Focus Washington by Focus Washington

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

January 19, 2021 Focus Washington

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 […]

Follow

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

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

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, […]

Follow

Global Stocks Waver as COVID-19 Fears Trump Recovery Hopes

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

Global stock markets wavered on Monday as soaring COVID-19 cases offset investor hopes of a quick economic recovery, even after data showing that the Chinese economy rebounded faster-than-expected in the fourth quarter of 2020, Reuters […]

Follow

China Economy Grows in 2020 as Rebound From Virus Gains

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

China eked out 2.3% economic growth in 2020, likely becoming the only major economy to expand as shops and factories reopened relatively early from a shutdown to fight the coronavirus while the United States, Japan […]

Follow

Biden CDC Pick Confident There’s Enough COVID Vaccine to Meet Target Amid Confusion Over Stockpile

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden’s top health officials are confident the United States will have enough coronavirus vaccine doses to meet the incoming administration’s goal of inoculating 100 million people in 100 days despite a slower-than-expected rollout […]

Follow

Joe Biden's social spending bill approved by House Dems

Biden Heads Into Inauguration With a Stock Market Tailwind

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

President-elect Joe Biden moves into the White House in the coming week with the biggest stock market tailwind since a presidential Election Day going back to at least 1952, CNBC informed. According to CFRA data […]

Follow

US and China will meet for the first time at a high level since Russia's attack on Ukraine as Biden tries to get Beijing's help with the war.

China to Sanction U.S. Officials for ‘Nasty Behaviour’ Over Taiwan

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

U.S. officials who have engaged in “nasty behaviour” over Chinese-claimed Taiwan will face sanctions, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday, after Washington lifted curbs on exchanges between U.S. and Taiwanese officials, Reuters reported. Sino-U.S. ties […]

Follow

West Tells Russia to Free Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny, Moscow Pushes Back

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

Western nations told Russia to immediately free detained Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny on Monday, a day after he was detained at a Moscow airport after flying home for the first time since he was poisoned […]

Follow

Pro-Trump Protests Quiet Amid Massive Police Presence Across U.S.

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

Law enforcement officers far outnumbered protesters at state capitol grounds on Sunday, as few Trump supporters who believe the president’s false claim that he won the 2020 election turned out for what authorities feared could […]

Follow

Trump Admin Slams China’s Huawei, Halting Shipments From Intel, Others

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

The Trump administration notified Huawei suppliers, including chipmaker Intel, that it is revoking certain licenses to sell to the Chinese company and intends to reject dozens of other applications to supply the telecommunications firm, people […]

Follow

Biden May Cancel Keystone XL Pipeline Permit as Soon as His First Day in Office

January 18, 2021 Focus Washington

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the permit for the $9 billion Keystone XL pipeline project as one of his first acts in office, and perhaps as soon as his first day, according […]

Follow

Democratic Governors Accuse Trump Administration of Misleading Them About Vaccine Stockpile

January 17, 2021 Focus Washington

Several Democratic governors are criticizing the Trump administration for apparently misleading public health officials about holding a stockpile of Covid-19 vaccines in reserve, CNBC reported. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said on Tuesday […]

Follow

Facebook to Ban Ads Promoting Weapon Accessories, Protective Gear in U.s.

January 17, 2021 Focus Washington

Facebook Inc said on Saturday it will ban advertisements for weapon accessories and protective equipment in the United States with immediate effect until at least two days after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration on Jan. […]

Follow

U.S. COVID-19 Vaccine Supplies Strain to Meet Wider Eligibility, Second Doses

January 17, 2021 Focus Washington

Scattered shortages of COVID-19 vaccines persisted on Saturday under pressure from growing demand, as previously inoculated Americans returned for their required second shots and millions of newly eligible people scrambled to get their first, Reuters […]

Follow

Biden Plans ‘Roughly a Dozen’ Day One Executive Actions

January 17, 2021 Focus Washington

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will cap a busy day of inauguration pageantry by using the powers of his new office to push policy changes on housing, student loans, climate change and immigration, a top aide […]

Follow

UK Hopes to Be Able to Consider Lockdown Easing in March

January 17, 2021 Focus Washington

Britain’s government hopes it can meet its target for rolling out COVID-19 vaccines and be able to consider easing lockdown restrictions by March, foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Sunday, Reuters informed. The country, which […]

Follow

Facebook Blocks New Events Near Key Locations Before U.S. Inauguration

January 16, 2021 Focus Washington

Facebook Inc said on Friday it was blocking the creation of any new Facebook events in close proximity to places such as the White House and U.S. Capitol in Washington, as well as state capitol […]

Follow

Two U.S. Military Bases in South Korea Shelter in Place as Coronavirus Curbs Extended Nationwide

January 16, 2021 Focus Washington

The U.S. Forces in Korea (USFK) said on Saturday it has imposed a shelter-in-place order on two of its largest bases – U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan and Camp Humphreys – until Tuesday after a cluster […]

Follow

China Says Latest COVID-19 Outbreak Caused by Imported Cases

January 16, 2021 Focus Washington

China’s recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the northeast have come from travelers entering the country or contaminated frozen food imports, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Saturday, Reuters writes. NHC Minister Ma Xiaowei made the […]

Follow

Biden Lays Out Plan to Get America Vaccinated

January 16, 2021 Focus Washington

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden on Friday said he would order increased production of syringes and other supplies to ramp up vaccinations against COVID-19 and improve upon the Trump administration rollout that he called a “dismal […]

Follow

U.S. Closing Landmarks, Announces Vehicle Checks in Washington for Inauguration

January 16, 2021 Focus Washington

The nation’s capital on Friday continued to boost security by shutting down access to iconic landmarks and erecting vehicle checkpoints at a security perimeter surrounding central Washington ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s Jan. 20. inauguration, […]

Follow

Pfizer to Temporarily Reduce COVID Vaccine Deliveries to Europe

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

Pfizer will temporarily reduce the number of doses of its coronavirus vaccine being delivered to Europe, CNBC reported. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health received a message from Pfizer “a little before 10 o’clock” Friday, […]

Follow

Top Senate Democrat Calls for IRS Probe of Dark Money Groups Behind Capitol Riot

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

Sen. Ron Wyden, the top Democratic member of the Senate Finance Committee, called on the Internal Revenue Service to investigate groups that were involved with organizing a rally last week that led to the deadly […]

Follow

Some U.S. Nursing Home Residents Face Delays for COVID-19 Vaccines Despite Extreme Risk

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

A former Arkansas health official is sounding alarms about the pace of coronavirus vaccines being administered to residents of long-term care facilities under a U.S. plan that puts major pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens in […]

Follow

Investors Push for Social Media Controls Ahead of U.S. Inauguration

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

Pension fund managers and religious investors on Friday asked top social media companies to step up their content control efforts to reduce the threat of violence ahead of the inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden […]

Follow

U.S. Says Capitol Rioters Meant to ‘Capture and Assassinate’ Officials

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

Federal prosecutors offered an ominous new assessment of last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters on Thursday, saying in a court filing that rioters intended “to capture and assassinate elected […]

Follow

Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Rescue Package Offers Bridge for Hard-Hit Economy

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s proposal to pour $1.9 trillion into a hobbled economy could lay the foundation for a surge in jobs and spending that many economists say is needed to avoid long-term damage from […]

Follow

Trump’s China Tech War Backfires on Automakers as Chips Run Short

January 15, 2021 Focus Washington

Automakers around the world are shutting assembly lines because of a global shortage of semiconductors that in some cases has been exacerbated by the Trump administration’s actions against key Chinese chip factories, industry officials said, […]

Follow

Saudi Arabia’s New Banking Framework to ‘Revolutionize’ Fintech Opportunities

January 14, 2021 Focus Washington

The central bank of Saudi Arabia or the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA), launches a new framework for open banking that will dramatically improve the stability of the banking system in the kingdom, according to […]

Follow

Proud Boys Member Arrested for Life-Threats to Senator-Elect Warnock

January 14, 2021 Focus Washington

On Tuesday the member of the far-right Proud Boys, Eduard Florea, was arrested because the police found Parler posts from him threatening the life of Sen.- elect Raphael Warnock’s (D-Ga.), as well as planning to […]

Follow