America
The death of New York's only African mayor
Reuters reported that David Denkins, who served as Mayor of New York in the 1990s and was the first and only mayor of African descent for the city, died Monday November 23, 2020 at the age of 93. NBC New York and the New York Post quoted sources as saying that a medical assistant to Dinkins had f
Pennsylvania governor announces ratification of results in favor of Biden
Pennsylvania has ratified the 2020 election results, and the governor has signed the Voter Confirmation Certificate for Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The governor of Pennsylvania said that the state approved the results of the November 3 elections, to put the fi
Early next year … Ecuador plans to vaccinate at least 9 million people against Corona
Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno said Monday, 23 November 2020, that at least 9 million people in Ecuador will be vaccinated against Covid-19, early next year. The president added during a radio program, accompanied by Health Minister Juan Carlos Zefalos, that "we will be able to vaccinate 30,00
Biden breaks a record and gets more than 80 million votes
US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris broke a record by winning more than 80 million votes in the elections that took place on November 4th. According to US media, Biden surpassed former US President Barack Obama by more than 10 million votes. Obama rece
Biden picks Cuban-American lawyer Mayorkas as U.S. homeland security chief
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will nominate Alejandro Mayorkas to become U.S. secretary of homeland security, Biden’s transition team said on Monday, entrusting the Cuban immigrant to help reverse outgoing President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policies. Mayorkas, a former fe
Biden to choose ex-Fed chair Yellen as first woman Treasury secretary, allies say
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden is expected to tap former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as U.S. Treasury Secretary, according to two Democratic allies. A spokesman for Biden’s campaign declined to comment. Yellen, reached by phone, also declined to comment. Yellen, 74, would be
Blinken is President-Elect's Pick as Secretary of State, Says Biden Ally
Joe Biden will pick Antony Blinken as US secretary of state, a person close to the president-elect’s transition said on Sunday, elevating one of his most seasoned and trusted aides. Blinken is a longtime Biden confidant who served as No. 2 at the State Department and as deputy national secu
Canada's Biggest City Enters Virus Lockdown
Canada's Toronto entered lockdown on Monday in the latest bid to curb coronavirus infections, with case numbers surging across North America even as US officials said vaccinations could be available within weeks. Encouraging results from several vaccine trials have raised hopes of a decisive shif
Mexican president urges G20 to avoid debt, bailouts in pandemic
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Saturday urged fellow leaders from the 20 biggest world economies (G20) to steer clear of debt and bailouts in the efforts to handle the COVID-19 crisis that has caused a global recession. From the start of the pandemic, which has claimed at least
Protesters set fire to Guatemala's Congress in protests over 2021 budget
Thousands of people on Saturday staged the biggest protest yet against Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, with some setting fire to Congress, fuelled by anger over cuts in the 2021 budget just as the country reels from back to back storms. Waving Guatemalan flags and signs declaring &ldqu
US formally pulls out of Open Skies Treaty
The US has formally pulled out of the Open Skies Treaty, the State Department said Sunday, six months after President Donald Trump announced his decision. "On May 22, 2020, the United States exercised its right pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article XV of the Treaty on Open Skies by providing notice
Republican senator Pat Toomey congratulates Biden on election win
A Pennsylvania judge on Saturday threw out US President Donald Trump's claims of widespread electoral fraud there, dealing a new blow to the Republican's bid to overturn his loss in the presidential election. The Pennsylvania court ruling prompted Pat Toomey, a Republican senator from the state,
Donald Trump's Pennsylvania lawsuit thrown out with a stern rebuke
President Donald Trump faced a new setback on Saturday in his desperate bid to overturn the US election as a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by his campaign that sought to throw out millions of mail-in votes in Pennsylvania. US District Court Judge Matthew Brann ruled that Mr Trump's camp
US Extends Iraq Sanctions Waiver Until Before Biden Inauguration
Washington has granted Iraq a shortened 45-day sanctions waiver to import Iranian gas that will expire days before US President Donald Trump's term ends, an Iraqi official said Saturday. Baghdad buys gas and electricity from Tehran to supply about a third of its power sector, worn down by years o
Outrage in Brazil After Black Man Beaten to Death
More than 1,000 demonstrators attacked a Carrefour Brasil supermarket in the southern Brazilian city of Porto Alegre on Friday after security guards beat to death a Black man at the store. The killing, which has sparked protests across Brazil, occurred late on Thursday when a store employee calle
US Nears 12 Million COVID-19 Cases ahead of Thanksgiving Holiday
The number of COVID-19 cases in the United States was on track to surpass 12 million on Saturday, just days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday that health experts have warned could fuel the surging spread of infection around the country. The milestone marks a worsening of the country’s COVID
Trump challenge to his election victory is ‘totally irresponsible’: Biden
Donald Trump Jr., the son of U.S. President Donald Trump, tested positive for COVID-19 this week, although he is experiencing no symptoms, according to his spokesman. Trump Jr. tested positive at the start of the week and has been “quarantining at his cabin since the result,” the spok
Two weeks after Biden named President-elect, Trump faces stinging setbacks
Joe Biden on Saturday reached the two-week mark since becoming president-elect, with President Donald Trump stinging from back-to-back setbacks in his desperate, unprecedented bid to undo his election defeat. Biden, a Democrat, is preparing to take office on Jan. 20, but Trump, a Republican, has
