been 75 years coming since the horrific attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the founding of the U.N. which made nuclear disarmament a cornerstone.”

“The 50 countries that ratify this Treaty are showing true leadership in setting a new international norm that nuclear weapons are not just immoral but illegal,” she said.

The 50th ratification came on the 75th anniversary of the ratification of the U.N. Charter which officially established the United Nations and is celebrated as UN Day.

“The United Nations was formed to promote peace with a goal of the abolition of nuclear weapons,” Fihn said. “This treaty is the U.N. at its best — working closely with civil society to bring democracy to disarmament.”

The treaty requires that all ratifying countries “never under any circumstances … develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.” It also bans any transfer or use of nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices — and the threat to use such weapons — and requires parties to promote the treaty to other countries.

Once it enters into force all countries that have ratified it will be bound by those requirements.

The United States had written to treaty signatories saying the Trump administration believes they made “a strategic error” and urging them to rescind their ratification.

The U.S. letter, obtained by The Associated Press, said the five original nuclear powers — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — and America’s NATO allies “stand unified in our opposition to the potential repercussions” of the treaty.

It says the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, known as the TPNW, “turns back the clock on verification and disarmament and is dangerous” to the half-century-old Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, considered the cornerstone of global nonproliferation efforts.

“The TPNW is and will remain divisive in the international community and risk further entrenching divisions in existing nonproliferation and disarmament fora that offer the only realistic prospect for consensus-based progress,” the letter said. “It would be unfortunate if the TPNW were allowed to derail our ability to work together to address pressing proliferation.”

Fihn has stressed that “the nonproliferation Treaty is about preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and eliminating nuclear weapons, and this treaty implements that. There’s no way you can undermine the Nonproliferation Treaty by banning nuclear weapons. It’s the end goal of the Nonproliferation Treaty.”

The NPT sought to prevent the spread of nuclear arms beyond the five original weapons powers. It requires non-nuclear signatory nations to not pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states’ access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy.

Rebecca Johnson, a co-founder and first president of the International Campaign to Ban Nuclear Weapons, said: “The ban treaty is as much about just making it much more possible for people all around the world to see nobody needs nuclear weapons, and they’re actually an impediment, an obstacle — they’re in the way of dealing with the real security threats we have on the ground from COVID to climate.”

She said in an AP interview that nuclear weapons can’t prevent or deal with conflicts like the most recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. “They’re just in the way, and they’re highly expensive, and the governments that have them are distracted from the real security issues by trying to constantly pay for these arms races that they’re still obsessed with.”

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an Associated Press interview on Wednesday: “It is clear for me that we will only be entirely safe in relation to nuclear weapons the day where nuclear weapons no longer exist. We know that it’s not easy. We know that there are many obstacles.”

He expressed hope that a number of important initiatives, including U.S.-Russia talks on renewing the New Start Treaty limiting deployed nuclear warheads, missiles and bombers and next year’s review conference of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, “will all converge in the same direction, and the final objective must be to have a world with no nuclear weapons.”

The treaty was approved by the 193-member U.N. General Assembly on July 7, 2017 by a vote of 122 in favor, the Netherlands opposed, and Singapore abstaining. Among countries voting in favor was Iran. The five nuclear powers and four other countries known or believed to possess nuclear weapons — India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — boycotted negotiations and the vote on the treaty, along with many of their allies.

Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima, who has been an ardent campaigner for the treaty, said: “When I learned that we reached our 50th ratification, I was not able to stand.”

“I remained in my chair and put my head in my hands and I cried tears of joy,” she said in a statement. “I have committed my life to the abolition of nuclear weapons. I have nothing but gratitude for all who have worked for the success of our treaty.”

New Delhi, Oct 25,2020: The BJP on Saturday accused PDP president Mehbooba Mufti of “disrespecting” the Indian flag and asserted that the revocation of Article 370 was done constitutionally and that it will not be restored.

Her comments that she will not hold the tricolour till the Kashmiri flag is restored is “downright denunciation” of the national flag’s sanctity, senior BJP leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said.

The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had on Friday said that she was not interested in contesting elections or holding the tricolour, the national flag, till the constitutional changes enforced on August 5 last year were rolled back.

She said she would hold the tricolour only when the separate flag of the erstwhile state is restored.

Prasad asserted that Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state a special status and was revoked last year, will not be restored.

It was removed following a proper constitutional process and both Houses of Parliament approved it with overwhelming numbers, he said.

Revoking it was our commitment to the nation and people have appreciated it, he said.

In many ways, Mufti has shown serious disrespect to the very image of India which the tricolour represents, he added.

The minister also hit out at other opposition parties, saying they have maintained a stony silence at her remarks showing serious disrespect to the national flag, even as they criticise the saffron party at the “slightest of issues”.

“This is hypocrisy and double standard,” Prasad said.

He claimed that the revocation of the Article 370 has led to increased development in the union territory with the weaker sections of society, like SCs, STs, OBCs and women, enjoying the same rights that they do in the rest of the country.

People participated in local polls in Jammu and Kashmir with joy and happiness, he said.

“Some people and families who used to rule with impunity and without accountability are going to have problems,” he said.

Srinagar, Oct 25,2020: Seven mainstream parties of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday gave a formal shape to their recently cobbled alliance for the restoration of Article 370, electing National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah as its chairman and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti as vice-chairperson, and asserted that theirs was “not an anti-national” grouping

Veteran CPM leader M Y Tarigami was elected as the convenor while Lok Sabha member from South Kashmir Hasnain Masoodi would be the coordinator of the conglomerate known as Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD)

Sajjad Gani Lone of People’s Conference would be the spokesman for the amalgam

After a meeting held at Mehbooba’s house, Abdullah, who turned 84 earlier this week, said the alliance is fighting for the restoration of special status to Jammu and Kashmir and is an “anti-BJP platform” and not an anti-national amalgam

“I want to tell you that this is false propaganda by the BJP that the PAGD is anti-national. I want to tell them that this is not true. There is no doubt that it is anti-BJP, but it is not anti-national,” he told reporters here

Abdullah alleged that the BJP has tried to break the federal structure through acts like the abrogation of Article 370 and dividing Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories

“They have tried to destroy the Constitution of the country, they have tried to divide the nation, to break the federal structure which we saw what they did on August 5 last year,” the NC president said

“I want to tell them that this (PAGD) is not an anti-national jamaat. Our aim is that the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh should get their rights back. That’s where our battle is. Our battle is not for more than that,” he said

Abdullah said the BJP was doing propaganda against the constituents of the PAGD in Jammu and elsewhere in the country

“They are trying to divide us (people of Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh) in the name of religion. This attempt will not succeed. This is not a religious battle, this is a fight for our identity, and for that identity, we are standing together,” he said

The amalgam, which met for the first time after its formation, will come out with a white paper within one month?on governance in Jammu and Kashmir over the past one year since the abrogation of article 370, Lone told reporters after the meeting

“The white paper will not be rhetoric.?It will be based on facts and figures to present the reality to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and around the country….? An impression is being given that all the corruption had happened in Jammu and Kashmir,” Lone said

The amalgam decided to hold its next meeting after a fortnight in Jammu, followed by a convention in? Srinagar on November 17

As a mark of defiance to the constitutional changes made by the Centre with respect to Jammu and Kashmir last year,? the alliance adopted the flag of the erstwhile state as its symbol

While the Communist Party of India’s Kashmir head A R Trukroo joined the PAGD, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee has quietly distanced itself from the alliance

JKPCC chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir,?who was part of the meetings that took place before the formalisation of PAGD earlier this month, has skipped the last two meetings

The JKPCC had issued a statement after the previous meeting that Mir could not attend due to the advice of doctors

This time the party did not explain its absence from the meeting.

PARIS Oct24,2020: Global dirty money watchdog-the Financial Action Task Force- decided on Friday to keep Pakistan on its “grey list”, despite progress by Islamabad on meeting international anti-terrorism financing norms.

In a statement, the Financial Action Task Force urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021.

FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.

But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.

The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.
“FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.

Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.

Last February, Pakistan secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets that FATF had set for it in 2018 when it put Pakistan on its “grey list”.

The grace period was then extended due to the new coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan has lately been pushing through tougher legislation and other measures to ward off blacklisting by the FATF.

In recent months, it says its law enforcement agencies have cracked down on Islamist militant groups – especially Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its welfare arms, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-e-Insanyat – and on their sources of income, arresting, trying and convicting several of their members and leaders.

Pakistan denies long-standing accusations that it has nurtured and supported Islamist militant groups for use as proxies to project power in the region, particularly towards its arch-rival India and in Afghanistan.

New Delhi, October 24,2020: Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) on Saturday deteriorated to the ‘severe’ category, which is likely to affect people’s health, according to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee data (DPCC).
The AQI in Alipur was at 432 while it stood at 427 and 409 in Mundka and Wazirpur, respectively.
According to experts, the severe category affects the health of people and seriously impacts those with existing diseases.
An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.
Amid the rise in pollution levels, people are having problems with breathing and some children have started facing throat problems due to contaminated air.

Recently, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) submitted before the Delhi High Court that it has issued directions to implementing agencies including State Pollution Control Boards, construction agencies, municipal bodies, traffic police and transport department of Delhi and NCR for strict action against air polluting activities.
On Friday, a plea sought filed in Delhi High Court sought directions to the Delhi government and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to issue fresh orders and instructions at the earliest putting a strict ban on bursting firecrackers and burning of effigies to prevent further air pollution.

It also sought directions to the Department of Environment, Delhi Government, and the Union Ministry of Environment to come up with eco-friendly ways of celebrating Dusshera.

The petitioners urged the court to direct appropriate departments to take immediate and appropriate steps to ban burning of effigies and fire-crackers in Delhi on the festival of Dussehra in light of COVID 19 pandemic.

MOSCOW,Oct 22,2020: Russia has granted U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden permanent residency rights, the TASS news agency cited Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena as saying on Thursday.

Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after he leaked secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the U.S. National Security Agency.

Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Kucherena, told TASS his client was not yet considering applying for a Russian passport.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in August he was considering a pardon for Snowden.- Russia has granted U.S. whistleblower Edward Snowden permanent residency rights, the TASS news agency cited Snowden’s lawyer Anatoly Kucherena as saying on Thursday.

Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after he leaked secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the U.S. National Security Agency.

Snowden’s Russian lawyer, Kucherena, told TASS his client was not yet considering applying for a Russian passport.

U.S. President Donald Trump said in August he was considering a pardon for Snowden.

New Delhi, Oct 22,2020: The Supreme Court has sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking formulation of standard operating procedure (SOP) for mandating pre-litigation mediation across the country to reduce pendency of cases.

A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde, A S Bopanna, and V Ramasubramanian issued notices to the Ministry of Law and Justice and various high courts on the plea.

Issue notice returnable in four weeks, the bench said.

The apex court was hearing a petition filed by Youth Bar Association of India and advocate Sanpreet Singh Ajmani which suggested that alternate and pre-litigation processes be made mandatory to reduce pendency of cases in various courts.

According to the petition, use of alternate dispute resolution mechanisms will help to control frivolous matters coming up for hearing by giving an opportunity to parties to settle their disputes amicably before any litigation can start.

The plea contended that pre-litigation mediation is an attempt to resolve the dispute among the parties amicably with the help of neutral third party called Mediator before going to the court or even before filing litigation or sending a notice.

It gives a chance to both the parties to end the dispute in a win-win position. In it issues can be sorted out sooner and this process is inexpensive compared to the expenditure incurred at every stage of the case/issues in litigation.

To reduce the number of pending cases, the Government should work on a mechanism to introduce a pre-litigation mediation process, so that avoidable cases can be prevented from reaching the courts and settle the issue effectively, the plea said.

Itanagar, Oct 24,2020: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said the times now are different from 1962 and the people of the state and the Indian Army will never fall back no matter how many times China tries to claim the territory as its own.

Khandu was speaking at a programme on Friday at Bum La, a pass on the Indo-Tibet border in the northeastern state, to honour a soldier who died fighting in the 1962 India-China war.

“This is not 1962, but 2020, and things are different now. Right from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, we are fully prepared. If required, the people of Arunachal will not hesitate to stand behind the Indian Army,” he said.

China does not recognise Arunachal Pradesh as an Indian state but as a part of southern Tibet, a claim that has been rejected outright by India.

Speaking on the changes in the last six decades since 1962, the chief minister said infrastructure development along the border areas has received a major thrust under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The development of border areas, specially roads, is important. It is being done in full speed in Arunachal Pradesh and we will soon witness several such infrastructural revamps in the state,” he said.

Khandu was at Bum La to pay tribute to Subedar Joginder Singh on his 58th death anniversary. He recalled the supreme sacrifice of Singh, who laid down his life fighting the Chinese army in the 1962 Indo-China war.

Singh, who was a subedar in the 1st battalion of the Sikh Regiment, was commanding a platoon at Bum La in the then North East Frontier Agency, now Arunachal Pradesh.

“Fighting against all odds, Subedar Singh attained martyrdom on this day during the 1962 India-China war. The people of Arunachal salute his bravery and will always remember the supreme sacrifice he made for the nation,” Khandu said.

Though heavily outnumbered, Singh had led his troops against a Chinese assault and defended his post until he was wounded and captured. He died of his injuries while in Chinese custody and is believed to have single-handedly killed several Chinese soldiers and created history in the annals of the Indian Army.

He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest military gallantry award of the country, in 1962.

Kulwant Kaur, Singh’s daughter, inaugurated a newly-built war memorial in her father’s name at the programme.

The memorial has been built by the Arunachal Pradesh government just below the famous IB Ridge to commemorate Singh’s heroic defence against the People’s Liberation Army of China.

Patna (Bihar), October 22,2020: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday released its manifesto for three-phased Bihar elections and promised that after the approval of the coronavirus vaccine from ICMR, every person in the State will get vaccinated free of cost.
“In the fight against coronavirus, the NDA government has set an example in the country. It is our resolution that as soon as the vaccine will be approved by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), every person in the State will be vaccinated,” the manifesto said.
Union Finance Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman released the party’s manifesto.
“As soon as COVID-19 vaccine will be available for production at a mass scale every person in Bihar will get free vaccination. This is the first promise mentioned in our poll manifesto,” Sitharaman said.
The senior BJP leader said that Bihar is one State where all citizens are politically sensitive and well informed.
“They know and understand the promises a party makes. If anyone raises questions on our manifesto, we can answer them with confidence as we fulfill what we promised,” she added.

LA PAZ ,Oct 24,2020: Bolivia’s President-elect Luis Arce pledged on Friday to “rebuild” the Andean country after a tumultuous year of political turmoil and the pandemic, as the official vote count confirmed a landslide win for his socialist party.

The final tally showed Arce won just over 55% of the vote, sweeping the socialists back into power just a year after the party’s leftist leader Evo Morales was ousted amid protests.

The win draws the curtain on a painful period for Bolivia after an election late last year was dogged by disputed allegations of fraud, sparking violent protests, looting, and blockades, and eventually prompting Morales to resign.

“Now our great challenge is to rebuild our homeland in peace, to regain joy, stability and hope for a better tomorrow for all Bolivians,” Arce said on social media in response to the final result, with a video of his support around the country.

“We won’t let down the trust that people have placed in us.”

The count put Arce, a pragmatic economist who is credited with fostering Bolivia’s boom years from the mid 2000s, more than 26 points ahead of centrist runner-up Carlos Mesa, who had just shy of 29% – a far larger gap than had been expected.
Arce, who was economy minister under Morales, was seen as a moderating voice in his government. He told Reuters this week Morales would have no role in his administration.

Morales is living in exile in Argentina, but remains the president of Arce’s party, the Movement Toward Socialism, and played a key role in picking Arce as the party’s candidate.

With the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic and an economic slide, the vote was a body blow for Bolivia’s centrist and conservative parties, which played only a bit-part role in Morales’ near 14-year administration.

Caretaker President Jeanine Anez, who took over in the midst of a power vacuum last year, withdrew from the race in the election build-up, while Mesa led a muted campaign.

Mesa, who also placed second in the since-voided 2019 vote, congratulated Arce on Twitter, though he already conceded defeat at the start of week when rapid counts showed a big Arce win.

“We will remain vigilant in the democratic opposition fulfilling the mandate of the people,” Mesa said.

Governments and observers have widely heralded the election for being peaceful and transparent – in contrast to the 2019 vote which led to running street battles between party supporters and security forces and the deaths of over 30 people.

New Delhi, Oct 23,2020: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Thursday suggested that after the full roll out of the new National Education Policy (NEP), the board examination of classes 10 and 12 should discontinue.

Speaking at the 57th General Council meeting of NCERT, Mr Sisodia gave some important suggestions to realise the vision of NEP 2020, the Delhi Government said in a statement here.

He also gave inputs on the current academic session, which has been seriously disrupted due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Concurring with Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on ‘transformative value of NEP 2020’, Mr Sisodia said that ‘transformation should be holistic and not piecemeal’.

Elaborating the point, he said, ‘It is about time that we introduce muti-year stage wise classes and external assessment at the end of each stage, replacing the existing year wise classes and two board exams in classes 10 and 12.’

Mr Sisodia pointed out that the 5+3+3+4 model recommended in the NEP can attain its full potential, if the existing one year per grade system is removed.

It means instead of the existing class system, where all children of a class move together in all subjects, despite being at different learning levels, the multi-year stage will help them move as per their learning need in different subjects, at their own pace, said the Minister.

He added that a stage-wise curriculum with a clearly stated learning goal in terms of knowledge, skill and values be created.

Going by the logic of the stage, Mr Sisodia said that after the full roll out of NEP, board exams of classes 10 and 12 should also discontinue.

Washington DC, October 23,2020: Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora (GKPD) and several other community organisations held a car protest rally in front of the Embassy of Pakistan in the U.S on Thursday (local time), remembering Pak’s invasion of Kashmir in 1947.
Scores of people were seen chanting slogans calling Pakistan to vacate the illegally occupied Kashmir. “Pakistan vacate occupied Kashmir. Kashmir is an integrated part of India,” one of the posters read.
Another poster said, “The jihadist invasion of 1947 in Kashmir didn’t happen overnight, it was planned strategically by Pakistan.”
Dr. Mohan Sapru, the rally organizer and Washington, DC GKPD coordinator said: “While using masks and current practice of social distancing, the rally protesters have gathered to voice their anguish and strong condemnation of Pakistan’s 73-year long perpetual policy of cross-border terrorism and overt operations in Kashmir, which have especially targeted the minority communities i.e., Kashmiri Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists.”
DC GKPD coordinator also said that Cross-border aggression against peaceful Kashmir by Pakistan-trained and sponsored militia called Kabalis on the fateful day of October 22, 1947 marked the birth of the Kashmir problem.
“The brutality of cross-border Islamic terrorism has continued unabated and resulted in the genocide and forced exodus of indigenous Kashmiri Hindus during the dark period of 1989-1991. Whether heinous terrorist acts happen in Kashmir, or US or any other part of the world, at the end of the day, terrorism is a blot on the conscience of humanity and cannot be a legitimate means to settle disputes in a civilized world,” Sapru said.
He further said that the agony and hardships of a few hundred Kashmiri Hindu families, who continued to live in the Kashmir valley, still remain largely unaddressed.”

Moscow, Oct 24,2020: Russia expects to hold a face-to-face summit of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council to discuss the most pressing issues, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, said, adding that it was crucial to continue the dialogue on the matter of handling nuclear weapons.

In his article dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the United Nations published on the RT channel’s website, Medvedev noted that a number of fundamental international agreements were adopted at the 1978 Disarmament Conference to ensure security and build confidence among states.

“The USSR played a special role in that process. Today there is an urgent need for us to continue working towards this end … We hope that the UN Security Council will hold a face-to-face summit of the nuclear five to discuss the most pressing problems of humankind,” Medvedev said.

Vatican City, Oct 22,2020: Pope Francis has made his clearest remark yet on gay relationships and said that he thinks same-sex couples should be allowed to have civil unions.

“Homosexual people have a right to be in a family,” he said in a documentary directed by Evgeny Afineevsky, which premiered on Wednesday.

“They are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable over it. What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered,” the head of the Catholic Church said.

He added that he “stood up for that”, apparently referring to his time as Archbishop of Buenos Aires when, although opposing same-sex marriages in law, he supported some legal protections for same-sex couples.

The film Francesco, about the life and work of Pope Francis, premiered as part of the Rome Film Festival.

As well as the Pope’s comments on civil unions, the film also shows him encouraging two gay men to attend church with their three children.

Pope Francis’s biographer, Austen Ivereigh, told media he was “not surprised” by the latest comments, and said, “This was his position as Archbishop of Buenos Aires.”

“He was always opposed to marriage being for same-sex couples. But he believed the church should advocate for a civil union law for gay couples to give them legal protection,” he added.

Under current Catholic doctrine, gay relationships are referred to as “deviant behaviour”.

In 2003, the Vatican’s doctrinal body, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said that “respect for homosexual persons cannot lead in any way to approval of homosexual behaviour or to legal recognition of homosexual unions”.

Earlier in 2014, it was reported that Pope Francis had expressed support for civil unions for same-sex partners in an interview, but the Holy See’s press office denied this.

Then in 2018, Pope Francis said he was “worried” about homosexuality in the clergy, and that it was “a serious matter”.

London [UK], October 22,2020: People who consume a diet including flavanol-rich foods and drinks, including tea, apples and berries, could lead to lower blood pressure, according to the first study using objective measures of thousands of UK residents’ diet.
The findings, published in Scientific Reports, studied the diet of more than 25,000 people in Norfolk, UK and compared what they ate with their blood pressure. In contrast to most other studies investigating links between nutrition and health, the researchers did not rely on study participants reporting their diet but instead measured flavanol intake objectively using nutritional biomarkers – indicators of dietary intake, metabolism or nutritional status that are present in our blood.
The difference in blood pressure between those with the lowest 10% of flavanol intake and those with the highest 10% of intake was between 2 and 4 mmHg. This is comparable to meaningful changes in blood pressure observed in those following a Mediterranean diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Notably, the effect was more pronounced in participants with hypertension.
Professor Gunter Kuhnle, a nutritionist at the University of Reading who led the study said:
“Previous studies of large populations have always relied on self-reported data to draw conclusions, but this is the first epidemiological study of this scale to objectively investigate the association between a specific bioactive compound and health. We are delighted to see that in our study, there was also a meaningful and significant association between flavanol consumption and lower blood pressure.

“What this study gives us is an objective finding of the association between flavanols – found in tea and some fruits – and blood pressure. This research confirms the results from previous dietary intervention studies and shows that the same results can be achieved with a habitual diet rich in flavanols. In the British diet, the main sources are tea, cocoa, apples and berries.
“The methodology of the study is of equal importance. This is one of the largest ever studies to use nutritional biomarkers to investigate bioactive compounds. Using nutritional biomarkers to estimate intake of bioactive food compounds has long been seen as the gold standard for research, as it allows the intake to be measured objectively. The development, validation and application of the biomarker were only possible because of the long-term commitment of all collaborators. In contrast to self-reported dietary data, nutritional biomarkers can address the huge variability in food composition. We can therefore confidently attribute the associations we observed to flavanol intake.”
An international team from the University of Reading, Cambridge University, the University of California Davis, and Mars, Incorporated studied 25,618 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk study and found that the biggest difference was observed in participants with the highest blood pressure. This suggests if the general public increased its flavanol intake, there could be an overall reduction in cardiovascular disease incidence.
Hagen Schroeter, Chief Science Officer at Mars Edge, said:
“This study adds key insights into a growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of dietary flavanols in health and nutrition. But, perhaps even more exciting was the opportunity to apply objective biomarkers of flavanol intake at a large scale. This enabled the team to avoid the significant limitations that come with past approaches which rely on estimating intake based on self-reported food consumption data and the shortcomings of current food composition databases.”

Washington, Oct 23,2020: US President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden during their final debate sparred and traded allegations over the pandemic, foreign election meddling, scandals, North Korea nuclear talks, racism, and climate change, among other issues.

Trump opened the debate defending his record against the pandemic, saying that his administration would announce a vaccine within weeks. Trump also said that Americans are learning to live with COVID-19 and the US needs to open schools. Trump again blamed China for US woes due to the virus.

Biden in response said Trump still has no comprehensive plan to fight COVID-19. The former vice president called Trump’s approach “tragic.”

Trump reiterated that he wants to open schools and the country while Biden said “we want a safe opening.”

On the topic of foreign interference, Biden said Iran and Russia will pay a heavy price for meddling in the US election if he is elected president.

“It’s been overwhelmingly clear this election… that Russia has been involved, China has been involved to some degree, and now we learn that Iran is involved,” Biden said on Thursday night. “They will pay a price if I’m elected.”

Trump accused Biden of being paid by “Russians.” Biden responded by saying he never took “a penny” from any foreign source.

The Hunter Biden scandal was also raised. Biden said nothing was unethical about Hunter’s business dealings in Ukraine. He said his son never made any money on China.

When the topic moved to North Korea, Trump said there was a possibility of nuclear war and that millions of people would have been dead if not for him. Biden said he would negotiate with Kim Jong Un if North Korea reduced its nuclear capabilities.

“On the condition that [Kim] would agree to drawing down his nuclear capacity,” Biden said on Thursday, responding to moderator Kristen Welker’s question under what condition the Democratic candidate would meet with the North Korean leader should he assume presidency.

With respect to healthcare, Trump called for entirely terminating Obamacare and accused Biden of planning to socialise medicine. The former vice president promised to reduce drug prices if he wins the November 3 election.

Trump said Democratic administrations have built cages for migrants while Biden slammed the president for separating families at the border.

When the issue of racism came up, Trump claimed he has done more for the Black community than any other president and boasted about his record on criminal reform. Biden said during the Obama administration they commuted 1,000 prison sentences compared to Trump’s 20. The former vice president also said that in total he they got 38,000 people out of federal prison.

The candidates traded more insults over the Russia probe and the Ukraine scandals. Biden claimed the information regarding the Hunter Biden scandal was part of a Russian plan, prompting Trump to say “Russia, Russia, Russia, again.”

Regarding climate change, Biden warned that the US cannot handle four more years of Trump rolling back environmental regulations. Biden said after a transition to clean Industry, he would stop giving subsidies to the oil industry.

London,24,2020: The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.
Wildfire smoke likely helped to spread COVID-19

Large wildfires may be linked to increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the San Francisco area, according to a paper in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences. Researchers found that between March and September, increases in smoke particles, other wildfire pollutants and carbon monoxide levels corresponded to increases in daily COVID-19 diagnoses and total COVID-19 deaths. While correlation does not necessarily mean causality, coauthor Sultan Ayoub Meo of King Saud University in Saudi Arabia said air pollution provides a means for viruses to move around the environment. These tiny pollution particles, along with the microorganisms they carry, “can easily be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause infections,” Meo said. “Carbon monoxide is a highly toxic gas which can damage our lungs, resulting as a triggering factor for an increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths in the wildfire region,” he told Reuters.

Antiviral mouthwash could help curb coronavirus transmission.
Mouthwashes with antiviral ingredients could help decrease COVID-19 transmission by reducing viral loads in the mouths of infected patients when they cough, sneeze or speak, according to a paper in the Journal of Dental Research published on Thursday. Studies have found that rinses containing cetylpyridinium chloride or povidone-iodine can reduce the oral coronavirus load; other promising compounds include hydrogen peroxide, chlorhexidine, cyclodextrin, Citrox, and certain essential oils. Coauthor Dr. Florence Carrouel of University Claude Bernard Lyon in France told Reuters everyone should be using these mouthwashes because people can be infected and not realize it. While more studies are needed to determine appropriate regimens, she suggests using three doses of antiviral mouthwash the day before a meeting, and one dose the morning of the event. COVID-19 patients should be using mouthwash regularly for seven to 10 days.
Common-cold antibodies may hijack body’s COVID-19 response

A phenomenon called “antigenic sin” may explain why some COVID-19 patients become critically ill, researchers say. Because the new virus shares some features with coronaviruses that cause common colds, the body’s immune response can include antibodies that previously learned to recognize and attack those older viruses. This can in turn detract from the body’s ability to fight COVID-19, because the common cold antibodies do not reliably attack the new virus. In severely ill COVID-19 patients, the immune response directed at other coronaviruses is higher than in mildly ill patients, researchers reported on medRxiv ahead of peer review. This situation – when the body reacts to a new invader based on its “memory” of previous invaders – has been seen before and is called “original antigenic sin.” New vaccines must be able to prompt an immune response against this new virus, not merely boost immune responses toward common cold viruses, said coauthor Gijsbert van Nierop of Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands told Reuters.
Powerful bowel-disease drugs appear safe during pandemic

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) do not increase their risk for COVID-19 by taking immunosuppressive drugs to control their symptoms, according to a study of more than 5,300 patients with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis published on Thursday in the medical journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. “After weighing other known risk factors for COVID-19, including age, race, and other medical issues, we found that immunosuppressive therapy was not associated with an increased risk of COVID-19,” coauthor Dr. Kristin Burke of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School told Reuters. “Amongst the people with IBD that got COVID-19, we also found that use of immunosuppressive medications did not increase risk of getting severe disease, which we defined as disease requiring hospitalization, intensive care unit stay, or death.” As other studies have shown, however, older age and obesity were risk factors for severe COVID-19 in these patients, too.

Washington [US], October 23,2020: During his Asia trip from October 25 to 30, US State Department Secretary Michael Pompeo will be urging the Sri Lankan officials to make decisions about its relationship with China and to review the option that the United States offers for transparent and sustainable economic development, an official said.
“Right now, we think [Sri Lanka is] at a point to make some choices about where they head,” Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dean Thompson on Thursday (local time) said while replying to a question on Sri Lanka’s growing relationship with China.
“In the interest of strengthening our longstanding partnership with Sri Lanka and reinforcing our long-term commitment to the region, we encourage Sri Lanka to review the options we offer for transparent and sustainable economic development in contrast to discriminatory and opaque practices,” he said.

Thompson said that the US appealed to Sri Lanka to make necessary decisions to secure its economic independence for long-term prosperity.
Pompeo will be travelling to India, Colombo, Male and Jakarta from October 25 – 30.

Srinagar, Oct 25,2020: Leaders of “ Political Alliance of Gupkar Declaration” (PAGD), including three former Chief Ministers (CMs) on Saturday met here to discuss future strategy with regard their demand for restoration of Article 370 and 35 A which were abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019.

The meeting held at the residence of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti at Fairview Gupkar, was attended among others by former CMs Dr Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) leader Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami, Peoples Conference (PC) chief Sajjad Gani Lone and Awami National Conference (ANC) vice president.

However, Congress after supporting the first Gupkar Declaration on August 4,2019, gave slip to subsequent meetings, including on Saturday.

Todays meeting was held a day after Mehbooba addressed press conference, first since her release after 14 month detention, during which she announced that she will not hoist the national flag until the flag of erstwhile state was not restored. However, the statement of Mehbooba evoked serious criticism, particularly from Bharatiya Janata Party and other saffron parties who demanded her arrest on sedition charges.

Earlier, during the day Dr Abdullah met eight senior leaders of the party from Jammu and discussed the current political situation and aspirations and concerns of the people of Jammu. Dr Abdullah also attended the meeting after he was questioned twice by Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 19 and 21, when he turned 84, in connection with J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) multi crore scam. The signatories of the PAGD alleged that questioning of Dr Abdullah was a political vendetta.

The PAGD are demanding restoration of special status of the Jammu and Kashmir and release of all other detenues arrested before or on August 5 last year.