United States passes one million Covid deaths
The US has passed more than one million Covid-related deaths, says the White House. President Joe Biden is ordering that flags be flown at half-staff to mark the milestone. It’s the highest official total in the world – although the World Health Organization believes the true death toll may be much higher elsewhere. The US…
Sherri Papini pleads guilty to kidnapping hoax that led to massive search
Sherri Papini, the California woman whose disappearance made national headlines and sparked a massive search before she reappeared on Thanksgiving day in 2016, pleaded guilty on Monday to faking her own kidnapping and lying to the FBI. The 39-year-old from Redding, in the state’s far north, did not offer any explanation for the elaborate hoax or why…
California university sues YouTubers who allegedly filmed disruptive pranks
A pair of YouTubers are facing a lawsuit and a restraining order after allegedly filming themselves disrupting classes at the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles and uploading footage of the staged pranks online. The University of Southern California sued Ernest Kanevsky and Yuguo Bai over the incidents, USC Annenberg Media reported last week. A judge granted…
Montana sheriff thanks searchers who found body of hiker believed killed by bear
A Montana sheriff has thanked a huge search and rescue mission, involving people on the ground as well as helicopters, that discovered a missing hiker who appears to have been killed by a grizzly bear north of Yellowstone national park. “We’re fortunate to have a group of experienced volunteers on our [search and rescue] team and we’re…
US could loosen some restrictions on prescribing opioids
The US could see loosened guidance around prescribing opioids, as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers relaxing some of its guidelines in a move that could signal a new direction for managing chronic pain. The CDC last Thursday released proposed changes to its guidance on prescribing opioids, rolling back limits on…
Federal judge rejects plea deal for Ahmaud Arbery’s murderers
A federal judge has rejected a plea deal that would have averted a hate crimes trial for two of the men convicted of murdering Ahmaud Arbery, the 25-year-old Black man who was chased by three white men and fatally shot in a Georgia neighborhood while he was jogging two years ago. US district Judge Lisa Godbey…
US weekend storm: snow and ice forecast as far south as Georgia
Forecasts of snow and ice as far south as Georgia have put a big part of the south-east of the US on an emergency preparedness footing. Shoppers scoured store shelves for storm supplies and crews raced to treat highways and roads as a major winter storm approached from the midwest. In Virginia, where a blizzard left thousands of…
Biden names aide Ron Klain, who led Ebola fight, as White House chief of staff
Issued on: 12/11/2020 – 03:12
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden appointed top Democratic official Ron Klain as his chief of staff and assistant to the president on Wednesday.
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Klain is one of Biden's closest confidants and first worked for the Democrat in 1989 when he was a U.S. senator. He was in charge of the Barack Obama administration's response to the Ebola health crisis in 2014, when Biden was vice president.
A fierce critic of Republican President Donald Trump's handling of the novel coronavirus pandemic, Klain was expected to be a key figure in Biden's response to the health crisis.
“Ron has been invaluable to me over the many years that we have worked together, including as we rescued the American economy from one of the worst downturns in our history in 2009 and later overcame a daunting public health emergency in 2014,” Biden said in a statement.
Klain said in a statement: “It's the honor of a lifetime to serve President-e..
US presidential election: A turbulent transfer of power
Issued on: 12/11/2020 – 11:33
Donald Trump is still refusing to concede the US presidential election, even though the results say Joe Biden is the clear winner. That means the Biden transition team is blocked from moving into federal office space or receiving government money to hire staff. If the president continues to dig in his heels, it could mean anything but a peaceful transfer of power. We take a closer look.
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Meanwhile, the Biden administration brings with it two unique spouses. Joe's wife, Dr. Jill Biden, will be the first First Lady to keep her full-time job. Kamala Harris's partner Douglas Emhoff will be the first ever Second Gentleman.
Finally, what are the rest of the Americas saying about the US presidential election? We bring you reactions ranging from hearty congratulations in Canada to almost no response in Mexico and Brazil.
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US government holds off enforcing ban on TikTok
Issued on: 13/11/2020 – 04:58
The US government announced Thursday it would delay enforcement of a ban on TikTok, saying it would comply with a court order in favor of the Chinese-owned social media sensation.
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The Trump administration has insisted on the need to ban the fast-growing app, saying it has links to the Chinese government through its parent company ByteDance, and that user data could be obtained by Beijing.
The hit short-form video app — which has some 100 million users in the US — was given a reprieve after the Commerce Department said it was holding off on banning it owing to an injunction by a federal judge issued on October 30.
“The department is complying with the terms of this order,” it said in a statement, adding that the ban “will not go into effect pending further legal developments.”
The government has launched an appeal against the judge's decision in the case, which was brought by TikTok influencers.
The White House has said..