India's Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Friday once again urged agitating farmers to end the deadlock over the recently-passed farm laws, asserting that he is hopeful of a resolution. This comes as farmer leaders have threatened to intensify the ongoing protests until the three controversial laws are repealed. Major cities of northern India were covered in a thick blanket of fog on Friday, aided by hazardous air quality. Several other states continue to face two public health emergencies simultaneously: polluted air and the pandemic. The dual-threat is particularly pronounced in the Indian capital New Delhi, where the annual spike in winter pollution levels has come amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz vice president Maryam Nawaz has appealed to citizens of Lahore to attend the upcoming December 13 rally of opposition's 11-party alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement, telling them that the time has come to "get rid of the incumbent government once and for all." U.S. Ambassador Samuel Brownback has claimed that Pakistan is marketing women from Hindu and Christian religious minorities as "concubines" and "forced brides" to China. He cited this as one of the reasons for recent labeling of Pakistan as a country of particular concern under the International Religious Freedom Act. At the Heart of Asia Society’s 7th session on Thursday, Taliban’s deputy leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said the group has the will to solve Afghanistan's conflict through negotiations.
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