WASHINGTON: The Democratic-led US House of Representatives passed a stopgap funding Bill yesterday to keep the federal government operating through December 11, after striking a deal with Republicans on aid for farmers and nutritional assistance to children. With government funding running out on September 30, leaders of both parties have […]
Day: September 22, 2020
BEIJING: China is forcing Tibetan farmers and herders into labour programmes similar to those used in troubled Xinjiang, a US research institute alleged today. The moves risk a “loss of cultural heritage” in the politically sensitive region, the group’s report warned. Authorities in Tibet, a predominantly Buddhist area in China’s […]
NEW YORK: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani vowed yesterday that the next US leader must accept Tehran’s demands, ruling out compromise as Donald Trump vies for reelection. “We are not a bargaining chip in US elections and domestic policy,” Rouhani said in a virtual address to the UN General Assembly. “Any […]
WASHINGTON: The United States registered its 200,000th death from the COVID-19 pandemic on Tuesday (Sep 22), the latest grim milestone for the country just weeks before voters decide if President Donald Trump will stay in office. According to a rolling tally by Johns Hopkins University, 200,182 Americans have died and […]
WASHINGTON: Chinese President Xi Jinping announced plans to boost his country’s Paris climate accord target yesterday and called for a green revolution, just minutes after US President Donald Trump blasted China for “rampant pollution.” Addressing the UN General Assembly, Xi said China would achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions […]
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the British people yesterday to work from home where possible and ordered restaurants and bars to close early to tackle a fast-spreading second wave of Covid-19, with new restrictions lasting probably six months. After scientific warnings that deaths could soar without urgent action, Johnson […]
NEW YORK: TikTok has proposed a global coalition of social media firms for early identification and removal of harmful content, the company said on Tuesday, as networking apps face a barrage of criticism over issues ranging from misinformation to data privacy. The company, owned by China’s ByteDance and at the […]
NEW YORK: Facebook said on Tuesday (Sep 22) it had removed a network of inauthentic Chinese accounts that were interfering in Asian and American politics, including some that posted material supporting and opposing US President Donald Trump. The social networking company said it suspended 155 accounts on its main platform […]
LONDON: Canada’s Bianca Andreescu has pulled out of the French Open and will take the rest of the season off to focus on her recuperation, the world number seven said on Tuesday (Sep 22). Andreescu, who did not defend her 2019 US Open crown in New York this year, has […]
LONDON: Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested today that coronavirus infections were higher in Britain than in Italy or Germany because it was a “freedom-loving country”. He was responding to criticism that the UK’s contact tracing and testing programme is not working well enough in the face of a surge in […]