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US, EU and allies expel 113 Russian diplomats

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US, EU and allies expel 113 Russian diplomats

Use of nerve agent against former spy yet to be confirmed

In an extraordinary coordinated move against Russia for its alleged involvement in using nerve gas against former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter on British soil, US and European Union and allies have announced to eject  113 Russian diplomats from their posts.

US President Donald Trump has ordered the expulsion of 60 Russian diplomats on Monday and ordered the closure of Russian consulate in Seattle in protest to the attempted assassination for former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter. Both are critically ill in a UK hospital in Salisbury.

The White House issued a statement on Monday saying, “The United States takes this action – in conjunction with our NATO allies and partners around the world – in response to Russia’s use of a military-grade chemical weapon on the soil of the United Kingdom, the latest in its ongoing pattern of destabilising activities around the world.”

Read More: UK, US together against Russia on nerve gas attack in London

Sarah Sanders, White House press secretary, said the US and its allies want to send a message to Russia that “actions have consequences”. Washington alleges that many of the Russians expelled were intelligence officials.

In coordination with Washington’s move, 16 European Union member countries, including France, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Sweden, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Finland, Romania, and Croatia have decided to expel 33 Russian diplomats.

Moreover, Norway, Albania, and Ukraine have also announced the expulsion of 16 Russian diplomats.US, EU and allies expel 113 Russian diplomats

On March 4, Skripal and his daughter were found unconscious on a bench near a shopping centre in Salisbury, southwest of London. He is a former Russian military intelligence officer accused of spying for the UK. He was convicted by Russian court and imprisoned in 2006. However Skripal was later exchanged for Russian citizens accused of espionage in the UK.

Britain accuses Russia of using the nerve agent Novichok against the two victims. UK has expelled 23 Russian diplomats and their families.

But Moscow denies its involvement in the alleged nerve agent claims and retaliated by expelling 23 British embassy staff.

Read More: Russia retaliates: expels 23 British diplomats, close British Council

Reacting to Washington’s move Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has said that the US decision was “wrongful”. “What the United States of America do today is they are destroying the little that is left from the Russian-American relations,” he said.

Moreover, Russian embassy in the Washington asked Twitter followers to vote what US consulates they would close in Russia, if they could decide. Besides the embassy in Moscow, the US has three consulates in the country.

Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that Russia will respond in kind if the US expels Russian diplomats. He said Moscow had seen only media reports about possible expulsions and would not react until it received official word from Washington.

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zaharova, told state TV channel Rossia1 that Russia will respond in kind to every country involved in the expulsions. She also accused the US and the UK of setting up the attack against Skripal.

Read More: Putin Expels Over 750 US Diplomats against New Sanctions

Satisfied with the coordinated move from their allies against Russia, Boris Johnson, Britain’s foreign secretary, said the coordinated move was “the largest collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers ever”.

He called the move an “extraordinary international response by our allies” and showed that “Russia cannot break international rules with impunity”.

Earlier on Monday, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania withdrew their ambassadors from Moscow and on Friday, the EU recalled the head of its permanent delegation to Russia, Markus Ederer, for consultations.

On Monday, Canada has also announced the expulsion of four Russian diplomats and denied accreditation for three more in response to a “despicable, heinous and reckless” nerve agent attack.

Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s foreign minister said in a statement, “The four have been identified as intelligence officers or individuals who have used their diplomatic status to undermine Canada’s security or interfere in our democracy.”

The verification of poisoning by nerve agent is yet to be confirmed by Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). They had collected samples on March 19. Russians have lately alleged US and UK for using the nerve agent against the former spy and his daughter.

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World Earth Day 2024: Google Doodle showcases aerial view of planet’s natural beauty

Google celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a special doodle featuring an aerial view of our planet’s biodiversity.

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Google shared a doodle today to celebrate World Earth Day 2024, which showcased aerial photos of the planet’s biodiversity and natural beauty. Google reminded us of the importance of protecting planet earth for future generations with the help of this doodle.

The Google letters depict specific locations across the globe where people, communities, and governments work every day to help protect the planet’s natural beauty, biodiversity, and resources, according to the explanation of the annual Earth Day 2024 doodle on their website.

It said, these examples remind us that there’s much more to do to address the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, but also offer the promise of hope and optimism.

The islands of Turks and Caicos are represented by the letter “G.” The islands’ conservation efforts are concentrated on protecting important regions for biodiversity and addressing persistent environmental problems.

The largest reef in the southern Gulf of Mexico and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, Scorpion Reef National Park, is represented by the letter “O” in the Mexican flag.

The letter “O” features Iceland’s Vatnajokull National Park, which was designated as a national park in 2008 following decades of advocacy. The ecology within and surrounding the biggest glacier in Europe is safeguarded by this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The letter “G” has the Jau National Park in Brazil on it. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the biggest forest reserves in South America.

The Great Green Wall of Nigeria is represented by the letter “L,”  and the Pilbara Islands Nature Reserves of Australia are represented by the letter “E.”

Meanwhile, Earth Day is a worldwide event that promotes protection of the environment every year. April 22 serves as a reminder of the importance of conservation efforts and sustainable practices to guarantee a healthier world and a brighter future.

The occasion inspires people across the world to come together and take action to protect the environment, strengthening our bonds with nature and promoting good change.

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Bigg Boss 14 contestant Rahul Vaidya struggles walking in knee deep water, compares Dubai rains with Mumbai floods

Singer and TV personality Rahul Vaidya was recently stranded in the Dubai rains.

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Rahul Vaidya, who was in Dubai ahead of his show which was scheduled to take place today, left the country due to heavy rains and reached Kolkata. The artist shared on social media his encounters in the UAE city, including challenges like walking through knee-deep water. Rahul provided an update regarding the heavy rainfall in Dubai on his Instagram profile.

The Bigg Boss 14 contestant revealed that he was in Kolkata and prepared to do an evening performance. Recalling the terrifying period he went through, Vaidya said there was a lot of confusion and panic in Dubai. The situation was similar to that when heavy floods hit Mumbai in 2005.

Vaiday also posted seval other images and videos of cars that were underwater and flooded roadways. The Bigg Boss 14 contestant, who shared his ordeal, claimed that even though it had just rained for two hours, the situation was dire.

In one of the video, which went viral he can be seen struggling in walking in knee-deep water. He can be also seen holding his sneakers in one hand and with other hand he was seen managing other things.

This is the result of the two hours of rain that it had, he can be heard saying in the video. Vidya also said he dosen’t believe Dubai is accustomed to a lot of rain. Everything had stopped working, he remarked.

After taking part in the first season of the singing reality show Indian Idol, Rahul Vaidya gained widespread recognition. In addition to Bigg Boss, he took part in Khatron Ke Khiladi 11.

Meanwhile, heavy rains that triggered flooding in the UAE and Bahrain, which left 18 people dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday, have paralyzed the financial hub of the Middle East, Dubai.

A lot of incoming flights were diverted from Dubai’s international airport because of the rain. At 7:26 p.m., the busiest airport in the world for foreign visitors stopped accepting new arrivals; a gradual resumption was announced for more than two hours later.

Images of planes navigating flooded tarmacs are making the rounds on social media.

According to pictures shared on social media, the flagship malls Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates both experienced heavy floods, while at least one Dubai Metro station had water up to the ankles.

There were several road collapses, severe flooding in residential areas, and numerous reports of leaks from windows, doors, and roofs.

Due to the unfavourable weather, schools around the United Arab Emirates were forced to close, and as more storms are predicted, the closures are anticipated to last until Wednesday. The government of Dubai allowed its staff to work remotely till this Wednesday.

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Dubai sky turns green during storm in UAE, video goes viral

The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain.

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1 person was killed in UAE as it witnessed heavy rainfall on Tuesday, stranding commuters, flooding roads, disrupting trains and flights and resulting in water leakage from mall ceilings. The UAE witnessed record-breaking rainfall on Tuesday and the National Centre of Meteorology recorded 254 mm of rainfall in less than 24 hrs in the Khatm Al Shakla area in Al Ain. It is being said that the rainfall was the highest documented since the start of data collection in 1949.

The heavy rainfall in UAE came days after a similar situation in neighbouring Oman, where 13 people were killed in flash floods. Many parts of Oman saw torrential rains, which caused students to be trapped in buses and swept away motorists and trapped people in their homes.

Videos from Dubai circulating on social media showed widespread waterlogging on roads in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other important cities. This left daily commuters in cars and other vehicles struggling to get back home. Dubai metro station too was seen flooded and closed.

One such video circulating on social media shows the aerial view of the city of Dubai from the top of a building. In the video the stormy winds are seen blowing over the city of Dubai. As the storm intensifies the Dubai sky turns green and ultimately gets covered by heavy rainfall. The video has gone viral on social media with more than 1.1 million views.

Another video showed water leakage from the ceilings of shopping malls, flooding the floors and destroying goods. A video which was shot in the famous Mall of the Emirates, showed pieces of ceiling falling as the rainwater gushed inside. Videos from many outlets of the Deira City Centre mall chain showed escalators being rendered unusable. Majid Al Futtaim, the company which owns the Mall of Emirates, said that the shopping complexes have been kept open and the customers are being sent away from the flooded areas. 

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