The 9/11 anniversary commemoration at ground zero has begun with a tolling bell and a moment of silence, exactly 20 years after the start of the deadliest terror attack on US soil. President Joe Biden, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, members of Congress, and other dignitaries joined a …
Read More »Trump slams Afghan withdrawal on anniversary of 9/11 attacks
Former US President Donald Trump used the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to slam the “inept administration” of Joe Biden for its “incompetence” over the Afghan withdrawal in a video message on Saturday. “This is a very sad day,” Trump said in the message, adding that September 11 “represents …
Read More »Biden vaccine mandates: Republicans angry, business groups muted
Republicans on Friday vowed to fight U.S. President Joe Biden’s new vaccine mandate covering big companies and federal employees, but business groups that often agree with them on issues like taxes are not joining in. The mandate, which the White House says would cover 100 million U.S. workers and applies …
Read More »Biden talks to Xi as US-China relationship grows more fraught
US President Joe Biden spoke with China’s Xi Jinping on Thursday amid growing frustration on the American side that high-level engagement between the two leaders’ top advisers has been largely unfruitful in the early going of the Biden presidency. Biden initiated the call with Xi, the second between the two …
Read More »Biden to make vaccines MANDATORY for federal workers, with no option for regular testing — reports
US President Joe Biden has signed an executive order requiring all federal workers and contractors to be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to multiple reports. The order is one of several measures Biden is expected to announce. Biden signed the order on Thursday, hours before he was due to give a …
Read More »Biden to deliver six-step plan on US response to COVID-19 pandemic
US President Joe Biden on Thursday will outline new approaches to control the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, which rages on despite the wide availability of vaccines. In a speech, Biden will focus on six areas, including new plans to get more people vaccinated, enhancing protection for those who already …
Read More »North Korea appears to stage night-time military parade -media
North Korea appears to have staged a night-time military parade of a type it has used in the past to unveil new military hardware including large ballistic missiles, South Korea and other media focused on the country reported on Thursday. South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said the parade appeared to …
Read More »Treasury Reiterates Warning US Government Could Run Out of Money to Service Debt By October
The US government could run out of money as early as next month to service its debt, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Wednesday, reiterating her warning that emergency measures put in place to raise cash could be exhausted soon. “Given this uncertainty, the Treasury Department is not able to …
Read More »US Secretary Blinken to testify in front of Senate committee on Afghanistan
Republicans and Democrats have criticized the embarrassing manner in which the US abruptly vacated a key airbase and withdrew its military forces at the direction of Biden. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will appear in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week to testify and be questioned …
Read More »Four Americans Leave Afghanistan by Land in First Departures Since US Pullout
Four Americans left Afghanistan by land on Monday with Taliban knowledge in the first departures arranged by the US government since its military pullout, a US official said. The four US citizens left by land and were greeted by American diplomats, said a senior official, without specifying to which country …
Read More »Hurricane Ida toll rises with more nursing home deaths in Louisiana
Hurricane Ida’s death toll rose on Saturday, nearly a week after making landfall in Louisiana, with two more evacuated nursing home residents among the confirmed dead, authorities said. Northeastern states started the Labor Day holiday weekend digging through debris left by the deadly deluge that killed more than 44 people …
Read More »Poll: Biden shedding support from independent voters as Delta variant spreads
US President Joe Biden is shedding support from independents, a crucial voting bloc that helped Democrats win the White House and Congress last year, as a resurgence of COVID-19 cases slows the country’s return to normal from the pandemic, Reuters/Ipsos polling shows. The drop in support comes at a precarious …
Read More »90 Afghan civilians, 13 US service members killed in Kabul attack claimed by Daesh; US vows to retaliate
Scores of Afghan civilians and at least 13 members of the US military have been killed and many more injured in the Kabul suicide bombing attacks claimed by the Daesh terrorist group. Two explosions rattled the area outside the airport in the Afghan capital on Thursday amid the precarious security …
Read More »Democrats urge Biden to fight restart of Trump immigration policy
Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates pressed President Joe Biden on Wednesday to take new steps to end an immigration policy begun by his predecessor Donald Trump after the top U.S. court ordered that the “remain in Mexico” program be reinstated. The policy put in place by Trump, a Republican, forced …
Read More »France, Germany to join London’s call to extend withdrawal from Afghanistan — report
Earlier reports suggested that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will personally ask US President Joe Biden to prolong the withdrawal deadline past August 31 France and Germany intend to fight to prolong the deadline for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan during the G7 online meeting, CNN reported Monday …
Read More »Democratic infighting imperils Biden’s $5 trln in US spending plans
A dispute between progressive and centrist factions of the Democratic party has threatened passage of President Joe Biden’s nearly $5 trillion in spending plans for the United States, as Congress nears a key vote on the measures Monday. Biden’s Democratic allies controlling the House and Senate have for months been …
Read More »No new govt in Afghanistan until last US soldier leave: Taliban sources
The Taliban will not announce the makeup of its government until the US completes its troop withdrawal, two sources in the movement told AFP Monday. “It has been decided that the formation of the government and cabinet will not be announced as long as a single US soldier is present …
Read More »Jordan to allow 2,500 Afghans to transit on evacuation flights to US: Ministry
Jordan has agreed to allow 2,500 Afghan citizens to pass through the kingdom as they fly to the US, the foreign ministry said on Monday. It did not say when the arrangement, agreed with Washington on humanitarian grounds, would come into force. Thousands of Afghans and foreigners have thronged the …
Read More »Al-Qaeda Not ‘Gone’ From Afghanistan Despite Biden’s Claims: Blinken
On Friday, US President Joe Biden questioned a rationale for staying in Afghanistan amid a barrage of criticism towards the West’s hasty withdrawal from the country that resulted in the Taliban’s takeover. “What interest do we have in Afghanistan at this point with al Qaeda gone?” the president said, raising …
Read More »Nikki Haley faults Biden for “embarrassing failure” in Afghanistan
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley blamed President Biden for the chaos in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of the country, calling it an “embarrassing failure” of the U.S. government. “They’re not negotiating with the Taliban, they’ve completely surrendered to the Taliban. They surrendered Bagram Air Force …
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