Beijing, Jun 15: China is locking now ten more neighbourhoods in Beijing to try and contain the spread of a new coronavirus outbreak linked to a food market, authorities announced Monday.
City official Li Junjie said at a press conference that fresh cases had been found in a second wholesale market in northwestern Haidian district, and as a result, the market and nearby schools would be closed, and people living in ten communities around it placed under lockdown.
Jun 10: Indian-origin California Senator Kamala Harris has joined former vice president and 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to raise USD 3.5 million for the upcoming November elections.
Tuesday's fundraiser is the second-largest single event haul so far for the Biden campaign, which raised USD 4 million at one event earlier this month.
Harris' presence during the virtual mega fund raiser assumes significance as the Democratic Party leaders consider her to be one of the front-runners to be the nominee for vice president. The 55-year-old lawyer-politician was once considered to be a strong opponent of Biden in the 2020 Democratic primaries.
Introducing Harris to the 1,400 supporters present at the event, Biden underlined the history-breaking nature of her past electoral wins.
"For much of her career, she was the only person in the room who looked like she did," he said.
At the start of the campaign last year, Harris was very critical of Biden. She later endorsed him, months after she decided to withdraw herself from the race to the White House.
During the fundraiser, Harris was effusive in her praise for Biden.
Referring to Biden's meeting with George Floyd's family, she said, "He (Biden)is someone who whether one on one or speaking to the nation always has a sense of how people are experiencing this world, and what their needs are...This moment in the history of our country really represents an extraordinary exercise in contrast."
"On the other hand, we have a Donald Trump who had the gall to dispatch the US military to clear the streets so that he could prance down and then, like a prop, hold up the bible for a photo op," Harris said.
The death of African-American Floyd during police confinement in Minneapolis on May 25 has resulted in widespread protests not only in the US but across the world.
"There are so many contrasts between Joe Biden and Donald Trump that really point to the choice that we as Americans have today," Harris said.
California Lt Governor Eleni Kounalakis also joined the fund raiser.
In his remarks, Biden, 77, said the US is reeling in anguish and anger over the brutal killing of Floyd or the systemic racism that still infects every part of the society. "Harris knows better than anybody," he said.
"At the same time, we're facing the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. American history is not a fairy tale with a guaranteed ending, a happy ending. This is a battle for the soul of the country.
"It's been a constant tug of war between the American ideal that we all are created equal -- and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart...I'm going to ask every American to look where we are now and to think, is this who we are? Is this who we want to be?" Biden asked.
Participating in the questions and answers session, Harris said America has still not fully embraced, acknowledged or addressed its history of racism and its current history of racism.
"One can think of this moment as an inflection moment, and it will require bold action and it will require immediate action...This stresses the importance and the immediacy and the urgency of electing Joe Biden," she said.
Replying to a question, Biden said, "Did you see today where the President of the United States while George Floyd was being buried, was condemning the older man who was knocked down with his head bleeding and everyone walking by. Did you see that? I mean, my lord. What have we become if we abide by this? So much we can do and must do."
Harris said the election is going to be rough and tumble.
"There are very powerful forces that thrive off of the hate and division that Donald Trump has been sowing. This is not going to be easy. And we have about just a few months to get this thing done," she said.
Karachi, May 25: The pilot of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA)'s crashed plane ignored three warnings from the air traffic controllers about the aircraft's altitude and speed before the landing, saying he was satisfied and would handle the situation, according to a report on Monday.
The national flag carrier's PK-8303 tragedy on Friday, in which 97 people were killed and two miraculously survived, is one of the most catastrophic aviation disasters in the country's history.
The Airbus A-320 from Lahore to Karachi was 15 nautical miles from the Jinnah International Airport, flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet above the ground instead of 7,000 when the Air Traffic Control (ATC) issued its first warning to lower the plane's altitude, Geo News quoted an ATC report as saying.
Instead of lowering the altitude, the pilot responded by saying that he was satisfied. When only 10 nautical miles were left till the airport, the plane was at an altitude of 7,000 feet instead of 3,000 feet, it said.
The ATC issued a second warning to the pilot to lower the plane's altitude. However, the pilot responded again by stating that he was satisfied and would handle the situation, saying he was ready for landing, the report said.
The report said that the plane had enough fuel to fly for two hours and 34 minutes, while its total flying time was recorded at one hour and 33 minutes.
Pakistani investigators are trying to find out if the crash is attributable to a pilot error or a technical glitch.
According to a report prepared by the country's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the plane's engines had scraped the runway thrice on the pilot's first attempt to land, causing friction and sparks recorded by the experts.
When the aircraft scraped the ground on the first failed attempt at landing, the engine's oil tank and fuel pump may have been damaged and started to leak, preventing the pilot from achieving the required thrust and speed to raise the aircraft to safety, the report said.
The pilot made a decision "on his own" to undertake a "go-around" after he failed to land the first time. It was only during the go-around that the ATC was informed that landing gear was not deploying, it said.
"The pilot was directed by the air traffic controller to take the aircraft to 3,000 feet, but he managed only 1,800. When the cockpit was reminded to go for the 3,000 feet level, the first officer said 'we are trying'," the report said.
Experts said that the failure to achieve the directed height indicates that the engines were not responding. The aircraft, thereafter, tilted and crashed suddenly.
The flight crashed at the Jinnah Garden area near Model Colony in Malir on Friday afternoon, minutes before its landing in Karachi's Jinnah International Airport. Eleven people on the ground were injured.
The probe team, headed by Air Commodore Muhammad Usman Ghani, President of the Aircraft Accident and Investigation Board, is expected to submit a full report in about three months.
According to the PIA's engineering and maintenance department, the last check of the plane was done on March 21 this year and it had flown from Muscat to Lahore a day before the crash.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pakistan government had allowed the limited domestic flight operations from five major airports - Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta - from May 16.
After the plane tragedy, the PIA has called off its domestic operation.
Jul 11: UK’s Prince Charles, at the ongoing India Global week 2020, has praised India’s sustainable way of life, as he emphasised on sustainable development amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Addressing the summit through a video link from London, Prince Charles said, “The country’s (India’s) diversity and resilience is a personal inspiration for him and much to teach all,” reported the All India Radio.
The three-day summit is getting held on a virtual platform from July 9 to July 11 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Around 75 sessions on subjects such as geopolitics, business, emerging technologies, banking, finance, pharmaceuticals, defence and security, and arts and culture are getting held. The summit is expected to bring together over 250 speakers and more than 5,000 participants for incisive discussion and lively debate over the three days.
During his address, Prince Charles said India’s philosophies and values have emphasised a sustainable way of life and a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, the AIR report said.
He also informed that he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the importance of sustainable living.
In his address, he also spoke about the ancient yogic concept of ‘Aparigraha’. “It’s the time when the world learnt this ancient wisdom from India as it seeks revival amid the pandemic, he said as reported by the AIR news.
As the countries across the globe are reeling under the corornavirus pandemic, he emphasised on sustainable development to overcome the crisis. He said, “We have an unparalleled opportunity to put people and planet at the heart of global value creation and move to sustainable markets for long-term value, balancing natural, social, and physical capital.”
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