Committed to support India's fight against black money: Swiss prez

Agencies
September 2, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 2: Switzerland President Doris Leuthard has said the country is committed to supporting India's fight against black money through exchange of related information. She said this last night during a ceremony at the Swiss Embassy here to launch celebrations commemorating the 70th year of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

"India is a good friend. In these seven decades, we have listened to each other, given advice, and learned from each other. This is the foundation on which a relationship stands today," Leuthard said.

"And, Switzerland is committed to supporting India's fight against black money through exchange of related information and this year we await the approval in our Parliament," she said.

The Swiss president during her four-day India visit held bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a wide range of issues, including combating black money and cooperation in several sectors.

The 70th year celebrations will be held till 2018. As part of the inaugural event, Leuthard, on the last leg of her trip, felicitated several "Friendship Ambassador" from both the countries, including noted economist M S Swaminathan, during the function at the Embassy.

She also emphasised on the business ties of the two countries, saying over 250 Swiss companies are operating in India, while 140 Indian firms have presence in Switzerland.

"Our trade volume is growing and various sectors on which we can collaborate more and work together are railways, design, film and tourism," she said.

"I thank you (India) for your friendship," the Swiss president said. Two short films on opportunities in Switzerland and its culture and 70 years of journey of the two nations were also screened on the occasion.

Ambassadors from several countries, representatives from the business, art and other sectors were also among those who attended the event hosted at the sprawling garden of the Embassy.

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News Network
April 17,2020

Washington, Apr 17: The confirmed coronavirus death toll in the United States reached 32,917 on Thursday, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.

The toll as of 8:30 pm (0030 GMT Friday) marked an increase of 4,491 deaths in the past 24 hours, by far the highest daily toll in the pandemic so far.

But the figure likely includes "probable" deaths related to COVID-19, which were not previously included. This week, New York City announced it would add 3,778 "probable" coronavirus deaths to its toll.

As of Thursday night, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded 31,071 coronavirus deaths, including 4,141 "probable" virus deaths.

The US has the highest death toll in the world, followed by Italy with 22,170 dead although its population is just a fifth of that of the US.

Spain has recorded 19,130 deaths, followed by France with 17,920.

More than 667,800 coronavirus cases have been recorded in the United States, which has seen a record number of deaths over the past two days.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump unveiled plans Thursday evening to reopen the US economy, allowing each state's governor "to take a phased deliberate approach to reopening their individual states".

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News Network
June 16,2020

Seoul, Jun 16: North Korea blew up an inter-Korean liaison office on its side of the border on Tuesday, the South's Unification Ministry said, after days of increasingly virulent rhetoric from Pyongyang.

"North Korea blows up Kaesong Liaison Office at 14:49," the ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, said in a one-line alert sent to reporters.

The statement came minutes after an explosion was heard and smoke seen rising from the long-shuttered joint industrial zone in Kaesong where the liaison office was located, Yonhap news agency reported citing unspecified sources.

Its destruction came after Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said at the weekend: "Before long, a tragic scene of the useless north-south joint liaison office completely collapsed would be seen."

Since early June, North Korea has issued a series of vitriolic condemnations of the South over activists sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets over the border -- something defectors do on a regular basis.

Last week it announced it was severing all official communication links with South Korea.

The leaflets -- usually attached to hot air balloons or floated in bottles -- criticise North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for human rights abuses and his nuclear ambitions.

Analysts say Pyongyang may be seeking to manufacture a crisis to increase pressure on Seoul while nuclear negotiations with Washington are at a standstill.

Earlier Tuesday, North Korea's army said it was "fully ready" to take action against the South, included re-entering areas that had been demilitarised under an inter-Korean agreement.

"North Korea is frustrated that the South has failed to offer an alternative plan to revive the US-North talks, let alone create a right atmosphere for the revival," said Cheong Seong-chang, a director of the Sejong Institute's Center for North Korean Studies.

"It has concluded the South has failed as a mediator in the process."

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News Network
May 27,2020

Geneva, May 27: The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide has increased by nearly 100,000 over the past 24 hours to surpass 5.4 million, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

According to the WHO, the global case tally currently stands at 5,404,512 -- a rise by 99,780 over the past day.

The death count worldwide amounts to 343,514 -- an increase by 1,486.

Most cases of infection are recorded in the Americas -- 2,454,452, with 143,739 deaths.

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