Thousands took to the streets across Brazil on Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro's pandemic response, blasting the leader for not acquiring vaccines fast enough and for questioning the need for mask-wearing. 
 
Brazil surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry, the world's highest death toll after the United States. 
 
The government faces fierce criticism for passing up early opportunities to buy vaccines. Pharmaceutical maker Pfizer said it got no response to offers to sell vaccines to the government between August and November last year. 
 
"We are protesting against the genocidal Bolsonaro government that did not buy vaccines and has done nothing to take care of its people in the last year," said 36-year-old Aline Rabelo, while protesting on the national mall in Brasilia. 
 
Bolsonaro's press office did not respond to request for comment. Only 11% of Brazilians are fully vaccinated and 29% have received a first dose, Health Ministry data shows. 
 
Brazilian media reported that protests had been held in all 26 states as well as the capital Brasilia. 
 
Many demonstrators called the 500,000 dead a form of genocide carried out by the government on the Brazilian people. They chanted, beat drums and held up signs demanding Bolsonaro be removed for office. 
 
"Half a million reasons to oust Bolsonaro," read one protestor's sign in downtown Sao Paulo. 
 
While organisers promised the largest demonstrations yet in more than 300 cities, gatherings in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on Saturday morning did not appear to be larger than the last major protests on May 29. 
 
Protests in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city and financial center, blocked major downtown thoroughfares, where protesters unfurled a banner the size of a city block demanding "Life, Bread, Vaccines and Education." It was unclear how the crowd compared to May 29 protest there. 
 
A special Senate committee is probing the Bolsonaro administration's pandemic response, highlighting delayed efforts to acquire vaccines while prioritizing unproven treatments for COVID-19. 
 
Last month, a poll showed Bolsonaro's popularity has sunk to new lows with only 24% of Brazilians saying his administration is "good" or "great." The same poll showed Bolsonaro's left wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, would win in a run-off vote if the 2022 elections were held today.

(With inputs from agencies)

Thousands took to the streets across Brazil on Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro's pandemic response, blasting the leader for not acquiring vaccines fast enough and for questioning the need for mask-wearing.

Thousands took to the streets across Brazil on Saturday to protest against President Jair Bolsonaro's pandemic response, blasting the leader for not acquiring vaccines fast enough and for questioning the need for mask-wearing. Brazil surpassed 500,000 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry, the world's highest death toll after the United States. The government faces fierce criticism for passing up early opportunities to buy vaccines. Pharmaceutical maker Pfizer said it got no response to offers to sell vaccines to the government between August and November last year. "We are protesting against the genocidal Bolsonaro government that did not buy vaccines and has done nothing to take care of its people in the last year," said 36-year-old Aline Rabelo, while protesting on the national mall in Brasilia. Bolsonaro's press office did not respond to request for comment. Only 11% of Brazilians are fully vaccinated and 29% have received a first dose, Health Ministry data shows. Brazilian media reported that protests had been held in all 26 states as well as the capital Brasilia. Many demonstrators called the 500,000 dead a form of genocide carried out by the government on the Brazilian people. They chanted, beat drums and held up signs demanding Bolsonaro be removed for office. "Half a million reasons to oust Bolsonaro," read one protestor's sign in downtown Sao Paulo. While organisers promised the largest demonstrations yet in more than 300 cities, gatherings in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia on Saturday morning did not appear to be larger than the last major protests on May 29. Protests in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city and financial center, blocked major downtown thoroughfares, where protesters unfurled a banner the size of a city block demanding "Life, Bread, Vaccines and Education." It was unclear how the crowd compared to May 29 protest there. A special Senate committee is probing the Bolsonaro administration's pandemic response, highlighting delayed efforts to acquire vaccines while prioritizing unproven treatments for COVID-19. Last month, a poll showed Bolsonaro's popularity has sunk to new lows with only 24% of Brazilians saying his administration is "good" or "great." The same poll showed Bolsonaro's left wing rival, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, would win in a run-off vote if the 2022 elections were held today. (With inputs from agencies)

Brazilians protest Bolsonaro's role in half a million COVID-19 deaths

US&nbsp;President Joe Biden plans to host Israel's new president, Reuven Rivlin, at the White House on June 28, the White House said on Saturday. 
 
"President Rivlin's visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel and the deep ties between our governments and our people," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. 
 
Rivlin will visit shortly before he is due to end his seven-year term in July. 
 
Isaac Herzog was elected the country's new president this month in elections that marked the end of the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. 
 
The role of president is largely ceremonial but also meant to promote unity among ethnic and religious groups. 
 
The government changed after last month's fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza also touched off rare mob violence among the Jewish majority and Arab minority within Israeli cities. 
 
"President Rivlin approaches the end of his term, this visit will honour the dedication he has shown to strengthening the friendship between the two countries over the course of many years," Psaki said. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden plans to host Israel's new president, Reuven Rivlin, at the White House on June 28, the White House said on Saturday. "President Rivlin's visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel and the deep ties between our governments and our people," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden plans to host Israel's new president, Reuven Rivlin, at the White House on June 28, the White House said on Saturday. "President Rivlin's visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Israel and the deep ties between our governments and our people," White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement. Rivlin will visit shortly before he is due to end his seven-year term in July. Isaac Herzog was elected the country's new president this month in elections that marked the end of the era of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. The role of president is largely ceremonial but also meant to promote unity among ethnic and religious groups. The government changed after last month's fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza also touched off rare mob violence among the Jewish majority and Arab minority within Israeli cities. "President Rivlin approaches the end of his term, this visit will honour the dedication he has shown to strengthening the friendship between the two countries over the course of many years," Psaki said. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden to host Israeli President Rivlin on June 28: White House

Japan on Tuesday denied a media report that South Korean President Moon Jae-In is arranging a visit to Japan timed with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as talks with Japanese Prime Minister Suga. 
 
The Blue House is hoping that Moon will hold his first ever talks with Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga during his stay, the Yomiuri daily reported, without citing sources. 
 
"There is no truth to that report," chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference, declining to comment further. 
 
The relationship between South Korea and Japan has soured in recent years due to disputes over war-time history and trade.

Earlier, South Korea had asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pressure Japan to remove a reference to South Korea-controlled islands as Japanese territory on the Tokyo Games website, according to an official with Seoul's Olympic Committee. 
 
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) sent a letter asking the IOC to 'actively mediate' the dispute, which has sparked outrage and protests in South Korea less than two months out from the start of the Games. 
 
The small islands, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, have been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the two countries. 
 
"Dokdo is South Korean territory and political neutrality must be guaranteed at the Games," Kim Bo-young, public relations director of KSOC, said. 
 
"Japan's behavior can be seen as a political action, so we have sent the letter as we believe such action runs counter to the Olympic spirit." 
 
Japan rejected South Korea's protests. 
 
"Takeshima is a territory inherent to Japan in view of historical facts and international laws. We cannot accept South Korean's protest at all," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said.

Some South Korean officials have pointed out that Seoul removed the disputed islands from a flag featured at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea after Japan complained. 
 
South Korea said, it had summoned Japan's deputy ambassador to 'strongly protest' the map, which sparked uproar in South Korea and prompted some politicians there to call for a boycott of the Games. 
 
Three South Korean students were arrested after burning Japan's 'Rising Sun' flag in a protest outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, while live-streaming the act on YouTube. 
 
The three were detained on charges of violating assembly and demonstration laws, according to media reports. 
 
About a dozen other members of the student group protested against the arrests outside the police station. 
 
"South Korean land is being taken away," shouted one protester with a loudspeaker, according to video posted by the group on social media. 
 
The diplomatic spat is the latest headache for organisers of the Tokyo Games, which is due to take place from July 23 to August 8 after being delayed last year due to the COVID-19&nbsp;pandemic. 
 
Opinion polls show most people in Japan want the global sporting showpiece to be cancelled or postponed again as the country battles a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Japan on Tuesday denied a media report that South Korean President Moon Jae-In is arranging a visit to Japan timed with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as talks with Japanese Prime Minister Suga.

Japan on Tuesday denied a media report that South Korean President Moon Jae-In is arranging a visit to Japan timed with the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, as well as talks with Japanese Prime Minister Suga. The Blue House is hoping that Moon will hold his first ever talks with Japanese premier Yoshihide Suga during his stay, the Yomiuri daily reported, without citing sources. "There is no truth to that report," chief cabinet secretary Katsunobu Kato told a news conference, declining to comment further. The relationship between South Korea and Japan has soured in recent years due to disputes over war-time history and trade. Earlier, South Korea had asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to pressure Japan to remove a reference to South Korea-controlled islands as Japanese territory on the Tokyo Games website, according to an official with Seoul's Olympic Committee. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) sent a letter asking the IOC to 'actively mediate' the dispute, which has sparked outrage and protests in South Korea less than two months out from the start of the Games. The small islands, called Dokdo in South Korea and Takeshima in Japan, have been at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute between the two countries. "Dokdo is South Korean territory and political neutrality must be guaranteed at the Games," Kim Bo-young, public relations director of KSOC, said. "Japan's behavior can be seen as a political action, so we have sent the letter as we believe such action runs counter to the Olympic spirit." Japan rejected South Korea's protests. "Takeshima is a territory inherent to Japan in view of historical facts and international laws. We cannot accept South Korean's protest at all," Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato said. Some South Korean officials have pointed out that Seoul removed the disputed islands from a flag featured at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea after Japan complained. South Korea said, it had summoned Japan's deputy ambassador to 'strongly protest' the map, which sparked uproar in South Korea and prompted some politicians there to call for a boycott of the Games. Three South Korean students were arrested after burning Japan's 'Rising Sun' flag in a protest outside the Japanese embassy in Seoul, while live-streaming the act on YouTube. The three were detained on charges of violating assembly and demonstration laws, according to media reports. About a dozen other members of the student group protested against the arrests outside the police station. "South Korean land is being taken away," shouted one protester with a loudspeaker, according to video posted by the group on social media. The diplomatic spat is the latest headache for organisers of the Tokyo Games, which is due to take place from July 23 to August 8 after being delayed last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Opinion polls show most people in Japan want the global sporting showpiece to be cancelled or postponed again as the country battles a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections. (With inputs from agencies)

Japan denies reports of South Korean president visit, summit during Olympics

Ahead of the Wednesday’s Biden-Putin summit, US President Joe Biden says he will lay down 'red lines' to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in their meeting, calling him 'tough' and 'a worthy adversary'.&nbsp;

When a reporter asked if he still believes Putin is 'a killer', Biden didn't immediately answer. The question was asked at a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.&nbsp;

But he issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny would hurt Russia’s relationships with the rest of the world.&nbsp;

“Navalny’s death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights,” said Biden.&nbsp;

Biden-Putin meet&nbsp;

Biden will meet Putin for the first time since becoming president in Geneva summit. He has also declined to say how he'll measure the success of the meeting.&nbsp;

As US president prepares to meet one on one with Putin, the White House insists that the Geneva summit does not amount to a reward for Russian president, placing him on a par with the United States.&nbsp;

The meeting will actually be a businesslike review of the bilateral relationship. US president will raise several pressing concerns but will also seek areas where Russia and the United States can work together.&nbsp;

US President also said the NATO alliance remains 'strong', adding that Russia and China 'are seeking to drive a wedge in transatlantic solidarity'. &nbsp;

From Ukraine&nbsp;

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky Monday said US President Joe Biden should have met him before his high-profile summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin as they could resolve nothing on Ukraine without Kiev at the table.&nbsp;

The 43-year-old leader spoke to journalists as the US and Russian presidents prepare to hold their first summit meeting in Geneva on Wednesday. "It would be better to have this meeting before the summit of the two presidents," Zelensky said in an interview.&nbsp;

Transatlantic ties&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden will intensify efforts to renew transatlantic relations on Tuesday, meeting with European Union leaders to cool trade tensions and join forces to beat COVID-19, uphold democracy and hold back climate change.&nbsp;

Biden's summit in Brussels with the presidents of the EU's executive and the Council that represents the bloc's 27 member states is also expected to affirm Western solidarity in the face of the assertiveness of both Russia and China.&nbsp;

Congratulates Bennett &nbsp;

US President Joe Biden on Sunday called incoming Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and congratulated him. An alliance of parties led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid on Sunday ousted Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and ended his 12-year rule. Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving premier of Israel.&nbsp;

"I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet," Biden said in a statement issued shortly before the call.&nbsp;

Syria Libya tangle&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden on Monday (Indian time) appeared to mistake Syria for Libya at news conference after G7 summit in the UK. He appeared to make the mistake twice.&nbsp;

He was describing how the US and Russia can work together for the welfare of people of Libya (instead of Syria). In Syria, both US and Russia are involved in a decade-long civil conflict.&nbsp;

Talks with Erdoğan&nbsp;

Biden also met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. He told members of the press that the two 'had a very good meeting’, but refused to answer any other reporter questions during a quick photo opportunity following the discussion.&nbsp;

Ahead of the meeting, Erdogan said talks with Biden would be 'very broad' but he focused on the dispute over Ankara's acquisition of a Russian air defence system, which led to Turkey being removed from the F-35 fighter programme and sanctions on defence industry officials.&nbsp;

The US says the S-400 missiles, which Turkey purchased in 2019, pose a threat to NATO's integrated air defence and has demanded Ankara abandon the $2.5 billion system.&nbsp;

He also described Biden's recognition of the killings of Armenian Ottoman citizens during World War I as genocide in April as 'very negative' and an 'approach that has seriously upset us’. Turkey denies the deportations and massacres that began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians amounted to genocide.&nbsp;

Tackling China &nbsp;

The US president has urged his fellow NATO leaders to stand up to China's authoritarianism and growing military might, a change of focus for an alliance created to defend Europe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.&nbsp;

The language in the summit's final communique, which will now set the path for alliance policy, comes a day after the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations issued a statement on human rights in China and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation.&nbsp;

Capitol Riots&nbsp;

President Joe Biden says US allies were 'shocked' and 'surprised' by the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, but they nevertheless are unconcerned about American leadership on the world stage. Biden also urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the country approaches a milestone of 600,000 deaths.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

Ahead of the Wednesday’s Biden-Putin summit, US President Joe Biden says he will lay down 'red lines' to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in their meeting, calling him 'tough' and 'a worthy adversary'.

Ahead of the Wednesday’s Biden-Putin summit, US President Joe Biden says he will lay down 'red lines' to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in their meeting, calling him 'tough' and 'a worthy adversary'. When a reporter asked if he still believes Putin is 'a killer', Biden didn't immediately answer. The question was asked at a news conference on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. But he issued a warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny would hurt Russia’s relationships with the rest of the world. “Navalny’s death would be another indication that Russia has little or no intention of abiding by basic fundamental human rights,” said Biden. Biden-Putin meet Biden will meet Putin for the first time since becoming president in Geneva summit. He has also declined to say how he'll measure the success of the meeting. As US president prepares to meet one on one with Putin, the White House insists that the Geneva summit does not amount to a reward for Russian president, placing him on a par with the United States. The meeting will actually be a businesslike review of the bilateral relationship. US president will raise several pressing concerns but will also seek areas where Russia and the United States can work together. US President also said the NATO alliance remains 'strong', adding that Russia and China 'are seeking to drive a wedge in transatlantic solidarity'. From Ukraine Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky Monday said US President Joe Biden should have met him before his high-profile summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin as they could resolve nothing on Ukraine without Kiev at the table. The 43-year-old leader spoke to journalists as the US and Russian presidents prepare to hold their first summit meeting in Geneva on Wednesday. "It would be better to have this meeting before the summit of the two presidents," Zelensky said in an interview. Transatlantic ties US President Joe Biden will intensify efforts to renew transatlantic relations on Tuesday, meeting with European Union leaders to cool trade tensions and join forces to beat COVID-19, uphold democracy and hold back climate change. Biden's summit in Brussels with the presidents of the EU's executive and the Council that represents the bloc's 27 member states is also expected to affirm Western solidarity in the face of the assertiveness of both Russia and China. Congratulates Bennett US President Joe Biden on Sunday called incoming Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and congratulated him. An alliance of parties led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid on Sunday ousted Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu and ended his 12-year rule. Benjamin Netanyahu is the longest-serving premier of Israel. "I congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Alternate Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, and all the members of the new Israeli cabinet," Biden said in a statement issued shortly before the call. Syria Libya tangle US President Joe Biden on Monday (Indian time) appeared to mistake Syria for Libya at news conference after G7 summit in the UK. He appeared to make the mistake twice. He was describing how the US and Russia can work together for the welfare of people of Libya (instead of Syria). In Syria, both US and Russia are involved in a decade-long civil conflict. Talks with Erdoğan Biden also met with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels. He told members of the press that the two 'had a very good meeting’, but refused to answer any other reporter questions during a quick photo opportunity following the discussion. Ahead of the meeting, Erdogan said talks with Biden would be 'very broad' but he focused on the dispute over Ankara's acquisition of a Russian air defence system, which led to Turkey being removed from the F-35 fighter programme and sanctions on defence industry officials. The US says the S-400 missiles, which Turkey purchased in 2019, pose a threat to NATO's integrated air defence and has demanded Ankara abandon the $2.5 billion system. He also described Biden's recognition of the killings of Armenian Ottoman citizens during World War I as genocide in April as 'very negative' and an 'approach that has seriously upset us’. Turkey denies the deportations and massacres that began in 1915 and killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians amounted to genocide. Tackling China The US president has urged his fellow NATO leaders to stand up to China's authoritarianism and growing military might, a change of focus for an alliance created to defend Europe from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The language in the summit's final communique, which will now set the path for alliance policy, comes a day after the Group of Seven (G7) rich nations issued a statement on human rights in China and Taiwan that Beijing said slandered its reputation. Capitol Riots President Joe Biden says US allies were 'shocked' and 'surprised' by the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, but they nevertheless are unconcerned about American leadership on the world stage. Biden also urged Americans to get vaccinated against COVID-19, as the country approaches a milestone of 600,000 deaths. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden looks to strengthen relationships, tackle adversaries

Iran's president angrily defended himself on Wednesday after coming under harsh attack during a presidential election debate the night before, saying his critics' 'love for power causes memory loss'.

Hassan Rouhani, the relatively moderate cleric, who has been Iran's civilian leader for eight years, is now term limited from seeking office again.

During Iran's second presidential debate on Tuesday, hard-liners repeatedly mocked the Rouhani administration's 'hope' campaign that surrounded its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Rouhani made a point to target them during his televised Cabinet meeting, his tone moving between an angry attack to a mocking tone. His signature nuclear deal, which saw Iran eager to limit its atomic programme in exchange for sanctions relief, fell apart after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018.

That has worsened Iran's already-anemic economy by largely stopping its international oil sales, hiking inflation and weakening its rial currency. "In the debates, it was clarified that only the administration suffers from problems and the parts (of government) are blameless," Rouhani said, his remarks likely targeting hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, widely believed to be the contest's front-runner.

Rouhani went on to criticise hard-liners on women's rights and the censorship of the internet in Iran, two issues former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati focused on Raisi during the three-hour debate.

While Hemmati has tried to distance himself from Rouhani, he's widely perceived as the candidate representing the president's administration. "Nobody dares to say that he supports blocking internet," Rouhani mockingly said.

Rouhani went onto say that hard-liners, who for years criticised the nuclear deal, should be put on the spot about whether they want sanctions relief through a return to the accord. "Say you do not want to return to the deal if you have such an idea," he said.

Raisi, a favourite of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday discussed the need to 'remove oppressive sanctions',&nbsp;suggesting he'd back returning to the nuclear deal.

The election comes amid tensions with the West as negotiations continue to try and resuscitate the nuclear deal. Iranian authorities hope to boost turnout in the June 18 poll, held by officials as a sign of confidence in the theocracy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has projected a 38% turnout from the country's 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low amid a lack of enthusiasm by voters and the coronavirus pandemic.&nbsp;

Iran's president angrily defended himself on Wednesday after coming under harsh attack during a presidential election debate the night before, saying his critics' 'love for power causes memory loss'.

Iran's president angrily defended himself on Wednesday after coming under harsh attack during a presidential election debate the night before, saying his critics' 'love for power causes memory loss'. Hassan Rouhani, the relatively moderate cleric, who has been Iran's civilian leader for eight years, is now term limited from seeking office again. During Iran's second presidential debate on Tuesday, hard-liners repeatedly mocked the Rouhani administration's 'hope' campaign that surrounded its now-tattered 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Rouhani made a point to target them during his televised Cabinet meeting, his tone moving between an angry attack to a mocking tone. His signature nuclear deal, which saw Iran eager to limit its atomic programme in exchange for sanctions relief, fell apart after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018. That has worsened Iran's already-anemic economy by largely stopping its international oil sales, hiking inflation and weakening its rial currency. "In the debates, it was clarified that only the administration suffers from problems and the parts (of government) are blameless," Rouhani said, his remarks likely targeting hard-line judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, widely believed to be the contest's front-runner. Rouhani went on to criticise hard-liners on women's rights and the censorship of the internet in Iran, two issues former Central Bank chief Abdolnasser Hemmati focused on Raisi during the three-hour debate. While Hemmati has tried to distance himself from Rouhani, he's widely perceived as the candidate representing the president's administration. "Nobody dares to say that he supports blocking internet," Rouhani mockingly said. Rouhani went onto say that hard-liners, who for years criticised the nuclear deal, should be put on the spot about whether they want sanctions relief through a return to the accord. "Say you do not want to return to the deal if you have such an idea," he said. Raisi, a favourite of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday discussed the need to 'remove oppressive sanctions', suggesting he'd back returning to the nuclear deal. The election comes amid tensions with the West as negotiations continue to try and resuscitate the nuclear deal. Iranian authorities hope to boost turnout in the June 18 poll, held by officials as a sign of confidence in the theocracy since the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution. The state-linked Iranian Student Polling Agency has projected a 38% turnout from the country's 59 million eligible voters, which would be a historic low amid a lack of enthusiasm by voters and the coronavirus pandemic.

Outgoing Iran president, a debate target, defends his record

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

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

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

Biden invites Ukrainian president to White House this summer

US President Joe Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the June 14 summit in Brussels and expressed his strong commitment to working closely with allies, the White House has said.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. Its fundamental goal is to safeguard the allies' freedom and security by political and military means.

A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will be held on June 14 in Brussels at NATO headquarters. The meeting will be chaired by Stoltenberg.

Biden, during his meeting with Stoltenberg, expressed his strong commitment to working closely with allies to build on NATO's seven decades of success safeguarding transatlantic security and democratic values, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"The two leaders agreed on the importance of the NATO 2030 initiative to adapt the Alliance to meet the challenges of strategic competition and transnational threats, including climate change and cyberattacks.&nbsp;They also reviewed Allies' progress over the last seven years in boosting defence spending and other contributions to our common defence, underscoring the importance of sharing responsibility equitably within NATO and ensuring NATO is adequately resourced to address the threat environment," Psaki said.

In addition, they discussed NATO's two decades of investment in Afghanistan and continued support for diplomatic peace efforts, she said.

Following the meeting, Stoltenberg told reporters that he discussed with Biden a wide range of issues including Russia and China, global terrorism, cyber threats and also the security consequences of climate change.

"But we spent most of the time on preparing the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels next week where we will agree, forward looking, ambitious agenda on how to further strengthen our alliance. And I thanked the President for his powerful commitment to the transatlantic bond, to Article Five, and his personal leadership on all these issues," he said.

The two, Stoltenberg said, agreed that in a more competitive world, they need to strengthen NATO.&nbsp;"We face security challenges which no ally can face alone. So therefore, we need to stand together in NATO. The NATO 2030 agenda, which NATO leaders will agree when we meet in Brussels at the NATO summit next week, is an ambitious agenda, and this is about strengthening our collective defence. It's about strengthening our resilience. It's about sharpening our technological edge. And it is also about working more closely with like-minded partners," Stoltenberg said.

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the June 14 summit in Brussels and expressed his strong commitment to working closely with allies, the White House has said.

US President Joe Biden met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the June 14 summit in Brussels and expressed his strong commitment to working closely with allies, the White House has said. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 European and North American countries. Its fundamental goal is to safeguard the allies' freedom and security by political and military means. A meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government will be held on June 14 in Brussels at NATO headquarters. The meeting will be chaired by Stoltenberg. Biden, during his meeting with Stoltenberg, expressed his strong commitment to working closely with allies to build on NATO's seven decades of success safeguarding transatlantic security and democratic values, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. "The two leaders agreed on the importance of the NATO 2030 initiative to adapt the Alliance to meet the challenges of strategic competition and transnational threats, including climate change and cyberattacks. They also reviewed Allies' progress over the last seven years in boosting defence spending and other contributions to our common defence, underscoring the importance of sharing responsibility equitably within NATO and ensuring NATO is adequately resourced to address the threat environment," Psaki said. In addition, they discussed NATO's two decades of investment in Afghanistan and continued support for diplomatic peace efforts, she said. Following the meeting, Stoltenberg told reporters that he discussed with Biden a wide range of issues including Russia and China, global terrorism, cyber threats and also the security consequences of climate change. "But we spent most of the time on preparing the upcoming NATO summit in Brussels next week where we will agree, forward looking, ambitious agenda on how to further strengthen our alliance. And I thanked the President for his powerful commitment to the transatlantic bond, to Article Five, and his personal leadership on all these issues," he said. The two, Stoltenberg said, agreed that in a more competitive world, they need to strengthen NATO. "We face security challenges which no ally can face alone. So therefore, we need to stand together in NATO. The NATO 2030 agenda, which NATO leaders will agree when we meet in Brussels at the NATO summit next week, is an ambitious agenda, and this is about strengthening our collective defence. It's about strengthening our resilience. It's about sharpening our technological edge. And it is also about working more closely with like-minded partners," Stoltenberg said. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden meets NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ahead of Brussels summit 

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.”

It was the first time a president visited the area to address what had happened in Greenwood, a prosperous African American community, which was one of the worst outbreaks of racist violence in the United States but was largely ignored in history books.

“For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence,” Biden said. “While darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.”

Biden, who has made racial equity and justice central themes of his presidency, was in Tulsa to shed light on a painful part of the country’s history. He recalled in detail the horror that occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when angry white people descended on Greenwood, killing as many as 300 people and destroying more than 1,250 homes.

“My fellow Americans, this was not a riot,” Biden said, as people in the crowd rose to their feet. “This was a massacre.”

A man was strapped to a truck and dragged through the street, the president said. The bodies of a murdered family were draped over a fence outside their home. An older couple was shot while praying.

“We do ourselves no favors by pretending none of this ever happened,” Biden told the crowd. “We should know the good, the bad, everything. That’s what great nations do: They come to terms with their dark sides.”

The president’s visit was also intended to highlight steps his administration is taking to close the wealth gap between Black and white people in the United States, even as activists criticized him for not doing enough to correct historical wrongs and put the disadvantaged on equal footing.

Administration officials on Monday detailed efforts to direct more federal spending to small and minority-owned businesses, fair housing enhancements and programs intended to repair the damage to neighborhoods divided by transportation projects.

Missing from the rollout, though, was a plan to cancel student debt — which disproportionately affects Black students — or to address the issue of reparations, federal repayments that relatives of Tulsa victims say could restore what was erased. White House officials have said that the president supports a study of the issue, as he does with the broader issue of reparations for Black Americans.

The NAACP and other civil rights groups have criticized the Biden administration for not taking the step to cancel student loans, saying it is one of the biggest obstacles holding back Black people from sharing in the wealth of other Americans.

“Student loan debt continues to suppress the economic prosperity of Black Americans across the nation,” Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president, said in a statement. “You cannot begin to address the racial wealth gap without addressing the student loan debt crisis.”

On the way to Tulsa, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration had provided billions in funding to Black colleges as part of its $1.7 trillion coronavirus plan. But she did not answer questions about alleviating the financial stress of those who currently have student debt.

In a briefing for reporters Monday night, administration officials insisted that the other steps would help Black people around the country, particularly hard-hit communities like Greenwood.

Biden’s visit to Tulsa was a somber one. Before he delivered remarks, he met privately with survivors of the massacre, each between the ages of 101 and 107, whom he mentioned throughout his speech.

The violence started after the arrest of Dick Rowland, 19, a Black shoe shiner who was accused of assault against Sarah Page, 17, a white elevator operator. Accounts vary about what happened, but a common theory suggests Rowland tripped and grabbed onto the arm of Page while trying to catch his fall. She screamed, and he ran away, according to the commission report.

As Biden toured the Greenwood Cultural Center, he was told that within 24 hours of that encounter, the white mob that formed after Rowland’s arrest destroyed much of Greenwood. The case was later dismissed.

“The attack on Black families and Black wealth in Greenwood persisted across generations,” Biden said Sunday in a proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Tulsa massacre. “The federal government must reckon with and acknowledge the role that it has played in stripping wealth and opportunity from Black communities.”

The president’s trip came as the country struggles to confront police brutality toward people of color a year after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer galvanized Black Lives Matter protesters nationwide.

But the political response to recent killings remains uncertain. Biden had vowed to secure passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25, the anniversary of Floyd’s death. The bill would ban the police’s use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing. The administration missed that deadline, but lawmakers in both parties have expressed optimism that they would be able to reach a compromise on the legislation in the coming weeks.

Officials said that Biden’s visit Tuesday was intended to signal a new emphasis on racial equity and justice for Black Americans. Biden also said that he had directed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead Democrats in a sweeping legislative effort to protect voting rights, an issue that is critical to his legacy but faces increasingly daunting odds in the Senate.

“To signify the importance of our efforts, today I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said Tuesday. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.”

Despite investigations, no one was ever convicted of crimes related to the Tulsa massacre. Biden has promised that his Justice Department will be more active in helping to root out bias and bigotry in American police departments. The Justice Department has already begun “pattern or practice” investigations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, which are intended to examine excessive force, biased policing and other misconduct by officers.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has observed Biden’s evolution for decades, attended his speech in Tulsa. He graded the president’s performance on civil rights in an interview this spring.

“I think that he has gone from probably a 65 to somewhere in the early 80s,” Sharpton said. “I think that we all haven’t gotten to the finals yet. He may go higher than that.”

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.

A century after a white mob destroyed a vibrant African American community in Tulsa, Oklahoma, torching hundreds of homes and indiscriminately shooting people in the streets, President Joe Biden told a crowd of survivors and their families that the story of the massacre “will be known in full view.” It was the first time a president visited the area to address what had happened in Greenwood, a prosperous African American community, which was one of the worst outbreaks of racist violence in the United States but was largely ignored in history books. “For much too long, the history of what took place here was told in silence,” Biden said. “While darkness can hide much, it erases nothing.” Biden, who has made racial equity and justice central themes of his presidency, was in Tulsa to shed light on a painful part of the country’s history. He recalled in detail the horror that occurred from May 31 to June 1, 1921, when angry white people descended on Greenwood, killing as many as 300 people and destroying more than 1,250 homes. “My fellow Americans, this was not a riot,” Biden said, as people in the crowd rose to their feet. “This was a massacre.” A man was strapped to a truck and dragged through the street, the president said. The bodies of a murdered family were draped over a fence outside their home. An older couple was shot while praying. “We do ourselves no favors by pretending none of this ever happened,” Biden told the crowd. “We should know the good, the bad, everything. That’s what great nations do: They come to terms with their dark sides.” The president’s visit was also intended to highlight steps his administration is taking to close the wealth gap between Black and white people in the United States, even as activists criticized him for not doing enough to correct historical wrongs and put the disadvantaged on equal footing. Administration officials on Monday detailed efforts to direct more federal spending to small and minority-owned businesses, fair housing enhancements and programs intended to repair the damage to neighborhoods divided by transportation projects. Missing from the rollout, though, was a plan to cancel student debt — which disproportionately affects Black students — or to address the issue of reparations, federal repayments that relatives of Tulsa victims say could restore what was erased. White House officials have said that the president supports a study of the issue, as he does with the broader issue of reparations for Black Americans. The NAACP and other civil rights groups have criticized the Biden administration for not taking the step to cancel student loans, saying it is one of the biggest obstacles holding back Black people from sharing in the wealth of other Americans. “Student loan debt continues to suppress the economic prosperity of Black Americans across the nation,” Derrick Johnson, the NAACP president, said in a statement. “You cannot begin to address the racial wealth gap without addressing the student loan debt crisis.” On the way to Tulsa, Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration had provided billions in funding to Black colleges as part of its $1.7 trillion coronavirus plan. But she did not answer questions about alleviating the financial stress of those who currently have student debt. In a briefing for reporters Monday night, administration officials insisted that the other steps would help Black people around the country, particularly hard-hit communities like Greenwood. Biden’s visit to Tulsa was a somber one. Before he delivered remarks, he met privately with survivors of the massacre, each between the ages of 101 and 107, whom he mentioned throughout his speech. The violence started after the arrest of Dick Rowland, 19, a Black shoe shiner who was accused of assault against Sarah Page, 17, a white elevator operator. Accounts vary about what happened, but a common theory suggests Rowland tripped and grabbed onto the arm of Page while trying to catch his fall. She screamed, and he ran away, according to the commission report. As Biden toured the Greenwood Cultural Center, he was told that within 24 hours of that encounter, the white mob that formed after Rowland’s arrest destroyed much of Greenwood. The case was later dismissed. “The attack on Black families and Black wealth in Greenwood persisted across generations,” Biden said Sunday in a proclamation honoring the anniversary of the Tulsa massacre. “The federal government must reckon with and acknowledge the role that it has played in stripping wealth and opportunity from Black communities.” The president’s trip came as the country struggles to confront police brutality toward people of color a year after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer galvanized Black Lives Matter protesters nationwide. But the political response to recent killings remains uncertain. Biden had vowed to secure passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act by May 25, the anniversary of Floyd’s death. The bill would ban the police’s use of chokeholds, impose restrictions on deadly force and make it easier to prosecute officers for wrongdoing. The administration missed that deadline, but lawmakers in both parties have expressed optimism that they would be able to reach a compromise on the legislation in the coming weeks. Officials said that Biden’s visit Tuesday was intended to signal a new emphasis on racial equity and justice for Black Americans. Biden also said that he had directed Vice President Kamala Harris to lead Democrats in a sweeping legislative effort to protect voting rights, an issue that is critical to his legacy but faces increasingly daunting odds in the Senate. “To signify the importance of our efforts, today I’m asking Vice President Harris to help these efforts and lead them, among her many other responsibilities,” Biden said Tuesday. “With her leadership and your support, we’re going to overcome again, I promise you, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot of work.” Despite investigations, no one was ever convicted of crimes related to the Tulsa massacre. Biden has promised that his Justice Department will be more active in helping to root out bias and bigotry in American police departments. The Justice Department has already begun “pattern or practice” investigations in Louisville, Kentucky, and Minneapolis, which are intended to examine excessive force, biased policing and other misconduct by officers. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who has observed Biden’s evolution for decades, attended his speech in Tulsa. He graded the president’s performance on civil rights in an interview this spring. “I think that he has gone from probably a 65 to somewhere in the early 80s,” Sharpton said. “I think that we all haven’t gotten to the finals yet. He may go higher than that.”

In Tulsa, US President Biden tells of a massacre’s horrors

President Joe Biden marked his first Memorial Day weekend as commander in chief by honouring the nation's sacrifices in a deeply personal manner as he paid tribute on Sunday to those lost while remembering his late son Beau, a veteran who died six years ago to the day.

As a cold rain fell, Biden made his annual appearance at the commemoration in New Castle, not far from his Wilmington home, a day before he planned to do the same at Arlington National Cemetery on the official observance.

The death of his son from brain cancer at age 46 is ever-present for the elder Biden, with the loss defining so much of his worldview, dotting his speeches and stirring his empathy for others in pain.

The Memorial Day weekend, long an important moment for Biden, took on added poignancy this year as the president spoke frequently and emotionally of his own loss while expressing the gratitude of a nation for the sacrifices of others.

"I can't thank you enough for the continued service for the country," said Biden, addressing a crowd of Gold Star military families and other veterans in a ceremony at War Memorial Plaza in the shadow of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. "I know how much the loss hurts."

"They're the guardians of us and we're the guardians of their legacy," Biden said of those who served in the armed forces. "Despite all the pain, I know the pride you feel in the loved one you have lost."

Though a tent was overhead, the cold wind whipped the rain onto the guests as they watched a lone military trumpeter play taps at a memorial to Delaware's fallen troops.

Biden appeared to pay the chill no mind, remaining for the entirety of the 75-minute ceremony and mouthing the words to the closing rendition of 'God Bless America'. When it was time, he snapped a salute to the wreath laid at the memorial.

(With inputs from agencies)

President Joe Biden marked his first Memorial Day weekend as commander in chief by honouring the nation's sacrifices in a deeply personal manner as he paid tribute on Sunday to those lost while remembering his late son Beau, a veteran who died six years ago to the day.

President Joe Biden marked his first Memorial Day weekend as commander in chief by honouring the nation's sacrifices in a deeply personal manner as he paid tribute on Sunday to those lost while remembering his late son Beau, a veteran who died six years ago to the day. As a cold rain fell, Biden made his annual appearance at the commemoration in New Castle, not far from his Wilmington home, a day before he planned to do the same at Arlington National Cemetery on the official observance. The death of his son from brain cancer at age 46 is ever-present for the elder Biden, with the loss defining so much of his worldview, dotting his speeches and stirring his empathy for others in pain. The Memorial Day weekend, long an important moment for Biden, took on added poignancy this year as the president spoke frequently and emotionally of his own loss while expressing the gratitude of a nation for the sacrifices of others. "I can't thank you enough for the continued service for the country," said Biden, addressing a crowd of Gold Star military families and other veterans in a ceremony at War Memorial Plaza in the shadow of the Delaware Memorial Bridge. "I know how much the loss hurts." "They're the guardians of us and we're the guardians of their legacy," Biden said of those who served in the armed forces. "Despite all the pain, I know the pride you feel in the loved one you have lost." Though a tent was overhead, the cold wind whipped the rain onto the guests as they watched a lone military trumpeter play taps at a memorial to Delaware's fallen troops. Biden appeared to pay the chill no mind, remaining for the entirety of the 75-minute ceremony and mouthing the words to the closing rendition of 'God Bless America'. When it was time, he snapped a salute to the wreath laid at the memorial. (With inputs from agencies)

For Biden, a deeply personal Memorial Day weekend observance

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops. Foreigners will have better opportunities to join their families and more chances to secure work visas.

A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.”

Because of Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80% since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years.

In almost every case over the past four years, immigrating to the United States has become harder, more expensive and takes longer.

And while Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor’s immigration legacy, the blueprint offers new details about how far-reaching the effort will be — not only rolling back Trump’s policies, but addressing backlogs and delays that plagued prior presidents.

The blueprint, dated May 3 and titled “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lists scores of initiatives intended to reopen the country to more immigrants, making good on the president’s promise to ensure America embraces its “character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome.”

“There are significant changes that need to be made to really open up all avenues of legal immigration,” said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, the chief of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, of the efforts to reverse Trump’s agenda. “In the same way that they took a broad-stroke approach to closing off avenues, I think we want to take a broad approach toward opening up the legal avenues that have always been available but that they tried to put roadblocks up on.”

Since taking office four months ago, Biden has struggled with a historic surge in migration by Central American children and teenagers that has prompted some Republicans to accuse the president of flinging open the nation’s borders to people trying to enter the country illegally, a charge the White House rejects.

In fact, Biden does want to open the country to more immigrants. His ambition, as reflected in the blueprint, is to rebuild and expand the opportunities for foreigners to enter the United States — but to do so legally.

Divided into seven sections, the document offers detailed policy proposals that would help more foreigners move to the United States, including high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, the families of Americans living abroad, American Indians born in Canada, refugees, asylum-seekers and farmworkers. Immigrants who apply online could pay less in fees or even secure a waiver in an attempt to “reduce barriers” to immigration. And regulations would be overhauled to “encourage full participation by immigrants in our civic life.”

Even with a more restrictive and slower immigration system, about 1 million people obtained green cards in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. Most had been waiting for years. In the final year of the Obama administration, 1.2 million people received green cards.

But if Biden accomplishes everything in the document, he will have gone further than just reversing the downward trend. He will have significantly increased opportunities for foreigners around the globe to come to the United States, embracing robust immigration even as a divisive, decadeslong political debate continues to rage over such a policy.

Most of the changes could be put into practice without passage of Biden’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the United States illegally but has stalled in a bitterly divided Congress. While surveys show that most Americans support increased immigration, many Republican voters have eagerly backed Trump’s more restrictive policies.

White House officials declined to comment directly on the Homeland Security Department’s blueprint, saying that such documents go through many drafts and that decisions about specific steps to address legal immigration remain in flux. But they said the president remained committed to significantly rolling back the restrictions imposed by his predecessor.

That effort will take time and has not yet caught the public’s attention like the surge of crossings at the southwest border. But conservative activists who have for years demanded lower levels of legal immigration are vowing a fight to stop Biden and extract a political price for his actions.

“They just want to shovel people in here,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former Virginia attorney general who served as the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services under Trump. “They are not running an immigration system for the benefit of America, and certainly not for the benefit of ordinary Americans. ”

Most research has shown that legal immigration to the United States has benefits for the country’s economy, especially at a time when the country’s population growth is slowing. But Cuccinelli and others who favor severe restrictions on immigration say it is obvious to them that letting foreigners compete for jobs — especially when the country is still recovering from an economic downturn like the one created by the pandemic — will hurt the prospects for American citizens.

“The No. 1 job for the immigration services is to make sure that immigration does not hurt Americans,” said Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, a group dedicated to far lower levels of legal immigration.

Motivated by that belief, Cuccinelli set in motion a transformation of the government’s legal immigration system during the Trump administration — changing his agency from one that confers benefits on foreigners into a “vetting agency,” in part by issuing numerous restrictions on offering asylum for immigrants and trying to raise fees.

The increased vetting, as well as travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, helped contribute to the result the Trump administration had sought: The influx of immigrants slowed significantly, as winning legal approval to enter the United States became much harder.

With fewer immigrants coming through the pipeline, there has been less money to finance Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is supported almost entirely by fees paid by immigrants. Restoring the agency to full capacity is at the heart of Biden’s effort to expand legal immigration, according to the document and interviews with administration officials.

A central element of the blueprint is addressing backlogs in the immigration system.

The administration is planning to fast-track immigration applications by expanding virtual interviews and electronic filing, as well as limiting the requests for evidence from applicants. Biden has tapped Cass R. Sunstein, a former Obama administration official and legal scholar at Harvard Law School, to remake the immigration system so it is “more effective and less burdensome” than it has been in decades by “reducing paperwork and other administrative requirements.”

Biden wants to restore opportunities for foreign employees through the existing H-1B visa program, which is intended for workers with special skills. The administration also intends to create new pathways for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to “start-up businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers,” according to the document.

Officials are working on a regulation that could allow migrants to win asylum in the United States if they are victims of domestic violence or their relatives were persecuted. During the Trump era, Attorney General William Barr moved to end asylum protection for those who said they deserved it for those reasons.

Biden is also aiming to expand immigration opportunities for LGBTQ refugees from countries where they are persecuted or where same-sex marriages are not recognized.

In addition, he wants to revamp a program that provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally who help law enforcement by cooperating with police or testifying in court.

The waiting list for the U-Visa program has ballooned, leaving crime victims and survivors of domestic abuse vulnerable to abusers who may threaten to report them for deportation if they continue to talk to the police, said Leslye E. Orloff, director of the national immigrant women’s advocacy project at American University.

The Biden administration is considering extending protections to immigrants who cooperate even before they make it on the official waiting list for the visa, according to the document.

“They’re recognizing that there’s danger for these victims,” Orloff said.

Critics say the Biden administration is ignoring the negative consequences of their efforts. The H-1B program has been attacked as a loophole for tech companies to import cheap foreign workers to compete for jobs. Granting asylum to the victims of domestic abuse could open the door to accepting millions of additional people. And some Republicans say Biden should not loosen vetting of foreigners, though officials insist they will continue to screen for terrorists and other threats.

As the Biden administration pushes forward with the changes, officials appear willing to use emergency rules and presidential memos to avoid the lengthy regulatory process, in much the same way that Trump put his own agenda in place. But that could make Biden’s immigration legacy subject to a similar reversal by a Republican president in the future.

“The question looming over all of this work is how do you do this in a way that isn’t easily so capsized next time around,” said Doug Rand, a founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company in Seattle that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship.

Change could not come soon enough for Jenn Hawk, 37, who is living with her Argentine husband in Poland, where he works, even though her autistic son is in the Washington area with his father.

Because of delays in processing her husband’s immigration application, she is faced with a choice: stay in Poland with the man she married, or go back to the United States alone to be with her 10-year-old son.

Hawk filed to sponsor her husband’s immigration to the United States in October of 2020, spending $575 on the application. But they are facing a delay of more than 1 1/2 years before they can even submit their financial and medical information, let alone get an interview with an immigration officer.

“I just want to go home,” Hawk said. “It seems like they’re doing everything in their power to restrict that from being a possibility.”

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops.

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops. Foreigners will have better opportunities to join their families and more chances to secure work visas. A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.” Because of Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80% since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years. In almost every case over the past four years, immigrating to the United States has become harder, more expensive and takes longer. And while Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor’s immigration legacy, the blueprint offers new details about how far-reaching the effort will be — not only rolling back Trump’s policies, but addressing backlogs and delays that plagued prior presidents. The blueprint, dated May 3 and titled “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lists scores of initiatives intended to reopen the country to more immigrants, making good on the president’s promise to ensure America embraces its “character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome.” “There are significant changes that need to be made to really open up all avenues of legal immigration,” said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, the chief of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, of the efforts to reverse Trump’s agenda. “In the same way that they took a broad-stroke approach to closing off avenues, I think we want to take a broad approach toward opening up the legal avenues that have always been available but that they tried to put roadblocks up on.” Since taking office four months ago, Biden has struggled with a historic surge in migration by Central American children and teenagers that has prompted some Republicans to accuse the president of flinging open the nation’s borders to people trying to enter the country illegally, a charge the White House rejects. In fact, Biden does want to open the country to more immigrants. His ambition, as reflected in the blueprint, is to rebuild and expand the opportunities for foreigners to enter the United States — but to do so legally. Divided into seven sections, the document offers detailed policy proposals that would help more foreigners move to the United States, including high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, the families of Americans living abroad, American Indians born in Canada, refugees, asylum-seekers and farmworkers. Immigrants who apply online could pay less in fees or even secure a waiver in an attempt to “reduce barriers” to immigration. And regulations would be overhauled to “encourage full participation by immigrants in our civic life.” Even with a more restrictive and slower immigration system, about 1 million people obtained green cards in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. Most had been waiting for years. In the final year of the Obama administration, 1.2 million people received green cards. But if Biden accomplishes everything in the document, he will have gone further than just reversing the downward trend. He will have significantly increased opportunities for foreigners around the globe to come to the United States, embracing robust immigration even as a divisive, decadeslong political debate continues to rage over such a policy. Most of the changes could be put into practice without passage of Biden’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the United States illegally but has stalled in a bitterly divided Congress. While surveys show that most Americans support increased immigration, many Republican voters have eagerly backed Trump’s more restrictive policies. White House officials declined to comment directly on the Homeland Security Department’s blueprint, saying that such documents go through many drafts and that decisions about specific steps to address legal immigration remain in flux. But they said the president remained committed to significantly rolling back the restrictions imposed by his predecessor. That effort will take time and has not yet caught the public’s attention like the surge of crossings at the southwest border. But conservative activists who have for years demanded lower levels of legal immigration are vowing a fight to stop Biden and extract a political price for his actions. “They just want to shovel people in here,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former Virginia attorney general who served as the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services under Trump. “They are not running an immigration system for the benefit of America, and certainly not for the benefit of ordinary Americans. ” Most research has shown that legal immigration to the United States has benefits for the country’s economy, especially at a time when the country’s population growth is slowing. But Cuccinelli and others who favor severe restrictions on immigration say it is obvious to them that letting foreigners compete for jobs — especially when the country is still recovering from an economic downturn like the one created by the pandemic — will hurt the prospects for American citizens. “The No. 1 job for the immigration services is to make sure that immigration does not hurt Americans,” said Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, a group dedicated to far lower levels of legal immigration. Motivated by that belief, Cuccinelli set in motion a transformation of the government’s legal immigration system during the Trump administration — changing his agency from one that confers benefits on foreigners into a “vetting agency,” in part by issuing numerous restrictions on offering asylum for immigrants and trying to raise fees. The increased vetting, as well as travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, helped contribute to the result the Trump administration had sought: The influx of immigrants slowed significantly, as winning legal approval to enter the United States became much harder. With fewer immigrants coming through the pipeline, there has been less money to finance Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is supported almost entirely by fees paid by immigrants. Restoring the agency to full capacity is at the heart of Biden’s effort to expand legal immigration, according to the document and interviews with administration officials. A central element of the blueprint is addressing backlogs in the immigration system. The administration is planning to fast-track immigration applications by expanding virtual interviews and electronic filing, as well as limiting the requests for evidence from applicants. Biden has tapped Cass R. Sunstein, a former Obama administration official and legal scholar at Harvard Law School, to remake the immigration system so it is “more effective and less burdensome” than it has been in decades by “reducing paperwork and other administrative requirements.” Biden wants to restore opportunities for foreign employees through the existing H-1B visa program, which is intended for workers with special skills. The administration also intends to create new pathways for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to “start-up businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers,” according to the document. Officials are working on a regulation that could allow migrants to win asylum in the United States if they are victims of domestic violence or their relatives were persecuted. During the Trump era, Attorney General William Barr moved to end asylum protection for those who said they deserved it for those reasons. Biden is also aiming to expand immigration opportunities for LGBTQ refugees from countries where they are persecuted or where same-sex marriages are not recognized. In addition, he wants to revamp a program that provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally who help law enforcement by cooperating with police or testifying in court. The waiting list for the U-Visa program has ballooned, leaving crime victims and survivors of domestic abuse vulnerable to abusers who may threaten to report them for deportation if they continue to talk to the police, said Leslye E. Orloff, director of the national immigrant women’s advocacy project at American University. The Biden administration is considering extending protections to immigrants who cooperate even before they make it on the official waiting list for the visa, according to the document. “They’re recognizing that there’s danger for these victims,” Orloff said. Critics say the Biden administration is ignoring the negative consequences of their efforts. The H-1B program has been attacked as a loophole for tech companies to import cheap foreign workers to compete for jobs. Granting asylum to the victims of domestic abuse could open the door to accepting millions of additional people. And some Republicans say Biden should not loosen vetting of foreigners, though officials insist they will continue to screen for terrorists and other threats. As the Biden administration pushes forward with the changes, officials appear willing to use emergency rules and presidential memos to avoid the lengthy regulatory process, in much the same way that Trump put his own agenda in place. But that could make Biden’s immigration legacy subject to a similar reversal by a Republican president in the future. “The question looming over all of this work is how do you do this in a way that isn’t easily so capsized next time around,” said Doug Rand, a founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company in Seattle that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship. Change could not come soon enough for Jenn Hawk, 37, who is living with her Argentine husband in Poland, where he works, even though her autistic son is in the Washington area with his father. Because of delays in processing her husband’s immigration application, she is faced with a choice: stay in Poland with the man she married, or go back to the United States alone to be with her 10-year-old son. Hawk filed to sponsor her husband’s immigration to the United States in October of 2020, spending $575 on the application. But they are facing a delay of more than 1 1/2 years before they can even submit their financial and medical information, let alone get an interview with an immigration officer. “I just want to go home,” Hawk said. “It seems like they’re doing everything in their power to restrict that from being a possibility.”

Biden aims to rebuild and expand legal immigration

After four years when the National Endowment for the Arts lived under the threat of elimination, President Joe Biden on Friday proposed a 20% increase in the budget for the agency to $201 million.

If approved by Congress for the 2022 fiscal year, it would be the largest increase — in dollar terms — in the organization’s history, the agency said.

The proposal in Biden’s inaugural $6 trillion budget is a sharp turnaround from the years under President Donald Trump when, year after year, Trump proposed eliminating funding for the agency, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public television and radio outlets around the country.

Still, it must survive congressional scrutiny. Though Trump’s budgets called for the elimination of the agency every year, its funding actually expanded a bit over the course of his term as arts advocates leaned on lawmakers to hold the line and save an agency that largely serves as a clearinghouse for grants to arts organizations across the country.

“President Biden’s budget represents a significant commitment to the arts and cultural sector and reflects the continued importance of arts organizations and cultural workers to the health and vitality of the country,” Ann Eilers, the agency’s acting chair, said in a statement.

The agency said that the “increased investment in the agency will allow it to provide critical support to the arts sector as it struggles to reopen, rehire workers, and generate arts activities that will help fuel the economy.”

The endowment had long been in the cross hairs of Republicans as a symbol of wasteful liberal largesse when, in 2017, Trump became the first president to make a formal proposal to eliminate it. That sparked active lobbying efforts by arts advocates, and the agency survived because of bipartisan support in Congress.

During the Trump years, the agency’s budget grew by about $17 million, to $167.5 million in 2021.

Biden has long been regarded as a consistent advocate for government funding for the arts. The American Alliance of Museums cheered Biden’s plan, saying in a statement it was “a welcome change from the past four years.”

The proposed spending plan is still tiny compared to the cultural budgets in European countries where financial support for the arts is viewed as a government function. For example, Britain’s culture ministry has annually spent more than $1 billion on the arts for years.

According to the endowment’s analysis, the Biden spending plan would be the largest single-year increase in its funding since the jump between 2009 and 2010 when its budget rose from $155 million to $167.5 million. It fell again the following year.

After four years when the National Endowment for the Arts lived under the threat of elimination, President Joe Biden on Friday proposed a 20% increase in the budget for the agency to $201 million.

After four years when the National Endowment for the Arts lived under the threat of elimination, President Joe Biden on Friday proposed a 20% increase in the budget for the agency to $201 million. If approved by Congress for the 2022 fiscal year, it would be the largest increase — in dollar terms — in the organization’s history, the agency said. The proposal in Biden’s inaugural $6 trillion budget is a sharp turnaround from the years under President Donald Trump when, year after year, Trump proposed eliminating funding for the agency, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public television and radio outlets around the country. Still, it must survive congressional scrutiny. Though Trump’s budgets called for the elimination of the agency every year, its funding actually expanded a bit over the course of his term as arts advocates leaned on lawmakers to hold the line and save an agency that largely serves as a clearinghouse for grants to arts organizations across the country. “President Biden’s budget represents a significant commitment to the arts and cultural sector and reflects the continued importance of arts organizations and cultural workers to the health and vitality of the country,” Ann Eilers, the agency’s acting chair, said in a statement. The agency said that the “increased investment in the agency will allow it to provide critical support to the arts sector as it struggles to reopen, rehire workers, and generate arts activities that will help fuel the economy.” The endowment had long been in the cross hairs of Republicans as a symbol of wasteful liberal largesse when, in 2017, Trump became the first president to make a formal proposal to eliminate it. That sparked active lobbying efforts by arts advocates, and the agency survived because of bipartisan support in Congress. During the Trump years, the agency’s budget grew by about $17 million, to $167.5 million in 2021. Biden has long been regarded as a consistent advocate for government funding for the arts. The American Alliance of Museums cheered Biden’s plan, saying in a statement it was “a welcome change from the past four years.” The proposed spending plan is still tiny compared to the cultural budgets in European countries where financial support for the arts is viewed as a government function. For example, Britain’s culture ministry has annually spent more than $1 billion on the arts for years. According to the endowment’s analysis, the Biden spending plan would be the largest single-year increase in its funding since the jump between 2009 and 2010 when its budget rose from $155 million to $167.5 million. It fell again the following year.

National Endowment for the Arts funding would rise under Biden plan

Military officers in Mali detained the president, prime minister and defence minister of the interim government on Monday, deepening political chaos just months after a military coup ousted the previous president, multiple sources said.&nbsp;

President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence Minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako, hours after two members of the military lost their positions in a government reshuffle, the diplomatic and government sources said.&nbsp;

Their detentions followed the military ouster in August of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The development could exacerbate instability in the West African country where violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State control large areas of the desert north.&nbsp;

Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighbouring countries to prop up to the impoverished nation, contributing to regional insecurity.&nbsp;

The United Nations' mission in Mali called for the group's 'immediate and unconditional' release and said those who hold the leaders, would have to answer for their actions.&nbsp;

A delegation from the top regional decision-making body ECOWAS will visit Bamako on Tuesday to help resolve the 'attempted coup', ECOWAS, the UN, African Union, European Union and several European countries said in a joint statement.&nbsp;

"The international community rejects in advance any act imposed by coercion, including forced resignations," the group said.&nbsp;

The US State Department called in a statement for the 'unconditional release of those currently being held'.&nbsp;

Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the August takeover, but they appear to have moved against the military's control over a number of key positions.&nbsp;

"The sacking of the pillars of the coup was an enormous misjudgement," a senior former Malian government official said. "The actions are probably aimed at getting them back in their jobs."&nbsp;

The military's ultimate goal was not immediately clear. One military official in Kati said this was not an arrest. "What they have done is not good," the source said, referring to the cabinet reshuffle. "We are letting them know, decisions will be made."&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Military officers in Mali detained the president, prime minister and defence minister of the interim government on Monday, deepening political chaos just months after a military coup ousted the previous president, multiple sources said.

Military officers in Mali detained the president, prime minister and defence minister of the interim government on Monday, deepening political chaos just months after a military coup ousted the previous president, multiple sources said. President Bah Ndaw, Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and Defence Minister Souleymane Doucoure were all taken to a military base in Kati outside the capital Bamako, hours after two members of the military lost their positions in a government reshuffle, the diplomatic and government sources said. Their detentions followed the military ouster in August of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. The development could exacerbate instability in the West African country where violent Islamist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State control large areas of the desert north. Political instability and military infighting have complicated efforts by Western powers and neighbouring countries to prop up to the impoverished nation, contributing to regional insecurity. The United Nations' mission in Mali called for the group's 'immediate and unconditional' release and said those who hold the leaders, would have to answer for their actions. A delegation from the top regional decision-making body ECOWAS will visit Bamako on Tuesday to help resolve the 'attempted coup', ECOWAS, the UN, African Union, European Union and several European countries said in a joint statement. "The international community rejects in advance any act imposed by coercion, including forced resignations," the group said. The US State Department called in a statement for the 'unconditional release of those currently being held'. Ndaw and Ouane had been tasked with overseeing an 18-month transition back to civilian rule after the August takeover, but they appear to have moved against the military's control over a number of key positions. "The sacking of the pillars of the coup was an enormous misjudgement," a senior former Malian government official said. "The actions are probably aimed at getting them back in their jobs." The military's ultimate goal was not immediately clear. One military official in Kati said this was not an arrest. "What they have done is not good," the source said, referring to the cabinet reshuffle. "We are letting them know, decisions will be made." (With inputs from agencies)

Military detains Mali's president, prime minister and defence minister 

A majority of Republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.&nbsp;

The May 17-19 national poll found that 53% of Republicans believe Trump, their party's nominee, is the “true president” now, compared to 3% of Democrats and 25% of all Americans.&nbsp;

About one-quarter of adults believe the Nov. 3 election was tainted by illegal voting, including 56% of Republicans, according to the poll. The figures were roughly the same in a poll that ran from November 13-17, which found that 28% of all Americans and 59% of Republicans felt that way.&nbsp;

A Democrat, Biden won by more than seven million votes. Dozens of courts rejected Trump’s challenges to the results, but Trump and his supporters have persisted in pushing baseless conspiracy theories on conservative news outlets.&nbsp;

The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 61% of Republicans believe the election was "stolen" from Trump. Only about 29% of Republicans believe he should share some of the blame for his supporters' January 6 deadly riot at the US Capitol.&nbsp;

Still, 67% of overall respondents say they trust election officials in their town to do their job honestly, including 58% of Republicans, according to the poll.&nbsp;

The November and May polls were both conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. The May poll gathered responses from 2,007 adults, including 909 Democrats and 754 Republicans. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4 percentage points. &nbsp;

A majority of Republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

A majority of Republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll. The May 17-19 national poll found that 53% of Republicans believe Trump, their party's nominee, is the “true president” now, compared to 3% of Democrats and 25% of all Americans. About one-quarter of adults believe the Nov. 3 election was tainted by illegal voting, including 56% of Republicans, according to the poll. The figures were roughly the same in a poll that ran from November 13-17, which found that 28% of all Americans and 59% of Republicans felt that way. A Democrat, Biden won by more than seven million votes. Dozens of courts rejected Trump’s challenges to the results, but Trump and his supporters have persisted in pushing baseless conspiracy theories on conservative news outlets. The Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that 61% of Republicans believe the election was "stolen" from Trump. Only about 29% of Republicans believe he should share some of the blame for his supporters' January 6 deadly riot at the US Capitol. Still, 67% of overall respondents say they trust election officials in their town to do their job honestly, including 58% of Republicans, according to the poll. The November and May polls were both conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. The May poll gathered responses from 2,007 adults, including 909 Democrats and 754 Republicans. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of about 4 percentage points.

53% of Republicans still view Trump as true US president, months after his defeat: Poll 

A Venezuelan state governor, who once served as defence minister for former President Hugo Chavez has died, officials said on Saturday.&nbsp;

Gen Jorge Luis García Carneiro was 69.&nbsp;

The death was confirmed in a string of tweets from senior officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, who called him 'a friend, a brother for life’.&nbsp;

No cause was listed and García Carneiro himself had been active on social media sites in recent days, giving no sign of problems. He appeared with Maduro at an event on Thursday.&nbsp;

The general served as defence minister from January 2004 to July 2005 and also held other cabinet posts, as well as serving as governor of La Guaira state since 2008 for the governing socialist party.&nbsp;

He was among four Venezuelan governors sanctioned by the US.&nbsp;

Treasury Department in February 2019 for alleged 'endemic corruption' and blocking aid shipments backed by the US and domestic opposition.&nbsp;

He is survived by his wife and five children. &nbsp;

A Venezuelan state governor, who once served as defence minister for former President Hugo Chavez has died, officials said on Saturday. Gen Jorge Luis García Carneiro was 69.

A Venezuelan state governor, who once served as defence minister for former President Hugo Chavez has died, officials said on Saturday. Gen Jorge Luis García Carneiro was 69. The death was confirmed in a string of tweets from senior officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, who called him 'a friend, a brother for life’. No cause was listed and García Carneiro himself had been active on social media sites in recent days, giving no sign of problems. He appeared with Maduro at an event on Thursday. The general served as defence minister from January 2004 to July 2005 and also held other cabinet posts, as well as serving as governor of La Guaira state since 2008 for the governing socialist party. He was among four Venezuelan governors sanctioned by the US. Treasury Department in February 2019 for alleged 'endemic corruption' and blocking aid shipments backed by the US and domestic opposition. He is survived by his wife and five children.

Venezuelan governor, former defence minister, dies 

The United States on Tuesday strongly condemned recent comments by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the Jewish people as anti-Semitic, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.&nbsp;

"We urge President Erdogan and other Turkish leaders to refrain from incendiary remarks, which could incite further violence," Price said in a statement.&nbsp;

"Anti-Semitic language has no place anywhere," he said. &nbsp;

Price did not specify which Erdogan remarks the United States considered anti-Semitic. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.&nbsp;

Erdogan, a vocal defender of the Palestinians, has criticised Israel for conducting air strikes on Gaza and called it a 'terror state' after Israeli police fired rubber bullets at rock-throwing Palestinians in Jerusalem.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

The United States on Tuesday strongly condemned recent comments by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the Jewish people as anti-Semitic, State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

The United States on Tuesday strongly condemned recent comments by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on the Jewish people as anti-Semitic, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "We urge President Erdogan and other Turkish leaders to refrain from incendiary remarks, which could incite further violence," Price said in a statement. "Anti-Semitic language has no place anywhere," he said. Price did not specify which Erdogan remarks the United States considered anti-Semitic. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for clarification. Erdogan, a vocal defender of the Palestinians, has criticised Israel for conducting air strikes on Gaza and called it a 'terror state' after Israeli police fired rubber bullets at rock-throwing Palestinians in Jerusalem. (With inputs from agencies)

US condemns Erdogan comments on Jewish people as anti-Semitic 

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is conscious after life-saving surgery, his family said on Saturday, as police made two arrests in connection with a blast they said was being treated as a terror attack.&nbsp;

Nasheed, the president of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party and the current parliament speaker, was critically injured after a bomb exploded as he left his family home in the capital Male on Thursday. &nbsp;

Police on Saturday said they had made two arrests in connection with the blast, without giving further details. &nbsp;

"I'm good," Nasheed said after coming off life support, according to a tweet by his sister Nashida Sattar.&nbsp;

His brother, Ibrahim Nashid, said doctors were happy with Nasheed's recovery.&nbsp;

"He is out of life support and breathing on his own," he said in a tweet. "Managed to exchange a few words. Promised to come back stronger. I believe him." &nbsp;

Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically-elected president, is an outspoken critic of Islamic extremism in the Sunni Muslim island archipelago, and has been instrumental in investigating graft allegations against opposition leaders.&nbsp;

The country has a reputation for political unrest. &nbsp;

Nasheed was deposed and exiled in what he called a coup in 2012, while in 2015, former President Abdulla Yameen escaped unharmed after an explosion on his speedboat. &nbsp;

In 2007, a blast that was blamed on Islamist militants targeted foreign tourists and injured 12 people.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is conscious after life-saving surgery, his family said on Saturday, as police made two arrests in connection with a blast they said was being treated as a terror attack.

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed is conscious after life-saving surgery, his family said on Saturday, as police made two arrests in connection with a blast they said was being treated as a terror attack. Nasheed, the president of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party and the current parliament speaker, was critically injured after a bomb exploded as he left his family home in the capital Male on Thursday. Police on Saturday said they had made two arrests in connection with the blast, without giving further details. "I'm good," Nasheed said after coming off life support, according to a tweet by his sister Nashida Sattar. His brother, Ibrahim Nashid, said doctors were happy with Nasheed's recovery. "He is out of life support and breathing on his own," he said in a tweet. "Managed to exchange a few words. Promised to come back stronger. I believe him." Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically-elected president, is an outspoken critic of Islamic extremism in the Sunni Muslim island archipelago, and has been instrumental in investigating graft allegations against opposition leaders. The country has a reputation for political unrest. Nasheed was deposed and exiled in what he called a coup in 2012, while in 2015, former President Abdulla Yameen escaped unharmed after an explosion on his speedboat. In 2007, a blast that was blamed on Islamist militants targeted foreign tourists and injured 12 people. (With inputs from agencies)

'I'm good', says former Maldives president Nasheed after surviving bomb blast 

Just before an online meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador very publicly accused the US government of violating Mexico's sovereignty. &nbsp;

The issue apparently didn't arise in the meeting with Harris. "It's not on the agenda and it's not our intention to create a bad atmosphere," López Obrador said ahead of the talks.&nbsp;

The meeting itself 'the portion made public' focused on immigration, a key issue in US-Mexico relationship along with trade, border security and the pandemic.&nbsp;

"We are going to help on immigration,” López Obrador told Harris. “You can count on us."&nbsp;

But with Mexico facing key congressional and state elections on June 6, the nationalist president dedicated a good part of his news conference earlier in the day to expressing outrage over a funding decision by the US Agency for International Development.&nbsp;

"It is an interventionist act that violated our sovereignty," said López Obrador, who added that Mexico had filed a diplomatic note with the US Embassy.&nbsp;

Less than two hours later, it was all smiles and compliments when López Obrador and Harris met at least in the publicly shown prelude to the closed meeting, which comes ahead of a planned actual visit by Harris on June 8.&nbsp;

López Obrador commended US President Joe Biden for giving Harris the responsibility of finding ways to address the root causes of migration, and he said he planned to pitch again a proposal he floated last month at Biden's climate summit.&nbsp;

The Mexican president wants the US to fund a major expansion of one of his signature programmes, 'Planting Life’, which provides cash payments to farmers, who plant certain fruit and lumber trees.&nbsp;

The aim has been to help keep Mexicans in their rural communities.&nbsp;

Mexico has offered it as a way to help in Central America too. The more challenging part of López Obrador's pitch is that the US grant six-month work visas, and eventually citizenship, to those who participate in the programme.&nbsp;

The Biden administration, like the Trump and Obama administrations before it, has been overwhelmed by the number of migrant children and families arriving at the US-Mexico border and looked to Mexico for help in slowing transit across its territory.&nbsp;

Most of the migrants come from Central America, though the number of Mexican migrants has risen as well. Harris is also scheduled to visit Guatemala June 7.&nbsp;

"We agreed to work together to establish a strategic partnership to address root causes of migration, spur economic development, and expand security cooperation," Harris wrote later on Friday on Twitter.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Just before an online meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador very publicly accused the US government of violating Mexico's sovereignty.

Just before an online meeting with US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador very publicly accused the US government of violating Mexico's sovereignty. The issue apparently didn't arise in the meeting with Harris. "It's not on the agenda and it's not our intention to create a bad atmosphere," López Obrador said ahead of the talks. The meeting itself 'the portion made public' focused on immigration, a key issue in US-Mexico relationship along with trade, border security and the pandemic. "We are going to help on immigration,” López Obrador told Harris. “You can count on us." But with Mexico facing key congressional and state elections on June 6, the nationalist president dedicated a good part of his news conference earlier in the day to expressing outrage over a funding decision by the US Agency for International Development. "It is an interventionist act that violated our sovereignty," said López Obrador, who added that Mexico had filed a diplomatic note with the US Embassy. Less than two hours later, it was all smiles and compliments when López Obrador and Harris met at least in the publicly shown prelude to the closed meeting, which comes ahead of a planned actual visit by Harris on June 8. López Obrador commended US President Joe Biden for giving Harris the responsibility of finding ways to address the root causes of migration, and he said he planned to pitch again a proposal he floated last month at Biden's climate summit. The Mexican president wants the US to fund a major expansion of one of his signature programmes, 'Planting Life’, which provides cash payments to farmers, who plant certain fruit and lumber trees. The aim has been to help keep Mexicans in their rural communities. Mexico has offered it as a way to help in Central America too. The more challenging part of López Obrador's pitch is that the US grant six-month work visas, and eventually citizenship, to those who participate in the programme. The Biden administration, like the Trump and Obama administrations before it, has been overwhelmed by the number of migrant children and families arriving at the US-Mexico border and looked to Mexico for help in slowing transit across its territory. Most of the migrants come from Central America, though the number of Mexican migrants has risen as well. Harris is also scheduled to visit Guatemala June 7. "We agreed to work together to establish a strategic partnership to address root causes of migration, spur economic development, and expand security cooperation," Harris wrote later on Friday on Twitter. (With inputs from agencies)

Ahead of Harris meeting, Mexico president accuses US 

US President Joe Biden, in a phone call on Tuesday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the White House said in a statement.&nbsp;

Israel established formal relations with the UAE in September as part of a US-brokered agreement. The UAE and Israel share common concerns about Iran.&nbsp;

Biden and Prince Mohammed discussed "the nuclear and regional dimensions of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the common quest for de-escalation and peace" in the Middle East, the statement said.&nbsp;

Biden "underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel," it said. Biden "expressed his full support for strengthening and expanding these arrangements."&nbsp;

Biden and the crown prince also discussed Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the White House said. &nbsp;

(With input from agencies)&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden, in a phone call on Tuesday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the White House said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden, in a phone call on Tuesday with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, the White House said in a statement. Israel established formal relations with the UAE in September as part of a US-brokered agreement. The UAE and Israel share common concerns about Iran. Biden and Prince Mohammed discussed "the nuclear and regional dimensions of the threat posed by Iran, as well as the common quest for de-escalation and peace" in the Middle East, the statement said. Biden "underlined the strategic importance of the normalisation of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel," it said. Biden "expressed his full support for strengthening and expanding these arrangements." Biden and the crown prince also discussed Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia's Tigray region, the White House said. (With input from agencies)

Biden stresses importance of normalisation with Israel in call with Abu Dhabi crown prince 

The vote by El Salvador's new congress to remove the magistrates of the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber and the attorney general on the newly elected legislative body's very first day drew concern and condemnation from multinational groups and the United States.&nbsp;

US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday about the previous day's vote, saying that an independent judiciary is essential to democratic governance, the State Department said.&nbsp;

Bukele's New Ideas party won 56 out of the 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly in February elections that pushed aside the country's traditional parties, already weakened by corruption scandals.&nbsp;

The dominant electoral performance raised concerns that Bukele would seek to change the court, which along with the previous congress, had been the only obstacles that the very popular leader faced. The vote on Saturday to remove the five magistrates was 64 lawmakers in favour, 19 opposed and one abstention.&nbsp;

Now, with effective control of the congress and the high court, few if any checks remain on Bukele's power.&nbsp;

He swept into office in 2019 as a break from the country's corrupt and troubled traditional parties, though his political career had started in the leftist Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front.&nbsp;

And even before the assembly was in his sway, Bukele sought to bully and intimidate El Salvador's other democratic institutions. In February 2020, he sent heavily armed soldiers to surround the congress when it delayed voting on a security loan he had sought.&nbsp;

Bukele clashed repeatedly with the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court during the pandemic. When it ruled his obligatory stay-at-home order unconstitutional in last June, Bukele said, “The court has just ordered us to murder dozens of thousands of Salvadorans within five days."&nbsp;

Blinken also expressed concern about the removal of Attorney General Raul Melara, saying he was fighting corruption and has been an effective partner of efforts to combat crime in both the United States and El Salvador, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. &nbsp;

Melara had been selected by the previous congress and was an outspoken Bukele critic.&nbsp;

Blinken said the US is committed to supporting democratic institutions in El Salvador.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The vote by El Salvador's new congress to remove the magistrates of the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber and the attorney general on the newly elected legislative body's very first day drew concern and condemnation from multinational groups and the United States.

The vote by El Salvador's new congress to remove the magistrates of the Supreme Court's constitutional chamber and the attorney general on the newly elected legislative body's very first day drew concern and condemnation from multinational groups and the United States. US Secretary of State Antony J Blinken spoke to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele on Sunday about the previous day's vote, saying that an independent judiciary is essential to democratic governance, the State Department said. Bukele's New Ideas party won 56 out of the 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly in February elections that pushed aside the country's traditional parties, already weakened by corruption scandals. The dominant electoral performance raised concerns that Bukele would seek to change the court, which along with the previous congress, had been the only obstacles that the very popular leader faced. The vote on Saturday to remove the five magistrates was 64 lawmakers in favour, 19 opposed and one abstention. Now, with effective control of the congress and the high court, few if any checks remain on Bukele's power. He swept into office in 2019 as a break from the country's corrupt and troubled traditional parties, though his political career had started in the leftist Farabundo Mart National Liberation Front. And even before the assembly was in his sway, Bukele sought to bully and intimidate El Salvador's other democratic institutions. In February 2020, he sent heavily armed soldiers to surround the congress when it delayed voting on a security loan he had sought. Bukele clashed repeatedly with the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court during the pandemic. When it ruled his obligatory stay-at-home order unconstitutional in last June, Bukele said, “The court has just ordered us to murder dozens of thousands of Salvadorans within five days." Blinken also expressed concern about the removal of Attorney General Raul Melara, saying he was fighting corruption and has been an effective partner of efforts to combat crime in both the United States and El Salvador, State Department spokesman Ned Price said. Melara had been selected by the previous congress and was an outspoken Bukele critic. Blinken said the US is committed to supporting democratic institutions in El Salvador. (With inputs from agencies)

US expresses concern over El Salvador vote to remove judges 

US President Joe Biden will soon roll out plan to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans, said Reuters quoting sources familiar with the proposal. This proposal is likely to include largest-ever increase in levies on investment gains. The increased revenue is likely to be used in childcare, universal pre-kindergarten education and paid leave for workers.

These measures are part of White House's push for overhaul of the US tax system that will make rich people and big companies pay more in taxes. The proposal calls for increasing the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, the sources said this week. It would also nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million.

This would be the highest tax rate on investment gains. The rate has not exceeded 33.8 per cent after Second World War.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/biden-administration-applauds-india-for-stepping-up-its-climate-change-commitment-379363">Biden administration applauds India for stepping up its climate change commitment</a>

Wall Street reacted to the news of the proposal. The news triggered sharp declines with the benchmark S&amp;P 500 index down 1% in early afternoon. This was its steepest drop in more than a month.

The tax hike would need to pass through US Congress. Biden's Democratic Party holds narrow majorities in US Congress. The proposal is expected to face tough resistance from the Republican Party.

Sources said details would be released next week before Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday. Details of the plan may change in coming days. White House officials are debating other possible tax increases that could ultimately be included such as capping deductions for wealthy taxpayers or increasing the estate tax, sources told Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden will soon roll out plan to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans, said Reuters quoting sources familiar with the proposal. This proposal is likely to include largest-ever increase in levies on investment gains.

US President Joe Biden will soon roll out plan to raise taxes for the wealthiest Americans, said Reuters quoting sources familiar with the proposal. This proposal is likely to include largest-ever increase in levies on investment gains. The increased revenue is likely to be used in childcare, universal pre-kindergarten education and paid leave for workers. These measures are part of White House's push for overhaul of the US tax system that will make rich people and big companies pay more in taxes. The proposal calls for increasing the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6% from 37%, the sources said this week. It would also nearly double taxes on capital gains to 39.6% for people earning more than $1 million. This would be the highest tax rate on investment gains. The rate has not exceeded 33.8 per cent after Second World War. Also Read | Biden administration applauds India for stepping up its climate change commitment Wall Street reacted to the news of the proposal. The news triggered sharp declines with the benchmark S&P 500 index down 1% in early afternoon. This was its steepest drop in more than a month. The tax hike would need to pass through US Congress. Biden's Democratic Party holds narrow majorities in US Congress. The proposal is expected to face tough resistance from the Republican Party. Sources said details would be released next week before Biden's address to Congress on Wednesday. Details of the plan may change in coming days. White House officials are debating other possible tax increases that could ultimately be included such as capping deductions for wealthy taxpayers or increasing the estate tax, sources told Reuters. (With inputs from agencies)

Joe Biden to unveil historic tax increase for the rich

As Joe Biden nears his 100 days is office as the US President, his approval ratings stands strong at 59% despite the tenuous state of the economy and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden nears 100-day mark with 59% approval rating

Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez has recovered from the COVID-19. He had contracted with the infection in the beginning of April. Fernandez had received two doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine at the start of the year.

Argentine President Alberto Fernandez recovers from COVID-19

Hundreds of Tibetans living in exile across the world voted in the final round of elections to choose their President and 45 Cabinet leaders for the government in exile.

Tibetans vote for their next President-in-exile

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has appointed General Santino Deng Wol as the new head of the army, Kiir's spokesman said on Sunday, as part of a wider reshuffle within the government.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar formed a government of national unity in February last year following a 2018 peace accord that ended a bloody civil war, but the oil-rich nation remains racked by violence.&nbsp;

The director general of the security services and the deputy minister of&nbsp;defence&nbsp;were also replaced in the reshuffle, Kiir's spokesman&nbsp;Ateny&nbsp;Wek said.&nbsp;

"It was a routine reshuffle," Wek said, adding that the president had also fired the minister for presidential affairs and replaced him with a former adviser.&nbsp;

South Sudan erupted into civil war soon after securing independence from Sudan in 2011, leading to an estimated 400,000 deaths and one of the worst refugee&nbsp;crisis&nbsp;on the continent since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.&nbsp;

Despite the formation of a government of national unity in 2020, implementation of the 2018 peace accord has stalled and authorities have blocked humanitarian access to areas where conflict has restarted, a recent UN report said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has appointed General Santino Deng Wol as the new head of the army, Kiir's spokesman said on Sunday, as part of a wider reshuffle within the government.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has appointed General Santino Deng Wol as the new head of the army, Kiir's spokesman said on Sunday, as part of a wider reshuffle within the government. Kiir and former rebel leader Riek Machar formed a government of national unity in February last year following a 2018 peace accord that ended a bloody civil war, but the oil-rich nation remains racked by violence. The director general of the security services and the deputy minister of defence were also replaced in the reshuffle, Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek said. "It was a routine reshuffle," Wek said, adding that the president had also fired the minister for presidential affairs and replaced him with a former adviser. South Sudan erupted into civil war soon after securing independence from Sudan in 2011, leading to an estimated 400,000 deaths and one of the worst refugee crisis on the continent since the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Despite the formation of a government of national unity in 2020, implementation of the 2018 peace accord has stalled and authorities have blocked humanitarian access to areas where conflict has restarted, a recent UN report said. (With inputs from agencies)

South Sudan’s president appoints new army chief 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a ‘political coup’ by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Police have detained 10 of the former navy commanders and ordered four others to turn themselves in after they published an open letter critical of the proposed Canal Istanbul over the weekend.

Turkey's post-Ottoman history is littered with putsches by a military that views itself as the last guarantor of secularism in the mostly Muslim country.

Erdogan's fury was directed at a letter published by 104 former admirals over the weekend urging him to abide by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention.

The treaty is aimed at demilitarising the Black Sea by setting strict rules on warships' passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits.

But Erdogan's plan to build a new 45-kilometre (28-mile) shipping lane running to the west of the Bosphorus leaves open the question of whether the old treaty will apply to the proposed canal.

The retired admirals said the 1936 treaty ‘best protects Turkish interests’.

Erdogan told them on Monday that ‘the duty of retired admirals, 104 of whom come together, is not to publish declarations that hint at a political coup’.

"In a country whose past is filled with coups, (another) attempt by a group of retired admirals can never be accepted," he said after chairing a meeting with his top aides.

(With inputs from agencies)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a ‘political coup’ by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused dozens of retired admirals of eyeing a ‘political coup’ by attacking his plans for a canal linking the Black Sea to the Mediterranean. Police have detained 10 of the former navy commanders and ordered four others to turn themselves in after they published an open letter critical of the proposed Canal Istanbul over the weekend. Turkey's post-Ottoman history is littered with putsches by a military that views itself as the last guarantor of secularism in the mostly Muslim country. Erdogan's fury was directed at a letter published by 104 former admirals over the weekend urging him to abide by the terms of the 1936 Montreux Convention. The treaty is aimed at demilitarising the Black Sea by setting strict rules on warships' passage through the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits. But Erdogan's plan to build a new 45-kilometre (28-mile) shipping lane running to the west of the Bosphorus leaves open the question of whether the old treaty will apply to the proposed canal. The retired admirals said the 1936 treaty ‘best protects Turkish interests’. Erdogan told them on Monday that ‘the duty of retired admirals, 104 of whom come together, is not to publish declarations that hint at a political coup’. "In a country whose past is filled with coups, (another) attempt by a group of retired admirals can never be accepted," he said after chairing a meeting with his top aides. (With inputs from agencies)

Turkish President accuses former admirals of 'political coup'

The president of the Pacific island nation of Palau was visiting Taiwan on Tuesday along with the US Ambassador to his country, a show of solidarity as China increases diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan.&nbsp;

Palau President Surangel Whipps said during a meeting with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen that he and his delegation 'feel like home when we are here'.&nbsp;

In her welcoming statement, Tsai noted Whipps was the first foreign leader to visit Taiwan since the beginning of the pandemic and said a travel bubble established between the two sides would be a model for safe two-way travel that has been closely watched not just by our own people but also by the entire world.&nbsp;

China has banned its citizens from visiting Palau, but Taiwan has responded by introducing a travel bubble between the two that will allow visitors to avoid being quarantined.&nbsp;

The presence on the trip of the US Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, was a further sign of Washington's support for Taiwan, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the two.&nbsp;

China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under Beijing's control by force if deemed necessary and it has worked to internationally isolate the island.&nbsp;

Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies but operates a network of trade offices around the world that act as de-facto embassies, including in the United States, Japan and most other major nations.&nbsp;

China has blocked Taiwan's participation in international organisations including the United Nations and sought to scupper the island's relationships with other countries by threatening to withdraw its own diplomatic presence and economic support.&nbsp;

In Beijing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying repeated China's opposition to formal exchanges between Taiwan and the US.&nbsp;

"We hope the US will pay great attention to China's concerns and act prudently on the issue of Taiwan so as to avoid further damage to China-US Relations," Hua told reporters at a daily briefing.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The president of the Pacific island nation of Palau was visiting Taiwan on Tuesday along with the US Ambassador to his country, a show of solidarity as China increases diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan.

The president of the Pacific island nation of Palau was visiting Taiwan on Tuesday along with the US Ambassador to his country, a show of solidarity as China increases diplomatic, economic and military pressure on Taiwan. Palau President Surangel Whipps said during a meeting with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen that he and his delegation 'feel like home when we are here'. In her welcoming statement, Tsai noted Whipps was the first foreign leader to visit Taiwan since the beginning of the pandemic and said a travel bubble established between the two sides would be a model for safe two-way travel that has been closely watched not just by our own people but also by the entire world. China has banned its citizens from visiting Palau, but Taiwan has responded by introducing a travel bubble between the two that will allow visitors to avoid being quarantined. The presence on the trip of the US Ambassador to Palau, John Hennessey-Niland, was a further sign of Washington's support for Taiwan, despite the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the two. China claims Taiwan as its own territory to be brought under Beijing's control by force if deemed necessary and it has worked to internationally isolate the island. Taiwan has just 15 formal diplomatic allies but operates a network of trade offices around the world that act as de-facto embassies, including in the United States, Japan and most other major nations. China has blocked Taiwan's participation in international organisations including the United Nations and sought to scupper the island's relationships with other countries by threatening to withdraw its own diplomatic presence and economic support. In Beijing on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying repeated China's opposition to formal exchanges between Taiwan and the US. "We hope the US will pay great attention to China's concerns and act prudently on the issue of Taiwan so as to avoid further damage to China-US Relations," Hua told reporters at a daily briefing. (With inputs from agencies)

Palau president visits Taiwan despite Chinese pressure 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will testify as a witness before a long-running corruption inquiry for four days late next month, the presidency said on Wednesday.&nbsp;

Ramaphosa will give evidence to the inquiry, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and established to test allegations that former President Jacob Zuma allowed three businessmen,&nbsp;who were close to him to plunder state resources and influence government appointments while he was in power.&nbsp;

Zuma was ousted by the governing African National Congress (ANC) in February 2018, and his successor Ramaphosa has been battling to revive investor confidence dented by widespread corruption implicating senior politicians.&nbsp;

"The presidency wishes to confirm that president Cyril Ramaphosa will appear ... on April 22, 23, 28 and 29," a statement from his office said.&nbsp;

Ramaphosa is expected to give evidence in his capacity as president and former deputy president of the country, and as president and former deputy president of the ANC. In both instances, Ramaphosa served as deputy under Zuma's leadership.&nbsp;

Ramaphosa has repeatedly spoken out on the need to respect the constitution and rule of law.&nbsp;

Zuma faces possible arrest after refusing to obey a court order to appear at the same inquiry.&nbsp;

Zuma, who denies any wrongdoing, failed to have Zondo recuse himself from the corruption inquiry and chose not to&nbsp;recognise&nbsp;its authority, saying Zondo is biased against him.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will testify as a witness before a long-running corruption inquiry for four days late next month, the presidency said on Wednesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will testify as a witness before a long-running corruption inquiry for four days late next month, the presidency said on Wednesday. Ramaphosa will give evidence to the inquiry, chaired by Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo and established to test allegations that former President Jacob Zuma allowed three businessmen, who were close to him to plunder state resources and influence government appointments while he was in power. Zuma was ousted by the governing African National Congress (ANC) in February 2018, and his successor Ramaphosa has been battling to revive investor confidence dented by widespread corruption implicating senior politicians. "The presidency wishes to confirm that president Cyril Ramaphosa will appear ... on April 22, 23, 28 and 29," a statement from his office said. Ramaphosa is expected to give evidence in his capacity as president and former deputy president of the country, and as president and former deputy president of the ANC. In both instances, Ramaphosa served as deputy under Zuma's leadership. Ramaphosa has repeatedly spoken out on the need to respect the constitution and rule of law. Zuma faces possible arrest after refusing to obey a court order to appear at the same inquiry. Zuma, who denies any wrongdoing, failed to have Zondo recuse himself from the corruption inquiry and chose not to recognise its authority, saying Zondo is biased against him. (With inputs from agencies)

South African president to testify at corruption inquiry

France will offer Covid-19 shots to anyone over 70 from this weekend, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, as he sought to breathe more urgency into his country's vaccination campaign.&nbsp;

France and its neighbours are suffering a third wave of infections that threatens recovery in Europe's largest economies.&nbsp;

Hospitals could face an 'unprecedented shock' within three weeks as infections explode, said the head of France's hospital federation as he urged tougher curbs on social interaction if the spread did not slow soon.&nbsp;

New Covid restrictions that closed non-essential stores and limited how far people can move came into effect in Paris and much of the north last weekend, but Macron stopped short of a full lockdown.&nbsp;

"We're going to accelerate the vaccine roll-out from Saturday," Macron said, while visiting a vaccination centre in the north.&nbsp;

The president later said he hoped there would be targeted campaigns for certain professions, such as teachers, by April or May and that in a race against time, public holidays should be no barrier to delivering injections.&nbsp;

From Saturday, people over 70 will be able to get inoculated. Previously, the government had slated opening up vaccine slots for the age-group in mid-April. Vaccinations are currently available for over-75s and anyone over 50 with a serious pre-existing condition.&nbsp;

France's faltering campaign has been slowed by bureaucracy and public mistrust of vaccines at home, and Europe-wide supply delays, in particular from AstraZeneca.&nbsp;

The European Union has threatened to ban exports of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine to Britain in order to secure doses after the company this month said it expected to deliver three times fewer vaccines by the end of June than it had contractually committed to.&nbsp;

The EU says AstraZeneca shots manufactured on its territory have been exported to Britain even amid the shortfall. French Europe Minister Clement Beaune demanded Britain reciprocate. &nbsp;

Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, whose ministry is responsible for procurement in France, insisted AstraZeneca meet its contractual obligations.&nbsp;

"It is up to them to propose an action plan," she told France Info radio.&nbsp;

The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care hit a four-month high in France on Monday.&nbsp;

"The epidemic is gathering pace, the figures are exploding," Frederic Valletoux, who heads the French hospital federation, told LCI television.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

France will offer Covid-19 shots to anyone over 70 from this weekend, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, as he sought to breathe more urgency into his country's vaccination campaign.

France will offer Covid-19 shots to anyone over 70 from this weekend, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, as he sought to breathe more urgency into his country's vaccination campaign. France and its neighbours are suffering a third wave of infections that threatens recovery in Europe's largest economies. Hospitals could face an 'unprecedented shock' within three weeks as infections explode, said the head of France's hospital federation as he urged tougher curbs on social interaction if the spread did not slow soon. New Covid restrictions that closed non-essential stores and limited how far people can move came into effect in Paris and much of the north last weekend, but Macron stopped short of a full lockdown. "We're going to accelerate the vaccine roll-out from Saturday," Macron said, while visiting a vaccination centre in the north. The president later said he hoped there would be targeted campaigns for certain professions, such as teachers, by April or May and that in a race against time, public holidays should be no barrier to delivering injections. From Saturday, people over 70 will be able to get inoculated. Previously, the government had slated opening up vaccine slots for the age-group in mid-April. Vaccinations are currently available for over-75s and anyone over 50 with a serious pre-existing condition. France's faltering campaign has been slowed by bureaucracy and public mistrust of vaccines at home, and Europe-wide supply delays, in particular from AstraZeneca. The European Union has threatened to ban exports of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine to Britain in order to secure doses after the company this month said it expected to deliver three times fewer vaccines by the end of June than it had contractually committed to. The EU says AstraZeneca shots manufactured on its territory have been exported to Britain even amid the shortfall. French Europe Minister Clement Beaune demanded Britain reciprocate. Industry Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher, whose ministry is responsible for procurement in France, insisted AstraZeneca meet its contractual obligations. "It is up to them to propose an action plan," she told France Info radio. The number of Covid-19 patients in intensive care hit a four-month high in France on Monday. "The epidemic is gathering pace, the figures are exploding," Frederic Valletoux, who heads the French hospital federation, told LCI television. (With inputs from agencies)

French Prez promises faster vaccine roll-out as infections 'explode' 

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will propose a new presidential election within six months, under a peace plan, he will put forward as a counter-offer to a US proposal that he rejects, two senior government officials told Reuters.&nbsp;

Ghani will unveil his proposal at an international gathering in Turkey next month, signalling his refusal to accept Washington's plan for his elected government to be replaced by an interim administration, the officials said.&nbsp;

Washington, which agreed last year to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 1 after nearly two decades, is pressing for a peace deal to end war between the government and the Taliban. Talks between the Afghan sides in Qatar have stalled.&nbsp;

US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been circulating a proposal, which would replace the Kabul government with an interim administration. But Ghani has voiced vehement opposition to any solution that requires his government to step aside for unelected successors.&nbsp;

"The counterproposal, which we are going to present at the Istanbul meeting, would be to call for early presidential elections if the Taliban agree on a ceasefire," one senior government official said on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;

Another Afghan government official said, "The president would never agree to step aside and any future government should be formed through democratic process, not a political deal."&nbsp;

A third senior official also said Ghani's proposal would include possible early elections, although he did not specify the exact time frame for the vote. The third official said Ghani had already shared his roadmap with Khalilzad.&nbsp;

With just weeks left before a deadline it agreed with Taliban last year to end the longest war in US history, Washington is seeking regional backing for its approach to push the Kabul government and insurgents to share power.&nbsp;

But diplomats and foreign officials have said it will be difficult to move forward with the US plans without Ghani's support.&nbsp;

During a visit to the region, which included stops in Doha and Islamabad, Khalilzad pushed for a conference to be hosted by Turkey with involvement from the United Nations next month.&nbsp;

The Afghan officials said that as part of Ghani's counter-proposal, his government would ask the UN to closely observe the new election to ensure it is accepted by all sides.&nbsp;

A presidential palace spokesman declined to comment.&nbsp;

Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha have made little progress, while violence has increased.&nbsp;

The Taliban, which is fighting the foreign-backed government since being ousted from power by Afghan opponents and US air strikes in late 2001, have so far rejected a ceasefire and said they would not directly join an interim government.&nbsp;

Ghani was sworn in as president for a second five-year term in March last year after a disputed presidential election.&nbsp;

The new US administration led by President Joe Biden is reviewing its plans before May 1, the deadline agreed last year under the Donald Trump administration for the last 2,500 US troops to leave Afghanistan. Biden told broadcaster ABC last week that it would be 'tough' to meet the deadline.&nbsp;

The Taliban say there will be consequences if the United States does not meet the deadline to pull out.&nbsp;

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will propose a new presidential election within six months, under a peace plan, he will put forward as a counter-offer to a US proposal that he rejects, two senior government officials told Reuters.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will propose a new presidential election within six months, under a peace plan, he will put forward as a counter-offer to a US proposal that he rejects, two senior government officials told Reuters. Ghani will unveil his proposal at an international gathering in Turkey next month, signalling his refusal to accept Washington's plan for his elected government to be replaced by an interim administration, the officials said. Washington, which agreed last year to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan by May 1 after nearly two decades, is pressing for a peace deal to end war between the government and the Taliban. Talks between the Afghan sides in Qatar have stalled. US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad has been circulating a proposal, which would replace the Kabul government with an interim administration. But Ghani has voiced vehement opposition to any solution that requires his government to step aside for unelected successors. "The counterproposal, which we are going to present at the Istanbul meeting, would be to call for early presidential elections if the Taliban agree on a ceasefire," one senior government official said on condition of anonymity. Another Afghan government official said, "The president would never agree to step aside and any future government should be formed through democratic process, not a political deal." A third senior official also said Ghani's proposal would include possible early elections, although he did not specify the exact time frame for the vote. The third official said Ghani had already shared his roadmap with Khalilzad. With just weeks left before a deadline it agreed with Taliban last year to end the longest war in US history, Washington is seeking regional backing for its approach to push the Kabul government and insurgents to share power. But diplomats and foreign officials have said it will be difficult to move forward with the US plans without Ghani's support. During a visit to the region, which included stops in Doha and Islamabad, Khalilzad pushed for a conference to be hosted by Turkey with involvement from the United Nations next month. The Afghan officials said that as part of Ghani's counter-proposal, his government would ask the UN to closely observe the new election to ensure it is accepted by all sides. A presidential palace spokesman declined to comment. Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and insurgent Taliban in Qatar's capital Doha have made little progress, while violence has increased. The Taliban, which is fighting the foreign-backed government since being ousted from power by Afghan opponents and US air strikes in late 2001, have so far rejected a ceasefire and said they would not directly join an interim government. Ghani was sworn in as president for a second five-year term in March last year after a disputed presidential election. The new US administration led by President Joe Biden is reviewing its plans before May 1, the deadline agreed last year under the Donald Trump administration for the last 2,500 US troops to leave Afghanistan. Biden told broadcaster ABC last week that it would be 'tough' to meet the deadline. The Taliban say there will be consequences if the United States does not meet the deadline to pull out.

Rejecting US peace plan, Afghan president to offer election in six months 

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday.&nbsp;

The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said.&nbsp;

Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the country's coronavirus advisory committee said last week.&nbsp;

The health ministry started vaccinating frontline healthcare workers a week ago and said there had been a surge in Covid-19 cases without elaborating.&nbsp;

After a decade of war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and uprooted millions, Assad's military has reclaimed most of the country with Russia and Iran's help.&nbsp;

Recently, missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. &nbsp;

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. &nbsp;

The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab. &nbsp;

At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor. &nbsp;&nbsp;

"The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday. The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife Asma have tested positive for Covid-19 after showing minor symptoms, his office said on Monday. The Syrian leader and his spouse, who announced her recovery from breast cancer in 2019, were both in good health and would keep working while in isolation at home, the statement said. Syria has seen a sharp rise in infections since mid-February, a member of the country's coronavirus advisory committee said last week. The health ministry started vaccinating frontline healthcare workers a week ago and said there had been a surge in Covid-19 cases without elaborating. After a decade of war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and uprooted millions, Assad's military has reclaimed most of the country with Russia and Iran's help. Recently, missile strikes on makeshift oil refineries in northern Syria killed four people and injured more than 20 others, a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a series of strikes launched from Russian warships and by allied Syrian government forces hit the makeshift refineries in Aleppo province on Friday night, causing a massive blaze as dozens of tankers caught fire in the area controlled by Turkey and its Syrian rebel proxies. The Britain-based monitor 'documented the deaths of four people, while 24 others sustained various injuries and burns' in the attacks near the towns of Jarablus and Al-Bab. At least one Syrian rebel was among the dead, said Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman. Rescue workers spent hours trying to extinguish the fire, which spread to about 180 oil tankers, according to the war monitor. "The fires are the largest yet from a missile attack on makeshift refineries," the Observatory said. Oil installations in Turkey-controlled parts of Aleppo have come under repeated attack in recent months although Moscow and the Syrian regime have not claimed responsibility. (With inputs from agencies)

Syria's President Assad, wife test positive for Covid-19 

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Sudan on Saturday for the first time since the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir, as the neighbours push to break a diplomatic deadlock over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia.&nbsp;

Sisi was also due to discuss Red Sea security and developments on Sudan's borders during his visit to Khartoum, Egypt's presidency said in a statement.&nbsp;

Sudan faces security challenges including an increase in violence in the western Darfur region and recent armed skirmishes in a disputed area on its border with Ethiopia.&nbsp;

Both Egypt and Sudan lie downstream from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Addis Ababa says is crucial to its economic development.&nbsp;

Ethiopia, which says it has every right to use Nile waters long exploited by Egypt, started filling the reservoir behind the dam last summer after Egypt and Sudan failed to secure a legally binding agreement over the hydropower dam's operation.&nbsp;

Khartoum fears the dam, which lies on the Blue Nile close to the border with Sudan, could increase the risk of flooding and affect the safe operation of its own Nile dams, while water-scarce Egypt fears its supplies from the Nile could be hit.&nbsp;

Years of diplomatic talks over the project have repeatedly stalled.&nbsp;

Sudan recently proposed that the United States, European Union, United Nations and African Union should actively mediate in the dispute, rather than simply observing talks, a suggestion that Egypt supports.&nbsp;

Ethiopia this week indicated its opposition to adding mediators to an existing, African Union-led process.&nbsp;

In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry 'stressed the need to launch a serious and effective negotiation process' over the dam before a second round of filling expected this summer.&nbsp;

Since Bashir was toppled following mass protests in 2019, a military-civilian council has held power in Sudan under a political transition expected to last until the end of 2023.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Sudan on Saturday for the first time since the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir, as the neighbours push to break a diplomatic deadlock over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Sudan on Saturday for the first time since the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir, as the neighbours push to break a diplomatic deadlock over a giant dam being built by Ethiopia. Sisi was also due to discuss Red Sea security and developments on Sudan's borders during his visit to Khartoum, Egypt's presidency said in a statement. Sudan faces security challenges including an increase in violence in the western Darfur region and recent armed skirmishes in a disputed area on its border with Ethiopia. Both Egypt and Sudan lie downstream from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), which Addis Ababa says is crucial to its economic development. Ethiopia, which says it has every right to use Nile waters long exploited by Egypt, started filling the reservoir behind the dam last summer after Egypt and Sudan failed to secure a legally binding agreement over the hydropower dam's operation. Khartoum fears the dam, which lies on the Blue Nile close to the border with Sudan, could increase the risk of flooding and affect the safe operation of its own Nile dams, while water-scarce Egypt fears its supplies from the Nile could be hit. Years of diplomatic talks over the project have repeatedly stalled. Sudan recently proposed that the United States, European Union, United Nations and African Union should actively mediate in the dispute, rather than simply observing talks, a suggestion that Egypt supports. Ethiopia this week indicated its opposition to adding mediators to an existing, African Union-led process. In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry 'stressed the need to launch a serious and effective negotiation process' over the dam before a second round of filling expected this summer. Since Bashir was toppled following mass protests in 2019, a military-civilian council has held power in Sudan under a political transition expected to last until the end of 2023. (With inputs from agencies)

Egypt President visits Sudan with dam diplomacy, security on agenda 

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