Year: 2021

U.S. President Joe Biden moved swiftly on his first full day in the White House on Thursday to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, his top priority as he turns the page on four years of Donald […]

U.S. Staying in WHO, to Join COVID Vaccine Push for Poor Nations

The United States under President Joe Biden intends to join the COVAX vaccine facility that aims to deliver coronavirus vaccines to poor countries, his chief medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, told the World Health Organization (WHO) […]

World Leaders Welcome U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris

Leaders from around the world reacted to the inauguration of U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, CNBC informed. The reactions ranged from offerings of congratulations, pitting their countries and economies […]

White House Reveals Which Global Leader Will Be First to Hold a Call With President Biden

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday told reporters that President Joe Biden’s first world leader call would be to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, CNBC reported. “His first call, foreign leader call will […]

Biden Looks to Galvanize COVID-19 Fight, Vaccinations as He Takes Office

President Joe Biden attempted to jump-start the U.S. government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday, signing a string of executive orders intended to lead a country reeling from its worst public health crisis in […]

China to Test Lunar New Year Travelers for COVID-19, Shanghai Reports New Cases

China plans to impose strict COVID testing requirements during the Lunar New Year holiday season, when tens of millions of people are expected to travel, as it battles the worst wave of new infections since […]

U.S. Senate Approves Haines as Director of National Intelligence

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday approved Avril Haines as the Director of National Intelligence, the nation’s top intelligence job, making her the first of President Joe Biden’s nominees to be approved, Reuters informed. The vote […]

Democrats Take Narrow Control of U.S. Senate

Democrats took control of the U.S. Senate on Wednesday when Vice President Kamala Harris swore in three members to give the party a narrow grip on both houses of Congress as well as the White […]

Biden Rolls Back Trump Policies on Wall, Climate, Health, Muslims

U.S. President Joe Biden signed 15 executive actions shortly after being sworn on Wednesday, undoing policies put in place by his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, and making his first moves on the pandemic and climate […]

Biden Swiftly Begins Sweeping Away Trump’s Immigration Barriers

U.S. President Joe Biden signed half a dozen executive orders on Wednesday to reverse several hardline immigration policies put in place by former President Donald Trump, although migration experts warn that it will take months […]

U.S. President Joe Biden Calls for End to ‘Uncivil War’

Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, vowing to end the ‘uncivil war’ in a deeply divided country reeling from a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic […]

OPEC Chief Pledges to Deepen Ties With New U.S. Administration

Oil-producing group OPEC will continue to strengthen its relationship with the U.S. energy industry under Joe Biden’s new administration, the oil cartel’s Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo told CNBC on Tuesday. It comes despite the Democratic […]

Stock Futures Flat in Early Morning Trading Ahead of Biden’s Inauguration

Stock futures held steady in early morning trade on Wednesday as investors waited for President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, CNBC informed. Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average were just 3 points higher. S&P 500 futures […]

Yellen-Backed Policies Set to Aid Risk Assets, Raise Longer-Term Worries

Treasury Secretary nominee Janet Yellen’s unequivocal support for a pandemic rescue plan cuts both ways for investors, fueling optimism that the rally in risk assets will continue while bolstering concerns over a massive runup in […]

Biden Leads Observance of America’s 400,000 COVID-19 Dead on Eve of Inauguration

President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday led a national memorial observance on the eve of his inauguration to honor the 400,000 Americans who have perished from COVID-19 during the 11 months since the novel coronavirus claimed […]

Trump Pardons Ex-Aide Bannon but Not Himself or Family

President Donald Trump granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations issued in his final hours in office, but did not pardon himself, members of […]

Biden’s Global Leadership Ambitions Complicated by U.S. Capitol Riot

When followers of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol two weeks ago, countries with questionable democratic track records seemed to relish the chance to denounce the United States, Reuters informed. “Yesterday’s events showed that […]

Biden to Assume U.S. Presidency Amid Deep Division and Raging Pandemic

Democrat Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, assuming the helm of a country beset by deep political divides and battered by a raging coronavirus pandemic, […]

Iran’s Rouhani Says “Ball in U.S. Court” Over Nuclear Dispute

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the incoming U.S. administration on Wednesday to return to a 2015 nuclear agreement and lift sanctions on Tehran, while welcoming the end of “tyrant” President Donald Trump’s era, Reuters informed. […]

Biden Administration Teases Small Taste of Immigration Plan

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris gave a tease of the incoming Biden administration’s sweeping immigration plan during an interview with Univision’s Ilia Calderón, Fox News informed. Harris said the administration plans to create “greater efficiencies” to streamline the […]

Clinton Suggests Putin May Have Known about Riot in Capitol

Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, spoke with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on her podcast about the riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month and hinted that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have been […]

Barr ‘Not Surprised’ to See Violence at Capitol, Says it Cannot Be Tolerated

William Barr, the former U.S. attorney general, said in an interview that aired Monday that he was not surprised to see “the kind of violence” that occurred at the Capitol earlier this month, and said questions […]

Pelosi Urges Pentagon to Block ‘Trump Loyalist’ from National Security Role before Biden’s Inauguration

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling on the acting defense secretary to “immediately cease” plans to install so-called “Trump loyalist” Michael Ellis as the new general counsel for the National Security Agency (NSA) just days […]

Biden Picks Transgender Woman as Assistant Health Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, […]

Kamala Harris Could Preside over Trump Impeachment Trial If John Roberts Doesn’t

One of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ first tasks in her new job could be to preside over an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, Fox News informed. Politico reported on Tuesday that Chief Justice John Roberts […]

Wyoming Republicans Censure Cheney over Trump Impeachment Vote

Wyoming’s Carbon County Republican Party voted unanimously to censure Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., for voting with nine other House Republicans to impeach President Donald Trump on charges of “incitement of an insurrection,” Fox News informed. That censure resolution has been submitted to […]

Democrats Who Opposed Waiver Letting Mattis Serve as Defense Secretary Now Want One for Biden Pick

President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee for secretary of defense, retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, will sit for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, but he will have to clear one more hurdle […]

Saudi Arabia Says It Executed 27 People in 2020, the Lowest Number in Years, Rights Groups Say

Saudi Arabia said Monday that 27 people were executed in the kingdom last year, the lowest number since at least 2013, according to two human rights organizations that track the use of the death penalty […]

Saudi Arabia Launches $270mn Company to Develop the Holy Sites

A $270 million company to develop Saudi Arabia’s holy sites has been launched, Arab News reported. Kidana will be headquartered in Mina and is the first closed joint-stock company owned by the Royal Commission for […]

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

Oil Companies, Aid Groups Plan to Press Biden to Allow Venezuela Fuel Swaps

Representatives of fuel suppliers to Venezuela, importers of Venezuelan oil and advocacy groups said this month they plan to press the incoming administration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to reverse a ban on crude-for-diesel swaps, […]