The decision is likely to draw criticism from conservative lawmakers and many in the pro-Israel community The Biden administration is set to announce this week that it will reengage with the much-maligned U.N. Human Rights Council that former President Donald Trump withdrew from almost three years ago, U.S. officials said Sunday. The decision reverses another Trump-era move away from multilateral organizations and agreements.U..S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken and a senior U.S. diplomat in Geneva will announce on Monday that Washington will return to the Geneva-based body as an observer with an eye toward seeking election as a…
Author: Mike Harrison
The U.S. President said the new relationship he wants to forge with Xi Jinping need not be one of conflict President Joe Biden says China is in for “extreme competition” from the U.S. under his administration, but that the new relationship he wants to forge need not be one of conflict.In an interview broadcast Sunday, Mr Biden acknowledged that he has yet to speak with Chinese President Xi Jinping since his inauguration January 20, but noted that the two leaders had met many times when both men served their countries as vice president.“I know him pretty well,” Mr Biden said…
Instead, it will offer vaccines developed by Johnson &Johnson and Pfizer in the coming weeks while experts consider how the AstraZeneca shot can be deployed. South Africa will suspend use of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 shot in its vaccination programme after data showed it gave minimal protection against mild to moderate infection caused by the country’s dominant coronavirus variant.Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday the government would await advice from scientists on how best to proceed, after disappointing results in a trial conducted by the University ofthe Witwatersrand.The government had intended to roll the AstraZeneca shot out to healthcare workers soon,…
His efforts as America’s top diplomat from 1982 to 1989 under the Republican Ronald Reagan helped lead to the conclusion of the four-decade-long Cold War George Shultz, the U.S.secretary of state who survived bitter infighting in President Ronald Reagan’s administration to help forge a new era in American-Soviet relations and bring on the end of the Cold War,died on Saturday at age 100, the California-based Hoover Institute said.A man of broad experience and talents, Shultz achieved success in statesmanship, business and academia. Lawmakers praised him for opposing as sheer folly the sale of arms to Iran that were the cornerstone…
An emphatic win, City’s 10th in a row in the league and first at Anfield since 2003, moved Pep Guardiola’s side to 50 points from 22 games, five more than second-placed Manchester United who have played a game more Manchester City opened up a commanding five-point lead at the top of the Premier League as Ilkay Gundogan scored twice in a 4-1 victory at Liverpool for whom keeper Alisson endured a Sunday afternoon to forget.An emphatic win, City’s 10th in a row in the league and first at Anfield since 2003, moved Pep Guardiola’s side to 50 points from 22…
Anindith Reddy (Rayo Racing) and Sohil Shah (MSport) displayed guts on their way to winning the marathon 50-lap battle in their respective categories in the KMS50 Grand Prix racing at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Sunday.After the riders scorched the track, it was time for the 50-lap showdowns for the Indian Touring Cars / Super Stock and Formula cars to enthral the sparse crowd.Anindith and his teammate Dhruv Mohite, on a Volkswagen Polo, raced to a quick lead against veteran racing stars and went on to finish one-two. Septuagenarian D. Vidyaprakash stunned all by finishing third.“It was a different…
Pope Francis has appointed two women to Vatican posts previously held only by men, in back-to-back moves giving women more empowerment in themale-dominated Holy See.He appointed Nathalie Becquart, a French member of theXaviere Missionary Sisters, on Saturday as co-undersecretary ofthe Synod of Bishops, a department that prepares major meetings of world bishops held every few years on a different topic.The previous day, Francis named Italian magistrate CatiaSummaria as the first woman Promoter of Justice in the Vatican’sC ourt of Appeals.Mr. Becquart’s position, effectively a joint number two s pot,will give her the right to vote in the all-male assemblies,something many…
A study found that the variant with the D614G mutation introduced an additional cleavage site on the ACE-2 receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to gain entry into cells Kalyani-based scientists have found the biological mechanism behind the significantly faster spread of a variant with D614G mutation in Europe and North America but not in East Asia.The variant with the D614G mutation seeded large outbreaks in Europe in early 2020 and subsequently dominated the outbreaks in North America, thereby largely replacing previously circulating lineages. The variant also spread worldwide.A team led by Dr. Nidhan K. Biswas and Dr. Partha Majumdar from…
The last two years have tested Craig Tiley, the Director of the Australian Open, to the limits. If unprecedented bushfires had provided the season’s first Grand Slam with a sobering backdrop in 2020, it’s the turn of COVID-19 this time around. Ahead of the Australian Open, Tiley spoke to select media houses about the preparations, contingency plans and prize money. Excerpts:During the tune-up, we lost a day’s action because of a positive coronavirus case. Are contingency plans in place if there is a repeat?A) Yes, we do. Unfortunately, we had one incident [on Wednesday] when over 500 players staying at…
Glacier retreat, permafrost thaw are projected to decrease the stability of mountain slopes, say reports. A deluge that resulted from a glacial melt on Nanda Devi flooded the Rishiganga river in Uttarakhand and washed away at least two hydroelectric power projects — the13.2 MW Rishiganga hydroelectric power project and the Tapovan project on the Dhauliganga river, a tributary of the Alakananda.There were also concerns that the excess water would further travel downstream to the river Alaknanda and threaten villages as well as hydro projects on the river. However the India Meteorological Department has said that no rains are forecast. Officials…