The United States has "deep concerns" about the military coup in Myanmar and called on Southeast Asian nations to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. 
 
The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) has been leading the main diplomatic effort on member country Myanmar since a February&nbsp;1 coup plunged it into turmoil. 
 
During a video conference with ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday, Blinken urged ASEAN to take "immediate action" on a five-point consensus, agreed upon in April, to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. 
 
Myanmar has descended into chaos after the coup, with hundreds of protesters killed by security forces and thousands jailed amid paralysing strikes and spreading conflict in border regions. 
 
Blinken asked for the release of all those "unjustly detained" in the country, and the restoration of Myanmar`s democratic transition, Price said. 
 
Blinken also emphasised the US&nbsp;rejection of China's "unlawful maritime claims" in the South China Sea and said Washington "stands with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of (Chinese) coercion", Price said.

The United States has "deep concerns" about the military coup in Myanmar and called on Southeast Asian nations to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday.

The United States has "deep concerns" about the military coup in Myanmar and called on Southeast Asian nations to take action to end violence and restore democracy in the country, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) has been leading the main diplomatic effort on member country Myanmar since a February 1 coup plunged it into turmoil. During a video conference with ASEAN foreign ministers on Wednesday, Blinken urged ASEAN to take "immediate action" on a five-point consensus, agreed upon in April, to appoint a special envoy to Myanmar, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Myanmar has descended into chaos after the coup, with hundreds of protesters killed by security forces and thousands jailed amid paralysing strikes and spreading conflict in border regions. Blinken asked for the release of all those "unjustly detained" in the country, and the restoration of Myanmar`s democratic transition, Price said. Blinken also emphasised the US rejection of China's "unlawful maritime claims" in the South China Sea and said Washington "stands with Southeast Asian claimants in the face of (Chinese) coercion", Price said.

Blinken calls on Southeast Asian nations to take action on Myanmar

A newly disclosed effort by Russian intelligence to hijack the email system of a U.S. government agency prompted leading Democrats on Friday to urge stronger action against Moscow for accelerating cyberattacks before President Joe Biden’s summit next month with President Vladimir Putin.

The latest hack was brought to light late Thursday by Microsoft and other private firms. They exposed how Russia’s SVR, the same intelligence agency that Washington has blamed for a range of cyberattacks on American networks over the past decade, infiltrated a communications company that distributes emails on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Using that access, the hackers sent authentic-looking messages to human rights groups, nonprofit organizations and think tanks, including some that have been critical of Putin. The emails contained links to malware that gave the Russians access to the recipients’ computer networks.

The White House on Friday played down the severity of the attack, saying it was typical of daily cyberconflict. Officials said the fact that the attack had been caught quickly and neutralized — chiefly by Microsoft, which acted when it saw fake emails being sent — was evidence that enhanced defenses being deployed to defend government networks were beginning to show results.

But the timing was striking, and added to the sense that the scope of cyberattacks emanating from Russia — ranging from the most sophisticated to the most embarrassing, as seen in the ease with which hackers got into the email system used by the aid agency — is expanding rapidly despite warnings and retaliation from Washington.

A month ago, Biden imposed economic sanctions on Russia and expelled diplomats in response to one of the most sophisticated attacks ever seen on the “supply chain” of software that government and private sector networks rely on — one that gave Russian intelligence wide access to 18,000 networks. While the Russians used the access only to enter about 150 government agencies and companies, the attack demonstrated that it was possible to corrupt regularly scheduled software updates of the kind that government agencies and companies rely on to keep their systems current.

Then, this month, came a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, carried out by a criminal group that Biden said was based in Russia. The pipeline was shut down for days, prompting panic-buying, long lines at the pump and shuttering gas stations across the Southeast. Colonial paid a $4.4 million ransom, and the attack underscored the vulnerability of the United States’ critical infrastructure.

The latest attack, at a moment of heightened tension with Russia, was more basic, but it focused further attention on why the United States has not been able to deter the wave of attacks by making its adversaries pay a higher price for them.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, argued that years of efforts to deter such attacks from Russia were failing.

“If Moscow is responsible, this brazen act of utilizing emails associated with the U.S. government demonstrates that Russia remains undeterred despite sanctions following the SolarWinds attack,” Schiff said, referring to the attack last year on the software supply chain. “Those sanctions gave the administration flexibility to tighten the economic screws further if necessary — it now appears necessary.”

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed Schiff in calling for stronger consequences. “We must make clear to Russia — and any other adversaries — that they will face consequences for this and any other malicious cyberactivity,” he said.

Biden has already said that Russia’s cyberaggression would be part of the tense conversation he planned to have with Putin on June 16 in Geneva, at a moment when the two nations are at odds over Ukraine, human rights and Russia’s new generation of nuclear weapons.

Some analysts praised the way the U.S. government was responding.

“If you look at the steps the administration is taking to both defend and deter, which are the two key things we need to do here, they are going in the right direction in a significant way we have never seen before,” said Tom Burt, a senior Microsoft official who worked with the administration on several of the recent hacks. “But they are also facing a greater threat than we have ever seen.”

But some intelligence officials argued that sanctions and more covert actions — if there have been any — were showing few signs of deterring Putin. And so Biden is seeing the same kind of robust debate inside his own White House over whether more forceful responses are necessary, whether by exposing Putin’s financial entanglements, or by conducting retaliatory cyberstrikes.

Biden has shown caution, saying last month that he “chose to be proportionate” in response to the SolarWinds attack because he did not want “to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia.”

Some cybersecurity experts now argue that Biden should have responded more aggressively.

“The U.S. tends to get too hung up on proportionality,” said James Lewis, one such expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “We were too cautious in responding to SolarWinds, and that turned out to be a mistake. The way you set boundaries is through action, not by sending them nasty, diplomatic notes.”

U.S. officials have often been reluctant to respond to cyberaggression in kind, in part because the country’s own defenses are so inadequate. “Until we are confident in our own ability to deflect Russian cyberattacks, our actions will continue to be driven by concerns over what Putin will do,” said Kiersten Todt, managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute.

But both government officials and some experts argued that the hijacking of emails by the SVR was such bread-and-butter stuff in the modern world of constant cyberconflict that it did not mark an escalation from SolarWinds. “It’s not obvious to me that this type of attack is over the red line,” said Robert Chesney, director of the Strauss Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

In this case, Microsoft reported, the goal of the hackers was not to go after the aid agency itself. Instead, its motivation appeared to be to use emails purporting to be from the U.S. government to get inside groups that have revealed Russian disinformation campaigns, anti-corruption groups and those who have protested the poisoning, conviction and jailing of Russia’s best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny.

According to SecureWorks, an Atlanta cybersecurity firm tracking the attacks, the Russian hackers targeted the Atlantic Council and EU Disinfo Lab, which have both exposed several Russian disinformation campaigns.

Other targets included the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has drawn Putin’s ire for criticizing the fairness of elections in Belarus and Ukraine; the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center, and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, according to SecureWorks.

Putin had previously described the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as a “vile instrument of the West.” The fact that Russia took aim at these targets, not federal networks as it did with SolarWinds, suggested sanctions may have diverted Russia elsewhere.

“This may be Russia, and Putin specifically, saying, ‘Thanks for the sanctions — now we’re going to use America’s open and vulnerable networks for our own political purposes and vendettas,’” Todt said.

Microsoft, like other major firms involved in cybersecurity, maintains a vast sensor network to look for malicious activity on the internet, and is frequently a target itself. It was deeply involved in revealing the SolarWinds attack.

In the most recent case, Burt said that Microsoft had been tracking the hackers as they broke into a mass-email system run by a company called Constant Contact, which has the Agency for International Development as a client.

“They never had to enter a U.S. government system,” Burt said. Instead, they compromised the Constant Contact communications system and made their way into the agency’s account. That enabled them to send emails that appeared to be from the agency.

In a statement, Constant Contact, without confirming the identity of its client, suggested that hackers had used stolen security credentials to breach the agency’s Constant Contact email accounts. “This is an isolated incident,” the statement said, “and we have temporarily disabled the impacted accounts while we work in cooperation with our customer, who is working with law enforcement.”

But Russian hackers have seized on many such opportunities, intelligence officials say. Biden’s aides said that the fact that the hackers were caught so quickly underscored the need for government agencies and suppliers to adhere to new standards required by an executive order issued two weeks ago. That includes monitoring requirements that would most likely set off alarms in cases where malware is being transmitted in emails, and reporting requirements if there are attacks.

Presenting the new order this month, Anne Neuberger, Biden’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said the new order would “raise the game” for anyone who wanted to do business with the federal government, and that the higher standards of security would spread through private industry. There are some signs that is already happening.

But the adversaries are also improving. Microsoft noted that the Russian attack used new tools and tradecraft in an apparent effort to avoid detection. “Some people would call this ‘espionage as usual,’ and it was,” Burt said. “But no government wants some other government living in their networks for three months.”

A newly disclosed effort by Russian intelligence to hijack the email system of a U.S. government agency prompted leading Democrats on Friday to urge stronger action against Moscow for accelerating cyberattacks before President Joe Biden’s summit next month with President Vladimir Putin.

A newly disclosed effort by Russian intelligence to hijack the email system of a U.S. government agency prompted leading Democrats on Friday to urge stronger action against Moscow for accelerating cyberattacks before President Joe Biden’s summit next month with President Vladimir Putin. The latest hack was brought to light late Thursday by Microsoft and other private firms. They exposed how Russia’s SVR, the same intelligence agency that Washington has blamed for a range of cyberattacks on American networks over the past decade, infiltrated a communications company that distributes emails on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Using that access, the hackers sent authentic-looking messages to human rights groups, nonprofit organizations and think tanks, including some that have been critical of Putin. The emails contained links to malware that gave the Russians access to the recipients’ computer networks. The White House on Friday played down the severity of the attack, saying it was typical of daily cyberconflict. Officials said the fact that the attack had been caught quickly and neutralized — chiefly by Microsoft, which acted when it saw fake emails being sent — was evidence that enhanced defenses being deployed to defend government networks were beginning to show results. But the timing was striking, and added to the sense that the scope of cyberattacks emanating from Russia — ranging from the most sophisticated to the most embarrassing, as seen in the ease with which hackers got into the email system used by the aid agency — is expanding rapidly despite warnings and retaliation from Washington. A month ago, Biden imposed economic sanctions on Russia and expelled diplomats in response to one of the most sophisticated attacks ever seen on the “supply chain” of software that government and private sector networks rely on — one that gave Russian intelligence wide access to 18,000 networks. While the Russians used the access only to enter about 150 government agencies and companies, the attack demonstrated that it was possible to corrupt regularly scheduled software updates of the kind that government agencies and companies rely on to keep their systems current. Then, this month, came a ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, carried out by a criminal group that Biden said was based in Russia. The pipeline was shut down for days, prompting panic-buying, long lines at the pump and shuttering gas stations across the Southeast. Colonial paid a $4.4 million ransom, and the attack underscored the vulnerability of the United States’ critical infrastructure. The latest attack, at a moment of heightened tension with Russia, was more basic, but it focused further attention on why the United States has not been able to deter the wave of attacks by making its adversaries pay a higher price for them. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, argued that years of efforts to deter such attacks from Russia were failing. “If Moscow is responsible, this brazen act of utilizing emails associated with the U.S. government demonstrates that Russia remains undeterred despite sanctions following the SolarWinds attack,” Schiff said, referring to the attack last year on the software supply chain. “Those sanctions gave the administration flexibility to tighten the economic screws further if necessary — it now appears necessary.” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, echoed Schiff in calling for stronger consequences. “We must make clear to Russia — and any other adversaries — that they will face consequences for this and any other malicious cyberactivity,” he said. Biden has already said that Russia’s cyberaggression would be part of the tense conversation he planned to have with Putin on June 16 in Geneva, at a moment when the two nations are at odds over Ukraine, human rights and Russia’s new generation of nuclear weapons. Some analysts praised the way the U.S. government was responding. “If you look at the steps the administration is taking to both defend and deter, which are the two key things we need to do here, they are going in the right direction in a significant way we have never seen before,” said Tom Burt, a senior Microsoft official who worked with the administration on several of the recent hacks. “But they are also facing a greater threat than we have ever seen.” But some intelligence officials argued that sanctions and more covert actions — if there have been any — were showing few signs of deterring Putin. And so Biden is seeing the same kind of robust debate inside his own White House over whether more forceful responses are necessary, whether by exposing Putin’s financial entanglements, or by conducting retaliatory cyberstrikes. Biden has shown caution, saying last month that he “chose to be proportionate” in response to the SolarWinds attack because he did not want “to kick off a cycle of escalation and conflict with Russia.” Some cybersecurity experts now argue that Biden should have responded more aggressively. “The U.S. tends to get too hung up on proportionality,” said James Lewis, one such expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “We were too cautious in responding to SolarWinds, and that turned out to be a mistake. The way you set boundaries is through action, not by sending them nasty, diplomatic notes.” U.S. officials have often been reluctant to respond to cyberaggression in kind, in part because the country’s own defenses are so inadequate. “Until we are confident in our own ability to deflect Russian cyberattacks, our actions will continue to be driven by concerns over what Putin will do,” said Kiersten Todt, managing director of the Cyber Readiness Institute. But both government officials and some experts argued that the hijacking of emails by the SVR was such bread-and-butter stuff in the modern world of constant cyberconflict that it did not mark an escalation from SolarWinds. “It’s not obvious to me that this type of attack is over the red line,” said Robert Chesney, director of the Strauss Center at the University of Texas at Austin. In this case, Microsoft reported, the goal of the hackers was not to go after the aid agency itself. Instead, its motivation appeared to be to use emails purporting to be from the U.S. government to get inside groups that have revealed Russian disinformation campaigns, anti-corruption groups and those who have protested the poisoning, conviction and jailing of Russia’s best-known opposition leader, Alexei Navalny. According to SecureWorks, an Atlanta cybersecurity firm tracking the attacks, the Russian hackers targeted the Atlantic Council and EU Disinfo Lab, which have both exposed several Russian disinformation campaigns. Other targets included the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has drawn Putin’s ire for criticizing the fairness of elections in Belarus and Ukraine; the Ukrainian Anti-Corruption Action Center, and Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, according to SecureWorks. Putin had previously described the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as a “vile instrument of the West.” The fact that Russia took aim at these targets, not federal networks as it did with SolarWinds, suggested sanctions may have diverted Russia elsewhere. “This may be Russia, and Putin specifically, saying, ‘Thanks for the sanctions — now we’re going to use America’s open and vulnerable networks for our own political purposes and vendettas,’” Todt said. Microsoft, like other major firms involved in cybersecurity, maintains a vast sensor network to look for malicious activity on the internet, and is frequently a target itself. It was deeply involved in revealing the SolarWinds attack. In the most recent case, Burt said that Microsoft had been tracking the hackers as they broke into a mass-email system run by a company called Constant Contact, which has the Agency for International Development as a client. “They never had to enter a U.S. government system,” Burt said. Instead, they compromised the Constant Contact communications system and made their way into the agency’s account. That enabled them to send emails that appeared to be from the agency. In a statement, Constant Contact, without confirming the identity of its client, suggested that hackers had used stolen security credentials to breach the agency’s Constant Contact email accounts. “This is an isolated incident,” the statement said, “and we have temporarily disabled the impacted accounts while we work in cooperation with our customer, who is working with law enforcement.” But Russian hackers have seized on many such opportunities, intelligence officials say. Biden’s aides said that the fact that the hackers were caught so quickly underscored the need for government agencies and suppliers to adhere to new standards required by an executive order issued two weeks ago. That includes monitoring requirements that would most likely set off alarms in cases where malware is being transmitted in emails, and reporting requirements if there are attacks. Presenting the new order this month, Anne Neuberger, Biden’s deputy national security adviser for cyber and emerging technology, said the new order would “raise the game” for anyone who wanted to do business with the federal government, and that the higher standards of security would spread through private industry. There are some signs that is already happening. But the adversaries are also improving. Microsoft noted that the Russian attack used new tools and tradecraft in an apparent effort to avoid detection. “Some people would call this ‘espionage as usual,’ and it was,” Burt said. “But no government wants some other government living in their networks for three months.”

Top Democrats call for stronger action against Russia after latest cyberattack

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money.&nbsp;

The ICT ministry said there have recently been increasing reports of phishing attempts via text messages that lead cryptocurrency users to enter their exchange IDs and passwords on fake websites to steal them and access their accounts.&nbsp;

The ministry said it found and blocked 32 such phishing websites in the past three months, compared with a total of 41 websites detected in the whole of last year, reports Yonhap news agency.&nbsp;

Examples of such websites include www.bithnub.com, compared with the address of local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb -- www.bithumb.com.&nbsp;

The ministry said it will strengthen its 24-hour monitoring system to swiftly block such phishing websites.&nbsp;

The National Police Agency has also been conducting a crackdown on phishing websites since the start of March this year.&nbsp;

As of May 4, the police were investigating 21 cases, in which individuals accessed other cryptocurrency users' accounts and sold their assets.&nbsp;

Major cryptocurrency Bitcoin topped $72,000 per unit in South Korea for the first time in mid-April. The virtual currency has since fallen, trading at around 67 million won on Friday, according to Bithumb.&nbsp;

Amid rising prices, South Korean financial authorities are also cracking down on illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, until June.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money.

South Korea said on Sunday it will strengthen its monitoring system against cryptocurrency-related phishing websites by working with the National Police Agency amid recent surges in prices of virtual money. The ICT ministry said there have recently been increasing reports of phishing attempts via text messages that lead cryptocurrency users to enter their exchange IDs and passwords on fake websites to steal them and access their accounts. The ministry said it found and blocked 32 such phishing websites in the past three months, compared with a total of 41 websites detected in the whole of last year, reports Yonhap news agency. Examples of such websites include www.bithnub.com, compared with the address of local cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb -- www.bithumb.com. The ministry said it will strengthen its 24-hour monitoring system to swiftly block such phishing websites. The National Police Agency has also been conducting a crackdown on phishing websites since the start of March this year. As of May 4, the police were investigating 21 cases, in which individuals accessed other cryptocurrency users' accounts and sold their assets. Major cryptocurrency Bitcoin topped $72,000 per unit in South Korea for the first time in mid-April. The virtual currency has since fallen, trading at around 67 million won on Friday, according to Bithumb. Amid rising prices, South Korean financial authorities are also cracking down on illegal activities involving cryptocurrencies, such as money laundering, until June. (With inputs from agencies)

South Korea to clamp down on cryptocurrency phishing activity 

The National Green Tribunal, while hearing the matter pertaining to the Visakhapatnam gas leak incident, has directed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary to identify and take appropriate actions against persons responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances.

A bench of the NGT, headed by its Chairperson AK Goel, on Monday directed the Chief Secretary to take appropriate actions within two months and file a report on the matter. It has been listed for further hearing on November 3.

The tribunal also directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&amp;CC) that it may also constitute an expert committee to suggest ways and means to revamp the monitoring mechanism to check and prevent violation of environmental norms and preventing any such recurrence in future in any of the establishments dealing with hazardous chemicals.

The NGT has asked the ministry to file an action taken report within three months.The bench directed that the Rs 50 crores deposited by the company with the District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam will stand appropriated towards part liability and interim compensation to be spent for restoration of the environment and compensation for the victims in accordance with the restoration plan to be prepared.

"Restoration plan may be prepared by a committee comprising two representatives each of MoEF&amp;CC, Central Pollution Control Board and three representatives of the state government to be named by the Chief Secretary, including the District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam, and such other concerned departments within two months from today.

MoEF&amp;CC will be the nodal agency for the purpose," The NGT said."Final quantification of compensation may be assessed by a committee comprising representatives of MoEF&amp;CC, CPCB, and NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute). The said Committee will be at liberty to associate/co-opt any other expert institution or individual," it added.

The green tribunal also said that the Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change may ensure the constitution of such a committee within two weeks and the committee may give its report within two months thereafter.

The NGT had taken suo motu cognizance of the May 7 gas leak incident at LG Polymers chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, in which 11 people had lost their lives, and damage was caused to environment and habitat.

The National Green Tribunal, while hearing the matter pertaining to the Visakhapatnam gas leak incident, has directed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary to identify and take appropriate actions against persons responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances.

The National Green Tribunal, while hearing the matter pertaining to the Visakhapatnam gas leak incident, has directed Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary to identify and take appropriate actions against persons responsible for the failure of law in permitting the company to operate without statutory clearances. A bench of the NGT, headed by its Chairperson AK Goel, on Monday directed the Chief Secretary to take appropriate actions within two months and file a report on the matter. It has been listed for further hearing on November 3. The tribunal also directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) that it may also constitute an expert committee to suggest ways and means to revamp the monitoring mechanism to check and prevent violation of environmental norms and preventing any such recurrence in future in any of the establishments dealing with hazardous chemicals. The NGT has asked the ministry to file an action taken report within three months.The bench directed that the Rs 50 crores deposited by the company with the District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam will stand appropriated towards part liability and interim compensation to be spent for restoration of the environment and compensation for the victims in accordance with the restoration plan to be prepared. "Restoration plan may be prepared by a committee comprising two representatives each of MoEF&CC, Central Pollution Control Board and three representatives of the state government to be named by the Chief Secretary, including the District Magistrate, Visakhapatnam, and such other concerned departments within two months from today. MoEF&CC will be the nodal agency for the purpose," The NGT said."Final quantification of compensation may be assessed by a committee comprising representatives of MoEF&CC, CPCB, and NEERI (National Environmental Engineering Research Institute). The said Committee will be at liberty to associate/co-opt any other expert institution or individual," it added. The green tribunal also said that the Secretary of Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change may ensure the constitution of such a committee within two weeks and the committee may give its report within two months thereafter. The NGT had taken suo motu cognizance of the May 7 gas leak incident at LG Polymers chemical plant in Visakhapatnam, in which 11 people had lost their lives, and damage was caused to environment and habitat.

Vizag gas leak: NGT directs action against those responsible for allowing company to operate without clearances

India and Denmark will hold a joint working group meeting in New Delhi to chalk out mutually beneficial programs over the next two years as a part of their efforts towards climate change, Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday. 
 
The decision in this regard was taken during a bilateral meeting held here between Javadekar and a delegation from Denmark led by Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jorgensen. 
 
During the meeting, the two sides shared their positions on key approaches towards climate change such as adaptation, mitigation, technology, finance, waste management and afforestation, Javadekar wrote on Twitter. 
 
"Had a cordial bilateral meeting with a #Denmark delegation led by Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Mr Dan Jorgensen. We shared our positions on Adaptation, Mitigation, Technology, Finance, Waste Management and Afforestation. #ClimateAction @UNFCCC," Javadekar tweeted. 
 
"#India and #Denmark decided to hold a Joint Working Group Meeting in #Delhi to chalk out mutually beneficial programs for the next two years. #ClimateAction @UNFCCC," the following tweet read.

India and Denmark will hold a joint working group meeting in New Delhi to chalk out mutually beneficial programs over the next two years as a part of their efforts towards climate change, Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

India and Denmark will hold a joint working group meeting in New Delhi to chalk out mutually beneficial programs over the next two years as a part of their efforts towards climate change, Union Minister for Environment and Forest Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday. The decision in this regard was taken during a bilateral meeting held here between Javadekar and a delegation from Denmark led by Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Dan Jorgensen. During the meeting, the two sides shared their positions on key approaches towards climate change such as adaptation, mitigation, technology, finance, waste management and afforestation, Javadekar wrote on Twitter. "Had a cordial bilateral meeting with a #Denmark delegation led by Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities Mr Dan Jorgensen. We shared our positions on Adaptation, Mitigation, Technology, Finance, Waste Management and Afforestation. #ClimateAction @UNFCCC," Javadekar tweeted. "#India and #Denmark decided to hold a Joint Working Group Meeting in #Delhi to chalk out mutually beneficial programs for the next two years. #ClimateAction @UNFCCC," the following tweet read.

India, Denmark to hold meeting to chalk out action plan against climate change

Chinese official media excoriated the United States and called for harsh reprisals in editorials on Thursday after the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-says-a-price-must-be-paid-over-us-uighur-bill-266177">US&nbsp;House of Representatives passed legislation</a> requiring a stronger response to Beijing's treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority.

The commentaries follow warnings from China on Wednesday that the legislation could affect bilateral cooperation, including a near-term deal to end the two countries' trade war.

A front-page editorial in the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper said the passage of the US&nbsp;legislation "harbours evil intent and is extremely sinister".

"Underestimating the determination and will of the Chinese people is doomed to fail," it said.

By a vote of 407 to 1, the US&nbsp;House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the Uighur bill, which would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China's crackdown in Xinjiang, a region in China's far west.

The bill still has to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate before being sent to US&nbsp;President Donald Trump to sign into law.

Watch: US House ramps up China tensions with passing Uighur Bill

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-house-ramps-up-china-tensions-with-passing-uighur-bill-266047/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The White House has yet to say whether Trump would sign or veto the bill, which contains a provision allowing the president to waive sanctions if he determines that to be in the national interest.

UN&nbsp;experts and activists say China has detained possibly one million Uighurs in mass detention camps in Xinjiang.

China says the camps are part of an anti-terror crackdown and are providing <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-house-approves-uighur-bill-demanding-sanctions-on-senior-chinese-officials-266033">vocational training</a>. It denies any mistreatment of Uighurs.

The English-language China Daily called the bill a "stab in the back, given Beijing's efforts to stabilise the already turbulent China-US&nbsp;relationship".

"It seems an odds-on bet that more (sanctions) can be expected if the latest approval for State Department meddling goes into the statute books," it said.

The English-language edition of the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid published by the People's Daily, said China should be prepared for a "long-term battle with the US"

The editorials echoed comments by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who said on Wednesday that "any wrong words and deeds must pay the due price."

The official commentary also took aim at the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, recently signed into law by Trump.

The act requires the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-secrets-of-chinas-xinjiang-camps-leaked-to-foreign-media-264363">US&nbsp;State Department</a> to certify at least annually that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify favourable US&nbsp;trading terms and threatens sanctions for human rights violations

A front-page editorial in the overseas edition of the People's Daily framed the bill as a US&nbsp;attempt to use Hong Kong to contain China, calling such a move "idiotic nonsense".

"The Chinese government will in no way allow anyone to act wilfully in Hong Kong, and must take effective measures to prevent, contain and counteract external forces from interfering in Hong Kong affairs."

Hong Kong has been wracked by nearly six months of often violent protests, with demonstrators demanding greater democratic freedoms in the Chinese city.

Chinese official media excoriated the United States and called for harsh reprisals in editorials on Thursday after the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring a stronger response to Beijing's treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority.

Chinese official media excoriated the United States and called for harsh reprisals in editorials on Thursday after the US House of Representatives passed legislation requiring a stronger response to Beijing's treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority. The commentaries follow warnings from China on Wednesday that the legislation could affect bilateral cooperation, including a near-term deal to end the two countries' trade war. A front-page editorial in the ruling Communist Party's People's Daily newspaper said the passage of the US legislation "harbours evil intent and is extremely sinister". "Underestimating the determination and will of the Chinese people is doomed to fail," it said. By a vote of 407 to 1, the US House of Representatives on Tuesday approved the Uighur bill, which would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China's crackdown in Xinjiang, a region in China's far west. The bill still has to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate before being sent to US President Donald Trump to sign into law. Watch: US House ramps up China tensions with passing Uighur Bill The White House has yet to say whether Trump would sign or veto the bill, which contains a provision allowing the president to waive sanctions if he determines that to be in the national interest. UN experts and activists say China has detained possibly one million Uighurs in mass detention camps in Xinjiang. China says the camps are part of an anti-terror crackdown and are providing vocational training. It denies any mistreatment of Uighurs. The English-language China Daily called the bill a "stab in the back, given Beijing's efforts to stabilise the already turbulent China-US relationship". "It seems an odds-on bet that more (sanctions) can be expected if the latest approval for State Department meddling goes into the statute books," it said. The English-language edition of the Global Times, a nationalist tabloid published by the People's Daily, said China should be prepared for a "long-term battle with the US" The editorials echoed comments by Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, who said on Wednesday that "any wrong words and deeds must pay the due price." The official commentary also took aim at the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act, recently signed into law by Trump. The act requires the US State Department to certify at least annually that Hong Kong retains enough autonomy to justify favourable US trading terms and threatens sanctions for human rights violations A front-page editorial in the overseas edition of the People's Daily framed the bill as a US attempt to use Hong Kong to contain China, calling such a move "idiotic nonsense". "The Chinese government will in no way allow anyone to act wilfully in Hong Kong, and must take effective measures to prevent, contain and counteract external forces from interfering in Hong Kong affairs." Hong Kong has been wracked by nearly six months of often violent protests, with demonstrators demanding greater democratic freedoms in the Chinese city.

Chinese media blasts US for Uighur bill, calls for action

Smartphones have made major leaps in studying and understanding human behaviour to make our lives easier. Contemporary smartphone technology not only curates a seamless software experience whereby one could play heavy games, but your smartphone also measures your health. But recently, the efficacy of those apps have been brought into question.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
However, the ability to track one's health is simply not enough. To add to the woes of India, a study found that the general population isn't exercising enough. For instance, an average Indian walks around 6500 steps every day which rounds about to less than five kilometres.

The same study also claims that India is the world's second most sleep-deprived country after Japan. Additionally, India is also the most stressed country.

This unhealthy combo of sleep deprivation and minimal physical activity has far-reaching consequences. The supplementary numbers simply paint a grim picture. An 'average Indian' receives 7.1 hours of sleep and takes 6,533 steps daily.

Contributing factors

A sedentary lifestyle can be attributed to multiple causes. Majority of the women in India are financially and socially constrained, i.e., unable to invest in taking care of their physical and mental state. In the juggle between domestic and professional responsibilities, sleep is compromised.&nbsp;

Another key factor which is valid across the spectrum of gender is shift work. A nine-hour job that requires one to work with technology may contribute to the deterioration of physical health.

Naturally, with gadgets dictating our every mode of organisation, addiction to them is inevitable. This superglued relationship between people and their gargets keeps Indians from getting adequate sleep.&nbsp;

Another contributing factor is stress. Stress can originate from a variety of sources relating to work as well as home. The study claims that 89 per cent of Indians suffer from stress.&nbsp;

And within the category of millennials who are stressed, Indians also take the top spot. They comprise the lot that stays up for most of the night.

Owing to this dependence on technology and a cavalier attitude towards physical well-being moulds our mentality to avoid it altogether. This mental construction makes several Indians believe that it is acceptable to cheat on some hours of sleep or not to exercise.&nbsp;

One of the key signifiers, as well as a consequence, is the economic standing of an individual. Without being financially stable, one cannot afford to invest in physical fitness. Experts say that poor people are less physically active. Numbers matter here, for 21.9 per cent of Indians still live below the national poverty line, with a daily wage of less than half a Dollar.

To top it all of, sleep deprivation and lack of physical activity can cause long-term damage to the body. Without adequate sleep, the immune system's efficiency is compromised.&nbsp;

Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases.

In the long-term, sleep deprivation clubbed with inactivity could lead to forms of dementia and cancer. Also, this fluctuates the bodyweight too often.

To overcome and limit the ill-effects of such a lifestyle, getting eight to nine hours of sleep is necessary. This should be accompanied by walking 10,000 steps or 30 minutes of exercise.

Developing awareness

To dodge these scary figures, people need to develop an awareness of how they're harming their bodies. Indians need to be told why sleeping and working out are non-negotiable.

Many movements to increase awareness like Fit India have spurred recently.&nbsp;

Launched in August this year, the initiative is expected to steer India towards a healthier future.

External factors also play a role in one's well being, especially for women. Better and safer infrastructure will encourage more women to step out of their houses.

The tipping point is that India remains among the world's most over-worked countries.

Beat this - an average urban Indian clocks in 53-54 hours at work every week.

Smartphones have made major leaps in studying and understanding human behaviour to make our lives easier. Contemporary smartphone technology not only curates a seamless software experience whereby one could play heavy games, but your smartphone also measures your health.

Smartphones have made major leaps in studying and understanding human behaviour to make our lives easier. Contemporary smartphone technology not only curates a seamless software experience whereby one could play heavy games, but your smartphone also measures your health. But recently, the efficacy of those apps have been brought into question. However, the ability to track one's health is simply not enough. To add to the woes of India, a study found that the general population isn't exercising enough. For instance, an average Indian walks around 6500 steps every day which rounds about to less than five kilometres. The same study also claims that India is the world's second most sleep-deprived country after Japan. Additionally, India is also the most stressed country. This unhealthy combo of sleep deprivation and minimal physical activity has far-reaching consequences. The supplementary numbers simply paint a grim picture. An 'average Indian' receives 7.1 hours of sleep and takes 6,533 steps daily. Contributing factors A sedentary lifestyle can be attributed to multiple causes. Majority of the women in India are financially and socially constrained, i.e., unable to invest in taking care of their physical and mental state. In the juggle between domestic and professional responsibilities, sleep is compromised. Another key factor which is valid across the spectrum of gender is shift work. A nine-hour job that requires one to work with technology may contribute to the deterioration of physical health. Naturally, with gadgets dictating our every mode of organisation, addiction to them is inevitable. This superglued relationship between people and their gargets keeps Indians from getting adequate sleep. Another contributing factor is stress. Stress can originate from a variety of sources relating to work as well as home. The study claims that 89 per cent of Indians suffer from stress. And within the category of millennials who are stressed, Indians also take the top spot. They comprise the lot that stays up for most of the night. Owing to this dependence on technology and a cavalier attitude towards physical well-being moulds our mentality to avoid it altogether. This mental construction makes several Indians believe that it is acceptable to cheat on some hours of sleep or not to exercise. One of the key signifiers, as well as a consequence, is the economic standing of an individual. Without being financially stable, one cannot afford to invest in physical fitness. Experts say that poor people are less physically active. Numbers matter here, for 21.9 per cent of Indians still live below the national poverty line, with a daily wage of less than half a Dollar. To top it all of, sleep deprivation and lack of physical activity can cause long-term damage to the body. Without adequate sleep, the immune system's efficiency is compromised. Additionally, a sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases. In the long-term, sleep deprivation clubbed with inactivity could lead to forms of dementia and cancer. Also, this fluctuates the bodyweight too often. To overcome and limit the ill-effects of such a lifestyle, getting eight to nine hours of sleep is necessary. This should be accompanied by walking 10,000 steps or 30 minutes of exercise. Developing awareness To dodge these scary figures, people need to develop an awareness of how they're harming their bodies. Indians need to be told why sleeping and working out are non-negotiable. Many movements to increase awareness like Fit India have spurred recently. Launched in August this year, the initiative is expected to steer India towards a healthier future. External factors also play a role in one's well being, especially for women. Better and safer infrastructure will encourage more women to step out of their houses. The tipping point is that India remains among the world's most over-worked countries. Beat this - an average urban Indian clocks in 53-54 hours at work every week.

Indians low on activity, second-most sleep-deprived in world: Study

For all the lovers of the Transformers, your obsession with Optimus Prime and Megatron might just land you with one.&nbsp;A Turkish start-up called Letvision has developed a car that turns into a real life transformer within a minute&rsquo;s time.&nbsp;The robot aka Transformer is named Animatron. According to the company, this is a one-of-a-kind creation in the world, with full performance conversion in one-to-one scale.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rvb9sn_2MiI?list=PLmWa9ZZLlCjt0Jlg7kN3JBNX4LH1sRsGh" width="970"></iframe>

Animatron is essentially a modified BMW car, which has the ability to communicate. It can move its head, neck, arm and fingers. The Wi-Fi-enabled transformer has an LED-based dynamic eye structure and variable light spectrum, which allows highly effective visual power. The company took eight months to complete the robot.&nbsp;Letvision now plans to revolutionise the motor industry with its Letron series. If they get reasonable funding, they plan on developing a walking functionality. They are also thinking of expanding by building four other varieties in the Letron series called, Bizmut, Argon, Wolfram and Tantal.

A Turkish startup called ?Letvision? has developed a car that turns into a real life transformer in less than a minute

For all the lovers of the Transformers, your obsession with Optimus Prime and Megatron might just land you with one. A Turkish start-up called Letvision has developed a car that turns into a real life transformer within a minute’s time. The robot aka Transformer is named Animatron. According to the company, this is a one-of-a-kind creation in the world, with full performance conversion in one-to-one scale. Animatron is essentially a modified BMW car, which has the ability to communicate. It can move its head, neck, arm and fingers. The Wi-Fi-enabled transformer has an LED-based dynamic eye structure and variable light spectrum, which allows highly effective visual power. The company took eight months to complete the robot. Letvision now plans to revolutionise the motor industry with its Letron series. If they get reasonable funding, they plan on developing a walking functionality. They are also thinking of expanding by building four other varieties in the Letron series called, Bizmut, Argon, Wolfram and Tantal.

Video: Watch how this car turns into a robot

Saudi Arabia has promised &quot;urgent&quot; action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. 
 
Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers &quot;to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies,&quot; the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani&#39;s orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. 
 
The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss&#39;s consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. 
 
Alyan&#39;s announcement comes as India&#39;s minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. 
 
Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. 
 
Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as &quot;rumours&quot; that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the &quot;immediate and urgent action&quot; was to resolve the issues of &quot;2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries&quot; and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. 
 
Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. 
 
Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon&#39;s billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. 
 
(AFP)

But Alyan ignored thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" around 10,000 starving Indian workers

Saudi Arabia has promised "urgent" action to resolve the plight of some 2,500 Indian workers stranded without money in the kingdom after a plunge in oil prices sparked construction layoffs. Labour minister Mufarrej al-Haqbani issued orders to allow the Indian workers "to immediately transfer their kafala (sponsorship) and renew their residencies," the Okaz daily reported on today. Haqbani's orders also ease restrictions on workers leaving the kingdom, Okaz quoted ministry official Abdullah al-Alyan as saying. The kafala system, applied on foreign workers in Gulf countries, restricts most employees from moving to a new job without their boss's consent before their contracts end, leaving many trapped. It has been criticised by rights groups as a form of bonded labour or even slavery. Alyan's announcement comes as India's minister of state for foreign affairs, VK Singh, arrived in the Saudi Red Sea city of Jeddah today, after New Delhi said it was negotiating to repatriate thousands of migrant workers who have lost their jobs and were left with no money to return home. Asian activists and officials have said that thousands of jobless Indians, Filipinos, and Pakistanis are stranded and destitute in Saudi Arabia following the construction layoffs. Some of them have been forced to beg or sift through garbage to survive after going unpaid for months, according to officials. But Alyan did not mention thousands of Saudi-based Filipino and Pakistani workers, and dismissed as "rumours" that around 10,000 Indian workers had been left to starve. Alyan said the "immediate and urgent action" was to resolve the issues of "2,500 Indian workers from Saudi Oger who have faced difficulties due the delays in their salaries" and cut-offs in electricity and food supplies from their camps. Sources in March told AFP that delayed receipts from the government, whose oil revenues have dropped significantly over the past two years, left employees of construction giants struggling while they wait for salaries. Saudi Oger, the once-mighty construction giant led by Lebanon's billionaire former prime minister Saad Hariri, is among the affected companies. It employs around 50,000 people of various nationalities. (AFP)

Saudi vows 'urgent' action for stranded Indian workers

The US military conducted air strikes in Libya on Monday, following a government request to target the Islamic State group&#39;s Libyan stronghold of Sirte, the Pentagon announced. 
 
While the Pentagon has previously carried out air attacks on specific high-value IS targets in Libya, Monday&#39;s action marked the first known US strikes in Sirte itself. 
 
&quot;At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, the United States military conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya,&quot; Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, using an acronym for the IS group. 
 
US strikes in Sirte &quot;will continue&quot;, Cook added without elaborating. 
 
President Barack Obama authorised the bombings following recommendations from top pentagon officials, and the strikes were &quot;consistent with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local forces&quot;, Cook added. 
 
&quot;The US stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya,&quot; he said. 
 
Monday&#39;s action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February, likely killing an IS leader called Noureddine Chouchane and dozens of other jihadists. 
 
In November, a US strike killed Abu Nabil, another IS leader who was also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi. 
 
A US senior administration official said US action would be limited to strikes and information sharing to support these, and that 
American troops would not take part in any ground operations to support the GNA. 
 
The official said precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks, high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes.&nbsp;Libya spiraled into chaos after longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in October 2011, with two governments vying for power and armed groups battling to control vast energy resources. 
 
Exploiting Libya&#39;s power vacuum, IS jihadists established a foothold in Libya, especially in Sirte. The Pentagon estimates fewer than 1,000 IS fighters are in Sirte. 
 
(AFP)

Monday's action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February

The US military conducted air strikes in Libya on Monday, following a government request to target the Islamic State group's Libyan stronghold of Sirte, the Pentagon announced. While the Pentagon has previously carried out air attacks on specific high-value IS targets in Libya, Monday's action marked the first known US strikes in Sirte itself. "At the request of the Libyan Government of National Accord, the United States military conducted precision air strikes against ISIL targets in Sirte, Libya, to support GNA-affiliated forces seeking to defeat ISIL in its primary stronghold in Libya," Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, using an acronym for the IS group. US strikes in Sirte "will continue", Cook added without elaborating. President Barack Obama authorised the bombings following recommendations from top pentagon officials, and the strikes were "consistent with our approach to combating ISIL by working with capable and motivated local forces", Cook added. "The US stands with the international community in supporting the GNA as it strives to restore stability and security to Libya," he said. Monday's action comes after a US strike targeted an IS training camp in a rural area near Sabratha, outside Tripoli, in February, likely killing an IS leader called Noureddine Chouchane and dozens of other jihadists. In November, a US strike killed Abu Nabil, another IS leader who was also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi. A US senior administration official said US action would be limited to strikes and information sharing to support these, and that American troops would not take part in any ground operations to support the GNA. The official said precision strikes would target key IS military infrastructure such as tanks, high-caliber weapons and command and control nodes. Libya spiraled into chaos after longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi was ousted and killed in October 2011, with two governments vying for power and armed groups battling to control vast energy resources. Exploiting Libya's power vacuum, IS jihadists established a foothold in Libya, especially in Sirte. The Pentagon estimates fewer than 1,000 IS fighters are in Sirte. (AFP)

US launches first anti-IS air strikes in Libya's Sirte

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