United States
US to impose tariffs over digital taxes, but action on hold for now
The United States said Wednesday it will impose tariffs on six countries such as Britain and India over their taxes on U.S. tech companies, but noted that the action will be put on hold amid ongoing negotiations on international taxation.
The announcement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative followed an investigation it started in June last year into the digital services taxes being considered or adopted by U.S. trading partners -- Austria, Brazil, Britain, the Czech Republic, the European Union, India, Indonesia, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
The United States sees such taxes as a concern as they could burden U.S. companies such as Apple Inc. and Google LLC.
In January this year, the USTR determined that the taxes adopted by Austria, Britain, India, Italy, Spain and Turkey discriminated against U.S. digital companies and were inconsistent with principles of international taxation.
"The final determination in those investigations is to impose additional tariffs on certain goods from these countries," the USTR said in its press release Wednesday.
Also read: Davos: Hopes for digital tax breakthrough between US, France
But the tariffs will be suspended for up to 180 days to provide additional time to complete the ongoing multilateral negotiations on international taxation at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and in the Group of 20 process.
"The United States is focused on finding a multilateral solution to a range of key issues related to international taxation, including our concerns with digital services taxes," USTR Katherine Tai was quoted as saying.
According to a USTR report released in January, Britain's digital services tax applies a 2 percent levy on the revenues of certain search engines, social media platforms and online marketplaces.
The USTR said the system "unfairly" targets U.S. companies because it only pertains to the three specific categories in which U.S. firms are marketplace leaders.
India's digital services tax imposes a 2 percent levy on revenue generated from a broad range of digital services offered in the South Asian country. The taxes explicitly exempt Indian companies while targeting non-Indian firms, according to the USTR.
The USTR, meanwhile, has terminated the remaining four investigations involving Brazil, the Czech Republic, the European Union and Indonesia, saying that those jurisdictions had not implemented the digital services taxes under consideration.
North accuses US of hostility for S. Korean missile decision
North Korea said Monday the U.S. allowing South Korea to build more powerful missiles was an example of the U.S.’s hostile policy against the North, warning that it could lead to an “acute and instable situation” on the Korean Peninsula.
It’s North Korea’s first response to the May 21 summit between the leaders of the United States and South Korea, during which the U.S. ended decades-long restrictions that capped South Korea’s missile development and allowed its ally to develop weapons with unlimited ranges.
Read: South Korea mulls dropping masks for vaccinated
The accusation of U.S. policy being hostile to North Korea matters because it said it won’t return to talks and would enlarge its nuclear arsenal as long as U.S. hostility persists. But the latest statement was still attributed to an individual commentator, not a government body, suggesting North Korea may still want to leave room for potential diplomacy with the Biden administration.
“The termination step is a stark reminder of the U.S. hostile policy toward (North Korea) and its shameful double-dealing,” Kim Myong Chol, an international affairs critic, said, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. “It is engrossed in confrontation despite its lip-service to dialogue.”
“The U.S. is mistaken, however. It is a serious blunder for it to pressurize (North Korea) by creating asymmetric imbalance in and around the Korean Peninsula as this may lead to the acute and instable situation on the Korean Peninsula now technically at war,” he said.
The United States had previously barred South Korea from developing a missile with a range of longer than 800 kilometers (500 miles) out of concerns about a regional arms race. The range is enough for a South Korean weapon to strike all of North Korea but is short of hitting potential key targets in other neighbors like China and Japan.
Read:South Korea, US discuss joint responses to falling Chinese rocket debris
Some South Korean observers hailed the end of the restrictions as restoring military sovereignty, but others suspected the U.S. intent was to boost its ally’s military capability amid a rivalry with China.
The commentator Kim accused Washington of trying to spark an arms race, thwart North Korean development and deploy intermediate-range missiles targeting countries near North Korea.
The South Korean government said it “prudently watches” North Korea’s reaction, but Unification Ministry spokeswoman Lee Jong-joo wouldn’t comment otherwise, since the remarks were attributed to an individual, not an official statement from the North Korean government.
The North Korean statement comes as the Biden administration shapes a new approach on North Korea amid long-dormant talks over the North’s nuclear program. During their summit, Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in said a new U.S. policy review on North Korea “takes a calibrated and practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy” with the North.
Read:China: US should push North Korea diplomacy, not pressure
U.S. officials have suggested Biden would adopt a middle ground policy between his predecessors — Donald Trump’s direct dealings with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Barack Obama’s “strategic patience.” Some experts say Biden won’t likely provide North Korea with major sanctions relief unless it takes concrete denuclearization steps first.
The North Korean statement criticized the Biden administration’s review indirectly, saying the new policy was viewed by other countries “as just trickery.”
Genetically modified salmon head to US dinner plates
The inaugural harvest of genetically modified salmon began this week after the pandemic delayed the sale of the first such altered animal to be cleared for human consumption in the United States, company officials said.
Several tons of salmon, engineered by biotech company AquaBounty Technologies Inc., will now head to restaurants and away-from-home dining services — where labeling as genetically engineered is not required — in the Midwest and along the East Coast, company CEO Sylvia Wulf said.
Thus far, the only customer to announce it is selling the salmon is Samuels and Son Seafood, a Philadelphia-based seafood distributor.
AquaBounty has raised its faster-growing salmon at an indoor aquaculture farm in Albany, Indiana. The fish are genetically modified to grow twice as fast as wild salmon, reaching market size — 8 to 12 pounds (3.6 to 5.4 kilograms) — in 18 months rather than 36.
The Massachusetts-based company originally planned to harvest the fish in late 2020. Wulf attributed delays to reduced demand and market price for Atlantic salmon spurred by the pandemic.
“The impact of COVID caused us to rethink our initial timeline ... no one was looking for more salmon then,” she said. “We’re very excited about it now. We’ve timed the harvest with the recovery of the economy, and we know that demand is going to continue to increase.”
Although finally making its way to dinner plates, the genetically modified fish has been met by pushback from environmental advocates for years.
The international food service company Aramark in January announced its commitment to not sell such salmon, citing environmental concerns and potential impacts on Indigenous communities that harvest wild salmon.
The announcement followed similar ones by other major food service companies — Compass Group and Sodexo — and many large U.S. grocery retailers, seafood companies and restaurants. Costco, Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods maintain that they don’t sell genetically modified or cloned salmon and would need to label them as such.
The boycott against AquaBounty salmon has largely come from activists with the Block Corporate Salmon campaign, which aims to protect wild salmon and preserve Indigenous rights to practice sustainable fishing.
“Genetically engineered salmon is a huge threat to any vision of a healthy food system. People need ways to connect with the food they’re eating, so they know where it’s coming from,” said Jon Russell, a member of the campaign and a food justice organizer with Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance. “These fish are so new — and there’s such a loud group of people who oppose it. That’s a huge red flag to consumers.”
Wulf said she’s confident there’s an appetite for the fish.
“Most of the salmon in this country is imported, and during the pandemic, we couldn’t get products into the market,” Wulf said. “So, having a domestic source of supply that isn’t seasonal like wild salmon and that is produced in a highly-controlled, bio-secure environment is increasingly important to consumers.”
AquaBounty markets the salmon as disease- and antibiotic-free, saying its product comes with a reduced carbon footprint and none of the risk of polluting marine ecosystems like traditional sea-cage farming carries.
Despite their rapid growth, the genetically modified salmon require less food than most farmed Atlantic salmon, the company says. Biofiltration units keep water in the Indiana facility’s many 70,000-gallon (264,979-liter) tanks clean, making fish less likely to get sick or require antibiotics.
The FDA approved the AquAdvantage Salmon as “safe and effective” in 2015. It was the only genetically modified animal approved for human consumption until federal regulators approved a genetically modified pig for food and medical products in December.
In 2018, the federal agency greenlit AquaBounty’s sprawling Indiana facility, which is currently raising roughly 450 tons (408 metric tons) of salmon from eggs imported from Canada but is capable of raising more than twice that amount.
But in a shifting domestic market that increasingly values origin, health and sustainability, and wild over farmed seafood, others have a different view of the salmon, which some critics have nicknamed “Frankenfish.”
Part of the domestic pushback revolves around how the engineered fish is to be labeled under FDA guidelines. Salmon fishermen, fish farmers, wholesalers and other stakeholders want clear labeling practices to ensure that customers know they’re purchasing an engineered product.
USDA labeling law directs companies to disclose genetically-modified ingredients in food through use of a QR code, an on-package display of text or a designated symbol. Mandatory compliance with that regulation takes full effect in January, but the rules don’t apply to restaurants or food services.
Wulf said the company is committed to using “genetically engineered” labeling when its fish are sold in grocery stores in coming months.
In November, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco affirmed that the FDA had the authority to oversee genetically engineered animals and fish. But he ruled that the agency hadn’t adequately assessed the environmental consequences of AquaBounty salmon escaping into the wild.
The company argued that escape is unlikely, saying the fish are monitored 24 hours a day and contained in tanks with screens, grates, netting, pumps and chemical disinfection to prevent escape. The company’s salmon are also female and sterile, preventing them from mating.
“Our fish are actually designed to thrive in the land-based environment. That’s part of what makes them unique,” Wulf said. “And we’re proud of the fact that genetically engineered allows us to bring more of a healthy nutritious product to market in a safe, secure and sustainable way.”
AstraZeneca: Govt's desperate efforts yet to yield any good news
Despite all-out efforts to get AstraZeneca vaccine doses to meet the immediate need of those yet to get their second dose, there is no concrete outcome yet.
Apart from India, Bangladesh reached out to the United States and United Kingdom to get the AstraZeneca vaccine doses as 1.5 million people who have received their first AstraZeneca jabs are unlikely to get their second dose if the government does not receive vaccine doses from the countries it approached including those from COVAX facility.
Asked whether Bangladesh is getting AstraZeneca vaccine doses soon from the US, a spokesperson at the US Embassy in Dhaka said the US President reaffirmed that commitment by announcing that the US will provide 80 million doses of vaccine to support global needs by the end of June.
Read: Bangladesh urgently seeks 1.6mn AstraZeneca doses from UK
But there is nothing specific yet on how many doses Bangladesh will get or when.
“We are working to provide the 80 million doses in the near future and are evaluating the supply and will then make a determination on distribution,” he told UNB.
But Bangladesh informally came to know that Bangladesh is not in the priority lists as the US does not see any crisis in Bangladesh considering the low number of deaths and cases.
The US Embassy spokesperson said the United States is committed to leading the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our overarching aim is to end the pandemic as quickly as possible, and that requires getting as many people vaccinated as fast as possible,” he said.
Read Indonesia suspends AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine batch after death
In addition to distributing the 80 million doses of vaccine, the United States is the largest single donor to the global vaccine initiative, COVAX, with $2 billion already donated and plans to provide another $2 billion through 2022.
“We will continue to work with and coordinate closely with COVAX and partner countries around the world to support global vaccination efforts,” said the spokesperson.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen wrote to US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken seeking vaccine doses from them immediately.
After its request to the United States, Bangladesh urged the United Kingdom (UK) to help by providing vaccines to meet emergency needs as the second dose vaccination is disrupted in Bangladesh.
"I’m not asking for too much, I’m only asking for 1.6m AstraZeneca doses that they have, they should immediately disperse those to Bangladesh so these people can have their second dose," said the Foreign Minister.
Read US will share AstraZeneca vaccines with world
When approached, a UK government spokesperson told UNB that the UK government does not have a role in the production or distribution of AstraZeneca‘s vaccines or their supply contracts.
The spokesperson said the UK has played a leading role in championing global access to coronavirus vaccines.
The UK is one of the largest donors to COVAX, providing £548 million to deliver more than a billion vaccines to lower-middle income countries this year.
So far, COVAX has already helped deliver vaccines to more than 120 countries and territories, over 70 of which are lower-income countries.
“Of the almost 1.5 billion vaccines which have been delivered across the world, more than 400 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine have been given around the world, at cost,” said the spokesperson adding that the UK Prime Minister has confirmed the UK will share the majority of any future surplus coronavirus vaccines from their supply with the COVAX pool, when these are available.
Read: Bangladesh seeks at least 2 mln doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from Canada
Foreign Minister Momen said the problem that Bangladesh is facing for ensuring the second dose could have been resolved easily if vaccine doses were available from the COVAX facility timely.
He also wrote Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar apart from telephone conversation between them on vaccine issues.
“I told him (Jaishankar) to send 1.5 million Oxford-AstraZeneca doses to Bangladesh as a gift if there is any export bar,” Dr Momen said.
A government source, however, said they are still hopeful of getting some vaccine doses from India in June to meet immediate needs.
Bangladesh entered into a deal with the Serum Institute of India (SII) to purchase 30 million doses of a potential vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca for Covid-19.
Read Bangladesh reaches out to int'l media as it seeks vaccines desperately
Bangladesh was supposed to get five million doses of vaccine per month as the SII and Bangladesh’s Beximco Pharma signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for priority delivery of the vaccine doses.
Bangladesh sought at least 3 million doses of vaccine under the agreement to address the immediate demand in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has so far received only 7 million of Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine doses produced by Serum Institute of India (SII) through its contract. Bangladesh also received 3.3 million doses of vaccine as a bilateral partnership gift.
The British Government, Oxford University and AstraZeneca, have invested in the research and came together to develop and deliver a vaccine at cost for everyone.
Read More support easing vaccine patent rules, but hurdles remain
They expect to have surplus doses, but exactly when these will be available depends on a number of factors including the continued reliability of supply chains and whether new doses are needed to deal with variant strains or as a booster.
The government officials said both the first dose and second dose vaccination will begin simultaneously in June as procuring vaccine doses from China is at the final stage.
The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh is at the final stage to procure vaccine doses from China. “It’s at the final stage. All types of discussions are very positive.”
The government is in discussion to procure 1.5 crore doses of vaccine from China for June, July and August with an initial consignment of 50 lakh doses.
Read: Efforts intensified to get Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from US: FM
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase on Thursday approved Health and Family Welfare Ministry’s proposal to procure 1.5 crore doses of Chinese Sinofarm’s Covid-19 vaccine.
Dr Momen said China assured Bangladesh of providing vaccines ensuring its steady flow of supply.
An official at the Directorate General of Health Services said the government at the highest level is trying to get vaccine doses for smooth continuation of vaccination drives across the country.
“I hope we will get the vaccines. You’ll get the second dose,” he said, requesting all to wait with patience.
The first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination drive remains stopped due to supply shortage while the stock for the second dose to get finished within days leaving around 15 lakh people waiting for their second dose.
Read EU takes on AstraZeneca in court over vaccine deliveries
Global Covid-19 cases hit 166.4 million
Covid-19 has so far infected over 166.4 million people across the world, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University (JHU).
As per the data, the total caseload around the globe reached 166, 438,026 while the death toll from the virus stood at 3,449,399 as of Sunday morning.
Some 1,632, 929,763 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered during the mass inoculation drive till date.
The US, which remains the world’s worst hit country, has registered 33,103,118 cases while the death toll from the virus reached 589,670 until Sunday morning.
New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe Covid-19 cases and the spread of the virus, reports AP.
As cases, hospitalisations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed.
India, which has been experiencing the staggering situation of Covid-19 cases for the last few months, has recorded 26,289,290 cases with 295,515 fatalities.
Brazil reported on Saturday 1,899 more deaths from Covid-19, raising the national count to 448,208, the Ministry of Health said.
Also read: US civil rights leader urges Biden To give 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to India
A total of 76,490 more infections were detected, raising the nationwide tally to 16,047,439, the ministry said.
Situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh logged 38 more coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours till Saturday morning, taking the country's fatalities to 12,348.
The daily infection rate rose to 8.41% from Friday's 7.22%, said the Directorate General of Health Services.
Meanwhile, 1,028 new cases were reported after testing 12,230 samples.
Bangladesh has so far reported 787,726 coronavirus cases.
Also read: India to begin clinical trials for Covd-19 vaccine in children
Vaccination drive
Bangladesh launched its vaccination drive on February 7 with Oxford-AstraZeneca doses purchased from India's Serum Institute.
The administration of the first dose has remained suspended since April 26. Also, the country, the prime recipient of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, has suspended the registration for Covid-19 jabs due to vaccine shortage amid a delay in the timely arrival of shipments from India.
In the past 24 hours, no one received the first dose of the vaccine while 41,467 have received the second dose, said the health directorate.
Vaccine supply
The government signed an agreement with Serum for 30 million doses. But a record number of cases in India has made the delivery of the doses uncertain.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen Friday reached out to global media to let the world know that Bangladesh is desperately looking for vaccines and ready to accept any shipment from any country.
"A large number of people in Bangladesh, who took the first dose of Oxford-AstraZeneca, could not get the second dose because we have run out of supplies," the minister said.
In response to Bangladesh’s request, China on Friday said it will send the second batch of 600,000 doses of its Covid-19 vaccine as a gift.
The foreign minister on Thursday said the government was making its best efforts to get vaccines from multiple countries – the US, China, Canada, Russia and the UK – apart from its continuous request to India to meet Bangladesh's urgent needs.
Bangladesh received 500,000 doses of China's Sinopharm vaccine as a gift on May 12. The administering of the shots will begin by May 25-26, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque.
Also, the country would receive a minimum of 106,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine under the COVAX scheme, co-led by Gavi, Maleque said on May 18.
Besides, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs Wednesday approved a proposal of the Health Services Division to import the Sinofarm Covid-19 vaccine.
New COVID-19 cases plummet to lowest levels since last June
New coronavirus cases across the United States have tumbled to rates not seen in more than 11 months, sparking optimism that vaccination campaigns are stemming both severe COVID-19 cases and the spread of the virus.
As cases, hospitalizations and deaths steadily dropped this week, pre-pandemic life in America has largely resumed. Hugs and unmasked crowds returned to the White House, a Mardi Gras-style parade marched through Alabama’s port city of Mobile, and even states that have stuck to pandemic-related restrictions readied to drop them. However, health experts also cautioned that not enough Americans have been vaccinated to completely extinguish the virus, leaving the potential for new variants that could extend the pandemic.
As the seven-day average for new cases dropped below 30,000 per day this week, Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pointed out cases have not been this low since June 18, 2020. The average number of deaths over the last seven days also dropped to 552 — a rate not seen since July last year. It’s a dramatic drop since the pandemic hit a devastating crescendo in January.
“As each week passes and as we continue to see progress, these data give me hope,” Walensky said Friday at a news conference.
Health experts credit an efficient rollout of vaccines for the turnaround. More than 60% of people over 18 have received at least one shot, and almost half are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. But demand for vaccines has dropped across much of the country. President Joe Biden’s administration is trying to convince other Americans to sign up for shots, using an upbeat message that vaccines offer a return to normal life.
White House health officials on Friday even waded into offering dating advice. They are teaming up with dating apps to offer a new reason to “swipe right” by featuring vaccination badges on profiles and in-app bonuses for people who have gotten their shots.
Also read: Covid-19 vaccines: Commonwealth health ministers demand equal access for everyone
Ohio, New York, Oregon and other states are enticing people to get vaccinated through lottery prizes of up to $5 million.
Across the country, venues and events reopened after shuttering for much of the last year.
On Saturday, Karen Stetz readied to welcome what she hoped would be a good crowd to the Grosse Pointe Art Fair on Michigan’s Lake St. Clair.
With natural ventilation from the lake and mask and capacity restrictions easing, Stetz was optimistic that artists who make their living traveling a show circuit that ground to a halt last year would begin to bounce back. The event usually draws from 5,000 to 10,000 people.
“I feel like most people are ready to get out,” Stetz said by phone shortly before opening the fair. “It seems like people are eager, but it’s hard to know still. I’m sure there’s a percentage of people that are going to wait until they’re comfortable.”
Read: India suffers double blow as black fungus declared epidemic amid COVID-19 surge
In Mobile, thousands of joyful revelers, many without masks, competed for plastic beads and trinkets tossed from floats Friday night as Alabama’s port city threw a Mardi Gras-style parade. But only about a quarter of the county’s population is fully vaccinated. Many went without masks, though health officials had urged personal responsibility.
Alabama’s vaccination rate — 34% of people have received at least one dose — is one of the lowest in the country. It’s part of a swath of Southern states where vaccine uptake has been slow. Health experts worry that areas with low vaccination rates could give rise to new virus variants that are more resistant to vaccinations.
“My biggest concern is new strains of the virus and the need to remain vigilant in the months ahead,” said Boston College public health expert Dr. Philip J. Landrigan.
A medical center in Louisiana reported Friday it has identified the state’s first two cases of a COVID-19 variant that has spread widely since being identified in India. The COVID-19 variant has been classified as a “variant of concern” by Britain and the World Health Organization, meaning there is some evidence that it spreads more easily between people, causes more severe disease, or might be less responsive to treatments and vaccines. The variant has also been reported in several other states, including Tennessee, Nebraska and Nevada.
Though Landrigan said the big drop in cases nationwide was “the best news we’ve had on the pandemic” and showed that vaccines are working, he warned that people should remain vigilant for local flare-ups of new cases.
Many states have largely dropped orders to wear masks and stay distanced from other people. Meanwhile, even places such as California — the first state to issue a statewide shutdown as the virus emerged in March 2020 — prepared to remove restrictions on social distancing and business capacity next month.
State health director Dr. Mark Ghaly said Friday the decision was based on dramatically lower virus cases and increased vaccinations.
But in Vermont — the state with the highest percentage of people who have received one shot — Gov. Phil Scott has tied the lifting of restrictions to the vaccination rate. He offered to lift all remaining restrictions before a July 4 deadline if 80% of those eligible get vaccinated.
Landrigan figured it will take a nationwide vaccination rate of at least 85% to snuff out the virus. But for now, the steep drop in cases gave him hope that pandemic-level infection rates will soon be a thing of the past.
“It is getting to the point to where by the Fourth of July we might be able to declare this thing over,” he said.
Biden directs US to mitigate financial risk from climate
President Joe Biden is directing federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy to identify and manage financial risks to government and the private sector posed by climate change.
An executive order Biden issued Thursday calls for concrete steps to mitigate climate risks, while protecting workers’ life savings, spurring job creation and helping the United States lower greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
New regulations could be issued on the banking, housing and agriculture sectors, among others.
“Extreme weather related to climate change can disrupt entire supply chains and deprive communities of food, water or emergency supplies,″ the White House said in a statement Thursday.
Snowstorms can knock power grids offline, while floods made worse by rising sea levels can destroy homes and businesses.
Read: Biden hails Israel-Hamas cease-fire, sees ‘opportunity’
The new strategy is intended to identify public and private financing needed to mitigate such risks and help safeguard Americans’ financial security, the White House said.
Biden has made slowing climate change a top priority and has set a target to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by up to 52% below 2005 levels by 2030. He also has said he expects to adopt a clean energy standard that would make electricity carbon-free by 2035, along with the wider goal of net-zero carbon emissions economywide by 2050.
The executive order directs White House climate adviser Gina McCarthy and economic adviser Brian Deese to develop a government-wide strategy within four months to identify and disclose climate-related financial risks. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and the White House Office of Management and Budget also would be involved, while the Labor Department will analyze how to protect pensions from climate-related risk.
Yellen also will be directed to share climate-related financial risk data and issue a separate report within six months.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has already begun work on potential regulations that would require companies to disclose risks related to global warming, while Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said his agency has begun taking steps to assess climate change-related risks to the banking system.
Whether through rising seas or extreme weather, climate change “already presents increasing risks to infrastructure, investments and businesses. Yet, these risks are often hidden,” the White House said.
“From signing a loan for a new home or small business to managing life savings or a retirement fund, it is important for the American people to have access to the information needed to understand the potential risks associated with these significant financial decisions,” the administration explained.
The new executive order “ensures that the right rules are in place to properly analyze and mitigate these risks″ and disclose them to the public, “empowering the American people to make informed financial decisions,″ the White House said.
Read: US civil rights leader urges Biden To give 60 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to India
Environmental groups hailed the executive order, saying Biden recognizes the enormous risks posed by climate change.
“The Biden administration affirmed today it recognizes that corporate disclosure and voluntary commitments alone are not sufficient for addressing systemic climate risks and that regulators must act,″ said Ben Cushing, a financial advocacy campaign manager for the Sierra Club.
Twelve Republican senators wrote a letter to Powell earlier this year accusing the central bank of moving “beyond the scope of the Federal Reserve’s mission” by increasing scrutiny of climate threats.
Rohingya Crisis: US to provide $155 mn in new humanitarian assistance
The United States has announced to provide nearly $155 million in new humanitarian assistance, much of which will go towards the 2021 Bangladesh Joint Response Plan.
With this new funding, our total humanitarian assistance for this response reaches more than $1.3 billion since 2017, including more than $1.1 billion for programmes inside Bangladesh.
”This new funding allows our partners to continue providing life-saving assistance to the nearly 900,000 Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in Bangladesh—including the more than 740,000 Rohingya who, in 2017, were forced to flee ethnic cleansing and other horrific atrocities and abuses in Burma’s Rakhine State,” said Nancy Izzo Jackson, Senior Bureau Official at Population, Refugees and Migration wing of the US State Department.
This funding also provides support for more than 472,000 Bangladeshi host community members impacted by this displacement, she said.
The US joined the government of Bangladesh, the UN, and IOM in calling for durable solutions for the Rohingya people.
US humanitarian assistance for this crisis supports all sectors of the response, including education, emergency telecommunications, food security, health, nutrition, protection, shelter and relief items, and water, sanitation, and hygiene.
Also read: UNHCR supporting Cox’s Bazar locals with community projects, livelihood initiatives
“We applaud humanitarian actors for a well-coordinated humanitarian response, including the prevention and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, environmental programmes, and the planned Myanmar Curriculum Pilot program,” Jackson said.
The US commended the many countries that have supported this response, but more assistance is required to meet the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable in Bangladesh and Myanmar.
“We, therefore, urge other donors to come forward now with additional funds to sustain and increase support for the response,” said the US senior official.
The United States recognised the challenges and responsibilities that the response has placed on the government and people of Bangladesh and reiterated the continued commitment of the international community to addressing this crisis.
Also read: Don’t worry about Rohingya relocation to Bhasan Char: Dhaka to UNHCR
In the aftermath of the February 1 coup and the brutal military crackdown in Myanmar, commitment to the people of Myanmar, including Rohingya refugees, is unwavering, said the US official.
“We will continue to support Bangladesh as well as other countries in the region that have made the humanitarian gesture to receive Rohingya refugees. We continue to call on all states to provide humanitarian assistance and ensure protection of vulnerable Rohingya,” she said.
The US official said they are pressing the military regime to stop the violence, release all those unjustly detained, and immediately restore Myanmar’s path to democracy, as we promote accountability for all those responsible for the coup and human rights abuses.
“We urge Bangladesh to continue protecting refugees, particularly at this time of increased risk to them, and acknowledge its assurance that it will not return them to a country where they could face persecution and violence,” she said.
On Bhasan Char, the United States welcomed the dialogue between the UN and the government of Bangladesh, and encouraged continued close consultations.
“We reiterate any relocations of refugees to Bhasan Char must be voluntary and refugees’ right to freedom of movement must be respected,” she said.
The US urged Bangladesh to grant the UN independent access to refugees on the island, as well as approval to conduct a comprehensive technical and protection assessment.
Israel strikes Gaza tunnels as truce efforts remain elusive
The Israeli military unleashed another heavy wave of airstrikes Monday on the Gaza Strip, saying it destroyed militant tunnels and the homes of nine Hamas commanders. International diplomacy to end the weeklong war that has killed hundreds appeared to make little headway.
Israel has said it will press on for now with its attacks against Hamas, the militant group that rules Gaza, and the United States signaled it would not pressure the two sides for a cease-fire even as President Joe Biden said he supported one.
The latest attacks destroyed the five-story building housing the Hamas-run Religious Affairs Ministry, a building Israel said housed the main operations center of Hamas’ internal security forces. Israel also killed a top Gaza leader of Islamic Jihad, another militant group whom the Israeli military blamed for some of the thousands of rocket attacks launched at Israel in recent days. Israel said its strikes destroyed 15 kilometers (9 miles) of tunnels used by militants.
At least 212 Palestinians have been killed in the week of airstrikes, including 61 children and 36 women, with more than 1,400 people wounded, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Ten people in Israel, including a 5-year-old boy and a soldier, have been killed in the ongoing rocket attacks launched from civilian areas in Gaza toward civilian areas in Israel.
Read:China puts forward four-point proposal regarding Palestine-Israel conflict
Violence has also erupted between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, leaving scores of people injured. On Monday, a Jewish man attacked last week by a group of Arabs in the central city of Lod died of his wounds, according to police.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with top security officials on Monday evening and later said Israel would “continue to strike terror targets” in Gaza. “We will continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens,” he said.
The new airstrikes, which hit Gaza overnight Monday and again in the evening, hollowed out one floor of a multistory concrete building and killed five people. A woman picked through clothing, rubble and splintered furniture in a room that had been destroyed. One strike demolished the wall of one room, leaving untouched an open cabinet filled with bedding inside. Children walked over debris in the road.
A car in the street that witnesses said was hit by an airstrike was bent and torn, its roof ripped back and what was left of the driver’s side door smeared with blood. A beachside cafe the car had just left was splintered and on fire. Rescue workers tried to put out the blaze with a small fire extinguisher.
Gaza City’s mayor, Yahya Sarraj, said the strikes had caused extensive damage to roads and other infrastructure. He said water supplies to hundreds of households were disrupted. “We are trying hard to provide water, but the situation remains difficult,” he said.
The U.N. has warned that the territory’s sole power station is at risk of running out of fuel. Gaza already experiences daily power outages for between eight and 12 hours, and tap water is undrinkable. Mohammed Thabet, a spokesman for the territory’s electricity distribution company, said it has fuel to supply Gaza with electricity for two or three days.
Palestinian officials said Israel pledged to open its only cargo crossing with Gaza for several hours Tuesday to allow humanitarian aid — including fuel, food and medicine — to enter.
Israel also said it targeted what it suspected was a Hamas submersible weapon preparing for an attack on Israel’s coast.
The war broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police. The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
More protests were expected across the region Tuesday in response to a call by Palestinian citizens of Israel for a general strike. The protest has the support of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party.
The Biden administration has declined so far to publicly criticize Israel’s part in the fighting or send a top-level envoy to the region. On Monday, the United States again blocked a proposed U.N. Security Council statement calling for an end to “the crisis related to Gaza” and the protection of civilians, especially children.
Read:Israel says Gaza tunnels destroyed in heavy airstrikes
The White House said Monday evening that Biden expressed “support” for a cease-fire during a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Secretary of State Antony Blinken signaled earlier that the U.S. did not intend to pressure the two sides.
“Ultimately it is up to the parties to make clear that they want to pursue a cease-fire,” Blinken told reporters during a trip to Denmark.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who spoke Monday with Netanyahu, emphasized her country’s solidarity with Israel, condemned the continued rocket attacks from Gaza, and expressed hope for a swift end to the fighting, according to her office.
Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who is based abroad, said the group has been contacted by the United Nations, Russia, Egypt and Qatar as part of cease-fire efforts but “will not accept a solution that is not up to the sacrifices of the Palestinian people.”
Since the fighting began, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas’ militant infrastructure. Palestinian militants in Gaza have fired more than 3,200 rockets into Israel. Israeli military officials said Hamas had stockpiled about 15,000 rockets before the war started. Rocket attacks continued Monday, with one hitting a building in the city of Ashdod that caused injuries, the Israeli police said.
Israel’s military said six rockets launched from Lebanon late Monday apparently fell inside Lebanese territory, and artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon.
Israel’s airstrikes have leveled a number of Gaza City’s tallest buildings, which Israel alleges contained Hamas military infrastructure. Among them was the building housing The Associated Press Gaza office and those of other media outlets.
Netanyahu alleged that Hamas military intelligence was operating inside the building and said any evidence would be shared through intelligence channels. Blinken said he hasn’t yet seen any evidence supporting Israel’s claim.
AP President Gary Pruitt called for an independent investigation into the attack.
“As we have said, we have no indication of a Hamas presence in the building, nor were we warned of any such possible presence before the airstrike,” he said in a statement. “This is something we check as best we can. We do not know what the Israeli evidence shows, and we want to know.”
Read:Media demand Israel explain destruction of news offices
The Israeli military said it struck 35 “terror targets” Monday as well as the tunnels, which it says are part of an elaborate system it refers to as the “Metro,” used by fighters to take cover from airstrikes. They included a strike against a building that housed the Qatari Red Crescent, Qatar said. That attack killed a man and a 12-year-old girl.
The tunnels extend for hundreds of kilometers (miles), with some more than 20 meters (yards) deep, according to an Israeli Air Force official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, in keeping with regulations. The official said Israel was not trying to destroy all the tunnels, just chokepoints and major junctions.
The military also said it struck nine houses in different parts of northern Gaza that belonged to “high-ranking commanders” in Hamas. Islamic Jihad said a strike killed Hasam Abu Harbid, the militant group’s commander for the northern Gaza Strip.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad say at least 20 of their fighters have been killed, while Israel says the number is at least 130 and has released the names of and photos of more than two dozen militant commanders it says were “eliminated.” The Gaza Health Ministry, which is controlled by Hamas, does not give a breakdown of how many casualties were militants or civilians.
Gaza attack: Dhaka seeks US’ proactive role to stop bloodshed
Bangladesh has urged the United States to take proactive role in stopping the bloodshed immediately amid Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“The UN and other nations are surely trying and will continue to try. But we think the US has a scope to play the biggest role,” he said after his meeting with US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday.
While talking to a small group of journalists, including the UNB correspondent, Shahriar said the US is very closely monitoring the situation.
Also read: Palestine crisis: Embassy shares ways on its Facebook page to send financial support
The US Ambassador said they see and understand the sentiment of the people of Bangladesh.
The State Minister expressed Bangladesh’s deep concern about the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict and reiterated Bangladesh’s position that the UN Security Council needs to take up the issue, as stated by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen at an OIC Executive Committee meeting recently.
The State Minister also reiterated Bangladesh’s support for the two-state solution.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Dr Momen said Bangladesh believes in a comprehensive and durable solution to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative and the Quarter Road Map.
Also read: Islami Andolon Bangladesh demonstrates against Israeli aggression in Palestine
He said as the principal organ of the UN charged with ensuring international peace and security, the UN Security Council should take up the issue of violence and breach of security in the Al-Quds Al-Shareef and the entire occupied land of the State of Palestine.