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‘Students won’t need jab proof to enter US’

Instead they will require a negative certificate of their COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to their departure….reports Asian Lite News

A senior US diplomat in India said that the mission is “actively working” to accommodate as many student visa applicants as possible in July and August, in order to facilitate their legitimate travel.

According to reports, Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs at the US embassy, Don Heflin, said that the US-bound students will not require any proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter the country.

Instead they will require a negative certificate of their COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours prior to their departure.

Meanwhile, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration Scott Gottlieb said that Covid-19 Delta variant is likely to become the dominant source of new infections in the US and could lead to new outbreaks by September.

US STUDENTS

“Right now, in the United States, it’s about 10 per cent of infections. It’s doubling every two weeks,” Gottlieb was quoted as saying on CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re going to see a sharp uptick in infections, but it does mean that this is going to take over. And I think the risk is really to the fall that this could spike a new epidemic heading into the fall,” he added, saying that the unvaccinated Americans could be most at risk.

ALSO READ: ‘Russia might be weaker than it seems’

According to new data, Delta variant could become the dominant strain in the US in just one week, the Daily Mail reported.

“When will B.1.617.2 (Delta) be the dominant variant in the US? Could be next week (or next 2 weeks) based on trends in our testing data & sequences available,” researcher Alexandre Bolze tweeted last week. Delta now makes up about 10 per cent of US cases, up from just one per cent less than a month ago, he noted.

More than 6 per cent of the sequenced Covid-19 infections in the US trace to the highly transmissible Delta variant, US top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci has warned last week.

The Delta variant (B16172) was first discovered in India and is one of three related strains. It was declared as variant of global concern last month by the World Health Organization (WHO).

It is 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha strain identified in the UK and also reduces the effectiveness of vaccines to some extent, according to Public Health England (PHE).

However, Gottlieb said the mRNA Covid-19 vaccines approved for use in the US appear to be effective at containing the Delta variant, highlighting the importance of the public vaccination campaign.

“The mRNA vaccine seems to be highly effective, two doses of that vaccine against this variant. The viral vector vaccines from J&J and AstraZeneca also appear to be effective, about 60 per cent effective. The mRNA vaccines are about 88 per cent effective,” he said, referring to the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech.

ALSO READ: Workers quitting jobs in US at highest rate in decades

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Workers quitting jobs in US at highest rate in decades

Citing data from the Labour Department, the report said that the share of US workers leaving jobs was 2.7 per cent in April, a jump from 1.6 per cent a year earlier to the highest level since at least 2000…reports Asian Lite News

More Americans are quitting their jobs than at any other time in at least two decades, which added challenges to companies trying to keep up with the economic recovery, a media report said.

“The wave of resignations marks a sharp turn from the darkest days of the pandemic, when many workers craved job security while weathering a national health and economic crisis,” Xinhua news agency quoted The Wall Street Journal report as saying on Sunday.

Citing data from the Labour Department, the report said that the share of US workers leaving jobs was 2.7 per cent in April, a jump from 1.6 per cent a year earlier to the highest level since at least 2000.

While a high quit rate stings employers with greater turnover costs, and in some cases, business disruptions, labor economists said churn typically signals a healthy labour market as individuals gravitate to jobs more suited to their skills, interests and personal lives, according to the report.

Several factors are driving the job turnover. Many people are spurning a return to business as usual, preferring the flexibility of remote work or reluctant to be in an office before the virus is vanquished, it said.

“Others are burned out from extra pandemic workloads and stress, while some are looking for higher pay to make up for a spouse’s job loss or used the past year to reconsider their career path and shift gears,” the report added.

ALSO READ: ‘Russia might be weaker than it seems’

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Biden looks to rebuild NATO shaken by Trump

European diplomats insist that confronting an emboldened Russia remains the priority for an alliance set up to counter the Soviet threat in the wake of World War II, reports Asian Lite News

President Joe Biden will seek to restore bonds of trust at NATO’s first post-Trump summit on Monday, as leaders push to revitalize the alliance despite differences over dangers ahead.

The allies will agree a statement stressing common ground on securing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, joint responses to cyberattacks and relations with a rising China.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump undermined faith in the West’s security architecture by questioning Washington’s commitment to defend European partners. And he clashed publicly with counterparts the last time leaders met in 2019, before abruptly heading home early.

In contrast, Biden has firmly reasserted American backing for the 72-year-old military alliance — and his administration has been making a show of consulting more with partners.

But there remain divisions among the allies on some key issues — including how to deal with China’s rise and how to increase common funding.

Partners are concerned about the rush to leave Afghanistan and some question the strategy of an alliance that French President Emmanuel Macron warns is undergoing “brain death.”

“We do not view NATO as a sort of a protection racket,” Biden said Sunday after a conciliatory G7 gathering in Britain.

“We believe that NATO is vital to our ability to maintain American security.”

He stressed the United States had a “sacred obligation” to the alliance and the principle of collective defense, promising he would “make the case: ‘We are back’, as well.”

The summit at NATO’s cavernous Brussels headquarters is set to greenlight a 2030 reform program.

The leaders will agree to rewrite the core “strategic concept” to face a world where cyberattacks, climate change, and new technologies pose new threats.

ALSO READ: Putin hopes Biden less impulsive than Trump

Looming large in the background is the scramble to complete NATO’s hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan after Biden surprised partners by ordering US troops home by September 11.

“I’m very confident that this summit will demonstrate the strong commitment by all NATO allies to our transatlantic bond. We have a unique opportunity to strengthen our alliance,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

G7 leaders along with leaders of guest nations pose for photograph during the G7 Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Picture by Andrew Parsons No 10 Downing Street

European diplomats insist that confronting an emboldened Russia remains the “number one” priority for an alliance set up to counter the Soviet threat in the wake of World War II.

Moscow’s 2014 seizure of Crimea gave renewed purpose to NATO and fellow leaders will be keen to sound Biden out ahead of his Wednesday meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On China, Biden is picking up from where Trump left off by getting NATO to start paying attention to Beijing and is pushing for the alliance to take a tougher line.

But National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, briefing reporters from Air Force One, played down how big a part this would play in the statement. “The language is not going to be inflammatory,” he said.

Many allies are wary of shifting too much attention away from NATO’s main Euro-Atlantic sphere.

“This is not about moving NATO into Asia, but it’s about taking into account the fact that China is coming closer to us,” said Stoltenberg.

He pointed to attempts by Beijing to control critical infrastructure in Europe, its moves in cyberspace and heavy spending on modern weapons systems.

“NATO has to be ready to respond to any threats from any direction,” he said.

As NATO looks to the future, it is putting one of its most significant chapters behind it by ending two-decades of military involvement in Afghanistan.

Allies are patching together plans to try to avert a collapse of Afghan forces when they leave and figuring out how to provide enough security for Western embassies to keep working.

Biden will discuss a Turkish offer to keep troops at Kabul airport, in a meeting with leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ankara has offered to secure the essential transport hub, but insists it would need American support.

Sullivan said the leaders would discuss how “our embassies can stay in a safe and secure way in Afghanistan, to be able to do all the things they definitely want to do, providing for the Afghan government and security forces, the people.”

But the US president is also set to push Erdogan on Turkey’s purchase of Russian missile defenses and human rights.

As part of a reform agenda over the next decade, Stoltenberg is pressing for allies to improve political cooperation.

But there have been disagreements over proposals for increased common funding for NATO, with France especially arguing it would distract from efforts by individual nations.

On that front Biden is expected to tone down Trump’s rhetoric, bashing allies for not spending enough.

But he will still push European allies and Canada to further boost defense budgets to reach a target of two percent of GDP.

Stoltenberg said allies are expected to sign off on a new cyber defense policy and to create a fund to help start-ups developing groundbreaking technology.

They could also rule for the first time that an attack on infrastructure in space — such as satellites — could trigger the bloc’s collective self-defense clause.

ALSO READ: Queen reminded me of my mother: Biden

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Queen reminded me of my mother: Biden

He told reporters that Queen Elizabeth II reminded him of his mother shortly after the two met at Windsor Castle on Sunday…reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden met Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

The US President took part in an Inspection of the Guard of Honor and then joined the queen and first lady to watch a military march.

Afterwards, the three went into the queen’s apartment for tea, The Hill noted.

Speaking on the tarmac of London Heathrow airport to reporters after his visit, Biden said the queen “was very gracious.”

He told reporters that Queen Elizabeth II reminded him of his mother shortly after the two met at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

“I do not think she’d be insulted but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity,” he said.

Biden said Queen Elizabeth II wanted to know more about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Biden is scheduled to meet with Putin in a bilateral summit in Switzerland after attending a NATO summit in Brussels.

Putin hopes Biden less impulsive than Trump

“I said, this is…, we could fit the White House in the courtyard,” Biden told reporters, referring to Windsor Castle.

He confirmed to reporters that he had invited her to the White House.

Biden has concluded the first leg of his first foreign visit. He participated in the Group of Seven summit in Cornwall county of South England.

He now heads next to Brussels to participate in Monday’s NATO summit. (ANI)

ALSO READ-G7 pledges over 1 bn vaccine doses to poor nations

READ MORE-G7 calls on Beijing to respect human rights

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US lawmakers introduce bills to curb powers of big tech firms

The bills, which mainly target the four giants, would require dominant platforms to prove their acquisitions are lawful….reports Asian Lite News

A bipartisan group of lawmakers in the US House of Representatives on Friday introduced a package of bills aimed at curbing the power of tech giants.

The move comes amid growing criticism that tech firms such as Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon, known collectively as GAFA, are undermining competition by taking advantage of their market dominance, reported NHK World.

In October last year, a House subcommittee released a report calling for stricter regulations on these firms, including the possibility of breaking them up.

The bills, which mainly target the four giants, would require dominant platforms to prove their acquisitions are lawful. They would also prohibit them from giving preference to their own products.

One lawmaker said the four firms have become too big to care, and that the bipartisan bills would rein in monopolistic practices and restore fairness and competition.

US media outlets are reporting the legislation could force the tech giants to overhaul their business models.

ALSO READ: FBI to treat ransomware incidents as terror attacks

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China, US diplomats clash over human rights, Covid-19 origin

Yang said China was “gravely concerned” over what he called “absurd” stories that the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab….reports Asian Lite News

Top US and Chinese diplomats appear to have had another sharply worded exchange, with Beijing saying it told the US to cease interfering in its internal affairs and accusing Washington of politicising the search for the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senior Chinese foreign policy advisor Yang Jiechi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call on Friday that revealed wide divisions in a number of contentious areas, including the curtailing of freedoms in Hong Kong and the mass detention of Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region.

Calls for a more thorough investigation into the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes Covid-19 are particularly sensitive for China because of suggestions that it might have have escaped from a laboratory in the central city of Wuhan, where cases were first discovered.

Yang said China was “gravely concerned” over what he called “absurd” stories that the virus escaped from the Wuhan lab.

China “firmly opposes any despicable acts that use the epidemic as an excuse to slander China and to shift blames,” Yang was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.

“Some people in the United States have fabricated and peddled absurd stories claiming Wuhan lab leak, which China is gravely concerned about,” Yang said.

“China urges the United States to respect facts and science, refrain from politicising Covid-19 origin tracing and concentrate on international anti-pandemic cooperation.” The State Department said Blinken “stressed the importance of cooperation and transparency regarding the origin of the virus, including the need for (World Health Organization) Phase 2 expert-led studies in China.”

The US and others have accused China of failing to provide the raw data and access to sites that would allow a more thorough investigation into where the virus sprung from and how it initially spread.

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Equally contentious were the issues of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Taiwan and accusations that China has arbitrarily detained two Canadian citizens in retaliation for Canada’s arrest of an executive of Chinese communications technology giant Huawei, who is wanted by the U.S. law enforcement.

The U.S. has “fabricated various lies about Xinjiang in an attempt to sabotage the stability and unity in Xinjiang, which confuse right and wrong and are extremely absurd. China is firmly opposed to such actions,” Yang said.

Wuhan Institute of Virology

“Hong Kong affairs are purely China’s internal affairs,” and those found in violation of a sweeping national security law imposed on the former British colony “must be punished,” Yang said.

Blinken, on the other hand, underscored the U.S. concern over the deterioration of democratic norms in Hong Kong and the ongoing “genocide and crimes against humanity against predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang,” the State Department said.

He also urged Beijing to ease pressure against Taiwan, the self-governing island democracy China claims as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.

According to Xinhua, Yang said Taiwan involves China’s “core interests” and that Beijing “firmly defends its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The tone of the phone call seemed to echo contentious talks in March in Alaska, when the sides traded sharp and unusually public barbs over vastly different views of each other and the world in their first face-to-face meeting since President Joe Biden took office.

At that meeting, the US accused the Chinese delegation of “grandstanding,” while Beijing fired back, saying there was a “strong smell of gunpowder and drama” that was entirely the fault of the Americans.

ALSO READ: Biden gives custom-made cycle to Johnson

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US is back under Biden, says Macron

Macron’s remark echoes that of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who hailed Biden on Thursday as “a big breath of fresh air”….reports Asian Lite News

The US is back as a cooperative leader of the free world under President Joe Biden, France’s Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday, illustrating the relief felt by many key US allies that the tumult of Donald Trump’s presidency is over.

Macron’s remark echoes that of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who hailed Biden on Thursday as “a big breath of fresh air”.

Neither Macron nor Johnson drew an explicit parallel between Biden and Trump, though both praised Biden’s distinctly cooperative tone and officials said there was relief after Trump at times shocked and bewildered many European allies.

Biden, asked by a reporter if America was back, turned to Macron and gestured with his Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses towards the French president that he should answer that question.

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron (Credit twitter @POTUS)

“Yes definitely,” Macron said. “It’s great to have a US President who’s part of the club and very willing to cooperate.”

“What you demonstrate is that leadership is partnership,” Macron told Biden as they sat on an outdoor terrace with a sweeping view of the turquoise sea behind them. Biden agreed. “The United States, I’ve said before, we’re back,” Biden said. “Things are going, I think, well, and we’re, as we say back in the States, we’re on the same page.”

Biden added that the United States felt very strongly about the cohesion of the NATO military alliance and expressed support for the European Union – the target of much criticism from Trump during his 2017-2021 presidency.

“I for one think that the European Union is an incredibly strong and vibrant entity, that has a lot to do with the ability of Western Europe not only to handle its economic issues but provide the backbone and support for NATO,” Biden said.

ALSO READ: Biden gives custom-made cycle to Johnson

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G7 leaders agree on efforts to combat climate crisis

G7-leaders-agree-on-efforts-to-combat-climate-crisis

The joint efforts by the US, UK, Canada and Germany will include a new collective commitment to provide up to $2 bn to support the work of the Climate Investments Funds, reports Asian Lite News

The Group of Seven (G7) leaders agreed to a set of concrete actions to accelerate the global transition away from coal generation as part of efforts to combat the climate crisis.

In a fact sheet, the White House stressed that confronting the climate crisis presents a historic opportunity to drive economic recovery, create millions of good-paying union jobs and build back better while investing in a more resilient, prosperous, equitable, and secure future.

“Recognizing that unabated coal power generation is the single biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions globally, and consistent with President Biden’s domestic leadership, G7 leaders will commit to an end to new direct government support for unabated international thermal coal power generation by the end of this year,” it said.

The joint efforts by the US, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany will include a new collective commitment to provide up to $2 billion to support the work of the Climate Investments Funds focused on accelerating the transition from coal for key developing countries while investing in technology, job training, and infrastructure to enable the transition to a more reliable and prosperous clean energy economy.

The world leaders are also launching the G7 Industrial Decarbonization Agenda, a first-of-its-kind platform to accelerate innovation, deploy decarbonisation technology and harmonise standards. They will also emphasise sectoral decarbonisation in power, transport, agriculture, and buildings.

ALSO READ: G7 to unveil global anti-pandemic action plan

The White House also informed that all G7 leaders, for the first time, will align their long-term and short-term climate goals in a manner consistent with keeping the 1.5 degrees celsius global warming threshold within reach.

The leaders will also resolve to strengthen adaptation and resilience to protect people from the impacts of climate change and to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, as well as to mobilise finance and leverage innovation to reach these goals. According to the White House, Biden is also advancing policies domestically that will achieve carbon-pollution free energy in electricity generation by 2035.

“These policies will support scale up of technology that captures carbon and then permanently sequesters or utilizes that captured carbon, which includes lowering the cost of carbon capture retrofits for existing power plants — all while ensuring that overburdened communities are protected from increases in cumulative pollution,” it said.

Earlier, G7 leaders also launched the ‘Build Back Better World’ (B3W) partnership for meeting the infrastructure needs of low and middle-income countries as parts of efforts to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

The scope of the initiative ranges from Latin America and the Caribbean to Africa to the Indo-Pacific.

ALSO READ: G7 To Counter China’s BRI

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Biden gives custom-made cycle to Johnson

: US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson meet in Britain

In return, Johnson gifted Biden a framed picture of a mural showing the US anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass….reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden gifted UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson a custom-made bicycle while they met for the ongoing G7 Leaders’ Summit in Carbis Bay, England.

According to a BBC report on Saturday, the bike was made by the Philadelphia-based Bilenky Cycle Works, a business with a staff of four who usually take up to 18 months to make a machine.

The US State Department has contacted the company’s owner, Stephen Bilenky, on May 23 about designing the cycle with a matching helmet, the BBC quoted the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper as saying in a report.

Pic credit:Bilenky Cycle Works
ALSO READ: Russia warned in Biden’s first speech in UK

It newspaper report added that “the budget was just $1,500, a third of the minimum price the firm charges”.

As they met for the very first time on Friday just ahead of the formal opening of the Summit, even Johnson gifted Biden a framed picture of a mural showing the US anti-slavery campaigner Frederick Douglass.

“The image of the former slave, who became a leading figure in the 19th-Century abolitionist movement, is part of Edinburgh’s mural trail,” said the BBC reported.

The three-day gathering, hosted by Johnson, will end on Sunday.

Climate change is the main topic of Sunday’s agenda as the leaders set out plans to cut carbon emissions and restore biodiversity

They will be addressed by renowned naturalist David Attenborough.

ALSO READ: Merkel to visit Biden at White House in July

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G7 To Counter China’s BRI

US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron (Credit twitter @POTUS)

The G7 leaders and their delegations were still negotiating the details of a communique expected to be released at the end of the summit, although it is unclear that the document will call out China by name, reports Asian Lite News

US President Joe Biden is pushing world leaders to call out China over allegations of forced labour in Xinjiang as the Group of Seven (G7) leaders prepare to unveil a global infrastructure plan meant to compete with Beijing.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Biden will join leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom for a session focused on China on the second day of the G7 summit. The main issue during the session will be how China has divided world leaders and Biden will be urging democratic nations to jointly confront Beijing and French President Emmanuel Macron calling for a more cautious approach.

The G7 leaders and their delegations were still negotiating the details of a communique expected to be released at the end of the summit, although it is unclear that the document will call out China by name.

“It’s an expression of our shared values to make clear what we won’t tolerate as the United States and as a G7, so we think it’s critical to call out the use of forced labour,” the official said.

ALSO READ – US Senate passes bill to counter China

This comes as human rights groups, along with leading countries, have alleged that Chinese authorities are committing genocide against ethnic Uyghur Muslims and using forced labour in the Xinjiang region. However, China has refuted these allegations, claiming to combat terrorism and improving livelihoods in Xinjiang.

G7 foreign ministers in a joint statement on May said: “In line with its obligations under international and national law, we call on China to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms.”

G7
Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a Bilateral with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel at the G7 Leaders Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

Under the current G7 summit theme ‘Build Back Better’, Biden administration officials said that the plan is to be an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a global infrastructure effort aimed at binding China more closely to the rest of the world, reported WSJ.

However, some European leaders have warned against antagonising China, arguing that it is counterproductive and could complicate their efforts to seek Beijing’s cooperation on issues like climate change, trade and finance.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration officials said they were not trying to make China the overriding issue at the summit, according to WSJ.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a Bilateral with the Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel at the G7 Leaders Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

“This is not just about confronting or taking on China; this is about providing a positive, affirmative vision for the world,” the official said.

The G7 summit began formally on Friday as the leaders of the world’s most advanced economies gathered on the Cornish coast for the first time since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic.

The gathered nations will pledge to donate 1 billion COVID vaccine doses, with the US providing about half of those shots.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a Bilateral with the French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Leaders Summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall. Picture by Andrew Parsons / No 10 Downing Street

The G7 summit was shaping up to potentially be one of the most consequential in recent memory with a pandemic raging in much of the world, a global economy still in shock and threats rising from Russia and China, CNN reported.

Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family also met G7 leaders and their partners at a reception in Cornwall. (ANI)

ALSO READ – G7 to unveil global anti-pandemic action plan