• President-elect says let the US demonisation era end • Transition website, Twitter feed launched • Covid, economic recovery, racial equity, climate change priorities • Plan to name task force against virus today WASHINGTON: US President-elect Joe Biden began the transfer of power on Sunday that Americans hope would turn the page on four years of divisiveness as his defeated …

MINSK: Police detained more than 800 people in Belarus on Sunday during the latest in weeks of unprecedented demonstrations against strongman Alexander Lukashenko, as the opposition reached out to US president-elect Joe Biden. For three months running, tens of thousands have taken to the streets of Belarus on Sundays to protest against the disputed re-election of Lukashenko, who has been …

BANGKOK: Thai police used water cannon on Sunday against thousands of protesters marching to deliver a message to King Maha Vajiralongkorn to demand reforms to curb the powers of his monarchy and the removal of the government. It was only the second time water cannon had been used in months of largely peaceful protests to call for greater democracy and …

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday strove to bury differences with president-elect Joe Biden as he stressed the enduring UK-US alliance and a future partnership against climate change. Johnson’s hostile comments in the past about the Democratic administration of the former vice president and Barack Obama have come back to bite him as Biden prepares to take office …

JERUSALEM: Joe Biden’s US election win marks a setback for Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump — but it could spur renewed engagement between Washington and the Palestinians, experts said. Netanyahu said Trump was Israel’s strongest-ever ally in the White House, and the Republican advanced policies that delighted the Israeli prime minister’s right-wing base. Netanyahu …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia finally congratulated Joe Biden on Sunday on his election victory, more than 24 hours after he defeated Donald Trump, who had close personal ties with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The former US vice president pledged in his campaign to reassess ties with the kingdom, demanding more accountability over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at …

China declined Monday to congratulate Joe Biden as the winner of the US presidential election, saying the outcome of the vote was still to be determined. Democrat Biden clinched enough states to win the presidency but incumbent President Donald Trump has not conceded and is making legal challenges to the outcome of the November 3 election. “We noticed that Biden has declared …

US President-elect Joe Biden took the first steps on 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 …

LAHORE: A number of workers, civil society members and parliamentarians took out a protest rally on Sunday against massive price hike, rising unemployment and other issues people have been facing since the PTI-led government took over in August 2018. The protesters including a number of women gathered at the GPO intersection under the banner of Haqooq-i-Khalq movement. They, while carrying …

GILGIT: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz alleged on Sunday that the government had planned to rig Gilgit-Baltistan elections. “If the elections are rigged, we will not accept results,” she warned while addressing a public meeting organised by her party in Chilas, Diamer district. Ms Nawaz said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “days are numbered as his fake government …