Tag: efforts

China continues to block efforts to determine Covid’s origins, lawmakers say

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Other U.S. agencies, though, have said they think it was probably due to natural transmission from animals to humans.
“We have so few facts that, inevitably, different agencies are going to arrive at different conclusions,” Himes said.
Himes is the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. His view was shared by the panel’s chair, Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio).
“There’s no direct evidence, we don’t have China admitting it, we don’t have Wuhan Lab handing these things over,” Turner said, referring to the city that is home to several laboratories and where the virus first circulated in late 2019.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) also blamed China’s refusal to be open and honest about Covid-19 for continuing questions about its origin.
“If this virus had originated virtually anywhere else, we would have had world scientists there,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
He also told host Shannon Bream: “You know, at the end of the day, we’ve got to keep looking, and we’ve got to make sure, in terms of future pandemics, that we can have access to where the source of these diseases originate a lot earlier on.”
Debate over Covid-19’s origins has political implications, with the latest reports fueling demands in conservative circles for China to be punished in one way or another for unleashing it. More than a million deaths in the United States have been attributed to the coronavirus; the worldwide total is approaching 7 million.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said last Monday that the U.S. government still had not reached a consensus on how the pandemic started. President Joe Biden did not address the subject last week.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the Energy Department report supported the view he took back in 2020 when he was part of the Trump administration.
“Make no mistake, this is a Chinese virus that came from the laboratory,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Pompeo also asserted that U.S. funding for international research might have played a part in the development of the virus — a theory that Anthony Fauci, the now-retired top pandemic medical adviser, rejected when it first surfaced — and that China’s leadership had made it difficult to know “the full scope” of what occurred by destroying documents and censoring journalists.
A different perspective on the various origin theories came from Leana Wen, former health commissioner of the city of Baltimore and a professor at George Washington University.
“I think at this point there is circumstantial evidence on both sides,” she said on CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS,” “but there is one thing that the intelligence community has found and, in fact, has been unanimously saying since early on, which is that this was not intentional. This was not a bio weapon or something that China or scientists or whatever politicians or political leaders were trying to do.”
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#China #continues #block #efforts #determine #Covids #origins #lawmakers
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 6, 2023
Vote for Awami League to continue development efforts: Sheikh Hasina

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Dhaka: Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina reiterated her appeal to the countrymen to vote for her party’s election symbol “Boat” to continue the current government’s endeavours to ensure the country’s overall development.
Announcing the date of the next national election during a grand rally at Helipad Ground in Kishoreganj, she said: “The next national election will be held in December next or January, 2024. I urge you to again vote for the ‘Boat’ and bring Awami League to power and thus give another scope to serve you.”
“Bangladesh has turned around in the last 14 years and has achieved dignity by transforming into a developing nation… Bangladesh has appeared as the role model for the development,” she added.
Mentioning that the BNP was formed illegally by Ziaur Rahman, a military dictator who grabbed power violating the county’s constitution, Hasina said, “They (BNP) can give nothing to the people rather can torture and loot them.”
“Whenever had the BNP-Jamaat clique assumed power, they brought untold sufferings for the countrymen and on the contrary, whenever Awami League was voted to power, the fate of the people changed,” the AL chief asserted.
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#Vote #Awami #League #continue #development #efforts #Sheikh #Hasina

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 1, 2023
Turkey: Erdogan’s ‘mea culpa’ for delays in rescue efforts

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The Turkish president expressed his disagreement with the State’s response to the emergency generated by the strong earthquakes that affected the country. The streets and sporting events have been the scenarios in which citizens have expressed their discontent and have even called for the resignation of the Government.
A ‘mea culpa’ expected. “In the first days, we were not able to carry out the work as efficiently as we wanted in Adiyaman,” the Turkish head of state, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said on February 27, amid a complex panorama.
“The destructive impact of the tremors, the adverse weather and the challenges due to damaged infrastructure” are some of the reasons outlined by the Turkish leader as justification.
But this apology may also have been prompted by the growing number of deaths, the accusations that weigh on the Executive for the supposed minimum requirements to the contractors of the hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed and a prompt appointment with the polls.
The president also required the understanding of the inhabitants of the affected areas in the midst of difficulties and also stressed his commitment to a rapid reconstruction.
However, nature does not seem to help. A new earthquake in the southwest of the country killed at least 100 people, adding to the most recent government figures: 44,374 fatalities in total.
A man walks past a patch of rubble, after a deadly earthquake, in Antakya, Hatay province, Turkey, on February 21, 2023. © Reuters – Clodagh Kilcoyne
Some 30 buildings did not resist the new tremor of this February 27, located at 5.6 magnitude on the Richter scale.
An unknown number of people were left under the rubble, but several were rescued. These survivors were collecting their belongings, abandoned after the first earthquakes that shook the nation three weeks ago, when they were surprised by the new telluric movement.

Official figures date the damaged buildings to hundreds of thousands. In this photo, a man rides a motorcycle through the rubble of destroyed buildings in Samandag, southern Turkey, Wednesday, February 22, 2023. © AP – Emrah Gurel
“This is an extraordinary activity,” said Orhan Tatar, director general of earthquake and risk reduction at the Turkish Emergency and Disaster Management Authority. According to the official, four new earthquakes have been reported in the region (included in the province of Malatya) in recent weeks, accompanied by some 45 aftershocks with magnitudes between 5 and 6 degrees.
The investigations into the high number of collapses are not stopping either: there are already 184 detainees for alleged complicity in the collapses, confirming that the focus is now on the construction companies.
Signs of discontent in sports days
In a country where dissenting voices from the ‘establishment’ are viewed with particular suspicion, the Turks have not been silent in the face of the difficult conditions created by the earthquakes and the state’s response.
In football matches held this weekend by the local league, calls for the resignation of the Government were heard loudly.
Fans of the Besiktas football team throw toys on the field for children affected by the earthquake. The event happened during a Turkish Super League match at Vodafone Park, Istanbul, Turkey, on February 26, 2023. © Reuters – Stringer
As reported by the Reuters agency, fans of Besiktas, one of the main teams in the Turkish league, threw thousands of stuffed animals onto the playing field to be donated to the affected children. This action was accompanied by demands to resign from the ministerial train.
The followers of another of the Turkish clubs, Fenerbahce, were not far behind in their discontent either. From the stands the motto “twenty years of lies and cheats, resign” was heard.
The harsh response to anti-government protests
The response, both political and sporting, was not long in coming. “The Nationalist Movement Party strongly condemns the use of sport in dirty politics during such sensitive and painful days for our country,” said Devlet Bahceli, leader of that political party, a member of the AK Parti (Justice and Development Party) of Erdoğan.
For its part, the club Caykur Rizespor, from Erdogan’s hometown, described the fans’ grievance towards the state leadership as “provocative acts” and called the protesters “sewer rats”.
The Minister of the Interior, Suleyman Soylu, also defended the Government: “If someone wants to do politics, there will be elections in the next few days (…) But those who want to turn sport into a political arena must pay attention to the efforts of the State, the nation and civil society”, he highlighted on Twitter.
Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) MP Oya Ersoy reacts when riot police prevent her from joining the demonstrations. In recent days, protesters have shown their discontent with the Government’s actions in the context of the earthquakes that have occurred since February 6, 2023. © Reuters – Dilara Senkaya
Finally, the Minister of Sports also made his vision known. Mehmet Kasapoglu followed the line of message used by the defenders of the Government, and pointed directly to certain groups of generating “targeted provocations” with the aim of fracturing the unity of the country.
In other reports of protests, riot police intervened in several outbreaks. In downtown Istanbul, dozens of supporters and members of the far-left Turkish Workers’ Party were arrested as they demonstrated against the government.
with Reuters
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( With inputs from : pledgetimes.com )

February 28, 2023
Efforts on to ensure success of G 20 Hyderabad meetings: DGP

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Hyderabad: Telangana Director general of police (DGP) Anjani Kumar stated that the relevant departments should work in coordination to successfully organize the G-20 Sub-Committee on Financial Inclusion Global Partnership meeting that is to held in Hyderabad.
A review meeting was held with the senior officials of various departments at the DGP’s office on Monday to discuss the security arrangements for the G-20 sub-committee meetings.
DGP Anjani Kumar said “The most prestigious G-20 Sub-Committee Financial Inclusion Global Partnership meeting (GPFI) will be held on March 6 and 7 in the city,” and ordered officials to take the most stringent security measures for these meetings.
He said that a lot of coordination between various departments is required for the organization of these meetings that are set to enhance the image of Telangana state.
He said that a special command control center will be set up in the HICC where these meetings will take place and operational control centers will be set up in the hotels where the delegates will stay and in the areas they will visit.
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#Efforts #ensure #success #Hyderabad #meetings #DGP

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 27, 2023
PM meets relief teams, lauds their efforts in quake-hit Turkey and Syria

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with members of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other organisations, involved in rescue and relief operations in earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria under “Operation Dost” and appreciated their efforts.
Lauding the efforts of the NDRF teams, he noted that in the last few years, India had strengthened its identity as a self-sufficient as well as a selfless country.
He noted that the relief and rescue teams had done a great service to humanity and made the country proud.
India was among the first few countries which had sent rescue teams to the affected nations, within hours of the massive earthquake hitting the region.
Turkey was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake on February 6, which had also impacted neighbouring Syria. Till now more than 45,000 people have been killed in it while millions have been rendered homeless.
The PMO had held a meeting on the same day and soon afterwards, rescue and relief teams were dispatched to Turkey and Syria under Operation Dost.
Apart from the relief material, India had sent a mobile hospital as well as specialised rescue teams apart from around 250 army personnel to the most affected areas of Turkey and Syria.
Modi, addressing the rescue personnel, that India is always ready to be the first responder whenever there is a crisis.

“We consider the world as one family and see it our duty to quickly help any member in crisis,” he said.
Three self-sustaining teams of the NDRF, with more than 150 specially trained personnel, along with a dog squad and specialised vehicles were also sent to Turkey.
Emergency medicines, equipment, and medical items were also sent to Syria.
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#meets #relief #teams #lauds #efforts #quakehit #Turkey #Syria
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 20, 2023
India-US making efforts for cooperation in nuclear energy sector

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New Delhi: In the face of growing global concerns over energy security triggered by the Ukraine conflict, India and the US are giving a fresh look at exploring practical cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector after failing to move forward since inking a historic agreement over 14 years back for partnership in the area.
Ways for possible cooperation in nuclear commerce under the framework of the India-US nuclear agreement of 2008 figured prominently in the talks US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Geoffrey R Pyatt had with his Indian interlocutors in Delhi on February 16 and 17.
In an exclusive interview to PTI, Pyatt described India as a “very crucial” partner for the US in ensuring global energy security in view of serious disruptions in supplies of fossil fuel resulting from Russia’s “brutal” invasion of Ukraine.
“I am very focused on how we can develop opportunities for future civil nuclear cooperation, recognising that if we are stuck at issues, we have to work them through, the famous liability question,” he said.
“The business model of the civil nuclear industry is changing. In the US, we made a huge commitment to small and marginal reactors which could be particularly suitable to the Indian environment as well,” he said without elaborating further.
The senior Biden administration official also said the US supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “incredibly ambitious” energy transition goal of having 500 GW (gigawatt) of energy from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030.
Pyatt served at the US Embassy in New Delhi as Political Counselor from 2002 to 2006 and as Deputy Chief of Mission from 2006 to 2007, a period that saw intense negotiations between the two sides on the civil nuclear pact.
The actual cooperation in the civil nuclear energy sector eluded in the last over 14 years primarily due to differences between the two sides over India’s liability rules relating to seeking damages from suppliers in the event of an accident.

“It was the first big thing that our two governments did together. It was so powerful for the rest of the world,” Pyatt said about the 2008 pact.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy said the “civil nuclear renaissance” that the people were talking about got derailed to some considerable degree following the accident at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant in 2011.
However, he said Japan is now reconsidering the importance of nuclear power as part of its overall response to the “incredible disruptions of the global energy markets that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin has caused with his invasion of Ukraine,” he said, adding the climate crisis is another reason for preferring clean energy.
Pyatt suggested that New Delhi is very keen to take forward civil nuclear energy cooperation as part of the overall bilateral energy ties.
“The US-India energy and climate agenda is one of the most important that we have anywhere in the world,” he said.
In 2016, US energy firm Westinghouse and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCI) broadly agreed on terms for setting up of six nuclear reactors in India.
However, the negotiations were derailed after the American company declared bankruptcy in 2017.
There has been renewed focus globally on nuclear energy after the Ukraine war resulted a fossil fuel crisis.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Energy said overall energy cooperation between India and the US will form a major part of the strategic ties between the two sides.
“When I look at where our strategic relationship is going, I see the issues that I am now responsible for as being right at the centre of the picture because there is so much potential to build on the strong foundation to do even more,” he said.
Pyatt said the US is keen on forging strong cooperation with India in areas of green hydrogen energy as well.
India on January 4 approved the National Green Hydrogen Mission with an outlay of Rs 19,744 crore to develop a green hydrogen production capacity of five million tonnes a year by 2030.
“The US investment in hydrogen complements the Indian investment in hydrogen and what I am interested in right now is to build bridges between our respective efforts so that we can leverage each other’s expertise,” he said.
To a question, Pyatt said there is significant scope for joint projects between the companies of the two countries in the area.
Pyatt said just like Reliance Industries is looking at green hydrogen in India, ExxonMobil Corporation, an American multinational oil and gas corporation, has also made a big commitment to the clean energy source.
He said India and the US can work in areas of hydrogen fuel cells, and how to scale up storage mechanisms for hydrogen energy and green shipping.
“There is fantastic scope for it. The market is going to have to decide how we use this product,” Pyatt said.
The American diplomat said the US is looking at possible energy cooperation under the framework of Quad as well.
“Quad is a fundamental organising principle for us. If you look at the different ways in which our four governments are active – all four have made a big commitment to hydrogen (energy). Australia has a big hydrogen programme, India has a large commitment. Our hydrogen ecosystem is going to grow very fast, the Japanese have a long-standing interest in hydrogen (energy),” he said.
Besides India and the US, the Quad comprises Japan and Australia.
The top diplomat further added: “This visit is focused on how to build up the US-India bilateral strategic energy partnership. But I think as that partnership becomes stronger and moves into the future-oriented areas, there is a natural opportunity to go from there into the Quad setting.”
Pyatt said the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created an incentive, particularly in places like Europe, to accelerate the energy transition.
“It is important to understand that Putin thought he could bring Europe to its knees by holding back gas resources, (but) that has failed and now that it has failed, he cannot play that card again. We have to make sure that he is never in a position to do that to anybody else,” the senior diplomat said.
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#IndiaUS #making #efforts #cooperation #nuclear #energy #sector
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 19, 2023
Efforts afoot to have built-in satellite tuners in TV sets: Anurag Thakur

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Mumbai: Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday said efforts are afoot to have a built-in satellite tuner in television sets to offer access to over 200 channels, a move that would allow viewers to watch programmes without set-top boxes.
Television sets with built-in satellite tuners would enable reception of free-to-air television and radio channels by mounting a small antenna at a suitable place such as at the rooftop or side wall of a building.
Addressing the media here, Thakur said there has been a humongous expansion of general entertainment channels on Doordarshan’s Free Dish, which has helped attract crores of viewers.
“I have made a new beginning in my department. If your television has a built-in satellite tuner, then there will be no need to have a separate set-top box. One can have access to more than 200 channels at the click of the remote,” he said while responding to a question.
The minister, however, made it clear that the decision in this matter is yet to be taken.
Doordarshan is in the process of phasing out analog transmission, and free-to-air channels will continue to be broadcast using digital satellite transmission.
In December last year, Thakur had written to Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to issue directions to television manufacturers to adopt the standards issued by the Bureau of Industrial Standards for built-in satellite tuners.
At present, television viewers need to purchase a set-top box for viewing various paid and free channels.

A viewer is required to use a set-top box even for the reception of free-to-air channels (non-encrypted) transmitted by Doordarshan.
The number of households having Doordarshan Free Dish have more than doubled since 2015.
A KPMG report had pegged Free Dish users at 20 million in 2015. The number had increased to 43 million in 2021.
Thakur said according to the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SWAYAM Prabha channels were started for classes 1 to 12 in record time during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the poor and those staying in rural areas had access to education.
“Today there are about 55 such channels and state governments are starting their own channels separately. Apart from news channels, there has been tremendous expansion of general entertainment channels on Free Dish,” he added.
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#Efforts #afoot #builtin #satellite #tuners #sets #Anurag #Thakur
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 13, 2023
Russian forces intensify offensive efforts in Luhansk: Official

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Kiev: A top Ukrainian official said that Russian forces have intensified their offensive efforts in the eastern Luhansk region over the past week.
In a statement on Thursday, Luhansk Governor Serhiy Haidai said that officials have witnessed a slight increase in Russian operations near the cities of Kupyansk and Lyman, CNN reported.
Russia is on the offensive in Luhansk, though without “much success” so far, the Governor added.
Haidai’s remarks came just two days after he had claimed that Russian troops were being sent to the war-torn nation’s eastern region as part of an offensive planned by Moscow on February 15.
On Tuesday. he had said that “we are seeing more and more reserves being deployed in our direction”, reports the BBC.
Almost a year into Moscow’s ongoing invasion, an estimated 300,000 Russian reserve troops have been recruited in recent months in an attempt to break through Ukraine’s front lines in the east.
Capturing the key city of Bakhmut could enable Russian forces to press on towards the bigger cities of Kramatorsk and Slovyansk.
The Governor had further claimed that the Russians’ two-month training period was coming to an end and Moscow would need around 10 days to transfer them to the front for a new offensive.

He suggested that in Luhansk region they would target the three towns of Bilohorivka, Kreminna and Svatove, the BBC reported.
Since the past few months, Ukraine has been warning of an imminent Russian offensive that could begin on February 24, marking the first anniversary of Moscow’s invasion.
Thursday’s development came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy met European Union leaders in Brussels after his trips to London and Paris a day earlier, during which he asked for more fighter jets in en effort to boost Ukraine’s war capabilities amid the ongoing invasion.
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( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 10, 2023
US teams deploying quickly to support Turkish rescue efforts: Biden

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Washington: US President Joe Biden spoke to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan and reaffirmed the US’ readiness to provide “any and all” needed assistance to Turkey in the wake of devastating earthquakes.
In a statement, the White House said Biden “noted that US teams are deploying quickly to support Turkish search and rescue efforts and co-ordinate other assistance that may be required by people affected by the earthquakes, including health services or basic relief items”.
President Biden also expressed condolences on behalf of the American people to those who were injured or lost loved ones in the earthquakes.
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#teams #deploying #quickly #support #Turkish #rescue #efforts #Biden
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 7, 2023
Military begins efforts to recover Chinese spy balloon

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The military is concerned the remnants of balloon’s payload could contain explosives or hazardous material, and wants to ensure the safety of the site, VanHerck said. The balloon was as much as 200 feet tall, with a payload the size of a jetliner that weighed “in excess of a couple thousand pounds.”
The efforts to recover the balloon began as new details emerged of previous incidents of Chinese spy balloons flying over the United States. The military tracked eight such incidents, a member of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff told a member of Congress on Sunday.
“I had a conversation with someone at the Joint Staff that used the number eight,” said Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, in a Monday interview.
Two of those incidents occurred over Florida, and one over Texas, Defense Department officials told Waltz separately by phone on Sunday. Officials declined to provide details about the other incidents, he said, including under whose administration they occurred.
After the military shot down the balloon on Saturday, senior DoD officials told reporters that Chinese balloons had traversed the United States during the Trump administration. The comments caused an uproar in Republican circles, with senior Trump national security officials denying they had ever been briefed on such an incident.
Administration officials have conducted a series of briefings for members of Congress and staff since last week. On Thursday, the staff of the “Gang of Eight” lawmakers received a classified briefing, followed by a briefing for national security committee staffs on Friday.
Before the balloon was shot down on Saturday, the Pentagon notified the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and the defense panels of the House and Senate Appropriations committees, and followed up with a briefing after the operation, a White House spokesperson said.
During a separate Sunday briefing, representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense read an opening statement about the three incidents over Florida and Texas but did not take questions, Waltz said. They also did not disclose details about the nature or size of the balloons, or whether the incidents were reported up the chain of command.

Waltz said he spoke separately with a member of the Joint Staff, who told him similar incidents had occurred eight times.
Senior Biden administration officials have since said the information was discovered after the previous administration had left office, and have offered to brief former officials on the new intelligence.
However, Robert O’Brien, Trump’s final national security adviser, said that as of Monday afternoon, he had not been contacted about any potential briefings. He reiterated previous comments that he had never heard of any such incident during his tenure.
“We were never briefed, we never heard any of it,” he said.
Waltz said he was not satisfied with the briefing he received on Sunday and is asking for additional information from the Pentagon.
“You can’t just put that out there that our airspace was violated multiple times and not give us any details,” he said.
VanHerck told reporters that the incidents went undetected due to shortfalls in military capabilities at the time.
“We did not detect those threats and that’s a domain awareness gap,” he said. The intel community, after the fact, assessed those threats through “additional means of collection.”
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#Military #begins #efforts #recover #Chinese #spy #balloon
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 7, 2023