The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 157.2 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.27 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.&nbsp;

In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 157,250,537 and 3,278,007, respectively. &nbsp;

The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 32,685,864 and 581,511, respectively, according to the CSSE.&nbsp;

In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 21,892,676 cases.&nbsp;

The other countries with more than two million confirmed coronavirus cases are Brazil (15,145,879), France (5,829,166), Turkey (5,016,141), Russia (4,816,331), the UK (4,448,808), Italy (4,102,921), Spain (3,567,408), Germany (3,520,392), Argentina (3,136,158), Colombia (2,985,536), Poland (2,829,196), Iran (2,640,670), Mexico (2,361,874) and Ukraine (2,169,650), the CSSE figures showed.&nbsp;

In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 421,316 fatalities. Nations with a death toll of over 50,000 are India (238,270), Mexico (218,657), the UK (127,863), Italy (122,694), Russia (111,097), France (106,438), Germany (84,668), Spain (78,792), Colombia (77,359), Iran (74,241), Poland (74,524), Argentina (69,866), Peru (67,042) and South Africa (54,687).

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 157.2 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.27 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

The overall global Covid-19 caseload has topped 157.2 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 3.27 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University. In its latest update on Sunday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 157,250,537 and 3,278,007, respectively. The US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths at 32,685,864 and 581,511, respectively, according to the CSSE. In terms of infections, India follows in the second place with 21,892,676 cases. The other countries with more than two million confirmed coronavirus cases are Brazil (15,145,879), France (5,829,166), Turkey (5,016,141), Russia (4,816,331), the UK (4,448,808), Italy (4,102,921), Spain (3,567,408), Germany (3,520,392), Argentina (3,136,158), Colombia (2,985,536), Poland (2,829,196), Iran (2,640,670), Mexico (2,361,874) and Ukraine (2,169,650), the CSSE figures showed. In terms of deaths, Brazil comes second with 421,316 fatalities. Nations with a death toll of over 50,000 are India (238,270), Mexico (218,657), the UK (127,863), Italy (122,694), Russia (111,097), France (106,438), Germany (84,668), Spain (78,792), Colombia (77,359), Iran (74,241), Poland (74,524), Argentina (69,866), Peru (67,042) and South Africa (54,687). (With inputs from agencies)

Global Covid-19 caseload tops 157.2 million 

The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church has said that atrocities amounting to genocide are being committed in Tigray, in his first comments on the conflict in the region that broke out in November and has killed thousands.

Abune Mathias, who has been head of the church since 2013, did not say who was responsible for this. He spoke in a video message that was posted on Twitter on Friday by an American religious charity worker.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/food-water-shelter-for-children-remains-a-challenge-in-tigray-382903/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Dennis Wadley, who heads a US-based church group called Bridge of Hope International, said Abune Mathias had asked him to post the video. "He wanted the world to know the truth regarding what was happening in Tigray," Wadley told Reuters.

Fighting erupted in early November in Tigray between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a party that dominated the national government until three years ago. The government declared victory at the end of November and says the region is returning to normal. Aid groups say many parts of Tigray remain unreachable due to ongoing conflict.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="G7 effect: Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have 'started to evacuate' Tigray">G7 effect: Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have 'started to evacuate' Tigray</a>

The video begins with Abune Mathias addressing all Ethiopians and the international community.

"Nowadays, all over Ethiopia in general and in Tigray in particular, many barbarisms have been conducted," he said.

Later in the video, he said: "Genocide is being committed now," before describing alleged atrocities such as the raping of women and the bombing and other types of destruction of churches.

The head of a government taskforce on Tigray, Redwan Hussein, did not respond to a request for comment about the video on Saturday.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has said in the past it is dismayed by the deaths of civilians in the war and that it is committed to investigating all alleged abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice.

Abune Mathias, who is ethnic Tigrayan and is based in Addis Ababa, said in the video that he has been prevented from speaking out about atrocities. He did not specify who prevented him from speaking out.

Wadley said he had recorded the video on his phone during a visit to Ethiopia. "Abune Mathias did not write this out or prepare. He sat for about 10 seconds in silence and then spoke for just over 14 minutes as you can see in the video. It was from his heart in a single take with no editing."

Wadley said Abune Mathias asked him to post the video when he returned to the United States.

It was not possible to contact Abune Mathias on Saturday or Sunday. A member of the patriarch's communications office told Reuters on Saturday that he had not seen the video, and did not respond to subsequent phone calls requesting comment.

Since the outbreak of war in Tigray, Abiy has faced calls including from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to end hostilities there and protect civilians.

In February, the Ethiopian foreign ministry said that the government takes its responsibility for the safety, security, and well-being of all citizens very seriously and is "fully committed to undertake thorough investigations" into alleged abuses and bring perpetrators to justice.

It added the government had a duty to hold the nation together in the face of "treasonous and divisive forces."

The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church has said that atrocities amounting to genocide are being committed in Tigray, in his first comments on the conflict in the region that broke out in November and has killed thousands.

The head of Ethiopia's Orthodox Church has said that atrocities amounting to genocide are being committed in Tigray, in his first comments on the conflict in the region that broke out in November and has killed thousands. Abune Mathias, who has been head of the church since 2013, did not say who was responsible for this. He spoke in a video message that was posted on Twitter on Friday by an American religious charity worker. Watch | Dennis Wadley, who heads a US-based church group called Bridge of Hope International, said Abune Mathias had asked him to post the video. "He wanted the world to know the truth regarding what was happening in Tigray," Wadley told Reuters. Fighting erupted in early November in Tigray between federal forces and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), a party that dominated the national government until three years ago. The government declared victory at the end of November and says the region is returning to normal. Aid groups say many parts of Tigray remain unreachable due to ongoing conflict. Also read | G7 effect: Ethiopia says Eritrean troops have 'started to evacuate' Tigray The video begins with Abune Mathias addressing all Ethiopians and the international community. "Nowadays, all over Ethiopia in general and in Tigray in particular, many barbarisms have been conducted," he said. Later in the video, he said: "Genocide is being committed now," before describing alleged atrocities such as the raping of women and the bombing and other types of destruction of churches. The head of a government taskforce on Tigray, Redwan Hussein, did not respond to a request for comment about the video on Saturday. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's government has said in the past it is dismayed by the deaths of civilians in the war and that it is committed to investigating all alleged abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice. Abune Mathias, who is ethnic Tigrayan and is based in Addis Ababa, said in the video that he has been prevented from speaking out about atrocities. He did not specify who prevented him from speaking out. Wadley said he had recorded the video on his phone during a visit to Ethiopia. "Abune Mathias did not write this out or prepare. He sat for about 10 seconds in silence and then spoke for just over 14 minutes as you can see in the video. It was from his heart in a single take with no editing." Wadley said Abune Mathias asked him to post the video when he returned to the United States. It was not possible to contact Abune Mathias on Saturday or Sunday. A member of the patriarch's communications office told Reuters on Saturday that he had not seen the video, and did not respond to subsequent phone calls requesting comment. Since the outbreak of war in Tigray, Abiy has faced calls including from U.S. President Joe Biden's administration to end hostilities there and protect civilians. In February, the Ethiopian foreign ministry said that the government takes its responsibility for the safety, security, and well-being of all citizens very seriously and is "fully committed to undertake thorough investigations" into alleged abuses and bring perpetrators to justice. It added the government had a duty to hold the nation together in the face of "treasonous and divisive forces."

Ethiopian Orthodox Church head says genocide is taking place in Tigray

The State Department said on Friday, it is allowing non-essential diplomats and the families of all American staff at the US Embassy in Kathmandu to leave Nepal at government expense due a surge in coronavirus cases. &nbsp;

The department also advised private Americans to reconsider any plans they may have to visit the Himalayan country and asked those already there, who wish to leave to submit information to the embassy. That step suggests the embassy may organise charter flights out of the country in the absence of regularly scheduled commercial flights. &nbsp;

"On May 7, the Department of State authorised the voluntary departure of family members of US government employees and non-emergency US Government employees from Nepal," the department said. "Commercial flights departing Nepal are currently not regularly available. US citizens, who wish to depart Nepal, should register their interest with the embassy."&nbsp;

Nepal borders India, which is seeing a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases. The State Department has already implemented so-called 'authorized departure' for non-essential workers and families of staff at US embassies and consulates in India.&nbsp;

Doctors in Nepal have warned of a major crisis as daily cases hit record highs and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. Nepal reported 9,070 new confirmed cases on Thursday, compared with 298 a month ago. The number of fatalities also reached peaks with 58 on Wednesday and 54 on Thursday, for a total of 3,529. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The State Department said on Friday, it is allowing non-essential diplomats and the families of all American staff at the US Embassy in Kathmandu to leave Nepal at government expense due a surge in coronavirus cases.

The State Department said on Friday, it is allowing non-essential diplomats and the families of all American staff at the US Embassy in Kathmandu to leave Nepal at government expense due a surge in coronavirus cases. The department also advised private Americans to reconsider any plans they may have to visit the Himalayan country and asked those already there, who wish to leave to submit information to the embassy. That step suggests the embassy may organise charter flights out of the country in the absence of regularly scheduled commercial flights. "On May 7, the Department of State authorised the voluntary departure of family members of US government employees and non-emergency US Government employees from Nepal," the department said. "Commercial flights departing Nepal are currently not regularly available. US citizens, who wish to depart Nepal, should register their interest with the embassy." Nepal borders India, which is seeing a devastating surge in COVID-19 cases. The State Department has already implemented so-called 'authorized departure' for non-essential workers and families of staff at US embassies and consulates in India. Doctors in Nepal have warned of a major crisis as daily cases hit record highs and hospitals were running out of beds and oxygen. Nepal reported 9,070 new confirmed cases on Thursday, compared with 298 a month ago. The number of fatalities also reached peaks with 58 on Wednesday and 54 on Thursday, for a total of 3,529. (With inputs from agencies)

US allows diplomats, embassy families to leave Nepal 

NASA's&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;rover&nbsp;has for the first time captured the low-pitched whirring of the&nbsp;Ingenuity&nbsp;helicopter's blades as it flies through the rarefied Martian atmosphere.

The space agency&nbsp;on&nbsp;Friday released new footage shot by the six-wheeled robot of its rotorcraft companion making its fourth flight&nbsp;on&nbsp;April 30 -- this time accompanied by an audio track.

Also read |<a href="NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter flies faster, farther on third flight">&nbsp;NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter flies faster, farther on third flight</a>

The nearly three-minute-long video begins with the low rumble of wind blowing across the Jezero Crater, where&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;landed in February&nbsp;on&nbsp;a mission to search for signs of ancient microbes.

Ingenuity&nbsp;takes off, and its blades can be heard humming softly as they spin at nearly 2,400 rpm&nbsp;on&nbsp;the 872-foot (262-meter) roundtrip.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="NASA's Mars helicopter makes second flight">NASA's Mars helicopter makes second flight</a>

The mission's engineers weren't sure they would pick up the flight&nbsp;sound&nbsp;at all, given that&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;was parked 262 feet (80 meters) away from the takeoff and landing spot.&nbsp;

The Martian atmosphere is about one percent the density of our planet's, making everything much quieter than&nbsp;on&nbsp;Earth.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="In a first, Perseverance Mars rover makes oxygen on another planet">In a first, Perseverance Mars rover makes oxygen on another planet</a>

"This is a very good surprise," said David Mimoun, a professor of planetary science at Institut Superieur de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO) in Toulouse, France, and science lead for the SuperCam&nbsp;Mars&nbsp;microphone.&nbsp;

"We had carried out tests and simulations that told us the microphone would barely pick up the sounds of the helicopter, as the&nbsp;Mars&nbsp;atmosphere damps the&nbsp;sound&nbsp;propagation strongly," he added.

The SuperCam is an instrument&nbsp;on&nbsp;board&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;that laser-zaps rocks from a distance, in order to study their vapor with a device called a spectrometer that reveals their chemical composition.&nbsp;

It also comes with a microphone to record the sounds, which yields additional insights into the physical properties of the targets, like how hard they are.

Similarly, explained Mimoun, the new recording of&nbsp;Ingenuity's flight "will be a gold mine for our understanding of the Martian atmosphere."

Apart from having a lower volume, sounds emitted&nbsp;on&nbsp;Mars&nbsp;travel slower than they do&nbsp;on&nbsp;Earth, because of cold temperatures, which average -81 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 degrees Celsius)&nbsp;on&nbsp;the surface.

The speed of&nbsp;sound&nbsp;on&nbsp;the planet is therefore around 540 mph (roughly 240 meters per second), compared to about 760 mph (roughly 340 meters per second) here.

The atmosphere of&nbsp;Mars, made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide, tends to absorb higher-pitched sounds, so only lower-pitched sounds can travel long distances.

NASA enhanced the audio, which was recorded in mono, by isolating the pitch of the helicopter blades at 84 hertz, and reducing audio at frequencies below 80 and above 90 hertz. They then increased the volume of the remaining signal.

Soren Madsen,&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;payload development manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the recording was an example of how the mission's instruments are able to work in tandem to enhance our understanding of the Red Planet.

As&nbsp;Ingenuity&nbsp;moves away from&nbsp;Perseverance&nbsp;and out of shot, the pitch decreases and as it returns the pitch increases.&nbsp;

This is known as the Doppler effect, and it provides an additional layer of confirmation of the helicopter's flight path when it is out of visual range.

Ingenuity&nbsp;made the first powered, controlled flight&nbsp;on&nbsp;another planet&nbsp;on&nbsp;April 19, and flew a fifth time&nbsp;on&nbsp;Friday at 3:26 pm Eastern Time (1926 GMT).&nbsp;

After receiving telemetry data several hours later, NASA confirmed the flight's success&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter, posting a new picture of the chopper taken from&nbsp;Perseverance.

Friday's sortie was&nbsp;Ingenuity's first one-way trip, setting the stage for it to begin a new job as&nbsp;Perseverance's scout.

The next phase extends the rotocraft's mission beyond the original month-long technology demonstration. Now, the goal is to assess how well flyers can help future exploration of&nbsp;Mars&nbsp;and other worlds.

The four pound (1.8 kilogram) mini-chopper was given this assignment after proving itself more robust than its engineers had anticipated.

Perseverance's science team also decided they wanted to stay in the immediate surroundings longer than they first thought, making it possible for the two robots to work together.

The type of reconnaissance&nbsp;Ingenuity&nbsp;performs could one day also prove useful to human missions, by scoping out the best paths for explorers to traverse, and reaching locations that aren't otherwise possible.

NASA's Perseverance rover has for the first time captured the low-pitched whirring of the Ingenuity helicopter's blades as it flies through the rarefied Martian atmosphere.

NASA's Perseverance rover has for the first time captured the low-pitched whirring of the Ingenuity helicopter's blades as it flies through the rarefied Martian atmosphere. The space agency on Friday released new footage shot by the six-wheeled robot of its rotorcraft companion making its fourth flight on April 30 -- this time accompanied by an audio track. Also read | NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter flies faster, farther on third flight The nearly three-minute-long video begins with the low rumble of wind blowing across the Jezero Crater, where Perseverance landed in February on a mission to search for signs of ancient microbes. Ingenuity takes off, and its blades can be heard humming softly as they spin at nearly 2,400 rpm on the 872-foot (262-meter) roundtrip. Also read | NASA's Mars helicopter makes second flight The mission's engineers weren't sure they would pick up the flight sound at all, given that Perseverance was parked 262 feet (80 meters) away from the takeoff and landing spot. The Martian atmosphere is about one percent the density of our planet's, making everything much quieter than on Earth. Also read | In a first, Perseverance Mars rover makes oxygen on another planet "This is a very good surprise," said David Mimoun, a professor of planetary science at Institut Superieur de l'Aeronautique et de l'Espace (ISAE-SUPAERO) in Toulouse, France, and science lead for the SuperCam Mars microphone. "We had carried out tests and simulations that told us the microphone would barely pick up the sounds of the helicopter, as the Mars atmosphere damps the sound propagation strongly," he added. The SuperCam is an instrument on board Perseverance that laser-zaps rocks from a distance, in order to study their vapor with a device called a spectrometer that reveals their chemical composition. It also comes with a microphone to record the sounds, which yields additional insights into the physical properties of the targets, like how hard they are. Similarly, explained Mimoun, the new recording of Ingenuity's flight "will be a gold mine for our understanding of the Martian atmosphere." Apart from having a lower volume, sounds emitted on Mars travel slower than they do on Earth, because of cold temperatures, which average -81 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 degrees Celsius) on the surface. The speed of sound on the planet is therefore around 540 mph (roughly 240 meters per second), compared to about 760 mph (roughly 340 meters per second) here. The atmosphere of Mars, made up of 96 percent carbon dioxide, tends to absorb higher-pitched sounds, so only lower-pitched sounds can travel long distances. NASA enhanced the audio, which was recorded in mono, by isolating the pitch of the helicopter blades at 84 hertz, and reducing audio at frequencies below 80 and above 90 hertz. They then increased the volume of the remaining signal. Soren Madsen, Perseverance payload development manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said the recording was an example of how the mission's instruments are able to work in tandem to enhance our understanding of the Red Planet. As Ingenuity moves away from Perseverance and out of shot, the pitch decreases and as it returns the pitch increases. This is known as the Doppler effect, and it provides an additional layer of confirmation of the helicopter's flight path when it is out of visual range. Ingenuity made the first powered, controlled flight on another planet on April 19, and flew a fifth time on Friday at 3:26 pm Eastern Time (1926 GMT). After receiving telemetry data several hours later, NASA confirmed the flight's success on Twitter, posting a new picture of the chopper taken from Perseverance. Friday's sortie was Ingenuity's first one-way trip, setting the stage for it to begin a new job as Perseverance's scout. The next phase extends the rotocraft's mission beyond the original month-long technology demonstration. Now, the goal is to assess how well flyers can help future exploration of Mars and other worlds. The four pound (1.8 kilogram) mini-chopper was given this assignment after proving itself more robust than its engineers had anticipated. Perseverance's science team also decided they wanted to stay in the immediate surroundings longer than they first thought, making it possible for the two robots to work together. The type of reconnaissance Ingenuity performs could one day also prove useful to human missions, by scoping out the best paths for explorers to traverse, and reaching locations that aren't otherwise possible.

Perseverance rover captures sound of Ingenuity flying on Mars

The United States will join an international bid to stamp out violent&nbsp;extremism&nbsp;online, the White House said Friday, some two years after the Trump administration declined to do so.&nbsp;

Biden administration spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington "will join the&nbsp;Christchurch&nbsp;Call&nbsp;to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content&nbsp;Online, a global pledge by member governments and technology partners to work together to address terrorist and violent extremist content&nbsp;online."

The initiative is named after the New Zealand city where a far-right gunman massacred 51 people at two mosques in 2019 while broadcasting his rampage live on Facebook.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="‘Are you like this doggy?’ US embassy asked Chinese students. It backfired.">‘Are you like this doggy?’ US embassy asked Chinese students. It backfired.</a>

"Countering the use of the&nbsp;internet&nbsp;by terrorists and violent extremists to radicalize and recruit is a significant priority for the United States," Psaki said.

"Joining the coalition of governments and companies that have endorsed the&nbsp;Christchurch&nbsp;Call&nbsp;to Action reinforces the need for collective action."

In 2019 the United States cited protecting free speech when it declined to join the&nbsp;call, led by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron, though Washington stressed that it did back the initiative's aims.

Psaki said free speech remained a concern.

"The United States applauds language in the&nbsp;Christchurch&nbsp;Call&nbsp;emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law, including the protection of freedom of expression," her statement said.

"In joining the&nbsp;Christchurch&nbsp;Call, the United States will not take steps that would violate the freedoms of speech and association protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, nor violate reasonable expectations of privacy."

She said the US will participate in a virtual summit on May 14.

The United States will join an international bid to stamp out violent extremism online, the White House said Friday, some two years after the Trump administration declined to do so.

The United States will join an international bid to stamp out violent extremism online, the White House said Friday, some two years after the Trump administration declined to do so. Biden administration spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington "will join the Christchurch Call to Action to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online, a global pledge by member governments and technology partners to work together to address terrorist and violent extremist content online." The initiative is named after the New Zealand city where a far-right gunman massacred 51 people at two mosques in 2019 while broadcasting his rampage live on Facebook. Also read | ‘Are you like this doggy?’ US embassy asked Chinese students. It backfired. "Countering the use of the internet by terrorists and violent extremists to radicalize and recruit is a significant priority for the United States," Psaki said. "Joining the coalition of governments and companies that have endorsed the Christchurch Call to Action reinforces the need for collective action." In 2019 the United States cited protecting free speech when it declined to join the call, led by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron, though Washington stressed that it did back the initiative's aims. Psaki said free speech remained a concern. "The United States applauds language in the Christchurch Call emphasizing the importance of respecting human rights and the rule of law, including the protection of freedom of expression," her statement said. "In joining the Christchurch Call, the United States will not take steps that would violate the freedoms of speech and association protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, nor violate reasonable expectations of privacy." She said the US will participate in a virtual summit on May 14.

US belatedly joins 'Christchurch Call' against online extremism

US President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected to be able to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and the White House said ongoing differences between the United States and Russia would not need to be resolved in advance of a summit.&nbsp;

Biden told reporters at the White House, he wanted to meet Putin despite Russia's build-up of military forces near Ukraine.&nbsp;

"It does not impact my desire to have a one-on-one meeting and you'll notice he had more troops before. He's withdrawn troops," he said.&nbsp;

Asked about meeting Putin in June, he said: "I'm confident we'll be able to do it. We don't have any specific time or place. That's being worked on."&nbsp;

The United States has said it supports Ukraine amid what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week called Moscow's 'reckless' troop build-up.&nbsp;

Biden and his advisers would like to add a summit with Putin in a third country while the US president is in Europe in mid-June for a Group of Seven meeting in Britain and talks with NATO allies in Brussels.&nbsp;

But negotiations with the Russians on staging the summit are continuing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.&nbsp;

"We're working through the question of some logistics - place, location, time, agenda, all the specifics - that was always going to happen at a staff level. It's really up to them what they want to achieve," she said.&nbsp;

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited by Russian news agency TASS as saying Russia was studying the possibility of a Putin-Biden meeting.&nbsp;

"We continue to analyse the situation," TASS quoted Peskov as saying when asked whether the Russian side has officially agreed to the proposed summit.&nbsp;

The United States has a number of grievances with Russia, including its treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. But Psaki said these grievances do not need to be resolved in advance of a Biden-Putin summit.&nbsp;

"Obviously, human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, values are all issues the president, Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken, National Security Adviser (Jake) Sullivan raised with their counterparts. But the invitation to have a discussion and have a meeting was not offered with the prerequisite that every issue is resolved in advance. We expect we will still continue to have disagreements," she said.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected to be able to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and the White House said ongoing differences between the United States and Russia would not need to be resolved in advance of a summit.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday he expected to be able to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin soon and the White House said ongoing differences between the United States and Russia would not need to be resolved in advance of a summit. Biden told reporters at the White House, he wanted to meet Putin despite Russia's build-up of military forces near Ukraine. "It does not impact my desire to have a one-on-one meeting and you'll notice he had more troops before. He's withdrawn troops," he said. Asked about meeting Putin in June, he said: "I'm confident we'll be able to do it. We don't have any specific time or place. That's being worked on." The United States has said it supports Ukraine amid what US Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week called Moscow's 'reckless' troop build-up. Biden and his advisers would like to add a summit with Putin in a third country while the US president is in Europe in mid-June for a Group of Seven meeting in Britain and talks with NATO allies in Brussels. But negotiations with the Russians on staging the summit are continuing, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters. "We're working through the question of some logistics - place, location, time, agenda, all the specifics - that was always going to happen at a staff level. It's really up to them what they want to achieve," she said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was cited by Russian news agency TASS as saying Russia was studying the possibility of a Putin-Biden meeting. "We continue to analyse the situation," TASS quoted Peskov as saying when asked whether the Russian side has officially agreed to the proposed summit. The United States has a number of grievances with Russia, including its treatment of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny. But Psaki said these grievances do not need to be resolved in advance of a Biden-Putin summit. "Obviously, human rights, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, values are all issues the president, Secretary (of State Antony) Blinken, National Security Adviser (Jake) Sullivan raised with their counterparts. But the invitation to have a discussion and have a meeting was not offered with the prerequisite that every issue is resolved in advance. We expect we will still continue to have disagreements," she said. (With inputs from agencies)

US President Biden says he is confident he can meet Russia's Putin soon 

The European Commission called on Friday on the United States and other major COVID-19 vaccine producers to export what they make as the European Union does, rather than talk about waiving intellectual property rights to the shots.&nbsp;

Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference on the sidelines of a summit of EU leaders that discussions on the waiver would not produce a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the short- to medium-term.&nbsp;

"We should be open to lead this discussion. But when we lead this discussion, there needs to be a 360-degree view on it because we need vaccines now for the whole world," she said.&nbsp;

"The European Union is the only continental or democratic region of this world that is exporting at large scale," von der Leyen said.&nbsp;

She said about 50% of European-produced coronavirus vaccine is exported to almost 90 countries, including those in the World Health Organization-backed COVAX programme.&nbsp;

"And we invite all those, who engage in the debate of a waiver for IP rights also to join us to commit to be willing to export a large share of what is being produced in that region," she said.&nbsp;

Only higher production, removing exports barriers and the sharing of already-ordered vaccines could immediately help fight the pandemic quickly, she said.&nbsp;

"So, what is necessary in the short term and the medium term: First of all, vaccine sharing. Secondly export of vaccines that are being produced. And the third is investment in the increasing of the capacity to manufacture vaccines."&nbsp;

Von der Leyen said the European Union had started its vaccine sharing mechanism, citing delivery of 615,000 doses to the Western Balkans as an example.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The European Commission called on Friday on the United States and other major COVID-19 vaccine producers to export what they make as the European Union does, rather than talk about waiving intellectual property rights to the shots.

The European Commission called on Friday on the United States and other major COVID-19 vaccine producers to export what they make as the European Union does, rather than talk about waiving intellectual property rights to the shots. Commission head Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference on the sidelines of a summit of EU leaders that discussions on the waiver would not produce a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine in the short- to medium-term. "We should be open to lead this discussion. But when we lead this discussion, there needs to be a 360-degree view on it because we need vaccines now for the whole world," she said. "The European Union is the only continental or democratic region of this world that is exporting at large scale," von der Leyen said. She said about 50% of European-produced coronavirus vaccine is exported to almost 90 countries, including those in the World Health Organization-backed COVAX programme. "And we invite all those, who engage in the debate of a waiver for IP rights also to join us to commit to be willing to export a large share of what is being produced in that region," she said. Only higher production, removing exports barriers and the sharing of already-ordered vaccines could immediately help fight the pandemic quickly, she said. "So, what is necessary in the short term and the medium term: First of all, vaccine sharing. Secondly export of vaccines that are being produced. And the third is investment in the increasing of the capacity to manufacture vaccines." Von der Leyen said the European Union had started its vaccine sharing mechanism, citing delivery of 615,000 doses to the Western Balkans as an example. (With inputs from agencies)

EU calls on US, others to export vaccines, rather than talk about IP waiver

Two days after a federal judge struck down a national moratorium on evictions, the Biden administration said Friday that it would accelerate the distribution of vast sums of rental aid that state and local governments have been slow to spend.

The Treasury Department issued new rules meant to make it easier for tenants to gain access to the $46.5 billion in aid. They simplify applications, cover an expanded list of costs like moving expenses and hotel stays, and require programs to help tenants even if their landlords refuse to participate.

Housing advocates praised the changes, which include an expansion of legal aid to tenants and a promise of advice to localities struggling to create the programs, which are intended to avert evictions caused by the economic shocks from the pandemic.

"Wow, this is huge," said Christina Rosales, the deputy director of Texas Housers. "I think this will mean more tenants get the help they need."

But with about 400 state and local governments operating programs with varying degrees of urgency, the immediate effect of the changes is unclear. Some states, including New York and Florida, have not even begun to accept applications.

The sums at stake rival the annual budget of the federal housing department. Congress approved $25 billion of emergency assistance in December and an additional $21.5 billion in March. But only a sliver of that money has reached landlord or tenants so far.

New York has $800 million to spend just from the December allocation, and Florida has $871 million. California, with $1.5 billion to spend, has been accepting applications since March. But it has approved awards of only about $72 million, or 5% of its funds, and paid out less than $5 million.

The Emergency Rental Assistance Program allocates money to states and to cities and counties with populations of at least 200,000 if they chose to run their own programs. Some have simply been slow to act: legislatures in New York and South Carolina did not authorize their programs until April.

Some landlords have declined to participate, betting they have more to gain by forcing out tenants in arrears and attracting those better able to pay.

Two days after a federal judge struck down a national moratorium on evictions, the Biden administration said Friday that it would accelerate the distribution of vast sums of rental aid that state and local governments have been slow to spend.

Two days after a federal judge struck down a national moratorium on evictions, the Biden administration said Friday that it would accelerate the distribution of vast sums of rental aid that state and local governments have been slow to spend. The Treasury Department issued new rules meant to make it easier for tenants to gain access to the $46.5 billion in aid. They simplify applications, cover an expanded list of costs like moving expenses and hotel stays, and require programs to help tenants even if their landlords refuse to participate. Housing advocates praised the changes, which include an expansion of legal aid to tenants and a promise of advice to localities struggling to create the programs, which are intended to avert evictions caused by the economic shocks from the pandemic. "Wow, this is huge," said Christina Rosales, the deputy director of Texas Housers. "I think this will mean more tenants get the help they need." But with about 400 state and local governments operating programs with varying degrees of urgency, the immediate effect of the changes is unclear. Some states, including New York and Florida, have not even begun to accept applications. The sums at stake rival the annual budget of the federal housing department. Congress approved $25 billion of emergency assistance in December and an additional $21.5 billion in March. But only a sliver of that money has reached landlord or tenants so far. New York has $800 million to spend just from the December allocation, and Florida has $871 million. California, with $1.5 billion to spend, has been accepting applications since March. But it has approved awards of only about $72 million, or 5% of its funds, and paid out less than $5 million. The Emergency Rental Assistance Program allocates money to states and to cities and counties with populations of at least 200,000 if they chose to run their own programs. Some have simply been slow to act: legislatures in New York and South Carolina did not authorize their programs until April. Some landlords have declined to participate, betting they have more to gain by forcing out tenants in arrears and attracting those better able to pay.

Biden administration moves to speed aid to renters

You could hear the music from the sidewalk, high-spirited renditions of “Ice Ice Baby” and “MMMBop.”

It was ’90s night at Rumi, a ballroom and event space in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in New York City, and millennials and Gen Zers lined up to get inside. They dressed the part in tracksuits, neon crop tops, denim overalls and scrunchies.

To enter, they had to pass two checkpoints. First, a bouncer verified IDs and took temperatures. Then, Joseph Ko, one of the ballroom’s owners, confirmed that each person had been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The process took about five minutes.

The crowd seemed happy, eager even, to comply. Some flashed their paper vaccination cards, protected in a plastic case or folded into their wallets. “I carry it around with me everywhere,” said Tom Allen, 25, a lawyer in Chelsea, pulling the card out from his passport. He was with eight friends who had been texting days earlier to make sure everyone had the proper documentation.

Catherine Fiorentino, 35, a lawyer who lives in downtown Brooklyn, used an Excelsior Pass, a digital “vaccine passport” created by New York state. “This is the first time I’m going to an Excelsior Pass event. It’s so cool,” she said. “I’m not just excited to get to my first party post-COVID, but I’m excited to spend it with other people who are also vaccinated.”

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises that fully vaccinated people can gather indoors without masks (and stand closer than 6 feet apart), the ballroom took extra precaution, per state guidelines: Each group was assigned to a designated area marked off by white tape. But within each group, it felt like old times: Patrons were dancing, singing at the top of their lungs and smooching on the dance floor.

“I feel like I can drink without a mask on, dance without a mask on and be a little less cautious,” Fiorentino said.

Vaccinated-only parties have started to pop up across the country, especially in and around New York City, where anyone over 16 has been eligible for vaccination since April 6.

Bar and club owners in New York are not required to check for vaccine cards, but there are benefits to doing so. On May 3, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that places where proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is required can operate at a greater capacity.

Some partygoers say they feel safer knowing that others are vaccinated. That was the case at the Bear Party, a sex-positive gathering for men held in a midtown Manhattan loft. To its long list of house rules (no shirts, no pants, no alcohol) comes a new one: Patrons must be fully vaccinated.

In addition to a CDC card or an Excelsior Pass, patrons can also show documentation proving they “were part of a vaccine trial, were unblinded and did indeed receive real vaccine,” according to the Bear Party website. “Foreign vaccine card equivalents, Green Passes, etc. will be accepted too.”

At 6 p.m. on a recent Friday, about a dozen guests in gym clothes and jeans arrived at a nondescript door at a building in the West 30s between a construction site and a South American restaurant. Like well-behaved schoolchildren, they had their vaccine cards out and ready to show before entering the building.

“I will have more fun knowing everybody inside is vaccinated,” said a 35-year-old man who declined to give his name. He kept his vaccine card in a Ziploc bag. “Especially with sex, it’s important that people feel as safe as possible.”

Some patrons likened the process at some venues to showing off their IDs on their 21st birthday. Time will tell whether vaccine cards become the new velvet rope, or whether the novelty will last.

While New York state is encouraging bars and clubs to ask for proof of vaccination, other states are handling the situation differently. California does not have its own vaccine passport, but it does allow indoor events that check for vaccinations (or negative COVID tests) to operate at greater capacity. In Florida, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this week making it illegal for businesses, schools and government offices to require proof of vaccination, with fines of up to $5,000.

Legal experts say that absent such a law, public establishments are allowed to require proof of vaccination for entry. “If you are a bar or club you can legally discriminate on the basis of someone’s vaccination status, but the law requires you to give reasonable accommodation to those persons who have a medical disability or sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Lee Jacobs, a partner at Helbraun Levey, a law firm that represents restaurants, bars and hotels.

Private parties are different. “If you are a private citizen, you can mandate everyone is vaccinated,” Jacobs added.

John Seitz, 45, an anesthesiologist in Manhattan, was invited to such a party last month. A friend was moving out of his apartment and invited 70 people for a last hurrah. “He sent out a thing on Facebook that said you have to have a vaccine or a negative COVID test,” Seitz said.

At the party, he was greeted by a bouncer who asked for a vaccine card. He showed him a photo on his phone in lieu of the real thing. (“If you lose it you are screwed,” he said.) Guests gathered around a bar stocked with beer, wine and liquor. A DJ played house music until 3 a.m.

Some hosts have resorted to more elaborate procedures, and have hired medical professionals to verify the vaccination status of guests.

“These are elite parties thrown by companies or people with a lot of money,” said Dr. Asma Rashid, who runs a medical concierge service in the Hamptons that was hired to vet guests for 10 events last month. “They are birthday parties, weddings, conferences. They send out invitations and have people send a proof of vaccination to us.”

“If you want to be in the social circle and you want to party it up,” she added, “you need to be vaccinated.”

You could hear the music from the sidewalk, high-spirited renditions of “Ice Ice Baby” and “MMMBop.” It was ’90s night at Rumi, a ballroom and event space in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in New York City, and millennials and Gen Zers lined up to get inside.

You could hear the music from the sidewalk, high-spirited renditions of “Ice Ice Baby” and “MMMBop.” It was ’90s night at Rumi, a ballroom and event space in the Chelsea section of Manhattan in New York City, and millennials and Gen Zers lined up to get inside. They dressed the part in tracksuits, neon crop tops, denim overalls and scrunchies. To enter, they had to pass two checkpoints. First, a bouncer verified IDs and took temperatures. Then, Joseph Ko, one of the ballroom’s owners, confirmed that each person had been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The process took about five minutes. The crowd seemed happy, eager even, to comply. Some flashed their paper vaccination cards, protected in a plastic case or folded into their wallets. “I carry it around with me everywhere,” said Tom Allen, 25, a lawyer in Chelsea, pulling the card out from his passport. He was with eight friends who had been texting days earlier to make sure everyone had the proper documentation. Catherine Fiorentino, 35, a lawyer who lives in downtown Brooklyn, used an Excelsior Pass, a digital “vaccine passport” created by New York state. “This is the first time I’m going to an Excelsior Pass event. It’s so cool,” she said. “I’m not just excited to get to my first party post-COVID, but I’m excited to spend it with other people who are also vaccinated.” Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now advises that fully vaccinated people can gather indoors without masks (and stand closer than 6 feet apart), the ballroom took extra precaution, per state guidelines: Each group was assigned to a designated area marked off by white tape. But within each group, it felt like old times: Patrons were dancing, singing at the top of their lungs and smooching on the dance floor. “I feel like I can drink without a mask on, dance without a mask on and be a little less cautious,” Fiorentino said. Vaccinated-only parties have started to pop up across the country, especially in and around New York City, where anyone over 16 has been eligible for vaccination since April 6. Bar and club owners in New York are not required to check for vaccine cards, but there are benefits to doing so. On May 3, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that places where proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is required can operate at a greater capacity. Some partygoers say they feel safer knowing that others are vaccinated. That was the case at the Bear Party, a sex-positive gathering for men held in a midtown Manhattan loft. To its long list of house rules (no shirts, no pants, no alcohol) comes a new one: Patrons must be fully vaccinated. In addition to a CDC card or an Excelsior Pass, patrons can also show documentation proving they “were part of a vaccine trial, were unblinded and did indeed receive real vaccine,” according to the Bear Party website. “Foreign vaccine card equivalents, Green Passes, etc. will be accepted too.” At 6 p.m. on a recent Friday, about a dozen guests in gym clothes and jeans arrived at a nondescript door at a building in the West 30s between a construction site and a South American restaurant. Like well-behaved schoolchildren, they had their vaccine cards out and ready to show before entering the building. “I will have more fun knowing everybody inside is vaccinated,” said a 35-year-old man who declined to give his name. He kept his vaccine card in a Ziploc bag. “Especially with sex, it’s important that people feel as safe as possible.” Some patrons likened the process at some venues to showing off their IDs on their 21st birthday. Time will tell whether vaccine cards become the new velvet rope, or whether the novelty will last. While New York state is encouraging bars and clubs to ask for proof of vaccination, other states are handling the situation differently. California does not have its own vaccine passport, but it does allow indoor events that check for vaccinations (or negative COVID tests) to operate at greater capacity. In Florida, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation this week making it illegal for businesses, schools and government offices to require proof of vaccination, with fines of up to $5,000. Legal experts say that absent such a law, public establishments are allowed to require proof of vaccination for entry. “If you are a bar or club you can legally discriminate on the basis of someone’s vaccination status, but the law requires you to give reasonable accommodation to those persons who have a medical disability or sincerely held religious beliefs,” said Lee Jacobs, a partner at Helbraun Levey, a law firm that represents restaurants, bars and hotels. Private parties are different. “If you are a private citizen, you can mandate everyone is vaccinated,” Jacobs added. John Seitz, 45, an anesthesiologist in Manhattan, was invited to such a party last month. A friend was moving out of his apartment and invited 70 people for a last hurrah. “He sent out a thing on Facebook that said you have to have a vaccine or a negative COVID test,” Seitz said. At the party, he was greeted by a bouncer who asked for a vaccine card. He showed him a photo on his phone in lieu of the real thing. (“If you lose it you are screwed,” he said.) Guests gathered around a bar stocked with beer, wine and liquor. A DJ played house music until 3 a.m. Some hosts have resorted to more elaborate procedures, and have hired medical professionals to verify the vaccination status of guests. “These are elite parties thrown by companies or people with a lot of money,” said Dr. Asma Rashid, who runs a medical concierge service in the Hamptons that was hired to vet guests for 10 events last month. “They are birthday parties, weddings, conferences. They send out invitations and have people send a proof of vaccination to us.” “If you want to be in the social circle and you want to party it up,” she added, “you need to be vaccinated.”

Want to party? You might need a ‘vaccine passport.’

China is working with the tiny Pacific island state of Kiribati to explore the feasibility of improving an airstrip on one of its remote islands, China's foreign ministry said on late Friday.&nbsp;

Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Kiribati lawmakers, that China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas.&nbsp;

In a statement sent to Reuters, China's Foreign Ministry said that China was exploring plans for upgrading and improving the airstrip, at the invitation of the Kiribati government, to facilitate domestic transport within Kiribati.&nbsp;

The statement said China's cooperation with Kiribati held to the concept of 'mutually beneficial cooperation' and was 'within the limits of its ability to provide help without any political conditions’.&nbsp;

Construction on Kanton would offer China a foothold deep in territory that had been firmly aligned to the United States and its allies since World War Two, and comes after Kiribati severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China in 2019. &nbsp;

China is working with the tiny Pacific island state of Kiribati to explore the feasibility of improving an airstrip on one of its remote islands, China's foreign ministry said on late Friday.

China is working with the tiny Pacific island state of Kiribati to explore the feasibility of improving an airstrip on one of its remote islands, China's foreign ministry said on late Friday. Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Kiribati lawmakers, that China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas. In a statement sent to Reuters, China's Foreign Ministry said that China was exploring plans for upgrading and improving the airstrip, at the invitation of the Kiribati government, to facilitate domestic transport within Kiribati. The statement said China's cooperation with Kiribati held to the concept of 'mutually beneficial cooperation' and was 'within the limits of its ability to provide help without any political conditions’. Construction on Kanton would offer China a foothold deep in territory that had been firmly aligned to the United States and its allies since World War Two, and comes after Kiribati severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China in 2019.

China says it is exploring feasibility of Kiribati airstrip upgrades 

A US federal grand jury on Friday indicted all four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd last year, including Derek Chauvin who was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in April.

According to The Hill, the multicount indictment from the US District Court for the District of Minnesota, accuses Chauvin along with Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao of violating Floyd`s constitutional rights.

All of the men were charged with failing to administer first aid to Floyd as Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes.

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/derek-chauvin-demands-new-trial-in-george-floyd-case-382897/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The indictment announced Friday states that the offenses violated the US Code known as the "colour of law" statute, something that Democrats in Congress have sought to change through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

Under the George Floyd bill, which would implement sweeping national reforms to policing, "willfully" would be changed to "knowingly or recklessly," and the scope of the statute would also broaden.

Also read |<a href="George Floyd's death: Jury to hear opening arguments in Derek Chauvin trial ">&nbsp;George Floyd's death: Jury to hear opening arguments in Derek Chauvin trial&nbsp;</a>

Chauvin also was charged in a separate indictment related to an incident in which he allegedly used unreasonable force on a Minneapolis 14-year-old in September 2017, CNN reported citing a Justice Department statement on Friday.

Meanwhile, Chauvin will be sentenced on June 16. The Hennepin County District Court said that he will be sentenced at 1:30 pm (local time) on June 16, The Hill reported.

The 12 jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd`s death in May 2020.

The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years.

The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or USD 20,000.US President Joe Biden later said that the verdict can be a giant step forward on the march towards justice in America.

"Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd. The verdict is a step forward.

And while nothing can ever bring George Floyd back, this can be a giant step forward on the march towards justice in America," he said in an address to the nation.

Chauvin was the first white police officer in Minnesota to be convicted of murdering a Black person, and many in the country saw the high-profile trial as a referendum on policing in the US, according to The Hill.

A US federal grand jury on Friday indicted all four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd last year, including Derek Chauvin who was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in April.

A US federal grand jury on Friday indicted all four former Minneapolis police officers involved in the killing of George Floyd last year, including Derek Chauvin who was convicted of murder and manslaughter charges in April. According to The Hill, the multicount indictment from the US District Court for the District of Minnesota, accuses Chauvin along with Thomas Lane, J Kueng and Tou Thao of violating Floyd`s constitutional rights. All of the men were charged with failing to administer first aid to Floyd as Chauvin kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes. Watch | The indictment announced Friday states that the offenses violated the US Code known as the "colour of law" statute, something that Democrats in Congress have sought to change through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Under the George Floyd bill, which would implement sweeping national reforms to policing, "willfully" would be changed to "knowingly or recklessly," and the scope of the statute would also broaden. Also read | George Floyd's death: Jury to hear opening arguments in Derek Chauvin trial Chauvin also was charged in a separate indictment related to an incident in which he allegedly used unreasonable force on a Minneapolis 14-year-old in September 2017, CNN reported citing a Justice Department statement on Friday. Meanwhile, Chauvin will be sentenced on June 16. The Hennepin County District Court said that he will be sentenced at 1:30 pm (local time) on June 16, The Hill reported. The 12 jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd`s death in May 2020. The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The maximum sentence for third-degree murder is imprisonment of not more than 25 years. The maximum sentence for second-degree manslaughter is 10 years and/or USD 20,000.US President Joe Biden later said that the verdict can be a giant step forward on the march towards justice in America. "Today, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murdering George Floyd. The verdict is a step forward. And while nothing can ever bring George Floyd back, this can be a giant step forward on the march towards justice in America," he said in an address to the nation. Chauvin was the first white police officer in Minnesota to be convicted of murdering a Black person, and many in the country saw the high-profile trial as a referendum on policing in the US, according to The Hill.

US grand jury indicts 4 ex-Minneapolis police officers in George Floyd's murder

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 

Maldives&nbsp;began a&nbsp;night-time&nbsp;curfew&nbsp;from Thursday to control a doubling of daily coronavirus&nbsp;infections&nbsp;that was fuelled by crowds at a local election and family gatherings during the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.

The Health Protection Agency announced the&nbsp;curfew&nbsp;on Wednesday&nbsp;after&nbsp;government data showed daily cases grew to 734 from 318 a week ago. Most of the cases reported on Wednesday were in the crowded capital Male.

Restrictions have been placed on movement between islands, although there are no curbs on tourists headed to private island resorts if they can produce a negative&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;test. The health agency also ordered mandatory physical distancing in mosques.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed injured in a suspected bomb attack">Former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed injured in a suspected bomb attack</a>

"The numbers are very high. If we are not able to significantly lower these numbers, we are going to face very difficult days. So we have to get ready," said Mabrook Azeez, the spokesman for the President's Office.

There were large gatherings during the council elections held on April 10, and mass groupings have only increased during Ramzan, with communal prayers being held without any physical distancing in the capital Male.

Australian cricketers and staff involved in the Indian Premier League are headed to the&nbsp;Maldives&nbsp;after&nbsp;the tournament's abrupt suspension over the coronavirus crisis in India. They will quarantine there before heading home.

Vaccination queues in the&nbsp;Maldives&nbsp;have also lengthened during Ramadan due to shortened hours, with thousands lining up without any physical distancing to get their shots.

Azeez said the government is looking for foreign medical workers and local volunteers to staff the main public hospital in Male.

Maldives began a night-time curfew from Thursday to control a doubling of daily coronavirus infections that was fuelled by crowds at a local election and family gatherings during the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramzan.

Maldives began a night-time curfew from Thursday to control a doubling of daily coronavirus infections that was fuelled by crowds at a local election and family gatherings during the ongoing Muslim fasting month of Ramzan. The Health Protection Agency announced the curfew on Wednesday after government data showed daily cases grew to 734 from 318 a week ago. Most of the cases reported on Wednesday were in the crowded capital Male. Restrictions have been placed on movement between islands, although there are no curbs on tourists headed to private island resorts if they can produce a negative COVID-19 test. The health agency also ordered mandatory physical distancing in mosques. Also read: Former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed injured in a suspected bomb attack "The numbers are very high. If we are not able to significantly lower these numbers, we are going to face very difficult days. So we have to get ready," said Mabrook Azeez, the spokesman for the President's Office. There were large gatherings during the council elections held on April 10, and mass groupings have only increased during Ramzan, with communal prayers being held without any physical distancing in the capital Male. Australian cricketers and staff involved in the Indian Premier League are headed to the Maldives after the tournament's abrupt suspension over the coronavirus crisis in India. They will quarantine there before heading home. Vaccination queues in the Maldives have also lengthened during Ramadan due to shortened hours, with thousands lining up without any physical distancing to get their shots. Azeez said the government is looking for foreign medical workers and local volunteers to staff the main public hospital in Male.

Maldives imposes night curfew after steep jump in COVID-19 infections

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell below 500,000 last week for the first since the COVID-19 pandemic started more than a year ago, signaling the labor market recovery had entered a new phase amid a booming economy.

World Business Watch: US weekly jobless claims drop below 500,000, layoffs lowest since 2000

World's largest economy US is recovering at a fast pace. Businesses and households improved their balance sheets late last year with the help of government support, but some consumers and the smallest businesses continued to struggle.

World Business Watch: US households and businesses facing unequal recovery

Florida&nbsp;Governor&nbsp;Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican US presidential candidate in 2024, signed into&nbsp;law&nbsp;Thursday an election security bill certain to please supporters of Donald&nbsp;Trump, but which critics warn poses blatant barriers to voting.

By implementing SB90, which restricts voting by mail, requires valid&nbsp;voter&nbsp;identification and prohibits use of private funds to finance campaigns,&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;joins a growing list of Republican-run states that have tweaked&nbsp;voter&nbsp;laws&nbsp;following&nbsp;Trump's baseless charge of fraud in last year's election.

DeSantis signed the&nbsp;law&nbsp;in Palm Beach near the private Mar-a-Lago club where&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;has resided since leaving the White House in January.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="'From the Desk of...': Donald Trump launches his own social media space">'From the Desk of...': Donald Trump launches his own social media space</a>

The event itself stirred controversy. Supporters of the former president were in attendance, and Fox News — seen by many as pro-Trump&nbsp;— was the only television network allowed, as other local channels were barred entry.&nbsp;

In a statement, DeSantis said the bill will "strengthen the security of our elections." As he signed the measure he defended one of its many controversial elements: the restriction of vote-by-mail drop boxes.

"They need to be monitored," DeSantis told morning show Fox &amp; Friends as supporters behind him cheered. "You can't just leave these boxes out where there's no supervision."

Although there was no suspicion of fraud in&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;during November's presidential election, DeSantis said the&nbsp;law&nbsp;will ensure Floridians that "your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency."

More Democrats than Republicans voted by mail in November because of the pandemic and these ballots helped tip the balance in favor of&nbsp;Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden.

Suffering reelection defeat,&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;claimed&nbsp;voter&nbsp;fraud — a baseless charge dismissed by dozens of courts across multiple states.

Florida&nbsp;Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat elected in the state's administration, accused DeSantis of signing the&nbsp;law&nbsp;to satisfy&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;and his&nbsp;base, whose support the&nbsp;governor&nbsp;seeks as he weighs his political future.

"The only fraud that I saw was by the Republicans," Fried told reporters.

"We know that the only reason to sign this piece of legislation... was for one person," she said, referring to&nbsp;Trump.

Critics of the new measure say the bill, approved last week by&nbsp;Florida's Republican-controlled legislature, is a form of&nbsp;voter&nbsp;suppression.

"Republicans across the country know they're failing to connect with and deliver for the American people, so they’ve decided their winning playbook centers on making it harder for them to make their voices heard," said Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said it "creates barriers and burdens that impact all&nbsp;Florida&nbsp;voters, and disproportionally impacts the ability of Black voters, Latino voters and voters with disabilities to cast their ballot."

Unlike many other countries, the United States does not issue national identification cards.

Identity during US elections is verified through a driver's license or other forms of acceptable ID, which some people, disproportionally low-income and minority Americans, do not have.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican US presidential candidate in 2024, signed into law Thursday an election security bill certain to please supporters of Donald Trump, but which critics warn poses blatant barriers to voting.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a potential Republican US presidential candidate in 2024, signed into law Thursday an election security bill certain to please supporters of Donald Trump, but which critics warn poses blatant barriers to voting. By implementing SB90, which restricts voting by mail, requires valid voter identification and prohibits use of private funds to finance campaigns, Florida joins a growing list of Republican-run states that have tweaked voter laws following Trump's baseless charge of fraud in last year's election. DeSantis signed the law in Palm Beach near the private Mar-a-Lago club where Trump has resided since leaving the White House in January. Also read: 'From the Desk of...': Donald Trump launches his own social media space The event itself stirred controversy. Supporters of the former president were in attendance, and Fox News — seen by many as pro-Trump — was the only television network allowed, as other local channels were barred entry. In a statement, DeSantis said the bill will "strengthen the security of our elections." As he signed the measure he defended one of its many controversial elements: the restriction of vote-by-mail drop boxes. "They need to be monitored," DeSantis told morning show Fox & Friends as supporters behind him cheered. "You can't just leave these boxes out where there's no supervision." Although there was no suspicion of fraud in Florida during November's presidential election, DeSantis said the law will ensure Floridians that "your vote is going to be cast with integrity and transparency." More Democrats than Republicans voted by mail in November because of the pandemic and these ballots helped tip the balance in favor of Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden. Suffering reelection defeat, Trump claimed voter fraud — a baseless charge dismissed by dozens of courts across multiple states. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only Democrat elected in the state's administration, accused DeSantis of signing the law to satisfy Trump and his base, whose support the governor seeks as he weighs his political future. "The only fraud that I saw was by the Republicans," Fried told reporters. "We know that the only reason to sign this piece of legislation... was for one person," she said, referring to Trump. Critics of the new measure say the bill, approved last week by Florida's Republican-controlled legislature, is a form of voter suppression. "Republicans across the country know they're failing to connect with and deliver for the American people, so they’ve decided their winning playbook centers on making it harder for them to make their voices heard," said Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said it "creates barriers and burdens that impact all Florida voters, and disproportionally impacts the ability of Black voters, Latino voters and voters with disabilities to cast their ballot." Unlike many other countries, the United States does not issue national identification cards. Identity during US elections is verified through a driver's license or other forms of acceptable ID, which some people, disproportionally low-income and minority Americans, do not have.

Florida governor tightens voter law in appeal to Trump base

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the&nbsp;release&nbsp;Friday of four&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;democracy&nbsp;activists&nbsp;who were jailed for taking part in a&nbsp;vigil&nbsp;for victims of Beijing's 1989&nbsp;Tiananmen&nbsp;Square crackdown.

"The United States stands with the people of&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;and rejects the sentencing of&nbsp;activists&nbsp;for attending a&nbsp;Tiananmen&nbsp;commemoration," Blinken wrote&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter.

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The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and rejects the sentencing of activists for attending a Tiananmen commemoration. All those imprisoned for nonviolent exercise of guaranteed freedoms should be freed immediately.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1390526958300184582?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2021</a></blockquote>
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"All those imprisoned for nonviolent exercise of guaranteed freedoms should be freed immediately," he added.

Joshua Wong, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen and Janelle Leung - four prominent youth&nbsp;activists&nbsp;in their twenties, were jailed after pleading guilty to taking part in an "unauthorised assembly" last year&nbsp;on&nbsp;the 4&nbsp;June&nbsp;Tiananmen&nbsp;anniversary.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-given-additional-jail-term-for-tiananmen-square-vigil-383142/amp">Hong Kong: Activist Joshua Wong given additional jail term for Tiananmen Square vigil</a>

For the past three decades,&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;has marked the anniversary of Beijing's deadly 1989 repression of protests in&nbsp;Tiananmen&nbsp;Square with massive candlelight vigils.

But last year's event was banned for the first time, with police citing the coronavirus pandemic and security fears following huge democracy protests that roiled&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;the year before.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/honk-kong-activist-joshua-wong-gets-10-more-months-in-jail-over-tiananmen-vigil-383163/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Tens of thousands defied the ban and massed peacefully at the&nbsp;vigil's traditional site in Victoria Park.

Since then, prosecutors have brought charges against more than two dozen prominent democracy&nbsp;activists&nbsp;who showed up at the&nbsp;vigil, the latest in a string of criminal cases that have ensnared the city's beleaguered democracy movement.

Joshua Wong, one of the city's most recognisable democracy&nbsp;activists, is currently serving 17.5 months in jail for two convictions linked to the 2019 demonstrations.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hong-kong-activist-joshua-wong-pleads-guilty-over-illegal-assembly-381552">Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty over 'illegal assembly'</a>

He was handed a consecutive 10 months of jail for the new conviction, which will start once current sentences are finished.

Shum, 27, was given six months while Yuen, 27, and Leung, 26, were both handed four months.

Wong, Shum and Yuen have also been charged under a new national security law Beijing imposed&nbsp;on&nbsp;the city last year to stamp out dissent. They face up to life in jail if convicted.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release Friday of four Hong Kong democracy activists who were jailed for taking part in a vigil for victims of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for the release Friday of four Hong Kong democracy activists who were jailed for taking part in a vigil for victims of Beijing's 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. "The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and rejects the sentencing of activists for attending a Tiananmen commemoration," Blinken wrote on Twitter. The United States stands with the people of Hong Kong and rejects the sentencing of activists for attending a Tiananmen commemoration. All those imprisoned for nonviolent exercise of guaranteed freedoms should be freed immediately. — Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 7, 2021 × "All those imprisoned for nonviolent exercise of guaranteed freedoms should be freed immediately," he added. Joshua Wong, Lester Shum, Tiffany Yuen and Janelle Leung - four prominent youth activists in their twenties, were jailed after pleading guilty to taking part in an "unauthorised assembly" last year on the 4 June Tiananmen anniversary. Also read | Hong Kong: Activist Joshua Wong given additional jail term for Tiananmen Square vigil For the past three decades, Hong Kong has marked the anniversary of Beijing's deadly 1989 repression of protests in Tiananmen Square with massive candlelight vigils. But last year's event was banned for the first time, with police citing the coronavirus pandemic and security fears following huge democracy protests that roiled Hong Kong the year before. Tens of thousands defied the ban and massed peacefully at the vigil's traditional site in Victoria Park. Since then, prosecutors have brought charges against more than two dozen prominent democracy activists who showed up at the vigil, the latest in a string of criminal cases that have ensnared the city's beleaguered democracy movement. Joshua Wong, one of the city's most recognisable democracy activists, is currently serving 17.5 months in jail for two convictions linked to the 2019 demonstrations. Also read | Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong pleads guilty over 'illegal assembly' He was handed a consecutive 10 months of jail for the new conviction, which will start once current sentences are finished. Shum, 27, was given six months while Yuen, 27, and Leung, 26, were both handed four months. Wong, Shum and Yuen have also been charged under a new national security law Beijing imposed on the city last year to stamp out dissent. They face up to life in jail if convicted.

US calls on Hong Kong to release Tiananmen vigil activists

Germany rejected US' proposal to waive patent protection for COVID-19 vaccines and threatens to derail this proposal. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's office said that the protection of intellectual property is a source of innovation and must remain so in the future.

Germany opposes US-backed global waiver on protection for COVID-19 vaccines

The Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, has signed a bill imposing new limits on voting by mail and using ballot drop boxes. The White House swiftly criticized the law, saying Florida is “moving in the wrong direction”.

Florida governor tightens restrictions on mail voting and ballot drop boxes

China&nbsp;said Friday the&nbsp;risk&nbsp;of&nbsp;damage&nbsp;from&nbsp;a&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;falling back to&nbsp;Earth&nbsp;was "extremely&nbsp;low" after the United States warned it could crash down&nbsp;on&nbsp;to an inhabited area.

Military experts in the US expect the body of the Long March 5B&nbsp;rocket, which separated&nbsp;from&nbsp;Beijing's space station, to come down sometime around Saturday or Sunday, but warned it was difficult to predict where it will land and when.

But Beijing downplayed the&nbsp;risk&nbsp;of danger.

"The probability of causing harm to aviation activities or (on&nbsp;people and activities)&nbsp;on&nbsp;the ground is&nbsp;extremely&nbsp;low," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said.

Most of the&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;components would likely be destroyed upon&nbsp;re-entry&nbsp;into the atmosphere, he added, saying authorities "will inform the public of the situation in a timely manner".

China&nbsp;has poured billions of dollars into space exploration in efforts to reflect its rising global stature and growing technological might, following in the extra-terrestrial footsteps of the United States, Russia and Europe.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-closely-tracking-uncontrolled-chinese-rocket-re-entering-atmosphere-pentagon-383094">US closely tracking uncontrolled Chinese rocket re-entering atmosphere: Pentagon</a>

As fevered speculation over the&nbsp;rocket's trajectory back to&nbsp;Earth&nbsp;pinballed across social media, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin&nbsp;on&nbsp;Thursday said the US military had no plans to shoot it down.

"We have the capability to do a lot of things, but we don't have a plan to shoot it down," Austin told journalists.

Hopefully, he said, the&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;will land "in a place where it won't harm anyone... the ocean, or someplace like that".

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/concerns-mount-as-giant-chunk-of-chinese-rocket-is-falling-to-earth-382914">Concerns mount as giant chunk of Chinese rocket is falling to Earth</a>

Even if the&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;or parts of it do fall&nbsp;from&nbsp;the sky, without breaking up&nbsp;on&nbsp;re-entry, there is a good chance it will just splash down into the ocean&nbsp;on&nbsp;a planet made up of 70 per cent water.&nbsp;

But Austin suggested that the Chinese were negligent in letting the&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;body fall out of orbit, saying those who were in the "space domain" should "operate in a safe and thoughtful mode".

'Nation of science'

Space has become the latest theatre for the big power play between&nbsp;China&nbsp;and the United States.

The launch of&nbsp;China's first module of its "Heavenly Palace" space station in April,&nbsp;housing life support equipment and living space for astronauts,&nbsp;was a milestone in Beijing's ambitious plan to establish a permanent human presence in space.

President Xi Jinping called it a key step in "building a great nation of science and technology".

With the retirement of the International Space Station after 2024,&nbsp;China's could become the only space station in&nbsp;Earth's orbit.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/china-launches-first-module-for-new-space-station-381270">China launches first module for new space station</a>

Although Chinese space authorities have said they are open to foreign collaboration, the scope of that cooperation is as yet unclear.

The European Space Agency has sent astronauts to&nbsp;China&nbsp;to receive training in order to be ready to work inside the Chinese space station once it is launched.

China&nbsp;also said in March it was planning to build a separate lunar space station with Russia.

The facility, planned for either the surface or in the orbit of the Moon, would house experimental research facilities and would be Beijing's biggest international space cooperation project to date.

The Long March&nbsp;rocket&nbsp;is not the first time&nbsp;China&nbsp;has lost control of a spacecraft as it returns to&nbsp;Earth.&nbsp;

The space laboratory Tiangong-1 disintegrated upon&nbsp;re-entry&nbsp;into the atmosphere in 2018, two years after it had stopped working, though Chinese authorities denied they had lost control of the ship.&nbsp;

China said Friday the risk of damage from a rocket falling back to Earth was "extremely low" after the United States warned it could crash down on to an inhabited area.

China said Friday the risk of damage from a rocket falling back to Earth was "extremely low" after the United States warned it could crash down on to an inhabited area. Military experts in the US expect the body of the Long March 5B rocket, which separated from Beijing's space station, to come down sometime around Saturday or Sunday, but warned it was difficult to predict where it will land and when. But Beijing downplayed the risk of danger. "The probability of causing harm to aviation activities or (on people and activities) on the ground is extremely low," foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said. Most of the rocket components would likely be destroyed upon re-entry into the atmosphere, he added, saying authorities "will inform the public of the situation in a timely manner". China has poured billions of dollars into space exploration in efforts to reflect its rising global stature and growing technological might, following in the extra-terrestrial footsteps of the United States, Russia and Europe. Also read | US closely tracking uncontrolled Chinese rocket re-entering atmosphere: Pentagon As fevered speculation over the rocket's trajectory back to Earth pinballed across social media, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday said the US military had no plans to shoot it down. "We have the capability to do a lot of things, but we don't have a plan to shoot it down," Austin told journalists. Hopefully, he said, the rocket will land "in a place where it won't harm anyone... the ocean, or someplace like that". Also read | Concerns mount as giant chunk of Chinese rocket is falling to Earth Even if the rocket or parts of it do fall from the sky, without breaking up on re-entry, there is a good chance it will just splash down into the ocean on a planet made up of 70 per cent water. But Austin suggested that the Chinese were negligent in letting the rocket body fall out of orbit, saying those who were in the "space domain" should "operate in a safe and thoughtful mode". 'Nation of science' Space has become the latest theatre for the big power play between China and the United States. The launch of China's first module of its "Heavenly Palace" space station in April, housing life support equipment and living space for astronauts, was a milestone in Beijing's ambitious plan to establish a permanent human presence in space. President Xi Jinping called it a key step in "building a great nation of science and technology". With the retirement of the International Space Station after 2024, China's could become the only space station in Earth's orbit. Also read | China launches first module for new space station Although Chinese space authorities have said they are open to foreign collaboration, the scope of that cooperation is as yet unclear. The European Space Agency has sent astronauts to China to receive training in order to be ready to work inside the Chinese space station once it is launched. China also said in March it was planning to build a separate lunar space station with Russia. The facility, planned for either the surface or in the orbit of the Moon, would house experimental research facilities and would be Beijing's biggest international space cooperation project to date. The Long March rocket is not the first time China has lost control of a spacecraft as it returns to Earth. The space laboratory Tiangong-1 disintegrated upon re-entry into the atmosphere in 2018, two years after it had stopped working, though Chinese authorities denied they had lost control of the ship.

China says 'extremely low' risk of damage from rocket debris

A global democracy survey has found that most of the world sees the U.S as a bigger threat than China and Russia. Has America's claim to the guardianship of democracy been busted? How did regimes like China & Russia rank higher?

Gravitas: Survey pegs the U.S as a bigger threat than China & Russia

The new US position in support of lifting&nbsp;patents&nbsp;on&nbsp;Covid-19&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;has&nbsp;taken attention away from an equally significant change by Washington, which plans to open up trade in the raw materials used to make them.

After&nbsp;having recently taken heat for blocking such exports, Commerce Secretary Katherine Tai said Wednesday that the US government would "work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those&nbsp;vaccines".

The assertion was hidden at the bottom of the statement unveiling Washington's remarkable reversal of its position&nbsp;on&nbsp;Covid-19&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;patents, which coincides with a shortage of doses in emerging and developing nations as cases surge in some countries.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-backs-india-led-fight-to-waive-covid-vaccines-patents-383092">US backs India-led fight to waive Covid vaccines patents</a>

Long legal and economic policy debates likely lie ahead about waiving&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;patents, particularly at the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Meanwhile, the difficulties faced by some laboratories in obtaining components to manufacture&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;look set to stymie the drive to ramp up production.

Two labs have recently spoken out about their difficulties, laying the blame at Washington's door.

Germany's Curevac said it could&nbsp;not secure supplies of certain materials from the United States.

Several days earlier, India's Serum Institute, the world's largest&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;manufacturer, called&nbsp;on&nbsp;US President Joe Biden to step in.

"Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus,&nbsp;on&nbsp;behalf of the&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;industry outside the US, I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the US so that&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;production can ramp up," the company's president Adar Poonawalla wrote&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter.

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Respected <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. 🙏🙏
— Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) <a href="https://twitter.com/adarpoonawalla/status/1382978713302683653?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2021</a></blockquote>
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There is no actual embargo&nbsp;on&nbsp;exporting&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;components. Instead, Biden, like his predecessor Donald Trump, invoked the Defense Production Act,&nbsp;which normally concerns wartime,&nbsp;to confront the pandemic.

While it does not explicitly ban exports, it puts the US government first in line to buy certain products made in the country.

US officials have previously played down the possible effect of the law&nbsp;on&nbsp;global&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;production.

"There's just more global manufacturing happening everywhere in the world than suppliers can currently support,"&nbsp;a US official told a White House briefing late last month&nbsp;on&nbsp;condition of anonymity.

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Dry ice and sorbitol

Over the past two months, a number of public and private actors have noted the shrinking supply of components needed to manufacture&nbsp;vaccines.

At least 50 components, perhaps as many as 100, go into the jabs.

They include items like the glass vials to ship them, as well as certain types of plastics needed for containers used in the manufacturing process.

Then there are the ingredients themselves.&nbsp;

Curevac is particularly concerned about nucleotides, a building block for the messenger RNA&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;like the one it is developing.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-germany-rift-on-covid-vaccine-waiver-endangers-fight-against-deadly-virus-383349">US-Germany rift on Covid vaccine waiver endangers fight against deadly virus</a>

The shortage of raw materials is hardly surprising as the pharmaceutical industry expects to double production to 10 billion doses this year.

Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which along with the World Health Organization and Gavi co-runs the Covax&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;distribution initiative, spoke already in March of seeing "increasing signs of strain within supply chains".

Companies were "beginning to report spot shortages of critical materials, raw materials, critical consumables, even equipment that is necessary for&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;manufacturing," he said.

He was speaking at a meeting of the principal actors in the sector, including WHO and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).

Already the consensus was that the free circulation of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;components was critical, given that a large number of countries are involved in their production.

OECD data from 2018 show how thoroughly&nbsp;component&nbsp;production is intertwined across the globe.

China dominates production of the glass storage vials, while the United States leads in the manufacturing of syringes.

France is a major producer of certain stabilisers like sorbitol, while Germany is big in the production of&nbsp;vaccine&nbsp;preservatives, and Mexico and China both are important manufacturers of additives that enhance the effects of&nbsp;vaccines.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands is a leader in the production of dry ice used to transport&nbsp;vaccines&nbsp;that need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures.

The new US position in support of lifting patents on Covid-19 vaccines has taken attention away from an equally significant change by Washington, which plans to open up trade in the raw materials used to make them.

The new US position in support of lifting patents on Covid-19 vaccines has taken attention away from an equally significant change by Washington, which plans to open up trade in the raw materials used to make them. After having recently taken heat for blocking such exports, Commerce Secretary Katherine Tai said Wednesday that the US government would "work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines". The assertion was hidden at the bottom of the statement unveiling Washington's remarkable reversal of its position on Covid-19 vaccine patents, which coincides with a shortage of doses in emerging and developing nations as cases surge in some countries. Also read | US backs India-led fight to waive Covid vaccines patents Long legal and economic policy debates likely lie ahead about waiving vaccine patents, particularly at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Meanwhile, the difficulties faced by some laboratories in obtaining components to manufacture vaccines look set to stymie the drive to ramp up production. Two labs have recently spoken out about their difficulties, laying the blame at Washington's door. Germany's Curevac said it could not secure supplies of certain materials from the United States. Several days earlier, India's Serum Institute, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, called on US President Joe Biden to step in. "Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the US, I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the US so that vaccine production can ramp up," the company's president Adar Poonawalla wrote on Twitter. Respected @POTUS, if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., I humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. 🙏🙏 — Adar Poonawalla (@adarpoonawalla) April 16, 2021 × There is no actual embargo on exporting vaccine components. Instead, Biden, like his predecessor Donald Trump, invoked the Defense Production Act, which normally concerns wartime, to confront the pandemic. While it does not explicitly ban exports, it puts the US government first in line to buy certain products made in the country. US officials have previously played down the possible effect of the law on global vaccine production. "There's just more global manufacturing happening everywhere in the world than suppliers can currently support," a US official told a White House briefing late last month on condition of anonymity. Dry ice and sorbitol Over the past two months, a number of public and private actors have noted the shrinking supply of components needed to manufacture vaccines. At least 50 components, perhaps as many as 100, go into the jabs. They include items like the glass vials to ship them, as well as certain types of plastics needed for containers used in the manufacturing process. Then there are the ingredients themselves. Curevac is particularly concerned about nucleotides, a building block for the messenger RNA vaccines like the one it is developing. Also read | US-Germany rift on Covid vaccine waiver endangers fight against deadly virus The shortage of raw materials is hardly surprising as the pharmaceutical industry expects to double production to 10 billion doses this year. Richard Hatchett, who heads the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which along with the World Health Organization and Gavi co-runs the Covax vaccine distribution initiative, spoke already in March of seeing "increasing signs of strain within supply chains". Companies were "beginning to report spot shortages of critical materials, raw materials, critical consumables, even equipment that is necessary for vaccine manufacturing," he said. He was speaking at a meeting of the principal actors in the sector, including WHO and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA). Already the consensus was that the free circulation of vaccine components was critical, given that a large number of countries are involved in their production. OECD data from 2018 show how thoroughly component production is intertwined across the globe. China dominates production of the glass storage vials, while the United States leads in the manufacturing of syringes. France is a major producer of certain stabilisers like sorbitol, while Germany is big in the production of vaccine preservatives, and Mexico and China both are important manufacturers of additives that enhance the effects of vaccines. Meanwhile, the Netherlands is a leader in the production of dry ice used to transport vaccines that need to be kept at ultra-low temperatures.

After shift on vaccine patents, US backs freer flow of components

For decades, each generation of computer&nbsp;chips got&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller.

The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

IBM&nbsp;introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking&nbsp;technology. The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;could be as much as 45%&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge">Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge</a>

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of&nbsp;chips,&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;now outsources its high-volume&nbsp;chip&nbsp;production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a&nbsp;chip&nbsp;manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of&nbsp;chips and has joint&nbsp;technology&nbsp;development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use&nbsp;IBM's&nbsp;chipmaking&nbsp;technology.

The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and&nbsp;faster&nbsp;than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre.

The&nbsp;technology&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a&nbsp;chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern&nbsp;computing.

Making the switches very tiny makes them&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of&nbsp;IBM&nbsp;Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few&nbsp;nanometers thick to stop leaks.

"In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in&nbsp;computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store.

For decades, each generation of computer chips got faster and more power-efficient because their most basic building blocks, called transistors, got smaller. The pace of those improvements has slowed, but International Business Machines Corp on Thursday said that silicon has at least one more generational advance in store. IBM introduced what it says is the world's first 2-nanomere chipmaking technology. The technology could be as much as 45% faster than the mainstream 7-nanometre chips in many of today's laptops and phones and up to 75% more power efficient, the company said. Also read: Scientists fuse nature with tech as 'robo-plants' surge The technology likely will take several years to come to market. Once a major manufacturer of chips, IBM now outsources its high-volume chip production to Samsung Electronics Co Ltd but maintains a chip manufacturing research centre in Albany, New York that produces test runs of chips and has joint technology development deals with Samsung and Intel Corp to use IBM's chipmaking technology. The 2-nanometre chips will be smaller and faster than today's leading edge 5-nanonmetre chips, which are just now showing up in premium smartphones like Apple Inc's iPhone 12 models, and the 3-nanometre chips expected to come after 5-nanometre. The technology IBM showed on Thursday is the most basic building block of a chip: a transistor, which acts like an electrical on-off switch to form the 1s and 0s of binary digits at that foundation of all modern computing. Making the switches very tiny makes them faster and more power efficient, but it also creates problems with electrons leaking when the switches are supposed to be off. Darío Gil, senior vice president and director of IBM Research, told Reuters in an interview that scientists were able to drape sheets of insulating material just a few nanometers thick to stop leaks. "In the end, there's transistors, and everything else (in computing) relies on whether that transistor gets better or not. And it's not a guarantee that there will be a transistor advance generation to generation anymore. So it's a big deal every time we get a chance to say there will be another," Gil said.

IBM unveils 2-nanometre chip technology for faster computing

A&nbsp;deal&nbsp;to salvage the&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;accord is&nbsp;possible&nbsp;in the coming weeks&nbsp;before&nbsp;the Islamic republic holds&nbsp;elections&nbsp;in June, a senior State Department official said Thursday, a day&nbsp;before&nbsp;talks were due to resume in Vienna.

The official also confirmed "there are active discussions, indirect discussions," underway with Tehran to secure the "immediate" release of US citizens being held in&nbsp;Iran, but did not say if that was a condition for a US return to the accord.

Also read-&nbsp;<a href="Nuclear deal possible in weeks if Iran takes political decision: US">Nuclear deal possible in weeks if Iran takes political decision: US</a>

Indirect negotiations began in early April in Vienna between Washington and Tehran, with the other signatories to the 2015&nbsp;deal&nbsp;-- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union -- acting as intermediaries.

The goal is to find a way back to the accord known by its acronym JCPOA, which former US president Donald Trump walked away from and which his successor Joe Biden wants to&nbsp;revive.

For that to happen, the United States and&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;must agree on the lifting of the sanctions reinstated by Trump and on Tehran's commitment to follow the terms of the&nbsp;deal.

Once Trump walked away from the 2015 agreement, the Islamic republic started to abandon the constraints on its production of&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;material.

The three initial rounds of talks were described as "serious" and "productive" by the US official, who asked not to be named.

Russia has said it wants an agreement concluded in a fortnight,&nbsp;before&nbsp;the campaign for&nbsp;Iran's June 18 presidential&nbsp;election&nbsp;overshadows the talks. Washington has not ruled out this possibility.

"Is it&nbsp;possible&nbsp;to get a&nbsp;deal&nbsp;before&nbsp;the Iranian&nbsp;elections? Absolutely," said the State Department official.

"It's doable because this is not rocket science -- it's not inventing a new&nbsp;deal, it's reviving one that has been undermined," the official said.&nbsp;

The official admitted the main variable in the equation was how much&nbsp;Iran's leadership really wants to achieve an agreement.

"If&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;makes a political decision that it genuinely wants to return to the JCPOA as the JCPOA was negotiated, then it could be done relatively quickly and implementation could be relatively swift," he said.&nbsp;

"We don't know if&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;has made that decision," the official said.

That question may be answered in Friday's talks, the official said, noting: "We'll just have to see whether the next round actually moves things forward or whether we still are faced with unrealistic demands by&nbsp;Iran."

In parallel with the&nbsp;nuclear&nbsp;talks, Iranian media reported last weekend that there was an agreement between Tehran and Washington for the release of prisoners held by each side.

Despite the detailed reports, both sides now deny such an accord.

"There's no&nbsp;deal," an US official said, accusing&nbsp;Iran&nbsp;of "unspeakable cruelty" for putting out stories that raised the hopes of families of those held.

Nevertheless, the official said, "we want it to be resolved sooner rather than later. . . &nbsp;We want to&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with the detainees immediately."

A deal to salvage the Iran nuclear accord is possible in the coming weeks before the Islamic republic holds elections in June, a senior State Department official said Thursday, a day before talks were due to resume in Vienna.

A deal to salvage the Iran nuclear accord is possible in the coming weeks before the Islamic republic holds elections in June, a senior State Department official said Thursday, a day before talks were due to resume in Vienna. The official also confirmed "there are active discussions, indirect discussions," underway with Tehran to secure the "immediate" release of US citizens being held in Iran, but did not say if that was a condition for a US return to the accord. Also read- Nuclear deal possible in weeks if Iran takes political decision: US Indirect negotiations began in early April in Vienna between Washington and Tehran, with the other signatories to the 2015 deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union -- acting as intermediaries. The goal is to find a way back to the accord known by its acronym JCPOA, which former US president Donald Trump walked away from and which his successor Joe Biden wants to revive. For that to happen, the United States and Iran must agree on the lifting of the sanctions reinstated by Trump and on Tehran's commitment to follow the terms of the deal. Once Trump walked away from the 2015 agreement, the Islamic republic started to abandon the constraints on its production of nuclear material. The three initial rounds of talks were described as "serious" and "productive" by the US official, who asked not to be named. Russia has said it wants an agreement concluded in a fortnight, before the campaign for Iran's June 18 presidential election overshadows the talks. Washington has not ruled out this possibility. "Is it possible to get a deal before the Iranian elections? Absolutely," said the State Department official. "It's doable because this is not rocket science -- it's not inventing a new deal, it's reviving one that has been undermined," the official said. The official admitted the main variable in the equation was how much Iran's leadership really wants to achieve an agreement. "If Iran makes a political decision that it genuinely wants to return to the JCPOA as the JCPOA was negotiated, then it could be done relatively quickly and implementation could be relatively swift," he said. "We don't know if Iran has made that decision," the official said. That question may be answered in Friday's talks, the official said, noting: "We'll just have to see whether the next round actually moves things forward or whether we still are faced with unrealistic demands by Iran." In parallel with the nuclear talks, Iranian media reported last weekend that there was an agreement between Tehran and Washington for the release of prisoners held by each side. Despite the detailed reports, both sides now deny such an accord. "There's no deal," an US official said, accusing Iran of "unspeakable cruelty" for putting out stories that raised the hopes of families of those held. Nevertheless, the official said, "we want it to be resolved sooner rather than later. . . We want to deal with the detainees immediately."

US says 'possible' to revive Iran nuclear deal before vote

The&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million&nbsp;deaths across the world,&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;double&nbsp;the number&nbsp;officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated.

Deaths go unreported as most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or of patients with a confirmed infection, the report showed.

The&nbsp;IHME&nbsp;is an independent health research organization that provides comparable measurement of the world's health problems and has been cited in the past by the White House and its reports are watched closely by public health&nbsp;officials.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects">India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects</a>

The reported&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country, the&nbsp;IHME&nbsp;said.

"If you don't test very much, you're most likely to miss&nbsp;COVID&nbsp;deaths," Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a briefing call with journalists.

IHME&nbsp;estimated total&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;deaths by comparing anticipated&nbsp;deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all&nbsp;deaths caused during the pandemic.

In the United States, the analysis estimated&nbsp;COVID-19&nbsp;related&nbsp;deaths of&nbsp;more&nbsp;than&nbsp;905,000.&nbsp;Official&nbsp;figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday estimated 575,491&nbsp;deaths due to the novel coronavirus.

The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.

The report only includes&nbsp;deaths caused directly by the virus, not&nbsp;deaths caused by the pandemic's disruption to healthcare systems and communities.

"Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic's&nbsp;toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease," Murray said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused nearly 6.9 million deaths across the world, more than double the number officially recorded, a new analysis from the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) estimated. Deaths go unreported as most countries only record those that occur in hospitals or of patients with a confirmed infection, the report showed. The IHME is an independent health research organization that provides comparable measurement of the world's health problems and has been cited in the past by the White House and its reports are watched closely by public health officials. Also read: India to see over 1 million deaths by the start of August: US study projects The reported COVID-19 mortality is strongly related to the levels of testing in a country, the IHME said. "If you don't test very much, you're most likely to miss COVID deaths," Christopher Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said in a briefing call with journalists. IHME estimated total COVID-19 deaths by comparing anticipated deaths from all causes based on pre-pandemic trends with the actual number of all deaths caused during the pandemic. In the United States, the analysis estimated COVID-19 related deaths of more than 905,000. Official figures from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday estimated 575,491 deaths due to the novel coronavirus. The CDC did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report. The report only includes deaths caused directly by the virus, not deaths caused by the pandemic's disruption to healthcare systems and communities. "Many countries have devoted exceptional effort to measuring the pandemic's toll, but our analysis shows how difficult it is to accurately track a new and rapidly spreading infectious disease," Murray said.

Global COVID-19 death toll more than double official estimates - IHME

An Italian court convicted two Americans on Wednesday for murder of a policeman near their Rome hotel in 2019 while they were on a summer holiday, sentencing them to the maximum life in prison.

Two American tourists given life sentences for killing police officer in Italy

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Kiev in a show of support for Ukraine in its standoff with Russia and to push officials to tackle corruption. The top US diplomat landed in the Ukrainian capital ahead of a day that includes talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Antony Blinken arrives in Kiev to lend support to Ukraine

Under former US President Donald Trump, Washington pressurised its allies to pack up oil imports from Iran just because it wanted to put “maximum pressure” on the Islamic republic. Around the same time, Washington also put pressure on fellow NATO members to up their military budgets. It also pressed US allies to fight Huawei.

US President Joe Biden promised to put an end to this maximalist approach towards diplomacy. But just 100 days into office, Biden seems to have changed his mind. Washington is pressing Taiwan to supply microchip so that the Biden administration can revive and drive the American economy.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-is-pressing-taiwan-for-microchips-383079">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-us-is-pressing-taiwan-for-microchips-383079/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Microchips are tiny wafers of semiconducting materials and are needed in smartphones, computers and gaming consoles. Each car has over 1,000 microchips which help in controlling the car radio, the climate control system, tyre pressure etc. Currently, there is a global shortage of microchips and automakers are feeling the pinch.

From General Motors to Ford, auto-companies have been forced to shut plants and press break on production in the US. This has threatened Biden's promise of accelerating economic recovery. Autoworkers are facing cuts in their hours and wages. Additionally, this has threatened Biden's approval ratings as he stares at mid-term elections and Democrats struggle to hold their House majority.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/taipei-to-dispatch-military-aircraft-ships-to-counter-chinese-activities-in-taiwan-strait-382948" hreflang="en">Taipei to dispatch military aircraft, ships to counter Chinese activities in Taiwan Strait</a>

The situation is so dire that in April, the White House convened a summit to address chip shortage. Now, America is exporting its problem and directing the pressure towards an ally.

Taiwan has the world's largest semiconductor manufacturing industry and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is among the world's leading microchip producers and makes nearly 12 million microchips a year.

America wants these wafers to be shipped to US automobile companies. But the demand for Taiwanese microchips is not limited to the US alone. The TSMC, for example, has clients across Europe, Japan, South Korea, even China but Washington wants priority. The US is leveraging its position as Taiwan's main defence exporter. As the main foreign source of weapons, Taiwan need US to defend itself from China.

“Not a day goes by that we don't push on that”, said US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo told an executive from General Motors. “There are so many American jobs on the line”, she added. US is betting on Taiwan's vulnerability against an increasingly aggressive China.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/economic-warfare-against-tech-sector-taiwan-bans-recruitment-for-jobs-in-china-to-combat-brain-drain-381547" hreflang="en">Economic warfare against tech sector: Taiwan bans recruitment for jobs in China to combat brain drain</a>

Trump's legacy of pressing adversaries and allies alike still lingers in the White House. American diplomacy under Biden is increasingly being shaped by national politics.

Be it the refugee cap, or helping a natural ally like India in times of a global healthcare crisis, Biden believes in testing the waters at home first. And he is not shy of escalating pressure on an ally if it serves his national interest. Biden promised to be different from Rrump when he declared “America is back”. But 100 days in office and America is back to its old tactics.

Under former US President Donald Trump, Washington pressurised its allies to pack up oil imports from Iran just because it wanted to put “maximum pressure” on the Islamic republic.

Under former US President Donald Trump, Washington pressurised its allies to pack up oil imports from Iran just because it wanted to put “maximum pressure” on the Islamic republic. Around the same time, Washington also put pressure on fellow NATO members to up their military budgets. It also pressed US allies to fight Huawei. US President Joe Biden promised to put an end to this maximalist approach towards diplomacy. But just 100 days into office, Biden seems to have changed his mind. Washington is pressing Taiwan to supply microchip so that the Biden administration can revive and drive the American economy. Watch | Microchips are tiny wafers of semiconducting materials and are needed in smartphones, computers and gaming consoles. Each car has over 1,000 microchips which help in controlling the car radio, the climate control system, tyre pressure etc. Currently, there is a global shortage of microchips and automakers are feeling the pinch. From General Motors to Ford, auto-companies have been forced to shut plants and press break on production in the US. This has threatened Biden's promise of accelerating economic recovery. Autoworkers are facing cuts in their hours and wages. Additionally, this has threatened Biden's approval ratings as he stares at mid-term elections and Democrats struggle to hold their House majority. Also read: Taipei to dispatch military aircraft, ships to counter Chinese activities in Taiwan Strait The situation is so dire that in April, the White House convened a summit to address chip shortage. Now, America is exporting its problem and directing the pressure towards an ally. Taiwan has the world's largest semiconductor manufacturing industry and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is among the world's leading microchip producers and makes nearly 12 million microchips a year. America wants these wafers to be shipped to US automobile companies. But the demand for Taiwanese microchips is not limited to the US alone. The TSMC, for example, has clients across Europe, Japan, South Korea, even China but Washington wants priority. The US is leveraging its position as Taiwan's main defence exporter. As the main foreign source of weapons, Taiwan need US to defend itself from China. “Not a day goes by that we don't push on that”, said US Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo told an executive from General Motors. “There are so many American jobs on the line”, she added. US is betting on Taiwan's vulnerability against an increasingly aggressive China. Also read: Economic warfare against tech sector: Taiwan bans recruitment for jobs in China to combat brain drain Trump's legacy of pressing adversaries and allies alike still lingers in the White House. American diplomacy under Biden is increasingly being shaped by national politics. Be it the refugee cap, or helping a natural ally like India in times of a global healthcare crisis, Biden believes in testing the waters at home first. And he is not shy of escalating pressure on an ally if it serves his national interest. Biden promised to be different from Rrump when he declared “America is back”. But 100 days in office and America is back to its old tactics.

What does US pressure on Taiwan for microchips say about Biden administration?

A group of US lawmakers is demanding that airlines refrain from outsourcing jobs if they want to be eligible for a third round of federal payroll aid, after learning that United Airlines has sought bids to outsource catering work at five airports.

As United Airlines weighs outsourcing catering, US lawmakers demand new curbs on federal aid

According to ADP's monthly employment report, US Private payrolls grew by 742,000 last month in April. The Wednesday reading marks a fourth straight month of job growth and places private-sector payrolls at their highest since March 2020, when the pandemic first rocked the US economy.

World Business Watch: US private payrolls climb by 742,000 as labor market improves

President Joe Biden's administration has announced that the United States will support an initiative at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to waive Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) protection for COVID-19 vaccines.

US supports global waiver of intellectual property protection for COVID-19 vaccines

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