The aerial footage has been viewed over seven lakh times and has collected over three lakh likes on Twitter, with many people praising the group for saving the truck driver.

A group of good Samaritans came to the rescue of a crash victim who was trapped inside a pick-up truck after the vehicle turned turtle on a busy Illinois highway. The video, which went viral after it was tweeted by ABC Chicago station, shows a speeding truck spinning out of control and flipping over, trapping the driver inside.

Seeing the tragedy, a group of good Samaritans quickly reached the spot and flipped the truck back on its side so the driver, who has been identified as one Orlando Hernandez, could escape. The driver finally managed to come out with only a few scrapes and cuts.

The other Indian cities in the list include New Delhi at 118th place, Chennai (154), Bengaluru (179) and Kolkata (189).

NEW DELHI: Mumbai is India’s most expensive city and among the top 20 costliest cities surveyed in Asia for expatriates, as residential housing prices remain among the highest in the world, a survey by global consulting leader Mercer says.

According to Mercer’s, Mumbai fell 12 spots and was ranked at the 67th position out of 209 cities sur25th Annual Cost of Living Surveyveyed.

Regarding Mumbai the report said, “costs of items such as eating out and utilities show decline, however, residential housing costs remain among the most expensive in the world, contributing to its top rankings in Asia and globally”. The other Indian cities in the list include New Delhi at 118th place, Chennai (154), Bengaluru (179) and Kolkata (189).

All the four cities have moved down from last year. “A relatively slower price increase in surveyed Indian cities and major currencies weakening against the US dollar has pushed our Indian cities down in the ranking,” said Padma Ramanathan, India Global Mobility Practice Leader at Mercer.

The survey noted that eight out of the top ten of the world’s most expensive cities for expatriates are Asian cities, resulting from high costs for expatriate consumer goods and a dynamic housing market. The costliest city in the world for the second consecutive year is Hong Kong followed by Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul.

Other cities appearing in the top ten list are Zurich (5), Shanghai (6), Ashgabat (7), Beijing (8), New York City (9), and Shenzhen (10). The world’s least expensive cities for expatriates are Tunis (209), Tashkent (208), and Karachi (207).

The survey further noted that across continents, Indian multinationals have been driving key talent mobilisation into countries like the USA (especially in the hi-tech sector), UAE, UK, Kenya and Bangladesh.

According to the survey, a number of factors – like currency fluctuations, cost of inflation for goods and services and volatility in accommodation prices – contribute to the overall cost of expatriate packages for employees on international assignments.

The figures for Mercer’s cost of living and rental accommodation cost comparisons are derived from a survey conducted in March 2019. Exchange rates from that time and Mercer’s international basket of goods and services from its cost of living survey have been used as base measurements.

Although Xi’s much-anticipated meet with Trump to end the trade war will be the major highlight of the summit, his trilateral meet with Modi and Putin will also draw attention.

BEIJING: The leaders of China, India and Russia will meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit later this week in Japan to discuss ways to counter US President Donald Trump’s “protectionist” trade policy and bullying practices.

Ahead of President Xi Jinping’s visit to Osaka to attend the summit on June 28-29, Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Jun on Monday said the leader will have a sit-down with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the meet.

Zhang said the trilateral meet, which first occurred at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires last year, is of great significance and will have a positive outcome of this time.

“Indeed during the Osaka summit, the leaders of China, Russia and India will have a trilateral meeting. The mechanism of China, India, Russia trilateral meeting has maintained a sound momentum of development,” Zhang said at a press conference.

“Under the current circumstances, it important for the three countries to strengthen coordination of major global issues and jointly uphold multilateralism, oppose protectionism and deepen cooperation on multilateral and international affairs to make an important contribution to the global peace.

“China will work with others to firmly uphold multilateralism. The international community has fully recognised the repercussions of unilateralism, protectionism and bullying practices,” he added.

Although Xi’s much-anticipated meet with Trump to end the trade war will be the major highlight of the summit, his trilateral meet with Modi and Putin will also draw attention.

Modi will also have a one-on-one with Xi and Putin separately.

After waging a damaging trade war on China, Trump seems to have turned to India. Earlier this month, Washington ended the preferential trade treatment to Indian goods that allowed their duty-free entry into the US.

India hit back by imposing tariffs on US products which it had held off for long.

Without naming the US, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce, Wang Shouwen, who was also briefing the media said that “some individual country has been insisting on unilateralism, protectionism and abusing trade remedial measures (and) national security exceptionalism”.

“That country has slapped tariffs on its trading partners, causing a major threat to global trade, investment and economic growth,” Wang added.

US’ rivalry with its former Cold War ally Russia is well known. The Trump administration is also insisting India, Turkey, and others to scrap defence deals with Kremlin.

The US-led coalition said Friday it had unintentionally killed more than 1,300 civilians in air strikes during its fight against the Islamic State groupin Iraq and Syria since 2014.

The figure is far lower than the death tolls given by groups which have monitored the conflicts in the two countries.

“The coalition conducted 34,502 strikes between August 2014 and the end of April 2019,” it said in a statement.

During this period, it “assesses at least 1,302 civilians have been unintentionally killed by coalition strikes”.

The coalition said it was still assessing 111 additional claims of civilians deaths and was ready to receive new allegations or fresh evidence to review.

The coalition has repeatedly said it does all it can to avoid civilian deaths.

Watch: Wounded and alone, children emerge from last Islamic State enclave in Baghouz

Airwars, an NGO which monitors civilian casualties from air strikes worldwide, estimates more than 7,900 civilians have been killed in coalition raids — well in excess of the total acknowledged by the coalition.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, says coalition strikes have taken the lives of 3,800 civilians in Syria alone.

IS jihadists seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a “caliphate” in areas they controlled.

But several offensives with coalition backing chipped away at the “caliphate” until it was declared eliminated on March 23.

Ambushes and hit-and-run attacks have continued in both countries.

The coalition is continuing to work “to deny Daesh any physical space and influence in the region as well as deny Daesh the resources they need to resurge”, it said, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Agencies

Relations between Indian and Pakistan yet to thaw after military standoff in February over the disputed Kashmir region.

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan has attributed the snub of India not inviting its Prime Minister Imran Khan for Narendra Modi’s oath-taking ceremony to the Indian leader’s election campaign that “focus[ed] on Pakistan-bashing”.

Speaking to a Pakistani television news channel on Monday evening, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi reiterated his country’s invitation to India to engage in dialogue on all outstanding issues.

Relations between the two countries have yet to thaw after a military standoff following a suicide attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed at least 40 people in mid-February.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars since independence in 1947 over the disputed territory of Kashmir.

India accused Pakistan of “controlling” the attack and the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) armed group that carried it out. Pakistan denied any connection to the attack or JeM.

The standoff saw both sides conduct air attacks on each other’s territory, and an Indian fighter jet shot down during an aerial dogfight.

India suspended all dialogue following the standoff, and Modi made frequent references to the military action against Pakistan during an election campaign that saw him sweep back to power, winning 303 of the 542 seats in India’s parliament.

His National Democratic Alliance won 352 seats in all, according to official results.

“The issue on which Narendra Modi fought the election, the whole focus was on Pakistan bashing [and] on fanning nationalism,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Qureshi told Geo News on Monday.

“Now, to expect that he will be able to rid himself of that narrative within a moment, and open himself up to the entire opposition’s criticism, that is unlikely.”

‘Hold dialogue on real issues’

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led the right-wing alliance to sweep back to power on the back of a platform promising economic prosperity, and frequently referred to hardline action against Pakistan as a form of nationalism that India was in need of.READ MORE

‘Breaking the silence’: Report documents torture in Kashmir

On Monday, Raveesh Kumar, the Indian foreign ministry spokesperson, said that India’s invitations to the oath-taking were “in line with government’s focus on its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy”.

India is inviting the leaders of Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal,  Bhutan, Mauritius and Kyrgyzstan to the oath-taking on May 30, according to a government statement. 

Qureshi reiterated that Pakistan desired a resumption of bilateral dialogue with India, not an invitation to a ceremony.

“Even if [Pakistani PM] Imran Khan did go, then what would we have gained from attending this oath-taking? We can only attain something when we hold dialogue on the real issues.”

Qureshi briefly met Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in Kyrgyzstan last week, the highest-level contact between the two countries since the military standoff in February and March.

Aljazeera

A day after three consecutive blasts in Kathmandu claimed the lives of four people, Nepal on Monday morning witnessed incidents of violence in different parts of the country.

A parked truck was set on fire in the Nawalparasi district, while a bus was found burned down in the Surkhet district of Nepal’s Karnali province, police said.

Nepalese army diffused three bombs in the Pokhara municipality, and one other in the Annapurna Municipality of the Kaski district.

Police have arrested nine people in connection with Sunday`s blasts that took place in Sukedhara, Ghattekulo and Naagdhunga areas of Kathmandu and claimed lives of 4 people and injured 9 others.

Police believe that a banned communist group suspected of yesterday`s bombing is also behind the incidents reported across the country today.

The Government of Nepal had recently blacklisted this splinter Maoist group for its extortion and violent activities. The group had called for a strike on Monday to protest against the government`s attempt to contain it.  

Agencies

Islamabad, May 27 : Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan who is on a three-day visit to Pakistan hailed the China Pakistan Economic corridor (CPEC) project in bridging the gap between the two nations and further enhancing the bilateral ties.
“Pakistan and China are all-weather strategic partners and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has come a long way in further cementing this bond. I am confident the CPEC would add new impetus to development in Pakistan besides furthering the regional development. I am happy to know that supporting CPEC is a consensus among all parties and ethnic groups in across Pakistan,” he said.
He also appreciated the success of the CPEC and said that the second phase of CPEC would even bring more benefits for both Pakistan and China.
Mr Wang assured that it will continue to support Pakistan’s core interests irrespective of the developments taking place at the international landscape, reasserting its ‘strategic friendship with Islamabad based on equality and mutual benefit’, Pakistan Today reported. He also recalled that Pakistan was the first country to acknowledge New China and hence was a strategic partner of China.
Both countries also signed three agreements pertaining to cooperation in different sectors in a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“Pakistan and China have signed several Memorandums of Understanding for cooperation in different sectors. These MoUs include cooperation in Economic and Technical Affairs, Disaster Management and Assistance in the Agriculture sector of Lasbella University.” Govt of Pakistan said in a tweet.
Huawei Technical Support Center was also launched on Sunday fulfilling China tech giant’s commitment to make massive investment in Pakistan.

A bomb exploded at a mosque, killing two people, including the prayer leader in Paktia Kot area of Kabul.2 hours ago

Two people, including a senior muslim preacher, were killed and at least 16 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital.

The explosion took place around 01:20pm (08:50 GMT) and targeted the al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens had gathered for afternoon prayers.

Jan Agha, a district police official, said the bomb was planted in the microphone used by the prayer leader, Mawlawi Samiullah Raihan, during Friday prayers.

“Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded,” said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the interior ministry.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) groups regularly stage attacks in the country’s capital.

Earlier this month, the Taliban attacked the offices of Counterpart International in Kabul, an NGO headquartered in the United States that has been operating in Afghanistan since 2005.

The Taliban has stepped up attacks across the country, even as it holds direct negotiations with officials from the US to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.

Aljazeera

Modi’s campaign included promises to ‘punish’ Pakistan for allegedly supporting the armed revolt in Kashmir.by Asad Hashim4 hours ago

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistani Prime MinisterImran Khan has congratulated his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on what appears to be a landslide win in his country’s general election, adding that he looked forward to working with him “for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia”.

Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won 303 seats out of the 542 that it contested in the elections, election results showed. The result means the right-wing party is set to overtake its current tally of 282 seats in parliament, further strengthening Modi’s hold on power.

Known for his support for Hindu nationalism, Modi’s campaign included strong messaging on national security and promises to “punish” Pakistan for allegedly supporting the armed revolt in the disputed region of Kashmir.

Following Khan’s tweet on Thursday, Modi thanked the Pakistani prime minister for his “good wishes”, saying he had “always given primacy to peace and development in our region”.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours remain high after a military standoff earlier this year saw both countries launch air raids on each other’s territory, and an Indian fighter jet shot down in an aerial dogfight.

That skirmish followed a suicide attack in the disputed territory of Kashmir, which India and Pakistan both claim in full but administer in parts.

The attack, in the town of Pulwama in mid-February, killed at least 40 Indian security personnel, with India blaming Pakistan for “controlling” the attack. Pakistan denied the accusation. 

On February 26, Indian aircraft conducted air raids on Pakistani territory, claiming to have destroyed a training camp run by the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) armed group.

An Al Jazeera visit to the site of the bombing found little evidence to support the claim. At least four Indian bombs appeared to have hit a hillside near a JeM-run school, wounding one man.

As a show of force, Pakistan carried out retaliatory air strikes on unpopulated areas in Indian-administered Kashmir a day later. An Indian fighter jet was shot down that same day and the pilot captured.

He was returned to India two days later, in a move aimed to defuse mounting fears of open conflict.

Modi’s BJP made the air attacks and his government’s hardline stance against Pakistan a key part of their election platform.

Before the election, the Pakistani president had expressed the opinion that having a hardline right-wing government in India made it easier to hold peace talks.READ MORE

Pakistan military says it test-fired ballistic missile Shaheen-II

Analysts, however, warn that it is possible that Modi, while empowered by his mandate, may also be locked into a position based on election rhetoric. 

“His whole election campaign was based on two things: national security and taking tough action on Pakistan,” Zahid Hussain, a security analyst, told Al Jazeera.

“So I don’t think the situation will change for the time being.”

Hussain said the massive election victory for Modi’s BJP may, in fact, “reinforce his hardline position”.

“He may now demand that Pakistan come to its knees to hold talks.”

Khan’s government was grappling with an economic crisis at home, the central bank raising interest rates to 12.25 percent earlier this week to attempt to curb rising inflation and the country’s current account deficit.

This week, central bank data showed the country’s fiscal deficit was up to five percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first nine months of the financial year, a 10-year high.READ MORE

India elections 2019: All the latest updates

“Pakistan seems to be quite desperate to find a way forward, also because of its economic situation and external pressures,” said Hussain. “There is certainly a willingness to move forward from Pakistan.”

On Wednesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi met his Indian counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting in Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan.

“I made it clear to her that we want to amicably resolve all issues,” Qureshi said in a statement released after the meeting.

India’s foreign ministry did not comment on that meeting.

Aljazeera

Moscow, May 24 (Sputnik) US President Donald Trump authorized the US intelligence community to engage in an investigation led by US Attorney General William Barr into surveillance activities surrounding his 2016 presidential election campaign, the White House has said.
“Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election,” the White House press secretary said in a statement late on Thursday.
Trump also authorized the attorney general to declassify data as part of the probe.
“Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,” the statement added.
The surveillance activities that affected some of the members of the Trump campaign team back in 2016 are seen by many as one of the origins of the probe into the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the run-up to the presidential election, won by Trump.
While the probe failed to establish evidence of the alleged collusion, which was denied by both Moscow and Trump, in April, Barr announced an investigation into its origins.

In mid-May, Barr assigned John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, to look into the origins of the Russia probe.