WASHINGTON: The backdrop of flowers, teapot and US flag said it all: Jill Biden will be no Melania Trump as America’s new first lady. Where Donald Trump’s ex-model wife cut a flashy but often distant figure, Jill Biden’s appearance on a Zoom “virtual tea” party yesterday with military spouses affirmed […]
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WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on a call with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison discussed how they can work together to address global and regional challenges, including dealing with China. They also talked about beating the Covid-19 pandemic, combating climate change and working together to hold those responsible for the […]
WASHINGTON: Republicans in the US House of Representatives yesterday opted not to punish newcomer Marjorie Taylor Greene for incendiary comments including support for violence against Democrats, and turned back an attempt to oust a leader who had voted to impeach President Donald Trump. The twin actions, taken in a closed-door […]
WASHINGTON: The United States should extend the May 1 deadline for pulling all its troops from Afghanistan, and make force cuts contingent on progress in peace talks as well as by the Taliban in reducing violence and containing al-Qaeda, a bipartisan report to Congress said yesterday. Washington should not abandon […]
As the political climate in Hong Kong has rapidly changed, the councilors’ advocacy for the Chinese territory’s fragile democratic institutions has made them the latest target of Communist Party officials in Beijing. Written by Elaine Yu Some days, Cathy Yau wanders down dark alleys looking for rats to poison. […]
UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting on Myanmar on Tuesday (Feb 2) but was unable to agree on a statement about the country’s military coup, with diplomats saying negotiations will continue. “China and Russia have asked for more time,” one diplomat told AFP following the behind-closed-doors […]
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden reaffirmed yesterday the United States’ commitment to defend Japan in his first phone call with Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, striking a note of reassurance after the Trump era. During Donald Trump’s administration, America’s Asian allies often questioned whether Washington would uphold long-standing promises to defend them […]
WASHINGTON: Here is how world leaders are reacting to US President Joe Biden’s inauguration today, replacing Donald Trump. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Twitter: “The India-US partnership is based on shared values. We have a substantial and multifaceted bilateral agenda, growing economic engagement and vibrant people to people linkages. […]
WASHINGTON: China’s move to sanction former Trump administration officials was “unproductive and cynical”, a spokeswoman for President Joe Biden’s National Security Council said today, urging Americans from both parties to condemn the action. Around the time Biden was sworn in as president today China announced sanctions against “lying and cheating” […]
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed an order yesterday requiring masks and physical distancing in all federal buildings and the development of a testing programme for federal employees for Covid-19, in a first step to combat a pandemic that has claimed the lives of more than 400,000 Americans. Biden’s order, the […]