WORLD
Jan 21, 2021
Trump bids farewell to Washington, hints of comeback
WEST PALM BEACH (AP) -- His presidency over, Donald Trump bid farewell to Washington on Wednesday but also hinted at a comeback despite a legacy of chaos, tumult and bitter division in the country he led for four years. "Goodbye. We love you. We will be back in some form," Trump told supporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland where he received a 21-gun salute as part of a military send-off before boarding Air Force One for his last time as president. Trump was already in Flori
Immigrants cheered by possible citizenship path under Biden
HOMESTEAD (AP) -- Immigrants cheered President Joe Biden’s plan to provide a path to US citizenship for about 11 million people without legal status, mixing hope with guarded optimism Wednesday amid a seismic shift in how the American government views and treats them. The newly inaugurated president moved to reverse four years of harsh restrictions and mass deportation with a plan for sweeping legislation on citizenship. Biden also issued executive orders reversing some of former Pre
[Newsmaker] Vice President Harris: A new chapter opens in US politics
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Vice President Kamala Harris broke the barrier that has kept men at the top ranks of American power for more than two centuries when she took the oath Wednesday to hold the nation’s second-highest office. Harris was sworn in as the first female US vice president -- and the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the position -- in front of the US Capitol by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Later, she presided as Senate president
Biden takes office with pledge to repair alliance, US leadership
WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, promising to repair the country's global leadership, as well as its relationship with allies. The former vice president took the oath of office on the steps of the Capitol in an inauguration ceremony with only a few participants and nearly no spectators. Biden and his transition team had noted the need to keep this year's ceremony at a minimum, stressing the need for people to keep social distance as a way of
Biden says will 'repair alliance,' lead world by power of example
WASHINGTON -- US President Joe Biden promised efforts to repair his country's relationship with its allies on Wednesday, also promising to bolster its global leadership by the "power of example. Biden made the pledge shortly after he took office as president, ending Donald Trump's term and "America First" policy. "We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday's challenges but today's and tomorrow's challenges," Biden said in h
Biden takes office as 46th president of the US
Joe Biden became the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday, declaring that "democracy has prevailed," according to the AP. He swore the oath of office to take the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. Biden's inauguration came at a time of national tumult and uncertainty, a ceremony of resilience as the hallowed American democratic rite unfurled at a US Capitol battered by an insurrectioni
Biden arrives at US Capitol for inauguration as 46th president
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris arrived at the US Capitol on Wednesday for their official inauguration ceremony. Biden, 78, is to be sworn in at noon (1700 GMT) by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts as the 46th president of the United States. Harris, 56, will be the first woman to become vice president. Donald Trump left Washington three hours before Biden's swearing-in, the first American president to skip the inauguration of his succ
Biden's top diplomat vows US will lead but restore alliances
WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to be secretary of state, will vow Tuesday that the United States will "outcompete" a rising China while reviving frayed alliances, in a sea change from Donald Trump's go-it-alone "America First" approach. On the eve of Biden's inauguration, Blinken was set to say at his confirmation hearing that the United States will seek to remain the pre-eminent global power but renew cooperation on common challenges
Jan 19, 2021
[Newsmaker] Biden to be inaugurated amid pandemic, worst political turmoil
WASHINGTON -- Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated as the next US president this week in probably a never-before-seen ceremony that will highlight the dangers from the worst pandemic and a political divide facing the United States. Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the US on Wednesday. As is customary, the inauguration ceremony will be held at around noon on the steps of the US Capitol, administered by the chief justice of the US Supreme Court. The ceremony, however, will be diffe
2020 records one of three warmest years ever: WMO
World facing catastrophic temperature rises this century, UN chief says
Jan 15, 2021
First US federal execution of woman in decades
An American woman was put to death by lethal injection Wednesday, becoming the first female to be executed by US federal authorities in nearly seven decades. Lisa Montgomery's execution came in the final days of the government of US President Donald Trump, which pushed forward with her execution despite a legal battle that the Supreme Court ended with a ruling in the early hours of Wednesday. Montgomery, 52, murdered an expectant mother to steal her baby, though she had sought a stay of execut
Jan 13, 2021
Astronomers find oldest, most distant quasar and black hole in universe
At more than 13 billion light-years away, quasar and black hole formed 670 million years after Big Bang
WHO rules out virus herd immunity in 2021 despite vaccines
International team’s visit to China not about ‘playing blame game’: WHO
Jan 12, 2021
Massive power outage leaves Pakistan in the dark
ISLAMABAD (AP) -- A major technical fault in Pakistan's power generation and distribution system caused a massive power outage that plunged the country into darkness overnight, the energy minister said. Hours after the late Saturday outage, Energy Minister Omar Ayub said on Twitter that power was being restored in phases, starting with Islamabad. He said later Sunday that power had been restored to much of the country. The blackout was initially reported on social media by residents of major
Jan 10, 2021
Pompeo voids restrictions on diplomatic contacts with Taiwan
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Saturday that the State Department is voiding longstanding restrictions on how US diplomats and others have contact with their counterparts in Taiwan, another move that is expected to upset China as the Trump administration winds to an end. The Trump administration has sought to strengthen bilateral relations with Taiwan. It announced Thursday that UN Ambassador Kelly Craft would go to Taiwan, a move that sparked sharp criticism from B