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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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Lake Ontario name to stay, Mark Carney rejects Trump’s Lake America move

Canadian PM Mark Carney has rejected Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America, saying Canadians will continue using its historic name.

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Donald Trump

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America”, saying Canadians will continue to use the lake’s historic name.

Trump signed an executive order on Thursday changing the name for US federal usage. However, the order does not determine what Canada, international organisations or other authorities call the lake.

Carney said the name Lake Ontario predates both Canada and the United States as modern nations. He stressed that Canadians would continue to recognise the lake by its existing name.

“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always,” Carney said in a social media post.

Why Trump renamed Lake Ontario

Trump announced that the lake would be renamed “Lake America” during remarks at the White House. The US president said the change would take effect immediately.

The move comes amid strained relations between Washington and Ottawa, including an ongoing dispute over trade and tariffs.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and is shared by Canada and the United States. About 52 per cent of its surface area lies in Canada, while the remainder is in New York state.

Carney highlights Lake Ontario’s history

Carney also pointed to the Indigenous origins of the name Lake Ontario. The name is derived from the Wendat language and has been used for more than 400 years, predating the establishment of both countries in their present forms.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also indicated that the state would continue referring to the body of water as Lake Ontario, highlighting that Trump’s order is limited to US federal usage.

The dispute over the name adds another symbolic point of friction to already tense US-Canada relations.

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105 Indians among 400 travellers missing in Nepal flash floods, 46 dead

At least 46 people have died and 384 travellers, including 105 Indians, are missing after flash floods hit northern Nepal.

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At least 46 people have died after a massive flash flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi River swept through parts of the country’s northern districts.

The flooding affected Nuwakot and Dhading districts, with floodwaters coming from the Tibetan side of the border. Several villages were reportedly washed away, while roads and other infrastructure suffered extensive damage.

At least 105 Indians are among 384 travellers reported missing from the affected area. The missing travellers include people who were travelling towards Kailash Mansarovar in Tibet with different travel agencies.

384 travellers reported missing

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, 384 travellers are missing, including 291 foreigners and 93 Nepali nationals.

Of the foreign nationals reported missing, 105 are Indians. The travellers were on their way to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra when the flash flood struck.

The disaster has also affected security personnel. At least 26 Nepal Police personnel remain missing in Rasuwa district, while the Armed Police Force has reported seven missing personnel.

The Nepal Army has deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected areas. Authorities are also collecting information about the damage caused by the floods.

Six hydropower facilities damaged

The floods have also damaged major power infrastructure in Nepal.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said six of its major hydropower and transmission facilities were damaged. These include Rasuwagadhi, Chilime, Trishuli 3A, Trishuli 3B Hub 220 kV Substation, Trishuli Hydropower Station and Devighat Hydropower Station.

The authority said the damage to production, transmission and distribution facilities has disrupted electricity supplies.

Several highways in Nepal have also been closed following the flooding.

Nepal PM convenes emergency meeting

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to review the situation.

Mr Shah said work had begun to take necessary measures in coordination with medical teams, scouts and the Red Cross.

Videos shared by Nepal Police and others showed torrents of muddy water moving through mountain valleys in areas bordering Tibet.

Authorities have warned people living close to rivers to move to safer locations as rescue and assessment operations continue.

Monsoon rains between June and September regularly cause floods and landslides across South Asia. Scientists have also linked climate change to an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events in the region.

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US pauses visa interviews worldwide amid new screening training

The US has paused or rescheduled visa appointments worldwide as consular officers undergo training focused on comprehensive immigration screening.

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The Trump administration has paused or rescheduled visa appointments at US embassies and consulates worldwide as the State Department conducts a global training initiative for consular officers.

The State Department said visa service appointments are being adjusted to accommodate the training across its overseas diplomatic posts. The initiative is aimed at helping officers screen applicants who may be considered likely to become dependent on US public benefits and at ensuring visa applications are evaluated comprehensively and consistently.

There is currently no specific timeline for how long the changes to visa appointments will continue.

Visa applicants receive rescheduling notices

Some immigrant visa applicants who already had interviews scheduled at US embassies and consulates have reportedly received emails informing them that their appointments would be rescheduled.

The applicants were told that they would receive further communication regarding a new interview date.

The development comes as the Trump administration continues its broader immigration crackdown, which has included visa and green card revocations and rejection of applications on various grounds.

Trump administration steps up immigration scrutiny

The administration has also begun a White House review of a proposal to overhaul the H-1B visa programme. The proposal has been classified as economically significant and could affect the employment-based immigration route used by thousands of Indian professionals.

Separately, the administration plans to revoke the visas of around 200,000 foreigners who entered the US for tourism or business but later sought to remain in the country by applying for asylum, according to the report.

The immigration crackdown has also faced legal challenges. A US judge recently struck down a policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, ruling that the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s statutory authority.

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