At least 31 people have died and several more were injured following a blast caused by a gas leak at a barbecue restaurant in the Chinese city of Yinchuan. An explosion at a restaurant in the northwestern Chinese city of Yinchuan has left at least 31 people dead, state media reported Thursday. Seven additional people were receiving "all-out rescue treatment" for burns and cuts from broken glass, according to the state-operated Xinhua news agency. Nine people including a restaurant owner are being held by police following the blast, state media said. "In accordance with the law, public security organs have held nine people, including the barbecue restaurant owner, shareholders and staff... and frozen their assets," state broadcaster CCTV reported, citing the regional Communist Party committee. What we know about the explosion The blast occurred at around 8:40 p.m. local time at a barbeque restaurant on a busy street in the capital of the traditionally Muslim Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region. It was caused by "a leak of liquefied petroleum gas," Xinhua reported, citing the regional Communist Party committee. People were gathering for the start of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Ministry of Emergency Management said local fire and rescue services had deployed more than 100 people and 20 vehicles to the scene. State broadcaster CCTV showed visuals of more than a dozen firefighters working at the site as smoke billowed out of a huge hole in the restaurant's facade. The footage also showed glass shards and other debris littered on the street.  Chinese President Xi Jinping told authorities to go all out to treat the wounded and said safety supervision in key sectors should be strengthened, CCTV reported. Safety issues China regularly witnesses such types of industrial accidents, usually attributed to poor government supervision, corruption, cost-cutting measures by employers and little safety training for employees. During the Asian nation's May Day holiday, at least nine people were killed in a blast at a petrochemical plant. In 2015, a series of explosions in the northern port city of Tianjin left 173 people dead.

Ex-Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife and many of his political aides are now banned from traveling abroad. But Khan, who himself imposed travel bans on opposition leaders while in power, stays defiant. Pakistan's government has slapped a travel ban on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, officials said on Friday. His wife, Bushra Bibi, and hundreds of his political aides have also been banned from traveling abroad, the officials added. Khan, 70, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament last year and faces a number of legal challenges. His arrest on May 9 triggered a wave of violent protests — in which at least nine died — that subsided only after he was released on bail on a Supreme Court order three days later. More than 7,000 of his supporters have been arrested in a crackdown over the past couple of weeks. Khan reacted to the travel ban with a defiant statement on Twitter, saying he welcomed the move to put him on the so-called Exit Control List (ECL), as he had no plans to take trips abroad and would anyway rather take holidays in Pakistan. During the period it was in power from 2018 to 2022, Khan's government also imposed travel bans on several opposition leaders. Accusations of army involvement Members of Khan's Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have blamed his arrest on the army, with which Khan has been at loggerheads for many months. Many also say the coalition government under Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif stands to benefit if Khan is found guilty, as that would bar him from taking part in future elections, possibly forever. A general election is due this year. The protests and controversy over Khan come as Pakistan is in the grips of a long-running economic crisis that has caused food prices to soar. The country of 231 million is also facing an ongoing threat of attacks by Islamist militants. Criticism over trials in military courts The government has said those who attacked military installations in protests after Khan's arrest will face summary trials in Pakistan's military courts, a move that has met with wide criticism from local and international rights groups. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan said on Friday that at least 33 people had so far been handed over to the military. Several government ministers have said that a ban on Khan's party is also being considered, something that might contribute to further political chaos in the country.

Endorsing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s developmental policies and schemes, the leaders of Indian minority communities living in New Zealand, while participating in the launch ceremony of the New Zealand chapter of the Indian Minorities Foundation (IMF), renounced the false propaganda of Western media about the persecution of minorities in India. While the event witnessed the participation of all minority communities, they also condemned the false narrative being propagated about the safety and security of minorities in India. They validated the fact that they are safe and secure in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. IMF convenor Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “Minority communities have been made equal partners in the development of India under PM Modi’s leadership. The leaders of these communities renounce the anti-India propaganda of Western media about minorities being persecuted in India. Rather these communities have flourished under the leadership of PM Modi.” Simon David O’Connor, Member of Parliament New Zealand said, “Ever since PM Modi has taken over India’s governance, he has proved himself as an incredibly popular politician through the work and the leadership he has been providing the nation with, as well as the inspiration to New Zealand and other countries across the world. While there are several challenges against him by the international media, he is a very secular leader who engages with the people of all the communities and believes in equality.” He further added that New Zealand is incredibly keen on more and deeper relationships with the people of India and engaging with the Indian Community living in New Zealand and engaging better with India in friendship and in trade. The IMF launched its second international chapter in New Zealand during an event organized at Mahatma Gandhi Centre in Auckland, which witnessed a massive response from the minority communities living in the country as they showed up in huge numbers. The launch of this chapter is aimed to provide a common platform for Indian minority communities living in the country to address their issues and act as a bridge between them and the Indian government. This development comes days after the IMF launched its first international chapter in Australia. The event was graced by Neeta Bhushan, high commissioner of India to New Zealand as chief guest. IMF convenor Satnam Singh Sandhu, along with IMF co-founder Prof Himani Sood were present on the occasion. Attendees also included Taznim, Secretary of Burhani Women’s Association in Auckland; Father Joseph from the Serbian Orthodox Church; Shabbir Rajkotwala, a representative of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community; Nivzer Dadabhoy and Bonifa Irani, representatives of the Parsi and Zoroastrian Communities respectively among others. Besides, members of the New Zealand parliament, members of different communities, religious leaders, scholars, academicians, and researchers also participated in the launch ceremony of the IMF New Zealand chapter. Meanwhile, the Indian Muslim women living in New Zealand, who participated in the event thanked PM Modi for triple talaq abolition and asserted that Muslim women are feeling secure now in India. The triple talaq law was enacted by the Centre in 2019. Taznim, a representative of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community and Secretary of Burhani Women’s Association in Auckland said, “PM Modi has taken several landmark decisions for the empowerment of Muslim women in the country such as introducing ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ to encourage the pursuit of higher education and abolition of the ‘Triple Talaq’ to ensure for them the dignity they deserve.” Endorsing the fact that after Narendra Modi became Prime Minister, he changed the way India is looked at global level, Father Joseph from the Serbian Orthodox Church said that ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come into power, he has been working to take India on the path of development and lifting the global image of the country. “While several false narratives are being set up about Minorities being unsafe in India, the truth is that every community in the country enjoys freedom, security, and equal opportunities under the leadership of PM Modi. He is a secular Prime Minister and has been focusing on the welfare and progress of each community and connecting them to achieve harmony in the country,” he said. Shabbir Rajkotwala, a representative of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community in New Zealand, said, “During his tenure of 9 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has focused on connecting with the people belonging to different communities in India and ensured equality among all, owing to which Dawoodi Bohra Muslim Community now feels safe and recognized in the country.  The entire community condemns the false narrative developed by the Western media that claims Muslims are unsafe in India. PM Modi has taken several big initiatives for the betterment of the Community, mainly in terms of business by opening the e-commerce channels that have resulted in the economic upliftment of the community.” A representative of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in New Zealand said, “It is an honour to be part of the launch of the Indian Minorities Foundation in Auckland and to learn about India’s growth as a nation under PM Modi’s leadership. Every section of society in India is progressing, and Muslim Community is equally participating in its development. In the political era of PM Modi, Minorities feel safe in the country and enjoy equal opportunities.” Nivzer Dadabhoy and Bonifa Irani, representatives of the Parsi and Zoroastrian Communities in New Zealand said, “The false narrative about Minorities being unsafe in India has been built by Western powers and vested interests to malign the nation and create a communal divide. This propaganda can be dispelled by witnessing the results of India reaching the global landscape and creating an image that is looked at by the entire world.” Hemant Vohra, a representative of the Jain Community in New Zealand, said, “PM Modi has been working for the upliftment of Minorities in India without any discrimination and focused on the social and economic welfare of all the communities. As a result, the socio-economic structure of all Minority communities is improving at a great pace and contributing to the nation’s growth at large.” Malvika Shah and Madraj Chandra of the Jain Community also appreciated the work done by PM Modi to improve each community and nation-building. Nilesh Doshi, a representative of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple Avondale, said, “I feel honoured to get the opportunity to attend the launch of IMF on behalf of the entire BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha along with the people of the Indian Community in Auckland. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has understood the aspirations of each community and worked on taking them all together on the path of India’s progress.”  Source: AlwaysFirst.in

The British singer spent days testifying in court with his guitar, playing demos to argue that his 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not unlawfully copy the intellectual property of Motown legend Marvin Gaye. A federal jury in New York concluded on Thursday that Ed Sheeran's 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not unlawfully copy from Marvin Gaye's classic 1973 song "Let's Get It On." The civil lawsuit was filed by the heirs of Gaye co-writer Ed Townsend, who alleged that harmonic progressions and rhythmic elements of Sheeran's song were lifted without permission. They sought a share of the profits from Sheeran's hit "It is devastating and also insulting to be accused of stealing other people's songs when we put so much into our livelihoods," Sheeran told reporters outside the court in Manhattan. "I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake." What was the case about? Lawyers for Gaye's estate argued that "Thinking Out Loud" had so many similarities to "Let's Get It On" that it violated the song's copyright protection. They pointed to a video of a concert in Switzerland where Sheeran can be heard singing both songs on stage, and said this footage was "smoking gun" proof that he stole the tune. Sheeran, who co-wrote "Thinking Out Loud" with singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, spent days testifying in court with his guitar with him. He played demos for the court to argue that the 1-3-4-5 chord progression in question was a basic building block of pop music that cannot be owned, "in the same way nobody owns the color blue." Sheeran claims victory for 'creative freedom' In 2015, Gaye's family — who were not involved in the "Thinking Out Loud" case — successfully sued artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over similarities between the song "Blurred Lines" and Gaye's "Got to Give it Up." Last year, Sheeran won a copyright battle in the United Kingdom over his 2017 song "Shape of You." "If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters," Sheeran said after his victory on Thursday. Kathryn Townsend Griffen, the daughter of the "Let's Get It On" co-writer who brought the lawsuit against Sheeran, said the case was not personal. "I did what I had to do to protect my father's intellectual property," she said after the verdict. "I'm very proud of my father and his work and me doing what I have to do."

Since 2017, the United States has provided over $2 billion of assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis, with nearly $100 million in food aid in 2023. Despite this latest contribution, a funding gap of nearly $100 million remains to meet the food and nutritional needs of the refugee population. The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional $23.8 million in humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh to deliver urgent food and nutrition assistance to Rohingya refugees. With this new funding, USAID will work with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide critically needed food and nutrition, including electronic vouchers to purchase staple and fresh foods, feeding 925,000 refugees, with a focus on children and pregnant and lactating women in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.   The assistance comes at a critical time amidst a funding shortfall of nearly $100 million, which has led to a reduction of food rations in the Rohingya camps. “The United States remains committed to delivering assistance to refugees and impacted communities in Bangladesh, but much more is needed. We urge other donors to join us in providing additional assistance to meet the needs of the Rohingya refugees.   We also urge the Government of Bangladesh to allow the Rohingya population to engage in more sustainable livelihood-building activities, enabling them to reduce their dependence on humanitarian aid,” said U.S. Ambassador Peter Haas. Bangladesh currently hosts nearly one million refugees, most of whom are ethnic Rohingya from Burma. The majority of these refugees are living in the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, as well as Bhasan Char, a silt island in the Bay of Bengal, and rely on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs. The United States is the leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in response to the Rohingya crisis.   Since August 2017, the U.S. has provided over $2 billion in response to this regional crisis, including more than $1.6 billion to assist Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh.