U.S. President Donald Trump vetoed a bipartisan defense policy bill on Wednesday and raised the prospect that the United States could face a government shutdown during a pandemic, stirring new turmoil in Washington as he headed to Florida for Christmas.

Donald Trump vetoes National Defense Authorization Act

Russian lawmakers have pass bills which could grant authorities power to block the access to youtube, Twitter, and facebook.

Russia tightens grip on U.S. Social Media by the new bills

The United States has suffered from its deadliest week from COVID-19, 18,481 lives have been lost in just one week, that is one death in every 33 second.

Your Story: United States suffers deadly week from COVID-19, loses 1 life every 33 seconds

The Trump administration on Monday published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties that restrict them from buying a wide range of US&nbsp;goods and technology. 
 
Reuters first reported last month that the US&nbsp;Department of Commerce drafted a list of companies that it linked to the Chinese or Russian military, news that brought a rebuke from Beijing. 
 
The final list does not include Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), or the Hong Kong subsidiaries of Colorado`s Arrow Electronics and Texas-based TTI Inc, a Berkshire Hathaway electronics distributor. Those companies were on the draft list seen by Reuters. 
 
The final list names 103 entities, 14 fewer than on the draft list seen by Reuters in November. Fifty-eight are designated under China, down from 89, and 45 entities are tied to Russia, up from 28. 
 
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday the action establishes&nbsp;a new process "to&nbsp;assist exporters&nbsp;in&nbsp;screening&nbsp;their customers for military end users." 
 
The final list was published on the Commerce Department website&nbsp;on Monday and is scheduled to be posted for public inspection in the Federal Register on Tuesday. 
 
Publishing the list in the waning days of the Trump administration follows the addition of dozens of Chinese companies to another U.S. trade blacklist, including the country`s top chipmaker, SMIC, and Chinese drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, on Friday. 
 
Tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated over the past year, as Trump blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, a national security law was imposed in Hong Kong and a dispute involving the South China Sea has intensified. 
 
The U.S. government also has grown increasingly concerned about China’s “military-civil fusion,” a policy that aims to build up its military might and technological development in tandem. 
 
Last spring, the Commerce Department expanded the definition of "military end users," as the department defines the companies with military ties. 
 
The category includes not only armed service and national police, but any person or entity that supports or contributes to the maintenance or production of military items - even if their business is primarily non-military. 
 
The "military end user" designation requires U.S. companies to obtain licenses to sell to the firms, which are more likely to be denied than granted. 
 
The list is not definitive and Commerce said U.S. companies must continue to do their own due diligence to help decide whether their buyers are considered military end users. 
 
Publication of the list is likely to inflame Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in November called news of the draft list "unprovoked suppression of Chinese companies by the United States." 
 
While COMAC was removed, seven Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) subordinate entities remain on the list. 
 
General Electric Co and Honeywell International both have joint ventures with AVIC and supply COMAC, which is spearheading Chinese efforts to compete with Boeing Co and Airbus. 
 
Earlier this month, Arrow and TTI both denied their subsidiaries have ties to the Chinese military and said they were working to be removed from any final list.

The Trump administration on Monday published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties that restrict them from buying a wide range of US goods and technology.

The Trump administration on Monday published a list of Chinese and Russian companies with alleged military ties that restrict them from buying a wide range of US goods and technology. Reuters first reported last month that the US Department of Commerce drafted a list of companies that it linked to the Chinese or Russian military, news that brought a rebuke from Beijing. The final list does not include Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), or the Hong Kong subsidiaries of Colorado`s Arrow Electronics and Texas-based TTI Inc, a Berkshire Hathaway electronics distributor. Those companies were on the draft list seen by Reuters. The final list names 103 entities, 14 fewer than on the draft list seen by Reuters in November. Fifty-eight are designated under China, down from 89, and 45 entities are tied to Russia, up from 28. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Monday the action establishes a new process "to assist exporters in screening their customers for military end users." The final list was published on the Commerce Department website on Monday and is scheduled to be posted for public inspection in the Federal Register on Tuesday. Publishing the list in the waning days of the Trump administration follows the addition of dozens of Chinese companies to another U.S. trade blacklist, including the country`s top chipmaker, SMIC, and Chinese drone manufacturer SZ DJI Technology Co Ltd, on Friday. Tensions between Washington and Beijing have escalated over the past year, as Trump blamed China for the coronavirus pandemic, a national security law was imposed in Hong Kong and a dispute involving the South China Sea has intensified. The U.S. government also has grown increasingly concerned about China’s “military-civil fusion,” a policy that aims to build up its military might and technological development in tandem. Last spring, the Commerce Department expanded the definition of "military end users," as the department defines the companies with military ties. The category includes not only armed service and national police, but any person or entity that supports or contributes to the maintenance or production of military items - even if their business is primarily non-military. The "military end user" designation requires U.S. companies to obtain licenses to sell to the firms, which are more likely to be denied than granted. The list is not definitive and Commerce said U.S. companies must continue to do their own due diligence to help decide whether their buyers are considered military end users. Publication of the list is likely to inflame Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian in November called news of the draft list "unprovoked suppression of Chinese companies by the United States." While COMAC was removed, seven Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) subordinate entities remain on the list. General Electric Co and Honeywell International both have joint ventures with AVIC and supply COMAC, which is spearheading Chinese efforts to compete with Boeing Co and Airbus. Earlier this month, Arrow and TTI both denied their subsidiaries have ties to the Chinese military and said they were working to be removed from any final list.

US publishes list of Chinese, Russian firms with military ties

Few days before Donald Trump leaves office, the United States is considering granting Saudi Crown Prince and Donald Trump long time ally Mohammed bin Salman legal immunity.

WION Dispatch: Reports claim, 'U.S. mulls legal immunity for Saudi Arabia's prince Mohammed bin Salman'

WASHINGTON — For Sudan, agreeing to normalize relations with Israel was the price of removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

A similar diplomatic deal with Israel sealed Morocco’s demand for the United States to recognize its sovereignty over the Western Sahara region.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-trumps-parting-gifts-to-israel-349171/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

United Arab Emirates officials who wanted to buy stealthy F-35 fighter jets from the United States first had to sign on to the Abraham Accords, the product of President Donald Trump’s campaign to foster stability between Israel and estranged or even hostile Muslim states.

In each case, the incentives that the Trump administration dangled in exchange for the détente could fall through — either rejected by Congress or reversed by the administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

That puts at risk not only the series of regional agreements for rapprochement but also exacerbates a worldview that the United States cannot be depended upon to hold up its end of diplomatic deals.

The Abraham Accords, Trump’s signature foreign policy achievement, have either newly brokered or restarted economic and political ties for Israel with Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco. Officials familiar with the administration’s efforts said Oman and Tunisia might be the next states to join, and the warming could be expanded to nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa even after Trump leaves office in January.

Formally easing tensions between Israel and its regional neighbors is a success, to be sure, that past Republican and Democratic presidents alike have long sought to foment.

“All diplomacy is transactional, but these transactions are mixing things that ought not to have been mixed,” said Robert Malley, president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group, who is close to Antony Blinken, Biden’s pick for secretary of state.

Malley predicted that the incoming Biden administration would try to walk back or dilute parts of the normalization deals that defy international norms, as in the case of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, or otherwise challenge long-standing U.S. policy, like the F-35 sales to the UAE.

Congress has also shown alarm at the deal-making.

The Senate last week narrowly accepted the UAE’s purchase of the stealth jets, drones and other precision weapons, signaling concern over expanded arms deals to the Persian Gulf. That could be reversed if Democrats take control of the chamber after runoff elections in Georgia next month; regardless, the move will be reviewed by the Biden administration to ensure that the $23 billion sale to the UAE does not dull Israel’s military edge in the region.

A day after the Senate vote, the Republican chair of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, said it was “shocking and disappointing” that the Trump administration had decided to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara and predicted that it would be reversed. The United Nations, the European Union and the African Union all view the Western Sahara as disputed territory.

“I am saddened that the rights of the Western Saharan people have been traded away,” Inhofe said in a statement. “The president has been poorly advised by his team; he could have made this deal without trading the rights of a voiceless people.”

Saad Eddine el-Othmani, Morocco’s prime minister, said Tuesday that his government “didn’t want it to be an exchange.”

“We don’t bargain with the Sahara,” Othmani said in an interview with Al-Jazeera. “But the victory in this battle required the concomitance.”

Nowhere has the diplomatic deal proven more delicate than for Sudan.

A seemingly unrelated issue — immunity in U.S. courts from terrorism lawsuits — was indirectly tied to a condition of Sudan reluctantly signing on to the peace accords with Israel in October.

The State Department had already decided to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for the country compensating victims of the 1998 bombings against U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. As part of those negotiations, Sudan’s transitional government had demanded the dismissal of all other terrorism lawsuits that it faced from attacks carried out in the 27 years it was on the list.

The State Department agreed and countered last summer with a condition of its own: that Sudan begin to thaw a half-century of hostilities with Israel.

Only Congress, however, can grant Sudan the legal peace it seeks. Over the past several months, lawmakers have been deadlocked over doing so, given that it would deny families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks their day in court.

“We have always wanted all terrorists to be held accountable for their acts on 9/11,” Kristen Breitweiser, a lawyer whose husband was killed in the attacks on New York, said in a statement issued last week during furious negotiating in Congress.

Sudan insists it is not liable for the 9/11 attacks, given that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden left his sanctuary in the country five years before they were carried out. But the congressional compromise that was hammered out, according to officials and others close to the negotiations, allows the 9/11 lawsuits to continue, potentially making Sudan liable for billions of dollars in victims’ compensation.

Representatives for the Sudanese Embassy in Washington declined to comment but have previously said the country might exit the peace accords with Israel if it is not given immunity from the terrorism lawsuits. As the Trump administration tries to keep the deal from falling apart, an official confirmed a Bloomberg report that the United States had offered Sudan a $1 billion loan to help clear its arrears and obtain as much as $1.5 billion in annual development assistance. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to visit Sudan, Israel and the UAE in a high-level delegation to the region next month.

Bahrain appears to be a lone exception among the countries that were offered incentives as part of normalization agreements with Israel, although this week the State Department designated the Iranian-linked Saraya al-Mukhtar as a terrorist group, in part for its goal to overthrow the tiny Sunni monarchy.

That has also fueled concern among current and former government officials and conflict analysts that the United States will designate Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization, in part to convince Saudi Arabia to sign on to the accords with Israel.

Officials close to the decision said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was inclined to issue the designation to cut off Iran’s support of the Houthis, who have seized control of most of Yemen, ousted its government and attacked neighboring Saudi Arabia in their five-year border war. It could also prohibit the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen’s major ports — most of which are controlled by the Houthis — and, in turn, exacerbate a famine in one of the world’s poorest countries.

It is doubtful, however, that the terrorism designation alone would persuade Saudi Arabia — the most powerful monarchy in the Middle East — to normalize relations with Israel. That thaw could take years, if it happens at all, and by then might be driven more by a rising number of young adults in the kingdom who are more concerned with jobs and economic stability at home than a generations-old conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations, said a secretive trip that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel made to Saudi Arabia last month to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a bold signal of the détente.

“These Arab countries want to be friends with Israel,” Haley told the Israeli-based DiploTech Global Summit on Wednesday.

Even if they disapprove of Trump’s transactional diplomacy, Biden and Blinken will also be wary of appearing to back away from Israel, which is the strongest U.S. ally in the Middle East and holds considerable political sway over U.S. evangelical and Jewish voters.

“I think President-elect Biden will try to continue with the momentum because it’s beneficial for the U.S., it’s beneficial for the allies of the U.S., and I think that will be the right thing to do,” said Danny Danon, who retired this year as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.

WASHINGTON — For Sudan, agreeing to normalize relations with Israel was the price of removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. A similar diplomatic deal with Israel sealed Morocco’s demand for the United States to recognize its sovereignty over the Western Sahara region.

WASHINGTON — For Sudan, agreeing to normalize relations with Israel was the price of removal from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. A similar diplomatic deal with Israel sealed Morocco’s demand for the United States to recognize its sovereignty over the Western Sahara region. Watch | United Arab Emirates officials who wanted to buy stealthy F-35 fighter jets from the United States first had to sign on to the Abraham Accords, the product of President Donald Trump’s campaign to foster stability between Israel and estranged or even hostile Muslim states. In each case, the incentives that the Trump administration dangled in exchange for the détente could fall through — either rejected by Congress or reversed by the administration of President-elect Joe Biden. That puts at risk not only the series of regional agreements for rapprochement but also exacerbates a worldview that the United States cannot be depended upon to hold up its end of diplomatic deals. The Abraham Accords, Trump’s signature foreign policy achievement, have either newly brokered or restarted economic and political ties for Israel with Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco. Officials familiar with the administration’s efforts said Oman and Tunisia might be the next states to join, and the warming could be expanded to nations in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa even after Trump leaves office in January. Formally easing tensions between Israel and its regional neighbors is a success, to be sure, that past Republican and Democratic presidents alike have long sought to foment. “All diplomacy is transactional, but these transactions are mixing things that ought not to have been mixed,” said Robert Malley, president and chief executive of the International Crisis Group, who is close to Antony Blinken, Biden’s pick for secretary of state. Malley predicted that the incoming Biden administration would try to walk back or dilute parts of the normalization deals that defy international norms, as in the case of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara, or otherwise challenge long-standing U.S. policy, like the F-35 sales to the UAE. Congress has also shown alarm at the deal-making. The Senate last week narrowly accepted the UAE’s purchase of the stealth jets, drones and other precision weapons, signaling concern over expanded arms deals to the Persian Gulf. That could be reversed if Democrats take control of the chamber after runoff elections in Georgia next month; regardless, the move will be reviewed by the Biden administration to ensure that the $23 billion sale to the UAE does not dull Israel’s military edge in the region. A day after the Senate vote, the Republican chair of the Armed Services Committee, Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, said it was “shocking and disappointing” that the Trump administration had decided to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara and predicted that it would be reversed. The United Nations, the European Union and the African Union all view the Western Sahara as disputed territory. “I am saddened that the rights of the Western Saharan people have been traded away,” Inhofe said in a statement. “The president has been poorly advised by his team; he could have made this deal without trading the rights of a voiceless people.” Saad Eddine el-Othmani, Morocco’s prime minister, said Tuesday that his government “didn’t want it to be an exchange.” “We don’t bargain with the Sahara,” Othmani said in an interview with Al-Jazeera. “But the victory in this battle required the concomitance.” Nowhere has the diplomatic deal proven more delicate than for Sudan. A seemingly unrelated issue — immunity in U.S. courts from terrorism lawsuits — was indirectly tied to a condition of Sudan reluctantly signing on to the peace accords with Israel in October. The State Department had already decided to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in exchange for the country compensating victims of the 1998 bombings against U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. As part of those negotiations, Sudan’s transitional government had demanded the dismissal of all other terrorism lawsuits that it faced from attacks carried out in the 27 years it was on the list. The State Department agreed and countered last summer with a condition of its own: that Sudan begin to thaw a half-century of hostilities with Israel. Only Congress, however, can grant Sudan the legal peace it seeks. Over the past several months, lawmakers have been deadlocked over doing so, given that it would deny families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks their day in court. “We have always wanted all terrorists to be held accountable for their acts on 9/11,” Kristen Breitweiser, a lawyer whose husband was killed in the attacks on New York, said in a statement issued last week during furious negotiating in Congress. Sudan insists it is not liable for the 9/11 attacks, given that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden left his sanctuary in the country five years before they were carried out. But the congressional compromise that was hammered out, according to officials and others close to the negotiations, allows the 9/11 lawsuits to continue, potentially making Sudan liable for billions of dollars in victims’ compensation. Representatives for the Sudanese Embassy in Washington declined to comment but have previously said the country might exit the peace accords with Israel if it is not given immunity from the terrorism lawsuits. As the Trump administration tries to keep the deal from falling apart, an official confirmed a Bloomberg report that the United States had offered Sudan a $1 billion loan to help clear its arrears and obtain as much as $1.5 billion in annual development assistance. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to visit Sudan, Israel and the UAE in a high-level delegation to the region next month. Bahrain appears to be a lone exception among the countries that were offered incentives as part of normalization agreements with Israel, although this week the State Department designated the Iranian-linked Saraya al-Mukhtar as a terrorist group, in part for its goal to overthrow the tiny Sunni monarchy. That has also fueled concern among current and former government officials and conflict analysts that the United States will designate Houthi rebels in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization, in part to convince Saudi Arabia to sign on to the accords with Israel. Officials close to the decision said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was inclined to issue the designation to cut off Iran’s support of the Houthis, who have seized control of most of Yemen, ousted its government and attacked neighboring Saudi Arabia in their five-year border war. It could also prohibit the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen’s major ports — most of which are controlled by the Houthis — and, in turn, exacerbate a famine in one of the world’s poorest countries. It is doubtful, however, that the terrorism designation alone would persuade Saudi Arabia — the most powerful monarchy in the Middle East — to normalize relations with Israel. That thaw could take years, if it happens at all, and by then might be driven more by a rising number of young adults in the kingdom who are more concerned with jobs and economic stability at home than a generations-old conflict between Israel and Palestine. Nikki Haley, who was Trump’s first ambassador to the United Nations, said a secretive trip that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel made to Saudi Arabia last month to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was a bold signal of the détente. “These Arab countries want to be friends with Israel,” Haley told the Israeli-based DiploTech Global Summit on Wednesday. Even if they disapprove of Trump’s transactional diplomacy, Biden and Blinken will also be wary of appearing to back away from Israel, which is the strongest U.S. ally in the Middle East and holds considerable political sway over U.S. evangelical and Jewish voters. “I think President-elect Biden will try to continue with the momentum because it’s beneficial for the U.S., it’s beneficial for the allies of the U.S., and I think that will be the right thing to do,” said Danny Danon, who retired this year as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump incentives for signing peace accords with Israel could be at risk

United States Congress reached an agreement to roll out a relief package worth $900 billion, in what is being seen as the first set of reliefs in months for people in an economy which has been hammered by COVID-19, which has killed the most number of people in the US. Even then, it’s unclear when Congress would vote to cement the deal.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/biden-meets-top-american-ceos-corporate-america-agrees-on-need-for-stimulus-343791/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed," Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

Earlier, a $2.3 trillion aid bill was passed in March, which was the largest economic stimulus in the country’s history.

As of now, COVID-19 is infecting over 214,000 people everyday, with 317,000 Americans dead so far.

Another Senate leader - Chuck Schumer claimed that the package should be approved in both the chambers of the Congress.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/americans-scraping-by-say-they-fear-a-second-stimulus-wont-be-enough-351244" hreflang="en">Americans scraping by say they fear a second stimulus won’t be enough</a>

"Finally we have some good news to deliver to the American people," he said on the Senate floor.

The package would provide $600 worth of boost to individuals. In addition, it would provide $300 unemployment payments, with additional aid worth billions of dollars.

The package also provides $25 billion in rental assistance, Reuters reported.

Lawmakers were able to resolve disputes over the Federal Reserve’s pandemic lending authority, funding of education and lending for small businesses.&nbsp;

"I think it's for the most part wrapped up," Republican Senator John Thune said to reporters.

The Congress is attempting to imbibe the aid package in a $1.4 trillion spending bill, which will fund government aid programmes upto September 2021.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lawmakers-resolve-fed-dispute-as-they-race-to-close-stimulus-deal-351240" hreflang="en">Lawmakers resolve fed dispute as they race to close stimulus deal</a>

However, analysts believe that it may not be done soon enough before the expiration of government funding, implying a temporary extension must be passed to keep the government operable.

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of House of Representatives said on Sunday that she wishes to review the package before calling a vote.

United States Congress reached an agreement to roll out a relief package worth $900 billion, in what is being seen as the first set of reliefs in months for people in an economy which has been hammered by COVID-19, which has killed the most number of people in the US.

United States Congress reached an agreement to roll out a relief package worth $900 billion, in what is being seen as the first set of reliefs in months for people in an economy which has been hammered by COVID-19, which has killed the most number of people in the US. Even then, it’s unclear when Congress would vote to cement the deal. "At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed," Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said. Earlier, a $2.3 trillion aid bill was passed in March, which was the largest economic stimulus in the country’s history. As of now, COVID-19 is infecting over 214,000 people everyday, with 317,000 Americans dead so far. Another Senate leader - Chuck Schumer claimed that the package should be approved in both the chambers of the Congress. Also read: Americans scraping by say they fear a second stimulus won’t be enough "Finally we have some good news to deliver to the American people," he said on the Senate floor. The package would provide $600 worth of boost to individuals. In addition, it would provide $300 unemployment payments, with additional aid worth billions of dollars. The package also provides $25 billion in rental assistance, Reuters reported. Lawmakers were able to resolve disputes over the Federal Reserve’s pandemic lending authority, funding of education and lending for small businesses. "I think it's for the most part wrapped up," Republican Senator John Thune said to reporters. The Congress is attempting to imbibe the aid package in a $1.4 trillion spending bill, which will fund government aid programmes upto September 2021. Also read: Lawmakers resolve fed dispute as they race to close stimulus deal However, analysts believe that it may not be done soon enough before the expiration of government funding, implying a temporary extension must be passed to keep the government operable. Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of House of Representatives said on Sunday that she wishes to review the package before calling a vote.

US Congress reaches deal on aid package worth $900 billion

China on Monday called "farce" and "out of political motives" on US President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump's</a>&nbsp;accusations of Beijing being involved in a huge cyberattack in the United States. &nbsp;

Trump on Twitter on Saturday played down Russian involvement on the cyberattack on several US government agencies and said that China "may" also be involved, contradicting the comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/what-led-to-the-worst-cyber-attack-in-us-351238/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Russia Russia Russia is the priority chant when anything happens", Trump wrote and added that the cyberattack may have targeted the voting machines resulting in his loss in the presidential election.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russian-president-vladimir-putin-appreciates-spy-agency-after-us-hack-controversy-351221">Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciates spy agency after US hack controversy</a>

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said US's accusations against China have "always been a farce, out of political motives."&nbsp;

He also said that Trump's remarks are "not serious and self-contradictory".&nbsp;

"The US has politicised cybersecurity issues, continuously spread false information without conclusive evidence... in an attempt to destroy China's image and mislead the international community," Wang was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

Trump's Saturday tweets were in direct contrast with Pompeo's comments in which he said it was "pretty clear" that Russia was behind the act.&nbsp;

Several US officials have blamed Kremlin for the cyberattack and not Beijing.&nbsp;

Russia has denied any involvement in the attack.&nbsp;

China on Monday called "farce" and "out of political motives" on US President Donald Trump's accusations of Beijing being involved in a huge cyberattack in the United States.

China on Monday called "farce" and "out of political motives" on US President Donald Trump's accusations of Beijing being involved in a huge cyberattack in the United States. Trump on Twitter on Saturday played down Russian involvement on the cyberattack on several US government agencies and said that China "may" also be involved, contradicting the comments made by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Watch | "Russia Russia Russia is the priority chant when anything happens", Trump wrote and added that the cyberattack may have targeted the voting machines resulting in his loss in the presidential election. Also read | Russian President Vladimir Putin appreciates spy agency after US hack controversy Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said US's accusations against China have "always been a farce, out of political motives." He also said that Trump's remarks are "not serious and self-contradictory". "The US has politicised cybersecurity issues, continuously spread false information without conclusive evidence... in an attempt to destroy China's image and mislead the international community," Wang was quoted as saying by news agency AFP. Trump's Saturday tweets were in direct contrast with Pompeo's comments in which he said it was "pretty clear" that Russia was behind the act. Several US officials have blamed Kremlin for the cyberattack and not Beijing. Russia has denied any involvement in the attack.

China calls Trump's accusation 'farce' on involvement in cyberattack

United States Secretary Mike Pompeo claimed that Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack in the country, which targeted key government departments in the country.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/report-russia-believed-to-be-behind-massive-cyber-attack-on-usfederal-agencies-350068/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

On Thursday, American company Microsoft claimed that it reached out 40 customers who were hit by the attack. Analysts believed that the victims of the attack could have led the hackers to access of key government systems, utilities, and electric power grids.

"There was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems," Pompeo said on The Mark Levin Show on Friday.

"This was a very significant effort, and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity”, Pompeo added.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-intel-agencies-warn-of-an-ongoing-cyber-attack-on-government-350392" hreflang="en">US intel agencies warn of an ongoing cyber attack on government</a>

The attack affected mostly customers from the United States, according to Microsoft president Brad Smith, who divulged more details in the blog post.&nbsp;

At least 80 per cent of the customers who were affected hailed from the United States, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. "It's certain that the number and location of victims will keep growing”, Smith said.

"This is not 'espionage as usual,' even in the digital age," Smith added. "Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world”, Smith put forward.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/eus-medicines-agency-responsible-for-vaccine-approval-suffers-cyber-attack-348654" hreflang="en">EU's medicines agency responsible for vaccine approval suffers cyber attack</a>

The CEO of Denim Group - a security firm, John Dickson said. “Everyone is in damage assessment now because it's so big… It's a severe body blow to confidence both in government and critical infrastructure”.

The reported attack injected malware into copier systems through enterprise management network software which was made by SolarWinds, an IT company based out of Texas.

United States Secretary Mike Pompeo claimed that Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack in the country, which targeted key government departments in the country.

United States Secretary Mike Pompeo claimed that Russia was “pretty clearly” behind the cyberattack in the country, which targeted key government departments in the country. On Thursday, American company Microsoft claimed that it reached out 40 customers who were hit by the attack. Analysts believed that the victims of the attack could have led the hackers to access of key government systems, utilities, and electric power grids. "There was a significant effort to use a piece of third-party software to essentially embed code inside of US government systems," Pompeo said on The Mark Levin Show on Friday. "This was a very significant effort, and I think it's the case that now we can say pretty clearly that it was the Russians that engaged in this activity”, Pompeo added. Also read: US intel agencies warn of an ongoing cyber attack on government The attack affected mostly customers from the United States, according to Microsoft president Brad Smith, who divulged more details in the blog post. At least 80 per cent of the customers who were affected hailed from the United States, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. "It's certain that the number and location of victims will keep growing”, Smith said. "This is not 'espionage as usual,' even in the digital age," Smith added. "Instead, it represents an act of recklessness that created a serious technological vulnerability for the United States and the world”, Smith put forward. Also read: EU's medicines agency responsible for vaccine approval suffers cyber attack The CEO of Denim Group - a security firm, John Dickson said. “Everyone is in damage assessment now because it's so big… It's a severe body blow to confidence both in government and critical infrastructure”. The reported attack injected malware into copier systems through enterprise management network software which was made by SolarWinds, an IT company based out of Texas.

Russia 'pretty clearly' behind cyber attack, says US Secretary of State Pompeo

Despite the first major snowstorm in New York in a few years, the show must go on for Times Square's own Naked Cowboy.

Singing in the snow; the 'Naked Cowboy' performs in Times Square

New Yorkers slid down the freshly fallen snow on Pilgrim Hill in Central Park on Thursday (December 17), making the best of the winter storm that marched up the U.S. East Coast the night before.

New Yorkers enjoy wintry mix

The United States is grappling with a massive cyberattack. As many as 12 federal agencies have been targetted in what is being described as the biggest cyber raid in years.&nbsp;

US officials say Russian hackers have been monitoring and reading Washington's confidential emails for months.

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-intel-agencies-warn-of-an-ongoing-cyber-attack-on-government-350392">US intel agencies warn of an ongoing cyber attack on government</a>

The Treasury Department, the US Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the State Department and National Institutes of Health have all been compromised.&nbsp;

But, how did the cyberattack come to light? This report attempts to decode.&nbsp;

The attack was discovered by a cybersecurity company called FireEye.

It all began in March when hackers reportedly inserted malware into software updates that were being sent to government and private sector clients of an IT company named as Solar Winds.&nbsp;

Solar Winds believes fewer than 18,000 systems have been compromised.&nbsp;

Though the news of the breach is out in the open, the scale of damage has not been ascertained.&nbsp;

Who is behind the cyberattack?

Some US officials have blamed 'nation-state hackers', while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pointing a finger at archrival Russia.&nbsp;

The FBI called it a "significant and ongoing cybersecurity campaign".

Russia has denied any wrongdoing, with its embassy in the US saying: "Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain". 
&nbsp;&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

The United States is grappling with a massive cyberattack. As many as 12 federal agencies have been targetted in what is being described as the biggest cyber raid in years.

The United States is grappling with a massive cyberattack. As many as 12 federal agencies have been targetted in what is being described as the biggest cyber raid in years. US officials say Russian hackers have been monitoring and reading Washington's confidential emails for months. Also read | US intel agencies warn of an ongoing cyber attack on government The Treasury Department, the US Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense, the State Department and National Institutes of Health have all been compromised. But, how did the cyberattack come to light? This report attempts to decode. The attack was discovered by a cybersecurity company called FireEye. It all began in March when hackers reportedly inserted malware into software updates that were being sent to government and private sector clients of an IT company named as Solar Winds. Solar Winds believes fewer than 18,000 systems have been compromised. Though the news of the breach is out in the open, the scale of damage has not been ascertained. Who is behind the cyberattack? Some US officials have blamed 'nation-state hackers', while US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is pointing a finger at archrival Russia. The FBI called it a "significant and ongoing cybersecurity campaign". Russia has denied any wrongdoing, with its embassy in the US saying: "Russia does not conduct offensive operations in the cyber domain".

Explained: What is massive cyberattack in US all about?

"Lack of partner country engagement" were the words used by the US embassy in Sri Lanka for withdrawing USD 480 million grant to the country on Thursday.

The decision was formally announced now but the fate of the aid was decided about seven months ago&nbsp;

In June, the US embassy said that Sri Lanka has not spent even a single penny from the grant with preparatory activities either being cancelled or postponed.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/coronavirus-politics-rajapaksa-denies-minorities-in-sri-lanka-basic-dignity-in-death-350016">Coronavirus politics: Rajapaksa denies minorities in Sri Lanka basic dignity in death</a>

A review committee report said that American aid poses a risk to Sri Lanka's sovereignty and national security.&nbsp;

The opposition raised doubts over this assessment but failed to make an impact.&nbsp;

As the US is out of the picture now, the ground is clear for China to make inroads in Sri Lanka.&nbsp;

The Rajapaksa administration has given green light to several Chinese projects, including building a 13 billion dollar port city on Sri Lanka's seafront.&nbsp;

It will be built on 660 acres of land near Colombo City Centre.&nbsp;

Also, a 300 million tyre plan for Shandong Haohua Tire is coming up in Sri Lanka's Hambantota with several large projects backed by Chinese in the pipeline.&nbsp;

Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka has already hinted that they are ready to invest in "many projects" in the country.

During the diplomat's meeting with the Lankan speaker, he also hoped of building another tyre factory worth 600 million dollars in Matugama.&nbsp;

All this suggests that the Rajapaksas are betting on China to take the island nation forward amid an economic crisis.&nbsp;

Sri Lanka's debt crisis is far from over and the nation owed 50.8 billion dollars by June this year with China accounting 10 per cent of this debt.&nbsp;

In the next three years, Colombo has to pay four billion dollars annually on average as foreign debt payments.&nbsp;

In 2017, Sri Lanka leased the Hambantota Port to China for 99 years after failing to keep up its payments.&nbsp;

Despite this loss, the island nation has not lost appetite for Chinese debt as last year 43 per cent of its loans on major projects came from China. &nbsp;

And by giving green signal to more infrastructure projects, the Rajapaksas are pushing Sri Lanka further into Beijing's trap.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

"Lack of partner country engagement" were the words used by the US embassy in Sri Lanka for withdrawing USD 480 million grant to the country on Thursday. The decision was formally announced now but the fate of the aid was decided about seven months ago In June, the US embassy said that Sri Lanka has not spent even a single penny from the grant with preparatory activities either being cancelled or postponed.

"Lack of partner country engagement" were the words used by the US embassy in Sri Lanka for withdrawing USD 480 million grant to the country on Thursday. The decision was formally announced now but the fate of the aid was decided about seven months ago In June, the US embassy said that Sri Lanka has not spent even a single penny from the grant with preparatory activities either being cancelled or postponed. Also read | Coronavirus politics: Rajapaksa denies minorities in Sri Lanka basic dignity in death A review committee report said that American aid poses a risk to Sri Lanka's sovereignty and national security. The opposition raised doubts over this assessment but failed to make an impact. As the US is out of the picture now, the ground is clear for China to make inroads in Sri Lanka. The Rajapaksa administration has given green light to several Chinese projects, including building a 13 billion dollar port city on Sri Lanka's seafront. It will be built on 660 acres of land near Colombo City Centre. Also, a 300 million tyre plan for Shandong Haohua Tire is coming up in Sri Lanka's Hambantota with several large projects backed by Chinese in the pipeline. Chinese ambassador to Sri Lanka has already hinted that they are ready to invest in "many projects" in the country. During the diplomat's meeting with the Lankan speaker, he also hoped of building another tyre factory worth 600 million dollars in Matugama. All this suggests that the Rajapaksas are betting on China to take the island nation forward amid an economic crisis. Sri Lanka's debt crisis is far from over and the nation owed 50.8 billion dollars by June this year with China accounting 10 per cent of this debt. In the next three years, Colombo has to pay four billion dollars annually on average as foreign debt payments. In 2017, Sri Lanka leased the Hambantota Port to China for 99 years after failing to keep up its payments. Despite this loss, the island nation has not lost appetite for Chinese debt as last year 43 per cent of its loans on major projects came from China. And by giving green signal to more infrastructure projects, the Rajapaksas are pushing Sri Lanka further into Beijing's trap.

As US withdraws aid, Chinese mission to push Sri Lanka further into debt succeeds

US experts will meet Thursday to decide whether to recommend approval of Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use.

Moderna vaccine inches closer to emergency use approval in United States

As coronavirus cases surge across California, a Los Angeles holiday-themed drive-thru experience is allowing visitors to enjoy a traditional Christmas light display from the safety of their own cars.

Californians enjoy snow, millions of lights and Santa, without leaving their cars 

After getting a shot of Pfizer COVID vaccine a health care worker in Alaska developed a allergic reaction, the person recieved the shot on Tuesday and begin feeling flushed and breathing problem, officials ultimately determine the reaction as "Anaphylaxis"

Alaska health worker suffer "Anaphylaxis" ater a shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccine is likely to be authorised on friday in U.S., Moderna vaccine will be the second authorised vaccine in United States for the emergency purposes.

United States near to second COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use

Facing the prospect of a grim Christmas with spiking coronavirus cases and tightened restrictions, Los Angeles residents are determined to keep the Christmas spirit alive by shopping for the perfect Christmas trees.

Pining for Christmas: Californians find joy in buying Christmas trees

The Washington National Cathedral tolled its bells 300 times on Tuesday evening (December 15) in memory of the 300,000 Americans who died of COVID-19.

Washington National Cathedral bells toll for the 300,000 U.S. victims of COVID-19

The United States is said to get the second vaccine against COVID-19 as soon as the end of the week. Country's FDA intense to authorise for emergency use of second vaccine soon.

U.S. may get approval for another vaccine's emergency use against COVID-19

Donald Trump's legal campaign to subvert the election is nearly over, with the victory of Joe Biden announced by the Electoral College of the United States.

United States: Top republicans recognise Joe Biden's victory

The United States Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has approved the country's first at home COVID -19 testing kit. This is the first over the counter covid testing kit to be approved by the drug regulator.

United States FDA approves country's first at home COVID-19 testing kit

United States has imposed sanctions on Turkey on Monday over its purchase of S-400 Russian missile defence system. The outgoing Trump administration implemented penalties against the NATO ally over its 2019 purchase.

U.S. imposes sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian missile defence system

According to authorities the first phase of highly awaited Pfizer-Biotech vaccine rollout is all set to start from Monday onwards. 145 sites across U.S to receive vaccine on Monday. Head of U.S food and drug administration on Saturday said the efforts to distribute in nations first vaccine are well and truly underway.

U.S Pfizer-Biotech vaccine rollout to begin on Monday

A mass vaccination program is underway in the United States to bring the numbers under control in the pandemic that has upended daily life in the United States.

United States: Mass inoculation underway as COVID-19 cases soar

China on Saturday promised incremental new steps to address climate change in the next decade, but signaled that it would not reveal all of its plans before seeing the next moves taken by its main global rival, the United States.

Speaking at an online summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said that by 2030, China would reduce its carbon intensity by over 65%. Carbon intensity is a measure of greenhouse gas emissions relative to economic activity. That goal means that as China’s economy grows, so will its emissions, but at a slower rate than before.

Xi also said China would triple wind and solar power capacity to over 1 billion kilowatts and expand its forests.

Xi has used his recent speeches to international meetings to draw an implicit contrast with the Trump administration’s go-it-alone rhetoric, and Xi’s video speech Saturday also struck that theme.

“In meeting the climate challenge, no one can be aloof and unilateralism will get us nowhere,” Xi said. “Only by upholding multilateralism, unity and cooperation can we deliver shared benefits and win-win for all nations.”

Xi’s statement Saturday came three months after he announced in September that China would reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouses gases that have warmed the planet since the dawn of the industrial era, to net-zero, meaning that China would remove from the atmosphere whatever emissions it could not cut, by 2060.

China, the factory of the world, is the world’s biggest producer of planet-warming gases, and whatever it does to tamp down its emissions is a key to addressing climate change.

China’s greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and Xi’s statement on Saturday reiterated that they would keep growing and peak only some time “before 2030.” That fell short of the timeline that many climate advocates had hoped for: that China would peak its emissions by 2025.

Xi said nothing about setting an absolute limit on China’s carbon dioxide emissions, nor whether or how he planned to reduce the country’s dependence on coal. China is by far the world’s largest consumer of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, and Xi has continued to expand coal-fired power plants at home and abroad.

The statement was a carefully calibrated move to demonstrate that China intends to move more quickly toward a sustainable economy, without revealing a lot of details before a new administration takes over in Washington. “I think China is waiting to see what the Biden administration will announce and can deliver on,” said Jake Schmidt of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They are trying to signal that they’re going to continue to move forward on climate action domestically but they’re also holding back.”

As China’s economy, global status and greenhouse emissions have risen, Beijing has tried to show that it is committed to reducing emissions. But the government also wants to maintain industrial growth and rapid urbanization.

“We will promote greener economic and social development in all respects while pursuing high-quality development,” Xi said in his speech. He is likely to reveal more about how he intends to balance those goals early next year, when China unveils its next five-year plan that will include climate and energy goals.

With the pandemic having postponed the annual international climate negotiations by a full year, the online summit was intended to nudge countries to announce more ambitious climate plans for the short term. António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations and one of the hosts of the summit, called on every country to redirect coronavirus recovery funds away from fossil fuels and toward climate-friendly sectors. “We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet,” he said, calling on world leaders to declare “a climate emergency.”

“Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency?” Guterres said in his address.

Scientists have repeatedly said that it is imperative to halve global greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade in order to stave off the most disastrous effects of climate change, including widening wildfires and the inundation of coastal cities. In the days leading up to the summit, a handful of industrialized countries set emissions reductions goals for the next decade. The European Union on Friday reached agreement with its member nations to slash emissions by 55% over the next decade, relative to 1990 levels. Britain earlier said it would cut its emissions by 68% by 2030, and on Friday announced that it would also stop funding fossil fuel projects abroad with its taxpayer money. Canada said it would substantially increase its levy on carbon dioxide to $170 a ton.

Some smaller countries made notable announcements at the summit as well on Saturday. Pakistan said it would stop building new coal-fired power plants by 2030, noting that it had already shelved plans on some large coal projects. Barbados said it hoped most homes on the island would have rooftop solar panels and electric cars within the next decade, but said that its dangerously high levels of debt in the wake of the pandemic were making its climate goals all the more challenging. Notably, neither France, the host of the Paris Agreement, nor India, a major source of emissions, made new commitments. And there were absences, like Australia, Brazil and the United States.

The departing Trump administration has pulled out of the Paris Agreement altogether. President-elect Joe Biden repeated, in a statement, that he would join the accord on his first day in office and convene an international summit within the first 100 days of his administration.

Environmental advocates had hoped Xi would pledge to reduce carbon intensity more sharply, but the economic downturn spurred by the coronavirus pandemic may have tempered Beijing’s plans. Carbon intensity has traditionally grown with a country’s economy, and so any significant reductions require a major rewiring of the economy.

Li Shuo, a policy analyst at Greenpeace, said China needed to take swift action to implement what it has promised. He noted that China’s post-pandemic recovery package is “anything but green,” as it continues to grow its coal plants and promote infrastructure projects that increase pollution.

“Five years on from Paris, China’s progress remains fragile,” he said. “China’s announcement today is a salute to the Paris Agreement. But there is no time for Champagne. The hard work begins tomorrow.”

China on Saturday promised incremental new steps to address climate change in the next decade, but signaled that it would not reveal all of its plans before seeing the next moves taken by its main global rival, the United States.

China on Saturday promised incremental new steps to address climate change in the next decade, but signaled that it would not reveal all of its plans before seeing the next moves taken by its main global rival, the United States. Speaking at an online summit on the fifth anniversary of the Paris climate agreement, Xi Jinping, China’s leader, said that by 2030, China would reduce its carbon intensity by over 65%. Carbon intensity is a measure of greenhouse gas emissions relative to economic activity. That goal means that as China’s economy grows, so will its emissions, but at a slower rate than before. Xi also said China would triple wind and solar power capacity to over 1 billion kilowatts and expand its forests. Xi has used his recent speeches to international meetings to draw an implicit contrast with the Trump administration’s go-it-alone rhetoric, and Xi’s video speech Saturday also struck that theme. “In meeting the climate challenge, no one can be aloof and unilateralism will get us nowhere,” Xi said. “Only by upholding multilateralism, unity and cooperation can we deliver shared benefits and win-win for all nations.” Xi’s statement Saturday came three months after he announced in September that China would reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide, one of the main greenhouses gases that have warmed the planet since the dawn of the industrial era, to net-zero, meaning that China would remove from the atmosphere whatever emissions it could not cut, by 2060. China, the factory of the world, is the world’s biggest producer of planet-warming gases, and whatever it does to tamp down its emissions is a key to addressing climate change. China’s greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase since the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, and Xi’s statement on Saturday reiterated that they would keep growing and peak only some time “before 2030.” That fell short of the timeline that many climate advocates had hoped for: that China would peak its emissions by 2025. Xi said nothing about setting an absolute limit on China’s carbon dioxide emissions, nor whether or how he planned to reduce the country’s dependence on coal. China is by far the world’s largest consumer of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel, and Xi has continued to expand coal-fired power plants at home and abroad. The statement was a carefully calibrated move to demonstrate that China intends to move more quickly toward a sustainable economy, without revealing a lot of details before a new administration takes over in Washington. “I think China is waiting to see what the Biden administration will announce and can deliver on,” said Jake Schmidt of the Natural Resources Defense Council. “They are trying to signal that they’re going to continue to move forward on climate action domestically but they’re also holding back.” As China’s economy, global status and greenhouse emissions have risen, Beijing has tried to show that it is committed to reducing emissions. But the government also wants to maintain industrial growth and rapid urbanization. “We will promote greener economic and social development in all respects while pursuing high-quality development,” Xi said in his speech. He is likely to reveal more about how he intends to balance those goals early next year, when China unveils its next five-year plan that will include climate and energy goals. With the pandemic having postponed the annual international climate negotiations by a full year, the online summit was intended to nudge countries to announce more ambitious climate plans for the short term. António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations and one of the hosts of the summit, called on every country to redirect coronavirus recovery funds away from fossil fuels and toward climate-friendly sectors. “We cannot use these resources to lock in policies that burden future generations with a mountain of debt on a broken planet,” he said, calling on world leaders to declare “a climate emergency.” “Can anybody still deny that we are facing a dramatic emergency?” Guterres said in his address. Scientists have repeatedly said that it is imperative to halve global greenhouse gas emissions within the next decade in order to stave off the most disastrous effects of climate change, including widening wildfires and the inundation of coastal cities. In the days leading up to the summit, a handful of industrialized countries set emissions reductions goals for the next decade. The European Union on Friday reached agreement with its member nations to slash emissions by 55% over the next decade, relative to 1990 levels. Britain earlier said it would cut its emissions by 68% by 2030, and on Friday announced that it would also stop funding fossil fuel projects abroad with its taxpayer money. Canada said it would substantially increase its levy on carbon dioxide to $170 a ton. Some smaller countries made notable announcements at the summit as well on Saturday. Pakistan said it would stop building new coal-fired power plants by 2030, noting that it had already shelved plans on some large coal projects. Barbados said it hoped most homes on the island would have rooftop solar panels and electric cars within the next decade, but said that its dangerously high levels of debt in the wake of the pandemic were making its climate goals all the more challenging. Notably, neither France, the host of the Paris Agreement, nor India, a major source of emissions, made new commitments. And there were absences, like Australia, Brazil and the United States. The departing Trump administration has pulled out of the Paris Agreement altogether. President-elect Joe Biden repeated, in a statement, that he would join the accord on his first day in office and convene an international summit within the first 100 days of his administration. Environmental advocates had hoped Xi would pledge to reduce carbon intensity more sharply, but the economic downturn spurred by the coronavirus pandemic may have tempered Beijing’s plans. Carbon intensity has traditionally grown with a country’s economy, and so any significant reductions require a major rewiring of the economy. Li Shuo, a policy analyst at Greenpeace, said China needed to take swift action to implement what it has promised. He noted that China’s post-pandemic recovery package is “anything but green,” as it continues to grow its coal plants and promote infrastructure projects that increase pollution. “Five years on from Paris, China’s progress remains fragile,” he said. “China’s announcement today is a salute to the Paris Agreement. But there is no time for Champagne. The hard work begins tomorrow.”

China, in nudge to US, makes a new promise to tackle global warming

Being ambitious is good, but unchecked ambition can invite trouble. And so is the position of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose ambitions have put his country in trouble.&nbsp;

Erdogan wanted to be a caliph, unseat Saudi Arabia's position and befriend both arch-rivals US and Russia. He also wanted Turkey to lead the European Union.&nbsp;

However, Erdogan has single-handedly upset the entire world and put his country into an uncertain and isolated future.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-impose-sanctions-on-turkey-over-russian-s-400-defense-system-349164">US to impose sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 defense system</a>

The list of Erdogan's misdeeds is only growing ever since he came to power.&nbsp;

"We have unanimously observed that Turkey has continued with its provocations," said French President Emmanuel Macron. &nbsp;

The EU is not pleased with Ankara and is pressing sanctions.&nbsp;

Erdogan has sent a gas exploration ship to waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus and also angered France by his actions.&nbsp;

He has called Macron a "burden on France" and also questioned his mental health. This is because Macron spoke against radical Islamists.&nbsp;

Erdogan intends to lead the Muslim world but his actions have offended other Muslim nations.&nbsp;

He is already on the wrong side of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and in 2019 joined then Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad for an Islamic conference.&nbsp;

Iran too was a part of this conference. But, Erdogan found a way to upset Tehran too.&nbsp;

He recited a politically incorrect poem during his visit to Azerbaijan.&nbsp;

Turkey's role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has also not gone down well with Russia.&nbsp;

Russia and Turkey were at the opposing ends of the conflict and when Kremlin managed to get Baku and Yerevan sign a peace deal, Erdogan landed in Azerbaijan to fan the flames again.&nbsp;

"My dear brother (Azerbaijan president) Ilham Aliyev had some advice for the French. What did he say? 'If they love Armenians so much, then they should give Marseilles to the Armenians," said Erdogan. &nbsp;

It is said enemy's enemy is your friend and in Erdogan's case, Russia's rival US is slapping sanctions on Turkey.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
The US is upset with Erdogan for purchasing S-400 missile defence systems from Russia.&nbsp;

Erdogan has managed to incite India too by calling Kashmir a "burning issue".

So let's take a look at Ankara's friends now.

The EU is angry and so is France, India, the US, Russia and the Arab world.

Apparently, the world is one on the side and Turkey on another.&nbsp;

Being ambitious is good, but unchecked ambition can invite trouble. And so is the position of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose ambitions have put his country in trouble.

Being ambitious is good, but unchecked ambition can invite trouble. And so is the position of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan whose ambitions have put his country in trouble. Erdogan wanted to be a caliph, unseat Saudi Arabia's position and befriend both arch-rivals US and Russia. He also wanted Turkey to lead the European Union. However, Erdogan has single-handedly upset the entire world and put his country into an uncertain and isolated future. Also read | US to impose sanctions on Turkey over Russian S-400 defense system The list of Erdogan's misdeeds is only growing ever since he came to power. "We have unanimously observed that Turkey has continued with its provocations," said French President Emmanuel Macron. The EU is not pleased with Ankara and is pressing sanctions. Erdogan has sent a gas exploration ship to waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus and also angered France by his actions. He has called Macron a "burden on France" and also questioned his mental health. This is because Macron spoke against radical Islamists. Erdogan intends to lead the Muslim world but his actions have offended other Muslim nations. He is already on the wrong side of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and in 2019 joined then Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad for an Islamic conference. Iran too was a part of this conference. But, Erdogan found a way to upset Tehran too. He recited a politically incorrect poem during his visit to Azerbaijan. Turkey's role in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has also not gone down well with Russia. Russia and Turkey were at the opposing ends of the conflict and when Kremlin managed to get Baku and Yerevan sign a peace deal, Erdogan landed in Azerbaijan to fan the flames again. "My dear brother (Azerbaijan president) Ilham Aliyev had some advice for the French. What did he say? 'If they love Armenians so much, then they should give Marseilles to the Armenians," said Erdogan. It is said enemy's enemy is your friend and in Erdogan's case, Russia's rival US is slapping sanctions on Turkey. The US is upset with Erdogan for purchasing S-400 missile defence systems from Russia. Erdogan has managed to incite India too by calling Kashmir a "burning issue". So let's take a look at Ankara's friends now. The EU is angry and so is France, India, the US, Russia and the Arab world. Apparently, the world is one on the side and Turkey on another.

EU, US...the list goes on: Erdogan's ambitions has put Turkey in a corner

United States' Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine against the infection of COVID-19 for emergency use. This will be the first Coronavirus vaccine to get an approval in the United States of America.

United States' FDA authorises Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use

U.S supreme court has dismissed a long-shot bid by President Donald Trump and the state of taxes to overturn the election results in 4 states that were won by Joe Biden. Supreme court Blocks Donald Trump's legal path to reverse the loss.

U.S. supreme court rejects Texas lawsuit

After Russia accused United States-led West of trying to undermine its ties with India, India has replied saying that its relations with Moscow stand on their own merit.

India: Relations with Moscow based on its own merit

Alex Azar, the Health Secretary of the United States, has claimed that country could start its mass vaccination program against COVID-19 pandemic as early as Monday.

US Health Secy: Country could start its mass vaccination program as early as Monday

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