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Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/21/2021 8:20:56 AM

05/20/21 Thursday

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China Urges UNSC to ‘Help Africa Bridge the Pandemic Divide’ With Tech Transfers, Patent Waivers by Morgan Artvukhina

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of the dangers posed by the “shocking imbalance” in vaccination rates between richer and poorer nations, and the United Nations has warned that if it persists, COVID-19 could persist in the world’s poorest nations until 2024. During an open debate on African affairs at the UN Security Council on Wednesday, permanent member China urged other states to ensure the “accessibility and affordability of vaccines” on the continent. According to the UN, just 2% of Africans have received a COVID-19 vaccine, while in the United States that number is 48%. In comments in a virtual UNSC meeting Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the 15-member body that “no country in the world should become a weak link in the fight against the pandemic,” urging them to “help Africa bridge the ‘pandemic divide’ by providing “more assistance for Africa in terms of pandemic prevention materials, medicines, technology and funding to ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines.” Wang noted that helping Africa overcome the pandemic could not simply be reduced to donating vaccines, but that it must be accompanied by African-led initiatives for peace and development, including technology transfer and debt relief by richer nations. However, he also noted that China has provided vaccines to 40 of the continent’s 54 nations at “favorable prices.” The Security Council unanimously adopted Wang’s statement. According to the South China Morning Post. African nations have ordered roughly 33 million vaccine shots from China, with Beijing donating another 5.45 million, most of which were Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, the latter of which was recently approved by the World Health Organization for use in its COVAX needs-based distribution program. Also speaking at the meeting, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres noted that “Out of 1.4 billion doses administered around the world today, only 24 million have reached Africa - less than 2%.” He said that an “equitable and sustainable vaccine roll-out worldwide is the quickest path towards a fast and fair recovery.” Push for Vaccine Patent Waiver Gains Steam Wang also noted that “The international community should ... stop vaccine protectionism and nationalism,” an oblique swipe at the handful of industrialized nations standing in the way of a waiver for the Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement by the World Trade Organization which would pave the way for manufacturing of cheap generic versions of COVID-19 vaccines, nearly all of which have been developed by pharmaceutical companies in Europe and North America.

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In addition to the two Chinese vaccines, Russia’s Sputnik V is the other major COVID-19 vaccine supplied to African nations. Russia has offered300 million shots to the African Union, and Algeria is slated to begin production of the two-dose vaccine for African distribution by September. Egyptian pharmaceutical company Vacsera has also signed deals to produce both Sputnik V and the SinoVac vaccine. In addition to the Russian and Chinese vaccines, the major shot being sent to African nations has been AstraZeneca’s CoviVac vaccine. The African Union has procured 270 million of the Anglo-Swedish vaccine, which is mostly made in India, but the vaccine’s short shelf life of just two weeks has resulted in tragic wasting of shots. On Tuesday, health authorities in Malawi announced they had destroyed 19,610 doses of expired AstraZeneca vaccine. According to Al Jazeera. the doses had arrived on March 26 as part of the AU-negotiated deal with the WHO, but they expired on April 13. Still, authorities got 80% of the shots distributed in that time. “We are destroying publicly in order to stay accountable to Malawians. The vaccines that expired are not being used during the vaccination campaign,” Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said in a ceremony at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe. “On behalf of the government, I assure all Malawians that no one will be given an expired COVID vaccine.” On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his own summit aimed at providing a “New Deal for Africa and by Africa” that would revamp the sluggish distribution process. Calling the present situation “both unfair and inefficient,” Macron called on the WHO, WTO and Medicines Patent Pool to drop “all these constraints in terms of intellectual property which blocks the production of certain types of vaccines.” The administration of US President Joe Biden also recently signaled a shift in policy on vaccine patent waivers, bowing to persistent pressure by more than 80 nations led by India and South Africa, as well as by lawmakers in the US. Pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Moderna, both of which have produced COVID-19 vaccines, strongly oppose the waiver, and other billionaires such as Microsoft co-founder and CEO Bill Gates have similarly come out against the initiative.

Watch: Prince William Faults ‘Deceitful’ BBC for Diana’s ‘Indescribable Sadness’ in Last Years by Morgan Artvukhina

A full inquiry into the November 1995 interview of Princess Diana began last autumn after her brother, Earl Spencer, rejected a partial apology by the BBC for reporter Martin Bashir’s "deceptive" actions, which led Spencer to put him in direct contact with Diana for the bombshell sit-down. In response to the report published on Thursday by former High Court Judge Lord Dyson, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, said it was “welcome that the BBC accepts Lord Dyson’s findings in full,” but that it brings him “indescribable sadness to know that the BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her.”

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The report found that Bashir deceived Diana, Princess of Wales and William’s mother, using fake bank statements supposedly proving that palace courtiers were selling stories to the press to pressure her into a 1995 interview in which she would tell her side of the story. The report further faulted the state-owned news service for inadequately addressing complaints about the program and dissimulated the findings of an internal probe. “It is my view that the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said,” William said Thursday. “The interview was a major contribution to making my parents’ relationship worse and has since hurt countless others." “What saddens me most is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints and concerns first raised in 1995, my mother would have known that she had been deceived. She was failed not just by a rogue reporter, but by leaders at the BBC who looked the other way rather than asking the tough questions." During the interview, which ostensibly centered on her husband Prince Charles’ affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, Diana revealed her own illicit love affair with a cavalry officer named James Lifford Hewitt, the family’s riding instructor. She also revealed that while Charles had resumed his affair with Camilla, she had been pressured to maintain appearances as a member of the Royal Family, which only intensified her post-natal depression and self-harming tendencies following William’s birth. The interview is credited with dealing the death blow to their marriage. The interview aired on the BBC’s program “Panorama” on November 20, which the Duke of Cambridge said “holds no legitimacy and should never be aired again.” Diana died two years later in a car crash in a Paris tunnel, the circumstances of which have been the subject of countless conspiracy theories.

Reps. Omar, Tlaib Double Down on Palestinian Support Amid ‘Reprehensible’AIPAC Attack Ads by Morgan Artvukhina

US Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is no stranger to pushback for criticizing Israel, having been accused of anti-Semitism by fellow lawmakers in 2019 after saying the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) uses financial influence to push a pro-Israel agenda in Congress - something the lobbyist group celebrates about itself. After Israel began launching airstrikes in the Gaza Strip earlier this month in response to rocket launches from there, Omar was the first US lawmaker to raise her voice against the violence. “Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism,” she tweeted on May 10. “Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians. It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid.” Her tweet was in response to a report that Gaza’s ministry of health had said that Israeli airstrikes had killed 20 people, nine of whom were children, and injured 65 others that day.

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She’s not the only one, though: Omar was quickly joined by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), a Palestinian-American woman and the only other Muslim in Congress, as well as by Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Andre Carson (D-IN). In response, AIPAC has launched a slew of new attack ads this week going after the lawmakers. Tlaib, Omar and AOC each featured in AIPAC ads that began running on Facebook on Monday. “When Israel targets Hamas, Rep. Omar calls it ‘an act of terrorism.’ Sign if you stand with Israel,” one ad reads, with a link urging people to financially support AIPAC and to call their representatives and urge them to support Israel. Similar messages using quotes from the other lawmakers featured in other ads. Sen. Bernie Sanders (l-VT) has also been vocally critical of Israel’s Operation in Gaza, championing a bill by AOC that would block an imminent sale of smart bombs to Tel Aviv if it didn’t halt its bombing campaign in Gaza. High profile celebrity lawyer Alan Dershowitz also called Sanders a “self-hating Jew,” a common refrain from Zionists used against Jews critical of Israel, even if they are also supportive of Zionism, as Sanders is. Longstanding Hostility Toward Omar Isi Baehr-Breen, Omar's deputy communications director, told The Nation on Wednesday that "Given the number of threats of death and violence the congresswoman receives on a near-daily basis, it's not just irresponsible - it's incitement.” During his failed re-election campaign, former US President Donald Trump commonly inveighed against Omar, suggesting if the Democrats won, they would open the immigration “floodgates” to Somali Muslims like her, inviting terrorists into the country. During the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol that killed five people, Omar was reportedly one of several "progressive" Democrats, including AOC and others, for whom the right-wing insurrectionists were looking as they stormed the legislative building in an attempt to overturn the election. Tlaib fired back on Wednesday, saying that "to launch such a blatantly Islamophobic attack on llhan Omar right now is reprehensible. I stand with her to oppose the violence Israel's apartheid government is perpetrating. You will not silence those who stand for human rights." Omar also denounced the attack ads, calling them “desperate and deeply offensive. The rights of Palestinians and all people yearning for freedom and self-determination will not be ignored and no level of harassment will silence me or the millions of people demanding peace and justice." The Somali-American has long been on AlPAC’s bad side after she criticized the lobbyist group in 2019 for the powerful influence it exerts over US lawmakers, tweeting that for AIPAC, “it’s all about the Benjamins.” The line references an expression based on Benjamin Franklin’s visage appearing on the $100 bill that was made popular by a 1997 song by rapper Puff Daddy, but critics successfully argued it was anti-Semitic, due to Benjamin being a Hebrew name and there being a longstanding anti-Semitic trope that Jews are money-laden and corrupt. In response to the pressure, House Democrats passed a resolution in March 2019 that broadly condemned bigotry against minorities, including both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia - a far cry from what Republicans demanded, which was nothing less than Omar’s removal from office. Even as recently as this past January, House GOP leaders threatened to purge Omar from her committee assignments if Democrats removed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) from hers in response to a series of inflammatory comments made by her, including sympathy for the Capitol insurrectionists.

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Ceasefire After Hundreds Killed in Gaza Late Thursday night, Israel’s security cabinet approved a ceasefire with Hamas due to begin early Friday morning. In the 11 days of violence, Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire have killed 232 Palestinians in Gaza, 65 of whom were children. On the Israeli side, 12 people, including two children, have been killed by rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, according to data collected by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). The war began after weeks of violence centered on East Jerusalem that climaxed in Israeli police storming Al-Aqsa mosque, the third-holiest site in Islam, on May 7, the last Friday of Ramadan, reportedly injuring more than 200 worshipers and 17 Israeli police. The incident followed protests by Muslim worshipers at the Damascus Gate, which Israeli authorities had closed at the start of Ramadan in early April as a COVID-19 mitigating measure to disrupt pedestrian traffic into the old city. However, Muslims reportedly felt it unjustly discriminated against them by restricting access to the holy site. During the same period, several instances of Israeli Arabs attacking religious Jews in the street and posting a video of the incident on social media prompted reciprocal acts in several Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem was at the same time another site of growing conflict. Israeli police heavily patrolled the streets for Palestinians protesters who vowed to defend the borough from Israelis who were storming people’s homes. Their actions anticipated and followed a Mav 2 court ruling widely expected to endorse the eviction of more than 70 Palestinians in six families in favor of claims by a Jewish settler organization that the land has belonged to them since 1972. The families have appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court, but the court has delayed its hearing of the case in light of the present conflict.

Video: One Dead, Ten Rescued in Alleged Smuggling Incident Near San Diego, California by Evan Craighead

Earlier Thursday, lifeguards in San Diego, California, announced rescue operations were underway after at least 16 people were spotted in a vessel that ultimately capsized. This incident comes as San Diego's third suspected smuggling event this month alone. During a Thursday news conference on the matter, a US Border Patrol agent told reporters that law enforcement officials spotted "several subjects in the water in distress" when they first encountered the vessel near San Diego's La Jolla shore. While San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's Station 13 was able to rescue 10 people from "rough water conditions," one individual died at the scene. Eight of the 10 rescued individuals were taken to area hospitals. Five other individuals from the panga were able to make it to the shore without assistance. "All individuals were determined to be unlawfully present inside the United States and were transported to a border patrol station for processing," the agent said, as reported bv NBC San Diego.

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According to the Border Patrol agent, officials have observed an increase in maritime apprehensions within the "past couple of fiscal years." "Last fiscal year was actually a record year for maritime apprehensions with 1,273 apprehensions in the maritime environment," the agent said. "This fiscal year, which won’t end until the end of September, we’re already approaching 1,100 so we’re on pace to break that record again." Almost two dozen illegal migrants were taken into US Customs and Border Protection custody on Monday after members of the US Coast Guard engaged the vessel near Point Loma, approximately 12 miles from La Jolla. No injuries were reported in this case. On May 2, three people died and at least 29 others were rescued after their 40-foot cabin cruiser capsized near Point Loma. Authorities transferred the dozens of injured individuals to area hospitals. "The man who we believe was the operator, agents are with him, and is the suspected smuggler, but the investigation is still unfolding," said Jeff Stephenson, a supervising agent with US Border Patrol.

US DoJ Seizes Nearly 70 Big Cats After Raid on Tiger King Park' in Oklahoma by Evan Craighead

Joseph Maldonado-Passage, more popularly known as 'Joe Exotic' from Netflix's "Tiger King," notably relinquished ownership of his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park to Jeff Lowe in 2016. With the G.W. Zoo shuttered due to alleged animal rights violations, Lowe recently moved to relocate the animals to Tiger King Park, in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Federal agents with the US Department of Justice have seized a total of 68 protected tigers, lions, lion-tiger hybrids, and a jaguar from the Tiger King Park belonging to Lowe and his wife, Lauren Lowe. The feds' execution of an authorized search and seizure warrant comes as a result of the Oklahoma facility's continued Endangered Species Act (ESA) violations. Authorities claimed on Thursday that, since mid-December, the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has conducted three inspections at Tiger King Park. "During these inspections, the Lowes received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition, and shelter that protects them from inclement weather and is of sufficient size to allow them to engage in normal behavior," the DoJ detailed. Due to the big cats being protected animals in the US, the DoJ has also alleged that these violations constitute violations of the ESA. "This seizure should send a clear message that the Justice Department takes alleged harm to captive-bred animals protected under the Endangered Species Act very seriously," said Jean E.

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Williams, acting assistant attorney general for the DoJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division. Agents with the USDA and the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service are handling the ongoing investigation. News of the seizure comes days after a judge found the Lowes in contempt for violating a previous order regarding animal rights and breeding. "They don’t want to fight this anymore. They don’t want to do it," Daniel Card, attorney for the couple, told US District Judge John F. Heil III. "They want to give the tigers to a ... sanctuary of their choice and be done with it." While Joe Exotic has relinquished his ownership of his zoo and animals, the "Tiger King" star has remained in the press as he continues to campaign for a presidential pardon. The 58-year-old is currently serving out a 22-year sentence after a federal jury convicted him of two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act. In his most recent statement from prison, Exotic revealed that his prostate-specific antigen "count came back very high for prostate cancer." "I don't want anyone's pity what I need is when John Phillips gets the evidence he is working on, I need the world to help him get President [Joe] Biden, VP [Kamala] Harris and the Attorney General to listen to the evidence and see that it's not just city cops out of control with corruption, but his very own Department of Justice and make this right and sign that pardon that Trump left behind so I can go home and get proper medical care and proper food," the 58-year-old wrote. Despite his staunch support of former US President Donald Trump, Exotic was unable to secure a pardon during 45's presidency.

NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo Advised by CNN Anchor Brother Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations - Report by Evan Craighead

Numerous women - many of them current, or former state employees - have accused New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, 63, of varying degrees of sexual misconduct. Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing, and has refused to resign, pending the results of New York Attorney General Letitia James' ongoing, independent investigation into the matter. Chris Cuomo, host of CNN's "Cuomo Prime Time," joined brother Andrew Cuomo and several of the governor's staffers on a series of phone conferences regarding mounting allegations of sexual misconduct, according to a Thursday report in the Washington Post. Citing "four people familiar with the discussions," the outlet detailed the conversations in question took place near the top of the year, following allegations of sexual harassment first presented by Lindsey Boylan in December 2020. Boylan, a 36-year-old, former aide to the NY governor, has claimed that Cuomo "sexually harassed me for years" and kissed her "on the lips" after a meeting.

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Governor Cuomo, as well as his top aide, communications team, attorneys, and a number of advisers, were reportedly on the conference calls with the CNN anchor. Chris Cuomo allegedly advised his brother to not resign, and, at one point, called out "cancel culture" as a reason to oppose the mounting allegations, according to the Post. CNN has come out in defense of their employee, but did acknowledge that "it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges." "Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo — on air or behind the scenes," CNN said in a statement provided to the outlet. "In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother." The cable network also expressed it will not reprimand Chris Cuomo. Indeed, the CNN anchor announced back in March that he "obviously" could not be objective when it comes to covering his brother. Within the past week, it has been revealed that the NY Attorney General James' office has issued a subpoena to at least four former aides of Cuomo, calling on them to deliver sworn testimonies following their respective misconduct allegations against the governor.

Twitter Rolls Out New Verification Process for First Time in Nearly Four Years by Gaby Arancibia

Social media giant Twitter previously halted its verification process in November 2017 after receiving widespread backlash over its decision to verify Jason Kessler, one of the organizers behind the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that claimed the life of 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Twitter revealed on Thursday that the company is relaunching its public verification program for the first time in nearly four years, and will now allow for any users to apply for the highly-coveted blue check mark. The newly-launched process will require users to have an account that includes a picture and a confirmed email address or phone number, as well as mandating that the specified account be active for the last six months without having violated any company policies. A Thursday blog post by Twitter explains that users will be able to submit an application by simply going to their account’s setting tab and following the prompts. The company did indicate that the option will not be available to all users immediately since officials are rolling out the new process over the next several weeks. “If you don’t see this update immediately today, don’t worry! We're gradually rolling it out to everyone to ensure that we can review applications in a timely manner,” the post explains. However, in order to qualify for the application, interested users will have to fall into one of six categories: government: entertainment; sports and gaming; news organizations and journalists; companies, brands and organizations; and activists, organizers and other influential individuals.

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It’s worth noting that Twitter does intend to add additional categories, including scientists, academics and religious leaders, later this year. Time-wise, the approval could take a “few weeks” depending on the amount of applications that are received at any given time. Twitter clarified during a briefing with reporters that the submissions will be reviewed by actual humans, not through an algorithm. Should applications be approved, a blue checkmark will appear automatically. If not, users will be allowed to file a new application after a 30-day period. Twitter initially launched its verification program in 2009 in order to verify the identities of well-known individuals who were at risk of being impersonated, with the tech giant opening the process to the public in 2016. The verification effort, however, hit a snag and was sent on a hiatus after the company verified Kessler. Twitter also responded to the outrage bv removing the blue checkmark from Kessler’s profile, as well as the verification issued to various other white nationalists and far-right individuals.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat - Political Cartoon

The US president’s appearance at the Coast Guard Academy’s graduation ceremony marked his first such address as the commander-in-chief. However, it also proved to be a return visit, as he had done the same for the 2013 graduating class as vice president. US President Joe Biden recently took a loss when he opted to reuse a Reagan-era joke while giving the commencement speech for the 2021 graduating class of the US Coast Guard Academy. Although former US President Ronald Reagan received a chorus of laughter when he tossed in a joke at the US Navy’s expense, the punchline wasn’t well received by cadets during the Wednesday ceremony. Appearing somewhat taken aback by the lack of chuckling or cackling, Biden quickly went on the offensive and lashed out at the cadets by referring to them as a “really dull class” and questioning whether the sun was getting to them since no laughing was heard. While many have since accused Biden of plagiarizing the joke, it’s worth mentioning that it has been repeatedly tapped by others, including former US Vice President Dick Cheney, as reporter Becket Adams has pointed out.

Videos: Blast Goes Off in New York City Amid Clashes With Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators by Gabv Arancibia

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Over the last 11 days, tensions have remained at an all-time high between Israel and Hamas, with thousands of rockets being exchanged along the Gaza Strip and the death toll increasing daily. Earlier, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that a cease-fire had been reached between all involved parties. Newly surfaced video footage captured the exact moment on Thursday that an explosive device was ignited in New York City’s Midtown quarter and sent nearby locals running to safety. The incident is said to have unfolded at approximately 7 p.m. local time in the city’s Diamond District, a commercial stretch along Manhattan’s 47th Street that encompasses about one block and also happens to have a strong Jewish presence. Video footage of the blast shows dozens initially standing on a sidewalk and then suddenly turning to run away from the area before an explosive device goes off. Although follow-up video of the scene has an individual indicating the device was a bomb, the origins of the device remain unconfirmed. It has also been suggested that the item was a firework. It’s unclear if the blast caused any severe injuries or if any arrests have been made as a result. Local law enforcement officials did respond to the area, video footage shows. Additional recordings suggest the blast took place as verbal disputes broke out in the middle of a nearby street between locals and a group of individuals holding the Palestinian flag. However, the root cause of the altercation is uncertain, despite reports being voiced on social media. The late Thursday incident took place after it was confirmed that a cease-fire had been reached between Israel and Hamas “without preconditions.” The agreement took effect at 2 a.m. local time. The deadly exchanges between the two parties broke out after entry restrictions were placed at the al-Aqsa Mosque amid Ramadan, with tension being further escalated after an Israeli court ruled in favor of evicting several Palestinian families whose homes were located in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah community.

Biden’s Pick for Israeli Ambassador May Become Thomas Nides, Reports Say by MariTi Blaise Lovell

The Biden administration has taken a hands-off approach to the escalation of conflict between Israel and Hamas, only recently issuing a stern warning that was promptly brushed off by Israel. Members of Congress and policy experts have criticized Biden for failing to appoint an ambassador to Israel to gauge the situation in Gaza from the ground. US President Joe Biden is reportedly inching his way closer to picking his next ambassador to Israel, a position which has been empty since Biden took office over 100 days ago. A decision is expected this week. Citing unidentified sources, Axios reported on Thursday that Thomas Nides, a former deputy secretary of state under the Obama administration, has been pinpointed as the one most likely to be chosen for the job.

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Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, approves of the expected appointment, according to the Jewish Insider. “He went with a very smart, politically well-connected individual with plenty of government experience,” Miller said. “A guy who has a real pro-Israeli sensibility, but also, I think is capable of the kind of detachment that is critically important to finding the balance in the US-lsrael relationship between protecting Israel’s interests and protecting ours.” Nides is the managing director and vice chairman of Morgan Stanley, and has served on the executive board of multiple financial institutions, including Credit Suisse Group and Burson-Marsteller. Under the Obama administration, Nides oversaw the approval of a loan extension for Israel worth billions of dollars. Additionally, he has built a network establishment with several Israeli officials. Nides has also fought against policies related to providing citizenship to Palestinians and their descendants who were displaced by the creation of Israel in 1948. According to the Times of Israel, he carried out Obama’s policy against congressional efforts to limit US support for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), arguing that the UN was needed to spread information about the Holocaust. Nides has also been reported as having been considered by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as a candidate for White House chief of staff had she won the 2016 presidential election. However, in the meantime, US Secretary of State Tony Blinken has plans to send senior diplomat Michael Ratney to Jerusalem to serve as acting ambassador in acknowledgement of the current conflict in Gaza, sources told Axios. Ratney, who is likely to arrive in the region on June 1, will reportedly provide a high-profile experienced back-up until an ambassador is selected. Other Candidates Up for Top Diplomat Positions Cindy McCain, the widow of former Sen. John McCain (R-AR), is reportedly set to serve as envoy to the World Food Program, and is also up for Israeli ambassadorship, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Post report also mentions major Biden donor Michael Adler, who initially sought the position of ambassador to Israel, but has been cited for ambassador to Belgium. Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also expected to serve as the US ambassador to Japan, whereas Comcast executive David Cohen may take on the role of envoy to Canada. Former US envoy to Romania Mark Gitenstein may reportedly take on the European Union ambassador post.

US National Guard Troops Deployed After Capitol Riot Will Return Home Sunday, Reports Say by MariTi Blaise Lovell

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US National Guard troops were dispatched to Washington, DC, following the January 6 storming of the US Capitol by hundreds of people, including supporters of ex-US President Donald Trump, to challenge the results of the 2020 election. There were discussions in Congress this week about establishing a permanent military unit at the federal building. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby declared on Wednesday that thousands of National Guard troops who were deployed to protect the US Capitol after the violent insurrection will be heading back home this weekend, as their mission is expected to wrap up by May 23. “We have received no request to extend [the stay of troops in the nation’s capital],” Kirby told reporters at the Pentagon. There were about 5,200 National Guard troops deployed around the White House after the Capitol uproar on January 6. As of Wednesday, the number of National Guards has dropped to 2.149. In March, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin approved a request from the US Capitol Police to extend the National Guard mission from March to May 23. In the approval, it underscored concerns about the ongoing threat of violence after rioters breached the building in violence that left five people dead. The decision proved controversial, as many lawmakers have criticized congressional leaders for the length of the mission and questioned the fencing surrounding the Capitol. The Capitol security measures were reviewed in a report released in March, and included suggestions such as creating a quick reactionary military force to assist Capitol Police. Such measures would involve installing retractable fencing, as well as establishing a new federal agency to coordinate the region's law enforcement during emergencies, similar to how the Department of Homeland Security operates. Earlier this week, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and other lawmakers within the US House of Representatives proposed $531 million to cover the ongoing cost of the guard's deployment to the Capitol, and another $200 million to mobilize a quick reactionary military force. Additionally, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Military mentioned the price tag for this year’s deployment as being $521 million. On Wednesday, top Republicans on both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees turned down a proposal for a full-time National Guard quick-reaction force in the nation’s capital. "We firmly oppose creating a DC National Guard quick reaction force," Senate Armed Services Committee ranking member Jim Inhofe (R-OK) and House Armed Services Committee ranking member Mike Rogers, (R-AL) said in a joint statement, adding that any security improvements to the Capitol building and surrounding congressional offices would need to fall under civilian law enforcement officials, not military ones. According to The Hill, the Department of Homeland Security has indicated that it wants the Pentagon to extend the deployment of about 4,000 National Guard troops working along the US-Mexico border past September 30. Currently, National Guard members serve one weekend a month and are otherwise deployed when needed. Guard members have full-time civilian jobs and don't receive a child care benefit during their duty, unlike active-duty troops.

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Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta Appoints Martha Koome as Country’s First Female Chief Justice by MariTi Blaise Lovell

Martha Karambu Koome, who served as an appeals judge in Kenya, noted in her interview for chief justice that she would work to reduce the backlog of cases in Kenya’s Supreme Court, facilitate the appointment of additional judges and magistrates, operationalize the judiciary fund to promote independence, and promote the use of technology. Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday appointed Koome to serve as the country’s next chief justice, effectively marking her as the first woman to hold the judicial post. Kenyatta confirmed Koome’s appointment just a few hours after the Kenyan Parliament approved her nomination. Koome is scheduled to take the oath of office on Thursday. “In exercise powers conferred by ... the constitution. I, Uhuru Kenyatta, president and commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defense Forces, appoint Martha Karambu Koome to be the chief justice of the Republic of Kenya," Kenyatta's announcement said, according to the Associated Press. Koome is set to replace former Chief Justice David Maraga, who made history by leading the Kenyan Supreme Court when it annulled Kenyatta's 2017 reelection victory, a move that ordered new voting within 60 days over election illegalities and irregularities. At the time, Maraga revealed that he had received death threats following the court’s 4-2 decision against Kenyatta. Koomes was picked by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) from a pool of nine other candidates, including judges, prominent lawyers in private practice and law scholars. During Koome’s April interview before the JSC, the legal official referenced her difficult experience growing up in Meru, in rural eastern Kenya in a polygamous family. “I am a villager in the truest sense. My parents were peasant farmers and we were 18 children from two mothers. So, for all of us, especially girls - it was a struggle to overcome the odds,” she said. Koome was born in 1960, three years before the end of British colonial rule in the region. Koome, when asked how she would tackle issues facing the judicial system, said the position requires top-notch managerial skills that could come from anyone with the right experience regardless of gender. “I believe the challenges are similar whether a male or female,” she told the panel, adding “leadership is gender-neutral, it doesn’t require a man or woman.” Fred Ngatia, a lawyer who was included in the pool of chief justice candidates, has cast some doubts on how the JSC chose Koome, alleging the selection process had been rigged. Ngatia has handled high level matters, including cases for Kenyatta, the Kenyan government and its ministries, such as the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government. Incidentally, Ngatia also represented Kenyatta in 2013 and 2017, after Raila Odinga, former Kenyan prime minister, challenged Kenyatta’s win in both elections at the Supreme Court level.

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"Four commissioners from Mt Kenya reduced my scores yesterday afternoon after they were called by powerful people," Ngatia told the Business Daily after the JSC’s announcement. "Without that intervention, I was far ahead of all the other candidates." Ngatia was originally cited by media outlets as the next Kenyan chief justice to succeed Maraga. Professor Olive Mugenda, who chaired the JSC interviews, said the commission will not release the scores for each candidate. “Our duty was to select the best candidate and that’s what we have done,” she said. The Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) group has also expressed concern over Koome’s appointment, suggesting there are ethical and integrity questions. Chairman Khelef Khalifa, on Wednesday said that the special session held to approve Kroome’s appointment was “highly suspect,” and that Kenyans should be “very wary and alert." Khalifa added that there are court cases seeking to compel JSC to make public the scores of all the candidates interviewed for the seat. Koome was appointed as a judge in 2003 and served on the African Union Committee on the Rights and Welfare of Children between 2005 and 2010. According to local outlet Modern Ghana. Koome is a chairwoman of a special task force on children. Many netizens have also come out to congratulate her on social media. Koome now faces the task of adjudicating any challenge to the upcoming presidential election, which is scheduled to be held in August 2022.

RPT - Palestinians Lack Access to Medicine, Clean Water After Israeli Airstrikes - US Aid Group

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Israel’s bombing campaign has left Palestinians without access to drinkable water and adequate medical care, Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) Executive Director, Zeaid Abbas Shamrouch, told Sputnik. On Thursday, Israel's cabinet accepted Egypt's initiative for a bilateral ceasefire with Palestine. Earlier in the day, UN officials renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza strip to allow for humanitarian access as clashes between Israelis and Palestinians entered day eleven. "The Israelis bomb buildings and buildings collapse on other buildings. Key COVID centers have been destroyed... I have gotten calls from hospitals and clinics. They have a shortage of basic items," Shamrouch said. "Sewage systems are out, which impacts water... the roads have been destroyed. People are killed or die from not being able to be taken to the hospital." Shamrouch, whose California-based organization has been operating in the region for more than three decades, said all of Gaza’s water is undrinkable and the challenging conditions that the two million Palestinians have been living under just got considerably worse. MECA operates water purification and desalination systems because 98% of the water in Gaza is polluted. However, the bombings, Shamrouch said, have damaged many water networks and because electricity is only on for a few hours a day, the water purification units are no longer functioning.

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As a result, the organization has been handing out water bottles, although they do not have enough to cover all the schools, where nearly 50,000 displaced Palestinians have taken cover, according to the UN. He also said children are in need of milk and food. They have been buying food and fruit from farmers who say, "pay me later" because there are no banks. Shamrouch, himself a Palestinian refugee, used a recent personal story to illustrate the extent of the crisis. "I have a friend who has a family in Gaza," Shamrouch said. "The family is living in 3 apartments and when the bombing started everybody moved and now 50 people live with them." Shamrouch said the conflict revolves around issues of superiority, discrimination and apartheid. "This is a colonial system. They took our land like Algeria, South Africa and like here [the US] during the Civil Rights movement," he said. "V\fe are an oppressed people fighting for our rights on the ground, fighting for fairness in international law." However, rather than feel crushed, Shamrouch said he feels hopeful. Palestinians have come together and are raising their voices. "We will be free. We will be able to access our rights," Shamrouch said. "I can imagine the freedom that’s coming." Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 220 Palestinians, including 64 children, since tensions rose on May 10, while Hamas rocket attacks have killed 12 people in Israel, according to authorities. Israel’s military said Hamas has fired over 3,700 rockets at Israel.

RPT - Blinken-Lavrov Talks, Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Whiver 'Encouraging Step Forward' - Experts

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"If the US wants a stable and predictable relationship, one that could be mutually beneficial then the US needs to show that they are interested in such a relationship,” Rasmussen said. Both Moscow and Washington have a lot of critical issues to address, including Ukraine, the Middle East, cybersecurity, he added. Both experts expressed the importance of Washington's intention to waive sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "It appears that the US has, for the most part, accepted that Nord Stream 2 will be completed. Moreover, they realize the importance it has the Europe, especially Germany,” Rasmussen said. This move is in line with the American value of free trade, Cawood noted. "It was a show of strength and maturity on the part of the Biden administration,” he said, adding that such initiative will help normalize Russia-US relations. On Wsdnesday, Blinken said that the US decided that it is in the national interest to waive sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO Matthias Warnig and corporate officers. Germany welcomed this move, after repeatedly calling US attempts to disrupt the pipeline’s construction an interference in its domestic affairs. Lavrov and Blinken discussed a wide range of bilateral and global issues during their first in-person meeting on the sidelines of the Arctic Council on Wednesday.

RPT: ANALYSIS - Congress Unlikely to Seek Oversight Over Latest Revealed US Secret Cyber-Spy Army

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"The problem is that nobody knows what is being done, and therefore we all know atrocities are being committed," he said. This continuing state of affairs will inevitably destroy the functioning of democracy in the United States and generate further ongoing unrest, military takeovers and dictatorships around the world, Swanson advised. "The result is a breakdown in the rule of actual laws, in trust and good faith. The result is sabotage and election interference. The result is coups and assassinations, abuse and imprisonments," he stated. SAME OLD STUFF Former National Security Agency (NSA) Technical Director and whistle-blower William Binney agreed that the reports of how the latest secret massive clandestine organization operated was a continuation of long discredited old policies and strategies, and that Congress had no hope of bringing it under control. It was the "(s)ame old stuff with the emphasis on humint [human intelligence],but some hint of high tech with active attack. Congress is [a] waste of time," he said. The newly revealed force includes thousands of undercover operatives who work under fake identities and the actual size of the program could be far larger than the reported figures, Newsweek said in its two-year-long investigation. It also appears to contravene both US laws and the Geneva Conventions, it also said. This material is distributed by Ghebi LLC on behalf of Federal State Unitary Enterprise Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency, and additional information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia.

RPT - US Decision to Limit Consular Services Limits Ability to Influence Russia - Expert

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US decision to limit consular services in Russia negatively affects its ability to maintain influence and conduct direct dialogue with Moscow on the ground, head of the Russian Public Affairs Committee (Ru-PAC), Hunter Cawood, told Sputnik. "The US Embassy move to limit consular services is extremely disappointing and I sincerely hope that it will be a temporary decision,” Cawood said in an interview. “While the move certainly inconveniences Americans in Russia, what it really does is shoot the United States’ ability to influence and dialogue with Russia in the foot.” In April, the US embassy in Russia announced that effective May 12 it will be providing limited consular services only to US citizens in emergency situations and will also cease non-immigrant visa processing for non-diplomatic travel. Later, the mission temporarily resumed routine US citizens service though the middle of July. Cawood noted that maintaining those essential services is important for cultural and educational exchange. "Less Russians being able to visit the United States translates into less Russians having positive experiences that influence them to see the United States as more friendly. The best way to influence Russia is by engaging with Russia - and not self-isolating,” he said. On April 15, the US imposed sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals as part of a new round of sanctions over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks and other hostile acts against US

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interests. \Afeshington also ordered 10 Russian diplomats out and prohibited US entities from purchasing Russian government bonds during primary placements. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Bart Gorman to announce that 10 embassy employees must leave the country by the end of day on May 21. Ru-PAC is an independent, non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to developing and strengthening the relationship between the United States and Russia through education, dialogue, and policy recommendations that promote the interests and security of both countries, the organization’s website read.

Canada MPs Urge Trudeau to Back Palestinians Via Measures Used to Pressure Russia, China

TORONTO, May 20 (Sputnik) - A group of Canadian parliamentarians and senators is urging the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to employ the diplomatic tools used in pressure campaigns against Russia and China, in support of Palestinian civilians caught up in the conflict between militant groups in Gaza and Israel. "In pursuit of upholding the rights of Palestinians, we ask that Canada apply the same diplomatic tools that Canada has used in condemning China’s behavior in Xinjiang Uyghur [Autonomous] Region, and in sanctioning Russian officials involved in the annexation of Crimea,” the Canada-Palestinian Parliamentary Friendship Group, consisting of 24 Members of Parliament and two Senators, said in a letter addressed to Trudeau on Thursday. The multi-partisan parliamentary faction, consisting of members of the governing Liberals, opposition New Democrats and independents, emphasized that the so-called two-state solution is made unfeasible by evictions of Palestinians and the establishment of Israeli settlements on lands intended for a Palestinian state, calling for Canada to insist that Israel respects international law. The group added it is carefully watching the ceasefire reached by Israel and Gaza Strip-based Islamist groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and hope that it endures. Earlier in the day, Canada’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bob Rae said that Ottawa welcomes the news of a potential ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians. Rae said Canada stands with both, the Israeli and Palestinian peoples, in their right to live in peace and security and reiterated Ottawa's call to for both sides to exercise restraint. The conflict began during the holy month of Ramadan boiled over after Israeli police and Palestinian protesters clashed at Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem's Old City. Separately, an Israeli court sparked anger when it backed Jewish settlers' legal effort to evict several Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. Tensions reached have since boiled over with Israel and Palestine's Hamas exchanging hundreds of rocket strikes. At least 217 Palestinians in Israeli airstrikes, according to Palestinian authorities, meanwhile Israel has reported 12 fatalities as a result of rocket fire from Gaza.

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ANALYSIS - Congress Unlikely to Seek Oversight Over Latest Revealed US Secret Cyber-Spy Army

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Congress is not likely to prevent a newly-revealed US secret special operations and cyber-espionage army from continuing to illegally operate in the dark in the current lawless rules based order, intelligence analysts told Sputnik. The United States has created the largest undercover force in history over the past decade involving Special Operations military units and many thousands of online "cyber-warriors" without any accountability whatsoever to Congress, Newsweek reported on Monday. The undercover force now totals 60,000 people and is more than ten times larger than the clandestine elements of the CIA and it functions under the overall mission of signature reduction, functioning within many apparently legitimate companies, the report said. CRIME AND CORRUPTION World Beyond Yskr Executive Director and Nobel Peace Prize nominee David Swanson cautioned that crime and corruption needed continuing secrecy and lack of public exposure in order to continue running rampant around the world. "Crime and corruption and viciousness live in the dark - including the dark recesses of the lawless rule-based order,” Swanson said when asked about the prospects for bringing the just revealed network under legal and constitutionally accountable control. The continuing lack of any oversight and accountability meant that continuing and escalating crimes and atrocities were inevitable, Swanson, author of “War is a Lie,” warned. "The problem is that nobody knows what is being done, and therefore we all know atrocities are being committed,” he said. This continuing state of affairs will inevitably destroy the functioning of democracy in the United States and generate further ongoing unrest, military takeovers and dictatorships around the world, Swanson advised. "The result is a breakdown in the rule of actual laws, in trust and good faith. The result is sabotage and election interference. The result is coups and assassinations, abuse and imprisonments,” he stated. SAME OLD STUFF Former National Security Agency (NSA) Technical Director and whistle-blower Wiliam Binney agreed that the reports of how the latest secret massive clandestine organization operated was a continuation of long discredited old policies and strategies, and that Congress had no hope of bringing it under control. It was the “(s)ame old stuff with the emphasis on humint [human intelligence],but some hint of high tech with active attack. Congress is [a] waste of time,” he said. The newly revealed force includes thousands of undercover operatives who work under fake identities and the actual size of the program could be far larger than the reported figures, Newsweek said in its two-year-long investigation. It also appears to contravene both US laws and the Geneva Conventions, it also said.

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Biden Pledges Rapid Humanitarian Aid, Reconstruction Assistance to Gaza

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States will provide rapid humanitarian aid and reconstruction assistance to the Palestinians in Gaza after the conflict between local militant group and Israel, President Joe Biden announced. "We remain committed working with the United Nations and other international stakeholders to provide rapid humanitarian assistance and marshal international support for the people of Gaza and the Gaza reconstruction efforts,” Biden said in a televised address. The US president vowed to coordinate assistance with the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority and not Hamas movement, which de-facto rules Gaza. Israel and the Palestinian militants agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire which was brokered by Egypt and begins at 23:00 GMT on Thursday after 11 days of rocket attacks and air strikes.

US Navy Awards $550Mln to Wisconsin Company to Build New Combat Frigate - Pentagon

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US Navy has awarded the Marinette Marine a more than $553 million US Navy modification contract to design and build a new Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, the Defense Department announced. "Marinette Marine Corporation [of] Marinette, Wisconsin is awarded a $553,891,420 ... modification ...contract to exercise options for detail design and construction of one Constellation-class guided-missile frigate, future USS Congress,” the Defense Department said in a press release on Thursday. Work on building the ship will be performed in Marinette in the US state of Wisconsin as well as in Boston, Massachusetts and other locations, the release said. Work on the ship is expected to take more than five and a half years and is due to be completed by January 2027, the Defense Department noted.

UN Chief Welcomes Israel-Palestine Ceasefire, Calls on All Parties to Observe It

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UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Palestine and called on all parties to observe it. "I welcome the ceasefire between Gaza and Israel after 11 days of deadly hostilities,” Guterres said on Thursday. "I call on all sides to observe the ceasefire.”

Biden Signs Legislation to Address Hate Crimes Against Asian Americans - White House

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - President Joe Biden signed legislation to address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, the White House said. "On Thursday, May 20, 2021, the President signed into law: S. 937, the 'COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act,' which requires the Justice Department to facilitate expedited review of hate crimes and authorizes grants to State, local, and tribal governments to prevent, address, or respond to hate crimes," the White House said in a release on Thursday. The US House of Representatives adopted the Senate-passed bill on Tuesday. The legislation would require the Justice Department to facilitate an expedited review of hate crimes in the United States. The measure would also provide grants to states to establish state-run hate crimes reporting hotlines and to boost efforts to gather more data on reported hate crimes. The bill would also require any individuals convicted of a hate crime to participate in educational classes or community service.

Canadian Court Rules Iran Deliberately Shot Down Ukrainian Jet - Decision

TORONTO, May 20 (Sputnik) - Iran deliberately shot down Ukrainian International Airlines flight 752, making the incident an act of terrorism under the Criminal Code of Canada, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice ruled. Flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran’s international airport on January 8, 2020, after being shot down by the Iranian military. The incident claimed the lives of all 167 passengers - mostly Canadian and Iranian passengers - and nine Ukrainian crew members. “I find on a balance of probabilities that the missile attacks on Flight 752 were intentional and directly caused the deaths of all onboard," Justice Edward Belobaba said in his decision issued on Thursday. The judge ruled that the plaintiffs, a group of families of the victims of the crash, had established that Iranian authorities committed an act of terrorism under Canada’s State Immunity Act (SIA), Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (JVTA) and criminal code.

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Tehran has fervently rejected allegation of a deliberate attack on the passenger jet, with Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization concluding last month that PS752 was brought down inadvertently by an Iranian missile after being mistaken for a hostile target amid confrontation with the United States. The Iranian military said it was on high alert at the time of the accident, which happened hours after it fired missiles at two US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the drone strike that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani. However, in his decision, Belobaba rejected this assertion, saying that on the balance of probabilities there was no armed conflict in the region at the time of the downing. The justice also ordered Iran to compensate the plaintiffs for legal costs. The employment of the SIA means that Iran will no longer be protected by state immunity, allowing the families of the victims to pursue civil recourse against Tehran. Official Ottawa and Kiev have also strongly hinted at taking Iran to the International Court of Justice over the downing. Iranian officials have not publicly responded to the ruling. Along with the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization’s final report, Tehran has also charged several unnamed military officials for their role in the deadly incident. However, Canada and Ukraine have rejected the report’s findings and have expressed doubt that Iran would hold anyone to account for the downing.

US Senators Introduce Bill to Reverse Biden’s Nord Stream 2 Sanctions Waiver - Statement

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Agroup of 14 Republican US Senators introduced a draft legislation to override the Biden administration’s decision to waive sanctions on the company in charge of Russia’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline exporting gas in Europe, Senator Kevin Cramer, a cosponsor of the initiative, announced. "US Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), a Senate Armed Services Committee Member, announced today he is leading the Protecting Our Well-being by Expanding Russian Sanctions (POWERS) Act, legislation to build on recently-passed bipartisan sanctions against Russia and reinstate sanctions the Biden administration is waiving on Russian people and entities involved in the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline," Cramer said in a statement on Thursday. The legislative initiative comes after the US State Department notified Congress that it has waived sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, the entity in charge of the pipeline, and its CEO Matthias Warnig. Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of the Russian energy giant Gazprom and five European partners seeking to construct a twin pipeline to deliver up to 2 trillion cubic feet of Russian gas to Germany annually. The project is a constant target of criticism and sanctions by the US government, which calls it a threat to the energy security of Europe and a geopolitical tool to weaken Ukraine. Russia has defended the construction of the pipeline as being a purely commercial project.

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US to Replenish Israel's Iron Dome Air Defense Systems - Biden

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States will replenish Israel’s Iron Dome air defenses systems that were depleted during the recent conflict with Palestinian militants in Gaza, US President Joe Biden announced. "The Prime Minister [of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu]... shared with me his appreciation for the Iron Dome system, which our nations developed together and which has saved lives of countless Israeli citizens, both Arabs and Jews. I assured him of my full support to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome system to ensure its defenses and security in the future," Biden said in a televised address on Thursday. Israel has relied on the Iron Dome batteries to intercept rockets fired on its territory from Gaza and other places.

Israel, Palestine Agree to Ceasefire - Biden

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Israel and Palestininians have agreed on a ceasefire, US President Joe Biden said on Thursday. "Prime Minister Netanyahu informed me that Israel has agreed to a mutual, unconditional ceasefire to begin in less than two hours," Biden said.

UN General Assembly President Says Will Convene Another Session on Palestine if Necessary

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 ( Sputnik) - UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir said he is ready to convene another special meeting on the Palestinian question if such action would be necessary. “We will watch it - if the ceasefire is implemented or not,” Bozkir said on Thursday. “If necessary, and if it is found useful, I will convene another meeting on Palestine to keep the pressure, if necessary, on the parties.” On Tuesday, the UN General Assembly held an emergency meeting on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Later in the day, the Israeli security cabinet unanimously adopted Egypt's initiative for a

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bilateral unconditional ceasefire, which would take effect at 23:00 GMT on Thursday. Hamas has also confirmed its plans to abide by the truce.

Russia Proposes Holding Meeting of Quartet to De-Escalate Israel-Palestine Conflict- Envoy

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Russia's deputy envoy to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy has proposed holding an immediate ministerial meeting of the Quartet states' representatives - comprising the United Nations, Russia, European Union and the United States - to de-escalate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "We speak in support of the more active work of Middle East Quartet. We propose to hold a ministerial meeting of the Quartet without delay to de-escalate the situation and create an atmosphere of trust. \Afe also propose to convene a ministerial meeting of the Quartet in an expanded format with the participation of regional states in order to take into account the views of interested stakeholders,"Polyanskiy said on Thursday during his speech at the UN General Assembly meeting.

US House Homeland Security Panel Schedules Hearing on Colonial Pipeline Cyber Attack

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US House Homeland Security Committee scheduled a hearing for Colonial Pipeline CEO Joseph Blount to explain the week-long closure of his company's pipeline due to a ransomware attack, Chairman Bennie Thompson said. "The Committee will hold a full... hearing on June 9 with the CEO of the Colonial Pipeline as part of its ongoing oversight of the cybersecurity of our critical infrastructure," Thompson said in a statement on Thursday. Blount admitted in an interview on Wednesday that he reluctantly authorized the payment of a $4.4 million to the hacking group known as DarkSide in order to get the encryption key needed to restart the operation of the pipeline. The company closed the pipeline, which supplies about half the gasoline for states on the East Coast of the United States after DarkSide infected the company computers with malware on May 7. As a result, gas stations ran out of fuel, sending panicked motorists in a search for gasoline, especially in the southeastern United States. Supplies gradually returned to normal in the week after the pipeline resumed operations on May 12.

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Russia V\&nts to See Palestine-lsrael Ceasefire Become Long-Term One - Envoy to UN

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - Russia hopes to see the Egyptian-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement become long-term one, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said during remarks at the UN General Assembly. "We would very much like to see that ceasefire become a long-term one," Polyanskiy said on Thursday. Polyanskiy said urgent measures are needed to launch dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

SPUTNIKTOP STORIES OF THE DAY WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) -

MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS * The United States believes that Israel has achieved significant objectives in Gaza and can start winding down its military operation, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. * Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed with the Hamas leadership the Palestinian-lsraeli confrontation and was briefed by Palestinian movement representatives about the mediation efforts of Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. * UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir on Thursday called on Israel to ensure compliance with international law, including proportionate use of force. * Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed an order to evacuate Russian and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) citizens from the Gaza Strip at their request.

ARCTIC COUNCIL MINISTERIAL MEETING * Russia is ready to organize a summit of the Arctic Council during its chairmanship, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. * Lavrov stressed that the Arctic region should be a territory of peace and stability, and also pointed to the importance of military cooperation between the Arctic Council member states. * The United States welcomes Russia's chairmanship of the Arctic Council and looks forward to implementing the recently adopted strategic plan in cooperation with Russia and other member states, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

CORONAVIRUS EPIDEMIC

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* The European Parliament and the Council of the EU on Thursday reached a preliminary agreement on the introduction of a coronavirus certificate for EU residents, which should start working in June, the European Parliament said. * Nicaragua approved Russia’s single-dose Sputnik Light vaccine against the coronavirus, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) said. * The Council of the European Union recommended on Thursday allowing EU entry for foreign travelers who were fully inoculated against the coronavirus with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the World Health Organization (WHO) at least 14 days before arrival.

RUSSIAN CITIZEN KIDNAPPED OFF GHANA COAST * The Russian Embassy in Ghana confirms that pirates kidnapped a Russian citizen off the coast of Ghana, Russian Ambassador to Ghana Dmitry Suslov told Sputnik.

UKRAINE DEVELOPMENTS * Coordination of a possible meeting between the presidents of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, is going very hard, and Kiev believes that Donbas and Crimea must be discussed at the summit, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. * Moscow and Kiev are in talks on the potential meeting of Putin and Zelenskyy, they discuss topics that could be on the agenda, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. * Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed the belief that it was necessary to hold a meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Joe Biden, although the talks could carry some risks for Ukraine, such as the lifting of the Nord Stream 2 sanctions. * Zelenskyy expressed the belief that Washington should be involved in the effort to settle the Donbas crisis, but was unable to say in which format this could be done exactly. * Zelenskyy said that the Donbas crisis settlement could be put to a nationwide referendum. * A recent rise in violence in Donbas shows that the Ukrainian government is still open to a military solution to the years-long standoff with its eastern breakaway region, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said.

NORD STREAM 2 * Armin Laschet, a candidate from the conservative CDU/CSU alliance for the German chancellor in the elections to the German Bundestag on September 26, announced his support for the Nord Stream 2 project. * Olaf Scholz, a candidate to the post of German chancellor from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), expressed his support for the Nord Stream 2 project. * Russia's energy giant Gazprom prefers not to outline the specific deadlines for the completion of the laying and commissioning of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, since this is influenced by many factors, including the weather, Gazprom Export General Director Elena Burmistrova said. * US President Joe Biden has met Germany halfway regarding differences on Nord Stream 2, but the dialogue will continue both on the project and relations with Russia, Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

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LAVROV-BLINKEN TALKS * Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that he had discussed with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Washington's plans to deploy rotating contingent to Poland. * Lavrov communicated with Blinken already for a second time in 24 hours, this was a brief on-the-go conversation, according to a photo posted by the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova. * Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed the belief that Lavrov's meeting Blinken is a positive signal, but improving the bilateral relations will not be easy anyway. * Russian President Vladimir Putin will make a decision on the potential meeting with his US counterpart, Joe Biden, after analyzing the situation, including in light of the recent negotiations between Lavrov and Blinken, Peskov said.

PREVIEW- Biden, South Korea President to Discuss North Korea Denuclearization Friday

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden and his South Korea counterpart Moon Jae-in on Friday will meet in person on Friday to discuss a range of issues, including denuclearizing the Korean peninsula and relations with China. This is the second in person meeting Biden will engage in since assuming office on January 20, having met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suda in April. "We expect that North Korea will be a central topic of the discussion, of course, tomorrow," White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said. Psaki said the two leaders would also discuss China, climate change and the economic recovery. The Biden administration recently finished the review of the United States’ policy toward North Korea. A senior administration official said the focus of the new policy is not on shaping “a grand bargain” or relying on "strategic patience," but on the challenges in achieving progress. During his five-day visit to the United States, Moon will join the ceremony of awarding US Col. Ralph Puckett the Congressional Medal of Honor for acts of bravery amid Chinese attacks during the Korean War 70 years ago. In addition, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo will host a roundtable with the South Morea Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Sung Yun-mo as well as US and South Korean business leaders who arrived in Washington with substantial investment commitments in technology such as semiconductors and 5G networks.

Palestinians Lack Access to Medicine, Clean Wbter After Israeli Airstrikes - US Aid Group

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Israel's bombing campaign has left Palestinians without access to drinkable water and adequate medical care, Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) Executive Director, Zeaid Abbas Shamrouch, told Sputnik. On Thursday, Israel’s cabinet accepted Egypt's initiative for a bilateral ceasefire with Palestine. Earlier in the day, UN officials renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza strip to allow for humanitarian access as clashes between Israelis and Palestinians entered day eleven. "The Israelis bomb buildings and buildings collapse on other buildings. Key COVID centers have been destroyed... I have gotten calls from hospitals and clinics. They have a shortage of basic items," Shamrouch said. "Sewage systems are out, which impacts water... the roads have been destroyed. People are killed or die from not being able to be taken to the hospital." Shamrouch, whose California-based organization has been operating in the region for more than three decades, said all of Gaza’s water is undrinkable and the challenging conditions that the two million Palestinians have been living under just got considerably worse. MECA operates water purification and desalination systems because 98% of the water in Gaza is polluted. However, the bombings, Shamrouch said, have damaged many water networks and because electricity is only on for a few hours a day, the water purification units are no longer functioning. As a result, the organization has been handing out water bottles, although they do not have enough to cover all the schools, where nearly 50,000 displaced Palestinians have taken cover, according to the UN. He also said children are in need of milk and food. They have been buying food and fruit from farmers who say, "pay me later" because there are no banks. Shamrouch, himself a Palestinian refugee, used a recent personal story to illustrate the extent of the crisis. "I have a friend who has a family in Gaza," Shamrouch said. "The family is living in 3 apartments and when the bombing started everybody moved and now 50 people live with them." Shamrouch said the conflict revolves around issues of superiority, discrimination and apartheid. "This is a colonial system. They took our land like Algeria, South Africa and like here [the US] during the Civil Rights movement," he said. "We are an oppressed people fighting for our rights on the ground, fighting for fairness in international law." However, rather than feel crushed, Shamrouch said he feels hopeful. Palestinians have come together and are raising their voices. "We will be free. We will be able to access our rights," Shamrouch said. "I can imagine the freedom that’s coming." Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 220 Palestinians, including 64 children, since tensions rose on May 10, while Hamas rocket attacks have killed 12 people in Israel, according to authorities. Israel’s military said Hamas has fired over 3,700 rockets at Israel.

US Tells OECD It Seeks a Global Minimum Company Tax of 15% - Treasury

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has told the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that it seeks a global company tax of at least 15 percent, the Treasury Department said Thursday as the Biden administration presses the group of developed countries to approve a minimum tax. "Treasury proposed to the Steering Group that the global minimum tax rate should be at least 15 percent,” the Treasury Department said in a statement, referring to the OECD panel that has been discussing the matter over the past two days. "Treasury underscored that 15 percent is a floor and that discussions should continue to be ambitious and push that rate higher.” The proposal comes as President Joe Biden demands that large US companies pay what he terms is "their fair share" and vows to crack down on those that employ complicated maneuvers to reduce or eliminate tax obligations altogether by shifting income on paper between countries. The Treasury Department said it is imperative to work multiiateraliy to end the pressures of corporate tax competition and corporate tax base erosion. “Treasury reiterated that with the global corporate minimum tax functionally set at zero today, there has been a race to the bottom on corporate taxes, undermining the United States’ and other countries’ ability to raise the revenue needed to make critical investments,” the statement said. Some thousand big and mostly US corporations - including eBay, Google, Face book, PayPal, Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, Twitter, Intel. Pfizer, Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson - have their tax base in Ireland to take advantage of corporate taxes there that stand at just 12.5 percent, compared with the US rate of 21 percent. Some US companies also park their profits in tax havens to avoid paying any tax at all. California-based Applehas its tax base in the island of Jersey, which is located in the English Channel between England and France and pays no corporate tax. In a related statement issued earlier Thursday, the Treasury said low tax collection “come at a cost to American households and compliant taxpayers as policymakers choose rising deficits, lower spending on necessary priorities, or further tax increases to compensate for the lost revenue.” US tax evasion could hit $7 trillion over the next decade unless the Internal Revenue Service invests tens of billions of dollars to upgrade computer systems to detect underreporting of income, the Treasury Department added. Biden has proposed ambitious multi-trillion dollar spending plans on infrastructure and other development for an economy emerging from the coronavirus pandemic, and says it will be impossible for him to carry out those without higher taxes. The Treasury Department's proposal appears to be a compromise on Biden's original idea for a global minimum corporate tax of 21 percent - the effective US rate now that he intends to raise to 28 percent. Biden also intends to hike taxes for the richest Americans, proposing that the top marginal personal income tax of 37 percent be raised to 39.5 percent on households making $400,000 or more a year.

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US Sanctions Houthi Military Leader Who Led Attacks Against Civilians - Treasury Dept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is placing sanctions on Muhammad Abd Al-Karim al-Ghamari, a senior military leader of the Houthi who orchestrated attacks that impacted Yemeni civilians, OFAC said on Thursday. "Al-Ghamari is being designated pursuant to E.0.13611 for having engaged in acts that directly or indirectly threaten the peace, security, or stability of Yemen," OFAC said. Most notably, Al-Ghamari is responsible for leading the ongoing military offensive against the government-held Marib province, which humanitarians have described as contributing to a tipping point in the humanitarian crisis caused by the civil war in the country. The executive order to which Al-Ghamari has been designated as sanctionable, EO 13611, was signed during the Obama administration in an effort to dissuade and punish those who propagate violence and instability in Yemen. As a result of the sanctions, all property and interests in property that Al-Ghamari may have in the US are blocked, and he is prohibited from receiving funds, goods, services, or any other benefit from persons in the US unless otherwise stated by OFAC.

Canada Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire as Good News, But 'Only a Start’ - Envoy to UN

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - Canada welcomes the news of a potential ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians, but it is only the beginning, Canada's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bob Rae said on Thursday. "The news that peace may be emerging from decisions of governments, both in Israel and elsewhere is good news but it can only be a start," Rae said. Rae emphasized that Canada urges utmost restraint on both sides and strongly supports the work of the United Nations and other specific countries aimed at negotiating and maintaining a ceasefire and restoring calm. "We are calling for immediate de-escalation, for a protection of civilians, and yes, for an end to all violence," he said. "Ws call for a resolution of the underlying causes of the conflict and we call for peace, mutual recognition and mutual respect." Rae also said Canada stands with both, the Israeli and Palestinian peoples in their right to live in peace and security. The Israeli security cabinet unanimously adopted Egypt's initiative for a bilateral ceasefire, which will take effect later, according to a statement released by the government's press office. Earlier on Thursday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said he would welcome a unilateral ceasefire by Israel, but that would not be enough given that the status of Jerusalem remains the key issue to be resolved.

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Israeli security cabinet met on Thursday to decide on further action in the Gaza Strip and ministers and heads of security agencies said they would consider a unilateral ceasefire, according to media reports.

Senators Reintroduce Legislation to End Cuba Trade Embargo

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - A bipartisan group of US senators introduced legislation to end America’s unilateral embargo against Cuba that dates back to the island's revolution more than 60 years ago, Senator Amy Klobuchar announced Thursday. “The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act would eliminate the legal barriers to Americans doing business in Cuba and pave the way for new economic opportunities by boosting U.S. exports and allowing Cubans greater access to American goods,” Klobuchar said in a press release. In addition to Klobuchar, a Democrat, sponsors include Republican Senators Jerry Moran and Democrat Patrick Leahy, the release said. “The unilateral trade embargo on Cuba blocks our own farmers, ranchers and manufacturers from selling into a market only 90 miles from our shoreline, while foreign competitors such as China benefit at our expense,” Moran said in the release. “This legislation will expand market opportunities for U.S. producers by allowing them to compete on a level playing field with other countries.” Cuba relies on agriculture imports to feed the island’s 11 million people and about 4 million tourists who visited in 2019, prior to the pandemic, the release said. The release cited a recent study by the US International Trade Commission predicting that exports like wheat, rice, corn and soybeans from American farmers would total $800 million within five years if the embargo ended. US restrictions on trade with Cuba date back the island’s communist revolution in the late 1950s and involve at least a half dozen different US laws. President Barack Obama took steps to normalize bilateral relations with the island, but many of those steps were reversed by the Trump administration. President Joe Biden promised during his campaign to lift restrictions on remittances and travel to the island, but the White House said recently that easing the embargo was not a priority. Cuba plays an outsized role in US foreign policy due to the presence of Cuban-American voters in key states that figure prominently in presidential elections, especially Florida.

US Vice President, Jordan's King Discussed Gaza, Jerusalem Holy Sites

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US Vice President Kama la Harris reiterated the country's commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem in a phone call with Jordan's King Abdullah II on Thursday, the White House said in a statement. The monarch retains the custodianship of holy sites in the city controlled by Israel, but partially claimed by the Palestinians for the capital of their own state. "Vice President Harris reiterated the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the importance of upholding the status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,’’ the White House said in a statement. They discussed the conflict in Gaza and the violence in Jerusalem and the West Bank. "Vice President Harris briefed the King on intensive US diplomatic efforts to support the path to a ceasefire in Gaza, and both leaders pledged to further their work to de-escalate tensions,” according to the statement. Israel and the Palestinians reportedly agreed to cease fire in Gaza on Friday night local time after ten days of hostilities.

UNSC Yet to Live Up to Responsibility of Achieving Peace in Mideast - Ireland Envoy

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - The UN Security Council (UNSC) has is yet to do its part to help broker peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, Irish Permanent Representative to the United Nations Geraldine Byrne Nason told the General Assembly on Thursday. "As an elected member, we sit at the Security Council as a representative of the General Assembly," Nason said. "We deeply regret that despite four discussions at the Security Council, there has been no pronouncement. The council has not yet lived up to our responsibilities on this grave situation." At present, Ireland represents the Western European and Other States region as an elected member of the UN Security Council. Nason said the United Nations and the international community need to look afresh at how they can achieve a ceasefire and help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through political engagement. Earlier on Thursday, the Venezuelan representative to the United Nations accused the United States of paralyzing the UN Security Council by preventing valuable resolutions on the issue from being adopted.

Canada Welcomes Gaza Ceasefire as Good News, But 'Only a Start’ - Envoy to UN

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US Framework of Impunity Encouraging Crimes of Israeli Gov't - Venezuelan Envoy to UN

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States is providing a frame for international impunity that is prompting the crimes committed by the Israeli government, Venezuela's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, said on Thursday. “Thus, the United States government is providing a framework for international impunity that encourages the crimes of the Israeli government going so far as to sanction judges of the International Criminal Court just for investigating reported facts," Moncada said to the UN General Assembly. Moncada also accused Washington of paralyzing the UN Security Council by preventing resolutions from being adopted. "Mr. President, faced with this barbarism, the Security Council is paralyzed due to the obstruction of a single country - The government of the United States of America,” Moncada said. “This Government has prevented a resolution from being agreed, a binding resolution demanding an immediate cessation of hostilities. It also refuses to agree to a statement calling the parties to a ceasefire... It refuses even to publish some press elements, that’s is the most minimal step the Security Council can take.” Top UN officials on Thursday renewed their calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. Late on Thursday, Israeli television reported that Israel's security cabinet has agreed to suspend its attacks on Gaza at 2:00 a.m. Friday (23:00 GMT Thursday). The current episode of the longstanding israeli-Paiestinian conflict broke out last week after the civil unrest in East Jerusalem, prompting hostilities on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants having launched approximately 3,700 rockets against Israel, which retaliates with airstrikes. The sides have been firing rockets at each other ever since, leaving 217 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

US at OECD Meeting Proposes Global Minimum Tax Rate of at Least 15% - Treasury

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States has proposed at a meeting of the or Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) group of developed countries a minimum global company tax of 15 percent, the US Treasury Department said in a statement on Thursday. "Treasury proposed to the Steering Group that the global minimum tax rate should be at least 15 percent,” the statement said. “Treasury underscored that 15 percent is a floor and that discussions should continue to be ambitious and push that rate higher.” The proposal comes as President Joe Biden demands that large US companies “pay their fair share” of taxes, vowing to crack down on those that employ complicated maneuvers to reduce or eliminate their tax bills by shifting income on paper between countries.

Palestinian Foreign Minster Says He Would Welcome Israel Ceasefire But It Is Not Enough

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 ( Sputnik) - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said on Thursday he would welcome a unilateral ceasefire by Israel but it is not enough because Jerusalem remains the key issue. "We do believe that Israel has no way out but to stop its carnage, its aggression against the Palestinian people. We think that they might go for a unilateral ceasefire, because Israel, as always, tries to avoid reaching a joint ceasefire... That's good that the carnage, the attack will stop. It's good that the Palestinian people, more than 2 million of them, will be able to go to sleep tonight, knowing that they will have a brighter tomorrow, but it’s not enough,” al-Maliki said. "The core issue that started all these episodes is Jerusalem. We cannot forget Jerusalem,” he said.

US Decision to Limit Consular Services Limits Ability to Influence Russia - Expert

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In April, the US embassy in Russia announced that effective May 12 it will be providing limited consular services only to US citizens in emergency situations and will also cease non-immigrant visa processing for non-diplomatic travel. Later, the mission temporarily resumed routine US citizens service though the middle of July. Cawood noted that maintaining those essential services is important for cultural and educational exchange. "Less Russians being able to visit the United States translates into less Russians having positive experiences that influence them to see the United States as more friendly. The best way to influence Russia is by engaging with Russia - and not self-isolating,” he said. On April 15, the US imposed sanctions on 32 Russian entities and individuals as part of a new round of sanctions over Moscow's alleged cyberattacks and other hostile acts against US interests. Washington also ordered 10 Russian diplomats out and prohibited US entities from purchasing Russian government bonds during primary placements. Later, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy Bart Gorman to announce that 10 embassy employees must leave the country by the end of day on May 21. Ru-PAC is an independent, non-profit and non-governmental organization dedicated to developing and strengthening the relationship between the United States and Russia through education, dialogue, and policy recommendations that promote the interests and security of both countries, the organization’s website read.

US Weather Service Predicts Active Hurricane Season With 13 to 20 Named Storms

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US is likely to experience another active hurricane season between June and November this year, with three to five major hurricanes, following a record-breaking season in 2020, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted on Thursday. "For 2021, a likely range of 13 to 20 named storms (winds of 39 mph or higher), of which 6 to 10 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or higher), including 3 to 5 major hurricanes (category 3, 4 or 5; with winds of 111 mph or higher) is expected,” a NOAA press release said. The forecast is based in part on predicted warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker tropical Atlantic trade winds, and an enhanced West African monsoon, the release added. Last year’s record breaking hurricane season had 30 named storms, three more than the previous high in 1916, according to NOAA. The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1 through November 30.

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UK Envoy to UN Urges Israel to Avoid Civilian Casualties in Gaza, Use Proportionate Force UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom calls on Israel to adhere to principles of proportionality in order to avoid civilian casualties during its attacks against Hamas in Gaza, UK Ambassador to the United Nations Barbara Wbodward said on Thursday. "Israel has a legitimate right to self-defense and a right to defend its citizens from attack," \Afoodward said during a General Assembly meeting addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "In doing so, it is vital that Israel makes every effort to avoid civilian casualties. We call on Israel to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest." \Afoodward said the United Kingdom urges the warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire. The United Kingdom is concerned about reports that the Palestinian Hamas movement is again using civilian infrastructure and populations as cover for military operations, Woodward said. She went on to say that London was also concerned about reports that medical facilities, schools and hundreds of homes in Gaza have been destroyed in damaged. In response to these reports, she added, the United Kingdom will provide about $4.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The current episode of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out last week after the civil unrest in East Jerusalem, prompting hostilities on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants having launched approximately 3,700 rockets against Israel, which retaliates with airstrikes. The sides have been firing rockets at each other ever since, leaving 217 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

White House Admits Difficulties in Stopping Nord Stream 2 Pipeline

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki admitted on Thursday difficulties preventing Russia from completing the Nord Stream 2 gas-exporting pipeline with 95 percent of construction already done. “In what way were we going to be able to stop a project in another country that has been built 95 percent?.. We have certainly taken significant steps and we have also made clear in public and private channels our opposition to this plan,” Psaki said during a daily briefing. On Wednesday, the US administration identified four entities and four vessels subject to sanctions for engaging in the construction, but waived sanctions against the operator of the project, Nord Stream 2 AG, and its CEO Matthias Warnig. "We certainly have an important vital relationship with leaders in Germany and we make a range of decisions through a range of global factors,” Psaki said when asked to explain waivers. Nord Stream 2 is a joint venture of Russian energy company Gazprom and five European partners. It aims to construct a twin pipeline that will deliver up to 2 trillion cubic feet of Russian gas to Germany annually under the Baltic Sea. The project is a constant target of criticism and

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sanctions by the US, which calls it a threat to the energy security of Europe and a geopolitical tool to weaken Ukraine. Russia defends the pipeline as a purely commercial project.

Bipartisan US Legislation Would Strip Pensions of for Lawmakers Convicted by Crimes

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Members of Congress would lose their retirement pensions after their initial conviction of certain crimes, without being allowed to delay the process with years of appeals to higher courts, under bipartisan legislation announced by US Congressman Ralph Norman on Thursday. "Under current law, if a pension-eligible Member of Congress is convicted of certain crimes, he or she is still eligible to receive that pension through the appeals process until a ‘final conviction’ is reached, which could drag on for years," Norman said in a press release. The No Corruption Act introduced by Norman would mandate that members found guilty of these crimes immediately become ineligible to collect any pension payments earned while serving as a Member of Congress upon an initial conviction, the release said. Co-sponsors of the bill include Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congressman James Comer the chair and ranking Republican, respectively, of the US House Oversight Committee. A companion bill, has been introduced in the Senate by Senators Jacky Rosen, a Democrat and Rick Scott, a Republican. The current law applies to crimes relating to espionage, treason, or several other national security offenses, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Biden Spoke Wth Egypt's Sisi About Contributing to End Mideast Conflict - White House

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden spoke with his Egypt counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi over the telephone about the vital role Egypt and other countries in the Middle East can have to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press briefing on Thursday. "I can confirm they had a call, and just to remind you part of that engagement is a reflection of what we’ve been talking about a bit in this briefing room - was the important role that a number of countries in the region can play, including the Egyptians, in bringing an end to the conflict," Psaki said. "They have an important role to play in influencing Hamas. Hence the president had a conversation with him this morning." The White House revealed in a release that Biden and al-Sisi discussed efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire between the warring sides.

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"They agreed that their teams would stay in constant communication toward that end and the two leaders would stay closely in touch,” Psaki added. On late Tuesday, Israeli television reported that Egypt had proposed a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militants starting on Thursday and Hamas had already accepted the initiative. However, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau Izzet Rishiq refuted the reports about its consent to establish a ceasefire with Israel. The current episode of the longstanding israeli-Paiestinian conflict broke out last week after the civil unrest in East Jerusalem, prompting hostilities on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants having launched approximately 3,700 rockets against Israel, which retaliates with airstrikes. The sides have been firing rockets at each other ever since, leaving 217 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

Blinken-Lavrov Talks, Nord Stream 2 Sanctions \Afeiver 'Encouraging Step Forward' - Experts

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The meeting between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Reykjavik, as well as the Nord Stream 2 pipeline sanctions waiver, represent an “encouraging step forward” in bilateral US-Russia relations, American experts told Sputnik on Thursday. "Foreign Minister Lavrov’s meeting with Secretary Blinken seems to have been a constructive and encouraging step forward,” President of the Russian Public Affairs Committee (Ru-PAC) Hunter Cawood said. This meeting has laid the groundwork for an upcoming summit between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden that has ail the potential to recalibrate bilateral relations, he added. "It will be up to both countries’ president to carry the torch from here,” he noted. Cawood expressed hope that the meeting between two top diplomats will highlight areas for cooperation and that both countries stand to benefit from working together. Vice President of Wbshington-based think tank Eurasia Center, Earl Rasmussen, agreed that talks between Blinken and Lavrov were a good step forward in the relationship. However, he expressed concerns that Washington will continue its sanctions-centric approach. “If the US wants a stable and predictable relationship, one that could be mutually beneficial then the US needs to show that they are interested in such a relationship,” Rasmussen said. Both Moscow and Washington have a lot of critical issues to address, including Ukraine, the Middle East, cybersecurity, he added. Both experts expressed the importance of V\feshington’s intention to waive sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. "It appears that the US has, for the most part, accepted that Nord Stream 2 will be completed. Moreover, they realize the importance it has the Europe, especially Germany,” Rasmussen said. This move is in line with the American value of free trade, Cawood noted. "It was a show of strength and maturity on the part of the Biden administration,” he said, adding that such initiative will help normalize Russia-US relations.

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On Wednesday, Blinken said that the US decided that it is in the national interest to waive sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG, its CEO Matthias \Afernig and corporate officers. Germany welcomed this move, after repeatedly calling US attempts to disrupt the pipeline’s construction an interference in its domestic affairs. Lavrov and Blinken discussed a wide range of bilateral and global issues during their first in-person meeting on the sidelines of the Arctic Council on Wednesday.

UN Refugee Agency Calls on US to Lift COVID-19-Reiated Bans on Asylum

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US government should abandon its policy of denying asylum to migrants based on Trump-era health guidelines, United Nations Refugee Agency chief Filippo Grandi said on Thursday. "I appeal to the government of the United States to swiftly lift the public health-related asylum restrictions that remain in effect at the border and to restore access to asylum for the people whose lives depend on it, in line with international legal and human rights obligations," Grandi said. The restriction under Section 265 of US Code Title 42, permits the US authorities to deny entry to individuals when there is the possibility that they pose a risk of bringing a communicable disease into the United States. The rule allows any customs officers, including Border Patrol agents, to implement the directive. Grandi said the UN Refugee Agency has maintained since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic that protecting public health and protecting access to asylum are fully compatible. He added that other countries conducted health screenings, coronavirus testing and quarantine measures to protect both public health and the right to seek asylum.

US Believes Israel Achieved Military Objectives in Gaza, Can Start Winding Down - Psaki

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States believes that Israel has achieved significant objectives in Gaza and can start winding down its military operation, the White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Thursday. “We believe the Israelis have achieved significant military objectives that they laid out to achieve in relation to protecting their people and to responding to thousands of rocket attacks from Hamas. That's why in part that we feel they are in a position to start winding their operation down,” Psaki said during a daily briefing. She added that the White House is aware of “encouraging” reports about an impending ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians after over a week of hostilities.

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US Tax Evasion Could Hit $7 Trillion Over 10 Years, Including Cryptocurrencies - Treasury

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Tax evasion in the United States could hit $7 trillion over the next decade, with a substantial portion hidden in cryptocurrencies, unless the Internal Revenue Service invests tens of billions of dollars to upgrade computer systems to detect underreporting of income, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. The "tax gap" - or the difference between taxes owed and paid - totaled nearly $600 billion in 2019 "and will rise to about $7 trillion over the course of the next decade if left unaddressed," the Treasury Department said. The Treasury Department said it estimates the $7 trillion is the equivalent to 15 percent of taxes owed and it has outlined its agenda for improving revenue collection to fund the Biden administration’s multi-trillion dollar infrastructure and other development plans. Such unpaid obligations "come at a cost to American households and compliant taxpayers as policymakers choose rising deficits, lower spending on necessary priorities, or further tax increases to compensate for the lost revenue," the Treasury Department added. To provide the Internal Revenue service with upgraded computer systems and resources to go after tax evaders, the Treasury Department said it needed to invest nearly $80 billion to rebuild the agency’s detection capabilities over the next decade. The Treasury Department said crypto currencies were of particular concern having grown to $2 trillion in market capitalization and posing significant detection problems. "Despite constituting a relatively small portion of business income today, cryptocurrency transactions are likely to rise in importance in the next decade, especially in the presence of a broad-based financial account reporting regime," the Treasury Department said. "These opportunities are particularly available for those in the top end of the income distribution who can avoid taxes through sophisticated strategies such as offshoring, creating complex partnership structures, or moving taxable assets into the crypto economy." To better help the IRS track businesses that receive crypto assets with a fair market value of more than $10,000 would also be flagged, the Treasury Department added.

Biden Spoke With Egypt’s Sisi About Contributing to End Mideast Conflict - White House

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US President Joe Biden spoke with his Egypt counterpart Abdel Fattah Sisi over the telephone about the vital role Egypt and other countries in the Middle East can have to end the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinians, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press briefing on Thursday.

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"I can confirm they had a call, and just to remind you part of that engagement is a reflection of what we’ve been talking about a bit in this briefing room - was the important role that a number of countries in the region can play, including the Egyptians, in bringing an end to the conflict," Psaki said. "They have an important role to play in influencing Hamas. Hence the President has a conversation with him this morning."

US Sentences Russian Hacker to 5 Years for Computer Intrusion, Fraud - Justice Dept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Russian citizen Anton Bogdanov has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for computer intrusion and wire fraud conspiracy as part of a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1.5 million in tax refunds from the Treasury Department, the US Justice Department said in a release on Thursday. "Anton Bogdanov, a citizen of Russia, was sentenced... to 60 months’ imprisonment for wire fraud conspiracy and computer intrusions in connection with a scheme in which he and others hacked into private tax preparation firms, stole personal information, used that information to file federal tax returns and fraudulently attempted to obtain more than $1.5 million in tax refunds from the Department of the Treasury," the release said. "The court also ordered the defendant to pay $476,713 in forfeiture." The Justice Department said Bogdanov and his conspirators gained unauthorized access to private tax preparation firms in the United States between June 2014 and November 2016 to change the tax return information so that the refunds were paid to prepaid debit cards that they controlled. Bogdanov was arrested in Bangkok, Thailand in November 2018, extradited to the US in March 2019 and pleaded guilty in January 2020, the release said.

US Expands Children Mental Health Access With $14.2Mln From COVID-19 Relief Funds

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US government earmarked $14.2 million from the pandemic-focused American Rescue Plan (ARP) to expand pediatric mental health care with telemedicine networks, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Thursday. "Children are struggling with a range of emotional and behavioral challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic," Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. "This program harnesses the power of technology to make mental and behavioral health care more accessible and equitable for our nation’s children." Becerra said the effort will target underserved and low income communities.

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The $14.2 million will be used to integrate telemedicine with primary care provided by pediatric physicians and other healthcare professionals who specialize in children, the release said. About 22 percent of children ages 3 to 17 are currently affected by some type of mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral condition. Yet services are only available for about 20 percent children in need of specialized care, the release added. Mental health woes are exacerbated or originate as a consequence of long absences from classrooms in schools during the pandemic, according to media reports.

Reports of Move Toward Israeli-Palestinian Ceasefire Encouraging - White House

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States is encouraged by the reports of efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire between Israel and Palestine, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a press briefing on Thursday. “We have seen reported of a move toward a potential ceasefire, that’s clearly encouraging,” Psaki said. “Obviously we can’t get ahead of any agreements that may be brokered."

Top UN Officials Reiterate Calls for Immediate Ceasefire in Israel-Palestinian Conflict

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - Top United Nations officials on Thursday renewed their calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement. "\Ne think the best way to protect civilians immediately would be a halt to the fighting and an immediate ceasefire,” UN Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a press briefing. On late Tuesday, Israeli television reported that Egypt had proposed a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militants starting on Thursday and Hamas had already accepted the initiative. However, a member of the Hamas Political Bureau Izzet Rishiq refuted the reports about its consent to establish a ceasefire with Israel. In an earlier statement, Guterres called on Israel to abide by the norms of international law on armed conflict and exercise maximum restraint in its military operations in Gaza. He added that the United Nations will soon launch a full humanitarian appeal to support the Palestinians enduring the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip. UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir in remarks on Thursday condemned attacks against civilians, religious sites in the ongoing conflict, and urged the warring parties to commit to an immediate ceasefire. Bozkir called on Israel to ensure compliance with international law, including proportionate use of force in the conflict in Gaza.

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The foreign ministers of Qatar, Turkey, Pakistan and other Islamic and Arab countries said during remarks at the United Nations that the international community should end what they termed was an Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. The current episode of the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out last week after the civil unrest in East Jerusalem, prompting hostilities on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian militants having launched approximately 3,700 rockets against Israel, which retaliates with airstrikes. The sides have been firing rockets at each other ever since, leaving 217 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

US Senator Bernie Sanders Seeks to Halt $375Mln Munitions Supply to Israel

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US Senator Bernie Sanders has introduced a new resolution in Congress to halt a new US deal to supply $735 million worth of precision-guided munitions and small-diameter bombs to Israel. Earlier in the week, news broke that the Biden administration had approved the deal between Israel and the defense manufacturing wing of Boeing on May 5, before Israel and Gaza militants began exchanging rocket fire. By law, Congress has 20 days to approve or block the deal from going through. "At a moment when US-made bombs are devastating Gaza, and killing women and children, we cannot simply let another huge arms sale go through without even a Congressional debate,” Sanders said in a Twitter message. “We need to take a hard look at whether the sale of these weapons is actually helping do that, or whether it is simply fueling conflict.” Sanders, who was a frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination through most of the primary races in 2020 also said the United States needed to “lead" Israel and the Palestinians to a more peaceful and prosperous future of coexistence. "I believe that the United States must help lead the way to a peaceful and prosperous future for both Israelis and Palestinians,” he said. Sanders' move comes after progressive House Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mark Pocan, and Rashida Tlaib filed similar resolutions. The resolution is not expected to be approved by the Senate even though it would only need a straight majority to do so. If President Joe Biden vetoed it, the resolution would then need a two-thirds majority to be approved by the Senate.

US Indicts Atlanta Couple for COVID-19 Relief Fund Fraud - Justice Dept.

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - A couple from Atlanta, Georgia, has been indicted for allegedly submitting false applications for the US government’s COVID-19 relief program that led to their fraudulently receiving more than $4 million in loans, the Justice Department said on Thursday. "Paul Kwak and Michelle Kwak have been indicted on charges arising out of a scheme to defraud the US Small Business Administration by filing fraudulent applications in the Economic Impact Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) Program,” the Justice Department said in a release. The Kwaks are connected to more than 70 fraudulent EIDL loan applications, about half of which were accepted, the release said. In a Korean-ianguage video posted to his YouTube channel dubbed "EIDL, disaster assistance you don’t have to pay back,” Paul Kwak explained how residents could receive loans without collateral or a co-signer, the release added. The case is currently under investigation by the FBI, according to the release.

Canada, US Extend Border Restrictions Through June 21 - Minister

TORONTO, May 20 (Sputnik) - Canada is extending the border restrictions that limit so-called non-essential travel from the United States through June 21 amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said on Thursday. "We are extending travel restrictions on non-essential international travel and with the United States until June 21,2021," Blair said in a statement via Twitter. All non-essential travel between the United States and Canada has been halted since last March, however, reports indicated the Canadian and US governments are engaged in conversations to begin a gradual reopening of their mutual land border. Top US officials, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have called for a reopening of the border as the United States' vaccination program presses ahead. Prior to the announcement, the restrictions at US land border crossings with Canada and Mexico were set to expire on May 21.

US Democratic Senators Urge Biden to Pressure Saudi Arabia to End Blockade of Yemen WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - A group of US senators in a letter to President Joe Biden on Thursday has condemned the continued blockade of Yemen and urged the American leader to pressure Saudi Arabia to stop the use of blockade tactics in the ongoing conflict between the two countries. "We request that you leverage all influence and tools available, including the potential impact on pending weapons sales, U.S.-Saudi military cooperation, and U.S.-Saudi ties more broadly, to

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demand that Saudi Arabia immediately and unconditionally stop the use of blockade tactics. The current commercial fuel import standoff must end today and be decoupled from ongoing negotiations," the lawmakers wrote. The authors of the letter, including Elizabeth Wbrren and Bernie Sanders and 14 other senior lawmakers, called the blockade the primary cause of the people’s suffering in Yemen as it prevents food, medicine, and other crucial supplies from reaching those who need them during the protracted conflict that started seven years ago. At the same time, the letter acknowledged the positive consequences of the Biden Administration's steps to address the conflict, including the reverse of Trump’s designation of Houthi rebels as a terrorist organization, the end of support for Saudi-led offensive operations, and resume of critical humanitarian assistance to northern Yemen. Yemen has been gripped by an internal conflict between the government forces and the Houthi movement for over six years. Since 2015, the Saudi-led coalition fighting on the government's side has been conducting air, land and sea operations against the rebels, as well as repeatedly blocking the Yemeni waters by its warships. The Houthis often retaliate by firing projectiles and bomber drones on Saudi territory.

Bank of Canada Says Gap Between Finance Sector, Citizens Threatens Economic Recovery

TORONTO, May 20 (Sputnik) - The divide between the health of Canada’s financial sector and the average resident's pocketbook threatens the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery, the Bank of Canad said on Thursday. "The Canadian financial system continues to function well despite the COVID-19 pandemic, and Canada’s financial institutions have proved to be resilient during the crisis,” the central bank said in its Financial System Review report. However, Canada’s central bank noted that two key household vulnerabilities - high household indebtedness and imbalances in the housing market - have deepened over the past year and raise the stakes for Canada’s economy and financial system in the medium term, as it attempts to bounce back from the coronavirus-induced downturn. While Canadians’ income and consumer debt levels have not been adversely impacted by the pandemic, the Bank of Canada said, citing government support measures and low interest rates, the central bank said that rising mortgage debt is a significant source of concern. Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem downplayed the threat of the hot housing market, saying during a press briefing that it is just one vulnerability in the larger economic ecosystem, ruling out raising interest rates to cool down the market. However, Pierre Poilievre, the official opposition Conservative Party’s jobs and industry critic, warned of a debt-fuelled housing bubble should mortgage rates rise above the current lower bound of 0.25 percent, in a Twitter post following the release of the report. The Bank of Canada's next assessment of the country’s financial health will come on June 9, when the central bank delivers an announcement on the overnight rate.

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UN Human Rights Council to Discuss Situation on Palestinian Territory in May 27 Meeting

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United Nations Human Rights Council said in a release on Thursday it will hold a special meeting on May 27 to address human rights concerns on the Palestinian territory and in East Jerusalem. "The Human Rights Council will hold a special session to address 'the grave human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem' on Thursday, 27 May," the release said. Numerous Arab countries have supported holding the meeting, but support from key Western countries has been lacking. The foreign ministers of Qatar, Turkey and other countries said during remarks at the United Nations that the international community should end what they termed was an Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

US House Passes $1.9Bln Bill For More US Capitol Security, Cover January 6 Expenses

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a $1.9 billion bill to provide additional security at the Capitol and to reimburse law enforcement and federal agencies for expenses incurred during the January 6 riot. The House passed the measure with a 213-212 vote, sending it to the Senate for consideration.

Taliban ‘Uneven’ in Compliance With Afghan Peace Deal Reached With US - Pentagon Official

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The Taliban opposition movement is "uneven" in its compliance with the Afghanistan reconciliation deal by refraining from attacking US troops, but engaging in a very high level of violence against local government forces, US Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense David He Ivey said in a congressional hearing on Thursday. "Taliban’s compliance with the agreement has been uneven over time. They did comply with their agreement not to conduct attacks against the US or coalition forces following the signing of the agreement... Their violence against the Afghan forces and the Afghan people remains very high throughout this period," He Ivey told the US Senate Armed Services Committee.

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The US-Taliban agreement last year provides for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in exchange for the Taliban abating violence and guaranteeing that the country will not turn into a safe haven for terrorists. Helvey said that the Taliban has also lived up to its commitment to enter into reconciliation talks with the Afghan government. "With respect to the entering into the inter-Afghan negotiations they did do that. Last September, they began discussions with the Afghan government on future peace arrangements. Those discussions have not been fruitful," he said. The US government is in the process of an orderly withdrawal from Afghanistan and has said it plans to have all its forces out of the country by September.

Algerian Foreign Minster Urges UN Chief to Declare Humanitarian Emergency in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - Algerian Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum on Thursday called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to declare a state of humanitarian emergency in the Gaza Strip to allow humanitarian access and undertake steps for reconstruction. "We call upon the Secretary-General of the United Nations to declare a state of humanitarian emergency to allow the international community to effectively alleviate the suffering of Palestinian civilians and to take steps to re-construct Gaza,” Boukadoum, who was speaking on behalf of the Group of Arab States, said in a special meeting of the UN General Assembly. The gravity of the situation in Gaza requires collective efforts to immediately cease the hostilities and address the humanitarian consequences of the renewed Israeli-Palestinian escalation, Boukadoum added. According to UN figures, Israeli airstrikes have already displaced some 58,000 Palestinians in Gaza. The exchange of airstrikes between Israel and the Gaza Strip has continued since May 10. The sides blame the deadly face-off on each other. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maiiki said earlier in the day, at least 230 Palestinians, including 65 children, have already been killed in the hostilities.

US, Russia Exchange Over 22,000 Notifications on New START Treaty - State Dept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States and Russia have exchanged more than 22,000 notifications on their nuclear forces during talks on renewing the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the US State Department Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC) said on Thursday.

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"New START implementation milestone: The US and Russia have now exchanged more than 22K notifications on their nuclear forces subject to the treaty," AVC said via Twitter. The notifications provide a real time view into each other’s arsenals, which contributes to stability, it added. In February, Russia and the United States agreed to extend the New START treaty for five more years without renegotiating any of its terms. The treaty, now set to expire on February 5, 2026, is the only arms control agreement between two countries that is still in force.

New York State Joins Lawsuit Against Robocalls to Suppress Black Vote - Attorney General

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik)-A US court approved a request by New York State to become a plaintiff in a pending lawsuit against efforts to suppress the black vote with computer-generated phone calls falsely claiming that mailed ballots were part of government effort to collect personal information from voters, Attorney General Letitia James said on Thursday. “The court’s decision is a critical step in our fight against those who seek to suppress the votes and voices of Black communities. Through their use of misleading and targeted robocalls, [Jacob] Wbhl and [Jack] Burkman illegally attempted to discourage Black voters from exercising their fundamental right to vote, in an effort to influence the election for their favored presidential candidate,” a press release issued by James said. A federal district court approved a request for New York to join an existing lawsuit filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and the National Coalition on Black Civic Protection against \Afohl, Burkman, Project 1599 and Burkman’s lobbying firm J. M. Burkman & Associates, the release said. The release described Wohl and Burknam as notorious conspiracy theorists who hid behind a sham organization to threaten and harass Black communities through disinformation, including claims that mail-in voters would have their personal information disseminated to police, the release added. The robocall campaign reached about 5,500 New Yorkers in 2020 elections at a time when the state expanded mail voting to protect voters from COVID-19, according to the release.

Qatar Top Diplomat Tells UNGA International Community Must Put End to Israel Aggression?

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Qatar is calling on the international community to end the alleged Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people amid the ongoing military conflict, Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said on Thursday.

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"The grave situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and particularly East Jerusalem and the bombings on the Gaza Strip, targeting innocent civilians and their homes and claiming dozens of lives, including women and children, all this requires that the international community act promptly to put an end to Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people," Al Thani said in his speech at the UN General Assembly, Al Thani said Israeli settlement activities in the disputed territories continues despite international community condemnation and have taken on a scale that can be described as ethnic cleansing. In addition, Israel has violated international law by targeting media and medical facilities, he added. On Tuesday, Palestinian Ambassador to Russia Abdel Hafiz Nofal told Sputnik that Palestine intended to appeal to the International Criminal Court over the recent Israeli attacks on media agencies' offices in the Gaza Strip, including the Associated Press and Al Jazeera.

US to Close 2 Migrant Detention Facilities Over Substandard Conditions - Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The Biden administration has decided to shut down two migrant detention facilities after it was revealed that detainees there were being held in inadequate conditions, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Thursday. ‘Allow me to state one foundational principle: we will not tolerate the mistreatment of individuals in civil immigration detention or substandard conditions of detention,” DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a memorandum to the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Tae Johnson. The two facilities facing closure are the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilia, Georgia. Mayorkas said the US government has an obligation to maintain high health and safety standards in its facilities and make lasting improvements to the immigration detention system more generally. Detainees currently held in the two facilities will be transferred to other facilities pursuant with US national security and public safety interests, according to the DHS.

Canada, US Extend Border Restrictions Through June 21 - Minister

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UNGA President Urges Israel to Comply with Int'l Law, Including Proportionate Use of Force

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir on Thursday called on Israel to ensure compliance with international law, including proportionate use of force in the conflict in Gaza. "Israel, as an occupying power, should ensure compliance with its international humanitarian law obligations, including proportionate use of force," Bozkir said during a meeting of the UN General Assembly on the ongoing hostilities in the Middle East.

UNGA President Condemns Attacks Against Civilians, Urges Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir on Thursday condemned attacks against civilians, religious sites in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian escalation and urged the parties to commit to an immediate ceasefire. "I condemn all attacks against civilians and religious sites. It is particularly heartbreaking that the escalation of the attacks began at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan,” Bozkir said at a special UN General Assembly session. "I echo the calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. This is needed immediately," Bozkir added.

UN Soon to Launch Full Humanitarian Appeal to Help Palestinians- Guterres

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Thursday he will very soon launch a full humanitarian appeal to support the Palestinians enduring the ongoing hostilities in the Gaza Strip. ‘‘Under-Secretary-General Mark Lowcock and I will launch a full humanitarian appeal for funding as soon as possible and in the meanwhile, to meet immediate needs, I am working on an

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allocation from the Central Emergency Response Fund, and the Humanitarian Coordinator intends to release $14 million from the Humanitarian Fund for the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” Guterres said at a special meeting of the UN General Assembly on the Israeli-Palestinian escalation.

IMF to Begin Phased Return of Staff at Washington, DC Headquarters Staring June 1

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will start bringing back staff at its headquarters in Washington, DC in a phased scheme beginning June 1, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said in a press briefing on Thursday. “Like many others after remote working for the past year, we will resume limited operations at our \Afeshington, DC headquarters with a phased return of staff to our buildings beginning June 1Rice said. “This easing of work from home status reflects the improving health and safety conditions related to COVID-19 in the DC Metropolitan area.” Rice stressed that by working virtually for the past year, the Fund was able to maintain full service to the member countries during the pandemic. Many aspects of the virtual mode of operation will continue, Rice added. He also added that they have not made a determination on holding physical press briefings yet.

UN Chief Calls on Israel to Abide by Int'l Laws on Armed Conflict, Show Maximum Restraint

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 (Sputnik) - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on Israel to abide by the norms of international law on armed conflict and exercise maximum restraint in its military operations in Gaza. “There is no justification, including counterterrorism or self-defense, for the abdication by the parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law," Guterres said at a special session of the UN General Assembly. “I urge the Israeli authorities to abide by the laws governing armed conflict, including the proportionate use of force. I call on them to exercise maximum restraint in the conduct of military operations,” he said.

US Ambassador to UN to Attend Inauguration of Ecuador President May 24 - White House

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - Adelegation of US officials, including the ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, will attend the inauguration ceremony of the President-elect of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso on Monday, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said on Thursday. "U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield will lead a Presidential Delegation to Ecuador, to attend the inauguration of President-elect Guillermo Lasso Mendoza and Vice-President-elect Alfredo Borrero Vega on May 24. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield will be joined by U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Michael J. Fitzpatrick, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere Juan Gonzalez, and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the Department of State Julie Chung,” Psaki said in a release. Lasso, a businessman-turned-politician, defeated Andres Arauz in a runoff election in April. Ecuador’s National Electoral Council reported that Guillermo Lasso’s right-wing CREO movement received more than 52.36% of the vote, whereas the leftist Arauz received just over 47.64% of the votes.

US State, Local Governments Receive $105Bln in Launch of COVID-19 Relief Effort - Treasury

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The coffers of US state, local, territorial and tribal governments swelled by a collective $105.3 billion during the first 11 days of COVID-19 relief effort recently signed into law, the Treasury Department said on Thursday. "Only 11 days since announcing the $350 billion allocation and guidelines on ways the funds can be used to respond to acute pandemic-response needs, fill revenue shortfalls among state and local governments, and support the communities and populations hardest-hit by the COVID-19 crisis, the Department already distributed approximately 30% of the total allocation,” a Treasury press release said. The initial distribution, as well as remaining funds, are part of the recently approved $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP), the release said. The Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds under the ARP provide substantial flexibility for each jurisdiction to meet local needs — including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers, and the communities hardest hit by the crisis, the release added.

US to Impose Sanctions on Two Houthi Leaders - Special Envoy For Yemen

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WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The United States will impose sanctions against two Houthi senior officials later on Thursday, Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking told reporters. "The United States today will be imposing sanctions on Mohammed Abdul Khalif Al-Khamani, the head of the general staff of the Houthi militia forces, who was leading of the Houhti offensive in Marib, and also Youssef Al-Madani, a prominent leader of the Houthi forces in the military zone, which includes Hodeidah,” Lenderking said.

US Special Envoy Says All Ports, Airports Must Be Reopened in Yemen

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said on Thursday that all airports and ports in the country should be reopened. “All ports, all airports in Yemen should be open for commerce and for the access of vital humanitarian supplies,” Lenderking told reporters during a press briefing. The US opposes any blockages and restrictions put placed on the flow of goods into Yemen, which are vital for the economy, he added.

US Navy Denies China Claim American Destroyer ‘Expelled’ From South China Sea WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US Navy’s 7th Fleet on Thursday rejected as false a Chinese report of expelling the American guided missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilber from the South China Sea. "The PLA’s [People's Liberation Army] statement about this mission is false. USS Curtis Wilbur was not ‘expelled’ from any nation’s territory. USS Curtis Wilbur conducted this FONOP [Freedom of Navigation Operations] in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations in international waters,” the statement read. Following Curtis Wilbur’s transit, the People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command issued a statement that the PLA had “expelled” the Japan-based warship from the region. Chinese warships and aircraft tracked the transit. “U.S. behavior violates international law and basic norms of international relations, increases regional security risks, and are prone to misunderstandings, misjudgments, and accidents at sea," the PLA’s Southern Theater said in a statement, as quoted by the US Naval Institute news service. The Navy's statementwent on to say that US forces continue routinely operate in the South China Sea as they have for more than a century, citing international law to counter Beijing’s claim to own the entire waterway.

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US Weekly Jobless Benefits Down 7% in New Low Since Start of Pandemic - Labor Dept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The weekly filing for jobless benefits in the United States fell by about 7 percent last week as some 444,000 people filed for unemployment claims, the lowest number since March 2020 which marked the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Labor Department said Thursday. "In the week ending May 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 473.000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week's revised level,” the department said in a statement. “This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,500.” The department revised upward by 5,000 the previous week’s claims numbers from 473,000 to 478.000. Economists polled by US media had anticipated 450,000 filings for unemployment benefits in the week to May 15. That put the 444,000 claims reported by the department not far from their target but not too low either to cause inordinate excitement. “The employment benefits are scheduled to lapse in September," economist Greg Michalowski said in a post on ForexLive. “There [are] expectations that once that happens, the claims data will fall sharply as those choosing to receive government aid instead of working, go back to work.” Unemployment benefits have fallen in four of the past five weeks, signaling a recovery from the COVID-19 marked by other bullish macroeconomic data and falling infection rates. More than a year into the COVI D-19 crisis, restoring job growth remains one of the biggest challenges of US policymakers. The Labor Department said there were only 26,000 job additions for all of April, versus March gains of 916,000. Economists had expected as many as one million new jobs last month. Elaborating on the weekly unemployment filings, the department said continuing claims for the week ended May 8 — reported with a one-week lag — rose to 3.75 million, from 3.64 million during the week to May 1. That bumped up the weekly reading for unemployment to 2.7 percent from a previous 2.6 percent. The United States lost more than 21 million jobs between March and April 2020, at the height of business lockdowns forced by the coronavirus. More than eight million of those jobs have yet to return, officials say. The US economy itself shrank 3.5 percent in 2020, although first quarter data for 2021 showed a dynamic rebound of 6.4 percent. The Federal Reserve has forecast a 6.5 percent economic growth for all of 2021 although Jerome Powell, chairman of the central bank, said he did not expect “full employment” — defined by a monthly unemployment rate of 4.0 percent or lower — before 2023. The monthly unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent in April.

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Arctic Council Ministers Reaffirm Commitment to Peace, Stability in Joint Declaration

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The top diplomats of the Arctic Council member countries have stressed their commitment to security and constructive collaboration in the region, a joint declaration, released by the State Department, said on Thursday. "Today, at the 12th Arctic Council Ministerial meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, foreign ministers from all eight Arctic States signed onto the 2021 joint declaration reaffirming the Council's commitment to maintain peace, stability, and constructive cooperation in the Arctic region, emphasizing Arctic States’ unique position to promote responsible governance in the region, and asserting the importance of immediately addressing the climate crisis in the Arctic,” the document said. The ministers have approved the very first strategic plan, adopted in a unanimous vote by the eight Arctic States and six indigenous Permanent Participant organizations, the document noted. “It will guide the Council’s work for the next decade,” the declaration stated. “Members also recognized the Arctic Council’s 25th anniversary and marked the passing of the two-year chair from Iceland to the Russian Federation (2021 to 2023).” Major reports adopted at the Ministerial meeting include the Arctic Climate Change Update 2021, the State of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Report, a Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter in the Arctic, Gender Equality in the Arctic report, and the Summary of Progress and Recommendations from the Council’s Expert Group on Black Carbon and Methane, the document said. Earlier on Thursday, Russia assumed the two-year chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The council was established in 1996 as a high-level intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation in the region with a focus on environmental protection. The council includes Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.

US Weekly Jobless Benefits Down 7% in New Low Since Start of Pandemic - Labor Dept.

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The weekly filings for jobless benefits in the United States fell by about 7 percent last week as some 444,000 people filed for unemployment claims, the lowest number since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020, the Labor Department said Thursday. "In the week ending May 8, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 473,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week's revised level,” the department said in a statement. “This is the lowest level for this average since March 14, 2020 when it was 256,500.”

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US Approach to Denuclearizing N. Korea Will Not Include ‘Grand Bargain’ - Senior Official

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Sputnik) - The US approach to North Korean denuclearization will not be based on a grand bargain or strategic patience but will explore diplomacy, a senior administration official told reporters. "Our [US] goals remain the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula with a clear understanding that the efforts of past administrations have not achieved this objective. Our policy will not focus on shaping a grand bargain, nor will it rely on strategic patience," the official said. The administration official also said US policy toward North Korea will explore diplomacy in order to increase the security of the United States, its allies and deployed forces while the process of denuclearization will likely be challenging. In April, the White House said it had concluded a months-long review of its policy toward North Korea. At the same time, the US said that it will continue to engage in negotiations with Pyongyang with the aim to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Received by NSD/FARA Registration Unit 05/21 /2021 8:20:56 AM