The Biden administration began legal action Wednesday to repeal a Trump-era rule that ended federal protections for hundreds of thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways, leaving them more vulnerable to pollution from development, industry and farms.The rule — sometimes referred to as “waters of the United States” or WOTUS — narrowed the types of waterways that qualify for federal protection under the Clean Water Act. It was one of hundreds of rollbacks of environmental and public health regulations under former President Donald Trump, who said the rules imposed unnecessary burdens on business.The Trump-era rule, finalized last year, was…
Author: Mike Harrison
Canada on Wednesday took a cautious first step toward easing Covid-19 border restrictions, saying it was prepared to relax quarantine protocols for fully vaccinated citizens returning home starting in early July.Canada’s air and land borders have allowed for only essential travel since March of last year, and Canadians coming home are currently required to quarantine for 14 days. If they arrive by air, they also must stay in a designated hotel until they receive a negative Covid-19 test.”The first step … is to allow fully vaccinated individuals currently permitted to enter Canada to do so without the requirement to stay…
(Photo : Pixabay/Webster2703) Instagram tool monetization Instagram and Facebook launch their first-ever Creator Week. It is a three-day event that is geared toward digital creators, complete with virtual DJ sets and panels on Algorithm Mythbusting and raising money for nonprofit organizations that the creators support. Instagram Creator Week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made an announcement during the first day of the event and introduced new ways for creators to make money. In the next couple of months, Instagram will start testing an affiliate tool that allows creators to recommend products available on checkout, share them with their followers, and earn commissions…
US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold their June 16 summit in an 18th-century Swiss villa overlooking Lake Geneva, a soothing setting for what promises to be heated talks.Bitter disputes over election interference, cyber attacks, human rights and Ukraine hang over their first face-to-face meeting since Biden took office on Jan 20.Strategic nuclear stability and regional conflicts will be on the table. Biden, who is due to arrive in Britain on Wednesday at the start of his first trip abroad as president, has said he would press Putin to respect human rights.Putin said last…
Gurjit Singh Bhandal and Gurmit Singh, two British nationals said to be involved in the alleged abduction of Mehul Choksi from Antigua and Barbuda on May 23, have claimed in an interview with a Caribbean website – Writeups24 – that they had no role in the fugitive’s disappearance. The duo also denied knowing any Barbara Jarabica, a female friend of Choksi who he alleged was also behind his abduction. Choksi, in his complaint filed before the Antiguan Royal Police force on June 3, has named one Gurmit Singh as one of his kidnappers. Bhandal and Gurmit Singh have also been…
The US will buy 500 million more doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to share through the global COVAX alliance for donation to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year, a person familiar with the matter said Wednesday.President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement Thursday in a speech before the start of the Group of Seven summit. Two hundred million doses — enough to fully protect 100 million people — would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022, the person said.National security adviser Jake…
US President Joe Biden and his Chief Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci have warned that the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus is highly infectious, which is now the dominant strain in the United Kingdom, spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old.The Delta variant of Covid-19, or the B1.617.2 was first detected in India in October and has spread to 62 countries, the World Health Organisation said recently.”Folks, the Delta variant – a highly infectious Covid-19 strain – is spreading rapidly among young people between 12 and 20 years old in the UK. If you’re young and…
Earlier, World Bank president David Malpass said the bank doesn’t support waiving IPR for Covid-19 vaccines, out of concern that it would hamper innovation in the pharma sector. Agencies | , Geneva PUBLISHED ON JUN 10, 2021 12:02 AM IST WTO members have taken a small step towards a deal aimed at boosting Covid vaccine production through patent waivers or compulsory licensing deals. The WTO has struggled to move forward on the issue as all decisions must be reached by consensus of all 164 member states. But on Wednesday, countries backed launching a process towards drafting a deal, a trade…
Google is not going to be outdone by Apple and its 2021 WWDC, launching a second early look into their upcoming Android 12 OS. Yahoo reports that Google just launched the second public beta for Android 12, bringing with it a lot of the features previously announced in this year’s Google I/O keynote. The beta is slated to offer a good preview of a good number of functional changes expected to come to the operating system. (Photo : Soumyabrata Roy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)Android logo is seen displayed on a phone screen in this illustration photo taken in Tehatta, West Bengal,…
The US has initiated major steps to better address the security challenge from China, which has been called the “number one pacing challenge”, including steps to “streamline and strengthen” cooperation with allies especially in the Indo-Pacific.Secretary of defence Lloyd Austin announced these initiatives on Wednesday, based on the recommendations of the China Task Force, which was announced by President Joe Biden in February to provide a “baseline assessment” of existing steps and measures and to chalk up priorities.Based on the recommendations, most of which will remain classified, secretary Austin issued a directive initiating several major department-wide efforts to better address…