Month: September 2020

China will lose the most-favored-nation (MFN) status, which extends trade concessions for one nation to all countries, under legislation introduced by US Senator Tom Cotton on Thursday.

“Twenty years ago this week, the Senate gave a gift to the Chinese Communist Party by granting it permanent most-favored-nation status. That disastrous decision made the party richer, but cost millions of American jobs. It is time to protect American workers and take back our leverage over Beijing by withdrawing China’s permanent trade status,” Cotton said in a press release announcing the bill.

China could still maintain its MFN status with the US, but the privilege would have to be renewed by the US President annually, with Congress allowed to override the decision of the President, the release said.

The bill also includes a list of human rights and trade abuses that would disqualify China for MFN status, absent a presidential waiver, it added.

The list includes the use of slave labour, re-education prison camps, forced abortion or sterilisation and organ harvesting from prisoners, the release stated.

Other listed abuses include religious persecution, harassment of expatriate Chinese who are critical of the government and the theft of intellectual property from Americans, according to the release. (ANI/Sputnik)

Warning against “securitisation” of environmental issues, India on Thursday said that linking environmental degradation to peace and security will not enhance the collective effort to address climate change issues.

In a statement at the UN Security Council High-Level open debate on ‘Maintenance of international peace and security: Humanitarian Effects of Environmental Degradation and Peace and Security’, India said that environmental degradation can have humanitarian impact or effect just as many other aspects of human activity have humanitarian dimensions.

It stressed that should be a greater resolve to implement the committments and contributions undertaken under environmental agreements.

“Environmental degradation affects not just the ecosystem but also the people who depend and live on it. It is also a multi-dimensional issue. To begin with, it can be caused by those who live on it due to a range of inter-related factors, foremost amongst which is poverty and not necessarily greed. In many developing countries, such problems arise from issues related to people living at subsistence level,” India said.

It stated that in many other cases, the perpetrators of environmental degradation may well be outside national boundaries while the people suffering are inside.

“Environmental degradation can have humanitarian impact or effect just as many other aspects of human activity have humanitarian dimensions. However, merely to link up everything related to environmental issues with peace and security does nothing to enhance our understanding of the problem; does nothing to help us address these issues in a meaningful way, and does nothing to call out the real perpetrators and make them adhere to their commitments on environmental issues or help change behaviour of people at subsistence level,” the statement said.

India noted there has been an increasing tendency both in the Security Council and outside to start discussing environmental issues with a certain disregard for the various important principles which govern environmental discussions, including climate change and biological diversity.

“What we need is a collective will to address such important issues multi-dimensionally without shirking our respective commitments under the various important conventions, inter alia, UN Convention to Combat Desertification, Convention on Biological Diversity, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and Paris Agreement etc. What we need therefore is greater resolve to implement the commitments and contributions undertaken under environmental agreements instead of ‘securitisation’ of environmental issues,” it said.

India remarked that it is a leading contributor to “climate action” and the country has reduced 38 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually over the past few years.

In the course of the last decade, around three million hectares of forest and tree cover has been added, which has enhanced the combined forest and tree cover to 24.56 per cent of the total geographical area of the country, it said, adding that India has taken a leadership role to protect the environment.

“Going forward, India aims to restore 26 million hectares of degraded and deforested land and achieve land-degradation neutrality by 2030. We have set additional targets of eliminating single-use plastic by 2022 and installing 450 GW of renewable energy by 2030,” the statement said.

India stressed that every industry, including the private sector, civil society and the government can make more climate-friendly lifestyle choices to ease the transition to a sustainable lifestyle.

“Let us view environmental degradation as an opportunity to strengthen multilateralism and seek equitable and inclusive solutions to build a greener, cleaner and a sustainable world,” it further said. (ANI)

In a bid to break the Chinese monopoly on processing rare earth elements, the Indian-Pacific Quad comprising of India, Japan, Australia and the United States are working together and pooling resources to rapidly build collective self-reliance in the sector.

There are 17 strategic elements vital for the production of anything ranging from laptops, electric car batteries to missile guiding systems and lasers. “There are 0.15 grams of palladium (a rare earth metal) in an iPhone, 472 kilograms of combined rare earth in an F-35 fighter jet and four tonnes in a Virginia-class submarine,” the Sydney Morning Herald has reported.

So far China has exercised a virtual monopoly on processing rare earth elements. Amid deteriorating relations with the United States, Beijing has signalled that Washington may be denied supply of the minerals produced in China.

The Quad countries are looking forward to utilising this opportunity to rapidly build collective self-reliance as dependency on China in critical areas may be a grave threat.

It is believed that Australia, which is the second-largest producer of rare elements is the fulcrum that can liberate the region’s democracies and like-minded countries from arm twisting by communist China, which can leverage its rare earth’s monopoly to exercise critical political control.

However, Australia output is much smaller so far when compared to the mammoth quantities produced by China.

Yet this situation of vulnerability may change rapidly, as Australia is mounting a serious effort to bridge the production gap with China.

Four Australian companies have advanced rare earth projects. Three of them are in Australia, while the fourth is located in Tanzania. Their focus is to ferret neodymium-praseodymium–a combination of rare-earth metals, which imparts high strength permanent magnets.

These super-magnets are extensively used in electric vehicle engines. Funds have been allocated for further exploration in Australia along two massive 2500-kilometre-long corridors.

Australia, in June, had inked a preliminary agreement for supplying critical minerals to push India’s transition to a new energy economy.

Australian Resources Minister Keith Pitt said that Canberra could become India’s top supplier of cobalt and zircon.

Antimony, lithium, rare earth and tantalum could also be added to the list. “India presents growing opportunities for Australia’s critical minerals, especially as the nation looks to build its manufacturing sector, defence and space capabilities,” Pitt said. He pointed to the allure of New Delhi’s ‘Make in India’ programme, and its goal of moving to full electric mobility by 2030–a policy shift that would power India’s copious demand for critical minerals.

The deal follows a major military logistics agreement between the two countries, which lays the strategic foundation for a special relationship between New Delhi and Canberra, both facing headwinds from China.

The Mutual Logistics Support Agreement (MLSA), will allow the two militaries access to each other’s military logistics facilities, take on more complex joint military exercise and improve interoperability between the security forces of the two democracies.

Australia has also worked out a rare earth elements deal with the US, the India-Pacific Quad’s most powerful partner.

The Australian rare earth miner Lynas would process the mined minerals in a facility in Texas, in partnership with the Pentagon. Besides, the Australian company Syrah has earmarked a production line in the US state of Louisiana to turn graphite into super-conductor graphene, for use in electric cars.

Australia’s partnership with Japan in the domain of the rare earth is already well established, following Tokyo’s spat with Beijing over islands in the East China Sea. Fearing that its high-tech industries could be compromised, the Japanese decided to invest in Mount Weld– a mountain and a mine site in Western Australia, with one of the richest major rare-earth deposits in the world

Backed by funding by the Japanese government, Sojitz, a Japanese trading company, signed a USD 250 million supply deal for rare earth mined at the site.

The agreement also spurred the rise of Australian firm Lynas, which could now fund construction of a processing plant in Kuantan, Malaysia. Recently, Lynas has signed a 10-year loan extension on easier terms with its powerful Japanese consortium.

With the loan repayment extended to 2030, the company will be able to relocate its controversial processing facility from Malaysia to Western Australia, not far from the Mount Weld mine.

With critical dependence on China no longer acceptable, the Indo-Pacific countries have decided to work together to establish their own dedicated supply chains, free from Beijing’s influence.

Earlier this month trade ministers of Japan, India and Australia agreed to hammer out details of a new supply chain network, which is likely to include rare earth elements, by the end of the year.

They also invited other countries in the region with shared views to join the initiative. The three ministers agreed to reach out to ASEAN countries as the next step to expand their orbit of critical resources and technologies, free from Beijing’s influence. (ANI)

Several thousand people in north-east China have tested positive for a bacterial disease in an outbreak caused by a leak at a biopharmaceutical company last year, authorities said on Thursday.

The Health Commission of Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu province, announced that 3,245 people had contracted the disease brucellosis. The disease is often caused by contact with livestock carrying the bacteria brucella, CNN reported.

This outbreak began from a leak at the Zhongmu Lanzhou biological pharmaceutical factory, which occurred between late July to late August last year, according to the city’s Health Commission.

Another 1,1401 people have also tested positive of the disease but there have been no fatalities have been reported, the city’s Health Commission said. In total, authorities have tested 21,847 people out of the city’s 2.9 million population.

The disease, also known as Malta fever or Mediterranean fever, can cause symptoms including headaches, muscle pain, fever and fatigue.

While some symptoms can become chronic or never go away, like arthritis or swelling in certain organs, according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Human-to-human transmission is extremely rare, according to the CDC. Instead, most people are infected by eating contaminated food or breathing in the bacteria — which seems to be the case in Lanzhou.

While producing Brucella vaccines for animal use, the factory used expired disinfectants and sanitizers — meaning not all bacteria were eradicated in the waste gas.

This contaminated waste gas formed aerosols that contained the bacteria — and leaked into the air, carried by the wind down to the Lanzhou Veterinary Research Institute, where the outbreak first hit.

In the months after the outbreak, provincial and municipal officials launched an investigation into the leak at the factory, according to the Lanzhou Health Commission. By January, authorities had revoked vaccine production licenses for the plant and withdrew product approval numbers for its two Brucellosis vaccines.

A total of seven veterinary drug product approval numbers were also cancelled in the factory.

In February, the factory issued a public apology and said it had “severely punished” eight people who were determined as responsible for the incident. It added. (ANI)

A special blood bank has been established for dogs at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU) in Ludhiana. This is the first blood bank for dogs in north India.

The blood bank has been set up after getting approval from the Department of Biotechnology to improve the survival chances of dogs.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Shukriti Sharma of GADVASU, said, “We handle at least 25,000 cases every year. Of which, 500-600 cases have low haemoglobin (protein) level in dogs.

“In one of the cases here, the blood level dropped down to three grams. We had to transfuse blood and the level rose to seven grams,” Sharma explained.

The doctor said, “A total of 25 different states had applied for the approval of blood bank for dogs. To this, the Department of Biotechnology has approved the establishment of only two blood banks, one in Chennai and the other here in Punjab.”

This is the first blood bank for dogs in north India, he added.

Sharma remarked, “Earlier, the blood of one dog was donated to the other. But with this blood bank facility, we separate the donated blood in three parts — Red Blood Cells (RBCs), plasma and platelets.”

He further said the institute has conducted 125 blood transfusions in dogs till now. (ANI)

Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Thursday resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against “anti-farmer ordinances and legislation”.

The resignation came soon after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal opposed the two farmer-related bills in the Lok Sabha. SAD is an ally of ruling National Democratic Alliance at the Centre and in Punjab.

“I have resigned from Union Cabinet in protest against anti-farmer ordinances and legislation. Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter and sister,” Harsimrat Kaur Badal said in a tweet.

The two bills seek to replace two ordinances brought earlier by the NDA government.

Sukhbir Singh Badal, who had earlier opposed the bill to amend Essential Commodities Act, on Thursday opposed the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion And Facilitation) Bill, 2020 and the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill.

The two bills were taken up together for discussion in Lok Sabha.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s decision to quit Union Cabinet is another in the long chain of theatrics being enacted by SAD, which has still not quit the ruling coalition.

“Harsimrat Kaur’s decision to quit Union Cabinet is another in the long chain of theatrics being enacted by Akali Dal which has still not quit ruling coalition. It’s motivated not by any concern for farmers but to save their own dwindling political fortunes. Too little too late,” he said in a tweet. (ANI)

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed 51-lakh mark with a spike of 97,894 new cases and 1,132 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The tally in the country stands at 51,18,254 including 10,09,976 active cases, 40,25,080 cured/discharged/migrated and 83,198 deaths, as per the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

A total of 82,961 COVID patients have been cured and discharged in the last 24 hours, Ministry said.

“The national COVID-19 Recovery Rate stands at 78.64 per cent on Thursday. These high levels of recovery have resulted in a 100 per cent increase in the number of recovered cases in the past 30 days,” it said.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state having witnessed 11,45,840 coronavirus cases so far, including 8,12,354 recoveries, 3,01,752 active cases, and 31,351 deaths. According to the state health department, 24,619 more COVID-19 cases and 398 deaths were reported in the state on Thursday.

Andhra Pradesh reported 8,702 new COVID-19 cases and 72 deaths reported in Andhra Pradesh in the last 24 hours. Total cases in the state rose to 6,01,462, including 5,08,088 recovered and 5,177 deceased. Active cases stand at 88,197, said Andhra Pradesh Health Department on Thursday.

Karnataka reported 9,366 new COVID-19 cases, 7,268 discharges and 93 deaths on Thursday, taking the total number of cases to 4,94,356 including 1,03,631 active cases, 3,83,077 discharges, and 7,629 deaths, according to State Health Department.

Delhi on Thursday reported 4,432 new cases taking the total number of coronavirus cases in the national capital to 2,34,701. As per the health department bulletin, the death toll due to the virus stands at 4,877 after 38 succumbed to COVID-19 today.

As many as 4,531 new COVID-19 cases and 10 deaths reported in the state on Thursday. The number of active cases now at 34,314, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

A total of 1,192 new COVID-19 cases reported in Uttarakhand on Thursday. The total number of cases in the state is now 37,139 including 24,810 recoveries, 11,714 active cases, and 460 deaths, said State Government.

Punjab reported 2,896 new COVID1-9 cases and 57 deaths on Thursday, climbing the total number of cases to 90,032 including 65,818 recoveries, 21,568 active cases, and 2,646 deaths, said State Health Department.

As many as 1,467 new COVID-19 cases reported in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday– 785 from Jammu division and 682 from Kashmir division. The total number of cases now at 59,711 including 20,239 active cases, 38,521 recoveries, and 951 deaths, the government of Jammu and Kashmir said.

Manipur reported 110 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 8,430, including 1,840 active cases. A total of 51 deaths reported in the state, according to the state health department on Thursday.

As many as 10 more COVID-19 patients discharged from the hospital till 5 pm on Thursday in Mizoram. COVID-19 tally in the state rose to 1506, including 949 discharges. Active cases stand at 557, said Department of Information and Public Relations, Government of Mizoram.

COVID-19 tally in Puducherry rose to 21,428, including 16,253 recoveries and 431 deaths. Active cases stand at 4,744, the government of Puducherry said on Thursday.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday said that he is hopeful that by the early next year, the vaccine will be available in India and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has handled Covid-19 “meticulously.”

“History will remember Prime Minister Narendra Modi for meticulously monitoring the entire situation himself. India is making efforts just like other countries. Under Prime Minister’s guidance, an expert group is looking at it and we have advanced planning in place. We are hopeful that by the start of next year, the vaccine will be available in India,” he said in the Rajya Sabha.

Responding to Congress MP Anand Sharma’s query in the Rajya Sabha, Vardhan said that six scientific agencies gave scientific data on the basis of which it was stated between 14-29 lakh cases were prevented by the coronavirus lockdown. (ANI)

There has been a surge in sectarian violence in Pakistan in recent days with state-backed extremists targeting minorities including Shias and the Ahmadi community.

A report in Asia Times said Pakistan is reeling under a new surge of sectarian violence targeting Shia and other religious minorities across the country, threatening new rounds of instability in the Muslim majority nation.

The minorities have been subjected to various forms of oppression in the country with tacit support of state. Incident of abduction and forced marriages of girls from minority communities are often reported.

According to the report, over the last month, four people including two Shia Muslims, one Ahmadi sect member and a US citizen who renounced the Ahmadi sect have been brutally gunned down for apparent religious reasons.

In the same period, around 50 people mostly belonging to the Shia sect were booked under different section of blasphemy law which have been used as a tool to persecute the minorities.

Last week, thousands of people rallies in Karachi in massive anti-Shia demonstration which clearly had the backing of security agencies and authorities.

The rally pelted an imambargah (Shiite religious place) with stones as unruly radical Sunni mobs went berserk in the Imamia Lines Area, the report said.

Worryingly, the report said, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is inciting religious violence by exhorting people to kill those who negate the finality of Prophet Muhammad.

Citing a 2019 report by Pakistani think tank, it said 28 Shia and two Ahmadis were killed in targeted attacks, while 58 others were injured in related violence.

Social media in Pakistan was filled with posts, photographs and videos of the protest, in which a sea of protestors was seen chanting “Shias are Kaffir” (disbelievers) and holding banners of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, a terrorist organisation, linked to the killing of Shias over the years.

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan and people convicted are given death penalty for allegedly making insensitive remarks on Islam. In the last few decades, sectarian violence has gripped Pakistan with Shia and Ahmadi believers being attacked and their shrines targetted. (ANI)

Several members of the Muslim community in Delhi on Thursday celebrated the 70th birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Nizamuddin Markaz with the cutting of a cake and a prayer.

“Today is a big day for the whole country. The people of India are very lucky to have a Prime Minister like Modiji after so many years. Muslim people across the country are celebrating this joyous occasion,” Maulana Suhaib Quashmi told ANI.

“In the last 6 years, the PM has never spoken about religion, caste, or creed. He has only spoken about the 130 crore people in our country. Today we prayed for his well being and longevity. We believe that he will take our country to the top of the world. India’s relationship with other Muslim countries has also flourished in the last few years and the countries who really want peace are behind Modiji.”

“Many people try to spread fake news and create disharmony in society. We urge Muslims in India to stand with the PM for the progress and development of the country,” he added.

Firoj Bakht Ahmed, Chancellor of the Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad, said that the day had been set aside for prayers and good wishes for the Prime Minister.

“I urged all the ulema of the masjids in the area to pray for the good health and long life of Modiji. We also prayed so that bad forces like China and Pakistan may leave the country and allow peace here. Modi ji truly does believe in Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and we are proud to call him our leader. I hope that he remains in this position for the next 10 to 20 years.” Ahmed told ANI.

Dr. Amin, an Army veteran said that he would be willing to give his life for the country under the leadership of the Prime Minister.

“I extend heartiest birthday greetings to Modiji. I truly believe that under his leadership, retired, army personnel like me will be ready to give our lives for the country if the PM asks us to. Regardless of whether we are facing China or Pakistan, we will do anything and go anywhere he asked us to,” Amin said. (ANI)

Weeks after releasing a political map that laid untenable claims to Indian territories, Pakistan has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan to the status of a full-fledged province, according to a Pakistani minister quoted in a media report.

The Express Tribune quoted Minister Ali Amin Gandapur today said that the government has decided to elevate Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) to the status of a full-fledged province.

He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan would soon visit the region and make a formal announcement in this regard.

Last month, condemning Prime Minister Imran Khan for releasing Pakistan’s new political map laying untenable claims to Indian territories, India had termed the act as an “exercise in political absurdity.”

“We have seen a so-called “political map” of Pakistan that has been released by PM Imran Khan. This is an exercise in political absurdity, laying untenable claims to territories in the Indian state of Gujarat and our union territories of Jammu Kashmir and of Ladakh,” the Government of India said in a stern statement.

India also slammed Pakistan for their malafide intentions and said it confirms the reality of “Pakistan’s obsession with territorial aggrandisement supported by cross-border terrorism.”

The Imran Khan government had released a new political map of Pakistan, claiming Indian territories of Junagadh, Sir Creek and Manavadar in Gujarat, of Jammu and Kashmir and a part of Ladakh.

This came after the first anniversary of the Indian government’s decision to revoke Article 370 which gave special powers to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. (ANI)