Articles by Focus Washington

The Chinese embassy in the U.S. said its Twitter account was hacked after it retweeted a baseless claim from President Donald Trump that the Democrats cheated in the election, CNBC reported. “If somebody cheated in […]

Biden Picks Capitol Hill Staffer Tai as U.S. Trade ‘Czar’

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Katherine Tai, the chief trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee, to serve as U.S. trade representative, four sources familiar with the decision said on Wednesday, Reuters reported. […]

Facebook Lawsuits Could Take Years to Resolve

Facebook, faced with two major antitrust lawsuits, could be forced to breakup, settle with changes to its business, or it could prove its government challengers wrong and win in court, antitrust experts said, Reuters writes. […]

U.S. Nears Final COVID Vaccine Review as Daily National Deaths Top 3,250

The United States on Wednesday crossed an ominous new threshold of more than 3,250 lives lost to COVID-19 in a single day while public health officials stepped up preparations for a vaccine campaign of historic […]

Migrant Caravan Sets off to U.S. From Honduras, Risking New Tensions

A few hundred Hondurans formed a caravan bound for the United States on Wednesday after hurricanes battered the country, posing a fresh challenge to efforts to stem illegal immigration from Central America on the cusp […]

Banks Warn EU of Disruption in Derivatives Markets in January

Financial markets will be disrupted in January unless the European Union allows the bloc’s investors to use derivatives trading platforms in London, a group of seven financial industry bodies have said, Reuters reported. Britain has […]

Melania Trump Calls for Kindness During Holidays

During a public appearance the existing First Lady Melania Tump said that the most important thing in the middle of coronavirus pandemic and the holidays approaching is “for all of us to remember to be […]

Elon Musk’s Starship Test Brings Humanity Closer to Mars

The latest prototype of Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket’s test flight ended in an explosive fireball at touchdown, dramatic footage shows. The shiny, bullet-shaped rocket ship blasted several miles into the air from a remote […]

Federal Trade Commission States File Antitrust Lawsuit Against Facebook

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and a big coalition of states sued Facebook on Wednesday, saying that it broke antitrust law, Reuters reports. The FTC said in a statement that it would seek an injunction […]

Huawei Tested AI Software That Could Identify Uighur Muslims and Alert Police, Report Says

Huawei, together with one of China’s biggest artificial intelligence (AI) firms Megvii, tested a facial recognition system that could be used to detect members of a minority Muslim group and send alerts to authorities, a […]

Saudi Arabia Says It’s Ready to End Gulf Crisis With Qatar Ahead of Biden Presidency

Several news outlets have hailed what has been described as a breakthrough in the 3½-year-old Gulf crisis as Saudi Arabia and Qatar appear committed to reach a final agreement to solve their impasse, CNBC reported. […]

Stock Market Bull Run Continues, Sterling Faces Brexit Test

Asian shares rose to a record high and U.S. stock futures gained on Wednesday as investors tracked positive news on COVID-19 vaccines and ongoing efforts to launch more fiscal stimulus, Reuters informed. MSCI’s broadest index […]

U.S. Tops 15 Million Coronavirus Cases

U.S. coronavirus cases crossed the 15 million mark on Tuesday as regulators moved a step closer to approving a COVID-19 vaccine and Britain started inoculating people, offering hope of slowing a pandemic that killed 15,000 […]

protection against coronavirus infection

UAE Says Sinopharm Vaccine Has 86% Efficacy Against COVID-19

An experimental coronavirus vaccine developed by China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) has 86% efficacy, the health ministry of the United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials, Reuters reports. […]

Fears of Chaotic Brexit Rise as Johnson Heads for Last Supper in Brussels

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson heads to Brussels on Wednesday for talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in a push to avoid a tumultuous Brexit without a trade deal in three weeks’ […]

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Republican Challenge to Biden’s Pennsylvania Win

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday handed a defeat to Republicans seeking to throw out up to 2.5 million mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania as they try to undo President Donald Trump’s election loss, with the […]

Trump Administration Makes New $916bn Offer for COVID-19 Aid

The Trump administration proposed a $916 billion coronavirus relief package on Tuesday, after congressional Democrats shot down a suggestion for a pared-down plan from the Senate’s leading Republican, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Reuters writes. Treasury […]

Former Obama Official Launches Campaign for NYC Mayor

Shaun Donovan, the former Secretary of Urban Housing and Development and budget director under the Obama administration, launched his campaign for New York City mayor on Tuesday, Fox News informed. In a Zoom event at the Bronx’s Via […]

Top Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed by Satellite-Controlled Machine Gun

According to The Hill, the top scientist of the Iranian nuclear program was killed in an attack conducted by a satellite-controlled machine gun. The information was presented by a senior Iranian commander, who was quoted […]

Facebook Hopes the Cryptocurrency It Backs Will Launch in 2021, Top Exec Says

Facebook should be given the “benefit of the doubt” by regulators in its ambitions to launch the cryptocurrency it backs and its digital wallet, the head of the company’s financial services arm said on Monday, […]

Bill Gates Says Six COVID Vaccines Could Be Available by Spring 2021

Bill Gates has predicted there could be as many as half a dozen Covid-19 vaccines approved and ready for distribution by the spring of 2021, as medical advancements to combat the coronavirus ramp up, CNBC […]

Japan Unveils $708bn in Fresh Stimulus With Eye on Post-COVID Growth

Japan announced a fresh $708 billion economic stimulus package on Tuesday to speed up the recovery from the country’s deep coronavirus-driven slump, while targeting investment in new growth areas such as green and digital innovation, […]

U.S. Congress to Vote on Stopgap Funding Bill as COVID-19 Aid Talks Continue

The U.S. Congress will vote this week on a one-week stopgap funding bill to provide more time for lawmakers to reach a deal on COVID-19 relief and an overarching spending bill to avoid a government […]

Second U.S. Judge Blocks Commerce Restrictions on TikTok

A second U.S. judge late on Monday granted a preliminary injunction blocking the U.S. Commerce Department from imposing restrictions on Chinese-owned short video sharing app TikTok that would have effectively barred its use in the […]

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’s Wang Vows to Uphold Trade Deal During Biden Administration

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi assured U.S. executives during a videoconference on Sunday that Beijing remained committed to the Phase 1 trade deal with the United States, the head of the US-China Business Council said, […]

Biden Chooses Retired General Lloyd Austin as Defense Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen retired General Lloyd Austin, who oversaw U.S. forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, to be his defense secretary, two people familiar with the decision said on Monday, […]

British Grandma Is First in World to Get Pfizer Vaccine Outside Trial

Margaret Keenan, a 90-year-old grandmother from Northern Ireland, became the first person in the world on Tuesday to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine shot outside of a trial as Britain began vaccinating its population, Reuters […]

December 7, 2020 Focus Washington

U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to Transgender Student Accommodations

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday preserved an Oregon public school district’s policy of accommodating transgender students, rejecting an appeal challenging a policy that let students use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their […]

December 7, 2020 Focus Washington

Former Cybersecurity Chief Says Russia, China, Iran and North Korea Are Trying to Steal Coronavirus Vaccine IP

The former head of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said Sunday that adversaries have attempted to steal intellectual property related to the coronavirus vaccine, CNBC reported. “The big four, Russia, […]

December 7, 2020 Focus Washington

China’s Foreign Minister Calls for Less U.S. ‘Interference’ in Domestic Affairs

The U.S. should reduce its “interference” in China’s domestic affairs and development in order to improve relations between the two countries, said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Monday, CNBC reported. Wang also emphasized his […]