In a first, BRICS Declaration names Pakistan-based LeT, JeM; condemns terrorism

Agencies
September 4, 2017

Xiamen, Sept 4: In a major diplomatic win for India, a joint declaration adopted by the BRICS member states on Monday unanimously condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

''We deplore all terrorist attacks worldwide, including attacks in BRICS countries, and condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations wherever committed and by whomsoever and stress that there can be no justification'', the BRICS Xiamen Declaration said.

''We express concern on the security situation in the region and violence caused by the Taliban, ISIL/DAISH, al Qaeda and its affiliates including the Haqqani network, Lashkar-e-Toiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, TTP and Hizb ut-Tahrir'', the Xiamen Declaration further said.

Shifting focus to North Korea, the BRICS leaders said, ''We strongly deplore the nuclear test conducted by DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea).''

In a bid to tackle terrorism, the BRICS leaders also called on the UN General Assembly to take urgent steps aimed at preventing the financing of various terrorist outfits across the globe.

'We call for expeditious finalization and adoption of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) by UNGA'', the BRICS Declaration added.

The move is significant as it is for the first time that there has been a specific listing of terrorists outfits at the BRICS Summit, according to Preeti Saran, MEA Secretary (East).

Leaders called on states to prevent financing of terrorist networks and stern action against those from their territories, Saran added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier emphasized the need for cooperation among the BRICS member nations for peace and development.

"Cooperation is important for peace and development. A strong BRICS partnership on innovation and digital economy can help spur growth, promote transparency and support the SDGs (sustainable development goals)," Modi said while speaking at the plenary session of the bloc's three-day summit here.

He started his address by thanking Chinese President Xi Jinping for the warm reception and excellent organisation of the 9th edition of the annual summit.

The Prime Minister stressed for accelerating track of cooperation in smart cities, urbanisation and disaster management - continuing dialogue at Goa in India and said that "we are in mission-mode to eradicate poverty, to ensure health, sanitation, skills, food security, gender equality, energy, education".

He said that the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa - can work closely with ISA (International Solar Alliance) to strengthen the solar energy agenda and that affordable, reliable and sustainable access to energy is crucial for development of our nations.

"Renewable energy is particularly important," Modi added.

Appreciating a boost in ''people-to-people exchanges'', Modi stated that such inter-mingling would consolidate their links and deepen their understanding.

He said that BRICS has developed a robust framework for cooperation, contribute stability and growth in a world drifting towards uncertainty.

The Prime Minister welcomed cooperation for capacity building between BRICS and African countries in area of skills, health, infra, manufacturing and connectivity.

He also asked to grab the youths in mainstream in the joint initiatives, scaled up cooperation in skill development and exchange of best practices.

Modi arrived in Xiamen on Sunday for the summit.

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News Network
June 25,2020

Ottawa, Jun 25: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took his son out for ice cream on Wednesday in his first family outing since Canada started easing out of its pandemic lockdown.

It was also Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in Quebec province.

Wearing masks, the Canadian leader and his six-year-old son Hadrien were cheered at Chocolats Favoris in Gatineau, Quebec.

According to a pool report, Trudeau said the shop tapped into a federal emergency wage subsidy and business loan in order to weather the pandemic, and "avoid being frozen out of the frozen treat market."

Hadrien is said to have bounced with excitement, settling on a vanilla cone with a cookie topping while dad bought a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate for himself.

Father and son then headed out to the patio, where they doffed their masks to eat their cones.

Canada's provinces and territories declared states of emergency mid-March, closing schools and non-essential businesses in response to the pandemic.

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Agencies
July 21,2020

Washington, Jul 21: Democrat Joe Biden urged Muslim Americans on Monday to join him in the fight to defeat President Donald Trump as he addressed an online summit hosted by the advocacy organisation Emgage Action to mobilise Muslim voters ahead of the presidential election.

I want to earn your vote not just because he's not worthy of being president, the presumptive presidential nominee told participants.

I want to work in partnership with you, make sure your voices are included in the decision-making process as we work to rebuild our nation.

Biden also reiterated a pledge to overturn a Trump administration ban on travelers from several predominantly Muslim countries, calling it vile.

Wa'el Alzayat, CEO of Emgage Action, said by email that the organisation was seeking to maximise Muslim American turnout in key battleground states.

In Michigan alone one of the states where the organisation has chapters and where Trump won in 2016 by fewer than 11,000 votes he said he believed there are more than 150,000 registered Muslim voters.

Several prominent Muslim American elected officials endorsed Biden for president in a letter organised by Emgage Action ahead of the summit.

Among those who signed the letter are Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Indiana Rep. Andre Carson, all Democrats.

Omar, one of the first Muslim women elected to Congress, served as a high-profile surrogate for Bernie Sanders before he exited the presidential race in April making her support for Biden potentially helpful as the former vice president seeks to mobilise Muslim voters this fall.

Muslim American voices matter to our communities, to our country, Biden said.

But we all know that your voice hasn't always gotten recognised or represented.

Emgage Action has titled the event Million Muslim Votes, underscoring its emphasis on boosting Muslim turnout in November.

Joe Biden's presence serves not only to galvanise Muslim Americans to cast their ballots, but to usher in an era of engaging with Muslim American communities under a Biden administration, Alzayat said by email before the summit.

The pro-Biden letter from Muslim American elected officials decried a number of Trump's domestic and international policies, including his administration's travel ban and his pullout from the Iran nuclear deal.

A Biden administration will move the nation forward on many of the issues we care about, the letter said, citing racial justice, affordable health care, climate change and immigration.

The Muslim American officials also praised Biden's agenda for their communities.

Among other goals, Biden has vowed to rescind the travel ban affecting Muslims on Day One if he's elected.

In his address, he pledged to include Muslim American voices in his administration, if elected, and to speak out against human rights abuses against Muslim minorities around the world.

I'll continue to champion the rights of Palestinians and Israelis to have a state of their own as I have for decades, each of them a state of their own, he said.

Other state- and local-level Muslim American officials signing onto the pro-Biden letter hail from several states, including Michigan.

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News Network
April 11,2020

Apr 11: The number of global coronavirus deaths has increased to 102,753, while the total number of cases worldwide has surpassed 1.6 million, according to the latest update by the Washington-based Johns Hopkins University.

As of Saturday morning, the overall number of infections increased to 1,698,416, while the tally of those who recovered from the deadly disease stood at 376,677, according to the varsity's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE).

In terms of cases, the US had the highest in the world at 501,301, followed by Spain 158,273, Italy 147,577 and France 125,931.

Italy accounted for the highest death toll at 18,849, with the US in the second place with 18,769 fatalities.

Other countries with more than 10,000 deaths include Spain (16,081) and France (13,197).

Although the pandemic originated in China last December, it now only accounts for 3,343 deaths with 83,003 confirmed cases.

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