Alarm as Myanmar ships reach Malaysia to pick up detainees

US and UN call on Malaysia to halt the deportation of 1,200 Myanmar nationals saying it could put their lives at risk. The United Nations refugee agency said on Saturday at least six people registered with it were among 1,200 Myanmar nationals to be deported by Malaysia next week, while the United States voiced alarm […]
Vietnam’s Communist Party meets to pick new leaders, set strategy

Continuity expected as Vietnam seeks to balance China and the United States. Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gathers for its first national congress since 2016 later on Monday with a mission to select new leaders and shape policy for the next five years. The event, the 13th congress since the founding of the Communist Party of […]
Biden’s pick for US Treasury leaves door open to wealth tax hike

Janet Yellen also sees no immediate lifting of China tariffs, adds that polluters should pay for carbon emissions. Treasury Secretary-designate Janet Yellen said she would work with lawmakers to fast-track a series of tax increases on corporations and wealthy Americans as the Biden administration tries to pass spending on infrastructure and expanding the social safety […]
US Congress removes hurdle for Biden’s defence secretary pick

The United States Congress is moving swiftly to approve President Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of defense, retired Army General Lloyd Austin. The House of Representatives voted 326-78 on Thursday to provide a legal waiver allowing General Austin to become the top US government official overseeing the US military. The Senate approved the waiver shortly […]
Vietnamese pick up the pieces after 2020’s relentless storms

Hue, Vietnam – Before floodwater inundated half their living room one night during the storm season this year, the Trans put their most valuable possessions – their TV and refrigerator – in the attic and told their two daughters to take refuge there. Tran Nhu Hong, 23, and her 18-year-old sister, who do not know […]
Biden: Education pick Cardona right person ‘for this moment’

President-elect Joe Biden introduced Miguel Cardona as his pick for education secretary on Wednesday, saying Connecticut’s education chief and lifelong champion of public schools is the right pick to lead the department as the nation struggles to educate students safely during the pandemic. The selection delivers on Biden’s promise to nominate someone with experience working […]
Biden Will Pick Deb Haaland to Lead Interior Department

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has chosen Representative Deb Haaland, Democrat of New Mexico, to lead the Interior Department, according to people familiar with the decision, a move that would make history: If confirmed by the Senate, she would be the first Native American appointed to a cabinet secretary position. Ms. Haaland would […]
Biden to Pick Michael Regan, North Carolina Environment Regulator, to Head E.P.A.

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. will nominate Michael S. Regan, secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to three people on the Biden transition team. Mr. Regan became Mr. Biden’s top choice only in recent days, two people familiar with the selection process said. […]
Biden to Pick Brenda Mallory to Run White House Environment Office

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. has chosen Brenda Mallory, an environmental lawyer who spent more than 15 years working in the federal government under both Republican and Democratic presidents, to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, according to two people close to the Biden transition team. The council is expected to expand its […]
Biden to Pick Jennifer Granholm, Former Michigan Governor, for Energy Secretary

WASHINGTON — President-elect Joseph R. Biden will nominate Jennifer M. Granholm, a former governor of Michigan and a longtime champion of renewable energy development, to be the next secretary of energy, according to four people close to the president-elect’s transition team. If confirmed, Ms. Granholm, 61, will be the second woman, after Hazel R. O’Leary, […]
US Democrats pick Meeks to chair House Foreign Affairs Committee

New York Congressman Gregory Meeks will be the first African American to chair key House Foreign Affairs Committee. United States Congressman Gregory Meeks has been elected the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, making him the first African American to lead the powerful congressional body. Meeks, a Democrat who represents New York’s 5th […]
With John Kerry Pick, Biden Selects a ‘Climate Envoy’ With Stature #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and an opponent of addressing climate change, called Mr. Kerry “the poster child for what Middle America thinks the elitists look like who live in their fancy houses and drive their expensive cars and use a lot of carbon and tell the rest of us that the […]
In Portugal, Asian workers pick fruit and live precariously #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

It is 9:30am in São Teotónio, a tiny farming town of 6,500 people, and the bell has just rung at the local school. “This is a normal school like any other,” said head teacher Rui Dias Coelho, as the familiar sound of shrieking kids unleashed at break-time, “except for this one thing.” As pupils spill […]
In Portugal, Asian workers pick fruit and live precariously #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

It is 9:30am in São Teotónio, a tiny farming town of 6,500 people, and the bell has just rung at the local school. “This is a normal school like any other,” said head teacher Rui Dias Coelho, as the familiar sound of shrieking kids unleashed at break-time, “except for this one thing.” As pupils spill […]
The fruitless saga of the UK’s ‘Pick for Britain’ scheme #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

On a mild day in May, in the manicured gardens of his Scottish home, Birkhall, Prince Charles broadcast a message to the British public, imploring them to do their part in a national crisis. Framed by neat hedges and sowed garden beds, the Duke of Cornwall called for a “Land Army” of people to bring […]
Biden’s Treasury pick could be key to tackling climate change #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Incoming United States Treasury secretaries have been confronted over the past two decades with the financial rescue of other countries, the bailout of the US banking system and a trade war. But whoever Joe Biden chooses may face an agenda of historic depth and breadth, fighting crises while pursuing the lofty goals the president-elect set […]
Americans pick Biden or Trump unprecedented election: Live news #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Election day is under way in the US. The spotlight is on the race for the White House between President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term, and his rival, veteran Democrat Joe Biden. Trump held five rallies in four states – North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin – on the last day of […]
US Senate moves closer to confirming Trump’s Supreme Court pick #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Trump’s Supreme Court nominee is expected to be confirmed on Monday, after Senate voted to limit debate on the matter. The United States Senate has advanced President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett in a near party-line vote, all but assuring her confirmation, which is expected on Monday. Trump had nominated Barrett on […]
US Supreme Court pick ‘often ruled for police’ in force cases #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

As appellate judge, Amy Coney Barrett often sided with police in excessive force cases, a Reuters analysis found. In her three years as a federal appeals court judge, US Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett has consistently sided with police or prison guards accused of using excessive force, a Reuters news agency review of cases […]
China says US bullying countries to pick sides #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Beijing says Washington acting with ‘Cold War mentality’ after US official urges Sri Lanka to make ‘difficult but necessary choices’. China says the United States is bullying other countries to pick sides over their ties to Beijing after a senior Washington official called on Sri Lanka to make “difficult but necessary choices” in an apparent […]
Women’s March holds rallies against Trump’s Supreme Court pick #duzline #duzlinenews #follow4follow

Women’s rights groups have raised concerns that Amy Coney Barrett will restrict abortion access in the United States. Women and their supporters are rallying in Washington, DC, and across the United States on Saturday as part of a Women’s March against President Donald Trump’s recent nominee to the Supreme Court, Amy Coney Barrett. Speaking to […]