The US is lifting long-standing restrictions on contacts between American and Taiwanese officials, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says. The “self-imposed restrictions” were introduced decades ago to “appease” the mainland Chinese government, which lays claim to the island, the US state department said in a statement. These rules are now “null and void”. The move […]
By Josh Smith, Cynthia Kim SEOUL (Reuters) – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for more advanced nuclear weapons and said the United States is “our biggest enemy,” state media said on Saturday, presenting a stark challenge to President-elect Joe Biden just days before he takes office. Washington’s hostile policies would not change regardless of who […]
US election 2020 Georgia’s top election official Brad Raffensperger has called President Donald Trump’s false claims that he won the state in 2020 “just plain wrong”. Mr Raffensperger’s comment came after Mr Trump pressured him in a phone call to “find” votes proving his win. Criticism of Mr Trump’s call has been widespread, with some […]
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange cannot be extradited to the United States, a court in London has ruled. The judge blocked the request because of concerns over Mr Assange’s mental health and risk of suicide in the US. Mr Assange, who is wanted over the publication of thousands of classified documents in 2010 and 2011, says […]
By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A new U.S. Congress convened on Sunday in an atmosphere of political uncertainty, with Senate control undecided, a smaller Democratic majority in the House of Representatives and a Republican fight looming over presidential election results. The House was due to vote on the re-election of California Democrat Nancy Pelosi as speaker, […]
By Reuters Staff WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States may seek to try in a U.S. court a man accused of killing American journalist Daniel Pearl after a Pakistani court ordered his release, acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said on Tuesday. Last week, a Pakistani court ordered the release of Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the […]
By Susan Cornwell, David Morgan WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate could pave the way for Congress to override President Donald Trump’s veto of a defense spending bill with a procedural vote on Wednesday, further raising tensions between the outgoing Republican president and party leaders. Trump has ramped up pressure on fellow Republicans to support his veto because […]
Agencies critical to US security have suffered “enormous damage” at the hands of the Trump administration, US President-elect Joe Biden has said. Mr Biden said his team was not getting the information it needed, including from the Department of Defense, as it makes its transition to power. He spoke after a briefing by national security […]
Coronavirus pandemic US President Donald Trump has signed into law a coronavirus relief and spending package bill, averting a partial government shutdown. Mr Trump had initially refused to sign the bill, saying he wanted to give people bigger one-off payments. The delay meant that millions of Americans temporarily lost unemployment benefits. The relief package worth […]
A parked camper van exploded in the US city of Nashville, Tennessee, early on Christmas morning, injuring three people and knocking out communications systems across the state. Possible human remains were later found near the blast site, US media report. Police believe the powerful blast was caused deliberately. Officers responding to reports of gunshots just […]
