BRICS media can help promote cultural exchanges, says expert

(Xinhua)11:03, December 01, 2020

JOHANNESBURG, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) — Media outlets play a significant role in promoting people-to-people exchanges among BRICS countries, an expert has said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Trust Matsilele, journalism lecturer at Cape Peninsula University of Technology in South Africa, said while trade and economic cooperation among BRICS countries has received adequate coverage in the media, the coverage of cultural exchanges remains insufficient.

Matsilele said the media play a role in highlighting for the public the cultural uniqueness of the BRICS countries, which include Brazil, China, India, Russia, India and South Africa.

The promotion of cultural exchanges among BRICS countries also has its economic benefits, he said.

I think one of the most important things is that people-to-people cooperation can translate into improved economic trade, the expert said.

Matsilele also pointed out that recent years have witnessed deepening media cooperation among BRICS countries, adding that a growing number of Chinese and Russian media outlets have sent their reporters to South Africa.

The call for increased media coverage of cultural exchanges came ahead of the virtual fifth BRICS Media Forum on Monday.

U.S. losing support in international community over political bullying

By JiPing (Peoples Daily Online)10:39, November 10, 2020

Gross interference in other countries’ domestic affairs is a distinctive feature of American hegemony and diplomacy.

Taking advantage of its economic, military, scientific and technological strength, the U.S. has long been notorious for adopting every possible means and exerting all its authority to meddle in other countries’ internal affairs, posing serious threats to global political security.

Since the end of World War Ⅱ, there hasn’t been one large-scale war in the world that was not directly or indirectly connected to the U.S., and no continued unrest in the world that it has not manipulated.

The country’s acts of seeking hegemony through wars have only intensified over time, along with its unscrupulous intention to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries.

In 2001, U.S. troops entered Afghanistan in the name of fighting terrorism. However, after 13 years of continuous war, on which the U.S. spent $900 billion and several thousand U.S. soldiers lost their lives in a foreign land, the situation has only become worse.

In 2003, under the pretext that Iraq was in possession of ”weapons of mass destruction”, the U.S. bypassed the United Nations (UN) and overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime through a massive offensive, eventually seizing control of the country’s oil reserves. Nine years of war in Iraq resulted in several hundred thousand deaths in the country.

In 2011, the U.S. imposed sanctions against Syria in the name of the UN. Rumors that Syria had used chemical weapons gave Western countries justification to intervene with the use of force. However, the issue turned out to be another unjust and unresolved case.

By launching or directly taking part in wars, as well as taking advantage of the UN or bypassing it to go its own way, the U.S. has, in fact, wantonly interfered in other countries’ domestic affairs, adopting a high-handed approach of using force to further its own interests.

All the reasons it gives for meddling in other countries’ internal affairs have been proven to be lame excuses, and even pure lies and tricks. The U.S. has acted in a way that is no different than that of a robber.

While frequently resorting to the use of force to directly interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, the US has never stopped manipulating the global political situation from behind the scenes.

History will never forget the color revolutions in the former Soviet Union and the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa, which were all inflicted upon the world at the beginning of the century.

From the Orange Revolution and the Velvet Revolution to the Tulip Revolution, Rose Revolution, and the Jasmine Revolution, and even the turmoil in China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, all these events have an evil backstage manipulator: the U.S.

Through open interference from its government and behind-the-scenes manipulations by its so-call “non-governmental organizations,” the U.S. has spared no effort to bring about political changes in some countries, and even in their regimes.

The color revolution is the ugliest means the country has used to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, and the most dangerous guise for bringing about so-called “peaceful evolution” in countries that have different ideologies, political systems, and development paths from that of the U.S., as it attempts to subdue the enemy without fighting.

Countries that have been listed as “evil forces” for saying “no” to the U.S. have suffered widespread interference and attacks from the country.

The U.S. has imposed extreme political pressure and cruel economic sanctions on these countries, isolated and cornered them using diplomatic means, intimidated these countries with its military strength, defamed them, and even plotted assassination against their political leaders. It has literally stopped at nothing to contain countries that don’t want to go along with it.

The US does not even make exceptions for its friends, and has been relentless in making carping comments on the foreign relations and national defense policies of its European allies.

The US is the world’s largest economy, but it doesn’t own the world. A country must control its own internal affairs. The U.S. cannot be allowed to decide everything and impose “long-arm jurisdiction” wherever it wants.

The country’s obsession with meddling in other countries’ domestic affairs, bullying the weak, ignoring the core values of the UN Charter and the norms governing international relations, and trampling on the morality and conscience of humanity has inflicted disasters on global security and the well-being of people around the world, and brought shame on the American people.

Nevertheless, history will give a just verdict on everything in the end. It will prove that misdeeds such as meddling, stirring up trouble, pursuing hegemony, and bullying will lead nowhere.

China urges the US to stop anti-subsidy investigations into the so-called Chinas undervalued currency

(Global Times)12:56, November 29, 2020

China urges the US to respect existing international rules and the multilateral trading system and stop its anti-subsidy investigation into the alleged undervaluation of the Chinese currency exchange rate, Chinese commerce authority said on Saturday, in response to the preliminary findings of the countervailing duty (CVD) case against China launched by the US Department of Commerce.

The US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced a so-called affirmative preliminary determination in the CVD investigation of twist ties from China on Tuesday.

The US commerce department preliminarily determined that exporters or producers from China received countervailable subsidies at a rate of 122.5 percent, said the announcement, claiming that among the subsidies preliminarily countervailed is Chinas undervalued currency.

This is the first time the department has countervailed the Chinese yuan.

This practice is a serious violation of relevant international rules, a Chinese commerce official said Saturday, responding to the US allegation.

The WTO Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures clearly stipulates the essential elements of subsidies, such as financial support, exclusivity and benefit grant, whilst the US Department of Commerce did not conduct the investigation and demonstration in accordance with the requirements of relevant WTO rules, but made the ruling mainly based on the report of the US Treasury Department which lacked evidence, according to Chinas commerce authority.

It is simply wrong for the US Treasury report to conclude that the Chinese currency was 5 percent undervalued against the US dollar in 2019, the Chinese official said, hoping that the US Department of Commerce will correct the relevant wrong practices and conclusions.

The preliminary decision of the US on Chinese currency exchange rate is one of its usual measures, aimed at pressuring the Chinese government to meet the final demands of the Trump administration, experts said.

We say no intervention because there has been no significant change in the central banks foreign exchange reserves and the use of counter-cyclical factors has been suspended, so I dont think the Chinese exchange rate is undervalued, Tan Xiaofen, deputy head at the School of Finance at the Central University of Finance and Economics, told the Global Times on Saturday.

At present, the yuans exchange rate has risen from 7.2 in May to 6.5 at present, with a large appreciation rate. Meanwhile, it can be seen that the central banks intervention has also been greatly reduced, and the exchange rate is more determined by the supply and demand of foreign exchange, experts said.

Meanwhile, the US has accused China of being a manipulator of the currency exchange rate many times, and its motive is to pressure China to make concessions in other aspects, which can be about trade talks, Tan said.

The US conflation of countervailing duties and exchange rates is meaningless, since the US allegation about the subsidies for non-market behavior of Chinese companies is groundless, Bai Ming, deputy director of the Ministry of Commerces International Market Research Institute, told the Global Times.

In terms of exchange rate, the fluctuation of the yuan is based on the market supply and demand, which is often subject to the state of the economy, said Bai, noting that when the economy is slowing, China needs more rapid monetary easing like the US does on dollars.

Bai said that the Trump administration is on its way out, so it is making all the remaining noises before stepping down.

However, if the Trump administration continues its groundless moves on Chinese currency, countermeasures can be expected, noted Bai.

NYC first responders to receive COVID-19 vaccination in December

(Xinhua)08:48, November 30, 2020

NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — The first vaccines available to some of New York Citys first responders could be distributed in a matter of weeks, according to an internal memo of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY).

The memo sent to emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics and firefighters said that vaccinations for COVID-19 will potentially begin in mid-late December pending FDA approval, U.S. national television network NBC reported on Sunday.

The memo said that the vaccine either from Moderna or Pfizer will NOT be mandatory but the Department recommends that members consider the overall health benefits.

The paramedics and EMTs from the FDNY were particularly hard hit by the virus this spring, with as many as one in four medics sick during the height of the pandemic.

The department handled a record 6,500-plus 911 calls for nearly a week as hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 exploded citywide.

As of Saturday evening, the coronavirus deaths added up to 24,260 and the confirmed cases to 307,181 in New York City, according to The City, a project that tracks the spread of confirmed COVID-19 infections and fatalities in New York City, based on information provided by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the governors office, The COVID Tracking Project and the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

Recount of presidential ballots in Wisconsin counties ends, reaffirms Bidens win

(Xinhua)08:57, November 30, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. President-elect Joe Bidens win in the U.S. state of Wisconsin was reaffirmed Sunday after two of the states largest counties finished the recount of ballots with little change in the tally.

The Democratic former vice presidents lead over incumbent President Donald Trump in the key swing state grew by 87 votes, after Trump gained 45 votes in the Dane County recount and Biden got a 132-vote net gain in the Milwaukee county recount. The statewide tally showed Biden won Wisconsin by over 20,000 votes.

The Trump campaign has, as required by state law, paid 3 million U.S. dollars for the recount, only to see his defeat more apparent.

Trump tweeted Saturday that he would file a lawsuit Monday or Tuesday to continue challenging the results. The Wisconsin recount is not about finding mistakes in the count, it is about finding people who have voted illegally, he said. We have found many illegal votes.

Wisconsin is set to certify the results on Tuesday. Wisconsin Voters Alliance, a conservative voter group, has filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Elections Commission, asking the states Supreme Court to prevent the certification.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers attorneys filed a response to the lawsuit on Friday, calling the groups effort a brazen attack on democracy itself and asked the state Supreme Court to dismiss it.

The Democratic governor said the lawsuit was a mishmash of legal distortions that attempted to disenfranchise millions of Wisconsin residents. He said failing to certify the election results would alter other election results across the state, throwing the government into chaos.

The president also suffered consecutive legal defeats in Pennsylvania in recent days, as the states Supreme Court on Saturday ruled against a Republican-filed case alleging voting irregularities, after a federal appeals court denied the Trump campaigns effort to appeal its own case that was rejected by a lower court.

Trump told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures on Sunday that he would like to file one nice big beautiful lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court, complaining that its hard to get into the Supreme Court.

He said the high court needs to be willing to make a real big decision, adding hes got the best Supreme Court advocates, lawyers that want to argue the case if it gets there.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann last week rejected the Trump campaigns lawsuit accusing Pennsylvania of allowing voters to fix errors in the mail-in ballots and seeking to prevent the state from certifying the results. The judge also refused the campaign to file an amended complaint.

Frances new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to fall

(Xinhua)09:01, November 30, 2020

PARIS, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — French health authorities on Sunday confirmed 9,784 new COVID-19 cases, down from 12,580 registered a day before, while the daily fatalities slowed for the second consecutive day amid improved situation in health establishments.

The new cases took the countrys total to 2,218,483 since the start of the pandemic. Meanwhile, 198 patients succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, pushing the national death toll to 52,325, showed the official data.

The number of new hospital admissions and those in the intensive continued to fall. As of Sunday, 28,313 patients were hospitalized, including 3,756 in intensive care, down by 145 and 21 respectively.

France on Saturday started the first phase of its three-stage reopening strategy. The country is expected to lift the countrywide lockdown and introduce a night-time curfew on Dec. 15.

Canada extends intl travel restrictions to stem COVID-19 spread

(Xinhua)09:04, November 30, 2020

OTTAWA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Canada on Sunday announced an extension of restrictions on international traveling to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

In a news release issued Sunday, Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair announced that travel restrictions on U.S. citizens to enter Canada will be extended until Dec. 21, and restrictions on travelers arriving from other countries will be extended until Jan. 21.

The restrictions, which were brought forward on Mar. 16, ban most foreign nationals from entering Canada for non-essential travel. There are a number of exceptions for immediate family members of citizens, essential workers, seasonal workers, caregivers and international students, to name a few.

By extending the expiration dates, the change brings the timing of international travel restrictions in alignment with those governing the Canada-U.S. land border. Previously, international restrictions expired on the last day of each month while the Canada-U.S. border restrictions expired on the 21st.

Both have been regularly extended since March.

The government continues to evaluate the travel restrictions and prohibitions as well as the requirement to quarantine or isolate on an ongoing basis to ensure Canadians remain healthy and safe, the minister said in a news release.

The ability to align U.S. and international travel extension dates, as well as the mandatory isolation order, beginning on Jan. 21, 2021, will enable the government to communicate any travel extensions or changes as quickly as possible and provide certainty for Canadians, U.S. and international travelers, the minister added.

As of Sunday evening, Canada reported a total of 370,278 COVID-19 cases and 12,032 deaths, according to CTV.

Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam said on Sunday that Canada will continue to see the rapid growth of new cases of COVID-19 if Canadians dont reduce their close contacts.

Tam reiterated the stark warning she made on Saturday, saying the country could see up to 10,000 cases a day in mid-December if we continue on the current pace of infection.

U.S. President-elect Biden names White House communications team

(Xinhua)09:08, November 30, 2020

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Sunday announced the nomination of an all-female White House communications team, with Jen Psaki being the press secretary.

In addition to Psaki, who served as the spokesperson for the State Department and White House communications director during the administration of former President Barack Obama, Biden said his campaign spokesperson Kate Bedingfield was tapped as the White House communications director.

Pili Tobar, the communications director for coalitions for the Biden campaign, will be deputy communications director. Karine Jean-Pierre, who served as chief of staff to Vice President-elect Kamala Harris during the campaign, will assume the role of principal deputy press secretary, according to the announcement.

Other nominations include Symone Sanders, senior adviser and chief spokesperson for Harris; Ashley Etienne, the vice president-elects communications director; and Elizabeth Alexander, the communications director for Jill Biden, the future first lady. The three of them all served senior advisory roles in the Biden campaign.

Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House, Biden said in a statement.

I am proud to announce today the first senior White House communications team comprised entirely of women. These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better, said Biden.

Harris, for her part, said that the United States is facing unprecedented challenges – from the coronavirus pandemic to the economic crisis, to the climate crisis, and a long-overdue reckoning over racial injustice, and that these nominees are able to help overcome these challenges.

Over 150 people nabbed in anti-lockdown protests in central London

(Xinhua)09:50, November 30, 2020

LONDON, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — More than 150 people have been arrested after anti-lockdown demonstrators hurling bottles and charging through ranks of police officers in central London Saturday, local media reported Sunday.

By 7:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) Saturday, London police had detained 155 people for a host of offences including breaching coronavirus restrictions, assaulting a police officer and drug possession, the London-based Evening Standard newspaper reported.

Scotland Yard, metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police, said police had made a number of early interventions to prevent people from gathering, urging them to go home.

As part of this, coaches transporting demonstrators into the British capital were intercepted and those who did not turn back and go home were either arrested or issued with fixed penalty notices, police said.

Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city near Oxford Street chanting freedom on Saturday, with some carrying placards reading Stop Controlling Us and No More Lockdowns.

Sky News reporter said Saturday that there were quite violent, aggressive clashes between police and some protesters, while traffic was temporarily blocked on Regent Street.

The Metropolitan Police had urged people not to attend protests this weekend and warned those who attend would risk enforcement action by officers.

England is currently under a month-long national lockdown, the second of its kind since the coronavirus outbreak in Britain, in a bid to quell the resurgence of coronavirus.

According to British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, most of England will face harsh coronavirus restrictions in a new three-tier system when the lockdown ends next week, with London being listed in Tier Two.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

Media play important role in BRICS cooperation, says president of Brazils CMA Group

(Xinhua)09:56, November 30, 2020

SAO PAULO, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) — Media outlets play a key role in strengthening cooperation between BRICS countries, said the chief of Brazils financial and agricultural information provider CMA Group.

Correctly ascertaining news of the social and economic activities of the BRICS countries and disseminating that reliable information can help people in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa expand the understanding of each other, CMA President Jose Juan Sanchez said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

We are always willing to collaborate with other BRICS media outlets through the exchange of content from these markets, Sanchez said on the eve of the presidium meeting of the fifth BRICS Media Forum, which will kick off on Monday via video link.

Since the launch of the BRICS media platform in 2015, media cooperation among members has continued to deepen through high-level forums, exchanges and joint reporting.

Having the possibility to disclose content that is provided by reliable sources such as the vehicles that are part of the BRICS is a resource with high added value in the view of the CMA Group, he added.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the press in BRICS countries has the important mission of investigating and reporting on development and measures to combat the pandemic, Sanchez said.

Seeing that the on-the-ground journalism has been compromised due to the pandemic, he suggests journalistic training programs be conducted virtually.