India Increasingly Important Partner for Indo-Pacific Dynamics: US Def Secy Lloyd Austin Tells Rajnath Singh

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Cooperation between like-minded partners are important, said US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday as Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held wide-ranging talks with him, focusing on further expansion of bilateral strategic ties, evolving situation in the Indo-Pacific region and challenges of terrorism.

India is the third destination of Austin’s three-nation first overseas tour, and the visit is seen as a reflection of the Joe Biden administration’s strong commitment to its relations with its close allies and partners in the region.

“Indo Pacific faces acute challenges. Cooperation between like-minded partners are important,” Austin said after meeting Singh.

“India is an increasingly important partner to US especially because of the changing international dynamics in the Indo-pacific region,” he added, while addressing the India-US joint statement.

On Saturday morning, Austin visited the National War Memorial and paid tributes to India’s fallen heroes. Before the talks, he was given a guard of honour at the Vigyan Bhavan complex.

The US defence secretary called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval hours after his arrival in Delhi on Friday. In his meeting with Modi, he conveyed the Biden administration’s strong desire to further deepen strategic ties with India to address the pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific. Almost all key issues of mutual concerns, including China’s aggressive behaviour in the region, are learnt to have figured in the deliberations between Austin and Doval.

“Thrilled to be here in India. The breadth of cooperation between our two nations reflects the significance of our major defense partnership, as we work together to address the most pressing challenges facing the Indo-Pacific region,” Austin tweeted on Friday. People familiar with the US official’s visit said earlier that India’s plan to procure around 30 multi-mission armed Predator drones from the US for the three services at an estimated cost of over USD 3 billion is expected to figure in Austin-Singh talks.

The Indo-US defence ties have been on an upswing in the last few years. In June 2016, the US had designated India a “Major Defence Partner”.

The two countries have also inked key defence and security pacts over the past few years, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) in 2016 that allows their militaries use of each other’s bases for repair and replenishment of supplies as well as provides for deeper cooperation. The two sides have also signed COMCASA (Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement) in 2018 that provides for interoperability between the two militaries and provides for sale of high end technology from the US to India.

In October last year, India and the US sealed the BECA (Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement) agreement to further boost bilateral defence ties. The pact provides for sharing of high-end military technology, logistics and geospatial maps between the two countries.

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Indians, Chinese Account for 47% of Foreign Student Population in US: Report

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Students from China and India accounted for 47 per cent of all active foreign students in the US in 2020, according to latest official figures, which also indicated a significant drop in fresh enrolments from abroad due to the impact of the pandemic.

The annual report released by Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) noted that there were 1.25 million active records in SEVIS for F-1 and M-1 students during calendar year 2020, a 17.86 per cent decrease from calendar year 2019.

While an F1 visa is issued to international students who are attending an academic programme or English language programme at a US college or university, M-1 visa is reserved for international students attending vocational schools and technical schools. US schools saw a 72 per cent decrease in new international student enrollment in 2020 compared to 2019, it said. New international students include those who were not enrolled in a programme of study at a US school during the previous calendar year, the report said.

In August 2020, there was a 91 per cent decrease in new F-1 international student enrollment and a 72 per cent decrease in new M-1 international student enrollment at US schools. According to SEVIS, there were 382,561 students from China, followed by 207,460 students from India. China and India were followed by South Korea (68,217), Saudi Arabia (38,039), Canada (35,508) and Brazil (34,892), the report said.

SEVIS is a web-based system for maintaining information on international nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the US. Forty-seven per cent (590,021) of all active SEVIS records hailed from either China (382,561) or India (207,460) in calendar year 2020, a slight decrease from 48 per cent in calendar year 2019. While the overall number of active F-1 and M-1 student records coming from Asia decreased by 143,697 from calendar year 2019 to calendar year 2020, student record trends varied across different countries, it said.

The number of students from China and India made Asia the most popular continent of origin. However, China sent fewer students in 2020 in comparison to 2019 (-91,936), as did India (-41,761). Still, 74 per cent of all international students in the United States call Asia home. Other Asian countries sent fewer students including South Korea (-15,854), Saudi Arabia (-15,244) and Japan (-10,897), it said. Forty-four per cent (552,188) of F-1 and M-1 international students in calendar year 2020 were female, while 56 per cent (698,964) were male. Among Indian students, 35 per cent were females and 65 per cent are males. For China the figures are 47 per cent are females and 53 per cent are males.

Of K-12 student enrollments in 2020, 42.5 per cent were female (33,759). In addition, 44 per cent (194,558) of bachelor’s and master’s international students were female, 50 per cent (42,608) of international students seeking associate degrees were female and 39 per cent (70,418) of international students seeking doctoral degrees were female in 2020. Of the top 10 countries of citizenship in calendar year 2020, the average female enrollment was 44 per cent (386,851) and the average male enrollment was 56 per cent (484,103).

According to SEVIS, the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2019 impacted international student enrollment in the United States in 2020. The total number of SEVIS records for active F-1 and M-1 students was 1,251,569 in calendar year 2020, a decrease of 17.86 per cent from calendar year 2019, it said. The number of international students enrolled at kindergarten through grade 12 (K[1]12) schools decreased 24.6 per cent from 2019 to 2020 (-19,247). In calendar year 2020, US schools saw a 72 per cent decrease in new international student enrollment when compared to calendar year 2019.

New international students include those who were not enrolled in a programme of study at a US school during the previous calendar year. US schools saw dramatic decreases in new international student enrollment in both August and September, traditionally months where the largest numbers of new international students enroll in US schools.

In August 2020, there was a 91 per cent decrease in new F-1 international student enrollment and a 72 per cent decrease in new M-1 international student enrollment at US schools. In 2019, more than three K-12 schools enrolled more than 700 international students, with one school hosting more than 1,000 international students. In comparison, in 2020, only one school hosted more than 700 international students, the report said.

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Biden Inauguration Priest Under Investigation in California, Sent on Leave

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The Jesuit priest who presided over an inaugural Mass for President Joe Biden is under investigation for unspecified allegations and is on leave from his position as president of Santa Clara University in Northern California, according to a statement from the college’s board of trustees.

Rev. Kevin O’Brien allegedly “exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries,” according to the statement by John M. Sobrato, the board chairman.

O’Brien gave the service at Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, one of the most prominent Catholic churches in Washington, in January for Biden, who is the nation’s second Catholic president, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, their families and elected officials before the inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

O’Brien also presided over services for Biden’s inaugurations as vice president.

The priest has known Biden’s family for about 15 years, according to the university. O’Brien was then serving at Georgetown University, another Jesuit college. O’Brien has been president of Santa Clara University since July 2019.

Sobrato’s statement, posted Monday to the university’s website, did not specify the allegations against O’Brien but said the trustees “support those who came forward to share their accounts.”

Sobrato said that while O’Brien is on leave, the priest will be cooperating with the independent investigation, with conclusions to be shared with the Santa Clara University Board of Trustees. O’Brien didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tracey Primrose, spokeswoman for the Jesuits West Province, which is overseeing the investigation, did not elaborate on the investigations to The Mercury News.

“Jesuits are held to a professional code of conduct, and the Province investigates allegations that may violate or compromise established boundaries,” Primrose told the newspaper.

Primrose did not immediately respond to The Associated Press’ request for comment Thursday night.

O’Brien joined the Society of Jesus in 1996, according to the university, and was ordained to the priesthood in 2006.

Located in Silicon Valley, the Jesuit institution has an annual undergraduate enrollment of roughly 5,500 students. Ranked as one of the top 25 schools for undergraduate teaching nationwide, the private university has a million-dollar endowment and counts California Govs. Gavin Newsom and Jerry Brown among its alumni.

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Russia Recalls Envoy as Biden Says ‘Killer’ Putin Will ‘Pay the Price’ for Election Meddling

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Russia called its US ambassador back to Moscow for consultations on Wednesday after Joe Biden described Vladimir Putin as a “killer” who would “pay a price” for election meddling, prompting the first major diplomatic crisis for the new American president.

In an interview with ABC News, Biden was asked about a US intelligence report that the Russian leader tried to harm his candidacy in the November 2020 election and promote that of Donald Trump. “He will pay a price,” the 78-year-old Biden said.

Asked if he thought Putin, who has been accused of ordering the poisoning of opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other rivals, is a “killer,” Biden said: “I do.”

The comments were aired as the US Commerce Department announced it was toughening export restrictions imposed on Russia as punishment for Navalny’s poisoning.

Russia responded by summoning its envoy home, though the State Department did not reciprocate by recalling its own ambassador to Moscow.

“The Russian ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has been invited to come to Moscow for consultations conducted with the aim of analyzing what should be done and where to go in the context of ties with the United States,” the Russian foreign ministry said.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told RIA Novosti that “responsibility for further deterioration of Russian-American ties fully rests with the United States.”

In Washington, the State Department noted the Russian move and said the United States will “remain clear-eyed about the challenges that Russia poses.”

A State Department spokeswoman told AFP said the US envoy would remain in Moscow in in the hopes of maintaining “open channels of communication” and in order to “reduce the risk of miscalculation between our countries.”

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki was asked by reporters whether the president considers Putin literally or just metaphorically a killer.

“He does not hold back on his concerns about what we see as malign and problematic actions,” Psaki said, citing election interference, Navalny’s poisoning, cyberattacks and bounties on US troops in Afghanistan.

“He’s not going to hold back in his direct communications, nor is he going to hold back publicly,” she said. “We are not going to look the other way as we saw a little bit over the last four years.”

Biden told ABC News he had a “long talk” with Putin after taking office in January. “The conversation started off, I said, ‘I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared’,” Biden said.

Biden’s assessment that Putin is a “killer” marked a stark contrast with Trump’s steadfast refusal to say anything negative about the Russian president.

In a 2017 interview with Fox News, Trump was asked about Putin being a “killer.” “There are a lot of killers,” he replied. “You think our country’s so innocent?”

‘Know the other guy’

Despite his thoughts about the Russian leader, Biden said “there are places where it’s in our mutual interest to work together.”

“That’s why I renewed the START agreement with him,” he said of the nuclear treaty. “That occurred while he’s doing this, but that’s overwhelmingly in the interest of humanity, that we diminish the prospect of a nuclear exchange.”

Biden said he had learned from dealing with “an awful lot” of leaders during a political career spanning almost five decades — including eight years as vice president — that the most important thing was to “just know the other guy.”

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia’s lower house of parliament, denounced Biden for agreeing with the description of Putin as a “killer.”

“Biden insulted the citizens of our country,” Volodin said. “Attacks on (Putin) are attacks on our country.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the US determination that Russia had targeted election infrastructure during the 2020 presidential election as “absolutely groundless and unsubstantiated” and an excuse for new sanctions.

Tense relations

According to US intelligence, Putin and other senior officials “were aware of and probably directed” Russia’s influence operation to sway the vote in Trump’s favor.

It concluded, however, that the election results were not compromised. 

Russia faced allegations of US election meddling in 2016 for launching a social media campaign to boost Trump’s candidacy and discredit his opponent Hillary Clinton.

After Biden’s victory over Trump, Putin was among the last world leaders to congratulate the newly elected Democratic president.

Tensions between the former Cold War rivals have soared in recent months over hacking allegations and US demands that Russia free Navalny.

Navalny returned to Russia in January after being treated for the poisoning in Germany, and is serving a two-and-a-half year jail term in a penal colony outside Moscow.

The Commerce Department said the new sanctions prevent export to Russia of more items controlled for national security reasons, including technology and software.

“The Department of Commerce is committed to preventing Russia from accessing sensitive US technologies that might be diverted to its malign chemical weapons activities,” it said.

The latest sanctions add to US penalties imposed on Moscow since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. 

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U.S.: Worker says Amazon hung anti-union signs in bathroom stalls

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“No place was off limits,” said warehouse employee Jennifer Bates, who testified at a Washington hearing on income inequality

When Amazon found out that its workers were trying to form a union, the company put up signs across the warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, including in bathroom stalls, a worker said.

“No place was off limits,” said warehouse employee Jennifer Bates, who testified at a Washington hearing on income inequality.

Ms. Bates, who supports the unionising effort, described on March 17 how Amazon is pushing back against the biggest unionisation efforts at the company since its founding as an online bookstore in 1995.

Besides signs, she said Amazon sends messages to workers’ phones and forces employees to attend meetings a couple of times a week that can go on for nearly an hour.

“The company would just hammer on different reasons why the union was bad for us,” Ms. Bates said. “If someone spoke up and disagreed with what the company was saying, they would just shut the meeting down.” The stakes are high for Amazon. If organisers succeed in Bessemer, it could set off a chain reaction across Amazon’s operations nationwide, with more workers rising up and demanding better working conditions.

Meanwhile, labour advocates are hoping a win at the Alabama facility could help push the labour movement in the South, which hasn’t been hospitable to organised labour.

But organisers face an uphill battle. Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the country, has a history of crushing unionising efforts at its warehouses and its Whole Foods grocery stores.

On March 17, Amazon.com Inc. didn’t deny that it hung signs in bathrooms or that it held mandatory meetings. Instead it said in a statement that it is following all National Labour Relations Board rules and guidelines in Alabama and that it respects employees’ right to form, join or not join a labour union.

The Seattle-based company also said it takes Ms. Bates’s feedback seriously, but doesn’t believe her comments represent other employees.

“We encourage people to speak with the hundreds of thousands of Amazon employees who love their jobs, earn at least $15 an hour, receive comprehensive healthcare and paid leave benefits,” the company said in a statement.

The nearly 6,000 workers at the Bessemer warehouse have until the end of March to vote on whether they want to unionise.

Big names have come out in support of the unionisation efforts, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, and Stacey Abrams, the one-time Democratic candidate for Georgia governor who has become a leading voice on voting rights. Last week, Sen. Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, backed organisers as did Black Lives Matter. Most of the workers in the warehouse are Black, according to organisers.

Earlier this month, President Joe Biden released a two-minute video saying workers in Alabama and around the country had the right to unionise without intimidation from their companies, but he didn’t mention Amazon directly.

Ms. Bates, who testified virtually in the hearing on March 17 before the Senate Budget Committee, called working at the warehouse “gruelling” because of all the walking she has to do in the facility, which is the size of 14 football fields. Ms. Bates said she hoped the union would set more break times, force Amazon to treat workers with respect and pay more than the $15 an hour minimum the company currently pays.

“All we want is to make Amazon a better place to work. Yet Amazon is acting like they are under attack,” Ms. Bates said. “Maybe if they spent less time and money trying to stop the union they would hear what we are saying.”

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NY school in culture war crosshairs over ‘inclusive language guide’

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NEW YORK: A principal at a private Manhattan school is defending his institution’s “inclusive language guide” after it gained media attention this week as part of a larger debate on political correctness and so-called cancel culture in the United States.

The guide steered those involved with the school toward rephrasing language on gender, families, sexual orientation and race, among other topics.

It suggested replacing such terms as “Mom and Dad” with “grown-ups, folks, or family” and “nanny/babysitter” with “caregiver.”

Grace Church School in Manhattan’s Noho neighborhood posted the 12-page guidance in September, according to US news outlets.

The guide became a hot topic thanks to media coverage fueled by pro-Trump Fox commentator Sean Hannity on Thursday.

“As you have likely seen from yesterday’s press, we have found ourselves in the eye of the culture war storm this week, and it is important to remember why we are proud to be there,” school head George Davison said in a letter.

The debate comes as the United States grapples with issues surrounding race and as the coronavirus pandemic and attendant recession has laid bare economic inequality, all against the backdrop of the wider #MeToo movement.

“If the boorish ‘cancel culture’ press wants to condemn us a newly dubbed ‘Woke Noho’ school of politeness, dignity and respect, then I embrace it, and I hope you will too,” Davison said.

The cancel culture movement seeks to call out and punish offensive behavior but is denounced by critics as excessive and contributing to increased political polarization.

Stating that gender-inclusive language could “provide critical affirmation to students across the gender spectrum,” the school guide advised that “one way to achieve this is to take gender out of text where it’s unnecessary.”

Other suggestions included replacing such terms as “boys and girls,” “guys,” and “ladies and gentlemen” with words like “people, folks, friends, readers, mathematicians.”

The guide also called on students to introduce themselves in class using the pronouns they wish to use to talk about themselves.

“Our inclusive language guide does not ban any words,” Davison said.

Grace Church School, which is Episcopalian and was founded in 1894, has some 770 students ranging in age from early childhood through the end of high school.

Debate surrounding the school’s language guide comes on the heels of six books by popular children’s author Dr Seuss being pulled by their publisher over imagery considered racist, and toymaker Hasbro rebranding the logo and packaging of the popular Mr Potato Head toy as simply “Potato Head.”



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American Being Held in Russia Has Been Transferred Without Notice, Family Spokesperson Says

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Trevor Reed, an American jailed in Russia, was transferred without notice to a different pre-detention center last week and his family has not heard from him since, according to the family spokesperson.

“On March 2nd, Trevor was taken by two urbane, English speaking FSB agents to a Court ordered evaluation. After that exam, he was inexplicably taken to a different pre-detention center without consular notification and has been held non-comm since in violation of Russia’s multilateral obligations,” spokesperson Jonathan Franks said.

“It is time for the Russian government to tell the truth about where Trevor Reed is now and where he has been since March 2nd and to afford the Embassy immediate, in-person and unfettered consular access to Trevor in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations to which the Russian Federation is a signatory,” Franks added.

Franks told CNN the family’s understanding is he was transferred to SIZO 2, which includes Lefortovo Prison in Moscow.

A State Department spokesperson told CNN on Friday that “Embassy Moscow is aware of Trevor Reed’s whereabouts and has requested a phone call and an in-person meeting with him.”

CNN has reached out to the Russian embassy for comment.

A Russian court sentenced Reed to nine years in prison in July 2020 for endangering “life and health” of Russian police officers in an altercation. Reed, an ex-Marine, denies the charges and US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan called the trial “theater of the absurd.”

In a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said he was committed bringing Reed home and to raising the case with his Russian counterparts, which he said he did in his first call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

According to a readout of that early February call, Blinken “reiterated President Biden’s resolve to protect American citizens and act firmly in defense of U.S. interests in response to actions by Russia that harm us or our allies. This includes the release of Paul Whelan and Trevor Reed so that they are able to return home to their families in the United States.”

Whelan, another former Marine, has been detained in Russia since December 2018 and was was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020. He has denied the spying charges.

Both the Reed and Whelan families — along with the loved ones of other Americans held hostage or unlawfully detained abroad — spoke with the top US diplomat in February.

Paula Reed, Trevor’s mother, told CNN at the time the call “just made my heart sing. I felt like a whole weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt heard. I felt cared for. And it was just, it was awesome to feel that way.”

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First Meet of Quad Heads Likely Soon, Joe Biden to Join Talks: Australian PM

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Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday indicated that the leaders of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) block will hold their first meeting in the coming days. Amid Beijing’s rising influence, the US, Japan, India and Australia will seek to counter China and discuss ties in the Indo-Pacific region. “This will become a feature of Indo-Pacific engagement,” said Morrison.

While no final dates have been announced, the meeting is likely to be held virtually.

US President Joe Biden is going to be part of the talks. “This is one of the first things President Biden and Idiscussed when we spoke some weeks ago. And I spoke to Vice-President KamalaHarris just this past week,” ANI quoted Morrison.

Stressing on the importance of the ‘Quad’ meeting, the Australian prime minister said, ” The Quad is very central to the US and our thinking about the region, and looking at the Indo-Pacific also through the prism of our ASEAN partners and their vision of the Indo-Pacific. I am looking forward to that first gathering of the Quad leaders.”

Further, he expressed hopes that the talks would be followed by face-to-face meetings.

“The President and indeed, the Secretary of State, have made clear that their re-engagement in multilateral organisations, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, is key to building stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific. We share that view. We encourage that view. And we strongly welcome that view. And so I am looking forward to that first gathering of the Quad leaders. It will be the first-ever such gathering,” added Morrison.

‘Quad’ is a security grouping that is seen by many analysts as a group of democracies India, Japan, Australia and the United States coming together to counterbalance China in the Asia-Pacific region.

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US Blocked Myanmar Junta Attempt to Empty $1Bn New York Fed Account: Report

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Myanmar’s military rulers attempted to move about $1 billion held at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York days after seizing power on February 1, prompting US officials to put a freeze on the funds, according to three people familiar with the matter, including one US government official.

The transaction on February 4 in the name of the Central Bank of Myanmar was first blocked by Fed safeguards. US government officials then stalled on approving the transfer until an executive order issued by President Joe Biden gave them legal authority to block it indefinitely, the sources said.

A spokesman for the New York Fed declined to comment on specific account holders. The US Treasury Department also declined to comment.

The attempt, which has not been previously reported, came after Myanmar’s military installed a new central bank governor and detained reformist officials during the coup.

It marked an apparent effort by Myanmar’s generals to limit exposure to international sanctions after they arrested elected officials, including de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who had won a national election in November. The army seized power alleging fraud, claims that the electoral commission has dismissed.

A spokesman for Myanmar’s military government did not answer repeated calls seeking comment. Reuters was unable to reach officials at the central bank.

The United States, Canada, the European Union and Britain have all issued fresh sanctions following the coup and the army’s subsequent deadly crackdown on demonstrators. The United Nations said on Thursday that at least 54 people have been killed since the coup. More than 1,700 people had been arrested, including 29 journalists.

Announcing a new executive order paving the way for sanctions on the generals and their businesses, Biden said on Feb. 10 that the United States was taking steps to prevent the generals from “improperly having access” to $1 billion in Myanmar government funds.

US officials did not explain the statement at the time, but an executive order issued the next day specifically names the Central Bank of Myanmar as part of Myanmar’s government. The order authorizes the seizure of assets of Myanmar’s post-coup government.

Two sources told Reuters the executive order was designed to provide the New York Fed with the legal authority to hold the $1 billion of Myanmar reserves indefinitely.

‘CURRENT EVENTS’

Myanmar’s reserves would be managed by part of the New York Fed known as Central Bank and International Account Services (CBIAS), where many central banks keep US dollar reserves for purposes such as settling transactions.

An attempt to empty the account was made on Feb. 4, but was blocked automatically by processes that had been put in place at the New York Fed before the coup, two of the sources said.

One source said that was because transactions involving Myanmar require extra scrutiny as the country last year was placed on the international Financial Action Task Force’s “gray list” for money laundering concerns, in part because of the risk of proceeds from drug trafficking being washed through its banks.

CBIAS’ compliance manual, made public in 2016, says New York Fed guidelines include provisions for responding to developments in account-holding nations.

“When appropriate,” it says, the bank’s legal department “will be in communication with the US Department of State in order to clarify current events and any changes that may affect the central bank and corresponding control of the FRBNY account.”

The State Department declined to comment on this story.

Myanmar’s generals appeared to be firmly in control of the Central Bank of Myanmar at the time of the attempted withdrawal.

When the military took charge in Myanmar on Feb. 1, it installed a new central bank governor and detained key economic officials, including Bo Bo Nge, the reformist deputy governor and Suu Kyi ally, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. As of Thursday, he remains under detention, according to the association.

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WATCH: Singer Dolly Parton Marks Her Covid Vaccination with Rendition of Her Hit Song Jolene

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American country music singer Dolly Parton received the Moderna coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday but in her own unique musical way. The 75-year-old singer, who also funded the research for the Moderna vaccine in the US, sang a Covid version of her hit song ‘Jolene’ urging people to take the shot.

Taking to her social media handle, Dolly posted a video where she was seen singing praises of the vaccine. Sharing the three-minute fifty-five-second video on Twitter, the singer captioned it as “Dolly gets a dose of her own medicine.” The video opens with the artist enthusiastically announcing that she is finally getting her vaccine shot. She further says that she is old enough to get it earlier and she is smart enough to get it. The singer also urges her followers and fans to get the vaccine shot and said that she has even changed her song to fit the occasion.

She sings her pandemic rendition of Jolene as: “Vaccine Vaccine Vaccine Vaccine, I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate.” With her trademark heavy southern American accent Dolly sings, “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, because once you’re dead, then that’s a bit too late.”

But that was not all, Dolly further says in the video that she knows that she is trying to be funny now, but she is dead serious about the vaccine. The philanthropist, who donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, which worked with the pharmaceutical company Moderna to develop one of the first coronavirus vaccines to be authorized in the US, said in the video that we all should want to get back to normal, whatever that might be, with a great shot in the arm.

The businesswoman also said in the video: “I just want to say to all of you cowards out there, don’t be such a chicken squat.” She added that people should get out there and get their shot. After sending out her message, Dolly welcomed the doctor who, as she likes to put it, popped her in the arm with the vaccine shot at Vanderbilt Health in Tennessee.



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