WORLD
UAE suspends $ 23 bn fighter jets deal after US wanted restrictions on Abu Dhabi ties with China
The sale of 50 F-35 warplanes made by Lockheed Martin to the UAE had slowed amid concerns in Washington over Abu Dhabi's relationship with China, including use of Huawei 5G technology in the country. 'Technical requirements, sovereign operational restrictions, and cost/benefit analysis led to the re-assessment,' a UAE official said to the Wall Street Journal.
SpaceX starting program to convert CO2 into rocket fuel : Elon Musk
Elon Musk was also named as Time's 'Person of The Year 2021' on Monday and the title was previously held by US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Musk is currently the richest man in the world and he is the founder of aerospace company SpaceX and electric car maker Tesla.
US tornado fatalities reach 88, more federal help announced
US President Joe Biden on Monday declared emergencies in Illinois and Tennessee, which meant the two states will get federal help, and the President will visit Kentucky on Wednesday to survey the damage -- he approved its request for an expedited major disaster declaration on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. Rescue efforts resumed on Tuesday to identify the people killed in several states, and "family members have been phoning loved ones and gathering in living rooms across the American heartland, mourning those who had not survived the storms' swift, furious rampage," reported The New York Times.
Some parties insist on blaming Iran instead of pursuing "real diplomacy"
Ali Bagheri Kani, who is in Vienna for the continuation of talks on the restoration of the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), wrote in a tweet that if there is a will to "remedy the culprit's wrongdoing," the path will be quickly smoothed for reaching a good deal, Xinhua news agency reported. Bagheri Kani added that Iran swiftly presented its proposals and made efforts constructively and flexibly to reduce the differences, stressing that diplomacy is a "two-way street."
Omicron likely to become dominant Covid-19 variant in US
"Omicron is going to be a challenge because it spreads very rapidly, and the vaccines that we use -- the regular two-dose mRNA -- don't do very well against infection itself," he said on Tuesday in an interview with CNN. In South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified, while there is almost a vertical spike of infection, the country is not seeing severe hospitalisations, according to Fauci, Director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Will 'double down' on boosting India's security, deterring aggression: US envoy nominee
"India is situated in a tough neighbourhood. Few nations are more vital to the future of American security and prosperity than India," Garcetti said at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on his nomination. He said that he would work to achieve India's security "through information sharing, counter-terrorism coordination, joint freedom of navigation patrols and military exercises, which I have participated in as a naval officer alongside my Indian counterparts, and sales of our best defence technologies in order to realise the full potential of our major defence partnership".
Terrorist groups unleashed reign of terror in B'desh: Hasina
Martyred Intellectuals Day is observed on December 14 to commemorate those intellectuals who were killed by Pakistani forces and their collaborators during the 1971 Liberation War, particularly on March 25 and December 14, 1971. Speaking on the occasion, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that terrorist groups unleashed a reign of terror in the country from 2001 to 2006. They also unleashed arson in the country to thwart the national elections of 2014, and some of them are still hatching conspiracies, she added.
Duterte withdraws candidacy for senator in 2022 polls
Duterte, 76, went to the Commission on Elections to formally withdraw his candidacy for a Senate seat, reports Xinhua news agency. Local media reported that Duterte signed the statement of withdrawal from the race. A spokesperson for the poll body also released a picture of the President when he filed the certificate of withdrawal. The presidential office is yet to issue an official statement.
Biden's approval rating lowest over handling inflation, Covid, gun violence
According to the poll, 28 per cent of Americans approved of Biden's handling of inflation, while a majority at 69 per cent, disapproved. The survey revealed that Americans have named surging inflation as their top concern, Xinhua news agency. The President has witnessed a drop in approval rates in his handling of the economic recovery, with 41 per cent of Americans approving his handling in December, compared to 47 per cent back in October.
US Senate panel to take up long-delayed confirmation process for envoy to India
Garcetti is considered close to Biden having been a co-chair of his election campaign. The US tends to send political nominees as ambassadors to important posts, often selecting Presidents' supporters or those raising political funds and they usually have a direct line to the presidents and top officials. The panel will also consider President Joe Biden's nomination of Donald Armin Blome as the envoy to Pakistan.
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