Iran's supreme leader vows revenge over slain scientist

TEHRAN (AP) -- Iran's supreme leader on Saturday demanded the "definitive punishment" of those behind the killing of a scientist who led Tehran's disbanded military nuclear program, as the Islamic Republic blamed Israel for a slaying that has raised fears of reignited tensions across the Middle East. After years of being in the shadows, the image of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh suddenly was to be seen everywhere in Iranian media, as his widow spoke on state television and officials publicl

Nov. 29, 2020

Recent signing of RCEP suggests need for US reentry into TPP: CRS report

WASHINGTON -- The recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) by South Korea and 14 other countries in Asia reinforces the need for the United States to sign a similar deal in the region, a report suggested Wednesday. The report from the Congressional Research Service also suggested the US may have to consider reentering the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement to protect its interests in the region. "Some Members of Congress and analysts saw TPP as an op

Nov. 26, 2020

[Newsmaker] Biden Cabinet picks prioritizes experience

NEW YORK (AP) -- Competence is making a comeback. President-elect Joe Biden has prized staying power over star power when making his first wave of Cabinet picks and choices for White House staff, with a premium placed on government experience and proficiency as he looks to rebuild a depleted and demoralized federal bureaucracy. With an eye in part toward making selections who may have to seek approval from a Republican-controlled Senate, Biden has prioritized choosing qualified professionals wh

Nov. 25, 2020

[Newsmaker] What is it like to take part in a vaccine trial?

MIAMI (AFP) -- A key facet of the global mad scramble by Pfizer, Moderna and other pharma groups to develop a viable coronavirus vaccine is the recruitment of tens of thousands of volunteers willing to participate in clinical trials. Agence France-Presse’s correspondent in Miami, Leila Macor, took part in such a trial organized by US biotech firm Moderna, which announced Monday that its experimental vaccine was nearly 95 percent effective. Why did Macor, who suffers from asthma, decide t

Nov. 25, 2020

Biden introduces security team 'ready to lead the world'

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President-elect Joe Biden introduced Tuesday a seasoned national security team he said was prepared to resume US leadership of the world after the departure of President Donald Trump. "It's a team that will keep our country and our people safe and secure," Biden said, introducing his picks for secretary of state, national security advisor, intelligence chief, and other key cabinet jobs. "It's a team that reflects the fact that America is back. Ready to lea

Nov. 25, 2020

Biden transition OK'd to start as Trump runs out of options

WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government recognized President-elect Joe Biden as the “apparent winner” of the Nov. 3 election, formally starting the transition of power after President Donald Trump spent weeks testing the boundaries of American democracy. Trump relented after suffering yet more legal and procedural defeats in his seemingly futile effort to overturn the election with baseless claims of fraud. Trump still refused to concede and vowed to continue to fight in

Nov. 24, 2020

EU announces latest vaccine contract with Moderna

BRUSSELS (AFP) - The EU said Tuesday it would sign a sixth contract for an upcoming coronavirus vaccine, this time for up to 160 million doses of a jab developed by US firm Moderna. “According to the results of clinical trials, this vaccine could be highly effective against Covid-19,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Once the vaccine is indeed proven as safe and effective, every member state will receive it at the same time on a pro rata basis,”

Nov. 24, 2020

GSA ascertains Joe Biden as apparent winner of US election: transition team

WASHINGTON -- The US General Services Administration (GSA) on Monday ascertained Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, as the apparent winners of the US presidential election, Biden's transition team said. "The GSA Administrator has ascertained President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the apparent winners of the election, providing the incoming administration with the resources and support necessary to carry out a smooth and peaceful transfer of power,&q

Nov. 24, 2020

Americans defy virus guidelines for high-risk Thanksgiving

NEW YORK (AFP) -- Busy airports and serpentine queues at testing sites: many Americans plan to celebrate Thanksgiving with extended family Thursday despite authorities warning they risk exacerbating the coronavirus pandemic engulfing the country. Stopping short of issuing an outright ban, the US government's health protection agency has for the first time called on Americans not to travel for the annual holiday, which sees families get together over turkey, yams and cranberry sauce and for many

Nov. 24, 2020

Biden names Antony Blinken as new secretary of state

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden on Monday tapped former Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken to be his first secretary of state in a pre-inauguration nomination of five other top security officials that included national security adviser. Jake Sullivan, a senior policy adviser to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, was tapped the new national security adviser, while Alejandro Mayorkas, former deputy secretary of homeland security, was named the new head of the Department o

Nov. 24, 2020

US hopes to start virus vaccines in December

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The United States hopes to begin coronavirus vaccinations in early December, a top government health official said Sunday, the latest positive news to emerge even as cases surge across the worst-hit nation and elsewhere around the globe. The beginning of vaccinations could be a crucial shift in the battle against a virus that has claimed more than 1.4 million lives worldwide, including 255,000 just in the US, since emerging from China late last year. Encouraging results fro

Nov. 23, 2020

Dealings possible with US despite 'crimes,' Iran says

TEHRAN -- The "crimes" committed by the United States against Iran do not prevent "carefully considered" exchanges from taking place, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said Sunday. "The future of relations between Iran and the United States is not simple," Saeed Khatibzadeh acknowledged at a press conference in Tehran, as President Hassan Rouhani's government makes signs of apparent overtures to US president-elect Joe Biden. "The United States has committed

Nov. 22, 2020

Trump hit with new blow in bid to overturn vote results

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- A Pennsylvania judge on Saturday threw out Donald Trump's claims of widespread electoral fraud there, dealing a new blow to the Republican's bid to overturn his loss in the US presidential election. The decision -- announced in a scathing judgment which excoriated the Trump team's legal strategy -- paves the way for Pennsylvania to certify Democrat Joe Biden's victory there, which is scheduled to take place Monday. With the clock ticking down to Biden's January 20 inaugura

Nov. 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] G-20 leaders urge united response to virus

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- The Group of 20 summit opened on Saturday with appeals by the world's most powerful leaders to collectively chart a way forward as the coronavirus pandemic overshadows this year's gathering, transforming it from in-person meetings to a virtual gathering of speeches and declarations. The pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.37 million lives worldwide, has offered the G-20 an opportunity to prove how such bodies can facilitate international cooperation in c

Nov. 22, 2020

[Newsmaker] Judge throws out Trump bid to stop PA vote certification

Pennsylvania officials can certify election results that currently show Democrat Joe Biden winning the state by more than 80,000 votes, a federal judge ruled Saturday, dealing President Donald Trump's campaign another blow in its effort to invalidate the election. US District Judge Matthew Brann in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, turned down the request for an injunction by Trump's campaign. In his ruling, Brann said the Trump campaign presented "strained legal arguments without merit and spec

Nov. 22, 2020

Trump's son Don Jr positive for Covid-19: spokesman

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr has tested positive for Covid-19 and has been quarantining without symptoms, a spokesman said Friday. "Don tested positive at the start of the week and has been quarantining out at his cabin since the result," his spokesman said. "He's been completely asymptomatic so far and is following all medically recommended COVID-19 guidelines," the spokesman said of the 42-year-old. Trump Jr's positive test follow

Nov. 21, 2020

Pfizer ends COVID-19 trial with 95% efficacy, to seek emergency-use authorization

Pfizer said Wednesday that final results from the late-stage trial of its COVID-19 vaccine show it was 95 percent effective, adding it had the required two-months of safety data and would apply for emergency US authorization within days. The drugmaker said efficacy of the vaccine developed with German partner BioNTech SE was consistent across age and ethnicity demographics, and that there were no major side effects, a sign that the immunization could be employed broadly around the world.

Nov. 18, 2020

US to slash troop levels in Iraq, Afghanistan

WASHINGTON -- The US will slash troop levels in Afghanistan and Iraq to their lowest levels in nearly 20 years of war after President Donald Trump pledged to end conflicts abroad, the Pentagon announced Tuesday. Rejecting concerns that precipitous drawdowns could give up all the US has fought for, Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller said around 2,000 troops would be pulled from Afghanistan by January 15. Five hundred more would come back from Iraq by the same date, leaving 2,500 in each coun

Nov. 18, 2020

Moderna's vaccine breakthrough lifts global hopes

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Global hopes of vanquishing the coronavirus pandemic were boosted Monday after a vaccine was found to be nearly 95 percent effective in a trial, bringing much-needed optimism amid surging infections and grueling new restrictions. The news from the US biotech firm Moderna comes after similar results were announced last week for a vaccine candidate developed by pharma giant Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech. Major stock markets surged Monday in response, building on a bo

Nov. 17, 2020

Trump seems to acknowledge Biden win, but he won't concede

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to acknowledge for the first time that Joe Biden won the White House, but made clear he would not concede and would keep trying to overturn the election result. Trump’s statements came in tweets that included several baseless claims about the Nov. 3 vote, which state and federal officials say was safe and secure. Trump, without using Biden’s name, tweeted that “He won,” something Trump had not said before

Nov. 16, 2020