China President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for co-operation between US and China. His words have come ahead of long-awaited talks with Joe Biden. Relations between the two powers have been strained lately. Both the leaders have not met in person since Biden was elected as US president.

As per diplomats, the two presidents are expected to hold a virtual summit soon. CNN quoted sources as saying the talks could take place next week.

In a letter read by China's ambassador Qin Gang, Xi Jinping set a conciliatory tone.

"Right now, China-US relations are at a critical historical juncture. Both countries will gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," Xi said, according to an embassy statement.

"Cooperation is the only right choice," he said.

"China stands ready to work with the United States to enhance exchanges and cooperation across the board, jointly address regional and international issues as well as global challenges and, in the meantime, properly manage differences."

Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with the US worried about Xi's assertive push both at home and abroad.

Tensions have risen in particular over Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy claimed by China and backed by the United States, with Beijing last month making a record number of incursions near the island.

Other areas of tension include human rights, with the United States asserting that Beijing is carrying out genocide against the Uyghur minority, and trade policies that the United States says are unfair.

Biden has largely kept the tougher approach on China of his predecessor Donald Trump, with both administrations considering a rising China to be the top challenge of the 21st century.

But Biden, who as vice president met extensively with Xi, has also indicated he will take a more diplomatic tone and prioritize working with allies on concerns about China.

Biden initially hoped to meet Xi on the sidelines of the recent Group of 20 summit in Rome but the Chinese leader has not gone abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)

China President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for co-operation between US and China. His words have come ahead of long-awaited talks with Joe Biden. Relations between the two powers have been strained lately.

China President Xi Jinping on Wednesday called for co-operation between US and China. His words have come ahead of long-awaited talks with Joe Biden. Relations between the two powers have been strained lately. Both the leaders have not met in person since Biden was elected as US president. As per diplomats, the two presidents are expected to hold a virtual summit soon. CNN quoted sources as saying the talks could take place next week. In a letter read by China's ambassador Qin Gang, Xi Jinping set a conciliatory tone. "Right now, China-US relations are at a critical historical juncture. Both countries will gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation," Xi said, according to an embassy statement. "Cooperation is the only right choice," he said. "China stands ready to work with the United States to enhance exchanges and cooperation across the board, jointly address regional and international issues as well as global challenges and, in the meantime, properly manage differences." Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated sharply in recent years, with the US worried about Xi's assertive push both at home and abroad. Tensions have risen in particular over Taiwan, a self-ruling democracy claimed by China and backed by the United States, with Beijing last month making a record number of incursions near the island. Other areas of tension include human rights, with the United States asserting that Beijing is carrying out genocide against the Uyghur minority, and trade policies that the United States says are unfair. Biden has largely kept the tougher approach on China of his predecessor Donald Trump, with both administrations considering a rising China to be the top challenge of the 21st century. But Biden, who as vice president met extensively with Xi, has also indicated he will take a more diplomatic tone and prioritize working with allies on concerns about China. Biden initially hoped to meet Xi on the sidelines of the recent Group of 20 summit in Rome but the Chinese leader has not gone abroad since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

Xi Jinping sets conciliatory tone ahead of Biden talks

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are scheduled to hold a dialogue next week. After months of escalating tensions between the United States and China, a planned virtual summit between Biden and Xi presents the biggest opportunity yet to reset the bilateral relationship.

High stakes meet with Joe Biden and Xi Jinping; Covid origin, Chinese nukes on agenda

Legislators investigating the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 have now slapped subpoenas on top Donald Trump aides charged with plotting to overturn the defeat in a 'war room' at a luxury Washington hotel.&nbsp;

One of the advisors summoned is lawyer John Eastman. His role in the talks at the Willard InterContinental during the storming of Congress to stop certification of Democratic Candidate Joe Biden's election victory has been questioned

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-sues-us-committee-investigating-jan-6-capitol-hill-riots-to-block-release-of-white-house-records-421934">Trump sues US committee investigating Jan 6 Capitol Hill riots to block release of White House records</a>

Eastman is alleged to have written a memo advising Trump that his vice president Mike Pence has the authority to reject the election results in certain states and thereby deny Biden's victory.

On January 2, he also reportedly spoke to around 300 state lawmakers about fixing "this egregious conduct" and ensuring that "we're not putting in the White House some guy that didn't get elected."

"Your documents and testimony are directly relevant to the select committee's investigation, as you appear to have been instrumental in advising President Trump that Vice President Pence could determine which electors were recognized on January 6, a view that many of those who attacked the Capitol apparently also shared," the committee told Eastman in its subpoena.&nbsp;

Also read&nbsp;|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/melania-trump-refused-to-condemn-capitol-hill-attack-despite-a-chance-413024">&nbsp;Melania Trump refused to condemn Capitol Hill attack despite a chance</a>

During the days leading up to the attack, Eastman is reported to have attended a January 5 "war room" meeting at the Willard and spoken at a rally near the White House.&nbsp;

He reportedly emailed Pence's lawyer during the siege, saying that it had taken place "because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way."

The other subpoenas target mostly Trump's reelection campaign staff, officials or aides.&nbsp;

They include former NYPD chief Bernard Kerik and former campaign advisor Jason Miller, who were both reportedly present at the "war room" on January 5.

Watch |&nbsp;Capitol riots: US panel holds Steve Bannon in contempt

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/capitol-riots-us-panel-holds-steve-bannon-in-contempt-422280/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to the panel, these individuals promoted his false claim that the presidential election was rigged.&nbsp;

Re-election campaign manager William Stepien and executive assistant Angela McCallum were also summoned along with disgraced former national security advisor Mike Flynn.

"The select committee needs to know every detail about their efforts to overturn the election, including who they were talking to in the White House and in Congress, what connections they had with rallies that escalated into a riot, and who paid for it all," panel chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/capitol-riot-us-committee-votes-to-hold-criminal-contempt-charge-against-trumps-ex-aide-steve-bannon-422167">Capitol riot: US committee votes to hold criminal contempt charge against Trump’s ex-aide Steve Bannon</a>

This is the first time the committee has issued subpoenas since it asked the Justice Department to file criminal contempt charges against Trump ally Steve Bannon after he defied a congressional order to appear.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Legislators investigating the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 have now slapped subpoenas on top Donald Trump aides charged with plotting to overturn the defeat in a 'war room' at a luxury Washington hotel.

Legislators investigating the deadly attack on the US Capitol on January 6 have now slapped subpoenas on top Donald Trump aides charged with plotting to overturn the defeat in a 'war room' at a luxury Washington hotel. One of the advisors summoned is lawyer John Eastman. His role in the talks at the Willard InterContinental during the storming of Congress to stop certification of Democratic Candidate Joe Biden's election victory has been questioned Also read | Trump sues US committee investigating Jan 6 Capitol Hill riots to block release of White House records Eastman is alleged to have written a memo advising Trump that his vice president Mike Pence has the authority to reject the election results in certain states and thereby deny Biden's victory. On January 2, he also reportedly spoke to around 300 state lawmakers about fixing "this egregious conduct" and ensuring that "we're not putting in the White House some guy that didn't get elected." "Your documents and testimony are directly relevant to the select committee's investigation, as you appear to have been instrumental in advising President Trump that Vice President Pence could determine which electors were recognized on January 6, a view that many of those who attacked the Capitol apparently also shared," the committee told Eastman in its subpoena. Also read | Melania Trump refused to condemn Capitol Hill attack despite a chance During the days leading up to the attack, Eastman is reported to have attended a January 5 "war room" meeting at the Willard and spoken at a rally near the White House. He reportedly emailed Pence's lawyer during the siege, saying that it had taken place "because YOU and your boss did not do what was necessary to allow this to be aired in a public way." The other subpoenas target mostly Trump's reelection campaign staff, officials or aides. They include former NYPD chief Bernard Kerik and former campaign advisor Jason Miller, who were both reportedly present at the "war room" on January 5. Watch | Capitol riots: US panel holds Steve Bannon in contempt According to the panel, these individuals promoted his false claim that the presidential election was rigged. Re-election campaign manager William Stepien and executive assistant Angela McCallum were also summoned along with disgraced former national security advisor Mike Flynn. "The select committee needs to know every detail about their efforts to overturn the election, including who they were talking to in the White House and in Congress, what connections they had with rallies that escalated into a riot, and who paid for it all," panel chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement. Also read | Capitol riot: US committee votes to hold criminal contempt charge against Trump’s ex-aide Steve Bannon This is the first time the committee has issued subpoenas since it asked the Justice Department to file criminal contempt charges against Trump ally Steve Bannon after he defied a congressional order to appear. (With inputs from agencies)

Capitol Hill violence: Investigation committee issues subpoenas to top Trump lieutenants

US President Joe Biden hailed Congress’ passage of his $1 trillion infrastructure package as a “monumental step forward for the nation” after months of tough negotiations.

US Prez Biden hails passage of infrastructure bill as ‘monumental step forward’

US Court suspends President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate. The rule applies to 84.2 million workers at 1.9 million employers.

US Court suspends President Biden’s vaccine mandate

On the highway over the Teton Pass in Wyoming, avalanches have been threatening motorists since the 1960s. In Washington and Oregon, drivers live with the daily awareness that, in a major earthquake, the bridge between Vancouver and Portland will probably collapse. In California, residents are increasingly at the mercy of out-of-control wildfires and megadroughts — and their stratospheric costs.

America’s to-do list has been growing for years, since well before President Joe Biden and a bipartisan committee in Congress agreed this year to a historic upgrade of the nation’s aging infrastructure. On Friday, the measure — held up for months amid negotiations over some $2 trillion in other spending — finally passed.

“This is a game changer,” said Mark Poloncarz, the county executive in New York’s Erie County. “Right off the bat, I have somewhere around $150 million in capital projects we could move, from bringing our wastewater treatment system into the 20th century to smaller bridges, some of which are 100 years old.”

Mark Weitenbeck, treasurer of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers and a retiree from suburban Milwaukee, celebrated the potential expansion of rail service: “While we have been doing nothing, the Chinese have been building 20,000 miles of high-speed rail line.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement: “President Biden understands the critical need to build a climate-resilient future.” He added that the new funding will “bolster our clean transportation infrastructure, help mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change, and accelerate new projects that will create thousands of jobs.”

Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, had urged Republicans to oppose the bill, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the minority whip, warned that the spending “is going to induce more inflation.” But 13 House Republicans crossed party lines to help pass the measure.

And Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a Republican and chair of the National Governors Association, commended Congress “for setting aside partisan differences to pass a bill that works for the American people.”

With nearly $600 billion in new federal aid to improve highways, bridges, dams, public transit, rail, ports, airports, water quality and broadband over 10 years, the legislation is a once-in-a-generation chance to overhaul the nation’s public works system. And it offers a rare opportunity for states that for decades have been forced to balance huge short-term backlogs of repairs and upgrades against larger, longer-term projects and needs.

The federal outlay, while less generous than Biden initially proposed, is still immense by any measure. According to the White House, the transportation aid alone is the largest federal investment in transit history and the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak in 1971.

Some $110 billion will be allotted to roads, bridges and other major surface transportation projects. Another $66 billion will go to passenger and freight rail, including enough money to eliminate Amtrak’s maintenance backlog. Yet another $39 billion will modernize public transit, and $11 billion more will be set aside for transportation safety, including programs to reduce fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists.

Broadband systems will get a $65 billion infusion, as will investments to rebuild the electricity grid to refurbish power lines and accommodate renewable energy sources. A $55 billion pool of funds would expand access to clean drinking water. Some $25 billion would go to airports and $17 billion to ports.

Government agencies will determine which projects are funded, but some state priorities were written into the bill during negotiations.

For example, several provisions benefit Alaska, whose Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, was a core member of the bipartisan group of senators who helped hammer out the legislation. Included in the bill is $250 million for a pilot program to develop an electric or low-emitting ferry that would almost certainly go to her state, which has the most miles of marine highway.

Another $1 billion program will pay for a ferry system to reach rural communities such as those in Alaska; the bill allows it to be operated and maintained with federal highway dollars. And other parts of the bill will pay to fix more than 140 bridges, along with more than 300 miles of the highway that stretches across Alaska’s border and into Canada.

West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, also helped draft pieces of the legislation, which includes a $2 billion rural grant program expected to direct funding toward the Appalachian highway system. A stretch of that system, Corridor H — intended to connect Interstate 79 in north-central West Virginia to Interstate 81 in Virginia — has gone unfinished for more than a half-century, but will now get a jump start. The bill also pumps more than $11 billion into a program to clean up toxic leaks from abandoned coal mines, an undertaking estimated to cost at least $2 billion in West Virginia alone.

Mostly, however, the legislation will address public works challenges that have long confounded the political and financial ability of states to address them. Experts predicted that it will reshape priorities across the country and boost critical projects.

New Jersey, for example, could tap the new funds to help construct the proposed Gateway Tunnel, easing chronic congestion on the train route that links the state’s population centers to New York. Nearly a decade after Superstorm Sandy flooded the tunnel to New York, leaving structural damage, progress has stalled amid estimates of up to $13 billion to complete repairs.

Along the Gulf Coast, Louisiana officials are eyeing the money to help speed a long-studied passenger rail route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. In the Pacific Northwest, where the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Oregon and Washington over the Columbia River is at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake, the spending could help settle years of political disagreement and pay for a new, more resilient structure with space for bicycle lanes and pedestrians.

In Michigan, the bill will infuse a record $1 billion into a decade-old program to restore and protect the Great Lakes, where drinking water and wildlife have been compromised by pollution. In Wyoming, where the threat of avalanches annually shuts down Wyoming Highway 22 through the mountains, impeding commercial traffic, it could help fund a tunnel through the Teton Pass.

The legislation also offers a critical lifeline to states and cities struggling to curb greenhouse gas pollution in the face of the escalating disruptions from climate change. In the Northeast, $7.5 billion in funding for zero- and low-emission buses and ferries could help Connecticut and New Jersey to electrify municipal bus fleets. A loan program in the bill also will help local governments in states like Michigan set up projects to reduce the risk and damage from extreme flooding and eroding shorelines.

Other parts of the legislation will address long-standing equity and civic design issues created by old freeway projects, which split many cities, leveled homes and historic landmarks and worsened car dependence and segregation. In Minnesota, it could advance a proposed revamping of the I-94 corridor between St. Paul and Minneapolis, reconnecting neighborhoods that were cut off from one another in the 1960s. And in Connecticut, it could boost projects to help reunite sections of Hartford and East Hartford that were fractured more than 60 years ago by interstates.

Few states, however, are likely to feel the measure’s impact as widely as California, where 40 million people have come to rely on freeways, aqueducts, sea walls, dams and other feats of engineering to maintain their way of life.

Parched by megadrought and scorched by towering wildfires, the state has pumped billions of dollars in recent years into water conservation, forest clearance, firefighting and renewable energy initiatives. Federal money, state officials said, would supercharge that push.

A pot of more than $8 billion for Western water projects, for instance, includes billions for water recycling systems and groundwater storage, critical to California’s conservation efforts. More funding in the bill will help upgrade aging dams and canals and perhaps underwrite desalination projects.

Disaster funds in the measure will help mitigate the danger and impact of wildfires and other natural disasters, allowing the state, for example, to bury power lines in rural areas where sparks from old equipment have set off some of California’s most destructive infernos. Also on tap will be federal funding to bring the pay of federal wildland firefighters into parity with the state’s far better paid fire crews, addressing critical shortages of experienced crews in a state where most of the forested wilderness is on federal land.

The new federal money could deliver a boost, as well, to the high-speed rail line that California has been trying for a decade to construct between its largest cities and its rural Central Valley. In recent years, the priority has been merely to complete an electrified route between Merced and Bakersfield. But with additional funding, state officials say they could expand to the Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin, connecting one of the state’s most economically depressed regions to major cities and better-paying jobs.

One small part of the measure, however, has been especially anticipated in California: a $7.5 billion initiative to build a nationwide network of chargers for electric vehicles. Although 40% of the electric vehicles in the nation are sold in California, sales still lag in part because car buyers fear they will be unable to easily recharge on long car trips. So far, even electric vehicles with long ranges — Teslas, for instance — lack the power to make the 400-mile journey between San Francisco and Los Angeles without stopping for a charge.

On the highway over the Teton Pass in Wyoming, avalanches have been threatening motorists since the 1960s. In Washington and Oregon, drivers live with the daily awareness that, in a major earthquake, the bridge between Vancouver and Portland will probably collapse.

On the highway over the Teton Pass in Wyoming, avalanches have been threatening motorists since the 1960s. In Washington and Oregon, drivers live with the daily awareness that, in a major earthquake, the bridge between Vancouver and Portland will probably collapse. In California, residents are increasingly at the mercy of out-of-control wildfires and megadroughts — and their stratospheric costs. America’s to-do list has been growing for years, since well before President Joe Biden and a bipartisan committee in Congress agreed this year to a historic upgrade of the nation’s aging infrastructure. On Friday, the measure — held up for months amid negotiations over some $2 trillion in other spending — finally passed. “This is a game changer,” said Mark Poloncarz, the county executive in New York’s Erie County. “Right off the bat, I have somewhere around $150 million in capital projects we could move, from bringing our wastewater treatment system into the 20th century to smaller bridges, some of which are 100 years old.” Mark Weitenbeck, treasurer of the Wisconsin Association of Railroad Passengers and a retiree from suburban Milwaukee, celebrated the potential expansion of rail service: “While we have been doing nothing, the Chinese have been building 20,000 miles of high-speed rail line.” Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement: “President Biden understands the critical need to build a climate-resilient future.” He added that the new funding will “bolster our clean transportation infrastructure, help mitigate some of the worst impacts of climate change, and accelerate new projects that will create thousands of jobs.” Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the minority leader, had urged Republicans to oppose the bill, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the minority whip, warned that the spending “is going to induce more inflation.” But 13 House Republicans crossed party lines to help pass the measure. And Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a Republican and chair of the National Governors Association, commended Congress “for setting aside partisan differences to pass a bill that works for the American people.” With nearly $600 billion in new federal aid to improve highways, bridges, dams, public transit, rail, ports, airports, water quality and broadband over 10 years, the legislation is a once-in-a-generation chance to overhaul the nation’s public works system. And it offers a rare opportunity for states that for decades have been forced to balance huge short-term backlogs of repairs and upgrades against larger, longer-term projects and needs. The federal outlay, while less generous than Biden initially proposed, is still immense by any measure. According to the White House, the transportation aid alone is the largest federal investment in transit history and the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak in 1971. Some $110 billion will be allotted to roads, bridges and other major surface transportation projects. Another $66 billion will go to passenger and freight rail, including enough money to eliminate Amtrak’s maintenance backlog. Yet another $39 billion will modernize public transit, and $11 billion more will be set aside for transportation safety, including programs to reduce fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists. Broadband systems will get a $65 billion infusion, as will investments to rebuild the electricity grid to refurbish power lines and accommodate renewable energy sources. A $55 billion pool of funds would expand access to clean drinking water. Some $25 billion would go to airports and $17 billion to ports. Government agencies will determine which projects are funded, but some state priorities were written into the bill during negotiations. For example, several provisions benefit Alaska, whose Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, was a core member of the bipartisan group of senators who helped hammer out the legislation. Included in the bill is $250 million for a pilot program to develop an electric or low-emitting ferry that would almost certainly go to her state, which has the most miles of marine highway. Another $1 billion program will pay for a ferry system to reach rural communities such as those in Alaska; the bill allows it to be operated and maintained with federal highway dollars. And other parts of the bill will pay to fix more than 140 bridges, along with more than 300 miles of the highway that stretches across Alaska’s border and into Canada. West Virginia Sens. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, and Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican, also helped draft pieces of the legislation, which includes a $2 billion rural grant program expected to direct funding toward the Appalachian highway system. A stretch of that system, Corridor H — intended to connect Interstate 79 in north-central West Virginia to Interstate 81 in Virginia — has gone unfinished for more than a half-century, but will now get a jump start. The bill also pumps more than $11 billion into a program to clean up toxic leaks from abandoned coal mines, an undertaking estimated to cost at least $2 billion in West Virginia alone. Mostly, however, the legislation will address public works challenges that have long confounded the political and financial ability of states to address them. Experts predicted that it will reshape priorities across the country and boost critical projects. New Jersey, for example, could tap the new funds to help construct the proposed Gateway Tunnel, easing chronic congestion on the train route that links the state’s population centers to New York. Nearly a decade after Superstorm Sandy flooded the tunnel to New York, leaving structural damage, progress has stalled amid estimates of up to $13 billion to complete repairs. Along the Gulf Coast, Louisiana officials are eyeing the money to help speed a long-studied passenger rail route between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. In the Pacific Northwest, where the Interstate 5 bridge connecting Oregon and Washington over the Columbia River is at risk of collapsing in a major earthquake, the spending could help settle years of political disagreement and pay for a new, more resilient structure with space for bicycle lanes and pedestrians. In Michigan, the bill will infuse a record $1 billion into a decade-old program to restore and protect the Great Lakes, where drinking water and wildlife have been compromised by pollution. In Wyoming, where the threat of avalanches annually shuts down Wyoming Highway 22 through the mountains, impeding commercial traffic, it could help fund a tunnel through the Teton Pass. The legislation also offers a critical lifeline to states and cities struggling to curb greenhouse gas pollution in the face of the escalating disruptions from climate change. In the Northeast, $7.5 billion in funding for zero- and low-emission buses and ferries could help Connecticut and New Jersey to electrify municipal bus fleets. A loan program in the bill also will help local governments in states like Michigan set up projects to reduce the risk and damage from extreme flooding and eroding shorelines. Other parts of the legislation will address long-standing equity and civic design issues created by old freeway projects, which split many cities, leveled homes and historic landmarks and worsened car dependence and segregation. In Minnesota, it could advance a proposed revamping of the I-94 corridor between St. Paul and Minneapolis, reconnecting neighborhoods that were cut off from one another in the 1960s. And in Connecticut, it could boost projects to help reunite sections of Hartford and East Hartford that were fractured more than 60 years ago by interstates. Few states, however, are likely to feel the measure’s impact as widely as California, where 40 million people have come to rely on freeways, aqueducts, sea walls, dams and other feats of engineering to maintain their way of life. Parched by megadrought and scorched by towering wildfires, the state has pumped billions of dollars in recent years into water conservation, forest clearance, firefighting and renewable energy initiatives. Federal money, state officials said, would supercharge that push. A pot of more than $8 billion for Western water projects, for instance, includes billions for water recycling systems and groundwater storage, critical to California’s conservation efforts. More funding in the bill will help upgrade aging dams and canals and perhaps underwrite desalination projects. Disaster funds in the measure will help mitigate the danger and impact of wildfires and other natural disasters, allowing the state, for example, to bury power lines in rural areas where sparks from old equipment have set off some of California’s most destructive infernos. Also on tap will be federal funding to bring the pay of federal wildland firefighters into parity with the state’s far better paid fire crews, addressing critical shortages of experienced crews in a state where most of the forested wilderness is on federal land. The new federal money could deliver a boost, as well, to the high-speed rail line that California has been trying for a decade to construct between its largest cities and its rural Central Valley. In recent years, the priority has been merely to complete an electrified route between Merced and Bakersfield. But with additional funding, state officials say they could expand to the Bay Area and the Los Angeles Basin, connecting one of the state’s most economically depressed regions to major cities and better-paying jobs. One small part of the measure, however, has been especially anticipated in California: a $7.5 billion initiative to build a nationwide network of chargers for electric vehicles. Although 40% of the electric vehicles in the nation are sold in California, sales still lag in part because car buyers fear they will be unable to easily recharge on long car trips. So far, even electric vehicles with long ranges — Teslas, for instance — lack the power to make the 400-mile journey between San Francisco and Los Angeles without stopping for a charge.

This is where the States want billions in infrastructure funding spent

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. &nbsp;&nbsp;

This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law. &nbsp;

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/havana-syndrome-blinken-vows-to-solve-mystery-of-illness-affecting-us-diplomats-427052" hreflang="en">Havana Syndrome: Blinken vows to solve mystery of illness affecting US diplomats</a>

The bill was passed with the 228-to-206 vote in the House of Representatives. It was a substantial triumph for Democrats. &nbsp;

Over the ambitious spending bills, which make up the bulk of Biden's domestic agenda, the Democrats have been sparring for months. &nbsp;

Through this, Biden's administration will oversee the biggest upgrade of roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure in a generation. The president has promised that it will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. &nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bidens-aide-who-travelled-to-scotland-with-him-tests-positive-for-covid-426975" hreflang="en">Biden's aide who travelled to Scotland with him tests positive for Covid</a>

On the second pillar of Biden's domestic programme, Democrats still have to do a lot. The president looks for a sweeping expansion of the social safety net and programmes to be able to fight climate change. &nbsp;&nbsp;

The package would be the biggest expansion of the US safety net since the 1960s at a price tag of $1.75 trillion. But the party has struggled to unite behind it. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

Reaching consensus after a day-long standoff, Democrats set aside differences between progressives and centrists to pass a $1 trillion package late on Friday. This package, which includes highway, broadband and other infrastructure improvement, has been sent to US President Joe Biden to sign it into law. Also Read | Havana Syndrome: Blinken vows to solve mystery of illness affecting US diplomats The bill was passed with the 228-to-206 vote in the House of Representatives. It was a substantial triumph for Democrats. Over the ambitious spending bills, which make up the bulk of Biden's domestic agenda, the Democrats have been sparring for months. Through this, Biden's administration will oversee the biggest upgrade of roads, railways and other transportation infrastructure in a generation. The president has promised that it will create jobs and boost US competitiveness. Also Read: Biden's aide who travelled to Scotland with him tests positive for Covid On the second pillar of Biden's domestic programme, Democrats still have to do a lot. The president looks for a sweeping expansion of the social safety net and programmes to be able to fight climate change. The package would be the biggest expansion of the US safety net since the 1960s at a price tag of $1.75 trillion. But the party has struggled to unite behind it. (With inputs from agencies)

Ending standoff, Democrats finally pass $1 trillion infrastructure bill in US to push Biden's domestic agenda

US house of representatives will vote on some of the major bills that form the backbone of president Joe Biden's 'Build Back Better'agenda, which includes social spending plan, climate change bill and bipartisan infrastructure bill.

US house of representatives to vote on Prez Joe Biden's major bills of 'Build Back Better'agenda

The Pentagon has announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a major arms deal worth $650 million.

The deal, approved by the US State Department, will help Saudi Arabia to&nbsp;protect itself from drone attacks by Yemen.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-states-nso-candiru-accused-of-selling-hacking-tools-426561/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

According to a spokesperson of the State Department, ''We've seen an increase in cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia over the past year.''

''The sale is fully consistent with the administration's pledge to lead with diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen.''

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/people-are-upset-and-uncertain-says-us-president-joe-biden-on-poll-drubbing-for-democrats-426550">Also read |&nbsp;People are upset and uncertain, says US President Joe Biden on poll drubbing for Democrats</a>

Saudi Arabia is leading a fight against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran which supplies them drones and other weapons.

The sale comes as President Joe Biden's administration takes a cautious approach to support the kingdom. His predecessor Donald Trump had a friendly relationship with Riyadh.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/very-concerning-pentagon-report-says-china-could-have-1000-nuclear-warheads-by-2030-426519" hreflang="en">Pentagon report says China could have 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030</a>

Saudi Arabia has been&nbsp;criticised&nbsp;by several US lawmakers for its involvement in the Yemen war. The country is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters.

However, it is an important partner of the US in the Middle East and one of Washington's closest allies in countering the threat posed by Iran.

The package would include 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 596 LAU-128 Missile Rail Launchers (MRL) along with containers and support equipment, spare parts, US&nbsp;Government and contractor engineering and technical support.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

The Pentagon has announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a major arms deal worth $650 million. The deal, approved by the US State Department, will help Saudi Arabia to protect itself from drone attacks by Yemen.

The Pentagon has announced that the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a major arms deal worth $650 million. The deal, approved by the US State Department, will help Saudi Arabia to protect itself from drone attacks by Yemen. According to a spokesperson of the State Department, ''We've seen an increase in cross-border attacks against Saudi Arabia over the past year.'' ''The sale is fully consistent with the administration's pledge to lead with diplomacy to end the conflict in Yemen.'' Also read | People are upset and uncertain, says US President Joe Biden on poll drubbing for Democrats Saudi Arabia is leading a fight against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are supported by Iran which supplies them drones and other weapons. The sale comes as President Joe Biden's administration takes a cautious approach to support the kingdom. His predecessor Donald Trump had a friendly relationship with Riyadh. Also read | Pentagon report says China could have 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030 Saudi Arabia has been criticised by several US lawmakers for its involvement in the Yemen war. The country is facing one of the world's worst humanitarian disasters. However, it is an important partner of the US in the Middle East and one of Washington's closest allies in countering the threat posed by Iran. The package would include 280 AIM-120C-7/C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), 596 LAU-128 Missile Rail Launchers (MRL) along with containers and support equipment, spare parts, US Government and contractor engineering and technical support. (With inputs from agencies)

US-Saudi Arabia sign defence deal worth $650 million, first under Biden administration

A close aide of Joe Biden who travelled with him to Scotland for the UN Climate Summit has tested positive for coronavirus.<o:p></o:p>

The aide is a staffer on the National Security Council of the US and had accompanied Biden to Scotland for the UN climate summit. He tested positive somewhere in the past week, as per local reports cited in Bloomberg.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-china-likely-to-reopen-consulates-shut-in-2020-says-report-426931" hreflang="en">US-China likely to reopen consulates shut in 2020, says report</a>

<o:p></o:p>

However, US President Joe Biden has tested negative for the virus. The aide is not reported to have had close contact with the President a few days before testing positive. After the news, the White House asked other staffers to stay back and return on a different government plane rather than coming back with Biden on Air Force One.<o:p></o:p>

The aide tested positive a few days after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also got infected by the deadly virus. Psaki was scheduled to travel with the President, but she cancelled the trip as her family members tested positive. "However, today, I tested positive for COVID.&nbsp;While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday — and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency," she said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/worlds-first-pill-to-treat-covid-gets-approval-in-uk-heres-all-you-need-to-know-426907">WATCH |</a>

<o:p></o:p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/worlds-first-pill-to-treat-covid-gets-approval-in-uk-heres-all-you-need-to-know-426907/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Psaki also detailed that she had last seen the President on Tuesday but had maintained her distance and both of them were wearing masks. "Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced&nbsp;mild symptoms, which has enabled me to continue working from home.&nbsp;I will&nbsp;plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution," she added.<o:p></o:p>

A close aide of Joe Biden who travelled with him to Scotland for the UN Climate Summit has tested positive for coronavirus. The aide is a staffer on the National Security Council of the US and had accompanied Biden to Scotland for the UN climate summit.

A close aide of Joe Biden who travelled with him to Scotland for the UN Climate Summit has tested positive for coronavirus. The aide is a staffer on the National Security Council of the US and had accompanied Biden to Scotland for the UN climate summit. He tested positive somewhere in the past week, as per local reports cited in Bloomberg. Also read | US-China likely to reopen consulates shut in 2020, says report However, US President Joe Biden has tested negative for the virus. The aide is not reported to have had close contact with the President a few days before testing positive. After the news, the White House asked other staffers to stay back and return on a different government plane rather than coming back with Biden on Air Force One. The aide tested positive a few days after White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki also got infected by the deadly virus. Psaki was scheduled to travel with the President, but she cancelled the trip as her family members tested positive. "However, today, I tested positive for COVID. While I have not had close contact in person with the president or senior members of the White House staff since Wednesday — and tested negative for four days after that last contact — I am disclosing today’s positive test out of an abundance of transparency," she said in a statement. WATCH | Psaki also detailed that she had last seen the President on Tuesday but had maintained her distance and both of them were wearing masks. "Thanks to the vaccine, I have only experienced mild symptoms, which has enabled me to continue working from home. I will plan to return to work in person at the conclusion of the ten-day quarantine following a negative rapid test, which is an additional White House requirement, beyond CDC guidance, taken out of an abundance of caution," she added.

Biden's aide who travelled to Scotland with him tests positive for Covid

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US&nbsp;west coast, the US&nbsp;Tsunami Warning System said.

&quot;If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring,&quot; Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia.

Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire U.S. west coast and Hawaii were issued.

&quot;Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter,&quot; the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.

Japan&#39;s meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast, the US Tsunami Warning System said.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.2 hit 256 km southeast of Chiniak, Alaska at a depth of 10 km on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said. The quake prompted a tsunami warning for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire US west coast, the US Tsunami Warning System said. "If you are located in this coastal area, move inland to higher ground. Tsunami warnings mean that a tsunami with significant inundation is possible or is already occurring," Anchorage Office of Emergency Management said in a warning for Alaska and British Columbia. Tsunami warnings for parts of Alaska and Canada and a tsunami watch for the entire U.S. west coast and Hawaii were issued. "Based on all available data a tsunami may have been generated by this earthquake that could be destructive on coastal areas even far from the epicenter," the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said. Japan's meteorological agency said it was monitoring the situation but did not issue a tsunami alert.

US mandates compulsory Covid jabs or weekly tests for private sector workers from January

House Democrats are scrambling to line up the votes needed to push through a $1.85 trillion social safety net, climate and tax bill, as moderate Democrats, spooked by Tuesday’s electoral drubbing, have raised concerns about the cost and details of the rapidly evolving plan.

Late Thursday night, Democratic leaders postponed a vote on the measure to Friday, when they also hoped to clear a Senate-passed $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for President Joe Biden’s signature. A senior aide who disclosed the update on the condition of anonymity said they were confident they could complete the measures by Friday.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California had previously privately told her top deputies that she had hoped to hold a vote on the social policy bill Thursday night, with the vote on the infrastructure measure Friday morning, according to two people briefed on the discussions.

With Republicans united in opposition, Democrats could afford to lose as few as three votes from their side. Among the biggest issues were the cost and economic effects of the social safety net bill.

A few centrists were also balking at supporting the package — which includes monthly payments to families with children, universal prekindergarten, a four-week paid family and medical leave program, health care subsidies and a broad array of climate change initiatives — before evaluating the fiscal impact of the latest, hastily assembled 2,135-page version of the legislation.

“There is certainly a lack of trust among some of the moderates,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat from South Texas, told reporters. “I want to move the ball forward. But I mean, I still want to know, what are the differences?”

Biden made personal calls Thursday, as did Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, who reached out to at least one Democrat facing a tough reelection.

Yet final sticking points continued to crop up throughout the day. Working to appease Democrats who wanted the bill to grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the country illegally, leaders included a compromise proposal to instead give them work permits and protection from deportation, a status that would eventually allow the immigrants access to some federal benefits.

But some Democrats in swing districts, worried about their party’s deteriorating political fortunes, resisted allowing them access to any benefits, worried that it might be used by Republicans as an election cudgel.

House Democrats are scrambling to line up the votes needed to push through a $1.85 trillion social safety net, climate and tax bill, as moderate Democrats, spooked by Tuesday’s electoral drubbing, have raised concerns about the cost and details of the rapidly evolving plan.

House Democrats are scrambling to line up the votes needed to push through a $1.85 trillion social safety net, climate and tax bill, as moderate Democrats, spooked by Tuesday’s electoral drubbing, have raised concerns about the cost and details of the rapidly evolving plan. Late Thursday night, Democratic leaders postponed a vote on the measure to Friday, when they also hoped to clear a Senate-passed $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill for President Joe Biden’s signature. A senior aide who disclosed the update on the condition of anonymity said they were confident they could complete the measures by Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California had previously privately told her top deputies that she had hoped to hold a vote on the social policy bill Thursday night, with the vote on the infrastructure measure Friday morning, according to two people briefed on the discussions. With Republicans united in opposition, Democrats could afford to lose as few as three votes from their side. Among the biggest issues were the cost and economic effects of the social safety net bill. A few centrists were also balking at supporting the package — which includes monthly payments to families with children, universal prekindergarten, a four-week paid family and medical leave program, health care subsidies and a broad array of climate change initiatives — before evaluating the fiscal impact of the latest, hastily assembled 2,135-page version of the legislation. “There is certainly a lack of trust among some of the moderates,” Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat from South Texas, told reporters. “I want to move the ball forward. But I mean, I still want to know, what are the differences?” Biden made personal calls Thursday, as did Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary, who reached out to at least one Democrat facing a tough reelection. Yet final sticking points continued to crop up throughout the day. Working to appease Democrats who wanted the bill to grant a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the country illegally, leaders included a compromise proposal to instead give them work permits and protection from deportation, a status that would eventually allow the immigrants access to some federal benefits. But some Democrats in swing districts, worried about their party’s deteriorating political fortunes, resisted allowing them access to any benefits, worried that it might be used by Republicans as an election cudgel.

House Democrats hunt for votes to pass Biden's domestic agenda

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote on Friday on the President Joe Biden's 'Build Back Better Act'. The reconciliation bill devoted to climate change and social programs, and the bipartisan infrastructure bill has been already passed in the Senate in August.

US House expected to vote on Biden's social spending & climate change bill

After the Democratic election loss in Virginia governor race, US President Joe Biden has said that people in the country are ''upset and uncertain about a lot of things,'' seeking to deflect blame on his presidency.

Vowing to ''push very hard'' for his agenda, Biden said ''I do know people want us to get things done.''

"And that's why I'm continuing to push very hard for the Democratic Party to move along and pass my infrastructure bill and my Build Back Better bill."

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-biden-criticises-china-and-russia-for-missing-cop26-climate-summit-426383/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

However, Biden pushed back against the notion that the off-year election results were a repudiation of his presidency.

He suggested that his inability to get Congress to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure deal and a $1.75 trillion package of social and climate programmes ahead of the voting did not make a difference.

His remarks came after Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost to his Republican rival Glenn Youngkin in Virginia's governor race. In US elections 2020, Biden had won by 10 percentage points in the state.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/newcomer-republican-glenn-youngkin-becomes-virginia-governor-a-blow-to-bidens-democrats-426354" hreflang="en">Newcomer Republican Glenn Youngkin becomes Virginia governor, a blow to Biden's Democrats</a>

White House officials noted that while Virginia has leaned Democratic in recent years, the sitting president’s party has lost the governor’s race in 11 of 12 elections there.

There were also Republican gains across New York City and a conservative backlash to a liberal proposal in Minneapolis, the city where African American George Floyd was murdered by police, to dismantle the local force.&nbsp;

"Terry McAuliffe has been saying for weeks that his fate was tied to the progress of negotiations here on Capitol Hill," Senate majority whip Dick Durbin told reporters, echoing Biden.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/very-concerning-pentagon-report-says-china-could-have-1000-nuclear-warheads-by-2030-426519" hreflang="en">Pentagon report says China could have 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030</a>

"And there ought to be a clear message to my party and all those who support it to get the job done."

Biden is facing a thorny path to the November 2022 midterm elections. His approval ratings have also nosedived.

He has failed to bring together the increasingly polarised Democratic factions.

Despite his bold action on the climate in Glasgow at the weekend, he lacked tangible progress in Washington on his environmental goals reverberated through the COP26 summit, underscoring the damage being inflicted on his agenda by months of infighting.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

After the Democratic election loss in Virginia governor race, US President Joe Biden has said that people in the country are ''upset and uncertain about a lot of things,'' seeking to deflect blame on his presidency.

After the Democratic election loss in Virginia governor race, US President Joe Biden has said that people in the country are ''upset and uncertain about a lot of things,'' seeking to deflect blame on his presidency. Vowing to ''push very hard'' for his agenda, Biden said ''I do know people want us to get things done.'' "And that's why I'm continuing to push very hard for the Democratic Party to move along and pass my infrastructure bill and my Build Back Better bill." However, Biden pushed back against the notion that the off-year election results were a repudiation of his presidency. He suggested that his inability to get Congress to pass a $1 trillion infrastructure deal and a $1.75 trillion package of social and climate programmes ahead of the voting did not make a difference. His remarks came after Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe lost to his Republican rival Glenn Youngkin in Virginia's governor race. In US elections 2020, Biden had won by 10 percentage points in the state. Also read | Newcomer Republican Glenn Youngkin becomes Virginia governor, a blow to Biden's Democrats White House officials noted that while Virginia has leaned Democratic in recent years, the sitting president’s party has lost the governor’s race in 11 of 12 elections there. There were also Republican gains across New York City and a conservative backlash to a liberal proposal in Minneapolis, the city where African American George Floyd was murdered by police, to dismantle the local force. "Terry McAuliffe has been saying for weeks that his fate was tied to the progress of negotiations here on Capitol Hill," Senate majority whip Dick Durbin told reporters, echoing Biden. Also read | Pentagon report says China could have 1000 nuclear warheads by 2030 "And there ought to be a clear message to my party and all those who support it to get the job done." Biden is facing a thorny path to the November 2022 midterm elections. His approval ratings have also nosedived. He has failed to bring together the increasingly polarised Democratic factions. Despite his bold action on the climate in Glasgow at the weekend, he lacked tangible progress in Washington on his environmental goals reverberated through the COP26 summit, underscoring the damage being inflicted on his agenda by months of infighting. (With inputs from agencies)

People are upset and uncertain, says US President Joe Biden on poll drubbing for Democrats

Russia and China have defended their measures on climate change in the face of criticism from US President Joe Biden, and both nations have criticised the US for 'backsliding' on its climate plans.&nbsp;

The Kremlin stated that a potential second summit between Biden and President Vladimir Putin would provide an opportunity to further examine the problem.

Biden chastised the presidents of China and Russia for declining to attend the United Nations climate meeting in Scotland on Tuesday, accusing them of a lack of leadership. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-slams-russia-china-for-missing-cop26-426258">US President Joe Biden slams Russia, China for missing COP26</a>

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, told reporters that global warming was causing not just Russia's vast arctic wildness, but also Californian woods to burn.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | US President Biden criticises China and Russia for missing COP26 Climate Summit

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-biden-criticises-china-and-russia-for-missing-cop26-climate-summit-426383/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Peskov added: "I'm convinced that when the presidents next talk - the usefulness of which we have already agreed on, as we've mentioned before - I think President Putin will have an excellent opportunity to tell President Biden about what we're doing on climate."

Xie Zhenhua, China's main climate negotiator in Glasgow, criticised Biden's predecessor Donald Trump for withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement, saying it was time to "work harder and catch up."

Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, slammed the United States' "empty slogans" on climate change.&nbsp;

"China has been earnestly supporting #ClimateAction. We are not the ones who withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The US, however, has back-pedalled on its climate policies many times. Instead of blame-shifting, what it should do now is to shoulder responsibility and take concrete actions, " he added.

China had alleged that Xi sent a written statement for the summit instead of giving an address by video conference after the organisers did not provide a link.

Beijing has vowed to reach an emissions peak by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060, among other ambitions. 
 
Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-making-rapid-progress-in-development-of-silos-missiles-that-could-launch-nuclear-weapons-report-426276" hreflang="en">China making rapid progress in development of silos missiles: Report</a>

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia and China have defended their measures on climate change in the face of criticism from US President Joe Biden, and both nations have criticised the US for 'backsliding' on its climate plans.

Russia and China have defended their measures on climate change in the face of criticism from US President Joe Biden, and both nations have criticised the US for 'backsliding' on its climate plans. The Kremlin stated that a potential second summit between Biden and President Vladimir Putin would provide an opportunity to further examine the problem. Biden chastised the presidents of China and Russia for declining to attend the United Nations climate meeting in Scotland on Tuesday, accusing them of a lack of leadership. Also read | US President Joe Biden slams Russia, China for missing COP26 Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, told reporters that global warming was causing not just Russia's vast arctic wildness, but also Californian woods to burn. Watch | US President Biden criticises China and Russia for missing COP26 Climate Summit Peskov added: "I'm convinced that when the presidents next talk - the usefulness of which we have already agreed on, as we've mentioned before - I think President Putin will have an excellent opportunity to tell President Biden about what we're doing on climate." Xie Zhenhua, China's main climate negotiator in Glasgow, criticised Biden's predecessor Donald Trump for withdrawing the US from the Paris Agreement, saying it was time to "work harder and catch up." Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, slammed the United States' "empty slogans" on climate change. "China has been earnestly supporting #ClimateAction. We are not the ones who withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The US, however, has back-pedalled on its climate policies many times. Instead of blame-shifting, what it should do now is to shoulder responsibility and take concrete actions, " he added. China had alleged that Xi sent a written statement for the summit instead of giving an address by video conference after the organisers did not provide a link. Beijing has vowed to reach an emissions peak by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060, among other ambitions. Also read | China making rapid progress in development of silos missiles: Report (With inputs from agencies)

COP26: China, Russia hit back at Biden's jibe, slam US on climate policies

Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, congressional Democrats pushed forward Wednesday toward House votes as soon as Thursday on nearly $3 trillion worth of social policy, infrastructure and climate change programs — but with a deep new worry: Would a legislative victory help or hurt their bruised political standing?

The day after a defeat in the Virginia governor’s race and an unexpectedly close race in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, Democrats in Congress toiled to keep recriminations to a minimum. But centrists grumbled that the party’s left flank had held back final passage of what they considered the most popular part of the agenda, a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, while liberals blamed poor campaigns and ineffectual candidates.

Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who campaigned hard for Terry McAuliffe only to see him lose, said, “What I heard when I was out campaigning for the ticket was, ‘Hey, you guys got the White House, the Senate, the House. When are you going to get more things done?’ I mean, only in Washington could people think that it is a smart strategy to take a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your president from signing that bill into law.”

Liberal lawmakers pointed the finger back at holdout moderates who have been the main impediments to passage of a separate $1.85 trillion social safety net and climate change bill, which progressives argue must be approved before they supply their votes for the public works measure.

“Candidates matter,” added Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the Democrats who blockaded the infrastructure measure. But virtually all Democrats came away from the sweeping defeats in Virginia and a narrow escape for New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, agreeing that the imperative now is to pass both bills as quickly as possible to prove their party can govern.

Hanging over the endeavor was a deep sense of dread among Democrats — reinforced by the results Tuesday — that their prospects for keeping control of Congress in the midterm elections next year were dwindling by the day, amid President Joe Biden’s sagging approval rating and widespread discontent with the direction of the country. Puffed up by his party’s successes, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, predicted that Democrats would lose more than 60 seats next year.

That figure may be exaggerated, but with control of the chamber resting on fewer than a half-dozen seats, many Democrats understood the threat.

“The No. 1 concern voters have raised with me over the last several weeks has been inability of Congress and government in general to get things done at a time of great need for the country,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat in a swing district in New Jersey. “So the best thing we can do in Congress is to pass these damned bills, immediately.”

To that end, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the House Rules Committee on Wednesday to take up and approve a final draft of the social policy and climate bill with an eye toward a Friday vote. Her vote-counting operation asked Democrats to report whether they would support the bill by 11 a.m. Thursday.

And Pelosi added a few twists that indicated that Democrats were in no mood to pull back on their ambitious agenda in response to the disappointing election results.

She asked the committee to add back in four weeks of paid family and medical leave that had been removed at the insistence of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., although it was all but guaranteed to be stripped out in the Senate, where Manchin’s vote is necessary to pass the bill.

House Democrats were also adding a compromise measure, demanded by Northeastern lawmakers, to raise the cap on the amount of state and local tax that can be deducted from federal taxes, from $10,000 to $72,500, through 2031.

That provision, too, was likely to be changed by the Senate, where two key players, Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., announced an agreement in principle to eliminate the cap — which affects taxpayers in higher-income states — for families making under $400,000 and to impose it permanently for higher-earning homeowners.

And the House was adding a provision — also likely to be dropped by the Senate — that would grant temporary protected status and work permits to immigrants who have lived in the United States without legal permission for a decade.

Some moderates who had implored Pelosi not to ask them to vote for politically tricky measures that were destined to die in the Senate were worried about that language.

“Are we going to give benefits to illegals?” asked Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, warning that Republicans would cite the vote in attack ads in midterm campaigns. “Because, automatically, that’s a 30-second spot against Democrats.”

In the wake of the elections, Republicans hunted for fissures in the Democratic caucus that could sink the social policy bill.

“Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi did not get the message from what happened last night,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the No. 2 Republican, said. “Now maybe more of their members will look in the mirror and say, ‘I don’t want to be the next Terry McAuliffe.’”

They also honed their lines of attack off the successful campaign of Glenn Youngkin, the private equity executive and political neophyte who captured the governorship of Virginia by focusing heavily on education and the grievances of parents unhappy with how school districts have responded to the pandemic.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is in charge of House Republican messaging, convened a roundtable discussion on education Wednesday to try to take Youngkin’s message national. Republicans made clear they would go after two of the biggest and most popular provisions in the social policy bill — universal prekindergarten and generous child care support — by saying they were schemes to nationalize early childhood education and force-feed left-wing pedagogy to youngsters.

Stefanik said children had been “forced to remain masked and distanced from their peers” and exposed to “inappropriate material” on race and gender.

“Virginians spoke loud and clear last night that parental rights is an issue we can run on and win on,” she said. “Glenn Youngkin ran on education, and he won on education.”

Democrats, though, appeared confident they could weather that line of attack by emphasizing the benefits of the programs created by their legislation, against which Republicans are united in opposition.

“Oh, I welcome that fight,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. “They’re saying that we shouldn’t help families pay for child care and have more 3- and 4-year-olds go to pre-K? Please say that, Republicans. Please say that.”

Warner was more circumspect. Democrats, he said, had been right to shower school districts with coronavirus pandemic relief over the past 18 months, but they now need to consider how that has fed into Republican accusations of the federal government centralizing control over how schools handled the pandemic and what they teach children.

“I have not met a Virginia educator or parent anywhere that doesn’t think that kind of relief was appropriate as we come out of COVID,” he said. But, he added that Youngkin had " touched a nerve, and I think those of us on the Democratic side need to sit back and think about how we address that.”

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., called the election results a “wake-up call” for members of his party pushing overly ideological positions that failed on Tuesday, like a ballot initiative in his state to abolish police departments. But, he said, his prescription was to listen to voters more, not to delay or scale back the ambitious social policy bill.

“Truth be told,” he said, “it’s such transformative policy for the country that most of us should be willing to lose our jobs over it.”

Still, the failure to capture the imagination of voters was impossible for Democrats to deny. Some lawmakers said Americans would notice once they delivered on Biden’s agenda, but Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Democrats needed to get better at touting their accomplishments.

“I think we should do a much better job of talking about the things that we did that really help our families,” she said. “What are the Republicans doing? Nothing. Zero, zilch.”

Before they can promote their achievements, however, Democrats need to pass some bills. Some moderates on Wednesday were demanding more time to read the 2,135-page bill and wanted an official cost analysis by Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeepers.

Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader, was having none of it.

“Members have had well over 72 hours to read it,” he said.

Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, congressional Democrats pushed forward Wednesday toward House votes as soon as Thursday on nearly $3 trillion worth of social policy, infrastructure and climate change programs — but with a deep new worry: Would a legislative victory help or hurt their bruised political standing?

Smarting from an off-year electoral rebuke, congressional Democrats pushed forward Wednesday toward House votes as soon as Thursday on nearly $3 trillion worth of social policy, infrastructure and climate change programs — but with a deep new worry: Would a legislative victory help or hurt their bruised political standing? The day after a defeat in the Virginia governor’s race and an unexpectedly close race in the Democratic stronghold of New Jersey, Democrats in Congress toiled to keep recriminations to a minimum. But centrists grumbled that the party’s left flank had held back final passage of what they considered the most popular part of the agenda, a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure bill, while liberals blamed poor campaigns and ineffectual candidates. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who campaigned hard for Terry McAuliffe only to see him lose, said, “What I heard when I was out campaigning for the ticket was, ‘Hey, you guys got the White House, the Senate, the House. When are you going to get more things done?’ I mean, only in Washington could people think that it is a smart strategy to take a once-in-a-generation investment in infrastructure and prevent your president from signing that bill into law.” Liberal lawmakers pointed the finger back at holdout moderates who have been the main impediments to passage of a separate $1.85 trillion social safety net and climate change bill, which progressives argue must be approved before they supply their votes for the public works measure. “Candidates matter,” added Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, one of the Democrats who blockaded the infrastructure measure. But virtually all Democrats came away from the sweeping defeats in Virginia and a narrow escape for New Jersey’s Democratic governor, Phil Murphy, agreeing that the imperative now is to pass both bills as quickly as possible to prove their party can govern. Hanging over the endeavor was a deep sense of dread among Democrats — reinforced by the results Tuesday — that their prospects for keeping control of Congress in the midterm elections next year were dwindling by the day, amid President Joe Biden’s sagging approval rating and widespread discontent with the direction of the country. Puffed up by his party’s successes, Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Republican leader, predicted that Democrats would lose more than 60 seats next year. That figure may be exaggerated, but with control of the chamber resting on fewer than a half-dozen seats, many Democrats understood the threat. “The No. 1 concern voters have raised with me over the last several weeks has been inability of Congress and government in general to get things done at a time of great need for the country,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski, a Democrat in a swing district in New Jersey. “So the best thing we can do in Congress is to pass these damned bills, immediately.” To that end, Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the House Rules Committee on Wednesday to take up and approve a final draft of the social policy and climate bill with an eye toward a Friday vote. Her vote-counting operation asked Democrats to report whether they would support the bill by 11 a.m. Thursday. And Pelosi added a few twists that indicated that Democrats were in no mood to pull back on their ambitious agenda in response to the disappointing election results. She asked the committee to add back in four weeks of paid family and medical leave that had been removed at the insistence of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., although it was all but guaranteed to be stripped out in the Senate, where Manchin’s vote is necessary to pass the bill. House Democrats were also adding a compromise measure, demanded by Northeastern lawmakers, to raise the cap on the amount of state and local tax that can be deducted from federal taxes, from $10,000 to $72,500, through 2031. That provision, too, was likely to be changed by the Senate, where two key players, Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Robert Menendez, D-N.J., announced an agreement in principle to eliminate the cap — which affects taxpayers in higher-income states — for families making under $400,000 and to impose it permanently for higher-earning homeowners. And the House was adding a provision — also likely to be dropped by the Senate — that would grant temporary protected status and work permits to immigrants who have lived in the United States without legal permission for a decade. Some moderates who had implored Pelosi not to ask them to vote for politically tricky measures that were destined to die in the Senate were worried about that language. “Are we going to give benefits to illegals?” asked Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, warning that Republicans would cite the vote in attack ads in midterm campaigns. “Because, automatically, that’s a 30-second spot against Democrats.” In the wake of the elections, Republicans hunted for fissures in the Democratic caucus that could sink the social policy bill. “Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi did not get the message from what happened last night,” Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the No. 2 Republican, said. “Now maybe more of their members will look in the mirror and say, ‘I don’t want to be the next Terry McAuliffe.’” They also honed their lines of attack off the successful campaign of Glenn Youngkin, the private equity executive and political neophyte who captured the governorship of Virginia by focusing heavily on education and the grievances of parents unhappy with how school districts have responded to the pandemic. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who is in charge of House Republican messaging, convened a roundtable discussion on education Wednesday to try to take Youngkin’s message national. Republicans made clear they would go after two of the biggest and most popular provisions in the social policy bill — universal prekindergarten and generous child care support — by saying they were schemes to nationalize early childhood education and force-feed left-wing pedagogy to youngsters. Stefanik said children had been “forced to remain masked and distanced from their peers” and exposed to “inappropriate material” on race and gender. “Virginians spoke loud and clear last night that parental rights is an issue we can run on and win on,” she said. “Glenn Youngkin ran on education, and he won on education.” Democrats, though, appeared confident they could weather that line of attack by emphasizing the benefits of the programs created by their legislation, against which Republicans are united in opposition. “Oh, I welcome that fight,” said Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. “They’re saying that we shouldn’t help families pay for child care and have more 3- and 4-year-olds go to pre-K? Please say that, Republicans. Please say that.” Warner was more circumspect. Democrats, he said, had been right to shower school districts with coronavirus pandemic relief over the past 18 months, but they now need to consider how that has fed into Republican accusations of the federal government centralizing control over how schools handled the pandemic and what they teach children. “I have not met a Virginia educator or parent anywhere that doesn’t think that kind of relief was appropriate as we come out of COVID,” he said. But, he added that Youngkin had " touched a nerve, and I think those of us on the Democratic side need to sit back and think about how we address that.” Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., called the election results a “wake-up call” for members of his party pushing overly ideological positions that failed on Tuesday, like a ballot initiative in his state to abolish police departments. But, he said, his prescription was to listen to voters more, not to delay or scale back the ambitious social policy bill. “Truth be told,” he said, “it’s such transformative policy for the country that most of us should be willing to lose our jobs over it.” Still, the failure to capture the imagination of voters was impossible for Democrats to deny. Some lawmakers said Americans would notice once they delivered on Biden’s agenda, but Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Democrats needed to get better at touting their accomplishments. “I think we should do a much better job of talking about the things that we did that really help our families,” she said. “What are the Republicans doing? Nothing. Zero, zilch.” Before they can promote their achievements, however, Democrats need to pass some bills. Some moderates on Wednesday were demanding more time to read the 2,135-page bill and wanted an official cost analysis by Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeepers. Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., the House majority leader, was having none of it. “Members have had well over 72 hours to read it,” he said.

Democrats, stung by losses, press forward on Biden agenda

Key Democratic Senator Joe Manchin is asking for more time to get “clarification” on the economic impact of President Joe Biden’s social spending package and other Democrats.

Democrat Manchin calls Biden's $1.75 trillion spending proposal a "shell game"

US President Joe Biden has criticised Russia and China for missing the crucial United States climate change conference, COP26.

He said that both the countries have ''walked away'' from the ''gigantic issue'' of global warming that is adversely affecting the entire world.

World leaders of over 120 nations have gathered in Glasgow to limit the rise in global temperature.

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Calling the step a ''big mistake,'' Biden asked in his address ''How do you do that and claim to have any leadership mantle?''

In response, China said that President Xi Jinping had to send a written response instead of delivering a public address due to a lack of opportunity.

China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua said &nbsp;"five years were wasted" because Biden's predecessor Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement and it was time to "work harder and catch up".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/world-leaders-at-cop26-vow-to-cut-methane-emissions-by-30-426203" hreflang="en">World leaders at COP26 vow to cut methane emissions by 30%</a>

China and the United States are the world's largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Russia occupies the fifth spot in this list.

Meanwhile, Kremlin also issued a statement saying that Russia takes the ''strongest and most vigorous measures to conserve woodlands.''

Earlier, Biden had said ''Tackling the climate crisis is an economic opportunity.''&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/race-for-fossil-fuels-created-geo-political-tensions-says-pm-modi-at-cop26-426201" hreflang="en">Race for fossil fuels created 'geo-political tensions, says PM Modi at COP26</a>

''At Biden’s press conference we saw the whiplash of his rhetoric on climate in action. First, he asks Opec to pump more oil, then describes his worry about the horrors of climate change,'' said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

''To set his climate ambition straight, it would be profound and game-changing for him to return to Washington and declare a national climate emergency to halt crude oil exports. That’s just one of the tools Biden has to take transformative action on climate without Congress. Biden sounds just as worried as the rest of us, but he has a power unlike anyone else’s. For the sake of us and the planet, he has to use it.''

Leaders at the COP26 global climate conference aim to keep alive a receding target of capping temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius&nbsp;above pre-industrial levels to avert still greater damage than has already been caused by greenhouse gases.

They have promised to stop deforestation by the end of the decade and cut emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane to help slow climate change. 
&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has criticised Russia and China for missing the crucial United States climate change conference, COP26. He said that both the countries have ''walked away'' from the ''gigantic issue'' of global warming that is adversely affecting the entire world.

US President Joe Biden has criticised Russia and China for missing the crucial United States climate change conference, COP26. He said that both the countries have ''walked away'' from the ''gigantic issue'' of global warming that is adversely affecting the entire world. World leaders of over 120 nations have gathered in Glasgow to limit the rise in global temperature. Calling the step a ''big mistake,'' Biden asked in his address ''How do you do that and claim to have any leadership mantle?'' In response, China said that President Xi Jinping had to send a written response instead of delivering a public address due to a lack of opportunity. China's chief climate negotiator Xie Zhenhua said "five years were wasted" because Biden's predecessor Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement and it was time to "work harder and catch up". Also read | World leaders at COP26 vow to cut methane emissions by 30% China and the United States are the world's largest emitters of carbon dioxide. Russia occupies the fifth spot in this list. Meanwhile, Kremlin also issued a statement saying that Russia takes the ''strongest and most vigorous measures to conserve woodlands.'' Earlier, Biden had said ''Tackling the climate crisis is an economic opportunity.'' Also read | Race for fossil fuels created 'geo-political tensions, says PM Modi at COP26 ''At Biden’s press conference we saw the whiplash of his rhetoric on climate in action. First, he asks Opec to pump more oil, then describes his worry about the horrors of climate change,'' said Jean Su, energy justice director at the Center for Biological Diversity. ''To set his climate ambition straight, it would be profound and game-changing for him to return to Washington and declare a national climate emergency to halt crude oil exports. That’s just one of the tools Biden has to take transformative action on climate without Congress. Biden sounds just as worried as the rest of us, but he has a power unlike anyone else’s. For the sake of us and the planet, he has to use it.'' Leaders at the COP26 global climate conference aim to keep alive a receding target of capping temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels to avert still greater damage than has already been caused by greenhouse gases. They have promised to stop deforestation by the end of the decade and cut emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane to help slow climate change.

US President Joe Biden slams Russia, China for missing COP26

Joe Biden was caught taking a 'quick nap'. Greta Thunberg was filmed swearing at world leaders. Israeli Minister Karine Elharrar was unable to attend due to no wheelchair access & India has set a 2070 net zero target. Palki Sharma gets you highlights from Day 1 of COP26.

Gravitas | COP26: India sets 2070 Net Zero Target

US President Joe Biden has criticised Russia and China for missing the crucial United Nations climate change conference, COP26.

US President Biden criticises China and Russia for missing COP26 Climate Summit

China has criticised the United for 'backpedalling' on its policies regarding climate change after US President Joe Biden chided Xi Jinping for missing the COP26 summit.

The country's chief climate negotiator in Glasgow, Xie Zhenhua slammed Biden's predecessor Donald Trump for pulling out the United States out of the Paris Agreement and said it was time to "work harder and catch up".

China's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun condemned the ''empty slogans'' used by the US for tackling global warming.

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''China has been earnestly supporting #ClimateAction. We are not the one who withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The US however has back-pedalled its climate policies many times. Instead of blame-shifting, what it should do now is to shoulder responsibility and take concrete actions,'' he added.

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In addressing <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClimateChange?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ClimateChange</a>, what we need is firm commitment and continued actions. 
 
What we don’t need: 
 
-Empty slogans 
-Ever-changing policies 
-Luxury motorcades and entourage 
-Irresponsibly exposing numerous people to infection
— Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChinaAmbUN/status/1455681481343442944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Speaking at his closing press conference at the COP26 Summit, Biden expressed disappointment over with Chinese actions on climate in Rome, and also the lack of willingness for Chinese President Xi Jinping to show up at either the G20 or COP26 summit.&nbsp;

China had alleged that Xi sent a written statement for the summit instead of giving an address by video conference after the organisers did not provide a link.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-joe-biden-slams-russia-china-for-missing-cop26-426258">US President Joe Biden slams Russia, China for missing COP26</a>

Beijing has vowed to reach an emissions peak by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060, among other ambitions.

In his written address, Jinping said ''I hope all parties will take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge and protect the planet, the shared home for us all.''

Xi Jinping is in self-isolation and has not left China in the last 20 months. He has not attended any global event during this time period.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-making-rapid-progress-in-development-of-silos-missiles-that-could-launch-nuclear-weapons-report-426276" hreflang="en">China making rapid progress in development of silos missiles: Report</a>

The 68-year-old had last visited Myanmar in the middle of January, 2020.

Beijing has rejected Washington's efforts to separate climate from wider conflicts between the two sides, with senior diplomat Wang Yi telling U.S. climate envoy John Kerry in September that there was still a "desert" threatening the "oasis" of climate cooperation.

One particular point of contention for China has been the US imposition of sanctions on Chinese companies, including solar equipment suppliers, with links to the Xinjiang region.

China rejects Western allegations of human rights abuses in the region.

China has criticised the United for 'backpedalling' on its policies regarding climate change after US President Joe Biden chided Xi Jinping for missing the COP26 summit.

China has criticised the United for 'backpedalling' on its policies regarding climate change after US President Joe Biden chided Xi Jinping for missing the COP26 summit. The country's chief climate negotiator in Glasgow, Xie Zhenhua slammed Biden's predecessor Donald Trump for pulling out the United States out of the Paris Agreement and said it was time to "work harder and catch up". China's permanent ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun condemned the ''empty slogans'' used by the US for tackling global warming. ''China has been earnestly supporting #ClimateAction. We are not the one who withdrew from the Paris Agreement. The US however has back-pedalled its climate policies many times. Instead of blame-shifting, what it should do now is to shoulder responsibility and take concrete actions,'' he added. In addressing #ClimateChange, what we need is firm commitment and continued actions. What we don’t need: -Empty slogans -Ever-changing policies -Luxury motorcades and entourage -Irresponsibly exposing numerous people to infection — Zhang Jun (@ChinaAmbUN) November 2, 2021 × Speaking at his closing press conference at the COP26 Summit, Biden expressed disappointment over with Chinese actions on climate in Rome, and also the lack of willingness for Chinese President Xi Jinping to show up at either the G20 or COP26 summit. China had alleged that Xi sent a written statement for the summit instead of giving an address by video conference after the organisers did not provide a link. Also read | US President Joe Biden slams Russia, China for missing COP26 Beijing has vowed to reach an emissions peak by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2060, among other ambitions. In his written address, Jinping said ''I hope all parties will take stronger actions to jointly tackle the climate challenge and protect the planet, the shared home for us all.'' Xi Jinping is in self-isolation and has not left China in the last 20 months. He has not attended any global event during this time period. Also read | China making rapid progress in development of silos missiles: Report The 68-year-old had last visited Myanmar in the middle of January, 2020. Beijing has rejected Washington's efforts to separate climate from wider conflicts between the two sides, with senior diplomat Wang Yi telling U.S. climate envoy John Kerry in September that there was still a "desert" threatening the "oasis" of climate cooperation. One particular point of contention for China has been the US imposition of sanctions on Chinese companies, including solar equipment suppliers, with links to the Xinjiang region. China rejects Western allegations of human rights abuses in the region.

China lambasts US for 'backpedalling' on climate policies after Biden chided Jinping

US President Joe Biden was accused of sleeping during the opening sessions of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, by Twitter users.

When a speaker said that the world leaders gathered for the conference have the "power to make decisions and reach agreements that will affect the lives of generations to come," Biden appeared to close his eyes for about 20 seconds, according to a video clip first shared by a reporter for The Washington Post.

Biden’s eyes closed for a few seconds before he woke himself. However, seconds later, they shut down again for a second time. &nbsp;

An assistant then approached Biden and began whispering to him, who turned his head to listen momentarily before returning to the speech.&nbsp;

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Biden appears to fall asleep during COP26 opening speeches <a href="https://t.co/az8NZTWanI">pic.twitter.com/az8NZTWanI</a>
— Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) <a href="https://twitter.com/zachjourno/status/1455174496164458496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Before applauding the opening speaker, the US president uncrossed his arms and listened to what the staff member had to say.&nbsp;

Watch | US President Joe Biden speaks at the G20 summit in Rome

&nbsp;

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Biden, who is 78 years old, is the oldest person to serve as president of the United States, and opponents, notably former President Donald Trump and his followers, have speculated about his health and mental fitness for the office.

Trump regularly accused Biden of becoming senile during his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2020, citing his occasionally halting speech, which is the result of a long-documented stuttering condition.&nbsp;

(With input from agencies)

US President Joe Biden was accused of sleeping during the opening sessions of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, by Twitter users. When a speaker said that the world leaders gathered for the conference have the "power to make decisions and reach agreements that will affect the lives of generations to come," Biden appeared to close his eyes for about 20 seconds, according to a video clip first shared by a reporter for The Washington Post.

US President Joe Biden was accused of sleeping during the opening sessions of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, by Twitter users. When a speaker said that the world leaders gathered for the conference have the "power to make decisions and reach agreements that will affect the lives of generations to come," Biden appeared to close his eyes for about 20 seconds, according to a video clip first shared by a reporter for The Washington Post. Biden’s eyes closed for a few seconds before he woke himself. However, seconds later, they shut down again for a second time. An assistant then approached Biden and began whispering to him, who turned his head to listen momentarily before returning to the speech. Biden appears to fall asleep during COP26 opening speeches pic.twitter.com/az8NZTWanI — Zach Purser Brown (@zachjourno) November 1, 2021 × Before applauding the opening speaker, the US president uncrossed his arms and listened to what the staff member had to say. Watch | US President Joe Biden speaks at the G20 summit in Rome Biden, who is 78 years old, is the oldest person to serve as president of the United States, and opponents, notably former President Donald Trump and his followers, have speculated about his health and mental fitness for the office. Trump regularly accused Biden of becoming senile during his unsuccessful re-election campaign in 2020, citing his occasionally halting speech, which is the result of a long-documented stuttering condition. (With input from agencies)

Watch: As Joe Biden seems to fall asleep at the COP26, Twitter takes aim at him

After a marathon schedule of high-profile democratic meetings, President Joe Biden's domestic agenda suffered a major setback. Two Democratic Senators have demanded major changes and might not commit to supporting a $1.75 trillion framework on social spending and climate change.

Joe Biden's social spending plan in trouble, moderate democratic senators want major changes

While addressing COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow President Joe Biden said that the US is ready to be a leader again in the fight against climate change. Biden also apologised for former US President Donald Trump's climate actions.

US ready to lead world in climate fight, says Biden at COP26 summit

Democratic Senators will not commit to backing Joe Biden's $1.75 trillion spending bill

U.S. President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet to discuss the waning relationship on the sidelines of the G20 summit. At a time when tensions are escalating between NATO allies, U.S. and Turkey the meeting is expected to discuss a wide range of issues. VOA White House correspondent Patsy Widakuswara brings in all the latest developments.

U.S. President Biden, Turkish President Erdogan to discuss waning relationship on sidelines of G20

The Biden administration on Tuesday will unveil a plan to slash emissions of the greenhouse gas methane across the country, starting with oil and gas wells, pipelines and other infrastructure as part of its broader strategy to crack down on climate change.

The announcement of the US&nbsp;Methane Emissions Reduction Plan will coincide with the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where the United States, the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, is seeking to reclaim leadership on the world stage by demonstrating tangible steps to curb emissions at home.

President Joe Biden has set a target to slash greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent&nbsp;by 2030, but is struggling to pass major pieces of climate legislation through a deeply divided Congress, making policies by federal agencies more crucial.

Watch |&nbsp;US ready to lead world in climate fight, says Biden at COP26 summit

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At the center of the plan his administration will launch on Tuesday is a EPA proposal that will for the first time regulate methane that spews from existing oil and gas operations. Oil and gas account for a third of methane emissions.

"The timing of this is critical. As we speak, world leaders are gathering right now in Glasgow and they are looking to the United States for true leadership," US&nbsp;Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan told Reuters in an interview about the plan. "This proposal is absolutely bold, aggressive and comprehensive."

Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide and has become a focal point at the Glasgow summit. Its high heat-trapping potential and relatively short lifespan in the atmosphere means cutting its emissions can have an outsized impact on the trajectory of the climate.

The EPA proposal will require oil and gas companies to routinely monitor 300,000 of their biggest well sites and other infrastructure for methane leaks and repair them quickly when found, according to a summary seen by Reuters.

Regan said the rule would not only have a swift impact on climate but also improve air quality for low-income "environmental justice" communities that live near oil and gas operations.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cop26-india-uk-to-launch-solar-green-grids-initiative-425642">&nbsp;COP26: India, UK to launch solar Green Grids Initiative</a>

The EPA proposal would also require oil drillers that produce natural gas as a byproduct to sell it or flare it instead of venting it into the atmosphere, and require upgrades to equipment such as storage tanks, compressors, and pneumatic pumps to reduce leaks.

The agency also said it will release a supplemental proposal next year that would flesh out the regulatory text and possibly expand the rule to include additional methane sources, including abandoned oil and gas wells, gas flares, pipeline "pigging" operations for cleaning or maintenance, and tank truck loading.

The rules would most likely take effect in 2023 and would slash methane from oil and gas operations by 74 per cent&nbsp;from 2005 levels by 2035, an amount equivalent to the emissions created by all US&nbsp;passenger cars and planes in 2019, according to the summary.

The EPAs proposals require companies with well sites emitting an estimated 3 tons of methane per year or more to monitor for leaks quarterly, a threshold the agency said would capture sites responsible for 86 per cent&nbsp;of leaks.

Oil and gas industry groups had pressed EPA to exclude smaller wells from the regulations, citing the sheer number of such wells and the costs of the monitoring and repairs.

The administration's methane strategy includes a new proposal by pipeline regulator PHMSA requiring companies to monitor and repair methane leaks on about 400,000 miles of previously unregulated gathering lines. Other US agencies will launch voluntary programs to cut emissions from industries such as agriculture and waste management, according to a senior administration official.

The plan also proposes new voluntary measures from the Agriculture and Interior departments to tackle methane emissions from other major sources, including landfills, agriculture and abandoned wells and coal mines.

The Biden administration on Tuesday will unveil a plan to slash emissions of the greenhouse gas methane across the country, starting with oil and gas wells, pipelines and other infrastructure as part of its broader strategy to crack down on climate change.

The Biden administration on Tuesday will unveil a plan to slash emissions of the greenhouse gas methane across the country, starting with oil and gas wells, pipelines and other infrastructure as part of its broader strategy to crack down on climate change. The announcement of the US Methane Emissions Reduction Plan will coincide with the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, where the United States, the world's second-largest greenhouse gas emitter, is seeking to reclaim leadership on the world stage by demonstrating tangible steps to curb emissions at home. President Joe Biden has set a target to slash greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent by 2030, but is struggling to pass major pieces of climate legislation through a deeply divided Congress, making policies by federal agencies more crucial. Watch | US ready to lead world in climate fight, says Biden at COP26 summit At the center of the plan his administration will launch on Tuesday is a EPA proposal that will for the first time regulate methane that spews from existing oil and gas operations. Oil and gas account for a third of methane emissions. "The timing of this is critical. As we speak, world leaders are gathering right now in Glasgow and they are looking to the United States for true leadership," US Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan told Reuters in an interview about the plan. "This proposal is absolutely bold, aggressive and comprehensive." Methane is the second-biggest cause of climate change after carbon dioxide and has become a focal point at the Glasgow summit. Its high heat-trapping potential and relatively short lifespan in the atmosphere means cutting its emissions can have an outsized impact on the trajectory of the climate. The EPA proposal will require oil and gas companies to routinely monitor 300,000 of their biggest well sites and other infrastructure for methane leaks and repair them quickly when found, according to a summary seen by Reuters. Regan said the rule would not only have a swift impact on climate but also improve air quality for low-income "environmental justice" communities that live near oil and gas operations. Also Read | COP26: India, UK to launch solar Green Grids Initiative The EPA proposal would also require oil drillers that produce natural gas as a byproduct to sell it or flare it instead of venting it into the atmosphere, and require upgrades to equipment such as storage tanks, compressors, and pneumatic pumps to reduce leaks. The agency also said it will release a supplemental proposal next year that would flesh out the regulatory text and possibly expand the rule to include additional methane sources, including abandoned oil and gas wells, gas flares, pipeline "pigging" operations for cleaning or maintenance, and tank truck loading. The rules would most likely take effect in 2023 and would slash methane from oil and gas operations by 74 per cent from 2005 levels by 2035, an amount equivalent to the emissions created by all US passenger cars and planes in 2019, according to the summary. The EPAs proposals require companies with well sites emitting an estimated 3 tons of methane per year or more to monitor for leaks quarterly, a threshold the agency said would capture sites responsible for 86 per cent of leaks. Oil and gas industry groups had pressed EPA to exclude smaller wells from the regulations, citing the sheer number of such wells and the costs of the monitoring and repairs. The administration's methane strategy includes a new proposal by pipeline regulator PHMSA requiring companies to monitor and repair methane leaks on about 400,000 miles of previously unregulated gathering lines. Other US agencies will launch voluntary programs to cut emissions from industries such as agriculture and waste management, according to a senior administration official. The plan also proposes new voluntary measures from the Agriculture and Interior departments to tackle methane emissions from other major sources, including landfills, agriculture and abandoned wells and coal mines.

US unveils crackdown on methane, starting with oil and gas rules

US President Joe Biden announced additional initiatives to relieve global backlogs, despite rising domestic complaints about supply chain problems after meeting with his G20 counterparts in Rome on Sunday.

Biden pledges funds to Mexico, Southeast Asian Nations to ease supply chain woes

With the much-awaited climate talks underway, President Joe Biden urged world leaders to meet the challenge of global warming, saying there is “no more time to hang back” or “argue amongst ourselves.”

'No more time to hang back' says US Prez Joe Biden at COP26 summit in Glasgow

US President Joe Biden met his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Biden told Erdogan his request for F-16 fighter jets had to go through a process in the United States and expressed a desire to handle disagreements between the two countries effectively.

Biden discuss F-16 fighter jets, raises human rights issue with Turkey's Erdogan

The United States and European Union have agreed to end a festering dispute over US steel and aluminum tariffs imposed by former President Donald Trump in 2018.

US and EU end long standing dispute over steel and aluminum tariff

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