North America

Washington, May 8 (PTI) The US is working to temporarily ban the issuance of some work-based visas like H-1B, popular among highly-skilled Indian IT professionals, as well as students visas and work authorisation that accompanies them, amidst the high level of unemployment due to the coronavirus, according to a media report on Friday.

Washington, May 9 (AP) Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary has the coronavirus, the White House said, making her the second person who works at the White House complex known to test positive for the virus this week.

President Donald Trump, who publicly identified the affected Pence aide, said he was not worried about the virus spreading in the White House. Nonetheless, officials said they were stepping up safety protocols for the complex.

UNITED NATIONS, May 9 (NNN-XINHUA) – A Chinese envoy called for multi-lateralism on the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.

“Multi-lateralism is a collective choice made by humanity, at the cost of a world war. Thanks to multi-lateralism, mankind has enjoyed 75 years of peace and development. No country can make itself great in isolation,” said Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the UN.

NEW YORK, May 08 (APP): The US military is removing Patriot antimissile systems from Saudi Arabia as part of a shift of forces and equipment in the region following a buildup last year in response to the alleged Iranian threats, The Hill newspaper reported Friday, citing a US official.

The Wall Street Journal first reported that Washington was pulling four Patriot missile batteries from the region.

The Hill said the US official confirmed that two Patriot systems would come from Saudi Arabia — along with the roughly 300 military personnel deployed to man them.

UNITED NATIONS, May 09 (APP): Voicing deep concern over rising anti-Muslim attacks in parts of the world, Pakistan has called on the UN Security Council to act and prevent impending atrocities, including against the Muslims in India and in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are, unfortunately, witnessing a global resurgence of right wing and fascist ideologies, hate speech, xenophobia, Islamophobia, incitement to violence and acts of brutal violence,” Ambassador Munir Akram said during a Security Council “Arria Formula” meeting on Friday.

WASHINGTON, May 9. /TASS/: The misinformation campaign unleashed in a number of countries in order to belittle the role of the Soviet Union in the victory over Nazism is unacceptable, and the Russian side should not be silent in response, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Saturday.

WASHINGTON, May 9. /TASS/: The focus of the presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, on the development of bilateral cooperation does not match statements of some officials in Washington, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told reporters on Saturday.

9 May 2020; AFP: The United States on Friday stunned other members of the UN Security Council by preventing a vote on a resolution for a ceasefire in various conflicts around the world to help troubled nations better fight the coronavirus pandemic, diplomats said.

Washington's reversal came a day after it agreed to the text, negotiators said under cover of anonymity.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of U.S. congressional foreign affairs committees wrote to nearly 60 countries on Friday asking them to support Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organization, citing the need for the broadest effort possible to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

Taiwan, which is not a member of the United Nations, has been excluded from the WHO, which is a U.N. agency, due to objections from China.

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Germany's federal intelligence agency doubts U.S. allegations that COVID-19 "originated in a Chinese laboratory", saying the allegations were aimed at diverting attention from U.S. failure to contain the disease, U.S. television network CNBC said, citing a German magazine report on Friday.