Native American activists have long objected to honoring Columbus, saying that his expeditions to the Americas led to the colonization and genocide of their ancestors.
A group of protesters pulled down a statue of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on Thursday, the latest U.S. monument to be torn down amid nationwide demonstrations against police brutality and racial inequalities.
The 10-foot bronze statue was pulled from its granite base by several dozen people led by a Minnesota-based Native American activist outside the state Capitol, documented by news photographers and television camera operators.
“It was the right thing to do and it was the right time to do it,” the activist, Mike Forcia, told Reuters in apparent reference to more than two weeks of protests over the May 25 death of a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer.
Native American activists have long objected to honoring Columbus, saying that his expeditions to the Americas led to the colonization and genocide of their ancestors.
Forcia said he was advised by a Minnesota state trooper that he could expect to be arrested in the coming days and charged with criminal destruction. A city crew removed the statue, which was broken at the base.
According to a website for the Capitol, the monument was created by sculptor Carlo Brioschi and dedicated in 1931 as a gift to the city from Italian-Americans in Minnesota.
On Tuesday, a monument to Columbus erected in Richmond, Virginia, in 1927 was vandalized and thrown into a lake. In the early hours of Wednesday in Boston, the head of a statue of the explorer was removed and broken.
In Washington, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged Congress on Wednesday to remove from the U.S. Capitol 11 statues representing Confederate leaders and soldiers from the Civil War.
The man – who is black – was delivering an Amazon package when the patrol officer asked: ‘Why are you on the wrong side of the road? You’re not Post Office’
The driver told the Michigan cop – who is white – that he was delivering to a local
But the cop asked for his licence and when the courier tried to reason with him, it turned physical
Video shows the officer pinning him to the ground and half a dozen other cops arriving for backup. More cops arrived as he was taken into custody
The Mayor of Warren – who is against defunding the police – initially said the cops should be fired but later changed his statement at the request of the department
Police have recommended felony charges of resisting arrest, failure to obey a lawful command, and failure to provide a driver’s license, against the driver
A witness described the incident as ‘ridiculous for one little kid that was the size of me’
An Amazon delivery driver has been pinned to the ground and arrested after he parked the wrong way while dropping off a package in Michigan.
The driver – who is black – had taken the box to a resident in Warren on Tuesday when confronted by a patrol officer – who is white – about the parking offense.
The officer asked to see the man’s license but after the worker tried to reason with him, the cop pinned him to the ground.
‘Hey I’m getting my license!’ the Amazon employee is heard yelling before the cop makes the first contact.null
An Amazon delivery driver in Michigan was pinned to the ground and arrested by several officers after he tried to reason with an officer over a parking offense
Cops take him away
The man – who is black – was delivering an Amazon package when the patrol officer asked: ‘Why are you on the wrong side of the road? You’re not Post Office’. They are pictured to the right of the delivery truck
Dashcam footage shows the cop saying to the delivery man: ‘Why are you on the wrong side of the road? You’re not Post Office, you don’t drive on the wrong side of the road.’
The pair disagree about whether the Amazon delivery service can be treated the same way as the postal service.
‘You gonna give me a ticket for this bulls**t?’ the driver asks the patrol officer.
‘I’m going to give you a whole lot more if you don’t get your license out,’ the patrol officer responds.
In a video filmed by a neighbor, the worker is seen trying to reason with the cop, telling him: ‘I delivered to her.’
‘I can attest to it, he put the box in my hand,’ witness Diana Gouim told Fox 2.
‘You gonna give me a ticket for this bulls**t?’ the driver asks the patrol officer. ‘I’m going to give you a whole lot more if you don’t get your license out,’ the patrol officer responds
‘I can attest to it, he put the box in my hand,’ witness Diana Gouim told Fox 2 about the driver’s efforts to deliver her package. ‘From when my sister walked in the house and then walked back out, the cop had him on the ground and cuffed and was calling for back-up,’ Gouim’s brother Jim Michael told Fox 2
Another witness described the incident as ‘ridiculous for one little kid that was the size of me’
‘And he was so polite to my neighbor, he offered to put it on the chair for her because it was heavy,’ Geri Cheatham, another resident of the 11,300 block of Engleman said about the 2pm incident. ‘It was ridiculous for one little kid that was the size of me.’
A witness recording one of the videos of the man on the ground said at least seven officers were at the scene and more were arriving as he was taken into custody and police checked his truck.
‘From when my sister walked in the house and then walked back out, the cop had him on the ground and cuffed and was calling for back-up,’ Jim Michael told Fox 2.
‘We, several of the neighbors, spoke with the officer saying the kid hasn’t done anything and the cop was like well, ‘He was parked the wrong way.”
Police say the officer asked 11 times for the delivery driver to take out his license.
Now police have recommended felony charges of resisting arrest, failure to obey a lawful command, and failure to provide a driver’s license, against the Amazon worker.
Cheatham added about the man’s struggle with the officer: ‘He was scared. He was scared. I don’t blame him. It could have gotten out of control totally.’
Amazon is now looking into the incident and wants to support the driver.
‘We see what others see in this video, and it’s unacceptable,’ Deborah Bass, an Amazon spokesperson, said in a statement. ‘We expect a swift investigation and full accountability for those involved. Amazon will deploy all necessary resources to investigate the matter with our Delivery Service Provider, as well as to represent and support the driver.’
The clip has been viewed over 6,000 times and Warren Mayor Jim Fouts called for officer to be fired in his initial Facebook post. However he later deleted it and put up a new statement.
Amazon is now looking into the incident and wants to support the delivery driver involved
‘The previous post regarding an altercation was taken down at the request of the Warren Police Commissioner. I await further details based upon additional information,’ Fouts said. ‘I received several phone calls earlier regarding this incident requiring me to make a statement that any type of aggressive behavior is not tolerated. I was upset that one individual could possibly besmirch the fine reputation of Warren police officers.’
The day before the incident, Fouts had posted on Facebook that defunding police was a ‘no go’ in the wake of George Floyd’s death and subsequent protests around the country against police brutality and injustice in the African American communities.
‘This is a bad idea because we have an outstanding police department under Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer.’ Fouts had written on Facebook. ‘Warren Police Officers receive training in A)De-escalation B)Cultural Diversity C)Proper use of force techniques D)Proper decision making and use of lethal force.’
Commissioner Dwyer said in a press conference on Wednesday that the cops probably could’ve let him off with a warning if he had didn’t argue back. But he refused to answer whether the officer should have continued the arrest after the worker agreed to hand over his ID.
Warren Mayor Jim Fouts called for officer to be fired in his initial Facebook post. However he later deleted it and put up a new statement (above)
The day before the incident, Fouts had posted on Facebook that defunding police was a ‘no go’ in the wake of George Floyd’s death and subsequent protests
Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli on Wednesday claimed that 85 per cent of the people tested positive for coronavirus in the country are those who returned from India.
His claim comes in midst of a raging boundary row between the two countries with India sternly asking Nepal not to resort to any “artificial enlargement” of territorial claims after the Kathmandu released a new political map laying claim over Lipulekh, Kalapani and Limpiyadhura.
Nepal has recorded 279 new cases of the coronavirus infection on Wednesday, taking the country’s COVID-19 tally to 4,364. At least 15 people have died due to the disease, according to the health ministry. Province No. 2 situated in southern Nepal bordering India has highest number of cases.
The Oli government is facing criticism from various quarters over its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to critics, despite the over two-month-long lockdown, the coronavirus infections and deaths are increasing in the country. Thousands of people are kept in quarantine facilities near Indo-Nepal border areas. However, those quarantine centres are becoming COVID-19 hotspots due to lack of basic sanitation facilities.
“Eighty-five per cent of the people who tested positive for coronavirus in Nepal are those who returned from India,” Mr. Oli told Parliament while responding to questions by lawmakers.
Mr. Oli said that with the start of the movement of people from India, the number of coronavirus cases doubled in just one month in Nepal.
In April-May, only 7,400 Nepalese had come from India. However, in May-June, 222,000 people returned from India, he said, adding that now every day 7- 8,000 people are coming back from India.
“As a large number of people returned from India, which was beyond our expectation, we could not manage them well. Now the number of infected people has crossed 4,000,” the prime minister said.
He said many people returned from India on jam packed trains and buses and several of them might have contracted the virus during their travel.
Mr. Oli said 14,454 Nepalese abroad have contracted the virus and 127 died in 13 countries due to the infection.
The ties between India and Nepal came under strain after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a 80-km-long strategically crucial road connecting the Lipulekh pass with Dharchula in Uttarakhand on May 8.
Nepal reacted sharply to the inauguration of the road claiming that it passed through Nepalese territory. India rejected the claim asserting that the road lies completely within its territory.
Mr. Oli said the death toll from the coronavirus is very low in the country. He attributed it to Nepalese people’s strong immunity system due to their food habits and the good treatment facility provided by his government. He said the government has taken “effective” measures to contain the spread of the deadly virus.
“We have increased our facility to 5,000 coronavirus tests per day. 1,06,000 tests have been conducted so far. Besides, the government has allocated 45 dedicated hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients. At the local level, 3,000 health workers have been deployed to collect swab and conduct coronavirus tests. As many as 3,200 health workers have been assigned for contract tracing across the country,” he said.
The government has created 3,767 quarantine facilities with the capacity to accommodate 2,35,500 people. Over 11,000 health workers have been deployed in these facilities. A total of 53,000 women health volunteers have been deployed for generating awareness about coronavirus across the country, the prime minister noted.
Foreign Office in Islamabad claimed that India has so far this year committed 1,296 ceasefire violations, resulting in seven deaths and serious injuries to 98 civilians.
Pakistan on Wednesday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register its protest over the alleged ceasefire violations by the “Indian forces” along the Line of Control (LoC).
The Foreign Office in Islamabad said that four civilians were injured due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by India in Jandrot sector on June 9.
The Indian forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons, it said.
The FO claimed that India has so far this year committed 1,296 ceasefire violations, resulting in seven deaths and serious injuries to 98 civilians.
It said that the violations are a threat to the regional peace and security.
The FO said that India was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
India maintains that the UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC.
Dispute began after India’s inauguration of a Himalayan road that lies at a three-way junction with Tibet and China.
Nepal’s foreign minister says his country was still waiting for a response from India on holding talks to resolve a border dispute that has strained relations between the South Asian neighbours.
Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali told The Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday that requests to talk were made in November and December last year, and again in May.
“We have expressed time and again that Nepal wants to sit at the table to resolve this problem,” Gyawali said.
Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali says requests for talks with India were made in November and December last year, and again in May [Getty Images]
“We are waiting for formal negotiations so that these two countries with … a very unique type of partnership can develop a more inspiring relationship that reflects the requirements of the 21st century.”
The latest border dispute between the countries began over India’s inauguration last month of a Himalayan link road built in a disputed region that lies at a strategic three-way junction with Tibet and China.
The 80-km (50-mile) road, inaugurated by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, cuts through the Lipulekh Himalayan pass, considered one of the shortest and most feasible trade routes between India and China.
Nepal fiercely contested the inauguration of the road and viewed the alleged incursion as a stark example of bullying by its much larger neighbour, triggering a fresh dispute over the strategically important territory.
The government of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli issued a new political map of Nepal that showed the disputed territory within its borders.
A view of Nepal’s updated map released by Minister for Land Management Padma Aryal last month [File: Prabin Ranabhat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images]
Bill to update map in Nepal Parliament A report in Nepal’s The Kathmandu Post newspaper on Tuesday said the Oli government had introduced a constitutional amendment bill in Parliament to secure approval for the new map.
The report said the bill was welcomed by opposition legislators too, who said the map incorporated land that belongs to Nepal.
Nepal, which was never under colonial rule, has long claimed the areas of Limpiyadhura, Kalapani and Lipulekh in accordance with the 1816 Sugauli treaty with the British Raj, although these areas have remained under the control of Indian troops since India fought a war with China in 1962.
There have been reports that India does not want to hold negotiations with Nepal until its coronavirus outbreak is brought under control. Nepal, however, wants the talks soon.
“If the coronavirus is an obstacle for not being able to hold diplomatic dialogue soon, it should have been an obstacle for the inauguration of the link road as well,” Gyawali said.
“But if the coronavirus did not create any problem to the inauguration, that means there are some controversies, there are some paradoxes.”
The dispute over the territory drove a new wedge between the two nations, leading to an exchange of strong-worded statements and remarks from both sides.
“There is no any alternative to dialogue and friendly talk, and talk not just for formality, but with commitment to solve the problem and to develop such an environment where both countries can prosper together, where both countries can journey together towards a prosperous region of South Asia,” Gyawali said.
It’s really very difficult to understand a woman – actually it’s not she but he who is confused – Amit Abraham
Following is an incident which happened in UAE where a Wife sought divorce because husband loves her a lot, doesn’t argue with her…
If one argument could save a marriage, this is it. But the fawning husband cooked, cleaned, swept and loved his wife passionately. Completely. She in turn felt choked by his affection and now wants to divorce him.
The woman sought divorce from her husband at the Shariah court in Fujairah because his love was too much for her to bear.
“He never yelled at me or turned me down,” the woman, a Gulf national, told the court.
“I was choked by extreme love and affection. He even helped me clean the house.”
He sometimes cooked for her and there were no disputes in their year-long marriage, she said.
The wife complained that her life turned “hell” because the man was so kind to her.
“I long for one day of dispute, but this seems impossible with my romantic husband who always forgave me and showered me with gifts.
“I need a real discussion, even an argument, not this hassle-free life of obedience.”
The husband said he did nothing wrong. “I wish to be a perfect and kind husband,” he said.
She once complained about his weight, so he went on a strict diet and exercised to get back in shape, only to suffer a fracture in the leg for his efforts.
The husband asked the court to advise his wife to withdraw the case.
“It’s not fair to judge a marriage from the first year, and everybody learns from their mistakes.”
The court ordered the adjournment of the case to give the couple a chance at reconciliation.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Kashmir Today and Kashmir Today does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
The defacement of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue by unknown miscreants was a “disgrace , U.S. President Donald Trump has said, days after it was vandalised with graffiti and spray painting during the nationwide protests against the custodial killing of African-American George Floyd.
Mahatma Gandhi’s statue outside the Indian Embassy in Washington DC covered after it was desecrated by protesters. (Source: Twitter/@ANI)
The statue, which is across the road from the Indian Embassy, was vandalised on the intervening night of June 2 and 3, prompting the Indian embassy to register a complaint with the local law enforcement agencies.
The incident happened during the week of nationwide protests against the custodial killing of Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
It was a disgrace, Mr.Trump made the brief comment at the White House on Monday when asked about the incident.
The Indian Embassy here has taken up the matter with the U.S. Department of State for early investigation into the matter, as also with the Metropolitan Police and National Park Service.
It is working with the US Department of State, Metropolitan Police and National Park Service for expeditious restoration of the statue at the park.
The U.S. President and First Lady Melania Trump, during their visit to India in February, had spent considerable time at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally given them a tour of the historic place.
“The First Lady and I have just had a pleasure of visiting Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram, a few miles from here, where he launched the famous Salt March, “ Mr. Trump had said during his address at the Namaste Trump rally at the Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad on February 24. A day later, Trump and the first lady also laid a wreath at Raj Ghat in New Delhi.
Pictures of Mr. Trump and the first lady with Gandhi’s spinning wheel during their visit to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad are seen hanging on the walls of the White House.
“Very disappointing, tweeted Kimberly Guilfoyle, advisor to Donald J Trump for President Inc. and National Chair of the Trump Victory Finance Committees.
North Carolina Senator Tom Tillis said, “It’s disgraceful to see the defacing of the Gandhi statue” in Washington DC.
Gandhi was a pioneer of peaceful protesting, demonstrating the great change it can bring. Rioting, looting and vandalising do not bring us together, he said.
‘Legitimate protests hijacked’
Senator Marco Rubio said, more evidence that violent radicals and run of the mill crazies have hijacked legitimate protests to create anarchy or for their own purposes.
Protests against the custodial killing of Floyd turned violent in the U.S. and prestigious monuments were damaged. In Washington DC, protestors burnt a historic church and damaged monuments like the Lincoln Memorial.
US Ambassador to India Ken Juster apologised for the incident.
“So sorry to see the desecration of the Gandhi statue in Wash, DC. Please accept our sincere apologies, he said.
Appalled as well by the horrific death of George Floyd and the awful violence and vandalism. We stand against prejudice & discrimination of any type. We will recover and be better,” he said in a tweet last week.
One of the few statues of a foreign leader on a federal land in Washington DC, the statue of Gandhi was dedicated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the presence of the then U.S. president Bill Clinton on September 16, 2000, during his state visit to the US.
Scammers target Australians by calling them for one ring and then hanging up
When people call the number back their money instantly starts getting fleeced
Scamwatch has already received 19 reports of scams from unsuspecting Aussies
Police warned against picking up calls from unknown international numbers
Unsuspecting Australians are being warned about a phone scam that swindles thousands of dollars from them.
The scammers target people by calling them on an international number for one ring and then hanging up.
When people call the number back, their money automatically starts getting fleeced by the fraudsters.
Last week Scamwatch received 19 reports of ‘Wangiri’ scams – missed calls from international numbers that charge a premium rate if you ring the number back. nullabout:blankabout:blank
‘In this latest version the scammer sometimes says ‘Hello’ before hanging up. Just don’t call back!,’ the government agency warned.
The scammers target people by calling them on an international number for one ring and then hanging up
‘The scammers rely on you calling the number back in order to charge you a premium rate.
‘The longer the scammers can keep you on the phone the more you are charged for the call. They may even put you on hold, play music or read a horoscope.’
A number of Facebook users commented saying they’ve received suspicious calls this past week, particularly from Tunisia in northern Africa
Scamwatch said that because the call operates as a 1900 number or premium mobile service, a large percentage of the call charge is passed onto the scammer by by the person’s service provider.
‘If you receive an unexpected missed call from an international number you don’t recognise, ignore it,’ Scamwatch said.
‘If you are receiving repeated missed calls, block the number.’
NSW Police warned against picking up unknown numbers from international callers, or ringing them back.
‘Had a call from an unfamiliar international number? Don’t answer or ring back – it could be a scam that’ll cost you a small fortune,’ it warned on their Facebook page.
A number of Facebook users commented saying they’ve received suspicious calls this past week, particularly from Tunisia in northern Africa.
‘Guess the explains the three calls from Tunisia I’ve received the last few days that only rang for 3 seconds. Two different numbers, both blocked immediately,’ one comment read.
‘I’ve had plenty in the past. Most recent only a couple of days ago from Tunisia. I always ignore the call & then block the number,’ read another.
‘Tunisia is a regular caller for me – unanswered of course,’ a person said.
‘I keep getting calls from Tunisia. Don’t answer and block number. A few hours later again Tunisia from a different number. I have already blocked three numbers.
Geneva: The World Health Organization said Monday that the coronavirus pandemic situation was worsening around the globe, as it warned against complacency.
The WHO said it had recorded its highest daily tally of new infections, with COVID-19 raging in the Americas.
And as mass protests for racial justice sweep across the United States and beyond, the United Nations’ health agency urged anyone demonstrating to do so safely.
The novel coronavirus has killed more than 403,000 people out of at least seven million infected since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.
After East Asia, Europe became the epicentre of the disease, but has now been overtaken by the Americas.
“Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva.
“More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days. Yesterday, more than 136,000 cases were reported — the most in a single day so far.
He said that almost 75 percent of Sunday’s cases came from 10 countries — mostly in the Americas and South Asia.
Protest ‘safely’
Tedros said that in countries where the situation was improving, “the biggest threat is now complacency”, adding that “most people globally are still susceptible to infection”.
“More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” he said.
Turning to the wave of protests sparked by killing of George Floyd on May 25, Tedros encouraged active surveillance of the virus to ensure it does not rebound, especially in the context of mass gatherings.
“WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds,” he said.
“We encourage all those protesting around the world to do so safely.
“As much as possible, keep at least one metre from others, clean your hands, cover your cough and wear a mask if you attend a protest.”
“Stay home if you are sick and contact a health care provider,” he added.
Quarantine protesters?
The WHO has continually stressed the importance of tracing those who may have come into sustained, close contact with an infected person.
The WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said someone who had been at a mass protest did not necessarily meet the technical definition of a contact.
“It comes back down to local public health analysis and local risk management,” he said.
“There may be situations with mass gatherings where local public health officials, on the basis of an abundance of caution, could advise people either to quarantine or to get tested.”
Ryan added: “We would hope that in any mass gathering now… people who have had now four to five months to really internalise, that someone who is unwell… should really be at home and not engaged in any public activity.
“But we would always defer to national and sub-national authorities if they wish and need to take necessary public health actions that are based on risk assessment, that are based on scientific evidence.”
Tedros meanwhile said that the WHO had so far shipped more than five million items of personal protective equipment to 110 countries.
The global health body aims to ship more than 129 million items of PPE to 126 nations. (AFP)
Tehran: An Iranian doctor based in Florida returned to his homeland Monday after being part of a swap that saw a U.S. Navy veteran held by Iran return to America.
The semiofficial Fars news agency published an image of Matteo Taerri being greeted at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport by Foreign Ministry officials and his family. The agency and state television identified Taerri by his Persian name, Majid.
Taerri, a dermatologist, had been charged with attempting to export a filter to Iran that he said was for vaccine research but that U.S. authorities said required a license because it could be used for chemical and biological warfare purposes.
He was also accused of structuring a series of bank deposits below 10,000 to evade reporting requirements under federal law.
He pleaded guilty late last year and has already served months behind bars. But in April, he was permitted to be free on bond after the Justice Department withdrew its request to have him detained, citing what it said were significant foreign policy interests.
Fars quoted Taerri as calling his charges futile and unfair. Taerri reportedly said he tried to send the filter to Iran to help scientists at Tehran University manufacture a cancer vaccine, without elaborating.
Iran allowed Michael White, of Imperial Beach, California, to leave the country Thursday. He was detained in July 2018 while visiting a girlfriend in Iran. He was convicted of insulting Iran’s supreme leader and posting private information online.
White was released from prison in March on a medical furlough that required him to remain in the country in the care of the Swiss Embassy in Tehran, which represents America’s interests in Iran.
Earlier last week, an Iranian scientist named Sirous Asgari separately returned to Tehran after being acquitted in a federal trade secrets case and deported.
Asgari’s departure had been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, and his supporters say the scientist contracted the virus while being held.
The White-Taerri swap comes after months of quiet diplomacy, even as the U.S. under President Donald Trump continues a maximum-pressure campaign targeting Iran after unilaterally withdrawing from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in May 2018.
The two countries had been locked in a series of escalating incidents, including the U.S. drone strike killing an Iranian general in Baghdad and an Iranian ballistic missile attack targeting American troops in Iraq.
Other Westerns and Iranians with ties abroad have been detained by authorities in the country, likely to be used as bargaining chips in negotiations.
Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, on hand for the airport ceremony, said Iran had mobilized its potential to release other Iranians in the U.S., without elaborating.
![Nepal's Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali says requests for talks with India were made in November and December last year, and again in May [Getty Images]](https://www.aljazeera.com/mritems/imagecache/mbdxxlarge/mritems/Images/2020/6/9/c1cba46b28fe4d55bc9a6487ba8cd38b_18.jpg "Nepal calls for border talks with India as row over map deepens")
