People
USA election: Donald Trump ally Michael Lindell reveals notes urging 'martial law'
A close adviser to US President Donald Trump has been spotted at the White House clutching a piece of paper that appeared to urge the most powerful man in the world to invoke " martial law ". White House officials told journalists Trump saw Lindell only for a few minutes and nothing came of the meeting, suggesting the President just blew him off. [Full Article...]
Biden unveils plan to speed U.S. COVID-19 vaccine rollout
An administration official said states have still not ordered all of the doses allocated to them, and called it a problem with states' expectations. On Friday, incoming White House communications chief Jen Psaki tweeted that Bechara Choucai, chief health officer at Kaiser Permanente, would run point on vaccine rollout efforts. [Full Article...]
United Kingdom bans travel from South America over fears of Brazil coronavirus variant
United Kingdom transport secretary Grant Shapps described the ban as a "precautionary" move to ensure the vaccination programme rolling out across the United Kingdom was not disrupted by new variants of the virus. Portugal has also been banned because of its travel links with Brazil. Mr Shapps was also forced to defend the delay in requiring negative tests from travellers before they head to the... [Full Article...]
US reduces troop numbers in Afghanistan ahead of transfer of power
The Pentagon on Friday confirmed that USA troops in Afghanistan and Iraq had reduced to 2,500 respectively. The US military troops in Afghanistan and Iraq are at its lowest with 2,500 each in about two decades since the war started, the Pentagon announced on Friday . [Full Article...]
United Nations watchdog confirms another Iranian breach of nuclear deal
Tehran wants to avoid a "grand bargain" negotiation that includes issues unrelated to Iran's nuclear program, said Clément Therme, a research fellow at Sciences Po, a political science institute in Paris. Last week, Iran said it had resumed enrichment of uranium to 20% purity. A decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago almost triggered an Israeli strike targeting Iran's nuclear f... [Full Article...]
Russian Federation to withdraw from Open Skies Treaty
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/mco/L45FFJPNVRAS5FR72274SGHUUA.jpg)
When the procedures are completed, Moscow will send a notification to depositories. The United Kingdom and Germany have already expressed regret over Russian plans to leave the treaty. Leonid Slutsky, head of the foreign affairs committee in the lower house of the Russian parliament, said Friday that Russia is willing to reverse its decision to pull out of the Open Skies Treaty if the US rejoin... [Full Article...]
Laschet succeeds Merkel as German CDU party leader
He didn't address his plans at Saturday's convention . He governs the region in a coalition with the pro-business Free Democrats, the CDU's traditional ally on the right, but would likely be able to work smoothly with a more liberal partner, too. [Full Article...]
Alabama now sending 750 National Guard soldiers to Joe Biden inauguration
The task is to "protect lives, preserve property, protect critical infrastructure, and the right to peacefully assemble", according to a news release. I couldn't be more proud of our men and women to be a part of an event that supports the peaceful transition of power and ensures the safety and well-being of our fellow Americans, especially as we balance the needs of our state response effort here... [Full Article...]