US Secretary of State Antony Blinken flew to Kabul on Thursday, a day after attending a NATO meeting in Brussels, to show support following Joe Biden's announcement of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

Blinken visits Kabul in show of support after Biden announces troops withdrawal

China is increasingly becoming a near-peer competitor of the US, posing challenges in multiple domains, while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system, a top American intelligence officer has told lawmakers.

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Wednesday briefed members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the worldwide threat assessment of the US.

"China increasingly is a near-peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple areas while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system," Haines said.

China, she said, is employing a comprehensive approach to demonstrate its growing strength and compel regional neighbours to acquiesce to Beijing's preferences, including its claims over disputed territory and assertions of sovereignty over Taiwan.

“It also has substantial cyber capabilities that, if deployed at a minimum, can cause localised temporary disruptions to critical infrastructure inside the United States,” Haines said.

Russia, Iran and North Korea are the other three countries that pose threats to the United States, she said.

At the same time regional conflicts continue to fuel humanitarian crises, undermine stability and threaten US persons and interests.

“The fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria has a direct implication for U.S. forces, while tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remain a concern for the world. The iterate of violence between Israel and Iran, the activity of foreign powers in Libya and conflicts in other areas, including Africa and the Middle East, have the potential to escalate or spread,” Haines said.

“Asia has periodic upheavals, such as the Burmese military seizure of power in February. Latin America has contested elections. Violent popular protests are likely to continue to produce volatility. And Africa will continue to see ongoing marginalisation of some communities, ethnic conflict, and contentious elections,” she said.

Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate Committee, described the rise of China as a major challenge for the United States.

“As we grapple with the challenges posed by a rising China, our problem is with the Chinese Communist Party, not with the Chinese people or the Chinese diaspora globally. And certainly not with Asian Americans here in the United States," he said.

As China grows in power and stature, the CCP has sought to undercut the United States as the world's leading technological power, he said.

“We see this in the reliance on both strategic investments and traditional espionage to acquire intellectual property, their use and export of surveillance technology to authoritarian regimes, and their modernization of traditional and asymmetric military capabilities, including in the space and cyber domains,” Warner said.

“When we look at development, for example, of 5G technology, we've seen the CCP act aggressively to influence international standard-setting bodies and invest in a national champion, Huawei, that threatens to dominate the worldwide telecommunications market,” Warner said.

“I fear that the CCP will develop a similar strategy to dominate the development of other emerging technologies, including AI, quantum computing, and BAU technology. In many ways, the IC is the only part of our overall enterprise that sees across all domains in this field, and I think we must be clear-eyed in assessing the threats posed by the CCP,” he added.

Senator Marco Rubio said that the United States made a mistake to not focus on both China's capabilities and on its growing and intensifying efforts to involve and engage itself in the political environment in the United States.

"Different aims, perhaps, different tactics in some ways. But certainly, they have every capability that the Russians do, and more, in many cases. And they are certainly interested in molding public discourse and creating political pressure among creating pressure on political figures who they don't like here in the United States," he said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told Senators that the investigating agency now has over 2,000 investigations that tie back to the Chinese government.

"And on the economic espionage investigation side alone, it's about a 1,300 percent increase over the last several years. We're opening a new investigation into China every 10 hours. And I can assure the committee, that's not because our folks don't have anything to do with their time,” he said.

China is increasingly becoming a near-peer competitor of the US, posing challenges in multiple domains, while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system, a top American intelligence officer has told lawmakers.

China is increasingly becoming a near-peer competitor of the US, posing challenges in multiple domains, while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system, a top American intelligence officer has told lawmakers. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Wednesday briefed members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on the worldwide threat assessment of the US. "China increasingly is a near-peer competitor, challenging the United States in multiple areas while pushing to revise global norms in ways that favour the authoritarian Chinese system," Haines said. China, she said, is employing a comprehensive approach to demonstrate its growing strength and compel regional neighbours to acquiesce to Beijing's preferences, including its claims over disputed territory and assertions of sovereignty over Taiwan. “It also has substantial cyber capabilities that, if deployed at a minimum, can cause localised temporary disruptions to critical infrastructure inside the United States,” Haines said. Russia, Iran and North Korea are the other three countries that pose threats to the United States, she said. At the same time regional conflicts continue to fuel humanitarian crises, undermine stability and threaten US persons and interests. “The fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria has a direct implication for U.S. forces, while tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remain a concern for the world. The iterate of violence between Israel and Iran, the activity of foreign powers in Libya and conflicts in other areas, including Africa and the Middle East, have the potential to escalate or spread,” Haines said. “Asia has periodic upheavals, such as the Burmese military seizure of power in February. Latin America has contested elections. Violent popular protests are likely to continue to produce volatility. And Africa will continue to see ongoing marginalisation of some communities, ethnic conflict, and contentious elections,” she said. Senator Mark Warner, Chairman of the Senate Committee, described the rise of China as a major challenge for the United States. “As we grapple with the challenges posed by a rising China, our problem is with the Chinese Communist Party, not with the Chinese people or the Chinese diaspora globally. And certainly not with Asian Americans here in the United States," he said. As China grows in power and stature, the CCP has sought to undercut the United States as the world's leading technological power, he said. “We see this in the reliance on both strategic investments and traditional espionage to acquire intellectual property, their use and export of surveillance technology to authoritarian regimes, and their modernization of traditional and asymmetric military capabilities, including in the space and cyber domains,” Warner said. “When we look at development, for example, of 5G technology, we've seen the CCP act aggressively to influence international standard-setting bodies and invest in a national champion, Huawei, that threatens to dominate the worldwide telecommunications market,” Warner said. “I fear that the CCP will develop a similar strategy to dominate the development of other emerging technologies, including AI, quantum computing, and BAU technology. In many ways, the IC is the only part of our overall enterprise that sees across all domains in this field, and I think we must be clear-eyed in assessing the threats posed by the CCP,” he added. Senator Marco Rubio said that the United States made a mistake to not focus on both China's capabilities and on its growing and intensifying efforts to involve and engage itself in the political environment in the United States. "Different aims, perhaps, different tactics in some ways. But certainly, they have every capability that the Russians do, and more, in many cases. And they are certainly interested in molding public discourse and creating political pressure among creating pressure on political figures who they don't like here in the United States," he said. FBI Director Christopher Wray told Senators that the investigating agency now has over 2,000 investigations that tie back to the Chinese government. "And on the economic espionage investigation side alone, it's about a 1,300 percent increase over the last several years. We're opening a new investigation into China every 10 hours. And I can assure the committee, that's not because our folks don't have anything to do with their time,” he said.

China increasingly a near-peer competitor, posing multiple challenges: Top US intel officer

The Russian Kremlin said that it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to hold a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders should hold a summit "in the near future".

Kremlin says Russia will study US proposal for Putin-Biden summit

NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to pull back troops from Ukraine’s border. He also said that NATO allies fully support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity

NATO Chief: Russia must de-escalate immediately from Ukraine's border

A medical expert testifying for the defence in the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin told jurors that the manner of George Floyd's death should be classified as "undetermined" rather than "homicide."

Derek Chauvin trial: Medical expert from defence testifies before jury

Last week, it was reported that the US would send two warships to the Black Sea in response to heightened Russian military presence at the Ukrainian border.

US cancels warship deployment to Black Sea

A man in the US has sued the Detroit Police Department for arresting him after he was falsely accused of shoplifting based on a faulty facial recognition match.&nbsp;

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Robert Williams, The Verge reported on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Williams' experience was the first case of wrongful arrest due to facial recognition technology to come to light in the US, according to the ACLU.&nbsp;

"I came home from work and was arrested in my driveway in front of my wife and daughters, who watched in tears, because a computer made an error," Williams said in a statement.&nbsp;

"This never should have happened, and I want to make sure that this painful experience never happens to anyone else."&nbsp;

After a shoplifter allegedly stole several watches at a Shinola store in Detroit in 2018, Detroit police officers tried to identify the thief by using a blurry image from the store's surveillance camera video and feeding it through facial recognition technology.&nbsp;

The lawsuit cites studies that show that facial recognition technology is poor at accurately identifying Black people, especially in cases like this one when the photo is grainy, the lighting is poor, and the suspect is not looking at the camera.&nbsp;

Williams was held for 30 hours in a Detroit detention centre where he was forced to sleep on a raised cement slab due to overcrowding.&nbsp;

"We know that facial recognition technology threatens everyone's privacy by turning everybody into a suspect," said Phil Mayor, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Michigan.&nbsp;

"We've repeatedly urged the Detroit Police Department to abandon its use of this dangerous technology, but it insists on using it anyhow."&nbsp;

The lawsuit seeks damages and policy changes to stop the abuse of facial recognition technology.&nbsp;

A man in the US has sued the Detroit Police Department for arresting him after he was falsely accused of shoplifting based on a faulty facial recognition match. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Robert Williams, The Verge reported on Tuesday.

A man in the US has sued the Detroit Police Department for arresting him after he was falsely accused of shoplifting based on a faulty facial recognition match. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of Robert Williams, The Verge reported on Tuesday. Williams' experience was the first case of wrongful arrest due to facial recognition technology to come to light in the US, according to the ACLU. "I came home from work and was arrested in my driveway in front of my wife and daughters, who watched in tears, because a computer made an error," Williams said in a statement. "This never should have happened, and I want to make sure that this painful experience never happens to anyone else." After a shoplifter allegedly stole several watches at a Shinola store in Detroit in 2018, Detroit police officers tried to identify the thief by using a blurry image from the store's surveillance camera video and feeding it through facial recognition technology. The lawsuit cites studies that show that facial recognition technology is poor at accurately identifying Black people, especially in cases like this one when the photo is grainy, the lighting is poor, and the suspect is not looking at the camera. Williams was held for 30 hours in a Detroit detention centre where he was forced to sleep on a raised cement slab due to overcrowding. "We know that facial recognition technology threatens everyone's privacy by turning everybody into a suspect," said Phil Mayor, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU of Michigan. "We've repeatedly urged the Detroit Police Department to abandon its use of this dangerous technology, but it insists on using it anyhow." The lawsuit seeks damages and policy changes to stop the abuse of facial recognition technology.

US man sues police for wrongful facial recognition-based arrest 

The Minneapolis cop who shot Daunte Wright has said that she mistook her gun for her taser. How plausible is this version of events? What does it say about police training in the U.S.? WION's Palki Sharma tells you.

Gravitas: US cop 'mistook' gun for teaser

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package and additional government spending overheat the economy and fuel runaway inflation?

To find the answer, a close circle of advisers now working at the White House and the Treasury Department projected the behaviors of shoppers, employers, stock traders and others if Biden’s plans succeeded. Officials as senior as Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, pored over the analyses in video calls and in-person meetings, looking for any hint that Biden’s plans could generate sustained price increases that could hamstring family budgets. It never appeared.

Those efforts convinced Biden’s team that there is little risk of inflation spiraling out of the Federal Reserve’s control — an outcome that Wall Street analysts, a few prominent Republicans and even liberal economists like former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers have said could flow from the trillions being pumped into the economy.

Traditional readings of price increases are beginning to turn upward as the recovery accelerates. On Tuesday, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6%, its fastest monthly increase in more than a decade, while a less volatile index excluding food and energy rose a more muted 0.3%.

But Biden’s advisers believe any price spike is likely to be temporary and not harmful, essentially a one-time event stemming from the unique nature of a pandemic recession that ruptured supply chains and continues to depress activity in key economic sectors like restaurant dining and tourism.

The administration’s view mirrors the posture of top officials at the Fed, including its chairman, Jerome Powell, whose mandate includes maintaining price stability in the economy. Powell has said that the Fed expects any short-term price pops to be temporary, not sustained, and not the type of uptick that would prompt the central bank to raise interest rates rapidly — or anytime soon.

“What we see is relatively modest increases in inflation,” Powell said in March. “But those are not permanent things.”

Armed with their internal data and conclusions, administration officials have begun to push back on warnings that a stimulus-fueled surge in consumer spending could revive a 1970s-style escalation in wages and prices that could cripple the economy in the years to come.

Yet they remain wary of the inflation threat and have devised the next wave of Biden’s spending plans, a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, to dispense money gradually enough not to stoke further price increases right away. Administration officials also continue to check on real-time measures of prices across the economy, multiple times a day.

“We think the likeliest outlook over the next several months is for inflation to rise modestly,” two officials at Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein and Ernie Tedeschi, wrote Monday in a blog post outlining some of the administration’s thinking. “We will, however, carefully monitor both actual price changes and inflation expectations for any signs of unexpected price pressures that might arise as America leaves the pandemic behind and enters the next economic expansion.”

Some Republicans call that posture dangerous. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of his party’s campaign arm for the 2022 midterm elections, has called on Biden and Powell to present plans to fight inflation now.

“The president’s refusal to address this critical issue has a direct negative effect on Floridians and families across our nation, and hurts low- and fixed-income Americans the most,” Scott said in a news release last week. “It’s time for Biden to wake up from his liberal dream and realize that reckless spending has consequences, inflation is real and America’s debt crisis is growing. Inflation is rising and Americans deserve answers from Biden now.”

Economic teams in recent administrations spent little time worrying about inflation, because inflationary pressures have been tame for decades. It has fallen short of the Fed’s average target of 2% for 10 of the last 12 years, topping out at 2.5% in the midst of the longest economic expansion in history.

Shortly before the pandemic recession hit the United States in 2020, President Donald Trump’s economic team wrote that “price inflation remains low and stable” even with unemployment below 4%. As the economy struggled to climb out from the 2008 financial crisis under President Barack Obama, White House aides feared that prices might fall, instead of rise.

“Given the economic crisis, we worried about preventing deflation rather than inflation,” said Austan Goolsbee, a chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during Obama’s first term.

The conversation has changed given the large amounts of money that the federal government is channeling into the economy, first under Trump and now under Biden. Since the pandemic took hold, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion in spending, including direct checks to individuals.

Biden’s aides are sufficiently worried about the risk of that spending fueling inflation that they shaped his infrastructure proposal, which has yet to be taken up by Congress, to funnel out $2.3 trillion over the course of eight years, which is slower than traditional stimulus.

Even before Summers and others raised economic concerns about Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, officials were wrestling with their own worries about its inflation risks. They had internally concluded, with direction from Biden, that the biggest risk to the economy was going “too small” on the aid package — not spending enough to help vulnerable Americans survive continued stints of joblessness or lost income. But they wanted to know the risks of going “too big.”

They tested whether an uptick in inflation might cause people and financial markets to expect rapid price increases in the years to come, upending decades of what economists call “well-anchored” expectations for prices and potentially creating a situation where higher expectations led to higher inflation. They estimated the odds that the Fed would react to such moves by quickly and steeply raising interest rates, potentially slamming the brakes on growth and causing another recession.

The informal group that initially gathered to research those questions included Bernstein; David Kamin, a deputy director of the National Economic Council; Michael Pyle, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economic adviser; and two Treasury officials, Nellie Liang and Ben Harris. More members have joined over time, including Tedeschi.

The group reports regularly to Yellen and other senior officials including Brian Deese, who heads the National Economic Council, and Cecilia Rouse, who leads the Council of Economic Advisers. Its work has informed economic briefings of Biden and Harris.

“The president and the vice president, their job is to deliver good economic outcomes for the American people,” Pyle said in an interview. “Part of what delivering strong economic outcomes to the American people means is ensuring that their team is fully on top of both the tail winds to the U.S. economy but also the risks that are out there. And this is one of them.”

Pyle and his colleagues looked at financial market measures of inflation expectations, including one called the five-year, five-year forward, which currently shows investors expecting lower inflation levels over the next several years than they expected in 2018.

At the same time, officials at the Treasury’s Office of Economic Policy conducted a series of modeling exercises to “stress test” the virus relief package and how it might change those price and expectation measures if put in place. They considered scenarios in which consumers quickly spent their aid money, which included $1,400 checks, and scenarios in which they did not spend much of it at all right away. They talked with large banks about trends in customers’ cash balances and how quickly people were returning to the workforce. Yellen, a former Fed chair, helped adjust the models herself.

The exercises produced a wide range of possibilities for inflation. But they never suggested it would rise so rapidly that the Fed could not easily handle it by adjusting interest rates or other monetary policy tools. They saw no risk of a sharp return to recession — and no reason to pull back from spending proposals that administration officials believe will help the economy heal faster and help historically disadvantaged groups, like Black and Hispanic workers, regain jobs and income.

“We’re going to see some heat in this economy,” Pyle said. “That heat is going to be good and redound to the benefit of wages and labor market conditions overall and particularly for a number of communities that have been at the margins of the labor market for too long.”

If the data proves that forecast wrong, officials say privately, they will be quick to adapt. But they will not say how. If inflation were to accelerate in a sustained and surprising way, some officials suggest, the administration would trust the Fed to step in to contain it.

There is no plan, as of yet, for Biden to consider inflation-fighting actions of his own.

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.

Even before President Joe Biden took office, some of his closest aides were focused on a question that risked derailing his economic agenda: Would his plans for a $1.9 trillion economic rescue package and additional government spending overheat the economy and fuel runaway inflation? To find the answer, a close circle of advisers now working at the White House and the Treasury Department projected the behaviors of shoppers, employers, stock traders and others if Biden’s plans succeeded. Officials as senior as Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary, pored over the analyses in video calls and in-person meetings, looking for any hint that Biden’s plans could generate sustained price increases that could hamstring family budgets. It never appeared. Those efforts convinced Biden’s team that there is little risk of inflation spiraling out of the Federal Reserve’s control — an outcome that Wall Street analysts, a few prominent Republicans and even liberal economists like former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers have said could flow from the trillions being pumped into the economy. Traditional readings of price increases are beginning to turn upward as the recovery accelerates. On Tuesday, the Consumer Price Index rose 0.6%, its fastest monthly increase in more than a decade, while a less volatile index excluding food and energy rose a more muted 0.3%. But Biden’s advisers believe any price spike is likely to be temporary and not harmful, essentially a one-time event stemming from the unique nature of a pandemic recession that ruptured supply chains and continues to depress activity in key economic sectors like restaurant dining and tourism. The administration’s view mirrors the posture of top officials at the Fed, including its chairman, Jerome Powell, whose mandate includes maintaining price stability in the economy. Powell has said that the Fed expects any short-term price pops to be temporary, not sustained, and not the type of uptick that would prompt the central bank to raise interest rates rapidly — or anytime soon. “What we see is relatively modest increases in inflation,” Powell said in March. “But those are not permanent things.” Armed with their internal data and conclusions, administration officials have begun to push back on warnings that a stimulus-fueled surge in consumer spending could revive a 1970s-style escalation in wages and prices that could cripple the economy in the years to come. Yet they remain wary of the inflation threat and have devised the next wave of Biden’s spending plans, a $2.3 trillion infrastructure package, to dispense money gradually enough not to stoke further price increases right away. Administration officials also continue to check on real-time measures of prices across the economy, multiple times a day. “We think the likeliest outlook over the next several months is for inflation to rise modestly,” two officials at Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers, Jared Bernstein and Ernie Tedeschi, wrote Monday in a blog post outlining some of the administration’s thinking. “We will, however, carefully monitor both actual price changes and inflation expectations for any signs of unexpected price pressures that might arise as America leaves the pandemic behind and enters the next economic expansion.” Some Republicans call that posture dangerous. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, chairman of his party’s campaign arm for the 2022 midterm elections, has called on Biden and Powell to present plans to fight inflation now. “The president’s refusal to address this critical issue has a direct negative effect on Floridians and families across our nation, and hurts low- and fixed-income Americans the most,” Scott said in a news release last week. “It’s time for Biden to wake up from his liberal dream and realize that reckless spending has consequences, inflation is real and America’s debt crisis is growing. Inflation is rising and Americans deserve answers from Biden now.” Economic teams in recent administrations spent little time worrying about inflation, because inflationary pressures have been tame for decades. It has fallen short of the Fed’s average target of 2% for 10 of the last 12 years, topping out at 2.5% in the midst of the longest economic expansion in history. Shortly before the pandemic recession hit the United States in 2020, President Donald Trump’s economic team wrote that “price inflation remains low and stable” even with unemployment below 4%. As the economy struggled to climb out from the 2008 financial crisis under President Barack Obama, White House aides feared that prices might fall, instead of rise. “Given the economic crisis, we worried about preventing deflation rather than inflation,” said Austan Goolsbee, a chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during Obama’s first term. The conversation has changed given the large amounts of money that the federal government is channeling into the economy, first under Trump and now under Biden. Since the pandemic took hold, Congress has approved more than $5 trillion in spending, including direct checks to individuals. Biden’s aides are sufficiently worried about the risk of that spending fueling inflation that they shaped his infrastructure proposal, which has yet to be taken up by Congress, to funnel out $2.3 trillion over the course of eight years, which is slower than traditional stimulus. Even before Summers and others raised economic concerns about Biden’s $1.9 trillion relief bill, officials were wrestling with their own worries about its inflation risks. They had internally concluded, with direction from Biden, that the biggest risk to the economy was going “too small” on the aid package — not spending enough to help vulnerable Americans survive continued stints of joblessness or lost income. But they wanted to know the risks of going “too big.” They tested whether an uptick in inflation might cause people and financial markets to expect rapid price increases in the years to come, upending decades of what economists call “well-anchored” expectations for prices and potentially creating a situation where higher expectations led to higher inflation. They estimated the odds that the Fed would react to such moves by quickly and steeply raising interest rates, potentially slamming the brakes on growth and causing another recession. The informal group that initially gathered to research those questions included Bernstein; David Kamin, a deputy director of the National Economic Council; Michael Pyle, Vice President Kamala Harris’ chief economic adviser; and two Treasury officials, Nellie Liang and Ben Harris. More members have joined over time, including Tedeschi. The group reports regularly to Yellen and other senior officials including Brian Deese, who heads the National Economic Council, and Cecilia Rouse, who leads the Council of Economic Advisers. Its work has informed economic briefings of Biden and Harris. “The president and the vice president, their job is to deliver good economic outcomes for the American people,” Pyle said in an interview. “Part of what delivering strong economic outcomes to the American people means is ensuring that their team is fully on top of both the tail winds to the U.S. economy but also the risks that are out there. And this is one of them.” Pyle and his colleagues looked at financial market measures of inflation expectations, including one called the five-year, five-year forward, which currently shows investors expecting lower inflation levels over the next several years than they expected in 2018. At the same time, officials at the Treasury’s Office of Economic Policy conducted a series of modeling exercises to “stress test” the virus relief package and how it might change those price and expectation measures if put in place. They considered scenarios in which consumers quickly spent their aid money, which included $1,400 checks, and scenarios in which they did not spend much of it at all right away. They talked with large banks about trends in customers’ cash balances and how quickly people were returning to the workforce. Yellen, a former Fed chair, helped adjust the models herself. The exercises produced a wide range of possibilities for inflation. But they never suggested it would rise so rapidly that the Fed could not easily handle it by adjusting interest rates or other monetary policy tools. They saw no risk of a sharp return to recession — and no reason to pull back from spending proposals that administration officials believe will help the economy heal faster and help historically disadvantaged groups, like Black and Hispanic workers, regain jobs and income. “We’re going to see some heat in this economy,” Pyle said. “That heat is going to be good and redound to the benefit of wages and labor market conditions overall and particularly for a number of communities that have been at the margins of the labor market for too long.” If the data proves that forecast wrong, officials say privately, they will be quick to adapt. But they will not say how. If inflation were to accelerate in a sustained and surprising way, some officials suggest, the administration would trust the Fed to step in to contain it. There is no plan, as of yet, for Biden to consider inflation-fighting actions of his own.

The Biden administration is quietly keeping tabs on inflation

China has accused the United States of damaging the peace and stability of Taiwan. Beijing said that it also opposes any official US-Taiwan talks as several former American officials arrived in Taipei to signal President Joe Biden's commitment towards Taiwan.

China opposes any contact between US and Taiwan

US President Joe Biden has decided to withdraw all the remaining American troops from Afghanistan by the September 11. The United States will not be meeting the original deadline of May 1 which was set by the Trump administration.

Biden to pull out all US troops from Afghanistan by September 11

A Texas police officer was shot multiple times during a traffic stop early on Wednesday and police were searching for suspects, authorities said.&nbsp;

The shooting happened at about 4:15 am. Wednesday in Burleson, about 45 miles (70 kilometres) southwest of Dallas, the police department said on Twitter.&nbsp;

Police said the officer was taken to a Fort Worth hospital and his condition wasn't immediately known.&nbsp;

The shooting is at least the fourth involving a Texas law enforcement officer in recent weeks.&nbsp;

An Austin police officer was shot and wounded on Friday, while a state trooper was shot and wounded during a manhunt for a man accused of opening fire on a cabinet business. And late last month, a state trooper was fatally shot during a traffic stop near Mexia, about 75 miles (120 kilometres) southeast of Dallas. &nbsp;

Meanwhile, massive protests have broken out near the US city of Minneapolis after a policeman fatally shot a young Black man near where George Floyd was killed last year.&nbsp;

The man has been identified as 20-year-old Daunte Wright.&nbsp;

Police in a Minneapolis suburb said an officer fatally shot a driver Sunday, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement.&nbsp;

Hundreds of people gathered outside the police station in Brooklyn Center, northwest of Minneapolis. Police fired tear gas and flashbangs at the demonstrators, according to videojournalists at the scene.&nbsp;

The mother of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, told a crowd earlier Sunday evening that he called her to say he had been pulled over by police, local media reported.&nbsp;

Katie Wright said she heard officers tell her son to put his phone down, and then one of the officers ended the call. Soon after, her son's girlfriend told her he had been shot.&nbsp;

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed that it is "investigating an officer-involved shooting incident" in Brooklyn Center.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

A Texas police officer was shot multiple times during a traffic stop early on Wednesday and police were searching for suspects, authorities said. The shooting happened at about 4:15 am.

A Texas police officer was shot multiple times during a traffic stop early on Wednesday and police were searching for suspects, authorities said. The shooting happened at about 4:15 am. Wednesday in Burleson, about 45 miles (70 kilometres) southwest of Dallas, the police department said on Twitter. Police said the officer was taken to a Fort Worth hospital and his condition wasn't immediately known. The shooting is at least the fourth involving a Texas law enforcement officer in recent weeks. An Austin police officer was shot and wounded on Friday, while a state trooper was shot and wounded during a manhunt for a man accused of opening fire on a cabinet business. And late last month, a state trooper was fatally shot during a traffic stop near Mexia, about 75 miles (120 kilometres) southeast of Dallas. Meanwhile, massive protests have broken out near the US city of Minneapolis after a policeman fatally shot a young Black man near where George Floyd was killed last year. The man has been identified as 20-year-old Daunte Wright. Police in a Minneapolis suburb said an officer fatally shot a driver Sunday, leading to clashes between protesters and law enforcement. Hundreds of people gathered outside the police station in Brooklyn Center, northwest of Minneapolis. Police fired tear gas and flashbangs at the demonstrators, according to videojournalists at the scene. The mother of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, told a crowd earlier Sunday evening that he called her to say he had been pulled over by police, local media reported. Katie Wright said she heard officers tell her son to put his phone down, and then one of the officers ended the call. Soon after, her son's girlfriend told her he had been shot. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension confirmed that it is "investigating an officer-involved shooting incident" in Brooklyn Center. (With inputs from agencies)

US cop shot multiple times during traffic stop in Texas 

The Kremlin said Wednesday it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 
 
In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders hold a summit "in the near future" that would come at a time of heightened tensions between the former Cold War rivals.&nbsp; 
 
"It is early to talk about this meeting in terms of specifics. This is a new proposal and it will be studied," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 
 
He added that there is still no set agenda for the summit, but said that "without a doubt bilateral ties are important" in areas of mutual interest. 
 
Tensions between Moscow and Washington have escalated in recent weeks, with Russia building up its troops on the border with Ukraine, where government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists since the annexation of Crimea in 2014.&nbsp; 
 
The United States and its allies have called on Moscow to withdraw its forces. 
 
"We consider the concerns of anyone -- including the United States -- regarding the movement of our armed forces on Russian territory to be unfounded," Peskov said.&nbsp; 
 
The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its involvement in the long-simmering conflict and rejected claims that it props up the separatist forces. 
 
Ties were already strained after Washington demanded the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and slapped sanctions on Moscow over his poisoning in August last year.&nbsp; 
 
Peskov, however, said that Navalny was not discussed in the Putin-Biden call.&nbsp; 
 
A Kremlin statement on Tuesday said that the two leaders discussed Ukraine as well as the Iranian nuclear programme, Afghanistan peace talks and climate change.

The Kremlin said Wednesday it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders hold a summit "in the near future" that would come at a time of heightened tensions between the former Cold War rivals.

The Kremlin said Wednesday it will consider US President Joe Biden's proposal to hold a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In a phone call on Tuesday, Biden proposed that the two leaders hold a summit "in the near future" that would come at a time of heightened tensions between the former Cold War rivals. "It is early to talk about this meeting in terms of specifics. This is a new proposal and it will be studied," Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He added that there is still no set agenda for the summit, but said that "without a doubt bilateral ties are important" in areas of mutual interest. Tensions between Moscow and Washington have escalated in recent weeks, with Russia building up its troops on the border with Ukraine, where government forces have been fighting pro-Russian separatists since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The United States and its allies have called on Moscow to withdraw its forces. "We consider the concerns of anyone -- including the United States -- regarding the movement of our armed forces on Russian territory to be unfounded," Peskov said. The Kremlin has repeatedly denied its involvement in the long-simmering conflict and rejected claims that it props up the separatist forces. Ties were already strained after Washington demanded the release of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and slapped sanctions on Moscow over his poisoning in August last year. Peskov, however, said that Navalny was not discussed in the Putin-Biden call. A Kremlin statement on Tuesday said that the two leaders discussed Ukraine as well as the Iranian nuclear programme, Afghanistan peace talks and climate change.

Russia says will 'study' US proposal for Putin-Biden summit

Venezuela's government wants funds frozen in the United States to be put toward paying for coronavirus vaccines and will keep working with the opposition to negotiate this payment, the head of the government-controlled legislature said on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido have for months been in talks with state officials to buy vaccines through the COVAX programme using funds frozen by the US Treasury as part of sanctions against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.&nbsp;

Maduro over the weekend said his government had paid some $64 million to the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, spurring doubts as to whether the government would pull the plug on talks to use the frozen funds for the inoculation campaign.&nbsp;

Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly dominated by the ruling Socialist Party, said talks regarding the 'kidnapped' funds would continue.&nbsp;

"If more of the kidnapped resources are used, it would be to buy the vaccines that are needed via the (Pan American Health Organisation) and the (World Health Organisation)," Rodriguez said in a news conference.&nbsp;

In 2019, Washington froze $342 million held by the Venezuelan central bank in the United States, as part of a sanctions programme that sought to remove Maduro from power. &nbsp;

The funds were put under the control of opposition leader Guaido and the interim government he created, but moving them requires a license from the US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).&nbsp;

A working group created last year to ensure Venezuela's access to COVAX, which includes health ministry officials as well as advisers to Guaido, will continue seeking to use the OFAC funds for vaccines, Rodriguez said. &nbsp;

His comments were the first time a government official has publicly acknowledged the discussions with the Guaido allies, who he described as 'kidnappers’. &nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

Venezuela's government wants funds frozen in the United States to be put toward paying for coronavirus vaccines and will keep working with the opposition to negotiate this payment, the head of the government-controlled legislature said on Tuesday.

Venezuela's government wants funds frozen in the United States to be put toward paying for coronavirus vaccines and will keep working with the opposition to negotiate this payment, the head of the government-controlled legislature said on Tuesday. Allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido have for months been in talks with state officials to buy vaccines through the COVAX programme using funds frozen by the US Treasury as part of sanctions against the government of President Nicolas Maduro. Maduro over the weekend said his government had paid some $64 million to the GAVI Vaccine Alliance, spurring doubts as to whether the government would pull the plug on talks to use the frozen funds for the inoculation campaign. Jorge Rodriguez, head of the National Assembly dominated by the ruling Socialist Party, said talks regarding the 'kidnapped' funds would continue. "If more of the kidnapped resources are used, it would be to buy the vaccines that are needed via the (Pan American Health Organisation) and the (World Health Organisation)," Rodriguez said in a news conference. In 2019, Washington froze $342 million held by the Venezuelan central bank in the United States, as part of a sanctions programme that sought to remove Maduro from power. The funds were put under the control of opposition leader Guaido and the interim government he created, but moving them requires a license from the US Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). A working group created last year to ensure Venezuela's access to COVAX, which includes health ministry officials as well as advisers to Guaido, will continue seeking to use the OFAC funds for vaccines, Rodriguez said. His comments were the first time a government official has publicly acknowledged the discussions with the Guaido allies, who he described as 'kidnappers’. (With inputs from agencies)

Venezuela government wants to use funds frozen in US to pay for vaccines 

Former secretary of defence Mark Esper has said the United States should deploy more troops along the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania to deter potential aggression from Russia as tensions between Moscow and Washington heat up.&nbsp;

Esper, now a fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, said "I think we need to continue to stand up to Russia and try to deter their bad behavior."&nbsp;

Washington should look to reassure European allies and boost the NATO alliance by deploying more forces in Poland, "into the Baltics, if it makes sense, and places like Romania and Bulgaria, if not on a permanent - on a rotational basis," Esper said in an interview on Tuesday.&nbsp;

President Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to reduce tensions stirred by a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border and proposed a summit of the estranged leaders to tackle a raft of disputes.&nbsp;

Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people. &nbsp;

When he was running the Pentagon last year, Esper advocated a similar shift as former President Donald Trump announced his intention to cut the US troop contingent in Germany by about a third, saying Berlin had been taking advantage of the United States while not meeting financial obligations to NATO.&nbsp;

The United States announced on Tuesday that it will ramp up its forces in Germany amid the latest tensions with Russia over Ukraine, abandoning Trump's plan to withdraw around 12,000 of the 36,000 US troops there.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies) &nbsp;

Former secretary of defence Mark Esper has said the United States should deploy more troops along the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania to deter potential aggression from Russia as tensions between Moscow and Washington heat up.

Former secretary of defence Mark Esper has said the United States should deploy more troops along the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania to deter potential aggression from Russia as tensions between Moscow and Washington heat up. Esper, now a fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University, said "I think we need to continue to stand up to Russia and try to deter their bad behavior." Washington should look to reassure European allies and boost the NATO alliance by deploying more forces in Poland, "into the Baltics, if it makes sense, and places like Romania and Bulgaria, if not on a permanent - on a rotational basis," Esper said in an interview on Tuesday. President Joe Biden called on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday to reduce tensions stirred by a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's border and proposed a summit of the estranged leaders to tackle a raft of disputes. Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and fighting has increased in recent weeks in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have battled Russian-backed separatists in a seven-year conflict that Kyiv says has killed 14,000 people. When he was running the Pentagon last year, Esper advocated a similar shift as former President Donald Trump announced his intention to cut the US troop contingent in Germany by about a third, saying Berlin had been taking advantage of the United States while not meeting financial obligations to NATO. The United States announced on Tuesday that it will ramp up its forces in Germany amid the latest tensions with Russia over Ukraine, abandoning Trump's plan to withdraw around 12,000 of the 36,000 US troops there. (With inputs from agencies)

US should deploy troops along Black Sea, says former Pentagon chief 

The attorney for Derek Chauvin began his defence of the former Minneapolis police officer on Tuesday. A use of force expert called by Chauvin's defence team said that former police officer was justified in kneeling on George Floyd's neck.

Chauvin's defence begins case: Expert says use of force on Floyd was justified

With 3 conflicts looming in 3 different parts of the world, America's global leadership is being put to the test. To overcome these conflicts, Joe Biden will need allies. But Washington's recent adventurism near Lakshadweep sends mixed signals. WION's Palki Sharma has more.

Gravitas: US needs to reboot alliance politics

16 kilometres away from where George Floyd was killed, another Black-American has been shot dead for a 'traffic violation'. WION's Palki Sharma tells you how America's virus of racism is yet to be eradicated.

Gravitas: Black-American killed by cops in Minnesota

The US Food and Drug Administration announced that they are temporarily halting use of Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine after developing six cases of rare blood-clotting in the country, that left one woman dead and another in critical condition.

Temporary halt on Johnson & Johnson vaccination in US over blood clot concerns

Huawei on Tuesday blamed the US for a global chip shortage as it called for cooperation with South Korea, Japan and Europe to form a new semiconductor supply chain.&nbsp;

The move came hours after US President Joe Biden urged more spending in the chipmaking sector to resolve the chip shortage and build up a stable supply chain, Yonhap news agency reported.&nbsp;

A recent shortage of semiconductors has stalled production across manufacturing industries, especially in the auto sector.&nbsp;

Karl Song, Huawei's Vice President of Corporate Communications, called for the lifting of US sanctions, which the Chinese network equipment maker claimed has led to the recent chip crisis.&nbsp;

Currently, the Chinese telecom equipment giant is being cut off from semiconductors made with US equipment, software and designs due to US sanctions over national security concerns.&nbsp;

"The current global chipset shortage is due to the sanctions (Huawei) faces and its impact on the companies that we cooperate with," Song said in a press conference.&nbsp;

"We hope to cooperate with advanced semiconductor countries, such as South Korea, Japan and Europe, to form a global supply chain again," he said.&nbsp;

Eric Xu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman, said on Monday that US sanctions against the company have hurt the broader semiconductor industry as they have created supply uncertainties.&nbsp;

The US has long alleged that Huawei's equipment is used to spy on foreign networks, a claim repeatedly rejected by the Chinese company.&nbsp;

The US sanctions have hurt the Chinese tech giant, which requires semiconductors for its telecom equipment and electronic devices.&nbsp;

Huawei said it still plans to further strengthen its presence in South Korea by collaborating with South Korean companies, adding that it has made purchases worth $37 billion from South Korea over the past five years.&nbsp;

LG Uplus, the smallest of South Korea's three major mobile carriers, currently uses equipment manufactured by Huawei for its 5G network.&nbsp;

In Washington, Biden said on Monday that the US will increase its investment in infrastructure to protect its supply chains, including the supply chain of semiconductors.&nbsp;

His remarks came in a meeting with the top executive officers of 19 global firms, including South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics, to discuss ways to address the ongoing shortage of semiconductors.&nbsp;

Huawei on Tuesday blamed the US for a global chip shortage as it called for cooperation with South Korea, Japan and Europe to form a new semiconductor supply chain.

Huawei on Tuesday blamed the US for a global chip shortage as it called for cooperation with South Korea, Japan and Europe to form a new semiconductor supply chain. The move came hours after US President Joe Biden urged more spending in the chipmaking sector to resolve the chip shortage and build up a stable supply chain, Yonhap news agency reported. A recent shortage of semiconductors has stalled production across manufacturing industries, especially in the auto sector. Karl Song, Huawei's Vice President of Corporate Communications, called for the lifting of US sanctions, which the Chinese network equipment maker claimed has led to the recent chip crisis. Currently, the Chinese telecom equipment giant is being cut off from semiconductors made with US equipment, software and designs due to US sanctions over national security concerns. "The current global chipset shortage is due to the sanctions (Huawei) faces and its impact on the companies that we cooperate with," Song said in a press conference. "We hope to cooperate with advanced semiconductor countries, such as South Korea, Japan and Europe, to form a global supply chain again," he said. Eric Xu, Huawei's Rotating Chairman, said on Monday that US sanctions against the company have hurt the broader semiconductor industry as they have created supply uncertainties. The US has long alleged that Huawei's equipment is used to spy on foreign networks, a claim repeatedly rejected by the Chinese company. The US sanctions have hurt the Chinese tech giant, which requires semiconductors for its telecom equipment and electronic devices. Huawei said it still plans to further strengthen its presence in South Korea by collaborating with South Korean companies, adding that it has made purchases worth $37 billion from South Korea over the past five years. LG Uplus, the smallest of South Korea's three major mobile carriers, currently uses equipment manufactured by Huawei for its 5G network. In Washington, Biden said on Monday that the US will increase its investment in infrastructure to protect its supply chains, including the supply chain of semiconductors. His remarks came in a meeting with the top executive officers of 19 global firms, including South Korea's tech giant Samsung Electronics, to discuss ways to address the ongoing shortage of semiconductors.

Huawei blames US for global chip shortage 

Police shooting of Black man sparks fresh protests in US

Moscow has accused the United States and other NATO countries of turning Ukraine into a "powder keg ". Russia also added that countries are increasing their arms supplies to Ukraine.

Moscow accuses US, NATO nations of turning Ukraine into 'powder keg'

The Biden administration has struck an agreement with Mexico, Guatemala and Honduras to temporarily increase border security in an effort to stop migrants from reaching the US border.

US strikes agreement with Mexico, Honduras and Gautemala to secure borders

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