United states

WASHINGTON: North Korea's nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes are an urgent priority for the United States and Washington remains committed to denuclearisation of the country, the US State Department said on Friday (Feb 12). The Biden administration's lack of direct engagement with North Korea should not be seen as an indication that the challenge posed by its weapons programmes was not a priority, department spokesman Ned Price said. "It in fact very much is," he told a regular briefing. North Korea continued to make progress in its nuclear and missile programmes in recent years "which makes this an urgent priority for the United States and one that we are committed to addressing together with our allies and partners," Price said. "And ... the central premise is that we remain committed to denuclearisation of North Korea," he said. READ: North Korea's Kim lays out paths to take with South Korea, external affairs READ: Commentary: How will President … [Read more...] about US says North Korea an urgent priority for the United States

NEW YORK: A weather system already punishing the midwestern United States with the coldest temperatures of the winter was forecast to spin to the south and West on Wednesday (Feb 10), prompting ice storm warnings and likely hazardous travel conditions. The cell of arctic high pressure sitting over Canada that has driven temperatures some 20 or 30 degrees below normal in the U.S. Midwest and northern plains will bring even rougher weather as it moves into central and southern states, the National Weather Service said. "We have very cold air across Canada that will continue to funnel down into the central portion of the United States for the next several days," said meteorologist Lara Pagano of the weather service. "This is actually going to be a prolonged period of well below normal temperatures." Wind chill advisories have already been issued for northern U.S. states, including Montana and North Dakota. As temperatures drop further south and mix with moist air streaming … [Read more...] about Bitter cold and ice storms forecast for north, central United States

WASHINGTON: Democrat Joe Biden was on Wednesday (Jan 20) sworn in as the 46th President of the United States. With his hand on a five-inch thick heirloom Bible that has been in his family for more than a century, Biden took the oath of office administered by US Chief Justice John Roberts that binds the president to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States". Biden, 78, became the oldest US president in history at a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that was largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, due both to the coronavirus and security concerns following the Jan 6 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump . READ: 'Democracy has prevailed': Biden in first speech as US president The norm-defying Trump flouted one last convention on his way out of the White House when he refused to meet with Biden or attend his successor's inauguration, breaking with a political tradition seen as affirming the … [Read more...] about Joe Biden sworn in as 46th President of the United States

HARRISBURG: Pennsylvania: Law enforcement officers were out in force at state capitol grounds across the United States on Sunday (Jan 17) in preparation for protests that so far have drawn only a small number of Trump supporters who believe the president's false claim that the 2020 election was rigged. More than a dozen states have activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed demonstrations, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the US Capitol in Washington on Jan 6. Security officials had eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states. Capitals in battleground states, where Trump has directed his accusations of voter fraud, were on especially high alert. But by midday, only handfuls of demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside much larger crowds of law enforcement officers and … [Read more...] about US state capitals brace for violent protests as crowds remain thin

REUTERS: Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio wrote on Twitter on Sunday that the United States is still in a "terrible financial state" and remains "terribly divided", but added he liked what he heard from President Joe Biden at his inauguration. The hedge fund billionaire wrote that the question was whether the president and both parties in Congress would work together "for peace and prosperity that addresses the big wealth, values, and opportunity gaps we're now seeing." Dalio has previously criticised widening wealth gap and under-investment in public education in the United States, which he has linked to lower high school graduation rates, greater disparity in test scores, and lower teacher pay. … [Read more...] about Bridgewater’s Dalio sees US divided, in ‘terrible financial state’