Category Archives: Viva!

How colonial statues vanished from India’s cities – Times of India

India News: India has quietly removed colonial statues from public spaces unlike the dramatic pulling down of monuments of slavers that unfolded in the UK and US
— Read on m.timesofindia.com/india/how-colonial-statues-vanished-from-indias-cities/articleshow/76703063.cms

WHO says ‘we cannot let our guard down’ after China pigs study

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GENEVA (REUTERS) – The World Health Organisation will “read carefully” a Chinese study on a new flu virus found in pigs, a spokesman said on Tuesday (June 30), saying the findings underscored the importance of influenza surveillance during the Covid-19 pandemic.

A new flu virus found in Chinese pigs has become more infectious to humans and needs to be watched closely in case it becomes a potential “pandemic virus”, the study said.

“We will read carefully the paper to understand what is new,” the WHO’s Mr Christian Lindmeier told a Geneva briefing, saying it was important to collaborate on findings and keep tabs on animal populations.

“It also highlights we cannot let our guard down on influenza and need to be vigilant and continue surveillance even in the coronavirus pandemic,” he added.

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UK COVID-19 death toll nears 55,000 including suspected cases

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A woman wearing a protective face mask walks, following the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Leicester, Britain, June 30, 2020. REUTERS/Molly Darlington

LONDON (Reuters) – The United Kingdom’s suspected COVID-19 death toll has hit 54,852, according to a Reuters tally of official data sources that underline the country’s status as one of the worst hit in the world.

The Reuters tally comprises fatalities where COVID-19 was mentioned on death certificates in England, Wales and Northern Ireland up to June 19, and up to June 21 in Scotland. It also includes more recent hospital deaths.

Unlike the lower death toll published daily by the government, the death certificate figures include suspected cases.

Reporting by Andy Bruce; editing by Michael Holden

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Leaders of Russia, Turkey, Iran to discuss Syria on Wednesday, Kremlin says

No US involvement, of course, since our President turned our back on former allies who helped defeat ISIS.

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FILE PHOTO: Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Hassan Rouhani of Iran pose following a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani will hold a video conference on Wednesday to discuss the conflict in Syria, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.

The three countries held talks in the Kazakh capital Astana in 2018, aimed at reducing tensions in Syria.

Reporting by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Andrew Heavens

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

South pole warming three times faster than rest of the world, our research shows | Kyle Clem for the Conversation

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Dramatic change in Antarctica’s interior in past three decades a result of effects from tropical variability working together with increasing greenhouse gases

Climate scientists long thought Antarctica’s interior may not be very sensitive to warming, but our research, published this week, shows a dramatic change.

Over the past 30 years, the south pole has been one of the fastest-changing places on Earth, warming more than three times more rapidly than the rest of the world.

Continue reading…

US starts paring back Hong Kong’s special status due to security law

AmCham currently represents over 1,200 U.S. companies doing business in Hong Kong, of which over 800 are either regional offices or headquarters.

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WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – The United States began eliminating Hong Kong’s special status under US law on Monday (June 29), halting defence exports and restricting the territory’s access to high technology products as China prepares new Hong Kong security legislation.

The Commerce Department said it was suspending “preferential treatment to Hong Kong over China, including the availability of export license exceptions,” adding that further actions to eliminate Hong Kong’s privileged status were being evaluated.

“We urge Beijing to immediately reverse course and fulfil the promises it has made to the people of Hong Kong and the world,” it said.

The US moves come as the top decision-making body of China’s parliament deliberates a draft national security law for Hong Kong that pro-democracy activists fear will be used to eliminate dissent and tighten Beijing’s control.

The parliament’s standing committee has been widely expected to pass the bill into law before its current meeting ends on Tuesday.

“The Chinese Communist Party’s decision to eviscerate Hong Kong’s freedoms has forced the Trump administration to re-evaluate its policies toward the territory,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

He said effective Monday, Washington was ending exports of defence equipment to Hong Kong and would take steps to end export of dual-use technologies to the territory. Such technologies have commercial and military uses.

“The United States is forced to take this action to protect US national security. We can no longer distinguish between the export of controlled items to Hong Kong or to mainland China,” Pompeo said.

Kurt Tong, a former US consul general in Hong Kong, told Reuters the US move would not cover a large amount of US-Hong Kong trade as the territory was not a major manufacturing centre and its economy was almost entirely services.

He also noted that “‘suspend’ is different from ‘terminate’and is consistent with the conditionality implied.” China’s Washington embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, US President Donald Trump responded to China’s plans for the security law by saying he was initiating a process to eliminate the special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial centre since its handover by Britain in 1997.

Trump stopped short of calling for an immediate end to privileges, but said the moves would affect the full range of US agreements with Hong Kong, from an extradition treaty to export controls on dual-use technologies and more “with few exceptions.” The US announcements come at a time of intensified US rhetoric against Beijing as Trump campaigns for re-election.

Opinion polls have shown voters increasingly embittered toward China, especially over the coronavirus, which began there.

Last week, Pompeo said Washington was imposing visa restrictions on current and former officials of China’s ruling Communist Party believed responsible for undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Beijing responded on Monday by saying it would impose visa restrictions on US individuals with “egregious conduct” on Hong Kong-related issues.

Analysts say completely ending Hong Kong’s special treatment could prove self-defeating for the United States, which has benefited from the territory’s business-friendly conditions.

According to the State Department, 85,000 US citizens lived in Hong Kong in 2018 and more than 1,300 US companies operate there, including nearly every major US financial firm.

The territory is a major destination for US legal and accounting services. In 2018 the largest US bilateral trade-in-goods surplus was with Hong Kong at US$31.1 billion (S$43.3 billion).

In 2018, US$432.7 million of goods were shipped to Hong Kong under Commerce Department exceptions, mostly relating to encryption, software and technology.

Last year, the State Department approved approximately US$2.4 million worth of controlled defence articles and services to Hong Kong government authorities, of which approximately US$1.4 million worth was shipped.

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