Biden, Xi to hold talks amid new tensions over Taiwan
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, according to a U.S. official. It’s their first conversation in four months, and it’s scheduled to take place amid new tension between Washington and Beijing over China’s claims on Taiwan. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reportedly plans to visit the island, which governs itself even though China considers it part of its territory. Besides Taiwan, other topics of conversation could include North Korea’s nuclear program, Russia’s war in Ukraine, efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal and U.S. tariffs imposed on China.
New studies bolster theory coronavirus emerged from the wild
Two new studies provide more evidence that the coronavirus pandemic originated in a Wuhan, China market where live animals were sold. This further bolsters the theory that the virus emerged from the wild rather than escaping from a Chinese lab. The research was published online Tuesday by the journal Science. It shows that the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market was likely the early epicenter of the scourge that has now killed nearly 6.4 million people around the world. Scientists also conclude that the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, likely spilled from animals into people two separate times.
Trump and Pence strike sharply different tones
Donald Trump and Mike Pence — two-time running mates and potential 2024 rivals — gave competing speeches before conservative audiences in Washington on Tuesday. In a speech that focused heavily on public safety, the former president painted a dark portrait of an America in decline. Earlier Tuesday, Pence gave an address that focused more broadly on his hopes for the conservative movement, drawing subtle distinctions between Trump’s fixation on the 2020 election and his own preference to fight the next political battles. “Some people may choose to focus on the past, but elections are about the future,” Pence told young conservatives.
Federal government launches website all about heat
The Biden administration unveiled a website on Tuesday to help Americans stay safe from extreme heat, as scorching temperatures continued to grip portions of the country. The website, heat.gov, includes interactive maps, forecasts, tips on keeping cool and other data designed to help federal, state and local officials prepare for and cope with heat waves. “Extreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency — particularly our nation’s most vulnerable,” Gina McCarthy, President Joe Biden’s national climate adviser, said in a statement.
Russia says it will quitInternational Space Station after 2024
American and Soviet astronauts met and shook hands in space for the first time in 1975. The United States and Russia continued to work together in outer space, culminating in the 1990s with the two nations building and operating a laboratory in space. The future of that cooperation grew uncertain Tuesday as the head of Russia’s space agency announced that Russia would leave the International Space Station after its current commitment expired in 2024. If Russia follows through, it could accelerate the end of a project that NASA has spent about $100 billion on over the last quarter-century.
Europe agrees to cut Russian gas use
Fearing Russia could shut the taps this winter, the European Union agreed to a deal Tuesday to curb natural gas consumption starting next week. The cuts, which aim for savings of up to 15% by next spring, will be voluntary but could become binding should an energy supply crunch — or a sudden Russian cut in supplies — trigger an emergency. The agreement came less than 24 hours after Russia’s state-owned gas monopoly, Gazprom, said that it would further reduce the amount of natural gas it sends to Germany, Europe’s biggest consumer of Russian gas, through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline.
By wire sources
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