Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The 900-billion-U.S.-dollar relief plan is up in the air over Christmas after House Republicans rejected President Donald Trump’s demand to raise direct payments to Americans. Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday blocked an attempt from House Democrats to raise the bill’s 600-dollar direct …
Read More »Iran refutes Trump’s allegation of Iran behind U.S. embassy attack in Baghdad
Tehran, Iran | Xinhua | The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Thursday dismissed as “baseless” U.S. President Donald Trump’s allegation that Iran was behind a recent attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iraq. “Such repeated, baseless, and fabricated allegations can be assessed in the framework of conventional White House projections aimed at …
Read More »U.S. Congress approves another stopgap funding bill as deal reached on COVID-19 relief
Washington, USA | THE INDEPENDENT | The U.S. Congress on Sunday passed another stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown and provide lawmakers more time to vote on the COVID-19 relief deal and long-term government funding. The House of Representatives on Sunday night approved a funding measure that will …
Read More »Trump says Attorney General Barr to step down as Electoral College seals Biden’s victory
Washington, USA | THE INDEPENDENT | U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on Monday evening that Attorney General Bill Barr will step down before Christmas. The news came just moments after Joe Biden officially surpassed 270 electoral votes needed to clinch the White House after California, which has 55 …
Read More »Trump’s legacy in Africa
And what to expect from Biden | Francis Owusu and Padraig Carmody | Donald Trump was propelled to the U.S. presidency by promising to rewrite globalisation rules. This included restricting trade when it directly hurt the U.S., clamping down on immigration, and reducing commitments to the global order. His administration’s …
Read More »Biden’s win in U.S. Georgia reaffirmed after statewide hand recount
Washington, US | Xinhua | Democrat Joe Biden’s win in southern U.S. state Georgia has been reaffirmed after the state completed its full hand recount, Georgia Secretary of State’s office said on Thursday. The audit of roughly 5 million votes found that the former vice president received 12,284 more votes than …
Read More »Trump calls on Congress to pass COVID-19 relief bill as cases surge
Washington, US | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday called for Congress to pass a “big and focused” COVID-19 relief bill as confirmed cases are surging across the country. “Congress must now do a Covid Relief Bill. Needs Democrats support. Make it big and focused. Get it done!” Trump …
Read More »TikTok granted 15-day extension to reach deal with U.S. buyers
Washington, US | Xinhua | Popular video-sharing app TikTok was granted by the U.S. government a 15-day extension to reach a deal with U.S. buyers, a federal court filing showed Friday. This means the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to reach a deal with Oracle and Walmart has …
Read More »Biden presidency good for African democracy – Analysts
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A Joe Biden Presidency in the United States will propel more aid towards Strengthening Democracy on the African continent, according to Ugandan political analysts. Biden defeated President Donald Trump in the November 3 election to become the 46th president of the United States of …
Read More »Trump’s ousting of Pentagon chief sends shockwaves through Washington
Washington, US | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly fired Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Monday, sending shockwaves through Washington. “Mark Esper has been terminated,” Trump tweeted. “I would like to thank him for his service.” The announcement came only days after a Pentagon spokesman said Esper “has no plans …
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