UiTV Connect

  Tunisian President Kais Saied has appointed Ridha Gharsallaoui as the new Interior Minister. During the inauguration ceremony on Thursday, the new Minister "took the constitutional oath before the President", Xinhua news agency quoted an official statement as saying. Saied stressed that "this oath, in accordance with article 89, proves full compliance with the provisions of the Tunisian Constitution", the statement added. Gharsallaoui is specialised in the areas of intelligence, anti-terrorism and logistical support, according to local media reports. Thursday's appointment came four days after Saied removed Hichem Mechichi from the post of Prime Minister and acting Interior Minister, and suspended all activities of the Assembly of People's Representatives, or Parliament. Saied is temporarily heading the government until he appoints a new Prime Minister. The President had also annulled the immunity of all Parliament members. Read More:  https://www.uitvcon

  Reigning pole vault world champion Sam Kendricks has tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the event at the Tokyo Olympics. The positive result means that the Rio Olympics bronze-medallist has been ruled out of the competition. "The health and safety of our athletes, coaches and staff is our priority. We are saddened to confirm that Sam Kendricks tested positive for COVID-19 and will not compete in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In alignment with local rules and protocols, he has been transferred to a hotel to be placed in isolation and is being supported by the USATF and USOPC staff," said the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USPOC) in a Twitter thread on Thursday. "Sam is an incredible and accomplished member of Team USA and his presence will be missed. Out of respect for his privacy, we cannot provide more information at this time," the USPOC added.   The immediate effect of Kendricks testing positive came on the Athletics contingent of Australia

  Airstrikes in the Afghan provinces of Helmand and Badakhshan provinces killed more than 35 Taliban militants amid the escalating violence in the war-torn country, according to defence officials. In a statement on Sunday, the Defence Ministry said that fighter jets targeted taliban hideouts and positions in parts of Helmand's Nad Ali and Sangin districts, reports Xinhua news agency. A weapon cache of the militant group was also destroyed during the attacks, the statement added. The Taliban controls at least six districts in Helmand province. Meanwhile in Badakhshan province, the fighter planes struck a Taliban gathering in Argo district, according to an army statement. In the sorties, a large number of arms and ammunition including an anti-aircraft gun were also destroyed, the statement said, adding that no security personnel or civilian was harmed during the air raids. The Afghan forces earlier claimed killing 81 militants in Kaldar and Chamtal districts of Balkh province on Sat

  Indian paddler Manika Batra made it to the second round of women's singles table tennis at the Tokyo Olympics with a straight-sets win over Great Britain's Tin-Tin Ho at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Following the 4-0 win, Manika will now face Ukraine's 20th seed Margaryta Pesotska. Manika had a slow start against Tin-Tin, ranked 94th in the world. But she found her rhythm quickly to take the first game 11-7. Manika had a smooth run for a 2-0 lead by winning the second game 11-6. After trailing the paddler from Great Britain for much of the third game, Manika crossed the finish line with 12-10 for a 3-0 lead. She sealed the match with 11-9 in the fourth game. It was an easy win for Batra, who had earlier made an exit from the round of 16 in the mixed doubles event pairing Sharath Kamal. The duo lost in straight sets 11-8, 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 to Chinese Taipei's Lin Yu-Ju and Cheng I-Cheng after leading 5-1 and 5-3 in the first two games. Read More:  https://www.uitv

  China has imposed sanctions on several US individuals and organisations in response to recent US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong. Those targeted include former US Commerce Secretary, Wilbur Ross. The counter-sanctions have come days before US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman is due to visit China, the BBC reported on Saturday. The US sanctions on Chinese officials in Hong Kong were because of their role in the security crackdown in the territory. Washington also warned its business community of the growing risks of operating in Hong Kong. China introduced the National Security Law in Hong Kong last year in response to massive pro-democracy protests. It criminalises secession, subversion and collusion with foreign forces and carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. China's foreign ministry said on Friday that the recent US sanctions were designed to "groundlessly smear Hong Kong's business environment" and "gravely violate international

   Actress Karisma Kapoor , who will soon be seen as a chief guest in a dance reality show, surprised a contestant by gifting him five pairs of shoes. The actress, will be seen on "Super Dancer- Chapter" and contestants will be seen performing on her popular tracks. The viewers will also get to see some of Karisma Kapoor's trademark dance moves. Contestant Pruthviraj and super guru Subhronil performed on the song 'Phoolon sa chehra tera' and depicted Karisma's journey through the act from a child to an adult. The act came alive through pictures of the actress projected as the backdrop. She brought an entire rack of shoes for him, with five different styles! An overjoyed Pruthvi was confused as to which pair to choose from but Karisma assured him that all the shoes were his. Karisma Kapoor says: "I loved it guys, thank you so much. I am feeling very emotional. Really, suddenly I am just feeling overwhelmed. Firstly, both of you have amazing energy. Thank y

  The death toll from torrential rains in central China's Henan province has increase to 25, while seven people remain missing, local authorities have confirmed. Since July 16, over 1.24 million people in 89 counties, cities and districts have been affected by the extreme downpours and about 164,710 people have been relocated to safe places, Xinhua news agency quoted Xu Zhong, director of the office of Henan provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters, as saying to reporters on WEdnesday. The natural disaster has damaged 75,000 hectares of crops, resulting in a direct economic loss of about 542 million yuan ($83 million). The downpours have forced water to exceed flood season marks in nine large reservoirs and 40 medium-sized ones in Henan. Several rivers were also flooded. The rainstorms caused severe flooding in the provincial capital Zhengzhou, with subways ceasing operations, and railways, road and air transportation greatly affected. Rescue efforts are continuing.

  Tokyo reported 1,832 new Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, rising by nearly 700 and surpassing the week-before figure for the 32nd consecutive day. The latest figure in Tokyo was the most since January 16, and the sixth highest daily tally ever recorded in the capital, The Japan Times reported. Wednesday's total surged from the 1,149 cases reported a week before as infections continue to rise in Tokyo. Daily new infections in the capital averaged 1,277.6 in the week to Wednesday, compared with 823.3 the previous week. It was also the most the capital has ever reported on a Wednesday. The number of people severely ill with Covid-19 under the metropolitan government's criteria rose by four, to 64, from a day earlier. The capital also reported four coronavirus-linked deaths. Elsewhere, Okinawa Prefecture confirmed 169 cases and four deaths, while Hokkaido reported 118 infections and Hyogo Prefecture reported 120 cases. Experts say Japan appears to be experiencing a fifth wave of inf

   Actress Julia Roberts has done the voiceover in an impactful video uploaded on the YouTube channel of the organisation Conservative International. In the video, which is one minute and 58 seconds long, the actress speaks from the point of view of Mother Earth. She says in the video: "Some call me nature, others call me mother nature. I have been here for over four and a half billion years -- 22,500 times longer than you. I don't really need people but people need me. Yes, your future depends on me. When I thrive, you thrive. When I falter, you falter, or worse." She goes on to make a powerful statement on behalf of earth as strong visuals add impact to her voice. "But I have been here for eons. I have fed species greater than you and I have starved species greater than you. My oceans, my soil, my flowing streams, my forests, they all can take you or leave you," she says. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/actress-julia-roberts-lends-voice-powe

   The support rate for Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's cabinet has decreased to 35.9 per cent, hitting an all-time low since he took office last year, a Kyodo News poll revealed. The poll on Sunday showed signs of public discontent with the government's determination to hold the Tokyo Olympic Games amid the Covid-19 pandemic, reports Xinhua news agency. The disapproval rating rose to 49.8 per cent, the highest on record for the Suga administration. In the two-day survey over the weekend, 87.0 per cent of the surveyed expressed concern over Tokyo hosting the Olympics and Paralympics amid the health crisis. Meanwhile, 67.9 per cent of the respondents held doubt about the effectiveness of the latest state of emergency over the pandemic in the capital city. Regarding the retraction of a government proposal to request lenders and liquor wholesalers to help enforce a ban on restaurants serving alcohol during the state of emergency, 72.3 per cent said Suga was responsible f

   Serbian Filip Krajinovic , ranked 44th in the world, shocked top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 at the Hamburg European Open to reach the semifinals and claim a third top-10 win of his career. The sixth seed fought back after losing the first five games on Friday evening, claiming nine of the next 11 to advance in two hours and one minute. He won 76 per cent of his first-service points against the world No. 4 Tsitispas, using the drop shot to great effect to reach his first last-4 of the season. Krajinovic will next face countryman Laslo Djere after the Serbian eased past third-seeded Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-2, 6-2. Second seed Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain also marched into the last-4 as he defeated Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 7-6(4), 6-3 in one hour and 38 minutes. He will next play Federico Delbonis of Argentina after the world No. 48 defeated eighth seed Benoit Paire of France 4-6, 7-6(9), 6-4. "He started really well, really aggressively," Krajinov

  Authorities in Nepal's Kathmandu Valley have decided to extend the ongoing lockdown till July 25 to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, but with further relaxation of the prohibitory orders. The last round of lockdown was scheduled to expire on Thursday midnight. The three districts in the valley decided to extend it by another 10 days starting from Friday. "We decided to extend the lockdown as the COVID-19 cases have not come down drastically," Kali Prasad Parajuli, chief district officer of Kathmandu, told Xinhua news agency late Thursday. The Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts in the valley issued the same prohibitory orders. As per the new notice, shops can open one more hour till 7 p.m. from Friday. Likewise, rules are eased as well for vehicles entering the valley for emergency purposes, with travellers not asked to produce recommendation letters by local administrations any more, which are mandatory till Thursday midnight. In recent weeks, the authorities in the Kathma

  Nepal President Bidhya Devi Bhandari on Tuesday appointed Sher Bahadur Deuba, leader of the opposition Nepali Congress party, as the country's new Prime Minister. The development came a day after the Supreme Court overturned former Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli's decision to dissolve Parliament and directed Bhandari to appoint Deuba as the Prime Minister. Already appointed as the Prime Minister four times previously, Deuba, 69, will now take charge of the Himalayan nation for the fifth time. He is leading an alliance of four parties -- Nepali Congress, Nepal Communist Party (Maoist Center), Janata Samajbai Party and Rastriya Janamorcha. In an address to the nation on Tuesday, Oli said that he will abide by the Supreme Court verdict and is going to vacate the post, but he has refused to resign. "I am leaving the post of Prime Minister due to the mandamus of the Supreme Court not by people's verdict," he said, adding: "I have the people's mandate but lea

   The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was forced to hurriedly assemble a makeshift squad to take on Pakistan in a three-match ODI series after a few players and support staff tested positive for COVID-19 and the rest of the players had to go into isolation. However, the second-string side has done quite well as it comfortably won the first two ODIs against Pakistan, surprising stand-in skipper Ben Stokes with the way they have adapted to the situation. Stokes says their good performance has shown how the "consistent messaging of how England want to play in limited-overs cricket has rubbed off on those outside the national squad". Said Stokes: "I was thinking about this the other day. When I got sent through the squad, I read through and even though it is a last-minute thing, I thought we had a strong and talented squad and I knew we'd be able to compete against Pakistan." "But it would be a lie to say I wasn't surprised how easily we have done i

  Swiss ace Roger Federer , Spaniard Rafael Nadal and several present and former tennis greats hailed world No. 1 Novak Djokovic for winning his sixth Wimbledon title and 20th Grand Slam crown overall at the hallowed Wimbledon centre court. By winning the title on Sunday after beating Italy's Matteo Berrettini, the Serb top seed joined Federer and Nadal, the other two members of the Big Three, as the players with the most number of Grand Slam singles titles in the Open Era. Federer, the winner of eight Wimbledon titles, was among the first to wish Djokovic, saying, "Congrats Novak on your 20th major. I'm proud to have the opportunity to play in a special era of tennis champions. Wonderful performance, well done!" Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the French Open semifinal this year after a gruelling four hour and 10 minute battle tweeted, "Congrats @DjokerNole on this amazing achievement. 20 Grand Slam titles is huge and it is amazing that we are 3 players tied on t

  Actress Kaley Cuoco , popularly as Penny in the sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", was gifted a stuffed replica of her late dog by her husband Karl Cook. Cuoco's dog Norman passed away aged 14 in January. After celebrating her third wedding anniversary with Cook, the actress shared that he got her a stuffed replica of the dog, which made her "so happy", reports femalefirst.co.uk. "It was just so sweet and so thoughtful. When I saw it, I was so happy. It brought me so much joy and so many quick memories of my dog. You know, my dog changed my life. People might think it's creepy, but I love it. It sits on the couch and it literally feels real to me. I will cherish it forever," Cuoco told People magazine. The 35-year-old actress announced the loss of Norman in January, sharing a set of black-and-white photos of her late pet and describing the pain she experienced. Read More:  https://www.uitvconnect.com/newspaper/actress-kaley-cuoco-has-stuffed-replica-h

   Eight Keralites, including Olympian K .T. Irfan in the 20-kilometre walk, will be donning Indian colours at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Though the 31-year-old Irfan had competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016, he had to pull out due to hamstring injury. Four years before that, he had finished 10th at 2012 London Olympics and recorded his best timing of one hour, 20 minutes and 21 seconds. He had won a bronze medal at the 2017 Asian race-walking championship. Seen in the Olympic swimming pool would be 27-year-old Sajan Prakash in the 200m butterfly race. Prakash had qualified after clocking 1:56.38 minutes in a qualification event in Italy recently. This will be the swimmer's second outing for the country. He had finished 28th at Rio in 2016. The 26-year-old Alex Antony will take part in the mixed 4x400m relay after he clocked 47.83 seconds in the national trials conducted by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Former India hockey captain P.R. Sreejesh will man the goalpost f