Donald Trump seems to be on a roll nowadays as his political organisation has raised nearly $102 million in cash reserves, a CNN report said.&nbsp;

This unprecedented war chest is huge at this stage in the election cycle for a former president. The new figures also mean that Trump is again refusing to step down, but just in a different sense this time. &nbsp;

The fundraising haul shows his continued ability to raise money from small-dollar donors online. Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud last year also continue though.&nbsp;

According to the former US president’s team, 3.2 million contributions flowed into the Trump's political committees in first six months of the year.&nbsp;

Complaining of a 'stolen' election again, Trump, in a statement, has cited the donations to be a sign that millions of Americans "share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth."&nbsp;

The fundraising apparatus of Trump comprises two political action committees, namely, ‘Save America’ leadership PAC and the ‘Make America Great Again’ PAC, along with a separate joint fundraising committee.&nbsp;

New filings show that most Trump's cash reserves are stockpiled in ‘Save America’ leadership PAC. It has around $90 million in its accounts as of June 30.&nbsp;

Donald Trump seems to be on a roll nowadays as his political organisation has raised nearly $102 million in cash reserves, a CNN report said. This unprecedented war chest is huge at this stage in the election cycle for a former president.

Donald Trump seems to be on a roll nowadays as his political organisation has raised nearly $102 million in cash reserves, a CNN report said. This unprecedented war chest is huge at this stage in the election cycle for a former president. The new figures also mean that Trump is again refusing to step down, but just in a different sense this time. The fundraising haul shows his continued ability to raise money from small-dollar donors online. Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud last year also continue though. According to the former US president’s team, 3.2 million contributions flowed into the Trump's political committees in first six months of the year. Complaining of a 'stolen' election again, Trump, in a statement, has cited the donations to be a sign that millions of Americans "share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth." The fundraising apparatus of Trump comprises two political action committees, namely, ‘Save America’ leadership PAC and the ‘Make America Great Again’ PAC, along with a separate joint fundraising committee. New filings show that most Trump's cash reserves are stockpiled in ‘Save America’ leadership PAC. It has around $90 million in its accounts as of June 30.

Former US president Donald Trump's fundraising initiatives raise $100 million  

As the Afghan imbroglio continues where Taliban is causing reverses among the rank and file of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and its claims to have annexed considerable chunks of territory especially on the borders of Pakistan and Iran grows, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a TV interview to the US channel PBS has said that US has messed up in Afghanistan. The interview, carried on the prime-time slot on the night of July 27 was seen by many and Khan went on to vehemently criticise the US by charging the US for trying to look for a military solution while what was needed was a political solution. Elaborating his argument, the Pakistani PM said that on earlier occasions when he ruled out a military solution, he was dubbed as Taliban Khan and anti-American.&nbsp;

Responding to a pointed query whether the Pakistani PM thought of Taliban resurgence was a positive development for Afghanistan, the PM reiterated that the only good outcome would be a political settlement, which was inclusive. He further stated that the ‘worst case scenario’ if aptly described, as being one where Afghanistan descends into a civil war; this was however, from Pakistan's point of view. Protracted civil war, if it happens, Khan went on to say, would bring in more refugees inside Pakistan and as it is there were three million Afghan refugees already sheltered in Pakistan. Expressing his apprehensions rather candidly, the Pakistani PM said Pashtuns in Pakistan would be drawn into the civil war and that will have devastating consequences. During his interview, Khan forthrightly denied any financial support based on Pakistan military intelligence to Afghanistan and he found that extremely unfair. Of late, US-Pakistan ties have been plummeting rather rapidly.&nbsp;

According to security analysts, due to the Quad threat looming large perceived to be targeting China where India, Japan and Australia have joined hands with the US, Pakistan is under severe pressure from China to distance itself from the US influence and by default, it would then keep India also at an arm's length, strategically. The ties also soured because of Pakistan’s blatant refusal to the US to allow use of Pakistan air bases to target Afghan Taliban targets for attack and counter offensives. Pakistan also continues to be wary about India’s growing proximity with regard to a strategic partnership with the US in Joe Biden’s seven-month-long presidentship. Several retired senior military officials of the Pakistan establishment and diplomats with good knowledge on US-Pakistan dynamics are blaming the Biden administration for letting Pakistan down, while Pakistan, as argued by a segment, had stood by the US in all its military endeavours. Be it training the Mujahideen with arms and stinger missiles during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, creation of Taliban or a solid collaboration when under President Musharraf, Pakistan cooperated in partnering with the US in taking on the Taliban in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks.&nbsp;

Amid this scene of downsliding of the bilateral relations, Pakistan has recently rejected the comments recorded by a latest US report which cast serious aspersions on the Pakistani judicial system. Reacting to the contents of such a report, a spokesperson from the Pakistan Foreign Office asserted that the judiciary in Pakistan was independent and the courts were functioning in accordance with the constitution and laws of the country. Such claims, however, are far from reality.&nbsp;

As there are no signs of any let up in the deteriorating US-Pakistan ties, the latter is likely to feel the heat following a very successful just concluded India visit by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on July 27 and 28. Indo-US watchers feel that US assurances to India for all support and strategic partnership is a matter of concern for China as the Quad dispensation stands strengthened and US commitment to cooperate with India in counter-terror measures will be more comforting to the two countries though it could be a matter of unease for Pakistan. Plus, Blinken’s meetings with Prime Minister Modi, EAM S Jaishankar, NSA A K Doval and other key functionaries will give a lot of food for thought to Pakistan, which already seems to have burnt its bridges with the US. Blinken’s complimentary remarks that the US would never forget the timely Indian help to the US during the COVID-19 pandemic augur very well in the context of Indo-US ties.&nbsp;

It does not end here, Blinken on July 28, also said that the US and India are bound by democratic values and free citizenry. While in India, the US Secretary of State also met representatives of various civil societies including one from the Dalai Lama. The representatives from the other religio-cultural organisations also met him and a free interaction was the hallmark of the meeting. Pak watchers are intently watching this growing bonhomie between India and US. Whether it is worrisome for Pakistan is a million-dollar question. Meanwhile China, has very angrily reacted to Blinken’s statement of India and US sharing the same democratic values. It has surely hurt China which, like Pakistan, is obviously disturbed by the warming up of US-India strategic cooperation.&nbsp;

Latest inputs indicate that the Chinese government lashed out on July 29 at Antony Blinken while he was in India, especially protesting on the visiting US Secretary of State’s meeting the Dalai Lama representatives describing it as a violation of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet being a part of China. Elaborating the tenor of the protest, the Chinese Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement that the Dalai Lama is not a mere religious figure but a political exile, who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities. In another China-related development, President Xi Jinping visited the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) recently which commenced from a village very close to Arunachal Pradesh. This is possibly an act of flexing of muscles or display of show of strength to India as intimidatory tactics. This is a known Chinese way of exhibiting ire or displeasure. It, however, remains interesting to watch more Chinese reactions, fraught with belligerence, as strategic bonhomie between India and the US further consolidates. &nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

As the Afghan imbroglio continues where Taliban is causing reverses among the rank and file of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and its claims to have annexed considerable chunks of territory especially on the borders of Pakistan and Iran grows, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a TV interview to the US channel PBS has said that US has messed up in Afghanistan.

As the Afghan imbroglio continues where Taliban is causing reverses among the rank and file of the Afghan National Army (ANA) and its claims to have annexed considerable chunks of territory especially on the borders of Pakistan and Iran grows, Prime Minister Imran Khan in a TV interview to the US channel PBS has said that US has messed up in Afghanistan. The interview, carried on the prime-time slot on the night of July 27 was seen by many and Khan went on to vehemently criticise the US by charging the US for trying to look for a military solution while what was needed was a political solution. Elaborating his argument, the Pakistani PM said that on earlier occasions when he ruled out a military solution, he was dubbed as Taliban Khan and anti-American. Responding to a pointed query whether the Pakistani PM thought of Taliban resurgence was a positive development for Afghanistan, the PM reiterated that the only good outcome would be a political settlement, which was inclusive. He further stated that the ‘worst case scenario’ if aptly described, as being one where Afghanistan descends into a civil war; this was however, from Pakistan's point of view. Protracted civil war, if it happens, Khan went on to say, would bring in more refugees inside Pakistan and as it is there were three million Afghan refugees already sheltered in Pakistan. Expressing his apprehensions rather candidly, the Pakistani PM said Pashtuns in Pakistan would be drawn into the civil war and that will have devastating consequences. During his interview, Khan forthrightly denied any financial support based on Pakistan military intelligence to Afghanistan and he found that extremely unfair. Of late, US-Pakistan ties have been plummeting rather rapidly. According to security analysts, due to the Quad threat looming large perceived to be targeting China where India, Japan and Australia have joined hands with the US, Pakistan is under severe pressure from China to distance itself from the US influence and by default, it would then keep India also at an arm's length, strategically. The ties also soured because of Pakistan’s blatant refusal to the US to allow use of Pakistan air bases to target Afghan Taliban targets for attack and counter offensives. Pakistan also continues to be wary about India’s growing proximity with regard to a strategic partnership with the US in Joe Biden’s seven-month-long presidentship. Several retired senior military officials of the Pakistan establishment and diplomats with good knowledge on US-Pakistan dynamics are blaming the Biden administration for letting Pakistan down, while Pakistan, as argued by a segment, had stood by the US in all its military endeavours. Be it training the Mujahideen with arms and stinger missiles during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, creation of Taliban or a solid collaboration when under President Musharraf, Pakistan cooperated in partnering with the US in taking on the Taliban in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks. Amid this scene of downsliding of the bilateral relations, Pakistan has recently rejected the comments recorded by a latest US report which cast serious aspersions on the Pakistani judicial system. Reacting to the contents of such a report, a spokesperson from the Pakistan Foreign Office asserted that the judiciary in Pakistan was independent and the courts were functioning in accordance with the constitution and laws of the country. Such claims, however, are far from reality. As there are no signs of any let up in the deteriorating US-Pakistan ties, the latter is likely to feel the heat following a very successful just concluded India visit by the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken on July 27 and 28. Indo-US watchers feel that US assurances to India for all support and strategic partnership is a matter of concern for China as the Quad dispensation stands strengthened and US commitment to cooperate with India in counter-terror measures will be more comforting to the two countries though it could be a matter of unease for Pakistan. Plus, Blinken’s meetings with Prime Minister Modi, EAM S Jaishankar, NSA A K Doval and other key functionaries will give a lot of food for thought to Pakistan, which already seems to have burnt its bridges with the US. Blinken’s complimentary remarks that the US would never forget the timely Indian help to the US during the COVID-19 pandemic augur very well in the context of Indo-US ties. It does not end here, Blinken on July 28, also said that the US and India are bound by democratic values and free citizenry. While in India, the US Secretary of State also met representatives of various civil societies including one from the Dalai Lama. The representatives from the other religio-cultural organisations also met him and a free interaction was the hallmark of the meeting. Pak watchers are intently watching this growing bonhomie between India and US. Whether it is worrisome for Pakistan is a million-dollar question. Meanwhile China, has very angrily reacted to Blinken’s statement of India and US sharing the same democratic values. It has surely hurt China which, like Pakistan, is obviously disturbed by the warming up of US-India strategic cooperation. Latest inputs indicate that the Chinese government lashed out on July 29 at Antony Blinken while he was in India, especially protesting on the visiting US Secretary of State’s meeting the Dalai Lama representatives describing it as a violation of the US commitment to acknowledge Tibet being a part of China. Elaborating the tenor of the protest, the Chinese Foreign Ministry clarified in a statement that the Dalai Lama is not a mere religious figure but a political exile, who has long engaged in anti-China separatist activities. In another China-related development, President Xi Jinping visited the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR) recently which commenced from a village very close to Arunachal Pradesh. This is possibly an act of flexing of muscles or display of show of strength to India as intimidatory tactics. This is a known Chinese way of exhibiting ire or displeasure. It, however, remains interesting to watch more Chinese reactions, fraught with belligerence, as strategic bonhomie between India and the US further consolidates. (Disclaimer: The views of the writer do not represent the views of WION or ZMCL. Nor does WION or ZMCL endorse the views of the writer.)

Opinion: China, Pakistan ire on growing Indo-US relations  

Pakistan cannot bear the burden of hosting more Afghan refugees, said Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf, while addressing a press conference in Washington DC. &nbsp;

Yusuf is on a visit the US for talks with their American counterparts on the situation in Afghanistan. It is a part of Washington's diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in the war-torn nation.&nbsp;

On the matter, Yusuf said safe zones should be established within Afghanistan for the refugees. In response to a question, the NSA said, “Pakistan and the United States need to work together to address the security concern in Afghanistan.”&nbsp;

Pakistan has a key role in a new US diplomatic offensive aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan.&nbsp;

Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants that they would prevent extremist groups from operating in areas they control.&nbsp;

US Central Command, which is in charge of Afghanistan, said recently that the withdrawal of US forces is more than 95 per cent complete. President Joe Biden has said the withdrawal would be complete by the end of August.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Pakistan cannot bear the burden of hosting more Afghan refugees, said Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf, while addressing a press conference in Washington DC.

Pakistan cannot bear the burden of hosting more Afghan refugees, said Pakistan’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf, while addressing a press conference in Washington DC. Yusuf is on a visit the US for talks with their American counterparts on the situation in Afghanistan. It is a part of Washington's diplomatic efforts aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in the war-torn nation. On the matter, Yusuf said safe zones should be established within Afghanistan for the refugees. In response to a question, the NSA said, “Pakistan and the United States need to work together to address the security concern in Afghanistan.” Pakistan has a key role in a new US diplomatic offensive aimed at ensuring a peaceful transfer of power in Afghanistan. Under a deal with the Taliban, the US and its NATO allies agreed to withdraw all troops in return for a commitment by the militants that they would prevent extremist groups from operating in areas they control. US Central Command, which is in charge of Afghanistan, said recently that the withdrawal of US forces is more than 95 per cent complete. President Joe Biden has said the withdrawal would be complete by the end of August. (With inputs from agencies)

Pak cannot bear burden of more refugees from Afghanistan, says NSA  

The people of Afghanistan have been historically fighting for the last 34 years, says Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, Ex-PM Afghanistan.

Afghanistan: Former afghan PM Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Speaks to WION

As Taliban insurgents make gains in Afghanistan and security forces struggle to contain them, an international human rights monitor accused the Taliban insurgency there, of executing suspected government officials and security personnel, and sometimes even their family members.

Afghanistan: Taliban wages fierce battles, 3 major cities under attack

A survey of data from 10 states shows that more than 1 million doses have gone to waste since the nation began administering <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> vaccines in December.

Much of the loss has come as demand for inoculations plummeted, with the daily rate of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus-vaccine">vaccinations</a> now at less than one-fifth of its peak average of 3.4 million shots, reached in mid-April.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-seeks-international-help-as-covid-19-bites-401144">Myanmar seeks international help as COVID-19 bites</a>

More than 110,000 doses have been destroyed in Georgia, officials there said. Of the more than 53,000 doses wasted in New Jersey, nearly 20,000 were discarded in June, up from around 4,000 in April. In Ohio, more than 370,000 doses have been reported as unusable by state providers, while around 50,000 doses in Maryland were not used, officials said.

Reasons for vaccine wastage include breakage, storage and transportation problems, expiration, and shots that were prepared but not used after people did not show up for appointments, officials said. In many states, data shows that wasted or unusable doses are no more than 2 per cent of those received from the federal government and successfully administered.

In Georgia, more than 8.5 million doses have been administered; the state’s unused doses total just 1.4 per cent of that number, officials said. Idaho has wasted about 2 per cent of delivered doses, and New Jersey less than half of 1 per cent.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/florida-breaks-record-with-more-than-21000-new-covid-19-cases-402176">Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID-19 cases</a>

Other states are likely to face some of the same issues as the 10 states whose data was reviewed by The New York Times, suggesting that the number of wasted doses in the country could be far higher. Other states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, did not respond to requests for information. State data does not include all doses that the federal government ships directly to chain pharmacies, so there could be an unaccounted-for waste.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks wasted doses, but did not respond to a request for that data, which would provide a broader national picture.

The rise in wasted vaccine doses reflects the challenge American health officials face in inoculating residents, even as the more contagious <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/delta-is-the-fastest-covid-19-variant-and-will-pick-off-the-most-vulnerable-who-393278">delta variant</a> of the coronavirus fuels outbreaks among the unvaccinated across the United States. Delta is also one driver of a rise in cases globally, and many countries are begging for vaccine doses.

Full vaccination offers strong protection against severe disease and death, including from the delta variant, and the CDC says breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are rare. However, recent data suggest that vaccinated people infected with the delta variant may transmit the virus to others, a finding that contributed to the CDC’s recent decision to advise vaccinated people in COVID hot spots to wear masks again in indoor public areas.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/delta-covid-19-variant-can-be-passed-on-even-by-those-vaccinated-us-top-health-body-402016">Delta COVID-19 variant can be passed on even by those vaccinated: US top health body</a>

Vaccinations are now ticking upward in some states; more than 850,000 shots were recorded on Friday, raising the daily national average to more than 650,000 from about 500,000 three weeks ago. Still, more than half of the US&nbsp;population is not fully vaccinated, according to a Times database. That includes children younger than 12, who are not yet eligible.

“Early on, it was kind of a crisis because people wanted it and couldn’t get it, and now it’s a crisis because we’ve got it and people don’t want it,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, who represents state health agencies as the chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.

Many states have asked about redistributing unused vaccines abroad, but once the doses are shipped out to states, federal regulations prohibit recalling them. And some countries, like Canada, have declined states’ offers of surplus vaccines.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-receives-four-million-vaccine-doses-from-us-402197">Nigeria receives four million vaccine doses from US</a>

“Here we are with loads of vaccine, and there are other countries in the world where people are desperate for vaccination,” Plescia said.

With vaccinations lagging, some state health officials have directed providers in recent months to open a new vial even if some of it goes unused.

“It’s better to give two doses and waste 12 than to leave 14 doses sitting in the freezer,” said Kristen Dillon, a director of the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 vaccine Planning Unit. Oregon has reported more than 78,000 doses as nonviable, the “vast majority” of which were unused doses from opened vials, officials said.

In Arkansas, where just 36 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, nearly 55,000 doses had gone to waste by mid-July, up from around 580 in mid-March, as officials prioritized vaccinations over saving doses. “If we have the opportunity to give the vaccine, let’s go ahead and do it,” said Robert Ator, a retired National Guard colonel who runs the state’s vaccination effort.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-president-joe-biden-calls-on-states-localities-to-give-100-for-people-getting-vaccinated-401986/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Like officials in many other states, Ator said he stopped ordering additional doses in April as demand dropped, and he has since shifted to repackaging doses in smaller quantities for distribution to drugstores and doctors’ offices. The state’s stockpile has decreased from 550,000 doses in April to about 350,000 in late July, he said.

Despite his efforts, Ator projected that about 100,000 doses of the state’s stockpile could expire over the next three months.

A survey of data from 10 states shows that more than 1 million doses have gone to waste since the nation began administering COVID-19 vaccines in December. Much of the loss has come as demand for inoculations plummeted, with the daily rate of vaccinations now at less than one-fifth of its peak average of 3.

A survey of data from 10 states shows that more than 1 million doses have gone to waste since the nation began administering COVID-19 vaccines in December. Much of the loss has come as demand for inoculations plummeted, with the daily rate of vaccinations now at less than one-fifth of its peak average of 3.4 million shots, reached in mid-April. Also read | Myanmar seeks international help as COVID-19 bites More than 110,000 doses have been destroyed in Georgia, officials there said. Of the more than 53,000 doses wasted in New Jersey, nearly 20,000 were discarded in June, up from around 4,000 in April. In Ohio, more than 370,000 doses have been reported as unusable by state providers, while around 50,000 doses in Maryland were not used, officials said. Reasons for vaccine wastage include breakage, storage and transportation problems, expiration, and shots that were prepared but not used after people did not show up for appointments, officials said. In many states, data shows that wasted or unusable doses are no more than 2 per cent of those received from the federal government and successfully administered. In Georgia, more than 8.5 million doses have been administered; the state’s unused doses total just 1.4 per cent of that number, officials said. Idaho has wasted about 2 per cent of delivered doses, and New Jersey less than half of 1 per cent. Also read | Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID-19 cases Other states are likely to face some of the same issues as the 10 states whose data was reviewed by The New York Times, suggesting that the number of wasted doses in the country could be far higher. Other states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, did not respond to requests for information. State data does not include all doses that the federal government ships directly to chain pharmacies, so there could be an unaccounted-for waste. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks wasted doses, but did not respond to a request for that data, which would provide a broader national picture. The rise in wasted vaccine doses reflects the challenge American health officials face in inoculating residents, even as the more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus fuels outbreaks among the unvaccinated across the United States. Delta is also one driver of a rise in cases globally, and many countries are begging for vaccine doses. Full vaccination offers strong protection against severe disease and death, including from the delta variant, and the CDC says breakthrough infections in vaccinated people are rare. However, recent data suggest that vaccinated people infected with the delta variant may transmit the virus to others, a finding that contributed to the CDC’s recent decision to advise vaccinated people in COVID hot spots to wear masks again in indoor public areas. Also read | Delta COVID-19 variant can be passed on even by those vaccinated: US top health body Vaccinations are now ticking upward in some states; more than 850,000 shots were recorded on Friday, raising the daily national average to more than 650,000 from about 500,000 three weeks ago. Still, more than half of the US population is not fully vaccinated, according to a Times database. That includes children younger than 12, who are not yet eligible. “Early on, it was kind of a crisis because people wanted it and couldn’t get it, and now it’s a crisis because we’ve got it and people don’t want it,” said Dr. Marcus Plescia, who represents state health agencies as the chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Many states have asked about redistributing unused vaccines abroad, but once the doses are shipped out to states, federal regulations prohibit recalling them. And some countries, like Canada, have declined states’ offers of surplus vaccines. Also read | Nigeria receives four million vaccine doses from US “Here we are with loads of vaccine, and there are other countries in the world where people are desperate for vaccination,” Plescia said. With vaccinations lagging, some state health officials have directed providers in recent months to open a new vial even if some of it goes unused. “It’s better to give two doses and waste 12 than to leave 14 doses sitting in the freezer,” said Kristen Dillon, a director of the Oregon Health Authority’s COVID-19 vaccine Planning Unit. Oregon has reported more than 78,000 doses as nonviable, the “vast majority” of which were unused doses from opened vials, officials said. In Arkansas, where just 36 per cent of residents are fully vaccinated, nearly 55,000 doses had gone to waste by mid-July, up from around 580 in mid-March, as officials prioritized vaccinations over saving doses. “If we have the opportunity to give the vaccine, let’s go ahead and do it,” said Robert Ator, a retired National Guard colonel who runs the state’s vaccination effort. Like officials in many other states, Ator said he stopped ordering additional doses in April as demand dropped, and he has since shifted to repackaging doses in smaller quantities for distribution to drugstores and doctors’ offices. The state’s stockpile has decreased from 550,000 doses in April to about 350,000 in late July, he said. Despite his efforts, Ator projected that about 100,000 doses of the state’s stockpile could expire over the next three months.

US is wasting vaccine doses, even as cases rise

The US&nbsp;Senate in a rare Saturday session worked on a bill that would spend $1 trillion on roads, rail lines and other infrastructure, as lawmakers from both parties sought to advance President Joe Biden's top legislative priority. 
 
The ambitious plan has the backing of Democrats and Republicans alike and has already cleared two hurdles by broad margins in the closely divided Senate. 
 
But so far lawmakers have not seen the final text of the bill, which includes about $550 billion in new spending and was still being written on Saturday. Earlier votes were for a shell bill that the actual legislation will be added to once it is complete. 
 
US&nbsp;Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that the bipartisan group working on the legislation needed additional time. "The Senate will remain in session today so they can bring this to a conclusion," Schumer said. 
 
"I know all the parties want to get this right. As soon as their legislative text is finalised, we'll review it and then I will offer it as a substitute amendment. After that, we can begin voting for amendments," the top Senate Democrat added. 
 
After passing the $1 trillion bill, Schumer aims to push forward on a sweeping $3.5 trillion package that focuses on climate change and home care for the elderly and children. That faces staunch Republican opposition and some dissent among moderate Democrats. 
 
"The Senate is going to move forward on both tracks of infrastructure before the beginning of the August recess. The longer it takes to finish, the longer we`ll be here. But we`re going to get the job done," Schumer said earlier on Saturday. 
 
The Senate voted 66-28 on Friday to take up the bill, with 16 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two independents in support. 
 
The package would dramatically increase the nation's spending on roads, bridges, transit and airports. Supporters predicted it will ultimately pass the Senate and House of Representatives, eventually reaching Biden's desk for him to sign it into law. 
 
It includes about $550 billion in new spending, on top of $450 billion that was previously approved. It also includes money for eliminating lead water pipes and building electric vehicle charging stations. 
 
The bill does not include funding for most climate change and social initiatives that Democrats aim to pass in the separate $3.5 trillion measure without Republican support. 
 
Democrats hold razor-thin margins in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, meaning the party must stick together to achieve its legislative goals. 
 
Progressive members of the House Democratic caucus have already suggested the $1 trillion package is inadequate, and the Senate could likewise impose changes that could complicate its chances of becoming law. 
 
But supporters, including Schumer and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have been optimistic about its prospects.

The US Senate in a rare Saturday session worked on a bill that would spend $1 trillion on roads, rail lines and other infrastructure, as lawmakers from both parties sought to advance President Joe Biden's top legislative priority.

The US Senate in a rare Saturday session worked on a bill that would spend $1 trillion on roads, rail lines and other infrastructure, as lawmakers from both parties sought to advance President Joe Biden's top legislative priority. The ambitious plan has the backing of Democrats and Republicans alike and has already cleared two hurdles by broad margins in the closely divided Senate. But so far lawmakers have not seen the final text of the bill, which includes about $550 billion in new spending and was still being written on Saturday. Earlier votes were for a shell bill that the actual legislation will be added to once it is complete. US Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor that the bipartisan group working on the legislation needed additional time. "The Senate will remain in session today so they can bring this to a conclusion," Schumer said. "I know all the parties want to get this right. As soon as their legislative text is finalised, we'll review it and then I will offer it as a substitute amendment. After that, we can begin voting for amendments," the top Senate Democrat added. After passing the $1 trillion bill, Schumer aims to push forward on a sweeping $3.5 trillion package that focuses on climate change and home care for the elderly and children. That faces staunch Republican opposition and some dissent among moderate Democrats. "The Senate is going to move forward on both tracks of infrastructure before the beginning of the August recess. The longer it takes to finish, the longer we`ll be here. But we`re going to get the job done," Schumer said earlier on Saturday. The Senate voted 66-28 on Friday to take up the bill, with 16 Republicans joining all 48 Democrats and two independents in support. The package would dramatically increase the nation's spending on roads, bridges, transit and airports. Supporters predicted it will ultimately pass the Senate and House of Representatives, eventually reaching Biden's desk for him to sign it into law. It includes about $550 billion in new spending, on top of $450 billion that was previously approved. It also includes money for eliminating lead water pipes and building electric vehicle charging stations. The bill does not include funding for most climate change and social initiatives that Democrats aim to pass in the separate $3.5 trillion measure without Republican support. Democrats hold razor-thin margins in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, meaning the party must stick together to achieve its legislative goals. Progressive members of the House Democratic caucus have already suggested the $1 trillion package is inadequate, and the Senate could likewise impose changes that could complicate its chances of becoming law. But supporters, including Schumer and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have been optimistic about its prospects.

US Senate in rare Saturday session on $1 trillion infrastructure bill

The US&nbsp;Navy is assisting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker attacked off Oman with two crew members killed, the US&nbsp;military said on Saturday, adding the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike. 
 
Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned vessel that was attacked on Thursday, is being escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, US&nbsp;Central Command said in a statement. 
 
"US&nbsp;Navy explosives experts are aboard to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew, and are prepared to support an investigation into the attack," said Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. 
 
"Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style (drone) attack," it added. 
 
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid blamed Iran on Friday for the attack, which killed a Briton and a Romanian, and said it deserved a harsh response. There was no immediate official reaction from Iran to the accusation that it was responsible. 
 
Lapid spoke with US&nbsp;Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the incident on Saturday evening, he said on Twitter. 
 
"We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us, by formulating a real and effective international response," Lapid said. 
 
Lapid added on Twitter: Iran "repeatedly errs in understanding our commitment to protecting ourselves and our interests." 
 
US&nbsp;and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said on Friday that Iran was their leading suspect for the incident. 
 
Al Alam TV, the Iranian government`s Arabic-language television network, cited unnamed sources as saying the attack on the ship came in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Dabaa airport in Syria. 
 
The vessel is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. The company said on Friday the vessel was sailing under the control of its crew and own power to a safe location with a US&nbsp;naval escort.

The US Navy is assisting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker attacked off Oman with two crew members killed, the US military said on Saturday, adding the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike.

The US Navy is assisting an Israeli-managed petroleum products tanker attacked off Oman with two crew members killed, the US military said on Saturday, adding the ship was most likely hit by a drone strike. Mercer Street, a Liberian-flagged, Japanese-owned vessel that was attacked on Thursday, is being escorted by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, US Central Command said in a statement. "US Navy explosives experts are aboard to ensure there is no additional danger to the crew, and are prepared to support an investigation into the attack," said Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. "Initial indications clearly point to a UAV-style (drone) attack," it added. Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid blamed Iran on Friday for the attack, which killed a Briton and a Romanian, and said it deserved a harsh response. There was no immediate official reaction from Iran to the accusation that it was responsible. Lapid spoke with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the incident on Saturday evening, he said on Twitter. "We are working together against Iranian terrorism, which poses a threat to all of us, by formulating a real and effective international response," Lapid said. Lapid added on Twitter: Iran "repeatedly errs in understanding our commitment to protecting ourselves and our interests." US and European sources familiar with intelligence reporting said on Friday that Iran was their leading suspect for the incident. Al Alam TV, the Iranian government`s Arabic-language television network, cited unnamed sources as saying the attack on the ship came in response to a suspected, unspecified Israeli attack on Dabaa airport in Syria. The vessel is managed by Israeli-owned Zodiac Maritime. The company said on Friday the vessel was sailing under the control of its crew and own power to a safe location with a US naval escort.

US military aids Israel-managed tanker attacked off Oman

Tunisia&nbsp;should swiftly&nbsp;return&nbsp;to its "democratic&nbsp;path", a top White House official on Saturday told President Kais Saied, days after his shock power grab that included suspending parliament.

In an hour-long call with Saied, President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted support for "Tunisian democracy based on fundamental rights, strong institutions and a commitment to&nbsp;the rule of law", according to a White House statement.

Saied on July 25 sacked premier Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days. He ordered a graft crackdown targeting 460 businessmen and an investigation into alleged illegal funding of political parties.

The president's surprise move has plunged&nbsp;Tunisia&nbsp;into political turmoil.

The US statement said the call "focused on the critical need for Tunisian leaders to outline a swift&nbsp;return&nbsp;to&nbsp;Tunisia's&nbsp;democratic&nbsp;path".

"This will require rapidly forming a new government, led by a capable prime minister to stabilise&nbsp;Tunisia's economy and confront the COVID-19 pandemic," it added.

On top of the political turmoil, the North African nation is beset by a crippling economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and high unemployment, as well as surging COVID-19 infections.

Tunisia should swiftly return to its "democratic path", a top White House official on Saturday told President Kais Saied, days after his shock power grab that included suspending parliament.

Tunisia should swiftly return to its "democratic path", a top White House official on Saturday told President Kais Saied, days after his shock power grab that included suspending parliament. In an hour-long call with Saied, President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan noted support for "Tunisian democracy based on fundamental rights, strong institutions and a commitment to the rule of law", according to a White House statement. Saied on July 25 sacked premier Hichem Mechichi and suspended parliament for 30 days. He ordered a graft crackdown targeting 460 businessmen and an investigation into alleged illegal funding of political parties. The president's surprise move has plunged Tunisia into political turmoil. The US statement said the call "focused on the critical need for Tunisian leaders to outline a swift return to Tunisia's democratic path". "This will require rapidly forming a new government, led by a capable prime minister to stabilise Tunisia's economy and confront the COVID-19 pandemic," it added. On top of the political turmoil, the North African nation is beset by a crippling economic crisis marked by soaring inflation and high unemployment, as well as surging COVID-19 infections.

US urges Tunisia to return to 'democratic path'

Nigeria received four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States on Sunday as the West African nation steps up efforts to battle a third wave of infections.

The doses, which came on two planes, were received by officials from the UN children agency UNICEF on behalf of Nigeria at the airport in the capital Abuja, an AFP video reporter at the scene said.

It was the second batch of vaccines to arrive in Africa's most populous nation after four million doses were delivered in March under the Covax scheme.

Covax was set up to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and has already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories.

Nigeria, which is home to some 210 million people used the four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in received in March to start its nationwide inoculation programme.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nigeria-bans-twitter-indefinitely-after-muhammadu-buharis-account-suspension-389533">Also read |&nbsp;Nigeria bans Twitter 'indefinitely' after Muhammadu Buhari's account suspension</a>

Experts worry that the highly contagious Delta variant could pose another setback to vaccine distribution&nbsp;if wealthier countries begin requiring booster shots for fully-vaccinated people, it could slow shipments of urgently needed doses to developing nations.

The virus has killed 2,149 people and infected nearly 174,000 in Nigeria, but the real figures are believed to be much higher, in part because of low testing rates.

Last month, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said it had detected the Delta variant, putting officials on alert for a third wave of infections in the country.

In June, Nigeria barred passengers who are not citizens or permanent residents from entering the country if they have been in South Africa in the past 14 days.

The decision followed similar restrictions imposed on travellers coming from Brazil, India and Turkey.

Nigeria received four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States on Sunday as the West African nation steps up efforts to battle a third wave of infections.

Nigeria received four million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States on Sunday as the West African nation steps up efforts to battle a third wave of infections. The doses, which came on two planes, were received by officials from the UN children agency UNICEF on behalf of Nigeria at the airport in the capital Abuja, an AFP video reporter at the scene said. It was the second batch of vaccines to arrive in Africa's most populous nation after four million doses were delivered in March under the Covax scheme. Covax was set up to ensure the equitable distribution of vaccines, particularly to low-income countries, and has already delivered more than 80 million doses to 129 territories. Nigeria, which is home to some 210 million people used the four million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in received in March to start its nationwide inoculation programme. Also read | Nigeria bans Twitter 'indefinitely' after Muhammadu Buhari's account suspension Experts worry that the highly contagious Delta variant could pose another setback to vaccine distribution if wealthier countries begin requiring booster shots for fully-vaccinated people, it could slow shipments of urgently needed doses to developing nations. The virus has killed 2,149 people and infected nearly 174,000 in Nigeria, but the real figures are believed to be much higher, in part because of low testing rates. Last month, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control said it had detected the Delta variant, putting officials on alert for a third wave of infections in the country. In June, Nigeria barred passengers who are not citizens or permanent residents from entering the country if they have been in South Africa in the past 14 days. The decision followed similar restrictions imposed on travellers coming from Brazil, India and Turkey.

Nigeria receives four million vaccine doses from US

In the United States, the number of homicides continues to rise in all major American Cities. Gun assaults rose by 5% compared to last year whereas aggravated assaults also increased by 9% in 2021.

US: Record increase in murders across America

Walt&nbsp;Disney&nbsp;Co said on Friday (July 30) it was making&nbsp;vaccination&nbsp;mandatory&nbsp;for all its on-site&nbsp;salaried and non-union hourly&nbsp;employees&nbsp;in the United States, as the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant drives a resurgence in cases.

"Employees&nbsp;who aren't already vaccinated and are working on-site&nbsp;will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any&nbsp;employees&nbsp;still working from home will need to provide verification of&nbsp;vaccination&nbsp;prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions,"&nbsp;Disney&nbsp;said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-disney-lashes-at-scarlett-johansson-for-suing-it-on-taking-black-widow-film-to-disney-401634">Also read |&nbsp;Disney lashes at Scarlett Johansson for suing it on taking 'Black Widow' to streamer</a>

The company also said all the newly hired&nbsp;employees&nbsp;will be required to be fully vaccinated before beginning their employment.

Disney's announcement comes after major tech companies including Google, Uber and Facebook said earlier this week that all&nbsp;US&nbsp;employees&nbsp;must get vaccinated to step into offices.

Health authorities on Tuesday (July 27) said Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should go back to wearing masks in indoor public places in regions where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly.

Walt Disney Co said on Friday (July 30) it was making vaccination mandatory for all its on-site salaried and non-union hourly employees in the United States, as the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant drives a resurgence in cases.

Walt Disney Co said on Friday (July 30) it was making vaccination mandatory for all its on-site salaried and non-union hourly employees in the United States, as the highly infectious Delta COVID-19 variant drives a resurgence in cases. "Employees who aren't already vaccinated and are working on-site will have 60 days from today to complete their protocols and any employees still working from home will need to provide verification of vaccination prior to their return, with certain limited exceptions," Disney said. Also read | Disney lashes at Scarlett Johansson for suing it on taking 'Black Widow' to streamer The company also said all the newly hired employees will be required to be fully vaccinated before beginning their employment. Disney's announcement comes after major tech companies including Google, Uber and Facebook said earlier this week that all US employees must get vaccinated to step into offices. Health authorities on Tuesday (July 27) said Americans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should go back to wearing masks in indoor public places in regions where the coronavirus is spreading rapidly.

Disney makes vaccination mandatory for on-site US employees

The huge increase in government aid prompted by the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">coronavirus pandemic</a> will cut poverty nearly in half this year from pre-pandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net.

The number of poor Americans is expected to fall by nearly 20 million from 2018 levels, a decline of almost 45 per cent. The country has never cut poverty so much in such a short period of time, and the development is especially notable since it defies economic headwinds — the economy has nearly 7 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/coronavirus-pushes-37-million-people-into-extreme-poverty-gates-foundation-327805">Coronavirus pushes 37 million people into extreme poverty: Gates Foundation</a>

The extraordinary reduction in poverty has come at extraordinary cost, with annual spending on major programs projected to rise fourfold to more than $1 trillion. Yet without further expensive new measures, millions of families may find the escape from poverty brief. The three programs that cut poverty most — stimulus checks, increased food stamps and expanded unemployment insurance — have ended or are scheduled to soon revert to their prepandemic size.

While poverty has fallen most among children, its retreat is remarkably broad: It has dropped among Americans who are white, Black, Latino and Asian, and among Americans of every age group and residents of every state.

“These are really large reductions in poverty — the largest short-term reductions we’ve seen,” said Laura Wheaton of the Urban Institute, who produced the estimate with her colleagues Linda Giannarelli and Ilham Dehry. The institute’s simulation model is widely used by government agencies. The New York Times requested the analysis, which expanded on an earlier projection.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/new-report-warns-hunger-is-expected-to-rise-in-23-global-hotspots-401915">New report warns hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots</a>

he finding — that poverty plunged amid hard times at huge fiscal costs — comes at a moment of sharp debate about the future of the safety net.

The Biden administration has started making monthly payments to most families with children through an expansion of the child tax credit. Democrats want to make the yearlong effort permanent, which would reduce child poverty on a continuing basis by giving their families an income guarantee.

Progressives said the new numbers vindicated their contention that poverty levels reflected political choices and government programs could reduce economic need.

<img alt="Graphic 1 (Source: The New York Times)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5006ff6b-8278-4f58-af83-0180ac52ccdf" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-07-31T220041.401.jpg" />

Graphic 1 (Source: The New York Times)

“Wow — these are stunning findings,” said Bob Greenstein, a longtime proponent of safety net programs who is now at the Brookings Institution. “The policy response since the start of the pandemic goes beyond anything we’ve ever done, and the antipoverty effect dwarfs what most of us thought was possible.”

Conservatives say that pandemic-era spending is unsustainable and would harm the poor in the long run, arguing that unconditional aid discourages work and marriage. The child tax credit offers families up to $300 per child a month whether or not parents have jobs, which critics call a return to failed welfare policies.

“There’s no doubt that by shoveling trillions of dollars to the poor, you can reduce poverty,” said Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation. “But that’s not efficient and it’s not good for the poor because it produces social marginalization. You want policies that encourage work and marriage, not undermine it.”

Poverty rates had reached new lows before the pandemic, Rector added, under policies meant to discourage welfare and promote work.

To understand how large the recent aid expansion has been, consider the experience of Kathryn Goodwin, a single mother of five in St. Charles, Missouri, who managed a group of trailer parks before the pandemic eliminated her $33,000 job.

Without the pandemic-era expansions — passed in three rounds under both the Trump and Biden administrations — Goodwin’s job loss would have caused her income to plunge to about $29,000 (in jobless benefits, food stamps and other aid), leaving her officially poor.

<img alt="Graphic 2 (Source: The New York Times)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ecf827d3-8ead-4164-8943-d7cb2a3190eb" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-07-31T220101.346.jpg" />

Graphic 2&nbsp;(Source: The New York Times)

Instead, her income rose above its prepandemic level, though she has not worked for a year. She received about $25,000 in unemployment benefits (about three times what she would have received before the pandemic) and $12,000 in stimulus checks. With increased food stamp benefits and other help, her income grew to $67,000 — almost 30 per cent more than when she had a job.

“Without that help, I literally don’t know how I would have survived,” she said. “We would have been homeless.”

Still, Goodwin, 29, has mixed feelings about large payments with no stipulations.

“In my case, yes, it was very beneficial,” she said. But she said that other people she knew bought big TVs and her former boyfriend bought drugs. “All this free money enabled him to be a worse addict than he already was,” she said. “Why should taxpayers pay for that?”

The Urban Institute’s projections show poverty falling to 7.7 per cent this year from 13.9&nbsp;per cent in 2018. That decline, 45 per cent, is nearly three times the previous three-year record, according to historical estimates by researchers at Columbia University. The projected drop in child poverty, to 5.6 from 14.2 per cent, amounts to a decline of 61 per cent. That exceeds the previous 50 years combined, the Columbia figures show.

In addition to there being nearly 20 million fewer people in poverty, the institute projects about 10 million fewer in “near poverty,” with incomes of 100 to 150&nbsp;per cent of the poverty line. Under the yardstick the Urban Institute used (the government’s Supplemental Poverty Measure), the poverty line for two adults and two children with typical housing costs is about $30,000.

“The decline in ‘near poverty’ is significant because families in that income range, like people in poverty, suffer high rates of food insecurity and other hardships,” said Elaine Waxman, an Urban Institute researcher.

Poverty fell across racial and ethnic groups but most for people who are Black and Latino, meaning the gap with white Americans narrowed. The Rev. Starsky Wilson, the president of the Children’s Defense Fund, credited the racial protests of the past year for prompting lawmakers to act. “It’s no coincidence that the effort at mobilizing resulted in investments that reduced poverty and narrowed disparities,” he said.

<img alt="Graphic 3 (Source: The New York Times)" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="be777110-1106-44a1-b65f-9275d245b258" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20-%202021-07-31T220120.026.jpg" />

Graphic 3&nbsp;(Source: The New York Times)

Poverty fell less among Asian Americans, leaving them more likely than Black Americans to be poor. The institute found that was partly because they tended to live in more expensive areas.

Jessica Moore of St. Louis said the expanded aid helped her make a fresh start.

A single mother of three, Moore, 24, lost work as a banquet server at the pandemic’s start but received enough in unemployment insurance and stimulus checks to buy a car and enroll in community college. She is studying to become an emergency medical technician, which promises to raise her earnings 50 per cent.

“When you lose your job, you don’t expect benefits that are more than you were making,” she said. “It was a pure blessing.”

The institute projected spending on core programs would more than double, to about $13,900 per family from $5,700 in 2018. The stimulus checks removed more than 12 million people from poverty. Food stamps ended poverty for nearly 8 million people and unemployment aid for nearly 7 million.

Critics said the aid was poorly devised, noting that many people received more from unemployment benefits than they had earned on the job.

“We spent like we’ve never spent before and we reduced hardship for most people quite dramatically,” said Bruce D. Meyer, an economist at the University of Chicago. “But this came at a very high and unnecessary cost.”

While Democrats and Republicans remain divided over future safety net spending, a bipartisan group of senators agreed Wednesday on about $550 billion in new spending for roads, bridges and physical infrastructure projects, and the Senate advanced the package in an initial vote.

Measuring poverty is contentious, and some conservatives accuse the left of exaggerating the recent poverty reduction to justify more spending. They say the government’s methodology undercounts the benefits people receive and overstates what it takes to meet basic needs. The Urban Institute modified the government’s approach to correct for undercounting, but Wheaton said methodological issues did not change the conclusion that poverty fell since “we are applying a consistent measure to both years.”

If there are biases in the institute’s methodology, they lean in offsetting directions. Using a 2018 baseline may modestly overstate the recent poverty reduction, since poverty was lower when the virus hit. But the study, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also understated the poverty reduction by omitting several large new programs, including $45 billion in rental aid.

Robert Doar, the president of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, warned that the poverty numbers were being used to attack a successful social compact established a quarter-century ago with the overhaul of the welfare system. Under a new system of time limits and work requirements, payments to poor people without jobs fell, but subsidies for low-wage workers grew. Doar noted that while liberals warned child poverty would grow, by 2019 it had hit a prepandemic low.

“We required work, we rewarded work, and poverty rates were lower than had ever been,” he said. “The Democrats want to ignore all that and just send everybody a check.”

The huge increase in government aid prompted by the coronavirus pandemic will cut poverty nearly in half this year from pre-pandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net.

The huge increase in government aid prompted by the coronavirus pandemic will cut poverty nearly in half this year from pre-pandemic levels and push the share of Americans in poverty to the lowest level on record, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of a vast but temporary expansion of the safety net. The number of poor Americans is expected to fall by nearly 20 million from 2018 levels, a decline of almost 45 per cent. The country has never cut poverty so much in such a short period of time, and the development is especially notable since it defies economic headwinds — the economy has nearly 7 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic. Also read | Coronavirus pushes 37 million people into extreme poverty: Gates Foundation The extraordinary reduction in poverty has come at extraordinary cost, with annual spending on major programs projected to rise fourfold to more than $1 trillion. Yet without further expensive new measures, millions of families may find the escape from poverty brief. The three programs that cut poverty most — stimulus checks, increased food stamps and expanded unemployment insurance — have ended or are scheduled to soon revert to their prepandemic size. While poverty has fallen most among children, its retreat is remarkably broad: It has dropped among Americans who are white, Black, Latino and Asian, and among Americans of every age group and residents of every state. “These are really large reductions in poverty — the largest short-term reductions we’ve seen,” said Laura Wheaton of the Urban Institute, who produced the estimate with her colleagues Linda Giannarelli and Ilham Dehry. The institute’s simulation model is widely used by government agencies. The New York Times requested the analysis, which expanded on an earlier projection. Also read | New report warns hunger is expected to rise in 23 global hotspots he finding — that poverty plunged amid hard times at huge fiscal costs — comes at a moment of sharp debate about the future of the safety net. The Biden administration has started making monthly payments to most families with children through an expansion of the child tax credit. Democrats want to make the yearlong effort permanent, which would reduce child poverty on a continuing basis by giving their families an income guarantee. Progressives said the new numbers vindicated their contention that poverty levels reflected political choices and government programs could reduce economic need. Graphic 1 (Source: The New York Times) “Wow — these are stunning findings,” said Bob Greenstein, a longtime proponent of safety net programs who is now at the Brookings Institution. “The policy response since the start of the pandemic goes beyond anything we’ve ever done, and the antipoverty effect dwarfs what most of us thought was possible.” Conservatives say that pandemic-era spending is unsustainable and would harm the poor in the long run, arguing that unconditional aid discourages work and marriage. The child tax credit offers families up to $300 per child a month whether or not parents have jobs, which critics call a return to failed welfare policies. “There’s no doubt that by shoveling trillions of dollars to the poor, you can reduce poverty,” said Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation. “But that’s not efficient and it’s not good for the poor because it produces social marginalization. You want policies that encourage work and marriage, not undermine it.” Poverty rates had reached new lows before the pandemic, Rector added, under policies meant to discourage welfare and promote work. To understand how large the recent aid expansion has been, consider the experience of Kathryn Goodwin, a single mother of five in St. Charles, Missouri, who managed a group of trailer parks before the pandemic eliminated her $33,000 job. Without the pandemic-era expansions — passed in three rounds under both the Trump and Biden administrations — Goodwin’s job loss would have caused her income to plunge to about $29,000 (in jobless benefits, food stamps and other aid), leaving her officially poor. Graphic 2 (Source: The New York Times) Instead, her income rose above its prepandemic level, though she has not worked for a year. She received about $25,000 in unemployment benefits (about three times what she would have received before the pandemic) and $12,000 in stimulus checks. With increased food stamp benefits and other help, her income grew to $67,000 — almost 30 per cent more than when she had a job. “Without that help, I literally don’t know how I would have survived,” she said. “We would have been homeless.” Still, Goodwin, 29, has mixed feelings about large payments with no stipulations. “In my case, yes, it was very beneficial,” she said. But she said that other people she knew bought big TVs and her former boyfriend bought drugs. “All this free money enabled him to be a worse addict than he already was,” she said. “Why should taxpayers pay for that?” The Urban Institute’s projections show poverty falling to 7.7 per cent this year from 13.9 per cent in 2018. That decline, 45 per cent, is nearly three times the previous three-year record, according to historical estimates by researchers at Columbia University. The projected drop in child poverty, to 5.6 from 14.2 per cent, amounts to a decline of 61 per cent. That exceeds the previous 50 years combined, the Columbia figures show. In addition to there being nearly 20 million fewer people in poverty, the institute projects about 10 million fewer in “near poverty,” with incomes of 100 to 150 per cent of the poverty line. Under the yardstick the Urban Institute used (the government’s Supplemental Poverty Measure), the poverty line for two adults and two children with typical housing costs is about $30,000. “The decline in ‘near poverty’ is significant because families in that income range, like people in poverty, suffer high rates of food insecurity and other hardships,” said Elaine Waxman, an Urban Institute researcher. Poverty fell across racial and ethnic groups but most for people who are Black and Latino, meaning the gap with white Americans narrowed. The Rev. Starsky Wilson, the president of the Children’s Defense Fund, credited the racial protests of the past year for prompting lawmakers to act. “It’s no coincidence that the effort at mobilizing resulted in investments that reduced poverty and narrowed disparities,” he said. Graphic 3 (Source: The New York Times) Poverty fell less among Asian Americans, leaving them more likely than Black Americans to be poor. The institute found that was partly because they tended to live in more expensive areas. Jessica Moore of St. Louis said the expanded aid helped her make a fresh start. A single mother of three, Moore, 24, lost work as a banquet server at the pandemic’s start but received enough in unemployment insurance and stimulus checks to buy a car and enroll in community college. She is studying to become an emergency medical technician, which promises to raise her earnings 50 per cent. “When you lose your job, you don’t expect benefits that are more than you were making,” she said. “It was a pure blessing.” The institute projected spending on core programs would more than double, to about $13,900 per family from $5,700 in 2018. The stimulus checks removed more than 12 million people from poverty. Food stamps ended poverty for nearly 8 million people and unemployment aid for nearly 7 million. Critics said the aid was poorly devised, noting that many people received more from unemployment benefits than they had earned on the job. “We spent like we’ve never spent before and we reduced hardship for most people quite dramatically,” said Bruce D. Meyer, an economist at the University of Chicago. “But this came at a very high and unnecessary cost.” While Democrats and Republicans remain divided over future safety net spending, a bipartisan group of senators agreed Wednesday on about $550 billion in new spending for roads, bridges and physical infrastructure projects, and the Senate advanced the package in an initial vote. Measuring poverty is contentious, and some conservatives accuse the left of exaggerating the recent poverty reduction to justify more spending. They say the government’s methodology undercounts the benefits people receive and overstates what it takes to meet basic needs. The Urban Institute modified the government’s approach to correct for undercounting, but Wheaton said methodological issues did not change the conclusion that poverty fell since “we are applying a consistent measure to both years.” If there are biases in the institute’s methodology, they lean in offsetting directions. Using a 2018 baseline may modestly overstate the recent poverty reduction, since poverty was lower when the virus hit. But the study, which was funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, also understated the poverty reduction by omitting several large new programs, including $45 billion in rental aid. Robert Doar, the president of the conservative American Enterprise Institute, warned that the poverty numbers were being used to attack a successful social compact established a quarter-century ago with the overhaul of the welfare system. Under a new system of time limits and work requirements, payments to poor people without jobs fell, but subsidies for low-wage workers grew. Doar noted that while liberals warned child poverty would grow, by 2019 it had hit a prepandemic low. “We required work, we rewarded work, and poverty rates were lower than had ever been,” he said. “The Democrats want to ignore all that and just send everybody a check.”

Pandemic aid programs spur a record drop in poverty

As Taliban insurgents make gains in Afghanistan and security forces struggle to contain them, an international human rights monitor accused the Taliban insurgency there, of executing suspected government officials and security personnel, and sometimes even their family members.

US-based Human Rights Watch&nbsp;(HRW) condemned the Taliban's retaliatory actions in a statement, noting that the group had pledged they would not harm Afghan government employees or those assisting the&nbsp;United States and NATO troops.

The insurgent group has denied the allegations. 
 
HRW reports that among recent executions was one committed by the Taliban in southern Kandahar province earlier this month,&nbsp;Nazar Mohammad a.k.a Khasha Zwan a&nbsp;popular Kandahari comedian.&nbsp;

According to reports, the slain man who worked with the Afghan police had posted routines on TikTok that included songs and jokes.&nbsp;He was beaten and shot to death by Taliban fighters on July 22, 2021.

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Khasha Zwan was apparently executed by Taliban forces because he made fun of Taliban leaders, said Human Rights Watch's, Patrica Gossman.

Gossman alleged that his murder, along with other recent abuses, demonstrates the Taliban's willingness to brutally crush even the mildest of criticism or objection.

The Taliban didn't admit to killing Khasha Zwan until a video appeared online showing two men slapping and abusing him.

After a video of two&nbsp;insurgents&nbsp;physically abusing the detained comedian went viral on social media, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid acknowledged the incident was the work of insurgent fighters.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/taliban-takes-responsibility-for-killing-of-afghan-comic-401835/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Mujahid said the men responsible for killing Zwan have been arrested and will be tried, given that they were obligated to bring the comedian to a Taliban court rather than kill him. 
 
As well as holding scores of government and police associates in Kandahar, insurgent commanders are also accused of detaining a number of civilians. 
 
Taliban forces cannot use brute force against their critics as they advance, says Gossman adding that while the Taliban leadership often denies the abuses, it is their fighters behind these attacks, so it is their responsibility to stop the slaughter. 
 
US government also condemned the death of the comic.

Ross Wilson, acting US ambassador in Kabul, tweeted&nbsp;“Nazar Mohammad 'Khasha'&nbsp;was a beloved comedian, bringing laughter &amp; joy to his community even in dark times. The Taliban kidnapped &amp; lynched him, then gleefully published video evidence on Twitter. We condemn these sickening actions &amp; the Taliban leadership should too.”

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Nazar "Khasha" Mohammad was a beloved comedian, bringing laughter &amp; joy to his community even in dark times. The Taliban kidnapped &amp; lynched him, then gleefully published video evidence on Twitter. We condemn these sickening actions &amp; the Taliban leadership should too. <a href="https://t.co/hXROjj83eC">https://t.co/hXROjj83eC</a>
— Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson (@USAmbKabul) <a href="https://twitter.com/USAmbKabul/status/1420394331865747463?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Afghanistan saw its latest wave of Taliban attacks in early May after the US&nbsp;and NATO began formally withdrawing the last of their remaining troops. 
 
Under President Joe Biden's orders, the process&nbsp;is scheduled to be completed by August 31.

Washington signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that called for the insurgents to reduce violence and to negotiate a peace treaty with the Afghan government in return for the military withdrawal. 
 
Peace talks between the warring sides were supposed to begin in September in Qatar, however, the US-backed process to resolve the Afghan dispute has largely stalled and violence has escalated.

According to a United Nations report, civilian casualties in Afghanistan increased by 47 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year. 
 
The report warns that unless the warring parties negotiate urgently a peace deal in the next few months, Afghanistan could experience its highest-ever number of civilian casualties.

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While on a visit to India on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed his concern over the&nbsp;“deeply troubling”&nbsp;reports of increased attacks against Afghan civilians.

He called on the warring parties to proactively negotiate a peace settlement, "An Afghanistan that does not respect the rights of its people, an Afghanistan that commits atrocities against its own people would become a pariah state,".

(With inputs from agencies)

As Taliban insurgents make gains in Afghanistan and security forces struggle to contain them, an international human rights monitor accused the Taliban insurgency there, of executing suspected government officials and security personnel, and sometimes even their family members. US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the Taliban's retaliatory actions in a statement, noting that the group had pledged they would not harm Afghan government employees or those assisting the United States and NATO troops. The insurgent group has denied the allegations. HRW reports that among recent executions was one committed by the Taliban in southern Kandahar province earlier this month, Nazar Mohammad a.k.a Khasha Zwan a popular Kandahari comedian. According to reports, the slain man who worked with the Afghan police had posted routines on TikTok that included songs and jokes. He was beaten and shot to death by Taliban fighters on July 22, 2021. Khasha Zwan was apparently executed by Taliban forces because he made fun of Taliban leaders, said Human Rights Watch's, Patrica Gossman. Gossman alleged that his murder, along with other recent abuses, demonstrates the Taliban's willingness to brutally crush even the mildest of criticism or objection. The Taliban didn't admit to killing Khasha Zwan until a video appeared online showing two men slapping and abusing him. After a video of two insurgents physically abusing the detained comedian went viral on social media, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid acknowledged the incident was the work of insurgent fighters. Mujahid said the men responsible for killing Zwan have been arrested and will be tried, given that they were obligated to bring the comedian to a Taliban court rather than kill him. As well as holding scores of government and police associates in Kandahar, insurgent commanders are also accused of detaining a number of civilians. Taliban forces cannot use brute force against their critics as they advance, says Gossman adding that while the Taliban leadership often denies the abuses, it is their fighters behind these attacks, so it is their responsibility to stop the slaughter. US government also condemned the death of the comic. Ross Wilson, acting US ambassador in Kabul, tweeted “Nazar Mohammad 'Khasha' was a beloved comedian, bringing laughter & joy to his community even in dark times. The Taliban kidnapped & lynched him, then gleefully published video evidence on Twitter. We condemn these sickening actions & the Taliban leadership should too.” Nazar "Khasha" Mohammad was a beloved comedian, bringing laughter & joy to his community even in dark times. The Taliban kidnapped & lynched him, then gleefully published video evidence on Twitter. We condemn these sickening actions & the Taliban leadership should too. https://t.co/hXROjj83eC — Chargé d’Affaires Ross Wilson (@USAmbKabul) July 28, 2021 × Afghanistan saw its latest wave of Taliban attacks in early May after the US and NATO began formally withdrawing the last of their remaining troops. Under President Joe Biden's orders, the process is scheduled to be completed by August 31. Washington signed a deal with the Taliban in February 2020 that called for the insurgents to reduce violence and to negotiate a peace treaty with the Afghan government in return for the military withdrawal. Peace talks between the warring sides were supposed to begin in September in Qatar, however, the US-backed process to resolve the Afghan dispute has largely stalled and violence has escalated. According to a United Nations report, civilian casualties in Afghanistan increased by 47 per cent in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period last year. The report warns that unless the warring parties negotiate urgently a peace deal in the next few months, Afghanistan could experience its highest-ever number of civilian casualties. While on a visit to India on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed his concern over the “deeply troubling” reports of increased attacks against Afghan civilians. He called on the warring parties to proactively negotiate a peace settlement, "An Afghanistan that does not respect the rights of its people, an Afghanistan that commits atrocities against its own people would become a pariah state,". (With inputs from agencies)

Human Rights Watch dismayed by mounting Taliban revenge killings

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, the president responded, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend.

He did not specify what steps could be taken.&nbsp;

US federal authorities, local officials and businesses have boosted health protocols in recent days in the face of surging cases spurred by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.&nbsp;

Biden added, however, that the country had had "a good day" on Thursday in terms of vaccinations.&nbsp;

<a href="wionews.com/world/us-sanctions-top-cuban-police-for-suppressing-protests-401871">Also read |US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests</a>

"Almost a million people got vaccinated," he said, as his administration works to revive a sluggish inoculation campaign.&nbsp;

"I am hopeful people are beginning to realize how essential it is."

US health authorities this week recommended that even vaccinated Americans again wear masks indoors in areas with high infection rates.

The federal government has also tightened health regulations for its millions of employees, who must now either be vaccinated or wear masks and be tested regularly, even in areas with low case numbers.&nbsp;

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.

US President Joe Biden said on Friday "in all probability" new guidelines or restrictions would be imposed in the United States in response to a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Asked if Americans should expect new recommendations from health authorities or new restrictive measures, the president responded, "in all probability," before leaving the White House by helicopter for the weekend. He did not specify what steps could be taken. US federal authorities, local officials and businesses have boosted health protocols in recent days in the face of surging cases spurred by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant. Biden added, however, that the country had had "a good day" on Thursday in terms of vaccinations. Also read |US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests "Almost a million people got vaccinated," he said, as his administration works to revive a sluggish inoculation campaign. "I am hopeful people are beginning to realize how essential it is." US health authorities this week recommended that even vaccinated Americans again wear masks indoors in areas with high infection rates. The federal government has also tightened health regulations for its millions of employees, who must now either be vaccinated or wear masks and be tested regularly, even in areas with low case numbers.

Biden says US to see new COVID-19 restrictions 'in all probability'

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages.

All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company. Given the ransomware attacks and nation-state hacks that were making headlines, they told him, companies that made security products had a bigger market and mission than before.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/how-have-cyber-attacks-become-strategy-for-hybrid-warfare-399782">How have cyber attacks become strategy for hybrid warfare?</a>

“We weren’t looking for capital,” said Beri, who founded Netskope in 2012, but the cyberattacks “definitely increased their interest.”

After bids from seven investors, Netskope raised $300 million this month at a valuation of $7.5 billion, up from a $2.8 billion valuation last year. It was one of the year’s largest cybersecurity funding rounds, but not the maximum that Netskope could have attained.

“We could have raised $1 billion in capital,” Beri said.

Recent cyberattacks around the world have taken down operations at gasoline pipelines, hospitals and grocery chains and potentially compromised some intelligence agencies. But they have been a bonanza for one group: cybersecurity startups.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/white-house-weighs-new-cybersecurity-approach-after-failure-to-detect-hacks-370603">White House weighs new cybersecurity approach after failure to detect hacks</a>

Investors have poured more than $12.2 billion into startups that sell products and services such as cloud security, identify verification and privacy protection so far this year. That exceeds the $10.4 billion that cybersecurity companies raised in all of 2020 and is more than double the $4.8 billion raised in 2016, according to the research firm PitchBook, which tracks funding. Since 2019, the rise in cybersecurity funding has outpaced the increase in overall venture funding.

The surge follows a slew of high-profile ransomware attacks, including against Colonial Pipeline, software maker Kaseya and meat processor JBS. When President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, cyberattacks perpetrated by Russians were high on the diplomatic agenda. This month, the Biden administration and its allies also formally accused China of conducting hacks.

<iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/us-allies-condemn-china-for-malicious-cyber-activity-399125/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe>

The breaches have fueled concerns among companies and governments, leading to increased spending on security products. Worldwide spending on information security and related services is expected to reach $150 billion this year, up 12 per cent from a year ago, according to the research company Gartner.

“Before we got to this point, we as security teams were having to go and fight for every penny we could get, and now it’s the exact opposite,” said John Turner, an information security manager at LendingTree, an online lending marketplace. Executives, he said, are asking: “Are we protected? What do you need?”

All of this is set to drive business for cybersecurity companies, creating a potential windfall that has excited investors. The average valuation of cybersecurity companies raising funds this year has more than doubled to $524.1 million from $221.8 million in 2020, according to PitchBook.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/biden-if-us-has-real-shooting-war-it-could-be-result-of-cyber-attacks-401055">Biden: If US has 'real shooting war' it could be result of cyber attacks</a>

“In close to two decades as a VC, I’ve never seen valuations so escalated,” said Asheem Chandna, a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners, who has invested in security companies such as Palo Alto Networks.

The money is flooding into startups that are tackling hackers in new ways. Traditionally, security systems at companies relied on the idea of securing a perimeter. That meant companies installed firewalls and other software to protect access to their corporate network.

But over the past several years, a shift to cloud computing has rendered the perimeter and the reliance on corporate networks obsolete. Employees now get access to applications over the internet, rather than through a data center operated by their employer. That has opened the door to startups that focus on cloud-based security and identity verification.

“Don’t build higher fences — have really good ID cards,” said Jason Crabtree, CEO of Qomplx, a risk-analytics startup that provides identity-verification software and is in the process of going public.

The funding frenzy has built for months. The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/coronavirus">pandemic</a> provided momentum when companies shifted to remote work, which required securing those remote-access systems, investors and executives said.

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n a Friday evening in October, Chandna introduced the CEO of Abnormal Security, an email-security company in which he had invested, to another investor, he said. That investor, Venky Ganesan of Menlo Ventures, who had been pursuing a meeting with the CEO, Evan Reiser, for months, immediately emailed Reiser to invite him to dinner that night.

Reiser drove, he said, from San Francisco to Ganesan’s home in Atherton, California, about 30 miles away. By the end of the weekend, Abnormal had signed a deal to raise $50 million at a $600 million valuation, putting its total funding at $74 million. Menlo’s $40 million check was the firm’s largest investment ever.

“As shotgun weddings go, it’s as shotgun as you can get,” Ganesan said.

Since then, the ransomware attacks have given the funding wave a further boost.

In January, Lacework, a cloud security startup in San Jose, California, garnered $525 million in funding. Investors reached out because of Lacework’s products, which use artificial intelligence to identify threats, said Andy Byron, the company’s chief resource officer. In total, Lacework has raised $625 million since it was founded in 2015.

Mike Speiser, a venture capitalist at Sutter Hill Ventures, which led Lacework’s January financing, had no problem getting other investors to participate, he said.

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I called the five people that I thought were the best investors and asked them if they were interested. They were all interested, and within 48 hours we had a deal,” Speiser said. “One hundred percent of the people I called said they wanted in. We could have raised well over $1 billion.”

Business has boomed for Lacework because of “the combination of all of these ransomware and nation-state attacks, together with people moving to the cloud so aggressively,” said David Hatfield, who joined the startup in February as CEO.

Other security startups have also benefited. Orca, a cloud-security startup, raised $210 million in March. Trulioo, a company that makes sure users are who they say they are when they join a platform, collected $394 million last month.

Security startups are also being acquired for large sums or are going public. Last month, SentinelOne went public with a market capitalization of over $10 billion, the highest-valued cybersecurity public offering. In May, Auth0, an identity-verification company, was bought by Okta, another security company, for $6.5 billion.

Netskope's Beri said that with cybersecurity threats mounting, the funding boom was likely to continue.

“Many investors are not security savvy,” he said. “But when your next-door neighbors go, ‘Hey, what’s up with this ransomware stuff,’ then you know that it’s reached public consciousness. From an investor’s perspective, when something hits the average person’s mind, they realize: ‘Wow. This is here to stay.’”

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages. All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company.

As cyberattacks proliferated this year, Sanjay Beri, CEO of Netskope, a cloud security startup, got a phone call. Then an email. Then more messages. All were from venture capitalists who wanted to invest in his company. Given the ransomware attacks and nation-state hacks that were making headlines, they told him, companies that made security products had a bigger market and mission than before. Also read | How have cyber attacks become strategy for hybrid warfare? “We weren’t looking for capital,” said Beri, who founded Netskope in 2012, but the cyberattacks “definitely increased their interest.” After bids from seven investors, Netskope raised $300 million this month at a valuation of $7.5 billion, up from a $2.8 billion valuation last year. It was one of the year’s largest cybersecurity funding rounds, but not the maximum that Netskope could have attained. “We could have raised $1 billion in capital,” Beri said. Recent cyberattacks around the world have taken down operations at gasoline pipelines, hospitals and grocery chains and potentially compromised some intelligence agencies. But they have been a bonanza for one group: cybersecurity startups. Also read | White House weighs new cybersecurity approach after failure to detect hacks Investors have poured more than $12.2 billion into startups that sell products and services such as cloud security, identify verification and privacy protection so far this year. That exceeds the $10.4 billion that cybersecurity companies raised in all of 2020 and is more than double the $4.8 billion raised in 2016, according to the research firm PitchBook, which tracks funding. Since 2019, the rise in cybersecurity funding has outpaced the increase in overall venture funding. The surge follows a slew of high-profile ransomware attacks, including against Colonial Pipeline, software maker Kaseya and meat processor JBS. When President Joe Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month, cyberattacks perpetrated by Russians were high on the diplomatic agenda. This month, the Biden administration and its allies also formally accused China of conducting hacks. The breaches have fueled concerns among companies and governments, leading to increased spending on security products. Worldwide spending on information security and related services is expected to reach $150 billion this year, up 12 per cent from a year ago, according to the research company Gartner. “Before we got to this point, we as security teams were having to go and fight for every penny we could get, and now it’s the exact opposite,” said John Turner, an information security manager at LendingTree, an online lending marketplace. Executives, he said, are asking: “Are we protected? What do you need?” All of this is set to drive business for cybersecurity companies, creating a potential windfall that has excited investors. The average valuation of cybersecurity companies raising funds this year has more than doubled to $524.1 million from $221.8 million in 2020, according to PitchBook. Also read | Biden: If US has 'real shooting war' it could be result of cyber attacks “In close to two decades as a VC, I’ve never seen valuations so escalated,” said Asheem Chandna, a venture capitalist at Greylock Partners, who has invested in security companies such as Palo Alto Networks. The money is flooding into startups that are tackling hackers in new ways. Traditionally, security systems at companies relied on the idea of securing a perimeter. That meant companies installed firewalls and other software to protect access to their corporate network. But over the past several years, a shift to cloud computing has rendered the perimeter and the reliance on corporate networks obsolete. Employees now get access to applications over the internet, rather than through a data center operated by their employer. That has opened the door to startups that focus on cloud-based security and identity verification. “Don’t build higher fences — have really good ID cards,” said Jason Crabtree, CEO of Qomplx, a risk-analytics startup that provides identity-verification software and is in the process of going public. The funding frenzy has built for months. The pandemic provided momentum when companies shifted to remote work, which required securing those remote-access systems, investors and executives said. n a Friday evening in October, Chandna introduced the CEO of Abnormal Security, an email-security company in which he had invested, to another investor, he said. That investor, Venky Ganesan of Menlo Ventures, who had been pursuing a meeting with the CEO, Evan Reiser, for months, immediately emailed Reiser to invite him to dinner that night. Reiser drove, he said, from San Francisco to Ganesan’s home in Atherton, California, about 30 miles away. By the end of the weekend, Abnormal had signed a deal to raise $50 million at a $600 million valuation, putting its total funding at $74 million. Menlo’s $40 million check was the firm’s largest investment ever. “As shotgun weddings go, it’s as shotgun as you can get,” Ganesan said. Since then, the ransomware attacks have given the funding wave a further boost. In January, Lacework, a cloud security startup in San Jose, California, garnered $525 million in funding. Investors reached out because of Lacework’s products, which use artificial intelligence to identify threats, said Andy Byron, the company’s chief resource officer. In total, Lacework has raised $625 million since it was founded in 2015. Mike Speiser, a venture capitalist at Sutter Hill Ventures, which led Lacework’s January financing, had no problem getting other investors to participate, he said. I called the five people that I thought were the best investors and asked them if they were interested. They were all interested, and within 48 hours we had a deal,” Speiser said. “One hundred percent of the people I called said they wanted in. We could have raised well over $1 billion.” Business has boomed for Lacework because of “the combination of all of these ransomware and nation-state attacks, together with people moving to the cloud so aggressively,” said David Hatfield, who joined the startup in February as CEO. Other security startups have also benefited. Orca, a cloud-security startup, raised $210 million in March. Trulioo, a company that makes sure users are who they say they are when they join a platform, collected $394 million last month. Security startups are also being acquired for large sums or are going public. Last month, SentinelOne went public with a market capitalization of over $10 billion, the highest-valued cybersecurity public offering. In May, Auth0, an identity-verification company, was bought by Okta, another security company, for $6.5 billion. Netskope's Beri said that with cybersecurity threats mounting, the funding boom was likely to continue. “Many investors are not security savvy,” he said. “But when your next-door neighbors go, ‘Hey, what’s up with this ransomware stuff,’ then you know that it’s reached public consciousness. From an investor’s perspective, when something hits the average person’s mind, they realize: ‘Wow. This is here to stay.’”

As cyberattacks surge, security startups reap the rewards

The United States on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights for migrant families that recently arrived at the US-Mexico border, amid a sharp increase in the number of migrants at the southern border. 
 
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the flights would transport Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrant families, who could not be immediately expelled under a coronavirus-related public health policy and did not have a legal basis to stay in the country. 
 
"We are&nbsp;making clear that those who do not qualify to remain in the United States will be promptly removed," the statement said. 
 
Migrant crossings typically taper off in the hot summer months, but arrests at the southern border rose in June to the highest level since April 2000. The tally in July is expected to be similar or even higher, according to two border patrol officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. 
 
Immigration, and particularly the arrival of asylum seekers at the US&nbsp;southern border, has been a hot-button issue for decades. Multiple attempts to reform US&nbsp;laws and create a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally have failed in Congress.

The United States on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights for migrant families that recently arrived at the US-Mexico border, amid a sharp increase in the number of migrants at the southern border.

The United States on Friday resumed fast-track deportation flights for migrant families that recently arrived at the US-Mexico border, amid a sharp increase in the number of migrants at the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the flights would transport Guatemalan, Honduran and Salvadoran migrant families, who could not be immediately expelled under a coronavirus-related public health policy and did not have a legal basis to stay in the country. "We are making clear that those who do not qualify to remain in the United States will be promptly removed," the statement said. Migrant crossings typically taper off in the hot summer months, but arrests at the southern border rose in June to the highest level since April 2000. The tally in July is expected to be similar or even higher, according to two border patrol officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Immigration, and particularly the arrival of asylum seekers at the US southern border, has been a hot-button issue for decades. Multiple attempts to reform US laws and create a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally have failed in Congress.

US resumes fast-track deportation flights of Central American migrant families

The United States on Friday seized a Singapore-owned oil tanker that was used to make illegal oil deliveries to North Korea, the Justice Department said.

A New York federal judge issued a judgment of forfeiture authorising the United States to take ownership of the M/T Courageous, which is currently in Cambodia.

The ship, which has a capacity of 2,734 tons, was purchased by Singaporean national Kwek Kee Seng, who remains at large, according to a Justice Department statement.

"Kwek and his co-conspirators engaged in an extensive scheme to evade... US and UN sanctions by using vessels under there control to covertly transport fuel to North Korea," the statement said.

From August to December 2019, the Courageous would illegally stop transmitting its location information. Satellite imagery showed that during that time, the tanker engaged in ship-to-ship transfers of more than $1.5 million worth of oil to a North Korean ship.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-sanctions-top-cuban-police-for-suppressing-protests-401871">Also read |&nbsp;US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests</a>

The Department has accused Kwek of trying to hide the scheme by using shell companies, lying to international shipping authorities and falsely identifying the Courageous to avoid detection.

Kwek has been charged with conspiracy to evade economic sanctions on North Korea and money laundering conspiracy.

Cambodian authorities seized the tanker in March 2020 on a US warrant and have held the Courageous there since.

The US attorney's office for the southern district of New York filed a civil forfeiture action against the tanker on April 23.

Relations between Washington and Pyongyang are strained, with North Korea's foreign minister in June ruling out any talks with the United States, saying such dialogue would "get us nowhere."

Negotiations between the two countries have long been stalled over the international sanctions imposed on the nuclear-armed state and what North Korea should give up in return for their lifting.

The United States on Friday seized a Singapore-owned oil tanker that was used to make illegal oil deliveries to North Korea, the Justice Department said. A New York federal judge issued a judgment of forfeiture authorising the United States to take ownership of the M/T Courageous, which is currently in Cambodia.

The United States on Friday seized a Singapore-owned oil tanker that was used to make illegal oil deliveries to North Korea, the Justice Department said. A New York federal judge issued a judgment of forfeiture authorising the United States to take ownership of the M/T Courageous, which is currently in Cambodia. The ship, which has a capacity of 2,734 tons, was purchased by Singaporean national Kwek Kee Seng, who remains at large, according to a Justice Department statement. "Kwek and his co-conspirators engaged in an extensive scheme to evade... US and UN sanctions by using vessels under there control to covertly transport fuel to North Korea," the statement said. From August to December 2019, the Courageous would illegally stop transmitting its location information. Satellite imagery showed that during that time, the tanker engaged in ship-to-ship transfers of more than $1.5 million worth of oil to a North Korean ship. Also read | US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests The Department has accused Kwek of trying to hide the scheme by using shell companies, lying to international shipping authorities and falsely identifying the Courageous to avoid detection. Kwek has been charged with conspiracy to evade economic sanctions on North Korea and money laundering conspiracy. Cambodian authorities seized the tanker in March 2020 on a US warrant and have held the Courageous there since. The US attorney's office for the southern district of New York filed a civil forfeiture action against the tanker on April 23. Relations between Washington and Pyongyang are strained, with North Korea's foreign minister in June ruling out any talks with the United States, saying such dialogue would "get us nowhere." Negotiations between the two countries have long been stalled over the international sanctions imposed on the nuclear-armed state and what North Korea should give up in return for their lifting.

US seizes tanker used to deliver oil to North Korea

The US slapped fresh sanctions Friday on Cuban police for suppressing anti-government demonstrations this month, with President Joe Biden warning additional punitive measures were in store if the communist-ruled nation does not undertake sweeping reforms.

Thousands of Cubans took to the streets earlier in July, shouting "Freedom," "Down with the dictatorship" and "We're hungry" in the biggest protests since the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959.

Hundreds of people were arrested and many face charges of contempt, public disorder, vandalism and propagation of the coronavirus pandemic for marching without face masks.&nbsp;

"There will be more unless there is some drastic change in Cuba, which I don't anticipate," Biden told reporters before hosting a group of Cuban-American leaders at the White House.

Earlier in the day the US Treasury named National Revolutionary Police Director Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Deputy Director Eddy Sierra Arias to its sanctions blacklist,&nbsp;which freezes any property they might have in the United States and bars US transactions with them.

"The Treasury Department will continue to designate and call out by name those who facilitate the Cuban regime's involvement in serious human rights abuse," said Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's main sanctions unit, the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/faced-with-rare-protests-cuba-curbs-social-media-access-watchdog-says-397955">Also read | Faced with rare protests, Cuba curbs social media access, watchdog says</a>

"Today's action serves to further hold accountable those responsible for suppressing the Cuban people's calls for freedom and respect for human rights," Gacki said.

Cuba strenuously rejected the inclusion of the NRP and its directors on "spurious lists" by the United States, tweeted Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.&nbsp;

"These arbitrary measures add to disinformation and aggression to justify the inhumane blockade against Cuba," he wrote, referring to Washington's embargo against Havana that has been in place since 1962.

Shoulder to shoulder

The Treasury said the NRP was the main unit of the Interior Ministry deployed to stifle the demonstrations and was responsible for beating a number of peaceful protesters.

On July 24 a government official said about 60 Cubans had been prosecuted for participating in the demonstrations.

Biden on Friday stood shoulder to shoulder with Cuban American leaders at a White House meeting.

"We hear your voices. We hear the cries of freedom coming from the island," the president said.

Biden has come under fire from Republicans who criticise what they say is his weak stance against Havana.

"Biden's lack of leadership is a disgrace and undermines the cause of freedom in Cuba and around the world," the Republican National Committee said in a statement.

The White House issued a forceful defence&nbsp;of the president, saying Biden has been watching developments on the island closely.

"He's made clear that Cuba is led by a failed and repressive regime, and that communism is a universally failed ideology," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.

On Thursday, the European Union called on Cuba to release people arrested "arbitrarily" during the protests.&nbsp;

"We are very concerned about the repression of these protests, as well as for the arrest of protesters and journalists," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.&nbsp;

The US slapped fresh sanctions Friday on Cuban police for suppressing anti-government demonstrations this month, with President Joe Biden warning additional punitive measures were in store if the communist-ruled nation does not undertake sweeping reforms.

The US slapped fresh sanctions Friday on Cuban police for suppressing anti-government demonstrations this month, with President Joe Biden warning additional punitive measures were in store if the communist-ruled nation does not undertake sweeping reforms. Thousands of Cubans took to the streets earlier in July, shouting "Freedom," "Down with the dictatorship" and "We're hungry" in the biggest protests since the revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power in 1959. Hundreds of people were arrested and many face charges of contempt, public disorder, vandalism and propagation of the coronavirus pandemic for marching without face masks. "There will be more unless there is some drastic change in Cuba, which I don't anticipate," Biden told reporters before hosting a group of Cuban-American leaders at the White House. Earlier in the day the US Treasury named National Revolutionary Police Director Oscar Callejas Valcarce and Deputy Director Eddy Sierra Arias to its sanctions blacklist, which freezes any property they might have in the United States and bars US transactions with them. "The Treasury Department will continue to designate and call out by name those who facilitate the Cuban regime's involvement in serious human rights abuse," said Andrea Gacki, director of the Treasury's main sanctions unit, the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Also read | Faced with rare protests, Cuba curbs social media access, watchdog says "Today's action serves to further hold accountable those responsible for suppressing the Cuban people's calls for freedom and respect for human rights," Gacki said. Cuba strenuously rejected the inclusion of the NRP and its directors on "spurious lists" by the United States, tweeted Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez. "These arbitrary measures add to disinformation and aggression to justify the inhumane blockade against Cuba," he wrote, referring to Washington's embargo against Havana that has been in place since 1962. Shoulder to shoulder The Treasury said the NRP was the main unit of the Interior Ministry deployed to stifle the demonstrations and was responsible for beating a number of peaceful protesters. On July 24 a government official said about 60 Cubans had been prosecuted for participating in the demonstrations. Biden on Friday stood shoulder to shoulder with Cuban American leaders at a White House meeting. "We hear your voices. We hear the cries of freedom coming from the island," the president said. Biden has come under fire from Republicans who criticise what they say is his weak stance against Havana. "Biden's lack of leadership is a disgrace and undermines the cause of freedom in Cuba and around the world," the Republican National Committee said in a statement. The White House issued a forceful defence of the president, saying Biden has been watching developments on the island closely. "He's made clear that Cuba is led by a failed and repressive regime, and that communism is a universally failed ideology," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. On Thursday, the European Union called on Cuba to release people arrested "arbitrarily" during the protests. "We are very concerned about the repression of these protests, as well as for the arrest of protesters and journalists," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.

US sanctions top Cuban police for suppressing protests

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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been ordered by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday to hand over Donald Trump’s tax returns to a House committee, saying the panel had 'invoked sufficient reasons' for requesting them.&nbsp;

In a matter of hours, it seems to be a second blow for Trump after leaked DoJ memos revealed that he pressured top officials to falsely label the 2020 election as corrupt as a part of his campaign to overturn the election defeat at the hands of Joe Biden. He also told them, “Leave the rest to me.”&nbsp;

The order to release Trump’s tax returns to the ways and means committee was applauded by House speaker Nancy Pelosi.&nbsp;

In a statement, Pelosi said, “Today, the Biden administration has delivered a victory for the rule of law, as it respects the public interest by complying with Chairman (Richard) Neal’s request for Donald Trump’s tax returns.”&nbsp;

“Access to former President Trump’s tax returns is a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president.”&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been ordered by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday to hand over Donald Trump’s tax returns to a House committee, saying the panel had 'invoked sufficient reasons' for requesting them.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been ordered by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday to hand over Donald Trump’s tax returns to a House committee, saying the panel had 'invoked sufficient reasons' for requesting them. In a matter of hours, it seems to be a second blow for Trump after leaked DoJ memos revealed that he pressured top officials to falsely label the 2020 election as corrupt as a part of his campaign to overturn the election defeat at the hands of Joe Biden. He also told them, “Leave the rest to me.” The order to release Trump’s tax returns to the ways and means committee was applauded by House speaker Nancy Pelosi. In a statement, Pelosi said, “Today, the Biden administration has delivered a victory for the rule of law, as it respects the public interest by complying with Chairman (Richard) Neal’s request for Donald Trump’s tax returns.” “Access to former President Trump’s tax returns is a matter of national security. The American people deserve to know the facts of his troubling conflicts of interest and undermining of our security and democracy as president.” (With inputs from agencies)

US DoJ orders IRS to hand over Trump’s tax returns to a House panel 

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday.&nbsp;

During the last year's US presidential elections, Khan had endorsed Biden.&nbsp;As per a CNN report, the White House recognises Khan as 'an advocate for religious freedom as a core element of human dignity’.&nbsp;

The White House also said, “Khizr Khan devotes a substantial amount of his time to providing legal services to veterans, men and women serving in uniform, and their families. Today's announcement underscores the president's commitment to build an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths." &nbsp;

Recently, US President Joe Biden seems to be poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as the country’s ambassador to Australia. It could be one of the highest-profile envoy selections by the White House. &nbsp;

In the Obama administration, the daughter of former President John F Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, had served as ambassador to Japan. &nbsp;

Kennedy is an ally, donor and longtime friend of Biden, who endorsed the President's candidacy early in the campaign. She also spoke last summer at the Democratic convention. &nbsp;

A spokesperson of White House declined to comment on the matter.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday.

US President Joe Biden has chosen Pakistani-origin Khizr Khan as commissioner (head) of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, said White House in a statement on Friday. During the last year's US presidential elections, Khan had endorsed Biden. As per a CNN report, the White House recognises Khan as 'an advocate for religious freedom as a core element of human dignity’. The White House also said, “Khizr Khan devotes a substantial amount of his time to providing legal services to veterans, men and women serving in uniform, and their families. Today's announcement underscores the president's commitment to build an administration that looks like America and reflects people of all faiths." Recently, US President Joe Biden seems to be poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as the country’s ambassador to Australia. It could be one of the highest-profile envoy selections by the White House. In the Obama administration, the daughter of former President John F Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, had served as ambassador to Japan. Kennedy is an ally, donor and longtime friend of Biden, who endorsed the President's candidacy early in the campaign. She also spoke last summer at the Democratic convention. A spokesperson of White House declined to comment on the matter. (With inputs from agencies)

Biden appoints Pak-origin Khizr Khan as chief of religious freedom commission 

From Afghanistan to Iraq, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, America is cutting down its military presence & pulling back from conflicts it escalated. For a country that wants to be seen as a superpower, this retreat is humiliating. Palki Sharma tells you why.

Gravitas: America is retreating from conflicts it escalated

Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister, said on Tuesday that the Taliban were not some military outfit but 'normal civilians'.

Khan remarked that Pakistan, Afghanistan's eastern neighbour, shelters three million Afghan refugees during a TV interview with American network PBS.

Questioning the United States motive for the Afghan invasion he also said that the US has 'really messed it up in Afghanistan'.

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“When they say Pakistan handed the Taliban safe havens and sanctuaries, where are these safe-havens? When you mentioned there are three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, who are, by the way, the same ethnic group as the Taliban, Pashtuns, Imran Khan said, "Now there are camps of 500,000 people."

“There are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfit. They are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?” he added.

Pakistan has long been accused of assisting Taliban rebels against the Afghan National Security Forces with the military, logistical, financial, and intelligence support (ANSF). 
 
Due to his continuous support for the Taliban, Imran Khan has earned the moniker 'Taliban Khan' in Pakistan's politics.

Khan slammed the US for attempting to "find a military solution in Afghanistan when there was never one."

He commented on the situation, saying that "sadly, the negotiating power of the Americans or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces had gone" by the time the world powers realised there was no military option.

When questioned if he thought the Taliban's return was a good thing for Afghanistan, Imran Khan repeated that the only beneficial conclusion would be a political settlement "that is inclusive."

(With inputs from agencies)

Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister, said on Tuesday that the Taliban were not some military outfit but 'normal civilians'. Khan remarked that Pakistan, Afghanistan's eastern neighbour, shelters three million Afghan refugees during a TV interview with American network PBS.

Imran Khan, Pakistan's prime minister, said on Tuesday that the Taliban were not some military outfit but 'normal civilians'. Khan remarked that Pakistan, Afghanistan's eastern neighbour, shelters three million Afghan refugees during a TV interview with American network PBS. Questioning the United States motive for the Afghan invasion he also said that the US has 'really messed it up in Afghanistan'. Due to his continuous support for the Taliban, Imran Khan has earned the moniker 'Taliban Khan' in Pakistan's politics. × “When they say Pakistan handed the Taliban safe havens and sanctuaries, where are these safe-havens? When you mentioned there are three million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, who are, by the way, the same ethnic group as the Taliban, Pashtuns, Imran Khan said, "Now there are camps of 500,000 people." “There are camps of 100,000 people. And Taliban are not some military outfit. They are normal civilians. And if there are some civilians in these camps, how is Pakistan supposed to hunt these people down? How can you call them sanctuaries?” he added. Pakistan has long been accused of assisting Taliban rebels against the Afghan National Security Forces with the military, logistical, financial, and intelligence support (ANSF). Due to his continuous support for the Taliban, Imran Khan has earned the moniker 'Taliban Khan' in Pakistan's politics. Khan slammed the US for attempting to "find a military solution in Afghanistan when there was never one." He commented on the situation, saying that "sadly, the negotiating power of the Americans or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) forces had gone" by the time the world powers realised there was no military option. When questioned if he thought the Taliban's return was a good thing for Afghanistan, Imran Khan repeated that the only beneficial conclusion would be a political settlement "that is inclusive." (With inputs from agencies)

Taliban are 'normal civilians', Pakistan can't hunt them down: PM Imran Khan

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