French police increase COVID-19 lockdown checks in Paris

PARIS (Reuters) -- French police stepped up controls in Paris over the weekend to ensure residents were complying with strict lockdown rules imposed to curb the spread of COVID-19, amid signs that some people were breaching them. Prime Minister Jean Castex has said people are not abidingby the rules as strictly as during the first lockdown back inthe spring. Police had to break up an illegal party hosting up to 400 people at Joinville-Le-Pont near Paris early on Saturday. Under the lockdo

World NewsNov. 15, 2020

Trump loyalists mount last stand in Washington

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Thousands of die-hard Donald Trump supporters rallied for a last stand Saturday in Washington, chanting "four more years" and blaming fraud for an election defeat that will force the president to vacate the White House after just one term. Trump himself made a drive-past in his armored motorcade, on his way to play golf, smiling through his limousine window to wild cheers and signs saying "Best prez ever" and "Trump 2020: Keep America Great." &q

World NewsNov. 15, 2020

Obama says improved attitude toward US allowed 'robust sanctions' against N. Korea

WASHINGTON -- The United States was able to push through "robust" sanctions against North Korea by the UN Security Council in 2009 thanks to its improved relations with other countries, former US President Barack Obama said. In a new memoir, "A Promised Land," the former US president also said that his 2009 speech in Prague calling for a world free of nuclear weapons was partly aimed at urging efforts to prevent Iran and North Korea from further advancing their nuclear progr

World NewsNov. 15, 2020

Trump and Biden honor veterans separately

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden attended on Wednesday separate, simultaneous ceremonies marking Veterans Day, as what should have been a moment of national unity was marred by the Republican's refusal to acknowledge election defeat. On a rainy, gray day in Washington, the president visited Arlington National Cemetery for a somber wreath-laying ceremony, his first official appearance since the November 3 vote. He made no public remarks. At the same tim

World NewsNov. 12, 2020

Biden tells world leaders 'America is back' but Pompeo digs in

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- The leaders of close US allies on Tuesday telephoned President-elect Joe Biden and pledged to work together but in an extraordinary break, America's top diplomat Mike Pompeo insisted that Donald Trump would remain in power. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel all offered congratulations in calls to Biden, who a week earlier edged out Trump in the presidential election. "I'm letting them know that Am

World NewsNov. 11, 2020

[Graphic News] Half of S. Koreans expect no major change in inter-Korean ties due to Biden presidency: poll

　Nearly half of South Koreans believe that there will be no major impact on inter-Korean relations when US President-elect Joe Biden takes office early next year, a poll showed. 　In the Realmeter survey of 500 people aged 18 or older nationwide conducted Nov. 6 on prospects for Seoul-Pyongyang relations during Biden’s term, 48.8 percent said there would be “little difference.” 　Only 16.4 percent bet on an improvement in relations, while 26.5 percent said relations are lik

WorldNov. 11, 2020

Biden targets virus as transition begins

WILMINGTON (AP) -- President-elect Joe Biden signaled strongly on Monday that fighting the raging pandemic will be the immediate priority of his new administration, an abrupt shift from President Donald Trump’s more unworried approach to the virus, as the nation surpassed 10 million COVID-19 cases. Biden began with a direct appeal to all Americans to wear masks, a departure from Trump, who has mocked Biden and others who make a point of always wearing protective face coverings when a

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

Refusing to concede, Trump blocks cooperation on transition

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Trump administration threw the presidential transition into tumult on Monday, with President Donald Trump blocking government officials from cooperating with President-elect Joe Biden's team and Attorney General William Barr authorizing the Justice Department to probe unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. Some Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, rallied behind Trump's efforts to fight the election results. Few in the GOP acknowledged Bide

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

Trump election party draws scrutiny as guests test positive

WASHINGTON (AP) -- At least three top Trump administration or campaign officials have tested positive for COVID-19 after attending an election night watch party in the White House East Room. The night -- intended to mark a victory that never came -- has become yet another symbol of the president's cavalier attitude toward a virus that is ripping across the nation and infecting more than 100,000 people a day. Ben Carson, the secretary for housing and urban development, tested pos

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

[Newsmaker] Pfizer: COVID-19 vaccine looking 90% effective

Pfizer Inc. said Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine may be a remarkable 90 percent effective, based on early and incomplete test results that nevertheless brought a big burst of optimism to a world desperate for the means to finally bring the catastrophic outbreak under control. The announcement came less than a week after an election seen as a referendum on President Donald Trump's handling of the scourge, which has killed more than 1.2 million people worldwide, including almost a quarter-m

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

Biden highlights importance of wearing masks in first briefing as president-elect

WASHINGTON -- US President-elect Joe Biden stressed the importance of wearing masks in his first press conference since declaring his victory, insisting the simple act of wearing a mask may save tens of thousands of lives. The call came only hours after an American pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, said an early analysis of data from its coronavirus vaccine trial showed the vaccine to be more than 90 percent effective. "As you work toward a safe and effective vaccine, you know the single mo

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

Trump fires Defense Secretary Esper, names Miller as acting secretary

WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump on Monday replaced his defense chief, Mark Esper, with less than three months left in his presidency. "I am pleased to announce that Christopher C. Miller, the highly respected Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (unanimously confirmed by the Senate), will be Acting secretary of Defense, effectively immediately," Trump tweeted. "Chris will do a GREAT job! Mark Esper has been terminated. I would like to thank him for his servic

World NewsNov. 10, 2020

EU moves ahead with tariffs on US but hopes for Biden change

BRUSSELS (AP) -- The European Union pressed ahead Monday with plans to impose tariffs and other penalties on up to $4 billion worth of US goods and services over illegal American support for plane maker Boeing, but expressed hope that trade ties would improve once President Donald Trump leaves office. EU trade ministers were discussing the move on a videoconference after international arbitrators last month gave the EU, the world's biggest trade bloc, the green light to do so. A year ago, the

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

Hong Kong pro-democracy lawmakers threaten mass resignation

HONG KONG (AFP) -- Pro-democracy lawmakers in Hong Kong's legislature will resign "en masse" if Beijing's top law-making committee moves to disqualify four of their colleagues for violating the semi-autonomous city's Basic Law, the convener of the bloc said Monday. The threat came ahead of a meeting of one of China's top law-making bodies, with Hong Kong media reporting that it was considering disqualifying four of the semi-autonomous city's legislators. Hong Kong's democracy camp ha

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

Hungary set for partial lockdown as virus surges

BUDAPEST (AFP) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced Monday a partial lockdown aimed at curbing a surge in coronavirus deaths that has sparked predictions of overwhelmed hospitals. The measures, due to start Wednesday, include an extension of an existing night-time curfew, a ban on gatherings, and closures of bars, restaurants and cultural venues, Orban said in a Facebook video. Sporting events must be played behind closed doors, while secondary schools and universities must move

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

Trump, who never admits defeat, mulls how to keep up fight

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump never admits defeat. But he faces a stark choice now that Democrat Joe Biden has won the White House: Concede graciously for the sake of the nation or don't -- and get evicted anyway. After nearly four tortured days of counting yielded a victory for Biden, Trump was still insisting the race was not over. He threw out baseless allegations that the election wasn't fair and "illegal" votes were counted, promised a flurry of legal action and

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

[Newsmaker] Jill Biden: Chance to transform first lady's role

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- Jill Biden is no stranger to the glare of the political spotlight. Her husband has been a Washington insider since they wed in 1977, and she was America's second lady for eight years. But now that Joe Biden has won the White House, his 69-year-old wife will have the opportunity to push the role of first lady into the 21st century -- by keeping her full-time job as a professor. "Most American women have both a work life and a family life, but first ladies have never bee

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

Biden begins transition as Trump rages

WASHINGTON (AFP) -- US President-elect Joe Biden took the first steps Sunday towards moving into the White House in 73 days, as Donald Trump again refused to admit defeat and tried to sow doubt about the election results. With congratulations pouring in from world leaders and supporters nursing hangovers after a night of celebrations, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris announced they would receive a joint briefing Monday in Wilmington, Delaware from their transition Covid-19 advisory

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

[Contribution] Health communication and COVID-19 pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has changed all of our lives forever. Just a year ago, none of us would have thought that the world would have to face this unbelievable reality. Nonetheless, here we are, and we will learn to overcome this pandemic and move forward. While there have been concerted efforts to develop effective vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, there are other coordinated efforts required to successfully overcome the pandemic. For instance, we all have heard the term “inf

World NewsNov. 9, 2020

[Graphic News] Joe Biden: A life’s work in Washington

　A stalwart of American political life for decades, Joe Biden, 77, has experienced many ups and downs during his long career in Washington. But in the end he won the biggest prize of all - the presidency - after edging out President Donald Trump. (AFP)

WorldNov. 9, 2020