US&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday she had 'robust' talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on fighting corruption to deter immigration from Central America and bluntly warned migrants to not come to the United States. 
 
Since President Joe Biden took office in January, the number of migrants taken into custody per month at the US&nbsp;Mexico border has risen to the highest levels in 20 years 
 
"Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders," Harris said at a news conference alongside Giammattei. "If you come to our border, you will be turned back." 
 
Harris also said a US&nbsp;anti-corruption task force would work with local prosecutors to punish corrupt actors in the region. 
 
The Biden administration has identified corruption as an underlying cause of the poverty and violence driving record numbers of Central Americans to go to the United States. 
 
The corruption task force has been previously floated, but Harris gave more details, saying it will combine resources from the Justice, State and Treasury departments. 
 
In the build-up to Harris' visit to Guatemala, her first official overseas trip, differences of opinion emerged about the fight against graft, with corruption fighters feted by Washington being criticised by Giammattei. 
 
"We had a robust, candid and thorough conversation," Harris said at the news conference after a three-hour meeting with Giammattei, who said they had discussed US&nbsp;concerns about developments in Guatemala. 
 
"The president and I discussed the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary," Harris said. Washington has criticised the removal of a senior judge from Guatemala's top court, in what Giammattei has argued was a legitimate process. 
 
Giammattei defended his own record in fighting malfeasance, saying he had not been accused of wrongdoing and saying graft was not only a problem faced by politicians. The fight against drug trafficking needed to be an integral part of tackling corruption, he said. 
 
On the immigration front, he announced a new processing center for migrants sent back from Mexico and the United States, which could increase capacity. He said the focus of the two countries should be on creating prosperity. 
 
Most Guatemalan migrants leave because of poverty, he said, and come from a few rural municipalities. 
 
Harris, a Democratic former US&nbsp;senator from California, responded to Republican criticism against her for not visiting the US-Mexico border and the administration for ignoring what they say is a crisis there. She said she was working on the ground in Guatemala. 
 
"I'm just focused on that kind of work as opposed to grand gestures," she said. 
 
But she also took flak from fellow Democrats like US&nbsp;Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said on Twitter she was disappointed by Harris's message to migrants. 
 
"Seeking asylum at any US&nbsp;border is a 100% legal method of arrival," she tweeted. She said the United States has contributed to regime change and destabilisation in Latin America for decades. "We can't help set someone's house on fire and then blame them for fleeing." 
 
The United States orchestrated a coup against democratically elected leftist government Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, ushering in decades of military governments and a civil war estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people by the time it ended in 1996. 
 
More recently, the US-financed, UN&nbsp;Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala helped bring down democratically elected conservative President Otto Perez Molina, a former general, who resigned after massive protests triggered by an investigation into corruption in his government.&nbsp; 
 
The Biden administration on Monday also unveiled details of another task force of prosecutors to combat human smuggling in Central America and Mexico. 
 
US&nbsp;Attorney General Merrick B&nbsp;Garland said the Joint Task Force Alpha would marshal Justice Department and Homeland Security resources against 'the most prolific and dangerous' human smuggling and trafficking groups in the region, according to a statement. It said the group will complement efforts against corrupt actors. 
 
However, Washington's push to tackle 'root causes' of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been undermined by a backlash against anti-corruption bodies the United States considers independent but that local elites say are biased. 
 
Harris also met civil society leaders and entrepreneurs in Guatemala. The White House announced a $7.5 million commitment through USAID to support entrepreneurs in Guatemala, as well as millions more in investments in affordable housing, agri-businesses and loans to small businesses. 
 
Harris said she discussed sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Guatemala during Monday's meeting. She confirmed that the United States would supply half a million COVID-19 doses to Guatemala in addition to the $26 million it has given the country to fight the pandemic. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday she had 'robust' talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on fighting corruption to deter immigration from Central America and bluntly warned migrants to not come to the United States.

US Vice President Kamala Harris said on Monday she had 'robust' talks with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on fighting corruption to deter immigration from Central America and bluntly warned migrants to not come to the United States. Since President Joe Biden took office in January, the number of migrants taken into custody per month at the US Mexico border has risen to the highest levels in 20 years "Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders," Harris said at a news conference alongside Giammattei. "If you come to our border, you will be turned back." Harris also said a US anti-corruption task force would work with local prosecutors to punish corrupt actors in the region. The Biden administration has identified corruption as an underlying cause of the poverty and violence driving record numbers of Central Americans to go to the United States. The corruption task force has been previously floated, but Harris gave more details, saying it will combine resources from the Justice, State and Treasury departments. In the build-up to Harris' visit to Guatemala, her first official overseas trip, differences of opinion emerged about the fight against graft, with corruption fighters feted by Washington being criticised by Giammattei. "We had a robust, candid and thorough conversation," Harris said at the news conference after a three-hour meeting with Giammattei, who said they had discussed US concerns about developments in Guatemala. "The president and I discussed the importance of anti-corruption and the importance of an independent judiciary," Harris said. Washington has criticised the removal of a senior judge from Guatemala's top court, in what Giammattei has argued was a legitimate process. Giammattei defended his own record in fighting malfeasance, saying he had not been accused of wrongdoing and saying graft was not only a problem faced by politicians. The fight against drug trafficking needed to be an integral part of tackling corruption, he said. On the immigration front, he announced a new processing center for migrants sent back from Mexico and the United States, which could increase capacity. He said the focus of the two countries should be on creating prosperity. Most Guatemalan migrants leave because of poverty, he said, and come from a few rural municipalities. Harris, a Democratic former US senator from California, responded to Republican criticism against her for not visiting the US-Mexico border and the administration for ignoring what they say is a crisis there. She said she was working on the ground in Guatemala. "I'm just focused on that kind of work as opposed to grand gestures," she said. But she also took flak from fellow Democrats like US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who said on Twitter she was disappointed by Harris's message to migrants. "Seeking asylum at any US border is a 100% legal method of arrival," she tweeted. She said the United States has contributed to regime change and destabilisation in Latin America for decades. "We can't help set someone's house on fire and then blame them for fleeing." The United States orchestrated a coup against democratically elected leftist government Jacobo Arbenz in 1954, ushering in decades of military governments and a civil war estimated to have killed more than 200,000 people by the time it ended in 1996. More recently, the US-financed, UN Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala helped bring down democratically elected conservative President Otto Perez Molina, a former general, who resigned after massive protests triggered by an investigation into corruption in his government. The Biden administration on Monday also unveiled details of another task force of prosecutors to combat human smuggling in Central America and Mexico. US Attorney General Merrick B Garland said the Joint Task Force Alpha would marshal Justice Department and Homeland Security resources against 'the most prolific and dangerous' human smuggling and trafficking groups in the region, according to a statement. It said the group will complement efforts against corrupt actors. However, Washington's push to tackle 'root causes' of migration in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been undermined by a backlash against anti-corruption bodies the United States considers independent but that local elites say are biased. Harris also met civil society leaders and entrepreneurs in Guatemala. The White House announced a $7.5 million commitment through USAID to support entrepreneurs in Guatemala, as well as millions more in investments in affordable housing, agri-businesses and loans to small businesses. Harris said she discussed sharing COVID-19 vaccines with Guatemala during Monday's meeting. She confirmed that the United States would supply half a million COVID-19 doses to Guatemala in addition to the $26 million it has given the country to fight the pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

Harris takes on graft in Guatemala, tells migrants 'do not come'

The audiotape of a July 2019 phone call shows former US&nbsp;President Donald Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless allegations about Trump's 2020 election rival Joe Biden, CNN reported on Monday. 
 
CNN said it had obtained the audio of the call between Giuliani, US&nbsp;diplomat Kurt Volker, and Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy which it said was the precursor of a Trump-Zelenskiy call which was at the center of Trump's 2019 impeachment. 
 
In the call, Giuliani said he wanted Zelenskiy to say he was putting a prosecutor in charge and "he's gonna investigate and dig up the evidence, that presently exists and is there any other evidence about involvement of the 2016 election, and then the Biden thing has to be run out," according to CNN. 
 
Trump, a Republican, denounced as a political witch hunt allegations that he pressed Zelenskiy during a phone call to dig up dirt on Biden. The Democratic-led US&nbsp;House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump in December 2019, but he was acquitted by the then-Republican-dominated Senate early in 2020. 
 
Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden, a Democrat, and left office in January 2021. 
 
In April, federal prosecutors investigating Giuliani's business dealings in Ukraine at the time he was serving as Trump's lawyer raided his home and office, seizing cell phones and computers. 
 
Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, has not been charged. He said after the raids that his conduct had been 'absolutely legal and ethical'. 
 
Giuliani began representing Trump in April 2018 in connection with then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US&nbsp;presidential election. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

The audiotape of a July 2019 phone call shows former US President Donald Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless allegations about Trump's 2020 election rival Joe Biden, CNN reported on Monday.

The audiotape of a July 2019 phone call shows former US President Donald Trump's then-lawyer Rudy Giuliani pressuring Ukrainian officials to investigate baseless allegations about Trump's 2020 election rival Joe Biden, CNN reported on Monday. CNN said it had obtained the audio of the call between Giuliani, US diplomat Kurt Volker, and Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy which it said was the precursor of a Trump-Zelenskiy call which was at the center of Trump's 2019 impeachment. In the call, Giuliani said he wanted Zelenskiy to say he was putting a prosecutor in charge and "he's gonna investigate and dig up the evidence, that presently exists and is there any other evidence about involvement of the 2016 election, and then the Biden thing has to be run out," according to CNN. Trump, a Republican, denounced as a political witch hunt allegations that he pressed Zelenskiy during a phone call to dig up dirt on Biden. The Democratic-led US House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump in December 2019, but he was acquitted by the then-Republican-dominated Senate early in 2020. Trump lost the 2020 election to Biden, a Democrat, and left office in January 2021. In April, federal prosecutors investigating Giuliani's business dealings in Ukraine at the time he was serving as Trump's lawyer raided his home and office, seizing cell phones and computers. Giuliani, a former New York City mayor, has not been charged. He said after the raids that his conduct had been 'absolutely legal and ethical'. Giuliani began representing Trump in April 2018 in connection with then-Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election. (With inputs from agencies)

Giuliani pressed Ukrainians to probe Biden allegations in 2019 call: CNN

The US has had constructive discussions in the military intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan on terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process, the White House has said.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said that the peace process would be an important issued in the upcoming NATO meeting next week.

"We have only had constructive discussions in the military intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan about the future of America's capabilities to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a base from which Al Qaida or ISIS or any other terrorist group can attack the United States," he told a White House news conference.

Sullivan was responding to a question on talks with Pakistan on the Afghan peace process, which would be an important topic of discussion at the NATO summit. However, he refrained from giving specifics of the discussions with Pakistan.

President Joe Biden departs on his maiden official overseas trip to Europe on Wednesday during which he will attend the G-7 summit, the NATO meetings, and finally the US-Russia Summit.

"In terms of the specifics of what that will look that will have to remain in those private channels as we work through them. What I will say that we are talking to a wide range of countries about how we build effective over the horizon capability both from an intelligence and from a defence perspective to be able to suppress the terrorism threat in Afghanistan on a going forward basis," Sullivan said.

(With inputs from agencies)

The US has had constructive discussions in the military intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan on terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process, the White House has said.

The US has had constructive discussions in the military intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan on terrorism emanating from Afghanistan and the Afghan peace process, the White House has said. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also said that the peace process would be an important issued in the upcoming NATO meeting next week. "We have only had constructive discussions in the military intelligence and diplomatic channels with Pakistan about the future of America's capabilities to ensure that Afghanistan never again becomes a base from which Al Qaida or ISIS or any other terrorist group can attack the United States," he told a White House news conference. Sullivan was responding to a question on talks with Pakistan on the Afghan peace process, which would be an important topic of discussion at the NATO summit. However, he refrained from giving specifics of the discussions with Pakistan. President Joe Biden departs on his maiden official overseas trip to Europe on Wednesday during which he will attend the G-7 summit, the NATO meetings, and finally the US-Russia Summit. "In terms of the specifics of what that will look that will have to remain in those private channels as we work through them. What I will say that we are talking to a wide range of countries about how we build effective over the horizon capability both from an intelligence and from a defence perspective to be able to suppress the terrorism threat in Afghanistan on a going forward basis," Sullivan said. (With inputs from agencies)

US had constructive discussions with Pak on Afghanistan issue: Sullivan

The protesters who gathered in the boreal forests of Northern Minnesota came from across the country — Native American tribes and their supporters, environmentalists and religious leaders — all to fight an expansion of Line 3, a $9 billion pipeline operated by Canadian company Enbridge, that would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil through Minnesota’s delicate watersheds and tribal lands.

Some said they had come ready to risk arrest by lying down in the path of construction. Others said they were here to support tribes that have been battling oil and gas pipelines for years, including the highly contentious Dakota Access Pipeline.

Late Monday, police began making arrests after dozens of activists used an old fishing boat, bamboo and steel cable to blockade the road to a construction site off Highway 71 north of Park Rapids. Several hundred others scaled the&nbsp;fence at the site and occupied it, some climbing atop diggers and transformer boxes or chaining themselves to construction equipment.

Police in riot gear “broke through the steel fences and they just began arresting everyone,” said Tara Houska, a tribal attorney and member of the Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe along the Canadian border. “This is an act of violence on tribal land,” she said.

Police later escalated their attempts to end the protest, using what appeared to be a crowd-dispelling sonic device known as an LRAD, or Long Range Acoustic Device, on the protesters, and using bolt cutters and saws to cut people loose from the equipment they had chained themselves to.

Near midnight, representatives of the legal aid nonprofit National Lawyers Guild, who were present at the protest, said more than 100 people had been arrested. As the last of the police closed in, a core group of protesters made a stand at the boat. A lone voice shouted in the dark, “Water is life.”

Local police had earlier dispatched a helicopter to try to disperse the crowd at the pump station, kicking up clouds of dust.

Earlier in the evening, Cory Aukes, sheriff of Hubbard County, had said that arrests would be continuing through the evening, and that because there would not be enough room at the local county jail to house the detainees, they would be transferred to other counties as well. “We’ve arrested a lot of people,” he said. “And it’s up to them how long this gets drawn out.”

Over the weekend and into Monday, some 2,000 people took part in drum circles and prayer gatherings, and surveyed the network of construction sites that dot the woods. More than 100 protesters pitched tents to settle in for the night at another site near the Mississippi River’s headwaters, and some said they would camp out indefinitely to prevent Enbridge from digging there.

Over the weekend and into Monday, some 2,000 people took part in drum circles and prayer gatherings, and surveyed the network of construction sites that dot the woods. Near La Salle Lake, a small group of protesters late in the day began setting up about half a dozen tents, saying they would camp there indefinitely to prevent Enbridge from digging into the Mississippi River’s headwaters nearby.

“Taking care of the water is our responsibility, and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Winona LaDuke, executive director and a co-founder of Honor the Earth, a Native environmental advocacy organization that is a lead group opposed to the pipeline. “We’ve been at this fight against Enbridge for seven years already. It’s like an invasion.”

Behind the scenes, Native lawyers have been urging the Biden administration to intervene. They are trying to flex a newfound political clout among tribal nations — Native Americans now hold important positions within the Biden administration — and say they intend to hold President Joe Biden to his campaign promises on racial equity, particularly for their communities.

The project, which received its final approvals under President Donald Trump, is a 340-mile rerouting of a wider pipeline network. Once completed, it would carry 760,000 barrels of tar-sands oil a day from Alberta, Canada, across northern Minnesota and into Wisconsin to the tip of Lake Superior.

In April, Enbridge’s CEO, Al Monaco, said Line 3 was on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. Native American tribes see the construction as a violation of their tribal sovereignty, an issue that Biden explicitly pledged to prioritize during his campaign.

The pipeline would pass through treaty-protected tribal lands, they stress, including watersheds that support wild rice, a staple food and important cultural heritage of the Ojibwe people. And in the event of a spill, the heavy oil traveling through the pipeline could sink to the bottom of rivers and streams, complicating a cleanup, environmental groups warn.

In recent years, protesters in Minnesota and across the country have faced a growing number of local bills, backed by the oil and gas industry, that in many cases would make trespassing on or impeding the operation of pipelines and other infrastructure a felony. Minnesota has not yet passed such a bill, but since construction began at Line 3 in December, the Northern Lights Task Force — a police force funded by Enbridge, as mandated under the state's approval of the pipeline project — have arrested more than 70 protesters since construction began on Dec. 1, according to a task force tally.

The Line 3 expansion also tests the Biden administration’s commitment to climate policy.

In his first week as president, Biden signed an executive order vowing to address climate change, rejoined the Paris climate agreement among the nations of the world, and canceled another pipeline, the Keystone XL, which would also have brought tar-sands oil, one of the dirtiest forms of energy, from Canada. He also recently suspended oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

At the same time, the Biden administration has defended a huge Trump-era drilling project and has taken other actions that could guarantee the drilling and burning of oil and gas for decades. And the president has so far stayed silent on Line 3, which would carry enough oil that, when burned, would add nearly 200 million tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere each year during the pipeline’s lifetime, according to the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement. That’s the equivalent impact of annual emissions from 45 coal-fired power plants, or 38 million cars.

“Particularly from a climate standpoint, the case for a brand-new, massive tar-sands pipeline is extremely thin and frankly nonexistent,” said Moneen Nasmith, an attorney with the environmental legal organization, EarthJustice, which is challenging the pipeline.

“We respect everyone’s right to peacefully and lawfully protest, but trespass, intimidation, and destruction are unacceptable,” Michael Barnes, a spokesperson for Enbridge, said in an email. He said 44 workers had been evacuated from the site, including employees of a Native-owned contractor.

The project employed more than 500 Native workers and had brought more than 5,000 construction jobs to the region overall, he said. “We hoped all parties would come to accept the outcome of the thorough, science-based review and multiple approvals of the project. Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review,” he said.

So far, protests have had little effect on construction, which began in December and was 60% complete, he said.

Built in the 1960s, the current crude oil pipeline has been beset with corrosion, leaks and spills, forcing Enbridge in 2008 to reduce its capacity by half, to 390,000 barrels a day. In 2015, Enbridge cited corroding pipes and future oil demand to say it would reroute Line 3, a move that would allow it to restore its original capacity.

Opponents have tried a number of legal challenges. A decision is expected this month in one case, filed in Minnesota state court by tribes and environmental groups, which has focused on whether Enbridge carried out an adequate environmental review.

Two other cases challenge the project’s permits, issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, under the Clean Air Act. Opponents argue that the Army Corps failed to fully consider how an oil spill would affect the Lake Superior watershed.

Native lawyers and lobbyists have also been working their Washington connections. Late last month, Houska, the tribal attorney, pressed top Biden officials on what she saw as policy hypocrisy: Having canceled Keystone XL, how could the administration then allow Line 3 to go forward?

“This is a huge project with huge climate implications,” Houska said she told Gina McCarthy, the White House domestic climate adviser, and David Hayes, who advises Biden on land and water use policy. “You can’t cancel Keystone and then build an almost identical tar sands pipeline,” she said.

A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the meeting.

Tribal leaders are hoping that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who made history as the first Native American Cabinet member, will also be influential in Biden’s decision on the Enbridge pipeline.

Haaland’s public views on oil pipelines are well known: In 2016, Haaland joined the Standing Rock Sioux protesters in North Dakota who camped out for months in opposition to the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

A spokesperson for the Interior Department declined to comment on the role that Haaland might play in determining the fate of Line 3.

Meanwhile, one of the most senior officials with authority to determine whether pipeline permits could be reviewed or rescinded is Jaime Pinkham, the Army Corps of Engineers’ acting assistant secretary of civil works, who is a member of the Pacific Northwest’s Nez Perce Tribe. In 2016, Pinkham co-wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune opposing the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline.

A spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers said Pinkham is scheduled to meet with tribal members later this month at their request.

“The point has been for a long time to get to at least where we had the ear of those who were making decisions of consequence on tribal sovereignty,” said Julian Brave NoiseCat, a Native activist who played a key role in the campaign urging Biden to nominate Haaland. “Hopefully that means that more of these decisions will be made to the benefit and with respect for tribal sovereignty.”

The protesters who gathered in the boreal forests of Northern Minnesota came from across the country — Native American tribes and their supporters, environmentalists and religious leaders — all to fight an expansion of Line 3, a $9 billion pipeline operated by Canadian company Enbridge, that would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil through Minnesota’s delicate watersheds and tribal lands.

The protesters who gathered in the boreal forests of Northern Minnesota came from across the country — Native American tribes and their supporters, environmentalists and religious leaders — all to fight an expansion of Line 3, a $9 billion pipeline operated by Canadian company Enbridge, that would carry hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil through Minnesota’s delicate watersheds and tribal lands. Some said they had come ready to risk arrest by lying down in the path of construction. Others said they were here to support tribes that have been battling oil and gas pipelines for years, including the highly contentious Dakota Access Pipeline. Late Monday, police began making arrests after dozens of activists used an old fishing boat, bamboo and steel cable to blockade the road to a construction site off Highway 71 north of Park Rapids. Several hundred others scaled the fence at the site and occupied it, some climbing atop diggers and transformer boxes or chaining themselves to construction equipment. Police in riot gear “broke through the steel fences and they just began arresting everyone,” said Tara Houska, a tribal attorney and member of the Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe along the Canadian border. “This is an act of violence on tribal land,” she said. Police later escalated their attempts to end the protest, using what appeared to be a crowd-dispelling sonic device known as an LRAD, or Long Range Acoustic Device, on the protesters, and using bolt cutters and saws to cut people loose from the equipment they had chained themselves to. Near midnight, representatives of the legal aid nonprofit National Lawyers Guild, who were present at the protest, said more than 100 people had been arrested. As the last of the police closed in, a core group of protesters made a stand at the boat. A lone voice shouted in the dark, “Water is life.” Local police had earlier dispatched a helicopter to try to disperse the crowd at the pump station, kicking up clouds of dust. Earlier in the evening, Cory Aukes, sheriff of Hubbard County, had said that arrests would be continuing through the evening, and that because there would not be enough room at the local county jail to house the detainees, they would be transferred to other counties as well. “We’ve arrested a lot of people,” he said. “And it’s up to them how long this gets drawn out.” Over the weekend and into Monday, some 2,000 people took part in drum circles and prayer gatherings, and surveyed the network of construction sites that dot the woods. More than 100 protesters pitched tents to settle in for the night at another site near the Mississippi River’s headwaters, and some said they would camp out indefinitely to prevent Enbridge from digging there. Over the weekend and into Monday, some 2,000 people took part in drum circles and prayer gatherings, and surveyed the network of construction sites that dot the woods. Near La Salle Lake, a small group of protesters late in the day began setting up about half a dozen tents, saying they would camp there indefinitely to prevent Enbridge from digging into the Mississippi River’s headwaters nearby. “Taking care of the water is our responsibility, and we take that responsibility seriously,” said Winona LaDuke, executive director and a co-founder of Honor the Earth, a Native environmental advocacy organization that is a lead group opposed to the pipeline. “We’ve been at this fight against Enbridge for seven years already. It’s like an invasion.” Behind the scenes, Native lawyers have been urging the Biden administration to intervene. They are trying to flex a newfound political clout among tribal nations — Native Americans now hold important positions within the Biden administration — and say they intend to hold President Joe Biden to his campaign promises on racial equity, particularly for their communities. The project, which received its final approvals under President Donald Trump, is a 340-mile rerouting of a wider pipeline network. Once completed, it would carry 760,000 barrels of tar-sands oil a day from Alberta, Canada, across northern Minnesota and into Wisconsin to the tip of Lake Superior. In April, Enbridge’s CEO, Al Monaco, said Line 3 was on schedule to be completed by the end of the year. Native American tribes see the construction as a violation of their tribal sovereignty, an issue that Biden explicitly pledged to prioritize during his campaign. The pipeline would pass through treaty-protected tribal lands, they stress, including watersheds that support wild rice, a staple food and important cultural heritage of the Ojibwe people. And in the event of a spill, the heavy oil traveling through the pipeline could sink to the bottom of rivers and streams, complicating a cleanup, environmental groups warn. In recent years, protesters in Minnesota and across the country have faced a growing number of local bills, backed by the oil and gas industry, that in many cases would make trespassing on or impeding the operation of pipelines and other infrastructure a felony. Minnesota has not yet passed such a bill, but since construction began at Line 3 in December, the Northern Lights Task Force — a police force funded by Enbridge, as mandated under the state's approval of the pipeline project — have arrested more than 70 protesters since construction began on Dec. 1, according to a task force tally. The Line 3 expansion also tests the Biden administration’s commitment to climate policy. In his first week as president, Biden signed an executive order vowing to address climate change, rejoined the Paris climate agreement among the nations of the world, and canceled another pipeline, the Keystone XL, which would also have brought tar-sands oil, one of the dirtiest forms of energy, from Canada. He also recently suspended oil drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. At the same time, the Biden administration has defended a huge Trump-era drilling project and has taken other actions that could guarantee the drilling and burning of oil and gas for decades. And the president has so far stayed silent on Line 3, which would carry enough oil that, when burned, would add nearly 200 million tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere each year during the pipeline’s lifetime, according to the project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement. That’s the equivalent impact of annual emissions from 45 coal-fired power plants, or 38 million cars. “Particularly from a climate standpoint, the case for a brand-new, massive tar-sands pipeline is extremely thin and frankly nonexistent,” said Moneen Nasmith, an attorney with the environmental legal organization, EarthJustice, which is challenging the pipeline. “We respect everyone’s right to peacefully and lawfully protest, but trespass, intimidation, and destruction are unacceptable,” Michael Barnes, a spokesperson for Enbridge, said in an email. He said 44 workers had been evacuated from the site, including employees of a Native-owned contractor. The project employed more than 500 Native workers and had brought more than 5,000 construction jobs to the region overall, he said. “We hoped all parties would come to accept the outcome of the thorough, science-based review and multiple approvals of the project. Line 3 has passed every test through six years of regulatory and permitting review,” he said. So far, protests have had little effect on construction, which began in December and was 60% complete, he said. Built in the 1960s, the current crude oil pipeline has been beset with corrosion, leaks and spills, forcing Enbridge in 2008 to reduce its capacity by half, to 390,000 barrels a day. In 2015, Enbridge cited corroding pipes and future oil demand to say it would reroute Line 3, a move that would allow it to restore its original capacity. Opponents have tried a number of legal challenges. A decision is expected this month in one case, filed in Minnesota state court by tribes and environmental groups, which has focused on whether Enbridge carried out an adequate environmental review. Two other cases challenge the project’s permits, issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, under the Clean Air Act. Opponents argue that the Army Corps failed to fully consider how an oil spill would affect the Lake Superior watershed. Native lawyers and lobbyists have also been working their Washington connections. Late last month, Houska, the tribal attorney, pressed top Biden officials on what she saw as policy hypocrisy: Having canceled Keystone XL, how could the administration then allow Line 3 to go forward? “This is a huge project with huge climate implications,” Houska said she told Gina McCarthy, the White House domestic climate adviser, and David Hayes, who advises Biden on land and water use policy. “You can’t cancel Keystone and then build an almost identical tar sands pipeline,” she said. A White House spokesperson declined to comment on the meeting. Tribal leaders are hoping that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, who made history as the first Native American Cabinet member, will also be influential in Biden’s decision on the Enbridge pipeline. Haaland’s public views on oil pipelines are well known: In 2016, Haaland joined the Standing Rock Sioux protesters in North Dakota who camped out for months in opposition to the Dakota Access oil pipeline. A spokesperson for the Interior Department declined to comment on the role that Haaland might play in determining the fate of Line 3. Meanwhile, one of the most senior officials with authority to determine whether pipeline permits could be reviewed or rescinded is Jaime Pinkham, the Army Corps of Engineers’ acting assistant secretary of civil works, who is a member of the Pacific Northwest’s Nez Perce Tribe. In 2016, Pinkham co-wrote an opinion piece in the Chicago Tribune opposing the construction of the Dakota Access pipeline. A spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers said Pinkham is scheduled to meet with tribal members later this month at their request. “The point has been for a long time to get to at least where we had the ear of those who were making decisions of consequence on tribal sovereignty,” said Julian Brave NoiseCat, a Native activist who played a key role in the campaign urging Biden to nominate Haaland. “Hopefully that means that more of these decisions will be made to the benefit and with respect for tribal sovereignty.”

Police make mass arrests at protest against oil pipeline in US

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than half done, and US officials say that while it could be completed by July 4, the final exit of equipment and troops more likely will be later in the summer.

As early as this week, the top US commander for the Middle East, Gen&nbsp;Frank McKenzie, will give Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin a range of military options for securing the US embassy in Afghanistan and providing counterterrorism support from outside the country once the withdrawal is complete, officials said.

The number of American troops needed for the overall security missions inside Afghanistan will depend on a variety of requirements, and could range from roughly a couple hundred to a bit less than 1,000, officials said.

McKenzie's deliberations are a reminder that much about US postwar support for Afghanistan remains uncertain, including how to protect Afghans, who worked with the US government from reprisals and how to avoid an intelligence void that could hamper US early warning of extremist threats inside Afghanistan.

At stake is not just a political verdict on President Joe Biden's judgment about the risk posed by renewed instability in Afghanistan, but also the legacy of an American war that was launched 20 years ago in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks and that imperceptibly morphed into what Biden calls 'this forever war'.

McKenzie is expected to provide options on the amount of aerial surveillance and drones needed to keep an eye on any potential resurgence of al-Qaida, Islamic State or other militant groups. Those options will involve US aircraft from ships at sea and air bases in the Gulf region, such as Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates. And they could range from persistent US overwatch to a more minimal presence.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning details, said there are no options yet for basing US troops or aircraft in nations neighbouring Afghanistan, because those possibilities require diplomatic negotiations.

Any agreements with countries, such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan would be difficult because there would be Russian opposition.

McKenzie told reporters on Monday that the withdrawal from Afghanistan is on pace and 'continuing very smoothly'.&nbsp;He said it was 'about halfway finished',&nbsp;but provided no details. Other officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pullout was more than half completed but provided no specifics.

Officials acknowledge that the withdrawal so far has largely involved removing or otherwise disposing of the mountain of equipment, gadgetry, aircraft and other war materials that accumulated in Afghanistan over the years&nbsp;not the departure of troops. Officials say the troops, who are needed to secure and execute the withdrawal, will be among the last to leave.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than half done, and US officials say that while it could be completed by July 4, the final exit of equipment and troops more likely will be later in the summer.

The US withdrawal from Afghanistan is more than half done, and US officials say that while it could be completed by July 4, the final exit of equipment and troops more likely will be later in the summer. As early as this week, the top US commander for the Middle East, Gen Frank McKenzie, will give Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin a range of military options for securing the US embassy in Afghanistan and providing counterterrorism support from outside the country once the withdrawal is complete, officials said. The number of American troops needed for the overall security missions inside Afghanistan will depend on a variety of requirements, and could range from roughly a couple hundred to a bit less than 1,000, officials said. McKenzie's deliberations are a reminder that much about US postwar support for Afghanistan remains uncertain, including how to protect Afghans, who worked with the US government from reprisals and how to avoid an intelligence void that could hamper US early warning of extremist threats inside Afghanistan. At stake is not just a political verdict on President Joe Biden's judgment about the risk posed by renewed instability in Afghanistan, but also the legacy of an American war that was launched 20 years ago in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks and that imperceptibly morphed into what Biden calls 'this forever war'. McKenzie is expected to provide options on the amount of aerial surveillance and drones needed to keep an eye on any potential resurgence of al-Qaida, Islamic State or other militant groups. Those options will involve US aircraft from ships at sea and air bases in the Gulf region, such as Al Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates. And they could range from persistent US overwatch to a more minimal presence. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning details, said there are no options yet for basing US troops or aircraft in nations neighbouring Afghanistan, because those possibilities require diplomatic negotiations. Any agreements with countries, such as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan or Uzbekistan would be difficult because there would be Russian opposition. McKenzie told reporters on Monday that the withdrawal from Afghanistan is on pace and 'continuing very smoothly'. He said it was 'about halfway finished', but provided no details. Other officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the pullout was more than half completed but provided no specifics. Officials acknowledge that the withdrawal so far has largely involved removing or otherwise disposing of the mountain of equipment, gadgetry, aircraft and other war materials that accumulated in Afghanistan over the years not the departure of troops. Officials say the troops, who are needed to secure and execute the withdrawal, will be among the last to leave.

US pullout from Afghanistan half done, but questions remain

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way. 
 
The investor group, which is led by asset manager Candriam, a European division of US&nbsp;financial services company New York Life, said in a statement the technology could infringe on an individual's privacy rights, given the lack of consent of those being identified, and that there is often no official oversight. 
 
The initiative shows how fund managers are increasingly taking up policy issues that were once considered fringe subjects for shareholders as retail investors pour billions of dollars into funds focused on ethical and sustainability criteria. 
 
Human rights advocates say face recognition technology, which can be used to unlock smart phones or verify bank accounts, also has the potential to be used by governments to track citizens and suppress political dissent. 
 
The investor group said it would begin a two-year process of engagement with companies developing or using the technology. It said it considers 34 companies to be leaders in facial recognition, including Amazon, Facebook, and Asian tech companies Alibaba and Huawei. 
 
An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The other companies did not immediately comment when contacted. 
 
Amazon said last month it was extending a moratorium it imposed on police use of its facial recognition technology. Civil liberties groups have warned inaccurate matching could lead to unjust arrests. 
 
"For investors to be able to fulfil our own responsibility to respect human rights, we call on companies to proactively assess, disclose, mitigate and remediate human rights risks related to their facial recognition products and services," said Rosa van den Beemt, Responsible Investment Analyst at BMO Global Asset Management, one of the investors that has signed up to the initiative. 
 
The facial recognition technology market is set to grow to around $10 billion in 2020, Candriam said in a report published in March, citing a 2018 survey by Allied Market Research. 
 
Among those to sign up to the investor initiative were Britain's Aviva Investors, Royal London Asset Management, Canada's BMO Global Asset Management, Dutch-based NN Investment Partners and Norway's KLP. 
 
"The increasing deployment and use of facial recognition technologies have human rights implications which are not fully being considered by companies," said Louise Piffaut, Senior ESG analyst at Aviva Investors. 
 
Candriam said there was currently no global framework governing the collection and use of biometric data, but the European Union has proposed its first ever legal framework and China has published a draft standard. 
 
The European Union's privacy watchdog said in April, the technology should be banned in Europe because of its 'deep and non-democratic intrusion' into people's private lives. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way.

A group of 50 investors managing more than $4.5 trillion in assets is calling on companies involved in the development and use of facial recognition technology, such as Amazon and Facebook, to do so in an ethical way. The investor group, which is led by asset manager Candriam, a European division of US financial services company New York Life, said in a statement the technology could infringe on an individual's privacy rights, given the lack of consent of those being identified, and that there is often no official oversight. The initiative shows how fund managers are increasingly taking up policy issues that were once considered fringe subjects for shareholders as retail investors pour billions of dollars into funds focused on ethical and sustainability criteria. Human rights advocates say face recognition technology, which can be used to unlock smart phones or verify bank accounts, also has the potential to be used by governments to track citizens and suppress political dissent. The investor group said it would begin a two-year process of engagement with companies developing or using the technology. It said it considers 34 companies to be leaders in facial recognition, including Amazon, Facebook, and Asian tech companies Alibaba and Huawei. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The other companies did not immediately comment when contacted. Amazon said last month it was extending a moratorium it imposed on police use of its facial recognition technology. Civil liberties groups have warned inaccurate matching could lead to unjust arrests. "For investors to be able to fulfil our own responsibility to respect human rights, we call on companies to proactively assess, disclose, mitigate and remediate human rights risks related to their facial recognition products and services," said Rosa van den Beemt, Responsible Investment Analyst at BMO Global Asset Management, one of the investors that has signed up to the initiative. The facial recognition technology market is set to grow to around $10 billion in 2020, Candriam said in a report published in March, citing a 2018 survey by Allied Market Research. Among those to sign up to the investor initiative were Britain's Aviva Investors, Royal London Asset Management, Canada's BMO Global Asset Management, Dutch-based NN Investment Partners and Norway's KLP. "The increasing deployment and use of facial recognition technologies have human rights implications which are not fully being considered by companies," said Louise Piffaut, Senior ESG analyst at Aviva Investors. Candriam said there was currently no global framework governing the collection and use of biometric data, but the European Union has proposed its first ever legal framework and China has published a draft standard. The European Union's privacy watchdog said in April, the technology should be banned in Europe because of its 'deep and non-democratic intrusion' into people's private lives. (With inputs from agencies)

Investors call for ethical approach to facial recognition technology

Long-time Tesla Inc executive Jerome Guillen, who oversaw its Semi electric trucks slated to be launched this year, has left the company, Tesla said on Monday, barely three months after taking over the role. 
 
Guillen, who has been with the company for over a decade since starting as a Model S programme director in 2010, oversaw Tesla's entire vehicles business before being named president of the Tesla Heavy Trucking unit in March. He was one of Tesla's top four leadership members, including then CEO Elon Musk. 
 
Dan Levy, a Credit-Suisse analyst said in a note the departure is 'negative given Guillen previously viewed as central to Tesla' as he was 'arguably key in stabilising auto biz post Model 3 launch' in 2017. 
 
Tesla is yet to begin delivering its battery-powered Semi electric commercial truck, with Musk saying in recent months that battery cell supply constraints could delay its mass production to 2022. 
 
Musk also said in January that Tesla would be able to produce the Semi when its new 4680 cells could be produced in volume, alleviating a battery shortage. 
 
Separately, Musk said on Sunday that Tesla has canceled its longest-range Model S Plaid+, which would use 4680 cells and whose production had been delayed to next year. 
 
"They made a big deal about 4680 ... we are just upset the first (car with) 4680 apparently was abruptly canceled. This just raises more questions that they need to address," Louis Navellier, chief investment officer at Navellier, said. 
 
Tesla shares fell 0.7% in after market trading. 
 
Guillen was one of only a few long-serving executives at Tesla, which is known for the high turnover rate of its executives. 
 
RJ Johnson, who headed Tesla's Energy operations to sell solar and energy storage products, left the company after less than two years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He moved to startup Stealth Mode. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Long-time Tesla Inc executive Jerome Guillen, who oversaw its Semi electric trucks slated to be launched this year, has left the company, Tesla said on Monday, barely three months after taking over the role.

Long-time Tesla Inc executive Jerome Guillen, who oversaw its Semi electric trucks slated to be launched this year, has left the company, Tesla said on Monday, barely three months after taking over the role. Guillen, who has been with the company for over a decade since starting as a Model S programme director in 2010, oversaw Tesla's entire vehicles business before being named president of the Tesla Heavy Trucking unit in March. He was one of Tesla's top four leadership members, including then CEO Elon Musk. Dan Levy, a Credit-Suisse analyst said in a note the departure is 'negative given Guillen previously viewed as central to Tesla' as he was 'arguably key in stabilising auto biz post Model 3 launch' in 2017. Tesla is yet to begin delivering its battery-powered Semi electric commercial truck, with Musk saying in recent months that battery cell supply constraints could delay its mass production to 2022. Musk also said in January that Tesla would be able to produce the Semi when its new 4680 cells could be produced in volume, alleviating a battery shortage. Separately, Musk said on Sunday that Tesla has canceled its longest-range Model S Plaid+, which would use 4680 cells and whose production had been delayed to next year. "They made a big deal about 4680 ... we are just upset the first (car with) 4680 apparently was abruptly canceled. This just raises more questions that they need to address," Louis Navellier, chief investment officer at Navellier, said. Tesla shares fell 0.7% in after market trading. Guillen was one of only a few long-serving executives at Tesla, which is known for the high turnover rate of its executives. RJ Johnson, who headed Tesla's Energy operations to sell solar and energy storage products, left the company after less than two years, according to his LinkedIn profile. He moved to startup Stealth Mode. (With inputs from agencies)

Tesla veteran and trucking chief leaves company

President Joe Biden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a White House visit this summer.&nbsp;

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden extended the invitation during a phone call on Monday with Zelenskyy, who has publicly raised concerns about the US&nbsp;President's plan to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and about a nearly completed Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline that would allow Russia to bypass Ukraine.

Biden made the invitation during a call that had been planned in advance of Biden's trip to Europe that culminates with a stop in Geneva next week for a face-to-face meeting with Putin as tensions in the US-Russia relationship remain high.

Zelenskyy tweeted his response: "Thank you @POTUS @JoeBiden for inviting me to visit the @WhiteHouse in July during our phone conversation. I look forward to this meeting to discuss ways to expand strategic cooperation between Ukraine and #USA."

Sullivan said Biden and Zelenskyy had the 'opportunity to talk at some length about all of the issues in the US-Ukraine relationship and President Biden was able to tell President Zelenskyy that he will stand up firmly for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its aspirations as we go forward."

The Ukrainians also indicated that the Biden administration had committed to sharing 900,000 COVID-19 vaccines with Kyiv. Last week, the White House announced plans to share 80 million vaccine doses 'most through the United Nations-backed COVAX programme'&nbsp;by the end of June.

About 6 million in the initial distribution of 25 million were to be directed by the White House to US&nbsp;Allies and partners, including Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the West Bank and Gaza, India, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as to United Nations frontline workers.

"It will save the lives of many Ukrainians," Zelenskky said in a statement.&nbsp;The Biden administration disappointed Ukraine 'as well as many Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington' when it announced last month that it would not punish the German company overseeing the Russia-to-Germany pipeline known as Nord Stream 2, because it did not want to levy sanctions against an important European ally.

Russian gas currently flows through Ukraine en route to Europe, and Zelenskyy was hopeful that Biden would move to block the project that faced bipartisan opposition in Congress.

Zelenskyy reiterated his concerns about the pipeline during the call, according to the statement from his office.

 
Zelenskyy, in an interview with Axios published on Sunday, said he had urged Biden to join him 'at any moment and at any spot on the planet' before the planned Geneva meeting with Putin next week.

Ukraine has harbored hopes for increased military aid during the Biden administration and is looking for backing in its bid for NATO membership. Ukraine has long battled against Russia-backed separatists in the east and in the halls of government in Kyiv.

Crimea and large swaths of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region are under Russian occupation. Fighting in the region has claimed thousands of Ukrainian lives.

Russia launched a buildup of troops near the border earlier this year before announcing in April that it would pull back those forces.

The provocative move alarmed the US&nbsp;and other European allies. Zelenskyy, in the call, emphasised to Biden that there was still a high concentration of Russian troops and heavy weaponry there.

Zelenskyy found himself ensnared in former President Donald Trump's first impeachment, which centered around a 16-minute phone call in which Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to investigate Biden and his son's dealings in the Eastern European nation in 2019.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

President Joe Biden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a White House visit this summer. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden extended the invitation during a phone call on Monday with Zelenskyy, who has publicly raised concerns about the US President's plan to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and about a nearly completed Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline that would allow Russia to bypass Ukraine.

President Joe Biden has invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a White House visit this summer. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Biden extended the invitation during a phone call on Monday with Zelenskyy, who has publicly raised concerns about the US President's plan to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and about a nearly completed Russia-to-Germany natural gas pipeline that would allow Russia to bypass Ukraine. Biden made the invitation during a call that had been planned in advance of Biden's trip to Europe that culminates with a stop in Geneva next week for a face-to-face meeting with Putin as tensions in the US-Russia relationship remain high. Zelenskyy tweeted his response: "Thank you @POTUS @JoeBiden for inviting me to visit the @WhiteHouse in July during our phone conversation. I look forward to this meeting to discuss ways to expand strategic cooperation between Ukraine and #USA." Sullivan said Biden and Zelenskyy had the 'opportunity to talk at some length about all of the issues in the US-Ukraine relationship and President Biden was able to tell President Zelenskyy that he will stand up firmly for Ukraine's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and its aspirations as we go forward." The Ukrainians also indicated that the Biden administration had committed to sharing 900,000 COVID-19 vaccines with Kyiv. Last week, the White House announced plans to share 80 million vaccine doses 'most through the United Nations-backed COVAX programme' by the end of June. About 6 million in the initial distribution of 25 million were to be directed by the White House to US Allies and partners, including Mexico, Canada, South Korea, the West Bank and Gaza, India, Ukraine, Kosovo, Haiti, Georgia, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, and Yemen, as well as to United Nations frontline workers. "It will save the lives of many Ukrainians," Zelenskky said in a statement. The Biden administration disappointed Ukraine 'as well as many Democratic and Republican lawmakers in Washington' when it announced last month that it would not punish the German company overseeing the Russia-to-Germany pipeline known as Nord Stream 2, because it did not want to levy sanctions against an important European ally. Russian gas currently flows through Ukraine en route to Europe, and Zelenskyy was hopeful that Biden would move to block the project that faced bipartisan opposition in Congress. Zelenskyy reiterated his concerns about the pipeline during the call, according to the statement from his office. Zelenskyy, in an interview with Axios published on Sunday, said he had urged Biden to join him 'at any moment and at any spot on the planet' before the planned Geneva meeting with Putin next week. Ukraine has harbored hopes for increased military aid during the Biden administration and is looking for backing in its bid for NATO membership. Ukraine has long battled against Russia-backed separatists in the east and in the halls of government in Kyiv. Crimea and large swaths of eastern Ukraine's Donbas region are under Russian occupation. Fighting in the region has claimed thousands of Ukrainian lives. Russia launched a buildup of troops near the border earlier this year before announcing in April that it would pull back those forces. The provocative move alarmed the US and other European allies. Zelenskyy, in the call, emphasised to Biden that there was still a high concentration of Russian troops and heavy weaponry there. Zelenskyy found himself ensnared in former President Donald Trump's first impeachment, which centered around a 16-minute phone call in which Trump pressured the Ukrainian leader to investigate Biden and his son's dealings in the Eastern European nation in 2019. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden invites Ukrainian president to White House this summer

A Salvadoran woman, who had served nearly a third of her 30-year prison sentence on charges of terminating her pregnancy and violating El Salvador's harsh abortion ban, was released on Monday, activists said.

Sara Rogel was arrested in October 2012 after going to a hospital with bleeding injuries caused by what she said was a fall while carrying out chores at home. Then a 22-year-old student, Rogel was prosecuted and sentenced for killing her unborn daughter.

"Sara never deserved to be in prison," feminist activist Morena Herrera said. "While in mourning for the heartbreaking loss of her pregnancy, Sara should have been with her family. Instead, she was unjustly imprisoned for nine years."

Her release from a jail in Zacatecoluca, 35 miles (56 km) southeast of capital San Salvador, was initially ordered a week ago, but Rogel was forced to remain in detention until a deadline passed for the Attorney General's office to appeal her release.

El Salvador has one of the world's strictest bans on abortion. It does not permit exceptions, even for rape or if the mother's life is at risk, and prison sentences can stretch up to 40 years.

In recent years, some rulings have been reversed, with several women released&nbsp;from jail after serving parts of their long sentences.

Still, women are often prosecuted for stillbirths and abortions induced because of medical emergencies.

(With inputs from agencies)

A Salvadoran woman, who had served nearly a third of her 30-year prison sentence on charges of terminating her pregnancy and violating El Salvador's harsh abortion ban, was released on Monday, activists said.

A Salvadoran woman, who had served nearly a third of her 30-year prison sentence on charges of terminating her pregnancy and violating El Salvador's harsh abortion ban, was released on Monday, activists said. Sara Rogel was arrested in October 2012 after going to a hospital with bleeding injuries caused by what she said was a fall while carrying out chores at home. Then a 22-year-old student, Rogel was prosecuted and sentenced for killing her unborn daughter. "Sara never deserved to be in prison," feminist activist Morena Herrera said. "While in mourning for the heartbreaking loss of her pregnancy, Sara should have been with her family. Instead, she was unjustly imprisoned for nine years." Her release from a jail in Zacatecoluca, 35 miles (56 km) southeast of capital San Salvador, was initially ordered a week ago, but Rogel was forced to remain in detention until a deadline passed for the Attorney General's office to appeal her release. El Salvador has one of the world's strictest bans on abortion. It does not permit exceptions, even for rape or if the mother's life is at risk, and prison sentences can stretch up to 40 years. In recent years, some rulings have been reversed, with several women released from jail after serving parts of their long sentences. Still, women are often prosecuted for stillbirths and abortions induced because of medical emergencies. (With inputs from agencies)

Salvadoran woman freed from jail after 30-year abortion sentence

Nvidia Corp has submitted an application to Chinese competition regulators to review a $40 billion takeover of UK chip designer Arm, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. 
 
The application was made in recent weeks and sets in motion a period of scrutiny that could take up to 18 months, according to Chinese antitrust lawyers, the report added. 
 
Nvidia said last month it expects to close the Arm acquisition by March 2022, after having struck a deal with Japan's SoftBank Group in September 2020. 
 
In February, Bloomberg News reported that the US&nbsp;Federal Trade Commission had opened an in-depth probe into Nvidia's agreement to buy Arm.

Nvidia Corp has submitted an application to Chinese competition regulators to review a $40 billion takeover of UK chip designer Arm, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Nvidia Corp has submitted an application to Chinese competition regulators to review a $40 billion takeover of UK chip designer Arm, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The application was made in recent weeks and sets in motion a period of scrutiny that could take up to 18 months, according to Chinese antitrust lawyers, the report added. Nvidia said last month it expects to close the Arm acquisition by March 2022, after having struck a deal with Japan's SoftBank Group in September 2020. In February, Bloomberg News reported that the US Federal Trade Commission had opened an in-depth probe into Nvidia's agreement to buy Arm.

Nvidia seeks Chinese regulators' nod for $40bn deal to aquire chip firm Arm: Report

A top Turkish prosecutor refiled a case with the constitutional court demanding the closure of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for alleged ties to militants, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. 
 
In March, the court sent back a similar indictment on procedural grounds for lack of details. The latest indictment demanded a political ban on some 500 party members and a block on HDP's bank accounts, Anadolu said. 
 
Turkey has a long history of shutting down political parties seen as a threat and has in the past banned a series of other pro-Kurdish parties. 
 
The prosecutor's move in March was the culmination of a years-long crackdown on the HDP, parliament's third-largest party, under which thousands of its members were tried on mainly terrorism charges. 
 
The party denies links to terrorism and called the move a 'political coup'. 
 
In a written statement, the prosecutor said the HDP committed crimes against the independence of the state and its unbreakable unity with its country and people, according to Anadolu. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

A top Turkish prosecutor refiled a case with the constitutional court demanding the closure of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for alleged ties to militants, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported.

A top Turkish prosecutor refiled a case with the constitutional court demanding the closure of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) for alleged ties to militants, state-owned Anadolu news agency reported. In March, the court sent back a similar indictment on procedural grounds for lack of details. The latest indictment demanded a political ban on some 500 party members and a block on HDP's bank accounts, Anadolu said. Turkey has a long history of shutting down political parties seen as a threat and has in the past banned a series of other pro-Kurdish parties. The prosecutor's move in March was the culmination of a years-long crackdown on the HDP, parliament's third-largest party, under which thousands of its members were tried on mainly terrorism charges. The party denies links to terrorism and called the move a 'political coup'. In a written statement, the prosecutor said the HDP committed crimes against the independence of the state and its unbreakable unity with its country and people, according to Anadolu. (With inputs from agencies)

Turkish prosecutor refiles case to close pro-Kurdish party: Report

A 35-year old senior executive at a software company in Singapore, who made racially offensive tweets in April last year, including slurs to Indians and condemning Indian immigrants about COVID-19, was jailed for three weeks on Tuesday, a media report said.

Zainal Abidin Shaiful Bahari, a Malay, pleaded guilty to two charges each of committing acts he knew were prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups in Singapore. Another two similar charges were considered in sentencing, Channel News Asia reported.

A member of the public called the police in April 2020 after seeing a tweet by the user 'sharonliew86' condemning Indian immigrants about COVID-19.&nbsp;

Zainal, a senior director at a software company, used the pseudonym 'Sharon Liew' (Chinese name), had sole control of the account.

In March 2020, he also posted that 'smart Chinese' women have done social distancing inside the Mass Rapid Transit subway trains by not wanting to sit next to Indians.

Zainal's lawyers claimed that he was 'not a racist' and that he was taking over a 'parody account' and 'overstepped the mark' while 'trying to be funny'.

District Judge S Jennifer Marie said that race and religion are sensitive issues and would-be offenders must realise that careless remarks have the potential to cause social disorder.

"Further, when such remarks are published with the medium of the Internet, they have the ubiquitous reach and therefore amplify the potential and irreversible harm that could be caused to...Peace and racial harmony."

She added that racial tensions have been heightened by the continued pandemic and a strong deterrent signal must be sent.

Zainal was identified and police investigations revealed that he had set up the Twitter account in July 2018 with two other friends.

It was meant to be a parody account and had more than 5,000 followers, but the posts by Zainal's two friends stopped from early 2019.

Zainal took sole control of the account and posted the offensive tweets in March and April 2020.

The prosecutor called for four weeks' jail, saying there was a clear need for general deterrence, especially in the current climate where tensions in the community have been heightened and strained by exceptional pandemic circumstances.

Lawyer Sunil Sudheesan asked instead for three weeks' jail, saying that every action by his client must be viewed "in the proper context".

"He's not a racist, obviously," said Sudheesan. Zainal is married to a Chinese woman and has racially diverse friends.

Sudheesan said everyone, who followed the account knew it was a parody, and things could have become inflamed when people who did not know the intention of certain tweets forwarded them.

"Our client is very sorry for this. He should have anticipated this," the Channel quoted the lawyer as saying. 
The prosecutor responded that Zainal had well crossed the line.

"This was not parody, this was not satirical behaviour, this was simply the actions of an online troll who was provoking others...This is really not acceptable," he said. The judge told Zainal that the language used in his tweets were in bad taste.

"If you had really valued racial and cultural diversity, you should have appreciated all the more the need to preserve ... Sensitivities given the multi-cultural fabric of Singapore," she said.

For each charge of committing an act prejudicial to racial harmony, Zainal could have been jailed up to three years, fined, or both.&nbsp;

A 35-year old senior executive at a software company in Singapore, who made racially offensive tweets in April last year, including slurs to Indians and condemning Indian immigrants about COVID-19, was jailed for three weeks on Tuesday, a media report said.

A 35-year old senior executive at a software company in Singapore, who made racially offensive tweets in April last year, including slurs to Indians and condemning Indian immigrants about COVID-19, was jailed for three weeks on Tuesday, a media report said. Zainal Abidin Shaiful Bahari, a Malay, pleaded guilty to two charges each of committing acts he knew were prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different racial groups in Singapore. Another two similar charges were considered in sentencing, Channel News Asia reported. A member of the public called the police in April 2020 after seeing a tweet by the user 'sharonliew86' condemning Indian immigrants about COVID-19. Zainal, a senior director at a software company, used the pseudonym 'Sharon Liew' (Chinese name), had sole control of the account. In March 2020, he also posted that 'smart Chinese' women have done social distancing inside the Mass Rapid Transit subway trains by not wanting to sit next to Indians. Zainal's lawyers claimed that he was 'not a racist' and that he was taking over a 'parody account' and 'overstepped the mark' while 'trying to be funny'. District Judge S Jennifer Marie said that race and religion are sensitive issues and would-be offenders must realise that careless remarks have the potential to cause social disorder. "Further, when such remarks are published with the medium of the Internet, they have the ubiquitous reach and therefore amplify the potential and irreversible harm that could be caused to...Peace and racial harmony." She added that racial tensions have been heightened by the continued pandemic and a strong deterrent signal must be sent. Zainal was identified and police investigations revealed that he had set up the Twitter account in July 2018 with two other friends. It was meant to be a parody account and had more than 5,000 followers, but the posts by Zainal's two friends stopped from early 2019. Zainal took sole control of the account and posted the offensive tweets in March and April 2020. The prosecutor called for four weeks' jail, saying there was a clear need for general deterrence, especially in the current climate where tensions in the community have been heightened and strained by exceptional pandemic circumstances. Lawyer Sunil Sudheesan asked instead for three weeks' jail, saying that every action by his client must be viewed "in the proper context". "He's not a racist, obviously," said Sudheesan. Zainal is married to a Chinese woman and has racially diverse friends. Sudheesan said everyone, who followed the account knew it was a parody, and things could have become inflamed when people who did not know the intention of certain tweets forwarded them. "Our client is very sorry for this. He should have anticipated this," the Channel quoted the lawyer as saying. The prosecutor responded that Zainal had well crossed the line. "This was not parody, this was not satirical behaviour, this was simply the actions of an online troll who was provoking others...This is really not acceptable," he said. The judge told Zainal that the language used in his tweets were in bad taste. "If you had really valued racial and cultural diversity, you should have appreciated all the more the need to preserve ... Sensitivities given the multi-cultural fabric of Singapore," she said. For each charge of committing an act prejudicial to racial harmony, Zainal could have been jailed up to three years, fined, or both.

Singapore court jails man for racially offensive tweets, slurs against Indians 

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