Junior Digest

Gaya (Bihar), May 18 : Devotees across the country celebrated Budh Purnima today to mark the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha.
Faithfuls in Varanasi, Prayagraj, and Gaya celebrated the day with mass praying and taking a dip in the holy river Ganga in commemoration of Buddha, who is considered the eight incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
“Buddha Purnima is holy for us because our Lord Buddha was born, attained enlightenment, started his preaching journey in Lumbini and Kapilavastu and finally attained parinirvana after his death all on the same day. We also took out a procession of Buddha, which followers from around the world have come to witness,” Chandram Muni, monk, and president of the Buddhist Council, Gaya said.

Vaishak Purnima or Buddha Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day (Purnima), in the month of Vaishakha, according to Hindu calendar.

Since Buddha was born in Sarnath, the city has significant meaning for Buddhists around the world. Also, after Buddha’s enlightenment in Body Gaya, he travelled back to Sarnath where he met his disciples at Chaukhandi Stupa.

People celebrate this day by praying and preparing milk porridge (Kheer) because one of Budha’s followers ‘Sujata’ offered him Kheer in a bowl.

Madurai, May 19: The Madras High Court  has suggested that the Tamil Nadu government consider laying underground cables for transmitting high-tension power so that possible effect of high voltage causing cancer be neutralised.

Justices N Kirubakaran and S S Sundar in their interim order also issued notices to the Chief Manager of the Power Grid Corporation, Collectors of Karur, Tiruchi and Dindigul and posted the matter for hearing after four weeks.

The judges said when the power was transmitted through over-head wires, there would be loss of Rs 42000 crore per year.The loss could be averted by laying underground cables which would make the farm lands safe also.

The PIL litigant R Palanisamy sought to quash the prior approval given by the Central Electricity Authority for Pugalur HVDC Station-Thirvalam at Paramathy.

The Judge said the petitioner had studied and done thorough research into the problem caused by overhead electric cables of high voltage. It was a model PIL case for others to follow, they said.

The petitioner said the high tension power lines in the overhead caused many problems including transmission of high voltage. But if the cables were laid under ground, the lines would be out of sight, require only narrow land, emit only electric field, and can be engineered to emit no magnetic fields, have better power loss characteristics.

The underground cables were cost effective solution, reliable, less susceptible to weather related issues, the PIL said, adding they could be monitored better.

The judges said it was also clear from the world cancer report that transmission of high voltage power through overhead high tension lines caused a lot of problem including risk of cancer.

The Judges asked if that was the case, why in India environmental clearance was not insisted for overhead high tension cables.

When the state government submitted that two of the four projects had been completed, the judge said if 50 per cent of the cost had been spent then the government need not refrain themselves from proceeding with the said project.

But for the remaining projects they could consider laying underground high tension wires. When the health of citizens are affected it is the duty of the central and state governments to take serious note of the same, and find alternative methods so that the health of the citizens were protected, the judges said.

It is not proper for the state and central government to proceed with construction of new high tension power lines without sufficient safe guards. It is also admitted that environmental clearance is not required for proceeding with the projects of the state, the judges said.

It is set in the village of al-Awafi in Oman where we encounter three sisters: Mayya, who marries Abdallah after a heartbreak; Asma, who marries from a sense of duty; and Khawla, who is waiting for her beloved who has emigrated to Canada.

The jury said: “Elegantly structured and taut, it tells of Oman’s coming-of-age through the prism of one family’s losses and loves”.

The Guardian said it offers “glimpses into a culture relatively little known in the west” and The National said it signalled “the arrival of a major literary talent”, calling the book “a densely woven, deeply imagined tour de force”.

Jury chair Bettany Hughes said the novel showed “delicate artistry and disturbing aspects of our shared history”.

“The style is a metaphor for the subject, subtly resisting cliches of race, slavery and gender,” she said.

Alharthi was up against five other shortlisted authors: France’s Annie Ernaux, Germany’s Marion Poschmann, Poland’s Olga Tokarczuk, Colombia’s Juan Gabriel Vasquez and Chile’s Alia Trabucco Zeran.

New Delhi, May 23: Union minister Kiren Rijiju Wednesday said security forces in Arunachal Pradesh have launched a massive operation against the insurgents who killed an MLA and 10 others in the state.

He said when members of local community are involved in insurgent activities and maintain links with militants, the security operations can result in collateral damage.

“A massive military operation has been launched by the security forces in eastern Arunachal Pradesh,” Rijiju said in a Facebook post.

Suspected NSCN militants on Tuesday gunned down sitting MLA and National People’s Party (NPP) candidate for the state assembly polls, Tirong Aboh and 10 others, including his son, in Tirap district in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, asserted that unless the local people cooperate, military action alone cannot be a permanent solution.

“When some members of the local community are involved in insurgent activities and maintain links with them, the security operations would result in collateral damage which becomes an issue of human rights. Some people will only question and blame the security forces but never condemn the acts of insurgents,” he said.

The Union Minister of State for Home said some people talk against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), “which is only brought for providing better security to the citizens”.

“Since 1997-98, politicians and other important people are primarily responsible as they fall prey to the pressure and at times take the help of insurgents. It is time to take a tough stand and everyone should come together and say no to violence and insurgent groups. If we all stand unitedly, we shall overcome,” he said.

Many political parties and civil society groups in the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir have been demanding the repeal of the AFSPA, which gives special powers to the armed forces to shoot or arrest any suspect and carry out searches in any premises without warrants.

Expressing shock over the brutal killing of the MLA and 10 others, Rijiju said in the last few years, security situation in the entire Arunachal Pradesh has improved, but the two incidents in Tirap district this election have spoilt the atmosphere.

“This nation needs to come together,” the veteran politician told a crowd estimated at 6,000 in Philadelphia, in the largest rally of his nascent campaign.

“Our president is the divider in chief,” he added, accusing Trump of demonizing opponents and using scapegoats to fuel animosity.

“If the American people want a president to add to our division, to lead with a clenched fist, closed hand and a hard heart, to demonize opponents and spew hatred, they don’t need me,” Biden said in a raised voice. “They’ve got President Donald Trump.”

Biden, 76, came to Washington in a less polarized era, and he cited his work across the aisle during his 36 years in the US Senate to assure Democrats that “compromise is not a dirty word” and can lead to successes going forward.

London: Huawei put uncertainty over the future of its devices business to one side on Tuesday with the launch of new Honor smartphones, in a confident display of the Chinese firm’s technology.

The world’s second-biggest phone maker runs its devices on Google’s Android platform outside China, but the U.S. Commerce Department blocked Huawei from buying U.S. goods last week, throwing future software updates into question.

The United States temporarily eased restrictions on Huawei on Tuesday, granting it a licence to buy U.S. goods until Aug. 19, meaning that updates of Google apps like Gmail and YouTube can continue until then.

George Zhao, president of Huawei’s youth-focused brand Honor, told hundreds of reporters, bloggers and analysts that he was “really happy to see so many friends”.

“We will talk and communicate with the world using our products, technology and innovation,” he added, as he showed off the Honor 20 Pro, which features four rear cameras, including wide-angle and telephoto, and a 48-megapixel main camera.

Francisco Jeronimo, associate VP for devices at IDC, said Honor had been successful for Huawei with an appeal that went way beyond the young customer they were targeting.

The measure targets Huawei, a Chinese telecoms giant in Washington’s sights that is listed by the Commerce Department among firms with which American companies can only engage in trade after obtaining the green light from the authorities.

The ban includes technology sharing.

“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” a Google spokesperson told AFP.

The move could have dramatic implications since Google, like all tech companies, must collaborate with smartphone makers to ensure its systems are compatible with their devices.

Google will have to halt business activities with Huawei that involve transfer of hardware, software and technical services that are not publicly available — meaning Huawei will only be able to use the open source version of Android, a source close to the matter told AFP.

Huawei will no longer have access to Google’s proprietary apps and services, such as the Gmail email service.

Huawei did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Huawei is a rapidly expanding leader in 5G technology but remains dependent on foreign suppliers.

It buys about $67 billion worth of components each year, including about $11 billion from US suppliers, according to The Nikkei business daily.

Huawei is the target of an intense campaign by Washington, which has been trying to persuade allies not to allow China a role in building next-generation 5G mobile networks.

US government agencies are already banned from buying equipment from Huawei.

Huawei founder and CEO Ren Zhengfei said Saturday that “We have not done anything which violates the law,” adding the US measures would have a limited impact.

Kirchner, 66, was widely tipped in polls to win the presidency, but she said in the video that she was asking former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez to run at the top of the ticket as they seek to oust center-right President Mauricio Macri.

Fernandez, who was chief of staff to Kirchner’s husband Nestor from 2003-2007 before holding the same position during her presidency, said he had accepted the offer as soon as he received it, on Wednesday.

He is considered a moderate. Nestor Kirchner died in 2010. Fernandez is also Kirchner’s maiden name.

Primary elections are set for August 11.

“We will work together to clean up an economy that day after day is condemning Argentines to a life of poverty,” the presidential candidate said, referring to the country’s economic crisis.

In her video, Kirchner said Argentines were living through “really dramatic” times, with more people than ever “sleeping on the streets, with problems at work or crying as they face electric or gas bills they cannot pay.”

Macri responded to Kirchner’s move by warning that “returning to the past would be self-destructive. We are on the right path.”

A series of corruption scandals shadowed Kirchner’s 2007-2015 presidency but she has retained a strong base of support, notably among the poorest Argentines.

That had helped make her a favorite in polling ahead of the October 27 presidential election, with some surveys putting her ahead of Macri.

Judge Claudio Bonadio had asked that Kirchner be held in pre-trial detention, but the parliamentary immunity she enjoys as a senator spared her.

It does not protect her from prosecution, however, and on Tuesday she faces a trial on charges of diverting public funds.

Wilder, who won the bronze medal for the US at the 2008 Olympic Games, moved up the all-time heavyweight defence list and joined four iconic champions who also made nine straight defences: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis. The all-time record for any division is 25 by Joe Louis.

FIFA said it had abandoned the expansion plans “following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process” which led to the conclusion that “under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now”.

“(The tournament) will therefore remain as originally planned with 32 teams and no proposal will be submitted at the next FIFA Congress on 5 June,” FIFA said in a statement.

The expansion was a pet project of Infantino, who pushed the idea despite the likely need for Qatar’s neighbours to put aside a two-year blockade and help to host an expanded tournament.

“The involvement of these countries in the organisation of the tournament jointly with Qatar implies the lifting of this blockade, in particular the lifting of restrictions on the movement of people and goods,” said a feasibility study submitted to March’s FIFA Congress in Miami.

The study, seen by AFP, also claimed that a Qatar World Cup with 48 teams would generate “between $300-$400 million (265-354 million euros) of additional income”.

Specifically FIFA was counting on an additional $120 million in TV rights, $150 million in marketing rights and $90 million from ticket sales.

The news comes after Europe’s top football clubs said in March they would boycott an expanded 24-team Club World Cup — also backed by Infantino — which is planned to take place in June and July 2021, replacing the Confederations Cup tournament.

An announcement of the final decision had not been expected until next month’s FIFA Congress to be held in Paris ahead of the women’s World Cup that takes place in France between June 7 and July 7.

Bogapani (Arunachal Pradesh), May 21 : Sitting National People’s Party (NPP) MLA Tirong Aboh along with six other people were killed on Tuesday by suspected NSCN terrorists near Bogapani area of Arunachal’s Tirap district, authorities said.
The information was confirmed by the District Collector today.
Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma also confirmed the death of the MLA and posted on Twitter.
The NPP is extremely shocked and saddened by the news of the death of its MLA Shri Tirong Aboh (Arunachal Pradesh) and his family. We condemn the brutal attack and urge Rajnath Singh and PMO India to take action against those responsible for such attack.”
Further details are awaite

The area where the ambush took place is very remote, making investigation of the attack difficult, the official said.

Attacks on Indian officials by separatist militias have declined in recent years, though dozens of groups still operate in north and eastern areas of the country.

Damascus [Syria], May 18 : Syrian air defence systems on Friday intercepted “luminous objects coming from the (Israeli) occupied territories, shooting down a number of them,” as per Syrian state media.
“Our anti-aircraft systems monitored hostile targets that came from the direction of Quneitra and intercepted them,” the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted a Syrian military official as saying.
Anti-air missiles can be seen intercepting at least one target over Damascus in a video footage shot on a cell phone.
Quoting a political analyst, Sputnik reported that warplanes belonging to Israel allegedly targeted two of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) sites, located south and southwest of Damascus.
Syria had accused Tel Aviv of carrying out an airstrike on military bases in Masayef last month.

Washington D.C. [USA], May 18: The United Nations on Friday confirmed that more than 270,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been registered and provided with identity cards (ID) for the first time in an attempt to safeguard their right to voluntarily return home to Myanmar in the future.
In a statement, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHRC) said that despite living in Myanmar for generations, the refugees were not able to acquire formal citizenship and documentation that comes with this, leaving them stateless and deprived of basic rights.
“Having an identity is a basic human right,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during a recent visit to Cox’s Bazar.
“And remember: many of these people, all their life, did not have proper identification. So, for them, it’s also an incredible step into a more dignified life,” he said.
The exercise also improves the accuracy of data on refugees in Bangladesh, which will help the authorities and humanitarian partners to better understand the needs of the refugee population.
It will allow them to plan and target assistance more effectively, particularly for vulnerable groups such as children, women, and those with disabilities, the agency said.
According to the statement, the Rohingyas have been registered using bio-data and biometric data, including fingerprints and iris scans to provide them with a unique identity.
At the end of the registration process, refugees receive a plastic ID card that includes a photo, and basic information such as date of birth and gender.
Only refugees over the age of 12 receive the card but families also receive an attestation showing the details of all family member.
In addition, all information on the documents is in English and Bengali and indicates Myanmar as the country of origin. The documents were developed in cooperation with the Bangladesh government, and carries both government and UNHCR logos, the statement read.

Chennai , May 18 : Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan on Saturday  stoked a possible controversy by saying that the word “Hindu” is of foreign origin and not native to India.
Taking to Twitter, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Haasan shared a poem on Friday in Telugu saying “the name Hindu was given by foreign rulers”.
Haasan said the term ‘Hindu’ was given by Mughals or by others who came earlier to rule, adding that the British who later ruled the nation seconded the term.
He said that neither the Alwars and Nayanmars, poet-saints in southern India during the first millennium CE, gave the religious note “Hindu”.
Citing a Tamil proverb – “Living in harmony has a million benefits”, the MNM chief opined that shrinking the nation within religion is commercially, politically and spiritually wrong.
“Neither 12 Alwars nor 63 Nayanmars gave the religious note “Hindu”. We were named “Hindu” either by Mughals or those who ruled earlier. British who ruled and returned seconded that adjective. When we have our own identities how ignorant to embrace an outsider given name as our name or religion. Though our identity as “Indian” is recent it would live beyond times. To think of shrinking our wide nation within religion is commercially, politically and spiritually wrong. If we live together we would get crore benefits. How many times this proverb has been told to Tamilians,” he said in his tweet.

But amid fears about unrest and street demonstrations in response to the final count, the final tally was released early with little advance notice.

Widodo and his vice-presidential running mate Ma’ruf Amin won the election by a 55.5 percent to 44.5 percent margin over Subianto and Sandiaga Uno, the elections commission said.

“This ruling was announced on May 21… and will be effectively immediately,” the commission’s chair Arief Budiman said in a live streamed announcement that was broadcast on major media.

Widodo, 57, had been widely predicted to win according to unofficial results.

His challenger Subianto, 67, has vowed to challenge any victory for Widodo, alleging widespread voter fraud, and warned that it could spark street protests across the world’s biggest Muslim majority nation.

Some 32,000 security personnel were being deployed across the capital Jakarta, including in front of the General Elections Commission’s downtown office which has been barricaded with razor wire.

Tensions have also been heightened after police said Friday that they have arrested dozens of Islamic-State linked terror suspects, including some who planned to detonate bombs at political demonstrations when election results were to be announced.

Last month, Indonesia held its biggest-ever election, a massive one day poll featuring more than 190 million registered voters and a record 245,000 candidates vying for the presidency, parliamentary seats and local legislator positions.

This year’s campaign was punctuated by bitter mudslinging and a slew of fake news online — much of it directed at the presidential contenders.

Widodo held off declaring victory after the unofficial results last month as Subianto insisted he was the archipelago’s next leader.

Subianto lost a 2014 presidential bid to Widodo which he unsuccessfully challenged in court.

“Resolve trade disputes through increased international cooperation while fixing the international rules-based system,” said the OECD, a Paris-based forum that advises the world’s advanced economy.

“Invest in infrastructure, digital transformation and skills to meet tomorrow’s challenges. In the euro area, combine structural with fiscal policies to stimulate activity.”

The OECD’s updated forecasts did not take directly into account the latest flare-up in the long-running trade war between Washington and Beijing, “insofar that there is still a great deal of uncertainty about the length of time (tariffs) will remain in place and the future evolution of the trade relationship between the two countries,” an OECD source told AFP.

Nevertheless, the projections did “incorporate” the increased uncertainty generated by the trade tensions, the source said.

As both Washington and Beijing slap trade tariffs on more and more of each other’s goods, President Donald Trump has barred US companies from engaging in telecommunications trade with foreign companies said to threaten American national security.

US internet giant Google, whose Android mobile operating system powers most of the world’s smartphones, then announced that it was beginning to cut ties with China’s Huawei, which Washington considers a national security threat.

OECD secretary general Angel Gurria told a news conference it was imperative that Washington and Beijing bury their differences.

“There is an urgent need that we sit around a multilateral table and that we create the conditions that will allow trade to continue to underpin global growth and global well-being,” he said.

“We have a lot of work to do, but if we do it together we will have a much better chance to succeed.”

The organisation’s chief economist Laurence Boone said the “worst scenario possible” was that trade tensions would continue and snowball.

“A climate of uncertainty (was) detrimental to investment and for confidence” and could erode purchasing power, she argued.

While the OECD pared back its global growth forecast for the current year, it predicted a pick-up in activity to 3.4 percent in 2020.

It notched up its forecast for US growth this year by 0.2 percentage point to 2.8 percent, but predicted a slowdown to 2.3 percent next year.

Chinese growth was projected to slow to 6.2 percent this year and 6.0 percent next year.

The outlook for euro area growth was unchanged at 1.2 percent this year.

Ankara [Turkey], May 19 : Ankara and Moscow would initiate talks on the joint production of S-500 air defence system, said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, adding that the purchase of the S-400 system from Russia was “complete”.
The two countries had signed a loan agreement for the delivery of the S-400 system in December 2017 after engaging in hectic negotiations for a year. The move was highly criticised by the United States and NATO, reported Sputnik.
“The S-400 deal is completed. Under the contract, the deliveries are to begin in July or, maybe, even earlier. Russia has offered us very good conditions. After that, we will talk about the S-500, including joint production [of these systems], as well as S-400,” Erdogan said at a meeting with the youth, as broadcast by the NTV channel.
The development is likely to further strain the already fragile US-Turkey relations.
Pentagon has repeatedly said that it may eliminate Turkey form a programme on creating F-35 multi-role fighters over the latter’s deal to buy Russian S-400 defence system. Ankara, in turn, has said that purchase of these defensive weapons is its sovereign affair, ruling out the possibility of abandoning its plans.
The Turkish President added that the US had already handed over five F-35 fighters to Turkey. He expressed confidence that Washington would fulfil all its obligations to Ankara under the F-35 programme.

New Delhi , May 21 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has given a clean chit to Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
The probe agency gave a clean chit to the SP leaders in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court.
The CBI, in its affidavit, stated that it had closed the investigation on August 7, 2013, in the case and did not find any evidence to register a Regular Case (RC) against the father and son.
The apex court had earlier directed the CBI to file a status report in the case. The matter will now be heard in July when the Supreme Court will open after vacation.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta had in April sought CBI’s response on a petition filed by lawyer Vishwanath Chaturvedi alleging that Yadav amassed wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income.
In a previous hearing on March 25, the top court had issued a notice to the CBI and asked the agency to file its reply within two weeks.
Chaturvedi’s petition stated that the agency has “utterly failed” to intimate either the apex court or report to the jurisdictional magistrate in respect of the probe done and its status.
It was alleged that Mulayam had amassed disproportionate assets amounting to over Rs 100 crore during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh between 1999 and 2005.
The plea filed in February stated that the CBI has taken a long time to complete the preliminary inquiry in the matter which has been probed since 2007.
In 2005, Chaturvedi had filed a petition in the apex court seeking a CBI probe against Mulayam Singh Yadav, his sons Akhilesh and Prateek Yadav and daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly acquiring assets more than their known sources of income.

A jubilant Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday vowed to get straight back to work after a shock general election victory, which delivered the country three more years of conservative government.

The opposition Labor Party, meanwhile, began another bout of post-election soul searching while starting the task of finding a new leader, after Bill Shorten stood down on Saturday night following an emphatic defeat in a poll many saw as unlosable for his party.

The center-left Labor, which has governed Australia for only 38 of its 118 years as a federation, was rated an overwhelming favorite, both in opinion polls and with odds-makers, to topple the Liberal-National coalition government after its six years in power.

Instead, Mr. Morrison who became prime minister only last August when a contentious internal party vote dumped Malcolm Turnbull as its leader swept the coalition to victory with what is likely to be an increased representation.

New Delhi , May 18 : The Supreme Court on Saturday, said it was “not satisfied” with the progress made by the SIT constituted by Chattisgarh government to probe Edesmeta massacre and referred the case to CBI for expeditious investigation.
The bench of Justice L Nageswara Rao and Justice MR Shah directed the CBI to investigate the case and not include the officers in the team who are from the State of Chhattisgarh.
“We are of the opinion that more than five years have passed without any effective investigation or enquiry being done in the matter of the death of tribals in the State of Chhattisgarh. We are convinced that the matter pertaining to the inquiry into the incident should be referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for expeditious investigation.”
“The Director, CBI shall ensure that the investigation is done by an officer/officers who are not from the State of Chhattisgarh,” the Bench said in its order.
Eight members of a tribe belonging to Madia/Koya community were allegedly killed on May 17, 2013, due to the firing by combined forces.
The petition was filed by government teacher, Degree Prasad Chouhan, seeking constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising of officers from outside the state of Chhattisgarh to investigate and prosecute the members of the combined forces for the alleged massacre.
The plea also sought a direction to the government to pay compensation to the victims and their families.
A Special Investigation Team was constituted by the State of Chhattisgarh on May 28, 2013, to inquire into the incident.
The Bench had earlier directed the State of Chhattisgarh to file an affidavit informing the Court about the progress made by the SIT.
Pursuant to the direction, an affidavit was filed by the Additional Superintendent of Police, District, Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, stating that apart from the witnesses who were examined by the investigation officer earlier, “only five witnesses could be examined by the SIT” and efforts were being made to trace the Naxalites.
The top court said it was “not satisfied” with the progress made by the SIT from
2014 till now in conducting an inquiry into the death of eight tribals.
The Bench will hear the case next in July.

“The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch,” police said in a statement.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has characterised the mosque killings a well-planned “terrorist attack” since the day Tarrant, a self-described white supremacist, allegedly carried them out.

But until now the charges against him were less expansive, as New Zealand’s Terrorism Suppression Act was only introduced in 2002 and is untested in the courts.

Police said the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultations with prosecutors and government legal experts.

Tarrant, a 28-year-old Australian, is currently in a high security prison undergoing tests to determine if he is mentally fit to stand trial.

He next court appearance is scheduled for June 14.

Police said they had met survivors and victims’ families Tuesday to explain the additional charges.

“Police are committed to providing all the support necessary for what will be a challenging and emotional court process to come for the victim’s families and survivors of the attack,” they said.

Vienna , May 19 : As a corruption scandal sweeps Austria, the country on Saturday called for early polls in order to “rebuild” people’s trust in the government.
This comes as the Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache from the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) resigned from his post as allegations of corruption surfaced against him.
On Friday, German news magazine Der Spiegel and the Suddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper released a video shot in 2017 which showed Strache allegedly offering government contracts to a woman claiming to be a Russian investor, along with being the niece of an oligarch.
The publications further reported that the “Russian woman” offered to buy a 50 per cent stake in Austria’s Kronen Zeitung newspaper, ensuring to support Strache’s Freedom Party with elections only a few months away, reports CNN.
“These are shameful images. Nobody should have to be ashamed of Austria,” the President said, referring to the video.
“Austrians have the right to have a government they can trust, a government that is esteemed and respected in Europe and the entire world. We need to rebuild this trust, and this rebuilding is only possible with fresh elections,” he stated.
The call for elections indicates the end of the ruling coalition between the conservative People’s Party (SPO) and FPO.
Strache, however, dismissed the corruption allegations against him even as he issued an apology. He labelled the accusations as “a targeted political attack.”
The video was recorded on July 24, 2017, in Spain’s Ibiza.
“It was a typical alcohol-infused macho behaviour…With this I have hurt the most important person in my life, which is my wife,” Strache said while talking about the video during a presser on Saturday morning.
Along with Strache, Freedom Party politician Johann Gudenus, who translated Russian into German in the video for the Austrian leader, also resigned on Saturday.
“With this, I announce that I will retire from my position as managing club chairman and as member of parliament. I will step back from all my positions within the Freedom Party of Austria,” Gudenus said.
“I want to express my deep regret for the things that happened more than two years ago. I deeply regret having disappointed the trust from voters, party members, and co-workers,” he added.