U.K., U.S., CANADA ACCUSE RUSSIA OF HACKING COVID-19 VACCINE TRIALS

The US, UK and Canada have accused Russia of trying to steal coronavirus vaccine research as the pandemic surges across the world, with Brazil announcing it has surpassed two million confirmed cases.

In the latest positive sign, British media reported on Thursday that an Oxford University trial had shown its prototype vaccine generated an immune response against the virus.

But hours later, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre said a hacking group called APT29 had targeted British labs conducting vaccine research to “steal valuable intellectual property”.

The agency said it was “almost certain (95%+) that APT29 are part of the Russian Intelligence Services” and its targeting of researchers was “highly likely (80-90%)” to “collect information on COVID-19 vaccine research”.

The US, UK and Canada all accused Russia in a joint security advisory.

Moscow denied any involvement, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: “Russia has nothing to do with these attempts.”

Anthony Fauci, director of the (US) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said yesterday that he expects results for a clinical trial on monoclonal antibodies by late summer or early fall, underscoring the speed at which the government has been working to quickly approve and roll out treatment for the novel coronavirus.

“What we really need are drugs that, when given early, can prevent a symptomatic person from requiring hospitalization or very dramatically diminish the time that they’re symptomatic,” Fauci said during a Facebook Live interview on Thursday. Monoclonal antibodies can be administrated intravenously or through a shot.

OLI’S FINAL WORD: WON’T RESIGN, WILL FACE PARTY STANDING COMMITTEE TODAY

Prime Minister K P Oli on Thursday told his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda that he would not resign, and that he would face the Nepal Communist Party’s standing committee meeting on Friday.

The developments came after a two-and-a-half hour meeting between Oli, Prachanda and another dissident leader and former prime minister Madhav Kumar Nepal.

The standing committee meeting that began three weeks ago had been adjourned four times, last on July 10, for a week on the insistence of a group of 11 party leaders in order to attempt to resolve the issues. However, with Thursday’s meeting ending in failure, sources feared that the party could be split.

The two top leaders — Oli and Prachanda — met one-on-one at least four times during this period. Oli has maintained that while he was willing to address any issue, he would not resign under pressure. As per a party sources, Oli had told Prachanda that resigning either as party chief or prime minister was out of the question.

WANT TO DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO KEEP PEACE FOR PEOPLE OF INDIA, CHINA, SAYS U.S. PRESIDENT TRUMP

U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he wants to do everything possible to keep peace for the people of India and China, according to his spokesperson.

Over the past several weeks, the Trump administration has come out in support of India against China.

He (Mr. Trump) said I love the people of India and I love the people of China and I want to do everything possible to keep the peace for the people, White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters at a news conference here on Thursday.

She was responding to a question on Mr. Trump’s message to India, which recently had a stand-off with China in eastern Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control.

Earlier in the day, White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow described India as a great ally, saying President Trump is a great friend of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

UN DESIGNATES PAKISTAN TALIBAN LEADER NOOR MEHSUD AS GLOBAL TERRORIST

The United Nations on Thursday (local time) designated Pakistan based terror organisation Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan’s leader, Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, as a global terrorist.

The United States Security Council 1267 Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee added Mehsud to its ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions List.

Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud was listed pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 4 of resolution 2368 (2017) for “participating in the financing, planning, facilitating or perpetrating of acts or activities by, in conjunction with, under the name of, on behalf of, or in support of” entities associated with Al-Qaida.

The United States has welcomed the development.

EU LEADERS MEET IN PUSH FOR COVID RECOVERY DEAL

EU leaders meet on Friday for the first face-to-face summit since the coronavirus crisis, with low expectations of a deal on a €750bn (£670bn) post-Covid stimulus package.

The main issue is how much of the recovery fund will be handed out in grants and how much in loans.

They also need to agree on a seven-year budget worth another €1.07 trillion.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned ahead of the summit that "the positions are still far apart".

The Brussels meeting is due to continue on Saturday but EU leaders may need longer to reach a deal. A French official said an agreement this weekend was possible but certainly needed to be wrapped up by the end of the summer.

OXFORD RAISES VACCINE HOPES

Researchers at the University of Oxford believe they may have a breakthrough in their search for a Covid-19 vaccine after the team discovered that the jab could provide "double protection" against the deadly virus following early stage human trials, according to media reports in the UK.

174 INDIAN NATIONALS FILE LAWSUIT AGAINST PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION ON H-1B

A lawsuit has been filed by a group of 174 Indians, including seven minors, against the recent presidential proclamation on H-1B that would prevent them from entering the US due to the suspension of issuing of foreign work visas for the rest of the year.

In his presidential proclamation on June 22, President Donald Trump temporarily suspended issuing of H-1B work visas till the end of the year.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries namely India and China.

The lawsuit was filed by the Indians in the US District Court in the District of Columbia on Tuesday.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson at the US District Court for the District of Columbia issued summonses on Wednesday to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad F Wolf, along with Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia.

The lawsuit seeks an order declaring the presidential proclamation restriction on issuing new H-1B or H-4 visas or admitting new H-1B or H-4 visa holders as unlawful.

The lawsuit also urges the court to compel the Department of State to issue decisions on pending requests for H-1B and H-4 visas.

TWITTER HACK: FBI INVESTIGATES MAJOR ATTACK

The FBI has launched an investigation after hackers hijacked Twitter accounts of a number of high-profile US figures in an apparent Bitcoin scam.

"The accounts appear to have been compromised in order to perpetuate cryptocurrency fraud," said the bureau, urging the public to be vigilant.

Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Joe Biden were among those hit in what Twitter said was a "co-ordinated" attack.

Their official accounts requested donations in the cryptocurrency.

The US Senate Commerce committee has demanded Twitter brief it about Wednesday's incident by 23 July.

It added that "significant steps" had been taken to limit access to such internal systems and tools while the company's investigation continues.

The tech firm has also blocked users from being able to tweet Bitcoin wallet addresses for the time being.

TIKTOK COULD OPERATE AS AMERICAN COMPANY, SAYS WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL

TikTok pulling itself out of its Chinese holding company and operating as an independent American company is a much better solution than banning, a top White House official said on Thursday.

There are reports that TikTok is going to pull out of the holding company, which is China, and operate as an independent American company, White House Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow told reporters here.

When asked whether any American company would like to buy the Chinese firm, he said, “I don’t want to speculate on that.”

“That’s really a market question, but I’m just saying that’s a much better solution than banning,” he said.

The top White House economic advisor, responding to another question, said that the servers of TikTok, after becoming an American company, will be in the US and not in China.

MINORITIES UNDER ATTACK AS PM IMRAN KHAN PUSHES ‘TOLERANT’ PAKISTAN

It’s been a tough month for religious minorities in Pakistan, and observers warn of even tougher times ahead as Prime Minister Imran Khan vacillates between trying to forge a pluralistic nation and his conservative Islamic beliefs.

A Christian was gunned down because he rented in a Muslim neighbourhood in northwest Peshawar, not far from the border with Afghanistan. Another Christian, pastor Haroon Sadiq Cheeda, his wife and 12-year-old son were beaten by their Muslim neighbours in eastern Punjab and told to leave their village. The attackers screamed “you are infidels”.

An opposition politician was charged this week with blasphemy after declaring all religions were equal. A senior political figure, allied with the government and backed by Islamic extremists, stopped construction of a Hindu temple in the capital Islamabad.

Analysts and activists blame an increase in attacks on an indecisive Mr. Khan. They say he preaches a vision of a tolerant Pakistan where its religious minorities thrive as equals among an overwhelming Muslim majority. They say that at the same time he cedes power to extreme Islamic clerics, bowing to their demands and turning to them for the final say, even on matters of state.

“Imran Khan no doubt wants a more tolerant Pakistan, wants more accommodation for minorities, but the problem is he nullifies all of this by empowering extremist elements, so much so that it seems they can dictate to the state,” said Zahid Hussain, analyst and author of two books that track militancy in the region.

The spokesman for Mr. Khan’s Religious Affairs Ministry, Imran Siddiqui, dismissed complaints that minorities have reason to be concerned. He said in every religion, there are “aggressive” clerics but neither Pakistan nor the Prime Minister were unduly pressured by them.

TAIWAN MIGHT SEE IMMIGRANT INFLUX FROM HONG KONG AS FEAR AGAINST SECURITY LAW GROWS

Amid fear of persecution under the new Hong Kong security law, a growing number of Hong Kongers are mulling relocating to Taiwan to protect themselves from the Chinese crackdown.

Many people have preferred Taiwan due to its proximity and cultural similarities, DW reported.

The Taiwanese government has opened an office on July 1 to help Hong Kongers who seek legal residency in Taiwan, in anticipation of an influx of immigrants.

“The new office was created precisely to more efficiently evaluate and process applications on a case-by-case basis,” said Kolas Yotaka, spokesperson at Taiwan’s presidential office, adding that existing resources are sufficient to handle the possible increase in arrivals.