New York

NEW YORK, May 06 (APP): Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mishandling of the deadly coronavirus pandemic is an “embarrassing” setback for India, leaving “in tatters” his hyper-nationalistic domestic agenda that includes the ambition of making the country a “Vishwaguru” (or master to the world), according to an article in Foreign Policy, a prestigious American magazine.

NEW YORK (AP) — Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., said it pained her to vote against the $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan.”

But in the weeks that followed, the first-term Republican issued a news release celebrating more than $3.7 million from the package that went to community health centers in her district as one of her “achievements.” She said she prided herself on “bringing federal funding to the district and back into the pockets of taxpayers.”

Malliotakis is far from alone.

NEW YORK (AP) — Teams of experts are projecting COVID-19′s toll on the U.S. will fall sharply by the end of July, according to research released by the government Wednesday.

But they also warn that a “substantial increase” in hospitalizations and deaths is possible if unvaccinated people do not follow basic precautions such as wearing a mask and keeping their distance from others.

UNITED NATIONS, May 05 (APP): The UN General Assembly President, Volkan Bozkir, will be visiting Pakistan and Bangladesh during a trip to South Asia “later this month” at the invitation of the two governments.

Addressing a press conference at UN Headquarters the other day confirming his visit, Volkan Bozkir said that he was also scheduled to visit India during the upcoming trip but had to postpone the trip because of the serious situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.

NEW YORK, May 05 (APP): Pakistani-Americans Wednesday enthusiastically welcomed Pakistan government’s move to award voting rights to overseas Pakistanis in the next general elections, saying it was a “momentous moment.”

The news about the grant to Pakistani expatriates of the right to franchise spread fast among the community members soon after Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain announced it in Islamabad. The decision was taken at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, which was presided over by the Prime Minister Imran Khan.

UNITED NATIONS, May 04 (APP): The President of UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, has underscored the need for building partnerships between states, companies and civil society across the world to respond and recover from the devastating coronavirus crisis.

“If ever there was need for partnerships, it is now”, he said in his opening remarks on Monday during the annual Partnership Forum, organized by ECOSOC.

NEW YORK (AP) — Sotero Cirilo sleeps in a small blue tent under a train track bridge in Elmhurst, Queens.

The 55-year-old immigrant from Mexico used to make $800 per week at two Manhattan restaurants, which closed when the COVID-19 pandemic started. A few months later, he couldn’t afford the rent of his Bronx room, and afterward, of another room in Queens he moved into.

“I never thought I would end up like this, like I am today,” he said in Spanish, his eyes filling up with tears.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China’s U.N. ambassador on Monday urged stronger diplomatic efforts to resolve the confrontation in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 military coup, warning that further violence could lead to a chaotic situation “and even a civil war.”

Zhang Jun also warned that “any wrong handling” might lead to further tension in Myanmar.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China’s U.N. ambassador expressed hope Monday that President Joe Biden’s policy toward North Korea will give more importance to diplomacy and dialogue instead of “extreme pressure” to try to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear program and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Zhang Jun said China also hopes the review of U.S. policy will give equal emphasis to both the nuclear issue and the peace and security issue.

UNITED NATIONS, May 02 (APP): The United Nations strongly condemned Friday’s suicide attack in eastern Afghanistan, in which at least 21 persons were killed and over 100, including women and children, wounded.

According to media reports, a vehicle laden with explosives detonated near a guesthouse on Friday evening (local time) in Puli-e-Alam, the provincial capital of Logar, about 70 kilometres south of Kabul. A number of students are said to be among the casualties.