Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday recalled his visit to Russia in 2001 as Gujarat chief minister in the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's delegation which met President Vladmir Putin.
Modi tweeted four photographs, two from the 2001 visit and two from the ongoing trip.
The prime minister shared the photos after he concluded talks with President Putin at the 20th India-Russia 20th Annual Summit. On Thursday, he will attend the Eastern Economic Forum as the chief guest.
"While participating in the 20th India-Russia Summit today, my mind also went back to the India-Russia Summit of November 2001 when Atal Ji was PM. That time, I was honoured to be a part of his delegation as Gujarat CM," the prime minster tweeted, along with the photographs.
In one of the photographs from 2001, Modi is seen signing a document sitting beside Vajpayee and in another he is standing with the then Defence Minister Jaswant Singh.
Earlier, Modi said: "I had the opportunity to meet President ...

PM Modi reminisces 2001 Russia visit as Gujarat CM

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An executive of a South Korean pharmaceutical company has been arrested over allegations he performed illegal clinical trials on his employees, the company said Wednesday.
Auh Jin, 55, who is the head of Ahngook Pharmaceutical, has been "detained and currently being questioned by authorities for alleged violation of the pharmacy law", it said in a statement for investors.
Local news reports said the company allegedly collected its researchers' blood for clinical trials, and falsely reported to the government body that it had used dogs' blood instead.
The reports accused of the company of hiring an individual without any medical training to collect their employees' blood.
The company also allegedly forced its researchers to take its yet-to-be approved medicines for trial purposes, the reports claimed.
Power abuses at workplaces -- widely known in Korean as "gabjil" -- are known to be common in almost every sector in the South, from K-pop and film to healthcare and academia.
The case ...

S Korean exec held over 'illegal clinical tests' on staff

President Hassan Rouhani said Iran will announce a new step in scaling back its nuclear commitments by Thursday despite a diplomatic push for relief from US sanctions.
Iran and three European countries -- Britain, France and Germany -- have been engaged in talks to save a 2015 nuclear deal that has been unravelling since the US withdrew from it May last year.
The efforts have been led by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been trying to convince the US to offer Iran some sort of relief from crippling sanctions it has reimposed on the Islamic republic since its pullout.
"I don't think that... we will reach a deal so we'll take the third step and we will announce the details today or tomorrow," Rouhani was quoted as saying Wednesday by the presidency website.
The Iranian president said the two sides were getting closer to an agreement on a way to resolve burning issues.
"If we had 20 issues of disagreement with the Europeans in the past, today there are three issues," he ...

Iran set to make new cut in nuclear commitments

Top seed Prajnesh Gunneswaran progressed to the pre-quarterfinals of the Jinan Open with a straight-set win over Japanese qualifier Renta Tokuda, here on Wednesday.
Playing his first tournament after losing the US Open first round, the left-handed Indian raced to a 6-2 6-2 win in the second round of the USD 162480 hard court ATP Challenger tournament.
Prajnesh broke his rival four times and saved both the breakpoints he faced in the 63-minute contest.
In the doubles, fourth-seeded Indian pair of Saketh Myneni and Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan overcame Japan's Shintaro Imai and Toshihide Matsui 6-4 6-3 in their opening round.
It would have been an all-Indian quarterfinal but Hiroki Moriya and Goncalo Oliveira  knocked out N Sriram Balaji and Vishnu Vardhan 3-6 7-6(2) 10-7 in the other first round match in the top-half of the draw.
Now Myneni and Nedunchezhiyan will take on Moriya and Oliveira.
Another Indian in the fray is Divij Sharan, who along with his top-seeded partner Mathew Ebden had ...

Prajnesh, Myneni-Jeevan win in Jinan Open; Balaji-Vardhan ousted

Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza will be retiring from all forms of international cricket at the end of the upcoming T20 tri-series in Bangladesh.
The 36-year-old Masakadza has played 38 Tests, 209 ODIs and 62 T20 Internationals, scoring 9410 international runs. He had five centuries each in Tests and ODIs.
"After a great deal of consideration, I have decided to announce my retirement from all formats of international cricket at the end of the upcoming triangular series in Bangladesh," Masakadza said at a press conference at Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
"It has been an enormous privilege to have played for and captained my country, and this is one of the hardest decisions I've had to make."
He became the second Zimbabwe player (after Solomon Mire) to announce his retirement after the ICC suspension.
"I was looking forward to the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai next month, but with Zimbabwe barred from the event, I feel the time is right to shift the focus to the next ...

Zimbabwe skipper Masakadza set to retire from international cricket

Vast white greenhouses sit high up on the slopes of Lesotho's Marakabei town, hidden from view.
It's not fruit or vegetables, however, growing under the 18 plastic covers, but thousands of cannabis plants.
The cannabis is grown legally by the Lesotho-based company Medigrow and is regulated by the government.
"We have three rows that contain 1,200 plants each. That's 3,600 plants across the whole structure," said Medigrow's head of production Albert Theron, gazing proudly over the crop.
In 2017, the tiny landlocked kingdom of 2.1 million people decided to tap into the booming medical marijuana industry, becoming the first country in Africa to allow the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
In order to meet legal standards, most traces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) -- the main psychoactive constituent responsible for marijuana's intoxicating effects -- are removed from the seeds.
The remaining medical version is primarily made of the non-psychoactive substance, cannabidiol ...

Lesotho, Africa's medical cannabis pioneer

Rushing to register candidates and train poll workers, Tunisia's electoral commission has raced to organise presidential elections after the death of leader Beji Caid Essebsi, hoping to protect the country's nascent democracy.
The Independent Higher Authority for Elections (ISIE) snapped into action when Essebsi died on July 25, facing immediate pressure from a constitutional deadline and parties seeking favourable dates.
The body, whose nine members are elected by parliament, brought the date of scheduled polls forward by two months, fixing the first round for September 15.
The constitution stipulates that elections must be held 90 days after a head of state's death. The first round of voting will take place just seven weeks after the funeral.
In a mid-summer dash, ISIE stocked up on indelible ink and sorted through nearly 100 candidate applications, selecting a final list of 26 hopefuls.
"We're in a sprint to respect the rules," ISIE spokeswoman Hasna Ben Slimane told AFP.
"We have .

Tunisia in 'sprint' to arrange poll after president dies

A woman was among the six militants of the Islamic State terror group killed in an encounter after security forces raided a terrorist hideout on Wednesday in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, police said.
Inspector General of Police Mohsin Hassan Butt said that an official of the  Balochistan Constabulary was also killed in the operation carried out near Eastern Bypass in the provincial capital Quetta, the Dawn newspaper reported.
Butt said that the militants belonged to the Islamic State group.
Eight other personnel from the Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) were injured, one of whom is said to be critical.
Butt said that the operation, that lasted for six hours, was carried out by officials of the intelligence agencies, counter-terrorism department and ATF.
The security forces also recovered a large quantity of weapons and ammunition from the militants.
The bodies of the terrorists have been shifted to a hospital in Quetta for postmortem.
Another security official, who declined to ..

Woman among six IS militants killed in encounter in Pakistan: Police

Cathay Pacific announced Wednesday its chairman John Slosar is stepping down to retire, the latest high-profile executive to leave the troubled airline after it drew Beijing's ire over pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
The flagship carrier has had a torrid few weeks after Chinese state media and authorities excoriated the company because some of its 27,000 employees had taken part in or were sympathetic to anti-government protests currently rocking Hong Kong.
In a statement posted on the Hong Kong stock exchange, Cathay said Slosar, 63, had stepped down and will be replaced as chairman by Patrick Healy, a veteran from the Swire Group conglomerate, the airline's majority shareholder.
"His resignation is due to his retirement," the statement said, adding that the changes would take effect from 6 November at the conclusion of the company's board meeting.
Slosar's departure ends a nearly four-decade career with Swire and Cathay and caps a tumultuous month of sudden management changes ..

Cathay Pacific chairman John Slosar retiring: Statement

Australia captain Tim Paine won the toss and opted to bat against England in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
England had already confirmed their team, with fast bowler Craig Overton replacing Chris Woakes in the only change to the side that achieved a remarkable one-wicket win in the third Test at Headingley to level the five-match series at 1-1.
But they altered their batting order after being dismissed for just 67 in their first innings at Headingley, with opener Jason Roy and number four Joe Denly changing places.
Australia welcomed back star batsman Steve Smith, who was ruled out of the Headingley match after being concussed by a 92 miles-per-hour (148 kph) Jofra Archer bouncer in the drawn second Test at Lord's.
Smith, on top of the latest ICC Test batting rankings published Tuesday, has scored 378 runs -- including two hundreds -- at an average of 126 in three innings in the series and was back on the field in last week's tour match against Derbyshire.
He ...

Australia bat against England in fourth Ashes Test

Seven crew members of a Swedish-owned tanker seized by Iran in July will be released, the chief executive of Stena Bulk that owns the tanker said Wednesday.
"Seven crew members will be released according to the Iranian authorities... but we don't know when," Stena Bulk CEO Erik Hanell told AFP, adding that the company was "cautiously" awaiting official confirmation of their release date. The British-flagged tanker has a total crew of 23 on board.

Seven crew members from tanker seized by Iran to be released

Asian markets rose Wednesday, led by a surge in Hong Kong after reports said the city's leader was considering agreeing to a key demand of pro-democracy protesters, fuelling hopes for an end to months of damaging protests in the financial hub.
Shares rallied across the board on the Hang Seng Index after the reports, with property and retail firms among the best performers, having taken a hiding over the past few weeks as the demonstrations were increasingly dogged by violence.
Chief Executive Carrie Lam and Beijing have refused to make any concessions to the protesters beyond agreeing to suspend a loathed extradition bill, a move that fell far short of demands to permanently shelve it.
But one pro-establishment lawmaker who asked to remain anonymous told AFP their camp was being summoned to meet Lam on Wednesday afternoon ahead of an expected major announcement.
Multiple news organisations later said Lam would announce a full withdrawal of the bill later in the afternoon.
"The ...

Hong Kong stocks stand out with surge as Asia markets rally

When Scotland voted in 2014 against independence, that seemed to settle the issue: The hauntingly rugged region where Britain's royal family spends its holidays at its vast Balmoral estate would remain with England, Wales and Northern Ireland in a United Kingdom governed from London.
But less than two years later came the Brexit referendum, and while the UK voted to leave the European Union, Scots distinguished themselves as the biggest dissenters.
Not only did Scotland vote overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, it was the only one of the UK's four parts where not a single constituency delivered a "Yes" vote to leave.
Simply put: Scotland is being dragged largely unwillingly toward what many of its people fear will be economic suffering on Oct. 31, when the messy divorce is scheduled to take effect, quite possibly without an agreement to cushion expected blows to businesses and households.
Disgruntlement with Brexit and machinations in Westminster that have pushed the UK ever closer to a .

Brexit breathes life back into Scottish independence push

Hong Kong's embattled pro-Beijing leader will permanently shelve a loathed extradition bill, a lawmaker told AFP Wednesday, in what would be major concession to pro-democracy protesters after three months of crippling demonstrations.
"It is confirmed that the bill will be withdrawn," lawmaker Felix Chung told AFP after chief executive Carrie Lam met with him and other pro-establishment figures on Wednesday afternoon.

Hong Kong leader says will withdraw extradition bill: lawmaker

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday met Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and assured him of India's "fullest commitment" in the Island nation's development.
Jaishankar is in the Maldives to attend the 4th edition of the Indian Ocean Conference (IOC).
"Thank President @ibusolih for receiving me. Conveyed PM's (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) greetings and appreciation for implementing India First'. Assured him of our fullest commitment. Congratulated Maldives on the outstanding organisation of #IOC2019," the minister tweeted.
In a separate event, Jaishankar, along with his counterpart Abdulla Shahid, also laid the foundation stone of the new building of the Indian Embassy.
"Laying a strong foundation for future India-Maldives ties," he tweeted.
"With FM @abdulla_shahid at the site of the new Embassy building," he said.
Jaishankar on Tuesday met speaker of the Maldives Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed and discussed with him ways to work together on shared goals.
The two 

Jaishankar pledges India's full commitment to Maldives' development

The blood pressure-lowering effect of exercise is significantly reduced when people rinse their mouths with antibacterial mouthwash rather than water, according to a study which shows the importance of oral bacteria in cardiovascular health.
The study, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, suggests that health professionals should pay attention to the oral environment when recommending interventions involving physical activity for high blood pressure.
"Scientists already know that blood vessels open up during exercise, as the production of nitric oxide increases the diameter of the blood vessels (known as vasodilation), increasing blood flow circulation to active muscles," said Raul Bescos, from the University of Plymouth in the UK.
"What has remained a mystery is how blood circulation remains higher after exercise, in turn triggering a blood-pressure lowering response known as post-exercise hypotension," Bescos said.
Previous research has suggested that nitric ..

Mouthwash use could negate benefits of exercise: Study

Yemen's internationally recognised government on Wednesday ruled out talks with separatists who have seized key parts of the south, saying it will talk only with their main backer, the UAE.
"If there is to be a dialogue, it will be with the United Arab Emirates under the supervision of Saudi Arabia, taking into consideration the Emirates is the main factor in the conflict between us and them," Yemen's vice prime minister, Ahmed al-Maisari, said.
"There was not and there will not be any sit-down with the so-called Southern Transitional Council (STC) whatsoever," he said in a voice recording uploaded to the interior ministry's YouTube channel.
"We don't want to sit with the tools but with the owners of the tools."
The UAE has trained and supported secessionists who seek an independent southern Yemen, despite being a key pillar in a Saudi-led military coalition backing the government against Iran-aligned Huthi rebels.  In August, fighting between the separatists and unionist supporters ..

Yemen govt rules out talks with separatists

President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Iran will announce a new step in scaling back its nuclear commitments within two days despite a diplomatic push for relief from US sanctions.
"I don't think that... we will reach a deal so we'll take the third step and we will announce the details today or tomorrow," Rouhani was quoted as saying on the presidency website.

New Iran cut in nuclear commitments 'today or tomorrow': Rouhani

For the first time, a Hindu girl has been inducted into Sindh Police after passing the provincial competitive examinations, a media report said on Wednesday.
Pushpa Kolhi has been posted as the Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in the province, Geo News reported.
The news was first shared by human rights activist Kapil Dev on his Twitter handle on Tuesday.
"Pushpa Kolhi has become the first girl from #Hindu community who has qualified provincial competitive examination through Sindh Public Service Commission and become Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) in Sindh Police. More power to her!" Dev tweeted.
In January, Suman Pawan Bodani, a Pakistani belonging to the Hindu community, was appointed a judge to the civil and judicial magistrate.
Bodani who hails from Sindh's Shahdadkot area, stood 54th in the merit list for the appointment of civil judge/judicial magistrate.
Speaking to BBC Urdu, Bodani said she belongs to an underdeveloped rural area of Sindh, where she has seen the poor struggling ..

Hindu girl becomes first police officer in Pak's Sindh province

Hundreds of Chinese accounts suspended by Twitter were part of a disinformation operation for years targeting critics of China's ruling Communist Party, Australian researchers have found.
After combing through 3.6 million tweets from 940 suspended Twitter accounts, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the accounts had conducted "blunt-force influence" campaigns for "at least two years".
Twitter and Facebook last month banned 200,000 accounts for "deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong", as part of a "state-backed" effort to discredit pro-democracy campaigners.
Studying a sliver of these accounts, the Australian think tank found that they had previously targeted prominent Chinese Communist Party critics.
The most intense information operation targeted Chinese billionaire businessman Guo Wengui, who fled into exile after being accused of corruption, according to the study published Tuesday.
The campaign against Guo began just days after .

Blocked Chinese Twitter accounts targeted Beijing critics: think tank

Iran said Wednesday it will resume full compliance with a 2015 nuclear deal if it can sell its oil or get a USD 15-billion credit line guaranteed by future crude sales.
Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed doubt, however, that such a plan could be agreed before a looming deadline set by Iran to further scale back its commitments under the nuclear accord.
The agreement -- known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- has been crumbling since the United States unilaterally withdrew from it in May last year.
France has been trying to convince the United States to offer Iran some sort of relief from sanctions it has reimposed on the Islamic republic since its pullout.
"Iran... will return to full implementation of the JCPOA only if it is able to sell its oil and to fully benefit from the income from these sales," said Araghchi.
"The French proposal goes in that direction," he was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.
Araghchi, speaking days after ...

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