With an eye on the aggressive Chinese behaviour, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the fiscal 2021, introduced in the US Senate last week has sought fighter jet training detachment for India, Japan and Australia in the US Pacific territory of Guam. The move comes six months after the US defense secretary Mark Esper and Singapore defense minister Ng Eng Hen signed a MoU to set up a fighter jet training detachment in Guam. The act directs the secretary of defense submit to the Congressional defense committees a report assessing the merit and feasibility of entering into pacts similar to that of Singapore with other US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region, to include Japan, Australia and India. Among other things, the bill establishes the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to enhance budgetary transparency and oversight, focus resources on capability gaps, reassure allies and partners, and restore the credibility of US deterrence in the region, said Senator Jim Inhofe, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. The bill proposes procurement of 48 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs) which it said will be especially useful in the Indo-Pacific region.
5 jailed in Pak for running Qaida media cell
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Punjab province convicted five al-Qaida militants over terrorism-related charges and sentenced them to 16 years in prison. The verdict was announced by the ATC in Gujranwala city. The court found Abdullah Umair, Ahmadur Rehman, Asim Akbar Saeed, Muhammad Yaqoob and Muhammad Yusuf guilty of terror offences and each convict was handed five years in prison for terrorism financing, seven years for keeping explosives, three years for supporting Qaida and one year for keeping Qaida literature. The convicts, according to the spokesperson of Punjab’s counter-terrorism department (CTD), were running a media cell for al-Qaida in Gujranwala. They were arrested in a joint operation by the CTD Punjab and ISI in December 2019.
Bangladesh minister says 'India our biggest friend'
Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that India is his country's biggest friend as he expressed hope that the border tensions between India and China will be solved diplomatically. "Bangladesh is the pioneer of peace. Dhaka is always for peaceful coexistence with neighbours. We believe on solution by discussing each and every problem, as we achieved lots with Indo-Bangla mutual discussions through understanding on both sides," Momen said. However, the minister ruled out any role of his country in the dispute. "I don't think Bangladesh needs to interfere in resolving the long-standing issues between India and China. New Delhi and Beijing have shown commitment to a peaceful resolution. They started meetings at the level of defence officers and Foreign Ministers... it is the ray of hope. We hope for a diplomatic solution," he said.
Rolling Stones warn Trump not to use their songs
The Rolling Stones are threatening US President Trump with legal action for using their songs at his rallies despite cease-and-desist directives. The Stones said that their legal team is working with music rights organisation BMI to stop use of their material in Trump’s reelection campaign. “The BMI have notified the Trump campaign on behalf of the Stones that the unauthorised use of their songs will constitute a breach of its licencing agreement,” the Stones said. “If Trump persists, then he would face a lawsuit.” The Stones had complained during Trump’s 2016 campaign about the use of their music.
US Senate passes bill to impose sanctions on China
The US Senate passed a bill to impose sanctions on China for its decision to implement the controversial national security law on Hong Kong, which critics say will erode the city's democratic freedoms. One of the bills, the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, would slap sanctions on individuals and businesses that help China restrict the autonomy of Hong Kong. The bill was authored by Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. "What the government of China is doing in Hong Kong is unacceptable. They are taking away the rights of people in Hong Kong. They are snuffing out freedoms that exist there right now," Van Hollen was quoted as saying. In another step, a resolution condemning China for violating the Sino-British Joint Declaration signed in 1984 to guarantee autonomy for Hong Kong. The new security law being adopted by China would "deal a mighty blow to the freedoms and liberties that Hong Kongers have enjoyed for decades now. It is a permanent break from the one country, two systems principle that has governed that city since 1997," said senator Hawley.
$31bn needed to fight Covid, says WHO
A WHO-led coalition fighting the Covid-19 pandemic is asking government and private sector donors to help raise $31.3 billion in the next 12 months to develop and deliver tests, treatments and vaccines for the disease. Renewing its call for global collaboration against the pandemic, it said $3.4 billion had been contributed for the coalition to date, leaving a funding gap of $27.9 billion. Of that, $13.7 billion was “urgently needed”. The WHO is working with a large coalition of drug-development, funding and distribution organisations under what it calls the ACT-Accelerator Hub. The initiative is intended to develop and deliver 500 million Covid-19 tests and 245 million courses of new treatment for the disease to low- and middle-income countries by mid-2021, it said in a statement. It is hoping 2 billion vaccines doses will be available by the end of 2021.
Wear mask when outdoors: Court to Brazilian Prez
A Brazilian federal judge ordered President Jair Bolsonaro to comply with local rules to wear a face mask whenever he is outdoors in the capital of Brasilia. During recent weekends, a sometimes unmasked Bolsonaro has joined throngs of people protesting against Brazil's Congress and Supreme Court. He has often visited bakeries and outdoor food stalls, drawing crowds around him. Judge Renato Coelho Borelli said in his ruling that Bolsonaro “has exposed other people to the contagion of a disease that has caused national commotion.” Brazil's federal district requires people to wear face masks in public to help control the spread of the new coronavirus. Failure to comply carries a possible daily fine of USD 390. Bolsonaro often appears at public events with a mask, unlike some other heads of state.
South Korea backs Remdesivir use
South Korea has added Gilead’s anti-viral drug remdesivir to its coronavirus treatment guidelines in its first revision of recommendations since the outbreak began and urged caution in the use of the steroid therapy dexamethasone. South Korea has reported 12,602 coronavirus cases till Thursday midnight, with 282 deaths. Remdesivir is designed to hinder certain viruses, including the new coronavirus, from making copies of themselves and potentially overwhelming the body's immune system.
Julian Assange faces new indictment in US
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange sought to recruit hackers at conferences in Europe and Asia who could provide his anti-secrecy website with classified information, and conspired with members of hacking organisations, according to a new Justice Department indictment. The superseding indictment does not contain additional charges beyond the 18 counts the Justice Department unsealed last year. But prosecutors say it underscores Assange's efforts to procure and release classified information, allegations that form the basis of criminal charges he already faces. Beyond recruiting hackers at conferences, the indictment accuses Assange of conspiring with members of hacking groups known as LulzSec and Anonymous. He also worked with a 17-year-old hacker who gave him information stolen from a bank and directed the teenager to steal additional material, including audio recordings of high-ranking officials, prosecutors say.
17th century art botched in Spain
A private art collector in Spain, paid $1,200 for the 17th century painted copy of “The Immaculate Conception of El Escorial” by artist Bartolome Esteban Murillo to be cleaned by a furniture restorer. The owner was horrified to find the Virgin Mary’s face botched and asked for the work to be restored back to original, only for it to be made even worse. The picture drew comparisons to the “Monkey Christ” restoration of 2013, when an elderly parishioner in a Spanish town attempted to restore a fresco of Jesus with similar levels of success.
Columbus statue removed
City workers removed a statue of navigator Christopher Columbus from a park in New Haven, Connecticut as anti-racism protesters called for more Columbus statues to be taken down across the United States. Hours before it was pulled down with a crane, a standoff occurred between those who were opposed to its removal and those calling for it to be taken down. New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the statue would be relocated to the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven. The city’s Parks Commission had voted to have the statue removed the week prior. Statues of Christopher Columbus have been removed across the country in recent days, including by officials in St Louis and by protesters in Minnesota and Virginia.
Kim delays plans of military action against S Korea
North Korea said leader Kim Jong Un suspended a planned military retaliation against South Korea, in an apparent slowing of the pressure campaign it has waged against its rival amid stalled nuclear negotiations with the Trump administration. Last week, the North had declared relations with the South as fully ruptured, destroyed an inter-Korean liaison office in its territory and threatened unspecified military action to censure Seoul for a lack of progress in bilateral cooperation and for activists floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border. Analysts say North Korea, after weeks deliberately raising tensions, may be pulling away just enough to make room for South Korean concessions. If Kim does eventually opt for military action, he may resume artillery drills and other exercises in frontline areas or have vessels deliberately cross the disputed western maritime border between the Koreas, which has been the scene of bloody skirmishes in past years.
