United States

Joe Biden tested positive for Covid

US President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid with mild symptoms Wednesday, shortly after conceding he would consider dropping his reelection bid if doctors diagnosed him with a serious medical condition. The 81-year-old Democrat gave reporters the thumbs up and said "I feel good" as he cut short a campaign trip to Las Vegas and flew to his ...

US Unveils Americas-Wide Semiconductor Production Plan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken unveiled Wednesday a new plan for countries in the Americas to boost production of semiconductors, which are critical just about everywhere in modern industry and a sector dominated by China. "This initiative will turbocharge countries' capacity to assemble, to test and to package semiconductors, beginning ...

China Halts Nuclear Talks With US Over Taiwan Arms Sales

China said on Wednesday it had suspended negotiations with the United States on nuclear non-proliferation and arms control in response to Washington's weapons sales to Taiwan. The US and China in November held rare talks on nuclear arms control, part of a bid to ease mistrust ahead of a summit between leader Joe Biden and Xi Jinping. Further ...

Iran Rejects Claim it Was Behind Trump Shooting

Iran on Wednesday rejected accusations by US media implicating it in a plot to kill former US president Donald Trump. CNN reported Tuesday that US authorities received intelligence from a "human source" weeks ago on an alleged Iranian plot against the former president, prompting his protection to be boosted. Other US outlets also reported the ...

US Received Intel on Iranian Plot to Assassinate Trump

United States authorities received intelligence from a source in recent weeks on an Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, which has led the Secret Service to increase security around the former president, multiple individuals briefed on the subject told CNN. There is no indication that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the would-be assassin who ...

US Tells Top Israeli Officials Gaza Civilian Toll "Unacceptably High"

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told two top Israeli officials Monday of the "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in Israel's bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip, his spokesman said. The Israeli military has launched several deadly attacks in recent days including on a refugee camp and multiple UN-run schools where civilians were ...

J.D. Vance: From "Never Trump" to Trump's Running Mate

Combative and ultra-loyal, James David Vance's rise to Donald Trump's running mate this November completes a remarkable transformation for a 39-year-old senator now seen as the future face of the Republican Party. Vance has been one of Trump's most effective attack dogs in Congress, promoting the dominant populist ideology - opposing immigration, ...

Editorial – A World Adrift

“The world is (really) going to the dogs.” This brief, laconic reflection, expressed in an online post, is likely to become a common refrain on social networks. It alludes to a series of serious, historically significant events that are unfolding at an alarming pace in a feverish and deadly atmosphere all around the globe. The assassination ...

Biden Tells Americans to "Cool it Down"

US President Joe Biden sought to calm a divided nation Sunday after his rival Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt, saying in a rare Oval Office address that it was time to lower the temperature of America's hostile politics. "It's time to cool it down. We all have a responsibility to do that," Biden said in a televised address ...

Biden Defiant on Campaign Trail but Pressure Mounts

A fired up Joe Biden again rejected speculation he would quit the US presidential race and tried to turn the spotlight on rival Donald Trump as he took his crisis-hit reelection bid back on the campaign trail Friday. But as he addressed a lively rally in the battleground state of Michigan, the drumbeat of Democrats urging the 81-year-old Biden to ...

Russian, US Defense Chiefs Discussed Lowering Escalation in Call

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin held a telephone call where they discussed lowering the risk of "possible escalation", the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. The call, which was initiated by Moscow, comes as tensions between the two sides flare over Washington's plan to deploy long-range missiles ...

Iranian Court Orders the US to Pay Damages for Patients

An Iranian court has ordered the United States to pay almost $6.8 billion in damages for the effect of sanctions on patients with a rare skin disease, the judiciary said. The International Court in Tehran ordered its foe the United States to pay $6.785 billion to patients with epidermolysis bullosa, a disorder that causes the skin to blister ...