Over 120 mn Americans across dozen states under air quality alerts due to Canadian wildfire smoke
Canada is seeing its worst fire season on record as hundreds of blazes rage across the country, with more than 250 burning "out of control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre on Thursday.
As massive clouds of smoke drift into the US, air quality alerts have been issued for more than a dozen US states including New York, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware and Maryland, according to the US National Weather Service (NWS).
As of Thursday morning, Washington D.C., Chicago and Detroit were among the cities with the worst air quality in the world, according to IQ Air's Air Quality Index.
More than a third of the US population is under air quality alerts, prompting officials to call on the public to take safety precautions just weeks after similar wildfire smoke blanketed the Northeast, said a report of CNN.
The NWS has warned that, with no end in sight to the Canadian wildfires, poor air quality is likely to continue.
Officials are concerned that the smoke could hinder travels and lead to flight delays and cancellations for Americans during the July 4 holiday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Canadian wildfire smoke is causing hazy sky as far away as Europe.
Health officials are urging those in the unhealthy or worse air quality categories to refrain from prolonged or heavy exertion.
Wildfire smoke and ash can irritate eyes, nose, throat and lungs, making people cough or wheeze and can make it hard to breathe, according to the US CDC.
The most effective way to protect from wildfire smoke is to stay indoors or limit time outdoors. This is especially important for those with heart or lung conditions who are at higher risk for adverse health effects, according to the CDC.
--IANS
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In 2.5 months, more than 2.6 million people flee homes in Sudan
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday, more than 2.1 million people were internally displaced since April 15, including 1.4 million people who fled the capital Khartoum.
More than 5,60,000 people fled across the border into neighbouring countries, mainly to Egypt, Chad and South Sudan, Xinhua news agency reported.
OCHA said humanitarian organisations reached more than 2.8 million people nationwide with food, nutrition, health, water and protection services.
However, humanitarian partners say they are impeded in their work by insecurity and limiting bureaucratic access, including the lack of visas for international non-governmental organisation personnel.
"Attacks against humanitarian premises and warehouses, continue to hamper our ability to safely deliver aid," OCHA added.
"We face tremendous difficulties in reaching people in conflict-affected areas in Khartoum, Darfur and Kordofan."
The office said that since the start of the crisis, 13 humanitarian workers have been killed and many more injured. Some humanitarian personnel are missing.
Partners of the UN reported that the looting of 43 humanitarian warehouses has made it challenging to resume and scale-up aid operations.
The office added that it continues to facilitate the movement of relief supplies from Port Sudan and across conflict lines. Between the end of May and the end of June, 480 trucks carrying about 19,700 metric ton of aid were delivered to Al-Jazirah, Khartoum, Gedaref, Kassala, Sennar, Northern State, River Nile and Blue Nile states.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said it delivered emergency food and nutrition assistance to more than 1.2 million people in 14 of Sudan's 18 states, including some hard-to-reach areas in Darfur.
Despite access challenges, the WFP added it has supported more than 4,20,000 people in the Darfur region with emergency food assistance and nutrition support. West Darfur remains largely inaccessible, and the WFP hubs and stores have been largely looted and destroyed.
The UN agency said it delivered food assistance to around 50,000 people trapped in the Khartoum metropolitan area, with plans to support 5,00,000 as the security situation allows.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that more than 2,00,000 people have fled into neighbouring Chad, including both Sudanese and Chadians who previously fled into Sudan from their country. Before the fighting in Sudan, Chad hosted nearly 6,00,000 refugees, including 4,00,000 from Sudan.
The refugee agency and the Chadian government relocated people from the border area exposed to flooding and security risks, UNHCR said.
The UN relief chief, Martin Griffiths, allocated $6 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund for Chad, to support host communities in eastern Chad in their lean season in need of food and livelihood support following floods and the impact of the Sudan crisis.
--IANS
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India, Philippines co-chair joint commission on bilateral cooperation
During the meeting, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations including political, defence, security, maritime cooperation, trade & investment, health, tourism, agriculture, financial technology, and also discussed regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.
The Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, while the Philippines was represented by Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo.
Manalo is visiting the at the invitation of Jaishankar to co-chair 5th India-Philippines JCBC.
"I really look forward to sitting down with you today and discussing how to take our cooperation forward. I would also like to express my appreciation for your participation in the Global South Summit," Jaishankar told the Philippines delegation prior to the meeting.
"And I truly believe today that we are two countries who share so much, who look at global developments and continental developments with so much convergence and who have so many economic complementarities."
On his part, Manalo expressed appreciation for the invitation to discuss the JCBC.
"India is a priority partner of the Philippines in science and technology, space cooperation. We have large diasporas in our respective countries. Especially in the last five years, more and more of your countrymen have been coming to the Philippines to visit and study and to further facilitate the flow of people through increased commercial flights.
"I am very pleased to announce that the Philippines has ratified the updated Air Services Agreement with India," he added.
According to a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, Manalo's visit will provide an opportunity to comprehensively review bilateral relations between India and Philippines and to explore ways to further deepen and strengthen them.
--IANS
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Cradle facility for unwanted infants in Lucknow
The cradle has been installed near the main gate of the hospital.
Parents can leave their child in the cradle without revealing their identity.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said that a sensor system has also been put up which will alert the staff within two minutes about the baby.
The infant will then be adopted by the state.
The staff will run medical tests to check the overall well-being of the child and then send the child to the Childline for completion of adoption formalities and allotment of a shelter home.
The move is designed to deter people from abandoning unwanted infants in the open, which endangers their lives.
Pathak has appealed to parents to leave babies in the cradle so that they can be sent for foster care rather than abandoning them if they fail to take care of them for any reason.
He also said that no obstruction will be allowed in the operation of the shelter and the state government will provide everything possible.
--IANS
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Canada rejects 595 Indian study permit applications this year till May: Data
Beginning this year, a total of 595 of these applications by Indian students, which also included extensions, were refused till May 31, with 195 cases of misrepresentation detected in a single month, the data shared with IANS said.
Misrepresentation involves giving information that is untrue, misleading, or incomplete, which can make an applicant inadmissible to the country for five years, or permanent removal from the country.
Consequently, the applicant is ineligible for permanent residency and has a permanent record noting fraud in their immigration file.
"The Government of Canada takes any kind of citizenship or immigration fraud seriously... We are committed to upholding the integrity of our immigration programmes and protecting our systems against fraud and misrepresentation," a spokesperson from the High Commission of Canada in New Delhi told IANS.
"IRCC employees receive training on how to detect and combat fraud, and they work hard to protect the integrity of Canada’s citizenship and immigration system," the spokesperson added.
Most applications were refused under A40(1)(a), according to the data. In Canadian Immigration law, misrepresentation is defined in section 40(1)(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Examples of misrepresentation include not mentioning a family member; not mentioning a change in family status; or providing a false document declaring employment experience, among others.
Recently, hundreds of Indian students faced removal from Canada after letters of acceptance submitted as part of their study permit application were determined to be fraudulent.
Acknowledging the contribution of international students, Canada's Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced that the genuine students would be issued a Temporary Resident Permit.
The minister stressed that the focus is on identifying those who are responsible for the fraudulent activity and not on penalising those who may have been affected by fraud.
The Canadian High Commission also told IANS that the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Citizenship Act require that people who provide paid immigration or citizenship advice or representation be "authorised".
"It is an offence for anyone other than: a member in good standing (lawyer or paralegal) of a Canadian law society; the Chambre des notaires du Québec; or the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants to represent or advise for a fee at any stage of an application or proceeding," the spokesperson from the High Commission said.
With 226,450 students, India became the top source of new international students entering the North American nation in 2022, according to an IRCC data released this year.
The country’s primary department for immigration-related matters also announced last year that Indian citizens make up 35 per cent of study permit holders in Canada.
Home to the largest Punjabi diaspora in the world, Canada is the most preferred destination for students in Punjab, who roughly make up about 70 per cent of the Indian cohort in Canada.
A Canadian study visa offers these students easy passage to permanent residence within five to six years.
(Meenakshi Iyer can be reached atmeenakshi.i@ians.in)
--IANS
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UN chief calls for equal land rights for women
United Nations, June 17 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for equal land rights for women on the occasion of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought."I urge all governments to eliminate legal barriers to women owning land and to involve them in policymaking, support women and girls to play their part in protecting our most precious resource," he said on Friday in a pre-recorded message for a high-level event in observance of the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, which falls on June 17.
"We depend on land for our survival. Yet, we treat it like dirt," Guterres was quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying.
"Unsustainable farming is eroding soil 100 times faster than natural process can restore them. And up to 40 percent of our planet's land is now degraded, imperiling food production, threatening biodiversity and compounding the climate crisis."
This hits women and girls the hardest, he noted.
Women and girls suffer disproportionately from the lack of food, water scarcity, and forced migration that results from mistreatment of land. Yet they have the least control. In many countries, laws and practices block women and girls from owning land. But where they do, they restore and protect it by increasing productivity, building resilience to drought, and investing in health, education and nutrition, said the UN chief.
Equal land rights both protect land and advance gender equality. That is why this year's World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought puts the focus on "Her Land, Her Rights," he said. "And together, let's stop land degradation by 2030."
--IANS
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First batch of tactical nuclear weapons moved to Belarus: Putin
Moscow, June 17 (IANS) Russia has already stationed a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by a media outlet as saying.Putin made the remarks during his speech at St Petersburg International Economic Forum. He told the forum that they (tactical nuclear weapons) would only be used if Russian territory or state was threatened, the BBC reported.
The US government says there is no indication that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine.
"We don't see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after Putin's comments.
Putin said that transferring the tactical nuclear warheads would be completed by the end of the summer, the British news broadcaster reported.
The Russian President said that the move was about "containment" and to remind anyone "thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on us".
When asked by the forum's moderator about the possibility of using those weapons, he replied: "Why should we threaten the whole world? I have already said that the use of extreme measures is possible in case there is a danger to Russian statehood."
Tactical nuclear weapons are small nuclear warheads and delivery systems intended for use on the battlefield, or for a limited strike. They are designed to destroy enemy targets in a specific area without causing widespread radioactive fallout.
The smallest tactical nuclear weapons can be one kiloton or less (producing the equivalent to a thousand tonnes of the explosive TNT). The largest ones can be as big as 100 kilotons. By comparison, the atomic bomb the US dropped on Hiroshima in 1945 was 15 kilotons.
--IANS
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Rice war intensifies in K’taka: Cong posts letter of commitment by FCI
Bengaluru, June 16 (IANS) War over supply of rice in Karnataka escalated on Friday with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah posting the commitment letter in the public domain as challenged by BJP National General Secretary C.T. Ravi.The development is being seen as a setback to BJP, which had decided to take up protest from July 1 regarding the matter.
"C.T. Ravi had challenged us to show the commitment letter by the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Here it comes. The intelligent voters have defeated the BJP in the elections for their irresponsible statements, lies and false propaganda," Siddaramaiah slammed.
BJP leaders, including Ravi, should not support the central government's anti-people's stand which aims at snatching the food of the poor. They should pressure the central government to provide rice for the Anna Bhagya scheme. The scheme intends to provide 10 kilograms of free rice to all members of BPL card holders, he said.
Notably, Ravi had slammed the Congress government for accusing the Centre of not providing rice to the state despite having sufficient stocks. He had asked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to produce the commitment letter in this regard by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
Speaking to reporters, the BJP reporters had stated if he is not "lying", then he should show the letter by FCI promising rice to Karnataka state. Let them stop making false allegations and provide money to people to buy the rice. The Centre has not sent a letter that they will send the rice so that the Congress government projects it as its scheme and then distributes it to the people.
"You point fingers at the Centre for the task which you are unable to do. I expected Siddaramaiah to start making allegations after four or five months. But, he has begun already. You declared that the free rice scheme would be implemented from July 1 and now you blame the central government. You debit money into the accounts of BPL holders, they will buy the rice," he had reiterated.
Congress has given a call for a state-wide protest against the Centre' move of refusing rice to the state.
--IANS
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‘Battling Biparjoy’: 709 pregnant women in Guj defy odds to deliver babies
Gandhinagar, June 16 (IANS) In the wake of the devastating cyclone 'Biparjoy,' Gujarat witnessed a remarkable display of resilience as 709 pregnant women defied the odds and gave birth amid the chaos caused by the cyclone in the affected districts.The state government's 'Zero Casualty' objective played a pivotal role in safeguarding pregnant women as not a single pregnant woman was adversely affected by the cyclone.
An official said "these brave mothers faced the dual challenges of fear and childbirth, bringing joy to their families in the midst of the cyclone's turmoil".
To protect citizens from the impending cyclone, the government swiftly initiated the transfer of pregnant women to secure locations.
A total of 1,152 pregnant women from the affected districts were safely relocated, providing not only their own safety but also ensuring a chance at life for their unborn children.
Multiple '108' ambulances were deployed to the coastal areas, where the cyclone's impact was anticipated.
These efforts resulted in the successful delivery of two babies in '108' ambulances stationed in the Amreli district.
--IANS
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India, China bought 80% of Russian crude in May: IEA
New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Friday that India and China, which are the two major consumers of discounted Russian crude, have bought 80 per cent of oil exported by Russia in May."India has increased purchases from almost nothing to close to 2 million barrels per day, while China has raised liftings by 500,000 barrels per day to 2.2 million barrels per day," the IEA said in its oil market report.
Russia-origin seaborne crude exports averaged 3.87 million barrels per day in May, the highest since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"In May 2023, India and China accounted for almost 80 per cent of Russian crude oil exports," IEA said, adding that in turn, Russia made up 45 per cent and 20 per cent of crude imports in India and China, respectively.
The report said that India's imports of Russian oil were 14 per cent higher than in April and a fresh record high for Russian crude flows into the country.
With Russia's formerly main crude export markets in Europe banning import and G7 imposing shipping restrictions, more than 90 per cent of Russian seaborne crude is now headed to Asia, up from pre-war levels of 34 per cent.
--IANS
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