Nagaland: Indian soldiers charged over botched raid
Nagaland have charged 30 soldiers over the killing of civilians in a botched military operation last year, BBC reported.
The police said the soldiers resorted to "indiscriminate and disproportionate firing" when they shot at miners, mistaking them for militants.
Six miners were killed in the firing last December near the Myanmar border.
Eight more civilians and an Indian soldier died when angry locals confronted troops.
The shootings in the Mon district was the deadliest spell of violence in years in Nagaland, which has long been roiled by an insurgency led by local militant groups, according to BBC.
The Indian army has since apologised for the killings and ordered its own investigation.
But protesters in the state have been also pressing for the government to repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), a controversial federal law that gives the army sweeping powers, including protection from prosecution for soldiers who mistakenly kill civilians.
Liverpool close to signing Darwin Nunez from Benfica
Liverpool are close to signing Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez from Portuguese club Benfica, BBC reported.
The deal is expected to be worth an initial £64m with about £21m in add-ons.
Nunez, 22, scored 34 times in 41 appearances across all competitions for Benfica last season.
He also scored twice against Liverpool as Benfica were beaten 6-4 across two legs by the Reds in the Champions League quarter-finals.
After their second meeting, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp predicted Nunez had "a big career ahead of him", describing him as "physically strong, quick, [and] calm around his finish".
A medical has yet to take place but it is believed Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward was in Portugal over the weekend to hold talks, according to BBC.
Premier League rivals Manchester United were reportedly also interested in signing Nunez, who cost Benfica 24m euros (£20.5m) when he signed from Spanish side Almeria in 2020.
Liverpool's record transfer is the £75m paid for centre-back Virgil van Dijk following his transfer from Southampton in 2018 - and the deal for Nunez could surpass that depending on the amount of the add-ons.
The forward scored six times in 10 Champions League games for Benfica last term, while he managed 26 goals and four assists in 28 league matches.
Nunez's expected arrival could see him replace Sadio Mane, who is in the final year of his contract with Liverpool and is attracting the interest of Bayern Munich, BBC reported.
The Reds have rejected a deal worth £30m from the German champions for the 30-year-old Senegal forward.
The club's 27-year-old Japan international Takumi Minamino is also attracting the interestof a number of clubs.
Mauricio Pochettino: Paris St-Germain coach to leave after talks with club
Coach Mauricio Pochettino is to leave Paris St-Germain following talks with the club at the end of last week, BBC reported.
PSG are still to make a formal announcement but it is understood the former Tottenham manager, 50, will not serve the final year of his contract.
Zinedine Zidane, Jose Mourinho and Nice coach Christophe Galtier are among those linked with replacing Pochettino.
PSG regained the French title last term but the Argentine failed to lead them beyond the Champions League's last 16.
Although they were beaten by eventual winners Real Madrid, PSG held a 2-0 aggregate advantage with less than half an hour remaining in their second leg, according to BBC.
Pochettino claimed the first trophies of his managerial career with PSG - the 2021 Coupe de France and 2022 Ligue 1 title - but the club's hierarchy felt that was the minimum he should achieve given the squad at his disposal.
The ex-Spurs manager was considered a potential replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United before they appointed interim boss Ralf Rangnick and then Solskjaer's permanent successor Erik ten Hag, BBC reported.
US: Pfizer COVID-19 shot appears effective for kids under 5
Federal health officials said Sunday that kid-sized doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines appear to be safe and effective for kids under 5, a key step toward a long-awaited decision to begin vaccinating the youngest American children, Associated Press.
The Food and Drug Administration posted its analysis of the Pfizer shot ahead of a Wednesday meeting where outside experts will vote on whether the shots are ready for the nation’s 18 million babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Kids under 5 are the only group not yet eligible for COVID-19 vaccination in the US
Late last week the FDA posted a similar analysis of Moderna’s shots for children under 6.
If regulators clear the shots by one or both companies, vaccinations could begin as soon as next week with the drugmakers ready to rapidly ship doses ordered by the government. Parents have been pressing federal officials for months for the opportunity to protect their smallest children as more adults shed masks and abandon other public health precautions.
While only about 3% of U.S. COVID cases are in the age group 6 months to 4 years, hospitalization and death rates in that group are higher than those for older children, according to the FDA’s analysis — one reason experts have said protecting this group is important, according to Associated Press.
The FDA said children who received Pfizer’s shots during testing developed high levels of virus-fighting antibodies expected to protect them against coronavirus. That’s the basic threshold needed to win FDA authorization. But additional testing turned up key differences, with stronger results for Pfizer.
Pfizer’s vaccine, given as a three-shot series, appeared 80% effective in preventing symptomatic COVID-19, although that calculation was based on just 10 cases diagnosed among study participants. The figure could change as Pfizer’s study continues.
Moderna’s two-dose series was only about 40% to 50% effective at preventing milder infections, though the two companies’ shots were tested at different times during the pandemic, when different variants were circulating. Moderna has begun testing a booster for tots.
On Wednesday, the FDA will ask an independent panel of vaccine experts to debate both companies’ data before voting. The FDA is not required to follow the group’s recommendations, but the process is seen as a key step in publicly vetting the shots.
The FDA is expected to make its official decision shortly after Wednesday’s all-day meeting. The next step: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends how to use vaccines, will convene its own expert panel to debate which tots need vaccinations.
It’s not clear how much demand there will initially be for the shots. A recent survey suggests only 1 in 5 parents of young children would get their kids vaccinated right away. Vaccines have been available since November for older US schoolchildren, yet less than a third of those ages 5 to 11 have gotten the two recommended doses, according to government figures, Associated Press reported.
For the youngest children, each company is offering different dose sizes and number of shots, beginning at 6 months through 4 years for Pfizer and through 5 years for Moderna.
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech plan to offer two shots three weeks apart followed by a third at least two months later — each one-tenth the dose given to adults. Pfizer is currently the only company with a COVID-19 vaccine for older US children.
Moderna is seeking FDA clearance for two shots, each a quarter of its adult dose, given about four weeks apart.
The FDA currently allows Moderna’s vaccine to be used only in adults. But some countries allow full-size doses for teens and half-size shots for kids ages 6 to 11 — a step the FDA also is considering.
More than 30,000 US children younger than 5 have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and nearly 500 coronavirus deaths have been reported in that age group, according to US health officials, Associated Press reported.
The government allowed pharmacies and states to start placing orders for tot-sized doses last week, with 5 million initially available — half made by Pfizer and half by Moderna.
Nepal records 19 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday
Nepal reported 19 new Covid-19 cases on Sunday.
According to the Ministry of Health and Population, 2, 162 swab samples were tested in the RT-PCR method, of which 11 returned positive. Likewise, 1, 291 people underwent antigen tests, of which eight were tested positive.
The Ministry said that no one died of virus in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that 12 infected people recovered from the disease.
As of today, there are 106 active cases in the country.
Man found dead in Bhaktapur
A man was found dead at Bode in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-8, Bhaktapur.
According to the District Police Office, Bhaktapur, Kalyan Sahu (51) was found dead at the under construction house near Lord Buddha School in Bode.
Police said that the body has been kept at the KMC Hospital in Duwakot for postmortem.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.
NSU, part-time professors open padlock of TU Vice Chancellor’s office after 5 months
Nepal Student Union, the student wing of ruling Nepali Congress, and part-time professors opened the padlocks of the Tribhuvan University Vice Chancellor's office.
Nepal Student Union opened the padlock on Friday while the part-time professors on Sunday, ANNFSU Tribhuvan University In-Charge Madan Bista said.
The TU's talks team and part-time professors struggle committee signed a six-point agreement to open the padlock today.
The administrative and policy works had been affected due to the padlock for a long time.
Indian police step up arrests to stop religious unrest over anti-Islam remarks
Police in India's Kashmir arrested a youth for posting a video threatening to behead a former spokesperson of India's ruling party who had made derogatory remarks about Islam's religious leader Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Sunday, Reuters reported.
The video, circulated on YouTube, has been withdrawn by authorities as part of a wider attempt to curb religious unrest that has spread across the country.
Muslims have taken to the streets to protest against anti-Islamic comments made by two members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recent week. Read full story
Earlier this month, the BJP suspended its spokeswoman Nupur Sharma and expelled another leader, Naveen Kumar Jindal, for their controversial comments about the Prophet's private life that also angered several Muslim countries, causing a massive diplomatic challenge for the Modi government.
Police cases have been filed against the two former BJP officials.
Countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Iran which are key trade partners for India, lodged protests through diplomatic channels and used social media to demand an apology from the government.
India's foreign ministry said last week the tweets and comments do not reflect the views of the government.
Clashes over the remarks simmered across the country, as some in the minority Muslim community see them as the latest instance of pressure and humiliation under BJP rule on issues ranging from freedom of worship to the wearing of hijab head scarves.
Two teenagers were killed when protestors clashed with police in the eastern city of Ranchi last week.
Sporadic riots in northern Uttar Pradesh state forced police to arrest over 300 people. Read full story
In the eastern state of West Bengal, authorities enforced an emergency law prohibiting public gatherings in the industrial district of Howrah until June 16. At least 70 people were arrested on charges of rioting and disturbing public order, with Internet services suspended for over 48 hours after the latest communal violence.
BJP leaders have issued instructions to several senior members to be "extremely cautious" when talking about religion on public platforms and the government continues to tighten public security.