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US Cutting Forces, Missile Batteries In Middle East

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US also slashed its troop presence in Iraq last year to 2,500 (File).
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Washington:
The Pentagon said Friday it was cutting the number of troops and air defense units deployed to the Middle East, confirming a Wall Street Journal report that eight Patriot batteries were being moved out from the region.
The move comes as President Joe Biden's administration seeks to ease tensions with Iran after they heated up in 2019 and saw a strong escalation in the US military presence across the region.
The Wall Street Journal said the Patriot anti-missile batteries were being removed from Iraq, Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia, and that a separate anti-missile system, called THAAD, was being transferred from Saudi Arabia as well.
Each battery requires hundreds of troops and civilians to operate and support them.
Pentagon spokesperson Commander Jessica McNulty said that some of the units were being redeployed to other countries and some were returning to the United States for maintenance.
She would not say where the redeployed units were being moved to.
"This decision was made in close coordination with host nations and with a clear eye on preserving our ability to meet our security commitments," she said in an email.
"We maintain a robust force posture in the region appropriate to the threat and are comfortable that these changes do not negatively impact our national security interests," McNulty said.
"We also retain the flexibility to rapidly flow forces back into the Middle East as conditions warrant."
The US military is rapidly adjusting its global footprint as it pulls out of Afghanistan entirely and sees a greater threat from China in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Pentagon also slashed its troop presence in Iraq last year to 2,500, supporting Iraqi forces in their fight against the Islamic State group.
Iran is still viewed as a major threat across the Middle East, but the Biden administration is in negotiations to restore the agreement on Tehran halting its nuclear development program, which would also see some sanctions on the country lifted.
"The Defense Department maintains tens of thousands of forces in the Middle East, representing some of our most advanced air power and maritime capabilities, in support of US national interests and our regional partnerships," McNulty said.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
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news world US Cutting Forces, Missile Batteries In Middle East

US also slashed its troop presence in Iraq last year to 2,500 (File). Washington: The Pentagon said Friday it was cutting the number of...

Nursing Coordinator Denies Responsibility In Diego Maradona's Death

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Diego Maradona died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60 (File).
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San Isidro:
The coordinator in charge of the nurses that treated Diego Maradona at his home denied any involvement in the football icon's death when interviewed by Argentine prosecutors on Friday.
Mariano Perroni, 40, is the third of seven people under investigation for manslaughter to testify in the case that has gripped the country.
The 1986 World Cup-winning captain died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60, just weeks after undergoing brain surgery for a blood clot.
"I told them I was in charge of nothing more than the (nurses') arrival and departure times. I'm not responsible for any medical action," Perroni told AFP after leaving the public prosecutor's office in San Isidro, on the outskirts of the capital Buenos Aires, where he spent three hours answering questions.
"I don't give medical advice, we relied on the decisions of the doctors in charge."
Prosecutors opened an investigation after a board of experts looking into Maradona's death found he had received inadequate care and was abandoned to his fate for a "prolonged, agonizing period".
"He was a sort of personnel coordinator, his job was to assemble the team of nurses to ensure they entered (the house) and completed their shifts," the coordinator's lawyer Miguel Angel Pierri told reporters.
"The treating doctors gave the medical directives. Perroni was never in the house, he doesn't know Maradona, he was never in contact with him."
Perroni's interview came two days after a lawyer for one of the nurses that attended to Maradona told reporters that doctors "killed Diego" through their negligence.
Nurses Dahiana Gisela Madrid, 36, and Ricardo Almiron, 37 -- two of the last people to see Maradona alive -- said this week they were following the orders of his treating doctors.
They both admit to having failed to perform routine checks on Maradona just before he died.
'Disinterested and indifferent'
Prosecutors say Perroni had "full knowledge of what was done and what was not done, particularly in terms of the management of nurses for the patient."
They also accuse him of having demonstrated "disinterested and indifferent behavior given the urgent situation."
Perroni's defense is that his role was merely administrative and involved collecting the nurses' reports and worksheets filled out when they changed shifts.
He claims to have passed on these documents to Nancy Forlini, 52, Maradona's home medical coordinator who is also under investigation and will be interviewed on Monday.
Both Almiron and Madrid told prosecutors earlier this week that the house rented for Maradona did not contain the equipment necessary to treat a patient suffering from heart disease.
Both said they had not been told he suffered from heart disease and had been instructed not to disturb him while he rested.
Maradona had battled cocaine and alcohol addictions.
The former Boca Juniors, Barcelona and Napoli star was suffering from liver, kidney and cardiovascular disorders when he died.
Psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, 35, psychologist Carlos Diaz, 29, and neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque are to be questioned next week.
Two of Maradona's children blame Luque for their father's deteriorating condition after the brain operation.
A panel of 20 medical experts convened by Argentina's public prosecutor said last month that Maradona's treatment was rife with "deficiencies and irregularities" and the medical team had left his survival "to fate".
If found guilty, the seven, who are barred from leaving the country, could face between eight and 25 years in prison.
Maradona is an idol to millions of Argentines after he inspired the South American country to only their second World Cup triumph in 1986.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/diego-maradonas-death-nursing-coordinator-denies-responsibility-2467345">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/diego-maradonas-death-nursing-coordinator-denies-responsibility-2467345</a>

news world Nursing Coordinator Denies Responsibility In Diego Maradona's Death

Diego Maradona died of a heart attack last November at the age of 60 (File). San Isidro: The coordinator in charge of the nurses that t...

NASA Says Hubble Space Telescope Down For Past Few Days

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The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 (File).
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Washington:
The Hubble Space Telescope, which has been peering into the universe for more than 30 years, has been down for the past few days, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Friday.
The problem is a payload computer that stopped working last Sunday, the US space agency said.
It insisted the telescope itself and scientific instruments that accompany it are "in good health."
"The payload computer's purpose is to control and coordinate the science instruments and monitor them for health and safety purposes," NASA said.
An attempt to restart it on Monday failed.
NASA said initial evidence pointed to a degrading computer memory module as the source of the computer problem. An attempt to switch to a back-up memory module also failed.
The technology for the payload computer dates back to the 1980s, and it was replaced during maintenance work in 2009.
Launched in 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope revolutionized the world of astronomy and changed our vision of the universe as it sent back images of the solar system, the Milky Way and distant galaxies.
A new and more powerful one, called the James Webb Space Telescope, is scheduled to be deployed late this year. It is designed to peer deeper into the cosmos than ever before.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nasa-says-hubble-space-telescope-down-for-past-few-days-2467344">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/nasa-says-hubble-space-telescope-down-for-past-few-days-2467344</a>

news world NASA Says Hubble Space Telescope Down For Past Few Days

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched in 1990 (File). Washington: The Hubble Space Telescope, which has been peering into the univers...

Palestinians Cancel Deal For "About To Expire" Covid Vaccines From Israel

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Palestinian Authority said they've sent the initial vaccines shipment back to Israel (Representational).
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Ramallah/Tel Aviv:
The Palestinian Authority (PA) cancelled a deal on Friday to receive soon-to-expire COVID-19 vaccines from Israel after an initial Israeli shipment showed an expiration date sooner than had been agreed, the PA health minister said.
Israel and the PA announced a vaccine swap deal earlier on Friday that would have seen Israel send up to 1.4 million Pfizer-BioNTech doses to the PA, in exchange for receiving a reciprocal number of doses from the PA later this year.
The doses were due to "expire soon", Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said in a statement announcing the deal. The PA said they had been "approved in order to speed up the vaccination process" in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
"They told us the expiration date was in July or August, which would allow lots of time for use," PA Health Minister Mai Alkaila told reporters later on Friday.
"But (the expiration) turned out to be in June. That's not enough time to use them, so we rejected them," she said.
The PA cancelled the deal over the date issue, a PA spokesman said, and sent the initial shipment of around 90,000 doses back to Israel.
Bennett's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Rights groups have criticised Israel, which led one of the world's swiftest vaccination campaigns, for not doing more to ensure Palestinian access to doses in the West Bank and Gaza territory it captured in a 1967 war.
Israeli officials argue that under the Oslo peace accords, the PA health ministry is responsible for vaccinating people in Gaza and parts of the West Bank where it has limited self-rule.
The vaccine deal was among initial policy moves towards the Palestinians by Bennett, who was sworn in on Sunday and replaced veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu.
Around 55% of Israel's 9.3 million population are fully vaccinated - a coverage rate largely unchanged by this month's expansion of eligibility to include 12- to 15-year-olds.
Some 30% of eligible Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, home to a combined 5.2 million people, have received at least one vaccine dose, according to Palestinian officials.
According to a poll released on Tuesday by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, 40% of Palestinians are willing to take the vaccine once it is available, while 35% say they and their families are not willing to get vaccinated.
The Palestinians have received vaccine doses from Israel, Russia, China, the United Arab Emirates and the global COVAX vaccine-sharing initiative.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covid-19-vaccines-palestinians-cancels-deal-for-about-to-expire-covid-jabs-from-israel-2467330">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/covid-19-vaccines-palestinians-cancels-deal-for-about-to-expire-covid-jabs-from-israel-2467330</a>

news world Palestinians Cancel Deal For "About To Expire" Covid Vaccines From Israel

Palestinian Authority said they've sent the initial vaccines shipment back to Israel (Representational). Ramallah/Tel Aviv: The Pal...

UN Calls For Member States To "Prevent Flow Of Arms Into Myanmar"

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The UN resolution calls on Myanmar military to "stop all violence against peaceful protesters" (File).
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New York:
The United Nations General Assembly on Friday called for a stop to the flow of arms to Myanmar and urged the military to respect November election results and release political detainees, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The General Assembly adopted a resolution with the support of 119 countries some four months after the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi's elected government in a coup. Belarus requested the text be put to a vote and was the only country to oppose it, while 36 abstained, including China and Russia.
The remaining 37 General Assembly members did not vote.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had earlier on Friday pushed the General Assembly to act, telling reporters: "We cannot live in a world where military coups become a norm. It is totally unacceptable."
The military cited the government's refusal to address what it said was fraud in a November election as the reason for the coup. International observers have said the ballot was fair.
An initial draft UN resolution included stronger language calling for an arms embargo on Myanmar. According to a proposal seen by Reuters last month, nine Southeast Asian countries wanted that language removed.
The compromise text "calls on all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar."
General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding but carry political weight. Unlike the 15-member Security Council, no country has veto power in the General Assembly.
The junta's forces have killed more than 860 people since the February 1 coup, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The junta says the number is much lower.
The UN resolution calls on the Myanmar military to "immediately stop all violence against peaceful protesters" and end restrictions on the internet and social media.
The General Assembly also called on Myanmar to swiftly implement a five-point consensus the junta forged with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in April to halt violence and start dialogue with its opponents.
ASEAN states Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand abstained in the General Assembly vote, while Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Vietnam voted in favour. Myanmar's UN Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, who speaks for the country's elected civilian government, also voted yes.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/un-urges-member-states-to-prevent-flow-of-arms-into-myanmar-2467324">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/un-urges-member-states-to-prevent-flow-of-arms-into-myanmar-2467324</a>

news world UN Calls For Member States To "Prevent Flow Of Arms Into Myanmar"

The UN resolution calls on Myanmar military to "stop all violence against peaceful protesters" (File). New York: The United N...

Delta Variant Accounts For Nearly 90% Of New Covid Cases In Moscow: Mayor

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Moscow today recorded a pandemic high for new daily cases (File)
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Moscow:
Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Friday that the highly infectious Delta variant first identified in India represents almost 90 percent of new cases in the Russian capital.
"The latest data we have received is that 89.3 percent are sick with a mutated coronavirus, the so-called 'Delta,'" Sobyanin told Russian television, after Moscow recorded a pandemic high for new daily cases.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
 
 
source <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/delta-variant-accounts-for-nearly-90-of-new-covid-cases-in-moscow-mayor-sergei-sobyanin-2467103">https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/delta-variant-accounts-for-nearly-90-of-new-covid-cases-in-moscow-mayor-sergei-sobyanin-2467103</a>

news world Delta Variant Accounts For Nearly 90% Of New Covid Cases In Moscow: Mayor

Moscow today recorded a pandemic high for new daily cases (File) Moscow: Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Friday that the highly infec...