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Digest For International Stories For Week Sept 12 – Sept 18, 2020

Saturday Dubai: Afghanistan’s warring sides started negotiations for the first time, bringing together the Taliban and delegates appointed by the Afghan government Saturday for historic meetings aimed at ending decades of war. London: Biopharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford on Saturday said that clinical trials for their coronavirus vaccine have resumed in the UK after the Medicines Health Regulatory Authority’s (MHRA) confirmed that the trials were safe.

United Nations: India, along with 168 nations, voted in favour of a COVID-19 resolution in the UN General Assembly that reaffirms international cooperation to respond to one of the greatest global challenges and acknowledges the World Health Organisation’s key leadership role in responding to the outbreak, a reference the US objected to as it opposed the resolution. Sunday Washington: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is committing at least USD 100 million to help Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in the crucial battleground state of Florida. London: Scientific experts have warned of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and another complete nation-wide lockdown in the UK unless stricter measures are adhered to amid a rising number of infections in the country over the past week. Colombo: The Sri Lankan government’s proposed 20th Constitution Amendment has faced internal resistance from within a faction of the ruling SLPP parliamentary group itself, ahead of its inclusion in Parliament’s order paper, the party members said on Sunday.

Monday London: Scientists on Monday announced the discovery of a rare molecule — phosphine — in the clouds of Venus, a possible hint of microbial life in the atmosphere of our neighbouring planet. Brussels: German Chancellor Angela Merkel, top European Union officials and Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks Monday focused on trade, trying to reinvigorate slow-moving discussions on an investment agreement and building trust to tackle the thorny political issues harming their ties.

New York: Amazon will hire another 100,000 people to keep up with a surge of online orders. Tuesday London: Dubai-based Indian-origin author Avni Doshi is among the six authors shortlisted for the 2020 Booker Prize for her debut novel Burnt Sugar’.

United Nations: In a significant victory, India got elected as Member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global body focussed on gender equality and women empowerment, beating China in a hotly-contested election. Islamabad: A court in Pakistan on Tuesday issued non-bailable arrest warrant against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for failing to appear during hearing of his appeal against conviction in a corruption case. Wednesday Beijing: China’s ByteDance has decided to place the headquarters of its popular video platform app TikTok in the US in order to escape President Donald Trump’s ban, official media here reported on Wednesday. United Nations: The landmark 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly has commenced amidst the devastating coronavirus pandemic, with the world leaders set to meet virtually for the first time in the UN’s 75-year history for the annual high-level session as they confront some of the most serious threats facing humanity. Cape Town: About 12 million people in South Africa have probably been infected with the coronavirus, but that startlingly high number has not caused a similarly high death rate and might indicate a widespread level of immunity, the country’s health minister says.

Thursday Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan’s status to that of a full-fledged province, a Pakistani media report on Thursday quoted a senior minister as saying. United Nations: An additional 150 million children globally have been plunged into poverty since the COVID-19 pandemic hit earlier this year, taking the number of children living in multi-dimensional poverty across the world to approximately 1.2 billion, according to a new UNICEF analysis. Islamabad: A Pakistani high court official on Thursday asked the foreign secretary to produce deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif before the court on September 22. Friday Washington: The US on Friday issued orders to ban popular Chinese social media apps TikTok and WeChat from Sunday to safeguard national security, weeks after India banned them, saying they were prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and security of the country.

Kathmandu: Nepal has introduced new text books in the school curriculum that include the country’s revised political map showing three strategically-important Indian areas as part of its territory, amidst a border dispute with New Delhi. Melbourne: The Australian government on Friday announced a grant of 5 million Australian dollars (USD 3.7 million) to its ailing national news agency to sustain through the COVID-19 pandemic, acknowledging that its existence was vital for regional journalism and media diversity.

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Source: News18