Floods in Delhi as South Asia monsoon toll rises to nearly 1,300

Heavy monsoon rains lashed New Delhi on Wednesday, inundating roads and piling on misery for commuters in the chaotic Indian capital, as the death toll from the annual deluge across South Asia rose to nearly 1,300. 
 The monsoon is vital to the densely populated region, revitalising land and waterways amid scorching summers. But it also causes widespread death and destruction. In New Delhi, commuters battled through knee-deep waters and cars and buses were submerged as torrential rains added to traffic woes in the city of 20 million. At a museum in Jaipur in the mostly desert state of Rajasthan, staff told AFP how they were forced to smash open a glass display case containing a 2,300 year-old Egyptian mummy in order to save it from rainwater flooding the ground floor.“The workers broke the glass of the box and took the mummy out” last Friday after water levels started rising, Albert Hall Museum's superintendent Rakesh Cholak said. “The case of the coffin got a little wet but we've put it out to dry too.” The torrid conditions in recent days also hit India's northern and eastern states. Across India, 847 people have died this season, the home ministry said. In the southwestern state of Kerala, the death toll from a single landslide rose to 61 on Wednesday, with nine people still missing, an official said. In India's poorest state Bihar, eight million people have been hit by the floods, with thousands of displaced people sleeping on embankments and highways amid a shortage of relief camps.
Sleeping on roads This year's rains have also come in the wake of the economic devastation wrought by the coronavirus pandemic, with the loss of crops across flood-affected areas a further blow to farmers and rural communities. In Bangladesh, 226 people have died so far with 40 per cent of the country underwater after torrential rain caused rivers to burst their banks and inundate villages. “In terms of duration it was the second-worst floods in the country's history,” said Arifuzzaman Bhuyan, the head of Bangladesh's Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre. More than six million people have had their homes damaged by the floods, and tens of thousands of villagers remain in shelters, an official from Bangladesh's disaster management ministry told AFP. Others are sleeping in shanties built on roads on higher ground, unable to return home to their submerged homes. In flood-hit Rupangar village outside the capital Dhaka, Shahanara Begum said she has been living on the road with her family for more than a month. “It seems like bad luck doesn't leave us. Wherever we go, floodwater follows us,” the 50-year-old told AFP on Wednesday. “It is very insecure to live on the road but we don't have a choice most of our food stocks and clothes are already ruined,” added 70-year-old Maya Saha. In Nepal, 218 people have died and 69 are missing from landslides and floods since mid-June when the monsoon began. In the latest incident early on Wednesday, six bodies were recovered and 11 people were missing after a flood swept away a remote settlement in a western district, an official said. Nepal's monsoon toll tops 200 for most years, but experts say this year's landslips have been particularly deadly due to the continuing after-effects of the massive 2015 earthquakes and more road construction in the country's Himalayan foothills.

UAE Israel agreement followed many years of discreet talks

 Secret talks and quiet ties that’s what paved the way for last week’s deal between the United Arab Emirates and Israel to normalise relations.

 Touted by US President Donald Trump as a major Mideast breakthrough, the agreement was in fact the culmination of more than a decade of quiet links rooted in frenzied opposition to Iran that predated Trump and even Barack Obama, as well as Trump’s avowed goal to undo his predecessor’s Middle East legacy. And the deal leaves behind what had been a cornerstone of US policy in the region: resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The effort to achieve that goal picked up speed 17 months ago at a US-led conference in Warsaw, according to officials involved. That February 2019 meeting, originally conceived as an anti-Iran gathering, morphed into a broader Mideast security endeavour after European objections to its agenda. Many countries opted not to send their top diplomats, and Russia, China and the Palestinians skipped it entirely. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended, however, as did the foreign ministers of key Arab states. At the summit, diplomats from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain spoke of the threat Iran posed to their security and its use of Shia proxies in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. They stressed that confronting Iran had become the top priority  ahead of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — in comments appearing in leaked video, whose authenticity was confirmed by a US official who attended the gathering. Netanyahu followed, echoing similar concerns. “Iran was very high on the agenda in Warsaw because Iran’s foreign policy is the biggest driver of instability in today’s Middle East,” the US special envoy for Iran, Brian Hook, told The Associated Press. Four months after the summit, a secret meeting between the UAE and Israel took place on June 17, 2019, in Washington. The trilateral focused on regional, cyber and maritime security, as well as diplomatic coordination and disrupting terror finance, according to a US official who participated but was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. More meetings followed in the US, Israel and the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, culminating in Thursday’s Trump announcement that his administration had brokered a deal between Israel and the UAE to establish diplomatic relations and exchange embassies. The UAE said Israel also agreed to halt its controversial plans to annex large areas of the occupied West Bank sought by the Palestinians. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, told White House reporters that discussions for the deal took place over the past year and a half. “Look, at the end of the day, it’s an inevitability, right?” Kushner said, adding later: “No Israeli has ever killed an Emirati, right? There’s not that hatred between the people.” To be sure, Israel and the UAE have never fought each other in war and do not share borders. Still, the agreement was far more warmly welcomed in Israel than the UAE, where the public has long viewed Israel with suspicion. But criticism has been muted, in part because of government suppression of free speech. The UAE, composed of seven emirates run by hereditary rulers led by Abu Dhabi, will be only the third Arab nation, after Egypt and Jordan, to have full ties with Israel. By doing so, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed laid a path for countries like Morocco, Bahrain, Oman or Sudan to potentially follow. There are many, though, who shun any Arab embrace of Israel. To the Palestinians, who say they had no prior notice of the deal, the UAE turned its back on the longstanding Arab consensus that recognition of Israel can only come after Israeli concessions in peace talks lead to the creation of a Palestinian state. “I think the UAE is least beholden to these old formulas of solidarity ... which gives them more strategic flexibility,” said Kristin Smith Diwan, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. “There’s no question that among the broader Arab and Gulf public, this will be a very unpopular move,” she said, adding that the agreement also leaves the UAE vulnerable to whatever decisions Israel makes in the future. For the UAE, however, the calculus to build relations with Israel carries a number of strategic advantages beyond countering Iran and suspending West Bank annexation. Through Israel, the UAE can build stronger ties with both Republicans and Democrats — a crucial hedge considering the uncertainty of Trump’s reelection chances against former Vice President Joe Biden in November’s US presidential elections. Another impetus was the perception among Arab Gulf states that US dependability had waned, from the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, to Trump’s unpredictability in foreign policy. Their views on the matter have been reflected in state-linked newspaper columns and in quiet grumbling at private gatherings. Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also barred by Congress from purchasing billions of dollars in US weapons due to the humanitarian toll of their war in Yemen, before Trump vetoed the measures. “Their first preference is to have the United States heavily involved in the Middle East as their primary ally. If they can’t get that, which ... under Trump they absolutely cannot, then they’re going for second best, and Israel is second best,” said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and now Mideast expert at the American Enterprise Institute. The Saudis and Emiratis want to build up military strength and want the US to give them more freedom of manoeuvre in places like Libya, Yemen and the Horn of Africa. With a stronger Emirati-Israeli alliance, “they can count on the Israelis to also make that case in Washington,” Pollack said. Hook argues it was the Trump administration’s aggressive Iran policy and decision to withdraw the US from the nuclear accord that helped seal the latest deal. “Israel and UAE felt betrayed by Obama’s Iran strategy. With us, they knew we stood with our allies and partners, and that trust was a critical factor in getting this peace agreement done,” said Hook, who was involved in the trilateral talks. At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has eroded vital oil and tourism revenue, the UAE will look to its ties with Israel to deepen trade links, security cooperation and technology sharing. Already, the UAE has deployed Israeli spyware against dissidents, according to a lawsuit brought against the company in Israel. UAE efforts to seek better ties with Israel as a means of improving its standing in Washington dates back to 2006, according to Sigurd Neubauer, author of the book “The Gulf Region and Israel: Old Struggles, New Alliances.” It began with a public-relations crisis over Dubai port operator DP World’s failed bid to manage major ports in the US. The longtime UAE ambassador to the US, Yousef Al-Otaiba, held his first meeting with an Israeli official in 2008 and a diplomatic channel was established to focus on Iran, Neubauer said. The relationship hit a snag in 2010 when the UAE accused Israeli Mossad operatives of assassinating Hamas figure Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in a Dubai hotel. Nearly a decade later, an Israeli minister stood in Abu Dhabi and sang her country’s national anthem at a judo competition, shook hands warmly with Emirati officials and toured the emirate’s grand mosque in a public spectacle of warming ties. In January, when Trump unveiled his Mideast plan  which was rejected by the Palestinians the ambassadors of the UAE, Bahrain and Oman attended the White House ceremony, which featured Netanyahu. Senior Emirati diplomat Anwar Gargash said the relationship with Israel grew “organically” over the last 15 years or so. “Through engagement with the Trump administration, the idea ... developed and percolated, and it was right to do it,” he said.

Elena Jane Top Singer Musician And Record Producer

THE GUARDIAN - Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding (born December 30, 1986) is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actresses from Kington, Herefordshire, England. His career began when he met record producer Starsmith and Frankmusik, and he was later discovered by Jamie Lillywhite, who later became his manager and A & R. Having signed a contract to Polydor Records in July 2009, Goulding released his debut extended playnya, An Introduction to Ellie Goulding, later that year. Date of Birth : 30 December 1986, Hereford, Herefordshire, England, UK Birth Name : Elena Jane Goulding Height : 5' 5" (1.65 m) In 2012, Goulding collaborated on the song "Fall into the Sky" from the debut album Clarity Zedd and Calvin Harris song
 "I Need Your Love" which was included on the album Halcyon and also Harris 18 Months. On July 10, 2012, Goulding released a cover of Active Childs song "Hanging On", featuring Tinie Tempah, as a free download on the page SoundCloudnya. In late July 2012, it was announced that the second album titled Goulding Halcyon and will be released on October 8, 2012. The album was preceded by the lead single "Anything Could Happen" on 21 August. Lyric video for "Anything Could Happen" aired on August 9, 2012, which consisted of a series of images submitted Instagram fans. On November 19, 2012, the music video for the second single from the Goulding Halcyon, titled "Figure 8" was released. The single was released digitally in the UK on December 12, 2012. This song was in the charts before it was released, and made its way into the Top 40 in the UK, peaking at number 33. wikipedia.org Goulding contributed a song called "Bittersweet" (produced by Skrillex) for the soundtrack of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, released on November 13, 2012. It was announced on February 12, 2013 that in May 2013 he will support Bruno Mars at Moonshine Jungle World tournya on the selected date. On May 20, 2013 Goulding announced he will begin his seventh tour in the UK during the month of October of that year. On May 28, 2013, Goulding sings of Alt-J "tessellate" released through SoundCloudnya page. Goulding was also reported to have filmed a video for the song was in Paris earlier that month. He claimed to "create a video for a song that is not in my album." June 2013 Goulding performed at previous festivals and concerts, including festivals Rockness in Inverness, Capital FM Summertime Ball and Firefly Music Festival at The Woodlands in Dover, Delaware. On July 2, 2013, Goulding debut song titled "You Are My Everything" in the first episode of Skins Fire and on the same day confirmed the magazine Elle Goulding Halcyon will be re-released later that year. On July 5, 2013, Digital Spy confirmed the release of Halcyon Days, repackaged edition of Halcyon, which was released on August 23, 2013. The re-release, featuring ten additional tracks, preceded by the single "Burn", which has been uploaded to the page [SoundCloud] ] Goulding previous day. On July 7, 2013, the official music video for "Burn" premiered on Vevo channel on YouTube Goulding. "Burn" became the first single top Goulding in "UK's Official Singles Chart". Ellie was performing at the V Festival Chelmsford when news of his first UK number rupture; Rita Ora surprising Ellie Official Number 1 Awardnya. On September 9, 2013, Goulding released a music video for "How Long Will I Love You" for the movie About Time. Goulding appeared on the soundtrack to the movie The Hunger Games: Catching Fire '' with the song "Mirror". On October 15, 2013, Goulding confirmed on Fearne Cotton's radio show that "How Long Will I Love You" will be the next single for the BBC's Children in Need. google.com On the same day, the song Active Child "Silhouette", where Goulding also collaborated, was also released. On October 28, 2013, Goulding posted an alternative video "How Long Will I Love You" on his VEVO channel for short films Tom & Issy, where he was also to star. On a recent episode of The X Factor on December 14, Goulding performing a duet with finalist Luke Friend. On January 5, 2014, Goulding debut music video for the song "Goodness Gracious" on his Vevo channel, then confirmed that he will release a sixth single from Halcyon Days. On January 22, 2014, Goulding confirmed via his Facebook page that he had contributed the song "Beating Heart" for the movie soundtrack Divergent, based on "Divergent" novel of the same title by Veronica Roth. On February 3, 2014, Goulding released a cover of the song James Blake "Life Round Here" featuring rapper Angel Haze through SoundCloudnya page. On February 19, 2014, Goulding won the Best British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards.
 

Taylor Swift Top Singer And Actress On The World

Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Raised in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at the age of 14 to pursue a career in country music. She signed with the independent label Big Machine Records and became the youngest songwriter ever hired by the Sony/ATV Music publishing house. The young singer and also full of extraordinary talent that Taylor Swift seems to have now become the most popular singers in the world after his studies he successfully released an album that contains a lot of songs that are very good for us to listen. Of course we all do not deny that a Taylor Swift is able to achieve popularity is so immense in his age were still relatively very young once and in 2014 it was again Taylor Swift merilsia his latest album which will make him become increasingly popular. Taylor Swift was born on December 13, 1989 include the singer who already has the blood of music since she was a teenager and talents had successfully sharpened very well at all up to be like today. 2004 will be a year that will never be forgotten by Taylor Swift in her career where in the Taylor Swift officially began his career in music and soon his first album was released and the career of Taylor Swift began until now. Of course, the success of which is owned by Taylor Swift is not achieved easily because it takes hard work is so immense and consistency in every appearance so that he can reach the international level. Taylor Swift musically more displays pop music genre and also this country where we can know from the many songs sung by Taylor Swift in each of his appearances. Besides having a very good voice we see also that Taylor Swift has another bakt are very adept at playing various musical instruments such as guitar, piano and ukelele that will make his appearance becomes more perfect course.