USA

29 May 2021; MEMO: More than 600 international musicians have signed an appeal calling upon their peers to boycott performances in Israel in solidarity with Palestine, Consequence Sound has reported.

Washington, May 29 (PTI) There is a recognition in the US that India is an important part of the conversation when it comes to talk about the future of Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said.

Jaishankar, who is in the US on an official trip, said the situation in Afghanistan, from where the US is in the process of withdrawing its troops, was discussed during his meetings with Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan.

WASHINGTON, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States will introduce a series of sanction measures against Belarus over the Ryanair flight diversion incident, the White House said Friday.

"On June 3, 2021, the United States will re-impose full blocking sanctions against nine Belarusian state-owned enterprises previously granted relief under a series of General Licenses by the Treasury Department," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Friday lauded China's efforts in stepping up vaccination abroad and at home, stressing that pandemic policy is now the best economic policy.

"We must vaccinate at least 40 percent of the population of all countries by end-2021, and at least 60 percent by mid-2022," Georgieva said in opening remarks for the spring meetings of the International Finance Forum (IFF), a non-profit, unofficial international organization headquartered in Beijing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it believes U.S. government agencies largely fended off the latest cyberespionage onslaught blamed on Russian intelligence operatives, saying the spear-phishing campaign should not further damage relations with Moscow ahead of next month’s planned presidential summit.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The gunman who nursed a seething hatred of his California workplace amassed an arsenal and 25,000 rounds of ammunition at the home he tried to burn down before killing nine co-workers at a rail yard, authorities said after searching the residence.

Samuel James Cassidy’s home in San Jose was a hoarder’s nest of clutter and weaponry that included 12 guns, nearly two dozen cans of gasoline and a dozen or more suspected Molotov cocktails, Santa Clara County sheriff’s officials said Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans blocked creation of a bipartisan panel to investigate the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, displaying continuing party loyalty to former President Donald Trump and firm determination to shift the political focus away from the violent insurrection by his GOP supporters.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The calls can come late in the day, over the weekend, really any time a question pops into the mind of a legislator or aide. The meetings may dispense pleasantries from Team Biden — or get testy. The topic can be one arcane fact or a deep dive into the nuances of policy.

UNITED NATIONS, May 28 (APP): India’s abstention on a resolution at the United Nations Human Rights Council Thursday that called for the establishment of an international independent commission to investigate Israel’s aggression in Gaza marked a decisive shift in its Middle East policy — away from Palestine and towards Israel, diplomats said.

The 47-member Council, which is based in Geneva, adopted the resolution put forward by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) by a vote of 24-9, with 14 abstentions.

Washington, May 28 (AP-PTI) The Biden administration informed Russia on Thursday that it will not rejoin a key arms control pact, even as the two sides prepare for a summit next month between their leaders, the State Department said.