DONALD TRUMP BANS H-1B TECH WORKERS FROM FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order restricting

federal agencies from contracting or subcontracting foreign workers, hurting

Indian IT professionals who work in the US on the H-1B visa.

The move came over a month after the Trump administration in June 23

suspended the H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas until

the end of 2020 to protect American workers in a crucial election year. The

new restrictions took effect from June 24.

"Today I am signing an executive order to ensure that the federal government

lives by a very simple rule. Hire American," Trump told reporters in the

Oval Office of the White House before signing the order against hiring H1B

visa holders for federal contracts.

Trump told reporters that his administration will not tolerate firing of

hardworking Americans in the pursuit of cheap foreign labour.

"As we speak, we're finalising the H-1B regulation so that no American

workers be replaced ever again. H-1B should be used for top highly paid

talent to create American jobs, not as inexpensive labour programmes and

destroy American job," said the president who was surrounded across the

Cabinet Room table with individuals campaigning against job outsourcing.

CORONAVIRUS: WHO WARNS OF 'NO SILVER BULLET' AMID VACCINE SEARCH

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that while there is

hope for a vaccine against Covid-19, one might never be found.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news briefing there was "no silver bullet

at the moment - and there might never be".

Mr Tedros implored people around the world to comply with measures such as

social distancing, hand-washing and mask-wearing, saying: "Do it all."

Globally, more than 18 million Covid-19 infections have been recorded.

The death toll stands at 689,000, with both figures given by the US-based

Johns Hopkins University.

Speaking from its headquarters in Geneva, the WHO chief said work on

immunisation was progressing.

"A number of vaccines are now in phase 3 clinical trials, and we all hope to

have a number of effective vaccines that can help prevent people from

infection.

"However, there is no silver bullet at the moment, and there might never

be," Mr Tedros warned. "For now, stopping outbreaks comes down to the basics

of public health and disease control: testing, isolating and treating

patients, and tracing and quarantining their contacts."

FIERCE COMPETITION STARTS BETWEEN US, CHINA FOR ENERGY CORRIDORS IN CENTRAL

ASIA

As the US has called "for a new alliance of democracies" to counter China's

aggressive policies, Beijing has begun adding more potential new trade and

energy corridors linking Central Asia with South Asia and the Middle East.

"Fundamental realignments are taking place across the world at a

challenging, transformative time in international affairs when global power

is shifting to the East. Our region is no exception and is also witnessing a

reordering of relationships," Maleeha Lodhi, who has served as Pakistan's

ambassador to Britain, the US and the United Nations, was quoted as saying

by the South China Morning Post.

To counter China's expansionist policies in the South China Sea, the US is

on a mission to have a quadrilateral alliance with Japan, Australia and

India.

Recently, the US special representative to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad was

for the first time accompanied by Adam Boehler, chief executive of the US

International Development Finance Corporation, to tour Qatar, Pakistan,

Afghanistan, Norway and Bulgaria.

In a series of meetings with the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Afghanistan

and the five Central Asian republics - as well as Taliban negotiators based

in Qatar - Khalilzad and Boehler sought to reinforce the message that

Washington intends to remain the top geopolitical player in Afghanistan, on

the basis of its continuing role as the country's major financier, South

China Morning Post reported.

CALL FOR TIKTOK SECURITY CHECK BEFORE HQ DECISION

An influential backbench MP has called on the government to carry out a

security review of TikTok before its Chinese owner decides whether to base

the app in the UK.

Neil O'Brien - co-founder of the China Research Group of Tory MPs - said the

intelligence services should publish a report into the matter.

President Trump is threatening to ban TikTok in the US.

This has forced the app to ditch plans to establish its headquarters there.

However, the US president has since given it an ultimatum to sell its local

business to an American firm.

He added that "a very substantial portion of that price" should go to the US

Treasury "because we're making it possible for this deal to happen".

Microsoft has confirmed it is in talks to buy TikTok's service in the US,

Canada, Australia and New Zealand - all the members of the Five Eyes

intelligence alliance, except the UK.

The app's Chinese parent company Bytedance has confirmed this had forced a

rethink.

"In light of the current situation, Bytedance has been evaluating the

possibility of establishing TikTok's headquarters outside of the US, to

better serve our global users," it said in a brief statement.

The Sun newspaper had reported on the weekend that the UK government had

already approved TikTok setting up its HQ in London, and an announcement

would be made this week.

However a source told the BBC that Bytedance had yet to make a final

decision, although London was on a short list of possibilities.

Dublin and Singapore have been reported to be the other options.

BEIJING: US HARASSING CHINESE RESEARCHERS

China on Monday accused the United States of "monitoring, harassing and

willfully detaining" Chinese students and researchers in the US.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin's comments follow the denial of a

bail request in California for a university researcher accused of lying

about her ties to China's military and Communist Party to gain access to the

United States.

Wang said China had no intention of helping Juan Tang escape the country,

but did not otherwise comment directly on the accusations against her.

However, he said China urges the US to "handle the case fairly in accordance

with the law and ensure the safety and legitimate rights and interests" due

to Tang.

"For some time, the US with ideological prejudice, keeps monitoring,

harassing and willfully detaining Chinese students and researchers, and

making presumptions of guilt against Chinese researchers," Wang said. "The

US actions have seriously violated the legitimate rights and interests of

Chinese citizens and severely disrupted the normal cultural and personnel

exchanges between China and the US, which amounts to outright political

persecution," he said.

In denying bail, US Magistrate Judge Deborah Barnes said Tang, 37, would

have reason to leave the country if released. Tang has been held without

bail since July 23 when she was arrested after she left the Chinese

Consulate in San Francisco for treatment. The researcher and three other

scientists face charges of lying about their status as PLA members.

ISRAELI AIRCRAFT HIT SYRIA AFTER SQUAD TRIED TO BOMB BORDER FENCE, MILITARY

SAYS

Israeli aircraft attacked targets in Syria on Monday, the military said,

describing the strikes as retaliation for an attempted bombing of the border

fence by an enemy squad.

Tensions have risen along Israel's northern front since a fighter with the

Iranian-backed Lebanese movement Hezbollah was killed in an apparent Israeli

air strike in Syria two weeks ago.

Monday's strikes hit Syrian observation posts, intelligence collection

systems, anti-aircraft batteries and command-and-control bases, an Israeli

military statement said.

Syrian state media said Israeli helicopters fired at Syrian checkpoints in

al-Qunaitra, on the Golan Heights, causing material losses. There was no

immediate word of any casualties.

The Israeli military said it was responding to an attempt by a group of four

people to plant explosives on a patrolled fence along the Golan armistice

line between Israel and Syria.

In that incident, reported by Israel early on Monday, the military fired on

the squad. Surveillance video showed the group engulfed in an explosion. An

Israeli military spokesman referred to them as "former terrorists,"

suggesting they had been killed.

The military spokesman, Lieutenant-Colonel Jonathan Conricus, said it was

too soon to say if the squad belonged to any organization, but that Israel

held "the Syrian regime accountable".

There was no comment from Syria on the fence incident.

CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS, WHITE HOUSE CITE PROGRESS IN TALKS ON CORONAVIRUS

BILL

The top Democrats in the U.S. Congress and White House negotiators on Monday

said they had made progress in talks on a new coronavirus relief bill,

though the administration said President Donald Trump could act alone if no

deal is reached.

A key sticking point remains what to do about the $600-per-week enhanced

unemployment benefit, a key lifeline for the tens of millions of Americans

thrown out of work during the pandemic, which expired on Friday.

"We're making some progress on certain issues, moving closer together,"

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters after Monday's talks.

"There are a lot of issues that are still outstanding. But I think there is

a desire to get something done as soon as we can."

Schumer, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Treasury Secretary

Steve Mnuchin and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows spent about two

hours in talks on Capitol Hill. Mnuchin reported "a little bit of progress"

in the talks.

"We're open to a bigger package if we can reach an agreement," Mnuchin told

reporters. But Meadows later shot down that idea.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on next moves, with

Democrats standing behind a $3 trillion plan that passed the House in May

and Republicans raising concerns over their own $1 trillion proposal laid

out by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell last week.

FRANCE HALTS RATIFICATION OF HONG KONG EXTRADITION TREATY

France on Monday said it was halting ratification of an extradition treaty

with Hong Kong over China's controversial national security law for the

city, just hours after Beijing suspended a similar pact with New Zealand.

"In light of the latest developments, France will not proceed as it stands

with the ratification of the extradition agreement signed on May 4, 2017

between France and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region," the French

foreign ministry said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, China suspended Hong Kong's extradition treaty with New

Zealand.

France and New Zealand are the latest to join a string of Western powers

including Canada, UK, Australia and Germany that suspended extradition

treaties with Hong Kong since the controversial law was introduced in late

June.